Bridal Shower Gift....Naughty & Nice....Sweet & Spicy.

HERE COMES THE BRIDE...!!!!

I am not naked here.

DON'T give her a boring shower gift.

Showers are pretty lame as it is. Spice it up a bit. Make Granny and Aunt Trudy blush!!....Although the old timers could always teach us a thing or...ten. 

I seriously cannot handle wedding showers. Baby showers I understand, but wedding showers make my skin crawl. I am convinced that women who truly enjoy watching other women open plates and monogrammed towels... have psychotic tendencies. Gaggles of estrogen fueled relatives applauding after each item is logged for future thank you cards and consequently plopping the gifts on the side of an emaciated, nerve-wracked, sleep deprived bride-to-be. UGH. No thanks. 

Anyway...If I have to attend I prefer to gift with a "shock & awe" #DIY strategy.  So....

This particular gift was created for a very special Bestie of mine who was none of the aforementioned bridal cliches- she was just plain stunning and gracious. (and quite possibly mortified I brought way too much latex to the country club brunch:)

HERE GOES>>>

1. Get a wicker basket or a pretty box. (Bed, Bath and Beyond, flea market)

2. Go to the closest Adult Entertainment Store. Buy some goodies. Also purchase a practical registry shower gift if you so desire. 

3. Fill said basket with your Bridal Shower gift PLUS your new, fun, naughty bits.  Feel free to be creative. These are some of the things I loaded into my gift basket. (pun intended)

Super trampy Lingerie- some sweet white bridal themed and some spicy black or red.

(it doesn't have to be expensive. I got some of this stuff at Sears. noone checks the price tag when they're stripping ya down! And if they do.. walking down that aisle is a bad idea)

Thigh High Fishnets

Sexytime Body Feather Tickler

Humdinger Vibrating co$krings

condoms (or not)

Lube ( I recommend unrefined organic coconut oil)

G-string with a Veil on the Bum

Feather bracelets

Fuzzy Handcuffs

Sexy apron

Wine Opener

Small Cooking pans

Colorful Plastic kitchen gloves (the leopard print ones I added were super cute)

Spatulas

Kitchen Utensils

Heart shaped Candy & Suckers

Now, the main focus of my gift was a set of crystal dessert bowls (on the registry) which I buried amongst the fun stuff. Then I added a "Recipe for a Sweet and Spicy Marriage"...a poem of saucy, sexy things one could do to their future hubby in private. (or public if that's their thing) I wrote it out on the RECIPE Card that was sent in the mail. Ya know the one the shower organizer sends you with the invitation expecting it back with a real food recipe written on it for the Bride's collection that she may or may never look at...ever.

Like this one.....

This one is custom and is adorable from http://www.signaturesbysarah.com/\
You get the gist.

This bridal shower gift was a HUGE hit. It was the second time I have done this. I definitely takes a lot of sass to show up to an event with this in your arms. 

BEWARE of Bridal showers that have CHILDREN IN ATTENDANCE!!!!!! The little buggers tend to gravitate straight towards the HUMDINGERS.....and it can be awkward explaining your way out of that hairy pickle. Hee hee.

The Beautiful Bride already getting into character!

REMEMBER To pick up a few things for yourself too!

Hope to Thailand

One of my closest friends will be leaving for Thailand soon in an effort to assist women who have just been rescued from the sex slave industry.  Miss Kelly King's campaign is called Hope to Thailand and it is partnered with Fashion Hope. 

Most of the women she is traveling so far to meet have no means of supporting themselves financially as well as no skills after being held and abused in captivity for so long. They are emotionally and physically destroyed but are on the way to a better life through rehabilitation and therapy at safe houses. 

Kelly who is an accomplished and beautiful jewelry maker will teach these women her trade in order to make a living of their own. This helps stop the cycle and allows them to provide for themselves and their families after an extremely traumatic and destructive time in their lives. One, most of us cannot even begin to imagine. 

Sex trafficking generates 32 BILLION dollars a year. YES. I said that with a B. It's colossal and insane that in 2014 slavery is still going strong.

