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Why Did You Wear That: Right on Top of That, Rose.

By Kirsten|November 21st, 2012|Why Did You Wear That?|

Much like fabrics go in and out of vogue (corduroy, velvet, flannel), so do precious metals. There was a time when one might shudder to see someone wearing yellow gold and then roles reversed and sterling silver was anything but chic. However, there is another shade of shimmer that is most flattering on all skin tones. Yellow gold can be too warm while silver and platinum can be too cool, yet rose gold is the perfect in between shade for skin tones of plaster porcelain to dark chocolate. I’m not sure jewelry could be more feminine than when crafted from rose gold. I’ve even said that I’d like my next (yes, next) engagement ring to be rose gold. Hey, nothing wrong with planning ahead (sometimes referred to as “wishful thinking”). But until my perfect prince charming shows up on his perfect pony with a perfect piece of jewelry for my perfectly manicured ring finger, these rose gold accessories will just have to hold me over (and you too!).

1. CC SKYE Mirror Clutch, $275, 2. Oscar de la Renta Rose Gold Plated Tiered Clip-On Earrings, $180, 3. Shashi Lura Bracelet, $66, 4. Jules Smith Edie Knuckle Ring, $65, 5. Victoria Beckham Square Frame 18k Rose Gold Plated Sunglasses, $745, 6. Michael Kors Stainless Steel Chronograph Watch, $250, 7. Balenciaga Arena Giant Rose Gold Money, $555, 8. Pamela Love Rose Gold Dagger Necklace, $180, 9. Alexis Bittar Bel Air Druzy Ribbon Cuff, $245, 10. Alexander Wang Black Rocco with Rose Gold, $895

Some day my prince will come… til’ then, everything’s coming up roses.

xx,

WhyDid

Why Did You Wear That: Let’s Make Beautiful Music Together

By Kirsten|November 19th, 2012|Celebrity Style, Red Carpet Recap, Why Did You Wear That?|

Another year, another round of award shows doling out little metal trophies to folks who may or may not deserve them. But the fun is not in who wins what as much as it is in who wears what. So, let the self tanner application, lapses in style judgement, and wardrobe malfunctions begin and let’s kick things off with last night’s American Music Awards.

While it’s been a while since I’ve tuned in, some things remain exactly as they did a year ago… and beyond. These include but are not limited to:

They’re still letting Chris Brown perform. Why they even let him out of his cage, I’ll never know, but this white girl won’t be dancing like it’s her birthday when his songs come on. Ever.
Jenny McCarthy is still hot.
You still can’t touch MC Hammer.
Christina Aguilera still wears leotards when she probably shouldn’t (but she can still sing like nobody’s business, so we’ll give her a pass).
Pitbull is still making songs that don’t make any logical sense in English or Spanish.
Crowding the stage with babes in bedazzled bustiers will still cover up any bad performance.
Taylor Swift is still singing about some boy who did her wrong in something that resembles a bad prom dress not like the La Femme prom dress that you can find online.
Nicki Minaj is still in need of a time out.
Pink could still kick your ass.
No Doubt is still as rad as ever.

And while it’s nice to have a bit of stability in your life, I’m a little concerned about America’s choices in music. Perhaps that’s a better indicator of the state of our nation? One thing that does seem to be changing is Justin Bieber’s voice (anyone else catch that?) which was quite clear after hearing him dedicate his win to the “haters” (he realizes he’s an eighteen year old 98lb white kid, right?). So, I decided I was going to come up with my own award categories that seem much, much more important:

Best Legs:

Color of the Evening:

Most in Need of a New Hairstyle:

So, let’s step it up, folks. We’ll consider this a “warm up.” A “rehearsal” if you will. Last time I checked, which was just now, my socks are still on, so no one particularly blew me away. Bring on the crazy… I’ve gotta have something to write about.

xx,

WhyDid

Beauty Buzz: Clean Slate

By Kirsten|November 15th, 2012|Beauty Buzz|

So, this probably isn’t going to win me any extra credit points with cosmetic companies round the globe, but that’s the chance you take when spreading the good word. For years and years, basically since I was permitted to play in the makeup aisle at the drugstore, I’ve been fascinated with makeup. I’ve gone through the phases of cake face, glitter shadow, frosted lips, and all the other makeup calamities that are a woman’s rite of passage. We are taught and then it is pounded into our pretty little heads that makeup is the key to fixing any flaw and without it, we are just plain Janes not glamorous goddesses. And while I do enjoy playing around and experimenting with different lotions and potions (that’s half the fun, afterall), it recently came to my attention that I’ve been wasting a lot of money and time fudging with my face.

On one particularly hilarious evening in, a friend saw a photograph in a frame on my (alphabetized) bookshelf from when I was living in LA and said, “Wow! You look like a real whore! So much makeup! And so blonde!” I wanted to be insulted, but he was right. I looked like a different person, a Barbie. It’s not that I looked bad, per se, but by doing “so much” to look good, I ended up looking just like everyone else.

When I met a girlfriend out one evening haven’t having had time to spruce myself up, she informed me that I’d never looked prettier. I was confused at first and wondered how many cocktails in she was already, but I started toning down my look and received the same compliments about my fresh face. And while I won’t reveal my actual age (today), most people’s guesses include me still being a co-ed. Funny thing is you know how we wear makeup as pre-teens to look older? Well, it works, doesn’t it? So when we actually are of legal drinking age, we probably don’t want to look any older, right?

