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PC Celebrates Lucky Magazine’s NEW Ultimate Style Guide

Friday night, I joined Beauty and Fashion News Director of Lucky Magazine (who’s actually my favorite beauty editor), Jean Godfrey-June for the kickoff of Lucky’s NEW Ultimate Style Guide.

I know what you’re thinking, isn’t that what they produce every month in your subscription? Yes, and no — unlike the magazine (which focuses on what’s new, trends and where to buy/shop), there’s no selling in The Ultimate Style Guide (I’m talking no outfit credits, prices or where to purchase info). Instead, it’s is all about showing you how to style and accessorize similar pieces you already own (or will want to own after reading). It also covers their favorite beauty products, tips and secrets. Laid out like a magazine but organized like a book, the guide is separated into 13 chapters (each article: dresses, jackets, bags… to beauty; hair, skin, makeup have their own section) to give you “Every Fashion & Beauty

What Do You Want To Do Before You Die? Win a copy of The Buried Life’s NEW book!

WIN IT! I’m gonna cut to the chase, not since I received my first copy of Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Suess have I wanted to give a book to so many friends, colleagues and readers as I do with What Do You Want To Do Before You Die? by The Buried Life. So we’re giving away a copy to one lucky winner!

To enter, leaves a comment under this post telling us at least one thing you’d like to do before you die.

**Entries will be accepted until May 18th. US residents only. All federal, state and local laws apply. Good luck!

Now on to the book review…

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Every morning for the past 10 years, I’ve woken up to a plaque that reads: “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” It was a high school graduation present from my mom and question I’ve spent the last decade putting a lot of pressure on myself to answer; until recently when the book “What Do You Want to Do before you die” by The Buried Life found it’s way into my home.

On the nightstand... (Look Mom, a I didn't lose it!)

I’ll admit, I wasn’t familiar with The Buried Life when I was introduced to one of the founders, Ben Nemtin over email. In my defense, I live under a rock and don’t watch much television. I’m still unclear on the sequence of events that landed me a copy, but I remember Googling The Buried Life and before clicking the link reading: “Four regular guys on a mission to complete a list of ‘100 Things To Do Before You Die’ and to help and encourage others to go after their own list”. Sounded interesting…

TBL fulfilling #35, "Sing the national anthem to a packed stadium." I like their t-shirts.

By the time the book arrived it had made the #1 New York Times bestseller’s list (impressive considering it’s only been on sale for less than a month. I take that back, it’s just plain impressive no timeline attached). While that one-liner is an accurate description of TBL, the book was so much more then I ever expected. Started by four friends, Jonnie Penn, Dave Lingwood, Duncan Penn and Ben Newtin in 2006, the

I SPY DIY (I made a bracelet, Jenni wrote a book!)

I would like to send a big shout out and congratulations to my friend, Jenni! The infamous queen of DIY, (she founded the website ISpyDIY.com) has written her first book, I SPY DIY STYLE. Inspired by looks from the runway, Jenni encourages women to “find fashion you love and do it yourself.”

While trends come and go, especially from the runway this book is great for getting inspiration on how you can use different materials, hardware and paint to make something your own or reinvent a basic.  It’s well laid out with clear direction (and beginner friendly); not too many steps or copy and very visual. My key takeaway was I need to go on a glue spree. There are at least 3 variation of glue I never knew I’ve always needed.

{I SPY DIY STYLE book launch party}

{Besties turn twinsies! Mike and I come to support — with unplanned matching outfits}

{Cheers to Jenni!}

{In deep thought over creating my own custom Lara Eurdolian original DIY bracelets}

{Voila, my bracelets! — clearly DIY is not my forte}

{DIY drinks on the other hand…}

There is a downfall to knowing Jenni (and some of you avid readers may find this as well…) — my favorite DIY project of hers wasn’t in the book! As she would say, “you need to wait for the sequel”, and lets face it, she posts new projects almost daily so she can’t fit them all in. However, since patience is not my virtue, until part duex is written, I’m bookmarking posts from her blog for when I’m ready to get creative! And fortunately for me, I found the recipe for the Rope Wrapped Chain Bracelet I was looking for!

