The mission statement for Violet Grey is simple: The best in beauty, from those who know best. The company (founded in 2012 and shopable online and at its flagship store on Melrose Place) is curated by the most in-demand makeup artists in Hollywood, and takes the guesswork out of buying beauty products because they only sell a limited number of products that these professionals actually use on their A-list clients. The site operates as both a blog - with everything to tutorials to celebrity makeup artist profiles (like Emily Blunt's) - to a store, where you can shop the recommended products. And over the long weekend, my BFF Katierose and I took a masterclass from Violet Grey makeup artist Kira Nasrat and editorial director Christina Han. Kira has the personality of Amy Adams in "Enchanted" and Christina used to work at Vogue, and Katierose and I decided immediately we would do anything to be a part of their girl/celeb squad. Here's what we learned (and bought)...View Article
Monthly Archives: January 2016
You guys, I am singing "Friday" with even more off-key passion than Rebecca Black over here. Tony's been out of town skiing with his dad for the past few days and I'm not gonna lie, I've gone feral (to be fair, I've also gotten a lot of work done. But, to be fair to Tony, I need to take a shower and put on pants that were designed for something other than eating before he gets home this afternoon.) This weekend, I'm excited to take a make-up masterclass at Violet Grey with my BFF Katierose, catch a movie for a day-date with Tony (only two weekends left to catch him in the Friday/Saturday night shows at Groundlings!) and curl up on the deck with a book or three. Here's what I'm grateful for this week...View Article
I made up this recipe because 1) I love carbs. 2) I'm trying to be healthy(ish). 3) I keep seeing olive oil in ice cream in fancy L.A. shops, and thought it would be a savory replacement for the usual vegetable oil in granola. Spoiler alert: IT WAS (and is) DELISH. Toss it with some yogurt or milk and fresh fruit, put it on top of fro yo, or eat it straight up. Whatever you do, ENJOY!View Article
Since I wrote about perfectionism yesterday, I thought it would be apropos to do an outfit post today, featuring me desperately chasing the perfect photo shoot on a mountain in Canada! Despite being in the high '80's that day, I knew Whistler was the perfect location for this type of look, weather be damned. So, like a crazy person, I wore this to the Whistler Farmer's Market that summery day while hikers and bikers wandered by, simultaneously wondering what we were doing posing in winter gear in the grass and feeling embarrassed for us. (These pictures are actually from the fall, when we were in Canada for a Lifetime movie Tony was shooting, where it was unseasonably and unreasonably warm most days.) My saint of an Instagram husband graciously photographed me in the outfit he bought for me at a warehouse sale days prior as I sweated through this sweater that it is finally cold enough to wear here in L.A. And seeing as the weather now matches the look, here is what I am wearing this winter... Giant cozy sweaters and stretchy jeans, as I try to undo the damage I did to my waistline over the holidays. HAPPY TUESDAY!View Article
Today, I was planning to write a post about how to throw the PERFECT Awards Show Viewing Party. I LOVE awards season. Nevermind that I usually haven't seen half of the movies nominated (I have no excuse, through SAG we can watch them for free from the comfort of our own home. I just usually would rather binge-watch "Million Dollar Listing" or read a book.) But it's not about the actual awards. For me, it's about the culture of awards show viewing. I love to follow the stars getting ready on Instagram and get glam myself, only at the end, they put on gowns and I put on sweatpants. It's about cooking for days on some fun theme, coming up with a decadent champagne cocktail and curling up on the sofa with girlfriends starting at 2pm to watch the pre-pre-red carpet specials, which are about absolutely nothing but so fun to pregame to. I love to see the dresses and the hairstyles, and hear the awkward red carpet interviews, and try to figure out what the host said that was bleeped out, and gossip with my friends like we're all in junior high with these celebs. (For real, though, we all want to be in Amy Schumer and Jennifer Lawrence's clique.) In junior high, I actually had an Oscar-themed birthday party, and my mom set up a red carpet for us to be photographed on in our Jessica McClintock prom dresses. Awards shows are my Super Bowl. But yesterday, nothing went according to plan.View Article
The first week back after the holidays is always a beast. Physically dragging my hungover, cake-stuffed self onto a treadmill and forcing it to run felt like a metaphor for pretty much everything this week; it all took longer than normal, was sweatier than normal and had a real and true lack of wine (spoiler alert: Dry January BLOWS.) In the midst of trying to climb back on the horse // get back on the wagon // get my sh*t together, though, I still found moments for fun. Last night, Tony and I had dinner with his dad and stepmom at Union, a restaurant I've been dying to try, and I pretended that not drinking for a month gave me carte blanche to inhale a bowl of buttery pasta and still be "on a diet." (#worthit) Afterward, we drove around South Pasadena with all the windows down, listening to music and fantasizing about what it would be like to live there (probably a lot like living in "Father of the Bride," I would imagine.) It was a cozy and sweet way to end a hectic week. Today, we're going to a Golden Globes event where I'm told I'll get my hair and nails done simply because I'm Mrs. Cavalero (gonna ride them coattails down any red carpet we're allowed!!), and this weekend I'm looking forward to curling up with a book, watching the Globes on Sunday with friends and continuing to find excuses not to unpack from the holidays. HAPPY WEEKEND! Here's what I'm grateful for right now...View Article
Two years ago today, I launched this blog. It was under a different name, I posted sporadically and it was all about my wedding. 730 days later (I had to use a calculator to figure that out, FYI), it has become Heels in the Hills, a place were I post every weekday. A lot has happened in those two years. We expanded our family to the point where dogs outnumber people (I adopted our latest puppy while Tony was in Vegas at a bachelor party). The site has evolved into a lifestyle blog, where I write about food, fashion, beauty, home, books and more, in addition to my relationship. Tony and I got married. I received notes from readers all over the world, giving me a sense of relief that more people are looking at Heels in the Hills beyond my mom's book club as well as a sense of comfort that, even though I may not have sold a screenplay or become a movie star (yet), I am achieving my dream of entertaining people. It's grown from a hobby on Tumblr to a real, full-fledged blog that I love to write and am proud of...View Article