Great Reads of the Week

Here are posts I enjoyed reading this week:

- Wardrobe Oxygen lists items women should toss from their closet before they turn 30.

- Yes and Yes had a guest post from one of my faves about self love.

- Made to Travel dishes on shopping at Goodwill!

- Dress With Courage talks about breaking up with her mirror.

My birthday week is officially underway! My birthday party is tonight because my actual birthday is on a Wednesday. What are your plans this weekend?

Image via We Heart It

Visual FBFF: Where I Blog From

Suze of Miss Vinyl Ahoy is hosting this week's FBFF visual topic. She wants to see where we blog from. Be it your office, room, the local coffee shop, whatever... show us your natural blogging habitat.

I blog mostly from my apartment. I took the picture of my desk as it is during the day (a hot mess!). I could have organized it neatly but that wouldn't be my "natural habitat." I eat at least 2 meals at my desk and spend the majority of my day there. I got this awesome desk chair on Amazon because it's like a mini couch. If I'm going to sit somewhere for hours on end, I want it to be comfortable!

Tweetdeck going

My desk is by my window so I get fresh air and hear the noises of Manhattan. I work from my Macbook which I think is one of the best computers for bloggers. I also keep some inspirational photos around me to keep the creativity flowing. Lots of stacked papers, magazines and books.

Where do you blog from?

Check out all the other blogger habitats at Miss Vinyl Ahoy!

My Birthday Wish List

My birthday is on August 3rd and I'm celebrating this Saturday. If I had some money laying around these are the items I would buy myself.

Stephen Webster Double Headed Skull Ring
I'm obsessed with anything skulls so I'd pick me up some skull accessories.

DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom
I'm running low on this perfume so I need a refill!

Migi Nail Polish Art - 16 Pens
I'm obsessed with nail art so I'd pick me up some nail art pens.

H & M Gift Card 
So I could do a little shopping...

Canon EOS 450D digital SLR Digital Camera
I need a new digital camera because mine broke. I need a new one so I can be a better blogger.

Revlon Scented Nail Polish
And then of course some more nail polishes!


The best birthday present would be a full-time job. It would be nice to have something more stable than freelance. I would also stimulate the beejesus out of the economy!!

Twitter Doesn't Always Get It Right

This afternoon there was a breaking story on Twitter about a hostage situation in the Flatiron District. My feed quickly began to fill up with rumors about what was going on. People were saying "Why aren't any real news sites reporting on this?" Well because they are trying to get the facts straight.

Allison Kilkenny said it is difficult being a journalist on Twitter because you want to break the story first but you also need to report the correct story. It is so difficult to retract a story on Twitter since news flies so fast so it's best to have your facts straight before reporting on anything. That's why most major news outlets weren't reporting on it yet. Only the New York Post decide to run the story. I guess they needed the page views.

Eventually it turned out it was just a crazy old man in his apartment. Argo Tea had to go on Twitter and say that there was no situation in their store and that it was safe. A story like this can cost a company business. Yes, we want our news right away but there can be a cost to misinformation.

I am what you call a Twitter addict (well it's partly my job) but Twitter is made up of people giving their opinion of the facts and they aren't always right (i.e. celebrity death hoax stories). This is a case where Twitter didn't get it right... at least right away.

How much do you trust "breaking news" on Twitter?

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Now We Are Shaming People For Reading...?

Recently, I got together with a friend who brought along his Kindle. I teased him "Oh, you read now?" And he said very proudly "YEAH! I'm reading 3 books right now." For his birthday I bought him a book about Led Zeppelin, his favorite band, that he only read about 20 pages of. Now that he has the Kindle he's reading 3 books at a time. If a Kindle gets him reading more books then I'm all for it. However, he also said that he gets made fun of when he walks around with it. I was shocked! Why is it so shameful to read?

I have always enjoyed reading a good book. I'm on my way to finishing my 3rd book this summer and I'm quite proud of myself. Although I prefer the real deal to a digital handheld I'm not going to frown upon someone with a Kindle. Why should anyone else?

I also enjoy giving books as gifts. I've started a tradition with my nephew of buying him a book for his birthday. This year I also got him a book light so he can read at night. My sister said he's been killing batteries by using flashlights. My parent's (well my mom) will buy him all this crap because he's the first grandchild and he should get whatever he wants. I think a book can stimulate a child's imagination better than any Mattel toy on the market.

