Deenie Is Out Of The Office…

by DeenieK Posted on May 21, 2013

To anyone and everyone who is reading this,

I am so, so dearly appreciative of any soul that visits BourbonandGloss.com, that I truly can’t express it. Thank you for reading this little blog I’ve put together, and that I work so very hard on. I have a lot of really exciting things in the works, and every minute of every day I am racking my brain for ways to make this blog look better and read better and to be more interesting for you.

But this week, I am out of commission. I have taken the Weekend Editor position at Styleite.com and between that, my day job at Bon Appétit mag, and this little gig, I am one very busy, very tired, bordering-on-typos kind of girl these days. So, I am on vacation until next week. I’m reading my biography on Zelda Fitzgerald, hanging out with my family, and spending endless hours lying on the beach, trying very hard to not think about work for once.

Deenie Beach Zelda FitzgeraldSo please come back next week for new posts and check me out on weekends over at Styleite.  Thanks again. Seriously.

With never-ending love,
deenie

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Bourbon & Gloss Guide: What To Wear To A Food Festival

by DeenieK Posted on May 15, 2013

Lemme break this down for you: You like to eat? Yeah. You into fashion? Hell yeah. Do you love socializing outdoors? Stop reading this blog if you don’t. Do you also enjoy live music? Don’t even answer that if the answer’s not “absolutely.”

As Music Festival Season continues to roll along into Bonnaroo and beyond, a new type of festival starts to gear up around this time. Yes–it’s FOOD FESTIVAL SEASON! A variety of smaller festivals have already had their moment, as well as big festivals like Vegas Uncork’d by Bon Appétit. This coming weekend, The Great Googa Mooga will descend upon Brooklyn and coasting into June, Big Apple Barbecue will hit Madison Square Park, along with three different Bon Appétit Grub Crawl cities–New York City, Chicago, and Charleston. And that’s just the beginning.

So gear up, you hungry music-fiending fashionites and check out these Bourbon & Gloss essentials for suitable food festival-going.

Food Festival Fashion

1. The Carla Hat from Steven Alan because it’s cute, with an ideal brim for blocking that glorious sun from your face when you’ve had too much.

2. Stila Cosmetics Illuminating Beauty Balm with SPF 30 for that pretty face of yours.

3. The Louie Sandal from Madewell: cute, small heel, and comfortable enough to wear the day through.

4. Hunter Dixon Jumpsuit because 1. It’s cute as hell and 2. It’s so busily printed, that if you spill food on yourself (like I would), then no one will notice

5. Dorthy Perkins Chunky Bracelet because it’s a subdued statement (with such a busy jumpsuit).

6. KOR Water Bottle because you need to stay hydrated while you chow down on all that food.

7. Avene Thermal Spring Water to cool off and keep that skin refreshed when it’s hot.

8. Deena & Ozzy Bag from Urban Outfitters–gotta have a crossbody.

So you’re ready. Just throw on some cheek balm (don’t even fuss with lipstick) and out the door you go. Me personally? I’ll be hitting up the Bon Appétit Grub Crawl in New York, but it’s also coming to Chicago, Charleston, L.A., and Miami, if you’re a hungry food lover elsewhere.

Happy Eating!

 

 

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Pick Of The Week: All The Sporty Beachwear From Sweaty Betty

by DeenieK Posted on May 13, 2013

I just recently discovered Sweaty Betty, and now I’m secretly wishing I never had. With a catalogue of everything from ballet-inspired tees to yoga wares to sport-ready swimsuits, I can’t help but think I’d like to live in Sweaty Betty this summer. Here’s a look at what’s available now.

Mintonette Swimsuit: allover geometric printed swimsuit. fully lined with narrow racerback straps flatterin… [More], Price: 112.00 Buy Now

Volley Dolly Bikini Top: halter neck triangle bikini top in all over geometric print. fully lined with padded cu… [More], Price: 70.00 Buy Now

Volley Dolly Bikini Bottom: low-cut tie-side string bikini bottom in all over geometric print. durable quick drying… [More], Price: 60.00 Buy Now

I would work these harem pants in a yoga class.

Bliss Harem Skirt: flattering harem style pants with deeply dropped crotch so it looks like a skirt. super… [More], price: 112.00 Buy Now

As a former dancer, I know my old barre mates will be into this:

Barre Dance Tee: sheer easy fit scoop neck tee with ¾ length sleeves and fitted at hem. in burnout effec… [More], Price: 80.00 Buy Now

I’m nuts about these leggings.

Chandrasana Printed Legging: full-length legging in all-over calming lagoon print. deep flat waistband gusset and sm… [More], Price: 78.00 Buy Now

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Congrats Hunter Bell On Winning Fashion Star!

by DeenieK Posted on May 13, 2013

Hunter Bell

Big congrats to fellow University of Alabama alum Hunter Bell for her win on NBC’s Fashion Star Friday night.

