Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Highlight Of Las Vegas Trip!

12/18/2010
The day my whole family drop me off at the airport...off I go Vegas w/ my gal friends!!

Photobucket
Yes, this is my outfit on the way to Vegas~~~ ^O^

The 1st evening dinner at Michelin restaurant: Guy Savoy in Caesar Palace Hotel. I love their hearty portion (if compared to most other French restaurant) and slightly heavier taste.

I need to make sure my girls are looking at their most gorgeous the night so I did their make-ups and made them change their clothes from their original planned outfit. haha... ^O^
Photobucket
There, my pretty gal friends!! 
Our shoe show case: Miu Miu studded sandal heels, Christian Louboutin chain sandal, Bottega Veneta woven burgundy ballet flat and Jimmy choo!!


I have my Oscar de la Renta sapphire earrings and J Crew green glass cuff on w/ AQUA dress!!

Photobucket 
Lobster Salad!! 



Photobucket
One of the signature dish: Emulsified milk w/ Cod! So tasty!!


Photobucket
So tender duck w/ sweet potatoes!


Photobucket
Mushroom soup (truffle + Parmesan cheese) w/o adding chicken soup whatsoever additional flavor.


Photobucket
Pear sorbet and cut pear slices. 
IMO, Guy Savoy has the most delicious sorbet I have ever tasted!! ^^


Photobucket


Photobucket


Photobucket
By the time I finished all the courses, I can only drooling over those treats, sweets as I am completely full already.


Photobucket
Thanks Sally for taking so many pictures of me!

Photobucket
First night at Vegas!
This is the crazy me.... dance on the table side!

Photobucket
We went to XS club inside Encore the first night.  
Sally and I both are on scene at SPYONVEGAS.com! 
What a crazy night for us. ^^ 

Photobucket
I love the way I wore my Michael Kors sweater...and I think people love the way I wore it too. All of them love the look and thought it is a big roll-neck scarf on me!! lol.

Photobucket
You know how many times we did this poses over and over again...? Just because Sally wants to practice and look in her best shape on pictures.... poor Irene who took pictures for us over and over again...like 4 times!!

You know how it could be when girls are obsessed w/ looking into their best!  They never give up the opportunity to be perfect on camera. ^O^ 

Then, there is always the last minute change of mind among girls ....when the heels is not right!! Off we go shop for HEELS!! 
Photobucket
Manolo Blahnik!


Photobucket
Oscar de la Renta!


2nd day at Vegas!!

Photobucket
Chanel 10' white w/ red/black trim collar jacket from Shanghai collection. 

Photobucket
The 2nd night we decided to take it SLOW ~~ We went to "The BANK" Club at Bellagio!



Photobucket
The day we are heading back to San Jose~~~

Play hard, work hard, doing house chores even harder~~~ ^^
xoxo Rachel

Makeup Crush: Leona Lewis


I'm not a fan of Leona Lewis' music BUT I am a big fan of her makeup looks.  She always seems to look very polished and sophisticated.  Although these pics are from her appearance at the 2009 AMA's, I personally don't think makeup looks really go 'out of fashion'.  I know there are makeup trends that do the rounds every season BUT I never live my life by them and because I now have a good idea of what suits me, I'm certainly not going to go mascara-less or wear orange lipstick just because it happens to be in vogue. 


I love this luminous smokey eye that she frequently wears, it's so smouldering but soft enough not to make eyes look tired or heavy.  It looks like the MUA lined her upper and lower lashes with a creamy black eye liner and smudged it out with something like a cotton bud to soften any harsh lines.  There's a shimmery grey shadow on the lid and drawn under the eyes to further soften the black liner.  The grey shimmery shadow is winged out to create a lifted cat eye appearance.


A darker grey can be applied to the crease to intensify the look and unify everything before applying a black shadow on the outer edges of the upper lid.  This can be applied from the outside inward to blend the shades and also blended down into the lashline.  There's also a hint of a highlight on the inner corners of the eyes which helps to open them up.  The most important thing with this look is to blend, blend and then blend some more.  You want the colours to melt into your skin and look airbrushed.


