The Vampire Diaries Hair Tutorial

I really enjoy TVD, and the style of the characters, so I decided to make a Caroline Forbes hair tutorial.

I love how her hair is so natural, yet perfected.

Sweet Nothing: A great title

When I first heard “Sweet Nothing” with Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch I was mad. I was really, really mad.

Where had my sweet ethereal goddess gone? Where were her echoing trance inducing vocals?

To me this sounded like a sellout. And it was a shame.

“She’s branching out” they say.

“She’s trying new things” they say.

Both of which, are fine and well.

Compare “Sweet Nothing” to “Only For A Night” or “Remain Nameless” and you’ll see how there’s a lot lost in translation between the genre switch and it’s not an easy one, nor was it flawless, and it didn’t bring anything to the table.

Is the song good? Yeah, if you take it for face value. Maybe if the Flo-Queen came up with an alter ego Sasha Fierce that sang over dubstep tracks I could stomach this tune a little better.

But this powerhouse singer with the voice of an angel, well…the collab just doesn’t do anything for her.
But, more you listen to it, the more it grows on you.

It’s good, just…good. A word I’d never normally associate with Florence Welch, it’s a step down from her normal mark of extraordinary.

My Brother's Keeper

Oh my.
Oh my my my.

It seems the writers better make Caroline wrong on the whole "sired" issue.
In the latest episode of TVD Delena fans were greatly rewarded. As a Delena fan myself, I must say, the episode was everything I wanted it to be, and I re-watched the last 7 minutes over five times (no such thing as too much Delena sex).  The chemistry between Ian and Nina is flat out magical. I almost shed a tear.

If anything, this episode confirmed the lastest addition to my Christmas list-

My very own sun ring:

Mine will have an "L"

I can't pretend that I won't feel super cool walking around with this on.

Maybe after I get it i'll be able to stop blogging in the dark and go outside for a change.

For really cool behind the scenes cast photos.....

Follow @ninadobrev   &  Follow @iansomerhalder

St. Louis Fashion Week 2012

To be completely honest, fashion is something that confuses me profoundly. I can't keep up with it to save my life, and I can't predict what's coming next.

That being said, I'm a proud trend follower, and there's nothing I love more than seeing what the latest get up is on Topshop, Nastygal and Forever21.

This week I was thrown into the fashion world when I was invited to St. Louis Fashion Week as press to cover fashion designer, Elise Lammert's story, and I had an absolute blast! She participated in an event called Project:Design! sponsored by ALIVE Magazine and won "People's Choice". It was really exciting, and chaotic. Scroll down for behind the scenes footage!


Being able to run around back stage and in between the black velvet ropes was such a privilege. The show itself was flawlessly put together with killer music and lighting. Just stunning. It was a full house, high heels and fashion buns were at every turn, along with men in dashing blazers and glasses. It had me wishing events like this happened every day. But I guess that would ruin the magic, right?

Behind the scenes of Project:Design!

Dubstep looks good in RED.

Go ahead, pay the $1.29 for Taylor Swift’s latest single “I Knew You Were Trouble."

She's created a new kind of sound, almost like she borrowed 1/3 of the dubstep genre, put the other 2/3's back, and meshed it with her usual light hearted sound we've all grown so accustomed to. The outcome is a grainy "tough-girl" feel during the chorus. Whatever her method, it's a sound that is infinitely better than her last single. But anything sounds better in juxtaposition with that tune.

I’m captivated knowing that both songs have come from the same album, and my interest is peaked, wondering what the rest of it will sound like. This song is another anthem, full of rebellion that will undoubtedly speak to the hearts of  many girls who let themselves fall into the same trap. I'm really ready to see Taylor Swift go bad-ass, maybe this is a hint of what's to come? 

I knew she could do better than her last single, and she has. Now I feel better about pre-ordering the album.

Thank Columbus!

The Lone Ranger.

If the first thing you thought of was Johnny Depp- shame on you.

But really, what does our generation know about it? Probably this- but maybe nothing at all.

That’s all about to change on July 3, 2012 thanks to Disney and Captain Jac- Johnny Depp.

