Cool Girl: Demi Lovato

Confession: I can't WAIT for Camp Rock 2. A major reason is the super cute and talented Demi Lovato. She has her own show, Sonny With a Chance, on Disney that I think is totally hysterical. She's not afraid to get ugly and look ridiculous which is more than you can say for a lot of teen stars. She can actually sing also! I love her raspy voice and her songs are crazy catchy. As much as I thought she and Joe Jonas made the perfect couple, when he broke up with her over the phone, she handled it in a smart, lady-like fashion staying quiet after Joe told tabloids that it was "his choice." Fashion-wise, she favors dark clothes and dressed up LBDs. She has the teen-rocker look down, without being over the top and poseur-y.

A sketch from the show

How cute and funny is her sister on Desperate Housewives? Hysterical.

Casual cool with BFF Miley.

Sometimes I think she wears a little too much makeup so the lack of it in this Teen Vogue shoot makes her look even more beautiful.

The styling of this shoot is perfection!

I love her hair super dark and wavy over the blonde highlights she's rocking now.

One of my favorite Demi videos!

*pics via JustJared.com*

Cut and Paste Magazine Covers

I tweeted OMG as soon as I saw this Britney Cosmo cover today. What did they do to her body? It literally doesn't look like her head is attached. I just don't understand how they could let this go to print. It made me think of all the other horrible photoshopped covers? Which one do you think it the worst?

Obsesión del Día: LR Fall 2010

Seen above in Teen Vogue, also in this August's Lucky, this Loeffler Randall leopard wool shorts jumper is, for lack of a better work, AWESOME. It would look amazing with my wooden sandals right now, and tights and lace up ankle boots for winter. Can you be in love with a piece of clothing?

What's in the Mags: Glamour August 2010

If you live in NYC like me, you probably watch NY1 and the morning segment "What's in the Papers" with Pat Kiernan (love him!) I'm going to start my own, only with magazines, and...on my blog. I have a mag obsession and literally read at least 10 each month. And as you know, I have a lot of opinions! I want to know what you think! Let's start with the newest Glamour.

Cover: WHY is Vanessa holding kittens? I mean, I love a kitten but when I saw this and the blurb about her being an "animal lover" I thought maybe she had something animal-ish going on, at least a PETA ad or something. But no. And WHY Vanessa? Is she even promoting anything? I'm a huge tween and even I find her uninteresting. Grace Gummer (inside) would have been a better choice. I also hate the outfit. I know it's the denim issue so she's going to be wearing jeans but the low rise, bedazzled belt, and shrunken vest look very 1999. A girly denim shirt or jeans and a pretty top would have looked a lot better. EVEN (gasp!) denim on denim done right. She's very "boho" in real life so something like that would have been more interesting. The positive? Her smile! Adorable. And the "Nine Ways to Never Feel Tired" caught my eye!

First Few Pages: I LOVE the "What Are You Reading Right Now?" answered by the staff. So interesting and great book ideas!

Page 42 "My Don't Moment": For some reason, I like this a lot. It's fun to see what celebs KNOW was terrible.

Page 44 "Dos, Don'ts, News & Views": GREAT book choices here. I can't wait to read the new Jennifer Weiner and Plus by a Glamour staffer. The movie pic? Lame. I'll pass on the Jen Aniston and see "The Kids are Alright" with Julianne Moore.

Pages 49-52 "Model Trends You Can Do": I love the huge curl looks. Yay! My real hair is "in!" I'm not sure about the "Extreme Shadow". They explain how to wear it up to your eyebrows which looks great on the model but I wish they would have said what NOT do to, to not look crazy. We need some "bewares!" Later, the "Undone Hair" is a way too obvious hair choice but I love the new "Greige" nail color and will be trying it this weekend.

Page 54 "Pink": I want the pink YSL eye pencil and the Josie Maran lipstick, both is gorg pink shades.

Page 61 "Beauty Questions": Did they really print someone asking if making a drastic hair change is a do or a don't? On a better note, the tip about using ribbon to make your bun look cuter is a great idea. I'm grabbing some (at the trimming store literally next door to my work) tomorrow.

Page 68 "New Denim": I wasn't sure about trying wide legs again but this page is super cute. The clogs and striped tee are great additions. Inspiration!

Page 72 "Denim Rules": from Giorgio Armani??? They could have had the J Brand CEO (they do have the pants of the season-skinny green cargos,) or the 3 guys who started 7 for all Mankind. Does anyone care what Armani thinks is hot?

