Whether you’re polishing your own nails or paying $10-$15 dollars for your manicure weekly or bi-weekly, it  can be frustrating when daily tasks cause the polish to chip or dull. Basic functions such as opening a soda can, applying hair products, cleaning your bathroom or opening the mail can all cause the demise of a beautiful manicure. Keep the following 9 rules in mind and your manicure will be extended.

1. Purchase a letter opener or use a dull kitchen utensil to open the mail
2. Do not use your nails to pick up tiny objects, use the pads of your fingertips
3. Wear rubber gloves for washing dishes, cleaning bathrooms and doing laundry
4. Protect hands and nails with rubber gloves when polishing furniture or other household chores
5. Keep a pencil handy and use the  eraser end when dialing a phone
6. Purchase kitchen ingredient olive oil; when rubbed onto the nails every other day will keep cuticles and polish from cracking
7. Keep nail glue in your purse and use a drop to repair a broken nail as soon as it cracks
8. Swipe nails clean with cotton ball soaked with alcohol to remove hair gel or products off nail polish
9. Apply a coat of clear nail polish to dull fingernails every few days

London Fog breaks the classic, traditional mold and adds a little, who am I kidding, a lot of sex appeal into their new Spring 2012 campaign released yesterday.

Nicole Scherzinger former lead of the Pussycat Dolls and judge for X-Factor, is the new face for London Fog.  Nicole’s feature in the attention grabbing, off the shoulder trench, baring lengthy thighs is going to reach a whole lot of audience with very little clothing.

I mean really… don’t you want one! we can all look that hot if we buy that coat.

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Fall 2012 welcomes back the great pop-up restaurant, GOODNESS by supermodel, Elettra Wiedemann.

Interesting new twist, she partnered with Talenthouse and world renowned DJ Zen Freeman to provide a new artist the opportunity to perform live at New York Fashion Week.  The contest is over but we can’t wait to see the lucky new DJ spin at GOODNESS for an event at RLife LIVE in a New York Renaissance Hotel between February 11th – 14th.

For the foodies or any New Yorker or visitor who loves fine dining, how can you resist stopping by with the line-up of New York top chefs for this season which includes Mario Batali, Alain Allegretti, Julian Medina and Leo Forneas. Can you say, delicious…  I can say, stuffed!

New line released at Target by Jason Wu, the Taipei-born designer’s career was propelled in the Fashion world after he dressed Michelle Obama for the Inaugural Ball. Michelle looked absolutely stunning in the fabulously created white chiffon, one-shouldered floral decored dress. At that time, a women’s appetition for a piece of Wu was out of reach and now the working woman with fashion intensity can afford style by Jason Wu. I love the ready to wear separates with a timeless essence that I can mix in to my daily career style guiding me away from the boring suit jacket.

Jason’s inspiration for his exciting new line at Target is French New Wave Cinema; he describes the look as a little mischeivious and non-chalaunt.  The women such as Anna Karina and Jean Seberg were sheik and truly had a sense of style worth the Jason Wu fashion homage .  The line is very affordable as the highest priced item is $59.99 and we can grab his pieces starting at $19.99 in stores and online. I can’t wait to check it out and you can view the line at the Huffington Post Style Section. 

Anna Karina                                   Jean Seberg

I would swear my body drinks all the water I put into it daily so that my mouth can look like some mini version of Sponge Bob every evening. I can’t even laugh without covering my mouth to protect you from the flakes flying off these dry, cracked lips. Okay I’m exaggerating, but they are really chapped.

Enter awesome new product- LypSyl lip balm made with pure Swedish beeswax. The rep at a pop up shop during NY fashion week promised I would love this and she was right. The extra wide body is fun and covers your lips in one swipe over top and bottom. LypSyl is very moisturing to the point where I think you get enough product covering one lip and smooshing. It also has a tingly, cool feeling that lasts for hours. You definitely have to try’s this inexpensive, yet bountiful amount of balm for approximately $2.99 at your local drug store.

Finally I found Red Lipstick! Red lips are everywhere and I was on a hunt.  I’ve never been able to find a shade that doesn’t make me look like a Clown Barbie. For this look the MAC Cosmetics lady suggested a lip liner shade Mahagony although I don’t use it as a liner, but I use it like a filler and it tones the lipstick.  The Mattene lipstick by MAC is fairly new, so you will be able to find it in stores.

The color is Unknown Pleasures and lasts practically all day.  It leaves behind a little stain which I like because it always looks like I have something on. It feels velvety when you apply and it glides on easily. Generally matte lipsticks make your mouth feel tight, but I can smile comfortably with this because it has just enough moisturizer in it.

The case is very cool. This lipstick is in a slim tube no longer then your denim pocket; which means you can grab the lipstick, your credit card and your license and look good all night long. It costs $14.50 which I feel is priced perfectly for the design and the product quality.

Suggestions: If your lips are dehydrated and cracked, perform a light sugar scrub so the lipstick doesn’t lay in the cracks; you don’t want to look like a brick wall.  Chapstick doesn’t work well before this product either because it will bleed and you can’t afford that with red lips. I’m extremely happy with the the shade, the sustainability and the design.

