One of my favorite traditions, which I started in 2013 and kept up in 2014 is to kick off the new year by looking back on the year before. It’s something I recommend everyone does in whatever format fits you best. I take out all of the bad and just focus on all of the amazing moments. So many of us work so hard and live in such a fast paced world that in the words of Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” So take a moment and lets get ready to push ourselves for even more awesomeness in the new year! The best of 2015, lets go:
January
I had an epic New Years last year kicking off in Times Square with Covergirl and Cosmopolitan magazine. I never understood the allure of people waiting all day in Times Square until the countdown. Watching the ball drop is sheer joy that radiates through the air, then the confetti goes up and it’s simply magical. You feel like you’re in a snow globe!
Dance class with Julianne Hough for Gilette.
Another inspiring rendez vous with Dr. Murad for the launch of his book, Conquering Cultural Stress and for the introduction to my favorite Murad primer Invisiblur!
Meeting Carisa Janes, the founder of Hourglass makeup at the Modernist Palette launch.
Total Beauty features my favorite things!
February
Hosting the COAF event with my favorite houseware and jewelry designer, Michael Aram.
Lorna and I meet Ethan Hawke!
New York Fashion Week is always a fun time from getting to hit the runway for Alice and Olivia, Nicole Miller, Marissa Webb’s debut for Banana Republic, Honor, Rebecca Minkoff, Public School, Yigal Azrouel, Creatures of the Wind (and so many more I’m forgetting, eek!) and getting to take over Skype and LeSportsac’s instagram during fashion week!
March
My first trip to Austin for SXSW and getting to hear so many amazing panels and parties! highlights include hearing Rosario Dawson (and Rebecca Minkoff) speak at the Neiman Marcus event, meeting Jason Schwartzman (I LOVE him) AND getting to go to Willy Nelson’s ranch to hear him perform.
My first time hearing Marina and the Diamonds perform with Boots USA (little did I know I’d hear her 2 more times at Coachella and Governor’s Ball later in the year).
Celebrating the 1 year anniversary of my Share Your Beauty program! As some of you know, I partnered with the non-profit organization Family-to-Family in 20014 to create Share Your Beauty; the first beauty donation program, where we organize drives and events to collect beauty and hygiene products and deliver them to shelters in the tri-state area. To date we’ve collected over 100,000 beauty products!
Choupette’s Diary (or super awesome cat column my writer Ashley does based on the persona of Karl Lagerfeld’s cat, Choupette) got nominated for a Shorty Award!
Younger Premiere with Patricia Field! If you don’t watch this show, you should start. Same creator as Sex and the City and it’s hilarious.
Fox & Jane helps give me a massive makeover from from long hair to short, green locks! HUGE transformation for me just in time for Coachella.
April
Doing Coachella and a trip to LA with Patricia Field! I mean going to Coachella is exciting enough but partnering with one of your hero’s and one of the biggest icons in fashion… pretty epic! And we got to see ACDC perform as well as partner with so many amazing brands in our week together. Nothing but me, James and Patricia partying, exploring and having the best time! (Click on Day 1, 2 and 3 for recaps).
The other major highlight was kicking off of a 5 week trip to Peru which started with the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, and Cusco. April may have been the best month of my life.
May
Peru part 2!!!!! Hanging out with llamas in Lake Titicaca and sleeping on the Eros Islands Visiting Paracas, Sandboarding in Huacachina, it was an epic trip.
Getting to meet Mr. Brainwash at Sunglass hut for his collaboration (and getting a pair of is custom painted limited edition sunglasses!)
Life&Style featured me as their Woman Crush Wednesday for my Share Your Beauty work!
Another beautiful date with James to the at the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic, aka my favorite booze day of the year.
June
June was a special month for me since it would be the last time I’d be reunited with Jackie Collins. I was lucky enough to consider Jackie a friend and have so many fond memories with her over the years. And this was a really important moment for me since I got to introduce her to my boyfriend, and I’m so grateful he had the opportunity to meet her. I didn’t know at the time she was struggling with Breast Cancer or this would be the last time we share a meal but I feel so fortunate for the time I had with her and that she got to meet James. Jackie was one of the big inspirations in my life, she supported my events and invited me to co-host one of hers and is the definition of girl power.
Other highlights of the month include:
Going to the top of the World Trade Center with Vera Bradley.
Hanging out with Andreja Pejic and Jaime Chung for their Make Up For Ever collaboration.
Road trip to Suffern, NY to visit Avon’s research and development facilities and see how products are made!
Patricia Field picked me as one of her top instagram follows for H&M’s magazine!
Having drinks at the United Nations Delegates lounge like a fancy pants.
Getting to meet one of my favorite makeup artists Lisa Eldridge (her youtube channel will change your life) thanks to Lancome.
