Lara Miller Let's the Fashion Bloggers Take Over!

The Chicago Blogger Network (CBN) teamed up with designer Lara Miller for a super cool and fun idea: bring together some of Chicago's hottest bloggers and let THEM style and model the upcoming lookbook!

(Piper from Cheap & Chic in Chicago)

Her designs are very cool and contemporary; I loved the versatility of pieces!  She showed me one shirt that could be worn as a boat neck sweater, turn it upside down and it was an off the shoulder look and then take it off and it was a freaking SCARF!  I was blown away, lol.  Many of the pieces come with cards showing the different ways that it can be rocked, which is oh so good to the pockets because you could wear one shirt in a bajillion different combos :)

The materials are also very eco-friendly; Lara is super conscious about working with organic and green materials, helping to sustain the Chicago sewn products industry by getting manufacturing locally. 

Bff Ashley and I had so much fun; She did the modeling and we both styled pieces for her to rock for the lookbook:

The other bloggers were all so very fly!  Here are some photos of them getting in on the fun as well:

Check out some of the bloggers' sites too:

Cheap & Chic in Chicago

A Fix of Lovely

Pearls and Green Tea

Lolu Fully Loaded

Stiletto-Chic

Miss Renaissance

Bff Ashley and I with the designer, Lara Miller:

What a fabulously fun night!  I saw two pieces that I must have, which were a blue and purple cardigan that had awesome draping panels in the front and back seen somewhat here:

and this super cute dress!

Have you ever purchased a Lara Miller item? Which piece is your favorite from her site?

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B-Liv Skincare for the WIN

My skin was acting a straight up FOOL at the end of November as a result of stress (two retail jobs during holiday season?  yeaaaaah, shocked that I'm still relatively sane), job interview with someone I've always wanted to work, trying out new makeup products that didn't agree with me, and the fact that my skin is always revolting against me.  

Therefore it was a total godsend when skincare company Cellnique offered a regimen of their B-Liv products to get me back on track:

1)No Spots, Bye Dots – the fruity, refreshing scent instantly perks me up and wakes up the senses.  It has a clear gel type consistency that I use with my Clarisonic brush for a deep clean.  It suds up nicely and doesn't overly dry out the skin.  Those atrocious raised bumps that I was having from a breakout pretty much cleared up in a week after using this and were completely gone within two weeks.  WIN!  

Other acne treatments like Proactiv have dried out my skin to disastrous results, so i was really happy that it cleared my face well AND didn't make it unbearably dry or flaky. 

2) Off With Those Heads – I like the minty smell of this.  It feels refreshing, but doesn't have a strong tingle, which is fine with me.  I can live with or without a ziiiing.  I use this every time that I used the cleanser, which was pretty consistently at least once a day, so it definitely helped in the speedy transformation of my skin.  Thumbs up!

3)Quench Me- this is a very light moisturizing gel that I felt was a bit TOO light.  My skin didn't feel moisturized and nourised after putting it on, so I ended up not using this too much.  Perhaps it will be better in the summer time when my skin has more hydration on its own, but for the winter when my skin is practically the desert in terms of dryness, it wasn't enough :(   

4) Glow and Shine – this is a weekly scrub mask

I will be completely honest and say that I do not generally remember to use a face mask.  My level of consistency with using this was horrible, but I did like it the few times that I did have a lightbulb go off and say "duh, add this on!".  My pores appeared to be smaller and tighter, so I will have to remember to use it more often as I really liked it!  My memory needs to be better, wish that it could work on that lol.  

If you would like to order these products or any of their other goodies, just click HERE.  You can use code SocialiteDreams for 20% off of No Spots Bye Dots + Off With Those Heads as a skin saving combo :)  This promo code will be available for two weeks!

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Weekend Beauty and Entertainment Videos

Hey dolls :)  Hope that you are getting a chance to relax this weekend!  Here are some cool makeup and entertainment videos to enjoy:

Romantic Vintage Updo

Modern Glam MakeUp Tutorial

How To Apply Eyeliner - Pencil Liquid Gel Liner

Michael Jackson - Immortal Megamix

a parody about racist mc donalds commercials

Later chicas!  Have a good one :) 

Man on a Ledge - Socialite Adventure

There was annoying drama that I told you guys about even trying to SEE the movie.  We finally got inside, mom huffy about the experience so far but OMG you should have seen her light allllll the way up when we sat down and who are we sitting next to?  One of her favorite people, Ryan Chiaverini from Windy City Live, the show that comes on instead of Oprah here in Chicago.  She was all smiles then and he was super nice so that made the whole thing worth it for her!  