I love Nordstrom because you can try on everything there.  I had on a different shade of  polish on every nail but walked away with polish that looks like the stars twinkling in the night sky or a navy blue marble- as my nail tech described it.  Guess I was more in fantasy land as I do love a fairy tale, so I was imagining me dancing under the midnight sky, The polish has cool names of OPI and lasting power of Chanel and costs about $18-22.00. I must admit that the shorter the nail the better the deep, sparkly more involved polishes look.  However, I am loving my toes because they look sexy in the sparks of midnight from the fab Deborah collection.

Sadly, I think I’ve lost all photos from the conference except this one of the red and black Aldo wedge shoes.  So content is key for this post.

The IFB Conference held at Milk Studios in September of 2011 was insightful and very informative as the past events.  This seasons engagement for me was exciting because of the participation of  Media experts providing insight on the brand acknowledgement of bloggers and how they review the content and seek bloggers or additional staff.

Games were played, prizes and treats were given out.  I was the first “real winner” of the day for the Aldo Shoes Roulette Table #GetLucky and won a $50 gift card. Woo hoo! To have just walked in out of the rain, from turnpike traffic, expecting to be totally late for the first scheduled engagement, ” Bloggers Tool Kit”, I was pleasantly surprised to win a prize. I walked away with a lot of information to build my blogging skills with and cool gifts from the Milk Studios event.

Here are 10 things I learned to help improve my blogging techniques and hope you can build your blogging style and reader audience as well.

1. Do you need to be technical or an expert when you blog?

a. You should be somewhat technical to edit, update and use SEO for your post

b. You should have knowledge and experience in the subject you blog about to build a better experience for the reader

c. You should have knowledge and experience in the subject you blog about to build a better experience for the reader

d. However if you are not technical, build on how you communicate to your audience, because communication is also key

2. How do you analyze blog data to build a better blog?

a. If something is retweeted, commented or “liked” a lot, analyze what you did for those results and incorporate in future posts

3. Two ways to get people to share your posts

a. “The power of asking” for people to follow, retweet or like on Facebook

b. Use the share buttons of repost on your blog

4. What are key Blogger tips?

a. Give credit and comment on other bloggers

b. Use quality images

c. Take risks- playing it safe isn’t always the best thing

5. If you’re using your blog as a business, how should you post content?

a. You may need to be careful and cautious on the content you post to not be brutally offensive as you can loose followers

b. Professionalism is key, but don’t be afraid to stick up for yourself f you are passionate about a topic

c. These days, professionals check your blog, Facebook and MySpace for the type of content you’ve post as your online content is your reputation.

d. Keep personal and business separate if needed

6. If you’re just starting out with your blog, what should you keep in mind?

a. Don’t blog for money, blog because it’s your passion.

b. Don’t compare yourself to other blogs, you can loose focus on your content

c. If you’re going to make money it probably won’t be for a few years

d. Ask yourself if you can do it for 3 years; if the answer is yes, then keep going.

e. Build relationships and get back to people within 24-48 hours

7. What do you do to build your brand?

a. Write a brand book including a mission statement and vision statement

b. Brand and promote yourself on your blog

c. Explain who your are and what you are about

8. How do you figure out how to talk about yourself to people?

a. Sit with someone you trust and discuss what they think about you

b. Find a brand you look up to and investigate what they are about

c. Have your elevator pitch ready and be ready to talk about yourself

9. What is great data to build your following?

a. Twitter/Tweets

b. Facebook Fans

c. RSS Subscription

d. Blog followers

e. Comments

10. Joe Zee, Creative Director of ELLE Magazine made me feel best of all as he said, “ If you want to be a writer of interest; say it quick and concise.”

a. Fascinating that he believes that if you can’t say it in 140 characters or less you’ve probably lost his interest already.

I always question if my blog posts are possibly too short. I sometimes compare myself to other bloggers who seem to have plenty of words to fill a page, however I don’t know if it’s adult A.D.D. or the writer literally said so much that I lost the meaning or interpretation because they padded the topic so much. I’m intentionally short and sweet and I’m glad someone like Joe Zee can appreciate that.

Fun times during the conference included the delicious ice creams bars by Magnum Ice Cream, the fantastic manicuring by KMS California and the great conversations with the fashion bloggers that traveled from far and near to attend this fabulous event. Can’t wait until next season.

Would you purchase a personalized, quality handbag?  I met Leah and Bliss last year during NY Fashion week and it looks like they’ve expanded the delicate, hand sewn designer collection.  The two lovely ladies are New York socialites who collaborate to design luxury handbags.  If you are all about originality, Leah & Bliss will work with you to personalize a handbag specifically glammed up just for you.

Leah & Bliss have received the blessing in a previous issue of O, The Oprah magazine, who has featured the Glamazon by Leah & Bliss. That bag is currently sold out, but the new Diamond Collection line is available. If bling is your thing then take a peek below and visit their website. I personally like the clutch sized bag and the pearls caught my eye.

This image was pulled from their website.