SHOE ME THURSDAY ♥ ISABEL TOLEDO

I had to post something on this one shoe. It's nice that Isabel Toledo has finally received all the due respect from the mainstream that she's been receiving for years from the counter culture crew. The Toledos (Isabel and her man Ruben) are amazing visionaries. I'm going to see if Walter Cessna will score an interview as a guest blogger on here for me (hi, Walter!). She's someone who continues to create, no matter if it is accepted by the masses or not. Well, when I heard about the Isabel Toledo for Payless Shoes collection, I was FLOORED. Truth be told, if you are not from the States, you might not know of Payless. I know they've upped their anty in the past few years, and they do offer cute shoes for low prices...but I used to equate those Payless shoes as shoes that would cut your foot up. I'd never even enter their stores. AS IF. But now...after seeing this one shoe, I might need to go pick it up. In addition to being sooooo adorably bonbon cartoon, I think it will also become a collector's piece since Ms. Toledo became one of the designers to dress Madame Obama. I see it in my collections along with my Stephen Sprouse for Target skateboard and clothes. I have to admit, though...I'd probably end up wearing these. They're just too damn cute. They're only $44 (USD)! I give you the Toreador Pump ! ♡

Just because I was able to take a quick pic of it lodged at the top of my old closet, here is my Stephen Sprouse for Target skateboard, still in its package. I'm so happy I own it.

more shoe me thursday ♥ les queues des sardines

shoe images from payless.com
sprouse deck image my own

WEDNESDAY WONDER ♥ UBER HIGH HAIR

WORK THAT HAIR! These looks below might look severe...but I feel, if done correctly, on the right girl, with the right outfit (and attitude), that they would RULE! This is why I have to live in cities where these kinds of looks are okay on a regular basis. Where people on the street might notice, but they're not going to care. I think the styling of these looks is gorgeous (even if they're a little rockabilly bride of Frankenstein). :) These images are from Vogue Nippon, and the title of the story is "Up to You" shot by Daniel Jackson with hair styling by Didier Malife. Brilliant. ♡

love the freckles in this shot. makes it much softer.

like a Debbie Harry updo

more wednesday bag ♥ johnny loves rosie

all images from Vogue Nippon

TUESDAY TAILOR ♥ I HEART CATSUITS

Catsuits are a tricky thing to wear, and even to style. They can come off as too 80s, too ballerina, too Flashdance, too future, too unflattering. But I'm seeing a new breed of designers creating new ways of looking at a catsuit. And I love it. Below are some photos I found while cruising the internet for new magazines in far away lands that maybe only a handful of people know of and read. These futuristic looking suits (which also sort of remind of me of Jean Paul Gaultier's catsuits from the mid-80s...I remember getting snuck into the avant garde clubs in Hollywood when I was too young to even care about booze, only to see the most amazing mix of older kids and a girl dancing on stage in one of those Gaultier all-over-print catsuits. I found one at a thrift store in the boonies a while ago. And, like an idiot, I gave it away to a fellow fashion collector. Oh well. I always figure it will come back to me... The below suits remind me of those old Gaultier catsuits...)...these futuristic-looking suits look so great on this little simple girl. They look lovely and girly and free. Credits for the kids who created these looks are below...look 'em up. ♡

jean vest by Dor Chen & amazing catsuit by Miki Avni

catsuit Omer Poizner

looks like Miki Avni again

catsuit Miki Avni (love this image)

these are tights under a cape, but it works with the story well.
Cape by Avinat Gottesman & tights by American Apparel

credits: 

photography amit israeli

styling maayan goldman
hair and make up nirit hirschmann
model vika / deja vu

more tuesday tailor ♥ le tour de force

all images from pet fan club blog

MAKEUP MONDAY ♥ COLLECTIVE WELLBEING

I've always received product to try out...especially skincare, makeup and fragrance. It's been a while since I've really done a test-drive, but a few new skincare brands have come to my attention. I think that's one of the great things about the interweb...we now get to hear about everyone's products...even if they're made by a granny in a small town on top of a mountain...not just the big guns who have the financial backing to advertise their goods in all the consumer-variety fashion rags people see whilst in line at the drug store. So you will be seeing a few new products in the next couple weeks. And, rightly so, 'cause I always think it's good to get turned onto something you haven't heard of before. 

The first is a group of products called COLLECTIVE WELLBEING. They're made with good product, are cruelty free and have a low carbon footprint. Plus, a portion of your purchase "goes to those good works that make our world more beautiful," which you can find out about here. And, the packaging is pretty to boot. So...let's go through some of the products I got to try out:

The Corrective Cleanser is made with oatmeal and raspberries (mmmmmmm! and equally mmmm for my skin, too!) and act as a cleanser but also are anti-inflammatory, too. I wasn't sure about it at first. I'm SUPER picky about what I use on my skin. I have sensitive skin. If the product is wrong, I can be dry and break out at the same time. I hate anything that has perfume in it or a lot of funky ingredients. This felt strange on my fingers when I started to use it. But, the proof is in the raspberries...because my skin did actually look great after using it. So, yeah. I liked it. :)

I was super excited to try the Honey Buff. I love honey anything for my skin. I've even used honey directly on my face as a humectant mask. Honey draws moisture TO your skin. It's a natural healer (that's why Egyptians used it a thousand years ago). PLUS this is also a face scrub, which I also love. This felt good and it worked really well and it smells amazing. LOVE it.

I really was interested in trying the Charcoal Body Wash. Sound weird? Sure. Sound pretty? Not necessarily. BUT it does have stuff in it that's good for your skin and any NANCY GIRL would want their skin looking amazing. The active ingredients are charcoal and zinc, two really amazing things to use in a body wash because the charcoal sponges up all the impurities from your skin...like a detox from the outside. And the zinc reduces inflammation and germs that can cause blemishes. It's good stuff. I really loved it as a detoxifying wash in between my Frenchie soaps.

Anyone who has hung out with me for any length of time knows that I wash my hands a lot. I don't have OCD (really...!), but I just like to be clean and I really like to keep my hands clean so I don't accidentally rub my eyes and get sick. (And I worked in a bank when I was really young. There I learned how filthy and gross money is...and if you touch it every day, you need to be washing your hands yo!) I use good soap so my hands don't dry out, and I also need good lotion around at all times. I really liked the Dry Skin Relief lotion because it absorbs into my skin, but still left it soft. I don't want my hands greasy. It's a good basic lotion if you don't want any fuss. 

The Weightless Day- cream was just that. A really light, clean, easily absorbed cream. It's perfect if you don't need to much or live in a climate that's humid and hot. I tend to need a little more moisture. But it was nice. The chamomile and aloe vera felt really cool and soothing on my skin. (Especially with the 100+ degree heatwave we're having in LA.)

The Category 5 Eye Cream sounds MAJOR. I haven't had a chance to try it yet...it's still in the mail...so I'll add the review as soon as I do. BUT based on the other products, I am sure it'll be interesting. It's supposed to do all those things everyone wants an eye cream called Category 5 to do: reduce signs of aging and stress and still moisturize. Even if you don't have any signs, START EARLY. I've always taken care of my skin, since I was in junior high. I'm barely showing any signs of wrinkles, and that's because I've always been a sun bunny. (I should have never sat in the sun for 2 weeks last year in Hawaii...without a hat!) Every little bit helps.


All and all, I liked the line and the packaging. It's something to try if you you're experimenting. At the very least, the Charcoal Body Wash is a really good must-have all the time. You can check them out and find out how to buy them HERE. ♡


more makeup monday ♥ lollipop girls

all images courtesy of Collective Wellbeing