monday manifesto: seventh cloud studio holiday hot list BONANZA!!!

i'm more than psyched to share with you holiday hot list number 2, and just in time for the biggest shopping weekend of the year, the time when it becomes most difficult to discern between a good bargain and a good gift.

i'm here to bring you both.

ripple necklace, $48.00

courtney d. williams, the brilliant and talented sister of one of my favorite people in the universe (kacie williams, i'm shouting out to you), has an etsy shop that is. to. die. it's called seventh cloud studio, her colors and textures are absolutely delicious, and every. single. piece. is completely one-of-a-kind. as in, this gift can never be replicated, which is just about the most perfect possible way to give a gift.

all that AND courtney is generously offering all of you a fantastic and fabulous free gift with any purchase made from now through new year's day! gaaahhhh!! who doesn't love free stuff? free handmade, gorgeous, fabulous stuff??!! just put the word "BLOG" in the "notes to seller" section, and the free gift is ALL YOURS! you know what's pretty much the more than most perfect way possible to give a gift? when you get one for yourself with it!

now you may be wondering what to do with all of this overwhelmingly awesome information. well my friends, have i ever let you down? allow me to give you a brief tour of a few spectacular pieces that, to be honest, you'd all better hurry up and beat me to buying because as i said before--they're one-of-a-kind, and when they're got, they're gone.


good as gold necklace, $59.99

 i LOVE this necklace. is everyone paying attention? everyone who may or may not be planning to buy their favorite friendly fashionista a holiday surprise? I LOVE THIS NECKLACE! first of all, the price is ridiculously good. i live near rockport, massachusetts, by all the artisans who craft necklaces that are both very similar and very less reasonably priced. sorry rockport, love you mean it, but it's not me, it's you, and i'm moving on.

loves me necklace, $78.00

now, this is really taking a lot for me to post because of how much i am obsessed with it. first of all, how gorgeous is that model? that would be my fabulous friend kacie, sister of the designer! but, i digress. the asymmetry of this piece is dead-on-trend, particularly the cluster of flowers that i love the idea of placing at a bit of an off-kilter angle (i might even exaggerate it even more than in the picture). this is statement jewelry whose statement is quite plainly "hello GORGEOUS!" simply and utterly stunning.

UPDATE!!!

unfortunately, i couldn't tear my eyes away from the loves me necklace--so instead, i tore into my wallet and bought it myself!!!!

but, don't fear--check out the amazing statement piece below!

on the fringe necklace, $139.00

this is a gorgeous waterfall statement necklace that combines the exact right proportion of beads to length of chain. grab it before someone like me comes along, again!!!!



black and tan beer bands, $22.00/6-pack

how freaking cool is this idea?

let me tell you a little story about our friendly fashionista. my twenty-first birthday, i had a bottle of corona in one hand, and another bottle that was shaped like corona in the other hand, but definitely didn't have corona in it. guess which one i took a big swig from and promptly spat the contents out all over the poor friend who happened to be closest to me at the time?

if only i'd had a black and tan beer band! plus, look how pretty! and let's be honest--those little jangly wine things are kinda cool but they also kinda remind me of ladies-who-lunch-and-annoy-me. these are just plain cool.

how great is it that we can get shopping out of the way before black friday, but still get a black friday deal? HUGE thank you to courtney for her generosity and, of course, amazing talent as a jewelry designer. keep in mind that this offer is good all the way through new year's day, but those pieces are gonna be snapped up quicker than you can say "beer band," so everybody get shopping! and don't forget--put "BLOG" in the notes to seller for your spectacular surprise gift with purchase!

saturday special: an exceptionally difficult decision

kelsi dagger rosabella or penny loves kenny victorious II?

wordless wednesday: carey mulligan

photograph by Peter Lindbergh, featured in the october 2010 issue of vogue

homegirl is flippin' fabulous. LOVE her. 



tuesday shoeday: manolo blahnik lace-up cutout boot

the things i would do to own these border on obscene. 

speaking of shameless, let me know if you have a product you think i might like to feature in upcoming holiday hotlists! sunday's was so fun, i thought i'd do several more, on different topics, as we head into the season of giving (and listing). if you have a product, suggestion, or any old thing you'd like to see here, please let me know by emailing thefriendlyfashionista@gmail.com.

