Any Second Now

A Shimmering Night of Fun: San Diego Style Bloggers Celebrates One Year!

The second event I attended last Friday was the San Diego Style Bloggers one year “blogiversary” celebration at Shimmer in the Plaza Bonita Mall. I can’t believe it’s already been a year for The San Diego Style Bloggers! I arrived a bit late as I was coming from the emma jane opening, but I still got there in time for the raffle and of course, to celebrate and party with my fellow bloggers. The San Diego Style Bloggers is such a wonderful community, and I have met and am meeting new friends at each event. In addition to the raffle and yummy treats, there was a style challenge on Instagram, where bloggers were asked to style three outfits from Shimmer’s fabulous selection (tagged with #iheartshimmer). Also, Bellus Academy was on hand to provide hair styling and manicures for everyone. It definitely was a fun way to end my evening, and I’m so proud to be a part of such a wonderful blogging community. Thank you San Diego Style Bloggers contributors (Alessandra of Alessandra Gonzalez, Paulina of Lil Bits of Chic, Jess of A Glam Diary, Tuyaymya of White Tee Black Dress and Lisa of Mona Lisa Marie) and Judy, owner of Shimmer, for a wonderful soiree. I took a bunch of pictures of the evening, and also check out the awesome vlog post of the event by Laura of Laura Neuzeth below. Hope you have a great weekend!

Group photo courtesy of Judy of Shimmer.

Eating, chatting, and social media…must be a blogger party!

Tuyaymya calling out raffle prizes.

Vanessa of Fashion Mixtape won a cute cosmetics bag.

Bloggers, taking pictures of bloggers, taking videos of bloggers.

With Judy of Shimmer. Isn’t she just so beautiful?

With Jea of Dainty Jea. We’re both BonLook Star Ambassadors, and we’re wearing…BonLook glasses! I’m wearing La Marquise and Jea is wearing the Honeybadger.

The lovely Laura of Laura Neuzeth with the “Bloggers do it better” tank by Tuyaymya.

Eunice of Beautifully Fashioned with Paulina of Lil Bits of Chic

Lisa of Mona Lisa Marie, Eunice, Paulina & Alessandra of Alessandra Gonzalez

Vanessa, Nahomi of Nuestro Wonderland, Lisa, and Jea

I had to get this funny group picture in with our usual poses. Bloggers just wanna have fun, too!

“Bloggers do it better tank” c/o Tuyaymya of White Tee Black Dress. Gift bag of goodies c/o Shimmer.

I was doing a selfie with my new tank, when I was suddenly photo bombed by my hubby. Gotta love that man!

Vlog post by Laura. Love this! And, you can hear me say “Bloggers taking pictures of bloggers, taking pictures of bloggers”. Great job Laura!

Red Flag

Ever since I saw the beautiful outfits by Alex Yanez at the Fall Fashion Preview a couple of weekends ago, presented by Neiman Marcus at the Blogger Bruncheon (original post here), I have been obsessed with incorporating red into my wardrobe. I’m so happy that fall is approaching, because I intend on finding a red suit to pair with my leopard print shoes, just like the outfit in the “Red, The New Neutral” portion of the fashion show. In the meantime, I wore my red plaid pants to bring out the red of my new favorite purse: The Union Jack fringe tote from Bubbles Boutique. I love that I can either carry it, or use it as a cross-body. I wore many British items to accompany my new bag, including my London map ring and London Underground cuff. Can you tell I miss London?

I’m not sure how many of you out there remember the group Red Flag, but they began as a new wave synth-pop band back in the 80’s, originally from Liverpool, who eventually settled in San Diego. I saw them play at UCSD for free when the “Broken Heart” single was released back in 1988, but I lost track of them after that. They have since updated their sound to be darker and more electronic. I hope they tour again, because I would love to see them in concert!

Outfit – B_envied shirt (purchased at Shimmer); Tinsel Town jeans; Miista “May” ankle boots; H&M hat; Suki Bijoux necklace & rings; Michael Kors watch; Nu_G British Flag Fringe tote c/o Bubbles Boutique (my post about Bubbles Boutique here); iSee glasses c/o GlassesUSA; London Underground cuff c/o designHype

“Broken Heart” by Red Flag 12″ single is from my personal collection

emma jane Boutique & Bridal Grand Opening

This weekend was a whirlwind of events, starting on Friday with the grand opening of emma jane Boutique & Bridal in La Jolla. Prior to the public grand opening, a few special guests and bloggers were invited to take in the new space. I love the open feel of the new store and all of the lovely details, which complimented the fabulous fashion. Additionally, the La Jolla location has a separate bridal shop with pieces by Nicole Miller. I was able to snap a few pictures of the shop before the doors officially opened, but I had to leave right before the fashion show. Luckily for you, some of my fellow San Diego Style Bloggers were present, so check out their blogs for more pictures and details from the whole event (links at the end of this post).

