Golden Globes 2013 Fashion Critique

Amanda Siefred, Givenchy

Maybe it's her posture, maybe its the dress....but for some reason this one isn't doing it for me.  I think the neckline and sleeves are cut in an unflattering way. It looks frumpy, and it makes her look pale. You want at least a hint of color if you're going to go with white.  Perhaps if it was a better fit on the upper portion of her body, and she was standing up straighter it would give a better overall picture...but this looks as if she borrowed her big sister's dress at the last minute.  And, the all there hair is drowning the whole look. And she looks short in it!  3 out of 10.

Hayden Panettiere, Roberto Cavalli 

This one is a better version of what Amanda Siefred's should have been.  At the same time, it's not the most memorable dress, either.  Additionally, the choice of clutch seems random and almost clashes with  the ballet pink shade of the dress - the almost fuchsia "pop" of the clutch.  I'd give it a 7.5 out of 10.

Jennifer Lawrence, Christian Dior Haute Couture 

A lot of critics had negative feedback about the way this dress fit Jennifer's upper body, but I really liked the pointy, almost "Madonna-esque" look of this dress (you have to see it from the side). It gave it an editorial and avant-garde look, evocative of something straight off the runway at fashion week.  Had it not been for the enthusiastic bust, this would otherwise be another strapless prom type gown that wouldn't have batted an eye.  However, I'm not a fan of the thick, rigid fabric it's made out of, and in most of the red carpet photos it looks like a coral-orange.  However, later in the night when I saw the dress in different settings, it was apparent that the dress is actually red, which I really really liked.  I think it's slimming on her, and the golden, chrome belt was a satiating touch.  8.5 out of 10.  I just love her, by the way.

Julianne Hough, Monique Lhuillier

This might have been my favorite look of the night.  I love the white and gold sparkle, the cut of this dress and her almost "rock star" hair, which gave a scruffy edge to an otherwise princessy dress.  This is also probably her personal best red carpet look to date.  Impressed!  9 out of 10.

Anne Hathaway in Chanel

Everyone raved and raved about this.  I think its a disappointment.  I hate it when an actress is on fire within her career, and all the fashion people just feed off that fire and kiss her ass, always giving rave reviews over mediocre at best ensembles.  They do that with Angelina Jolie chronically!   The bodice looks weird.  It's not tight enough.  It looks like its falling down, and makes her shape look boyish. Maybe its just that this damn hair she has right now is going to ruin any red carpet look.  Either way, this was not worth anything more than a 3.5 out of 10.

JLo in Zuhair Murad 

My absolute favorite of the night.  J Lo has been pretty reliable lately in the fashion forward best dressed arena.  I just love the nude look of this dress, yet also the regal feel it gives from the lacework.  It covers up, but hugs her body so well that it's quite sexy.  She got the hair perfect, and her neutral makeup compliments the overall look quite well.  This is chic by definition. This is a dress that can look great on any type of person, too - from voluptuous, bootylicious J Low to twiggy Nicole Richie - due to the neutral tones and simple cut. As long as it's fit snug and fills all the right places properly, it's a winner.  So young, but elegant and sophisticated at the same time.  I hope someone makes a good copycat of this - cause I want one! 10/10.

Jessica Alba in Oscar de la Renta

This is the definition of mediocre.  Readers who are familiar with my blog might know that I'm not a fan of this thick, shiny, bulky prom dress fabric.  It ruins every dress it's made with. They do upholstering with this shit!  A dress made with this can be cut and tailored perfectly without any flaw, yet here comes this fabric along with its debbie downer attitude.  It has a cheap look to it that they haven't found a way to modernize.  Always one solid color, some gathering at the side...blah blah blah.  And the orange color isn't paying her any favors, either. NEXT 3/10

Jennifer Garner, Vivienne Westwood

It's great to see her dressed up!  Every picture they print of her is always featuring really drab soccer mom outfits.  I get that she's a mom of three and fashion isn't really a priority right now, but the stuff she wears nowadays is beyond drab - jeans 3 sizes too big, ugly ass hats, really non feminine glasses...no excuse.  You can still be comfortable without being unattractive.  It's bad.  This is a fantastic change of pace for her and definitely brings back the "body" she was known for back before she had the babies.  I loved the sparkly, jewel red and she's posing well with it too.  In fact, I think this is the first time her body has made an apparence dressed up in at least three years. 8 out of 10.

Kate Hudson, Alexander McQueen

I loved this dress.  Epitome of fierce.  My first thought was "this needs a more dramatic, pulled back hairdo", but after looking at it the tumbling, cascading blonde locks don't really put me off that much.  If she had more/longer hair, it might have been a disaster, but her hair is not too agressive for this well, agressive, dress.  I loved it, and would be honored to sport this gown any day.  9 out of 10!

Leah Michele in Marchesa

Ugh.  I don't know why, but everything she does annoys me.  If she's annoying me in Marchesa, I'm apt to say that it's me, not her.  There is never, ever any look she pulls of in a fantastic way.  Everything she wears looks slightly wrong for some reason.  It seems that she's struggling to find her style, and this dress follows that habit.  I can't put my finger on what would have made it better - hair up? No...different shoes?  Better, but no...
In any case, I'm not feeling it.  Maybe I'm just not feeling her.  5 out of 10.

Megan Fox, Dolce and Gabanna

Out of the many nude lace dresses running up and down the red carpet, this was my favorite.  However, there's something about the way she carries it that bothers me.  She always seems so smug with that pouty look on her face and the tattoos. Also, while the dress is gorgeous, it doesn't seem to fit her persona well. She's in this precious, darling dress with that irritable, "bad girl" look on her face. Lighten up, man.  You just had a baby. Smile, or wear black to go with your "vixen" thing. Whatever.... 8 out of 10.

