Five Things – Christmas Wishlist Edition

This post could also be titled: Five Fabulous Gift Ideas for Any Girl Who Likes Sparkly Things.

1. Juicy Couture's jewelry collection (using cats as the models)

2. Disney Cinderella Collection by Sephora

3. J. Crew's sparkly Etta pump

4. Capri Blue Mercury Glass Jar Candle from Anthropologie

5. Glam sequined skirt from Garnet Hill

XOLils

Christmas Etiquette (or Eticat) with Derek Blasberg

I absolutely love this.

XOLils

Haiku Wednesday

I got a pumpkin
and I put my cat ears on,
Happy Halloween!

XOLily

You look beautiful.

Purples and reds for fall. How iconic.
Photo by Charley Praither.

Skin is in.

Radiant skin, that is.
Glowing skin.
Bright skin.

(Not shining, though. Use powder to get rid of shine.)

The big trend at Nordstrom's Fall Cosmetic Trend Show was radiant skin.

Fresh, young and flawless skin matches the wintery air along with a crisp red lip. And maybe an ombre eye shadow.







The trend show, like always, was enourmous amounts of fun. Liz, Charley and I woke up before dawn and headed down to rainy Seattle. We enjoyed the rest of the day learning makeup tricks, gathering our free samples, getting facials and having our makeup done.

Liz and I and Grace Face. (Pre make-over)
Photo by Charley Praither.

Charley getting his Philosphy oxegyn peel.
Photo by Charley. 

The loot. Red patent leather goody
bag loaded with free samples.

Makeup done by the lovely ladies at the
Yves Saint Laurent makeup counter. 

We ended the day with pork buns at Pike Place, Cupcake Royale and a little shopping.
It was fabulous.

XOLily

Haiku Wednesday

There's a grumpy cat,

famous on the internet

and adorable.

I wish my kitties

had a constant frowney face.

I want grumpy cat.


tardthegrumpycat.tumblr.com


XOLily

Two TV Shows, One Consulting Detective.

London vs. New York City.

John Watson vs. Joan Watson.

Sherlock Holmes vs. Sherlock Holmes.

The UK and the US have both recently made modernized TV series versions of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous "Sherlock Holmes" mystery novels.

The UK version, called Sherlock, came out in July of 2010.

Set in London, Benedict Cumberbatch plays a brooding,  smart-alecky and easily bored version of Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock and John. 

 In the first episode he meets John Watson (played by Martin Freeman) who is an army doctor recently returned from Afghanistan.



  Sherlock and John become flatmates at 221B Baker St. and, though Sherlock may never admit it, crime-solving best friends.

Sherlock and Joan.

The US version, called Elementary, was released this fall. It is set in New York City.

Johnny Lee Miller plays an ex-addict, incredibly hyper and slightly lovable version of Sherlock.

Joan Watson (played by Lucy Liu) is Sherlock's sober companion and is living with him for six weeks to help him stay on track after rehab.








(I'm anxiously waiting for the romantic tension between Sherlock and Joan, but there has been none so far.)







Cumberbatch and Miller play very different versions of Sherlock Holmes. Both, however, excellently portray the brilliant deductions that the detective makes.

The intensity of the shows are also very different. Sherlock has gotten deep with plot lines, making an overarching story of Holmes' battle with his archenemy Moriarty and creating a modern version of the heartbreaking Reichenbach Fall.

Elementary has just started, but it is easy to tell  that it is styled like an American crime show. It doesn't have an overarching plot line (yet) and the characters develop a little more each episode.

So, which is better?

Or are they too different to tell?

So far, both are great modern representations of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. As more episodes of Elementary are released, it will be continually compared to the British show and it might become easier to find a favorite.

In the show Elementary, will Sherlock meet Irene Adler? What about Moriarty or Sherlock's brother, Mycroft Holmes? How will the Reichenbach Fall be interpreted, if it at all?

If Sherlock were around, he could probably deduce the answers for us.

But I guess the rest of us will just have to keep watching to find out.

Are you a diehard Sherlock fan or a new Elementary fan? Or, like me, do you think both are fab? Share your thoughts in comments.

XOLily

Five Things

1. Best new TV show.

2. J. Crew's fall pastels.

 3. Making collages.

4. H&M rainboots.

5. Knitted socks.

XOLily

Political Haiku Wednesday

Who wore it better?
(Photos from Getty Images)

This week, my haikus
are reflecting the debate
and last nights outfits.

The wives both wore pink.
I can't decide which was best.
I love pink too much.

The debate showed me
both the candidates' passion
and their theatrics.

XOLily

Haiku Wednesday

Getting pedicures,
like going to the dentist,
is slightly scary.

Wednesday comes too soon,
and also not soon enough.
The weeks will fly by.

When December comes
you will find me underneath
stacks of late homework.

XOLily

Pizza = Power

"I am a breeze through the air!" "I am strong! I am a winner!" "I'm too young to die!"

Motivational phrases make the runner.

This weekend a group of my family members and I headed to Leavenworth for the Oktoberfest Half Marathon.

A family of runners. 

Leavenworth is beautiful this time of year. The leaves are turning orange and the air is crisp and cool. All around mountains reach out of the haze and into the clear, blue skies.

The scenery made the run enjoyable, as well as running with family. I finished my first half marathon in two hours and thirty minutes.

