It’s the end of November, time for me to think about and share with you some of the things I’ve been loving this month. Check out what’s on my favorites list from fashion to beauty to food as we head into the holidays and take a moment to give thanks. Watch the video below and be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more videos.
Where to check out and purchase* the items mentioned in this video:
The holiday season is upon us and for many of you, that means travel time. Whether you are taking some time off to visit an exotic location or going to visit family, packing is always a daunting task. I’ve been lucky enough to have done a lot of traveling domestically and in Europe, so I’ve learned a few packing tricks – especially for all those beauty products! – to make the experience a little smoother. Check out my video of packing tips:
Where to buy* some of the items featured in this video: Travel Bottle Set
Pinup model Bettie Page has been both an icon and a mystery. The now legendary image of a smiling young girl with long, stark black hair, blunt bangs, red lips, dancing blue eyes and gorgeous figure captured people’s imagination and turned men on since she began modeling in New York in the 1950s.
But, during what seemed to be the peak of her popularity as a model, Bettie disappeared. Over the next few decades, the images of her as a sexy siren, a carefree beach bunny and naughty dominatrix grew to iconic proportions.
But where was Bettie? The documentary film, “Bettie Page Reveals All” finally traces the long hard road Bettie took to become a pinup model, her fall from grace, and return to the spotlight.
The film features a wealth of images and footage of Bettie’s modeling days. You find yourself never tiring of looking at her; she’s so captivating. Miraculously told in the voice of Bettie herself, the filmmakers were able to have the pinup queen narrate her own true story throughout most of the film. We don’t see images of her as an older woman because she wanted people to remember her as she was, but we hear her emotions as she tells her tale with surprising candor. While it’s hard to imagine some of the experiences this beautiful, beloved woman went through, it’s almost a relief to know the story does have a happy ending. Bettie Page passed away in December 2008 at age 85 knowing of her legendary status.
“Bettie Page Reveals All,” directed by Academy Award® nominee, Mark Mori, opens in New York Nov. 22, LA Nov. 29 and in other select cities starting Dec. 6. See the website for locations and more details on the film. It is a must-see for any fan of hers and pinup culture.
On a personal note, I was lucky enough to meet Bettie in person near the end of her life when she was doing some publicity events. I was an editor at the Los Angeles Times and I assisted with an online chat with her hosted by CitySearch. I got to escort her from her car up to the offices and be there while she answered questions coming in from the chat boards. I can tell you, even in her older years, she was still beautiful. Though her figure was a little rounder, she still wore her signature red lipstick and her hair, though grey, was still in her famous blunt bangs. Meeting her is one of my most cherished memories. Seeing this film brought me back to that moment and I got to know more about Bettie than ever. She is forever an icon!
Pinup power!
Kastle
Black & white Bettie photo courtesy of “Bettie Page Reveals All” publicity. Color photo of Bettie from CMG Worldwide, Jan Arkesteijn via Wikimedia Commons
Every year I’ve been lucky enough to take one big vacation to a new place in the world that opens my eyes to new cultures. This year it was Buenos Aires, Argentina.
My boyfriend and I flew down to the “Paris” of South America for a week as the city was headed for springtime, but not before a week of cold and rainy weather. Here’s what we found:
The City
While Buenos Aires is considered akin to a European city, I found it to be much more like New York. It has a very urban feel. Once elegant buildings with gorgeous wrought iron balconies and arched windows have given way to the decay of time and sadly, layer upon layer of graffiti throughout the city, though we found a few walls with more colorful, artistic murals. It’s bustling with people, jammed with traffic and it’s easier to get around by foot than by cab – and watch out for those cabbies, we got ripped off by a couple of them.
The Shopping
If you go to Buenos Aires, expect to shop. We stayed in the stylish Palermo Soho district, which is lined with boutique of designer stores, street fashion and fancy, pop culture knick knacks. Now after eating all that steak, they make use of their resources and offer some of the finest leather at fantastic prices. We also really enjoyed the huge market of San Telmo, filled with artisans making amazing knick-knacks. I picked up purse made from 45 records and a beautiful little stiletto shoe sculpture made of leather scraps constructed like paper mache.
I came upon the Silvia Y. Mario Leather Factory, where the sales people took great care in fitting me with a custom made jacket made from the leather of my choosing – so soft and tailored, I feel like Cat Woman every time I put it on! And later I picked up some fabulous tango shoes at an exclusive little boutique called Comme Il Faut.
