Your iPhone is a mirror!

For years now, we’ve all tried those lame “mirror” apps for our cell phones, that really don’t work.  With the new iPhone camera, I was finally able to solve that! The next time you fear the dreaded lipstick on your teeth, smudged eyeliner, etc., just click the camera button on your iPhone and then use the camera’s “flip around” feature to face you. Instant mirror! Personally, I like it even better than an actual mirror, because you can discretely check your look, without looking obvious!

“There is something in every one of you that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself. It is the only true guide you will ever have. And if you cannot hear it, you will all of your life spend your days on the ends of strings that somebody else pulls.” –Howard Thurman

I am amazed—absolutely amazed—at the events of this week.  I never thought I would agree to sell/represent products for any company (especially after five horrid years as a retail manager prior to law school)!  I am thrilled to be out of retail, and I try to stop for a moment each day and remember just how hard my life once was (60 hour work weeks making $19,000 a year—and unloading semi-trucks at 5am, anyone?), and how much better it is now.  For that reason alone, I avoid the idea of selling anything!  I’m a professional during the day, so why would I want a job “moon-lighting” as anything else?  That said, I never forgot the gorgeous, professional women who worked for me during the two years that I managed a women’s clothing boutique in Pittsburgh, PA.  One woman was a CPA by day, but worked in sales at the store several nights a week.  She was my best employee.  She sold clothing not because she had to, but because she loved it.  Her sense of style was amazing, and she once told me that connecting with her clients in the evenings really made her feel “whole”.  I always wanted to be her—to work doing something I loved, if only for a few nights a week.  (Isn’t it funny how those people are always more successful than the rest of us?)

One thing about me has remained unchanged:  I love products!  Bath products (shower gel, bubble bath), lotion, essential oils—I love it all!  When I was younger and made very little money, I bought “some” products.  Now that I am older and a bit more stable (albeit a lot more stressed) I buy a LOT of products!  I started really educating myself about what I was buying and whether many of these products were worth the money.  After looking at the ingredients (and researching what those ingredient names really mean), I realized that, all too often, I wasted my hard-earned money on a pretty bottle (that I threw away) and a designer name (that disappointed me)!  Then I found Perfectly Posh . . . and now I am PoshHolly!  (Kinda’ has a “ring” to it, doesn’t it?)

When you access www.perfectlyposh.us/PoshHolly (and I hope that you will), you’ll see an amazing selection of fantastic bath and body products.  Made in the USA (yes!), with no parabens, paraffins, or SLS (I’ll write more later about why ingredients really matter)!  You can order products directly from my site and have them delivered to your door! (I just love that!) Yes, I still have my day job (thank goodness!) but this is my fun, moon-lighting business—my chance to be that CPA who worked nights doing something that inspired her and helped her feel connected!  Would you like to try some products?  Email me at poshholly@gmail.com, and I will mail samples to you ASAP!  Interested in hosting either an online party or a real-life, in person party? Let me know! You earn free products based on the sales at your party! Maybe you’ve been thinking about a little “side career” yourself? Join my team! For a mere $99, you can join me on my “posh journey” (and start a journey of your own)!  Life is too short.  Let’s have fun—and be fabulously posh!

It’s not like I didn’t ask for what I wanted.  I even brought pictures, but nothing helped.  Looking back, I guess all the signs were there.  There was the weeknight I waited almost 20 minutes, without so much as an apology or a glass of wine.  The background music gradually changed from contemporary pop to acid house, for no apparent reason.  Prices increased, without explanation.  Then we hit bottom (sometimes it takes actually hitting bottom):  I left with orange highlights.  Orange.  Highlights.  I even went back (even after orange highlights).  I thought I could salvage things, but less than a month later, I was walking around Washington, DC with mini bangs and fluffy sides.  It was over.  I knew it was time to find a new hair stylist.  I just didn’t know how.

