Lady GuyGa

Lady Gaga graces the cover of Vogue Hommes Japan in drag as her male persona, 'Jo Calderone' (Joanne is Gaga's middle name). The shoot was styled by Gaga's stylist, Nicola Formichetti and photographed by Nick Knight.

Vogue writer Jo-Ann Furniss asks 'Jo',

"What is your relationship with Lady Gaga?", to which Jo answers,

"I met her at a shoot Nick Knight was doing. She’s fuckin beautiful, and funny, and interesting. I was a little nervous for Nick to start shooting. She said, “Don’t be baby, you were “born this way.” I took her out after. The rest is private".

Oooh so mysterious! I love Gaga and I'd love to watch her have sex with her alter ego Jo!! Is that weird?

For everything Gaga click here. Boys. Boys. Boys... We like boys in car-arss... Boys. Boys. Boys.. buys us drinks in bar-arss..

The Help

Kathryn Stockett's 'The Help' is a book that I highly recommend. Like, must read NOW if you haven't already.

It's the kind of book that will make you laugh, make you cry, and won't want to put down at night.

Set in 1960's Jackson, Mississippi at the height of the Civil Rights movement, Stockett tells the tale of three vastly different women: two black maids and one young privileged white woman. Their heart filled stories unfold in the rich backdrop that is the 60's segregated south. Her writing is so beautiful, you can feel the breeze in the summer heat and taste the sweet plantation air.

Marian Keyes said of the novel, "Daring, vitally important and deftly handled, I loved and admired 'The Help'. It's very courageous VERY courageous. Fantastic."

I couldn't agree more. And there is nothing like getting hooked into a great book that you don't want to put down and don't want to end. 'The Help' is so good it is already being adapted to a movie produced by Dreamworks. This was Stockett's first novel, and I eagerly await what she writes next!

An excerpt:

"The first time I was ever called ugly, I was thirteen. It was a rich friend of my brother Carlton's over to shoot guns in the field.
'Why you crying, girl?' Constantine asked me in the kitchen.
I told her what the boy had called me, tears streaming down my face.
'Well? Is you?'
I blinked, paused my crying. 'Is I what?'
'Now you look a here, Egenia' - because Constantine was the only one who'd occasionally follow Mama's rule. 'Ugly live up on the inside. Ugly be a hurtful, mean person. Is you one a them peoples?'
'I don't know. I don't think so,' I sobbed.
Constantine sat down next to me, at the kitchen table. I heard the cracking of her swollen joints. She pressed her thumb hard in the palm of my hand, somthing we both knew meant Listen. Listen to me.
'Ever morning, until you dead in the ground, you gone have to make this decision.' Constantine was so close, I could see the blackness of her gums. 'You gone have to ask yourself, Am I gone believe what them fools say about me today?'
She kept her thumb pressed hard in my hand. I nodded that I understood. I was just smart enough to realize she meant white people. And even though I still felt miserable, and knew that I was, most likely, ugly, it was the first time she ever talked to me like I was something besides my mother's white child. All my life I'd been told what to believe about politics, coloreds, being a girl. But with Constantine's thumb pressed in my hand, I realized I actually had a choice in what I could believe."

Khaki Nails by Chanel

Chanel will debut this trio of neutral polishes at Fashion's Night Out, a fashion event that supports charitable causes put on by Vogue, CFDA, NY & Co, and Mayor Bloomberg on September 10th.

Les Khakis de Chanel nail polish collection will be available at Chanel.com and at select departments stores for $25 a pop. LOVES IT!

Diamonds Are Forever

Everyone knows that diamonds are a girl's best friend... but how about a diamond shaped light bulb? I like!

28 year old Swedish designer, Eric Therner created Diamond Lights after tiring of regular round bulbs. The designers says, "I'd like to think of Diamond Lights as a sculpture with a function... to me diamonds are surrounded by a mystic, romantic feeling that I like."

We agree! What a 'bright idea'!

Come Closer My Pretty

MAC collabos get me so excited!

Especially this one, The Venemous Villians Collection, due in stores mid-September. Disney's top villains will cover lipsticks, glosses, blush compacts and nail polish.

With lipstick colors like 'Innocence Beware' (light shimmer pink) and 'Toxic Tale' (bright coral), and a peach blush called 'Bite of an Apple', I think my cosmetic prayers may have just been answered!

Villains include: Cruela DeVil from 101 Dalmations, Evil Queen from Snow White, Malificent from Sleeping Beauty, and Dr. Facilier from The Princess and The Frog.

