Makeup on Monday...the ultimate makeup brush

A few months ago while getting ready for a charity event, I decided to quickly pop into the Mac store walking distance from my apartment to buy a pair of lashes. Somehow I ended up walking out of the store with a painted face of makeup - looking much better than I could have ever made myself look.

During the process, I asked the makeup artist (Shaun- he is amazing) what it would take for me to replicate his look. He informed me that for $100 Mac offers a 1.5 hour private lesson which additionally would entitle me to 20% off all products for 1 month and a free mascara. While I didn't care that much about the free mascara (read here) the lesson + 20% off seemed like a great deal and I booked an appointment right away.

The lesson was exactly what i needed. Shaun went over the basics- how to apply foundation, what products to use, how to apply brush, bronzer, eyeliner, liquid eyeliner, potted eyeliner and then went into some  more advanced techniques- how to create a smoky eye, how to create a cat eye, how to use eye brightner, etc. While I had taken a basic makeup lesson in my pre-teens (my mom required that if I was going to be wearing makeup, I needed to know how to apply it- she decided this 30 seconds after I came out wearing baby blue eyeliner) his tips for even the basics (how to apply foundation + blush) have dramatically improved the way makeup looks on my face.

To my surprise, Shaun only used 3 different brushes throughout the entire process, and while I already owned 2 of the 3 brushes, the one I was missing was the most essential.

For those of you who may not already own the MAC 130-Short-Duo-Fibre-Brush- I highly suggest you add it to your collection, for $42 it will change your life- and if not your life at least the way you look on a daily basis (assuming- like me, you wear makeup daily).

MAC

This brush is perfect for  applying moisturizer, foundation, blush, powder, and bronzer.  The bristles of the brush and the contour of the bristles ensure that the right amount of makeup makes its way onto your brush and onto your face and with the right handling of the brush, your makeup will apply evenly and give the perfect coverage.

City Sunday...Aldea

Not too far from where I live- and walking distance form Union Square,  my boyfriend discovered this gem of a restaurant. A George Mendes restaurant, Aldea is enchanting form the moment you walk in. The lush blue tone of the entire restaurant instantly transcends the senses to vivid memories of the ocean. The entire dining experience is superb, with an excellent wait staff, equally memorable presentation and of course a mouth watering experience. While some people rate "scene" to be almost as equally as important as the food for the ultimate dining experience, being a bit of a decor- snob I rank decor to be nearly as important and Aldea certainly meets my standard. Compiled below are a few of my suggestions of how to recreate the Aldea look in ones home. 

Furnished Friday...Mirrored Furniture

Last Friday, I highlighted my love for lucite furniture (thanks Plexi-Craft again for the wonderful desk at which I write these posts), which I seriously believe is very uni-sex and very versatile. If you don't believe me just check out Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz' use of lucite within the Combs Residence. But today I would like to feature mirrored furniture, which as hard as I may try, just simply is not manly and likely never will be. Despite the fact that I live with my boyfriend, and when decorating our apartment I was very aware that whatever was purchased needed to appease his taste as well, I still managed to sneak in this beautiful mirrored lingerie chest. 

Image courtesy of Horchow.com

Mirrored furniture, like lucite furniture, is great for visually enhancing the size of one's space. The reflective surface is ideal for creating the illusion of a bigger space. Mirrors in general are great for this purpose. For example: when decorating my Miami condo, I hung a beautiful art deco mirror on the wall opposite my floor to ceiling windows so that the reflection of the ocean would be visible- it did wonders for elongating the length of that room.

One can find almost any item of furniture made of mirrors. I have drooled over mirrored beds, mirrored desks, mirrored vanities, mirrored coffee tables and even mirrored bath sinks. While I am all for mirrored furniture be careful not to over do it! A mirrored bed should not be matched with mirrored dressers- rather pair it with lucite night stands, like Nancy Corzine did in her bedroom below.

See below for some of my favorite mirrored pieces- 

Vendor: Nancy Corzine | Monique Cocktail 

Vendor: Worlds Away   |  Phillip Mirrored Desk

Vendor: Bungalow 5 | Catherine Vanity Desk

Vendor: Chans Furniture | Ashey Model BWv-025-30

Makeup Monday...Moisterizer

Living in NYC, it is inevitable that ones pores will become clogged with the polluted city air. I have accepted that this is a battle I cannot win and instead have taken preventative steps to ensure that the skin on my face remains damage-free and wrinkle free for as long as possible.

For the last two years I have made monthly facials mandatory. Not because I enjoy facials (quite rather the opposite--> dirty city air= many extractions=less than pleasant experience), but because your skin regenerates every 28 days and the only way to assure that the skin on ones face is constantly clean is to follow this natural cycle and to schedule facials monthly.

