WHAT YOU’LL NEED & WHAT I USED:

You can use any colors you want. I think this would look fantastic with a black base for something a little edgier. I just didn’t feel like staining my nails black right now. Is it just be or do base coats not really help with the whole staining issue very much? Anyway, here’s what I used.

A blushy beige base color — I used OPI’s “My Very First Knockwurst” (it’s limited edition but I get it on Amazon)

Whatever color you want your cat or bow to be. – I used white nail polish for the cat and Revlon’s “Passionate Pink”.

Black nail polish for the whiskers.

Crystals for everything else — I used tiny clear crystals and some larger pink ones. I get mine from eBay, esty, Amazon, craft stores, fabric stores, etc.

Clear polish — this can be used to seal in designs & adhere crystals.

Nail glue — You CAN use this to attach the crystals. This holds them better than clear polish but the problem is just that — it will take a lot more effort to remove the crystals. Unless you’ve got pure acetone on hand, avoid it and stick to just some clear polish.

Tweezers — to apply the crystals with.

Patience – this isn’t a paint & go kind of manicure.

Watch the video here …

Hello, Gorgeous!

I’ve been keeping you all pretty well-updated over the past two months or so about the state of my nose on instagram. If you’ve been following me, you’ll know that I am doing so much better this past week! I finally started filming videos a few days ago and have been LOVING it in almost the same way I did when I first started! The process has been a bit slower as I’m trying to figure out which angles and lighting are currently most flattering as I don’t want to look back on these videos when my nose is put back in place and think, “Oh, how I’d love to re-film these!” If you don’t know what happened, read my crazy story here.

When I fell, not only did I break my nose but I cut it open down to the bone (or whatever is left of it as it’s all moved over to the left!) and needed 11 stitches to tie it back up. After that, I went to a “top” plastic surgeon in NYC whose nurse removed my stitches a little too soon. To make matters worse, she gave me the wrong care instructions! (insert dramatically horrifying music and sound effects here) Instead of the wound closing up, it reopened and the scabbing was awful! (Gross pictures after the jump!) Because of this lovely nurse (-_-), I couldn’t have my surgery to correct the damage at end of April as planned. So instead of me being healed from my surgery by now, I will have to wait until June. (-_-) Needless to say, I am going to have my surgery done with a different surgeon & will be keeping you all posted in case some of you are interested in rhinoplasty or are just plain curious.

A month after the fall. This is me after my last visit with my first plastic surgeon. Excuse my red eyes. I was so upset hearing that I couldn’t have surgery until June and that I’d have this scab for at least the next month all because of this ridiculous excuse for a nurse. To top it off, the surgeon left me like this and didn’t even show any concern that I wouldn’t be able to work for an additional two months. After this episode, I didn’t the surgeon or any of his nurses anywhere near my face, so I looked elsewhere.

The day after that visit, the rest of the scab fell off and i was left with I don’t even know what to call this mess. Yes, I went out in public like this.

Day after, it started to scab up again as you can see in the top right corner of the wound. Keep in mind, I wasn’t able to wash my face during this time. Don’t even get me started on the process I’d go through trying to wash my hair! Having long and thick hair wasn’t really doing me any favors in April!

Here’s where you can see what happened structure-wise. My nose broke off and tilted over to the side. The bone is now fused that way. I can still breathe though one nostril is pretty closed off not just from the tilting but also because I do have a deviated septum that was supposed to be corrected in my last surgery (performed by *surprise* the same surgeon whose nurse screwed me up!) but wasn’t! I digress…

Two days after the last photo, this is what the scab started looking like.

