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An Obvious Distinction

Monthly Archives: March 2011

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J’Adore These Rings

March 31, 2011 8:57 am / 2 Comments /

Today’s Ring-spiration takes me back to a wonderful trip the hubster and I took to Paris in late 2007.  We were only there for 3 days, but of course I managed to find the most amazing jewelry shop and was able to purchase these two lovely rings.

Parisian Cocktail Rings

This store, Aventurine, has 3 locations within Paris.  We went to the one in the Marais district.  I actually stumbled upon this jewelry store on our first night in Paris as we were walking along the streets sightseeing.  When I saw these rings in the storefront window I fell in love, but I didn’t want to commit to the purchase since we had only been in a Paris for a few hours and still had much to see.  But on the last day I just couldn’t get my mind off them.  My husband and I forgot the name of the store but “vaguely” remembered what the street looked like and other points of reference.  So about 2 hours before we were set to depart back to Geneva, Switzerland (we were actually staying there with an Aunt), we ran around the streets of the Marais district like two crazies.  When we were just about to give up my darling husband found it!  Now trust me–I was really only going to purchase one ring (the black one), but we didn’t know when we would be back in Paris so I splurged and bought two…oh yea, and earrings to go with the red ring.

Glass Cocktail Rings from Aventurine in Paris

I wear the black cocktail ring all the time.  Because of it’s size, it’s just such a great statement accessory piece.  I would say this is really my “go-to” ring.  I wish I had also purchased this awesome, funky yellow one for the spring/summer months, but alas I settled on the red one instead.  Perhaps another trip to Paris is in my future?!

Posted in: Jewelry / Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Tulips and Juleps

March 30, 2011 11:40 am / 3 Comments /

My Recent Tulip Acquisition

I love Tulips. March, April, and May should be your go-to months for Tulips. They are in season, fairly inexpensive, and will add some color and Spring pizazz to any room. These spring time flowers always bring a smile to my face reminding me of Easter and the upcoming warm months that await us here in NYC. I met a friend for a glass of vino the other evening and on my way back to the subway I picked up a bouquet of Tulips at a nearby deli. For $7 bucks I bought the most beautiful dark pink tulips to adorn my apartment. What I love about Tulips is that they continue to grow even when they’ve been cut and put into a vase.  They tend to grow and direct their growth towards sunlight so you’ll always be surprised by the shape and form they take on.  Since I only had 10 stems in my bouquet, I put them in one of my smaller, narrower square vases to maintain a beautiful balance. For me, when making any arrangement, balance is always key. This will help you choose the correct vase for your floral design. Depending on the size of your bouquet choose a vase whose mouth compliments the size and shape of your arrangement.

In addition to Tulips, the other Springtime function that brings a smile to my face is the Kentucky Derby. I have never been to the infamous Churchill Downs, but I fondly remember taping (yes, taping…as in VHS/VCR taping) the Kentucky Derby for my dad. Let me take this opportunity to give a big ‘ol HELLO to Pop’s. He has this blog as one of his “favorites” as any father should ; – )

My dad loves his equine races and would often enlist me to tape the races for him. While I love a good race, my desire to attend the actual Kentucky Derby probably probably has more to do with wearing an AMAZING hat and drinking one of their famous Mint Juleps. The Mint Julep, an alcoholic drink associated with the cuisine of the Southern United States, has been associated with the Kentucky Derby since 1938. Each year almost 120,000 Mint Juleps are sold at Churchill Downs during the Kentucky Derby and the Kentucky Oaks races. Traditionally, the mint julep was served in a silver or pewter cup which is why I sooooo coveted one for my home. But they don’t come cheap. The other day I was out shopping and saw one for $65. I contemplated purchasing it because it was just so beautiful but then I came back to reality. Luckily, on recent trip to my favorite floral shop in Manhattan’s flower district I was able to purchase one for $10. Naturally, I added one of my tulip stems to create my “Tulip and Julep” arrangement.

