Holiday Gift Guide: For the Guys!

Hello there! No joke, I have not started shopping. I was supposed to get out there this past weekend, but fell ill so wasn't up to it at all. Check out my gift guide for the guy in your life below.

Clockwise from the top...
1. This is called a Tie Mag. Super cool for the guy in your life who is all about looking good in a tie. These little contraptions are magnets to hold your tie in place. Get them here.

2. Fatty 'Cue BBQ sauces, because what guy doesn't love grilling outside. Available here or at your local Williams-Sonoma.

3. Rag & Bone for the Neiman Marcus + Target collection. I love this sweater because you can give it to your guy who hates to dress up. Once he puts this on with some simple jeans its a great "pulled together" look. Available here or at your local Target.

4. Jack Black Body Basics set. I think every guy secretly likes to take care of his skin. You know they love it! Available here.

5. The Art of Fixing Things. "Yeah honey, you can totally fix this, right?!" Ok, you know they can't always fix certain things, so help them out a little bit. Available here.

6. Board Shorts. Seriously, my guy LOVES his board shorts and I don't know a guy who hates them. Available here.

Holiday Gift Guide: For Girls!

Hey everyone! So we've been gone for a quick minute or a month but who's counting, right?! Well to kick things back up for the rest of the year, we're coming back just in time for the holidays. The holidays are literally just around the corner and I know there are still some last minute shoppers out there. Not going to lie I've been guilty of that too so it's ok but it's time to get moving. So here is a gift guide for the special women in your life whether it's your girlfriend, wife, sister or friend there's a little something for everyone. I did some searching online for ideas and came across some really cute things. So enjoy and thanks for sticking with us while we were on our break!

...Rebecca...

-Great engraved pencils with words of wisdom for any mood!-

Mean Girls Engraved Pencils from Luvocracy

-For the fashionista who has an edgy side and a love for large handbags-

Izzy & Ali "Tiffany" Satchel from Nordstrom

-To the girl who loves to enjoy a nice cup of joe or tea-

Ayaka Mug from Anthropologie

-For the girl who likes to lather up with different floral scents-

Victoria's Secrets Fantasy Scent Sets

-If you are really stumped on what to get her, I find you can never go wrong with a gift card to ANYWHERE-

Nordstrom Gift Card

 

Tis the Sweater Season

Image via Fashionista

Fall is here and it's time to bring out the sweaters. With the exception of todays warm weather, it's starting to get a little bit colder as each day passes and I know I can't wait to just cozy up in a sweater. I've been looking around for some cute sweaters and I've been seeing a lot of funky styles like more animal prints, bright colors and the usual staple of the knit sweater. Check the cool sweaters I found on fashionista, sweaters are going to be very popular this season and I'm loving it.

...Rebecca...

Pumpkin Results

Over the weekend, my family and I got together to have a family Sunday Funday. We all went to my sisters for a BBQ and to finally carve our pumpkins. My nephew wanted to make a smiley face pumpkin and he added some cool teeth to give the pumpkin some real edge. The other pumpkin turned out to be Jack Skellington from the Nightmare Before Christmas and to make him festive we added a sparkling bowtie for effect. It was really fun to surrounded by family and doing something together especially with my nephew and niece so they will have these memories. I'm grateful to have memories like this from when I was younger and it's great to be apart of ones they will remember too. Check out our cool pumpkins. Hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween!

...Rebecca... 

-Lukas carving his smiley face pumpkin-

-My brother Rick, Kellie and I figuring out what to carve-

Jack Skellington & Smiley Face Pumpkins

Candlelit Pumpkins

 

Blumhouse of Horrors

Confession: I love scary movies but I hate to actually be scared. One time when riding the Tower of Terror at Disneyland, some guy stuck his face out at me to scare me at the end of the ride and my reaction was to slap him across the face. I just can't help it!

