I really don’t have the excuse of feeling the winter blues I used to get when I lived in New York. February was always a ‘bleh’ time of year, usually marked by exams, snow storms and lots of gray skies. Now that I live in LA and I work in social media, all we can think about is Spring, and all the beautiful trends, jewelry and fashion that awaits along with outdoor art shows and performances. It’s anticipation time, and I’m totally fine with that. I’ve had a terrible bout with TMD the last few weeks, which causes all types of pain and discomfort. I’ve found respite in yoga, acupuncture, a change of diet and Spring colors. Yes, colors. They have the ability to alter your mood, and I can’t wait to start adding more and more color to my wardrobe and around the house. During a break in the work day, I grabbed some costume jewelry from Target in orange to welcome all of the wonderful changes taking place. I love mixing these affordable finds and with my cherished jewelry pieces. Breathes new life into what I have in my jewelry box.

My mother always watched old Hollywood films when I was growing up, especially Katherine Hepburn movies. Her hair and makeup was always so flawless, and her personality and sass made her all the more perfect. I was more drawn to the Rita Hayworth, Hedy Lamarr and Ava Gardner when it came to beauty and fashion icons.

But really, as much as I love old Hollywood glamour, it’s not exactly a look I can keep up most of the time. But if you narrow it down to the basics, you can definitely pull off an inspired look for a night out. I stick with inspired by and simple to do. All you really need is a great foundation, two eyeshadows, one mascara, one eye liner, a rosy blush and a red lipstick. Alright, you need a few more things but it won’t take that long, and you’ll be ready for your date in no time.

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Before I go into my excitement about trying out Mary Kay’s CC Cream, allow me to briefly explain the difference between this cream and BB cream, which is what I’ve been using prior to makeup application. BB Cream stands for Beauty Balm (or blemish Balm) and is the multi-tasker of skin creams. It hydrates and evens out skin tone and treats the skin with antioxidants and other anti-aging ingredients. Many BB cream products offer broad-spectrum SPF and leave your skin with an illuminating glow. I started using it about year ago, and realized it was doing the trick when my boyfriend commented on how flawless my skin looked. He’s not the kind of guy to notice those details like we do so that pretty much confirmed that my BB cream was doing its job. CC Cream stands for Color Corrector, and is designed to address things like redness and skin discoloration. My skin is olive in color and has lots of areas with dark blemishes from acne and hormones (darn you 40!). The texture is also lighter and translucent in most CC Creams.

Mary Kay sent me a great CC Cream set in four different shades (ranging from very light to deep foncée, which is like a rich caramel color). Looks like I may need to play around with my new creams and do a bit of contouring. Notice I said a bit. Although I’ve seen amazing contouring transformations, a subtle difference is more my thing. I was also given two beautiful bronzers just in time for Spring. Thank you so much Mary Kay!

(purse: Anthropologie)

Today I had one of those coffee meetings that left me feeling very Warhol. The artist and purist in me always struggles with the idea of mixing art with corporations. Even in the museum field, it was all a buzz if an arts institution joined forces with a company to support an art exhibit or program. The integrity and motives of the institution were questioned and many times scrutinized. It’s a conversation I’ve heard a million times and it has certainly played tug of war in my head every time I take a sponsored campaign and write #ad on an instagram photo. But the truth is, I need to make a living. I need to work steadily. And being creative is what I do best. I love creating and executing visually beautiful and interesting concepts with and for brands. In fact, before I went into the fine arts field, I studied commercial advertising. I wanted to work in branding, mainly print. Funny enough, my career has gone full circle. So I decided to quiet that voice and replace it with this one: Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art – Andy Warhol.

(Campbell’s Soup Can, Warhol LACMA)

Chinese New Year is upon us and as you can tell – I. Am. Inspired. I feel so fortunate to have grown up in the cultural wonderland that is NYC. So much of my upbringing was influenced by the diversity that surrounded me. It’s always interesting when people ask me “what are you?” because I almost feel like a hybrid of different cultures. For example, my neighborhood landscape included many family-owned businesses who were from all over the world.These experiences simply became a part of who I am and from it I fell in love with the artistic expressions of countries like India, Japan and China. After college, I got a job as an educator for the Bronx Museum (Latino, African American and Asian contemporary art) and I really got a chance to delve into the beauty and history of Asian culture, particularly Chinese culture and their theatrical productions. I was very familiar with their beautifully embellished images of Chinese women and men draped in intricate garments with breathtaking makeup to match. However, I didn’t know that it came from The Chinese Opera and was also used to celebrate Chinese New Year.

We are now entering the year of the horse and I wanted to have a bit of makeup fun with the colors red and gold, which symbolize luck and wealth. My first image is a classic red lip look but inspired by The Chinese Opera with a more dramatic eye. The nails are a take on the flowers typically used in Chinese New Year – Plum Blossom and Azaleas. In the second picture, I combined pink, red and gold to create a wearable everyday Spring look. My last picture is definitely not what I would consider an everyday look for me, but it was a lot of fun to recreate. If you’d like to shop these looks, I have all the details on Babble … or you can just use this as inspiration to create your own makeup looks inspired by Chinese New Year. It’s a lot fun to play around. My boyfriend and I stayed up late shooting pictures and trying out different ideas. Hence the more the conceptual take on makeup than I usually do.

May this year bring you lots of happiness!

We all have our guilty pleasures, and I must admit that anything cat related is mine. Yes, I totally love cat videos and memes. It’s the only thing I find acceptable when it comes to wasting time online. We have two cats, and they’re like family. Of course it was fitting that we attend a show in honor of cats, right? As soon as my son walked into the gallery, he wandered around searching for the best cat painting of them all. I think he found it …

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I own a few peplum tops, and have a love/hate relationship with them. I really have to be in a frilly sort of mood to wear one unless they have a more structured or flowy look, if that makes sense. The top I’m wearing wouldn’t technically be considered a peplum but I’m favoring this silhouette a lot more. It’s way more flattering if you have curves. I really like the asymmetrical cut too. It’s a jersey knit, so it’s super comfortable and can be dressed up or down.

(Heather Pleated Asymmetrical top, Asos pencil skirt, Chinese Laundry heels, Ann Taylor bag)

This corner at LACMA made me stop in my tracks. I don’t know what it is about Brancusi’s Bird in Flight but it’s as though the sculpture commands you to gaze in wonderment. Although the artist is recognized for being a pioneer in abstract art, I see a representational form. I see movement. Maybe it’s because I know the name of the piece? Had I not known, would I see this 73-inch-tall polished bronze sculpture as a bird soaring into the sky? I guess the next question is – Does it even matter? This sculpture is always a soothing and gentle reminder that challenges can be handled with grace. It embodies hope and triumph. The pedestal is also reminder that in order to overcome obstacles you must have a foundation (whatever that means to you – family, education, spirituality). In a span of about five minutes this all came to mind with one simple glance. That’s the beauty of abstraction, your mind fills in the rest.

(Bird In Flight, LACMA)