Here’s the close up. No it wasn’t infected. It just wasn’t drying. Here’s why –

The new plastic surgeon wiped off the gooeyness and showed me that underneath was just a little granulation tissue that needed to be removed and cauterized (burnt). He explained that this happened from the stitches being removed too soon and that the bone underneath was pushing the skin up and not letting it lie flat to heal properly. He explained that if I left it there, it would take way longer than even a month to heal and the scar would be much worse. So, five minutes later –

A little black dot instead of all of that yuckiness for a week didn’t bother me at all. I was just over-the-moon with joy when the doctor told me I could wash my face, shower, wash my hair, and SLEEP without worrying! I felt reborn! Well-worth the five minutes of ow.

That weekend, just two days after the cauterization. People would tell me they had forgotten I’d broken my nose and just thought I had scratched myself or tried to pop a mean pimple. Haha. I took that as a compliment.

Me the other day. This is the scar for now. No makeup on it aside from maybe a little dusting of powder. Crooked for now but who cares? I feel like a person again!

Feeling so much better now and just wanted to share a bit of my experience. When I was going through all of this, I was googling so much stuff to get an idea of what the hell to expect or what’s up and I hadn’t found anything all that conclusive. The past two months have been a nightmare for me. Though I did everything I could to put a smile on my face during the day, I spent most of the nights crying myself to sleep. I haven’t cried like that since I saw “My Dog Skip” when I was a kid. I just felt so useless. But, reading your messages and interacting with a lot of you who shared stories about how you’d injured yourselves in the past really gave me hope and inspiration. I know that a lot of you turn to me for motivation but you have no idea how much you’ve provided for me in return. My heart is filled with so much gratitude and love for you all than any combination of words I could come up with can do justice. Thank you all so very much for your patience and support. <3

xo Jess

As much as I love Kevin Spacey as Francis Underwood, I can’t help but slip into a daze whenever his character’s wife, Claire Underwood, appears on the screen. All I have to say is, “Move over, Carrie Bradshaw, there’s a new TV fashion icon in town!”

All you have to know about Claire Underwood is that she’s perfect in just about every single way imaginable which makes it easy to understand how Francis Underwood loves that woman “more than sharks love blood.” Rarely seen smiling, her character can easily be placed into the category of “Ice Bitch”. Without meaning to give anything away, there is more girl to the woman than meets the eye.  Claire is like an iceberg; cold and unwavering but with so much more hidden beneath the surface.

Throughout the show, Claire is frequently seen in black, white, navy, and a lot of grey. I have a feeling that as the seasons go on and her character opens up more, she may be seen wearing perhaps some pastels or even little pops of color. But more than color, what really stands out about Claire’s style is the silhouettes and textures she opts for. High necklines and pencil skirts are practically her signatures. We see her a lot in very structured designs composed of thicker fabrics. I couldn’t help but wonder where Claire would shop if she were on a budget? I imagine that she would build a wardrobe around reasonably priced, quality clothing from places like J. Crew and Zara. But to give that extra, expensive feel, she would invest some money in having things tailored to fit her as though they were made for her body alone whenever necessary.

Some may argue that Claire’s wardrobe is utterly simple and therefore she shouldn’t be considered a fashion icon. But, complicated — throwing things together and praying they work — can be much easier than pulling off something simple in an elegant way. It’s like J.Crew’s CEO, Mickey Drexler said in the May 2013 issue of Fast Company, “Simplicity is very difficult to achieve. Just try to ask someone how to make a really good roast chicken.”

After searching the web, I’ve come up with some real world options & inspiration for what Claire Underwood would wear for work, a night out, a casual day, a workout, and bed if she didn’t have a Netflix Production budget. And of course, what she would save up to splurge on!

Because we’re so used to seeing Claire so covered up, it’s a striking contrast to see her neckline and shoulders completely bare and on display in a strapless dress. And still, though she looks appealing, she’s not really giving us much at all. Hardly a glimpse of cleavage. A modest show of her calves. Not what we typically picture when we think of a sexy outfit, and that’s precisely why it is so sexy. She’s not only not giving too much, she’s hardly giving anything at all.

