3 Fabulous Books For Girls Who Love Paris (and things Parisian)

paris-books

I’m sitting on my couch, it’s late at night and I’ve had one hell of a week. I’ve had editorial shoots, I’ve been teaching a pro makeup class, I’ve been doing the final prep for the next Glam Tour which takes off in a couple of days.
Yesterday I took a red eye (at 1:45 am) from Phoenix to Dallas to speak to a fabulous crowd at the Pinner’s Conference Texas. I am the beauty director for a fantastic new magazine called Luca, ( I am super proud of this magazine!) and I was in Dallas with Luca speaking on one of my favorite subjects, beauty. It was great fun. I wish I could have stayed overnight, but my schedule is crazy at the moment, so I had to fly back last night at midnight. And this morning was up and working super early again.

 

With a few shell shocked minutes up my sleeve I’ve been clicking around Amazon.com looking for books for the trip ahead. I figured you might enjoy the books sitting in my shopping cart waiting for me to click and ship. I may double buy them actually, as each would make a fabulously chic gift and Christmas is on it’s way.

Image result for garance dore book

Love Style Life  by Garance Dore
I covet Garance’s life. It is so glamorous just as she is so glamorous. Her book is a best seller and her blog is legend. (GaranceDore.com)

 

Image result for garance dore book
Garance Dore

 thirty chic days

Thirty Chic Days: Practical inspiration for a beautiful life

I’m super excited about this one! Written by fellow Kiwi Fiona Ferris who you may know from her blog How To Be Chic, this book will feed your inner imaginary life in Paris. Even though I’m on my way back to Rome this will make a fab read on the plane!

 how to be parisian wherever you are

How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are: Love, Style, and Bad Habits

Parisiennes are the epitome of chic cool n’est ce pas? And you and I can channel our inner Parisienne with the help of this book. I’m especially interested in the bad habits….

Visiting Paris? Find Deals, Compare Rates, and Read Hotel Reviews on TripAdvisor

This post contains affiliate links. There is a chance that if you purchase one of these books I could be paid a few cents.


Undies.com New Arrivals

10 Things Only People Winning At Life Understand

This post came to my inbox this morning from Career Girl Daily.

Although CDG is really geared to early twenty-somethings it is a fantastic blog for all women to subscribe to. 

Their information is always on point, current, relevant, and if you actually apply what they say you’ll find that no matter what your age is, it really works. When I read this post this morning I realized that I am failing in many of these points. I work too many hours, skip meals, don’t get enough sleep, am always multitasking and seldom get time to unwind. I am however the queen note taker and drink water all day long.

I’m going to make a conscious effort to do each of these 10 items, every day, for the next 30 days (so that they become habit…)

Check out more great posts from Career Girl Daily here

10 Things Only People Winning At Life Understand


sophia
image via Career Girl Daily


Do you ever look at those people who are winning at life and wonder how the heck they got so successful?

They might be one of your high school friends who’s now killing it at a top-tier law firm or a colleague who just keeps getting promoted. But that person could also be you.

There are many things successful people always do that guarantees them wins in almost every aspect of their lives. They are all quite easy to pick up but it’s the trick of adding them to your daily life that makes a huge difference. It’s definitely doable so look no further for your roadmap to success!

#1 Tackle one thing at a time

Sure it’s great to be that office multi-tasker, helping everyone out. But studies have shown that when our attention is divided between tasks our attention to detail falls short.

Of course, your tasks will sometimes get interrupted. Some of us are super busy, but if you try doing one thing for at least 20 minutes you’ll see how much your work improves when your focus is narrowed.

#2 Get home for dinner (or at least at a reasonable hour)

There’s always going to be late nights at the office on occasion but the last thing you want to do is make them the norm. Know when to put your pen down so to speak and leave. Being at home with your family or flatmates with time to relax can lower your stress levels after a crazy day.

#3 Don’t scrimp on sleep

Science has shown us that when we’re super overtired we have the same brain function as someone who has been drinking! You don’t want to be that person in the office. Getting a good night’s sleep helps you deal with stress and figure out the infinite issues that daily life brings.

Sleeping in on the weekend, unfortunately, doesn’t count for 5 hour nights during the week. Make sure to get at least 7 if not 8 every night.

#4 Don’t skip meals

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And so is lunch. And dinner! You do need to get all three. If we don’t have enough food, our bodies conserve energy for the most basic of functions. Which will make you feel drained mentally and physically. Load up on healthy fruit and vegetables, complex carbohydrates and try to get some protein in at every meal.

#5 Water, water, water!

Water is so, so important for you every day. Even if you get a tiny bit dehydrated you’ll start to feel a headache coming on, your brain function will dip; you might even feel hungry when you’re not. Hello, regrettable afternoon biscuit run! Keep a big bottle on your desk and aim to refill it at least once if not twice a day.

#6 Stay moving

Successful people understand that their mental strength is tied to their physical strength. They use that to their advantage. They work out to solve problems and relieve stress. It’s the best way to free up some mental space!

#7 Write everything down

Carry a notebook around with you and write down anything work related that you don’t understand or any terms you’re not familiar with. Research them later, either on your own or by asking your boss. Knowledge is power and the more knowledge you have the easier your job will become. People will turn to you for advice or help – even before you’re promoted above them!