Thank you Holly (of GlamourMash and Vertical PR) for the invite, and be sure to check out emma jane for a simply chic shopping experience!

I love beautiful dressing rooms. Isn’t this one just gorgeous?

All of the furniture and fixtures in the store are things I would put in my own home. I loved everything (especially that white cross-body bag)!

Did you know there is a section for gentlemen, called “ej for men”? Those are Hudson Jeans. I’m going to bring my hubby next time!

I spy Suki Bijoux!

Live painting by artist Annie Hardy. Love the San Diego skyline one.

At the photo op area with San Diego Style Bloggers Jade of These Days and Amber of Face It Catalog. Also present was Daniel of Seamed.

(Photo courtesy of Face It Catalog)

Our lovely gift bags filled with goodies from emma jane!

Posts about the emma jane grand opening:

La Jolla Village Welcomes emma jane Boutique – Seamed

Fashion Night Out: emma jane – Face It Catalog

oh emma jane – These Days

Back to School

Check out my niece, Mei-Lin…how absolutely cool is she? She’s always wearing my shoes and we love to do our nails together. Yes it’s true, she has watched me take many an outfit picture, so I know many of these poses are compliments of moi. But really, she is just a natural. This is the outfit she wore on the first day of school this week (2nd grade), and she is on point with being “Rocker Chic”. Mei-Lin is as smart as she is beautiful, and saying I’m a proud aunt is an understatement.

Outfit – All H&M

Photos by Rholnna Jiao

Grand Opening Friday August 23rd 2013: emma jane Boutique & Bridal in La Jolla

It’s going to be quite a busy Friday for me! I’m excited to be celebrating the first year anniversary of The San Diego Style Blog. But before that, I’ll be attending the grand opening of emma jane Boutique & Bridal’s new La Jolla store! One of my favorite indie jewelry designers, Suki Bijoux, has some of her pieces at the Mission Hills location, so I’m excited to see what’s on display in the La Jolla one!

Check out all of the details in the flier below. Be sure to get there early to claim your gift bag of goodies and to see the fashion show. Hope to see you there!

Read In Style: Win a Pair of Readers From ICU Eyewear

Ever since I discovered the wonderful world of stylish-yet-affordable-glasses, I just can’t get enough! So when I was approached to do this campaign for ICU Eyewear, I thought, “Of course I’ll share this great giveaway!” Dr. Dean and Wink are lines from ICU Eyewear, and they prove that reading glasses (aka “readers”) can be fashionable and fun. I love the fun patterns of the Wink line and the bold frames of the Dr. Dean line.

“Wink by ICU Eyewear is transforming a cold, utilitarian piece of plastic into a unique and highly-personalized fashion statement. Each pair of Wink readers tells a story, starts a conversation or at the very least turns a few heads. By being true to itself, the brand has also turned some heads in the fashion industry, giving it that touch of Madison Ave credibility a fashion accessory needs. The aptly named Wink gives women a stylish, affordable and playful way to share a little bit (or a lot, depending on the pair) of their colorful personality with the world, while being able to read with ease.”

“Dr. Dean Edell brings optical acumen to this stylish-but-not-flashy collection of frames, creating the kind of product that is intelligently and reliably made from every perspective. Dr. Dean’s are the only reader brand endorsed by an ophthalmologist, Dr. Dean Edell, and are the smartest brand on the market today. Dr. Dean is an optical accessory, not just a magnifier. Stylish in his smart and classic approach to readers, Dr. Dean’s are for the sophisticated man who still wants to look good.”

Tell ICU Eyewear which is your favorite pair of Dr. Dean or Wink glasses and be entered to win one (1) free pair of the reading glasses you voted for.

ICU Eyewear is giving away 1,000 pairs of Dr. Dean and Wink glasses or 40% off one order of readers from the ICU Eyewear.

The giveaway is active from August 14th 2013 at 12am PST and ends on August 27th, 2013 at 11:59pm PST.

The 40% coupon code is valid until October 1st, 2013 on reading glasses only.

One entry per email address. Winners will receive their free pair of reading glasses via First Class Mail and will be delivered 4-6 weeks after the giveaway ends.

Here’s how you enter!

1. Go to the Read In Style Giveaway page by clicking the link to enter your email address and gender.
– Your gender determines if you vote for the Dr. Dean or Wink readers.

2. Based on which gender you selected, vote for your favorite pair.

3. You will then either be selected instantly as a winner and asked to fill out your shipping and Diopter details OR receive a 40% off coupon for all readers on the ICU Eyewear site.

