Things I've really been into this week:

Metallic nail polish (right now it's a shimmery gold by Sally Hansen called "Gilty Pleasures"...which I'm planning to top off with one of my favorite brands deborah lippmann, in "Boom Boom Pow").

L'Oreal Youth Code, which VOGUE magazine sent to me to try out last month. I used it religiously in Norway where the air was drier, but now that I'm back in Houston I stick to just the ah-mazing eye cream (which has a metal applicator, which cools & de-puffs eyes) and the serum. Anything more and my already combination skin would just erupt into a frustrating display of oil glands v. Kristina.

I must say Youth Code is perfect for our generation because I know I find myself browsing the aisles of my drugstore, looking at all the Olay Regenerist stuff, and wondering if it might be good to start early with anti-aging skincare. But then I immediately stop myself after thinking (in horror) that anti-aging products would be too heavy and moisturizing for my acne-prone face. So I never bought anything. Now that I have Youth Code, which has proven ingredients that are geared specifically toward prevention in younger skin, I don't feel so bad about layering creams on my face at night. I just use it sparingly.

Reflections, Realizations, and Resolve

Edited by: The Curvy Fashionista

After we blazed into the new year with resolutions, ideals, paired with moxie and gusto, we also came into the new year with questions, self realizations, and new inspirations. This week's round up features some of the most though provoking, feel-good, and reason to re-examine your closet!

Links à la Mode: January 13th

• 365 Fashion Rehab: New Year, New You. You don't need a whole new wardrobe to be on trend
• Beautifully Invisible: Children and the Fashion Industry: When are they TOO young?
• Confessions of a Fashion Editor: What makes a blogger?
• Dress With Courage: A fashion survey forces a closer look at my love affair with denim.
• Fashion Limbo: A woman's right to (pretty) shoes - why you should never stop celebrating yourself
• Fashion Writes: What influences, motivates, drives, and empowers women's decisions on buying certain trends (or not buying!): popularity vs. the struggle and desire to stand out and remain original.
• Freeda Style: The clichés "Everyone's a critic" and "I don't know art, I just know what I like" apply every single day. Are you just getting dressed, or are you a wardrobe artist?
• Grit and Glamour: Friend Friday: Goals, Imperfection, and Finding Your Voice
• Holier Than Now: Closet Full of Money: My System for Recycling Clothes for Cash (or Karma)
• I’m Freestyling: I love clothes, wearing them, buying them, feeling them—but all love has its limitations...
• Independent Fashion Bloggers: Three Easy Ways to Improve Your Blog in 2011
• Mischief My Dear: Gilt vs. Ideeli (Members Only Shopping: A Review)
• Mode Stylist: push the boundaries of style with who you are.
• Modern Day Damsel: Sprucing up my wardrobe - 10 items I absolutely have to buy this year
• Pretty Shiny Sparkly: The Secrets to Successful Fashion Blogging
• Revas Rags to Roses: What I look for in the Blog-O-Sphere
• Satoriography: A how-to post for surviving winter without sacrificing your style (or any limbs to frostbite).
• Sugar and Spice: MORE Cash Than Dash - have fashion magazines lost touch with their readership? Do fashion blogs do it better?
• Taxonomy of My Wardrobe: Ever feel like you can't relate to the snooty editorials in fashion glossies like Vogue? Well you're not alone.
• The Curvy Fashionista: This hair of Mines- A love story
• The Demoiselles: Is fashion-sharking just as bad as body-snarking?

SPONSOR:

Shopbop Jewelry: Gorjana, LaMer, Nixon, KORS, Freelook, BINNS, Juicy, Noir, KJL, Alkemie, Alexis Bittar

For the first time in my life, I will be in New York City. During Fashion Week. At the Independent Fashion Bloggers conference, as well as the Lucky FABB conference. I'll be there Feb 7th to Feb 10th - if you're in the area or in town, connect with me!