Thursday, March 22, 2012

216 bangles

Its no secret that I love jewelry. Its also no secret that these days I'm really into bracelets and bangles. Late last year, I picked up a lovely set of stackable bangles on etsy from georgiedesigns. One of my favorite things about etsy is the ability to customize, and of course, I did just that by choosing a set of 3 gold fill bangle bracelets with the numbers 2-1-6. Cleveland pride on my wrist!!!!



All wrapped up, and on my wrist!! You can be sure I will be wearing these A LOT this summer!!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Pants and Potpourri

So, if you've flipped through a fashion mag lately, you will notice that among other prints, denim manufacturers are trying to get you to add these to your wardrobe:



From L to R: Paige Denim "Skyline", J Brand, Citizens of Humanity "Mandy"

Yesterday, Allison and I had a conversation that revolved around the topic of printed denim (and I've edited/paraphrased here...)

Me: How do you feel about printed denim? I'm very undecided on the matter...

Allison: It depends... I've seen some light snow leopard pants I'm a fan of...

Me: I've decided I definitely don't like floral. Definitely. Looks like a couch.

Allison: Look, I'm not potpourri, so don't make me look like it! 

Couldn't have said it better myself!!!!!

For the record, we have concluded that we are fine with floral bottoms, as long as they're either a short skirt or shorts. Bottom to ankle floral is a no-no for us. Will you go floral bottoms this summer? What about other printed denim?

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Listening Now: Tribes

The debut album from British foursome Tribes came out this past Tuesday, and I'm completely obsessed with this song, the first one I heard on their album:


I'm loving the whole album right now, and highly recommend you at least sample more of their songs on iTunes or Amazon. They're doing a short U.S. tour, so if you're in any of these cities, you should consider checking them out live!

Monday, March 19, 2012

St. Paddy's Day 2012

Ah, St. Paddy's Day. N and I took a car service downtown at 10:00 am- our journey included Moriarty's, Hodges (where we saw LOTS AND LOTS of friends), Thirsty Parrot, and then in a streak of EXTREMELY poor judgement, Taco Bell. For those curious, that Dorito taco is just ok- the volcano taco is way better.

The Moriarty's Series


Moriarty's alley "patio"


Inside Moriarty's




More from Moriarty's patio- Danielle and I clearly love Ohio and St. Patty's day! 


The Hodges Series 


Allison, Frank, Michelle, and friend


Danielle & I



The patio at Hodges

 

N & I


And this was the only pic I took at Thirsty Parrot- Dave and Jess

Overall, a gorgeous day in Cleveland, and although it was supposedly CRAZY downtown, I managed to miss most of it at our chosen haunts, which suits me just fine!! 


Monday, March 12, 2012

The Style Guide to West 6th

This is a tongue-in-cheek post. If you love West 6th, and are easily offended, I recommend you stop reading now. 


Ah West 6th. Its been a long time since I visited you on a Friday or Saturday night, and now I remember why.... For my non-Cleveland readers, let me set the stage here a little. You know that bar that's REALLY popular with the early 20-something crowd? The one sorta reminiscent of a college bar, where the vibe changes around 1:30 am, and you know people are looking for that person they're going to make out with for the next 30 minutes at least? Well, we have a whole street of such bars- its West 6th.

Anyway, N and I found ourselves on W 6th Friday night, specifically, at Velvet Dog- Cleveland's premiere nightclub, FYI. It has been a while since either of us had been there, and I felt it was my duty to examine and report back for my late 20-something and 30-something friends, who perhaps haven't visited in a while. SO, like any good (or wannabe) anthropologist would do, I observed. And took copious notes.  And left 90 minutes later. Although my stay was brief, I learned some important tips to fitting in style-wise on W 6th, which I will share with you, you know, if you want to make your own visit:

Men: If the normal jeans with a button-down just isn't cutting it for you, take your look one step further. How, you ask? Well, here are your options:
1. Wear a deep, deep v. neck tee (white, of course), and pair THAT with an unbuttoned button-down;
2. Add your high-school letter jacket;
3. Forgo the button down altogether, and wear your very best Ed Hardy/Affliction tee.

Women: This is your chance to shine, and make that guy-that-you-made-out-with-that-one-time-and-didn't-call-you really see what he's missing.
1. Wear your hair extensions. With lots of hairspray. Or a bumpit. Or a fascinator. Bonus points if you do all of these together
2. Don't wear pants. You will stick out. Wear a dress. The shorter and tighter, the better. Ideally, your dress should feel like sausage casing, and threaten to cut off circulation. No one will notice if your turning blue, its too dark in there anyway.
3. Duck face. ALL.THE.TIME. But make sure you save your best duck face for the stage-dancing.
4. High heels. The higher the better. Balance is overrated. Plus you can just lean on other people as you make your way across the dance floor.