I SPY DIY STYLE by Jenni Radosevich, SRP: $21.99, available on amazon.com ($14.95)

Maroo Partners with Project Runway Winner Seth Aaron

Seth Aaron with his Maroo creations!

The Washington-based mobile accessories line, Maroo, has partnered with Project Runway winner, Seth Aaron to create an exclusive line of fashion iPad 2 covers ($149-$199).

“We’re thrilled to announce that Seth Aaron is designing exclusive iPad 2 covers for us!” said Michael Shaver, Senior Vice President of Maroo and Cyber Acoustics. “These unique, limited-edition covers are custom-designed by Seth Aaron himself. Working with materials and hardware he personally selects, Seth drives the aesthetic from beginning to end. Combining haute couture, rock, and even whimsical influences, he continually brings fashion-forward ideas to the Maroo family. You’ll discover the Seth Aaron line of iPad covers are on a completely different level of luxury and style.”

I love me a stylish accessory, they are so fun! It looks like they came out of a colorful, fashion-oriented comic book!

Additional styles available on Marrow.com

Pat Benatar’s Between A Heart and A Rock Place

I love Pat Benatar. I have so many memories of her music growing up. She was on Oprah today talking about the challenges of being a female musician in an age of a male dominated rockers. And it’s pretty incredible what she accomplished and how much she helped pave the way for women today. I mean come on, she was the first solo female rocker to appear on MTV! That’s epic!

Anyways, I haven’t read her recent  memoir, but by virtue of the genius of the name of it, I decided to post about it. Ready for it? (incase you missed it in the title of my post or the fact that it’s been out for months and by now this is old news), “Between A Heart and A Rock Place“. If I can judge this book by it’s cover, I’d say it’s very clever!

Abdi Assadi Talks Intuition at Norma Kamali’s Wellness Cafe

Abdi Assadi. Check out his book, Shadows On the Path

Fashion designer/icon, Norma Kamali is on a wellness kick. Well more then a kick, it’s a way of life. I mean look at her, she’s definitely doing something right (it’s probably the Organic Avenue diet and all of those Physique 57 fitness classes). Back in September she hosted “Conversations”, a dialogue on wellness solutions with notable speakers including, Twyla Tharp, Horst Rechelbacher, and Abdi Assadi, which I was very lucky enough to be apart of.  She’s additionally has been hosting various wellness events at her store (sign up for her mailing list to stay informed). Her latest, featured a speech by Abdi Assadi, spiritual advisor, acupuncturist, and author of Shadows On the Path, on intuition.

Abdi Assadi, Norma Kamali

I was first turned on to Abdi Assani over a year ago by my former roommate (and best friend) Mike, who ordered me his book, after I was going though some distress. Probably some ‘what’s my purpose in life crisis’ or freak out over my 16th breakup with my boyfriend at the time. If you’ve ever met Mike, you’d probably recognize his endurance level for any type of bullshit is at 0.05% –and even then, he’s probably only tolerating that much out of friendship. Mike was one of the lucky individuals who got through Abdi’s waitlist, and gets to see him professionally. An endorsement from Mike has more value to me than 3 Michelen stars, so needless to say, I’ve been

Sweet Valley Confidential –Ten Years Later!

After an otherwise long and exhausting week… is it really only Tuesday? To come home to a surprise package is generally exciting enough, but to open it and find a new Sweet Valley High book, has made my day. And I got a t-shirt:) Francine Pascal is at it again! Her latest addition in the Sweet Valley High series has arrived –although Jessica and Elizabeth are no longer is high school. Ten years later, “Sweet Valley Confidential” is going to answer all

Beauty Queen Gift Guide

It’s easy to classify someone as a beauty queen (or junkie) –we’re everywhere! However it’s not always easy to find the perfect gift for us, especially since we’re so picky. Here are some recommendations to help you get a little more creative this holiday season.

