Here are some of my favorites from last year’s event.

Carey Mulligan in metallic, open back Prada.

Gwyneth Paltrow in Prada as well. This dress was originally long but she changed it last minute to make it short. Great decision, further modernizing the whole look. Nailed it.

Camilla Belle in Ralph Lauren. I don’t really get what this girl is famous for other than being beautiful. But she always makes stellar fashion choices. So, famous for dressing well too.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in beautiful long-sleeved Burberry. The hair and makeup styling choices were just perfect. Love the drop earrings.

Jessica Alba in stunning metallic Michael Kors. Her side-swept hair perfectly balances the one shoulder dress.

Cameron Diaz in Stella McCartney. Glam and gorgeous. I just don’t really understand the Something About Mary hair do.

Those were my favorites! Can’t wait to see the incredible gorgeous dresses/fashions from tonight. Check back in for a post of my favorites from this year.

And lastly, I am torn over this look. I think a lot of people were. I think her hair and makeup and the top half are just divine but ultimately, the bottom is way to much for my taste. What do you think?

Beyonce in Givency.

Day at the Races: 50 Years of Hats & Horses around the Globe

Some of my favorites:

Miranda Kerr at the BMW Caulfield Cup at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. 2009

Miranda’s dress is stunning and perfect for a number of occasions.

Rita Hayworth and her husband, Prince Aly Kahn, at the races. 1949

Rita, then a newlywed, is so pretty and her polka dot hat is precious.

Elizabeth Taylor with husband Richard Burton at the Sandown Park race course in Surrey, England. 1963

Just wow. The white hat and the gloves are beyond glamorous.

Very Derby Day meets rocker chic. No surprise coming from the supermodel daughter of a rock legend.

Dita Von Teese, Derby Day at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. 2011

I don’t think Ms. Von Teese leaves her home without thinking, “what can I wear that will have all eyes on me?” This color is fierce and she looks beautiful.

Click on the link up top to check out more looks from the Harper’s Bazaar gallery!

Here’s some other Derby Day looks to be inspired by:

Kim Kardashian

Marisa Miller

Blair Waldorf

Live in NYC?

Click here for a great compilation of NYC Derby Day parties from Gothamist Magazine.

It’s also Cinco de Mayo this weekend! Guest of a Guest’s guide includes parties and events for both! Click here

This cool burgandy and gold nail design came about due to chipped nails. I just love it! I buy Sinful Colors at Duane Reade, its a quality but cheap nail color line. For this look,  I used their “Rich in Heart” and Revlon’s Metallic “Gold Coin.” I love love this Revlon gold, its shiny/sparkly but goes on nice and matte.

All I did was paint the burgandy on my nails as a base, then made a thick stripe with the gold, starting at the bottom of the nail and moving upward.

Fun! This definitely inspired me to begin experimenting more with cool stripes/designs.

Your nail polish sucks, Emma Stone.

I bought Revlon’s new nail polish duo, Moon Candy (top color in the ad photo above). I thought it looked really cute and unique. And at work, my hands are in people’s faces all day long so I like to have nice/cute nails.

I bought the color Orbit, which is a dark purple on one end and on the other, a light purple based translucent color with jagged, rock shaped sparkly pieces.

I really liked the way it looked in the ads and when I first put it on. Pretty, sparkly, fun. Not quite as cool as I expected because, between these raggedy shaped sparkles and my big circles sparkle nail polish from Sephora, I much prefer the circle shape. But cute enough for a few days. However, I’m still thinking that $10.99 is a lot for nail polish.

I went to the gym, then showered, probably about 3 hours after the time I painted them. After the shower, my nails were a mess. Chipped and smushed together. Totally fd up. I did not put a layer of top coat on top of the sparkles, but the sparkly color is normally acting like a top coat. BAD QUALITY.

I returned and got my $10.99 back, which I actually spent on another product.

CVS “Cleaning & Makeup Remover Towelettes” and “Nighttime Cleaning Towelettes” Day & Night Combo Pack.

I get home really late from work. Sometimes 1 am. This happens to fit my night owl ways perfectly, just I have become really lazy when it comes to washing my face. Or using my eye makeup removal cleanser with cotton balls/swabs. Based on the products I was using, a combo of both face wash and eye makeup remover was necessary for a clean, bare face. Both of these towelettes completely remove all makeup from my face, including all my hard-to-remove eye makeup. I am blown away! One towelette is all you need to completely clean your face. And could not be easier. Most of the time I am now removing my makeup in bed, and these couldn’t be more easy and perfect for that!

