Good Girls Go To Heaven, Bad Girls Go To Vegas...
[ 11 April 2012, 08:51 ]
Just in case you couldn’t tell, Nubby, Kat & I had the best time ever in Las Vegas. Even though only two months have passed, it already feels like it happened a lifetime ago! I’m really craving some extended girl time — & some hot weather! — so it seemed like a good time to recap our adventures in Vegas! Thankfully, we were incredibly snap-happy the whole time, so there’s plenty to show you!
This was our second-to-last day in Vegas, & we were all still rocking our photoshoot hairstyles from the day before! It made us feel extra-glamorous. This picture was taken inside Caesar’s Palace, but it looks like we’re on a wet street in Europe somewhere!
Oh hey, I’m just chilling out next to a huge fountain…
I don’t know if this face has a name. Maybe “stunned guppy”?!
It’s true that when the three of us get together, we look at a LOT of shoes!
See?!
Still absolutely 100% in love with this Florence Broadhurst pattern from Kate Spade. In fact, I love it so much that I ended up buying the Japanese Floral Scout, & have been wearing it almost every day!
Ha!!! I love MAC Cosmetics stores. They always feel so full of promise!
...But wait, there’s more! These insane sneakers were at Giuseppe Zanotti & a mere $995! (Cough, cough!) They’re pretty amazing, though… I think if I bought these for Nubby, she’d be running marathons in no time!
Definitely reaching for another pair of shoes in this photo… But none of us bought any the whole time we were in Vegas! Oh well, I promise you we gave it a good go!
I think this fountain should be bigger. Don’t you?
Doing a quality control check before something was posted to Instagram, no doubt!
I can’t begin to tell you how good it felt to soak up some sunshine, especially given the temperatures in NYC at the time!
I feel like every vacation has a kind of theme, or elements that run throughout. Our time in Vegas was definitely punctuated by our obsession with the talents — & tawdry lives of — the Vegas-based magicians. Criss Angel, for some reason, became a major focus. We were so fascinated by everything about him that we even ended up imitating him in photos…
See? I’m not exactly sure why we are all crossing our arms over our chests like vampires, though… Nubby swore up & down that Criss had done promo photos like this, but I can’t find them!
David Copperfield didn’t escape our attention, either. Here we are doing our best Copperfield impressions. Can’t you see the similarities?!
At the Airplanes & Blazers photobooth!
I was so glad that I took my Fujifilm Instax camera with me. It got a LOT of use. I have barely touched my digital SLR in a year!
I loved this sign at the Pussycat Dolls Burlesque Lounge. I want a huge version for our house!
This seemed like a photo op that was simply too good to pass up! Who wouldn’t want to pose with multiple Elvii?!
This terrifying picture was taken on our last night, at a bar that was COMPLETELY dead!
Nubby won’t admit this to you, but she has a total dinosaur fetish.
A Birthday Cake Shake at Holstein’s. Delicious! I recommend.
Need to do this in my living room. I know you think I’m kidding… but I’m not!
My bedside table at The Cosmopolitan… Sparkly shoes & Instax photos, all in a day’s work.
David McNeil is a karaoke genius… Don’t let anyone tell you differently! He was wailing Born To Run at the top of his tarnished lungs!
This was taken at dinner after our photoshoot in the desert. We ate at Mon Ami Gabi in the Paris hotel — & it was incredible — but exhaustion kicked in soon after!
Sunrise over the Eiffaux Tower…
I love the Faux de Triomphe!
This is the fortune Zoltar gave me!
Nubby decided that every time we left the hotel room, we should take a photo… So we did!
It turned out to be a brilliant way of documenting our outfits & a whole lot of silliness!
Embodying my new style direction!
Our outfits on the last full day.
This is the team of people who went out to shoot…
...& this is how it looked on our less-than-glamorous return from the day of shooting in the desert. I’m carrying a huge plastic bag full of clothes & feeling very classy!
Covered in dust at the end of the day, & completely spent.
I adored these hanging paper decorations at Bond… It’s a really cute, psychedelic bar. I actually think there’s a lot of great interior inspiration in Las Vegas, you just have to pay attention!
Things we love: mega chandeliers!