As my dearest facialist, Eugenia has taught me, the key to preventing wrinkles is keeping your face moisterized and the best way to do this is to moisterize twice daily- in the morning and evening.

Prior to my recent switch in brands, I had been a devoted user of SKII- splurging thrice yearly to purchase their little bottle of facial cream. While I still love SKII and think its a wonderful product, I was never too happy with the price tag ($220- ouch!). Completely on accident, while getting my brow's waxed at Benefit,  the aesthetician convinced me to try their new skin care line, designed by none other than Dior. At $38 bucks I figured I had nothing to lose, and purchased "Total Moisture".... from Day 1 I have been hooked- I have been using Total Moisture for a year now and just recently purchased my third container. This moisterizer is simply amazing- in fact the entire line all packaged in the same adorable mint green containers is fabulous. For those of you still spending big bucks on moisturizer, or for those of you who have not gotten into the habit of applying moisturizer twice daily, I highly suggest you pick up a container for yourself.

Total Moisture

Style Saturday...Nude Pumps

ONE | TWO | THREE | WINNERS! | FIVE

Tuesday Trend..Animal Print in Blue

Equipment Blouse 1 & 2
Dolce Scarf
Vix Dress
Jay Godrey Dress
Cavalli Dress

City Sunday...DUMBO

I can safely assume that the word "Dumbo" triggers an image of a floppy eared baby elephant attempting to fly, and its safe to say that until last year, my brain would have associated the same cartoon imagery. But, my former boss/current friend introduced me to a new Dumbo when she took the leap and moved out of Manhattan to DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass).

I was incredibly skeptical and confused when she announced she was breaking her lease in her amazing loft style apartment overlooking Union Square to move to Brooklyn and of all places, a neighborhood named after an elephant, but it turns out the joke is on me. DUMBO is a very up and coming neighborhood in Brooklyn and despite being super trendy (yet more affordable than Manhattan) her apartment and many apartments in the area have views that are the epitome of a "million dollars".

Her apartment is located in a super cool, industrial building on a super charming cobble stoned street. Just a stone throw away from her front door is the park on the river as well as charming restaurants such as Bubby's & Water Street Restaurant and Lounge. Art galleries are in abundance as are fine food markets and unique retailers. And for those of us still living on the island who believe "Brooklyn is tooooo far" the cab from Gramercy Park to Union Square was less expensive than getting uptown- $11 bucks and change.

I have only been to the area at night- to enjoy the view, but its definitely on my list of places to explore while I am still living in New York City- and who knows, the views are so amazing, it may even convince me to permanently relocate - and hopefully here.

view from Ali's terrace in DUMBO last 4th of July

Furnished Friday...Lucite Furniture

I am still in the process of decorating my apartment, despite having lived here for nearly a year now.

Even though the apartment itself is only about 650 square feet (I live in NYC) the challenges have been not so much in figuring out what I want- but making sure I get it perfect. Being that I am in school for interior design and want to be an interior designer, I have been adamant about being patient and only ordering EXACTLY what it is I want. For this reason, the majority of the "big ticket items" (ie: sofa, desk, armoire, coffee table) have been custom which has caused a lot of delays in the overall process.

While several companies have left me more than disappointed with their ability to deliver within the expected timeline, Plexi Craft really outdid themselves, finishing some items before the deadline.

Because my apartment is on the smaller size, I knew I would need to find a way to maximize the space, even if only by illusion. I have been a big love of lucite furniture for a long time- its glamourous without being too girly as can be the case with mirrored furniture (which I also love) AND no matter what changes are made within the space in terms of fabric, color, texture, lucite furniture will always match!

For my own apartment I ordered the following two items:

Trunk

I needed the trunk in a bit larger size than the standard one for sale on the site and this incurred a bit of an up-charge. Being that my apartment lacks lots of storage space, I ordered two of these trunks and have placed them side by side in lieu of coffee tables. Being that the trunks are super roomy, I have piled all my coffee table books inside the trunk and styled them with different brass objects to keep it interesting.



The second item I had designed for my apartment was the King George Desk- which I have also seen used as a console table, but for the purposes of my apartment it will remain a desk. I am 100% obsessed with it and despite it being a larger item- the nature of the material does not make it appear cluttered in my apartment.

King George Desk

There are many ways to incorporate lucite into your home- I used these chairs in a different apartment in Miami, and the brass and lucite coffee table below is just a dream, I would buy it in a second if I had someplace to put. For those of you looking to score some great lucite steals- I always check Ebay.com- there are always amazing lucite pieces being auctioned off.

Kartell Louis Ghost Chair | $410

Coffee Table | $1095

Travel Thursday...Puerto Rico

The boy is currently on a two week business trip, first off to Napa and then off to Puerto Rico so I figured it would be appropriate to impart my travel advice on these two locations in the following two weeks posts. 

