prime time

August 12th, 2013 | Posted by Hello Love in Beauty - (Comments Off)

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How many times have you meticulously applied eyeshadow, liner and mascara, only to have your lids looking washed out and dull over the course of several hours?  When I have 10, even 12-hour work days, I can’t afford to have my makeup go muddy.  I need those crisp lines to remain fixed and the bold colors to stay robust.  How?  LID PRIMER!

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If you’re going to do full-face makeup, priming your lids is as integral to the beauty process as daily SPF.  Skimping on this little known trick leaves you lackluster halfway through the day.  Here at La Bichette, we use GloMinerals Lid Primer but any brand will do.  Use a camouflage or concealer brush (the kind with the synthetic bristles) and apply a thin, even coat of lid primer to the entire eyelid and continue all the way up to the brow.  Let the primer sit for a moment before applying your shadow.

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When you’re ready to apply your shadow, you’ll notice a vast different in the color intensity.  Another benefit of lid primer is less = more!  Use less shadow and have brighter results than ever before.  Here’s proof… from left to right, we have the eyeshadow without lid primer next to the same eyeshadow with lid primer.

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Seems like a no brainer to me!

tamsignature1

party: santa barbara style

August 10th, 2013 | Posted by Hello Love in Parties - (Comments Off)

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FIESTA, 1945. SANTA BARBARA COUNTY COURTHOUSE

Every year during the first week of August, Santa Barbara, my hometown, honors it’s Spanish heritage with a city-wide celebration called Old Spanish Days – Fiesta for short.  Lasting from Wednesday through Sunday there are events every day – street markets, flamenco dancing, live music, and the Friday parade. The streets are littered with confetti and glitter from crushed cascarones. Many Santa Barbarans don traditional Spanish garb. Tequila is flowing, churros and frying and mariachis are playing all over town.  Flamenco and folklorico dancing can be found on the steps of the Old Mission on the first day of fiesta, La Fiesta Pequena, and on the following nights in the Sunken Garden at the Santa Barbara Courthouse during “Noches de Ronda” performances. The Friday parade, El Desfile Historico is one of the largest equestrian parades in the country. I have many memories as a child watching the parade from my mom’s office balcony, my friends and I crushing cascarones over unsuspecting pedestrians below.

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DANCERS AT THE COURTHOUSE FOR NOCHES DE RONDA

While all of the city-wide festivities take place, many people also throw their own Fiesta bashes. The last couple of years, work has sadly kept me away from my cousin’s incomparable Fiesta party. She does not spare any detail, always with beautiful decor, amazing food and a very serious margarita and salsa competition. Margarita contestants stand behind the bars serving up their best recipes, while volunteers pass numbered cups around with samples for judging. Contestants are eliminated in rounds, and prizes are awarded at the end of the evening.  No need to get super-fancy, the same gal one 4 years in a row and has been barred from competing with her beergarita, the main ingredients being frozen lime concentrate and a Corona. Sometimes the simplest things are just the best.

Here is a little inspiration for throwing your own Fiesta party…

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Any brightly colored flowers bunched into Mexican food cans are a simple decor solution.

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This hand-made sarape bow would be a festive touch on place settings or favor boxes.

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Cascarones are a must, they are a little messy, but provide a lot of entertainment.  You might want to plan a baking marathon around making cascarones, so you can use all of the egg!  Simply tap the top of an egg and peel back a small opening.  Empty out the white and yolk. Thoroughly rinse the shells and let them dry, opening side down, overnight.  Fill the eggs with confetti and decoupage a small piece of colored tissue over the top. Proceed to decorate however you want!

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No fiesta would be complete without a pinata!  They come in many shapes and sizes, but the traditional burro is my favorite.  This one has been glammed-out with gold paint and paper flowers. The how-to is linked below!

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The crowd-pleasing beergarita:

1 can frozen limeade concentrate
1 limeade can full of silver tequila
1 can of 7up or Sprite
1 can light beer
juice of one lime
1/4 of limeade can or less of triple sec

Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher and serve over ice!

