Christmas Gifts for the Traveler in Your Life

I LOVE Christmas!  I love shopping around and looking for the perfect gifts for the people I love.

This year, I am obsessing over gifts for the travelers on my list.  My list grew exponentially due to every member of my family obtaining passports to travel to our wedding this past August! Yay!  Here are a few suggestions:

1) WALLPAPER CITY GUIDES

One of the neatest things I've seen recently, is the Wallpaper City Guides.  I first started noticing them a couple of years ago, but I didn't really know much about the company or realize how extensive their collections were. I love the sleek looks of the books and that you can collect them and use them.  They include tons of information on each city and even a map!  And look at how pretty they look all lined up!

I would love to receive the Wallpaper City Guides: Fashion Boxed Set.  It includes the City Guides for London, Milan, Paris, New York and Tokyo.  While I've visited the last two already, there is a strong possibility of me visiting the first two in the coming year and I would love to own the books. They also have boxed sets for Art Fairs, Beaches, and Business, but I was a little disappointed that so many of the books overlap (New York, Tokyo, London, etc.) in several of the box sets.  The boxed sets are under $50 each and I think they would be very appreciated by people who travel and like to research their destinations.

I was also thinking how amazing it would be to surprise someone you love with the book for a place you are taking them in the future!  Or a nice sentimental gift to give someone of the places you've traveled together.  I would love to get my sister a few of the places we've been, but so far Montreal is the only book she would get as they haven't yet added Cancun, or Punta Cana to their evergrowing list.  My brothers and I have been talking about taking a trip to Oktoberfest this coming year, I would love to get them the book for Munich as a memento if we have the chance to go.  You can't beat the price at less than $10 for each book.

2) LUGGAGE TAGS
One of the first things I did when I made Platinum on American Airlines was order a set of personalized luggage tags. Why? Because I hate having to write my information out over and over again.  I think most people who travel frequently would love this.  American Airlines sells each set of two tags for approximately $20.  You can order them for yourself and anyone else based on the elite status of the person whose name will be on the tags.  I am sure all the other airlines have similar programs.

If you aren't into airline tags or you are unsure of the elite status of the recipient, there are non-airline luggage tags that still help travelers spot their bags quickly and avoid confusion at the airport.   These tags by Tepper Jackson Travel Collection are a fun alternative to the boring tags the airlines hand out at the counter, but you will also pay a slightly steeper price for each at nearly $20 each.

3) PASSPORT COVERS

I admit to a small obsession with passport covers.  Adam gave me a beautiful pink leather passport cover two Christmases ago when we were going on our first ever international trip together.  I was horrified when it was stolen last summer in Madrid, but I haven't yet had the heart to replace it.  It's just nice to have a cover that differentiates your passport from other items in your travel bag or from other family members.  For a really posh gift, how about this one from Tiffany & Co. for $100? There is no mistaking the lustruos Tiffany blue and the understated and simple PASSPORT on the cover. 

If I had to choose to give or receive travel based gifts, all of these would be on my list.

I know...Soy una Sangrona...y que?

WHY!?!? Forever 21, WHY!?!?

Ugh! I was browsing through the website at Forever 21 looking for a cute holiday top today.  I like that Forever 21 has cute, one-time wear clothes from time to time and I really like their ultra-cheap costume jewelry, especially around the holidays.

However, today when I logged in looking for holiday wear, I came across these.  I really, truly HATE that Forever 21 is now knocking off the red Christian Louboutin sole!  They didn't even have the decency to make the actual shoes look expensive...they look just like crappy Forever 21 shoes...with a red sole.

 I feel just like Rihanna today.

I am heartbroken, because I loved Forever 21 and I would have stayed.  But Forever 21 went and did something so stupid and now everyone knows.  I would be a fool to go back to Forever 21 now and all my friends would mock me if I tried to justify our relationship.  UGH! WHY!?!WHY!?!WHY!?!

Alas, today, I mourn the end of my relationship with Forever 21.  I don't hate Forever 21, I hate what they did.  I wish them well, I hope they have a great life, but I can't be a part of it anymore.

Jimmy Choo for H&M

I've been debating about the Jimmy Choo for H&M collection for a few months, since it was announced practically...

Now that photos have been leaked, I've made up my mind...I don't want a pair of Jimmy Choo for... shoes.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Jimmy Choo and I love H&M.  I very much look forward to traveling away from Dallas to have an opportunity to buy cute trendy clothes for a fraction of the cost.  But as someone who bought into the Karl Lagerfeld for H&M hype, I know that the quality is not the same.

I know that Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik and Christian Louboutin are a hard, painful sell...I plot each month what it is that I can live without so that I can buy a pretty something...I recognize that my penchant for beautiful things is hard to realize when there are kids or a mortgage to pay.  I thank God that I have a husband who spoils me rotten and lets me buy my pretty things...