Thankfully I've never experienced taunting when reading a book on public transit. If someone mocked me I don't know how I would react, "Oh yeah, it so shameful that I'm learning." Such a ridiculous idea!

Have you ever been mocked for reading publicly?

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Best Foods To Eat With Your Favorite Summer Flicks

The online delivery service CampusFood.com compiled a list of the best foods to eat while watching your favorite summer movies. I thought it was a fun idea and wanted to pass it along!

Watch: “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”

Order: Chicago style pizza in tribute to the Windy City 

Watch: “Something About Mary”

Order: Corndogs and other “meats on sticks,” like chicken kabobs and chicken souvlaki

Watch: “Animal House”

Order: Food fight scene stealers: hamburger, mashed potato and green jello

Watch: “Dazed and Confused”

Order: A classic BLT, extra bacon

Watch: “Dirty Dancing”

Order: Sliced seedless watermelon, pre-cut for a lighter snack

Watch: “Eat, Pray, Love”

Order: Pasta, pasta, pasta

Watch: “Goodfellas”

Order: A big meal is in order: Filet mignon with a prosciutto appetizer and mozzarella

Watch: “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”

Order: Pizza and beer, the character’s two favorite staples

 

Watch: “Heavyweights”

Order: Twix candy bars since the campers are eating chocolate and candy in the beginning of the movie

Watch: “Grease” 
Order: Corn dogs and funnel cakes in honor of the last carnival scene

 

Watch: “Back to the Future”

Order: Milkshake with burgers to transport yourself back to the 1950s

Now I'm hungry!

What do you like to eat when watching a movie?

2 Events, 2 Target Dresses, 1 Day

Photo taken by Janique of Her Goody Bag

Last week I had two events to go to and got complimented on both Target dresses I wore. Felt pretty proud of myself (lol!) because they were probably no more than $30 yet they made a statement. 

The first one was a floral print dress I wore to Bob Mackie's Art show. They invited bloggers from the NYC Fashion Blogger Meetup group to a special viewing of his pieces. He's a legend! Pictures to come.

Jenn and I (pic by the awesome Sunny - see more)

The second dress was the chambray dress I wore for July 4th. I wore it for the book launch of "Fashion 2.0: Blogging Your Way to The Front Row" at the Sky Room. It was a gorgeous roof top bar. I mingled with some familiar faces like Amy of Midtown Girl, Pavan of Open Source Fashion, Jordanna of Touch of Pink PR, Laura of LOL Beauty, and Pam of Cinderella's Closet. Can't wait to read Yuli's book!

What store do you find great dresses at?

RIP Amy Winehouse

Another young talent gone. It's so tragic that she died. There was a beautiful girl and a talented singer under all that hair and makeup. While the cause of death is still unknown we can only assume it was related to her drug and alcohol addiction. She lived a rough life. But most people with addictions are usually calling out for help and affection. Her heartbreaks and struggles made for beautiful music. Her "Back To Black" album was amazing. One of my favorite songs is "Love is a losing game":



What struck me was that she was only 27. I'm about to turn 26 in 2 weeks and I still feel like I have so much life to live. I can only imagine how much more great music she could have given us. She was taken from us too soon but her music will live on.

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2 Year Blog Anniversary Giveaway!

Today marks the day of my first post on my blog 2 years ago! I can't believe it's been two years. It's been an off and on journey but I've made some great friends along the way.

To celebrate I thought I'd giveaway a few of my favorite goodies. You'll receive:

- Stila eye shadow in Mambo
- NEST candle (.95 oz) in Peony Blanche
- Oscar Blandi Volumizing Dry Shampoo Spray (1.4 oz)
- Sally Hansen Salon Effects strips in Red-Y For Trouble
- Pantene's Color Preserve Shampoo (1.7 fl oz)
- Urban Decay's Lip Junkie lip gloss in Wallflower (.12 fl oz)
- Glamourous Chicks Cosmetics purple eye shadow (not compressed)
- Urban Decay eye shadow in Stardust

To enter:
- You must be following my blog!
- Please leave a comment below telling me how you follow (i.e. Google Friend Connect)
- Retweet this giveaway with the phrase "I want to win @KimberleeVDW's 2 year blog anniversary giveaway!"

Giveaway ends Friday, July 29th at 5pm EST. Good luck!