Now if only they did Disney PRINCESSES would I think I've died and gone to heaven!

Battlestar Galactica

Christopher Kane's Restort 2011 collection is out of this world. Literally.

The collection of printed dresses and palazzo pants depict images of outer space nebulae and hydrogen storms taken by the Hubble telescope. Maribou trimmed heels in (Once Upon A Shine colors) seafoam green and bubblegum pink complete the look, making the collection more playful than expected.

J'adore.

Puss In Boots

Boots for all

Boots for fall

I love boots.

That's a haiku I wrote that celebrate these fabulous finds (and yes, I know it's not REAL haiku format).

Tory Burch 'Halima' suede lace-up bootie, $450 at Tory Burch

Chestnut suede 'Restricted Marine' boots, $99.50 at Delia's

Aldo 'Prettner' knee high leather riding boots, $160 at Aldo

Alexander McQueen buckled leather and shearling boots, $1,695 at Net-a-Porter

Chloe wool-lined leather boots, $1,195 at Net-a-Porter

I'll Do The Fun Things First

"Procrastination is like a credit card.. It's a lot of fun until you get the bill"

- Christopher Parker

Smitten Kitten

Now this is the cat's meow!

Paul & Joe's fall cosmetics collection includes these limited edition cat shaped lipsticks!

Inspired by the designers favorite animal, these lipsticks give a whole new meaning to the 'cat lady'.

They are so precious, I'm not sure that I'd even want to use the lipstick for fear of dissolving that precious face!

Available for $25 each here.

Cute Overload

The post about Hello Kitty Kitty, inspired me to share with you another adorable pic...

BunBuns in a convertible!!! And not just any convertible! A hot pink Corvette... thooo stylish!

If you know me, you know that I am a HUGE animal lover. I am also a vegetarian for this reason (and invite you to join me!)

I really miss my BunBuns. I had a pet bunny for 7 years. His name was Slim Shady and he died just recently. I miss him so much. Slim Shady the BunBuns is a story I must share later.

Anyhow, I am obsessed with a website called CuteOverload. It's where I found the bunbuns pic! It's a website devoted to cute animals. An online necessity for a bad day, break up, PMS, or just a break from your cubicle. It will put a smile on your face.

Okay, I am totally the driver. And next to me is my seester and boyfriend in the back holding on for dear life.

Hello Kitty Kitty

hee hee. I want!!!!

Color Me Crazy

So last Saturday, I gave my boyfriend two choices: see 'Eat Pray Love' or come with me to Color Me Mine to paint something.

He chose the latter. A great relationship is about compromise, and there are many times where I find myself playing Xbox and eating Papa John's pizza or 'watching sports' (aka being on my blackberry) anyyyway...

Put two creative perfectionists in a room together with ceramics.. oh boy! We were there for six hours!!! Okay, that may be a bit of an exaggeration but we were there for at least four.

I wanted to make a popcorn bowl, since popcorn is a major food group in my diet, and the bf decided to make a cigar ashtray, who came prepared and brought a Cohiba cigar wrapper with him for inspiration. Such a pro. Suddenly I had wished I brought some inspiration or pattern with me! He is always the "responsible" one (sighh).

I painted my bowl light blue and yellow with pink and red strawberries on the outside and painted popcorn on the inside. Everyone (bf + Color Me Mine staff) was confused and told me that popcorn kernels and strawberries didn't go together, but I refused to conform.

Spending the day at Color Me Mine was good old fashion fun and I highly recommend it, especially if you find yourself in a routine or are constantly asking yourself, "what should I do today?". Go paint! Mugs, mermaids, piggy banks.. the choices are endless.

I just picked up our masterpieces today! I am hoping that my popcorn/strawberry bowl will be worth millions one day...

Holy Bedazzler!

And I thought I was bad! Rhinestoning cell phones and makeup compacts...

Katy Perry takes bedazzling to a whole new level. The custom Diesel shorts are covered with thousands of tiny blue Swarovski crystals, as seen in her 'California Gurls' video.

Seeing those cut-offs up close.. Woah! Amazing! I wonder if they're scratchy in the va-jay/coslopus area..

Brit Pop

Britney Spears, my number 1 idol, poses for Pop magazine's September issue. The photo shoot is directed and styled by one of my favorite and most revered artists, Takashi Murakami (as mentioned here and here). The images are high fructose-over the top-sugar pop-plastic-amazingness.

Kawaii.