Last weekend, (after spending an hour trying to make my bangs grow longer and un-fluffing my sides), I decided to take a stroll around my adopted hometown: Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.  In the back of my mind, I knew I was “out there” –in the fray– looking—in “hair flux.”  I walked down King Street to get my usual: a Starbucks Venti Sugar Free Cinnamon Dolce Soy Latte (which I highly recommend if you haven’t tried it, because it is really fabulous).  I was walking home, minding my own business, sipping my latte, and there it was:  a board advertising Blown Salon.  It looked fun and interesting.  Could there really be someone there who was right for me?  It took me three days to work up the courage to call.  I told my story to the young woman on the phone (she was clearly moved) and she suggested that I see Dominique.  I’d already browsed the early reviews on yelp.com, and I had a feeling that Dominique might be for me.

I’ve never written about a salon before, but I can honestly say that Blown Salon really inspired me.  They made me feel at home.  They listened to me.  They liked my red lipstick.

Tonight, I feel redeemed.  My bangs look good.  My sides are not fluffy.  I’ve snapped 20 pictures of my new hair and sent them to friends and family, all of whom were impressed with the results.  I will be back, Blown Salon (and, dare I say, I feel really confident about our future)!

(Interested in the fabulous that is Blown Salon?  Check them out at www.blownsalon.com!)

For the first time, the fashion label, lead by Diane Von Furstenberg and Creative Director Yvan, used state-of-the-art RED camera technology (most recognizably utilized in movies such as The Amazing SpiderMan, The Hobbit, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Avatar 2).  In fact, images for the print campaign are pulled directly from the video.

DVF  travelled to China to collaborate with conceptual artist Zhang Huan’s studio in Shangai for the backdrop of the fall campaign, which was directed by Tatiana von Furstenberg, shot by Brian Rigney Hubbard, and featured model Tayane Leao.  The campaign is characterized by “sophistication in industrial surroundings” with modern colors — pacific blues, pomegranate reds and celadon greens — juxtaposed with raw, organic gray materials like concrete, stone, and brick.

Check out the amazing DVF Fall video at:  http://www.youtube.com/user/insidedvf?feature=mhee.  I also recommend “liking” the DVF Facebook page, available at http://www.facebook.com/#!/dvf.

Welcome Fall (and your fabulous fashion)!  You were missed!

What?  You haven’t heard of 30 Days of Lists?  Really?  Oh darling, you are missing out!!  Here’s the deal:

Each day (starting September 1st) a new list prompt is given.  For example, you list your favorite things, or favorite seasons (the prompts are far more interesting, these are just examples)!  Make your list, then take a photo of your list and upload it on Flickr (if you wish) to share with the 30 Days of Lists community! There’s an adorable forum where members chat about the lists and other interesting things.  All I could think when participating in this project in the past was, “Wow-I wish I could somehow recapture this cool community of list-makers!”  Now I can!  It is so fun and interesting to see how others interpret the list prompts, how creative people can be with the look of their lists, and just what a cool group of people seem to flock to this undertaking.

Even more details are available at http://30daysoflists.com/  Among the most exciting features?  The sponsors include yours truly!  That’s right, www.HollyGofabulously.com is a very proud sponsor of 30 Days of Lists!  I hope you’ll join me–it is truly fabulous!

Caress Fine Fragrance Elixers Body Wash

I was fortunate enough to receive a bottle of this fantastic body wash to try, and I absolutely loved it! I must admit that, as a longtime devotee of all the finer body products, I wasn’t terribly optimistic that I would enjoy Caress. I tried the Sheer Twilight fragrance and highly recommend it. The fragrance actually reminded me of a much lighter version of Tom Ford’s Black Orchid! It lathers wonderfully and worked as both bubble bath and body wash. While this is a “musky” fragrance (black orchid and juniper oil), it does not have a heavy lingering smell that will compete with your chosen body cream or cologne. I am sure that this fragrance will be even more enjoyable in the Fall/Winter weather (when I normally prefer heavier scents). Pick this one up at the drug store, ladies–you’ll be glad you did!

