Walking in Heels

When you talk to people about working from home, normally their eyes glaze over and they get this blissful expression and say something along the lines of "Oh, how nice to not have to get dressed everyday..." To which I normally reply, "Yea, but I miss shoes."

Seriously. I have missed shoes.

Even if you are one of those Type AA++ people who gets dressed to sit in your home office to work, I bet you still are not wearing shoes. At the very most I have on slippers in the winter, but besides that I slip on flip flops, running shoes or ballet flats before running out the door to do a lunch time errand. I would go to Nordstrom and stare at all the pretty shoes and dream about having a place to wear them {more than once}. High heel boots, bright wedges, a coveted pair of Christian Louboutin Simple Pumps, I could only dream! I mean really. I'm no Posh Spice traipsing around soccer fields in 5 inch stilettos.  

At my last office job I wore heels almost daily. I loved my heels. Kittens, pumps, wedges, I dressed my feet up. A nice pair of pointed pumps immediately turns jeans and sweater into a "work outfit". I always felt more put-together, taller and skinnier. Also, and while this sounds a bit odd in retrospect, ballet flats were not en Vogue in 2005. The Tory Burch "Reva Revolution" (Her signature ballet flat that launched that style shoe into a wardrobe must have) didn't hit until late 2006/early 2007. Which means flats were not even in my work ensemble vocabulary the last time I was office-bound.

Last week I started a new contract with a new PR agency, a contract that actually is IN an office. For the first time in four years I'm working out of the house on a regular basis. Luckily, the office I'm working in is a super cool and creative environment with a definite "San Diego Business" dress code, so clothes to wear to work are not really an issue (well, not any more of an issue than normal). It's exciting. The office is in one of the more "urban" parts of town; walking into the office, away from the kids and the house, has been a nice addition to my mainly suburban life. I get a little rush from the little walk from my car to the office and if I close my eyes and happen to pass a homeless person who smells like urine, I can pretend that I'm a big NYCity girl for 2 minutes. I worried that I would have a problem going back to an office, but in reality, the only thing I need to adjust to is walking in heels again.

Make-Up, Make-Up, Make-Up: NuboNau

Last week a few of us blogger types were invited by the lovely ladies of NubuNau for a professional make-up tutorial celebration the launch of their new line, nvey eco. Now, being that there are few things in life that make me happier than getting my make-up done (well, okay...that may be a slight exaggeration), I jumped at the chance. The bonus? This cool little store is is up the street from me in the Carlsbad Forum Shops - a little mall that I just so happen to be Foursquare mayor of. Yeah, those are some bragging rights.

NuboNau (pronounced new-bo-now) is an adorable all natural make-up and skin care boutique that only carries organic and natural beauty products. While I'm at the Forum Shops a few times a week, I've actually only been in this little store a few times. I blame the kids and the store's make-up and white counter tops for this...because if I had ever spent real time in this store before I would probably have a lot less money. It's one of those places that just smells relaxing. Maybe it's because I was out on a weekday without a shrieking 2 year old, but I walked in and immediately felt less tense. Hazel Walker, the owner, is the sweetest and we were soon chatting away about all the goodies she has in her store. 

While the store has always carried organic make-up by Dr. Hauschka and La Bella Donna, they are really excited to be carrying this new line, nvey eco, because unlike the other organic make-ups, this collection offers a variety of bright and fashionable pigments like one would find at a department store counter. One-by-one we all got the chance to address our make-up concerns with Sarah Chenot and get her tips to address them.

My concern, or desire, is to look even-toned and together without looking or feeling like I'm wearing tons of make-up. For me, she recommended a light-weight foundation with a quick powder. While "even-toned" to me says you can not see one freckle or spot on my face, Sarah disagreed. She believes that while you don't want that to be the first or only thing people see, you want to be able to see these things or else you look too fake. You want your skin to look smooth and clear with highlights and definition; this is what a woman is supposed to look like. She suggested dotting on concealer before I apply my foundation to even things out, but not to try and erase parts of my face. And while she used a foundation brush during application, she did note that one can cut about 5 minutes off of their make-up routine by using their {clean} fingers. 

If you are thinking about moving to natural cosmetics or even if you are just in the area, you should stop by this great store. The ladies in there are all super helpful and can offer a million suggestions for your skincare routine. Happy Shoppping!

STOP! Hammer Time.

So, I'm pretty much a slave to fashion and trends. If Vogue or Rachel Zoe tells me to wear it, I will or die/sprain my ankle trying. If you read fashion blogs and/or magazine's you KNOW that Harem Pants are "the hottest trend for summer 2010". Every designer out there has shown a pair in their collection. Celebrities are performing in them. Every list of "things to own" includes a pair. But, I've yet to actually see them on a real person. But THEY say I need them, so I obsess. 

Last weekend my mom and I took a day to meet at our "Happy Place" - South Coast Plaza, for a girls shopping trip. And after some lunch and a little chardonnay, I was feeling brave and ready to ramp up my look. We headed to H&M (which, for some reason the SCP H&M is the ONLY one I've ever had luck in) because while I have no issue with trendy clothes, I refuse to drop fist-fulls of cash on something that I'm not even sure I will wear. (Although, I did notice a pair of L.A.M.B. Harem Pants on the sale rack at Nordies...)

Visit hm.com

H&M had just what I was looking for, a black pair, with a roll-over waist and the BEST part? The $14.99 price tag. Now I will admit, that even after trying them on I wondered if they were even worth 15 of my hard earned dollars. It's not that I didn't like them.. it was more that I didn't know if by wearing them I would be thought of as a total fashionista or totally fashion fugly?

A few years back my favorite summer look was the cropped wide-leg pants with flip flops and a white tank. In my opinion, these pants may just be an update to this look. Easy, cool, hip and comfy - they seem like a good option. So I was sold and almost excited about them...I even got Zoe a little baby pair because I just COULD NOT RESIST.

So Sunday morning, feeling hip, slick and cool,  I walk out of the bedroom clothed in my new duds, and Jason looked at me, and without pause, says "So, where are we going to breakfast MC Hammer?"

So tell me this, am I fashion forward or a slave to fashion?