Mmm… Fuchsia.
I think I’m… chandelirious!
Our intrepid photographer!
you David!
Definitely counting down the days until I next get on a plane!
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photo diary
Hear the story of my radical self love journey at TEDxCMU!
Behind The Scenes: Las Vegas, In Instagram Format!
[ 26 February 2012, 16:13 ]
I have plenty to share from Las Vegas, but the first thing I wanted to show you is this quick collection of Instagram snaps!
Las Vegas is — without a doubt — one of the most fun places in the U.S.A. Where else can you pose with five Elvii (it’s the plural of Elvis!), two showgirls & one Michael Jackson impersonator all in one day? Where else can you wear a full beehive & major eye make-up at 9am, & not have anyone bat an eyelid? Where else is it acceptable — if not encouraged — to wear all sequin everything, even to the breakfast buffet? VEGAS, BABY! Suffice to say, we had a great time!
As we talked about it, Nubby & Kat & I realised that one of the reasons why our time away felt so restorative was because we were pretty much unplugged the whole time. It really inspired me to bring this practice into my daily life. So, my new weekly goal is to spend at least one day out of the house, & leave my phone at home. (The weekend doesn’t count!) I’m very excited about this & I think it will bring me a real sense of peace. How often do you unplug? Probably not often enough!
Even still, the three of us always had our phones on us, & the iPhone is such a quick & great way of capturing a moment that we ended up posting quite a lot of pictures to Instagram. I think they make for a pretty concise round-up of what we got up to… So here they are!
P.S. If you’re not following me on Instagram, you should be! My username is galadarling (shocking, I know)!
Hello! This was taken on our first night, at Vesper Bar, before heading to a party where David McNeil did Bruce Springsteen karaoke & we took about a million photobooth pictures!
Vegas is full of fake landmarks. This was the view from our hotel room: the Eiffaux Tower!
Here’s some of the wallpaper in the Cosmopolitan bathrooms. Can you see the girls?!
Maus on the town! This is from our first night, too. You can see Nubby — & her ears — in the mirror behind me!
If Vegas is one thing, it’s excessive. This is a statue near the taxi stand at Caesar’s Palace. “I am a golden god!” Or goddess, as the case may be!
These girls at Bettie Page had the best hair ever!
This place is scary. Talk about the worst of America. In fact, when you go in there, they put you in a hospital gown…
Some guy had a heart attack eating here last month :(
Dreamy (but way too big) shoes…
...At Louboutin world!
We had our fortunes told by Zoltar! They were scarily accurate, too!
We made a friend… We named him Cabo Wabo!
By total chance, I found Chloe! & she was sitting in a SHOE!
Big hair forever! Thanks so much to the girls at Your Beauty Call for this. So amazing! I need to wear my hair like this every day…
Elves, all dressed up at 9am.
Bathroom portraits: a time-honoured tradition!
The fountains at the Bellagio are one of my favourite things about the city. I never get sick of them. This photo was taken while Billie Jean was playing!
The day after our photoshoot, with slept-in — but still big — hair.
The Cosmopolitan, where we stayed, has the biggest chandelier in the world. Here is a tiny, beautiful fraction of it.
I love a good hat! I didn’t buy this, but I think I need to…
Holiday snaps.
Standing in line…
Handbag porn!
Leaving Las Vegas… It’d be hard for me to lose my luggage!
Hope you enjoyed this little glimpse! I can’t wait to share more with you, including the list of things we did — & wish we’d done! — while in Sin City!
Love & really, really big hair,
P.S. If you liked this post, you might also enjoy having a squizz at my photos from Utah, some festive pictures from December & my very first Behind The Scenes post!
Let's talk on Twitter! Add me on Facebook! Enroll in Radical Self Love Bootcamp! Tags: behind the scenesBehind The Scenes: Leopard-Print Coats & Plenty To Love!
[ 29 January 2012, 18:42 ]
Cough, cough! Hello, from Illville! Mike & I have both been super-sick with this terrible cough — so bad I can barely talk. We’ve been spending our time cuddled up under multiple blankets, drinking tea & heating up endless pots of chicken soup. I have so much to do but I’m trying not to guilt myself over it, & allow myself time to recover & heal!