Girl Porn / Spiritual Experience

Wow.

This may be one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

A video of Coco Rocha (Chanel/runway/Vogue model) on her wedding day. The video is taken with a wide angle lens to produce a magical swirling panorama of the beautiful bride and groom. Coco wears a custom made Zac Posen gown. So stunning. Set to "Avatar" music, the result is this video: breathtaking, heavenly, BEYOND.



ps: I am soooo having fireworks at my wedding!

Splurge or Save: Leopard Bag

As I mentioned earlier here, too much of a good thing, like animal print, can quickly become a not-so-good thing, unless of course, one uses serious discretion and moderation.

As modeled, a leopard bag with a simple neutral outfit can look really chic!

What do you think! Splurge or Save?

Christian Louboutin 'Kathena' calf hair tote, $3,995 at Net-a-Porter

'Schmultzer' leopard carryall, $50 at Aldo (Schmultzer? really? What a traitorous name for a bag!)

Christian Louboutin 'Kathena' calf hair clutch, $1,795 at Net-a-Porter

Forever21 metallic animal print wallet clutch, $7.50 at Forever21
I think this clutch is really cute!! And unlike the Louboutin clutch, this animal print is animal friendly.

Purrrrfection.

I Love Lucite

I've always wanted a bajillion dollars so that I can have nine homes (exaggeration) and decorate them all differently.

Namely, those styles are: spanish, mediterranean, and mid-century modern - in that order.

This fabulous furniture collection from designer Alexandra von Furstenburg (wife to Prince Alexander von Furstenberg, daughter-in-law to Miss DVF) would go in home number 3 obvi:

Into the blue. Clear acrylic and cool azure make this collection futuristic yet airy.

The 'Ice Acrylic' table in clear with green.

'Radiant Acrylic' coffee table in neon pink. This would be a neccessity in my modern living room, complete with white flowers and my Murakami coffee table book.

'Bullet Acrylic' coffee table in clear. This table reminds me of a diamond. So gorgeous.

These trays are classic and delicious and going in homes 1, 2, and 3.

Now, about that bajillion dollars...

Maha Yoga

I want you all to know that I am a complete spaz! I have never been very flexible or coordinated and I am quite clumsy. For example, if there is a door nob, no doubt my dress will find it and I will get "flung back" as I am walking by (it happens ALL THE TIME!!! why?!).

And I have always admired the yoga girls and ballerinas and have tried to be one of them with various outfits and purchases, hoping that my new Danskin leotard would somehow inspire my feet to pas de bourree.

Well, I have finally found a yoga/dance studio for me!

It's called Maha Yoga and it's located in Brentwood. It's like nothing I've ever tried before! They blast top-40 and rap music during the class! The energy in the class is so amazing and the music keeps me inspired and my adrenalin pumping. Downward facing dog to Ne-Yo? How fun! HappyBaby pose to Katy Perry? Don't mind if I do!

I am still terrible and always apologize to those around me because I am so wobbly, but at least I am putting my cute yoga mat to good use! Classes are 90 minutes. 60 minutes of a core work out and about 30 minutes of breathing and meditation (my favorite teachers are Steve & Tom). I even dragged my boyfriend with me one Sunday morning and to my surprise he was wayyy better than me.

Visit Maha's website here for more information. And click here for Hello Kitty yoga mat.

Namaste.

Blanca Bonita

Some say that white isn't technically a color, but that doesn't matter to me. White is one of my favorites! It makes me feel clean and pure and makes my skin look really pretty. If you're anything like me you'll be sure to get coffee on your boobs by lunch, so bring a Tide pen!

Here are some white hot picks for the last days of summer...

Lace high top sneakers $44 at Topshop

Anya Hindmarch canvas makeup bag, $70 at Net-A-Porter

'Elsa' lace shirt dress, $44.50 at Delia's

Berman 'Enchanted' crystal and pearl headband, $165 at LoveBerman

Chloe white leather trimmed metal aviators, $295 at Net-A-Porter

Movie Night With Milo & Otis

I am one of the few people who still go to the video store. Because of a certain $78 Blockbuster bill, my boyfriend and I no longer rent movies, but rather buy them. And sometimes you can find really great deals like 3 DVDs for $30!

As we're making our way through the isles my boyfriend is reminiscing on classic movies (I nod in silent agreement as I have seen hardly any classic movies, which is quite embarrassing, but my definition of a classic is more along the lines of 'Clueless' and 'Legally Blonde'), anyhow, he picks his few boring "boy picks". I choose 'There's Something About Mary', 'Enchanted', and 'Milo and Otis'.