Buy this. Only $9 and change for 30 of each type, 60 total, at CVS Pharmacys.

Anyhoo, Craig gets a particular stipend to use for the site and he is super amazingly generous of sharing that with me when I ask or as gifts. I have been having a rough month so I thought a lil Gilt pick-me-up would be nice.

I am torn between these two things: 1) this adorable white eyelet romper from 6 Shore Road, a super cute affordable clothing line (especially affordable in this Gilt sale) or 2) this gorgeous blue stone ring from David Aubrey, a jewelry line I love and have purchased from Gilt before.

Which would you get?

6 Shore Road Picnic Cotton Eyelet Romper on Gilt

David Aubrey Gold & Blue Stretch Ring on Gilt

David Aubrey Gilt jewelry sale

6 Shore Road Gilt clothing sale

David Aubrey website

6 Shore Road website

He came in to the restaurant I’m working at last night with his wife, comedian Tom Papa and his wife on a double date. Matt and Tom were in The Informant together. Mr. Papa came in first and I thought to myself, “oh cool, an actor I recognize.” I went downstairs and heard another server say that she was sweating profusely. I asked why and she replied, “I’m waiting on Matt Damon!” I screamed and literally ran up the stairs!

They stayed for hours and the place is tiny, so I was up close and personal with this legendary star for hours, pouring his water and walking by him 50 times. He was an incredibly generous tipper, funny (when his fellow guests asked for their kale salads without pancetta, he asked for his “with all their pancetta.”), and totally down to earth. He looked like a normal guy in his glasses and hoodie. His wife, Luciana Barroso, was stunning and glamorous. He met her when she was a bartender, keep the dreams alive ladies!

Thank you for being your amazing talented self, a great guest, and adorable, smart, and cool. The whole world loves you Mr. Damon. And this is about as great a celeb sighting as one could dream of. He is as high up on the scale of huge movie star as one can get.

Sorry to everyone who was not working at the restaurant last night. But score for me!

Maybe a year ago, I bought a Groupon to Euzkadi, a tapas restaurant in the East Village.  The website describes the food as “Basque cuisine.” Basque Country is described as a region  located on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, which straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France. We have now been to Euzkadi 3 times, which in NYC, is a lot for one year! The second time was when I saw another Groupon and the third was on our own. Both Groupons were the same amazing deal, 5 tapas and 2 desserts for $35!

Euzkadi has a wonderful set menu plus great specials. We’ve had excellent crostinis, Pintxos de Setas y Jamon, mushroom, Serrano ham and aioili for $10.95. This dish was so great we ordered a second round after plowing through the first. Last time we had a crostini special, Pintxo de Albondiga y Espinaca, Duck meatballs and sautéed spinach on toast with melted cheese) for $9.95. Crostini tapas came with 3 pieces per order.

An interesting choice from our last visit was Piquillos al Tar-Tar de Atun, Piquillo peppers stuffed with spicy tuna tar-tar, served with fennel, for $12.95.

Piquillos al Tar-Tar de Atun and Pintxo de Albondiga y Espinaca

Euzkadi’s patatas bravas were recommended to me by a co-worker and they were amazing, a huge portion of crispy fried cubed spicy potatoes, w/ spicy aioli for $8.95. We particularly enjoyed  Entrecote a la Plancha, Seared Steak w/ Russian salad & scallion Chimichurre, $13.95. Russian salad is a potato salad with vegetables and mayonnaise.

Entrecote a la Plancha and Patatas Bravas

Another favorite was a special, Mejillones al Ajillo, Mussels sautéed in sofrito sauce. For $10.95, it was a great deal, a big portion with plump pretty mussels and the spicy garlicky sofrito sauce was addicting and perfect for dipping the crusty bread in. The bread, by the way, comes with an olive tapenade, and changed Craig’s mind about olives. We recommend getting some olive oil on the side to dilute the tapenade just a bit.

Mejillones al Ajillo

Bread and delicious sofrito sauce

Two of the three times we dined our meal came with desserts, and we quite enjoyed them.  We tried Bunuelos de Chocolate, Deep fried chocolate truffles served over ice cream, Tarta de Melocotones, Peach tart with a layer of almonds, and Budin de Pan, Bread pudding on a bed of crème anglais over our 3 visits. The desserts were a bit overpriced at $8.95 due to small portions, particularly the fried chocolate truffles. But still nice to end a spicy, savory meal with these sweet dishes.

