I love when fashion from different eras come back in style, and I'm loving that this season various pieces from the 90s and the 70s are back! This weekend, I recreates a 70s look during a visit to LACMA with some pretty basic pieces, and I really liked the way it turned out.
I've always stuck to skinny jeans ever since I can remember, but I found some really cute flare jeans and thought, "why not shake it up and change up my look?". They are actually a lot more comfortable than my skinnies. I almost can't believe I waited this long to try a different jean cut.
I paired my new jeans with a ringer tee that I found at Cotton On, which has a 2 for $25 sale on tee shirts going on right now. Everyone knows how much I love LA, so when I saw this shirt I knew I had to have it. It's a cute little pun. Ringer tees are quintessential 70s. I can imagine people back then wearing them on the beach or to a roller rink ha ha!
I completed my look with a simple bright orange-ish red lip, modern aviator sunnies, and cognac colored platforms. Lips brought to you by NARS matte pencil in Red Square.
This year marked the 88th Annual Academy Awards! 88 is the year I was born and 8 is my lucky number so I figured something special might happen (spoiler alert...it did!). I write something every year about the Oscars and I also try to watch as many nominated movies as I can, but definitely the ones nominated for Best Picture, and this year is no different. So here goes...
Fashion
Obviously, let's talk fashion first! Everyone looked so amazing and beautiful...especially my beau, Leonardo DiCaprio. These are my top fashion favorites of the night...
Lady Gaga in Brandon Maxwell.
Charlize Theron in Dior Haute Couture and Harry Winston diamonds.
Saoirse Ronan in Calvin Klein and Chopard jewelry.
I have to admit, I was really looking forward to seeing Alicia Vikander's look tonight since I've been obsessed her with style all awards season, but I was a little underwhelmed by her look at the Oscars. Not bad, but still not that breathtaking.
And on a side note, has anyone checked Heidi Klum's head recently? She's been looking all kinds of sloppy on the red carpet recently, I definitely thought she would step it up for the Oscars at least.
Being in the diamond industry myself, I had to include my favorite jewelry looks of the night too!
Jennifer Lawrence in Chopard.
Charlize Theron in $3.7 million worth of Harry Winston diamonds.
Giuliana Rancic in Forevermark.
Host/#OscarsSoWhite
There was a lot of buzz around the Oscars not having a more diverse group of nominees. I agreed somewhat, where I thought Will Smith should have been nominated and so should have Straight Out of Compton. I guess the Academy tried to make up for it throughout the show by peppering in a lot of jokes to combat the #OscarsSoWhite controversy? Chris Rock's monologue was actually funny in my opinion, but most of the jokes were trying to make light of "racist Hollywood", and though his jokes were bold, they were also borderline uncomfortable. It was apparent that everyone in the audience didn't know if it was okay if they laughed. I did, however, like Chris' nod that Michael B. Jordan should have been nominated, because lets face it, he should have. On the other hand, that introduction to Stacey Dash was god awful. Maybe I'm biased, but I'm having a hard time agreeing that any recent Oscars host has been better than Ellen!
Winners
Again, I watched all the Best Picture nominated movies this year, and also Joy and The Danish Girl. I had my opinions on who should win and I'm overall really pleased with the outcomes. After tonight, I'm definitely going to make an effort to watch Carol and Amy (Best Documentary Feature). Let's talk...
I'm really happy for all the Mad Max wins including Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Film Editing. I think they were all deserved. Creating a futuristic movie that is to the caliber that Mad Max is hard to do and the people behind it did it really well.
Best Picture: I thought all of the nominees this year did a really good job of spotlighting (hehe) social relevance. Spotlight was the winner! I kind of didn't see it coming, but I'm really happy it came out on top. I think this movie, of all of them, embodied social relevance and brought to light a hidden topic that challenges an otherwise revered institution.
