I ran into Madewell today to see the store for myself. (I have been obsessing about the store since I looked through its windows 2 weeks ago.) I need to return again when I truly have time to scope everything and really try items on, but I did want to post about the ankle length moccassin booties that they were selling in the store at Century City. Apparently these are all the rage and are to be worn with shorts, jeans, and even dresses. I tried on a pair today and decided I wasn’t ready for this trend. Maybe-  maybe in winter but for summer, I think this a little too much for me. See them here.

I just spent Memorial Day at a lovely resort in Palm Desert, California, just outside of Palm Springs. The centerpiece of our resort stay was this fabulous pool/ mini-water park called Splashtopia. It was literally a children’s pool paradise with water slides, a lazy river, and a little beach for the babies. I myself was in heaven in the desert sun, laying pool side, sipping my diet coke, and watching my daughter dig holes in the sand. As I sat there, studying the other “Splashtopians,” I was sort of blown away by the many women with wonderful bodies and even more wonderful teeny-weeny bikinis with young kids. Last summer I practically lived in this Lands Ends swimsuit I had purchased that was sort of a tankini with a cute little swim skirt. I know the whole swim-skirt situation denotes a total mom swimsuit thing, but I really felt like the suit itself was cute and stylish enough that the skirt would appear more like a trendy mini than a “mom needs to cover her big rear” sort of thing. So, this summer, I ordered another skirted tankini, this one shirred and in a nice, bright turquoise, and wore it for the first time this weekend. (See the skirt looks here.) I immediately felt totally boring and so terribly mom-ish. The gals around me were wearing adorable tiny suits with chunky gold clasps and great prints. I was all wrong. Maybe this is another southern California thing I need to adjust to, but I am now looking for the right bikini that is trendy and just this side of sexy.

After running to the gym, I strolled down 3rd Street Promenade here in Santa Monica and saw, in the window of Steve Madden, a great and inexpensive pair of gladiator sandals. They looked totally perfect, exactly what I was looking for and cheap too. Let me preface this by noting that I have not purchased a Steve Madden shoe since college and usually bypass the store without looking twice. However, the gladiator beckoned, and I had to try it on given my new desire for the shoe. It was called the Banglez. (See it here.) They did not have the Banglez in a 9 in the shoe but they did have a 10, which surprisingly fit almost perfectly but was just a bit “too too” for me. All of the little stones and beads that looked so cute and caught my eye initially only served to make my feet look like giant, jeweled boats. Luckily, I settled on a more subdued pair in a light brown that are super cute and look much more expensive than they were.

This weekend I went to one of LA’s most interesting malls, the Westfield Century City, to see a movie. I cannot decide if it is the coolest or oddest place I have ever been. It is outdoors, on 2 levels of this tiered building, and it is like nothing I have seen before. I can only describe it as “future mall.” There is an abundance of different shops that stand out from the usual standard mall fare. Also, there were very interesting eateries, a huge gourmet grocery store, and a gigantic three story movie theater. I mean there is even a Proactiv dispenser in the center court. (I found this particularly thrilling.) Anyway, one of the unique stores in the mall was Madewell. I have been reading about this for about a year. Madewell was purchased by J. Crew in an effort for them to develop a younger, trendier, less expensive clothing line. I bee-lined for the store but could only peer through the window as the shops were all closed. I saw awesome sundresses, great jeans, and loads of fun, sheer scarves. It looked super cute and appeared to be something different, a sort of American Eagle meets H&M. Interesting, right? I will be heading back during store hours this week.

I was back in NYC this week for work and need to immediately post about a fashion trend I witnessed there. I keep reading that leggings are out, but I keep seeing them on very fashionable ladies. (I also see them on some very unfashionable ladies, but that is another story.) When worn right, like under a short dress or with a long tee, leggings still look really great. In New York, as Spring started to present herself, I noted loads of girls wearing leggings with gladiator sandals. This is really such a great look, not only because so many of the gladiator sandals are so chic and perfect right now, but also because leggings deflect the issues that gladiator sandals tend to create, i.e. bad legs. Because of the way these sandals wrap around the ankle, they visibly detract from the thinnest part of the leg and make even the best legs appear shorter and stockier. Leggings help to draw the eye up the leg and eliminate the whole ankle strap issue. I am now officially on the hunt for great gladiators and a new pair of black leggings.