Here’s a little secret I’m going to let you in on: less is, in fact, more. In my old(er) age, I’ve toned down the bright white highlights (aka, I haven’t colored my hair in over a year), and given up all the extra beauty products. My hairdresser leaving the US is probably the best thing that’s ever happened to my tresses. I actually know what color my natural hair is and it’s never been healthier. Turns out the shade I was given suits my skin tone (without heaps of self tanner and sun), which only brings out the blue eyes that are luckily and thankfully God given. It’s like I’d been fighting against mother nature all these years and finally gave in. My best guy friend is somewhere smirking to himself saying, “Told you so.” Speaking of which: another bonus, guys who are actually of value (as in you may actually want to hub them up), prefer a woman with a natural face. They don’t wanna worry about washing oompa loompa off their sheets or holding their breath in fear of what may wake next to them.

So, what’s the key to a clean polished fresh face? Other than starting with a serious skincare routine (your dermis is the most crucial part of the look), here it is in four steps (five when I’m feeling fancy):

1. Laura Geller Spackle Tinted Under Make-up Primer, Bronze, $27, 2. Benefit Benetint, $29, 3. Anastasia Brow Wiz in Ash Blonde, $20, 4. Benefit They’re Real! Mascara, $23, 5. Smashbox Limitless Eyeliner in Golden Ivy, $19

So, who’s hiding out under there?

xx,

WhyDid

Why Did You Wear That: Bright Like a Diamond

By Kirsten|November 14th, 2012|Why Did You Wear That?|

I haven’t spoken much about my last breakup, mostly because, well… who cares, right? But today, I will give you a tiny glimpse inside of what was a semi traumatic, yet equally character building experience… in the name of jewelry, of course. A couple of Christmases ago, I was gifted the most beautiful diamond earrings. I wore them all the time. Every day. Barely ever took them off unless they were in need of a good polish or I was getting my hair done…. which, in NorCal, didn’t happen very often because, again, who cares? Anyway, in the midst of a horrible fight (our very last fight), I left my earrings in my jewelry dish on the sink to prove a point. HA! Well, joke’s on me ’cause once I came home to retrieve the rest of my belongings, my beloved earrings had gone missing. When I questioned my ex about the whereabouts of my baubles, he informed me that they were being “cleaned” and one had a “loose stone” and he’d return them to me just as soon as they were back from the jeweler. Well, I never did see my ex or those earrings again. And since I had just moved cross country, spending a couple of grand on a new pair of diamond solitaires was just not in my fiscal plan.

I couldn’t leave my little earlobes naked so, I decided that I would buy a new pair of earrings for myself… a pair that I could afford. That pair of earrings happened to be black diamond studs and I love them more than my original earrings because they are mine. When people ask me about them, I just say, “Yep, they are black just like my heart.” So dramatic, I know. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

There is no doubt that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, so if you’re in the market for a little somethin’ somethin’ for yourself that has a bit of edge and all the sparkle, might I suggest investing in some black diamonds?

1. Avenessi Black Diamond Cross Bracelet, $400, 2. Scott Kay Leather Bracelet, $295, 3. Diane Kordas 18K Rose Gold Necklace, $945, 4. Sterling Silver Black Diamond Hoop Earrings, $249, 5. Brian Danielle Black Diamond Icon Necklace, $230, 6. Kacey K Fine Jewelry Gold and Black and White Diamond Lip Earrings, $650, 7. Ilena Makri Black Diamond Love Ring, $770, 8. Majolie Rounded Black Diamond Ring, $567, 9. Lynn Ban Black Diamond Stud Earrings, $450, 10. 6.25 Carat Enhanced Black Diamond Necklace, $594.30, 11. 14K White Gold 1.5 Carat Black Diamond Studs, $169.99

xx,

WhyDid

Setting the Mood: Sleep Tight

By Kirsten|November 13th, 2012|Setting the Mood|

This time of year, when the weather goes from pleasantly crisp to shockingly cold, it’s quite easy to want to just throw in the towel, err… cashmere blanket, and just stop caring about what you wear. It’s even quite likely that you’ve completely given up on putting yourself together and leaving the house at all. I’ve found that I now prefer a pleasant night in rather than a raucous night out. Not to mention, my razor blade refills have become fewer and fewer. Pretty soon Smitty is going to think I’m fair game. That said, there really is no reason to be a complete and utter hot mess. There’s gotta be a happy medium between comfy sweats and club slut… right?

As I sat having dinner with friends at Barbuto on Saturday night (that glass garage door makes for fantastic people watching), in addition to the gentleman in the grey knit cap who walked by over ten times and was clearly casing the joint (or my friends), we were astonished at the parade of Paul Frank printed flannel pajama pants. Come. On. Hello Kitty printed pants aren’t okay in Wal-Mart and they sure as heck aren’t welcome on the streets of the West Village. When designers sent pajama inspired looks down the runways, I doubt Spongebob was what they had in mind. I live in a neighborhood that is so trendy, I have to up my game when merely running to the corner deli. Sure, I’m just on a TP run, but the rest of you are gearing up for stylish dinner dates and tequila shots at Tortilla Flats. So, whether you’re staying in or heading out, pull yourselves together, girls.