Tulip and Julep

This cup is beautiful as a vase for your flowers, as a stand alone piece on your coffee table or nightstand, or on your office desk to hold pens and pencils. Here are some more of myTulip and Julep photos.

Tulips Everywhere

 

Posted in: Cocktails, Food/Gifts, Home / Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Good ‘Ol Family Skin Care

March 28, 2011 2:43 pm / Leave a Comment /

I have a new beauty obsession.  I know, I know–I get obsessive about a lot of things.  Yes, we’ve established this.  But when I really, truly, deeply love something I can’t help but share it with you all.  My newest beauty obsession is the Kiehls Ultra Facial Moisturizer.  This moisturizer has really rejuvinated my skin in ways that no other facial moisturizer has and in a fairly short time.  So I decided to visit the Kiehl’s NYC Flagship store in the East Village  this weekend to check out some of their other products. 

Kiehl’s

  

I dragged the hubby with me to their flagship store and instantly it was so warm and inviting.  Kiehl’s was established in 1851 in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.  The Kiehl’s apothecary provided patrons with pharmaceutical tonics and medicinal salves derived from old world, botanical recipes.  They later moved their store to the corner of 13th Street and 3rd Avenue, where their flagship store still stands today.  Kiehl’s truly has a long and storied history which you can read about here on their main website.  I really encourage you to read about their remarkable history,because if you haven’t already tried their products, once you learn more about their beginnings, you will surely want to.
 
Kieh’s Flagship Store via Kiehls.com

I can honestly say that I felt like I wanted to purchase every single product in the store.   One of the first products I saw in the store was their Calendula Facial toner.  I immediately became nostalgic (and fell in love with Kiehl’s even more) because my grandmother used to put calendula cream on everything.  Had a cut–use calendula.  Had a pimple–calendula.  Had dry skin-calendula.  She always brought little jars of Calendula with her when she would visit from Colombia.  Grandma would have been proud.  (A more detailed post about Calendula will be coming soon!). 

So now that Kiehl’s had officially tugged on my little heart strings, I made my way to where they had most of their facial products.  There were so many additional products to choose from.  I was overwhelmed.  Like I said, if I had the means I would have bought a little bit of everything.  A really sweet (and I mean genuinely sweet) sales person came up to me and asked me if I needed help.  I told her that I was in love with their Ultra Facial Moisturizer and was really just looking around to check out their other products.  Now typically this is where a sales person will say, “Well you have to try this” or “Let me show you this”–but there was none of that.  She graciously told me if there was anything specific I had questions on to please let her know.  And 5 mins later she came back and said “Here, you said you liked the facial moisturizer so I brought you some other facial samples so you can try at home and see what you like.”  And then, as if I already didn’t want to hug her, she looked at my husband and said “Here, I brought some samples for you too from our men’s line.”   Now, she was SUPER nice so I don’t want to take that away from her, but what I later learned is that in the 1960′s Kiehl’s introduced their “Try before you buy” sampling philosophy which allows customers to purchase products most appropriate for their needs.  I L-O-V-E this philosophy and very few companies genuinely utilize it.  For me this is proof that they are secure in the quality and effectiveness of their products and that they know their customers will come back for more.  I know I sure will.
 
 

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturizer and Photo Age Corrector

So back to The Ultra Facial Moisturizer.   This moisturizer was part of a Kiehl’s gift set that I got for Christmas.  All of the products inside that gift have been amazing.  The Creme de Corps body lotion has done wonders for my skin as well, as you may recall from an earlier post on body lotions.   I’m currently applying the Ultra Facial Moisturizer as a night cream after my nightly cleansing routine.  I apply it right before I go to bed and in the morning my face STILL feels super moisturized and plump.  When you have plumper skin things line fine lines and wrinkles are less noticeable because of the elasticity of the skin.  I’m no dermatalogist or aesthetician, nor am I at the age where I’m seeing noticeable wrinkles, but I can definitely see the difference on certain fine lines when my face is moisturized  then when it’s not.  This moisturizer is AMAZING and I think i’m going to start using it as my daytime moisturizer as well.  While I was perusing the facial section, I noticed a tube of Photo Age Corrector (High Potency Spot Treatment), which is clinically demonstrated to reduce signs of skin damage.  You’ll recall, I have spots on my face caused from sun damage and acne scars that I’m trying to reduce the appearance of.  I asked the nice salesperson and she, of course, gave me a sample and told me to apply it to 1 or 2 spots at night everyday and that I would see results so long as I practiced safe skincare during the day (i.e Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen).  So tonight will be day 3 of using this treatment.  If I see results, I’ll be sure to buy the full size tube. 

