Happy Birthday to Me

 

My birthday was actually last Wednesday, but I feel like the festivities started two weeks ago while I was in NY! I had planned to shop for my bday shoes while in the big city, but for the first time ever, I didn't shop! ( I know, the horror!) Between work and some serious night life (more on that later), I just ran out of time. The one day I had planned to hit the stores, it was rainy and windy. Not exactly ideal shopping weather. So, I came home with nothing but a few "I heart NY" t-shirts for my nephews. I had the most amazing trip to NYC, so no complaints here, but I DID have to make up for my lack of  shopping when I returned to LA! 

The morning of my birthday, I had one client and then it was off to the Christian Louboutin boutique to search for the perfect pair of heels.

Once inside, I was mesmerized by all of the gorgeous shoes, each with the ubiquitous red lacquered sole. Ahhhh...I imagine this it what Heaven is like! The selection was overwhelming! Thankfully, I knew exactly what I wanted, and had the sweetest SA a girl could ask for! (We're now Facebook friends!) The second I told him that I was buying a bday present for myself, he offered me a glass of champagne, some Paulette macarons, and literally brought me every black shoe in the store to try! Seriously, Heaven!

I completely took over the entire second floor, with shoe boxes and black peep toes everywhere!  After  trying several different styles, the perfect pair for me was the Hyper Prive.  While I loved the simplicity of the all black Very Prive, the extra platform of the HP made them SO much more comfortable!

(Sorry for the bad photo quality.  I was trying not to be too obnoxious in the store with my camera.)

As soon as I got home, I did a proper photo shoot with my new birthday shoes, which also happen to be my very first pair of Louboutins! 

I'm in love!

Nine Month Anniversary

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Chasing Beauty is Nine Months old today!

How is it October 4th already?!  I've had SO much going on these past few months, that I totally missed my eight month blogiversary! I couldn't let nine go by without some sort of acknowledgment. :) Although, I didn't get the chance to blog much last month, I'm still here and haven't given up.  

When I first started this blog, my work schedule was in a slow period, and I was looking for something to pour my creative energy into. One where I could talk about all of the things I love, and maybe other people would love them too. What I didn't expect, were all of the new friends I'd meet through the blog! Some of you I've only talked to through comments, and a few I've chatted with via Twitter. (it's almost like texting your blog friends! Which is why I love Twitter!) What's even more fun is when virtual friendships turn into real ones! What a better way to celebrate my Nine Month anniversay, than to have a bloggy date with a couple of my favorite bloggers/turned real life friends! On Saturday, I met up with Jamie of Glam Latte, and Valerie of Red Vines for Breakfast for some good girl chat, and the most incredible Nutella Martini's! 

 Jamie, Valerie, and Me :) I clearly missed the white shirt memo.

Here we are with our "real" drinks. We had a very interesting waitress (code for bad service), who brought these out first.

Now don't get me wrong, this drink was AMAZING, but it was a coffee drink and not really what we were after. We were looking for something a little more celebratory, with a little kick. ;) About a half an hour later (I actually started timing her at one point), our martinis finally arrived.

 Ahhhh....now that's a drink! What could be better than a Nutella coated martini glass filled with the yummiest cocktail?! 

 Jamie and I with the wrong, but still yummy coffee drinks.

If you're a Nutella lover like Jamie, Valerie and I, you must check out Ugo the next time you venture to Culver City! We had such a great time, that we're already planning our next night out! If you're an LA blogger and would like to join us next time, let me know! I'd love to meet more of you in person!

xoxo,

Bren

**Special thanks to Valerie for taking the photos! xoxo

To Hell and Back

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You'd think this was hell! Today was the hottest day EVER in LA, topping out at 113 degrees!!! While everyone else in the country is beginning to dress in layers, we're still in flip flops and sun dresses, making regular stops for ice cream. I'm over it, and hoping that this is the usual "one last heat wave" before the air turns cool. I'm ready for sweata-weatha. ;)

In case you hadn't noticed, I'm back from my Palm Springs mini break. :)  I hadn't planned on taking a week off from the blog, but it's taken me a little longer to get my act together. For those still following along, regular blog posts will start up tomorrow. I can't wait to catch up with all of you!

xoxo,

Bren

A Storybook Wedding

 This past Sunday I attended my cousin's wedding, (the one I've been dress shopping for) and it was one of the most gorgeous weddings I've ever witnessed!  The big event took place in Malibu, but not on the beach like you would expect. Instead, they chose the private winery, Saddlerock Ranch, in Malibu canyon.