Getting to watch A-Rod hit 3,000 at Yankee Stadium.
Attending the NARS x Steven Klein collaboration party in a mansion upstate. You just have to see the pictures from my post to understand what a creative and amazing event this was.
Going to my first Governor’s Ball with Dove!
Taking my boyfriend to Newport, RI for his first time thanks to their awesome tourism board and our friends at Chevy! If you’ve never been, it’s one of my favorite summer destinations with so many amazing things to do including sailing and visiting the infamous Newport mansions.
July
July was an incredible month. I presented the first Beauty Box for Allure magazine and was featured on their site (as well as aol, yahoo and dailymotion!) as part of the collaboration.
James and I also spent the first 3 weeks in Austin where we had an epic 4th of July at Elijah Wood’s house (so random). This was also an amazing month for meeting so many of my beauty heros, including:
Maria Hatzistefanis the President of Rodial skincare event for the launch of their makeup line.
Dinah Mohajer! The original founder of Hard Candy nail polish and now founder of Smith & Cult (her latest nail polish line) at their Lip Lacquer launch party.
Charlotte Tilbury at Bergdorf for her Norman Parkinson collaboration.
August
Being featured on Maybelline’s website!!!!!!!
Hitting the Hamptons with Women’s Health magazine for their awesome collaboration with FEED Project.
Being featured in a 2 page print (and online) spread for Soma magazine.
Taking one of my Boston besties, Charlotte to her first game at the new Yankee Stadium thanks to Tommy Bahama.
Going to the first Billboard Music Festival with such a baller group of friends thanks to Sinful Colors! The 2 day music festival featured 3 stages, 40 artists including Nicki Minaj, Justin Bieber, The Weekend and many more.
Meeting one of my favorite Graffiti Artists, Bradley Theodore!
September
Being a Lavazza ambassador is awesome enough but getting to hit up the US Open, which they sponsored to watch the Venus vs. Serena match was AMAZING! It was a late match so being sponsored by my favorite coffee brand was so awesome.
Another awesome New York Fashion Week! Doing the big shows every season is of course exciting (especially watching Charlotte Tilbury work backstage at Rachel Zoe!), but more so then the shows it was the events during fashion week are what took the crown for me. Top picks include…
Attending the Harper’s Bazaar Icons event with COVERGIRL to see Katy Perry perform!
Cocktail party for Ellen with Portia for the launch of ED by Ellen at Bergdorf Goodman
Lifetime dream of seeing Duran Duran perform at the Michael Kors Gold Fragrance Launch
Attending the Macy’s Fashion Front Row event to see Jason Derulo and Nate Ruess perform
Driving Lamborghini’s and Ferrari’s around a race track with Aramis Black fragrances!
Lastly kicking off a 5 week trip to Europe starting with London. Between visiting the new Hotel Chantelle, a private viewing of the Audrey Hepburn exhibit before it opened the public, seeing the heart Beat installation live at Covent Gardens and so much more (you can see it all HERE), this London visit was magical.
Paris Fashion Week – My first time attending shows in Paris! Highlights include Carven, Olympia Le Tain and the most epic backstage moment of getting to watch makeup artist Alex Box work backstage at Issey Miyake!
October
Part 2 of our Europe trip where we spent the entire month abroad kicking off the month from Paris to the south of France with L’Occitane to tour their headquarters, followed by an amazing visit to Berlin and Norway!
November
Being featured in All You magazine! A whole page and some change of my holiday style!
Joining Henri Bendel for the unveiling of their holiday windows and meeting their iconic fashion illustrator (who does all of the mugs and Bendel illustrations I collect) and did a custom drawing of me!
Guest speaking at the Refinery Hotel for an amazing group of entrepreneurs, aspiring bloggers and ladies in the fashion/food industry.
Getting a sneak peek at the Museum of Feelings before it was open to the public.
December
Making nail polish with Sally Hansen at the Coty facility in New Jersey
Another amazing trip to Miami for Art Basel where I got to hear Alicia Keys perform and attending so many incredible art events.
Meeting legendary perfumer, Kilian at Bergdorf Goodman
Hosting the Palladio Beauty event with Patricia Field at her store that before it closes (after 50 years!) this spring!
I closed off the year with my family in Boston for Christmas and New York with some of my closest friends. It’s been an incredible year, easily the best of my life that it will be hard to top. James took a year off last year to help me with the blog and so we can travel. We did an awesome job of fulfilling our travel goals so this year I have a new challenge and it’s a cliche so get ready. I want this to be the year of health and fitness. I know I’ve done a lot of wellness in the past but it’s been to sporadic. I’m in it to win it this year!
Happy 2016 everyone!