Reader Tiffany responded to my last post yesterday afternoon and happened to mention the new makeup lines at Target. I fielded this comment on my iphone while literally in a virtual panic in the aisles of Target as I realized that the new collections were indeed in store, and that I was absolutely unprepared to spend the requisite HOURS it would take for me to peruse, study, assess, test, and basically vet every single piece of product available for sale in the Pixi, Jemma Kidd, and Set by Napolean Perdis lines. Here is the scene: my daughter is screaming in the red cart, I have a half hour before I have to meet a play date at the park, and I am desperate for a coffee. However I had to take a huge breath and a mental time out so I could ZONE into the sheer fabulousness of these new brands and their ingenius products in the store. Everything is fun. Everything is new. The colors are right. The packaging is fun and fresh. Target just gets it all right. And I love them for it. I made a slapdash assessment of what I thought I would need immediately, at that moment, promising myself I would come back for more as soon as I could and spend more time with the product (preferably when the baby is safe at home with her nanny.) I snapped up Jemma Kidd’s Iconic eye pencil in Supermodel, a deep bronzey brown, her sheer lipstick in Belle du Jour, so sheer as to impart only the slightest glimmery tint, Pixi’s Eye Bright kit, and the Set by NP collection stick bronzer in Arctic. I am totally going back for more as I am literally obsessed with the idea of these new beauty options.

Earlier this summer I was absolutely obsessed with finding Laura Mercier’s lip gloss in Bronze. My obsession was fueled by the fact that the gloss was literally sold out everywhere- including online. Once I actually had the gloss in my hands, I used it a few times and put it out to pasture in my bottomless makeup drawer where otherwise good makeup goes to die. It was just so neutral that is sort of blended with my natural lip color. I want/need more from my lipsticks and glosses. A tip from a good girlfriend awakened me to the fact that I had been led astray by the allure of the elusive Bronze and that Laura’s Violet gloss was actually the must-have item of the summer. I was skeptical. In the package, the gloss does look rather purple, however once applied, it turns lips a wonderfully natural sheer pink. And it lasts and lasts. Farewell Bronze, hello Violet!

I found a great black tunic dress on sale at Martin and Osa this weekend. Check it out here. My sister was shopping with me, and we sort of debated whether or not it was a good purchase because it is silk and would require dry cleaning, which is always such a hassle. Also, it is almost entirely see-through which makes me wonder if if it meant to be more of a beach cover-up than an actual dress. (But again, a beach cover-up in silk?) At any rate, I figure that with a teeny slip and the right accessories, this will be the perfect dress for the end of summer. Also, at under $30, how can you really question it?

 I feel absolutely required to post about this new and challenging fashion world I find myself in- that of being the mom of a toddler. I have been very lucky to have met some super new “mommy and me” friends in LA. Last week my daughter received an invitation to a birthday party, and this afternoon I struggled for some time as to exactly how I should dress my daughter for the event. Here is the issue: I know how I would operate if this was an east coast birthday party. In North Carolina and especially in New York City, kids dress up, girls wear smocked pink dresses and hairbows, and maybe even frilled socks and mary-janes. Here in LA, all bets are off. I never see anyone in smocked clothing, so the terrific little party dress I have hanging in the closet is totally out of the question. On the other hand, I don’t want to dress her in something that too closely resembles play clothes, because that would be inappropriate as well. So, I opted for a summery blouse, leggings, and a matching bow and left it at that. I was absolutely amazed to note that, after scanning the room of two year-olds, my daughter was literally the most dressed up child at the party. Even the birthday girl was running around in a t-shirt and shorts. All of the moms were in a version of some Juicy Couture something or other, and my printed sun dress almost seemed out of place. I am not sure if I am ready to take the leap into complete casual-dom. I love the idea of party dresses. I mean without parties to dress up for, the world is just a t-shirt and jeans wasteland. As a side note, if anyone is looking for a terrific toddler party locale in the LA area, I highly recommend Under the Sea where just today  I shared two wonderful hours with my daughter and her fellow party-goers on bouncy castles, bumpy slides, in pastel play kitchens making pretend pancakes.