I hate to admit this but today, while at the gym, I watched 2 full episodes of Keeping Up With The Kardashians and decided that I absolutely covet the Kim Kardashian’s hair color. It is the perfect shade of dark brown/almost black. The color looks awesome with her skin color and is really rich and shiny. I have tried to go really dark with my hair before, and it always washes out my skin. I have a lot of yellow undertones in my skin and truly dark hair looks better on a medium olive skin tone. My hair tends to go really red in the summer, especially here in LA where the sun really brings out the auburn highlights. I am so tempted to neutralize the red with a great dark color wash but I know, through past experience, it won’t look at all like Kim’s. (I also really love her everyday makeup scheme with her smoked out grey eyes and light pink lip color but I don’t want to seem too into the Kardashian thing so I will just leave it at loving her hair.)

I just got my hair re-straightened today with the japanese straightening process. This is something I do about every six months to keep my hair frizz-free, sleek, and manageable. I found a great salon here in Los Angeles called Taka in a little strip of Asian shops and eateries on Sawtelle Blvd. They have been doing the japanese straightening process for over 10 years so I trusted them with my ultra-processed hair. Back in New York, I got my hair straightened at a salon called SEI. Their process was somewhat unique because rather than straight-iron the chemicals into your hair as most other salons do, SEI stylists blow-dry the product into your hair so that it maintains a level of fullness. (The flat iron process will make your hair absolutely pin straight and very flat, sometimes too flat.) I used to think I liked the way the SEI process looked but after getting my hair ironed to pin-straight perfection today, I am transferring my loyalty to Taka and the ironing process. It takes about 5 hours for the stylists to straighten the hair because it involves 2 chemical processes and lots of washing, blow-drying, re-washing and re-blow-drying, however I cannot stress enough how much it is worth the final effect. I will have about 3 months of hair so straight it doesn’t even need to be blown dry.

I have posted in the past about my daughter’s sensitive skin. She has food allergies and they often manifest themselves as really dry, irritated skin, or eczema. Since she was born I have bemoaned my inability to use sweet-smelling baby products on her because the perfumes really irritate her. So, it was a moment of great joy when I stumbled upon the new Method Squeaky Clean Baby line in the Target baby care aisle. The products smell like a sweet treat and are made from rice milk and mallow, so they are great for her skin. They also leave her very soft and well moisturized. The packaging is genius as well. The cap of the shampoo and bodywash combo is a little green pod that serves as a cup for rinsing the product out of baby’s hair. Check it out here.

I just had to post about my latest beauty obsession- available at your local drugstore. I was in New York last week and it was chilly, rainy, and all around dreary. The Studio Fix that had served me so nicely in LA was now looking almost invisible and greasy in the 100% humidity of Manhattan. I popped into Duane Reade (the local drugstore) and arrived at a new display for Sally Hansen makeup. Before you poo poo Sally Hansen, I would like to note that I was also very skeptical. Sally Hansen does not sound like a brand that I would usually be interested in. It seems sort of “Wet-n-Wildy.” However, over the past 2 years I have been reading about how the brand is revamping and hiring all sorts of people away from the Cover Girls and L’Oreals of the world to develop a new beauty line. Their new products do not disappoint. They have an amazing eyeshadow primer that is better than any I have tried. It is smooth and creamy and stays on for hours. Their luminizing face primer is also terrific. It seals their foundation to your skin for a glowing, natural look. Also, their cream blush is terrific. It is a sweet little pop of color for your cheeks that is reminiscent of Stila’s own multi-purpose cream. The lipstick colors are also very special. They are natural and sheer but enough color to look like you have on makeup. I am loving their Baby Pink lipstick. It is a very pale pink that makes me look a little tan. I could go on about their eyeshadow as well. The line is awesome. I am presently 100% devoted.