Cool Stuff - Shoe design for dummies

Being a fashion designer is a dream of many. But there is one specific industry that is the true holy grail - and that, my friend, is the shoe industry. Shoes are often the most expensive piece on a lady's outfit, a lady's shoes are almost like her baby - they deserve love an attention.

But if we love our shoes, how much more do we love our shoe designer? I have heard women state the Manolo is the only man in the world that really understands a woman's soul (sorry Christian!). Now what if I told you you can be your own shoe designer? No, I don't expect you to be as good as the big designer names out there, but you can have a voice and design something that you would love to wear. Fantasy? Dream come true? Now it's a reality! Shoes of Prey is a website that will allow you to pick from colors to materials, to the height of the heels desired!

There are some pre-set models and we can customize them to our liking and for those who don't feel too inspired, there are some examples of designs other customers came up with.

Shipping is free worldwide and the price point is what you'd expect for a good pair of leather shoes at a retail store.

You can go crazy and design your own statement shoes for the season. Or even design the perfect pair to match that crazy bridesmaid outfit with that weird color your friend picked! If you can't find a specific design/color at a retail store, now you can create it!

As for me, I am still playing with the website, design is something really important to me (hey, I majored in it!) so I am coming up with just the perfect pair for the summer!

Where to find: http://shoesofprey.com/

Thank you so much for reading!

Nikki Beach (South Beach)

While in Miami I had two things in mind: sun and tanning. Living in San Francisco has made me become obsessed about enjoying sunny weather to its most. Being born and raised in Brazil, I used to not understand why people would request a table in the sun - are them crazy? I silently thought making a weird shock face.

Now that the days with temperatures that rise above 80 degrees a year can be counted in one hand - mind you, I am talking about San Fran, if you go 10 miles in any direction you'll have hot Californian weather- I am almost like a lizard sun worshiping and soaking in each ray.

So when my parents were clueless about what to do on a beautiful sunshine morning in Miami, I had the answer - let's head to Nikki Beach (I had previously talked about it here.) Ready, set, go!

First thing to keep in mind is that parking is horrid. Everybody obviously wants to be there, the valet is full by 11 am, so if you can take a cab do so. We were not that smart and ended up going around quite a bit before finding a spot - obviously my dad was complaining through the entire process.

The turquoise ocean, the lazy lounge chairs, the beach umbrellas, the white sand - oh paradise, I had missed you so much!

I knew that Nikki Beach South Beach was not as VIP as its sister in St Tropez, so I dressed casually and added a little hat for the cute factor (and also to protect my skin from the sun).

The food was actually not bad. I really liked that they had fresh fruit and their tres leches (hello, Miami!) was divine!

The drinks were good too. I had a couple of virgin mojitos which were quite refreshing. My mom had strawberry mojitos and my dad the average guy drink - bud light.

After Nikki beach, and the food and the drinks, I decided to soak in some more sun (hey, enjoy it while it lasts!) and just chilled a little more by the pool.

Overall it was a fun family beach experience which was just perfect.

Thank you for reading and I hope you've enjoyed it!

Make up du jour

Hi guys, I don't usually do make up posts, but thought this one that i did last Saturday looked particularly good. It was during the daytime, so I didn't want to do something too heavy.

I did a very natural foundation since I hate the cakey look. I finished it up with a mineral powder and some rose blush and a light bronzer.
For the eyes, I did a a light smokey with shades of ivory, a medium grey and a charcoal grey. I added some eyeliner to the base of my lashes to create more volume. I used a combination of 2 different mascaras to maximize my lashes (no, these are not fake - they are all me!). For the eyebrows I used some wax and a filler.
Lastly, I wore a tangerine color lipstick - I love going bold for the summer time!

Foundation - Vitalumiere aqua by Chanel #20

Powder - Mineralize skinfinish by Mac Medium

Blush - Joues Contraste by Chanel Rose Bronze

Bronzer - Aruba by Sephora

Setting Spray - Ultra radiance facial re-hydration by Benefit

Eyebrow - Brow zings by Benefit and speed brow also by Benefit

Eye Shadow - Scoot, Vanila and Silver Ring by Mac

Eyeliner - Magic Ink by Benefit

Eye pencil - Stylo Ebene by Chanel

Mascara - Volum'Express Colossal Cat Eyes and Volum'Express One by One both by Maybelline 

Lipstick - Mandarine Bolero by Givenchy

Thank you so much for reading this post and I hope you've enjoyed this easy to do make-up!