Throughout the season, Claire is seen toting around this YSL handbag. In black, of course, as it’s most practical. Just large enough to hold all her daily work essentials and origami projects (you’ll have to watch the show to know what that’s all about!) but not so overwhelmingly large that she looks like a woman who has too much baggage and way too many needs. She also owns a classic pair of Louboutins. These accessories are fantastic and worth the investment for someone like Claire as they go with every work and more casual outfit she can put together. That’s the great thing about sticking to a limited color palette, everything will always match!

Claire at work. This is a difficult look for a woman to pull off and yet Claire manages to make one of Ellen DeGeneres’ outfits look feminine. This is a great example of how menswear can be pulled off in a feminine and tasteful way. The fit is just right. Tight enough to show she’s a woman but with just enough room to be tasteful enough for the office.

Claire’s minimalistic, “no muss, no fuss” philosophy extends to her hair and her jewelry. Her jewelry is often quite understated. A stud earring, a watch, and her wedding band are just about the only pieces you’ll see her wearing. This is a woman who doesn’t need any bling to command attention. She’s seen wearing a necklace once throughout the series — a pearl necklace for an event. Somehow, even pearls look fresh on her.

Claire stays in shape in style. I hate workout clothing. It’s all so tacky with all the neon stripes everywhere, but not Claire’s. The contrast between her and the random jogger is hilarious! Since we’re on the topic of her body –

Robin Wright, the actress who plays Claire, is 46-yearsold. The woman is pushing 50 and her body looks amazing. Watching her on the show, especially in a scene where she’s stripped down to her undergarments, was all the motivation I needed to start working out. (Unfortunately, I had to stop for a month after I fell and broke my nose.)

This photo has nothing to do with the show as far as I know, but still, I love her haircut! I’ve always been a “long hair don’t care” girl. I’ve always preferred long hair over short. This is precisely why I’m so perplexed by how much I really love this haircut. I don’t know if I’d ever cut my hair this short but I’d be lying if the fantasy of spending less time in the shower washing my hair and styling it afterward didn’t appeal to me at all.

This is what I would look like with really short hair like Claire’s. Can’t say I’m in love with it. Looks more like Anne Hathaway, someone whom I don’t think short hair works well on. I guess I’ll be keeping away from the scissors. Haha.

xoxo J

Back in action. Yesterday was a day full of meetings. When the weather is warming up, black is a color (I know, it’s technically the absence of color but whatever) that I try to avoid. I routinely put a little ban to keep myself from purchasing any new black items for a while.  The only exception is if I happen to come across something I absolutely love and is dissimilar to anything I already own.

In between meetings, I snapped and instagrammed this photo of myself and was surprised that so many of my followers really liked it. The outfit overall is really mindlessly simple. Keep reading for a list of everything I’m wearing!

Midi dresses are my latest obsession. They’re so versatile, comfortable, and feminine. I got the one I’m wearing here. To break up the black and also make the dress look a little more special, I cinched a gold-plated belt around the waist. It’s easy for your figure to get a little lost with all black which is one of the reasons why it’s so slimming! My wedges are by Christian Louboutin. Because it’s a wedge, the red bottoms are hard to notice but I love the quality of Christian Louboutin shoes so much. Last but not least, the purse is from Zara and unfortunately, it’s sold out. What I loved about this outfit was that it transitioned well from day into night. If you wanted to dress it up a bit more, you could easily switch the wedge for a peep toe pump and the purse for a clutch.

Morticia Addams is something of a fashion icon to me.