Thank you for all the love and support over the past two years. xoxo

Women's Mafia Fashionable Friday Event At Arrojo Studio

On Friday, the NYC Fashion Bloggers Meetup Group attended Fashionable Fridays hosted by Women's Mafia. Arrojo Studio kindly hosted us. I didn't even realize it was Nick Arrojo's salon of "What Not to Wear" fame! He was so sweet and said hello to everybody.

There was J. Rudy Lewis fine jewelry for us to play with. He does some amazing metalwork.

Nicole getting her makeup done

Yanil getting her hair done

There were stations for us to get our hair and makeup done. I asked the makeup artist how to keep your makeup on during these 100 degree days. She suggested: a light translucent powder, tinted moisturizer, keep your makeup light, and oil absorbing sheets.

I got what I lovingly refer to as the ...loveMaegan braid. I've been wanting to do this hairstyle but I can't french braid for the life of me. Hairstylist, Amanda Jenkins, did a great job.

A great time was had by all and we got some Arrojo Studio hair products to take home!

P.S. Sorry for the crappy cell phone pics. My camera broke so I've been a bad blogger.

Great Reads of the Week

Here are posts I enjoyed reading this week:

- Sarah of Bright Lights, My City asks "should you let men do the chasing?"

- Dress With Courage talks about the opportunities you can find in failure. This girl always impresses me!

- Sugar and Spice tells you how to fake a tan without looking streaky or orange.

- By Anika shows off her best poses. Love the idea of this post because I get tired of boring blogger poses. Also, please keep Anika in your hearts as she lives in Norway.

 Tomorrow is the 2 year anniversary of my blog so stay tuned for a giveaway!

Book Review: "Normal Gets You Nowhere" By Kelly Cutrone

I finally finished reading Kelly Cutrone's second book, "Normal Gets You Nowhere." Boy, was it a fun read!

I loved what she said in her intro: "I'm writing for all of you who ever stood up against falsity that's been labeled truth and shoved down our throats as well as anyone who still aspires to. But most of all, this book is for people who want to find personal fulfillment and success in their career, but also live in a world full of unique, creative, expressive individuals who march to the beat of the Divine's drummer, agreeing on things like basic human rights and the need to end suffering."

It was an easy read that was written in a casual tone. You definitely hear Kelly's voice and get to read so many wonderful stories about her life. I loved that she wrote a letter to the President about the lack of women on our money. She does use strong language and discusses sex (Kella-Sutra).

A great line from the book is: "... don't be afraid if your opinion isn't the normal one - in fact, that probably just means you're on the right track." So true. I really recommend this book because she encourages you to form your own opinions. Kelly is a badass!

Have you read this book? What did you think?

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Visual FBFF: What's In Your Bag?

Aldo's Asplin Satchel

Since all of us FBFF bloggers miss the weekly Friday posts, we decide to do some visual FBFF posts! This week A Pretty Nest suggested a "What's in your bag?" post. I've never done one and I know it's a right of passage for bloggers to post one (lol!).

The bag I've been toting around lately is this one from Aldo's. I'm obsessed with satchels and thought it was a nice summer version of black one (that I studded myself).

I carry my basic essentials: wallet, keys, MetroCard, sunglasses and business cards. I always have a pen on me!

As far as beauty related items:

- I carry so many lip items with me, I'm a bit addicted. I currently have EOS lip balm, Clinique's chubby stick, Rosebud Salve and Aquaphor.
- Compact mirror
- Clean & Clear oil absorbing sheets (come in handy during the summer!)
- Wet Ones wipes
- Hand sanitizer
- Mentos (which are disguised in the Altoids box)
- Hair brush and a bobby pin

I wonder what this says about me (lol!). Check out the other posts here.

What are essentials do you carry in your bag?

P.S. After posting I realized I didn't include my phone! But it's always in my hands anyways so it doesn't count.

Paper Doll Project Outfit

paper doll outfit 3 by Jessica Bruner

My partner was Jessica of Better With Tights (go check out how I styled her vintage midi skirt!) This was her first Paper Doll Project and I think she did a great job. She graciously styled me 4 outfits so now I have many ideas about how to wear these shoes. I went this look because I love my paper bag pants and never thought to wear my heels (seen here) with them. Here's my outfit:

I learned I need some more floral tanks. This is the only one I have from Ann Taylor Loft from awhile ago. My "paper bag waisted" pants from Zappos, which came with the belt.

Here are the other looks she gave me:

Paperdoll Project by Jessica Bruner

I like this is as a date outfit.