Shirt, medal and number. 

Before the race my aunt gave us goody bags with
motivational phrases written on the side.

I must say I'm quite proud of myself and my family members.


XOLily

Haiku Wednesday

Please do not ask me
what is right and what is wrong.
Because I don't know.


The best time to wear
a striped sweater is never.
Also turtlenecks.


Today it was cold.
Chilly fingers, a red nose.
Genuinely cold.


XOLily

When in Doubt, Go Shopping!

In the first week of school my planner goes from being completely empty to looking like this:

 So by the time Saturday came around there was no better way for me to relieve the stress of the first week than to go wander about aimlessly at the Alderwood mall.

And I happened to run into these lovely shoes and bring them home with me:

I admit, it was an impulse buy.

But sometimes an impulse buy is best:)

XOLily

Five Things

 1. Getting back into the routine of school.

2. J.Crew's cashmere sweaters.

3. Looking at the latest fashions from la belle Paris.

     4. Doctor Who, Season 7!

5. Tea.

XOLily

Nerd is the New Cool.

Nerdy or cool?

The technology generation is revolutionizing high school stereotypes.

These days it seems just about anyone is willing to put on a pair of fake glasses and a Star Wars t-shirt to seem "nerdy".

But years of watching TV shows and movies that portrayed nerds as unattractive and socially incapable makes me wonder: when did being nerdy become so cool?

I consider myself a nerd, so I decided to do the most nerdy thing possible and look up the definition of the word.

The Merriam-Webster definition of nerd is, "an unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person; one slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits."

The Urban Dictionary definitions are a little different. My favorite was this one: 

"The unobtrusive man who sits in the back of the room with quite, knowing eyes, watching the comings and goings of all the ignorant people that are unaware their petty lives will one day be controlled and governed by this container of all that is awesome. He will strike with all of the rage and knowledge that his life of social abstainency and gaming gluttony has brought him in one swift blow. Fear me for I am The Nerd." -T. Nerd

That definition (along with many of the other definitions on Urban Dictionary) was written by a true nerd, as their Username suggests. 

It was as I was scrolling through the definitions on Urban Dictionary that I found the answer to my question. 

Well, sort of. 

Instead of asking, "When did being nerdy become cool?" I should have been asking, "Who made being nerdy become cool?" 

The answer: Bill Gates.

Now there's a nerd.

That's right. In this new age of technology people look at Bill Gates as someone who is successful. He's one of the wealthiest people in America and he is also a huge nerd.
Same with Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. Super nerdy and super rich.

So, the new idea is that success comes with nerdiness. Which makes being nerdy the new cool.

Now the question is, who is a true nerd and who is just trying to be cool? And how do you tell the difference?

XOLily

Haiku Wednesday.

It is September.
The air is getting colder,
too cold for sandals.

There's one thing I crave:
a delicious pink cookie.
Today they were out.

I have a problem.
On twitter, I mostly tweet
about my weird cats.

XOLily

Five Things

1. Fun ferry rides.

2. Hiking up Mt. Pilchuck.

3. This beautiful dress by Marchesa. 

4. Drinking tea and having Doctor Who marathons.

5. Alfie trying to snuggle with the computer. 

XOLily

Haiku Wednesday.

Born a diva. 

"You're a senior now?"

Everyone asks this question.

And I just say yes.

Then they look at me,

remark on how fast time flies

and I smile and nod.

But to me, time's slow.

I've been waiting to be old,

never satisfied.

Maybe it is good

that I still feel really young.

Still free and happy. 

XOLily

New York Fashion Week Favorites...

A few things to know about the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City along with some of my favorite looks from last week's shows:

1. New York Fashion Week (NYFW) happens twice a year, once in September and once in February.

Romantic dresses and sparkling shoes
at the Christian Siriano show.
Photo by Julia Rubin.

2. The fashion world is always one step ahead of the rest of the world, so this September's fashion week showcased 2013 Spring and Summer clothing.

My favorite model, Karlie Kloss,
walking for Jason Wu

A beautiful Monique Lhuillier dress
paired with trendy blue eyeshadow.

3. Haute couture refers to custom made clothing, fitted for an individual person. It is different from ready-to-wear (prêt-á-porter) which is factory made in standard sizes. Some designers have both haute couture and ready-to-wear fashion shows. 

Tulle was big this year, an example
is this dress by Jason Wu.

A flowery white frock by Jill Stuart.

4. My favorite way to get all the latest fashion week updates is on Twitter and Tumblr. I follow Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and a few other major fashion reporters who provide me with updates and trends on Twitter and pictures of the shows on Tumblr. 

J.Crew's bright colors and interesting patterns.

5. High fashion may seem a little outrageous and unwearable to normal people like me, but it's still fun to find all the latest trends and apply them in a subtler (and cheaper) way to my wardrobe.

XOLily

Haiku Wednesday

I have decided

Drinking café au lait and eating macarons in Montmartre.

that I must live in Paris.

I really love it.

Then in the summer

I will vacation in Nice

and eat gelato. 

Nice is beautiful at night.

XOLily

Five Things

1. Chanel Haute Couture Fall 2012 in Paris.

2. Packing for Paris!!!

 3. Cute sleepy Alfie.

4. The fort I built while my parents were gone.

5. Tangled. (I finally watched it and loved it!)

XOLily