{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}

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{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}

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{GBF Fab Five Friday} Stronger

I flew out to Vegas earlier this week to see my self-proclaimed bff Britney Spears live in concert at Planet Hollywood. I couldn't contain my excitement and started screaming, squealing, and singing the moment I entered the arena and didn't stop until the Original from Earl of Sandwich was stuffed into my mouth two hours later. She may not be the same Britney that wrapped a snake around her neck or kissed Madonna at the VMAs but she also isn't the lost little girl who shaved her head and publicly melted down for the world to judge. She's on solid ground again, standing on her own two feet and trying to reclaim her identity and fight against a surreality that's bent on banishing self-identity. And that's why I was so excited. I was cheering and rooting for Britney Jean Spears to come back.


Witnessing Britney's transformation was powerful and empowering and serves as the inspiration for this week's Fab Five list which is all about building inner strength, staying strong, and facing the toughest challenges with grace and a smile. 

{Lauren Conrad's favorite position}
When asked what's her favorite position at a radio interview, Lauren said CEO.
{nighttime scent}
I spritz in the morning for others and spritz at night for myself. Currently, I drift to sleep wearing the warm and musky tones of Olivine Waves as its notes of black coconut and ocean salt evoke moments of serenity walking on the soft sands of Kailua while gazing into crystal blue water. In life, it's the small indulgences that make the biggest impact.
{fierce workout}



With leather accents and animal prints, the new four-piece collaboration between outdoor apparel brand K-Way and French high street label Maje is the fiercest workout gear out there and may just empower me with cheetah-like agility and speed at the gym. It's so fun to step outside the ordinary and wear something special every moment of the day.

{a break}
For me, breaking from routine helps breathe new perspective. I don't usually go to bars on the weekdays but a few weeks ago I went to the opening night celebration of  LA FOLLIES at the Next Door Lounge. LA's cabaret ensemble are kicking up their heels and taking residency at the retro glam lounge every Thursday night with sultry live performances. The change of scenery was refreshing and has inspired me to say yes to trying something new every week. 

{just dance}
Sunday morning dance class at Equinox with Tor Campbell is an hour of nonstop sweating and smiling. His energy is disarming, electrifying, and takes me to an addicting endorphin high. No matter how late I stay out Saurday night or how big of a hot mess I look and feel, I get up bright and early on Sunday and dance off the week's stress to the sounds of Rihanna and Michael Jackson. 

In the words of my favorite Britney song, "You might think that I can't take it, but your're wrong. 'Cause now I'm stronger than yesterday. Now it's nothing but my way..."



{live fabulously}

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{What Would Olivia Pope Wear | The Wonder Years}

what would olivia pope wear
Step aside Elle Woods because Olivia Pope, the brilliant lawyer played by Kerry Washington on Scandal, is my new legal hero. As a fellow lawyer, I admire Pope's tenacity, intelligence, fearlessness,  outside-the-box strategic maneuvers, and ability to hold her own against some of the most powerful suits in the world. She also happens to have a fabulous wardrobe filled with classic and refined pieces in varying shades of white that allude to her designation as the "white knight". Her clothes are an aesthetic reflection of her femininity and a point of obsession for me. 

I want to be like Olivia Pope when I grow up. But for now, I'll have to settle for emulating her personal style through my new inspirational style series, "What Would Olivia Pope Wear" where I put together outfits for different places and events that channel and project her style. To kick off the series, I went over to my girl Shauna's house to play dress up. She's the braun and the brains behind Penny Chic, a blog dedicated to looking fabulous without spending a fortune. Together, we came up with a budget friendly outfit that Livvie would've worn in her teenage years. It's fun, trendy, print-happy, and a playful departure from Olivia's monochromatic grown-up style. After all, even Livvie was a young girl once! Details of my outfit are up on Penny Chic!


{live fabulously}

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{GBF Getting Ready for Valentine's Day} Win the Day



I'm looking forward to celebrating Valentine's Day dressed like a lady in pink tonight although lately, I haven't been feeling much like a lady living life in the fab lane and should be cited for picking up bad habits like eating erratically and unhealthily, sleep depletion, and falling asleep without completing my skincare regimen. To counteract my sloppy habits in preparation for a fab Valentine's Day, I spent the past week eating an abundant array of fruit and veggies, drinking plenty of fluids, daily downward dog contortions, and trying my new Clearasil products to reinvigorate and protect my skin from the bubbling whiteheads all too eager to explode all over my face. Right now Clearasil has a free rebate offer available for everyone to try out their cleanser, scrub, and refreshing pads!




The world is celebrating L.O.V.E. today. It's an emotion, a movement, an abstraction that consumes all of us at one point or another. We live, we fight, we kill, and we die in the name of love yet for some, their love stories are filled with blank pages. It's because we can't bestow or receive love unless and until we fall in love with ourselves first. Embrace your quirks and flaws because they make you unique and imperfectly perfect but live for growth because life is a never-ending work in progress.

I hope your Valentine's Day burns with the light of love so bright that it casts an effervescent glow from the inside out!







dress worn as top {bariano}
skirt {H&M | similar}
heels {3.1 Phillip Lim}
purse {Justfab "Statement" satchel}
necklace {Forever21}
watch {fossil}

{love fabulously}

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