Paper Doll Outfit 2 by Jessica Bruner

This is a great office to evening look.

paper doll 4 by Jessica Bruner

This is not my style at all but I want to challenge myself to wear something so ladylike and elegant!

What do you think of the look? See all the looks on Miss Vinyl Ahoy's blog!

$10 For $20 Worth Of Grocies And Beauty Supplies At MyGofer.com

With Mygofer.com you can shop online and have your order delivered in the same day. You can shop for groceries, prescriptions, apparel, electronics, health and beauty supplies and more, and you'll be able to get your items the same day with your choice of in store pickup at your local Kmart, curbside pickup or home delivery.

For me living in Manhattan I know it's hard to get all the items you want at one store so I'm definitely checking this out!

Get the Signpost deal. Hurry they will go fast!

My Klout Perk

Delivery!

Have you heard of the social influence site Klout? Supposedly it measures your social influence through different networks and now they offer perks! I signed up to receive their "Rizzoli & Isles" perk because I wanted to learn about the TNT show. It was no cost to me and it shipped within 2 weeks.

What's in the box?

Blanket!

I received:

- Rizzoli & Isles blanket (which is super soft and will be perfect in the winter)
- Rizzoli & Isles mug (with spoon)
- Book night light (for late night reading)
And the first season on DVD

Lovely note included

I had a great experience first experience and I'm sure I'll be signing up for more perks.

Have you signed up for a Klout perk yet?

This Video Makes Me Fall In Love With Manhattan All Over Again

Mindrelic - Manhattan in motion from Mindrelic on Vimeo.

Over the weekend Gothamist posted this video showing time lapses of Manhattan over the period of a month or so. It was shot by Josh Owens who apparently is the "master of time lapses." He shot from 11 different hotels around the city. If you love the city, be prepared to fall in love again!

FBFF: Don't Try To Label Me

It seems so many people want to box us into one tightly knit and pre-assumed box by applying a label. Sometimes the tag seems to fit, other times it’s far off the mark. But either way, we are so much more than anyone label that could be applied. The article, You are Not a Label, sparked some interesting comments and feedback and prompted this week’s Fashion/Beauty Friend Friday questions by Katy Rose of Modly Chic. (I know I'm a little late!)

1. As a someone who writes/blogs about fashion, have you placed yourself into some sort of blogging category?
I don't think so. I blog about more than just fashion. I blog about all my interests and fashion happens to be one of them. My blog is about being a modern feminist, nail art, New York City, current events, etc.

2. What keeps you from or encourages you to label yourself as a certain kind of blogger?
I want to challenge myself with my writing so if I say "oh I'm just going to blog about the runways" then I'm limiting myself. If I'm concerned about a trend happening in popular culture then I want to write about it. I also use my blog as an outlet of myself and personally I have never been able to fit into a particular box. High school is a good example: there's the popular girls, the theater kids, the math nerds, the athletes, etc. (these are all general stereotypes- I know). I didn't fit into all of those, I guess I was the outsider/angry chick. So if I didn't label myself at 15, why label myself now at 25?

3. When picking blogs to read and follow are you drawn to ones that indicate a certain group or way of thinking/being?
Just like my friends, I have an assorted variety. I like to hear other people's opinions or follow a blogger who dresses a certain way that I never would. Expose yourself to as much as you can! To a certain degree, you must use proper grammar and not talk like you are texting on your blog for me to follow. You must have something to say or share with your blog and not be completely vain.


4. Do you think there are benefits in labeling yourself or others?
Perhaps there is a benefit because it's easier to "define" your blog to others. If you say "oh I do a personal style blog" versus "I blog about fashion, beauty, lifestyle, blah blah." One is easier to digest than the other. I always find it hard to explain my blog, I usually just say fashion blogger to be simple. However, it's more than that and I want to be proud of my blog. I'm proud of everything I've written for my blog even if it prevents me from falling into a box.

5. Agree or Disagree – We’re all just people; we don’t need all the labels.
AGREE! For the most part I have found that labels usually hinder relationships with people rather than help. Human beings are complex people and we have more than one layer or "label" (Shrek anyone?). My best friend is an artist and during his coming out process he did this painting (above) which touches on this very subject (and he so lovingly let me have). In the painting the word "Gay" is under a magnify glass. He was trying to illustrate that he is more than just a gay man. He's an uncle, he's biracial, he's a painter, etc. I thought it was a beautiful concept.

What are your thoughts on this topic?

Don't forget to stop by ModlyChic to read all the other FBFF answers this week! 

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