Survivors need help past being rescued. They cannot be forgotten. 

Please help and visit www.indiegogo.com/HopeToThailand and donate. Make a difference. 

My Floro is another jewelry line supporting Kelly's venture. They will donate a chunk of sales of the bracelets I'm wearing below directly to HTT. 

This is a way better Mother's Day gift than boring old flowers.  Surprise her this year with a gift that gives even further to other Mothers and children. 

Free shipping!!!! 

The Distinguished Gentleman: Chapter One

This is a short I did with Ed Alfano. It's funny. Check it out.

Make your own Statement Bib Necklace....DIY cheap copy. NOT as good as the real thing but close. Keepin' it Reals, YO.

I like to think I am an innovator. I like to think I do/style original things. I like to think I am unique.

BUT sometimes I see something I love and need/want/have to have it. Unfortunately I am not a Rockafella so if it's crazy expensiveo I have to improvise and that is exactly what I plan to help you guys do. #DIY here we come.....

With that said....I like the rock/glam/deconstructed beauty kinda of look. TONS of jewelry is my bag. I cannot pile enough jewelry on no matter the occasion. It's kind of a problem and I probably need an intervention soon. How many Italian horns is too many?

Okay, maybe this many.

Like a true ginzo I usually prefer gold...so I may do another post with Gold schtuff.  But for now.....I will expand on one of my earlier blogs a few days ago about the same subject...layering awesome necklaces to get a kind of Rock n' Roll, edgy, sorta Rihannaesque look.

Last week I was in H&M returning some belts I didn't use on a recent styling gig for Samsung and passed their accessories aisle.  See below:

accessories DUH

The sparkley rhinestones stopped me dead in my tracks. Like a Barracuda I am attracted to all things that glimmer. This probably stems from my days growing up as a beauty queen, which then transferred into my days as a showgirl. SPARKLE please!

yup thats me. standing next to the cheese.

The challenge is.....How to sparkle without the CHEESE factor??

i love cheese.

My solution is to add all types of metals to your sparkle. Mix & Match.  Thats just what a particular young, up and coming, NYdesigner did.

This very gorgeous, uber cool chick named Drew Ginsburg started her own line of statement piece necklaces. We have a lot in common in terms of our fashion sense. I would hope that wouldn't insult her considering forth coming blog but to be honest...."immitation is the sincerest form of flattery," said Charles Caleb (no idea who that is).

I would post photos of her but I don't want to get in trouble so go look her up. @dylanlex She is an AWESOME follow on instagram. Her necklaces cost LOTS O' MONEY. Money that until I am a huge star I do not have to spend on accessories. 

So basically I just took 5 different necklaces, threw em all together and BAM!
The KEY is to make sure each necklace is a bit similar yet different from the next.
for example....
Start with one signature main piece.
My base cheerleader was the sparkly one with the rectangular stones hanging down.
Then build around that guy.

Add some silver.
Add some more sparkle.
Add some length.
Add some chunky pieces.
Add some texture. (ex. the giant herringbone)

.

(This is the floor of H&M. Ha. I was literally sitting on the floor building my knock off necklace like a crazy person.)



It ain't the real deal but it's 950 bucks cheaper. It's not gunna look quite as expensive but who cares. In instagram pics with a FILTER it will look like Harry fucking Winston.

See.

SO If you wanna do this....don't be SCURRED.....go to Forever 21, or Urban or H&M and sit on the floor and start acting cray cray. No one will bother you if you look busy. Just start paring necklaces 'til it looks right and IF it don't look right wear it with pride and pretend it does. Like I do.
It's all about perception people.

This is me making a stupid face on my way out the door to a partay. This necklace combo is the one i built in the older post. Mostly Urban Outfitters and some vintage necklaces. But you get it....same idea.

You can see that I added a long dagger necklace from Fox's NY in this one

And clearly.....not ready for this photo.

Happy Tuesday Rock N' Rollers!!!! 