Page 76 "Fashion Questions": At least these questions are a step up from the beauty ones. The idea of lace-up boots with jeans is lust-worthy as is the girly denim shirt (although I don't think it's party-worthy as they suggest.)

Page 82 "G-Spot": Glad they aren't debating on whether there is one! There are helpful hints here for the clueless girls out there (like my BFF Melissa-love you!)

Page 86 "Women's Diseases": Wow. This is a must read. I think I'm pretty well versed in reproduction things, but I didn't know this much about polycystic ovarian syndrome. It's fascinating.

Page 108 "Jake": Men love us naked just the way we are. I know.

Page 100 "Dating Across the USA": Apparently, coastal guys (NYC, LA, New Orleans) are commitment-phobes. Why would that be? Not that I don't believe it. The girls who wrote this are really cute and have funny and TRUE comments, like "there's no harm in being opinionated" and "Mr. Wrong might be friends with Mr. Right." Awesome.

Page 122 "Hey, it's OK!": I always love this page. "...to paint only your first two nails when you wear peep-toe shoes."

Page 128 "NOT a Career": Thanks Glamour for pointing out sleeping with a married man should not be a fast track to stardom. So don't try it.

Page 134 "Need for Water": I'm so happy this is in here. It's thoughtful and made me feel like I can actually do something to help!

Page 139 "We Like Your Jeans": I'm sorry, the pictures of Vanessa suck. The thigh high boots and cut-offs is gross and they repeated the cover look but with CAT EARS. Am I missing something? The article is pretty blah. I DID learn that she can't stop saying, "Oh my God, shut up!"

Page 144-153 "Shape of Clothes to Come": I'm coveting seriously crazy silhouettes for fall so this section is fun for me. Although the skinny leg and fitted mini skirt are nothing remotely new, I'm dying for something A-line (love the Stella sweater dress!) and flared.

Page 155 "Perfect Jeans": Jenny Feldman did an AMAZING job of choosing the girls for this. Grace Gummer, a plus sized model, stylist, musician-they're all awesome. The outfits are all perfection (love the sequins with the looser jeans) except for one. I wish magazines would stop showing leggings as pants because girls are going to think it's OK! Yuck. The girl with the skinny tie and red pumps? Gorg!

Page 167 "Haircuts to Change Your Life": These haircuts are adorable! If I had straight hair, I would go right for the short cut. I'm glad my long bangs are still happening and am thinking of a shorter, more updated cut. I these pages a lot and wish there were more!

Page 180 "Good Health": "They're jacked up on caffeine, sugar, and prescription pills, and text loved ones more than they hug them." YUP that's me! I need to move more, get out of the office for lunch, and eat more real food. All obvious but important reminders! Maybe if we keep drilling it in our heads, it will happen...

yuuuum.

Page 190 "Apps We Wish They Made": "Make these shoes comfy." Yes, please.

The Back Page "Dos and Don'ts": Glamour is so positive, I love a little snarkiness on the back. I agree that your jeans shouldn't lace up in the back!

All in all, I give this issue a B. What do you think? Which mag should I review next?

Please Stop Saying That

I loved this book. Did I mention this before? I don't know if I LOVE Kelly Cutrone but I definitely respect her. She's been through some crazy stuff and has come out of it on top. She seems like an amazing mom and a really great/scary woman to work for. I really recommend reading this.

Kelly was in Bryant Park today talking and signing copies of her book. Obviously I missed it, but trusty Racked has all the scoop. Something she said that really stood out for me was this:

"Editorial, magazine, we are going to say buh-bye to them as we know them. They will still exist but everything is on the internet."

Honestly, I'm so sick of hearing this. I love the internet-I blog, I tweet, Four Square, Facebook, you name it, I'm on it. But what I really love is a magazine, a book, PAPER. Nothing will ever replace the smell of a new, or old, book. Nothing will take the place of going through a huge magazine pulling out your favorite parts and putting them on your wall (I still do that.) There's nothing better than devouring pages and pages of new clothes with amazing layouts. Am I in denial or will print media never go away? Maybe it's happening, but I just don't want it to. If someone offered me a job online tomorrow I would take it, writing is writing, but my passion is in print.

