Travel Guide - Petrossian LA

After waking up to beautiful sunshine, chilling by the pool with my capuccino in hand, and reading my book: The Gospel according to Coco Chanel, I started to get quite hungry (and trust me, hungry on Paula's dictionary is not a good thing!).
So we drove to a fabulous area called West Hollywood and had a fabulous lunch at Petrossian. For those who don't know, Petrossian aka caviar heaven, has only 3 restaurants in the world: Paris, New York and LA.
They specialize in caviar and elegant sea food (salmon, oysters, smoked trout...). For the meat lovers, they do offer the occasional burger and fries. But being in this amazing place, we had to go along with the theme! And boy, everything couldn't be more perfect! From the food flavors, presentation to the service and location of the restaurant, everything was five stars. Can't wait to come back!

Inside seating

Outside seating

Caviar display

The Hibiscus champagne, one of their signature drinks

Blinis with caviar and salmon roe

Salmon rilletes, omg!!!

Oyster in a half shell (which I didn't partake of - hate oysters!)

Profiteroles for desert - Yum!!!

Now onto the look I was wearing:

Dress - Valentino (RED) old - similar here

Scarf - Hermes

Bag - Louis Vuitton

Ballet flats - Giorgio Armani old - similar here

Sunnies - Tiffany & CO

Jewelry - Tiffany & CO

Thank you so much for reading and hope you have enjoyed the Petrossian LA!

Travel Guide - Asia de Cuba LA

For those who have watched the video How to pack for a short trip on the Meinglitter Facebook page, you know that I am currently in LA, Beverly Hills to be more precise. We flew in from San Francisco yesterday and having barely arrived at the Wilshire Hotel beautiful premises, we hit the night and went to have dinner at Asia de Cuba, the restaurant at the Mondrian hotel.

The decor is to die for, all done by Phillip Starck, the world-known designer with oversize plant pots where trees arch from. During the night time, there are some dim lamps that hang from the trees, seriously, this couldn't be more romantic!

The setting at Asia de Cuba

Now, onto the food, one word (no, actually two): punchy delicious! Everything is so full of flavor and the entire menu is a fusion of Asian and Caribbean cuisine, need I say more?

I had the jalapeno passion fruit caipirinha to start with and my husband and I shared the crab cakes. Then my husband had the coffee crusted steak and I had the giant gambas on the Mai Thai sauce. Yum!!!!

My caipirinha and my husband's mojito

What was left of the crab cakes at the time of the picture

Everybody finished their plates and went home full belly and happy!

Now onto the look I wore:

Here you can see a close up of my make up, lightly smoked eyes and nude-rosy lips.

Top - Forever 21

Skirt - Caroll (old), similar here

Pumps - Louboutin

Bag - Chanel

Thank you for reading, and hope you enjoyed the Asia de Cuba!

Cool Stuff - Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2013

Milan, September 2012, the Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2013 collection is out. 5 minutes after the show: an avalanche of tweets and blog posts with the same question: Isn't this becoming too repetitive? It's their God-knows-how-many Sicily inspired collection. Again? The crowd cries.

Stick to what you know, many would say, but even in fashion? The question remains. After the storm calmed down we could see the beauty of this collection. There is a savoir faire that Italians have, the raffia, the palette of colors, the accessories, the rustic fabric headbands. Yes, everything in this collection is Sicilian, but also South American, Caribbean, Mexican, African.

I could even identify some pieces that could easily be labeled as Made in Brazil. With no further delay, here are my favorite moments of this runaway show:

All photos were taken from Style.com

Thank you for reading and hope you've enjoyed this collection as much as I did.

The Look - Nude Pumps

With so many colorful trends out now, it is key to find balance when building your looks. That's where neutral accessories come into place. Look for a tan color clutch, skin color tights and the seasons sweet heart: the nude pump!
I am a huge fan of pumps period. But when they are nude they can go with anything and if worn the right way they make you look taller and your legs longer. I would be a fool not to take an advantage of them!
So here are some of my favorites:

Clockwise from the top:
1. Simple 100 Python pumps - Christian Louboutin $1195
2. Two-Tone heel Patent leather pumps - YSL $595
3. Patent point-toe pumps - Jimmy Choo $525
4. BB leather point-toe pumps - Manolo Blahnik $595
5. Lady peep patent leather pumps - Christian Louboutin $945
6. Patent leather zipper-detail pumps - Givenchy $595

You can find this selection at Saks Fifth Avenue, in stores or online.

Thank you for reading and hope you enjoy your nude pumps! Bisous!

Rue Lala - I only have one arm!