Best Actor: Well. What can I say? I've been waiting for this moment since I saw Titanic when I was 13. Aside from how handsome I think Leonardo DiCaprio is, I think he's truly, truly talented and maybe it took him all these years to perfect his acting enough to be able to portray his character in The Revenant, but at the end of the day, this award was so deserved in so many ways. This is why I think the 88th annual Oscars was lucky :) Also, true to Leo fashion, he encouraged conservation of the environment in his acceptance speech, which made his win even more epic.
Best Actress: Brie Larson! The Room was actually a very poignant film and Brie had a huge responsibility of carrying it, along with Jacob Tremblay, and she did a great job. She was one of the only main characters in the film. I read that she locked herself in her home for one month and didn't leave so she could understand how her character would feel. As far as I've seen, method acting always breeds a winning result, so good for her!
Best Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance in Bridge of Spies. I liked him in this film, but I'm not sure I would have chosen him as the Best Supporting Actor. Even though he was the major part of the film, he was hardly in any of the scenes. I would have liked to see Mark Ruffalo win this category for his portrayal of a Boston journalist in Spotlight. His passion in this film was incomparable.
Best Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl. I watched The Danish Girl this morning, very last minute! I wasn't going to, but I figured since the two main actors in it (Alicia Vikander and Eddie Redmayne) were nominated, I should watch it. I'm really glad I did, because Alicia's performance was great and I'm really happy she won this category. She's my new found girl crush, I'm a little obsessed with her.
I'm also very happy with Inside Out winning Best Animated Film, it was a great take on how our brains work and extremely profound for a film intended for a younger audience.
The only category I was in disagreement with was Best Original Song. I like Sam Smith and all, but Lady Gaga was definitely robbed of this award.
Highlights
1. The appearances made by C3PO, R2D2, BB8, the Minions, Woody, and Buzz Lightyear! So cute and...how did they do that with the Minions,Woody, and Buzz? :P
2. Girl Scout Cookies for the win! I can't decide if that was better than the pizza from Ellen's year of hosting, but either way, Girl Scout Cookies are a good crowd pleaser and I wouldn't mind getting my hands on some Thin Mints.
3. Jacob Tremblay and Abraham Attah standing on soap boxes to be taller while presenting for Best Live Action Short Film. I have yet to see Beasts of No Nation, but I loved Jacob in Room!
4. Joe Biden introducing Lady Gaga's performance of Till It Happens to You and empowering survivors of sexual assault.
5. Lady Gaga's performance!! What a show stopper, this was the ultimate highlight of the show, for me anyway. This performance was truly powerful and the inclusion of survivors of sexual assault on stage with her made it even more profound. Her passion in her craft is just amazing and brings forth emotion, as it did with the audience.
6. Alejandro G. Innaritu's speech upon winning for Best Director, which championed eliminating prejudice and promoting equality. It's long, but worth the watch.
All in all, I was very happy with how the Oscars were this year. From the winners, to the performances, and even the hosting, I thought it was fun and entertaining to watch. And I'm especialy overjoyed with Leo winning...I knew the 88th Academy Awards would be a lucky one! What did all of you movie lovers out there think of it? I hope you all enjoyed it and enjoyed reading my post. That's a wrap!
Last weekend, I ventured out to Long Beach for an event, and had heard great things about this cute place to eat called The Attic. It's nestled in a nice little area near downtown and has such a homey feel so I decided to try it out.
Walking in was like walking into a backyard barbecue at a friends house. It's really welcoming and cozy. I sat in the patio outside, which had comfy couches and multi patterned tables. It overlooked the street and the weather that day made it a perfect vibe.
As a lover of Bloody Mary's, I was so excited to see a page full of different types of Bloody Mary's they served. Each one had a different type of garnish on top of it. My boyfriend got the Meaty Man Bloody Mary, which used bacon infused vodka and was garnished with a slider and Slim Jim stuffed olive. I loved mine...the Caprese Bloody Mary with basil infused vodka and a tomato, basil, and mozzarella garnish. They were both to die for.
The star of the show, though, was what this place is known for...Mac and Cheetos! It doesn't get more decadent than this, people! A glorious cheddar and mozzarella macaroni and cheese topped with hot Cheetos! There are so many add ons you can get to it too. I added some bacon, but kind of regret not getting avocados too. If you're looking for even more decadence, you can even add a fried egg on top of it!
