Red Tights

I always find that cold weather clothes are fun for about a month, and then I get bored with my selection of sweaters, scarves, pants and warm skirts. I love the idea of a flash of color to spice things up that isn't always visible in an outfit, be it gloves, a scarf or, as I tried out yesterday, red tights!

I paired a wool plaid skirt with basic black boots and sweater, staples of my winter wardrobe...

Sweater, Banana Republic; Skirt, Zara; Tights, Forever21; Boots, Nine West; Belt, vintage; Scarf, gift from Vietnam 

with my new tights!

Shiny and Bright

I've been playing a lot with my nails this week, couldn't decide which I liked best so I'll share them all!

I did a half moon manicure by painting the lighter base coat (Essie's "Eternal Optimist" ) waiting for it to dry completely, then using hole reinforcers as guides and painting the darker color (Essie's "Merino Cool"). I've found it works best to remove the stickers when the polish is still tacky to avoid pulling. I topped the whole thing off with what, in my humble opinion is the best thing invented in the nail polish world, Essie's quick dry top coat, "Good to Go". Seriously dries in about 30 seconds, and allows someone impatient like me to benefit from a ding-free DIY manicure.

I love the flash nail trend! I found some cheap glitter in tons of colors at, of all places, the supermarket, mixed in with the Christmas decorations. I've found it works best to do one coat of color, pile on the glitter, tap off excess, wait a few minutes for the polish under to set (a bit longer than normal, because you've just put all that glitter on it!) and then to top with, again, Essie's "Good to Go".  You could also use glitter polish but for me it's a) more expensive and b) I find it's harder to get the full coverage.

Essie "Eternal Optimist" again 

And a bit more of a subtle glitter nail look, that I thought was also fun,

Essie "Ballet Slippers"

Holiday Parties

It's official, the holidays are here! We had our first holiday party invite of the year tonight.

Dress, Martin & Osa; Belt, vintage; Bag, Mulberry for Target; Boots, from a boutique in Italy

I found this sweater dress in the states, and I love the basic-ness of it mixed with the fun glitter thread. The boots were a long term quest a few years ago in Italy; I drove my family crazy trying to find the perfect pair of knee high black boots. My family was ready to kill me, but mission accomplished.

I made the necklace from a cheapie I got at Forever21. I simply took off the ugly fake chain and replaced it with a grosgrain ribbon that ties in the back.

Let the festivities begin!

Le Chat

Grigris came into my life when I had just arrived in France, living alone in a tiny apartment (less than 60 square feet, on two levels. My neighbor once saw me leaving and was quite surprised that I lived there, as he had always thought that my apartment was the utility closet), and was quite lonely. 

How can you not smile at a face like that waking you up each morning?

I'm quite proud of the name I gave Grigris; in French, "gris" is of course the word for gray (and he's a gray tabby) and the word "grigri" means a good luck charm. 

When I first adopted Grigris, he was the tiniest runt of the litter. Somehow though, we went from this...

to this...

Regardless, he'll always be my baby kitten!

Patching it up

The perfect v-neck cozy sweater can be hard to find. Many years ago, I stumbled on one that was thin enough yet provided adequate warmth, long enough to wear with leggings or yoga pants without being shapeless, and tailored enough to dress up for a cold evening out or to work. So, you can imagine my chagrin when my husband announced to me one evening, "you've got a hole in the elbow of that sweater."


I was buying supplies for Christmas decorations when I stumbled on these:

Elbow patches in a cute pattern! And iron on, so no sewing required!

I measured the distance from the end of the sleeve, so the two would be even,

Carefully ironed (no steam!) for the alloted 30 seconds...

and voilà! New life to my favorite sweater! You could probably do the same thing with any bit of cotton fabric and fusible tape/fabric.

Favorite American Things

This is my list of products I always stock up on when I'm back home in the states. Some of them I can get here in France, but they are always much cheaper states side!

EO Hand Cleansing Gel is a natural hand sanitizer. I love the lavender scent, which is from essential oils, so it actually smells like lavender, and not some chemical concoction. I love EO products in general, but this is the one that I always have on me.

Burt's Bees. The obsession has gone international.

Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick and Cream Eyeliner in Caviar. I had a long term love affair with Benefit's Playstick, which they evily discontinued a few years ago, so this is my replacement. You can use it as a full foundation, or as coverup. The cream eyeliner is the end all of eyeliners. With a slant brush, you can get the thinest of lines, a smokey eye or the perfect cat eye.

Benefit's Boiing. A bit of a more hardcore coverup for under eyes. The fair color is a bit light for me, but the medium was too dark, so I mix with the foundation stick.

Seven for all Mankind Jeans. Not officially a beauty product, but the best jeans out there, hands down, and worth the money. These have been on continual rotation, all seasons, since college, and they still look good!

Cardigans and Pearls

Cardigans and pearls just seem so pulled together. On a rainy Norman day, they make me feel much more alive and ready for the day, especially in a bright coral.

Cardigan, United Colors of Benetton

I also, apparently, match my curtains!