High shine nail color was a consistent theme at the Fall Shows. The models walked the runway in the Chanel show wearing polish also by Chanel in Peridot, a unique shimmery moss green shade. Narciso Rodriguez models wore Deborah Lippmann’s Stormy Weather which would be a great alternative if you love dark shades and are still stuck on OPI’s Lincoln Park After Dark. At 3.1 Phillip Lim the models wore CND’s shade, Desert Suede, which would be great for that girl who loves neutral polish and is still wearing Essie’s Ballet Slipper or Limousine. At Jason Wu’s show models wore CND’s Gold Chrome, a shimmery shade of gold perfect for the Holidays. I’m crazy about all of these shades and think they are perfect for Fall/Winter.

Daphne Guinness’ New York apartment, designed by interior decorator Daniel Romualdez, was featured in the March issue of Architectural Digest. The stylist, and member of the Guinness brewing family, has a very impressive home. I particularly loved the eclectic mix of furniture with modern art, especially the Damien Hirst Butterfly painting in the entry hall, the framed photograph by Daido Moriyama in the mirrored hall, photographs by (from left) Nobuyoshi Araki, David LaChapelle and Bert Stern in the living room and a portrait of Guinness by David LaChapelle in the home’s library.

The holiday shopping season is in full swing. In case you need any help with your holiday shopping, let this be your guide! All of these great items are under $50 and available online!

1. Monogramed Yoga Mat mycustomyogamat.com $35
2. Marc Jacobs Scarf - Unfortunately the cotton version of this scarf is sold out at net-a-porter.com $50, but a cashmere/silk blend is still available bergdorfgoodman.com $124
3. Marc by Marc Jacobs Earrings net-a-porter.com $42
4. Sephora Glitz and Glamour Shimmer and Shine Sampler sephora.com $39
5. Kiehl’s Jeff Koons Limited Edition Creme de Corps kiehls.com $45
6. Solid Perfume Blending Palette melangeperfume.com $28
7. Aurous Emblem Journal anthropologie.com $28
8. Marc Jacobs iPad Case neimanmarcus.com $38
9. American Fashion Book amazon.com $32
10. Jonathan Adler Mug jonathanadler.com $24

With the holidays quickly approaching, many of you will be traveling to spend them with family or friends. I travel quite frequently and have found the above tips very helpful, especially if you’re trying to avoid waiting for baggage by simply sticking with a carry on. A trip is much more enjoyable when you’ve done a good job packing your most essential items for both the journey and the stay.

I feel like the hotel you pick can make or break your trip so I’m really careful about where I stay, and when I find a hotel I really love I always go back when I’m in that city. Although I love a fancy, five-star, über expensive hotel (such as The Breakers and The Setai), I also love a great deal. The hotels I have picked all have rates under $150 per night, overall good reviews and are decorated tastefully.

I knew a few girls who attended the fashion shows in NYC and stayed at The Pod Hotel. They didn’t rave but said it was a good value and at less than $150 a night in NYC, I’d have to agree.

The Good Hotel in San Francisco had mixed reviews but it is in the Soma district which I like and has a cool look.

I selected Ace Hotel and Swim Club in Palm Springs because, as you can see from the pictures, it’s a very cool place and people love it!! Not only have I read great things about it but I’ve heard people in LA discussing what a great time they had at Ace.

If you are headed to Miami and you don’t want to spend a lot, I highly recommend The Townhouse. The rooms are great, all white with touches of red. The staff was friendly and you even get free breakfast in the lobby each morning (juice, pastries, fruit and coffee), and the location can’t be beat. It’s right behind the Shore Club (great pool and club scene) and across the street from The Setai. Beach access is steps away and they have beach service.

A unique alternative to the giant, all-encompassing hotels of Las Vegas is Rumor Hotel. It’s a boutique hotel off the strip. The interior is newly done and modern, and they have a DJ mixing at the pool by day.

With the holidays upon us many of you will be going to holiday parties and some may wonder, “What should I bring?” While flowers are very nice it’s not my favorite thing to bring because someone has to stop to put them in water, arrange them and find a location for them. I like to bring a small gift of food, wine or occasionally a small item for the home, like a nice candle. Here are a few of my favorite hostess gifts:

1. Veuve Clicquot champagne, Grandwinecellar.com $37.99

2. Paulette macarons, Paulettemacarons.com $19.00 for a small box.

3. Jo Malone scented candle, JoMalone.com $65.00

4. Cote’ Bastide potpourri, Raindogsonline.com $44.00

5. Toffee, Toffeetogo.com $10.00 for small box.

6. Santa Barbara chocolates, SantaBarbarachocolate.com $18.00

Happy Holidays!!