1949-1957 Television Series

Johnny Depp says as a child he wasn’t a fan of the portrayal of  Tonto (the Native American sidekick to the Ranger)  and therefore wanted to undertake the task of reinventing the pop culture portrayal of Native Americans nationwide by representing Tonto as more of a self relying individual.

As predicted, Native Americans are split between accepting the positive publicity of Depp dressing as a Native American, and wanting to criticize him for his inauthenticity.

To ease the tension, somewhere a brilliant publicist probably played a hand in Depp’s appearance in the Comanche Native American parade in Oklahoma last month, although he was named a member last May. This still strikes me as a publicity stunt, even though it was constructed to be a specifically undercover operation.

We’ll mark it as a coy, hence effective strategy.

As I am in a “Survey of Native Writing and Representation” intensive class this semester, all sorts of red flags when went  up when I heard about the remake of this old TV series. I can’t stop myself from thinking about the displacement, disease, death and destruction that Native American’s endured. As if being kicked out of their own land wasn’t enough, now they can’t even represent themselves in today’s pop culture.

Don’t get me wrong -as much as I love to see Johnny Depp  painted and shirtless, the question still remains:

Why can’t a Native American- portray a Native American?

Check out the newly released trailer here.

And as with any Johnny Depp movie, I love to play the "How Long Before You Spot Helena Bonham Carter" game.

Hint: Not long, not long at all.

My first Podcast ever!

Join me and Alex in discussing what we liked and didn't like in the Season Two premiere of ABC's hit series Once Upon A Time!

One pirate you wouldn't mind being captured by

If there’s one remake that will never grow old, it’s that of the tale of Peter Pan. With each adaption, i'm returned to the wondrous days of my childhood, anxiously waiting in a nightgown at my bedroom window for Pan and Tink to whisk me away to Never Never Land in hopes of endless youth and adventure.

Although, with the introduction of the most anticipated character on ABC's Once Upon A Time, this show would gladly have me trade in my night gown for a ­­­­­lace and mesh corset  and wait for Captain Hook to bust through my window instead, and here’s why.

Colin O’Donoghue as Hook

Irish actor Colin O’Donoghue who has been cast as The Captain will be joining the Once Upon A Time crew, (literally), on October 21 in the episode “The Crocodile”. Even better, he’s supposed to be a re-occurring role. He’s described as a “never-back-down” pirate who won’t stop until his enemies are defeated. In this first appearance we’ll learn about his origin, before he becomes the fearsome pirate we all think we know.  

Are you hooked yet?

When princess, detectives and superheroes collide

The CW entered my life in 2001 with Smallville, the adventures of boy wonder. Instantly I became hooked on Superboy and all of his adventures and romance, especially that of Lana Lang (actress Kristin Kreuk), his first love (sorry Lois Lane). The show consumed me, and when it ended 11 years and 10 seasons later it, very reasonably so, left a void in my heart. For that reason, I couldn’t have been happier to see a familiar and dearly beloved face appear in a preview for the new CW series Beauty & The Beast. It was none other than that of the beautiful Kristin Kreuk! 

It may be called Beauty & The Beast but it’s not another princess fairy tale, (leave that to Once Upon A Time). The story focuses on Kreuk’s character, Cat Chandler who is a homicide detective that was saved from a gunman attack by The Beast years, ago. Unfortunately, the gunman managed to kill her mother, and since then, the Beast has been watching over her in the shadows.

I’m personally anticipating the premiere of the show Oct 11, and hoping that all the other diehard Smallville fans will tune in to support Kreuk to see how she’s developed and changed since her days on the farm. 

I couldn’t think of a more timeless beauty, to portray a tale not so old as time.

Beauty & The Beast makes its debut on The CW Oct 11 at 8 p.m. 

Follow Kristin Kreuk on Twitter 

Monster-nista!

It’s probably been around 17 years since you’ve caught up with your childhood pal Elmo or taken a stroll down Sesame Street, but Laura Brown from Harper's BAZAAR brings us all up to speed, and from the looks of it- Elmo’s World is where it’s at.

