Empress of Fashion by Amanda MacKenzie Stuart

A life of Diana Vreeland.... Because I have always loved fashion and interior design I had heard some tales of Vreeland, editor of Vogue from 1962-1971.  The Devil Wears Prada was about Anna Wintour as Vogue editor, but I had heard that Wintour was a carbon copy of Vreeland before her.
What was interesting was that this woman who ruled the fashion world for years, first as editor of Vogue and then as the head of the Met's Costume Institute, was an ugly duckling. Her mother was quite beautiful and a socialite ( as was her younger sister)  and quite openly treated her daughter as an outcast. When Diana was fourteen, she decided to make something of herself, to live the life of her dreams. She detailed all in a journal she kept. She began purposefully building a beautiful life. Vreeland told people she grew up in Europe, which was not true. Records show she grew up in New York, but this was just one of the many fantasies that I believe kept her going. She ended up marrying a very handsome man, moving to London and living on a shoe string, but involving herself with the rich & famous. She became a model/mannequin for clothing designers in Paris including CoCo Chanel. When her husband Reed was transferred back to America, she joined the staff at Harper's Bazaar, told friends it was on a lark but in truth, they needed the money.
Note: Although she had two sons, she was very rarely around to mother them. I found this very sad, a repeat of her own childhood.
This book is very detailed and is not a quick read. I did enjoy hearing this life story of a very strong willed woman. Someone who set a goal, a lofty goal, and moved heaven & earth to get there.

Moranthology by Caitlin Moran

This is my second Caitlin Moran book, the first How to be A Woman was hilarious. I expected no less from Moranthology. She did not disappoint. Each chapter is funnier than the last. The way she looks at life, the stuff she has been through, the things she says...too much ! You can read this book in fits and starts, so easy to pick up and read a funny story.
She grew up poor and is not afraid to tell you some heart-breaking stories but you end up lol-ing. In one chapter, "I know what it's like to be poor-They took away the TV and we cried"...how's that for a chapter name? Very funny...except she says one of the smartest things I have heard lately...She says that we are all the same, we all use sticks to get grubs out of logs:) But there is a difference between being rich and being poor:

  "When you are poor you feel heavy. Heavy like your limbs are filled with water. Perhaps it is rain water- there is a lot more rain in your life when you are poor.....But the heaviness is not really from the rain, of course. The heaviness comes from the sclerosis of being broke. Because when you are poor nothing ever changes....."

I am not going to quote further because you need to read the whole chapter. This girl is smart & funny...she wakes her husband up in the middle of the night to ask him, if she died tomorrow what would he miss about her most..and when he gives her a sleepy wrong answer, she asks him again..and again and again...  until she gets the right answer and he discovers that he had no idea himself what he would miss the most. Now, this is funny and so brutally honest.
So, please read Caitlin Moran's new book. It will entertain and enlighten you!

Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die by Willie Nelson

I am not a huge country music fan. There are some songs that I like but I would not sit and listen to a whole CD of it. I became a fan of Willie Nelson's when I saw him in a movie called HoneySuckle Rose....I got a little crush on him. We have all heard On the Road Again, we have seen him making headlines with his IRS problems, his stance on pot, and efforts to save the American Farmer with Farm Aid. He became an "Outlaw" when he teamed up with Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson. All of this and more is in his new book. 

The book is written just the way Willie talks. He will be telling a story about his childhood, then that sparks another memory and he will go off and talk about that and then in the end get back to the story about his childhood. He talks about growing up and working on cotton farms, making music, giving up drinking & drugs, his wives and children, and his country music friends (all legends in their own right). He is a big family man and all his kids work with him either in the band or in his business ventures. He now spends his time in Hawaii and Texas, playing concerts and still raising money for American farmers. There are many chapters in the book written by his kids and his current wife Annie, as well as lyrics to his many songs.

It is a very entertaining book and a good look into the crazy life of an American legend and  "outlaw".

Share the LOVE

Share the LOVE

This November/December Miracle Skin Transformer is promoting their brand new shade of Lip Rewind: LOVE. With every purchase of the limited edition shade LOVE, Miracle Skin Transformer will donate $5 to the Children’s Action Network in effort to find loving families for waiting foster children.

Transform.  Give.  Love.

Get a special discount code to save off your purchase of LOVE and give back to the children here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/miracleskintransformer/app_14167664298

More About Children’s Action Network:

Children’s Action Network (CAN) uses the power of the entertainment community to increase awareness about children’s issues and to make them a top priority in everyday life.  CAN is currently dedicated to finding homes for the more than 107,000 children in the United States who are waiting for an adoptive family and improving outcomes for the more than 500,000 children in foster care.

  

Great Value from emerginC

Multi-Fruit Cleanser: Ripe for the Holiday Season

Hi there – just wanted to remind you that this emerginC promotion is still going on for the month of November!

emerginC multi-fruit cleanser is packed with vitamin C, natural fruit acids and maritime pine bark extract to help remove dead skin cells, cellular debris and makeup without over-drying the skin.

This gentle, yet effective soap-free cleanser is perfect for the transition from the cool weather of fall into the long, dry months of winter to keep skin hydrated and fresh.

$37 for two multi-fruit cleansers at www.emerginC.com

Valid: October through December 2012

Judging a Book by It's Lover by Lauren Leto

Yes, I have read another book about reading books, this one written by blogger Lauren Leto.When I read the tag line that it was a hilarious send up of world of book culture...why wouldn't I?
Just reading the introduction, I knew I had a winner. In second grade her teacher, Mr Booker, told her she was a good reader and that was all she needed, from then on her nose was always in a book. Leto goes on to tell us that her parents stormed in to the principal's office to complain about Mr Booker and his apparent  interest in their child's reading (her nose always being in a book, she would not go out to play & make any friends, etc) but that did not sway Leto from reading.
The book is full of fun ways that being an educated reader can hurt or help you in all kinds of situations...for instance one chapter is about the ten rules for book store hook ups. Another about being book snob.... you never mention that you are reading a frilly book of summer love! You want to fake like you read an important author? All kinds of helpful hints in this book.
So, yes this book is hilarious. It is also a who's who of important authors and magnificent books that we should be reading.  I whole-heartedly recommend this book :)

Share Your Hope

EACH YEAR IT IS ESTIMATED THAT OVER 200,000 WOMEN WILL BE DIAGNOSED WITHBREAST CANCER AND ALMOST 40,000 WILL DIE.

Keranique hopes to change this: Keranique is partnering with the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) for Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October.

Keranique hopes to raise $10,000 for NBCF: For each Facebook fan who shares a message of HOPE, Keranique will donate $1 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.  Help us get 10,000 shares; help us raise $10,000!

We hope you will help: Share your message of HOPE on your wall.  Tell your friends and families $1=early detection plan.  Help us increase awareness of breast cancer and save lives through early detection!  

Starting Monday, October 1^st, new and existing fans to the Keranique Facebook page will be encouraged to ‘Share’ a message of hope.   http://www.facebook.com/#!/Keranique