Whenever I go to a new city, I like to ask a local the best places to go. I’ve only been in LA seven months but when I got here a “local,” and a friend, recommended a lot of these places to me, and I would also recommend them to someone visiting LA.

For HOTELS, and a great time, I recommend the Chateau Marmont. It’s hard to describe, really. You step in and sort of feel whisked into another time and are immediately in the mood for a party! When I went to visit a friend there recently, I knocked on her door and two other people in rooms close by opened their doors. Turns out they were both expecting people. At the other end of the spectrum is Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica. Unlike the Chateau Marmont, Shutters has a tranquil and relaxing environment. It has a beautiful interior done by Michael Smith (Michelle Obama had him decorate their living space in the White House) with stunning views of the ocean. On Thursday nights they have champagne tastings and people gather in the candlelit lobby and around the fireplaces. It’s wonderful and reminds me a bit of the East Coast.

For RESTAURANTS, I love The Ivy for the great food, the scene and location. My favorite is the one on Robertson. Cecconi’s is delicious for dinner. The interior is really nice, mostly black and white with touches of teal. I enjoy sitting at the bar where I have their thin crust pizza, it rivals any pizza I’ve had anywhere. For COFFEE and TEA, The Urth Cafe is a must! There is a line out the door most of the time, probably because it’s the best coffee ever.

For SHOPPING there are a ton of options, it is LA! On Robertson you have every imaginable boutique all in one place. There is also The Grove which is really magical at the holidays when it’s all lit up. It’s fun for a family outing with ongoing events year round. I’m taking my son to the tree lighting there next week and a Lego workshop this weekend. There is also a great children’s reading room at Barnes and Noble, a green trolley that will take you from one end to the other and a Farmer’s Market. For vintage and resale stores, do some research as there are a ton of good ones but I like Decades and Wasteland on Melrose.

Angelina Jolie, Katy Perry, Emma Watson and Jessica Alba grace the covers of December’s hottest fashion magazines. Here is a bit of what each of them had to say:

On Brad Pitt, Jolie says he is “extremely handsome” and “sexy,” but feels most in love when she sees him with their six kids.

On pop stars, particularly Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Fergie, Katy Perry says, “We’re all unique. That’s why we all win and we all can exist. People don’t want just vanilla. They want 31 flavors. I couldn’t do what Rihanna does. I couldn’t do what Gaga does. They can’t do what I do.”

On her new cropped do, Emma says, “I’ve wanted to do it since I was about 16, and when Harry Potter ended in June, I just needed a change. It was quite symbolic for me. It’s very short; it was buzzed at the back and on the sides. And it’s really liberating that I can walk out without thinking about it.”

On her movie choices, Jessica says, “I know I haven’t been swimming in the deep end with some of the movies I’ve done. I wasn’t trying to. I knew what they were.”

Which is your favorite December cover??

I am not a big sports fan but I do love to watch a good basketball game. Over the past few weeks all I seem to hear about is the free agency. It has become a sports version of a soap opera, with rumors swirling from hour to hour over ESPN and the internet about where top players like Amare Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James may go and the details of the teams’ aggressive pitches to the players. The Knicks, who have been waiting for this for years, offered LeBron the max deal and his choice of two other top players to play alongside while the NJ Nets co-owners, Jay Z and Russian Billionaire, Mikhail Prokhorov, also made a convincing pitch to LeBron. The teams and players are all waiting on LeBron James, the NBA’s most coveted free agent, to decide where he is going to go so they can all decide what the next step for them will be. It seems LeBron holds all the cards. He will make his announcement about where he will go Thursday night at 9pm EST at a secret location. All the proceeds from the show will go the The Boys and Girls Club of America.

I would love to see him go to the Knicks and play alongside Stoudemire, who just signed with the Knicks, and David Lee; my favorite player. I have seen LeBron in NYC over the past few years and it’s widely known he was spotted checking out this GORGEOUS NYC townhouse formerly owned by Billy Joel. His broker said his biggest concern was “ceiling height” which doesn’t seem to be a problem here.