This is another example of the gorgeous sultry eye that Leona usually has, but this time it looks like they used more brown toned greys, like a taupe shade.  This look is alot about softness and I think this would be a great look to wear to a Christmas party/New Year get together because it looks effective without looking like you've tried too hard.  I love that you can play around with different colours when it comes to smokey eyes.

What are your favourite products/colours to use for your smokey eye looks?

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from NIKOLAKI Nick Verreos, David Paul...and Benny!!!


HAPPY DIVA HOLIDAYS...and A FABULOUS 2011!!!Here at my lovely blog, we all wish you a very Happy Holidays and a FABULOUS and FASHIONABLE New Year! I'm off to San Antonio Texas to spend Xmas with my family but will return to Los Angeles to ring in the New Year! For 2011...

I promise there will be more NIKOLAKI Fashion...

More Red Carpet Coverage...

More Events, hosting and "surprise" appearances by moi...

More Figure Skating Fashion (of course!)...

More Euro-Royals Wearing Couture...

More Beauty Pageant Gowns, Slits and (hopefully), NO clear Lucite Stripper Heels to go with them...and more of EVERYTHING in between---

Happy New Year! xoxo Nick Verreos, David Paul...and our doggie Benny!!!

Holiday Party Round Up: The TV Guide Network Party at Lucky Strikes Lanes/Lounge at Hollywood & Highland


Bowling FASHION Pins, Onion Rings, Holiday Cocktails, and a beautiful Hollywood & Highland Xmas Tree...

Editor Sandwich : Nick Verreos and two TV Guide's "The Fashion Team" editors

Last week, I was invited to yet, another Holiday Bash: This time it was the TV Guide Network Holiday Party, which was being held at Lucky Strikes Lanes/Lounge at Hollywood & Highland. Fresh off my "Most Memorable Red Carpet Fashion Moments of 2010" segment which I filmed at the W Hotel Los Angeles with stylist Jen Rade and host Lawrence Zarian--in ICE SKATES!!!---

I braved the torrential LA rains (those three words do not belong in a sentence!) and went to the party! I wanted to say "Heeeyyy" to all my wonderful co-workers and the amazing TV Guide people who make me look good (or at least try!) and maybe get some "Holiday" cocktails and nibblings...

Lucky Strike Lanes/Lounge, Hollywood & Highland Complex

Once I arrived at Lucky Strike Lanes/Lounge, the party was in full swing with hundreds of TV Guide-ers drinking, bowling (I know, seriously!?) and partaking in the delicious food that was out. I spotted salads, desserts and even some onion rings (my favorite!). Unfortunately, there were too many prying eyes and I didn't want to show that GAYS actually EAT (so I didn't--but trust me, you KNOW I wanted to ask for a "To-Go" bag!).

Bowling (NOT!) Buddies: Nick Verreos and Michael Anthony Nalepa, TV Guide Holiday Party Lucky Strikes

I didn't see my fellow "The Fashion Team" cohorts--Miss Jen Rade and Lawrence Zarian (I heard I had just missed him!), and I didn't see Chris Harrison (Host of "The Bachelor" and the TV Guide Red Carpet Awards Pre-Shows), but...I did get to hang out with a lot of the behind-the-scenes kids: I said "Hola" to several of my producers (LOVE them!), segment directors, cameramen, sound guys and editors (REALLY LOVE THEM!).

Not that $11 Million Tree: The gorgeously lit Hollywood & Highland Christmas Tree

I had a really fun time, and in case y'all were wondering, NO, I did not bowl. I just mingled. It's more fashionable...Happy Holidays, be safe, be merry and always be FASHIONABLE...and take onion rings TO GO!!!!!

Jemma Kidd Makeup School


I have featured the Jemma Kidd Makeup School Ultimate Lipstick Duo in Wendy on my blog before here and I really love the concept of a double ended product featuring a moisturising balm to prime the lips and a lipstick on the other end.  These lipsticks are so handy as a space saver since you don't have to lug around a lipbalm and lipstick separately.  Wendy is a great shade, a real peachy pink that looks delicate and flattering.


I now have two more shades, Juliet (a rosy nude) and Grace (a rosy peach/coral).  Juliet shown in the front of the pic below is a very wearable and flattering nude that looks glossy and fresh even without lipgloss.  Grace is a slightly stronger coral peach that looks amazing teamed with Mac Lipglass in Pink Lemonade.  That combination really livens up your complexion!  