There you have it.  My new obsession and one that is rightfully deserved.  I implore you to check out their products/Store.  Ask for a sample or purchase a travel size of whatever product your looking for and be specific about your needs.  Kiehl’s provides you with good ‘ol quality products, derived from good ‘ol quality remedies, with good ‘ol quality customer service.  We need more of that these days.  Let  me know about your “tried and true” Kiehl’s products. 

Posted in: Beauty / Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Bucket List

March 25, 2011 12:05 pm / Leave a Comment /

No, no.  It’s not what you think.  I’m not going to write about a bunch of things I must do before I die.  I’m writing about the OTHER bucket list currently on my mind–the one featuring the fashionable and functional bucket bag.  I love a good cross body bucket bag, especially in the Spring/Summer months when I spend countless hours outside trekking around this great city.  Having a stylish, hands free bag to walk around any city is a must-have for any girl on the go.  Here are some of my current faves for this spring:

Spring/Summer Must-Have Bucket Bags

 

1) The Wayuu Taya Hand-Woven Bucket Bag at  Revolve Clothing - $120

2) Lockwood Bucket Bag- JCrew  -$138

3) Oryany two-tone drawstring bag- Urban Outfitters – $448

4) Rebecca Minkoff Striped Tess Bucket Bag at Polyvore- $395

5) Mangifera Straw Tote-Anthropologie-$328

6) Convertible Linen-Blend tote-OldNavy-$22.94

Posted in: Fashion / Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Edgy Trench

March 24, 2011 12:24 pm / Leave a Comment /

The other day I was flipping through a magazine (I think it was ELLE) and came across a fashion story where the subject was wearing the most amazing trench coat.  I L-O-V-E a good trench coat.  It makes any outfit look so polished!  The thing about this trench coat was that it had black leather quilted sleeves and provided a beautiful and edgy contrast to the classic trench.  When I looked at the fashion credits I saw that it was, of course, made by Burberry, the fashion house that invented the iconic trench coat.  It is no surprise that they have reinvented it in such a modern style.  The only thing that hasn’t been reinvented is the price–$2795…YIKES!

Burberry Biker Trench Coat with Contrast Sleeves

 

So imagine my surprise and elation when I was flipping through another magazine, I think US Weekly, (Clearly the lesson here is that I have WAY TOO MANY magazines in my apartment if I can’t remember this) and saw a similar trench with contrasting sleeves for a much lower price–$260 to be exact-at Topshop. 

Topshop Trench Coat with Contrast Sleeves

Sadly my friends, when you go to look for it at Topshop it has the words you never want to see on a coveted item  “Sorry, this item is out of stock.”  What does a girl have to do to get a contrast sleeved trench at a reasonable price these days?!  Fear not my faithful readers–LadyLattimer has left no stone unturned and I present to you another option that will have you looking just as chic for the AFFORDABLE price of $128.  Mmmmmhmmm….that’s right.  This coat is available via Storets.com

Contrast Sleeved Trench coat via Storets.com

Posted in: Fashion / Tagged: , , , , , ,

My Mother, Myself

March 22, 2011 11:19 am / Leave a Comment /

It’s easy to look to Hollywood for style inspiration–Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Sophia Loren are two of my favorites, but we can all probably get a little more inspired by the amazing outfits our mothers, grandmothers, or aunts rocked way back when.