I’ve been asked a lot who my “style icons” are and when my answer isn’t Carrie Bradshaw, it’s Jennifer Lopez. I came across this outfit she was wearing and I just loved how it was simple but still fun. Orange/coral and white are my favorite colors to wear during the spring & summer months. While Jennifer’s Gucci sandals cost $850 by themselves, here’s how to get a similar head to toe look for under $250. Keep reading for links on where to buy.
{ 1. cropped sweater [note: this is the same sweater Jennifer is wearing; roll up the sleeves.] $45 ; 2. white pencil skirt $19 ; 3. high heeled sandals in similar color $90 ; 4. white studded clutch $27 ; 5. gold hoop earrings $25 ; 6. bold pink lip color [I recommend MAC "Impassioned" or "Lustering"]  $15 ; }

That’s how you can get a look similar to J.Lo’s for under $250. Fashion doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg and not everything has to be “designer” even if you’re a celebrity. Even Jennifer is wearing a $45 sweater with $850 Gucci heels. It’s not that serious. Wear what you like and what you can afford.

Check out more “looks for less“.

If a 15-year-old girl is going to dress a little more maturely, I think going the classy route over the trashy one is always the way to go. Nothing says “grown up”, or elongates your lower body, quite like a pencil skirt and pointy-toed pumps. The crop top and chunky gold necklace keeps the look fun and youthful. Overall, I really loved this look and think it would look beautiful on just about anyone. While I haven’t been able to find out exactly who Kylie’s outfit is by, I’m more than sure the pieces are out of most people’s price ranges. So, I searched around and found some very affordable alternatives. Continue reading for links to how to get the entire look for under $200.

{1. white crop top $10 ; 2. peach pencil skirt $19 ; 3. gold chunky chain linked necklace $25 ; 4. nude pointy-toed pumps $130 ;}

So that’s how you can get Kylie’s entire MTV look for under $200. If you liked this post, show your support and CLICK TO TWEET this post to your friends. 

xoxo J

Okay, so about a month ago, I shared a photo of some paint sample cards I picked up at Home Depot while I was looking for a color to paint my wall. I loved the deeper purple I had for the past few months but felt like it was just too dark on camera. I wanted something a little more cheerful. So I went with “Watermelon Pink” from Behr. To be honest, I’m not 100% on this one either. I like it on camera but in person, it’s a bit overwhelming for my tastes. Anyway, that’s not what I meant to write about here!

Always up to thangs! Follow me on Instagram!

I had started playing around with the idea of using business cards to create eyeliner stencils, figuring out what size triangles and shapes worked best for me. Everyone’s eyes are different. The same eyeliner wing size might look really bold and dramatic on me but look quite basic on someone else. My eyes aren’t that large and my lids are a bit on the hooded side which makes eyeliner a little tricky for me. So I absolutely recommend taking some time to experiment with different sized triangles so that way when you’re getting ready to go somewhere, you have a stencil you know works for the look you’re going for ready to go.

What’s great about the stencils, besides that they make “pin-up-perfect” winged liner super easy, is that they are a) inexpensive and b) reusable. But you can always make a fresh one whenever you need to just by lining up your old stencil with the new card and using it as a guide for how much to cut.

You can use business cards, paint sample cards, playing cards, clothing sales tags, the card from a pack of inexpensive earrings or other jewelry you buy, etc. I don’t recommend using paper as it’s usually not durable enough to use on both eyes and therefore, defeats the purpose of using a stencil.

Oh goody! My manicure matches the blood that gushed out of my face! (If you look closely, you can see droplets of blood on my pants!)

It was early Wednesday morning. 5am. I was just about to start getting ready to head to the airport. I was heading to LA for a Tony Robbins event. I became a fan of Tony’s about a year ago and always wanted to go to one of his events. As a birthday gift to myself, I signed myself up and got one of the Diamond Premier tickets to his Unleash the Power Within events in Los Angeles. I was so excited that morning because when I checked into my flight online, I had been upgraded to fly first class. Awesome right? Well, it would have been until I had a little too much pep in my step and hopped over the doggy gate in the kitchen. The slipper on my back foot got caught on the gate and before I knew what was happening, I went flying face-first into the corner of a chair. I slammed the side of my nose down and felt a surge of pressure. Blood was everywhere! I covered my face and felt bone and screamed. My mother ran over, handed me a towel in a panic. I ran over to the phone and told her to call 911. Calming her down was the worst part. When I realized this was real and I couldn’t re-do my entrance into the kitchen, I cried until the ambulance arrived but the strange part was, it didn’t exactly hurt. It was mostly just a lot of pressure building up on top of itself. In the ambulance truck, I instructed the paramedics to “not let me catch my reflection in any windows or mirrors and for Christ’s sake crank up the air conditioner before I pass out!” I lost a hell of a lot of blood and my blood pressure is typically on the lower side. Plus, I knew heat would only make me bleed more.