Bunuelos de Chocolate and Tarta de Melocotones,

Euzkadi offers enticing daily specials, like Sunday and Mondays from 5-7 pm is 50% off tapas. Tuesday nights have live music and flamenco dancing. And Tuesday through Thursday, they offer a $50 dinner for 2, featuring a meat & cheese platter, paella, dessert, and a bottle of wine or sangria caraffe.

Lastly, the murals and cool hand-painted artwork on the walls make for a festive and funky interior and the wine selection and red and white sangrias were both great.

Visit Euzkadi next time you want a fun dining experience where you get to try lots of things. Perfect for a catch up with friends, group or solo date, or celebration. The intimate size and cool village location add to the experience.

http://www.euzkadirestaurant.com/

108 East 4th Street, located between 1st and 2nd Avenues.

So I’ve been watching “The Carrie Diaries,” the CW’s prequel series to “Sex and the City.” I am, was, and always will be a die hard fan of “Sex and the City.” I’ve seen every episode a dozen times, I reference it on the reg, and I own the complete series DVD set, which means I shelled out $150 at once for my love of the four fabulous ladies. And now that I gave up my cable, those DVDs will be in constant rotation on my bedroom tv. Anyway, there have been three episodes of “The Carrie Diaries” and, if you like teen CW-y dramedies, like I actually do, you will like this show. AnnaSophia Robb, who stars as the young Carrie, is completely adorable, vibrant, and has what it takes to play Carrie in her youth. Her hair, her style, the girl nails it. Her friends are cute and sweet and the show has the same sitting at lunch talking with your girlfriends element, this time at the local suburban diner or school cafeteria. And the show also has the great esteem and respect for the city I live in and love, NYC. Except this time Carrie is seeing it through virgin eyes, in all senses of the word. Is it a great new television show? I don’t think so, no. But if you have 45 minutes to kill, you can tune in for the great 80s style and cool soundtrack, and the naivete and sweetness of innocent, cute teenage girls and their issues, mostly boy and family stuff.

But what made me decide to write this article was not because I was inspired by what I liked about the show, because I said I like it, I don’t love it. I don’t think I will enjoy it nearly as much as I did/do Gossip Girl, 90210, Secret Circle. What I wanted to state out loud was how ridiculous I think some of the changes are between the two shows. I find some to be so ridiculous that I am shocked Candace Bushnell, the creator of both shows, agreed to them. It’s shocking how she allowed writers of either one show or the other to create such discrepancies.

In SATC, we learned that Carrie’s father left her and her mom when she was a young child. It seemed to make sense with why Carrie was obsessed with men and dating, and loved Big, who lovingly referred to her as “Kid’ and was the older mature man that she lacked most of her life. In “Diaries,” Carrie’s father is not gone. In fact, Carrie’s mother dies right before the show begins and it is her father that raises her as a single parent. Huh?? Well, it turns out that that is actually how Bushnell wrote it in the “Diaries” book as well, and that the SATC writers changed it. Either way, it’s totally inconsistent and that bothers me.

The Huffington Post asked Amy B. Harris, “Diaries” showrunner, about the inconsistency. Harris says, ”In the ‘Carrie Diaries’ book, Candace did something very interesting, which was she had the mother having passed away. We debated a lot about whether or not to include anything about Carrie’s family backstory in “Sex and the City” and we mentioned once on that show that the father had left. It didn’t feel like the right version to me, because the story felt more complicated than a parent leaving, and Candace’s version in the book really spoke to me, the idea that she has a good relationship with her father, which is why she’s looking for a certain type of man.” Yeah I get that. But this is a huge incongruence, one that fans really do not appreciate or understand how it could be made.

Also, wait, what is this news? Carrie has a younger sister. Say what? Yes, in “Diaries,” Carrie has a younger sister, named, of all things, Dorrit. Dorrit? What the heck kind of name is that? Add an “o” and it spells “Dorrito.” Not only do I not understand the addition of a sister, but one named Dorrit. Well, I guess Dorrit is in the “Diaries” book too. But anyone who ever watched even 5 minutes of a SATC episode knows that it is so ridiculous to suddenly give Carrie a sister. This would change everything. Seriously people.