Surrounded by rolling hills, in the middle of vineyards, with breathtaking views of the valley, my cousin Jason and his beautiful bride Michelle exchanged vows high upon a hilltop. The sentiments spoken by the two of them, were so heartfelt and emotional, that many of us present were fighting back tears. 

 After rings were exchanged, and the ceremony was sealed with a kiss, Jason and Michelle were finally pronounced husband and wife!

Here is the happy couple, being announced as Mr. & Mrs. for the very first time, and ready to get the party started.

The first dance.

Jason and Michelle had been together for 10 years when they got engaged. (They met when they were in high school) It's hard to tell from this picture, but each table was marked by year.  To find your table, you had to find the corresponding year, (Year 1, 2, 3, 4, etc), which included a photo of them from that year they were dating. It was such a cute way to personalize the table numbers.

The cake was pretty, and looked delicious, but I was too full from the food, that I passed on the dessert. What was I thinking?!

Instead of a long table for the entire bridal party, J & M opted for a sweetheart table.

There were lots of family photos taken, but they were left to the professionals. It's hard to remember to take pictures when there's so much going on, and you're touching up the bride's makeup in between it all. I did manage to get one photo of my Dad and I. :)

I can't say enough good things about the location for the wedding/reception. It was pretty spectacular! You literally felt like you were on top of the world.

 As the sun went down, everything started to glow. Here's the view from our table.

It was a long day for me, and I knew it would be. ( I was up at 5am to be ready to start makeup by 7, for a 4pm wedding!) In preparation, I made sure I had plenty of Diet Pepsi on hand, and at about twilight, cracked open this bad boy.

Classy, right?! Well, at least I poured it into a pilsner glass.

I texted this pic to my friend who swears by Rockstar's, and is always trying to talk me into them. She knew that I was desperate.

Even though it was long, and I was tired (when am I not?), it was truly a magical day, and one that I will never forget. 

One can only hope, to find that kind of love someday!

**I apologize for the changing photo quality. Several cameras contributed to this post. ;)

Beauty and the Beach

I figured if I didn't do it soon, I'd have to wait until next Summer. So last week, in between my morning and evening client, I headed to the beach! It was the perfect day, too! About 75 degrees with a cool breeze. Ahhhh....

I always keep my beach umbrella in the trunk of my car for impromptu trips like this. (sadly, it's used mostly for beach shoots) I'm glad I had it with me, because I'm too white to sit in the sun for hours. 

These helped protect my skin too.

It felt amazing to plant my feet in the sand, and just enjoy the salt air!

It wasn't super crowded either, probably since most of the kids are back in school.

A beach day wouldn't be complete without music & fashion!

I couldn't have asked for more.

Happy Monday! ;)

A Day In The Life

Sorry I've been a little MIA this week but my schedule has been pretty killer. All good stuff, but sometimes your body just needs to rest, and that's exactly what I did yesterday. I was in bed all day! The reason...Take a look at Wednesday's schedule.

3:30 am  Alarm goes off. Time to wake up. (are you serious?!) Hit snooze.
3:39 am  Alarm goes off again. Don't want to get out of bed, but know if I don't, I'll be late. Turn alarm off and hit the shower.
4:30 am  Need caffeine! Pour 1st Diet Pepsi of the day (into my Venti Starbucks cold cup)
4:45 am  Pack up the car. Makeup, check. Hair stuff, check. Sweatshirt and Ugg boots for when it gets cold later, check.
4:50 am  Top off Diet Pepsi for the drive.
4:55 am  Driving to the 1st location, in the dark.
5:30 am  Loving the drive to work. There's zero traffic! A rarity in LA.
6:00 am  The sun is beginning to rise. So pretty!
6:15 am  Arrive at location #1 in Agoura Hills.
6:30 am  Get hair and makeup station set up.

