Keeping It Local

As you can tell from my blog, I heart LA. It's my hometown, my school, my workplace, my playground, and my shopping haven. I'm a huge supporter of local brands and try my best to highlight labels that have permeated the local fashion scene. I hope you enjoy getting a glimpse into LA fashion through my posts!

At Aline Media's fashion showcase a few weeks ago, I got to know some very cool local labels.




DENEISH celebrates the beauty of the modern day woman who desires to look stylish in her professional and personal career. The line embodies the elegance of simplicity and romance.


Hendrick Brun is actually an import from the east coast. But its style aesthetic, which leans heavily towards rock "n" roll chic fits in very well with the LA lifestyle.

I love the vintage inspired line of shoes by Lovely People. I'm infatuated with the colors, details, and overall cuteness of the designs!

It's Been Too Long...

...since I've hosted a giveaway!!!!

I'm loving all of your positive feedback for the Material Girls line at Macy's. So, I'm going to give away a $35 Macy's gift card for you to spend on Material Girls' cute floral skirts, layerable tees and fun sun dresses. Because when it comes down to it, we're all material girls...living in a material world!


GIVEAWAY RULES:
1. follow me via google subscriber (the tab is to the right of the entries)
2. leave a comment at the end of this post and tell me what's your favorite Madonna look. Don't forget to include your email address!
3. add me as a friend on facebook: www.facebook.com/goodbadnfab
4. "Like" this post (see tab at the bottom of this entry)
4. giveaway ends May 6, 2011 at 11:59 PST. Winner will be contacted via email
5. open to everyone WORLDWIDE
6. Want to double your chances of winning? Retweet this: @goodbadnfab and @Macy's are teaming up to give away a Macy's gift card! Check out www.goodbadnfab.blogspot.com for details!

Kale the Guilt

I lack self-control when it comes to snacking. Put me in front of the TV with a bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos and I can guarantee the entire bag (regardless of size) will be devoured within one episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County. To mitigate my bad snacking habit, I've been trying to replace empty calories snacks with healthy and sensible alternatives. One of my favorites is kale chips. 


Kale is a low calorie leafy vegetable that's highly nutritious and contain potent antioxidant properties. By simply roasting them and sprinkling a tad of sea salt and olive oil, I'm able to transform a healthy vegetable into a delicious snack, "kale-ing" the guilt of snacking!


Simple Kale Chips Recipe


Ingredients:
1 bunch of kale
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt (and any other seasoning) to sprinkle

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Discard kale stems and wash thoroughly
3. Dry kale in a salad spinner or with paper towels
4. Tear kale into 1.5 inch pieces
5. In a large bowl mix dry kale with olive oil and sprinkle salt (just a pink or two- it's easy to over salt them) and mix
6. Spread kale out on two baking sheets
7. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned




Living in a Material World

A few weeks ago, I caught Madonna's "Truth or Dare" documentary on TV. It was filmed in 1991 and provides interesting insight into Madonna's highly controversial and chaotic life during her 1990 Blonde Ambition World Tour. At the time, she was dating Warren Beatty and it seems like even a Mr. Hollywood like himself couldn't deal with the frenetic and self-welcomed publicness that encompassed every facet of Madonna's life. He would sit in her dressing room, shake his head and mouth the word "crazy" whenever she said said or did something that was irreverent or shocking. After seeing the documentary, I totally believe they broke up because he simply couldn't keep up with her.

I had always been a passive Madonna fan but after watching the documentary, my interest in her instantly activated. Since she's not working on any music projects at the moment, I decided to check out "Material Girl," the clothing line launched by her and her daughter Lourdes for Macy's. 




The line is fun, flirty and incorporates tons of color, prints, and florals. I love that while it offers all the basics-tees, pencil skirts, and pants, it also dares to be risky by taking on tight floral dresses, moto jackets and wildly printed blouses tanks. The prices points are pretty great. I didn't see a single item hover over $60. 