I tried to stay calm and positive as I wheeled into the Emergency Room. They started by checking my blood pressure (low, as I expected) and temperature. I was asked how this all happened and this is where my sense of humor kicked in. “Well, I was hopping over the doggy gate. I think I did something a little extra because I saw Cirque du Soleil this weekend and I guess I was a little inspired!” The nurses just stared at me blankly. “It’s a joke. Anyway, the tip of my slipper got caught on the gate and I flew face-first into the chair. Look, I kind of need my face for my job and I haven’t looked at myself and I don’t want to until I’m stitched up. Do you think this can be fixed?” They couldn’t really give me an answer which annoyed me but I understood they were probably just trying to avoid legal issues.

I waited around, with a towel to my face and my phone in the other hand to distract my mind from the pain and pressure. I prayed silently, thanking the higher powers for all of the blessings I had in my life so far and that I was still alive. My prayers were interrupted when a doctor came over to me. Cute as a button, if I do say so myself. My inner Beverly was so disappointed that we had to meet him in this condition. “Do you think this is fixable?” I asked, this time showing photos of what I used to look like on my phone. He gave me a more reasonable answer than the nurses before him. “I’ve seen surgeons achieve incredible results from people in way worse condition. I can’t guarantee it, but with the right surgeon, I’m sure you will be able to look beautiful again. You may have a bit of a scar, but I’ll stitch you up in a way that will heal best.”

I was then placed on a bed. They spread what looked like Cupcake’s wee-wee pads across my chest and started pouring some liquids over my face. Luckily, they didn’t burn or sting. Next, he injected some numbing fluids in two places on my nose. This felt so weird. I was given Xanax to keep me calm for the stitching and he got to work. For the second half, I was on my phone texting to keep my mind off of what was happening. The doctor asked, “Did you ever think you’d be getting stitches while texting?”

“Um, no. Can’t say that was on my to-do list for the day,” I laughed. At one point, I noticed my toes. I had given myself a manicure and pedicure just hours ago. Maybe this was the Xanax talking, but I asked the doctor if he would mind looking at my nails. “I just did them and it doesn’t look like I’ll be going anywhere anytime soon. I don’t want the time to have gone completely to waste,” I explained. Such a kind doctor, he told me I had beautiful hands and that he was sorry about my plans being ruined. I was more upset about how they had been ruined.

“Oh, I’ve missed flights before only for more preferable reasons than this!” I laughed. Even though this was probably the worst day I can think of, I’m happy my humor didn’t abandon me. I’ve always been a firm believer that if we don’t find reasons to laugh, we’ll just cry. Things could always be worse.

When I got back home from the hospital was where the pain started to kick in. I took an extra-strength Tylenol, fell asleep, and woke up feeling practically no pain at all.

It’s now been about 3 days since I took that tumble and I’m feeling much better. I can breathe out of both nostrils comfortably and my sense of smell is coming back. The swelling around my face and eyes was the worst part but it’s starting to go down. No bruising. The skin that was stitched up looks like it’s healing really nicely. My nose is broken but looks like it’s just shifted out of place a bit. The overall shape is still close to the original. I will be seeing a wonderful plastic surgeon this coming week to plan how we’re going to fix this. I just want to go back to what I used to look like. I uploaded a video the other day and just seeing my face was really hard for me. I never really considered myself to be a real beauty but after you go through something that alters your looks in a negative way, you really start to appreciate what you used to look like in a new way. It’s kind of like how when old people show you photos of themselves when they were younger and say, “Wasn’t I just so beautiful/handsome?” I don’t think they felt that way exactly when they were that age. When I get this fixed, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to complain about what I look like ever again.