Taylor Swift in Donna Karan Atelier 

This is a fresh breath of air for Taylor Swift. It's nice to see her in something not so sugary for a change.  She doesn't often wear dark, jewel tones on the red carpet - and this was a welcomed variation from her normal look.  I think a tad more makeup - eye makeup - (and a slight tan) would have suited this look better, to complete the rich, deep ambiance that she's radiating.  However, this look is SO far from what she normally goes for that one can't help but think "Oh, she's trying so hard to radiate the "revenge" look here in response to yet another failed 1 month tryst with that British boy band guy", which makes her look kind of desperate.  In any case, A for effort!

What do you hate more: your insecurity or a girl who's prettier than you?

Saturday, September 1st 2012


*I didn't actually send this to her….but I sure wanted to!!!  I work at a night club doing VIP bottle service*

To the girl who called me a cunt at work on Saturday night,


I wanted to reach out to you in regards to your (and now my) experience this past Saturday night with your VIP table, myself being your cocktail waitress.  I'm aware that you had some words to share with my manager, and unfortunately the customer service experience you experienced with me was so bad that the most accurate verbiage to describe the way you felt about me was "cunt".  I always strive to provide the best, most detail oriented and "above and beyond" service to every single one of my clients, so this concerns me greatly. I welcome any direct feedback you may have for me, in hopes that I can use this information to improve upon my customer service skills so that your next visit if you choose to come back meets your expectations.  Ok, now that I got that out of the way I am going to break down what's really happening here.

We know this is not about the champagne that you didn't like, the sparkler that apparently brought too much attention or any other issue with the service.  The service was amazing.  The second I shook your hand and greeted you at your table, I could feel it.  That oh-so-familiar vibe…I always can.  You hated me already, and were genuinely pissed off that I was going to be your server all night long. After absorbing three separate verbal lashings from you that were just blatantly rude (including the one where you yelled at me for bringing a sparkler with your bottle of champagne which I KNOW you are fully aware is standard practice), I decided to stay the hell away from you and focus my attention/limit my interaction to the gentleman in your group who was also the cardholder.  I knew that speaking to you or the other female in your group further would only add fuel to your self-made fire.  It would have ended right there for me, but since you decided to trash talk me to my boss calling me a cunt, dissing my *perfect* customer service that I take very seriously and really brought the claws out - I have some words myself that I'd like to share.  After all, you asked for it.

I would be really surprised if you assimilate the message in this letter I'm writing, because of two assumed roadblocks. Either:

1. You won't get it
2. Your pride and ego won't allow you to embrace or acknowledge the message

I'm almost positive that #1 is NOT applicable to you - I am confidant that you are an intelligent woman.  I would be genuinely happy if you provide me with a response that's real, because I know that you know that this is 100% correct…but please do correct me if I'm wrong here.  But we know I'm not. What was this *really* about?  It's so transparent…sigh.  You're hot.  Very hot.  You're in the top tier of girls/women in terms of looks, and you're accustomed to being the most beautiful woman in the room wherever you go.  I can tell this based on the way you were dressed and your attitude/demeanor. However! If there happens to be another girl in the room who is at or above your level of hotness … this is a problem for you.  And I can understand.  However, we can choose whether or not we want to act on this and/or how we act on this.  You chose to take the "provide problems/hatred for the other girl which will make me feel better" route.  This may temporarily make you feel better…but treating the symptom instead of the cause is always a mistake in the long run.  And it *will* hurt someday.

This exact subject is unfortunately extremely relevant to me and common in my life.  This is one of the biggest challenges that I have been trying to cope with in my (daytime) career and everyday life.  At this point, I just keep my head down, focus on my work and try to speak as little as possible if I'm in a place where I care whether or not the women will hate me…mainly at work.  Because they are just LOOKING for a reason to hate you.  Vigilantly.  When theres no relationship or situation-specific reasons for two women that are strangers yet one still hates the other, it's because of one thing:

Women HATE other women for no reason other than jealousy.

They see a beautiful competitor, compare her to themselves, then feel insecure, and finally act on this by behaving maliciously, gossiping about her, singling her out, making fun of her….generally making her feel bad so they can feel good.  Want the solution? STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO ME/ANY OTHER WOMAN.  You are beautiful, probably smart plus all the other good things you have going for you, and comparing yourself to me or her is a toxic habit that will not enrich your life or your character in any way.  As a matter of fact, it will very much do the opposite.  I refuse to partake in this behavior because I've witnessed it done so often, I've felt the effects it has, it's caused me pain, sadness and frustration.  I've lost a lot of opportunities because of this, and for a while it was really affecting my psyche and led to depression as well…but more than anything else: it's a total waste of time.  And in regards to being the victim of this kind of behavior…I'm OVER it. I can't wait until I'm in a position where I don't have to depend on other women for anhthing, i.e - when I'm financially stable enough to be my own boss.  I literally dream of that day all the time.  And I'm going to be the nicest boss and provide strong leadership, promote having an open mind and encourage women empowering other women, not bringing them down to push themselves up.

I generally succeed in not allowing it to bother me any more…the only reason I'm writing this is because I wanted to get something about it down on paper to read one day, and to spread the word by putting it up on my blog.  Sometimes, with certain women, it does not matter ONE BIT how I act, what I say, what I do…she will never like me no matter what.   Ever.  And if that woman happens to be your supervisor or the woman interviewing you at a new job…you're screwed. It really used to piss me off a lot, having to deal with other women's' bullshit insecurity and the fact that it holds me back sometimes.  There's just no amount of ass kissing or trying to show that you're a genuinely nice person who just wants a chance to move forward in her career. It's one of the trade-offs of being beautiful.  I hate saying that, too.  It feels and sounds so vain and self absorbed, but it's 100% true and accurate. Taboo and true.

