Perfectly Portman

Good morning lovelies! Hope you all had a warm and merry holiday weekend and are now gearing up to push through this last week of 2010. I spent my weekend with family, eating lots, baking, and catching up on some reading. This morning I woke up to news of Natalie Portman's engagement AND pregnancy, featured on my Yahoo homepage, and I have to say (as lame as it may sound now) it did get me just a little bit giddy with excitement. I adore Natalie (Garden State will always be one of my all-time favorites), and though I have yet to see Black Swan, I can't tell you how excited I am about it. Needless to say, I think it's so, so cute that she is expecting. And so, amid such sweet news, I thought it'd be appropriate to feature Natalie's January Vogue cover and a couple of pictures from the spread. As always, she is looking picture perfect and completely elegant. She looks stunning in soft, girly pink on the cover but what I loved the most were the two ballet-inspired photos in the spread (click the image to get a closer look). They have this hauntingly beautiful quality about them that just captivates you and pulls you in. Love it!

What are your thoughts? On Natalie, the film (no spoilers please!), these photos, her big news...? Let me know in comments! xo

images via popsugar.com

Tis the Season... of Caffeine!

Everyone in my life knows I am addicted to coffee.. this is nothing new. If I haven't mentioned it before on here, consider this my confession. I love, love, love coffee and can pretty much never start my day without at least one cup. So naturally, I also share an equally grand love for Starbucks. And, as I love the month of December and do all I can to get into the holiday spirit once Thanksgiving is over and done with, every year I eagerly anticipate the arrival of the seasonal drinks at Starbucks. And every year I take full advantage by ordering one every chance I get until the very last day they offer them up. So for those of you who have yet to taste these creamy, wonderful red cups of goodness, I have to ask... WHAT are you waiting for? Lucky for you, I'm here with a guide to... well, my personal favorites. Today I discovered one of the best hot chocolates I have ever tasted: the salted caramel hot chocolate. Oh. my. goodness. Equal parts rich, sweet, chocolatey, with the slightest kick that makes it the perfect sweet & salty guilty pleasure. I must say, one taste and this drink quickly shot its way up my favorites list. A more classic favorite would be the gingerbread latte, always. And as for the seasonal drinks I prefer largely over ice? Peppermint mocha and pumpkin spice lattes are both enjoyed better on the rocks, take my word for it (that's not to say their warm counterparts are not mouth-watering, as I am sure they are). And there you have it, lovelies... I have shared with you my expertise. The only one left on my to-try list at this point is the new caramel brulee latte, through which I will probably be consuming enough calories to substitute for an entire meal. Ah, c'est la vie. Because really, how often does Starbucks pull out those beloved red cups? My point exactly.

Happy holidays to you and yours, dear readers. xo

image via weheartit.com

Holiday Nightmare

Don't we all tell ourselves every year that we will do our holiday shopping online, nice and easy, with a cup of coffee, wearing PJs, no problem at all -- and every year, we fail? We venture out into the busy, crowded malls, spend about half our time stuck in traffic or circling around the lots aimlessly, hoping to spot some defeated shopper whose spot you can steal, wait in long lines, hear the screams of children drowning out the Christmas music... and so on and so forth. No? Just me? At any rate, I DO always wonder why I don't get more of my shopping done online in the comfort of my own home. I asked myself that just the other day, after I got home from the mall, dripping from the rain (non-stop gloom and showers for about a week now in Los Angeles -- better than a sunny Christmas, I can say that much).

I think it's safe to say I literally spent more time in my car, searching for parking or just trying to get in/out of the lots and the general vicinity of the mall... than I actually did IN the mall. At any rate, my best friend and I gave up within a couple of short hours, got NEARLY nothing done, and headed straight for the food. Tuna burgers and cheese fries made the excursion semi-worth it, but I digress. Next year, either I stop with the procrastination and get this stuff done nice and early, or I do it on my laptop in my PJs... dry, warm, and screaming-child-free.