FTC Disclosure: This post is sponsored by ICU Eyewear

Beautiful Bits & Bobbles at Bubbles Boutique

Shopping is always a favorite pastime of mine, and part of living in San Diego means shopping in beautiful places. Once of those places is a shop in Downtown’s Gaslamp District called Bubbles Boutique. I first was introduced to Bubbles Boutique when I attended my first San Diego Style Bloggers event last year (original post here), and it’s where I met and befriended one of my favorite independent jewelry designers, Suki of Suki Bijoux. Other than the fabulous fashions and accessories, I simply adore the eclectic décor. There are so many delicate details and it reminds me of a lovely French boudoir.

I visited Bubbles Boutique again last Saturday, and after some much-needed retail therapy, I chatted with owner Gayleen Nichols about her fabulously sophisticated, yet fun and unique boutique.

How long have you owned your own boutique, and how did you get started in the business?

I have been in business for over 10 years. The idea of opening a retail shop came when a friend opened a franchise shop called Splash Bath & Body. I fell in love with the concept and the products. I took a leap of faith and left my corporate property management job, sold everything and moved to San Diego from Long Beach.

How did you come to the decision to own your own boutique/business? How did you come up with the name of your boutique?

After 2 years it became apparent I would need to sell more to keep the doors open. This was against the franchise guidelines so we parted ways and I became Bubbles…a Unique Boutique.

What would you say is your “style” and how is that reflected in what you have to offer?

What has emerged after 10 years is a new tag line that speaks my style: “Eclectic fashion for every mood”.

I think fashion is an expression of our thoughts and feelings. Somedays I want to be funky , retro, biker chic and Audry Hepburn. I don’t believe one has to dress the same every single day. Mixing it up keeps it fresh and fun!

I buy with an eye for the unusual. You know…that keeper piece in the closet. I receive many compliments every day about what a fun shop and customers often thank us for having a really fun shopping experience.

How do you choose who to feature in your store as far as independent designers/jewelers are concerned?

A big part of my niche market is featuring over a dozen local artists who create amazing jewelry and accessories. My business is driven largely by tourism and it is exciting to offer keepsakes other than San Diego shirts and mugs.

Suki Bijoux

What do you like best about what you do?

I love what I do because it provides an outlet for the creative side in me. I put much energy into merchandising in a fun way that is enjoyed by my customers.

I am blessed each and every day with the opportunity to meet people from all parts of the world. The reward is in helping women feel awesome about themselves and encouraging them to step outside the fashion rut box.

I absolutely love, love, LOVE this display!

Thank you Gayleen for taking the time to chat with me! After you shop til you drop at Bubbles Boutique, please make sure to stay connected with them through their official site, Facebook page and on Instagram.

226 5th Ave., San Diego, CA 92101 619-236-9003

[email protected]

Waffles, Fall Fashion & Fun: A Blogger Brunch!

This past Sunday, I had the wonderful honor and privilege to be a part of a Fall Fashion Blogger Bruncheon presented by The US Grant Hotel, Neiman Marcus Fashion Valley and J Public Relations. It was held at the beautiful and historic US Grant Hotel in Downtown San Diego at their Grant Grill, and began with a delicious waffle brunch and much mingling with my fellow bloggers. I immediately sat with my pals Jennifer of Malcriada and Vanessa of Fashion Mixtape, as it has been a little while since I had seen these lovely ladies. Also at our table was Paulina, Alessandra, Tuyaymya, all who have their own blogs, but also contribute to the San Diego Style Bloggers official blog. Rounding out our table was Mark Higginbotham, director of Sales & Marketing at The US Grant Hotel, and the ladies of J Public Relations. I was also excited to meet Laura Martell, who wrote Gentleman Norman: How To Be A Man. I remember seeing her on KUSI and it was fun to meet her in person. I was also very happy to finally meet Gretchen and Britt of Nubry. They are as beautiful in person as they are on their blog. And of course, it was great to see familiar faces of bloggers I’ve met, and to meet new blogger friends!

Brunch at The Grant Grill was one of the best I’ve had in San Diego. Other than the signature cocktail, the waffle bar was by far the best part of the meal, especially after Mark described all of the wonderful toppings. He convinced me to try the Muscovado sugar, explaining its the way sugar should be made and I have to agree! The sugar was raw and subtle, and gave just enough sweetness to my waffle without overpowering it. Thank you Mark!