something for sunday: my holiday hotlist, beauty edition

there are many stores into which it is a bad idea to send me. sephora is quite possibly the worst of them.

on saturday, during one of two amazingly fun style consultations i had scheduled, i walked into sephora, innocently thinking i could take a moment to glance at a product i'd seen in the recent catalogue that might interest my client. after five full, silent minutes of standing in front of the nars display, mouth agape, eyes glazed, i decided it would behoove us both if we made a quick exit; after purchasing a multiple orgasm, that is.

in the spirit of the holiday season, a time when it's most fun to have shimmery eyes, glowing skin, and full, red lips, a time when you never know what size your cousin's girlfriend is and beauty products are a phenomenally underrated gift idea, a time when some of you out there might be wondering just what to get for your favorite friendly fashionista, i share with you my holiday hotlist, the beauty edition. the majority of this list is luxurious but basic products on which perhaps a woman wouldn't want to splurge for herself, but are almost universally flattering and useful (with a few fun, funky, fabulously unique items sprinkled in, of course).

NARS the multiple in "orgasm"

even the fringes of the cult of beauty know about nars orgasm, the impossibly perfect blush that puts just the right flush on the cheek of just about any skin tone imaginable. this longtime favorite has won allure's best of beauty something crazy like 11 years running, and nars has turned it into just about everything imaginable - lipgloss, nail polish, illuminator - but the multiple, a creamy stick that can be used for lips, cheeks, eyes, even, ahem, other body parts, is surely the cream of the crop. i mean, they don't call it a multiple orgasm for nothin'.

lancome eclat miracle illuminator

i don't know why, but i am obsessed with this new product. lancome's eclat miracle is a beautiful illuminating serum that is so simple and luxurious to use that it is an absolute no-brainer if you're looking to pamper someone with a truly stellar beauty product. just blend a couple of tiny drops with your foundation and voila! instant glow-from-within-like-you-might-be-in-love-or-just-got-laid. if you really wanna make someone's day by way of lancome, add the l'absolu rouge lipstick in absolute rouge. it's a universally flattering red that's 100% holidays and not in the least bit ho-ho-ho.

tarte cheek stain in "flush"

this gel blush is raspberry scented, water-based, alcohol-free, has sephora's natural seal, improves your skin quality, and makes you look exactly like you just came in from the cold and would love a cup of hot cocoa. i can't really think of anything more convincing to say about it.

guerlain rouge G de guerlain jeweled compact
in gala 21 (true red)

guerlain is luxurious. the jeweled compact with built-in mirror is decadent. and the shade gala 21 is universally flattering. it is the perfect way to pamper your pucker.

and now, for the trendsetter in your life, a few ideas that are a bit more on the daring side...

stila color wheel eyeshadow palette

this holiday edition featuring a rainbow of shades for day, night, or anytime in between is a likely number one on my personal want list. this is the kind of thing that you can't much carry around with you,  but could not be more perfect for girls' nights getting ready to go out.

sephora give me some lip deluxe sampler

i. LOVE. this. idea.

i'm forever thinking i've found the PERFECT lip gloss, until i find the next one...and the next one...and the next one. with this gorgeous set, not only do you pretty much never have to buy lip gloss again for at least 6 months, you can try them all back-to-back, so you will know for sure, with recent memory in tact, which is actually, truly, perfectly perfect.

so, i have given you ideas and gifts and goals; go forth and purchase for everyone in your life who deserves a little pampering, a lot of love, and doesn't need another shopping trip because the oddly-fitting chunky sweater you bought in basic black is just not cutting the mustard.

wordless wednesday: i'm all hot and bothered...

over menswear and heavy eyebrows. i find that often i'll have a very visceral "NO" reaction to a thing, and then end up wanting to make sweet love to it later. i won't even begin to psychologize that.



i have fallen in hard and fast love with this amaaaazing sportmax wool coat, shown on the ridiculously hot emma stone in last month's instyle. can i get in there with her and take both home?

tuesday shoeday: diego dolcini for all mankind

diego dolcini is uh-mazing. his colors, his shapes, his media... i plotz.

this python cut-out shoe is available at luisaviaroma.com. shoes seen below are available via the links provided. the ayers art deco slingback is currently sold out. :o(

i couldn't pick just one.

...or two.