LA is more than just a location; it's a lifestyle and even a state of mind! Come check out the "LA Story" for what's hot in fashion, beauty, events, stores, sales, places to go and what's going on as I cruise through life in LA -LA Land!
This blog has moved to a new location! You can now find it at www.la-story.com.
Attention Southern California Lifehouse fans!! Want to be a part of an exclusive major internet event with Lifehouse? Yahoo! Music and Geffen Records want you to join us when Lifehouse takes the stage for Nissan Live Sets in West Los Angeles, CA.
I love to shop especially for cutting edge fashions but can't always (or ever) afford the price tags on my favorite designer brands. Does this happen to you?
NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH!! NEWS FLASH!!!
This blog has moved to a new location! You can now find it at www.la-story.com.
Well it's time for a Bargain Alert!!
There's an online site that's got some major price slashing going on. Where?
Hit the LA-Story.com blog to get the deets. Better hurry, it ends June 4!!
Want a bit of newsy news? Catch onto WebSnob and check out what's cooking in our collective kitchens-- a little fashion, a little beauty, a little commentary, even a video or two
Get The REAL Dish! Fashion plates go Parisian chic with Delight.com's Les Femmes Dish Set and Coquette says snatch them up before they are all gone!
Give your fave 4-legged fashionista a chic, Sienna Miller-inspired leg up by rocking cruelty-free fashion suggests Fashiontribes.
There's MORE Web Snob-- but you need to hit the NEW site for LA-STORY.. which is www.LA-STORY.COM! So easy and just a click away..
This blog has moved to a new location! You can now find it at www.la-story.com.
Diet Coke just got friendlier-- with Diet Coke Plus! This tweak on the original formula includes vitamins and minerals -- including vitamin B 6 & 12, Niacin and 10% zinc and magnesium! Definitely for those concerned with making sure they get a balanced healthy diet but still have some soda too!
It's definitely new and different--without a loss of taste or fizz!
Hopefully that image got your attention in case the headline didn't. (just wait. there are OTHER great photos. Such a creative line- pushing it to the edge!)
Fly Naked is a new line of jewelry for men (or maybe for women too) that's very much outside the box . Designed for the man who knows who he is, jewelry is one of the ways he speaks his mind -- ostentatious he isn't, but he is bold.
There's a lot more to this post! Lots of great photos and 411, so check it out on the new blog location: www.LA-Story.com
Zzzzzz.....time to catch up on your beauty sleep, advises Fashiontribes. In honor of Better Sleep Month, learn the secrets of a good night's sleep from experts at the Better Sleep Council.
Some dames dig dogs, other kittens cuddle cats-Kristopher prefers glammy dead animals, like a vintage alligator bag.
It's sale season at Bag Snob so get your goodies before they sell out!
The Napoleon Perdis DeVine Goddess Lipstick collection pays tribute to the strength and beauty of ancient Greek goddesses.
Channeling his Greek heritage, Napoleon Perdis, make-up artist extraordinare (who recently opened a store on Hollywood Blvd. The party was so extraordinarily packed, that the Fire Marshall was ready to close the doors. EEEK. More about this later)
Available in five different finishes in thirty shades, each lipstick carries with it the essence of the all-powerful mythological allure that the goddesses possessed.
Channeling such goddesses as Aphrodite, Calliope and Calypso, each lipstick boasts a sumptuous blend of natural waxes, shine-infused polymers, the emollient properties of evening primrose, jojoba and apricot nut oils and free radical scavenging anti-oxidants, ball to form one of the most high performance lipsticks ever created.
Pro-tip: For devastatingly desirable lips – lavish with Lip Lacquer-- the non-sticky slightly sheer but oh-so-sexy lipgloss that's to die for!
Available for $22 at Napoleon Perdis stores, Saks Fifth Avenue and select independent retailers
If you don't know who Jane Monheit is, please don't skip over this podcast. This is really something different. It's not your typical 'indie rock/pop' person that I interview. Instead it's a singer whose vocal prowess is phenomenal and she's just as beautiful as her voice. Grammy nominated Monheit has just dropped her seventh album and still finds there's a goldmine of songs in the pop/jazz repetoire to sing-- and bring her own tone, "voice", personality to each one of these songs and make them her own.