There is nothing that makes a fashionista happier than shopping for her designer's favorites at a heavily discounted price. So Rue Lala is the perfect website for that purpose and I have to confess: I quite enjoy flipping through the goodies.
Anyhow, this past Friday they were having a YSL sale and offering a bag that I have had my eye on for quite some time. Needless to say that the bag was $500 cheaper than in stores and free shipping was offered, so I gave my husband the cat's look (the one from Shrek's movie) and he said yes.
Having my ticket to happiness authorized, I hit the button submit one too many times and placed two orders. Oh no! I told myself! Let me call them so I can have one of these cancelled. And that's what I did. So here is how the conversation went:

CS representative: Thank you for calling Rue Lala, my name is ... and I'll be your concierge today.
Me: Hi, my name is Paula Soares-Lavaud and I have just placed an order using my cellphone and hit submit twice. So now I see that I have two orders of the same bag.
CS representative: Oh, let me assist you with that. Can I get your order number?
Me: Sure. Here it is.
CS representative: Yes, I can see there are two orders. Let me go ahead and cancel one of them.
Me: Oh, great! I really only need one coz I only have one arm.
CS representative: Silence...
Me: I mean, I can only carry one bag!!!
CS representative: Silence ...
Me: What I am trying to say is that I only need one!!
CS representative: Ok, you are all set. I cancelled the order ending in 0000 and the other order remains the valid one. Is there anything else that I can do for you today?
Me: (Thinking I already made too much of a fool out of myself so I might as well hang up as quickly as I can) No, that would be it! Thank you so much!

I hung up of the phone after telling the lady I only had one arm! Seriously!! My husband was laughing so hard his face was all red!
So there you have it! Now can't wait for the YSL bag to arrive!
In the meantime, here is a picture of it!

Beautiful, isn't it??

Hope you guys got a good laugh out of this too! Bisous!

Travel Guide # 3 - Miami Part 2

In addition to having amazing hotels and superb restaurants, Miami has a very active nightlife. Living in San Francisco for the past 4 years I got used to what I called old rag life, where you go to bed at 10 in your Snoopy pj's, so it feels good to go to places where restaurants don't close at 10 and where the last busser from the bar doesn't kick you out at midnight (nerds sleep early!).
So here are some suggestions on Miami's go to nightlife places:

3. Where to party

- Nikki Beach
Originally from St Tropez, the Nikki Beach group has opened locations all around the globe. From Marrakesh to St. Barth to Cabo San Lucas and obviously Miami beach.
This is fun club/lounge/ restaurant and night club. Here you will find a very diverse crowd enjoying very expensive drinks ($51 for a pitcher of Mojito) and great music.
I say, why not?

Nikki Beach
1 Ocean Dr.
Miami, FL 33139
305 538 1111
http://www.nikkibeachmiami.com/

- Cameo (one of Courtney's favorites)
Great music and atmosphere. If you are looking for a place to enjoy yourself and dance all night long, Cameo is your spot. Come here ready to party and listen to some of the best hip hop music.

- LIV (also one of Courtney's favorites)

One word can definite LIV: extravagant! The cover to get in is about $60 and the price of the drinks is pretty steep too, but it is all worth it once you start mingling with the energetic tanned crowd inside this amazing club.

This Club located inside the Fontainebleau hotel is one of the luxury clubs in Miami where you'll dance to the best music out. No low key profile here, put your hills and your smoky eye to come here and feel like a diva!

LIV

Fontainebleau Hotel

4441 Collins Ave

Miami Beach, FL 33141

305 674 4680

http://www.livnightclub.com/index.php

Store - John Frieda - Go Blonder

Um aroma super gostoso, deixa o cabelo macio e clareia os tons loiros gradualmente.

Esse par de shampoo + condicionador e simplesmete um luxo! Ja falei deles aqui .

Cada um custa R$ 30 + envio USPS de R$26.

Caso interessada (o), por favor deixe um comentario aqui ou me envie um email: meinglitter@yahoo.com

Bisous!

Beauty Tips - Andy Warhol + Nars

After a very, very long wait, the make up collection Andy Warhol + Nars is finally a the stores! The palette of color as well as the packaging have been inspired by the pop art genius. The line is absolutely amazing and I can't wait to get my hands on these goodies.

The product line ranges from eye shadows, to lipsticks to nail polishes and more! Everything with an additional hint of pop. Now available at Sephora or you can buy the collectors edition at Gilt.com

I hope you all enjoy the shopping! Bisous!

Store - Chanel Nail Polish - Beige

Com a melhor selecao de cores do mercado, os esmaltes da Chanel sao um must-have de qualquer fashionista. Com textura cremosa e cores bem solidas, nao tem como nao se apaixonar!
Aqui, uma cor neutra e elegange: Beige.
O preco deste esmalte e R$59 + $26 de envio via USPS.