If you're looking for other comfort food dishes, I also recommend the chicken pot pie. The flaky crust on top of a hearty pot pie is just a feel good meal.
Honorable mention to the bison burger, which my boyfriend said tasted really good, but I'm just not a huge fan of bison.
Next time you're out in Long Beach and looking for a great place to comfort your foodie soul, try out The Attic, you won't be sorry! Happy eating!
Since it's the beginning of the year, I really wanted to start fresh and just get rid of the clutter in my life. There are so many things that can be cleaned up and organized, which changes the complete feng shui of your life. Trust me on this, guys...with a life free of clutter, you make room in your life to allow other positive energies to flow in.
For the past 2 weeks, I've been doing a complete overhaul on all my stuff. Cleaning out things that are unnecessary in my life and throwing them out is very therapeutic and I want to share this experience with you all so you can de-clutter too.
Here are some essential cleanses you can do to start of 2016 right...
1. Cleanse your inbox.
Delete old emails that you no longer need, like receipts from things you've bought and won't return. Create folders to organize the other needed emails. Don't leave any unneeded emails in your inbox.
2. Cleanse your purse/wallet.
For the love of god toss out old papers, gum wrappers, and old makeup out of your bags! You might even find some treasures you've been looking for.
3. Cleanse your phone albums.
Let's face it, you took 20 selfies to get the perfect one. You don't need the rest now! Get rid of them and make space in your phone for your next selfie photo shoot.
4. Cleanse your old papers.
Ever stack up all your junk mail and other papers, stick them in a corner, and forget about them? Time to get rid of those. Invest in a shredder and shred those papers that you no longer need. Don't forget to recycle!
5. Cleanse your closet.
If you haven't worn something in your closet in over a year, it's time to throw it out. H&M has a really good incentive of 20% off when you donate a bag of clothes. There's always Goodwill and other charities too.
6. Invest in a calendar you enjoy looking at.
Sometimes I get stressed out just looking at my calendar and seeing all the things I need to do. I find that having a calendar that's appealing to the eyes lowers my anxiety. Invest in a cute calendar. I made this one at a craft class at Paper Source.
In general, cleanse yourself from clutter and negativity this year and see if positive energy doesn't come your way. To make room for a different energy, you need to get rid of old ones. Here's hoping to a stress free, de-cluttered, and positive 2016!
I wanted to share some of my holiday highlights with you all in hopes that it will inspire you for next year or even for any other holiday throughout the year!
I want to start off with my favorite gifts of the season. These are my top gifts I received this year. They're gifts that are really desirable and make great presents that a lot of girls will love. Valentine's Day is coming up, so these might be good things to keep in mind! Shop the items via links below...
Next, I want to inspire you all to give baking a try and cultivate holiday flavors into your baked goods. I love making oatmeal walnut cranberry cookies! As you know, I always happily share my recipes, but this recipe is my little holiday secret :X
I loved seeing holiday lights at the LA Zoo this year too. It was very festive and my favorite part was the twinkling LED light canopy above a long, beautiful walkway.
Finally, I hope you all had fun celebrating the beginning of the New Year and I hope this year for everyone that all your pain be champagne!
A few weeks ago, I hustled down to Melrose to check out a really cool Seinfeld pop up exhibit, so since I was already there, I decided to eat dinner at one of the trendy spots around the area. I came across this really cute French bistro type place called Zinque and fell in love with it.
I'm a huge fan of French food. What's not to like? Cheese, wine, fresh baguettes, crepes, wine, cheese, wine, cheese, tartes, and did I say wine and cheese? I love French wine and cheese, especially with good bread so I went a little crazy on ordering it here.
I started off with a Rose from Provence. I tend to like my wines on the dry side, but this wine was actually very delicious and paired well with everything else I ordered. My boyfriend, the beer lover, was pleasantly shocked to see his favorite beer, Delirium, on tap!
