Nails, Nails, Nails I do adore!

A new trend for me in 2010 has been my new found addiction to Nails Polishes. I love the likes of any color that will say: "POP" and complete my outfit when all I wear as of lately is blacks, grays and whites. Sad I know. Inside I'm asking myself: "Spring where are you???" I want you here already so I can wear my floral dresses and bare my toes in all the colors of the rainbow!

Well a girl can keep dreaming, until the first light of sunshine hits over San Francisco's usually gray skies and Topsy Turvy weather. Like today, where the possibility of rain is high and just yesterday I was taking off layers since the sun decided to make an appearance.

Here are some shots I found through Refinery 29's lovely blog of this past week's New York Fashion week @Bryant Park. Take a look at some of the colors models were wearing down the runway.

REDS are a staple no matter what season!

Bronze/Coppers I dig it!

Dark Plums. Yes, the alternative to Black.Kind of reminds me of Zoya's "Casey," which I love.

Nail Art/Lace Over Nudes.

Neutral Peachy/for an every day look.

My personal favorites right now are the high demand: Chanel's "Particuliere," that is sold out everywhere, that is unless you're trying to snag one off Ebay. I haven't been able to get my hands on this color yet, so I settled on a similar one: OPI's "Over the Taupe," which I like but found it to have a warmer undertones with brown-like colors on my skin tone instead of Chanel's gray and cool undertones.

Chanel's " Particuliere" vs. OPI's "Over the Taupe"


I also love OPI's Alice in Wonderland collection: Like "Absolutely Alice" and "Mad as a Hatter," both are beaming glittery colors that actually stay on!


"Absolutely Alice" screams A MAGIC BLUE SPELL!

"Mad as a Hatter" reminds me of Deborah Lippmann's "Happy Birthday" but for a fraction of the cost!

and I can't forget Zoya's "Casey," as I mentioned before. I love Zoya's line of polishes for its long-lasting colors and formaldehyde-free. I was introduced to Zoya by Susy. You should check them out, I highly recommend them from the usual OPI or Essie.

Currently I am wearing Zoya in "Stephanie," for an everyday casual look.

[Just Insert Zoya "Stephanie"Bottle here]

Soon I will be on a hunt for a really nice Coral color to sport with my new Spring Wardrobe. Coral-like colors remind me that the Birds are chirping outside and you can smell the flowers. Can't Wait!

Wine Poached Pears

Thursday was one of those nights after work where as soon as the clock hit 5:00pm, I just wanted to run home, kick my shoes off, soak them in a nice Epsom salt bath, and drink as much wine as my liver could hold. So that is exactly what I did. =)

In preparation of tomorrow: Friday! and my co-workers Spa Party, I shopped for groceries and decided to indulge in a new type of dessert. Instead of just drinking a nice glass of Merlot or Cauvernet Sauvignon like I had originally planned , I made Wine Poached Pears. It was something new for me, since I'm not usually "the cooking type" but after reading this recipe in one of the blogs I follow: www.cupcakesandcashmere.com, I was intrigued by the delicious idea. I love Emily's blog because she mixes food recipes, fashion, and jewelry that she makes and sells herself on Etsy. Though her pieces usually sell out in a second, I'm still hoping to get my hands on one of her necklaces one day in the near future.

Here is the recipe and ingredients for a simple fruit dessert when you want the bourgeois fancy part of you to come out and Woah! your friends =)

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4-6 Peeled, Cored and Sliced Pears (recommend Bosc or Anjou)
• 1 1/2 cups of red wine (recommend Zinfandel, Shiraz or Merlot)
• 3/4 cups of granulated sugar
• 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice (can also add lemon zest if desired)
• 2 Teaspoons of Ground Cinnamon (can use a cinnamon stick as well)
• 2 Teaspoons of Vanilla
  

The Ingredients

Chopped Slices of Pears (I used both Anjou + Bosc)

2Teaspoons of Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice + Lemon Zest go in the pot

Adding 3/4 Cup of Granulated Sugar. After all ingredients are mixed in the pot bring to a boil

Once wine sauce has boiled, bring heat to a simmer and start adding pears to the boiled Wine Sauce

Sliced Pears floating in the Wine Sauce, heat brought to a nice simmer. Let the pears simmer in the wine sauce for at least 10 minutes on each side, until the pears are soft (enough to be poked by a fork without falling apart).

After pears have been in pot for 20 minutes remove from heat

Once pears are out, bring Wine Sauce back into a boil and let it reduce to half the size

Whalaaa! Pour remainder of Wine Sauce to Pears and you got your Final Product!