Who would have guessed that three year old Elmo would be rocking more high fashion than the masses? In this interview, Elmo and his high-pitched giggle takes us on a journey through his eclectic closet of couture.

In his closet he has everything from suits to trapeze outfits for those days when he has to walk a tight rope on a moments notice. With his Western wear, detective coat and clown nose, complete with Prada-esque  Spring 2012 gold wing sneakers, he really does have an outfit for every occasion.

Elmo is fierce, and as he says in the beginning “Bow down!”

Watch Elmo learn words like “Signature”, “Brand”, and even a bit of French here

It's been while since i've stopped on Sesame Street myself.

Photo Credit to my Mother

I plan to go back soon though, because from the looks of it Elmo has been getting some pretty good deals down there.

Gaga: FAME

It seems Lady Gaga has joined the ranks of all the rest of the "celebrity perfume campaigns". From Queen B to Katy Perry, Jessica Simpson, Justin Bieber and Avril Lavigne they all have one thing in common, the fact that they smell... pretty bad. So upon hearing about the release of Gaga's fragrance, I instantly wrote off investigating whether or not it smells pleasant because odds are, it probably doesn't.

After Beyonce let me down with her third perfume release, I decided to give up on celebrity fragrances and just stick with Chanel. Simple. Easy. Classy.

However, after seeing my great friend, (and Sephora beauty connoisseur) Lauren's instagram post on Facebook with the new fragrance, I had to get her expert opinion on where she stood in the matter.


Here's what she had to say:

Seduction, sweetness, and a black poision is how you could describe Gaga's new perfume. When you first smell the vile of black fluid it immediately brings you into a sexual aura. 
Perfect use for date night, chilling with friends, or just as your signature scent, this perfume is meant for the inner monster.














Short. Simple. Sweet.
There you have it.

For glam, beauty tips and inside knowledge being a Sephora Beauty Pro, follow Lauren Roytman on Twitter

Working At The Pyramids

Since I heard the seductive song "Pyramids" by Frank Ocean, i've been anticipating the release of the video. I know i'm not alone in saying that I wanted to see some sexy footage of Frank Ocean with (insert model here). Anyone really. Girl, boy, it didn't matter to me. I was looking to see something sultry and well...just downright tantalizing.

A Still Capture from "Pyramids"

Now, all that aside, the aesthetic of the video itself is alluring. I'd even go as far as saying that it's hypnotizing. Frank's production team always manages to entice the viewer by playing with trippy special effects and artfully incorporating slow motion.

See for yourself here, is it what you were expecting?

My Indulgence

His name is Conor Maynard.
Already, the name underwhelms.

He doesn't have the best looks (although production tries), and he has a really awkward stage presence.
So that's a lot to look past, but here's why I bother with him-

This kid can sing.
He can sing well enough to make up for the looks and dancing on the 1/3 beat when it should really be 2/4, and thats saying something.
He's already taken girls hearts by the millions in the UK.

If you've been missing some J-Timbs and you're just plain tired of the Biebs look no further. Conor Maynard is like a hybrid mix of The Weekend, Frank Ocean, Usher, and Justin Timberlake all rolled into this package:

Yep, this guy here.

He got his start in what seems to be the standard way now, off youtube, where he tackles songs like Drake's Marvin's Room, Crew Love, and Nicki Minaj's Starships.  You have to be in the mood to bring it down slow with these ones. I missed the youtube phase and was brought up to speed thanks to the iTunes Music Festival.


Frank Ocean has written a song for him called Pictures, and Midi-Mafia produced it.

Everyone listed wants to work with him:
Jermaine Dupri (Usher, Mariah Carey), Kevin Rudolf (Jay Sean, Lil’ Wayne), Sandy Vee (Rihanna, Pitbull), Crada (Drake, Kid Cudi), and songwriter Diane Warren, British production trio The Invisible Men (Jessie J, DJ Fresh) 
So by all means, give him a chance.

His debut album Contrast has only been released in the UK, but can be pre-ordered now.

