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Chic and Charming
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31 December 2008

Zac Posen Semi Flapper Dress

Lately I've been lusting after flapper dresses. I want one with massive silk fringe (NOT beaded) that I can wear out on the town to dance the night away. Fringed dresses look beyond cool on the dance floor. I've had real problems locating the perfect fringe dress. First, all vintage dresses are too small for me, and besides that they are rare. Next, fringe dresses tend to be trapeze dresses, which only look attractive on very slender women, which I am not. Finally, most modern fringe dresses are a bit scantly populated in terms of fringe, and just look cheap in my opinion. So, understandably I have had a difficult time located THE dress.

Zac Posen saved the day! He showed this beautiful red-orange dress in his pre-fall 2009 collection. It is simply divine! I love that the fringe is only in the skirt, which allows for a real waist and fitted sweetheart bodice. Fabulous! The best booty shaking dress I've seen in a long time!

Image from Style.com
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30 December 2008

New Years Resolutions


#1: Get my Etsy Shop Magpie Supply up and running, along with its accompanying blog

#2: Be a bit more dedicated to Girls Guide to Blogging

#3: Cook more at home, especially out of the Canyon Ranch Cookbook

#4: Make more jewelry

#5: Graduate and get a real job

29 December 2008

Superhero Spectacular



I've been feelings kind of inspired by the idea of female superheros today, so I went through Polyvore and picked out a few favorite superhero costumes. I was also inspired to make my own Superheroine, Spike! She is one bad ass bitch. I'm kind of on the fence about the headband, in retrospect, I'm not sure it really matches her persona, although it is great for protecting her identity.



Love this couture cat woman costume. I think the cape and the mask are my favorite bits.


The glasses and color scheme for this outfit are fabulous!


A Slayer's Gotta Do... by Fashion Me Fabulous

Goth vampire slayer super hero, love it! I really want those sunglasses, but not for 300 pounds! It would totally make me feel like a real life superhero.
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28 December 2008

Robert Pattinson's New Hair

I just can't help myself ladies, Robert Pattinson is so damn beautiful and I spent the entire Holiday Season lusting over him with my cousin and talking about Twilight. I have not had a celebrity crush since Tom Welling premiered Smallville in 2001, so this is a big event! I'm starting to think that he might be the reason that I'm really in love with Twilight.

A few thoughts on Rob's new look:
  • He is still hot
  • I like that he is no longer a man that uses more hair product than myself
  • It will look like he actually showers daily now
  • His scruffy 3-day stubble looks hotter with short hair
  • I can no longer fantasize about running my fingers through his wild mane, which is kind of a downer
  • It might be a tiny bit easier to hide from fans now
  • I can't help thinking he'll loose his super powers (of attraction) now that he has shorn his hair like Samson (& Delilah). Whatever. It still works for me!
Image from People.com

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25 December 2008

Merry Christmas!


Image from MySpace

24 December 2008

L'occitane's Pomander


Just saw this darling little pomander in L'occitane at the Airport and loved it. Pomanders originated in the middle ages as a personal adornments worn by the wealthy. The Pomdaner would have a hollow center which was stuffed with scented materials to mask their odors, mask the odors around them and protect themsevles from disease. I would like to spray L'occitane's pomander with my favorite perfume, Chanel Chance, and then hang it in my closet to subtly scent my clothes.
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23 December 2008

Bond Girl Tips: Honey Ryder

honey

Perhaps it is the release of the latest Bond Movie, Quantum of Solace , or perhaps it is the backlog of Bond Movies on my DVR, but I feel compelled to write about a few of my favorite bond girls. I'm starting, of course, at the beginning with the first, and definitive Bond Girl, Honey Ryder played by Ursula Andress. This is the woman that started it all in 1962 with Dr. No. In terms of fashion takeaways, there isn't much, becuase lets face it, she never wears much.in the movie. She didn't need to, that white bikini is the swimsuit that launched a thousand trends. Here are a few stylish tips from Miss Honey Ryder herself:
  1. Thick lashings of waterproof mascara and a bit of black eyeliner are essential when swimming.
  2. A man's dress shirt, white, wet and transparent is beyond-beyond sexy
  3. Bed head never goes out of style
  4. Never go anywhere without a knife
  5. Hell hath no furry like a woman scorned..."I put a black widow spider underneath his mosquito net... a female, they're the worst. It took him a whole week to die."
  6. A nude lip is as timeless as a nude body
  7. The ability to speak English isn't essential to star in a major English language motion picture, that is what dubbing is for
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22 December 2008

Happy Hanukkah


12" x 10" "Moveable Feast" $325 walterialiving.com, via Dominomag.com

21 December 2008

A few little things about Sophia...