All I was missing was a side of Mascarpone to go with this sweet but not too-sweet enough for the tooth fairy to say ok, dessert.

Happy Birthday Charis!

The Birthday Girl!


Last weekend, I spent it out in the East bay to celebrate my friend Charis' 23rd Birthday. Going out to the East bay for me is a trek, just crossing the bridge is all that keeps me and my East bay friends apart. There's so many new spots I need to discover out there that it really is a shame I never visit more often. I'm more familiar with the more popular areas like Jack London Square, that reminds me of a little Fisherman's Wharf, right next to the bay or Old Oakland where we went out to a nice Wine spot + Jazz music once. I realized I should visit more often as they have some of the best soul food and bbq spots.

For Charis' birthday we celebrated at the Everett and Jones Barbecue in Jack London Square, a chain restaurant that brought me back to the tastyness that is BBQ Ribs, Beef Brisket with your basic accompanying side dishes: Corn bread, Greens, Candy Yams...hmmm just writing about it makes me hungry =) Even though Everett and Jones is a chain in the East bay, it was my first time visiting and I instantly fell in love with the ambiance and it's own southern flair. That same week I had seen a special on "Anthony Bourdain's: No Reservations" in New Orleans and I was inspired to make a trip to the South just so I could try out all their amazing food. It was nice to see the culture and pride all Nola's residents take in their broken English accents, fried-everything foods, and their homegrown spirit since post-Katrina. I will definitely have to make the trek someday and taste a little bit of everything, like their FRIED FROG LEGS! Hehe.

Here are some pics of Charis birthday celebration with live entertainment from Bayonics as the HOT POCKET CREW and a beautiful rendition of "Happy Birthday" sung by Charis' friend Reggie. Love the Briley family for inviting me as I felt part of their extended family. We've been friends since 2000's before Charis was 21 and I can't believe she's grown. I'm getting old.

Cheers to another year Charis and another fun night!

Briley Sisters

I took a stab at their house Ale, the SISTAH ALE!

At the beginning of me conquering that TALL BEER!

Chicken BBQ, with a side of Candy Yams, Cole Slaw and Biscuit...yummo! (p.s. too bad I couldn't try the beef brisket or ribs bc of lent) next time =)

Wall Posters decorating the walls of the joint (a lot of Obama posters + Justice for Oscar Grant RIP)

Gabriel looking dapper with Naomi

Bayonics as the HOT POCKET CREW playing some beautiful jazz for our entertainment

with Maya, another adopted Briley sister

Myself, Charis and Naomi

Where did my beer go??? And they thought my tiny self could not drink this, jk

With Mimi

Outside of Everett and Jones

Happy New Year of the Tiger!

Happy Chinese New Year 2010, year of the Tiger!

I'm a lil' late but with a triple holiday this past weekend I have to play homage to each one on my blog. And just because I love following astrology and zodiac signs here is a lil' snippet of my Chinese Zodiac: the OX and their characteristics which I believe are on point!
xoxo



My Vday Card from Susy and Red Envelope from Mrs. JY-Wong

My heart belongs to TAYLOR!

Last night I decided to check out Valentine's Day, the movie, as a post-V-day date. Not that I celebrate V-day but I didn't get the chance to see it over the weekend, as I was up in Tahoe. I nonetheless had to go show my support for the lovely and now L-E-G-A-L Taylor Lautner!!! I am a fan ever since his Sharkboy and Lava Girl days hehe and I loved him in Cheaper by the Dozen 2. But with his sudden shot to fame as 'Jacob Black' in the Twilight Saga and a Twilight fanatic myself, thanks to my lil' sis Kats! Both she and I set out our hearts to go see Taylor.

Though he plays a total airhead in the movie with one sentence liners aside his girlfriend in the movie, Ms. T-Swizzle...I still loved him. The movie was a cute, everything-you-would-expect-it-to-be, love story of different couples at different ages all intertwined. Kinda to show you how love lives through different paths and results in different emotions through the different incidents all these couples are faced with: Cheating, Sexual Orientation, Teenage love, Love for your Children, Lies, Engagement & Commitment...the list goes on. The best part of the movie was the end through the credits, when the lovely Julia Roberts pokes fun at her "shopping on Rodeo Drive" days (reprising her Pretty Woman hooker role).

Go TEAM TAYLOR!


Yes, that smile is worth a million bucks...more like his famous "abs" are worth a million bucks

Waiting for the movie to begin!

Kats and her love for ICEE's, she is the ICEE QUEEN!

