So it seems that Fashion's Night Out in NYC is all the rage this year.  Personally, I get a little overhwhelmed at events like this...but when I heard that Jersey Shore's very own Vinny Guadagnino will be making a cameo at C.O. Bigelow's event, I had to let my readers know.

Head down to the C.O. Bigelow store at 414 6th Avenue in New York City between 7 and 8 PM on September 10th for a little meet and greet with Vinny.  Now what does Vinny have to do with Fashion's Night Out and especially C.O. Bigelow, you ask?  Well, the reality star will be showcasing his grooming product essentials as well as his favorite products that he likes the ladies to wear.  Oh boy, start swooning now and don't forget your cameras.

So I've been hearing a lot of buzz about the LA-based charity organization, The Beauty Bus Foundation lately.  And when I hear about one of my favorite reality TV stars teaming up with a great store like Sephora, I need to report it.  Whitney Port kicked off the "Kiss for a Cause" initiative here in LA.  The three week-long initiative benefits The Beauty Bus Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for homebound, terminally or chronically ill people and their primary caregivers by bringing beauty into their lives.  During the promotion, Sephora is inviting its clients to try one of fall's hottest trends- the bold, red lip and donate their kiss to the in-store collage.  Whit was among the first to donate her kiss, choosing Make Up Forever's Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick in #42, Moulin Rouge as her favorite shade.

Wanna get in on the action?  From now until September 15th, $1 of every qualifying red lip purchase at Sephora will be donated in support of The Beauty Bus Foundation, up to $25,000.  Check out your local Sephora store to find out which red lip products make the cut.

So since moving to LA, I've been dying to visit Hawaii.  It's so much closer now, so why not, right?  UGH.  Well AVEENO is doing a great contest and you could win a trip to Maui for me.

The AVEENO Radiant Role Model contest- to enter you just log onto their Facebook page, upload a pic of someone who's an inspiration to you and tell them why.  AVEENO will choose ten finalists and then pick a grand prize winner who will win the trip to The Fairmont Kea Lani Resort in Maui, Hawaii.  I die.

So on Sunday I had the privilege of attending the 2010 Emmy's Red Carpet with my friend Aly.  We sat front row as the celebs strutted their stuff down the red carpet and highlights, oh...there were tons of highlights.  Aly and I both spotted our celeb twins (Angela from "The Office" for Aly and Jane Krakowski from "30Rock" for me) in addition to um, pretty much everyone who attended.  My faves? Two words- January Jones.  For some reason this dress doesn't look as good in photographs but in person it actually made my jaw DROP.  Claire Danes comes in as number two for me...it's hard for us fair-skinned blondes to pull off a fleshy color like this but she does it and she does it well.  Coming in at a trong third- well I try not to let my love for Jane Krakowski make me biased but you have to admit, she does look fabulous.

After the red carpet madness was over, Aly and I headed over to the Lukaro Salon in Beverly Hills for a fun viewing party thrown by Suave.  Suave decided to hold an amazing contest where fans could vote on the beauty look that "Modern Family" star, Sofia Vergara, would wear at the awards show.  The winner was "Glamorous Waves" and Sofia was styled by Suave Professionals celebrity Jenny Cho.  The best part- Sofia's entire award show look- the dress and Suave Professionals products used to create the winning look- will be auctioned off by the Clothes Off Our Back Fondation to benefit children's charities across the glob.  And how great does she look?

After mingling with friends and sipping on a "Suave-tini," my stylist, Theodore, blew my hair out for a fun Emmy's party look.

The "before"

The result

So it's Emmy's madness once again here in sunny Los Angeles.  On Friday I stopped by the Byron & Tracey salon in Beverly Hills to freshen up my highlights before the big Emmy's weekend.  For those who don't know, Tracey Cunningham, Redken Creative Consultant for Color, is an A-list colorist whose clients include Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Reese Witherspoon, all who always look flawless, in my opinion.

As soon as I arrived, I had to sort my way through about 15 paparazzi who were camped outside trying to catch a glimpse of all the celebs going in and out of the salon.  I walked inside and immediately saw Minka Kelly (aka Leila on "Friday Night Lights"), who probably thinks I'm stalking her since I've also seen her in SoHo AND at another event in LA.  Anywho, Dani, my colorist, did an amazing job freshening up my blonde locks and the time flew by as I watched a ton of celebs come in and out.  Other spottings included Jordana Brewster, Stephanie Pratt (who walked out with the biggest beehive I've ever seen), Rashida Jones and Mindy Kaling from "The Office."  I have to say, I'm very pleased with my highlights and, as an added bonus, I got to check out an amazing scent- Calvin Klein's Euphoria.  I'm really bad at describing fragrance but I will say that I know what I like and I know what I don't like...and I like this.  The scent has seductive floral notes and the bottle is really sleek and sexy.  What's not to like when you combine perfect blonde highlights, celeb sightings and great perfume.