However, might I point out to you that I didn't ask to be beautiful. I've had *no* work done whatsoever (not that I'm against that by any means) it's how god created me.  I really feel like the only surefire way to avoid all of this is by purposely making myself look as ugly as possible.  And I've actually come close to doing it too, believe it or not!  I'm not exaggerating - I have actually considered the benefits and drawbacks of doing this.  No makeup, get fat, no waxing, plucking or any beauty/hygine steps. For two reasons I ultimately decided that I'm NEVER going that f*ing far.

#1 - I'm not going to have these looks forever.  It's going to fade one day, so even if you don't like it I'm going to enjoy it - not flaunt it - while it lasts.  Flaunting what you have and being appreciative/enjoying what you have are two different things.  I think we've been taught by society that admitting and enjoying the fact that you may be a good looking person is not ok.  It's taboo to talk about it.  And I definitely don't, in an effort to minimize the problems it already brings me, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I am appreciative and pleased with the looks I was given.  You can enjoy and feel fortunate  about your good looks without being vain and pompous, and while also being humble as well.  It's all about having respect for and being aware of other people's feelings.  Having empathy is one of the most valuable skills you can have, in my opinion. As long as you do not rely on your looks too much and also develop other skills and strengths, I think its healthy and perfectly OK to enjoy being good looking.

#2 - It's the goddamn principle of it.  Why should I live my life around what other women want?  Their jealousy and reasoning behind how they feel for how I look is coming from a purely selfish place anyways…it's all rooted to their ego. That's not a worthy reason for me to make myself look like a man.

So, when people try to tell me that this critical feedback and energy is coming from a "constructive criticism" viewpoint and that "I shouldn't place so much importance on looks anyways" - I tell those people to CAN IT.  Have you ever considered that maybe its THEM who may be putting too much importance on looks?  They're the ones who are focused on it...I'm just trying to survive here.  So according to them, I'm somehow out of bounds for having feelings & an opinion about the way I'm being treated by many different women -mostly strangers- because of how THEY feel about MY looks?  I'm not going to apologize for having a reaction to that.  I'm only human. At this point, it's not looks I'm putting importance on, its how I'm being treated.  And if someone that I don't or barely know is treating me like crap without any good reason at all, I'm forced to assume its because of the way I look. I ALWAYS make a concerted effort to: smile, make eye contact, have open body language, be friendly, etc….I don't dress like a whore…throw me a fricken bone here!  I am also a shy person.  This often gets construed as "bitchyness".  I digress… Once again: they are constantly looking for *any* reason to dislike you.  I know that last phrase hits home with you.  So, why are you doing this?  It's exactly how you were acting last night - if it wasn't the sparkler, it would have been something else.  It's a virulent way to think.

I tell the advocates of women on women bashing: if they themselves were getting dirty looks all the time, being scowled at, singled out and generally "hated on", they'd eventually take issue with it as well.  I also happen to be passionate about fashion.  This is not popular with other women.  Some things are worth it to me.  I love dressing up and putting together amazing outfits, not just for me but for other girls as well!  And if a woman asks me on the street where I purchased something, how I did my hair, eye makeup - whatever it is, I always tell her.  I don't mind one bit if she goes out and buys the same handbag as me.  I want to encourage more fashion (especially in fashion-deprived San Francisco) and also somehow provide a little bit of happiness to that woman's world.  Why wouldn't anyone?  These are the questions I ask myself that make me question humanity sometimes.

Any of this ringing true to you?  Yea, I knew it.  You know exactly what I'm talking about.  Every attractive female does. But, there are many other ways to deal with this without bringing other girls down, and what you're doing is vile and unacceptable.  I don't know about you, but I do not want to invite so much negativity, bad karma and hatred into my life…I don't see why women do it so often.  Sure, it's a quick fix when you're feeling insecure - making them feel like shit about themselves or knowing that you've gotten them in trouble at work (which I didn't, btw…he could see your inner ugliness from a mile away) but please realize…it will actually depress your spirit over the long term, encourage self hatred, MORE insecurity and generally make YOU feel like shit about yourself.  Stop doing this to yourself.  Have more respect for yourself. You're worth it.  Every woman is.

Something very important that this all has taught me is: thinking in a judgmental way truly is toxic and does yourself a large disservice.  Additionally,  I cannot run fast enough from other people who are judgmental-both men and women.  A judgmental man is one of the biggest turn offs for me.  It is such a closed minded, unattractive and limiting way to think. If us women could all look at each other as team mates instead of competitors and be supportive of each other, think about how powerful we could be.  Instead, you all decide to make each others' lives miserable because the next one is prettier than you.  It's pathetic, and it does not solve anything.  Stop comparing yourself to other women.  Focus on how awesome you are, and give her a thumbs up for being so awesome too.  Positivity encourages more positivity and the same goes for negativity. Also, stop putting so much importance on your appearance.  I encourage confidence, but with certain people it crosses a line and becomes unhealthy to the point where it affects their socialized behavior.  You have to learn how to remain comfortable when another pretty girl is around.  Also, behavior says a lot to people - what's it going to look like to your man when he sees you like this?  Nothing is more revolting than jealousy and insecurity.  And that's the honest to god truth. I personally regard confidence as my number one desired trait in a man (tied with sense of humor and my 5'11 minimum height requirement...hey, I'm 6'0 in heels).

Oh, one last thing: the next time you want to do this to another girl trying to work, minding her own business…. try not to let your jealousy and emotion show so much when you're complaining to her boss.  You totally busted yourself out by using the word "cunt".  This made it so obvious to us that it was not about any legitimate customer service issue.  I mean, you really have to earn being called a cunt… so the fact that you chose such a harsh word for a supposed "champagne mishap" or an unwanted sparkler made it crystal-clear that ulterior motives were present.  Also, you have to come to terms with the fact that you can't and won't be the only hot girl in the world. Neither can I.  And I'm OK with that.  I understood this from a very young age, but something is telling me that you're still struggling with this.  I'm not allowed to look attractive and put together at work?  Um, hell no.  Even if I got called a cunt it was still worth all the tips I made, and this incident will not bring me down.  In fact, it motivated me in a strange way.  I truthfully hope you will be honest with yourself about this.  I have a feeling you'll be a lot happier when you take this heavy habit off of your shoulders and give *yourself* the attention and respect you deserve, not other girls.