The Huffington Post states “the CW has adapted “The Carrie Diaries” into a prequel series, combining what we know of Carrie from the beloved HBO dramedy and Bushnell’s books and blending it into a heady cocktail of ’80s nostalgia, coming-of-age drama and a surprising amount of heart.” I agree. Except Carrie’s familial life as we know it is completely different. I’m not sure the shows combine anything that we know of Carrie, except that she is bright, beautiful, straight, and has great big curly blonde hair. Oh, and she likes to write and walk down the street in NYC.

But watch and decide for yourself. Or, if I was being honest, if you are a huge SATC fan and want to keep what you think you know of Carrie to be true, you probably shouldn’t.

My Favorites:

JENNIFER LAWRENCE

This color dominated and amazed the other night. Jennifer Lawrence looked to die for in a coral organza Dior Haute Couture dress featuring a structured bustier and metal belt around her tiny little waist. A knockout. I consistently love her styling choices.

KATE HUDSON

Kate looked absolutely insanely beautiful in this ornate Alexander McQueen. I love the straight sleek hair. Her ex is the lead singer of my favorite band and I couldn’t help but think he may have pained a bit seeing her last night.

JESSICA CHASTAIN

The winner for Best Actress in a Movie Drama (for Zero Dark Thirty) wowed in a Calvin Klein Collection seafoam silk crepe halter dress and $3 million worth of Harry Winston diamonds. The color was stunning with her bright reddish orange hair, which I loved pinned back on the side with glamorous waves. The open back was sexy without being too revealing and showed off her amazing body. I just think she is so cute in general and I really want to see this movie soon to see her performance.

ANNE HATHAWAY

I am not a huge Hathaway fan (I’ve found her to be too plucky and theatrical for my taste) but the girl makes great red carpet choices. I love her Chanel Couture peplum sparkler. And her delicate pretty makeup and cute hair style (growing out from her shaving it for Les Miz) looked great.  And after hearing her speak on the red carpet, she is growing on me. She was humble and sweet and more “chill,” as she described her mood Globes night. I am going to see Les Miz as soon as I can and I am sure this winner for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Musical is incredible in it.

JENNIFER GARNER

Ms. Affleck is looking hot hot hot in this Vivienne Westwood Couture burgundy sequin strapless gown. I love her updo, big gold earrings, and smokey makeup too. You and Ben Affleck are so cute and both lucky to have the other to look at everyday!

RACHEL WEISZ

A super adorable and whimsy Louis Vuitton dress. Her perfect retro waves complete this fun and daring look. I think she is friggin gorgeous. This probably didn’t please everyone but it totally worked for me.

KATHARINE MCPHEE

This is definitely on the highest end of the spectrum as far as revealing skin, just on the cusp of inappropriate, but you can’t deny how gorgeous Katherine McPhee looks in her sexy Olivier Theyskens for Theory dress. I love black satin and it’s done to perfection here. I would trade places with her lookswise, anyday, but particularly here.  Looking forward to the return of Smash soon!

TINA FEY

Tina’s red carpet dress didn’t rock my world but her look her for the opening monologue is totally dynamite. Yowzah! I think she keeps getting prettier and prettier! Her soft waves are so sophisticated. I love Amy but I’m surprised she went out in that dress to stand next to Tina in her’s.

KRISTEN WIIG

I love this woman and I love her in this simple chic Michael Kors gown with an amazing cut-out. Kristen always likes to keep it simple but she doesn’t always look sleek or well put together. Here she totally does. And the easy, beachy waves fit her low-maintenance style. Lovely smokey brown make up too. Her and Will Ferrell’s presentation was hilarious, youtube it if you haven’t seen it.

JENNIFER LOPEZ

Jennifer Lopez looked stunning presenting in this lace Zuhair Murad long-sleeve silk gown featuring an ivory embroidered lace overlay with beading detail. The gown doesn’t photograph from the front as well as it should, making it look like a 7 or 8 when you can tell it’s really a 10 in person. But it looked like a 10 during the broadcast and in this photo from the back. Gorgeous hair and makeup too.

In Betweenski’s:

LEA MICHELE

Lea Michele is totally tiny and super cute and dresses really well. Her Elie Saab dress is very pretty, though not a standout for the night. But her crazy tan was distracting and looked terrible when she was presenting, where it looked like a bad fake tan. She probably actually got it lying on a beach somewhere tropical with Cory Monteith but still, it looked fake. It’s her job to think about how it will look on camera or in print. She overdid it.