Produced by the magician producer, Jorge Callandrelli (Celine Dion, Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand and more, Surrender features 10 tracks of fab ballads and sexy and romantic bossa novas. Now you might not recognize all these names but you do know Stevie Wonder and Jane covers Stevie Wonder’s “Overjoyed” in a magical way. She also worked with Sergio Mendes’ on his “So Many Stars,” which he produced, arranged and guests on, along with Johnny Mandel & Paul Francis Webster’s “A Time for Love.” There's so much depth to these songs, that they don't sound like classics but fresh material.
Working with her core of musicians including Ari Ambrose (saxophone), Michael Kanan (piano and Fender Rhodes), Orlando Le Fleming (bass), Rick Montalbano (drums) and Miles Okazaki (guitar), Monheit has shown us that not only can she do the classics, but she can take contemporary material and make it gorgeous as well as venture into Brazilian jazzy bossa nova beats and produce a lush, sexy "meet me in Rio" feel to these amazing songs - and she's very very good at interpreting the romance of the language.
Check out the podcast so that you can learn the who, what, where, why and how about this album as Jane Monheit gives us some time to ask her about her newest "baby" and what she's doing in her life when she's not on the road or in the studio-- and you will be surprised at the things she really loves. Or -- if you already listen to Monheit-- you won't be surprised. She's a multi-faceted, fun-loving person whose enthusiasm for her favorite things should be 'bottled" for it's pop and fizz. Don't forget to check out the track listings-- there are 2 streaming songs!
¡BAJA! COOKING ON THE EDGE By Deborah M. Schneider “the reigning queen of San Diego chefs.” – Bon Appétit
Photographs by Maren Caruso Winner of the 2006 IACP Award for Best Photography for CHOCOLATE OBSESSION
If you have been to Rubios, Baja Fresh or actually been to Baja Mexico, there's nothing like an authentic BAJA style taco. It's a taste that is rarely duplicated here in the US and typically not well-- till now when you have Deb Schneider giving you the step by step hints, tips and ingredients to put together not only the most killer tacos but the most incredible recipes for an amazing BAJA style menu. YUM is all I can say. It made me want to COOK-- and trust me that's no easy feat these day.
She covers categories like:
Street Food
Cooking from the Coast
Nueva Cocina (new kitchen) in the wine country
Foods from farms and gardens (think veggies and closer to home. chicken!)
Sweets and drinks (see the flan recipe below)
Baja basics.
This book includes the secret sauce for those amazing fish tacos, terrific salsa recipes and tons more things that are EASILY prepared.
All I can say is YUMMY!! I love Baja style cooking!
Want a taste test? Here's a pretty easy to do recipe for a cheese-cake like flan that's to die for. Cream Cheese Flan with Orange Sage Honey
Traditional flan is a heavy combination of sweetened condensed milk, eggs, and runny caramel. I much prefer this version, which despite the name is more like a light delicious cheesecake. The finished, chilled flans will pop right out of nonstick muffin pans or a soft silicone mold, or you can bake and serve in 6-ounce porcelain ramekins. Sara Polczynski developed the basic recipe, which I have adapted.
Makes 10 individual flans.
Orange Honey Syrup
1⁄2 cup mesquite honey or other dark honey (see note below)
1 fresh sage leaf
1 large orange
Flan
1 pound cream cheese
7 large eggs
2 cups sweetened condensed milk
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Fresh berries or peaches (optional)
Make the syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the honey and sage. Remove long strips of zest from the orange with a vegetable peeler and add to the honey (reserve the rest of the orange for another use). Place over medium-low heat until warm. Let steep, off the heat, for several hours or overnight. Remove and discard the zest and sage.