Hollywood Icons (Images via Google/Images)

This past weekend I went home to Jersey to spend some time with the fam (both on my side and my husbands).  At my parents house, I asked my mom to get out some old photo albums (remember those?) so we could look for photos of her wearing some super fashionable outfits.   This walk down memory lane was inspired by one of the coolest and most original fashion blogs:  My Mom, The Style Icon (http://momstyleicons.blogspot.com/) which features old photographs of ”moms” wearing some of the most amazing, retro and stylish outfits.  Check it out–I know you’ll love it!  This site is so genius that LUCKY magazine now runs a monthly page featuring a stylish mom—all inspired by this blog.

I could count almost 10 outfits that I wanted from my “mom’s archive”  (and let’s not EVEN talk about the bags and jewelry).  Needless to say, my mom and I had a lot of fun looking through old photographs. (Even my husband really got a kick of some of my old photos–HEY! We all had awkward years!)  But most importantly, I learned a couple of things by looking through these old albums this past weekend:

1) Mom was a little hottie

2) I have a very similar style to my mom’s in her early and late 20′s.

3) Take lots of pictures and PRINT THEM!  A hard drive can crash or just stop working and you never know what the future will hold in terms of technology in photography.  Back up your digital images by printing them so you can share these same memories with your kids.

4) You don’t  always need to look to Hollywood icons and current starlets for fashion inspiration.  The pages of the photo albums in your attic, living room, or basement will probably inspire you more than you could ever imagine.

Posted in: Beauty, Fashion, Musings / Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Simple, Sweet…and Addictive Snacks

March 21, 2011 12:10 pm / 2 Comments /

When I find something new that I like I tend to become a little bit obsessive about it (yes, the entire Adele album is still on repeat).  Such is the case with two of my current favorite desserts/snacks: Yogurt with honey and sliced almonds and Dark Chocoalate Acai with Blueberry.  I’m more of a savory foods person  but every now and then I like a little something sweet and sugary to satisfy my sweet tooth.

Yogurt with Honey and Sliced Almonds

The first is super simple to make and is a great afternoon dessert or after-dinner dessert.  Simply buy a container of plain yogurt, a bag of sliced almonds, and honey. Fill a dessert bowl with as much yogurt as you like, then layer it with a good amount of honey (the amount of honey you add depends on how sweet you want it. I usually like it med-sweet), and finally layer it with sliced almonds to temper all the flavors and give it some much needed texture and crunch.  Voila!  Super simple and super delish.  For those of you who are constantly hitting up the office vending machine for a mid afternoon snack,  you can quickly and easily do this at work instead.

Dark Chocolate Açai with Blueberry

The next snack are little nuggets of goodness  and are my recent discovery.  I have always loved Raisinets and these are like uber-gourmet Raisinets, but instead of raisins this company Brookside Foods creates fruit pieces blending the juices of Açai berries and blueberries.  Delicious!  These are super addictive and the first time I ate them I must admit I overindulged!  I bought this bag at Costco and as with most portions from Costco, it is sure to last you a while.  You can also have this as a mid-afternoon snack or keep a bowl of them on the coffee table.  I guarantee you guests will love them.  Apparently Brookside Foods also has Dark Chocolate Pomegranate and Goji berries as well….yum.  Must try those ASAP.

Posted in: Food/Gifts / Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

Friday Crush

March 18, 2011 12:44 pm / Leave a Comment /

Sometimes, just having some added texture really makes a fabric, material, or design pop.  I love “crushed/crinkled” textures (especially on jewelry and leather).  It always gives off this really vintage feeling of  high-level, quality craftsmanship.  Here are some recent finds that I’m totally “crushing” on:

“Crushing” on these textures and designs

 

1) Crushed Bowl from the Bentbottle  shop via Etsy.com.  This beautiful bowl, made by glass artist Bryan Northup, uses shards of Cointreau bottles to create an edgy, one of a kind piece. – $58