Which brings me to my Saturday night outing. Rebecca and I along with our friend Joe decided to check out the Blumhouse of Horrors located in DTLA. You may be asking, "if you hate being scared, then why would you decide to go to a haunted house?". Well first off, I didn't want to stay home and Rebecca FORCED me to go. Well, not really, I just wanted to see if it was that scary.

While nervous waiting in line (they had some technical difficulties which caused us to wait longer than expected) I was tempted to grab the vodka bottle from the guy behind us and just chug it so that my experience was a little blurry, but I didn't. Once inside, it was all good fun. All I can say is that it was more than just a haunted house, there is a whole story behind the haunt and the actors were great. Poor Rebecca was in pain after my excessive hand holding. I think at one point she yelled at me to loosen my grip because I was hurting her. I would totally recommend this place, it was awesome, just make sure you plan accordingly as the wait can be a little long.
xx,
Andrea

P.S. Here is a video of some really mean "people" trying to scare me in line.

THE PEAKS...and the pits.

THE PEAKS...
Busy Bee:
Busy work week, makes for a fast week and closer to the weekend! - Rebecca
Another person's trash, is another person's treasure:
"Oh these boots don't fit you and you want to give them to me? OK!" - Andrea

...and the pits.

Fashion Crisis:

Spending 20 minutes just starting at my closet trying to figure out what to wear and then thinking all day of all the other options you could've worn. - Rebecca

Tired:

A long work week and no time to catch up. UGH! - Andrea 

Halloween DIY: Hollywood Starlet

Here's another DIY costume that is so easy to create. Got an old evening gown? Check. Faux fur stole or jacket? Check. You're all set!

For the hair: I used this technique. It's very easy to do and super quick. To add a bit more glam, I pinned one of my broaches to Alex's hair.

For the makeup: Winged eyeliner and a bright, red, glossy lip.

It's that easy and it gives you an excuse to act the part!
xx,
Andrea

Pumpkin Carving

Image via Martha Stewart

I remember when I was back in grade school each year we had a pumpkin carving contests to see which class could make the most original carving. I will never forget my 3rd grade class won for our Cinderella pumpkin. The pumpkin was the carriage, we added wheels and decorated the rest with ribbon and glitter. It was so much fun and a great memory I've always remembered. So now each year for the last few years, I've been wanting to carve some pumpkins so this year I'm going to make it happen. I've been looking online for some ideas and some designs so of course my go to website is Martha Stewart. I swear she has an idea for every single occasion it's ridiculous. Anyways, she has some pretty cool templates for pumpkin carvings, ideas and some helpful tips on how to use certain tools to make the carving easier. It's a great section for anything pumpkin carving related. I'm certainly going to be using some ideas for inspiration on my pumpkin this weekend, I'll show you my finished masterpiece next time. Happy carving! 

Martha Stewart Pumpkin Carving Ideas

...Rebecca...

Halloween DIY: Geisha

I love me some homemade Halloween! I'm not one to buy an already made costume. First off, they never look like they do in the pictures and they are so cheaply made. Plus when you make your own costume its a sure thing that you'll win for most original. You'd be surprised what you can find lying around the house. I created the mood board below after browsing Pinterest for some ideas. It really helps to get the creative juices flowing.

For this DIY I enlisted my sister, Alex, to play model. So much fun! I've had this "geisha-like" robe in my closet since high school so I decided to work with it.

For the hair:
I sectioned her hair in 4 sections. One big bun in the back. 2 little bumps (think mini snookie bumps) above her ears and 1 other little bump at the top of her head. I added a flower that I picked from the yard and pinned it in her hair. If you don't have access to some flowers pickup some chopsticks the next time you go to sushi and add those to the bun.

For the makeup:
I prepped the skin with this miracle primer. To make the face super white I used this product in white. This is a great white base because you don't have to worry about it getting smeared throughout the night, it just stays put. You can find it at Cinema Secrets in Toluca Lake. For the cheeks, I put the edge of a napkin flat along the skin, then with a wet brush dipped it into hot pink blush. Apply the blush on the cheek and over the napkin to create a definite line. Add winged liner and some red lipstick to the middle of your lips and your good to go.

