Lipstick & Loveliness

Eternal beauty. Sophia Loren was one of those iconic women of our time that just exuded beauty from her very core. I happen to love shots of women putting on lipstick, hers as no exception, and for some reason I think it feels old fashioned and lady like. I am definitely a lip stick woman, give me my matte Garnet Laura Mercier anyday over the glossy hair-magnet counterpart.

{merci WeHeartIt!}

Find your inner Sophia Loren today darlings!

Street Scene

NYC is one of the most edgy happening places to live for fashion. Walking down the street you pass fashionistas and indies, rockers and Upper East Siders...everyone with their individual style that you envy just from the sheer confidence in how they own the street.

I couldn't tear my eye away from this guy, his style is so much fun.

Good to the Last NY Drop

Amongst the craziness that is Settling into NYC, I have squeezed in my fair share of coffee drinking. I am trying to mentally bookmark the places that ate not Starbucks for a nice change of pace. Yes I love Starbucks, but I kind've love unique locally owned cafes more. Pourquoi pas mes cheries...


While in The Village last weekend a huge cold wind flew by and instantly left me yearning for a good frothy brew. Imagine my joy when I literally look up to find this hidden gem?!

The Roasting Plant Company is a quaint little getaway, literally lined wall to wall with a selection of NYC inspired beans. You select one and they grind and brew the beans fresh to order. There is even a nifty grinder working in the window!

Be sure to head down to

11th Street and Greenwich Ave for your own cup

of Central Park Brew today!

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Live. Work. Create.

New York City is definitely the city that never sleeps, and I have been right there with it these last couple weeks. I was running around town all weekend for paint and other decoration supplies for my room...and it is finally starting to come together! I will have to give you all a Before & After of my snazzy apartment once it is complete!

While grabbing paint from Home Depot in Chelsea I walked past a boutique with this on its outside wall. These words are so inspiring and definitely what I live by.

What words do you live by my darlings?

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NYC Digs: Brunch-tastic!

My first couple weeks in NYC were a wonderful introduction into the city. Working hard and playing harder. There is always something new and exciting to check out here, whether you are a local or a tourist you will always find a plethora of options to choose from. And hopefully you have great friends and a camera to accompany you to all the fun! I want to introduce a new series for The Embellished Life that I hope will quickly become a cult favorite! NYC Digs! Spotlighting great places to work, play, relax, eat and generally be merry while in The Big Apple. When I visited New York, before I lived here, I was always searching for options outside of The Zagat guide and Tourism Books to explore, but sometimes that is hard to find unless you start talking to locals on the streets. I'm hoping I can open your eyes to a fun and exciting world for you to explore inside this Concrete Jungle.

New York City is truly a city that can sweep you away with excitement, but on Sundays the whole city seems to honor one very important tradition...Brunch! Whether you are up for its kickoff at about 10 am or you sleep in until 5 pm or later (Yes, restaurants will still be serving Brunch that late), NYC brunch is like none other and something everyone should experience at least once...if not regularly.

{guestofaguest.com}

For my girlfriends birthday we headed to SoHo for a very fabulous Brunch at The Cupping Room Cafe...and I must say....they know how to do brunch! Starting with mimosa's and ending with a cake for my friends, complete with candle, we left happily fulfilled by our Brunch outing.

{Thanks Cupping Room!}

For those with a savory palate, I recommend going for the Eggs Benedict. I snagged a taste off my friends plate and it was stellar, perfect amount of Hollandaise Sauce and the best side fixin's.

And for those of you, like me, that live life in the sweet lane...Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes! Pancakes are my all time favorite food..pumpkin, chocolate chip, banana nut, I love them all. These were excellent and I loved the whole wheat option!

The Cupping Room Cafe managed to create a homey cafe feel while calling the Big City home.

It is a place we will definitely be returning to!

How do you Brunch my darlings?

Wrap up Darlings!

Beautiful Fall weather has been keeping me happy lately and I am so excited to dive back into my boots and layers. I'm currently on the search for some brown Over the Knee boots like these fabulous Report Boots! Les cuissardes are just fabulous and I personally can't get enough of them. Many of the NYC women strut around in a wonderful array of great boots a la beret and cute pashmina, and it makes me so happy.

But rather than your typical pashmina, why not dress up your neck with something handmade and shabby chic. I found this wonderful scarf on Etsy and fell in love. Deniz's shop has a nice variety of colors in this crochet wonder...get one and feel fierce darlings!

{Thanks Deniz}

What is your must have Fall accessory?

Catwalks of Spring 2011: Guest Blogger Series

The settling into my Big City dream is almost complete my darlings and I thank you with a thousands XOs for having patience and providing support while I've ventured down this rocky path full of obstacles to accomplish my goals. With only a few boxes left to unpack in my new apartment and a growing list of things to buy to make it feel like "home" I have started to really enjoy it here. Not that I didn't before, but its kind of hard to love a city fully when you are worried about being homeless...but I digress. I still need to set up the TV and internet in my pad and there will be plenty of decorating to do which I'm hoping to bring you all along with me for the excitement!

In the meantime, I'm sure you've been desparate to get the scoop on last month's Spring 2011 NY Fashion Week and Meaghan of WIT & Whimsy has just that for you! Enjoy the views of the catwalks mes cheries!

While we get into Fall and I begin to secretly await the days where I can wrap myself in thick and cozy Theory sweaters and fun, inexpensive pieces recently picked up at H&M, I'm still already beginning to craft styles in my head for Spring.

At Fashion Week, I have to admit my favorite part is seeing certain trends come to the surface. Here's what I saw for Spring 2011...get excited! (And see all my NYFW Spring 2011 posts here!)

Hats are back:

in a big way (literally and figuratively)

Tracy Reese

Marc Jacobs

70s Retro Vibe:

ADAM

Cynthia Steffe

Rebecca Taylor

The little white dress:

See my whole post on my favorites from the runways here.

Nanette Lepore

Sheer and flowy:

As Joe Zee put it, girls, we best get to the gym!

Erin Fetherston

Vera Wang

Alexander Wang

Nanette Lepore

Matte Lips:

NARS Pure Matte Lipstick at 3.1 Phillip Lim

Matte lips (in shockingly bright pink) at Diane Von Furstenberg

Be sure to Follow Meaghan Donovan with w&w on Twitter!