taking it way back...1789 stylez

Mama's looking forward to Halloween coming up this weekend. Like really looking forward.  But there's a part of me that thinks I'm way wayyyy too old to still be dressing up and going out (on the Saturday nite before.) Sunday is going to be spent with the kidlets, stuffing them into ridiculously cute costumes, dragging them door to door trick or treating, and of course taking 1 million pics of them to document the greatness that is Halloween!

On Saturday night we're going to West, a club/lounge downtown. I'm going as Miss Headless 1793, Marie Antoinette though my head will still be attached. I'll be needing it, thanks very much.

In honor of the late, great French beauty I'm going all out. My one major complaint though is why is it that every female adult costume is so sexy these days?!  Just like on Modern Family tonight (saw a preview) even the saintly Mother Teresa can be made into a "sexy" costume.  Really, what's next?? 

I'm doing my best to make my Marie costume sophisticated and somewhat historically accurate...even though its technically a "Playboy" brand costume, (ok so maybe thats a bit of an oxymoron.)
 I love the look of it, the fabric is gorgeous and I've even managed to lower the length of the hem to move a bit further away from it's offical "skank length"...it's nothing a good petti-coat can't help with.

She looks pretty ordinary to me...
{Marie Antoinette by Alexandre Kucharsky, apparently this is a highly realistic portrait. We can do better than this and make Marie way hotter, no?}

{ Here's a pic of my actual costume. Let's ignore the fugly black wig and imagine Mama in this with the biggest, highest white wig ever}

So seriously, am I too old for this shiz? Are any of you dressing up for work, house parties or even for the benefit of your kids?? 

Gorgeous-ness

Anne Hathaway's new cover for November's Vogue is breathtaking. I've always thought of her as a pretty enough girl in Hollywood but her acting roles come to mind over her beauty.  Not anymore! 

Stunning in Crimson  

Happy Fridays lovelies...I'll be out for dinner tonight (without kids) for a friends birthday. We're meeting up with a few other couples and trying a new Italian place called Callabro.

 Adult convo + vino + LARGE amounts of pasta = one happy Mama! 

More wine... but just a taste

This past Saturday night we hit up the annual Rocky Mountain Food and Wine Festival....3 days of fabulous local restaurants showing off some of their yummiest dishes and of course some amazing wine tasting. I adore wine tasting, such a dignified (and legit) way to put back a whole lotta vino.

Fortunately there was no shortage of delicious booze fine wines and we didn't totally drink the place dry...

{Booze hounds, wine aficionado's at play}

{Maple pecan cupcakes anyone? Sounds pretty Canadian to me....}

I decided dress a bit on the casual side for the wine fest...and I'm still trying to get used to my dark hair.  I finally took the plunge and went dark a couple weeks ago.  After my hair was coloured my stoopid stylist chopped 3-4 inches of precious hair off (I asked him to "dust" my ends.) WHY the frack do they always cut off so much when all you want is a trim?!?  In my own defense he distracted me with mindless chatter and before I could say boo, the hair was on the floor.  Sads.

 Safe to say my dreams of Kardashian hair-greatness were dead in the water.

{Reoccurring Jacket- H&M (honestly I don't really wear it all the time), tank- H&M, Jeans- Zellers (cheap like Borsht!), Boots- Steve Madden (Macy*s)

Makeup Math

I've been on the search for the uber trendy fall nail colour, khaki green.  

Chanel's version isn't available where I live (of course), and I can't find the Essie colour, "Sew Psyched" anywhere.  Whatcha gonna do? Make your own!   

              

Time for a bit of nail colour math

La Senza (Victoria Secret) dark forest green plus Sally Hansen polish in a light milky tan colour

blends to make a decent Khaki green

This could possibly be the world's WORST nail polish application but in my defense I had a 2 year old monkey little boy hanging off my leg and when mixing two colors (outside of the bottle) they dry super FAST. You have to work incredibly quickly as the polish dries out immediately and becomes really sticky.  (So why the hell does it take so long to set and dry polish when it's on your nails normally?)

