vamp it up.

a few months ago i wasn't sure how i felt about lana del rey...or her less than stellar performance on "saturday night live." after this week and her walk down the red carpet at the met gala, however, i'm thinking a bit differently. besides her unbelievable dress and to-die-for cape by joseph altuzarra, her dramatic blood wine-stained lips rounded out one of the costume institute ball's best looks in true vamp fashion, even if it was more fitting for autumn or winter rather than a spring event. check out the full look at vanity fair.

she wasn't the only celeb to purse her plum lips at the gala either (just one of the few to do it right). camilla belle and kate bosworth worked the pre-show photogs in dark lipstick hues, and jessica alba, kate upton and sofia vergara showed off bright reds and pinks. the bold lip was one of the hot trends at the event, next to peplum-skirted dresses and bright yellow and orange gowns.

the bold lip is one of my favorite accessories the past few months, as it instantly transforms a black leather skirt, sundress, colored jeans or cocktail attire into something that's a little more high fashion or formal. and surprisingly it still works on my thin, almost non-existent lips to help pack a punch.

want to pull off lana del rey's deep lip color yourself this weekend? after months of searching for the right red and perfect purple hues and coming up empty, i finally layered the two of these and found a match i think you'll like. here's my secret mix:


first, layer on the sephora rouge cream lipstick in "bewitch me," which is the darkest in the collection...

then add a quick swipe of mac cosmetic's "russian red" and blot. you're all set! it doesn't look like a huge difference in the pics, but trust me, in real life the red helps tone down the purple so it's not so gothicly harsh.

it's pretty long lasting, too. touch-ups are only needed every now and then, even though i don't use a lip liner. besides, even when a bit wipes off, the stain leaves a slight ombre look that's oh-so "in" right now.

the best part? when i'm wearing it i can drink all the pinot noir and cabernet i want with no worries. now i just need to find a cape...

gray is the new black

ok, so i know i'm not really ahead of the game on this one considering i only discovered gray nail polish in january and am just now posting about it, but i am still loving it. gray was a hot color for winter this year, but as a paler and less harsh version of black or silver, i think it can be incorporated into spring and summer fashions too.


my favorite is the above "on the prowl" color from mac's hello kitty line, but it's apparently everyone else's too because it's sold out online and at every store i went to! in the meantime i found a way to get my fix from mac's darker metallic "nightfall" and a bluish-gray l.a. girl polish i got from urban outfitters for only $5 (also sold at forever 21).

i was excited when i first learned of the gray polish trend because i had already been using sephora's wet & dry pale gray eye shadow for a while to line my lids. i had always heard purple tones make green eyes really pop, but since using this product i noticed that gray has the same effect.

gray is also good when i'm stuck in an outfit and neither black or brown quite matches...which is why i purchased this puffy jill stewart handbag that gets me through at least half of the days in a week. there are some great stone-colored chloe handbags on bluefly.com if you'd like to get one of your own, but if you're not sure you want to throw down $1,000 or even a few hundred like me, old navy and target have a few good picks.


lastly, here is a way i found to incorporate gray into my spring outfit. mixed with white checkers and subtle pink lines, this shirtdress from forever 21's new heritage line is perfect by day with gray or pink opaque footless tights and sandals, or by night with my washed out gray jeans (of course!), silver heels and dressed up accessories.


what do you think...can gray be a spring/summer color or is it strictly for winter? how would you wear it?