Break Time!

Hey All!

I think it's pretty obvious I've been busy with the holiday season. (Who isn't?!)  What with all the traveling and family to see. So, I'm officially taking a break till the new year. No worries, it'll be here in no time and I'm sure you're all super busy with your own family festivities anyway.

In the meantime, you can follow my Instagram feed here if you really need to know what I'm up to (including the fact that MY PARENTS GOT A NEW PUPPY - #RexTheRetriever.)

OMGOMGOMGNEWPUPPY

I promise to try to post at least one photo a day.

So, with that, I'm wishing you all a happy holiday and may your time off be relaxing, rewarding, and full of self-reflection (cuz that's what we all do at the end of each year, am I right?)

I'll see you in 2014! xoxo!

Winner Announcement: Who Gets the TATCHA KiraKira Gift Set?

Don't think I forgot about you guys! It's time to announce the winner of our "Go Gold or Go Home" Tatcha KiraKira Gift Set Giveaway! (Wow, that's a mouthful, huh?)

Firstly, thanks to everyone who entered. I realize, in this day and age and with the social media distractions and daily responsibilities, it actually takes some effort to like a Facebook page, sign up for a newsletter, and leave a comment on a blog to say "I did it!" So, really, I do appreciate you taking the time.

In the meantime, I hope everyone else who read the giveaway post, but didn't enter (why didn't you enter?!) at least took a look at some of Tatcha's stuff because they're truly amazing!

Ok. Now, then, back to business. So, how did I choose my winner randomly. Ready? Here we go (excuse the low-quality phone photos...I needed to do this on the fly)...

I'm Enthusiastic About: Salsit's Ryder Leggings!

Um. Newsflash, people. Los Angeles is cold! Mother Nature decided last week to just drop the temps on all of us, causing mass hysteria by way of clothing confusion. I've been in a state of shock and haven't been able to figure out what in the world to wear lately. That and I've become the world's biggest weather wimp.

It's the "Go Gold or Go Home" TATCHA KiraKira Set Giveaway!

I know I just spent the last week telling you what you need to buy people in your life, but what about you? Have you treated yourself to anything as of late? (Not counting the little travel-size products at Sephora that always seem to find their way into our baskets when we're waiting at the register - I swear, that check out line is the devil!)

Well, I'm sure you already know about my obsession with Tatcha. They're my go-to for perfect skin...I can't even begin to tell you how much my complexion has improved since they came into my life! (You can check out my night time skin ritual here to get a better idea...we're talking "Geisha Technology," folks! It's serious business!)

And speaking of Tatcha, I have some exciting news!

WE'RE HAVING A GIVEAWAY!!!

Can you tell how excited I am right now? (I'm really excited, just in case you couldn't tell.) Let's just say I'm currently experiencing the equivalent of mental & emotional fireworks.

So, yes, my dearest friends at Tatcha and I are bringing you a chance to give their amazing products a try! All you have to do is enter and there's a possibility the KiraKira Gift Set will magically end up on your doorstep in the next week or so by way of mystical flying Geisha unicorns (which are about as elusive as Bigfoot.) Just in time for you to show off a goooorgeous complexion at your New Years Eve party and start 2014 lookin' fresh!

This limited-edition holiday kit includes:

• PURE One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil Deluxe Sample — 30mL
• RADIANT Deep Brightening Serum Deluxe Sample — 8ml
• AGELESS Enriching Renewal Cream Deluxe Sample – 12ml
• AGELESS Revitalizing Eye Cream Deluxe Sample– 5ml 

All of these products have my big, enthusiastic stamp of approval and these gift sets have enough to last you at least a week so you can really see the difference it makes! (Trust me. BIG difference.)

So, how do you enter? Just go ahead and...

• "Like" TATCHA's Facebook Page (always a good place to keep an eye out for great deals - of which there are plenty going on right now)
• Sign up for their newsletter (luckily, not annoying or spammy)
• Leave a comment on this post and let me know you did both! (Don't try to lie! My buds at Tatcha and I are keeping close watch!)

Get it all done before Friday, December 13th, at 12pm PST!

A winner will be picked at random & announced on the blog on Friday evening! We'll get in touch with each other after that! (Did someone say "let's become email penpals?" MAYBE!) Time is limited, so act now! Trust me, your skin will thank you! xo!

An Enthusiastic Holiday Gift Guide (Part 7): For the Young Adult

It's here! The final day of our holiday gift guide. That means you're basically done with your shopping, right? RIGHT? Awesome! Great job! [Insert mild guilt trip for those who haven't finished up yet.]

So, we've covered most of our bases thus far (click on each to get their specific gift guide): Artist, Sartorialist, Literati, Techie, Homebody, or Hipster. Some of our giftees may even fall into more than one of these categories, giving you even more gift-giving leeway. Who doesn't love a little consumer flexibility?

