{GBF Life} A Week of Good, Bad, and Fab

When it rains, it pours. And this past week has been both the climatic manifestation and personal revelation of the expression. I won't inundate you with the sordid details of my personal life but it's suffice to say I'm standing in the eye of the storm clinging to the hope that a rainbow will emerge at the end of it.

As for the long waited and much needed storm that took LA by storm, it came at one of the busiest weeks of the year as I spent most of it splashing all over town (gallivanting at time) and was particularly concerned about my rain sensitive hair which invariably steps into frizz control the moment it comes into contact with excessive moisture. Do you know the saying, "frizzy hair don't care?" No? Well, I don't either because it doesn't exist. There's just nothing fab about frizz and with the help of TRESemme Keratin Smooth Shampoo, Conditioner, and Heat Activated Treatment, I was able to get through seven good, bad, and fabulous days avoiding the dreaded "tentacles sticking out of my head" look.

{day 1}
  Working and eating my way through my last day at the Vanity Fair Social Club

Taking a clarisonic pedi break

Striking a pose and getting social while spending a lasting moment with my blogger girls at the VF Social House

{day 2}
 Shoe shopping at Opening Ceremony to cure the rainy day blues

Catching up with my doppleganger and good friend Steph at the Tigerlily Swimwear party held on the rooftop of the Petit L'Ermitage Hotel. I curled my hair for the occasion and was impressed by the frizz-free waves.

{day 3}
Paying a visit to the Bollare showroom and experienced love at first sight with this two-tone Rovimoss satchel

Enjoying a Jessica Rabbit moment at the QVC Oscars Red Carpet Style Party with my new curls, my H&M hair pin, and my Angelys Balek dress. Favorite sighting of the night had to be Stanley from The Office.

 {day 4}
Running errands in my newly annointed errand running shoes from Joe Fresh

Taking a moment to enjoy the fluffy clouds

{day 5}
Pigging out at the Glam Oscars viewing party

 Usually, I'm in baggy t-shirts and sweats when watching the Oscars but since I was with GLAM, I had to dress a bit more glam and went in a LM by Mignon dress. Midway through the show, I had to go home and get my glasses because my contact lens split in two while still in my eye! On the bright side, my hair was tame and cooperative.

{day 6}
Taking my new Opening Ceremony flower cat eye sunnies out

Taking in the mesmerizing corals of the Spring 14 Clarins palette

 {day 7}
working all day with the support of my Chucks

 playing all night at with Ted Baker at its carnival style soiree

 TRESemmé is a salon-quality line of care & styling products that achieves the right balance between salon style and savvy spending in 2014. TRESemmé will INSPIRE SSS’s with beautiful hair and GUIDE them with stylist how-to’s using our cutting edge products on how to achieve the latest styles…from the CATWALK, the RED CARPET, HOLLYWOOD, and the STREETS of the most stylish cities… making their daily transformations easy, with amazing results every time.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Tresemmé via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Tresemmé.

{live fabulously}

 

{GBF Casual Friday} Steve Urkel

My friend Jamie is throwing a "Icons from the 90s" birthday party this Saturday and I feel compelled to dress up as Steve Urkel from Family Matters. He was much sexier than Stefan and pulled off the glasses, the suspenders, the head to toe plaid, and the snorting with nerdy confidence. I like men with big brains and thick glasses.

Yesterday, I took my James Jeans "Jojo" slouchy suspender boyfriend jeans out for a spin to a casual mid-morning Clarins spring presentation at the Bloomingdales in Westfield Century City. Every season for the past two years, fashion forecasters have decreed the return of the overalls and suspenders. And every season, they get it wrong as trepidation over the possibility of looking like lumberjacks and painters stop the masses from wearing and flaunting the trend. But I'm not going to let fear of the unconventional stop me from trying a new look. Because when it comes to style decisions, I always pick the unique, the one of a kind, the Urkel that stands a chance to leave a mark and to matter years after signing off.