Lash-O-Rama.....New Product ALERT!

I ADORE fake lashes. If you know me ...you know this. They change my face, its kinda crazy. WAY back in the day when I was dancing professionally in NY.....(NOT stripping)....I wore falsies basically every day. I was performing as an NBA dancer on the court 4/5 times a week in full hair and makeup.  I learned very quickly how to get these suckers on...and how to get them on FAST.  I am late for everything. I was often late back then as well and totally had to throw quite a few pairs on while driving on the Cross Bronx Expressway racing to a game or appearance.  Really safe I know. Needless to say I am damn good at applying falsies now after that Boot Camp.

Nowadays I generally use the strip lashes for performance stuff. You can find them at a beauty supply or even CVS/Walgreens etc in all different sizes and styles.  Once you get the hang of it they are pretty easy peasy BUT it takes a lot of practice for some people. Tweezers help a lot. And patience. AND LET THE GLUE GET TACKY....noone does this. Easiest trick to foolproof lash wearing.

These are my go-to lashes. They are HUGE and only for my on-camera work stuff. Or Halloween. Or Vegas. or a night I am feeling like being extra naughty.

SO the past few years I have been using a lot of the individual lashes. (below)  The teensy ones that usually only makeup artists use on clients because they seem more natural looking. They are TOUGH to get on and take a HELL of a lot of practice. I have almost mastered them now. ALMOST. I often end up with wonky ones that fall off during dinner into my husband's vodka tonic. He just loves that.

Individual Lashes. ie:PAIN in the ass

I recently discovered these new bad boys. Each cluster is essentially a TRIO of indivudals. So not as tough to apply as the smaller ones...and not as false as the big guys. I decided to give em a good old Karlita try! 

First off there are 2 different sizes in the package which is AWESOME> you can put the big ones on the outside corners of the eye and then gradually move shorter towards the inside, like your actual lashes. As you can see I forgot to take a photo pre-use. Sorry. got too excited.

Kiss Ever EZ Lashes
She uses a tweezer to apply the lashes. I start from the outside corners and build inwards. She did not.

I think I paid 4.99 for these at CVS (they had a promotion to get the second box half off.)

The package says the are 3x faster and easier. I wouldn't exactly say that but they are kind of cool especially for people like me who have small eyes. I usually have to cut up strip lashes because they are always way too long and big for me.

SEE......1 trio lash...vs 1 indiv.

I think one of the BEST parts about this packaging is this ingeniuos idea to make the plastic round instead of a long rectangle. You do lose some product BUT its super duper easy to hold while you are busy applying the lashes.

Her hand is cuter than mine

"easy grip"

SO this is how they came out!!!!! It was my birthday night and I was a bit rushed so they aren't perfect but it was a good effort right? I am digging these guys. I actually kept them on for like 2/3 days to get the most bang for my buck and they held out just fine.

Sake and trios....! Happy Birthday to me!

Fudge YOU!!!!!!

This was a hellofa good hair day if I do say so myself!

I don't claim to be a hair stylist or a makeup artist BUT I have had lots of professional careers and hobbies that required me to get DAMN good at beautifying myself. (NBA Dancer, Beauty Queen, TV Host, Unemployed Wifey etc)  An ex-beau who is a NYC hair maestro and a Mom who was a hairdresser in the 70's in London have helped a lot too.

I ADORE a deconstructed glamorous look. Beachy hair here I come!

Beachy hair can go OH SO WRONG...OH SO FAST. Curls too tight, curls too loose, or over spraying can make your desired airy, ethereal, beautiful look go drowning in a sea of crunch and drab.

A friend of mine threw some new products my way so I decided to try them, specifically the Fudge Urban Sea Salt Texturizing Spray.

I was ON board when Bumble and Bumble busted theirs out like 15 years ago. It smelled amazing and did the trick perfectly. IT'S EXPENSIVE though and the salt always clogs the spout and your 28 dollar bottle of free Ocean is useless.