The Villa by Barton G aka the Versace's House - Part 2

Dinning at The Villa was, in my opinion, a feast for the senses. Everything aspired to activate the senses. From the beauty of the dining room which were almost overbearing for the eyes, the perfect temperature of the champagne which left a soothing feeling, the flavors and presentation on every dish all combined with the graceful service made this an unique experience. You are at Gianni's. 

You are greeted by a fabulous set of china and obviously by the waitress. The amuse bouche was sent straight in by chef: shrimp with a punchy note of cilantro.

With a champagne glass on hand we selected our appetizer and main courses. A bloc of foie gras to begin with... there were notes of chocolate and compote = yummy!

My main course was a beef duo, and the filet mignon with the foie gras on top was just scandalous. Divine!

The desert was also something to write home about, an assortment of beignets ready to be dipped in a cinamon- coffee foam. Sumptuous!

Overall, this will be an evening to remember. Lots of pictures taken and a very pleasant time spent with my parents.

Thank you kindly for reading! I really hope you've enjoyed this post.

The Villa by Barton G. aka the Versace House

For those of you following me on facebook or twitter, you already know I went to Miami to spend Easter. The weather was perfect and seeing friends and family was wonderful.
In addition to that, I had the opportunity to go places in Miami I had never been on my previous trips. One of those places is the restaurant on The Villa by Barton G most commonly known as the Versace house. Gianni's house in South beach remained with mostly all its original decor even though the home was turned into a small hotel (10 rooms) and a fabulous restaurant.
The dining room is intact and everything from the mosaics on the walls to the china used is absolutely gorgeous. The meal becomes an experience, a feast for both the eyes and the palate. Champagne is brought out at just the perfect temperature, the flavours of all courses are like an explosion in the mouth, the service is very attentive and the grounds ... (have I mentioned the mosaic on the walls?).
Since I knew the business atire was smart casual, I wore a bandage dress and added some color in the accessories - necklace and shoes.

Dress - Stretta

Shoes - Jean-Michel Cazabat in black here

Necklace - Anthropologie (sold out), similar here

 

Thank you for reading and I'll share the menu details with you on my next post - Yum!

A photo shoot - how fun is that?

As I've mentioned on my previous post, Saturday was a sunny and bright day here in San Francisco, ideal for ... A PHOTO SHOOT! I decided to come along in this adventure and help with the styling and whatever else was need from me.
So I put some comfy shoes on and headed to Baker Beach. We played with different outfits, hair styles, backgrounds and obviously light: from very bright at 3 pm to soft light after sunset at 7 pm. Edna, our model looked great (she always does) in very natural make-up.
I even challenged myself to take some pictures while Chloe was shooting, so I sneaked up behind her and shot some photos as well. Here is one of them:

Edna is the type of girl that doesn't need any Photoshop, her skin just glows naturally!

Here you can see Chloe playing with the light and the beautiful view behind the trees.

Fixing Edna's hair - just a fun experience overall!

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you've enjoyed being a part of my photo shoot!

A sassy red dress

Hi everyone! This Monday, I wish you all a great week starting today - I know I am enjoying mine. 

This Saturday, I went to a photo shoot with the very talented Chloe Battesti. The setting was Baker beach here in San Francisco, needless to say it was absolutely beautiful, specially with the great weather we have been having lately.

I were a comfortable but sassy belted red dress, ballet flats, and a jacket (it can get pretty chilly with the wind over there). My make up was quite simply, just a bit of eyeliner and number 23 lipstick by Chanel (my favorite!).

Here are some pictures of my look:

Dress - Rachel Zoe in white here

Jacket - Elie Tahari (old) , similar here

Flats - Tory Burch

Watch - Gucci

Thank you so much for reading, I really hope you've enjoyed it!