I’ve been making good use of my time — well, my definition of “good use”! — by researching potential adventures in NYC, as well as brand new beauty products! (Boy, do I love a good beauty prod!) My adventure research has been quite fruitful so far, I’ve found burlesque shows & slam poetry nights, taxidermy classes & porno bingo, all going on my list of Things To Do! This is such an amazing city, & sometimes I forget about that, so it’s good to be reminded. & beauty products, oh my. You should see my Amazon wishlist! I can’t wait to dig into some new eye creams, gradual tanners, fragrances, oils, & scrubs!
I’ve been doing a bit of reading, too. On the plane back from Utah, I got lost in Think & Grow Rich — one of the best books of all time, if you ask me — as well as Brand Like A Rockstar. Really, iBooks is one of the best things to happen to me, especially when I’m travelling. Inevitably, mid-flight, my laptop conks out & I need something else to do… & I just flick on my iPhone, & start reading. I also recently received Gail Larsen’s Transformational Speaking — I’m dying to do her course but the dates are so far away! — & Pink Smog, the prequel to Weetzie Bat. I’m very excited to dig into them!
I was on the cover of Funs NY magazine this month! You can read the magazine here, but um, it’s in Japanese! Inside, they featured three people who were transplants to NYC — me & two Japanese guys — & followed our stories. So cute, & I’m so flattered!
Ten things I love this week: Chocolate-chip pancakes, strawberries & chocolate ice-cream — all vegan — delivered to our door at 11pm. (Just one more reason to never leave New York City!) Dolly’s craziness & Hank’s gentle lovingness. Soy chai lattes from Starbucks, & I’m feeling especially good about them since discovering that Starbucks uses organic soy milk (i.e., not Monsanto seeds. Have you seen Food, Inc.? Terrifying stuff). Agonising over buying the perfect kettle. (It’s distressingly enjoyable. I think I want a yellow one by Le Creuset!) Las Vegas anticipation! I can’t wait to see Nubby & Kat & Jasmine again. Getting a new pair of bunny ears — my most stupendous pair yet, in fact! Can’t wait to show you! Cleaning the house. Nothing else really needs to be said, except that it is one of the best mood-elevators I know of! Mint.com: totally brilliant? I’d say so! Big chunks of amethyst, rose quartz & citrine sitting on my desk! Discovering amazing treasure trove stores with chatty, friendly proprietors. Best!
Hank’s nose is my favourite!
My outfit from Day One of Alt Summit: Betsey Johnson skull romper, Betsey Johnson tutu, vintage velvet blazer, Betsey Johnson kiss-print stockings, Matiko Ai booties!
Salt Lake City has killer vintage shopping. This coat is my new favourite!
So obsessed.
On the ground at Salt Lake City airport.
...& flying away…
Macarons! As Nubby said, “Sugar rainbow!”
...Om!
By the way, are you following me on Instagram yet?! My username is — surprise, surprise! — galadarling. Let’s be friiiiiends!
Despite having the plague, I’ve been so pleasantly surprised by this year’s winter! We’ve had all the best things — bracing mornings, bright sunlight, ample time to bust out coats, hats & gloves, & the (very) occasional snow — with none of the horribleness. No slush, very little rain, it’s been super-mild & barely dipped below zero. I LOVE IT!
Spending a little time at Park Here the other day definitely got me fired up for spring & summer, & all the wonderful things that come along with it. Birds chirping, fresh green shoots, cherry blossoms & bare shoulders… Big blue skies, coconut & vanilla-scented skin, rooftop parties & kisses on street corners… It’s my favourite time of year. So happy! I’m counting down the days!
Aw, they’re so cute.
恭 禧 发 财 !
I spent my day in Chinatown, gawking at the Chinese Lunar New Year festivities! It was pretty dragontastic, as you might expect — being the Year of the Dragon & all! Finally, I headed up to WholeFoods, where I spent absolutely aaaaages wandering around every aisle & reading every label. That, to my Virgo mind, is my idea of a good time! Quelle nerd!
...& don’t you forget it!