Chanel Style Yeux Waterproof – Gris

In some sick way, I regret the day I decided to try this eyeliner, because now I simply cannot live without it. At $29.00 each, this is a great way to spend all that money you saved with the Caress body wash! Bottom line: Is it worth it? Absolutely, and then some! The “ebene” color is a lovely waterproof black that glides on smoothly and stays on all day. The DC humidity and long days at work hardly challenge this stuff. I wear it every day. I love it. What was life like before Chanel eyeliner? I hardly remember. It’s just that good! Find it online at chanel.com, here.

PureDKNY

A self-described “soft floral scent,” this really is one of the loveliest and cleanest scents I’ve found. It features a drop of vanilla in water as its signature. This fragrance also contains lotus flower and Bulgarian rose, with jasmine, freesia, and lush orchid. It finishes with warm amber and creamy sandalwood. The only downside of a fragrance this light is staying power. I keep a small bottle at the office for an “afternoon pick-me-up” scent experience!

Harvard Yard

“If thou fill thy brain with Boston and New York, with fashion and covetousness, and wilt stimulate thy jaded senses with wine and French coffee, thou shalt find no radiance of wisdom in the lonely waste of the pinewoods.”
–Ralph Waldo Emerson

In 1989, I almost went to college in Boston. In 1998, I almost went to law school in Boston. My favorite, super cool professor in law school was from Boston. I like lobster and Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and “Good Will Hunting”. What can I say? Boston is a town of “almosts” and “maybes” for me; a place that I never lived, but always liked.

During my week in Boston, I was able to take advantage of what (in my geeky little world, at least) was a true “chance of a lifetime”: The opportunity to have a glass of wine at the Harvard Faculty Club. I’ve had better wine, but I was already drunk on the very smell of Harvard. It smelled of old leather and books and hunter green (if hunter green had a smell). It was equestrian and elegant and proud. I felt comfortable and welcome there, and was happy, for once, to have invested so much time and money in my education. I vowed right then and there to start devoting more time to those things that make me feel truly inspired. What inspires you?

Ready for the Harvard Club!

At the Harvard Club with Canadian Astronaut Dr. Robert Thirsk

At the Harvard Club with Author and Harvard Professor Robert Kaplan

Shopping on Newbury Street in Boston

A fabulous sunny day for shopping in Boston!

For more information on St. John’s stylish and versatile pieces, including where to buy, see http://www.sjk.com/en-us/shoponline.

As a sponsor of the 2011 Women in the World Summit, David Yurman is holding an online charity auction, the winner of which will choose a Women in the World charity that will receive all the funds raised during the auction.  Not only is the winning bidder supporting a cause she believes in, but this person is also bidding on something one-of-a-kind:   The winning bidder and two guests will be treated to an Upper East Side French lunch, and then visit the David Yurman Townhouse on Madison Avenue for an intimate presentation of jewels from David Yurman’s Limited Edition and Couture collections!  In addition, the winner bidder will receive a limited edition David Yurman Infinity gold and diamond necklace, customized to celebrate Women in the World 2011.  This exceptional limited edition piece will be one that only this person and her two friends will own, reminding them of the unity and bond shared as women and a priceless treasure to always remember the day and of the winning bidder’s generous contribution.

Feeling generous (and lucky)?  To participate in the online auction, go to www.charitybuzz.com/davidyurman.  Good luck!

I’ve loved Alexandria since the moment I found it.  I met my husband here, and when we were able to buy a condo in Old Town Alexandria, it was the culmination of a dream for me.  Given my love of this city, I was quick to vote Alexandria the “Fan Favorite” of the twelve destinations named by the National Trust for Historic Preservation 2011 Distinctive Destinations contest. 

Entering is easy!  Go to  http://VisitAlexandriaVA.com/ and click the “Vote Today” button to cast your vote. Vote every day until March 15!