Sincerely,
Genevieve

Facebook Etiquette

1.   Don't tag people in random pictures of inanimate objects that you think they might like, or have something to do with the inside joke you're trying to half-reveal to friends on facebook.  Nobody gets it, because most of the time you're trying to remain elusive and act Mr. or Ms. Coolpants by leaving everyone to wonder about it.  Not to mention, the person being tagged might find it annoying - I know I become irritated when tagged in pictures of a hotel I once went to, my favorite dish at a restaurant, or some obscure street art that has the word "viva" in it.  Post it on the person's wall instead so you can share it with them.

2.    When you post a status update, picture – or anything for that matter, realize that it is then up for commentary.  Some peoples’ opinions may not agree with yours.  For example, I realize that some people reading this post might not agree with my opinions on Facebook etiquette.  But, you know what....everyone is entitled to their own opinions.  Let me remind you that you're POSTING ON A PUBLIC FORUM.  If you’re not game for commentary, DON’T POST IT.  

3.    Avoid making ambiguous, passive aggressive status updates that are obviously directed towards one person in particular, yet avoid any mention of this person directly by name because, well - that would be "dramatic".  In actuality, your immature behavior is most likely annoying 85% of the people who read your status. Publicly spewing your dirty laundry in a way that YOU think is subtle, is something that nobody wants to be bothered with.  It's not subtle.  It's irritating.  If you simply MUST write a confrontational status update towards someone in particular (which I don't recommend), grow a pair and call them out directly.  Otherwise, stop bitching on Facebook and deal with your issue with this person privately, in a respectful and productive manner...AKA the right way to handle it.

4.    Please use proper grammar.  Of course, everyone (myself included) makes typos & mistakes.  Regular misuse of grammar does not reveal you in your best light, and makes it difficult for people to take you seriously. Yes, even if it's "just Facebook". You never know how your contacts may be of use to you someday. Mistakes are ok - we all do it.  But please don't craft some gAArbaGe kRaP liK dis on a regular basis. If so, I will defriend you.

5.    Don't post embarrassing and unflattering photos of your friends, claiming "Well, if you don't want those pictures showing up on facebook, stop acting that way."  NO.  NEWSFLASH! You are not the end-all-be-all decider of what people should and shouldn't be doing. To then publicize these photos, knowing that the person in question will not appreciate this is a total breach of trust!  Having a camera does not give you rights.  It gives you opportunities.  If you really are concerned with their actions - talk to them in private.  Have some respect.  We all know you're doing it to be dramatic.  As a matter of fact, don't even post pictures of your friends until you've given them a heads up and DEFINITELY do not tag them until your friends have had a chance to preview the pics.

6.    Do you really have to say "Good Morning Facebook!!!" and "Nighty night my Facebookers!" every. single. day?  Recall that Coco Chanel quote: "Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory. Less is always more".  This applies to Facebook as well.   A good rule of thumb here – eliminate one out of every three status updates you're tempted to post online.  And, more than three per day says "facebook obsessed". Less is more.  Nobody cares about the vapid, mundane details of your every day life.

7.    If you send me a request in Farm ville, you will be deleted as a friend.  Same goes for Mobwars, and pretty much every other Zynga game.

8.    Facebook names like "Sharon Cantstopmeevaindislife Smith" and "Tyrone HustlatillIdie Goldman" are stupid as hell.  Please don't create run-on sentences/middle names in an attempt to sum up what you stand for in life by making up some grammatically disastrous phrase/word as your middle name.  Its DUMB.

9.    Lets try and limit the mobile uploads of our pets/babies to one a week.  Two if you absolutely MUST.

10. Don't allow your negative posts to exceed 5% of your overall collection.  Even if I'm in a horrible mood, the last thing I want to do is throw myself a pity party for all 800 of my facebook friends to see and roll their eyes at.  It obstructs my cause.

11.  Don't add me to your random, creepy groups without even sending me a personal message about it.

12.  If someone denies your friend request - for the love of God, let it end there.

13.  Try not to frequently post pictures that are undoubtedly aimed to make other people jealous - i.e. pictures of your baller lifestyle, pictures of your bottle service tables & Grey Goose Magnums over and over again, repetitive self portraits of your "new bathing suit - should I keep it?" just so you can show off your hot bod.  It doesn't make people admire you and what you're doing.  It makes us think you're insecure, attention-starved and also makes us resentful towards you for making us depressed about our own less baller lifestyles.  Nobody likes a regular show off.  However --- there is absolutely no harm in posting something about a personal achievement, some pounds lost, muscle gained or a new possession you've recently bought and especially love. It's the repetitive braggarts that I'm targeting here.

14. Don't stalk someone on Facebook and then pretend like you don't know them or can't even say hi in real life.  Believe me, they often know you're stalking, so you might as well take a forward, confident & humorous approach about it.

15. Personally, I don't understand why people add/request other people they do not know on Facebook.  I realize that a lot of people use Facebook for marketing/networking purposes.  That being said, I think most of this random requesting going on is stalking-related.  If you have a brand to market, create a page.  Use Linkedin.  I will not accept unless I've met this person in real life at least one time.

Thats all from Facebook Rant-Land for now! - Viva

Penny Fur My Thoughts

Fur.  