At the theater, my outfit: (H&M Striped dress (worn as a shirt here), H&M black bandage skirt, H&M knee high socks, Miss Sixty Rider boots, Puffer Coat)

Next movie to watch out for: Alice in Wonderland in 3-D! It's going to be a trip, literally!

*Sorry for the bad lighting, I had to use my BB camera. This inspires me that I need to invest in a really good camera this year, as my camera-phone pictures when it's dark out don't do justice to the outfit!

Snow Weekend

Hello bloggers!

I know I've been MIA for awhile but as soon I was recovering from all my body pain from snowboarding this weekend in beautiful Lake Tahoe, I am now plagued by a nasty cold. Me and my co-worker both =( So it's taken me awhile to finally get back into my blogging groove.

Lake Tahoe was a fun time filled with many outdoor snow sports. I tried snowmobiling and snowboarding for the first time!!! Woohoo! I definitely need to go back and practice my game. Since while we were snowmobiling I caused my mobile to flip over on a sharp turn that I took at 20mph. Whoops! But no one was harmed, sorry JP, my co-pilot on the ride. At least I didn't hit a tree, we just landed on a soft pile of snow. While on the ride, we took in beautiful views of the lake from the top of the mountain. Which was a breathless view to take in. Afterword's we made a pit stop for some yummy hot cocoa and headed back down the mountain.

On Valentine's Day I decided to go snowboarding at Heavenly Ski Resort, on the state line of both Nevada and California. I took an all-day private lesson, which turned out to just be me and another girl named Rose from sunny San Diego. Our instructor was, Aaron Willis, who I had to comment on the famous "Whatchu talking bout Willis?" line...which thereafter every instructor referred to him as on the mountain.

Since it was Valentine's day, there was a lot of L-O-V-E in the air...if I could say that...but it turned out to be a pleasant sunny day where I had to de-layer instead of layering up as the sun reflected off the snow. At the top of the Gondolas there was a DJ pressuring couples to come to the mic and have their beaus propose to their snow bunnies. LOL. As a single-girl myself, I had no arm candy with me up at the slopes, but I did take a few glances at some of the cute Argentinian men working at the lodge. I guess their accents attracted to me as they welcomed me in Spanish. For some reason I was meeting a lot of foreigners and ended bumping into some British boys who were trying their shot at snowboarding for the first time instead of skiing, which they do back home in France!


Going up the Gondola...with gear and all ready!


British boys which I met going up the Gondola

P.S.
More pictures to come!!!

Long Live McQueen

R.I.P. Lee (Alexander) McQueen.

Today, on my way to work I was given one of the saddest news that one of the world's best designers had left us. For reasons beyond the known. The Fashion world with the official opening of New York Fashion Week today, McQueen left a lot of people in shock. Kind of like a martyr dies for what they believe in, McQueen's passing reminds me that we may have everything but not be fully happy if our accomplishments and goals without our loved ones might have no purpose at all. To what would have been his last grand entrance to showcase his work to the fashion world, he leaves us with timeless pieces of his work as all his creations were moving pieces of art.

Although I do not own or can afford any of McQueen's pieces I appreciated his designs as he was a designer who always thought outside the box. And because of that I cannot deny that I am saddened by anyone who's life is cut short whether by their own fault or not. I loved his creations displayed on Sarah Jessica Parker in The SATC Movie as she is one of the most coveted fashion icons whether as Carrie Bradshaw or SJP.

From his twitter earlier last week: "I'm letting my followers know the my mother passed away yesterday if it she had not me nor would you RIPmum xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

x."

As he leaves a void in the fashion world, as I believe no one will come close to his creations. He has left us with a strong following of artist, like one of my favorites: the lovely Miss GaGa. As can be seen in her "Bad Romance" music video with McQueen's where she dances in his infamous 10-inch heels not seen worn off the runway. I decided to pick up Miss Gaga's, Viva La Glam Lipstick. In VIVA GLAM GAGA. I purchased the lipstick in bulk. I say bulk because I had to get some for my dear friend THE SUSYNESS (Check out her blog on makeup and beauty tips, she's practically a pro=) and my dear sister Alessandra as a lil' early Valentine's day gift. But shhh! She isn't supposed to know. Hehe.

And I can say that I am very pleased. I like its blue undertones that translates to "THE perfect shade of pink" like Susy put it. It goes well with a lot of skin tones and because of that I can't wait to sport it this coming weekend in Lake Tahoe! Yes, I am going away for the long weekend to hit the slopes or rather attempt to snowboard, since I've never done it before. And the excitement is building up. So keep posted next week when I blog about my Tahoe escapade. ;)


I wanted to take the display case home

Customized with Gaga's Signature!

McQueen's 10-inch stilettos!