How To: 3 Braids & a Bun

Hey guys, did you hear? Braids are totes in right now! Okay I know they have been for awhile, but like every magazine (ever) writes, they're really versatile & easy to do. Plus braids get my hair out of my face, which is always a plus.

Worn here, I often wear my hair like this to go hiking or to run errands...why?
1. Day-old hair = I don't need to wash my hair that morning
2. No heating products = saves my hair from additional damage
3. Relatively quick to do (depending on how many braids you want to do)
4. Did I mention it gets my hair out of my face?

The lighting in the bathroom was terrible, the backlight made it look like a ghost was standing right behind me, and even though it was broad daylight, I was scaring myself...so I had to turn the camera around. Also, apologies for the video being longer than normal - I know you guys know how to braid, I just couldn't figure out how to fast-forward certain parts without the whole clip being fast-forwarded. In addition, I'm wearing this super comfy Nike sweatshirt (similar one found here)...I know, SO FASHUNS YOU GUYS.

What You'll Need:
+ 3 small elastics
+ 2 medium / large elastics
+ hairspray
+ glossing spray (optional)
+ rat-tail comb (optional)

Rain Rain Go Away

Because LA rarely has any major weather changes, I do secretly love when we get a few days of overcast & rain. HOW ELSE am I going to justify buying rain boots? I mean, I'd just look like a crazy person wearing them when there's not a drop in the sky.

Which is what I did because I thought it was going to rain the day I wore this...only to have it rain the next day (when I wore 4" heels). I'm awesome at looking up weather. And even better? It was windy the day I wore this so my dress kept flying everywhere.

I love these rain boots because not only is the detailing cute with the laces, but they are WEDGES. Just because I'm stomping around in rain & mud puddles doesn't mean I don't want to look stout doing it, lol.

h&m jacket, f21 dress, f21 belt, f21 tights, sperry rain boots

questions? ask here! / twitter tracker

Photo Bombers

For Valentine's Day, Rye Bread cleaned the broken table that blocked my favorite backdrop for all of my pictures - that brick wall. Well, I don't know if it was actually for Valentine's Day or not, but I counted it as so (I think he got off easy).

I get asked a lot if Rye takes my pictures or if I use a tripod. The answer is both depending on time & day; but there are definitely some pros & cons to having Rye take my pictures:

Pros:
+ He gets great angles (aka: makes my legs look long)
+ He can take close-up shots of my shoes
+ I don't look creepers taking pictures of myself, setting the timer & running into focus
Cons:
+ It's hard for me to make "serious" face at him or look away
+ I feel somewhat rushed ("ARE THESE GOOD ENOUGH?!")
+ People think he paid me to be a "model" (gross)

But a big pro when we're taking pictures in the backyard is that he's able to CONTROL THE DOGS. By myself, the dogs LOVE to sit on my feet while I'm standing still for longer than 3 seconds. This makes it impossible to get them out of my shots...if you can't beat them, join them!

I got this skirt from Nordstrom Rack for $7.99! WHAT! It was $22 then on clearance then an additional 60% off. Even if it is a bit of a snooze fest, it's a great work skirt. The belt I'm pairing it with actually belongs to the Gillian Dress from PMN.

h&m button down, nordstrom rack skirt, pmn belt, express tights, aldo heels

poncho (half chow / half lab)

ezio (lab mix and 5 months old) & poncho
all three dogs: poncho, sydney (some terrier mix), & ezio

And now for some pictures of Poncho, Sydney & Ezio. Sydney's giving me a major STINK EYE in her picture, it cracks me up, "Take the GD picture already!" Meanwhile, I tied a Henri Bendel bow on Ezio's collar to Rye's dismay.

questions? ask here! / twitter tracker

Valen-TIMES Day

This weekend I realized that my parents constantly say ValentiMes Day...and oddly enough I think some rappers do too. Probably the only commonality among my parents & rappers. Although one time I did make my mom sing Sisqo's THONG SONG. (Just as amazing as you think it would be).

I bought this chunky knit sweater from my favorite store, you know, PMN. I like it a lot, it's my 2nd time wearing it...the first time I spilled hot sauce on it when I was eating a burrito. Also, Ezio likes to steal my thunder by being in my pictures.