When you can't find what you're looking for, you've gotta improvise.... 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I movie character posters

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I movie

Release: November 19, 2010
Director: David Yates
Writer: Steve Kloves, J.K. Rowling (Book)
Cast: Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Rupert Grint, Bonnie Wright, David Thewlis, Brendan Gleeson, Tom Felton
 
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I movie reviews

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Release: July 11, 2007
Director: David Yates
Writer: Michael Goldenberg
Cast: Helena Bonham Carter, Jason Boyd, Apple Brook, Auror Dawlish, Ralph Fiennes, Richard Griffiths, Rupert Grint, George Harris , Alec Hopkins, Charles Hughes, Kathryn Hunter, Jason Isaacs, Evanna Lynch, Richard Macklin, Helen McCrory, Harry Melling, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Jason Piper, Daniel Radcliffe, Fiona Shaw, Nick Shim, Susie Shinner, Imelda Staunton, Natalia Tena, Sian Thomas, James Utechin, James Walters, Julie Walters, Emma Watson, Jamie Waylett

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Release: November 18, 2005
Director: Mike Newell
Writer: Steven Kloves
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Tom Felton, Matthew Lewis, Devon Murray, Jamie Waylett, Joshua Herdman, Alfie Enoch, Oliver and James Phelps, Chris Rankin, Robbie Coltrane, Michael Gambon, Robert Hardy, Shirley Henderson, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall, Mark Williams, Ralph Fiennes, Miranda Richardson, Brendan Gleeson, Frances de la Tour, Roger Lloyd-Pack, Pedja Bjelac, Jeff Rawle, David Tennant, Robert Pattinson, Stanislav Ianevski, Clémence Poésy, Katie Leung, Shefali Chowdhury, Afshan Azad, Angelica Mandy

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Release: June 4, 2004
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Writer: Steven Kloves
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Gary Oldman, David Thewlis, Peter Best, David Bradley, Julie Christie, Robbie Coltrane, Alfie Enoch, Tom Felton, Pam Ferris, Dawn French, Michael Gambon, Jimmy Gardner, Richard Griffiths, Joshua Herdman, Matt Lewis, Hugh Mitchell, Devon Murray, Katharine Nicholson, Chris Rankin, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall, Jim Tavare, Julie Walters, Jamie Waylett, Paul Whitehouse, Emma Thompson

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Release: November 15, 2002
Director: Chris Columbus
Writer: J.K. Rowling (Book), Steve Kloves (Screenplay)
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Kenneth Branagh, Robbie Coltrane, Richard Harris

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Release: November 16, 2001
Director: Chris Columbus
Writer: Steven Kloves
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Richard Harris, Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane, Richard Griffiths, Tom Felton, Maggie Smith, Bonnie Wright, Ian Hart, Matthew Lewis, Chris Rankin, Leslie Phillips

Would you dance Burlesque?

So I've been hearing a lot about the upcoming flick Burlesque with Cher and Christina coming out in November. There's a part of me that thinks it will be fabulous...great singing, dancing and a pretty strong cast of actors. But then there's the other side of me that think it might just be a bit too flamingly-lame for it's own good.
Or maybe just two hours of an extended Pussy-cat Dolls Vegas review.  Hasn't that been done to death already? You know when Kelly Osbourne is guest dancing as a doll maybe it's time to pack it in....


And I think we all remember the movie "Nine" from a couple years back. An amazing cast of seriously talented actors (Daniel Day- Lewis, Fergie, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench, Sophia Loren etc. etc.)

But oh yeah, it sucked.   With musical productions like these movies, it's a fine line between greatness (Chicago) and complete crap (the movie version of Rent). 

So I'll admit I've always been a bit of a Cher fan (is that my inner gay man speaking?)...and of course Christina Aguilera, while she hasn't been a huge hit maker lately, she's undeniably talented. The question is can they bank a successful movie on these two? Will you check out Burlesque?