So I am painfully aware of the gnawing feeling of wanting something that is just out of reach.  And I think it would be great to buy a pair of Jimmy Choos for $150, but honestly? $150 for faux leather and rubber soles?  If I wait and plan my attack accordingly...I can usually get a pair of real, leather soled, kidskin leather Jimmy Choo of London stilettos for anywhere between $200-350.  Right now I am eyeing these beautiful gold Freya shoes...but I will not stand in line on November 14th for the possibility of buying a pair of Jimmy Choo for H&M.

Ya se...Soy Sangrona...Y Que?

We are Married! Whoo!

Adam is wearing a suit by Calvin Klein; Shirt by Banana Republic and Shoes by Allen Edmonds.

I am wearing a custom bridal gown and Shoes by Manolo Blahnik.

I am wearing a custom bridal gown and Manolo Blahnik Hangisi in Cobalt.

Make Up: A New Obsession?

So my wedding makeup was pretty much a disaster...I didn't have much practice before hand and practically no time to actually do my makeup the day of the wedding.

But since we've come back, I've gone to Sephora and Ulta a few of times and have ended up with makeup I wish I'd had BEFORE the wedding!

I initially went to Ulta looking for a cool makeup trunk for my sister, Kassandra, who was my maid of honor and totally rocked her job!  What I found was the Smashbox Runway Glam Kit that initially sold for $47 on sale for $29, SCORE!  The kit includes Photo Finish foundation primer, eye shadow/cream eyeliner compact complete with brush and mirror, blush duo with travel blush brush (which I LOVE!) and a double sided lip gloss!  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!

Next up, I went to Sephora looking for eyeliner.  My boss has a seventeen-year-old niece that has the most amazing eye make up.  It's crazy, but she finally told me that I need better eyeliner and I need to use highlighter.  While I was at Sephora, I picked up a couple of the Sephora Slim Pencil -Eyeliners (in white and silver).  These feel really great when I put them on and they stay put.

One of my worst shopping habits is that I am a completely weak impulse shopper.  I was going to spend $10 on two eyeliners, but what do you know? There was a line to checkout, which gave me time to look around and see what else I wanted.  I ended up buying Sephora's Favorite "Face Quenchers Moisturizers" Did I really need it? Probably not...but I spent three times the amount of money that I meant to spend.  Congratulations, Sephora! You've discovered my weakness!

Wedding Makeup

When I was in college and immediately after college, I was really into makeup.  By really into makeup, I mean I had a whole hour long routine that included exfoliating on a nearly daily basis, moisturizing, priming, plucking, lining, and blushing my face...I used to carry so much make up in my bag for touching up that there was barely any room for my car keys and credit cards...I would spend hours to try to look like I didn't even try!

Then I quit cold turkey...I went to to the opposite extreme, au natural, if you will.  I still moisturize and pluck and wax...but somedays I don't even but on mascara and lip gloss (which every woman knows is just BASIC!)...

As I prepare for my wedding, I come to the horrible realization that I don't really HAVE a trunk of makeup tricks and being that we are getting married in a remote island...I will have to do my makeup myself!  I want to look just like me, but better...but how?

I currently wear Fresh foundation and most of my makeup is by Fresh as well.  But, my fear is that it will run right onto my pristine white wedding gown in the tropical heat of the Dominican Republic.  I've been toying with mineral makeup, but there are so many options!  Luckily, I have both a Sephora and an Ulta close by and I can go test.

My current favorite and I think top contender right now is Mineral Flawless Face by Laura Mercier.  Sephora sells it as a makeup kit that includes foundation primer, mineral foundation, concealer, concealer brush and setting powder.  I definitely think I want!

As far as colors...I will have to start practicing now to find colors that will pop, but won't make me look too made up.

I know, I know...Soy Sangrona...Y Que?

Whoo! I Did It!

Well, I've been thinking and thinking...and thinking...

I wanted to do something fabulous for Adam's wedding present, because he bought me my gorgeous amazing wedding shoes that I wanted....and I finally figured out what to give him...

I wanted something personal, the way that shoes are for me...that I LOVE the feeling of wearing a beautiful pair of shoes and I love the feeling of searching and finding and having a pair all of my own....but how do I give that feeling to him?

Is it possible to make him love my shoes as much as I love them?

I think I finally figured it out:

I am going to do boudoir photos for him! I am shooting my session with Lynn Michelle next week and I can't wait! I have a ton of outfits picked out, and the one thing that I NEEDED that I still didn't have was my very own pair of Christian Louboutin shoes...

Really... what is sexier than a pair of black patent leather high heels with that red drop dead sexy sole? NOTHING!

I was out and about today and I swear that fate just knocks on my door sometimes...I found this pair of black patent leather peep toe Mary Janes at the Neiman Marcus Last Call center. Of course, they only had one pair left and it was in my size! It's FATE, I tell you!

So I bought them! And I am going to have to hide them...because I just got my Blue Manolo beauties two weeks ago...I can't justify this purchase! I can't...even on sale...I can't!

So here they are: Christian Louboutin Iowa Mary Janes, aren't they beautiful?