Sometimes, when less than fortunate things happen to you, it helps you put things into perspective. You start to discover what’s important in life. There has been an outpouring of kindness from people towards me since this happened and it’s given me more faith in there being good people in this world. Of course, there have been disappointments but it helps you get some clarity on where to not waste your time. And also, to not rush or be reckless.

In the meantime, I have a couple of videos that I can put up over the next couple of weeks. I’ve even thought about doing some nail tutorials when I feel up to it. I would show what I look like now, but I don’t want to scare anyone. I’m going to wait until after I’m fixed up and happy with my results before I reveal anything. The internet isn’t exactly the most favorable place to open yourself up to too much when you’re still feeling vulnerable. So, you’ll see my new face that will hopefully look like my old one (although I’m not opposed to better) in at least a month from now!

MORAL OF THE STORY: Beware of doggy gates, take your time, and be cautious.

Back in January, I was all cooped up in an elevator with Theodore Leaf that we had quickly transformed into a glamour chamber for Glamour Magazine’s online show, Elevator Makeover. We made over nearly a dozen girls — hair, makeup, wardrobe (THE WORKS!!!) — each in the amount of time it takes to ride an elevator. Each and every girl presented us with a new challenge and by the end of it, I was always amazed at how we managed to pull off so much in so little time! It was whirlwind experience. A few of the episodes have been upload already and I’m impressed with the girls’ final looks.

Erica‘s reaction to her upgraded look — “Oh, snap! I’m so cute!”

I was so nervous working on so many different girls’ makeup in so little time. A couple of years ago, before YouTube, I worked at cosmetics counters in Bloomingdale’s and had gotten a bit of experience working with different skin types, skin tones, ethnicities, ages, etc. However, I am in no way, shape, or form a professional makeup artist. Since I didn’t have a lot of time to work with, my focus wasn’t to make any girl look totally different or completely made up. Instead, I just tried to find a simple thing or two to add that would make them look like themselves only better.

Theodore is also part of FAWN but we hadn’t met until we were both hired for Elevator Makeover.

Making over the girls was exciting but my favorite part was getting to work with Theodore!  Having a lot of experience both in front of and behind the camera, he’s such a pro. He’s also hilarious!

Here are some random bits of what happened behind the scenes:

• Theodore and I both have alter-egos and they know each other. I’ve already introduced you to Beverly, but she never told me about her friend, Claude, from the piano bar upstairs. Should Beverly and Claude do a video together? TWEET TO LET ME KNOW!

• Probably TMI but it’s real life: On Day 2 of shooting, I got my period. I wanted to die.

• Theodore accidentally drank my Starbucks Peppermint Mocha Latte. According to him it tastes “like a melted candy bar.” Just how I like it!

• Day 1: I wore heels. Day 2: I wore wedge sneakers. Standing around an elevator for extended periods of time wearing six inch stilettos? Clearly, I have high hopes for myself.

• Theodore inspired me to start learning how to cook. He said that a good cook can get away with murder. “I’m sorry I’m late – here’s a roast!” As someone who runs on “Greek time”, I was instantly sold.

 My lunch on Day 2: “Morning Sunshine” from Treehaus’ Fresh Juice Bar. It’s carrot, apple, pineapple, and orange. Delicious. I also liked their “Speed Green” smoothie that has kale, spinach, and other green things but still tastes really sweet.

Selfie. All smiles in between makeovers. I think this was before lunch on Day 1. Filming makes me so hungry!

Hope you all enjoy the show! You can subscribe to Glamour’s YouTube channel so you don’t miss any upcoming episodes of Elevator Makeover.

xoxo J