No One Tagged me with this, so I'm not tagging anyone when I'm done. Feel free to leave a comment if you decide to tag yourself and fill out this MEME

Starting time : 5.51 p.m
Name : Not telling..."Sophia" is my pseudonym
Sisters : 1
Brothers : 0
Shoe size : 11!
Height : 5'11
Where do you live : Also a secret

Have you ever been on a plane : Yes
Swam in the ocean : Yes
Fallen asleep at school : No
Broken someone’s heart : I don't think so, I think I've always been the one with the broken heart
Fell off your chair : No, not that I recall specifically, although I am sure that I must have
Sat by the phone all night waiting for someone to call : Forget all day, try days or weeks, I wrote the book on pining
Saved e-mails : Yes, I saved all of my husband's emails, starting with the very first one he ever sent me, but then the computer that held them all died. Luckily my sister had sneakily forwarded a bunch on to my husband right before he proposed. He re-wrote some of the love letters for me into a book, which was an engagement present.
What is your room like : A disaster, always a disaster
What’s right beside you:
On the left: a stack of magazines that make it all the way up to the top of my couch arm, a plate of half eaten cookies and tea.
One the right: half finished Christmas cards and my husband
What is the last thing you ate : A snowball cookie

Ever had…
Chicken pox : Yes
Sore throat : Yes
Stitches : Yes
Broken nose :No

Do you...
Believe in love at first sight : Yes, my husband fell in love with me at first sight, I fell in love with him at second sight :) I guess I'm just a little slow.

Who was/were…
The last person you danced with : A bunch of girlfriends at big party for a restaurant's birthday
Last made you smile : My friend J at the bar we were at last night
You last yelled at : myself

Today did you…
Talk to someone you like : Yes
Kissed anyone : Yes
Get sick : No
Talk to an ex : No
Miss someone : Yes

Who do you really hate: I used to hold horrible grudges and passionately hate people. I don't do that anymore. I try to let go of my anger and hatred becuase it hurts me a lot more than the other person.
Do you like your hand-writing : I am indifferent to it
Are your toe nails painted : No
Whose bed other than yours would you rather sleep in : No one's I have the softest bed with the best sheets
What color shirt are you wearing now : grey
Are you a friendly person : Yes
Do you have any pets : No
Do you sleep with the TV on: I cannot sleep with any noise, sometime I even wear earplugs to bed
What are you doing right now : watching Casino Royale and eating junk food
Can you handle the truth : Yes
Are you closer to your mother or father : I don't like this question. I am close to both.
Do you eat healthy : Ha! No, I can name fried foods like Buba in Forrest Gump names shrimp dishes
Do you still have pictures of you & your ex : Somewhere, some pictures and some sketches
If you’re having a bad day, who are you most likely to go to : My husband
Are you loud or quiet most of the time : Quite, unless in very social situations
Are you confident : Yes

5 things I was doing 10 years ago
1. High School
2. Varsity Tennis
3. "Dying" from an unrequited crush
4. Maybe taking my second trip abroad, to Germany and Belgium
5. Skipping Homecoming with my best friend to watch movies in our PJs

5 things I would do if I were a billionaire
1. Pay down my condo mortgage
2. buy a second house on a mountain lake
3. Invest
4. Buy extravagant gifts for my family and friends
5. Travel around the world, visiting all seven continents, and all the cities I've always wanted to see

5 of my bad habits
1. Eating Junk food
2. Napping, extensively
3. Leaving a trail of debris in my wake (I am really that messy)
4. Blogging :)
5. Etc.

5 places I’ve lived/living
1. Florida
2. North Carolina
3. Idaho
4. Wales
5. England

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17 December 2008

Foodie Fantastic

food

A few of my favorite foodie links of the moment:

13 December 2008

My latest Lush Favorite


Lush is one of my favorite bath product stores. My friends joke that I should actually make commission, as I've probably personally been responsible for dozens of new customers over the last few years (not counting who ever I convince online). Just within the last month, three of my girlfriends from work have become addicted.

