Holiday Parties Are Upon Us!

After seventeen-ish rounds of "second" helpings, I emerged from my Turkey Coma on Saturday morning, ready to kick off the season of holiday parties with my characteristic joviality! In honor of RJ's 23rd birthday, I trekked to Park Slope with my favorite posse of New Yorkers, pictured below, where we enjoyed the sprawling space of his Brooklyn abode, in between bites of appetizers and sips of spiked cider. As the first Christmas-themed gathering of the season, I found it the perfect occasion to rock some rocking red lips and my "holiday" scarf. It was an awesome night in the awesome borough!

Awwwwwwww!

Faux-ulous

Fur is fab! Faux or actual (I’m most definitely not a member of PETA), fur in the form of vests, stoles and capelets have been catching my eye as of late, most recently within the walls of ELLE, where the most fashionable of fashion rock their furs in unexpectedly alluring ways (i.e. over a black chiffon dress or as a compliment to a sequined sweater). In my own attempt to jump on the animal-inspired bandwagon, I spent my lazy Sunday scouring the e-commerce marketplace for some fur to add to my own, ever-growing wardrobe. This find from TopShop was my favorite, but I’m holding out for something of the leopard print variety that’s not $600 (but nice work nonetheless, Adrienne Landau).

Any ideas?

My World's Colliding

My shoe obsession is not new news. Neither is my particular love for Tory Burch's Reva, the ultimate adornment in the ballet flat universe. Gold metallic? Check. Black leather? Check. Leopard calf hair? Check (and faint in utter shoe love/obsession). Pink patent? Check.

But isn't something missing there? Not anymore! Purple, the color I once hated but now bleed with pride (thank you, Stonehill), is now the newest addition to my ever-growing collection of Revas. They were on sale! And I needed them for my new job at ELLE! And I just love them! (People are so freaking stylish here!)

I need to stop buying shoes...

Or not.

Putting on Your Pout

I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve made some poor make-up decisions in my past, including but not limited to white eye shadow (ugh), blue mascara (ew) and lip liner that didn’t match the rest of my pout (the ultimate faux pas). However, in making these mistakes, I’ve learned some tried and true make-up application tips and techniques that are my go-to looks for various occasions. As of late, I’m obsessed with lipstick. Literally. Good old fashioned lipstick. From a tube. Just call me Joan Holloway. I'm so old-fashioned.

I have three shades that I rotate, which I’m sharing with you on this lovely Friday evening! For your everyday pink, I love Clinique’s Watermelon, which adds a little extra oomph to your 9-5 routine. For kicking things up a notch (or seventeen) for weekend shenanigans, I always rock Schiap by NARS, a bright shocking pink that warrants you wearing it with the ultimate confidence. And, for a wild and crazy red, I turn to MAC’s Ruby Woo, which can be a bit drying, but I love it nonetheless for it's complete lack of an orangey undertone.

Next up, I’m looking for a pale pink to add to my beauty arsenal… Any favorites? I’m eyeing MAC’s Snob and NARS' Roman Holiday…

A Dollop of Daisy... Buchanan!

The day I am finally confident enough in taking care of my own self, I plan to buy a dog. A guard dog. A guard dog that can crawl into my Louis Vuitton Speedy for a nap, that is. I’m thinking a little apricot malitpoo, or something equally cutesy. Like a shih tzu that was the runt of the litter and is not expected to exceed 3 pounds in its adult life. Or maybe just a stuffed animal… Yeah, that’s probably best.

I’ve had my future guard dog’s name picked out for years, ever since I realized that naming a pending pet after my favorite book character is the perfect plan. As such, my precious pooch (or, precious stuffed pooch, rather) will be named Daisy, after the Long Island socialite who stole the heart of the illustrious ol’ chap known as Jay Gatsby.

Le sigh. If only I grew up in the ‘20s. I would die to live as lavishly as those East Eggers did on the posh North Shore of Long Island in the roaring decade. But if you can’t live like ‘em, watch ‘em! On the silver screen, sometime in 2012, the charismatic Carey Mulligan will take on the role of a lifetime, opposite Leo DiCaprio’s Gatsby and Tobey Maguire’s Nick Carraway, as Daisy Buchanan in Baz Lurhmann’s adaptation of Fitzgerald’s classic tale of love and murder. O. M. G!

Naturally, this obscenely nerdy bibliophile can barely contain her excitement. Thankfully, I’ll have the cinematic versions of Harry Potter and crew to keep me sane for the weekend!

Bolting

This weekend, I learned that there is no better way to jaunt between the Big Apple and Beantown than by Bolt Bussing. Friendly passengers and a driver who looked like she won the lottery when I thanked her by name (Karla with a K, for those of you wondering) made for an enjoyable trip up and down on the WiFi-equipped coach. God bless le iPad.