Two years ago for Thanksgiving, we opted for a rather unorthodox approach and escaped to Puerto Rico. The boy having distant memories of a resort he had stayed at once as a young child, booked the logistics  of the trip- including the hotel,which we checked out of almost immediately after checking in. Turns out that 10 years is enough time to turn a luxury hotel into a dump.  It was not the most ideal Thanksgiving vacation- but I enjoyed it nonetheless and have been looking for a reason to get back to Puerto Rico...this time I will be making the hotel reservation, and I already know exactly where I want to stay. 

Hotels | St. Regis | W- Vieques
Images courtesy of websitesRestaurants | Perla | Budatai
Images courtesy of websites & trip advisor

Images courtesy of Trip Advisor & ElYungue.com

What I love Wednesday....H.Bloom

In my very first "What I love Wednesday" Post, I mentioned that Peonies are my favorite flowers. And, while an exquisite Peony arrangement is always welcome in my home, I am open to arrangements of all shapes/sizes/and colors- with only one condition- that they be spectacular. I am a big believer in the gift of flowers and even more so that a home's decor is never complete without a floral arrangement. For this reason, I began a subscription to H. Bloom. 

Living in NYC, nothing is cheap- and the worst markup really is on flowers.  My poor boyfriend is the greatest victim to this injustice- one year a very reputable florist sent the wrong arrangement for my birthday and I knew immediately that they had tried to pull a fast one (after several phone calls, they sheepishly admitted that they had indeed sent an arrangement that was valued at $100 less than what my boyfriend had paid). Another year, for Valentines day, another reputable florist sent flowers that were already wilting. At that point, I politely told the boy, that his efforts were greatly appreciated and it was not his fault, but I was through with being disappointed by overpriced and underperforming arrangements...until I discovered H.Bloom. 

I stumbled upon H. Bloom, how I dont even remember, but I was immediately attracted by their business model which provides for reasonably priced and beautiful arrangement. Because H. Bloom is not your typical florist --> they dont have shops which you can peruse through, and all arrangements are made only once an arrangement has been pre-purchased, their overhead is minimal compared to other florists and this economic efficiency is reflected in their price. But unlike other florists, whose lower prices are reflected in the quality, H.Bloom is always spectacular. My favorite is the contemporary collection (the website only shows a fraction of what they deliver) and the $48 I spend (which includes delivery) is beyond worth it!

Trend Tuesday...Girly Florals

I think I mentioned in a previous post that I tend not to buy  clothes with prints on them- BUT I love accessories with prints (ie: scarves and bangles- HERMES hello!) and I am actually a huge fan of maxi dresses with prints as well. BUT,  even more so, I love FLORAL prints. I think its the fact that everything floral is so girly, and despite being 25 years old, I still love anything girl--> Pink is still my favorite color,  I love cupcakes more than anything, AND my keys hang on a Hello Kitty Keychain (FACT!). I love florals so much it was difficult to really tailor my selection of favorites- so I apologize beforehand for the overflow of images. 

ONE | TWO | THREE | FOUR | FIVE | SIX | SEVEN | EIGHT

Makeup...on Monday

Happy Monday - while I originally promised Mondays would be "Monochramatic" the girly girl in me just really feels like talking about makeup (likely because I took full advantage of the 15% coupon www.sephora.com was offering and stocked up on plenty of goodies).

I love makeup. I think its pretty safe to say the only time I do not wear makeup is when I go to bed (with the exception of an occasional late night Friday/Saturday). But of all the many beauty products available to consumers, its mascara that really piques my interest. For some reason I am never 100% convinced I am using the best mascara, and I am all about using the best (not necessarily the most expensive). 

Sometime in high school I discovered that the best mascara out there was Trish McEvoy, yet for some reason every 3 months or so I begin the hunt for a new and better mascara, only to return back to this one. 

Trish McEvoy

But this past weekend, after talking to a Sephora Associate, I figured I would give this new YSL Mascara a go- and was pleasantly surprised!

YSL- Shocking

And I must say. I am pretty impressed- BUT its not a total replacement for my beloved Trish mascara. What is so great about the Trish Mascara is the wand- its so thin that it manages to grab and detangle every single lash- pulling it forward and coating it with the perfect amount of mascara. By using the Trish Mascara first, followed by the YSL mascara I found that the YSL brush curled and added more volume- but the YSL mascara alone did not separate and distinguish each lash individually like the Trish one does- so my solution- keep both and use both! 

Other mascaras I have tried in the past include: MAC (nothing special in my opinion, Dior (too clumpy), Fresh (not bad- but again, the brush failed to separate my lashes individually, causing clumps),  Estee Lauder (this was so long ago I cannot even remember why it wasn't the "one"), and more recently the Clinique bottom lash mascara (which is fine- but Trish does an EVEN better job of elongating your bottom lashes and catching each one!) and of course the Givenchy Mascara- which I was so excited about and returned immediately after one use, and last (I think!) Benefit- this is the only mascara I have found thus far, that has a wand that matches the ability of Trish- unfortunately though, the mascara really dried out my lashes and made my eyes itch a bit- not worth it. 