6:45 am  Grab Breakfast.

6:50 am  All Star Weekend arrives early for video shoot.

 

7:00 am  Start hair and makeup.
8:00 am  Hair and makeup done, and ready for first shot of the day.

9:00 am  Realize that I never ate my breakfast. Pouring 2nd Diet Coke of the day. (had to switch to diet coke because there's no diet pepsi on set. bummer!)
9:30 am  Director wants me to take a peek at the extras to make sure they look good. Some of them need tweaking. I'm so glad I brought an assistant today!
11:15 am  Pretty much on schedule. The shots are moving quickly, and everything is looking great.
11:20 am  When is lunch? I'm starving and Craft Service (a glorified term for on-set snack bar) is pretty sad. Not to mention that bees are swarming all over everything. Gross!
12:30 pm  It just got seriously hot! I'm talking at least 10 degrees or more, and we're outside in the Valley with estimated temps in the 100 range!
12:35 pm  Quick touch up of the guys, for last shot before lunch.
1:00 pm  Break for lunch. They're serving up Mexican food, and it's so yummy! I think on a normal day I'd think it was just ok, but I'm starving, so it's the best fajitas ever! On to Diet Coke #3.
2:00 pm  Company move, which is production speak for everything and everyone moves to another location.
2:05 pm  My car is SO hot! I can't get my a/c working fast enough. I feel disgusting. I'm sweaty, and feel dirty from being in the canyon on dirt roads. I want a shower! Glad we're heading to the beach where it will be cooler.
2:10 pm  Drive to location #2. Beautiful drive through the canyon and up PCH. Gorgeous day!
3:00 pm  Stop at Neptune's Net for Diet Coke #4. Don't judge.

3:15 pm  Arrive at location #2. Ahhhh....the beach!
3:30 pm  Touch up all of the guys.
4:45 pm  I spot a seal in the water and point it out to Michael. He insists that it's a ball, and then I see the seal's head turn. Michael still thinks it's a ball, until the seal swims away showing full body. Awww..This is Michael.

 5:30 pm  The guys having a little fun while waiting for the cameras and lighting to get set up for the next shot.

  6:45 pm  Setting the scene for the beach party to happen after the sun goes down.

7-7:30pm  Getting the money shot of Zach next to a vintage Chevelle, with sun setting in the background. Classic California.

 Here's my perspective, watching from the monitor.

7:35 pm  Beautiful! This is what I get to see at work. :)

8:00 pm  It's getting dark, and cold! Time to put on my sweatshirt and Uggs!
8:15 pm  Craft Service ran out of Diet Coke!!! I'm going to die!
9:00 pm   Pizza arrives. Everyone is starving because there's nothing to snack on. Worst Craft Service ever!
9:30 pm  Realize that I've been standing at least 13 of the 15 hours I've been working! Starting to feel really tired and my back is killing me!
10:30 pm  2 shots left. I'm tired, and the guys are exhausted!
11:00 pm  MARTINI SHOT! (aka last shot of the day)
11:30 pm  That's a wrap! Yay!

11:35 pm  Hugs and kisses to everyone as we say our goodbyes.
11:45 pm  The worst part of my day...packing up.
12:00 pm  Drive home. I can barely hold my eyes open and really should not be driving.
1:15 am  Home sweet home. Feel like I've been hit by a truck! My body hurts as I get out of the car.
1:25 am  Can't get into bed feeling this dirty. Quick shower.
1:45 am  Ahhh....bed!!!

Yesterday: Bed all day.

Today: I feel human again.

I'll be catching up on all of my blog reading this weekend, and getting back to regular posting next week. I can't wait to hear what you've all been up to!

Have a great weekend!