I love the dress's silhouette as it can work as a great layering piece

The denim jacket fits me perfectly! It's light and thin and ideal for Spring/Summer nights

I love floral dresses! They're so versatile and can be worn to every summertime occasion

I'm a total sucker for floral shorts. I love pairing them with a muted oversized tee

I ended up purchasing this puffy floral skirt. Although the shape and length are pretty basic, the floral print really makes it shine


Dr. Denese HydroShield Ultra Moisturizing Face Serum-Skincare Product Review

Although some people perceive face serums as an optional step in their skincare regimen, for me,  it's always been the standard. Serums can transform your skin in a major way as its concentrated liquidity is easily absorbed into the skin, much more so than moisturizers, ensuring that it penetrates deep in your skin's epidermis.

I use serums to balance out my combination skin as it helps to keep the areas around my cheeks and eyes moisturized and dewy. However, almost all of the serums I've used in the past ended up being way too oily, causing breakouts and irritation. I was in a bind. Which is greater of two evils? Dry skin that would inevitably lead to fine lines down the line (no pun intended) or irritated and blotchy skin?  I didn't want to choose.

A while ago, I received a bottle of the Dr. Denese Ultra Moisturizing Face Serum at a party. Although I had never heard of the line, I was willing to give it a try as I definitely give more credit to skincare lines developed by doctors. I guess marketing works! The serum has a very unique consistency-oily, but oil-less, hydrating but not oily. It almost felt like I was applying a light layer of collagen on my face! I loved it. After using the serum for a full month, I've noticed that the areas around my cheeks and eyes feel moisturized and balanced all day long, no longer crying out for a burst of hydration by the late afternoon. The cherry on top of this fabulous beauty sundae is that my skin has never looked better-no acne, no irritation. It's just what the doctor ordered!

Dr. Denese HydroShield Ultra Moisturizing Face Serum $49

Dress Like A Lady

I love exploring the many enclaves of diverse communities that make up the very fabric of LA. Such simple and yet joyful pleasure (and sense of accomplishment) can be derived from finding a quaint coffee shop or stumbling across an awesome vintage store.

A few years ago, I discovered that Eagle Rock, a small community just east of Glendale is home to some truly amazing hidden gems. Since then, I've become a frequent visitor-chowing down on red velvet cupcakes at Auntie Em's, inhaling the carne asada fries at The Taco Spot, strolling through the Sunday farmer's market behind the Target parking lot or spending a few quiet hours reading at The Coffee Table. However, my favorite treasure in Eagle Rock is Lady, a clothing boutique filled with girly frocks (nope, you won't find pants here), vintage jewelry, and one of a kind handbags and shoes. The boutique's intimate and girly decor coupled with the fact that almost everything in the store retails for under $100 draws me back to my great discovery time and time again.










Lady
4974 Eagle Rock Blvd
Los AngelesCA 90041

The Rules of Raoul

I hadn't heard of the Singapore based brand Raoul until I saw its five piece collaboration with Shopbop on the e-tailer's website. Although I wasn't overly impressed with collaborated pieces, it did pique my interest and prompted me to find out more about Raoul. After all, it was an Asian brand collaborating with a very prominent e-tailer.

After perusing Raoul's look book, I am now officially placing the brand on my radar. The Spring 2011 collection showcases a sophisticated utilitarian look that incorporates everyday basics with crisp and modern styling while the soft and soothing color palette infuses a feminine sensibility into each of the pieces. I can honestly see myself wearing almost every Raoul creation, a statement that I seldomly bestow upon collections.













The Inspirations Behind My Inspiration-Gil Elvgren's Pin-Up Girls

I have been infatuated with Gil Elvgren's pin-up paintings for quite some time. His artwork is a constant inspiration for my vintage aspirations and brings me back to the quaint and simple times of yesteryears, when a woman's sense of sensuality and appeal was shaped by subtlety rather than overt promiscuity.  I'd never seen the photos of the girls who posed for the paintings...until now!

You know, it must have taken a lot of guts for these girls to bear so much of their body and pose quite provocatively (for the1940s). Kudos to them for pushing the boundaries by embracing their inner allure and gifting us with these timeless pieces of art.