It's a touchy subject.  And no, the recent Kim Kardashian flour-bombing incident is not what led me to write this post - I've felt this way about fur and have been meaning to put it down on screen for a while now.  This recent incident is just proof that the issue with K.K and fur is heating up, and I think it's about time.

I suspect that most people tend to/feel pressured to take one extreme side when it comes to wearing fur - either you're a heartless, evil member of the 1% who relishes in forcing everyone to visually absorb your wealth by smearing luxe animal fur all over your body - or you're a dirty wannabe-hippie who has nothing better to do than obsess over what other people are choosing to wear, and forcing your opinions on it down everyone's throats.


I, personally, am somewhere in the middle on this.  Yes, I do have some fur pieces.  All but one were given to me as gifts, so I somehow in my head rationalize that it's OK to wear them since I didn't actually contribute money to the industry, but we all know that's just a bunch of crap (LOL).  But you know what?  I'm not ashamed to admit that do enjoy wearing them every now and again, and as long as one is following the general rule of "everything in moderation", I think its more or less OK.  If you want to wear fur, as with most things in life - you need to practice some discretion, respect and tread lightly.

People feel out of touch with the issue of fur, since each of the two parties (for or against) are so difficult to relate to.  Most of us are not fur wearing multi-millionaires OR higher-than-thou modern day hipster hippies who sit around for hours coming up with the snarky commentary towards those who wear fur.  Do we have to be so extreme about it?


Perfect example of how NOT to wear fur.  Kim KarTrashian. Let's take a look:

3.06.12 (with $6000 Giuseppe Zanotti shoes, I might add)

(She doesn't look out of touch with her husband at ALL here  ;-P )

These are only a select few of the many pictures I've come across where Kim is wearing at least  SOME fur, however I wanted to select the pictures that really make my case (which were not hard to find).  

1.  Wearing head-to-toe fur ages you decades

2.  It makes a horrible statement

3.  It looks tacky 

4.  It adds pounds to one's frame and makes you look fat when you're wearing more than just a small fur piece.  It should only be 10% maximum of your entire look. 

Some fur accessories here and there I think are OK, but too much can be offensive.  Additionally - when you style an outfit and wear it, it makes a statement.  You speak with what you choose to wear, whether you like it or not.  This is why I believe the skill of being able to see oneself from another person's perspective is valuable.  If it's a matter of you not caring, then I guess there is no problem here.  However, don't be suprised if you get flour-bombed outside of Neiman Marcus on your next shopping trip.  I'd advise to take these points into consideration when deciding to wear outfits as the ones pictured above.  Kim comes across as a greedy, vile little pig by wearing so much fur all the time.  It's offensive to me and many others - and only adds to the laundry list of reasons why I don't like her and everything she stands for.

To sum up, here are I think two good general rules of thumb: 

1. Everything in moderation

2. When in doubt, do the opposite of what Kim Karsdashian is doing, and you should be good.  :-)

xo,

Viva

Tip of the Week!

The tip to keeping your manicure fresh and chip-free all week is applying a top coat daily. This keeps the polish from becoming brittle. Which leads to chips.

This topcoat is my hands-down favorite: it literally dries almost instantly and has a great shine to it. I carry one with me in my purse at all times- just make sure to check that the top is screwed on tight every day to avoid a nail polish disaster inside your luxe handbag.

The Infamous Nars Zulu & NOTD

Well, I finally have it in my hands.  The infamous shade "Zulu" by a favorite makeup brand of mine, Nars.  I've been reading about this elusive shade for a few months now.  Apparently, Nars discontinued this color a while back, when they were re-formulating their nail polishes.  Once word got around that this dark, forest-y green shade was about to go MIA, a frenzy ensued.


Once the last few bottles were scooped up, the ebay scalping began - and Zulu immediately went from the already-expensive pricetag of $17 at Sephora to upwards of $50, $60 - even over $100 on EvilBay.  A "Give Us Zulu" online petition was created, and Zulu fans from all over began to contact Nars in hopes of convincing them to re-release the now infamous shade.  Finally, Nars did just that...and they also made the formula more environmentally friendly as well.  However, the re-realease was short-lived, and off the market it went once again.  Wow!  When brands take long-standing products off the shelves, this often happens.  The fans go nuts - and begin to stockpile whatever coveted product is about to be gone forever.  I'm a culprit of this behavior as well.  I hate it when a tried-and-true gets axed.  It's not easy to find that perfect whatever it is!


I managed to snag a bottle of this shade - just for the mere fact that there is so much hype surrounding it.  I had to see what all the fuss was about, and I bit the bullet and bought a bottle of it.  Here's my picture:

I have to say............I'm underwhelmed.  It's a dark green jelly-based formula, and it took me 3 shades to reach full opacity.  Maybe it's my skintone, but I really don't see all the excitement in this color.  As with most things, the hype has overshadowed the item.  I don't know, but I just don't see anything special about  this dark green color, not to mention that there are a ton of other dark greens on the market right now that are near dupes of this shade.  An all-around "meh".


And on another note - here is a pic of my current NOTD (nail of the day):

This is Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure in "Lavender Cloud" with OPI for Sephora's "I Found a  Pot of Gold!" layered on top.  I love the way the two look against each other.  I'm really liking this line of Sally H. polishes - they all go on really well, have staying power and come with a great brush that makes even my shaky hands create a near-perfectly finished manicure.  All of the creme polishes in this line are pretty pigmented, so I'm not finding myself applying 4-6 coats just to reach opacity.  And if it weren't for the diamond-shaped pieces of confetti in I Found a Pot of Gold, this would be a perfect gold glitter.  You don't see any on my nails above, because I go out of my way to make sure the brush hasn't picked up any of those tacky little buggers.






xoxo and happy manicures,
Viva




PS - I had to take a shot of these Giuseppes I saw the other day - thoughts?  I'd like to see these in a different color combo, perhaps gold + dark purple.  But hot nonetheless.

