Item of the Week: Smell like Dessert

I tried out a bit of this honey almond body cream and quite delightfully it smells exactly like... almond pudding???!! Yes, if you've ever experienced Dim Sum, almond pudding is exactly what this body cream reminds me of. Pure deliciousness - although the scent isn't so obvious as to make all those around you ask for almond pudding. You really only smell the fragrance when  you first rub in the body cream.

Oddly I don't seem to smell much honey from the cream but maybe it's because I'm too busy thinking about a bowl of pudding with a cherry on top:

Photocredit: Tokyo5

$15 at 100% Pure

Item of the Week: Leifsdottir Niina Mary-Janes

I'm usually not a fan of wedges because I find they to be rather clunky, but these Mary Jane versions from Leifsdottir are so adorable and sweet with the scalloped back, yet modern with the natural leather shades. I also find the combination of patent and regular leather to be a fantastic little bit of contrast. These are definitely going on my wishlist.

$298 at Anthropologie

BHLDN Secret Sale

BHLDN is having a secret 48hr sale on it's party frocks and accessories, stuff that gals not actually having a wedding can wear! However, it is an all sales final sale so you can't return if the items don't fit! See original email here for all the details.

My fave item of the sale? This gorgeous Twinkle by Wenlan dress, though I'm afraid to buy given the final sale conditions and my general difficulty with sizing being a petite gal.

Tinseled Flutter Sleeve Dress - Twinkle by Wenlan

What I Love Now! - Shoes and Shopping

Shoe Love. Thanks to a quick dash to the Jeremy's in San Francisco, I found these gorgeous SixtySeven leather booties with star cut outs from Spain.  You can find them online at Lori's Shoes or at Village Shoes.

Jeremy's. I've already been a bit of a fan of the Berkeley branch, but San Francisco can definitely be described as bigger with much more selection. Knowing the San Francisco store layout ahead of time is really helpful in making your trip more fruitful.

Going in, the 1st floor is designer, handbags, jewelry, mens, salvage, and shoes. Designer is truly high end designer - think Dries Van Noten, doo.ri, Diane Von Furstenburg, Lanvin (swoon) and the like, but be prepared to fork over $100+ for any one item. Salvage is essentially clothing and shoes that have marks/damage to them such that they cannot be sold at full retail. My shoes above are "salvage" due to a few scuffs and marks, though frankly I thought they were quite in keeping with the character of the boots. For everyday items, head to the 2nd floor via the stairs. This is where you'll find more midpriced racks of clothing usually under $100, and a lot of items from Urban Outfitters, Leifsdottir, and Anthropologie wind up here.

Photocredit: Naia

Gelateria Naia. With all that hard work shopping, nothing beats a lovely bit of gelato from Naia, with it's gorgeously fresh, local and sometimes kooky flavors that make my heart beat a little faster. I've been a fan for many years and have watched the little store expand to branches and even become available at Whole Foods. Some of my favorites: any of the seasonal fruit sorbetto's, the Nocciola (hazelnut), and the Madagascar Vanilla.

Item of the Week: Becca Ultimate Mascara

I've become a bit of a fan of Becca's The Ultimate Mascara - a favorite of makeup duo Pixiwoo. Basically it's non-irritating tube mascara without any fibers. Since my eyes are rather sensitive I find this mascara works quite nicely and is really easy to remove - no panda eyes! In terms of other tube mascaras, I prefer this one to Philosophy's The Supernatural Mascara (gets stickier over time) or Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara (horrible removal).

If you've been following my twitter feed, I'm also a fan of Becca's Beach tint in Peach as well as Becca's Luminous Skin Colour in Sand.

Nuclear Free Zone

It was time for a trip back to the town of my alma mater, Berkeley! I love all the interesting little hippie quirks of this place, not to mention how reassuring it is to be in a nuclear free zone ;)

The lovely La Med is rather indispensable - it's a mediterranean cafe with deliciously fresh food in generous portions at ridiculously inexpensive prices.

Yes you even get a fresh carnation next to you and a lovely vintage Coca-Cola lady.

Charming, isn't it?

Shopping is always interesting along College Ave as chain stores are so extensively frowned upon that private, unique little shops tend to abound. Of course, Jeremy's is always a fun place to check out to see if you can find a steal - I've previously mentioned how it is a secret outlet for Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters and designer items. Other places I've enjoyed include FIT (a curated boutique with brands like Cop Copine and Vera Wang) and 100% Pure (a delectable boutique with natural skincare and cosmetics).

Photo credit: Yelp

Inspiration: Strike a Pose

I just love this video of models posing in Chanel makeup with bits of cut out Chanel images. Such a chic virtual "collage" if you will.

Strike a Pose Video by Peter Philips

Item of the Week: H&M Tights

I have to applaud H&M for doing a 2 pack of basic, no-nonsense nude pantyhose at only $5.95 (and made in Turkey no less!). The great thing about these is they are not control top, which I absolutely hate because control top hose is so uncomfortable to wear. And the quality upon first inspection is quite nice, fairly sturdy, not something that immediately runs the moment you try to put it on.

It isn't quite the holy grail of hose like Donna Karan The Nudes (which is amazing in the way it blends into your legs). However, for everyday wear I'd buy these, which are even cheaper than discounted Calvin Kleins. Probably should've written this blog post after I stockpile them first...

Natural Beauty

Lernert & Sander: Natural Beauty on Nowness.com.

I just find this artistic take on applying 365 days worth of makeup onto a models face somehow just fascinating. In some ways it's commentary as to the amount of makeup many women use in each year, but also it speaks to a certain level of social acceptance. It is not shocking to know women who really do wear makeup everyday --- furthermore, almost every single advertisement or image we see of women today is with makeup, but what if you wore all that makeup at once?

At the same time, (and not to be too critical of makeup because I do believe there's much bigger, scarier issues in the world than too much makeup), I have to say I do rather covet the eyecolor E107 and lip color L205 used (both by Ellis Faas) even after watching the video several times. Not sure if I'm the only one conflicted with thoughts of "that eyeshadow is so pretty" and then thoughts of "gah! how horrible makeup can be!" 

More details on the fascinating creation of the video here. And can we give bravo to the model, Hannelore Knuts for being willing enough to sit for a whole day while having makeup layers slathered upon her? I would've gone nuts by layer #5, I'm sure. 

What do you think of the video? What were your reactions?