Remember, have fun with it.
xx,
Andrea

Things to do on Halloween

Image via TeenVogue

Trick or Treat! It's Halloween time and we're bringing it you all this week on the blog so get ready! Well with the spirit of Halloween looming around I'm sure many of you have thought what is there to do here in LA other than the usual dressing up and trick or treating. Well if your too old for trick or treating then your choices are minimal however I did find a few pretty cool things to do on the day of Halloween or before. Some are scary and some are more traditional but all are equally cool for Halloween.

1. Universal Studio's Halloween Horror Nights

2. The Queen Mary's Dark Harbor

3. West Hollywood's Costume Carnival in Santa Monica

4. Halloween Harvest Festival in Woodland Hills

5. Los Angeles Haunted Hayride

I'm really hoping to check out the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride and Universal Studio's Halloween Horror Nights. I've been to several of the horror nights at other amusement parks and by far the best is Universal Studios. The park really goes all out with their crew who are so scary looking you almost believe you're really in a horror movie. Plus they have the best scary mazes, I will never forget how scared I was I really didn't think I would make it thru but it was fun though.

Word of Mouth: The Village

Image via Yelp

A couple of weeks ago for an impromptu girls night dinner, we ventured to a spot we hadn't yet gone to in Studio City called The Village. It's a very cool place with a great outdoor patio where you can enjoy a few cocktails, appetizers or dinner. The inside decor is very traditional almost like an old library but with spacious tables so you don't feel cramped or as if you're too close to the party next to you. I think the best part of the 2,400 square foot restaurant is the outside patio. It's outlined with table booths and bar seating in the back there's also bar seating in the middle so it's great to just hang out while enjoying your dinner. Another cool thing is the top cover on patio retracts so it's open with a view of the sky, it makes for a very intimate setting. Not only is their ambiance cool but the food is great too. On our girls dinner we enjoyed a couple of appetizers, a pizza and some dessert. I highly recommend this place for a night out with friends, a date or just for a good bite to eat or drink on your own. It was so good the first time, I went back again last night and it didn't disappoint. I think we found a new hang out spot. 

The Village

My recommendations:

Appetizers: Crispy Cauliflower & Black Mussels  

Pizza: Zucchini Flower

Dessert: Tres Leches

*We also tried the Caprese salad from the Mozarella bar, it's good but the portion was very small  so it's not meant for sharing*

...Rebecca...

Neiman Marcus + Target

My obsession with Target just got a little worse. They have teamed up with Neiman Marcus to produce a line just in time for Christmas. Check out the full line here. Some of my favorites below. I can't wait to get that cute collar for Luna and those adorable ornaments for the tree.
xx,
Andrea

Brad Pitt & Chanel

Image via Fashionista

Did we ever think these two fabulous entities would ever come together? Hmm probably not, but it happened! I know we mostly talk about fashion, food and our DIY projects on the blog but today I wanted to bring a little testosterone to the mix with the gorgeous Brad Pitt.Why you may ask? Because he recently signed on to be the latest spokesperson for Chanel No. 5 perfume. It's a big deal because he is the first ever male to be a spokesperson for the fragrance since it's for women. But they decided to switch it up a bit and I can't say I'm disappointed. They only had women front the perfume since the very beginning so who knows this may be a new marketing trend for other companies to follow. But seriously who can sell a woman's fragrance or pretty much anything female related more than Brad Pitt. I'm sure every woman out there after seeing the commercial went out to buy the perfume, I'm even tempted to go and buy it! How can you not with his good looks, charm, and overall persona. Chanel has really outdone themselves just like they do with all their campaigns, but I think this one is a front runner to all others due to the beautiful Brad Pitt. It was too great not to share with you all so check it out and enjoy, you're welcome!!!