Tips & Toes

Hello lovelies!  Happy new year, and I'm glad to be back writing again.  It's been too long.  What have I been doing lately?  Well, I have a confession....


I'm addicted to nail polish.  I have become completely obsessed with everything nail polish, reading and researching about colors online, popping into random beauty stores and drugstores trying to locate hard-to-find polishes that I've read about and lusted over online, and buying colors from ebay and amazon.  I think I have a problem!  A fun, enjoyable problem ;-)


So, I wanted to share some of my favorite, coveted polishes that I've both purchased recently and have had in my stash for a while.






One of my favorite nail polish brands is Sinful Colors, which I usually find at Walgreens. They're two bucks each, and they have really bold colors that are highly pigmented and go on really well.  Some of them tend to chip more than others, but then again I feel that way about a lot of nail polishes, even the more expensive brands such as OPI and Essie.  The polishes below are titled, in order from left to right: "I Love You", "Paris" and "Rich In Heart". Another one I covet but did not post is "Creme Pink".  It's the brightest hot pink I've found, and looks super sassy on toes.

I Love You - this is a dark purple jelly formula with small grain glitter. It's hard to tell the color from this picture, but it looks fabulous on my tips and matches my ring, however this color has been recently replaced by my beloved Chanel Vendetta (which you'll see below too), but I did want to highlight it in this post for those that don't want to spend $25 on nail polish.

Paris (the gold glitter) is probably my favorite nail polish I own - its the perfect shade of gold -not too yellow, too coppery or too orange - and the glitter size is perfect as well.  If the glitter grain size is too small it tends to lean towards the side of being a shimmer, and too large it goes on chunky and just doesn't look good.  I add this on top of all kinds of colors - deep purple (to match my favorite ring that I wear every day, which is pictured down below in this post) over black, over white and over shades of grey as well.  It really adds a punch to an otherwise lackluster manicure.  I think it might have recently been discontinued because I cannot find it at any Walgreens in San Francisco anywhere!  I ended up buying another bottle on Amazon, but if it HAS been continued I'm going to be extra sad, because this is my tried and true and I absolutely LOVE it.

Rich In Heart is a fabulous color on both tips and toes. It's one of the ones I've been using for years - definitely a staple in my polish stash. Its a deep wine/garnet shade and it stays on my tips for about 4-5 days (which is long for me - usually I get chips within a day) and about two weeks on my toes.  LOVE it!

Next on the list: WHITES.  Anyone who knows me personally knows that everything white is my favorite color.  I love to wear it in both nail polishes and clothes.  My whole room is decked out in everything white as well.

Pictured above we have Sinful Colors "Snow Me White", Essie "Marshmallow" and Sinful Colors "Tokyo Pearl".  All white, but oh so different.  Snow me white is probably the most white white out of all of them, and this color looks fantastic on your toes.  Don't be afraid to try it out - it is super flattering, especially if you're tan.  Every time I do my toes in white I get TONS of compliments.  Tokyo Pearl is a great white for my tips, but it takes three coats to really get it opaque.  Lastly, Essie Marshmallow is more of a soft white, so I'd recommend this for your tips instead of toes, or else it leaves your toes looking kind of strange and washes the color out.  It looks very classy and smooth on your tips, however.  As a general rule of thumb, I usually only choose bold and/or bright colors for my toes.  Think hot pink, stark white, deep red or black black.  Anything lighter will make your feet look weird.  Trust me.

Next up, my newest purchase: Essie "Master Plan" (and my beloved ring I keep mentioning in this post):  

This is a creamy, putty-like color.  Clay with a hint of lavender in there.  I just applied it today and is the color I'm currently rocking on my tips.  I don't think I'd want this for my toes, however.  As you can see, it goes nicely with my ring as well, which is usually my goal with any polish I'm wearing.  If it doesn't flatter my ring, it won't make the cut.  And to the right of Master Plan below, I've pictured Wet n' Wild's Craze line, color #233.  This is what I'm currently wearing on my toes.  Its a rich copper color and was really easy and smooth to apply.  Even with making a few mistakes, they evened out really well and it dried luxe, rich and shiny.

Essie "Master Plan", Wet n Wild Craze #233

Chanel.  No additional introduction needed.

I used to browse through the department stores and come across Chanel nail polishes and think to myself "who the F would ever spend that much money on a bottle of nail polish?!?!"  Well nowadays.... yea, THIS PERSON *points to self*.  Haha, yes - I've fallen victim to the Chanel nail polishes.  Yes they're expensive, but.....they're SO BEAUTIFUL.  And they go on like a dream!  The only one I use two coats on is the polish all the way on the right in the picture above, because I prefer a more opaque nude.  My mom only uses one coat with that one because she likes a more natural sheer look.  From left to right:  "Peridot", "Paradoxal", "Vendetta", "Rose Cashe".

Peridot.  The most lusted after color of the season.  I searched and searched for this one all over the city, eventually buying it off of the Nordstrom website.  I was giddy like a schoolgirl when this one finally came and the UPS man rang my bell...and I was not disappointed.  It is a duochrome teal/lime green with strands of gold shimmer running through. Amazing color that really pops! And wait until you get it in the sunlight...you won't be disappointed. Paradoxal is a creamy, dark lavender.  At some angles it looks lilac, at others it looks more on the grape/amethyst side.  It looks fabulous on almost any skin tone and of course, applies like a dream like EVERY Chanel polish I've tried.  They go on like satin, and they do not chip as fast as any other brand I've used.  The quality really is there.  Vendetta - my favorite nail polish I own (it's a tie with Sinful Colors Paris).  A lot of girls I know wear black as their everyday daily driver nail color.  Vendetta is my version of that - I can wear this every day of the year, and I used to to just that until I recently became obsessed with nail polish.  It's a deep, blackberry purple with a slight shimmer, and it goes on SO shiny and glossy.  I wear it both alone and with gold glitter over it to compliment my ring.  I'll be using this one for a long time.  And lastly, Rose Cashe.  I actually bought this one for my mom as a gift, and it's the best nude nail color I've found.  All other nude nail polishes wash me out and look terrible against my skin tone, but this one doesn't.  It has just the right amount of pink in it to give it some life, and it looks great with gold glitter as well.  Go ahead and splurge on a bottle of Chanel polish the next time you're feeling frisky...I promise you won't be disappointed.  Well worth the cash.