1. Mixer Kit by Geri G ($39) – The all-star in this 5-piece kit is the Mixer Solo (also sold separately, $29), it’s a very cool multi-functional aloe-based product that can be used as a face or eye shadow primer or base to mix your cosmetics. I use it for all of the above. It has a nice silicone type smoothing feel when applied to skin, so I enjoy it as my base product before putting on my makeup. I’m also someone who’s skin-tone changes by season so I often use it as a buffer to mix my foundations or powders to create my perfect shade. Additionally it’s water-resistant, allergy-tested, irritation-free and formulated with Titanium Dioxide for sun protection, The set also includes the M Brush (regularly $14.95), instruction booklet and DVD (11.5min) and mixing spatula.

2. BeautyBlender Holiday Set ($23.95) – This set contains a BeautyBlender sponge and BlenderCleanser bundled a red pouch, ready for the holidays. I was originally turned onto the BeautyBlender sponge by celebrity makeup artist, Jackie Gomez. She raved about it in a class I attended –how great the shape of the sponge was for applying makeup to the contours of your face, how it could be used wet or dry, and that it is

Conversations with Norma Kamali

Thursday, I joined fashion designer Norma Kamali for the kicked off of her wellness series, “Conversations: A Dialogue on Wellness Solutions” at the Museum of Modern Art. “The planet we live on is not like it was at any other time. In order to survive fast food farming technology and the toxic environment, we must face our problems head on with practical solutions,” said Kamali. Change doesn’t happen over night but by educating her piers and spreading awareness we can all work together for a solution. So in front of a live audience, she showed a movie featuring two-minute conversations with notable experts in fitness, health, beauty and nutrition. Followed by a panel discussion and Q&A session.

Honored guests included choreographer, Twyla Tharp, founder of Aveda and Intelligent Nutrients skin care, Horst Rechelbacher, spiritual counselor and author of “Shadows On the Path”, Abdi Assadi, filmmaker of “Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead”, Joe Cross, vegan and raw food chef, Chef Matteo, and more (Nancy Shaw, Magen Banwart, Dr. David Colbert and Physique 57).

I thought over all the speeches we’re good. The highlight for me was Twyla Tharp telling the audience the most important thing is “to just move, our bodies just want to move”. Anyone who’s ever been through a rough patch knows how easy it is to emotionally give up and just not want to get out of bed. Ultimately, the only cure for that and to turn your life around in any capacity is to move.  Sometimes, it’s the simple things that we need reminding of. I could stand to start moving a little earlier in the morning.

I’ve also thought a lot about Abdi Assadi saying “everybody has a piece of the puzzle… no one person has the answer”, which is so true. I remember reading an article about actor Adrian Grenier, saying something along the lines of his biggest fear is all of his environmental initiatives have made no impact on the planet. For some reason that really stuck with me.  Can you imagine if

White Heat by Brenda Novak (& Three Custom Color)

Okay Brenda Novak fans, the NY Times and USA Today Best-Selling Author is at again and turning up the heat with her latest novel, WHITE HEAT ($7.99). Launching on July 27th, WHITE HEAT is the first installment of her latest trilogy, which will be proceeded by BODY HEAT and KILLER HEAT; slated to launch later this summer.

In celebration of her most recent romance/suspense novel, Novak has partnered Three Custom Color Specialists to create White Heat Lip Gloss ($21.50). Don’t miss out! The first 50 online customers to purchase the gloss on www.threecustom.com starting July 27th will receive a free autographed copy of WHITE HEAT.

WHITE HEAT LIP GLOSS – A versatile, sheer pink gloss, with light shimmer. Hydrating and non-sticky the gloss is great alone or over your favorite lip shade.  Packaged in a swing-out lip gloss pot, the product can be applied with your finger or lip brush.

As for me, I’m going to pour a glass of wine and read all about Nate Ferrentino, the private security contractor assigned to infiltrate a mysterious cult that’s moved into Paradise, Arizona. Only problem is Rachel Jessop, Nate’s colleague and long time crush has also assigned to the case –as his wife. So much for keeping his distance (and keeping it