JESSICA ALBA

She looks perfect, actually. Gorgeous Christian Dior gown, hair, makeup, jewelry. She nailed it. But she’s here with the middle people because, why was she even there? Seriously? I have zero respect for her as an actress. Zero.

No Likey’s:

LUCY LUI

The print on Lucy Lui’s Carolina Herrara dress is pretty awful. It did make a great entrance when she walked on stage but I also think she’s stunning and timeless so I’m probably just bias. I’m a big fan of her looks, with those pretty freckles, and she normally hits it out of the park fashion-wise. I loved her fishtail braid too, but it doesnt really go with this dress. Overall though, this dress is pretty hideous and reviewers agreed.

ZOOEY DESCHANEL

I really like her, but is it just me or is Zooey Deschanel the most boring person in the world on the red carpet? She always wears pretty dresses like this Oscar de la Renta in the color of the night. But this dress, like her choices in the past, doesn’t do anything for me other than “hmmm, pretty.” Boring and blah.  And all I see is bangs, huge third grade bangs. Distracting and bad. New hair look needed stat!

NICOLE KIDMAN

Remember when Nicole Kidman was a red carpet queen? Another hit and a miss for Mrs. Urban in this Alexander McQueen, in a now long line of bizarre, off, dress choices. And her hair is not working for me either, I always preferred her as a redhead.

AMY ADAMS

I didn’t even notice a dress, I just got stuck on this awful hair.

TAYLOR SWIFT

Ugly. Donna Karan Atelier dress. The color doesn’t really work for her and I hate the square neckline in the front. Also, I read it gave her a wardrobe malfunction. Not into the hair either, her hair is so pretty and flowy, she shouldn’t pull it back so tight.

LENA DUNHAM

You can tell she really tries. This Zac Posen is a very pretty gown. But she always looks like a bulldog in a dress. She needs to figure out what looks flatter her the most, fit the cool-girl hair do and thing she has going on, and go from there. Maybe a cool tuxedo look or something else, something more trendy and unique, not a princess-y ball gown like she always picks. Clearly I’m just not digging this eggplant color either.

Thanks for reading xoxo

P.S. This was my 80th post!

Everyone knows that after American Idol booked Mariah Carey for an estimated $18 million, Nicki Minaj was chosen to be the other female judge (for $8 million). I read last week that Nick Cannon, Carey’s husband, said that this is like the producers of Idol  had “filet mignon and doused it in ketchup.” You know what Cannon, I agree. Mariah Carey is a living legend, with decades of chart-topping, record breaking songs and albums under her belt. Nicki Minaj is fine, she makes good catchy songs and is definitely a lady wordsmith, which is unique and cool. I downloaded her album, Pink Friday. But really, a judge on American Idol?  It seemed like a weird fit to me, especially since Idol is so straight-laced. I just think she seems annoying in person, with the ridiculous clothes and wigs all the time. And as a judge it’s her personality, not her auto-tuned rap songs, that we will be stuck with. I think the photos here sum it all up.

But let’s talk numbers and charts. Nicki had mixtapes until 2010, when Pink Friday came out. This was her debut album, with a reloaded version in 2011 counting as her second. Friday peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200  and she became the first female solo artist to have seven singles  on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time. Impressive for sure and worthy of mentoring/judging new artists. But not when you look at all this….Mariah Carey has had a career spanning over two decades, selling more than 200 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of of all time, including the best selling artist of the 1990s. When”Touch My Body” became the number 1 single in 2008, Carey gained her eighteenth number one single in the United States, more than any other solo artist, EVER. Carey is famed for her voice, while Minaj is famed for her dumb wigs and clothes. Definitely sounds like ketchup on a filet mignon to me.

It sorta reminds me of X Factor adding Demi Lovato after getting Britney Spears. That seemed stupid to me, especially since they are both pop singers, with Demi paling in comparison to Britney.

I used to watch Idol religiously but stopped before last season. I’m not going to watch it on a regular basis, but I know that I will be dropping in to see the new judges (also Keith Urban) and to see the reported friction between Carey and Minaj.

The new season of American Idol premieres Wednesday, January 16th on Fox, 8 pm.