Oscar Mania

That time of year has once again come and gone, and what is left in its wake? The best and worst dressed list of course! Last night as I curled up on my couch with Girl Scout cookies in hand, I prepared myself for the grueling six hours of uninterrupted fashion and entertainment... and I was not disappointed. The theme this year seemed to be metallics, metallics everywhere! Below are some of my favorite (and not so favorite) looks from last night's Academy Awards red carpet:

♡All that Glitters Best Actress Sandra Bullock shimmered in British label Marchesa, Cameron Diaz wore Armani Privé, and Kate Winslet chose a Yves Saint Laurent dress with Tiffany jewels.

♡Fashion Forward One of the best dressed of the night, Zoe Saldana wore Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci, Carey Mulligan's strapless Prada gown was decorated with miniature scissors and forks, and Vera Farmiga wore a daring scarlet sculpture-like dress by Marchesa (take note of the recurrence of strapless gowns).

♡Barely There Nude-colored dresses were also a big hit, with daring backlines and fun details... "Up in the Air's" Anna Kendrick wore a dress by Lebanese designer Elie Saab, Sarah Jessica Parker made a style statement (like usual) in Chanel Couture, and "Inglorious Bastard's" star Diane Kruger also wore Chanel with fabulous black detailing.

 ♡The Boys The men on the red carpet are usually the least noticed and most boring crowd and stick to a simple dark suit in order to match their date... unless it's Johnny Depp. About the most creative thing men do is pick a colored tie, but this year at least two stood out from the rest. Colin Firth looked dashing in Tom Ford, and commented "well Tom directed the film" as to why he was wearing the designer, who directed him in "A Single Man." Actor Ben Stiller suprised everyone by showing up to present in a Dolce & Gabbana suit and Avatar-inspired getup.

♡What Not to Wear All three of these lovely ladies seemed to feature a bit too much bust... Charlize Theron stayed loyal to Christian Dior of which she is the face for their J'Adore fragrance, but made the bust of her dress too much of the focus. Meanwhile Hillary Swank wore an Armani Prive dress, which is usually a safe bet, but didn't rock the plunging neckline and over-sized pendant— all in all this dress revealed too much. Mariah Carey also showed up on the red carpet in her usual three-sizes-too-small dress, designed by Valentino, amidst the rumors that she is expecting her first child with hubby Nick Cannon.

Parting Pic:

♡Cherry Blossoms It's that time of year when the cherry blossom trees have begun to bloom and the first signs of spring are beginning to appear...as I wait to take the 7:55am ferry to Seattle everyday, the only thing that has kept me going this week while standing in the freezing cold, is the beautiful blossoms outside the terminal. They are so gorgeous and put a big smile on my face. Makes me want to travel to Japan and see the wonderful gardens there!

live.laugh.love
Lindsay

thanks to the daily mail for pics

Cheap Mondays

 Sorry for the late post...I have had a busy couple weeks and not much free time to blog. Had a fabulous time watching the Olympic games in Vancouver and acquired many inspirations while there. What is it about being in a foreign country (however close it may be) that gets those creative juices pumping? Because your away from your comforts and the drone of boring everday life perhaps? Whatever it may be, I wanted to indulge in everything! Do you ever notice that your normal rules about healthy eating and trying to spend frugally on shopping don't apply when traveling...if you happen to be in Vancouver, BC anytime soon make sure to check out their fabulous MAC cosmetics store in Robson Square, they have the biggest selection of cosmetics I have seen thus far!

In today's post I thought I would share with you my recent style obsessions...

All about Leggings

♡Leggings so comfortable, and what can't you wear them with? I have been pairing mine with brown boots and longer knit t-shirts and tanks, with a wrap or sweater over top. Paired with some signature-piece necklaces, you will look fabulous and feel comfortable all day.

'Mom' Jeans

♡ Cheap Mondays I love to refer to these jeans as 'mom' jeans because they remind me of what mom's wore during the 90's...that high-waisted look. Now they fit a little tighter and have what I like to call, an 'ankle cigarette' leg, but none-the-less are the same thing. I was skeptical to try this look out at first for fear of not being able to rock the '90s thing, but now I'm hooked! The best pair I have found are a brand called "cheap mondays" which used to be sold at Urban Outfitters, but now can be found online at Tobi.com, possibly Urban's online store, or consignment shops (where I found mine!). They are relatively cheap ($45) and can be paired with flats and a solid colored T (my fav are v-necks from American Apparel).

Sultry Eyes

  ♡Portal to the Soul one of the first things people notice is your eyes, so why not make them dramatic? This week I have been playing up dramatic eyes using my MAC Fluidline 'blacktrack' paint-pot and Benefit 'Bad Gal' eye pencil. Line both the inner and outer rims of your eyes and add some falsies (false eyelashes) for night time.

Hair Craze

♡Au Natural I love this look on model Tori Praver... her hair looks effortless and natural and not too time consuming. I have been all about that recently, and is great when you run out of time in the mornings or have a busy week and forget to wash your hair. Dirty hair is actually easier to work with (I know that sounds gross) and has more texture than hair that has just been washed. Although Tori's hairstyle looks easy, it probably took some time to blow-dry, and curl to create those perfect waves. In order to get soft waves like hers, first spritz a volumizing mousse onto damp hair, then either blow-dry or air-dry and finally use a curling iron that is 3/4"to 1" in diameter to curl. Don't use the clamp on the iron, but instead hand-twirl large sections of hair around your iron, and hold each section for about 30 seconds. Just spray lightly with a max-hold hairspray (I use herbal essence) and off you go!

♡Rockabilly Another great hairstyle that is easy to do and goes great with this weeks look of mom jeans, leggings, and leather gloves...

Leather Gloves

♡(P)leather Gloves I cannot remember the last time I wore gloves, let alone thought they were cool...probably when I was about 8 and wore Mickey Mouse ones. Well they're making a come back! (at least if you live in the Northwest) I found not only were these a great way to keep my paws warm, but they actually looked great too. They soften the blow of the frigid rain, and go nicely wrapped around a cup of your favorite joe...try it out.

food for thought: I continually stress the importance of being positive and surrounding yourself in a happy environment... exercise! I hate to work-out (ask anyone in my family) but when you exercise it produces endorphins, and endorphins make you happy. The next time you feel stressed out and overwhelmed, just take a 15 minute jog to clear your head and you will notice how much better you feel already. Another way I cope is to mentally "take out the garbage." Just take all those bad thoughts and negative energies and mentally throw them out...people can do and say horrible things, but if you don't let it affect you they have no power. They have no right to make your 'happy place' unhappy... another thing is, treat yourself! Even if it's a $2 cupcake, buy yourself a little something.

huge love, Lindsay