It will be available October 16th, but if you want to listen to a few songs beforehand, I suggest Turn Around  which is more up-beat and has a Chris Brown feel to it.

While you're at it, you should try this too.

Follow him on Twitter
Give him the thumbs up on Facebook 

He absolutely kills it. 

Alright, so i've been holding out on you.

I can't believe this just didn't occur to me sooner. This must have item is too good not to share, (although, I thought about not sharing because I wanted to keep all the knowledge for myself). But nothing good is said about a blogger who doesn't.... blog?

So, here you go.

Deux Lux.

These fine line of purses are so elegantly crafted, they put a glamorous spin on the edgy "spiked" trend.
The trick with these bags, is that they are so versatile. The clutch for example, will dress up any outfit, whereas its similar counterpart gives a more casual spin to things.
And for those low maintenance nights when you don't even want to carry a purse or a clutch, you needn't worry. Your wallet can still make a statement.

All of these lovely things aside, the quality for the price is absolutely exceptional.

I wouldn't mind rocking their spiked bags in every style and color.
You on the other hand, should take a look through their entire website. It will not disappoint.

Be sure to like them on facebook, follow them on instagram (it's actually worth it) and watch out for their tweets in hopes that they open a store near you.

Empire Strikes Back Clutch

My deux lux clutch

Gossip Girl: Who Still Cares?

If you've managed to hang on for this long- you do.

If you’re anything like me, you remember anticipating new episodes of GG Sophomore year of high school every Tuesday after badminton practice, or if you missed the episode, waking up Wednesday morning before school started (so that’d be around 6:15 am….never again) to catch the episode so hearing about what happened at school wouldn’t ruin it for you.

If you’re really a die hard fan, you’d remember hearing the speculative rumors in 8^th grade that Gossip Girl was being turned into a series. Since then we’ve had a constant look into the lives of the Upper East Side for about seven years, and now it is coming to an end with the Series Finale.

We have some Chair (Chuck and Blair)  action, and some Dair (Dan and Blair) action thrown in there along with the usual Georgina Sparks causing even more trouble. Just because Blake Lively is a married woman now doesn’t mean that the final season of Gossip Girl will be any less sexy. You can see for yourself, the new promo featured on Perez Hilton's website promises not to disappoint.

On set for the final season

Warning: XX Content

The xx of course...

They've been described as an indie pop band, but to all you "hipster" haters who think you're just too cool- don't let the word indie drive you off.
This band is sultry, mellow and chill. With all that said, they still manage to make a sick driving beat with deep bass. I first came across them through Florence Welch with their remix of her popular song You Got The Love. The xx managed to attach their signature low-frequency beat and vocals to the song to make it entirely their own. Take a listen, and if you like that, here's the live version in which Florence actually makes an on stage appearance. She stuns, as usual.



The xx is comprised of:

• Jamie Smith (known as Jamie xx), an English music producer and remix artist

• Romy Madley Croft, vocals and lead guitarist

• Oliver Slim, vocals and bass guitar

I can not rave about them enough, I became completely and almost unwillingly hooked on their sound. I didn't think I had it in me, and discovered something new about the kinds of sounds that are floating around out there in the world. If you need to de-stress, or do homework this is absolutely the way to go. Perfect way to start off the week. 

Their new album Coexist debuts tomorrow, September 11th. Though, you can give it a listen today on their website for free, and pre-order it on iTunes.

Headphones in for these guys. You really need to feel it, to hear it.

Our Favorite Upper East Sider Is Married

Whoa.

Am I the only one who feels blindsided by this? The beautiful Blake Lively is now married to Green Lantern co-star Ryan Reynolds. It was common knowledge that they've been dating for quite some time now, I wasn't sure how serious they were though...

Looks like I know now.
Congrats to the new couple!

Je te présente, Willy Cartier

Now that i've got your attention-

Let me make it clear when I say there is nothing I would rather be doing now at 10:00 pm than introducing you to Willy Cartier. I'll save you the googling right now and tell you that he's French, Vietnamese and Senegalese. Grew up in Paris, and often frequents NYC. Signed with Success Models in Paris, Request Model Management in New York and Why Not Model Management in Milan, he may look familiar to you from Givenchy's ad campaign:

Modeling is just the beginning with Willy.