HELLO Fudge Urban. I had no idea who or what you were until this weekend and NOW I have been saved! Hallelujah! LADIES- IT SMELLS LIKE COCONUT and BAD DECISIONS WITH A TAN, HOT, FOREIGN STRANGER ON AN ISLAND VACATION!!!!! 

(Hank the Hunk)

(do not eat it) (you may eat the hunk)

P.S. its a TERRIFIC PRICE> $10.99 at Target. I am SO into that.

Here's me holding the bottle to my head cuz I thought it was cute. In retrospect, not so much.

Way over retouched this one. Eyes are super wonky. Please ignore.

MY TOOLS and PROCESS:

1.  Wash your damn hair.

2.  I use leave in conditioner because my hair is impossible to brush out.

3. MOUSSE. Once again got it as a freebie and wanted to test it so I used the Fudge Urban Iced Raspberry and Vanilla Styling Mousse. It smells like Razzles Candy and again, I want to eat it. It contains heat protectant in it which is great because I was about to hit my mane with a WICKED HOT curling iron. The hold level is 5 which I prefer, just enough- yet not too much. Goldilocks would approve.

(FOCUS the mousse on the ROOTS not the ends. HUGE mistake to put it all over the head/hair. Mousse will only make it crunchy, the point is to hold volume at the greasy scalp as well as the style.)

4 .DRY hair. However you do Gurl. I blow dry the front first with a round brush then randomly hit the back and underneath. I prefer the back and sides not be pin straight = more volume. The front has to be blown straight or its cowlick and frizz central station.

not my photo.

5. Use a curling iron. I like expensive ones. Cheap ones suck and don't ever do the job well and YOU KNOW ME.... I am ALL about saving money. Do not skimp on an iron; you are just wasting money. An iron with a handle is fine like the one on the left. I used the blue phallic one for this do. You wrap the hair around the iron without burning your fingertips. THIS TAKES PRACTICE AND A LOT OF BANDAIDS. Or use the glove that comes with it. These f&*kers get HOT AS HELL. (also don't burn your neck or forehead. I have done both) The price we pay for beauty. $$$$$$$$

SECRET TRICKS!!!! Always wrap the hair going BACK WARDS> NOT TOWARDS YOUR FACE!!!!! Away- towards your ass.

Also....leave the END of the hair uncurled. The bottom, the split ends....save them from the heat and iron. THAT makes a curl less perfect, deconstructed and more natural looking.

Should I do a youtube video on this???> comment please.

Hot tools 1/14 Inch Iron. Blue one is 1 inch, I think.

6. OKAY, now that the hair is curled/waved TIME TO SPRAY with this little bottle of deliciousness.  HOLD IT AWAY from your hair. Spray it from afar. throw your head upside down and mist with the Sea Salt and shake it like a polaroid picture.

WOAAALLLA!!!! OILA???? Walla Walla? Voila!!!! Presto!!!! Here it is!

Now the fruits of my LABOR! Effortless looking beachy waves that took a LOT of effort
(no extensions here).

Wanna buy it???? See Below....and GO FUDGE YOURSELF!!!!!

Iced Raspberry & Vanilla Mousse: $9.69 (Click to by from Target.com)

Close up of the label for ya.

Sea Salt: $10.99 (Click to buy from Target.com)

Obvi, another close up.

W.I.W.L.N. (What I wore last night) just made it up. I'm a genius.

#OOTN #OOTD What I wore last night... As if you care. Black, Denim and Gold was the theme of the evening.  I had to wear a hat because my hair was dirty. Lovely, I know. Decided on which filth disguise to wear and built an outfit around it. Dry shampoo would've been a tad easier.  

#guiseppezanotti black knee high leather wedge boots- #jbrand black jeggings - 

blue denim button down @forever21- 

black #LnA tank- 

kick ass gold necklace #urbanoutfitters @urbanoutfitters - leather Moto jacket #Joie @joie - 

Gold knit beret #Missoni  @shopwasteland  - 

lips @nyxcosmetics Monte Carlo red! 💋 

#fashion #stylist #stylista #datenight