photos by Melanee

top {via T.J Maxx | similar}
slouchy suspender boyfriend jeans {James Jeans "Jojo c/o}
shoes {Ahnu "Himalaya"}
tote{B. Makowsky}
sunglasses {Opening Ceremony | similar}

{live fabulously}

 

{GBF Fab Five Friday} Oscars Week

{Vanity Fair Social Club}

This week, I've been camped out at the wework space on Hollywood Blvd which is just a stone's throw away from the Dolby Theatre. Hosted by Vanity Fair, the VF Social Club is a week-long work suite for hand selected influencers to drop by, plug in, and immerse in Oscars week from behind the scenes. It's not your typical work space as it's staggered with panel sessions, a swag vending machine powered by Twitter, a Clarisonic pedi spa, a L'Oreal beauty lounge, and three square meals a day (plus champagne happy hour) courtesy of Chobani and grocerie foodrink. It's been fabulous to witness Oscars week from Vanity Fair's vantage point. 

{Hollywood Domino Gala}

Earlier in the week, I attended the Hollywood Domino Gala as a guest of HudsonMod. The event partnered with Artists for Peace and Justice to raise funds to support communities and schools in Haiti. Hosted by Paul Haggis and co-hosted by Gerard Butler, Jared Leto, and Olivia Wilde, the Sunset Tower Hotel was packed with A-list stars dressed in their red carpet best. Bacon wrapped dates and open bar aside, it was a fulfilling night filled with thought provoking conversations with new friends. But the ultimate highlight was watching Kevin Jonas and Jon Hamm play a handsome game of dominoes and coming to the realization that it's an actual game with rules and players and doesn't simply involve standing the pieces in long lines and watching them topple over. The domino effect is but one piece of the puzzle.

{Clinique Acne Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel}

Cystic pimples are like camel toes. They always appear at the most inopportune time. Last night, a big throbbing red protrusion made its way to my chin. I'd just run out of my usual acne arsenal so I tried something new. Clinique sent me an advance copy of their Clinical Clearing Gel which won't be out in stores util March 4. It's truly a miracle product as one little swab resulted in overnight flattening of the pimple and dramatic reduction in size. In a twelve week study, the gel treated blemishes with results as good as leading topical acne prescription drugs.

{STK Sweet Potato Donuts}

All my dinners have been consumed in the upright position this week. So I savored the short window of time to hang out with friends, break bread, chew red meat, and indulge in the most amazing dessert ever at STK.

{spread joy}
At the VF Social Club "Breaking Through: Branding in the Digital Age" panel, when asked what her ultimate for her brand is, Instagram star and artist Rachel Ryle responded, "to bring joy to people." It's a sweet truism that I seek to live up to every single day.

{live fabulously}

 

{GBF What I Wore to the Ballet} Sole Society "Chic is..."Campaign

When Sole Society asked me to be part of their "Chic is..." campaign, I was surprised, elated, and immediately dipped into a state of deep contemplation. I shy away from self-labeling as I believe in the fluidity of the human mind, spirit, and body. There's always room to evolve, reinvent, and turn a new leaf so why let labels impede our metamorphic potential? 

But I quickly discovered the "Chic Is" campaign is more than just labels. The campaign celebrates qualities of chicness that pierce through our inner selves and float above surface aesthetics. Looking chic is about feeling confident, being effortless, and staying unconventional. 

Sole Society asked me to put together an outfit that embodies "chic is...unconventional." So I wore a turtleneck and flats to the opening night of the Royal New Zealand Ballet Company production of "Giselle."  On a night when chiffon, baubles, sequins and dressed to the nines at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion was the standard, I opted for a dressed down look that was simple, comfortable, and casual for the occasion. For me, chic is about dressing for myself and feeling comfortable with what I'm wearing even if it's unconventional or goes against the grain. Because looking chic starts with feeling fabulous.

What's your chic?

turtleneck {H&M | similar}
skirt {Zara | similar}
flats {sole society "alyse" c/o}
tote {sole society "josette" c/o}
necklace {sole society c/o}
sunnies {sole society "smythe" c/o}
ring {sole society c/o}

{live fabulously}