Posts from — February 2011

I apologize for this (and several posts) coming up, but I am planning a trip to Hawaii in May so I have warm weather and summer on the brain. My trip isn’t until May, but you can’t start planning your outfits too early, right? Here are a few bathing suits I have my eye on and hope to pick up before I head to the islands.

Love how pieced together this looks. Victoria’s Secret, $66. (photo from victoriassecret.com)

Nothing says “summer” more than yellow. Target, $14.99 top, $14.99 bottom. (photo from target.com)

A fun play on a one piece suit. Betsey Johnson suit from Nordstrom, $168. (photo from nordstrom.com)

Nautical colors with a cute little skirt. Victoria’s Secret, $70. (photo from victoriassecret.com)

One of my favorite colors! Old Navy bikini, $19.50 top, $19.50 bottom. (photo from oldnavy.com)

Believe it or not, New York Fashion Week for Fall/Winter 2011 is over today! While I haven’t seen all of the shows and photos, I can safely say that I like what I’m seeing waltz down the runways. Many different materials and prints were used by many different designers, which helps perk up some classic silhouettes. Here are a few of my favorite looks so far!

MICHAEL KORS

Sheer and sequins are a win if you ask me.

VICTORIA BECKHAM

Everyone needs a bright red coat with a matching bag. Love the buckle on the collar!

OSCAR de la RENTA

A classic cut dress made new with a great pattern (which just screams fall to me) and some different layering on the bottom.

This should be Tina Fey’s choice for the Academy Awards if you ask me.

MARC by MARC JACOBS

The mixture of textures here is fantastic!

RODARTE

Very prairie chic.

CHRIS BENZ

Incredibly feminine, love the maxi dress with long sleeves. I could totally see Florence Welch from Florence + the Machine ROCKING this.

HERVÉ LEGÉR BY MAX AZRIA

Perfect cocktail dresses.

ALTHEA HARPER

Lace EVERYWHERE. (Photo from my collection. For more about Althea Harper’s collection, see my review here!)

What are your favorite looks from fashion week?

Photos: all photos from style.com unless otherwise noted.

My first memories of Lancôme go way back to when I was a little girl. My mother used to wear Lancôme makeup religiously, and my sister and I always got to play with whatever gift with purchase she would get. Looking back, I not only remember dabbling in the different eye shadows and various lipsticks we accumulated, but I remember the colors as very classic, neutral, and muted.

That’s all changed now.

I was lucky enough to attend Lancôme’s first Open Studio Sunday, which took place on February 13 in the city. Held at Industria Studio #6 in the Meatpacking district, the open studio was a time for beauty bloggers and editors to see and test the newest Lancôme products- even before some hit the shelves!- and to meet some Lancôme models and makeup artists. We enjoyed some delicious snacks and drinks and mingled among the gorgeousness that is Lancôme’s spring collection, Ultra Lavande.

Ombre Magnétique, eye shadow that rivals a disco ball.

New foundation, Teint Miracle. Described as hydrating, thinner consistency than other foundations, “lit from within” look. The product definitely delivers what’s promised.

Truffle mac and cheese…AMAZING.

My favorite counter was the eye shadow counter, which was debuting a new five-color eye shadow palette called Color Design. The reason why it was my favorite is because, unlike the Lancôme makeup I remember from my childhood, these eye shadow palettes are FULL of color. Any color you can imagine- amethyst, emerald, sapphire, gold, coral, bronze, silver- Lancôme has a palette for.

I talked with a gal named Alexia from Lancôme quite a bit about the new eye shadow and she is beyond excited about this product, which is hitting stores as we speak. Alexia told me that not only is the product formula is all new, but Lancôme is reaching out to a new generation of women with the variety of colors offered. As one of the girls in this new generation, I am beyond thrilled to see such a variety and sampling of beautiful, in-your-face shades. The neutral colors I remember from my childhood are still here too, but reimagined with some shimmer and shine.

Physically, the product is very smooth, applies nicely, and stays on. The color is concentrated so I didn’t have to apply layers and layers of color when I swatched it on my skin, which is a nice change from some eye shadows that are on the lighter side. That will probably differ depending on skin tone, though.

Also, there were manicure stations set up so I got my nails done! Also getting her nails done was Arlenis Sosa, one of Lancôme’s beautiful models.

New nail polish in Violet. So bright and fun for the spring!

How cute is she?

The idea behind Open Studio Sundays is a great way to showcase Lancôme’s newest products while mingling with fellow fashion bloggers and beauty editors, especially in between fashion shows. Each attendant went home with an amazing gift bag filled with some of Lancôme’s best products, including Génefique, Bi-Facial make up remover, and some new spring products.

I hope Lancôme continues to have events like this, though I can imagine it took a lot of additional thought and planning aside from what’s going on during fashion week, so once a year to debut the spring collection might be a perfect fit. Congrats to Kerry Diamond, VP of Public Relations and Communications at Lancôme, and the rest of the PR team for putting together a fabulous event!

First, I am thrilled to announce that Fresh Squeezed has officially been listed! You can find my blog among 50 best fashion blogs for college students on Accredited Online Colleges. I am so honored to be on a list of such amazing blogs!