Bisoux & blessings,
P.S. If you liked this “behind the scenes” post, read the others! (Such a fun feature. I love doing these!)
Let's talk on Twitter! Add me on Facebook! Enroll in Radical Self Love Bootcamp! Tags: behind the scenesBehind The Scenes: Ice-Skating & Late Night Photobooths!
[ 13 December 2011, 10:25 ]
Bonjour! I’m wearing a t-shirt with a fox face on it & listening to Amy Winehouse. I spent yesterday with my man, cleaning the house & sharing a lunch date at the laundromat before hitting the gym. Not the most glamorous day, granted, but anything can be fun if you go into it with the right attitude!
I’m definitely in end-of-year wind-down mode, & it feels fantastic. I’m getting my affairs in order for 2012, but at the same time, taking a loose, relaxed view of the rest of the month. It’s lovely. Where’s the thrill in being tightly-wound all the time?
My progress with the December activity guide is going swimmingly! How about you? Are you feeling festive yet? I baked malted chocolate chip cookies (they were INSANE), went ice-skating, & put up my tree… Like I mentioned, it’s hot pink & I have the lights on almost all the time! Last night, at Kmart, I picked up a gingerbread house kit, which is something I’ve NEVER done before! (I am so excited!!!! There are not enough exclamation points in the world!!!)
Top: With Betsey & Lulu Johnson; mid-ice-skating with Rabbit; good lighting at the W!
Bottom: Nouveau sunglasses c/o Elizabeth & James; with Deryck Todd; Mick Rock shooting Mark Ronson.
On Saturday, I met up with Rachel Rabbit White for a spot of ice-skating at The Standard, preceeded (& followed) by mega-rich hot chocolate from their Après Skate bar. We started out clutching onto one another as we slowly made our way around the rink, but before long, we picked up speed & were chatting about our embarrassing teenage escapades, evolving style with age & male gigolos!
On our way home, we stumbled upon a Kiehl’s with a FREE PHOTOBOOTH inside! Jackpot! (“Free” & “photobooth” have to be two of my favourite words!) Of course, we ran in & promptly hogged the machine by taking four strips of photos…
By the way, if you do make it to The Standard’s ice-skating rink, I strongly recommend the dark hot chocolate with whipped cream & crushed peppermint candy-cane pieces. Rabbit had the peanut butter hot chocolate with chocolate whipped cream & marshmallows, & was overwhelmed with delight!
Sunday was a pretty fantastic day too. We started out with brunch at Saxon + Parole (I had French toast with Nutella & bacon, oooomg), & then walked up to Union Square to see the Muppets movie. I can’t tell you how much I loved it! Also, I cried several times, because I am a huge baby. PERFECT!
Other things: I re-read the entirety of Dangerous Angels (favourite book) on my iPhone. It’s just as great as I remember. I also started playing Words With Friends, after resisting for about six months, & am — of course — totally hooked. Yes sir.
One of my favourite things about this time of year in NYC is the Christmas trees lined up on the streets. The smell is incredible & they look divine.
In a store on East 7th Street! Thank you for being a friend… ! (I think this would make an amazing gift for someone!)
Big sunglasses at the laundromat = essential!
Alright — I have a big week ahead! Can you believe it’s Christmas next Sunday?! OH MY! So much to do! Better hop to it… !
P.S. Mercury retrograde ends tonight… HOORAY!
Let's talk on Twitter! Add me on Facebook! Enroll in Radical Self Love Bootcamp! Tags: behind the scenesBehind The Scenes: Bits & Bobs & Assorted Fanciness!
[ 20 November 2011, 18:18 ]
Top shelf, L-R: Senso, Steve Madden, Steve Madden, Miu Miu knock-offs.
Lower shelf, L-R: ASOS, TopShop, Chinese Laundry, ASOS.
“Behind The Scenes” is a new proto-feature, where you get to see — you guessed it! — a little glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes of my life. From outfit details to new obsessions, it’s all going to go here in a delicious menagerie! Let’s see how it goes!
Office exorcism: performed! That’s some of the biggest news of my week, for sure. I’ve been reading this book called Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui & it’s a revelation.