2) This amazing crinkled-glossed parka by Danish brand, Day Birger Et Mikkelsen, is available via Net-a-Porter.com.  I covet everything from their collection. -$355

3) This to-die-for crushed cuff bracelet is handmade in silver and then gold plated by Chic Jewel Couture by Melanie Falvey. It’s sold exclusively on Boticca.com - $413

4) You can use this Robert Brandt ceramic tumbler to drink from or just as a really cool desk accessory.  Designed to resemble a dented plastic cup, these funky tumblers are available at The Conran Shop.- $8

5) New uses for old things.  This ingenious and edgy Maison Martin Margiela’s red leather clutch is embellished with crushed red reflectors.  It was previously available via Net-A-Porter.combut is no longer available.  Call Maison Martin Margiela for further details.  -Was $1275 reduced to $637.50

6) This sheer crushed silk chiffon blouse by Donna Karan is super romantic in Spring’s go-to color.  $695 via Net-a-Porter.com

Posted in: Fashion, Home, Jewelry / Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Guinness Ice Cream

March 17, 2011 11:32 am / 4 Comments /

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone.  There is nothing (not one thing) Irish about me but everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, right? So in the spirit of the holiday here is a delicious recipe by Pastry Chef Cory Barret/Food&Wine for Guinness Ice Cream.  That’s right. Guinness. Ice. Cream. Nuff said.

Guinness Ice Cream (Image ©Oztenphoto/Flickr)

Ingredients

  1. 2 cups Guinness (16 ounces)
  2. 2 cups heavy cream
  3. 1 3/4 cups whole milk
  4. 15 large egg yolks
  5. 1 cup granulated sugar
  6. Chocolate-Covered Pretzels, for serving

Directions

  1. In a large saucepan, combine the Guinness with the cream and milk and bring to a simmer over moderately high heat. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar. Gradually add the hot Guinness cream to the yolks, whisking constantly until well blended.
  2. Pour the mixture into the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until it coats the back of a spoon, about 6 minutes; do not let it boil. Pour the custard into a medium bowl set in a large bowl filled with ice water. Let stand until the custard is cold, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
  3. Pour the custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions (this may have to be done in 2 batches). Pack the ice cream into an airtight container and freeze until firm, about 4 hours.
  4. Spoon the ice cream into bowls and top with some Chocolate-Covered Pretzels. Serve at once.

Make Ahead

The ice cream can be frozen for up to 1 week.

Posted in: Food/Gifts / Tagged: , , , , , ,

Grayce in Sand Tropez

March 16, 2011 1:37 pm / 2 Comments /

Grayce by Molly Sims jewelry collection

Today’s Ring-spiration is from the Molly Sims jewelry collection, Grayce. I bought this ring about a year ago off of Gilt Groupe and I always get compliments. This multi stone cocktail ring is great throughout the entire year. I usually pair it with an understated outfit (and for me, that’s pretty much my all black or gray NYC ensembles) and simple earrings like gold hoops. What really grabbed my attention about this ring is the different colored stones formed into one flower. Each stone would make a beautiful ring separately, but the “Wow” factor comes from having them set all together like a bouquet with beautiful crushed setting detailing. With the exception of a select few, I’m not one for celebrity designers but Molly Sims line is really nice. Her art deco inspired pieces have a look of vintage glamour while still staying modern.

Closeup of Multi Stone cocktail ring from Grayce

 As I was looking through my jewelry collection to see what ring I would feature in this Ring-spiration post, I noticed that I have really been neglecting my nails. I love getting my nails done but I have to admit I’m not the most careful post manicure so I’m constantly smudging, cracking or peeling the polish. In order to improve the sad state of my nails, I recently bought the new Sand Tropez color from ESSIE’s new Spring “French Riviera” collection. Sand Tropez is a soft sandy beige color that is perfect for spring and compliments this ring quite nicely.

The new ESSIE Sand Tropez color
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