But, wait...WAIT! There's one more category we haven't covered! Some may consider it the most difficult of categories. The funny part is, we've all been part of this category at one point or another. The challenge, however, is that times are always changing and so are their tastes.

Who am I talking about? THE YOUNG ADULT!

Good grief, these guys are probably the hardest to gift. They are no longer tiny children who are endlessly amused by blocks, stuffed animals, pop-up books...straws, napkins, sand, air... Nope. Young adults are opinionated, secretive, painfully judgmental (even if they say they aren't), and haven't yet honed the skill to look like they love your gift. THAT skill only gets better with time as we all know.

So, what can we get the future of America without fear of having our hearts crushed to smithereens when you see the utter disappointment in their eyes? My goal with my young adult giftees is to prime the pump for appreciation of design and style. Otherwise, I'd just get my niece One Direction everything and my nephews videogames. (By the way, I do that for their birthdays. It's about balance, people.)

I enjoy torturing myself and being that aunt who is relieved to find out later that their gift is actually being used and, what more, is actually appreciated and helping to shape my young lovelies into better human beings...but the road to success is paved with uncertainty and insecurity. (DRAMATIC!)

Now, let's get down to business, shall we?

Find links to these items below!

An Enthusiastic Holiday Gift Guide (Part 6): For the Hipster

Ok, we're nearly done, folks! We're on Day 6 of our holiday gift guide and, rest assured, there's a light at the end of this tunnel, m'friend. You've almost completed nailing it with the gift giving this year. Feel free to bask in the awesomeness that is you as #1 gift-giver of the season!

So, today's guide is for those of our friends who will deny till the end of time what they actually are because admitting your one makes you not one...or something. It's complicated and nuanced and very "now." Originally spotted as mustache-obsessed, painfully ironic heathens, these friends and family have somehow carved a spot in our hearts with their vintage (or seemingly vintage) t-shirts and rare, bespoke suspenders made from shetland pony hair and hard-to-find red dye that's only produced in limited quantities from an old factory in Nebraska.

Yep, today's guide is for (you guessed it) THE HIPSTER!

Listen, I have plenty of hipster friends, but they've earned their stripes. They've aged like a fine wine and are now adult hipsters who are a blast to hang out with. To be honest, I'm quite fond of them...and I'm even more fond of them when they know what they are and own it.

So, what do we get these waxed-stached, 90's windbreaker wearin', obscure-band-knowin' creatures of indie culture?

Find links to these items below!

An Enthusiastic Holiday Gift Guide (Part 5): For the Homebody

Our holiday gift guide continues today with Day 5! Kinda frightening how quickly the week is going by, yeah? That's ok though. With all these gift guides being flung at your head daily, I'm hoping to save you some gift shopping stress...or make you feel really guilty that you haven't gotten it done yet. (I'm kidding about the latter...kinda.)

So, today's gift guide is one that I hold close to my heart because, well, I fall into this category. As the winter months settle in on us and the amount of comfort food and Netflixed documentaries increases at an alarming rate, perhaps its safe to say that we all can relate to this particular type of person.

Who am I referring to? THE HOMEBODY!

Yep. Whether your friends & family are homebodies by choice or they just had a new baby and are kind of chained to their house with very little sleep or patience, this guide is sure to bring a little joy. Our goal? To bring a taste of the outside world indoors. Now, what do we get for people who love being home so much?

Find links to these items below!

An Enthusiastic Holiday Gift Guide (Part 4): For the Techie

Guess what? Day four of my holiday gift guide is here! You know what that means? 4 days less to get your holiday shopping done. I know, I know. "Why did you have to remind me, Nami?!" Sorry about that, but don't panic. With the magic of the Internet and online shopping, you're still in the green.

You likely have at least one of these people in your group of friends if not all of them. So, what do we get for...(drumroll)...THE TECHIE!

That's right. The friend or family member we call when our laptop decides to conk out on us. The same person that asks, "is it plugged in?" and "have you tried restarting it?" and the panacea of all browser functions - "clear the cache and try again!" Our technological lives would be mere shadows of what they actually are if not for their existence, so it's time to say thanks to them and show them that you care.

But not all of us are super tech-savvy and instead of pretending that we are, here are some nice little gifts to give that won't make them scoff and ones they just might actually use!

Find links to these items below!

An Enthusiastic Holiday Gift Guide (Part 3): For the Literati

Day three of my holiday guide already? Time is whizzing by and we have so much more to discuss! So many more gifts to buy for our friends and family and so few hours in which to do it. Thankfully, there's online shopping and some really great holiday-hustling going on with e-retailers these days. Thanks, Internet.

With that in mind, we're moving on to our next installment of gifts. And who do we have in mind today? THE LITERATI!

That's right, folks. We have to think about our more bookish friends. Whether they're just obsessive readers or avid writers, everyone's got somebody in their life who's a fan of literary endeavors. So, what if you're not that type of person? Or maybe you're worried that they don't love Murakami or Tolstoy as much as you do. What if they've already (impressively) made it through all of Dostoyevsky's novels?