{via Youtube, google images}

Ron Howard - The Dilemma

The Dilemma

Release: January 14, 2011
Director: Ron Howard
Writer: Allan Loeb
Cast: Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Channing Tatum, Queen Latifah

The Tourist

The Tourist

Release: December 10, 2010
Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Writer: Julian Fellowes, Christopher McQuarrie, Jeffrey Nachmanoff
Cast: Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany, Rufus Sewell, Timothy Dalton, Steven Berkoff

Burlesque

Burlesque

Release: November 24, 2010
Director: Steve Antin
Writer: Steve Antin, Susannah Grant
Cast: Cher, Christina Aguilera, Eric Dane, Cam Gigandet, Julianne Hough, Peter Gallagher, Alan Cumming, Kristen Bell, Stanley Tucci

The Whistleblower

The Whistleblower

Release: 2010
Director: Larysa Kondracki
Writer: Larysa Kondracki, Eilis Kirwan
Cast: Rachel Weisz, Monica Bellucci, Vanessa Redgrave, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, David Strathaim, Liam Cunningham, David Hewlett

Hereafter

Hereafter

Release: October 22, 2010
Director: Clint Eastwood
Writer: Peter Morgan
Cast: Matt Damon, Cecile De France, Frankie McLaren, George McLaren, Jay Mohr, Bryce Dallas Howard

The Tempest

The Tempest

Release: December 10, 2010
Director: Julie Taymor
Writer: Julie Taymor
Cast: Helen Mirren, Russell Brand, Reeve Carney, Tom Conti, Chris Cooper, Alan Cumming, Djimon Hounsou, Felicity Jones, Alfred Molina, David Strathairn, Ben Whishaw

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Release: November 26, 2010
Director: Daniel Alfredson
Writer: Jonas Frykberg, Stieg Larsson
Cast: Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist, Lena Endre, Sofia Ledarp, Georgi Staykov

The Stone

The Stone

Release: April 10, 2011
Director: Philip Gardiner
Writer: Philip Gardiner
Cast: Andrew Gough, Nik Spencer, Sarah Dunn, Dap C, Layla Randle Conde, Tony Rotherham, Wesley Dolan, Simon Dulay, Suzy deakin

Nicole Kidman - Eyes Wide Shut

Nicole Kidman - Eyes Wide Shut

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Cast: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Madison Eginton, Jackie Sawiris, Sydney Pollack, Leslie Lowe, Peter Benson, Todd Field, Michael Doven

Nicole Kidman - Birthday Girl

Nicole Kidman - Birthday Girl

Director: Jez Butterworth
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Vincent Cassel, Ben Chaplin, Mathieu Kassovitz, Kate Lynn Evans

Nicole Kidman - Birth Movie

Nicole Kidman - Birth Movie

Director: Jonathan Glazer

Cast: Nicole Kidman, Cameron Bright, Lauren Bacall, Danny Huston, Alison Elliott

Elizabeth Hurley - Bedazzled

Elizabeth Hurley - Bedazzled

Director: Harold Ramis
Cast: Jeff Doucette, Julian Firth, Brendan Fraser, Elizabeth Hurley, Aaron Lustig

House of Harlow 1960

Lately I've really been liking Nicole Richie's House of Harlow 1960 jewelry line. I was checking out a few of her pieces (which are actually incredibly affordable) while I was at Holt Renfrew last week.  Her style is clean with classic geometric shapes and her pieces make a statement without being too over the top. 

{just a hard workin' Mama these days...}

She's actually coming here to Calgary tomorrow to make an appearance at Holt's to promote her new fashion label, Winter Kate. I don't know that I'll necessary head down to see her because of the crowds (that and cuz I'm so busy and all), but I am really interested to see what her new clothing line is like. There's a part of me that can't help forget the Nicole Richie that was on the Simple Life with Paris Hilton, but then again she was in her early 20's when she started that show and now she's in a much different place in her life. It's fairly clear she's left her hard partying, DUI arrests, rehab stays and super skinny days far behind her. I like the new Nicole. She's almost 30, has two kids with a great guy, has written a few books and has even starting acting. Who says any good celebutant can't turn it around? Everybody has to get their shiz together eventually and I'd say she's done a pretty good job!

