When the kind people over at Tatcha reached out to collaborate, they had me at "geisha" skincare routine - my skin is naturally the shade geishas paint their face to achieve, so it felt like kismet. (In fact, just this morning, my husband posted a photo of an albino baby deer to Facebook, calling it my spirit animal. Thanks again, Tony, nothing makes a girl feel beautiful quite like being compared to an animal!) The product line is inspired by the beauty practices of geishas and the company looks to a 200-year-old handbook detailing their routine to guide their product design, while also incorporating modern technology. Red algae, green tea and rice bran appear in nearly all of their products. The creator and CEO of the line calls it "sushi minus the fish." FOR YOUR FACE. I love sushi almost as much as my dog-children, so I am very into this...View Article
Monthly Archives: October 2015
When I first moved into this house, the backyard was 90% dirt. I loved it anyway. The house felt like a home, and even though it's centrally located, it feels a million miles away from the city. The neighborhood reminded me of my grandparents' home in Mill Valley. And I fell in love with the potential of the backyard; when I went outside, I heard birds, the wind in the eucalyptus trees and the kids playing at the nearby elementary school - NOT the creak of the gate announcing that a stranger on drugs had wandered up the driveway to go for a swim in the pool next to the guesthouse I was renting before I moved here. I was excited to put my stamp on this steep, bizarrely L-shaped patch of dirt; it was my little corner of Los Angeles. And when Tony and I started dating, I finally did... It's been a work in progress over the past few years, and here is how it's turned out!View Article
Guys, this basic bitch loves her some pumpkin. And food in adorable mason jars. So this one is a slam dunk home run. But, as you know, health food is not usually my M.O.... I'm more a tacos-and-cake kinda girl. But baby's been having some trouble squeezing into my pants since the binge that kicked off with the wedding and continued on our honeymoon, while Tony was working in Canada, my trip to Austin, AND the general ennui of "I'll never have to fit in a wedding gown again." So, I'm particularly thrilled to share a healthy version of this normally-sinfully-delicious dessert. I've had it for breakfast every day this week, and plan to continue to do so until 1) my pants fit again, or 2) I get sick of it...View Article
Tony's mellow birthday set the tone for a low-key week, even if I did celebrate his Big Day by lighting the oven on fire in an attempt to make his favorite chicken (now, it's the dogs' favorite chicken, too). As he wrote earlier this week, he doesn't like making a to-do about his birthday. In fact, if he had his way, we wouldn't acknowledge it at all and everyone would just pretend he's 25 (old enough to be a man but still play a collegiate) forever. I, on the other hand, believe in birthday months and spectacular displays of celebration. I tried to abide by his wishes, but even without meaning to, created our very own private fireworks show in the kitchen. We're still cleaning up. Having a holiday on Monday hit the fast-forward button on the week, and we are in the home stretch for the weekend... To help get you through to it, here are a few distractions keeping me *busy on the internet. (*And by busy, I mean getting absolutely no work done at all.)View Article
Super excited to share that my friend Laura Bell Bundy's upcoming comedy website, Skits-O-Frenic, was officially announced yesterday (in The Hollywood Reporter, natch). I've been writing and performing in a few sketches for the site, and am so stoked. Not that long ago, I was watching her on Broadway in "Hairspray" and "Legally Blonde" in complete and utter awe, and now I get to work with her. Pinching myself. Check out the first episode here, co-starring none other than CHARLIE SHEEN. (Guys, this post is full of name-dropping. Not gonna lie, I love it.) The site launches October 21, and I'll be sure to keep you updated when the sketches I worked on air!View Article
Yesterday was Tony's birthday, and I asked him to write a guest blog to celebrate it. Instead of writing something self indulgent like I usually do, he tried to think of a way to use his birthday to help other people, which is totally in character for him and one of the many reasons I married him. Here's some advice from Tony on how to be happy on the other 364 days a year that aren't your happy birthday...View Article
This week flew by especially quickly (probably because I spent half of it in a food coma in Austin). It was so nice getting some much-needed time with my uncle in the evenings, and I loved spending the days holed up writing at the Hotel Saint Cecilia, one of my favorite places in the world to stay. I came back to a clean house, my three sweet pups, a home-cooked meal and my loving husband, reminding me there is no better place in the world than home...View Article
You guys, I am obsessed with this book. It's called "China Rich Girlfriend," it's by Kevin Kwan and I could not put it down. I just finished it and loved it so much, I bought his first book, "Crazy Rich Asians," and read 2/3 of it on the plane home from Austin yesterday. It's a satirical comedy about the 1% of the 1%, the wealthiest people in Asia. (And the author would know; he grew up among them, in Singapore). The characters are like "The Kardashians" on speed - or, more accurately, the world's most expensive and rare cocaine. The novel is a hilarious and light page-turner, and you'll feel much better about yourself for tearing through this as opposed to binging on "The Real Housewives"...View Article