Convenience aside, these creamy lipsticks are also very moisturising which is ideal for these obscenely cold temperatures we are getting at the moment (it was -10oC this morning!).  They glide on and athough they don't last for hours on end, they so fade in an even manner so you aren't left with patchy colour.  You can wear the lipstick alone for greater staying power but I prefer to keep my lips in good condition with the balm.  It contains Vitamins A & E which ensure your lips never get dry and flaky.


The only downside to these lipstick duos, in my opinion, is that the products on each end are a bit small and could be bigger.  Creamy lipsticks never last as long as their drier counterparts...it's a catch 22 of preferring more moisturising formulas I guess!  These lipsticks are priced at £13.00 each.  If you want to check out what other shades are available, you can have a look at the Jemma Kidd Makeup School website here (note - the shades on the main site are more accurate than the UK specific site, Space NK, where you actually buy them).  They are available on LookFantastic.com but there aren't many shades on there.


I have had my eye on the Jemma Kidd Makeup School Shimmer Shadows for a while now because they all seem to be incredibly wearable shades that would all create a great base for just about any look.  Brulee and Peachie particularly caught my eye and they look even better in real life than they do in the pics!


These soft pearl eye shadows have a buildable quality so you can choose between a sheer wash of colour or a more intense finish.  I personally like the really shimmery effect on the eyes, which highlights the centre of the lid...so pretty! Brulee is a really gorgeous goldy beige that would be perfect as an all over lid colour but also as a highlight shade.  Peachie is like a powder version of Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in RSVP but you obviously get more reflective qualities in the powder shadow.  You also don't get any shimmery fallour from these shadows which is a massive bonus.


I am such a makeup geek that I had a massive smile on my face when I saw these shadows in the pans.  They are what they say on the tin...shimmer shadows packed with reflective particles.  Both of these shades would look incredible in the summer on tanned skin...perfect shadows to take on holiday for an easy wash of colour for the daytime.  They are really smooth to the touch and have really good pigmentation.  Peachie reminds me of the Mac Melon Pigment swatches I have seen online.  These shadow are priced at £11 each.  To see the other shades available please click here.


Have you had your eye on any Jemma Kidd Makeup School products?

Remember I said the weather was keeping Chris from going offshore for Christmas? He waited for 8 hours at the heliport yesterday but his flight was cancelled due to the low temperatures (apparently the type of helicopters they use can't fly in temperatures below 0oC).  I was hoping he wouldn't have to go away for Christmas but his flight was rescheduled for today and he left this morning.  Blub!  So I won't see him until Monday...it kinda sucks but at least it's only a week and not the usual 2 weeks.  I'm trying to stay positive you see!

The snow really is causing havoc with just about everything at the moment and it's all over the news every single night.  It's rather embarassing that the UK has handled the whole thing so badly and questions are being asked as to why we weren't prepared.  In my opinion the reasons are simple...either we pay higher taxes to buy more gritters and to account for preparations and buy expensive snow tyres for ours cars OR we suck it up and deal with it. 


People always complain about paying higher taxes but that's what it takes to be prepared for this stuff.  Most European countries spend alot more than we do on preparing themselves for the cold weather and snow but if we aren't prepared to pay the cost, then we will NEVER be ready for this kind of extreme weather.  Also, I've noticed that no one seems prepared to help out i.e. clearing snow and spreading grit on the pavements outside your house or your business.  We always clear our car park when it snows, it's not fun and it's hard work but if it means people get out quicker in the mornings then it's worth it.  I think it's a city thing where people are less inclined to be community minded (it always annoys me that our neighbours rarely say hello in passing).  Sorry, rant over...I just don't get why people find it so hard to get their heads around the financial trade off regarding the extreme conditions and the fact that we all have to pitch in and help eachother instead of just thinking about ourselves.  God, I sound old!ha ha.

And lastly, a quick video from the Look magazine website where a member of the Look staff works her magic on her colleagues hair.  I wish I had her on hand when I need to glamourise myself because this is my favourite kind of party hair!  I also picked up some good tips like holding the hair in your hand after you curl it and pinning it...that explains why my hair never stays curly for long when I use wide barrell tongs! 



What's your favourite party hair style?
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...