The fall fashion preview, presented by Neiman Marcus of Fashion Valley, immediately followed and made me all the more anxious for cooler weather. Each collection was meticulously styled by Alex Yanez of Neiman Marcus, and featured selections from “The List for Her” of their Fall 2013 Trends. Although my heart adored the “Rocker Chic” collection, I really fell in love with everything from “Red, The New Neutral”. I’m definitely breaking out my biker jacket and pairing it with something fabulous in red, just to bring the two together in the way Alex did. Two of the most beautiful pieces of the collections (in my humble opinion) was the Alexander McQueen printed clutch from the “Red” collection, and the black dress from the “Lace Noir” collection. But I’ll let the fashions speak for themselves in the pictures below. There are quite a few photos to get through, but I’m sure you will agree that it’s all well worth it.

After the fashion preview, we all did as bloggers do: take pictures galore! It was so much fun, and I want to thank The US Grant Hotel, Neiman Marcus Fashion Valley and J Public Relations for a lovely event. Hope you had a great weekend!

The Grant Grill and the lobby of The US Grant Hotel, so elegant!

Have camera, will blog!

Paulina already doing her blogger duties!

Tuyaymya, Alessandra and Jess

Mark of The US Grant, Vanessa and Jennifer

The waffle bar. I couldn’t believe all of the toppings that were available!

This morning cocktail was quite delicious and refreshing!

Although I had some basics, I must bring special attention to my waffle creations. Waffle 1: Hershey & Kit Kat waffle with whipped Nutella. Waffle 2: Cinnamon, Pineapple & coconut waffle with citrus marscapone cream, topped with Muscovado sugar. Oh myyyyyy!

I would like everything on this table please!

Alex and the beautiful models.

Jade, Paulina, Jess, Alessandra and Tuyaymya

Lindsay & Kristen of J Public Relations, Tanya, Sara, and Bianca

With Jess and Alessandra

With Tuyaymya and Jennifer

My outfit for the brunch: Bar III dress; Mango jacket; White House/Black Market shoes; The Classic Cambridge Satchel in patented navy leather; Charming Charlie rhinestone bow necklace; Suki Bijoux rings; iSee glasses from GlassesUSA (photo taken by Jennifer)

We received lovely gifts at the end of the day. Gift 1: The Centennial Manhattan Cupcake, made exclusively for The US Grant by Yummy Cupcakes San Diego. SO. GOOD!

Gift 2: A gift certificate for The Grant Grill. I’m taking my hubby!

Gift 3: A tote filled with goodies from Neiman Marcus.

Hooray for #SDStyleBloggers: Alessandra of Alessandra Gonzalez; Laura Martella, author of Gentlemen Norman: How To Be A Man; Jess of A Glam Diary; Tanya of La Bella Tanchi; Jade of These Days; Jea of Dainty Jea; Sara of Sara’s Sweet Style; Paulina of Lil Bits of Chic; Amber of Face It Catalog; Your’s Truly; Vanessa of Fashion Mixtape; Bianca of The In-Between Girls; Gretchen and Britt of Nubry; Tuyaymya of White Tee Black Dress; Jennifer of Malcriada

The 2013 Depeche Mode Convention

I’m still putting together some posts for next week. In the interim, I thought I’d post about a cool event happening this weekend: The 2013 Depeche Mode Convention at The Avalon in Hollywood. Had I known about this earlier, I would most definitely be there on Sunday. But alas, my lack of knowledge of the event has put me at a sad disadvantage, and I must just report about it, in hopes that other Depeche Mode enthusiasts can attend. The illustrious DJ extraordinaire, Richard Blade, will be hosting and the ultimate Depeche Mode tribute band, Strangelove, will be performing. I have yet to see Strangelove live, but I vow to see them soon…and maybe feature them with an interview on my blog? One can only hope! Fans, get hyped up before Depeche Mode embarks on their US tour, and attend this fun event!

“So Cy, have you ever been to a Depeche Mode convention?” Funny you should ask…I may have been to a couple. Have a great weekend!

(Top photo courtesy of MusicConventions.com. Photos 2 & 3 are from my personal collection.)

Bows & Dots/Studs & Chains

I know that doesn’t quite sound like a wedding outfit, but it describes all of the elements in the outfit I wore to my cousin Paul’s wedding a couple of weekends ago (in the previous post). The top and skirt are separate pieces, which I’ve already worn with other outfits since the wedding. The cardigan served well as the night got colder, but gave the outfit a retro feel when I draped it on my shoulders. I love pieces that can easily be incorporated into the rest of my wardrobe, that way I can get more mileage out of them. It is well documented how much I adore my hardware, but I love softening them by wearing the pieces with a very feminine outfit.

Outfit – Cotton On cardigan; Bisou Bisou peplum top from JC Penney; The Limited skirt; Michael Kors pumps and watch (both old); Charming Charlie rhinestone bow necklace; Mimi Boutique cuff; Suki Bijoux and Wendy Brandes rings; iSee glasses from GlassesUSA; unknown brand studded clutch from M’s Clothing

Remix this:

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