I promise that was the last of what might sound a lot like a Grinchesque rant. And I promise, in all actuality I do really, really love Christmas and the holidays in general. We will now return to regular festivities... cue the Pandora Christmas music station, peppermint hot chocolate, and gift wrapping!

Also, please be sure to keep up with me on TWITTER & BLOGLOVIN xo

image via weheartit.com

Cover Me Up

How chic is Victoria Beckham in her pretty black coats? She's rocking a Giambattista Valli coat in the first photo, making traveling through bustling airports look so effortless... I can't help but admire her. I am currently LOVING tights, as they can be worn with dresses but also shorts.. flats or pumps or boots.. with a cute coat or cardigan. I mean, the options are endless. But I digress, because this post wasn't about VB's tights (although paired with the black high collared coat and simple pumps, they do help her look put together). I was actually going for a post about... COATS. The Burberry Prorsum she wore recently at yet another airport (as seen in the second photo) was equally chic with bare legs. This season, every time I go shopping I can't stop myself from browsing through endless options of outerwear. I just find pretty coats to be irresistible this time of year! Personally I love a classic beige trench and a nice double breasted style.. and of course, my black motorcycle jacket has become a staple in my wardrobe. I love my coats in shades of beige and grey in addition to classic black, but I also love coats that wow with a pop of color, like red. Which styles do YOU reach for, lovelies? xo

images via justjared.com; polyvore.com

Sweet Little Moment

How sweet is this photo of Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams? I stumbled upon it recently as I was looking for pictures of Michelle out and about promoting Blue Valentine -- she looked so classy in the Azzaro number she wore to the New York premiere. I was originally going to post a couple of pictures of her and Ryan Gosling from that night, but this particular shot was too precious to pass up.

image via weheartit.com

What's on my mind?

Hello pretty people! I feel as though I have neglected this blog long enough.. as a crazy, crazy semester winds down I am back and hoping some of you readers are still left out there, somewhere. The ever-so-dreaded Finals Week is about to begin, so right now all that is primarily on my mind is a whole lot of French grammar and about 30 or so works of American Literature. And while it is 80 degrees here in Los Angeles, in the middle of December, I also find my mind wandering to a white Christmas. A beautiful cabin, crackling fire, snow covered pine trees... but for now, as I am stuck in SoCal buried in textbooks and notes, all I can do is drink my seasonal Starbucks coffee (Iced Peppermint Mocha, mmm), listen to Christmas music and watch The Holiday & Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. (Side note: I think it's safe to say holiday movies never, ever get old to me). At any rate, I will stop my rambling at this point, take a breath, and look around to see if I even have any faithful readers left after my unofficial hiatus. I will try to be much, much better with updating as soon as I get through my finals. In the meantime, if you DID find your way back to this blog, please don't hesitate to leave me comments and let me know you are still out there. Lots of love (and best wishes to those of you in the Finals Boat like me) xo

image via weheartit.com

Movie Monday: The Social Network

"If you guys were the inventors of Facebook, you'd have invented Facebook."

Okay so many of you regular readers might remember me mentioning my excitement over The Social Network back in August. And, lo and behold, I did happen to go see it about a day or two after it was released earlier this month. Happy to report that I was absolutely not disappointed! Granted, it had received practically impeccable reviews and even some Oscar buzz -- nonetheless, I was hoping it would live up to the hype and it did. Not only did I find the entire story of Mark Zuckerberg interesting to begin with (it's insane to think Facebook -- now being used literally all around the world -- was created by a 20 something Harvard student in his dorm room one night), I loved the way the film captured it all. Viewers get tangled into the whole mess that comes with such great success and large sums of money at such a young age, and at times the story is heartbreaking and intense. I will definitley refrain from including spoilers, but I will say I loved the quick pace, wit, and the way in which the story was told (through flashbacks and the like). So get yourself out to the movies and see this one if you haven't already, because it will no doubt continue to be highly talked about! And those of you out there who HAVE seen it, I'd love to hear your take on it as well!

image via weheartit.com