It is rare that a new Lush product comes along and unseats one of my standard favorites. I have been loyally devoted to the Butterball Lush Bath Bomb for four or five years. So, I was very surprised to find that the Lush Magic Bath Bomb has emerged as a new favorite. The bath bomb has two layers with a overall herbal and slightly floral scent. Vibrant blue ribbons of color swirl in your bath as the first layers fizzles off, and then pink ribbons start to appear, mixing in places to form a deep royal purple. This bath bomb is just as beautiful as it is delicious smelling.

Image from Lush

10 December 2008

Preparing for Battle, Sophia Style

g1

As an undergraduate, I had a conversation with one of my mentors about preparing for what at the time was one of the most stressful interviews of my life, an interview for the Rhodes Scholarship. I spent a lot of time worrying about what I was going to wear, which might seem ridiculous to a lot of people. My mentor understood. She said that getting dressed for a stressful event, an interview, a presentation was like preparing for battle. Your clothes, your makeup, your appearance, that was your armor, the face you put forth for you enemies. Looking collected and confident is essential for making a first impression, and this is impossible if you do not feel confident in yourself. Personally, feeling confident in myself usually involves in some part feeling confident about the way I look. I don't have to be beautiful, model perfect, I just have to feel I am putting forth one of the best possible representations of myself.

There is a certain zen in outfitting oneself for battle. The details, the intricacies of the appearance I want to manufacture distracts me from the butterflies in my stomach. I imagine the process I go through is a miniature version of what a movie star might do for a premier, I try to incorporate relaxing rituals throughout to help sooth my nerves.

My preparations usually begin a day or two before the event with a manicure and a pedicure, which I usually do myself, as I like my fingernails short for serious events, something manicurists can't seem to understand.This is often accomplished on the floor, sitting in front of the television watching a feel good movie like The Devil Wears Prada or the Thomas Crown Affair.

g3

The morning of, if time allows, I take a bath for about a half an hour. I shave my legs. I deep condition my hair. I exfoliate. I moisturize after with a very subtly scented lotion. I listen to Frou Frou to calm my nerves.

Next comes hair, I have some seriously difficult curly hair. Lately I've been going with the mantra "straight hair is serious hair." So, I take the time to blow dry and flat iron my hair into smooth perfection. Sometimes I leave my hair down, sometimes I put it up...depends on the occasion. I listen to NPR while I straighten my hair.

The sound track switches again, for the last time, to empowering, kick butt kind of music. I will listen to these songs right up until I have to stop, first in my house, then on my iPod. My current playlist:
  • "The Girls Attractive" by Diamond Nights
  • "Always a Woman" by Billy Joel
  • "Lights On" by the Pierces
  • "Piece of Me" by Britney Spears
  • "Eyes on Fire" by Blue Foundation
  • "Bittersweet Faith" by Bitter:Sweet
  • "Stripper" by Sohodolls
  • "You know I'm no Good" by Amy Winehouse
  • "Sour Cherry" by The Kills
  • "Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes
  • "Conquest" by The White Stripes
  • "A Girl Like You" by Edwyn Collins
  • "Rebel Rebel" by David Bowie
  • "Dancing with Myself" by The Donnas
  • "One way or another" by Blondie
  • "Paralyzer" by Finger Eleven
  • "Hit me with your best shot" by Pat Benatar
  • "Girl, You'll be a Woman Soon" by Neil Diamond
  • "Superhero" by Jane's Addiction
Its breakfast time, even if you don't normally do breakfast, you should always have a solid breakfast on game day. I don't really deviate from the usual, a homemade, nonfat iced latte and Fage Yogurt with berries. I'll probably skim my blog reader while eating, having changed back into my PJs.

g2

The night before the big day I always lay out my clothing. I inevitably choose to wear a skirt and dark stockings with a blouse or collared shirt and jacket. I often buy a new outfit, something I search for for weeks, if I don't feel I have exactly the right thing in my closet. I wear very short heels, usually from Clarks if it is going to be a long day. And, while it may seem silly, I always wear a matched set of underwear.

After getting dressed its time for my war paint, my makeup. I always do a full face, with brown eyeliner and a subtle shimmery nude eyeshadow. My lipstick is fairly neutral, but with a hint of pink. I curl my eyelashes.