Encourage your friends to get creative in the kitchen with unique salsa recipes. Making salsa could also be combined into the party – provide many different chopped ingredients for guests to mix their own salsas on the spot!  Enchiladas and tamales are great for a crowd. Large batches of enchiladas are easy to make, and while tamales are complicated, I’d suggest going straight to the source and checking a local Mexican market.
For dessert, churros would definitely be my top pick.  When I was growing up, Fiesta was pretty much the only time I could ever get a churro.  I looked forward to that like nothing else!  Then we got a Costco… Like tamales, churros can be a bit inconvenient to make, so if you have a Costco, a great shortcut would be to buy several churros at the food court, chop them into bite size portions, reheat them shortly before eating, and serve with melted chocolate for dipping!

Viva la Fiesta!!!

megansig1

 

 

 

 

Sources: Old Spanish Days Fiesta Album // Style Me Pretty // Pop Sugar // Intelligent Travel // Studio DIY

well thanks!

August 8th, 2013 | Posted by Hello Love in Paper - (Comments Off)

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One of the best ways to thank your guest is……by sending out your thank you cards! The earlier the better in my opinion. Heck, write them on the plane en route to your honeymoon and then you’ll be done and can get to more fun stuff!!! Seriously, I know some people say a year but it takes 2 minutes and your guests will appreciate that you didn’t pop out a kid before you thanked them for that retro toaster they bought you, just sayin. If you didn’t by matching ones with your wedding invites, here a few that I think fit the bill for thanks.

For starters, I love the idea of a city specific thank you. Hello Lucky has a bunch of great ones for major cities, like these LA ones shown above!

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Gorgeous thank you by Gakemi Art+Design for Minted. Get it with you and your hubs initials!

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Didn’t get “that shot” at your wedding? Get day after photos later so you can wear that dress again and pose for these adorb thank you post cards from Viola Prints on Etsy!!

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For all you crafty brides: Get a custom stamp made (like this one from Paper Sushi and make your own!

2013-08-07_0005You can’t miss with these chevron, gold foil stamped notes from Paper Source. They say thank you in a way that feels as luxurious as sipping that leftover bubbly from those Kate Spade toasting flutes you got from your favorite aunt.

Happy Thanking!

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with my little eye

August 5th, 2013 | Posted by Hello Love in Beauty - (Comments Off)

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Eyeliner is not only my most favorite beauty products but it’s the most versatile and history rich of all cosmetics!

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First used over twelve thousand years ago in ancient Egypt on both men and women for aesthetic purposes, the mineral mixture “Kohl” was also thought to provide protection from the elements and the evil eye.

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After the fall of Egypt, eyeliner took a backseat until the 1920′s. Women had finally won the right to vote sending a surge of independence throughout America.  Fashion became integral to a woman’s identity. With this new found uniqueness, cosmetics were applied more liberally.  It’s no coincidence that around the same time, the world became fascinated by King Tut’s tomb, a stunning archeological discovery made in 1922 by Howard Carter and George Herbert. Treasures buried deep under the pyramids of Giza inspired an exotic look.

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During World War II, nylon stockings, became a rarity due to the scarcity of the material. The lack of stockings fueled “Nylon Mania” and caused “Stocking Panic”. Large lines turned into angry mobs that crowded retailers every time a limited shipment arrived.  Sick of facing the the swarms, women turned to “penciling in” seams on their bare legs with eyeliner so that it appeared as though they were wearing stockings.

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In the 1950′s, liquid eyeliner broke onto the scene and was used to create cat eyes, a look immortalized by actresses such as Brigitte Bardot and Elizabeth Taylor.

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During the 1960′s, eyeliner was further dramatized by the English model, singer and actress, Twiggy.