pmn knit sweater, american eagle shorts, f21 belt, guess sandals

Momma & Poppa Ivy (ha) were in town this weekend for a "wedding engagement party" (no kidding that's actually what it was called), so it was nice to spend quality time with them, eat good Vietnamese food...but seriously can we go back to the "wedding engagement party"? Apparently the bride & groom (to-be?) couldn't decide if it was an engagement party or a wedding reception; according to the bride, it was "more than an engagement party, less than a wedding." WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?! The actual party (let's just call it that) was just as confusing, with the exchanging of rings, but no officiant, a multi-tiered cake, first dance, but no "Mr. & Mrs." SO CONFUSING. It was making my mom mad.
For Valetime's Day, my friends decided to surprise our boyfriends / husband to K1 Racing (same thing we did for Rye's 30th Birthday). Unfortunately, due to lack of babysitters, one of our friends couldn't make it to the go-kart racing. But both boyfriends were surprised & it was the perfect gift for such an awkward holiday...I mean, I don't want to blow my load on Valentine's Day when I still have birthdays & anniversaries...I ain't mades outta money! Also Rye Bread cleaned the backyard & moved a broken table that was blocking my brick wall...now I have my photoshoot backdrop back! (I counted that as my Valentine's Day gift).
questions? ask here / twitter tracker

P.S. In case you're reading this Rye Bread: Thank you for the tulips...much better than roses.

How To: French Braid

So I did it!! My first VIDEO tutorial! Mostly done because I needed both hands for this look & can't take pictures without losing the braid.

So for this look seen here, it really only takes less than 10 minutes. It may take some practice, but what I like about it is that it's super easy to do & if it's messy, well, that's just part of the look.

BONUS FOOTAGE includes an alternate ending, which I normally wear to work when I don't have time to do my hair.

My hair was damp & I prepped it with Paul Mitchell's Super Skinny Serum & Garnier Fructis Nutrient Spray.


p.s. I'm looking to the side because my camera has a flip screen so I could literally use it as a mirror.

Let me know thoughts? DUMB? AWESOME? MOAR? LESS?

questions? ask here / twitter tracker

The Illusionist

A couple of weeks ago, it was my friend's bday (same friend where I went to Bar Copa wearing this), the next night we went to The Room in Hollywood. Rye Bread was feeling lazy (read: OLD) and he said...and I quote "I'm 30, I don't need to go to clubs in Hollywood anymore!" so I flew solo that night. WHOO HOO. Not really...who is going to hold my clutch while I go to the bathroom? I kid!

I bought this skirt a month or two ago & thought, HEY WHY NOT. It was a nice contrast to the short lacy shirt the night before. Having a long torso & short legs, I felt like this high-waisted & floor-length skirt gave the illusion of LONG LEGS & a proportional torso (something I can only DREAM of). The 6" Jessica Simpson Dany platforms didn't hurt either. I might have to start wearing more skirts like this more often...hm.

h&m skirt, pmn tank, js platforms

I also hiked on my own that day and (gross secret alert) did not want to wash my hair afterward, so I pulled it back into 3 braids & a bun. Sometimes, washing, drying, & curling my hair TAKES TOO LONG.I've been meaning to do a tutorial on french braiding my own hair in addition to this one, I just can't figure out if I should do a video or if I should do snapshots like I have in the past. It's tricky when you need both hands to do your hair & you're trying to take your own photos. Maybe it'll be video...I need suggestions!

P.S. How long does my neck look in these photos? lol

questions? ask here! / twitter tracker

Why Oui Oui

I'm totally into french braiding my hair...maybe because I never knew I could do it until one day I was on a conference call & instead of picking at my split-ends, I decided to braid my hair out of my face. AND IT WORKED. It doesn't look professional (or like this for that matter), but I like that it's somewhat messy with my layers falling out in between. It's great for hiking / walking around to get my stupid grown-out bangs out of my FACE. I shall do a tutorial soon.

It was one of my good friend's birthday and I can't even remember the last time I went out. But I did buy this skirt at F21 in Columbus, OH, just in case I needed an appropriate going-out outfit. After I put it on, I spent the next 20 minutes figuring out if I should tuck in my shirt or leave it tucked out (I opted for tucking it in).

united colors of benetton sweater, f21 skirt, chinese laundry shoes

We went to Bar Copa, a place in Santa Monica, that I enjoy. I went there for my birthday & they play pretty good music...but the place is SO SMALL and it gets SO HOT. Like everyone looks like they spent 3 hours in a sauna by the time they leave...I'm talking bangs & hair sticking to your face, makeup smeared off, and random wet spots on your clothes (could be from the spilled drinks, or from your sweat...or even someone else's sweat. I KNOW.) But music is good.

I realize that all of my pictures look the same. I'm with the same group of guys and we (basically) always have the same expressions.

For those who were wondering, running has been good, but I'm really into hiking! Recently went to Runyon Canyon in Hollywood & while I didn't enjoy it as much as Mandeville in Brentwood, it was still fun to go with my friend. JUST CROWDED. And everyone goes to BE SEEN. WHY DO YOU NEED FULL MAKE-UP ON A HIKE? The views were nice, and you even got to see the Hollywood sign. But last Saturday I went to Mandeville by myself because it was closer & a little more...hiker-ish. Is that a word? Ugh, when did I become a HIKING SNOB?

me with my friend, rhona

you know i took mr. ez e!

questions? ask here! / twitter tracker