Bell, however, is not new to the fashion game. Her line, Hunter Dixon, has been around for 8 years, and she has not wavered in her passion to promote the brand. I’ve been tracking Hunter for years, taking notice of the new collections and promotions. Your hard work has paid off, girl. WWD reported that ”Bell received $3 million in orders for the capsule collections she created for Saks, Macy’s and Express, and the clothes became available to purchase at these retailers’ Web sites and select stores when the TV show ended.”

She apparently also gained inspiration and advice from mentor Jessica Simpson. She told PEOPLE magazine:

“I worked closely with Jessica, and she was always a sounding board for me to stay true to my own design aesthetic, but also very encouraging with the advice of making sure to show off a women’s curves with my designs and to be more sexy with them,”

Bourbon & Gloss is always happy to see gals doing great things (especially Southern gals). Learn more about Hunter Dixon and check out some of my favorite looks from the current collection.

Hunter Dixon jumpsuit Screen shot 2013-05-13 at 8.44.11 AMScreen shot 2013-05-13 at 8.45.03 AMScreen shot 2013-05-13 at 9.02.34 AM

top photo: WWD

 

 

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The Power Of Oxygen (If You’re Into That)

by DeenieK Posted on May 9, 2013

As if I needed another step in my beauty routine. First I wash my face with 1 of 3 cleansers. Then I use a toner, then I use an oxygenating gel. Once that has absorbed into my skin, I put a moisturizer all over my face. (Wait, there’s more.) Then, I use an under-eye cream and finish my routine with a neck-firming cream. I KNOW. And when I feel my skin needs a little TLC, I use a mask after the cleanser and before the toner.

OXYPUR_bottle[1]

One of the most recent additions to my routine is that “oxygenating gel” step. I’ll be honest. Unless it’s a straight-up Triple Oxygen Facial from Bliss Spa, I don’t know how the whole “oxygen” thing really works. But it’s doing something, that’s for sure. Pur Oxygen explains it like so:

How Skin Absorbs Oxygen:
The amount of oxygen in our skin (SkPO2) is a balance between the rate of oxygen delivery and the rate of oxygen consumption by skin cells. Arterial blood flowing through the skin is the primary way to get oxygen to the skin, however a small amount of oxygen can be absorbed from air in contact with the skin surface. The reason only small amounts of oxygen are absorbed across the skin surface is because oxygen in a gas form doesn’t pass very easily through the skin.

Then, they explain that there are two ways to increase the amount of oxygen crossing the skin surface.

1. Increase the amount of oxygen outside the skin, and
2. Make it easier for oxygen to cross the skin surface

When high levels of oxygen are dissolved in water, it becomes easier for skin to absorb the oxygen because the skin absorbs water almost 20 times easier than air. The water serves as a carrier to help oxygen pass through the skin surface. Moreover, the concentration of oxygen in oxygen-infused water is 7.5 times higher than air. This increases the pressure of diffusion of oxygen inward. Soaking the skin in oxygen-infused water increases skin oxygen because oxygen delivery is enhanced more than the rate that oxygen is consumed.

So there you have it. Here’s a handy diagram to further explain it.

diagram

And for a few more days, Oxygen Pur is having a Mother’s Day Giveaway! Just enter here.t’s free to enter and they’ll be giving away 12 bottles ($1,000 value) of the stuff. Hint: Mom’s love skincare. Learn more about Oxygen Pur here.

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Speaking of Rain…

by DeenieK Posted on May 8, 2013

There’s a torrential downpour happening in New York City right now, so there’s no better time to write about RAIN BOOTS than today. These chicest-of-chic Loeffler Randall rain boots are back in stock. This week only take 15% off all Rain Slip-On Booties with code SPLASH.* Simply enter the code at checkout to receive your discount. Click to Shop!

Visit loefflerrandall.com to see all the goods. Happy Rain Day!