We started with the Ahi Tuna Tartare with Pesto as an appetizer. The fish was really fresh and it tasted really good with the pesto and fresh parmesan shavings on top. But the best part of this dish was the bread all the tartare was placed on. If you've been to Paris or know anything about French pastries, you know Polaine and Polaine is the best of the best when it comes to bread. Zinque ships out Polaine bread from Paris and it really brings the whole dish together. I honestly don't know how I will go back to eating bread from the grocery store after I had the bread here.
Next was a Quiche Lorraine. This quiche is named after a region in France and had pancetta and Gruyere cheese. It was absolutely divine. It came with scalloped potatoes with more cheese on them...I mean, can you get more French than that?
Because I clearly did not have enough cheese in this meal, I also ordered Baked Camembert Cheese. Baking a soft cheese and getting it all warm and gooey takes a cheese to a whole other level, let me tell you. It's really a must have. It was served with a drizzle of honey on top of the cheese, Marcona almonds, grapes, and wheat bread.
What's a French meal without dessert? I was so full, but I knew I couldn't pass up dessert. Hence this glorious Banana Bread with French Vanilla ice cream. The banana bread was warm and soft and the ice cream on top was just the perfect addition to it. I just love when ice cream slowly melts on top of a warm dessert. Don't make the mistake of not ordering this.
I love checking out new restaurants and bars wherever I go, but I think I will definitely be back here in the future! If only for that Polaine bread :)
In LA, there are a bunch of beautiful museums to visit where you can see art, look back on history, or learn about a new culture. I've visited a lot of them, but when I heard there was a brand spanking new contemporary art museum opening in Downtown LA, I knew I had to check it out. Especially since entry into the museum is free!
Before opening, the museum teased everyone with its beautiful architecture of the building. It's a super modern look that looks almost like a mesh net(?)...that's what I thought of it anyway!
Upon walking inside, we were instantly greeted with this interesting piece, resembling a stack of plates by Robert Therrien.
Moving over to the left, was this lamp that looks like its sort of melting. This reminded me so much of a prop straight out of a Tim Burton movie.
All the art in this museum was very modern, which I actually really like. I think it allows the audience to use their imagination to delve into the deeper meaning of what the piece is trying to convey. Noting the date and location the artists created the pieces also influences the interpretations of the artwork, so I always make a note to read the placards next to them.
My favorite room by far was the Takashi Murakami Room! Murakami uses his Japanese heritage and American pop culture to influence his works. His art spills into fashion and film as well and has been compared to Andy Warhol.
I also really loved a video piece by Ragnar Kjartansson. I couldn't get any footage of it, just because it wouldn't have done it any justice, really. The piece was a looping video of a group of musicians who rented a dreary cabin in upstate New York. Each musician was set in a different room of the mansion each with different instruments and they all sang and played the same song from their respective rooms. Videos were taken of each room and displayed separately, but became harmonious when they were all played at the same time. This exhibit was totally worth seeing, I would even recommend it before the infamous Infinity Room!
We came across some very random but interesting pieces throughout, like this Double America by Glenn Ligon.
My boyfriend even found some height competition with this Charles Ray number.
I was feeling a little tiny standing next to this Robert Therrien piece.
There were even some Jeff Koons works like these basketballs.
I loved seeing some Roy Lichtenstein artwork as well!
Finally, we saw the infamous Infinity Room! Note that when you go to the Broad, come early and make a reservation to see this! Since everything is free, the museum has to track the number of visitors in the most popular exhibit so by the time we arrived, the reservations for the room were filled and we had to go on a standby list and we couldn't see it until 8:30pm. But it was totally worth the wait (kind of). We had (a full) 15 seconds in the room where you stand on a platform surrounded by water below you and mirrors on the walls. Lights are projected in there to reflect on the water and the mirrors. It really looks like you are in a room of infinite sparkle. My favorite part of it was looking down below me...it felt like I was floating in space!
I really recommend checking this place out guys! It's very different and unique and you can't beat the price.