Deborah Lippmann "Good Girl Gone Bad" :

Manicurist to the stars Deborah Lippmann has come out with her own polish line, and they are all pretty impressive.  This one stood out to me - you can't really see from this picture, but it's a dark-ish ruby red with mega glitter.  Looks great on my toes, and it works on tips as well.  It's also pretty pricy - $18 per bottle, but for what it's worth, it lasted 3 weeks on my toes.  She has a great line and it's available at Nordstroms as well.  Definitely worth checking out....especially because Nordstrom's return policy will basically accept anything in any condition its in, so you can bring it back if you've decided against it.

Another one of my favorite cheap nail polish lines is Milani.  I probably have about 30 bottles of this stuff!  I've been using it for years because the formula is pretty consistent, it goes on evenly and they have a lot of really bright colors that I use on my toes in the summertime.  Below we have from left to right: "Gold Glitz", "Ms. Milani", "Disco Lights" and "Sunkissed Glow".

Gold Glitz is a THICK copper and gold glitter.  Small and medium sized grain bits of both gold and copper glitter PACKED into a little bottle.  This nail polish is cool because you can wear it without topcoat and you'll get a really cool sandpaper glitter effect.  It's hard to explain, but it's almost like a matte glitter.  It feels really cool too...when I wear this I can't help but constantly glide my thumb over my other four nails and feel the sensation.  Really fun color for summertime.  Ms. Milani is my daily driver gold nail polish. You know how I'm picky about my golds....has to be the right this, the right that - and Ms. Milani passes all the tests.  Perfect shade of gold.  Disco lights is a fun watermelon glitter punch.  I find myself adding this pink glitter over all sorts of colors I wouldn't think it looks good with.  My most recent concoction was Disco Lights over a matte taupe color, and it looked fantabulous.  Last but definitely not least, my No. 1 favorite color for my toes - Sunkissed Glow.  This color looks AMAZING on tan feet in the summertime.  I have a pair of these silver gladiator sandals that I like to pair with this shimmery coral, peachy shade and it makes my feet look soooo pretty.  You'd be hard-pressed to find a skin tone that this color doesn't look good on.  Hands down, favorite toe color for the sumemrtime! 

So there you have it, I've confessed where I've been all this time, I've been stalking Sally Beauty supply, waiting at their door minutes before they open and driving across town to the other Walgreens or Rite Aid to see what colors they might have!  Maybe this post will drive my lady friends to get in touch with their tips and toes...its fun.  Almost TOO fun.  Also, check out these nail-polish-devoted blogs...they have a lot of great pictures and tips that revolve around nail polish.  I thought I was obsessed....haha.

Scrangie.com

polishaddict.com

Additionally....one of my readers recently commented on my "High and Low" post from about a year ago asking me to post a picture of my wallet after I mentioned how I get a tiny bit happy every time I pull it out of my purse at the cash register, ha ha.  I got this beauty almost a year ago and I still love it as much as I did when I first got it.  These are the things that make me happy. :-)

One last thing I wanted to share with my readers - if you shop at Sephora a lot and you're one of their VIB members, I wanted to turn you on to their 100 perk prize for this month: sample sizes of Gucci Guilty!  And not those janky little straw-sized tubes, actual little miniatures of their signature bottle! I bought this perfume a year ago I think actually the day it came out after one of my dear friends brought me back one of these little sample guys from her trip to Europe, before it had been released in the U.S.  I was in love at first sniff - juicy, fruit-based notes yet floral as well.  To make a long description short, I'm now on my third bottle of it and when I saw that these mini's were the 100 perk prize at Sephora I used all of my 800 points that I'd been saving for a good prize, and I think I went a little overboard, ha ha.  I have even more than what's pictured below.  BUT - check it out!  I get a ton of compliments when I wear this, and most of them are from men. Meow ;-)

Ciao for now...


xoxo,
Viva

The Return of Saturn

To anyone who is aged 27-30, 56-60 or 84-90 and is facing a particularly tough, confusing and disorienting time in their lives like I am currently, read ahead.  I found this to be surprisingly insightful.  A variety of friends have mentioned the Saturn Return to me over the past few months, and I finally took the time to find out what they are talking about.  I'm not usually one to be into/interested in astrology, but it makes sense to me for some reason.  If it can help you in any way, I'm glad I could have shared it with you.  I wish you luck and courage through your journey.

The Return of Saturn

In astrology, the Saturn return is a believed phenomenon which is described to influence a person's life development at 27 to 29 or 30-year intervals. These intervals or "returns" coincide with the approximate time it takes the planet Saturn to make one orbit around the sun, i.e. 29.4 years. It is believed by astrologers that, as Saturn "returns" to the degree in its orbit occupied at the time of birth, a person crosses over a major threshold and enters the next stage of life. With the first Saturn return, a person leaves youth behind and enters adulthood. With the second return, maturity. And with the third and usually final return, a person enters wise old age. These periods are estimated to occur at roughly the ages of 28-30, 56-60 and 84-90. A fourth return occurs for only a few people, at age 114-118.