Store - Chanel Nail Polish - Vendetta

Com a melhor selecao de cores do mercado, os esmaltes da Chanel sao um must-have de qualquer fashionista. Com textura cremosa e cores bem solidas, nao tem como nao se apaixonar!
Aqui, parte da colecao fixa da Chanel, a cor Vendetta um roxo escuro metalico.
O preco deste esmalte e R$59 + $26 de envio via USPS.

Store - Chanel Nail Polish - Infidele

Com a melhor selecao de cores do mercado, os esmaltes da Chanel sao um must-have de qualquer fashionista. Com textura cremosa e cores bem solidas, nao tem como nao se apaixonar!
Aqui, parte da colecao lancada para o Fashion Night Out 2012, o esmalte Infidele, um rosa saturado porem elegante, perfeito para qualquer estacao do ano.
O preco deste esmalte e R$59 + $26 de envio via USPS.

Travel Guide # 3 - Miami Part 1

Miami is one of my favorites cities in the US. Not only because I have family there, but there is a Latin cool atmosphere to the city that sometimes it just feels like you are in another country. Also, I just love having people talk to you in Spanish by default and responding to them No hablo Espanol or English, please? I know, it's a shame that I am not 100% fluent in Spanish!
Miami is a lot of things I love: hot, friendly, it is the home of lot of beautiful people and of great food. Once you have your good list of addresses of go to places, there is no hit and miss here. That's why I've asked my lovely friend Courtney Recht to help me on this, since she is from Miami but currently a home sick American but fully experiencing and discovering Lyon aka the city of love.
So let's get started:

1. Where to stay
There are several great hotels to stay in Miami, from big chains, to small family owned properties. Of course, budget is something to take into consideration while booking, but thankfully Miami isn't among the top expensive lodging cities in the US.
My place of choice is the Conrad Miami on Brickell avenue. It is not only due to the fact that its a brand new property with luxurious views of the bay, but the service plays a big part in all Conrad properties. In all levels, we are received with a smile and such willingness to go above and beyond to please customers.

The mirrored exterior of the Conrad

The stunning view from the Conrad

The other great thing about the Conrad is their top floor bar with amazing views, where they also serve a delicious buffet style breakfast. Of course I couldn't say no!

Conrad Miami - 1395 Brickell Avenue 

Miami, FL 33131

305 503 6500

2. Where to Eat

Given the number of Spanish Speaking people that currently live in Miami, the culture is definitely Latin inspired, therefore there are several Latin and Central American style/ fusion restaurants. But not only that, Miami is very cosmopolitan when it comes to food and nightlife, there is an option for everybody. So here are my choices to make your belly happy:

- Novecento

This Argentinian bistro was a great surprise. I went on a Friday night with a big party and they were quick to seat us and the service was spotless. The food deserves a review of its own, this is what we call something to write home about.

Empanadas were flaky with juicy fillings, and 4-5 kinds to choose from, needless to say we ordered them all. I had steak since I always have steak when in an Argentinian restaurant: that's the whole point, right? Mine was cooked to perfection, the meat was very tender and flavorful. 

Drinks kept coming to the table and we had a great time!

Having a great time at Novecento with my beloved cousin Marisa

Novecento

1414 Brickell Avenue

Miami, FL33131

305 403 0900

novecento.com

- Perricone's Marketplace & Cafe

A true Italian place, a very romantic setting with outdoor seating under lighted trees, attentive service: what's there not to love?

We came here on a double date night with my parents. The food was delicious and their wine list is very complete. If you come here, I am sure you will have as much a delightful evening as we did.

15 Southeast 10th Street

Miami, FL 33131

305 374 9449

perricones.com

- Le Bouchon

This is one of Courtney's favorite. Her husband, like mine, is from Lyon which is known to be the best area to eat in France. So I can relate to her choosing this Lyon style bistro in Miami as one of her favorites.

On the menu: escargots, foie gras, all different kinds of charcuterie and of course, mussels with french fries!

3430 Main Hwy

Miami, FL 33133

305 448 6060

lebouchondugrove.com

- Ortanique on the Mile

Another one of Courtney's favorites. A Caribbean restaurant by the famous chef Cindy Hutson known by it's large portions and punchy flavors. A place not to miss!

The colorful ambiance at Ortanique's

Ortanique on the Mile

278 Miracle Mile

Coral Gables, FL 33134

305 446 7710

www.cindyhutsoncuisine.com

I really hope you enjoy Miami! Bisous!