Chanel No. 5 Commercial

...Rebecca...

The Best Spaghetti Sauce!

While craving pasta yesterday, I decided to whip some up rather than going out to eat. Having seen this recipe before, I knew it would be great! Plus, I really trust Joanna's opinion. All the ingredients were super easy to find (all were easily available at Trader Joe's) and it was so easy to make. You have to try it out!
xx,
Andrea

City Target Opening: Downtown

Image via LA Downtown News

Who loves Target?!?! I do!!! I am a huge shopper at Target, I mean who isn't?! So great news, Target has seemed to become even better and cooler with opening up a City Target in Downtown, Los Angeles located at the newly renovated FIGat7th shopping center. It will officially open October 14th at 8 am, giving people the chance to see this new Target and start shopping. This new City Target is huge occupying 104,000 square feet of pure shopping space and it's going to be a one stop shop for all the residents, commuters and tourists of the area with everything from clothing, food, furniture and appliances etc. It's the first of it's kind in this Downtown area which is not hugely populated with large retailers such as Target but with growing renovations it seems like it's the beginning of more places like City Target. It's great so you can get all your shopping done at one store plus it minimizes the commute for those who live in the area but need to travel further to their closest Target. Not only is Target occupying space at FIGat7th but there will also be other retailers and about 20 restaurants such as like Loteria Grill, La Mill coffee house and even it's own Sprinkles Cupcake shop. It doesn't get better than that! I can't wait to check it out. Read the article here courtesy of LA Downtown News. 

...Rebecca...

DIY: Adorned Friendship Bracelets

Hola Amigos! So when my mom went down to Ensenada a couple weeks ago, I asked her to pick me up some friendship bracelets because I had a little project in mind. I had seen a version of what I made at a local boutique but the price was a little too high for my liking. These are super cute and easy to make. Seriously, it took me a whole of 5 minutes. Also, I added a lobster clasp to the bracelets so that they are easy to take off and on.
xx,
Andrea

What you'll need:
- Friendship bracelets (if your mom isn't going to Ensenada anytime soon, here are some tutorials)
- String of rhinestones
- Needle and thread
- Lobster clasp and jump rings
- Pliers

Rhinestone Bracelet
- All I did was sew the rhinestone chain to the bracelet.

 Braided Rhinestone Bracelet
- I knotted the rhinestone chain and 2 smaller sized friendship bracelets together at the top. Then secured the top with a piece of tape. Once all braided, I again knotted it again at the bottom.

...and the finished product!

Splurge or Save

We're back! We took a quick break to just relax for a bit before we started fresh for the month and week. Now back to business, okay so I've been really wanting an all gold watch for awhile. I'm a big watch person, I'm always wearing one and so I can never help stopping to check them out whenever I'm out shopping. So I've been browsing a few here and there but I've been seeing some great gold watches for a reasonable prices in comparison to the designer brands. The question is now do I want to splurge or do I want to save but yet get the same style watch just without the brand name? Check out the Michael Kors Gold Watch and Target's Merona Gold Watch, very similar!

...Rebecca...

SPLURGE: Michael Kors

SAVE: Merona

Hello Yellow

Image via Fashionista

So if you watched the Emmys this weekend I'm sure you caught the fashion trend of the color yellow. There were some real beautiful dresses on the red carpet but I do have to say, yellow was the winner! I was really digging the rich color and how it just popped against the red carpet. It's not your normal or mainstream color for an awards show but it totally worked with the style designs of the dresses. Check out the slideshow of the other dresses from the Emmys red carpet.

...Rebecca...

The Killers!

Today was a little cray cray, so I didn't have time to blog. With that, I give you a picture of Brandon Flowers from The Killers! Happy Monday :)

THE PEAKS...and the pits

Image via Our Mismatched Life

THE PEAKS...
New Beginnings:
Excited for another fresh start and the great opportunities to come but bittersweet to leave an awesome place and friends. -Rebecca
Nerd Alert:
Seeing the endeavor was such a sight. Once in a lifetime :) - Andrea

...and the pits.

