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Zen Place on a Chain

My favorite vintage items are the ones that I’ve had before they were vintage. I’ve had this beach scene charm since I was a kid. Closing my eyes and picturing the beach is the trick I use to calm myself. This is like wearing my zen place around my neck.

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Almond Milk Hot Chocolate

For a friend’s barbecue on a cool Los Angeles evening, I brought ingredients for almond milk hot chocolate for us to sip by the fire pit. I make my chocolate milk with dark chocolate, cocoa powder, and almond milk. Preparing it couldn’t be easier: I add pieces of a chocolate bar (70%), unsweetened cocoa powder, and a dash of salt to unsweetened almond milk in a saucepan, then stir occasionally with a whisk on medium heat until blended and hot (but not boiling). Measurements? I usually make one or two cups at a time and use 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder and a few pieces of chocolate. Honey, agave nectar, or sugar can be added for sweetness. Our friends Kristine and Dan had marshmallows for toasting by the fire and a few of us added one (or two) to our hot chocolate milk mugs. Yum.

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Better Red Lips for the Red Carpet (or Right Now)

Watching the red carpet arrivals for the Oscars tonight, a friend commented on the red lips of an actress, wondering aloud about the chemicals in her lipstick. I was quick to point out that there are plenty of red lip products available that are safer to wear — those made without ingredients that are harmful to you (because, come on, you know you end up eating a lot of that lip color….). My favorite green beauty choice for red lips is RMS Beauty’s Lip2Cheek in Rapture — good as a barely-there light stain or for a full-on deep and dramatic red. Either way, it can be perked up when topped with a tiny bit of Jane Iredale’s PureGloss in tourmaline (it looks pink in the tube but goes on clear with a bit of shimmer). If I want a full red lip that’s softer and on the tomato side of the spectrum, I go with Jane Iredale’s LipColour (lipstick) in Nicole, which is super-moist and made with SPF 18. Best of all, these products are from companies committed to making makeup more responsibly — better for you and the environment. (For more on these products and others, check EWG’s Skin Deep for ingredients and safety ratings.)

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Game Day Look: True Blue

My Super Bowl look: Something old, something new, something upcycled, something blue. I took a NY Giants shirt and recreated it by cutting off the sleeves and adding details to the neckline with a strip of denim from a thrift store pair of jeans and fabric from the cut-off sleeves. The necklace is was made with a string of glass beads from a broken chandelier purchased from a yard sale.

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Groundhog Day: New Day for the Vest

It’s Groundhog Day and the movie of the same name has been airing on cable TV. Andie Macdowell’s character wears a pink baggy sweater over a blue button-down shirt for most of the movie (not appealing), but I like the white shirt and vest she wears in the dinner scene with Bill Murray’s character. In the ’80s and ’90s, this look would be paired with high-waisted and pleated (gasp) jeans or trousers, but I would like it with skinny jeans and booties.