The Saturn return always occurs between the age of 27 and 29, seemingly lasts a lot longer, and is one of the most feared and misunderstood points in personal evolution. It is usually a difficult time with a lot of stress and pressure, where things come to an end, hard realizations are faced, and the weight of the world is felt, very acutely. However, it is also a time of many opportunities to make important choices and decisions, moving out of unconscious patterns and obsolete conceptions of our purpose into more deliberate and thoughtful expressions of our unfulfilled self.

It represents a time of completing a major life cycle, and because it is Saturn, it shows that we now have completed some lessons about what we can do and cannot do, what we can live with and what we cannot. It is a time where we examine our chains, and lift off the ones we no longer need to wear. It is where we choose behaviors that will lead us to forms of dominion and slavery in our life. Before now, these were chosen for us by our elders and our unconscious patterns. But no longer. This is the moment where free will works most powerfully to make our lives a grand adventure in becoming our true authorship in the world, stepping into our chosen authority, or where we perpetuate life habits that enslave us to obsolete authoritarian patterns.

It is a time of important endings, but also major new beginnings that will affect our lives for many years to come. It is a time where our free will shows us more of our life purpose freed from old patterns we once needed, but do not need to live with any longer. It is often associated with a time of hardship, difficulties, and major challenges, but these occur because we are resisting our own tide of personal evolution, or because we need the skills to deal with these things that will help us reveal our higher purpose in the years to come. During this time of clearing our old psychological refuse, whatever must change WILL change, whether we want it to or not, and whether we like it or not.

It is important to note here that Saturn is not "causing" these things to occur. We are the engineers of our own lives, the determiners of our fate through our free will. As it was said, we are the dispensers of "glory or gloom" to ourselves, and no others. Nothing external compels our destiny. Since character is destiny, as we make our character we make our destiny. Saturn and its cycles merely indicate the part of our inner nature which must learn certain lessons as a direct result of our own maturation process, and show us clearly the cause-and-effect cycles we have set into motion before this time of radical choices and changes.

The Saturn return is a time when the "chickens come home to roost," for good or ill. Again, this is a time of evaluating what we can live with and what we cannot. It is the most important time for examining what our priorities are and what must be dropped from our lives to allow us a more mature expression of our "dharma," a Sanskrit term approximately meaning "true function" in the higher sense of the term. This is when we learn to make time and experience our ally, and come out of immature ways and lesser ways of being into our greater response-ability.

Saturn again returns to its birth place again between 57 and 59, where we choose once more how we want to live, this time for what most of us believe will be the rest of our lives. Again we make choices. This time, though, we are challenged to turn away from old limitations, rules, responsibilities, fears, and unfulfilling behaviors. This is the time to distill wisdom from the realizations we’ve had so far, reflected through the filter of over 30 years of adult experience. It’s usually hardest on those who still operate out of immaturity, irresponsibility, or fear. To the extent that we have not learned how to fulfill our higher purpose, or ignored the physical or emotional lessons of the various crisis points between 29 and 58, this is a very difficult time. Of course, it may also show us that we have done exactly what we were supposed to do, and marks the point of embracing a new adventure, having fulfilled the old purpose.

Any time Saturn touches any planet in our charts, it indicates a time when all of the above factors are brought to bear on the psychological function of the planet visited by Saturn. For example, when Saturn conjuncts our Sun, it is a time of receiving the rewards of "living our light," or feeling oppressed as a result of past self-betrayals. It may be a time of recognition for what we have accomplished, and where we restructure how we view illumination, and how we live your heart's higher purpose. Things end, but only those things which our light no longer needs.

When Saturn touches our Moon, it is a time of seeing what habits and feelings we can live with, and which ones have become too calcified to endure any longer. It is a time of restructuring our emotional experience. Though it may be experienced as limiting and restrictive, it also brings emotional and experiential rewards as well as a deepening of our inner connectedness with our true nature if we show the virtues of patience, responsibility, maturity, perseverance, self-discipline, and organization.

Saturn shows us the lessons we must learn to grow in our "authorship" in life, regardless of what personal, interpersonal, or transpersonal sphere we move through. The Saturn return shows us how we are or are not exercising "free will," rather than fear. Saturn is the part of us that has learned to be rigid and authoritarian, but also where we take responsibility for our lives and choices, and come to a genuine life renewal by ending whatever has oppressed us while embracing a more mature sense of self. Saturn may symbolize our limitations, but also shows us the way to the perfection of our personalities so we can live our Dharma, which is our Highest Self.

Though it is not usually a "joyous" time, it can be if we find the right point of view. Though it is not usually an "easy" time, it can be if you are living your higher purpose and don't resist the process of becoming more than we were. We simply must learn what people and circumstances and fears we no longer want nor need, and let go of lesser things. Then we can find a greater maturity, effectiveness, and purpose that enables us to enjoy our future as a grand adventure rather than be frustrated at not being able to stay in childish or unfulfilling patterns of acting, feeling, or thinking.

Ultimately Saturn can lead us to our primal innocence, where we do what’s right for the greatest good for all, without ulterior motives and controlling behaviors. We just have to learn to be mature, without being old. With the perfection of our Saturn function, we become part of the wisdom of our ancestry, our era, and the holographic patterns of all who share our life lessons. Our Saturn lessons help us learn and teach the greater way for those who follow us in the portion of the wisdom we are here to learn. The trick to it all is to embrace Saturn and its lessons and not fear that which makes us greater than we could have imagined.

Source: 

http://www.aquariuspapers.com/astrology/2005/10/the_saturn_retu.html

xo,

Viva

Happy Holidays Everyone!

I want to wish everyone a happy holiday season.  Be back soon...re arranging some things and people in my life. 

Big kisses to everyone, and I'm looking forward to 2012!  

xo,

Viva

Halloween 2011!

Halloween 2011


I sure had fun dressing up this Halloween!  Even my typically "I don't like dressing up for Halloween" best friend got into it this year and it was FABULOUS!!!  


Can you guess what our costumes were?