For this month’s prompt for Nike Women’s Make Yourself Movement, we were given 3 choices. The one that stood out the most to me is about maintaining a healthy and fit lifestyle while traveling.

Photo from whatwouldsummerwear.wordpress.com

I know, I know. No one really wants to think about that while on vacation. Isn’t the point of vacation to relax and do whatever you want? Yes. Now I’m not normally that girl who will throw in a pair of running shoes unless I’m driving to my destination- they take up too much room in my suitcase that I could use to fit in another pair of heels or a dress. But you can still stay somewhat active and healthy on vacation if you plan ahead. Here’s what I normally do to prepare for a healthy vacation:

• Do some research. Are there yoga studios near where you’ll be staying? I did that this past summer when I went down the shore with my family. One yoga class during the 5 days I was down there was enough to make me feel good, but not so much that I felt like I was working too hard.
• Walk. A lot. This is especially valuable if you’re doing to a new destination. When I travel, especially to Europe, I love nothing more than walking around a new city (with a map…don’t get lost!) and exploring what it has to offer. I went to Paris and London last spring and I think I logged more mile in that trip than I had in a long time. I saw anything and everything on foot, and even though I was completely exhausted at the end of the trip, it was worth it. This is, of course, after packing proper footwear.
• Suit up. Chances are if you’re staying in a hotel, there’s a pool. Put on that swim suit and get in some laps.
• Plan your meals and pack snacks. Be careful about where and how you eat while on vacation. If you’re going out for a day of exploring, bring some snacks with you to hold over cravings until meal time. This will help fight overeating and will help you feel better, which means more energy for sight-seeing!

I also reached out to my Facebook and Twitter friends to see if they had any other suggestions, so here you go!

Also, my friend Katie suggests looking for local farmers markets and staying away from chain restaurants so you can eat a bit healthier. She also suggests keeping a journal of what you do and eat so you can track how healthy you’ve been (and what fun you’re having as well). Use Yelp and Foursquare (and other related apps) and websites like Yoga Alliance to find activities and places to go instead of hotel concierges.

What do you do to stay fit and healthy on vacation?

I was fortunate enough to attend Lucky Magazine‘s first ever Fashion & Beauty Blogger conference (FABB…love that acronym!) on Tuesday at the beautiful Apella along the East River in New York City. This conference was the perfect marriage of Social Media Week, happening now in New York City, and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, which starts today.

Photo from luckymagazine.com

Basically, it was amazing. Amazing…and intimidating. I spent the day with over 150 of the industry’s most influential bloggers and professionals, which was nothing short of inspirational, and a bit nerve-wracking. We chatted, ate delicious food catered by Tom Colicchio‘s Riverpark, listened to the speakers on four different panels ranging from how to approach brands to engaging audiences and maintaining interest to incorporating different platforms into your blogging strategy, and logged away valuable nuggets of information on how to improve our blogs and brands. Special guests included Tory Burch, CEO, Tory Burch, and Jenna Lyons, President and Executive Creative Officer, J. Crew. Joan Rivers provided lunch-time entertainment and threw in some advice, but not without some laughs. The day ended with a wonderful cocktail reception and some music from Patricia Ahn.

There were also three little suites set up around Apella. Land’s End, Converse, and Revlon all had fun things and giveaways throughout the day.

Speaking of giveaways, the gift bag we received on the way out is nothing short of incredible. I will definitely be writing about a few of the products I received in the next few weeks. I’m still trying to go through it all!

While I’m still trying to wrap my brain around everything I learned, here are some things I took away immediately. Some of these themes resonated throughout each panel and sort of became underlying themes of the conference:

1. “Determine your worth as a blogger.” -Kerry Diamond, Vice President of Communications for Lancôme USA. Kerry was on the first panel and made drove this home with an anecdote. Jenna Lyons said something similar, “don’t sell yourself short.” Have faith in your abilities and capabilities!
2. “Go through any door.” -Joan Rivers. Don’t say no. Rich Tong, Fashion Director of Tumblr, also said, “try anything and everything.”
3. “Treat bloggers like [magazine] editors.” -David Duplantis, SVP, Global Web and Digital Media at Coach. Tory Burch said something similar. To me, this is the difference between personal style bloggers and writers who blog (thanks to my lovely friend, and partner in crime, Meghan for that distinction).
4. “Always leave the door a bit open.” -Joan Rivers. You never know who you’re going to meet and how influential they will become.
5. “Don’t be afraid of someone who scares you.” -Jenna Lyons. Too often, intimidation can lead to fear. Instead, work harder to be better.

I could honestly go on and on and on about everything I learned that day, but I don’t think there’s enough time in a day to write it all down. It was announced that Lucky is planning another conference in September- 2 days, this time- and I can’t wait to be there!

As wonderful and valuable as the day was, I think there are a few kinks that can be worked out for the September conference. I feel that the length of the day was a little bit too long, and by the time the cocktail reception came along, I was ready to head home and get in my PJs and catch up on Glee. I think the day could have ended an hour or two earlier, still leaving us a solid hour or two to network and meet each other, and still get home before 9 pm. Also, I wish the caterer would label the cookie tray and separate the different kinds. As someone who has a moderately severe tree nut allergy, I wasn’t able to enjoy any of them because the cookies were all cross contaminated and I had no idea which kinds were which!