All thumbs:

Having an injured thumb and forgetting to be extra careful, you don't really realize how much one uses their thumbs until you injure one of them. -Rebecca
Really, again?!
I think I have the worst car luck. Ever! This time the darn thing just wouldn't start. - Andrea 

Big Bootie

Fall is almost here and even though it still feels like summer out in LA, I've already busted out my booties. I am a big bootie lover! They are so versatile. You can wear them with a dress, skirt, pants...the list goes on and on and on. I've picked out some of my favorites below. Are you ready for fall fashion?
xx,
Andrea

Starting from the top left: 1, 2, 3. Starting from bottom left: 4, 5, 6

NYFW: Black & White

Image via Vogue

While we all love color in our wardrobe, I can never get enough of black and white. They have always been my go to colors when shopping for clothing more so black than anything. Vogue Magazine has put up a recap of all the black and white from New York Fashion Week from designers like Marc Jacobs, Victoria Beckham and Oscar De La Renta. It's definitely making a bigger appearance for the upcoming seasons, so check out the latest here.

...Rebecca...

Plethora of Prints

I am usually not a fan of prints at all because I sometimes feel that they give attention to all the wrong areas, but lately I really don't care :) Since I love wearing one statement piece in all my outfits, any pair of the below will definitely get that job done. Check out some of the below that I have seen around.
xx,
Andrea

Starting from the left: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Wrapped Around

Recently I've been really into wearing bracelets especially my leather wrap bracelets, they're stylish and go with anything really. I have a few I wear in constant rotation and what's great is you can pair them with other wrap bracelets in any color, they mesh well together. I've been looking at other leather wrap bracelets and there are some real cute ones out there. Below are my favorites I wear all the time, they are both from Chan Luu who is well known for his unique wrap bracelets and others I've been checking out.

...Rebecca...

 Image via Our Mismatched Life

Image via Our Mismatched Life

Image via Nordstrom

Image via Forever 21

THE PEAKS and the pits...

Image via Our Mismatched Life

THE PEAKS...
Left Over Days:
-Having extra vacation days left so you can enjoy a 4 day weekend! -Andrea
Good News Express:
-Getting some really awesome news from an unexpected place, it made my entire day! -Rebecca
Viva Vacation:
-So excited to take a couple of days off for a vacation, perfect way to end the summer! -Rebecca

the pits...

Confined Smelly Space:

-Being on an airplane with people who stink, yuck!!! -Andrea

Can't get it right:

Having just one of those days where your mind just doesn't work right and nothing is turning out how you want! -Rebecca

Fashion Week with Marc Jacobs...

Marc Jacobs via Style.com

We've been overloading the blog this week with all things Fashion Week but seriously how can we not talk about fashion when all of these awesome runway shows are happening. I wanted to showcase another awesome designer, Marc Jacobs, who pulled off 2 amazing runway shows for his Marc Jacobs Collection and Marc by Marc Jacobs Collection this season. He is by far one of my favorites designers out there with his unique design style, patterns and color combinations it's amazing how his mind works on and off the runway even all the way to his retail stores. It's fun to check out his stores on Melrose especially going to his Book Marc boutique which has funky trinkets, books and accessories. We made a stop there on Fashion Night Out and got some cool freebies, a shirt and gloves plus a cool souvenir picture. Check it out below. Marc Jacobs is one of the many designers I always look forward to during Fashion Week and also for the original themes he chooses for each show, it's more than just a show it's a production. Here are few images from each collection. 

...Rebecca...

Marc by Marc Jacobs Collection

Image via Fashionista

Image via Fashionista

Marc Jacobs Collection

Image via Style.com

Image via Style.com

Andrea and I at the Marc by Marc Jacobs store on Melrose during Fashion Night Out...

Image via Bringintobeing.com