See the video of my shopping highlights of the city:
The Culture
The stylish shadow of Evita, Argentina’s long-loved, ill-fated first lady is still everywhere. We ate our first meal at the Evita Restaurant. We later visited the Evita Museum dedicated to her memory, where the best part for me was the multiple display cases of her gorgeous clothes. She was a fashionable one, believing having a well-coifed, glamorous image served as an inspiration to her people. Thus loads of beautiful designer vintage clothes are a big highlight of the museum. We also visited her final resting place in what has to be one of the most stunning cemeteries in the world, the Cementerio Recoleta, filled with sky-high mausoleums of Argentina’s most rich and famous.
The city’s culture also focuses on food – it’s steak and more steak of the finest cut. When we weren’t eating steak we had scrumptious empanadas and oh, wait for it, the sweet, decadent deliciousness of Dolce De Leche. Yes, I brought home TWO jars! Yum!
Buenos Aires is known for the tango, however we didn’t find as much as we hoped. It seems it’s a pastime for only the most dedicated and a way to lure tourists into fancy Vegas-style shows. We opted for the more intimate and historical venue of Café Tortoni and though we missed the tango lessons at the equally famous Confiteria La Ideal we instead caught the fantastically fun show by Sergio Pangaro who reminded me of a cross between El Vez and Dean Martin with a groovy big band and ’60s-style, go-go backup singer/dancers. I could see them being popular in LA. Here’s a sample:
If you dye your hair, you know the constant race to keep up with your roots coming in. With our busy lives, sometimes we just don’t have time to hit the salon or do an at-home dye job every six weeks, which is usually when your roots start to make themselves obvious.
So here are some quick and easy ways to cover them up!
I love dressing in vintage. The fabric and the styles of the clothes from past eras just seem so much more interesting and beautiful to me than what you find off the racks in the malls. My favorite eras are 1940s-1960s, when pinup ruled pop culture with their sexy silhouettes and glamorous makeup. Here I styled a 1950’s look from my closet. The dress, purse and bracelet are vintage. I call this my Betty Draper outfit because it reminds of the character on Mad Men.
Purse pictured here from Maxine’s Antiques in Los Angeles. She offers her massive collection at Helm’s Design District vintage events. See dates on Eventbrite.
Health and fitness play a big role in my life. I have a pretty active schedule and I can’t do it if I don’t take care of myself. Plus, you wanna look good, right? I recently went through a little transformation of my workout routine (which I’ll share in a future blog) and my diet. I wanted to share a bit of what I learned and some good snacking options if you are looking for healthy alternatives or are on a low carb /low sugar /high protein diet like me.
Check out my Whole Foods haul video to find out what I like to snack on:
Here are links for more details on each product and where to purchase online if you can’t find it in your local store.
Finding the perfect makeup foundation is always a challenge. It has to be right for your skin tone, your skin type and perform in the way you want – giving you the desired amount of coverage and lasting through a long work day or dancing the night away.
And now, with Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, we all have cameras pointed at us all the time, so we need to be camera-ready just like a model or actress. The current focus is on HD Makeup – high definition beauty products, so the camera doesn’t pick up that you’re wearing makeup.
With so many expectations in one little bottle, how to do you know which ones work? I’m here to share the ones that work for me. Check out my video review of the best makeup foundations:
Loving this patent leather, ultra pointy-toed stiletto with red trim detail and simple buttoned strap. Meet “Scholar” from Charles David.
I could see these women’s shoes taking me from an important work meeting to a vintage outfit at night. A classic that will never go out of style. Perfect for fall outfits!
These heels were made for statement making,
Kastle
Have you been loving the nail art trend but just don’t have the time (or like me, the skill!) to do it yourself? Then press-on nails are for you! Find out how to apply press-on nails for a flawless manicure or easy nail art in this quick tutorial video. You’ll also learn how to remove them properly – hint, you don’t just rip them off your fingers!
How to Apply and Remove Press-On Nails
Nails featured in the video, Heartbreaker from the House of Holland Collection
It’s the end of November, time for me to think about and share with you some of the things I’ve been loving this month. Check out what’s on my favorites list from fashion to beauty to food as we head into the holidays and take a moment to give thanks. Watch the video below and be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more videos.