*Ends 5/12/13 at 11:59 PM EST

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Zelda Fitzgerald on The Flapper

by DeenieK Posted on May 3, 2013

zelda fitzgerald

Just as Scott dubbed the 20′s the Jazz Age, he coined Zelda as the ultimate Flapper–a role in which she did not ask for, but gladly accepted. After the Beautiful and The Damned was published, she was asked to write a review of it, clearly siding with the character of Gloria–the novel’s stunning and self-obsessed female lead. After that, Zelda (a talented writer herself) was approached about penning stories about The Flapper. In one she writes:

“…the Flapper awoke from her lethargy of sub-deb-ism, bobbed her hair, put on her choicest pair of earrings and a great deal of audacity and rouge and went into the battle. She flirted because it was fun to flirt and wore a one-piece bathing suit because she had a good figure, she covered her face with powder and paint because she didn’t need it and she refused to be bored chiefly because she wasn’t boring. She was conscious that the things she did were the things she had always wanted to do. Mothers disapproved of their sons taking the Flapper to dances, to teas, to swim and most of all to heart. She had mostly masculine friends, but youth does not need friends–it only needs crowds…”

In Nancy Milford’s biography, Zelda, she examines Zelda’s attitude:

“At twenty-one Zelda had formulated a sort of philosophy of life; it was remarkably like Gloria’s. It was was an application of business acumen to femininity; you created yourself as a product and you showed yourself with all the flair of an advertising campaign. Women were to dramatize themselves in their youth, to experiment and be gay; in their old age (in their forties) they would be magically content. What Zelda intended to avoid at all coasts were her vision of the legion of unhappy women, saddled with domesticity, weary and yet resigned to it. She was perceptive enough to understand that in their apparent resignation they thought of themselves as martyrs, and that it was a position she abhorred for its dishonesty.

What she wrote was a protest, but it was also a defense of her own code of existence. That this code was potentially destructive and that it would demand its own continual and wearying performance she did not take into account.”

 

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Shoshanna Friends & Family Sale!

by DeenieK Posted on May 3, 2013

shoshanna sale

Hurray more sales! And just in time for the warm weather. Shoshanna’s spring-fresh appeal leads to colorful prints and flowy silhouettes with tried-and-true girly twist. Going on now until Monday, May 6, Shoshanna will be offering 20% off the entire site, excluding sale items. Shop items like these at Shoshanna.com!

Look 16 Look 26 Look 72

 

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Brooks Brothers Sells The Great Gatsby Collection; I Will Have All of It

by DeenieK Posted on May 1, 2013

fs-brooks-brothersAll the buzz around Baz Luhrmann‘s Gatsby (out May 10) has begun a sort of Fitzgerald frenzy. Which I am completely OK with.

Let’s digress. I’m a bit of an Fitz Obsessor. As the owner of too many books written by or about the couple, I am currently reading my third biographical novel about The Fitzgeralds in 2 months. And I have no intention of stopping. I fell in love with Fitzgerald in college, tattooed a F. Scott Fitzgerald quote on my arm, and have recently begun my own love affair with Zelda. So all this talk about Gatsby is mighty exciting, if you ask me.

Deenie by Andrew Bicknellphoto by Andrew Bicknell

And it was only a matter of time before retailers started to capitalize on it–and rightly so. The Fitzgeralds lived a predominantly lavish life much for the sake of reputation and their won inflated egos–especially during the time period that Scott dubbed ‘The Jazz Age.’ Fitz, hyper-concerned with owning and being the best of the best, was largely a Brooks Brothers man.

WWD reports that when Catherine Martin, costume designer for the film, was searching for inspiration for the wardrobe, she first contacted BB.

“I wanted to work with Brooks Brothers, particularly for the background players and the eveningwear,” explains Martin. But apparently as she dove deeper into the project, she expanded the looks from black tie to daywear, first for the background players and then the main cast, including Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays Jay Gatsby. “It was a gradual evolution.”

brooks-brothers02

The coupling of characters and costume evolved into what is now the newly released limited-edition capsule collection at Brooks Brothers. The top sellers to this point are a black bowtie with white tipping (worn by DiCaprio in the poster of the film), a bottle green cotton cardigan with burgundy and white trim, and a white linen herringbone peak-lapel suit with a contrasting brown vest.

In anticipation of the film and to promote the collection, Brooks Brothers has installed Gatsby-themed windows in New York, Beverly Hills, Milan, Tokyo, London, and Hong Kong.

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GIVEAWAY: Aveda Sun Care + Tammy Fender Organics

by DeenieK Posted on May 1, 2013

Don’t forget about the Bourbon & Gloss giveaway, running til May 6! Simply leave a comment on the Bourbon & Gloss Facebook page sharing one beauty tip or trick that your grandmother bestowed upon you. Or ask her and tell us the quote! Since our grandmothers’ beauty secrets are mostly basic, good-for-you tips, the giveaway products come from good-for-you brands!

Three lucky peeps will win something from the Aveda Sun Care line: either Aveda Sun Care After-Sun Hair Mask,  Hair and Body Cleanser, or Protective Hair Veil!

aveda sun care giveaway bourbon & gloss

And one other guy or gal will win Tammy Fender Essential C Tonic. I use this toner everyday!

Essential C Tonic

Whether entering for yourself or mom for Mother’s Day, head over to the Bourbon & Gloss FB here!

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