Can I say, he's cute on tv but damn handsome in person?  Nice meeting you, Ryan!  I'm only sad that I wasn't able to get a photo of Ma and Ryan because we left at a different time :(  

Anyway, stuffing our face with popcorn and sour mambas (I have an addiction to sour candies, I will fully admit that), we had a great experience watching the thriller.  A former cop, Nick Cassidy (the super sexy Sam Worthington), has been convicted of stealing a $40 million dollar diamond from this rich dude that has super villain written ALL over, so you just KNOW that Nick didn't do it and this dude is a serious bad guy.  How could the cops radar not be going off over him?  Lol, guess I watch too many thrillers :P   Oh right, because half of them were in his pockets, so they were in on things too. 

Nick causes a fight at a funeral and then escapes in a great car chase, only to end up on the ledge of a hotel later and proclaiming his innocence while a crowd gathers to see if he'll jump or not.  Only...that's not REALLLLLLY why he's out there ;)   Who's on which persons side, will things work out, is that a gun or are you just happy to see me, did he REALLLLLLY just jump off of the roof of a bajillion stories high building???  If you would like to know the answers to these titillating questions, go see the movie!  It was so good and well worth a couple hours of viewing pleasure.  God I love action movies/thrillers!

 

THEN, we're chitchatting with people around us as the movie ends, and who shows up to answer questions?  SAM WORTHINGTON!  Fine fine fine man!  I love his Australian accent *swoons*.  He seems like the coolest guy to grab a pizza with and play video games with or something, totally chill.  Sam (you like how I'm on a first name basis with him, right?) just told us about his love for action movies (omg, me too, we have so much in common!  Marry me!  lol), how craaaaaaaazy it was to do this movie and actually be out on a ledge with only a seatbelt type harness thing holding him in (he even slipped and thought he was going to be pee his pants in sheer terror) along with talking about his career and movies/actors that inspire him.  I cracked up when someone asked "if you could remake any movie and play as any character, what movie would it be?" and he said "Tootsie" lmao.  Oh Sam *flutters lashes*. Funny AND hot!  Loves it :) 

So the evening started off crappy but ended oh so well!

Almost a No-Go with Gofobo

I really dislike Gofobo right now and have a feeling that I'm not the only one, with all of the grumbling that I heard at the Kerasotes Icon theater tonight.  They provide screenings for movies before they come out, giving passes to members and whatnot.  Cool, right?  

What's not so cool is that they HEAVILY overbook apparently because we stepped into the line 40 minutes early (passes say to get there early, which is pretty much a given for any of this type of stuff anyway), waited, had our passes taken only to be told "Oh, we're full and you'll have to come out for the next time that we have a movie screening.  Buh bye, come again."  Um....I saw like 30+ people turned away, so exactly how many passes were they giving out?  They knew that they didn't have THAT much clout apparently, so why overbook SO heavily?  

My mom and I both approached the lady, not really ones for taking no for an answer, because I was curious about this whole sham.  We live quite a ways from the theater AND Ma was already having the day from hell, so I knew she wasn't in the mood for shenanigans.

Vonnie: We've been waiting 40 minutes, are you telling me that we aren't seeing the movie?

Silly Girl (SG for short): Nope, have to get here early!  Sorry, we overbook so that we can fill up the theater. 

Vonnie: Um... we've been here for like an hour, isn't that early?  Do we have to be here 2 hours in advance to see something that we were invited to?

SG: You said that you were waiting for 40 minutes, how's that an hour?  

Okay, let's stop here.  Socialites, I am TERRIBLE at math, like the absolute WORST, so maybe you can help me out with this.   Is 40 minutes NOT closer to 60 minutes (an hour) than it is to 0 minutes (if we'd just arrived)?  Therefore, waiting for LIKE (almost) an hour? Am I missing something?  I very well could be...