THEN what do you get them?

Have no fear, my dears. Here's part 3 of my Enthusiastic Holiday Gift Guide for our reading/writing friends & family members!

Find links to these items below!

An Enthusiastic Holiday Gift Guide (Part 2): For the Sartorialist

Why, hello again, dear holiday shopper (or holiday dreader...or, perhaps, holiday "too many people to buy for, please help me! I've run out of ideas" - er.) It's time for part 2 of my holiday gift guide! Today's focus? THE SARTORIALIST !

Indeed, we definitely all have that painfully fashionable friend (or ten.) The one you're always dragging to the mall when you have a wedding coming up. The one you call when you've forgotten the term for "those old timey things that men used to hold up their socks with" when you're in a heated battle of Trivial Pursuit. (They're called garters, by the way.)

It's the same person who can buy a vintage grandma quilt at a flea market and turn it into a avant-garde poncho with the use of a belt and a pin. In short, naturally fashionable molecules ooze out of every one of their pores.

SO, what to get this person? What can you get that they don't already have? Or that they haven't discovered already in a remote vintage shop in Helsinki on a cold winter weekday evening? The key here is to not try to mimic your friend, but to go with timeless pieces.

Find links to these items below!

An Enthusiastic Holiday Gift Guide (Part 1): For the Artist

Yep, it's that time again! Holiday shopping! If you're anything like me, you fear the wrath of Black Friday (I've read way too many articles about deaths from stampeding customers to want to test my luck) and always forget to checkout your cart on Cyber Monday, leaving you with a feeling of despair as the time between now and the holidays slips through your fingers. So goes the sands of time, my friends.

Luckily, I've spent the last few weeks doing my homework and though my holidays shopping is more or less done at this point, I'm of the "no one gets left behind" policy when it comes to helping my fellow shoppers out. The combination of "OMG, I have no time" and "OMG, I don't know if so-and-so is going to like this gift!" can basically make you want to hurl yourself off the big ol' cliff of consumerism. So, before you decide to fake your own kidnapping or buy everyone on your holiday gift list the same thing in different colors, here is part one (of seven) of my holiday gift guide series for THE ARTIST!

We all have that friend. You know the one. Went to an art school or has that weird ability to quickly sketch something out on a diner napkin with alarming precision. Many of them scoff if you call them an artist, but we all know that's the truth.

So, what do you get your creative friend or family member?

Find links to these items below!

Sunday Styles no. 48

Oh, hey! How was your Thanksgiving weekend?
Mine? Just the usual. Overeating, watchin' movies, obsessively watching documentaries on mammals, and hangin' out with my two favorite dudes - Mr. Merlin & Charlesband, if you didn't know who I was talking about.

And here we are. The final day of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and I'm loungin' hard with a new favorite piece of clothing.

I'm sure you're aware, but sweatshirts are back! (Hurrah!) But not your old school sports team or gigantically branded sweatshirts of decades past with hoodies and unflattering fits that are made for those mornings you awake from a week-long bender with no recollection of what happened (and who is that weird man passed out in your bathroom?)

Ok, I'm overdramatizing. I wasn't that kinda lady back in the day, but I did have my share of lazy days (and still do.)

With that said, the new crop of sweatshirts are minimally branded, neutral in color, fitted in a "this is a boyfriend sweatshirt if my boyfriend were only one size bigger than me and shaped like a girl" way - seriously, "boyfriend" anything is a sham. It just means "a little bit bigger" - and stupidly comfortable.

I've decided to up the academic ante today with a little collegiate flair (read: collared shirt and loafers) to make my comfy new sweatshirt seem slightly pulled together. Why I need to do that is beyond me. I'm just planning on boppin' around the neighborhood and finding a new book to read. (Intense goals, I know.)

Whatever the case, I'm a fan of the return of the sweatshirt and plan on wearing this new piece any chance I get. Oh, and I cut my bangs again because...I dunno. I get bored with my hair and the only way to not lop it all off is to go with bangs. Bangs & sweatshirts. Win.

Now, off to do something...or possibly nothing. All I know is I need to soak up as much of this Cali sun before dusk. Hope you're all having a fantastic weekend and find a sweatshirt of your own to dress up or dress down as you see fit. (I never thought "dressing up a sweatshirt" would have been a thing 5 years ago while I hissed at various hoodies with sartorial loathing. Looks like I'm a convert!) xo!

A Note About the Clothes: Madewell Layup Sweatshirt, J. Crew Factory Cap Shirt in End-On-End (Classic Navy), American Apparel Stretch Twill High-Waist Side Zipper Shorts (Jet Black), American Apparel Opaque Over-the-Knee Socks (Black), G.H. Bass Original Weejun Loafers (Black)