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A little later, Princess Diana made an impact with her blue tightline…

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David Bowie became a sensation with his flare for eyeliner…

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And throughout time, countless others have followed suit…

 

 

I’m off to try a new technique! Hope you’ve been inspired!

tamsignature1

 

party: on a patio

August 3rd, 2013 | Posted by Hello Love in Parties - (Comments Off)

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During this time of the summer many Angelenos are off on summer vacations, and the ambience of the city shifts. All of sudden everything is just quieter, slower, calmer.   Crowds are smaller, waits are shorter, and life just seems more enjoyable.  Even the initial summer gridlock created by the influx of tourists and beach-goers has dissipated. I relish this part of the year here and enjoy it, knowing that it is only temporary.  The leisurely feeling in the larger environs inspires the same at home. These warm summer evenings beg for small get-togethers, simple food, and a just a hint of a breeze.

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The setting sun filters in over the top of a wood-paneled wall into this cozy outdoor space.  Succulents always make an impact with incredible ease, and here mix nicely with simple bunches of ivory roses packed tightly together.  The decorative wire risers call back to the Bertoia chairs.  The long table and delicate frames of the chairs are ideal to make a small patio a functional entertaining area.

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There is much less effort put into this table setting, but it is still incredibly inviting. The loaf of bread alone is enough to want to be a guest at this table.  With the bowls and cheese grater, it appears a pasta dish may be on the menu. Simple and informal, this looks like a fantastic evening!

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This incredible built-in sofa creates ample seating for company in this simple, but stunning patio. Evening drinks could easily give way to a full-on dance party with the right lighting and music in this covered enclave. While this Patricia Urquiola patio set is visually stunning and the perfect size or a party for two. Sculptural and whimsical, the carefully patterned bent metal pays homage to many patio entertaining sets of the past.

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Vintage bistro chairs, fabric accents and bunches of baby’s breath keep this table light, casual and summery. Strings of cafe lights and pillar candles are at the ready when the finally goes down.

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Nothing says quintessential summer patio set like rattan in this patio on Capri. Seating for 8 and an adjoining patio just below are a perfect summer entertaining spot.

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Hanging strands of white lights add some evening magic to this backyard seating area.  Facing love seats and narrow table call for a double-date, drinks and snacks. Imagine these turned 90 degrees facing a large white sheet suspended between two trees – instant theater for an outdoor movie screening! And for those of us with island plantations, dark-wood British colonial furniture, white table cloth, large glass hurricanes and pineapples really do work well with the surrounding palms for an evening dinner!  This is really so beautiful, elegant and understated, and for anyone who is a fan of of  South Pacific, you might also be envisioning Emile de Becque and Nellie Forbush eating breakfast in island paradise.

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Nothing says party like golden lawn flamingoes!  The backyard of this Palm Springs private residence sports an amazing entertaining set-up, complete with built-in bar. The low planter could also be used for some additional seating in a pinch.  Many mid-century ranch-style home like this have open floor plans and lots of flow inside and out, making them ideal for parties!

 

Cheers!

megansig1

 

 

 

Sources: Casa Haus // Sparkle Meets Pop // Toby Scott // Dust Jacket // Voltex // Cakies // D Pages // Veranda // 100 Layer Cake

congratulations alicia!

August 1st, 2013 | Posted by Hello Love in Paper | Parties | Style - (Comments Off)

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We couldn’t be more thrilled to share these photos of Alicia’s baby shower. Not only is she a Hello, Love contributor, she is a dear friend, an adorable preggo and as of last week a mom for the second time. This shower was featured on 100 Layer Cakelet (thanks so much ladies!) but we felt like it was such a huge Hello, Love collaboration of love that we had to feature it too! Erin made the invitations and decor, I hosted and cooked, Tammy donated the prize for the raffle, Emily made the sweets and our newest guest contributor Cat did our hair and makeup!

Welcome to the world baby Pia and congratulations to the Rico Family!

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mcksig

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photography: Charla Storey // Sweets: Cakewalk Bakeshop // Paper and Decor: Sweet Magnolia Paper // Flowers: Bows and Arrows // Hair and Makeup: Cat at Knockout Beauty // Raffle Prize: La Bichette