So on Saturday I went shopping with India from Glam.com and Aly from SheKnows.com and I bought my first pair of jeggings.  Yes, ladies, I have to tell you...the Gap's version is actually a lot more flattering than I thought it would be.  This little shopping excursion made me realize that yes, fall is coming.  Since LA doesn't really have any seasons, I've been kind of oblivious to the season changes and hence, started feeling a little anxious about fall shopping expectations.

This is where iVillage comes in- they're holding a "Find Your Fall Style Challenge." All you have to do is sign up and you can submit photos of your outfits or accessories to Style Coach, Kim Johnson of Gross of Chic Simple.  She'll give you advice on the best way to rock it...essentially she's your free cyber stylist.  And, as a bonus, just for signing up you'll be automatically entered to win a $100 Target gift card to begin your fall shopping.  Get on this fast.

So even though it's been almost one year (can you even?) since I moved to LA, I'm still getting used to this whole super secret party thing that goes on.  And yeah...I kinda love it.  I was invited to Havaianas exclusive Midnight Swim Club's last party of the season held at a private house (and by house, I mean mansion) in Hancock Park.

Now this wasn't your usual LA party...upon arrival all guests were asked their shoe size and given a pair of the coveted Havainas Midnight Swim Club (MSC) navy blue and white flip flops before heading over to the bedazzling station.  Score.  Flip flops were strung over the pool and, by the time I arrived, there were plenty of drunk partygoers diving into the pool and having an awesome time.

photos by Catharine Acurso

So in the last year or so I've been really into fun bras.  Up until that point, I wore the very basic plain black, tan or sometimes hot pink bra that, let's face it, isn't very exciting.  They're not terrible but there's something secretly sexy about wearing a crazy bra underneath your regular clothing at work, no?  Well when I was invited to the Frederick's of Hollywood fall press preview, I got super excited to check out their latest line.

We sipped champagne as I was taken around the store and, gotta tell you, it was my first time actually inside a Frederick's of Hollywood.  I was really into all the leopard print and made a note that I must choose the most fun bras for my fall bra wardrobe.  No more boring bras for me!

After chatting with Jene' Luciani, author of The Bra Book, it was time to try on some fun bras.  Every bra I tried on fit like a glove, which is fabulous.  I love when you can just know your size in a store so you don't have to try on 30 of the same thing.  I'm now fully stocked for fall so if you see me, just know that I might be wearing a sparkly purple bra under my black dress.  ;-)

So I've been a long-time fan of fancy band-aids.  I remember my mom bought me all kinds of fun band-aids when I was little and I mean, I had them ALL.  The Little Mermaid, Barbie, animal prints, metallics...I took my band-aids pretty seriously back in the day; I had quite the collection.  Strange?  Maybe.  I always thought well hey, if I'm gonna cut myself, I might as well look cute after doing so.

Over the years I stuck to the regular flesh-colored version but now...I'm thinking about switching back.  BAND-AID Brand by Cynthia Rowley, yes please.  I'm obsessed with Cynthia Rowley's new designer version on the classic band-aid.  And, even better, for every purchase (they're $10 for a pack), Cynthia will donate to Design Ignites Change, an organization that engages students in design and projects that address pressing social issues in their own communities.  Look out now- you might just see me strutting around town in the sequin version.

Welcome to my second feature of One Bag & Three Beauty Obsessions, the Moni Moni edition.  And away we go...

BAG:

• Moni Moni Gypsy Bag - This chocolate brown bag makes me want to squeal.  I'm really into the long strap these days and when I recently spotted Emmy Rossum carrying the brown wonder, my thoughts were confirmed.

BEAUTY:

• Philip B Chocolate Milk Body Wash & Bubble Bath - We all know how much I love beauty products that smell like food.  This chocolate-scented body wash (and bubble bath) is a nice treat in the shower and really wakes me up in the AM.  On top of smelling delish, it also boasts good-for-you skin ingredients like cocoa butter and aloe.
• Prtty Peaushun Skin Tight Body Lotion - As a super fair girl in LA, sometimes I'm a little self conscious about it. I recently tried out this tinted body lotion, created by celebrity makeup artist, Bethany Karlyn.  It's fab because it has subtle light-reflecting particles that give skin a flattering glow.  As a bonus, special ingredients lift, firm, tighten and diminish the appearance of cellulite, stretch marks and varicose veins.  Score.
• Fresh Eat Pray Love Collection Eau de parfum - I just recently wrote about my "Eat Pray Love" screening experience and I'm now officially ob-sessed with the Fresh fragrance collection for the movie.  "Eat," my personal favorite, is Italy in a bottle.  The scent indulges in Italy's most addictive desserts and wines and boasts notes of bright Italian lemon and basil balanced with creamy textures aimed to smell like cannoli and tiramisu.  And to top it off?  Sparkling prosecco and limoncello...ahhh, I'm brought back to my days of backpacking around Southern Italy.  I can smell the limoncello now.