So my question for you is what mascara do you use and what do you like about it?

Style Saturday...Bold Necklaces

One | Two | Three

Four | Five | Six

Furnished...Friday

Despite currently finishing up my second year of law school, I am absolutely positive that I have no intention of ever practicing law. In fact, after much deliberation (oh..about 15 years) I have finally decided to pursue a career choice of my liking- interior design. As of this past Monday, I have started taking classes towards a degree in interior design. While I probably should spend my "free" time (no one really has free time in law school- any "free" time should be spend studying...more....) "studying" I am completely enamored by anything interior design related. I have no doubt I spend more time reading Elle Decor, Architectural Digest, Traditional Home, etc than I do actually reading my law books.

Originally this blog was called "Decorable" and I do hope to eventually have a personal blog and a design only oriented blog, but in the meantime Friday's will be devoted to posting about interior design.

I recently stumbled upon this amazing British design firm- http://www.candyandcandy.com/#/home/ - I have no idea how I missed it.

I am particularly obsessed with "The London Townhouse"-

When recently undergoing the task of decorating the NYC apartment my boyfriend and I co-habitat I had to keep in mind that my tendency to decorate on the "girly" side would not be welcome by the boy. I really wanted eggplant velvet couches (see above) but he was adamant against it (he has changed his mind since seeing the above photo). Rather we opted for black velvet couches and gold/brass accents and lucite coffe-tables and desk.

Candy and Candy has totally mastered mixing feminine with masculine to create a perfectly lush and inviting environment. 

Travel Thursday... San Francisco Edition

The Mark Hopkins | The Huntington | The Fairmont | The St. Regis

Map Image

What I love Wednesday...Wrap Bracelets by Farrah Karina

My senior year of college, all my friends began wearing the now infamous Chan Luu wrap bracelets. I definitely loved the wrap style of the bracelet, but it just lacked the glam I was looking for in my everyday jewelry. My dear friend from Palm Beach, Farrah Kisel, just launched her own line of wrap bracelets and other jewelry, and the line is definitely something I am loving these days. Besides that these wraps have the perfect amount of sparkle and glam to them, they are very reasonably priced! Ive been wearing my white "Cali" Wrap for about 3 weeks now and 3 friends have already decided its a must need for their closet as well and purchased one for themselves. I loved my white one so much, I purchased a second- the blue "Cali" wrap. 

White "Cali" Wrap $60

My blue "Cali" Wrap

Love the peace sign!

Turquoise "Hippie" Wrap $60

I dont have this in my collection yet...but I need it

To check out the rest of her collection and to purchase a fab wrap bracelet for yourself...email Farrah at FarrahKarinajewelry@gmail.com
and check out the entire collection at http://shop.diamondgirlmediala.com/main.sc or http://www.facebook.com/FarrahKarinaJewelry

Trend Tuesday...Printed Jeans

When trying to describe my personal style, the word that first come to mind is classic. But to say that that I strictly adhere to the "classics" wouldn't be a fair representation of what I wear.  Rather, I think my style can be described as "classic" with a twist of what is currently in style. I have several items which I consider staples that I find myself wearing over and over (ie: My all black Chanel flats, my black and brown Chanel riding boots, my jumbo black Chanel 2.55 handbag with silver hardware, my navy Theory blazer, my dark denim skinny jean J. Brands, and of course my vince leggings).  In trying to self-evaluate my personal style, I realized that no matter what the current "trend" is I always rotate these items into an outfit at least once a week while simultaneously incorporating less "classic" pieces . Most recently I splurged a bit and purchased the Celine Phantom in the mock croc. Celine handbags are totally the "it" bag right now, but the phantom and the mock croc makes it classic enough that even when the luggage/phantom Celine bag is replaced by a new "it" back, I can still carry this bag with no shame.

Most recently Ive been noticing this printed jean fad. Besides that my closet is strictly limited in "print options" printed jeans is a pretty wild option for me- considering I still dont own any colored demin!... but I am finding myself coming closer and closer to purchasing a pair and trying it out. See whats caught my attention so far below.

Sources

• J. Brand PYTHON Jeans 
• J.Brand BLACK and White Floral Jeans
• Current Elliot IKAT Jeans
• Dolce & Gabanna ROSE Jeans
• Hermes Belt (Portero.com has great vintage ones)
• Lilly Pullitzer Strappy Metallic Flats (these used to also come in white)
• J.Crew Silk Blouse (comes in a plethora of colors- just no black sadly)

City Sunday...Cupcakes (NYC edition)