As a final touch I put on a pearl necklace and white pearl studs, because at heart, I really am that old school conservative. I give myself a once over and I head out the door. One my way over to my interview/presentation/etc. I try to calm myself by doing breathing exercises I learned from yoga and concentrating on the song lyrics coming from my kick butt iPod playlist. I hide behind a massive pair of sunglasses so that no one can see the look of concentration and focus in my eyes, and so that no one will talk to me and break my focus, especially if I am on public transportation.

After all this preperation I feel awesome, my face is a mask of confidence, it says don't mess with me today if you want to survive. Its go time!
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06 December 2008

Twilight, my Supernatural Obsession

Much like with Harry Potter, I came late to the Twilight Saga. The movie had been out for like a week when I stumbled across a copy of the book Tuesday at TJ Maxx, of all places. I thought, huh, $5...might as well see what all the fuss is about. And, well, that my dears is why you have hardly heard a peep out of me this week. Since Tuesday I've watched the movie twice and read three out of the four books!

I first came across Twilight when I saw an extended movie preview on a DVD about a year ago. My husband and I watched and looked at each other with bored expressions... eh... whatever... this trailer did nothing to pique my interest. A few weeks later, one of my girlfriends abashedly asked if I had heard of or read Twilight, she was in the middle of the first book and was completely hooked and maybe a little bit embarrassed to be so into a teen novel. I think she may have described it as a a fluffy, kind of trashy romance novel for teens. That sounded more angsty than interesting and I decided to skip it.

Flash forward to last week. Twilight the movie has pretty much been everywhere and the newer trailers looks much more interesting. Furthermore, half of my blogging friends and even more of my offline friends seem to have read the book. It took 12 bodyguard to protect the lead actor at the movie premiere...from screaming women throwing lingerie at him. What was all the fuss about?? And so, last Tuesday I decided to read Twilight. I devoured it in less than a day.

What makes Twilight so engaging? Why am I so obsessed? I was actually a little bit disappointed with the film, and yet when my husband jokingly offered to take me to see the movie Friday I eagerly agreed (I saw it for the first time Thursday with a girlfriend). The book is captivating and a quick read, but the writing and editing often leave something to be desired. I am personally a little flummoxed as to the root of my own obsession.

The story line and chemistry between the two main characters Bella and Edward are possibly the main attractions to the Twilight Saga. Bella and Edward are bound to go down in history as legendary lovers of literature and film. Edward *sigh* I think you would be hard pressed to find a woman who didn't want to ravage Edward if he were real, even at the risk of life and limb. I fear that Robert Pattinson (see above) will never be safe again from lusting women, he needs a real life Edward as a body guard. I mean, seriously, look at him...Yum!

Stephanie Meyer has a wonderful imagination and I think that is another attraction to the books. The storyline is creative and her new take on vampires is refreshing and interesting. She creates an entirely new mythology for the monsters of yore. But, make no mistake, Twilight is a romance, and it is the romantic elements that make it so addictive. One of my male friends was promised a "vampire movie" by his enthusiastic, if deceitful, girlfriend. He is now planning to take her to a gory action flick, promising that is a "romance." I suspect that she will not be so lucky when the sequel, New Moon is released.

Finally, I am busting at the seems with joy becuase I just discovered that Meyer is working on completing a novel called "Midnight Sun," which will tell Twilight from Edward's point of view. Just this morning I was whining in the car to my husband that I wish that there had been something written from Edward's point of view. I cannot wait for this book! Meyers has indefinitely postponed working on this books as it was leaked online. I am incredibly depressed.

Image from MTV



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03 December 2008

Check out Google Friend Connect


Just posted all the bits and bobbles from Google Friend Connect over on Girls Guide to Blogging for you to play with, along with my thoughts. Check it out!!

Homonyms

Dearest Readers,
I am spelling retarded, a fact which has been pointed out in very kind ways by a few of you. So, to apologize and educate, here are a few of my favorite words to screw up:

  • Champaign the town is not champagne the drink
  • Stationary is standing still, stationery is something you write on
Kisses,
Sophia

01 December 2008

An Ode to Helen Mirren's Chest

helen

Oh Chests of Helen Mirren,

You are a paragon of smooth perfection
After half a century on this earth
You maintain a horizontal direction

As I age I can only hope
for chests as fine as you
firm and pert like apples
and line less skin like new

Images from Vanity Fair and The Insider