Make the flan: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Set 10 (6-ounce) straight-sided soufflé dishes in a roasting pan just large enough to hold them.
In a blender, combine the cream cheese, eggs, condensed milk, milk, and vanilla; process until very smooth. Divide the mixture evenly among the dishes.
Pour hot water into the roasting pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the dishes.
Bake the flans for 40 to 50 minutes, or until they are no longer liquid, feel barely firm in the center, and jiggle only slightly when moved. Remove from the water bath, cool, and chill.
If you wish to turn out the flans, hold a dessert plate firmly over each mold and quickly turn upside down. Drizzle the tops with the honey and garnish with the fruit.
Note: The flan may be baked in one large dish, instead of individually. Increase the baking time to 1 1⁄2 hours. Agave syrup (available at health food stores) may be substituted for the honey. The syrup is agave sap boiled down to a honey-like consistency, with a unique, gently herby flavor.
Recipe from ¡BAJA! COOKING ON THE EDGE By Deborah M. Schneider, photographs by Maren Caruso (Rodale; June 2006).
Looking for some sexy little bag to spark your LBD? How about something to dazzle that top and jeans?
Turn to Jalda for some incredibly amazing bags. She doesn't do just metallics. She has other textures, presentations too-- but these are smokin' for summer and ideal for holiday! Think of the cost per use- it's suddenly pennies!
If you aren't aware of what's cooking on this situation, here's some back story here on the LA Story and you can read the posts below about bloggers being harassed via phone and letter by attorneys for Steve & Barry over the publishing of PUBLICALLY POSTED photos of the Sarah Jessica Parker "not so fashionable savvy" line that Steve & Barry are launching 6/4. What's really interesting about this is that the attorneys are threatening bloggers -- some of whom write multiple blogs and some who work in print as well-- who have a powerful reach out there to fashionistas everywhere.
Check this out. Planet Funk the store in LA and PlanetFunk.com is having a sale. Not just ANY sale mind you, but a sale where the more you buy, the more you save.
Buy one sale item -- get 25% off
Buy THREE sale items-- get 40% off!
NOW that's a deal-- but it's a LIMITED TIME OFFER!!
Can't be combined with any other special offer but it's definitely worth taking some time to surf the site and get some bargains in the process!!
Stay Tuned BOYS and GIRLS.. there are HOT Updates hitting the LA STORY and also CoolPicking.com blogs about the situation with Fashiontribes, Second City Style, TheBudgetFashionista and other bloggers regarding this situation. It's definitely NOT cooling down-- It's hitting the BOILING stage about now
If you are a "shoe addict" (or someone seriously addicted-- "shoe ho"), you are familiar with the brand Stuart Weitzman. Known in the industry as a craftsman and designer of gorgeous shoes that fit well and have cutting edge styles for the fashionista in you, there is always a run on his shoes when a new collection comes out.
Weitzman is known for great style in the entertainment biz because he creates a collection of Oscar worthy shoes every Academy Awards season and it's typically a six to seven figure shoe that is worn by some extremely lucky actress who attends the Oscar ceremonies. The collection is sold for about a month after the Oscars and the "special shoe" goes out on tour. Celebs clamour for Weitzman shoes because 1) they are gorgeous and 2) they are extremely comfortable.
Now you can get styles similar to those worn by celebrities (and in some case are the same styles)! The Stuart Weitzman store is featuring a TRUNK SHOW in Beverly Hills to launch his fall collection.
Sashay Peep Toe Pump in Fire Patent.
This is an opportunity to choose your favorite styles in an extensive range of sizes: 6-12 AAAA, 5-12 AA, 4-12 B and 5-11 C and not have to worry about availability because they are all there.
Circle May 21-23 on your Smartphone Calendar dolls, because the Fall Stuart Weitzman Collection will be in town and get your toes into some gorge shoes for fall.
Times: 10am – 6pm
Location: Stuart Weitzman
437 North Rodeo Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 860-9600
Definitely get there -- and get there early! I am telling you now so that you can block out some serious time for shoe hunting!