I managed to take a few pictures during the day, and some are below.

Brandon Holley, Lucky Magazine’s fabulous Editor in Chief, opening the conference.

Me and Meghan.

Tory Burch!

Me and Erika Bearman, Vice President of Communications at Oscar de la Renta. A wonderfully charming, sweet and well spoken lady!

The First 10,000 People Are Everything panel.

Revlon had a cupcake display to match their new eye shadow palettes. I DIE.

Photographers were taking professional pictures of us. Here’s one of mine!

Click here to see all of the photos I took, and click here to see the ones Guest of a Guest snapped as well (I’m in picture #15 in the GofaG photos)! For video, you can see Social Media Week‘s coverage (which I highly suggest you do!). All four panels, plus special discussions, are there!

Hey there! I’m participating in a contest on Refinery29.com to be their next style blogger. Click here to vote for me! All you have to do is click the heart near my name. Thanks!

As most of you know already, Honeysuckle (PANTONE 18-2120) is 2011′s color. I can’t tell you how happy this makes me! Honeysuckle is one of those colors that you can wear any time, day or night, and can be worn in a variety of ways. This color just makes you smile as soon as you see it, and I can’t wait to see how designers embrace this lovely variation of pink.

But why wait until spring or summer to wear such a bright hue? Here are 5 ways to work the color (and variations of it) into your life NOW:

Valentino Bow Pump, photo from nordstrom.com

AE 3/4 Sleeve Full Zip Up Hoodie, photo from ae.com

Essie nail polish in Knockout Pout, photo from essie.com

In The Wind Scarf, photo from anthropologie.com

Poppy Petal Print Rocker, photo from coach.com

How will you add Honeysuckle into your every day life?

Hey there! I’m participating in a contest on Refinery29.com to be their next style blogger. Click here to vote for me! All you have to do is click the heart near my name. Thanks!

Fact: I have a not-so-secret girl crush on Tina Fey. Aside from her genius comedic timing, brilliant and award winning acting and writing on 30 Rock, and her infamous impressions of Sarah Palin (and again, and again), she just seems so accessible, so real, so relatable. As in herself and not caring what others think. She’s just a girl from Upper Darby, PA, who wanted to be a writer.

In March 2010, when Fey graced the cover of Vogue, the cover teaser about her feature said “Tina Fey: Learning to dress like a star.” She kept it real in her interview by admitting some of her fashion don’ts in the past but by also showing that she does know a lot about fashion, all because she was exposed to the costume department when she was studying drama at UVA, where she learned everything about period pieces and proportion. Of course, she threw in a few hilarious one liners, just to keep the interviewer and readers on their toes.

In her Vogue interview, Fey said (about wearing color on the red carpet), “If I try to wear too much color, I feel like I’m pretending to be from Los Angeles and I’m not getting away with it.”

I’d say she got away with this red Oscar de la Renta gown, for sure.

Photo from http://the-girlieshow.tumblr.com. Best blog EVER.

Photo from wheresmymacandcheese.tumblr.com

Obviously, I don’t have to show you anymore proof than that. This might be the best Fey’s (who turns 41 in May…I KNOW) ever looked on the red carpet. Amazing color, fit, hair, accessories, makeup- done by Lancôme, well done! Basically, this look is perfect for her.

I think what I love so much about Fey are moments like this one from the SAG Awards. Clearly successful and hard working, but she’s also beautiful and fashionable. If you asked me, she achieved bomb shell status with this look and didn’t have to compromise to achieve it. She knows what looks good on her and what doesn’t, and she plays to those strengths. For example, Fey tells Vogue that she thinks she looks good in a deep V neck “because it makes the triangles go the right way.”

What’s bad on her? “Spaghetti straps. It looks like when you tie up a roast before you put it in the oven.”

Clearly, she can rock that red color and not look like she’s too “Los Angeles.” That’s not to say that she doesn’t look great in neutral colors, though.

Photo from fadeblog

Photo from More

Photo from FreeWebs

Photo from Access Hollywood

Photo from NY Daily News

Photo from nymag.com

Photo from Style.com

Photo from My Fashion Cents

Photo from nymag.com

Tom Broecker, costume designer for 30 Rock and SNL, who also helps Fey with some of her red carpet looks, said,

“She’s so funny and so smart, and she gets all of it….she has subtly changed what women look like on a weird level: the acceptance of the dark-haired girl, the acceptance of the sexy librarian, the girl with the glasses who’s smart but can be pretty.”

If this were a day on 30 Rock, Jenna would probably have a temper tantrum out of jealousy and run to her dressing room while screaming “Liz, why are you trying to ruin my life?!” Tracy would make some crude comment that starts off with, “DAMN LIZ LEMON…” Jack would say, “Well Lemon, you don’t look so frumpy for a woman your age.” And Kenneth would probably compare her to some farm animal back home. All of which means she’s done something right.

I think Liz Lemon would be proud of how glamorous Tina Fey really is.