Cat's Outta The Bag

Image via Style by Kling

I suppose everyone already knows, but in case you've been under a rock for the last 48 hours, guess who the next designer to collaborate with H&M is? None other than Donatella, darling! The fall collection of womenswear, men's clothes and home items is set to hit stores on November 17th, and I couldn't be more excited. Like... I may just camp out, excited. Ok, maybe not. But I definitely know what's going on my Christmas wishlist this year!!

Shuck it!

What screams "summer" louder than oyster shucking?! Nothing my friends! This Saturday, the hubs and I attended San Diego's Oysterfest. It was a day filled with superb oysters, local beer, and a star lineup of live music, including five bands, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Musical acts included headliners Pepper plus The Nervous Wreckords, Vokab Kompany, Paulo Da Rosa, Sic Waiting, as well as several DJs. We had such a great time taking in the sun while drinking beer and dancing around. I couldn't ask for anything better on a summer San Diego afternoon.

There's nothing better than summer weekends in San Diego. I'm in love, love, love, love, love!

By the way, Happy Fathers Day to all the baby-daddies out there!! I'm off to cook a gourmet dinner for my papa. Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone!

Product Review - Tarte New Amazonian Clay Waterproof Collection

Alright girls, let's talk makeup. Who doesn't love to play dress up and try out new things? I know I do. I spend hundreds of dollars every year on impulse buys... to the point where my husband just tells me to steer clear anytime we're walking by Sephora or the Nordstrom beauty counter... whatever. Still, it's always fun to play with new products, especially when those products are freebies! That's right folks, Tarte has a new Amazonian Clay Waterproof Collection out, and this lucky girl got to test out a few of their pieces. 

Let's discuss what I got. First of all, there's the gel waterproof liners. Each package comes equipped with the perfect liner brush (that's a $54 value for a retail price of only $22!), which makes application easy peasy. I tried two different colors, black and plum, and each one blended seamlessly. There are two ways to wear this type of liner: 1) if you're going for the cat-eye look, you can use the thinner end of the brush, applying it directly by the lash line, stroking out at the very end; 2) you can also try sporting the "bedroom eyes", by following the step described previously, and then smudging the liner upwards with the thicker end of the brush. I have recently mastered the application of bedroom eyes in plum, which makes my green eyes pop, while giving me that smoldering look (obsessed). You can really stretch the range of how you use these liners - tight and simple for the office, smudged and dramatic for a night time look. 

The other two products, the black waterproof eye pencil and the cream eyeshadow, have become my new daily favorites! The color, black for the liner, and seashell pink for the shadow, is unbelievably pigmented, and it stays on for hooooours! Overall rating? 5/5!

I've always loved reading product reviews, and I'm thinking I'll be writing a lot more of them myself from now on. Next weekend I'm heading to L.A. for the International Makeup Artist Trade Show (IMATS), and I couldn't be more excited. Sitting in on some classes and stocking up on all the latest products is what it's all about. Is anyone else going? If not, don't worry, I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures and share everything I learn with you here! Have a good weekend everyone! 

Quarter Century Celebration Part II

Isn't that an amazing quote? Pretty much summarizes my weekend... Here's a quick rundown of how my Saturday went: jog, brunch, mani/pedi, check into an amazing suite at the Sofia Hotel, dinner at The Currant, cake from Extraordinary Desserts, dancing at Voyeur. Life. Is. Good.

{View from our Suite/I'm wearing an Arden B dress, Asos Cuff, Sergio Rossi Pumps}

{I LOVE my friends!}

Quarter Century Celebration Part I

Like some of you may already know, this week I turned twenty five. Eeek! That's a quarter of a century! I can honestly say that I've never felt better though, and that this has been the best birthday yet! The amazing part? We're not even done celebrating yet! Since my birthday fell on a Thursday this year, I decided to save the raging till the weekend. Tonight, a few of my closest friends and I are hitting downtown like it's 1999! I seriously can't wait. Till then, I wanted to share with you how spoiled I've been this week... here's a little summary of the gifts that I received.

My family and friends know me so well.. one of my biggest passions is collecting vintage designer bags, and this year, I got THREE of them for my birthday!! Couldn't be happier.

{My hubby spoiled me with a gorgeous burgundy suede Chanel bag and a diamond necklace}

{From my family I recieved a perfect Gucci messenger bag, a Tory Burch green trench and some new running shoes}

{One of my besties surprised me with a lovely vintage Fendi!}

After opening all my gifts, my family took me out to dinner at a new French bistro, that recently opened in Ocean Beach - BO beau.

{Yours truly, enjoying Le Romantique Cocktail - Belvedere black rasberry, pomegrante-rose petal nectar, champagne, and a rose petal}

{Pictured above: crispy brussels sprouts - pancetta, parmesan, balsamic - these were seriously amazing!}

{Golden Calamari - zesty marinara, cherry peppers}

{Moules Provencales - tomato, leek, saffron}

{Boeuf Bourguignon - baby carrots, pancetta, mushrooms, pearl onions, fingerling potatoes}

{Housemade Fettuccini - duck confit, roasted mushrooms, parmesan reduction}

{Steak Frites - rib eye au poivre, herb butter, haricot verts, pomme frites}

Overall, it was a perfect day. I seriously couldn't be more thankful! Thank you everyone for your sweet wishes and comments.

Now wish me luck, because it's time for round two!

Obsessed

Can you guess what this post is about? Just take a close look... does anything seem bigger? Longer, perhaps?

That's right folks, last night I got eyelash extensions, and I'm officially hooked! I've always lusted for those butterfly long lashes, and although falsies are always fun for a night out, they're not quite realistic for everyday wear. I've considered trying Latisse, but the constant warnings of all the side effects freaked me out a little.. are longer lashes worth giving up my baby greens for? Probably not.

That's when I decided to try extensions. I've been hearing more and more about them lately, and after reading a few success stories on several blogs, I decided to give it ago. Extensions are a little pricy, but I figure that feeling fabulous on my birthday is worth the investment. The whole procedure took about an hour and a half... "just take a little nap, and when you wake up, you'll have gorgeous lashes", is what the lady at the salon told me. What a concept, huh? The experience was totally painless, and she was right, I was able to snooze for a few minutes, and when she was all finished I looked in the mirror and was very pleased with what I saw.

The only downside? I've been fluttering my eyelashes waaaaayy too much today... hahaha! Of course everyone is different, and if you decide to try out lash extensions, you should probably check with your doctor to make sure you're not allergic to the type of glue that they use. Once you have the go-ahead however, dive right in without fear! Your eyelashes will not fall out, (ok, don't quote me on this), and you will feel fa-bu-lous!

Questions? Concerns? Feel free to email me, and I'd be happy to give you more details about my experience.