Voluspa Candles

Great Last Minute Christmas Present

Voluspa.com

Trend Report: Elephants

1. nOir Elephant Ring $175

2. Gemma Elephant Top $130

Shopbop.com

3. Elephant Paper Clips $7

Momastore.org

Dror

For a brief semester during my freshman year I was an interior design major. I loved every aspect of it except for the actual drawing and designing, ironic right? So naturally I picked the next best major, fashion merchandising. Lucky for me, fashion is my true calling and I’m so glad my brief stint as an interior design student didn’t go over so well. Even though that major is in the past, I still get that exciting tingle when I run into amazing architecture, original product design, and creative expression through the use of interior spaces. I was recently researching the felt trend for this upcoming winter and I discovered my new love, Dror. Dror is all about functionality. He takes a concept, breaks it down to its simplest form and then re-creates the object in a new and exciting way. He recently was selected by Target to take on the Back To College line, adding a functional designer look to the typical dorm items. His most recent and amazing piece of work is the Peacock Chair for Cappellini. This chair is made entirely of felt! To check out more about Dror and his thought provoking designs go to his website http://www.studiodror.com/
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José Luis Salon

I recently met with Bill Pitts, partial owner and manager of Jose Luis Salon, to have a tour and complimentary blow out. Can I just take a moment to brag about my job … Love it! It’s going to be so hard for me to go back to school next semester. Anyways, the trip was fantastic! The staff was warm and friendly, not only to me but to ever person that walked through the door. The Salon was designed to have a light, airy, feel with large open window and mirrors that are strategically placed to create extra light and the illusion of more space. One of the things that I found most interesting about the design of the salon is that all the furniture are on wheels so it can easily be moved about and allow the salon to be used as a venue for parties or events. Very smart, boys. The Salon features Kerastase, Shu Uemura and Oribe products. Jose Luis even has its own cosmetics line which was just launch at the beginning of last month. Rumor has it that they secured a very prominent make up manufacturer to produce their products … So, the beauty world better watch out because Jose Luis Cosmetics is taking it by storm. Jose Luis Salon is located in Austin, Texas on West 6th Street. Please stop by when you are in town and tell them I sent you, you won’t be disappointed.

Catherine Nicole & Vintage Chanel

Catherine is one of my favorite jewelry designers from the local Austin area. Her style is very elegant and classic but the best thing about her jewelry is that it is made from vintage Chanel handbag chains! I can finally own my own Chanel for less than $100!!! I currently own a bracelet and necklace and hopefully will be splurging on a pair of earrings for Christmas. The jewelry line is something totally out of the closet of Rachel Zoe and I would not be surprised if in a few years it actually was. To find out more information about Catherine Nicole check out her website http://www.catherinenicole.com/home.html .

NaturallyCurly.com - Where Curls Come To Life

So I might be a little biased since I intern here but it really is one of the best hair websites out there. It was founded by two curly women named Michelle Breyer and Gretchen Heber over ten years ago due to frustration and lack of information regarding curly hair. Since then the website has accumulated almost a cult following of curly-headed fanatics. The website’s main focus is to help you learn to love your hair and give you plenty of advice to keep it healthy and strong. There are tons of articles about celebrity curlies, stylists, products, trends and even fashion and make-up advice (written by yours truly). It truly is a one-stop-shop for all your beauty needs so check out http://www.naturallycurly.com/ and see what all the buzz is about.

21st Century Fashion Predictions

I found this online and thought it was so interesting. The clip below is a fashion forecasting segment from the 1930's predicting what will be trendy in the year 2000. There predictions were anything from what we wear today but still so entertaining to watch!

John Galliano Turns Hair Into Modern Art

Little Bo Peep seemed to have made an appearance at John Galliano’s Spring ready-to-wear show this season. Galliano has always been a show stopper, mesmerizing his audiences with wild fantasy-like creations. There is no fear when it comes to being avant garde — in fact, it seems like he strives for it day to day. The creations that come out of this man’s head are truly a spectacle for the eyes, yet they are still so practical to wear. Galliano enjoys mixing colors and patterns with soft and hard textures. Silk ribbons are paired with coarse wool knits and pastel dresses are combined with bright blue hair teased from root to tip. He even went as far as creating a sort of papier-mâché helmet for one of his models. Although I don’t recommend jumping on to this new hair trend right away, it is certainly a well-thought-out visual display that compliments his ready-to-wear outfits beautifully.

Shu Uemura- Art of Hair

I have always been familiar with Shu Uemura but I had never had the opportunity to actually use any of his products. Well, lucky for me Jose Luis Salon invited me down to experience the “Art of Hair.” I walked into the stunning salon and was immediately greeted with a warm smile from the manager Bill. Bill offered me a glass of wine and led me to my stylist Alisha. Alisha washed and styled my hair with Shu Uemura’s volumizing shampoo and condtioner and curled my hair with a round brush leaving it with the old-Hollywood-style curls. For all you curly girls out there be sure to pick up the new Cotton Uzu Cream which actually has little bits of cotton fibers in it to add extra texture to the hair, it is amazing and had my curls bouncing away for the rest of the day.

BareMinerals Eyeliner

One of my favorite beauty accessories is my bareMinerals eyeliner brush and Luxe colored liner shadow. Simply dip the eyeliner brush into water or the bareMinerals Weather Everything Liner Sealer and mix with the shadow powder. I draw on my liner ending with a bit of an extension so my eyes have sort of a cat eyes effect. I love it! It is super easy and it makes my eyes look bigger and wider; plus I get tons of compliments.

Flatte Matte by Knock Out

This is a great line of nail polish that comes in a variety of colors; all are in a matte finish. Having a non-glossy finish makes wearing black nail polish a little less edgy and alleviates any anxiety of going to the dark side. The soft satin glow goes on thick and dark and lasts much longer than any other nail polish I’ve ever worn.

Allision Lewis

I attended a viewing at 5 ninth in Greenwich Village for Allison Lewis’ spring 2010 collection. It was an assortment of playfully light dresses and rompers, accessorized with white Keds and ankle socks. The collection’s fabric was made of silk, with a floral pattern, that came in a deep royal blue, black and a vibrant green that was somewhat of a mix between emerald and hunter. Hair was soft curls twisted into a loose messy bun by Rodney Cutler. The make-up was light and airy with rosy pink lips and nails were painted in a matte finish red by knock out. It was a supper cute collection and I can’t wait to get my hands on that green romper for this spring.

Fashion Week Spring 2010

Yes, you can all be jealous… I still can’t believe it myself but this past September I got to attend Fashion Week in New York. Even just thinking about it makes my eyes light up and my heart begin to race. As a fashion major and just someone who enjoys creatively expressing themselves through the use of fashion and other accessories, attending this event was a dream come true. I honestly never thought that at the age of 20 I would be attending an event where most people have to be in the field for at least ten to fifteen years before they even get the invite, let alone get to go. Through my internship with NaturallyCurly.com I had just three days to prepare for my trip. I flew to NY with only one show confirmed but I figured I could at least explore Manhattan and go to museums if nothing else fell into place. To my surprise, by the end of the trip I had attended five shows, gone back stage to four and personally met some of the most influential people in the fashion world. It was amazing!