Here you have it ladies and gentlemen- A few quick tips to make sure you fit right in.  In all seriousness, I was deeply conflicted by the whole night. I desperately wanted to hate it, but I found myself oddly amused by the vague smell of barf, and all the excellent people-watching. I really really enjoyed the DJ too. But like all things so bad that they MUST be good, moderation is key. And with that, I'm probably going to stay away from Friday and Saturday nights on W 6th for at least another few years!


Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Product Testing: Clip in Hair Extensions

So around this time last year, I experimented with hair extensions. The extensions I used at that time were the Jessica Simpson wavy clip in extensions, and although they looked really pretty, there's pretty much NO WAY I could get them in unassisted. And, as much as I know N loves me, I also know with 100% certainty that there is NO WAY he's going to help me with this. In an effort to get more length, and the sort of luscious volume Hollywood promises (via extensions of course), I decided to take the plunge and go for the "real" thing. I did some research on bonded hair extensions- the kind that get glued to your hair- and quickly decided against it. For one, it really bothers me that there would be something stuck to my hair, and second, I've heard that the weight really damages your own hair. I've also been told they're a bit of a pain to take care of, in that you have to be very very careful when washing and styling your hair. All of this just sounded like too much hassle, and so I decided to investigate the next best thing- clip ins!

Now, you can go ahead and buy your own clip-in human hair extensions, but if you go this route, I recommend you have your stylist do your extensions for you. My fabulous stylist Michelle at J. Romer Salon created a set of 4 pieces just for me- they're even dyed to match my hair color. The pieces include one wide piece that is fastened with tiny clips in line with my ears, a second wide piece that goes under my real hair right around my crown, and then two thinner side pieces for volume. The first time I had them put in was Jump Back Ball, and Michelle put them in and styled my hair, which you can see here:


I absolutely loved the look, but the real test would be if I could put them in on my own at home. I gave it another try this past Friday, and although I don't have any pictures, I'm happy to say it was really easy to get them in!! Here are the tips that Michelle gave me that were really helpful:
1. Make sure your own hair is a little dirty (at least a day post-washing), and if not, make sure you use some mousse to help give it texture.
2. Make sure you tease your own hair right where your extensions need to go- it helps them stay secure
3. Take good care of your extensions. Since they're real human hair, you can style them just as you do your own, but be careful when washing (light gentle shampoo and conditioner) and let them air dry. I know its a little gross to have bits of hair hanging in your bathroom, but the hairdryer may cause flyways.

There you have it- an easy, no-commitment, relatively inexpensive (compared to the bonded extensions) way to change your hair up and give it some serious oomph factor!  And really, who doesn't love a little extra OOMPH!!!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Listening Now: Anya Marina

This week's Tuesday Tune is not someone new, but I really enjoy her music, AND she has a new album coming out on March 13th, which I've already pre-ordered: Anya Marina. For one, I LOVE the name Anya. She's from California, and her music has been featured on a bunch of TV shows like Gossip Girl and Vampire Diaries, as well as Twilight: A new moon (although I'm sure you twihards already know this).  This song is one of my favorites: All the Same to Me.




ENJOY!!

Monday, March 5, 2012

Long weekends are the best!!!

Would you laugh if I told you that my feet hurt from Jump Back Ball ALL of last week. I guess high heels and dancing for 6 hours, combined with plantar fasciitis will do that! I took this past Friday off, because, well, why not? Since Allison was on her "Freedom Week" (thanks for that term, Alexa), we decided to meet up for lunch and pedis. Well, lunch and pedis became lunch AND shopping and pedis, although shockingly, I really didn't buy much at all- some cute accessories from H&M, and at LONG LAST, a lipstick I finally like- the Sheen Supreme by M.A.C. I typically really dislike all lipsticks in general, but this feels more like a balm, which is why I gave it a try. I've been wearing it all weekend, and I think I may have to get another!! Allison, on the other hand, had a very successful shopping trip, which you can read all about on her blog. The pedis were much needed, and I'm now in full St. Patty's day mode with my green toe nails!! Friday night involved celebrating Allison J's birthday with Prosecco at Battery Park Wine Bar!

Saturday was supposed to be a really busy day- N and I were supposed to be at a benefit Saturday night, but N spent the whole day in Chardon forming a human barricade against Westboro Baptist Church's rumored demonstration at the funeral (I hate them btw- let people grieve in peace!!!!!), but they never showed up (which is a great thing). He was pretty tired after the day, so we ended up bailing on the benefit at the very last minute and stayed in with Greek Village Grille and my new TV obsession Full Metal Jousting.  Talk about an eventful Saturday night!!

Sunday involved puppy walks, cleaning, and some major cooking in the form of Puerto Rican Pork Loin. I know I've mentioned this before, but if you don't own Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything, and you like to cook, you need to add this to your cookbook collection IMMEDIATELY!! Seriously, I've never had a recipe fail following ANY of his recipes. N and I also watched The Ides of March- holy HOTNESS. Seriously, Ryan Gosling and George Clooney in the SAME MOVIE?!?!?!?!

And that pretty much summed up my three day weekend: PERFECT!!