He is also an actor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1Y7OOB9chI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgYdDIzWXqE

And has appeared in two videos of popular French singer Shy'M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2f2c0J5BBM

Good looks, six foot frame and gorgeous hair aside, he's managed to keep my interest this long due to  his carefree personality which can be seen in all the "behind the scenes" footage he's ever been apart of.

Willy giving me a shout out on his twitter for re-creating his photoshoot

Join the fan club and follow him on twitter and instagram for all the behind the scenes action of a runway model/actor/dancer.

Unoriginal, but new

Seriously though, is anything really original anymore?

I'd have to say no. But that doesn't stop this platinum blond mohawk from looking fabulous on both Pink and Miley Cyrus in light of her new style evolution.

So was I at all surprised when they showed up to the VMA's with similar hairstyles? 

Again, i'd have to say not at all.

They both "werk" it in completely different ways. Miley in her dark dress with a plunging neck line, and Pink in her olive gown.

I do expect to see Miley on the Nasty Gal website sometime soon, though.

What she can't do: Yell at people in Latin

So by now we should have all removed Emma Watson from her wizarding days at Hogwarts, patiently waiting to see her sultry side that Hermoine Granger so desperately lacked. We saw it a bit in My Week With Marilyn but let's be honest- that wasn't enough. Well, it didn't satisfy me at least.

In this month's Glamour, Emma talks about lots of things we already know (hair, boys, school, etc.), but don't mind hearing again because it is Emma, after all. This issue of Glamour that hits news stands September 11th, attempts to satisfy our need for some sexy Emma while we continue to wait in anticipation of The Perks of Being a Wallflower which premiers September 20th and The Bling Ring that will come to theaters some time in 2013.

This is not like, Taylor Swift's best song...like, ever.

Taylor Swift.

She's been through so much in the public eye but has always managed to show the public just what she's made of and how she feels. That's why we love her. I can say that personally, her album Speak Now has cradled me to sleep during many a restless night as I myself was getting over this heart ache here, and that heart ache there. We can all agree that singing songs of revenge and gut wrenching pain had never felt so good than when you're singing to a Taylor Swift song.

Then what is it about her new single, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" that just seems so...childish?

My favorite Celebrity Blogger Perez Hilton said otherwise, saying "It's one of her best to date!".
I on the other hand, do not see at all how it could even make her top 12 best songs. Perhaps it's the lyrical inferiority as compared with songs like "Back To December", "Dear John" from her previous album Speak Now and "Innocent"referring to the Kanye West incident (You remember that....right?) No need to go into any detail with that one. I had expected more from her brilliant mind, and you can say that I was a little let down, when I was met with "We are never ever, ever, getting back together".

When all is said and done, I'm still a ride or die T-Swizzle fan (how can you not be?) and this momentary lapse in tune and song which distressed me so, will be indefinitely overlooked when her new album RED makes its debut on October 22nd. I'll be one of the first to buy it, the first to sing it, and cry with it.

Follow Miss Taylor Swift on Twitter

If you don't know about Ed Sheeran, you really should.

And here's why. If you are amazed that a performer sounds the same on record as they do live, you haven't heard enough good artists. There is music out there that you can relate to lyrically, and it won't be found on the radio.

There is more than :
Girl look at that body
Girl look at that body
Girl look at that body
I work out

Which actually surprised me.

Ed Sheeran is a gem that you will want to keep all to yourself.
Sadly, he already has over 2K followers on Twitter

His lyrics touch anyone who has ever been in love, and lost love. They recreate the joy and sorrow that you've felt personally. He lets you into his life in such a personal way, his lyrics will stun your heart into silence.
And what's even better is that it's just him and his guitar, that create flawless performances every time.

Watch him do it all himself, here.

His album "+" is in stores now.

1920's

It was recently my birthday. I turned 20, so what better way to celebrate than theme my party "The Great Gatsby"