What do you guys think? Will everyone have iPads soon and magazines will cease to exist?!? :(

Family Friendly Apple

Have you been reading all the talk about the iPad censoring like crazy? I'm debating on getting one so I did a little research. As a magazine lover and a writer, I like the idea that people will read more of them with the device since it'll be easier to carry around and more user friendly. A major downside is Apple's "no nipple" policy. It's not like I'm obsessed with nipples or something but I don't like the idea of censoring fashion spreads. Apple is doing this by not allowing certain content into the App store so publications have to censor themselves to get into the store. A writer at Dazed and Confused, told Shiny Shiny that the mag is secretly calling the iPad edition the "Iran Edition" due to the Muslim/iTunes censorship similarities. Ick. There have also been complaints over the groups of people that are being censored. "The Gay Community App," which only let people find LGBTQ people in their area, was removed. FYI: The Playboy app is somehow still there. I'm all for actual porn not being easily accessible but Apple denying "objectionable" content feels too controlling. Who says what's considered "objectionable?" Personally, I don't think a girl, or boy, in a bikini is sexual.

What do you think? Is Steve Jobs being TOO careful?

image via psu.edu

Bad Advice of the Day

Via Cosmopolitan:

If you notice shots where you're blurry on the edges of the frame or even cut off, you're not at the forefront of his attention.

Out of the Loop

Having no internet or cable for 3 days drove me crazy. Is that sad? Of course I read a lot but I love my bad TV shows. I think what it really did was throw off my routine. No blogging. No Vampire Diaries. Here are a few other things I missed this week:

Plus sized models protested Australian Fashion Week when they didn't use any in the shows, but booked 18 last year. Lame.

On a positive note, Polish Elle used plus-sized girls beautifully. Gorg.

OMG. Glamour used favorite size 10 model Crystal Renn on their June cover and they STILL can't win. Yes, I admit she DOES look a lot smaller than she usually does (2nd from left) but seriously, people. They're models. NOT real people. And they aren't supposed to be.

Opening Ceremony's Fall 2010 Lookbook is so drool-worthy that I might start "dancing" to afford some of it. OK, not really but I really, really, love the whole thing.


The 2010 Tony Nominations came out and I'm half excited and half disappointed. (FYI: I know I'm biased.) From Come Fly Away, I'm really happy to see Karine Plantadit nominated but sad they over looked Charlie Hodges (above.) My other complaint? WAY too many celebs. I'm sorry but Liev Schreiber? Not so much. It's awesome that The Royal Family, Memphis, Red, and Finian's Rainbow got some love since they are some of my favorites. And 11 for Fela! including Lillias White. So exciting. Kevin Chamberlain in The Addams Family? Great. Best Score? Um, no way.

I'm a New York woman in my 20s. I LOVE fashion and all things style. I'm a big SJP fan. I have zero interest in seeing Sex and the City 2. Am I the only one who's not excited? It feels so tired and lame to me. No one acts this way, at least not anymore. Every time I see the preview with them on camels, I grown. I know it's supposed to be a fantasy, I get it. I'm just not buying it. I'd rather go to the Pat Fields store and learn about her and the fashion of the show at the bookstore.

What else is going on?

Photos from Cocoperez.com, jezebel.com, refinery29.com, comeflyaway.com, Glamour.com, filmofilia.com

In Defense of: Jessica Simpson

I'm sorry I haven't blogged in forever! OK, so it's been less than a week but it feels like forever. It's been a really crappy couple of days and since I don't like to bring people into my problems, (I'd rather keep it all inside and then get sick) I was super quiet. Even on Twitter! I also can't load pics to Blogger for some reason and it's bugging me and I need to figure it out. But, it's a new day and I'm going to TRY to be positive. :/ I have a feeling my posts are going to take a bit of a...snarky tone. Hey, that's the first time I've said the word snarky! That's the second! (REALLY dorky musical theatre reference. A mix CD to whoever can guess the show.) Let's start with something that's been making me mad lately (surprise, surprise!)