Lydia & I have been like crazed Virgo demons, putting things into piles, donating clothes, moving items into storage, & hauling enormous bags back & forth across the place, for the last couple of weeks. I guess I didn’t realise how much of a state my office was in until we started! Anyway, finally it is all coming together, & it’s such a relief to actually be able to WORK in here!
At the top of the post you can see a little section of my brand spanking new shoe shelves! The construction is really simple, I basically just bought two white Billy bookcases from IKEA & placed them next to one another. They make for a perfect shoe display. One day, ONE DAY I will have a walk-in closet, but in the meantime, these shelves are a fabulous start!
Top shelf, L-R: Steve Madden, Steve Madden, the shoes I designed (!!!), Forever 21.
Lower shelf, L-R: Christian Louboutin (wedding shoes!), necklace & bracelet stands from The Container Store, Zigi.
I also had a grand old time at The Container Store, buying organisational knick-knacks. Very Virgo, that is totally my idea of a good time! I love the necklace & bracelet holders I picked up, & I also decanted my vast & somewhat ridiculous collection of cosmetics into a couple of jumbo train cases from Sephora — a smaller, silver rhinestone one for everyday use, & a large raspberry one for everything else.
In fact, you can see the silver train case in the picture below!
One bonus of performing an exorcism on your personal space is that you rediscover old treasures. Hence: a party on my left arm!
L-R: Silver & pink spiked bangles by nOir, Betsey Johnson watch, something with no label I bought on Gilt, tangled crystal bracelets from Forever 21.
This is one of the easiest ways of making a lamp that I know: stuff fairy lights into an oversized jar. This is just a huge cookie jar I bought on Amazon. I would only recommend using LED lights for this, though; regular ones might melt together!
My office is definitely not finished yet, but I’m hoping to share more pictures as soon as it is!
My latest obsessions are the newest lip products on the market, Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butters & Maybelline Baby Lips. I learned about both of them from watching Youtube beauty videos (it’s like falling into a black hole, I tell you!). I am always on the search for a very moisturising lip balm with a hint of colour, but finding the right product sometimes feels like a fool’s errand. The more I did my research on these two, though, the more obsessed I became. The Lip Butters get insanely good reviews on Makeup Alley, the swatches are fantastic, & well, what more can I say? I am a woman possessed.
Maybelline Baby Lips
I finally found Maybelline Baby Lips on the very bottom row of a Rite Aid display in an unsavoury part of Alphabet City, & snapped up Peppermint, Pink Punch, Cherry Me & Peach Kiss. Peppermint is a clear, peppermint-scented balm, Pink Punch is a soft bubblegum pink tint, Cherry Me is a gorgeous raspberry stain & Peach Kiss is a nude shimmer. My favourite is Cherry Me, the colour is really subtle & the look is quite gorgeous. Peach Kiss makes me look like I’ve been bitten by a zombie & I’m about to “turn”. It’s not good on me!
Ultimately, I don’t know that these balms live up to the hype. One of their major features was supposed to be that they’re great for really dry lips. They’re not what I would call super-moisturising, unless you obsessively re-apply them, but then, who wants to do that? (I do like the colour of Cherry Me a LOT though. I’d recommend picking it up.) You can read about other people’s experiences with Baby Lips here.
Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butters
As for Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butters… Oh my! How can I be so obsessed with something I have never even tried?! Everyone who follows me on Twitter knows that I’ve been caterwauling about how I can’t find them anywhere in NYC; I seriously feel like I have been into every drugstore on the island, but no dice!
AMAZINGLY, on Thursday night the incredible Dolly Dahl messaged me to say, “I’m in Vegas & I found the lip butters!” I have a nice little package winging its way to me from Nevada, so hopefully I’ll be able to give you an update on them soon!
...You’ll find out more about these pictures (& that tweet!) in a couple of weeks!
Other things I’m into right now include sour gummy bears, buying candles from White Magick Alchemy, making a huuuuuge list of movies for the winter now that we are finally members of Netflix (!), & our new towels from IKEA. There is something about fresh white bath towels that is so sweetly optimistic, especially when one of you has pink hair… !
Here’s to a beautiful week! Oh, & if you enjoyed this feature, hit the Facebook “LIKE” button below my signature!
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