Anyway, she's being really flippant and I see that my mom is about to go off, lol.  Ma pretty much walks to the side and posts up on the wall because she just is NOT taking no for an answer.  A lot of other people walk off grumbling and angry, leaving the theater (awesome customer service there, Gofobo, treating those fans right!).  It's pushing closer to the time for the movie to start and finally SG comes back and says that there are a couple more seats and gives us tickets.  

I guess that being a stubborn Taurus and ornery Gemini can work out sometimes.  At least the movie, Man on a Ledge, was worth it!  I'll tell you guys all about it tomorrow in a review.

Have you ever had an experience like this?  What did you do?

Hump Day Hotties - EyeCandy Wednesdays (Sexy Gingers/Redheads)

This is a special request by my girls Zabeth and MizVain, as they want to see some redheaded hotties.  

Bastien Bonizec

Prince Harry

Matt Bonner

Shawn White

Blake Griffin

Michael Fassbender

MizVain also came up with the idea of YOU girls nominating people that you know in real life as hump day hotties...would you want to do that?  show off a sexy guy in your life :)  let me know, email to socialitedreams at gmail.com  :)  

Best Haircuts for any Face Shape and at Any Length

It doesn’t matter whether you like your hair long or short, or somewhere in between, it is easy to get that dream haircut which will complement your face cut. A simple tip you can follow is to choose the celebrity who has the same face shape as yours, then read on to find out which no-fuss style of haircut would be most flattering for your hair length.

The Heart-Shaped Face Celebrity: Reese Witherspoon

The heart-shaped face is marked by a narrow jaw and chin, high cheekbones and wide forehead. For the best proportion, choose a cut with layers located below the ears. This creates a soft volume that helps round out a slightly angled jaw. Also, opt for layers that will complement a side part which will direct the eyes to those pretty cheekbones.

Short - Ask for chunky layers that frame the face above and below the cheekbones.  Sections should be about 4 inches wide so they can be styled into thick waves.

Medium - Ask for a deep side part and long layers that are slightly razored at the ends.

Long - Ask for tousled layers below the ears and again at jawline, and complement with soft sideswept bangs.


The Square Face Celebrity: Jessica Simpson

The signature characteristic of this face shape is a strong angular jaw and wide forehead. The most flattering hairstyle at any length would be a cut that will both soften and slightly elongate the face.

Short - Ask for a bob that hits right at the nape featuring graduated layers that sweep inward. This will soften the harshness of the jawline and accentuate the length of the face.

Medium - Ask for long layers to give the curls bounce, without creating too big a volume on the sides.

Long - Ask for tousled layers that start at the cheeks and go past the shoulders with a 2 inch difference in length between sections. The top layers should curve inward to highlight the cheekbones while the longer layers should be cut outward to create an illusion of a softer jaw.

The Round Face Celebrity: Kelly Clarkson

The hallmarks of a round face are the short distance from the forehead to the chin, cherubic cheeks and a rounded jaw. The secret to elongating the face is to minimize the hair width.

Short - Ask for a side parted piecey bob framing the face, where the layers are thinned with a razor underneath.

Medium - Ask for very chunky layers that start at the chin. The side part should be in line with inner corner of the eye.

Long - Ask for short layers that start just below the cheeks and longer layers that hit the shoulders and chest. The layers draw the eyes downward, visually slimming the face.

The Oval Face Celebrity: Eva Longoria

An oval face is longer than it is wide, with the forehead just a bit wider than the jaw. To prevent elongating the oval face, the trick is to add layers that curve around the chin and neck. This creates the illusion of a more defined jawline.

Short - Ask for a blunt cut at back that hits the nape of the neck and the chin in front. You can also opt for longer layers on the sides.

Medium - Ask for long gradual layers that curve toward the face and the length hitting just above and below the collarbone.

Long - Ask for long, soft, and flowing layers that are defined at the cheeks, neck and chest.



Author Note:
The article has been contributed by Aishwarya Vohra from Escentual.com.  Aishwarya blogs about health, nutrition and beauty related topics.

No Shelter - Beauty AND Brains Book Review Series

I absolutely love action movies; they are my favorite genre of films to watch and yet I've never read an action BOOK.  Shocking, right?  Well this was a fabulous one to start with!  I read the quick blurb and had the O_o  face about someone being a nanny by day and then assassin by night, figuring that it might be a bit cornball.  NOPE!  Glad to say that this book was made of win.