"Sometimes I wish I could be more like Coach Tanka. He pulled a Jessica Simpson. You know, lost his fiancee, gained 40 pounds, stopped showering, and everyone acts like it's totally normal." -Glee

"It looks like she has no waist...the length is dowdy."
"Fire your stylist for that dress."
"GO DOWN A SIZE." -All GFY

"She looks like the broad side of a Mack Truck." -Yeeeah.com

"Is FAT Jessica Simpson still hot?" - Askmen.com

I could go on forever but it annoys me too much to continue. What effed up thing happened where Jessica Simpson is the poster girl for fat and pathetic? It's not just how all the media attention of her looks effects her, but the problem is how it effects girls everywhere. Do we really want a 13 year old to look at pictures of Jess and think, Man, if she's fat, I'm huge! I better go to a Pro-Ana website ASAP. On The View, she said that if she doesn't find someone by 40, she's going to have a baby with gay BFF Ken Paves. She was attacked on the web within the hour. Who hasn't made that pact with their GBF? She's just so real that it freaks people out. It's like people are yelling, Girls aren't supposed to say those things!

I love her show on VH1, The Price of Beauty. It makes me literally laugh out loud (come on, you KNOW you want to laugh sometimes when you're supposed to be "meditating,") and cry when she meets with women who have done horrific things to themselves to feel beautiful. I wasn't always a fan of Jessica's but I love way she has handled all this crap in such a classy way, and all the amazing things she does for Operation Smile.

I'm not saying we should never criticize someones clothes, (I can spot a "don't" a mile away) but let's try celebrating women instead of picking them apart. Instead of saying, "Jessica's eyes look dead!" (the GFY girls again,) how about appreciating that she's on Marie Claire with NO makeup on and looks beautiful? Instead of saying how lonely and pathetic she is, let's try pointing out the classy way she handles her life in her 20s (ahem Lindsey L.)

What do you guys think? Is her weight fair game for being a celeb?

Book Club Pick

I easily read a book a week. I'm a total nerd. I just love to read! This is going to be my next book. It's the true story of a former editor of Self and Glamour who went from Upper East Side financial security in her dream job to losing it all as a Madoff victim. I'm looking forward to reading about her rebuilding her life. I need an uplifting girl power story!

Watch Out.

How cute are these NYLON ads? Why don't more people wear watches? I think maybe they will be my new thing. My BFF M and I were talking about how cute they can be and I found some really fun ones. I have a great "timeless" one, but who says you can't have a different one for every day? Would you wear more than one together??

I love this Betsey Johnson. It's perfect if you don't love the look of a watch.

A sexy Diesel guy's watch for him OR you.

SO chic if you can drop the $$ on Hermes.

$20 at Urban Outfitters! Too cute.

Swatch is the best if you want to try the trend above and wear a million. They have every color of the rainbow and are about $50. It's the perfect way to incorporate the sporty trend for spring. I also love the look of a big, men's watch on a girl. Look on Ebay for a vintage one!

Quarter-Life Crisis?

I've been gone from the blogverse for a while for many reasons, none of them too exciting. I have this thing where when I'm upset about something, I clam up and hide. I had (well, continue to have) family stuff that I have to work through. I tend to take care of others before myself. I am starting to focus more on my life now. Window shop and curl up in Barnes and Noble all day Sunday? Done. I'm even trying to TURN OFF MY PHONE. It's a work in progress. OK, now to more positive things.

While I was sitting in Organic Chem last semester, I had this what am I doing here? moment. The huge difference between what I felt I should be doing, versus what I wanted to be doing, became crystal clear. To make a really long story short, I am now a Journalism major and not Pre-Med/Pre-PT. Big difference, right? I still love medicine and helping people. I know that no matter what my "career" is, I will find a way to help the people I am passionate about. I can see myself volunteering at a nursing home on the weekends, and I know I will actually do it.

I'm currently tapping into the creative side of myself that has been buried by medical billing and the periodic table. I'm starting to write again and I LOVE it. I figured out that I'm actually good at it! I also know a lot about fashion and consider it more than a hobby. So why not put them together? Who else reads or buys more than 10 magazines a month?! I read some online but only the extras on the websites. I need the feel of a mag. I read every inch; I read the parts most skim over. I rip pages out and post them on my wall like a 12 year old with a Jonas Brothers obsession. (True fact: I actually love the Jonas boys.) It's only natural that I use the skills that I have to do the things that I love. Sounds easy, right? Of course, almost everyone in my life thinks I'm having a Quarter-Life Crisis. I think I'm just growing into my own and creating my own path. I'm really excited about it.

Tweet Of the Day

"Now watching the doc 'Every Little Step' after brunch. For the 5th time. No cliches or stereotypes here."

The adorable Mr. Joe Zee, creative director for Elle magazine. ( I LOVED that doc.)