#8 Refrain from the inbox

Whilst it might seem wise to keep an eye on your emails all day, make sure it doesn’t rule your life. Some employees will be tied down to it, but if it’s not your full job you shouldn’t be a slave to it. Try to make it a habit that you only check it a few times unless you’re waiting on something urgent. The inbox can draw us away from our tasks so allow some time for checking then move on.

#9 Dress for the part

People always look successful before they are successful. That old adage, “dress for the job you want, not the one you have” is so true. Do whatever you have to do to make sure you look professional at all times. Wear makeup and try to style your hair every day if your career demands it. Otherwise, ensure you’re clean and well-groomed. These things go a long way when your superiors are discussing whether you’re suited to that higher role.

#10 Leave time to unwind!

This one is definitely as important as the rest – and fun! Working hard to get apromotion or get your business off the ground is all important, but you should make sure you still leave time for yourself.

Catch up with friends, see that movie, go shopping or out to a nice dinner. These things improve your outlook on life and your emotional stability and in turn, will help to make you that successful person you know you can be!

Manduka - Designed for your practice.

Football Playoffs Party Food ~ How To Make A Charcuterie Board

Are you a football fan?
I love football. I learned American football when I worked the first season of NFL On Fox. Terry, Howie and Coach Jimmy taught me the game back in 1994 and I loved it ever since.
I also love football parties and Super Bowl parties, which brings me to today’s post.

A few weeks ago I did a shoot with my very good friends, The Football Bettys, for Emma Magazine.

The Football Bettys are a trio of uber glamorous business women who also happen to be die-hard football fans. They are gorgeous, fun, and all about fashion. Football Betty parties are stylish and chic, and their website caters to the football fan who enjoys a good pair of heels.

Anyway, I need a charcuterie board for a football party this weekend, so I’m doing this one from the Football Bettys.
If you need some chic and fabulous ideas for football playoff parties or for your Super Bowl party, check out their website here

And if you want to know how to create the perfect charcuterie board check out this post from the Football Bettys:

How To Make A Charcuterie Board For Your Football Party

Here at Football Bettys, we like to balance our football party style- sometimes our entertaining ideas are casual and super easy (like our Quick and Easy Popcorn Bar) and other times we like to step it up and make pretty football party food. Yes, we said it: pretty football party food. 

This gorgeous charcuterie board was created by Football Betty Victoria for Emma Magazine’s winter issue and there’s so much we love about it that we had to share all the details! 

football-bettys-charcuterie-board

Have you tried ooey gooey crazy delicious honeycomb? It’s a luxury item that earns the top spot on our “pretty football party food” list of must haves. Pro tip: once you take it out of the container, place it on a plate or bowl with a rim so the honey doesn’t ooze off the board. 

fottball-betty-party-ideas

Shoot stylist and party hostess Victoria suggests you start building your charcuterie board with the meat and cheese first since the cheese is usually the item that takes up the most room and the meat can be layered vertically. Once you have these two items placed on the board, you can build around them with the other goodies! 

how-to-make-a-charcuterie-board

football-bettys

When planning a pretty football party food spread, we like to use beautiful serving pieces such as the Julia Knight platters and bowls seen in this shoot. These serving pieces are among our favorites for several reasons: the quality is exceptional, the designs are both sophisticated and modern, and many of the pieces are bold in color so they coordinate with our team colors! 

football-party-food

meats-and-cheeses

football-bettys

Football-Bettys

Pears and Honeycrisp apples are perfect for gluten-free guests; charcuterie boards are crowd pleasers just like chips and dip but they’re much more fancy and guests always ooh and ahh over them (when they’re done well. If you throw some Triscuits and a block of cheddar on a cutting board, you may NOT call it a charcuterie board).

For extra crunch, freeze the grapes ahead of time. We swear, frozen grapes are so good, they can pass for dessert in a pinch (we used chablis grapes-they’re delicious). 

party-food

party-food

How pretty is this??? 

We’ve served this charcuterie board to guests and get so many compliments on it. 

charcuterie-board

Superbowl-party-food

Pretty Football Party Food: Shopping List

– Pretzilla Pretzel Bites

– Rustic Bakery (flatbread)

– Lesley Stowe Raincoast Crisps

– Dalmatia Fig Spread

– Cypress Grove (chevre cheese)

– Cowgirl Creamery (Red Hawk cheese)

– Savannah Bee Company (honeycomb)

– Whole Foods (olives, fruit, meats)

Pretty Football Party Food: Charcuterie Board Bonus Tips

– Create levels with the items on your charcuterie board- this maximizes space and adds to the overall look 

– Don’t forget cheese knives and forks

– Use herbs to add some color and pretty texture

– Offer a variety of crackers- a few hearty types with seeds/grains and some that are lighter in texture

– Fig spread is one of our best kept secrets- it may sound unusual but it’s AWESOME

– Pitted olives are a necessity- guests won’t have to worry about where to put their pits (or breaking a tooth)

Pretty Football Party Food: Team Players

Photography: Fully Alive Photography

Styling: Victoria Canada of Victoria Canada Weddings & Events

Serving Dishes:  Julia Knight Collection

Wooden board: John Boos & Co  

Flowers: Camelback Flower Shop

Clothing:  Nordstrom 

Location:  Private Residence

As featured in: Emma Magazine Winter Issue

Verified by ExactMetrics