In a fit of spontaneity, fueled in part by my sister's encouragement and my own wishes to relive college a bit before beginning my job at ELLE tomorrow, I traveled back to the days when my weekends were a blur of beverages, brunch and bargain shopping. After a low-key Friday spent rooting the Skyhawks on at the basketball team's home opener, the sis and I hightailed to Wrentham for outlet shopping, where an outrageously purple printed Marc Jacobs dress from Off 5th topped my list of fabulous finds. We then resumed the rooting for another victorious basketball game before putting our primp on in honor of Mr. Stonehill 2010.

As you might remember, I was one of the illustrious hosts for Mr. Stonehill 2009, so I just had to see the boys shine on stage once more! While it pained me to not be up there on stage, bending and snapping for a crowd a la last year, the gentlemen shut it down, making me feel like a proud mama watching from the audience. Props to MG for a job well done! His crown was well deserved--and he was looking quite studly indeed, I must say!

But as with all shows, the after party is what matters most! Without skipping a beat, I was back to my old tricks, dancing the night away to the tunes of Willow Smith and Ke$ha. Hair whipping, cycloning, popping, locking and dropping... I have mad moves.

Stay tuned for some tales from an ELLE insider as I begin my first week at my new job...

Until next time,
KR

Do I like Louboutins and Leather?

As I said to Mamadukes just seconds after this story happened, the following is such a “me” type of event. Let’s recap: after 22 years as an extreme nail-biter, I reward myself for kicking the bad habit with weekly manicures at the NY Nature Spa in Times Square, a spot just a hop, skip and leap over the subway grates away from my current office—and conveniently just a few extra struts away from my new digs at ELLE. Anyhow, yesterday, while Sookie (yes, that’s really her name, but no, she does not resemble Anna Paquin’s vampire-lovin’ Ms. Stackhouse on True Blood) painted my nails an awesome shade of army green (Essie’s new Sew Psyched), I welcomed the smile of the woman next to me, who was rewarding herself with some navy blue acrylic tips.

So rather than wondering were she was from, I asked! (Why not, right?) I should have guessed by her suede boots and glamorous scarf that she’s fresh off the boat from Milano, living in New York for a few months to learn English. Daniella, as I learned, has been here a mere two weeks, and has picked up more English in her brief time here than I could ever dream of learning in fourteen days. (I took Spanish for seven years, and all that remains is a love of tapas and a knowledge of the question, “Donde esta la sangria?”)

We got to chatting—clearly my New York-style speedy chatter had to be slowed down to the basics, but we had a great discussion about our mutual love of leather and Louboutins. And when she said she’s desperate for some friends in New York, I of course took her under my wing! From my amazing week in Italy back in 2008, I know the Italians like their vino quite a bit—so what better way to welcome my new and exciting European pal to the states than with some shopping and wine? I’m determined to show her New Yorkers are as friendly and fabulous as those who welcomed me to Europe’s delicious boot way back when.

Salute!

You Know What Halloween Means...

During my time as crazy JT's college roommate, at the second the clock would strike midnight on All Hallow's Eve, while everyone else was out being spooky and such, the two of us had a far more important agenda. That agenda was welcoming the Christmas season to our dorm with lights, decorations and a tree that took up at least two-thirds of our charming room. And of course, all of this was done while blasting Christmas carols louder than necessary. Keeping with that tradition, I have already started listening to Christmas music like it's nobody's business!

Here are some things I'm psyched about this holiday season:

-watching this YouTube video, which makes me crack up every time, even after the 97th consecutive viewing

-working in Rockefeller Center where the tree will be my backyard

-eating stuffing, twice-baked potatoes, biscuits and basically any carbohydrate-packed treat my 80+ year-old super Grandma cranks out of the kitchen

-listening to this song, which I like more and more each season

-and of course, seeing friends and family!

ho ho ho!

Buying Into the Bargain

I have never really been “one” for the superstores known as Forever 21 and H&M. While my closet does indeed boast a few infamous “going out” tops from both locations, I’m a quality-over-quantity kind of gal who would rather score the racks of TJ MAXX for hours and hours and hours to find an awesome silk blouse that will take me through the seasons than to fill my drawers with ten tops that I know will probably rip before I can even debut the garment.

But after reading my dear NB’s odes to both the recent F21 Times Square flagship and Lanvin’s upcoming H&M line, I had to revisit the retailers whose attire colored my 11PM-2AM wardrobe throughout my years at Stonehill, when everyone was too “college” to care if a shirt had a slight tear.

And let me tell you a-something: I was SOLD! Leaving H&M with SEVERAL dresses (a little sparkly low-back number here, a girly little lace piece there), I’m well on my way to having a newly stocked wardrobe that’s ready to take on the fashionistas at ELLE...or at least the fashionistas of my old high school on the night before Thanksgiving! (No matter where you work, low-back is never approps. Never.) F21, all four underground floors of it, proved to have some awesome options as well—naturally, I flocked to anything animal print.

Now if only I could find a cheaper version of this… That, my friends, would be total and complete wardrobe perfection.