Last time we had movie night my boyfriend made me watch 'Dances With Wolves' which he said was a classic. Actually, this was our third attempt to watch 'Dances With Wolves', as I fell asleep 20 minutes into the movie time1 and time2. I'm sorry but that movie was really dusty and boring, not a cute pair of shoes in sight!

So tonight is my pick, and we are going to watch 'The Adventure of Milo and Otis', a favorite from my childhood. It's a tale of a pug and an orange tabby cat who live on a farm and go off on an adventure. And they have English accents which makes it even cuter!!! I seriously thought this movie should have won an Oscar and I was extremely passionate about it in Blockbuster, ranting and raving about how great of a film it is. However as we started watching, things weren't exactly how I remembered them... It was really cute and silly, but more... "elementary" than I remembered and literally was 2 hours of a talking pug and cat done by the same voiceover guy. No CGI, this was before 'Babe'. The movie came out in 1989. I kept looking over nervously to make sure that the bf was enjoying my movie pick.

I made popcorn obviously - it's my favorite food to shove my face with. I am hunting for yellows, as we all know the white ones just aren't as delicious, and about halfway through the movie my boyfriend says, "Let me get this straight. You have NEVER seen 'The Godfather' but you've seen THIS movie FIVE times?!!!". He looks at me and laughs shaking his head in disbelief (and adoration).

I give him a concerned look... "Do you want to watch 'Enchanted' instead?"

Newsboy Bag: Splurge or Save?

My obsession with newsboy bags, as noted here, is nothing new, and these bags from Aldo and Proenza Schouler heighten my obsession in a profound, deeply spiritual way.

Question is, Splurge or Save? (I kind of want both.)

Synthetic snakeskin 'Harvley' bag in cognac, $45 at Aldo

Proenza Schouler PS1 brown leather bag, $1,595 at Proenza Schouler

What do you think? $1,600 for couture, or $45 for faux?

Little Brown Dress

Thank God I don't know my credit card number by heart.

Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall back asleep, so I either read my book or take out my plooder and click around online to make me sleepy. And sometimes clicking around leads to 4am online purchases. Woops.

From time to time I reach out from under the covers for my wallet to make 'my basket' a reality. Tonight was one of those nights. Luckily the damage was only about $20.

I ordered 4 nail polishes from Essie's new fall collection. I admit it's kind of silly to buy nail polish online because the shipping & handling was nearly as expensive as the purchase itself, but I couldn't resist! A little August-month birthday (which is in June) present to myself...

Colors from left to right include: Limited Addiction, Sew Psyched, Merino Cool, and Little Brown Dress. I have a feeling that Little Brown Dress is going to be the new 'It' color of the season. Check out the complete collection here, and purchase the 4-some here.

Moving Day

Once Upon A Shine blog has moved! You can now find us at www.OnceUponAShine.com (as well as OnceUponAshine.blogspot.com).

Help us grow! Please forward the link to your friends!

Send an email to 30 girlfriends and receive a free gift (a $60 headband) from LoveBerman. Simply forward the email to friends and cc OnceUponAShine@gmail.com along with your mailing address to recieve your sparkling gift from us as a thank you for helping us grow!

XOXO

Sweet Girl aka Lex

Good Deed Of The Day: Be A Kind Driver

Driving in Los Angeles can be stressful!

I for one am always getting honked at! Sometimes I get scared that I am dragging a dead body or something! Why is everyone honking at me?! Nevermind that I am driving with my knees so that I can apply lipgloss.. Is my car on fire and people are trying to give me a courtesy honk? Or are people just being mean!

I admit I may not be the best driver but still...

Today's good deed is a simple one: Be a kind driver.

Go ahead, let them in. Share the road, and honk only to prevent a real accident! It's the small things, like being a kind driver that leads to being a kinder person.

Christmas Coloring

Check out these knockout bags from Lanvin and Fendi. I want them both!!! When I can't indulge in fifteen hundred dollar leather bags, (which is most of the time) I indulge in fifteen dollar beauty items...

'Mini Pop' ruby metallic leather bag from Lanvin, $1,250. If your credit card says no, but the color says yes, try MAC lipstick in Russian Red, $14.50 at MAC

Fendi 'Baguette Maxi' fringe leather purse, $1,630. If you're loving green for fall, but can't splurge on Fendi, pick up some jade nail polish $23 from Chanel for more budget friendly couture.