{Loved this House of Harlow ring, but passed because it was practically the size of a salad plate....a tad big}

{Images via shopbop, Google}

What do you think of celebrity produced fashion and fragrance lines? Do you think they actually do much of the design work themselves or is it just another marketing scheme to make dollar bills?!

Nepal is Celebrating Dashain Festival. Happy dashain to All.

Most Visited Blog Team Wish HAPPY DASHAIN to All our Visitors.
Every Celebration starts at Most Visited Blog In Asia
Click Read More for Dashain related Pictures and Latest Dashain SMS.




Dashain (दशैं) is the 15-day national festival of Nepal, and a state festival of Indian states of Sikkim and the Darjeeling district of West Bengal. It is also a national holiday in Bhutan. Now it is celebrated all around the world by the Nepalese diaspora. The festival falls around September-October, before the rice harvest. This festival is known for emphasis on family gatherings, as well as on a renewal of community ties. People will return from all parts of the world, as well as different parts of the country, to celebrate together.
The festival is a blend of Hindu Tantrik and animistic harvest festival traditions. On the first day, called Ghatasthapana, the "Dashain Ghar", or special worship room, is set up—this room is used to worship the Astha-Matrikas (the 8 tantrik goddesses) as well as the Nava Durgas (the 9 durga goddesses), to whom the festival is consecrated. Married women will say the mantras for the next fifteen days, and guard the goddesses. Barley is sowed on big earthern pots which have a coating of cow dung. These seeds will sprout in ten days. The sprouts, which symbolize a good harvest, will be decoratively placed on the heads of family members later on in the festival as a blessing.


Some Dashain wish SMS (Nepali):

It is time to feel good, time 4 reunion, time 2 share happiness, time to feel being loved, time 2 show ur love, time 2 live for others and time to wish for peace. HAPPY DASHAIN. cheeeeeers.

Thuloko aashis,
Saanoko maya,
Dashainko ramjham
sadhai rahi rahos.
Happy DASHAIN !!!

A Cup of hot hello, A plate of crispy wishes, a spoon of sweet smiles and A slice of great success Specially 4 U. .. Wish a very very HAPPY BIJAYA DASHAMI

May ur happiness b as big as Ganeshji's ear, ur problem b as tiny as his mouse, ur LIFE b as long as his trunk n moments b as sweet as his Laddu. HAPPY PEACEFUL DASHAIN

Three people are asking ur mobile no. with me.
I didn't give ur no but I gave home address to them.
They are coming at ur home in this Dashain.
They are Sukha, Shanti and Samriddhi.
Please welcome them. SUBHA DASHAIN. enjoy !!

Ghyampo-bhari raksi hos
nidharma tika hos
sathibhai haru sanga ramailo hos
hathma ekka ko trail hos. HAPPY DASHAIN.

Changa chait ramailo bhet
Khasiko rate masuko plate
Juwako khal chiurako thal
65 saal Dashain babbal
Happy Dashain

A RELAXED mind, A PEACEFUL soul, A JOYFUL spirit, A HEAL THY body, Be A Heartfull of Love, May U have all these Everyday. Happy Dashain!

Look Outside...
It's so pleasant!
Sun Smiling For you...
Trees Dancing for you...
Birds singing for you...
Because I requested them All to wish You. HAPPY DASHAIN

Before the Golden Sun Rise,
let me decorate each of the Rays with Wishes of Success, prosperous and Happiness 4 u and 4 ur Family. HåpPY D@SH@iN

This sms with xplode in 5 seconds.
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****HAPPY DASHAIN****
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Regards;
VK Pandey