There is so much good stuff going on at the Gap right now, thanks to Patrick Robinson. Famous for reviving big brands, Patrick’s touch is all over the the new collection in Gap stores now. Everything looks so good to me- like laid back but also chic. The only thing holding me back from full on purchasing every piece in the store is the Gap label itself. Somehow I fear that shopping at the Gap makes me one of the masses, and that I will buy that adorable little plaid (I would almost say grunge) dress that I saw on the racks today, and I will almost certainly will someone wearing it in the mall in Omaha. I don’t think that makes me a snob. I just like to have clothes that are just this side of different and a little bit special. I don’t want to look like everyone else on the street. So while I do love what is in the Gap now, I think I will have to search through and select the quieter pieces from the collection that are less recognizable.

I made the relatively large mistake of getting a pretty major haircut in North Carolina when I was home. I simply need to come to terms with the fact that no one really knows what to do with my thick hair that is now about 3 months grown out from the Japanese straightening process. I actually got the first haircut last Wednesday and arrived home looking like I had stuck my finger in a socket. First, the stylist sort of texturized the bottom making it “piecey’ (or so she said.) What it really looked like was fried and uneven. Then, to make matters all the worse, she blew my hair dry using a a huge round heat brush that only served to make my hair big and puffy. I walked out of the salon convinced I could salvage the haircut and manage the disaster myself by doing own styling. I was wrong. I had to go back to the salon several days later to get the texturizing cut out of it. Now my hair is a bit too short and a bit too puffy and not at all channeling the California vibe I had going before I made the fatal error of cutting it. Ugh!

I know this is a beauty blog but I just had to share the best new purchase I made for my daughter. It is a Dora the Explorer children’s spin brush, and it is the ultimate solution to getting my stubborn toddler to brush her teeth. I purchased a wonderful-tasting tooth gel from Weleda at Whole Foods, and she will usually suck the gel off of her toothbrush. However, the new spin brush totally inspires her to brush and brush and brush. I literally have to shut it off and take it away. It is an amazing super sneaky trick for toddler tooth brushing.

I am visiting Charlotte, NC (the Queen City) this week as part of an extended stay precipitated by the fact that I threw a baby shower for one of my best girlfriends last weekend. I love coming home to Charlotte. Not only because I feel such a strong tie to the South, having grown up here and attended college at UNC, but because Charlotte is becoming a world class city with awesome shopping and great restaurants. For some reason I feel completely compelled to shop when I come home. Most of what I purchase is for my daughter, probably because a selection of very traditional little girl clothes is so much easier to find here than it is on the West Coast. This past Tuesday my girlfriend and I had a special day to ourselves, and we took full advantage of it. We started our morning with a workout at the Harris Y, a gym that I head to every time I am back in town. It reminds me of high school and for some reason that gives me a little thrill. Next we shopped our way over to Phillips Place and reviewed the offerings at The Poole Shop, a terrific boutique. Every great brand was represented there, and I was interested to see colored jeans on display from See by Chloe. I have heard that colored jeans will be important for Fall but I have been refusing to accept this because I think they are just so 80’s. I didn’t want to leave empty-handed, so my friend turned me on to KAI, a terrific light fragrance that smells like honeysuckle mixed with Gardenia. It is simply gorgeous on. See it here. Next we made our way over to Modern Salon for waxing and eyebrow threading. I used to go to Modern Salon when it first opened, mainly because they were the only people in town who knew how to manage my thick, course, and curly hair. We went to lunch at Nolen’s Kitchen and ended with terrific pedicures at a little spa beside our lunch spot. It was a terrific day, and it made me homesick for the little things I love about this city- my great girlfriends, warm and smiling faces, and terrific shopping.