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 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.

So I was lucky enough to check out an advanced screening of the talked-about movie, "Eat, Pray, Love" thanks to Fresh Beauty.  I blogged about the launch of their new fragrance line when it was first announced back in June and I finally got the chance to smell the fragrances at the Fresh store at The Grove in LA before the screening.  The verdict?  Obsessed.  I have to say, as expected, "Eat" is probably my favorite...it wreaks of Italy and its sensual wines and brings me back to my study abroad days.  "Love" takes a close second with it's floral scent that has fruity undertones.  It's soft but super feminine.  "Pray," though comes in third, is still amazing.  It's a little woodsy, which I have to be in the mood for, but I do like the exoticness of it.

As much as I love the fragrances, I'm also really obsessed with the candle trio.  They can be burned together or alone and I have to admit that I'm already half way done with "Eat" and already thinking about buying a new one to replace it.  They're delectable, to say the least.

The film?  Loved.  Though it definitely reminded me of one of my favorites, "Under the Tuscan Sun" with Diane Lane, I thought Julia Roberts did a great job of bringing the book to life.  Seeing her tour Italy reminded me (again) of studying abroad and even of my backpacking trip after college graduation.  There's something very beautiful about watching someone discover themself that I don't think people will ever get sick of watching.  I found myself inspired by Elizabeth Gilbert and took note that I have to start re-practing "il dolce farniente," the sweetness of doing nothing.

So the gods have answered my prayers.  Yes, friends, a company had the brains to create Jersey Shore Halloween costumes.  I'll admit that I was thinking about possibly dressing up as JWoww because really, who doesn't want to essentially dress like a stripper on Halloween?  But now that I'm seeing the Snooki WIG for the first time, I might just change my mind.  I'm still laughing at the Pauly D wig, by the way.

So I recently got the opportunity to go on an a-mazing press trip to Vegas (yes, LAS VEGAS) and check out the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino.  Nadine and I road-tripped it down to Vegas on Saturday afternoon and then I flew back solo to LA on Sunday night (had to get back in time to attend the ThinkThruFashion Accessory Swap!).  Here's a run-down of what we did:

Saturday:

• Got a tour of Las Vegas' City Center- totally modern and Jetsons-like.
• Dinner at Diablo's Cantina in the Monte Carlo.  I love me some Mexican food and it was great to meet the other bloggers and PR team over margaritas and guac.
• A Vegas show- Frank Caliendo.  We had the pleasure of a meet-and-greet with Frank before the show started and he had all of us cracking up.  I admit I wasn't familiar with Frank beforehand but the show was honestly hilarious.  He specializes in impersonations and does a hilarious Clinton and George W. Bush.
• After dinner the group all grabbed drinks and then Nadine and I went out and partied at EyeCandy in the Montego Bay hotel.  This is where we also ran into another impersonator, the dude from "The Hangover."  Hilarity ensued.

Sunday:

• After a crazy night, we slept in a bit and then headed down to our private cabana by the pool.  When I say private, I mean seriously VIP...our area was completely gated off and when we had our own mini pool to swim in.  Vegas in July can be seriously brutal but being in the cabana was complete heaven.  We had flat screen TVs and a few sofas to lounge around in the shade.  We ordered mimosas and chowed down on guacamole and watermelon vodka shooters.  How can it get any better, right?
• Once it got too hot to stay outside, we decided to try out our luck in the casino (my fave!).  I'm strictly a Black Jack girl but decided that I need to expand into the world of Craps and Roulette.  Unfortunately, luck wasn't on my side this trip...but Nadine won a bit of spending money!
• After I lost it all (or at least all I allowed myself to play with), we met up with the group again for a private tour of HOTEL32.  The Monte Carlo adopted the slogan "Unpretentiously Luxurious," and this proved to be completely true as we toured HOTEL32.  With a seperate elevator, we arrived on the 32nd floor to be greeted by reception and were escorted into a lounge area where we were served cocktails and special appetizers.  Seeing HOTEL32 has turned me into a total techie...I want to make everything in my apartment state-of-the-art now.  If only I won some money on this trip, lol.

Here are some photo highlights:

City Center

My suite at the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino

Me and Frank Caliendo

Me and Nadine at EyeCandy

Nadine, the guy from "The Hangover," me at EyeCandy

So I'm not a big fan of the boyfriend jeans but when it comes to the boyfriend sweatpants, I'm totally sold.  My suitemate senior year of college had like 50 pairs of sweatpants from Victoria's Secret Pink, all of which were completely adorable and were the perfect dorm appropriate loungewear when paired with a cute tank top and flip flops.  I ended up buying two cropped pairs- one in turquoise blue and the other in a purplish/pink color.

Fast forward to five years later...both pairs pretty much destroyed, it was time for me to get a new pair.  The 2010 version come in different cuts, people.  I opted for the Boyfriend fit and I'm obsessed.  Why do guys get the good sweatpants?  They sit low on the hips and have big front pockets.  I got the green version...and, yeah I got the grey leopard print tank top too.  Love.

So I'm off to New York for a week and I seriously can't wait.  I haven't seen my family since Christmas (with the brief exception of my Degree trip back in March)!  And ugh, my friends...I'm bursting with excitement.  I'm so excited, in fact, that I don't even care that it's going to be 97 degrees and HUMID.  Yeah, humidity is something I'd like to forget and nearly have forgotten since moving to LA.  Ah well, it will still be fun to catch up and roam around NY, 22 year old style.  Stay tuned for updates and follow me on Twitter to get the instant play-by-plays.

I'm pretty much going nomad-style and will be roaming all over from Long Island to Manhattan to Westchester and maybe even, gasp, New Jersey.

LeeAnn and Andrew Keegan (before) and LeAnn NOW

So when I saw this recent pic of country music star LeAnn Rimes, I nearly passed out.  When I think of LeAnn, I think of middle school, "How Do I Live WIthout You" and Andrew Keegan...not the most perfect abs ever.  It's always intriguing when you see a celeb who was never considered particularly "hot" all of the sudden show up with some killer feature and yeah, I'll say it...I wanna know how the hell she got those abs.

I've been all about the fitness lately but deep down I know that no matter how hard I try, I will never have great abs.  It's genetics, people.  I look at my Dad.  This man does TWO A DAYS.  No joke- he goes to the gym once in the morning and once at night since he retired a little over a year ago.  And sure, he's lost some lb's...but he's still got his "spare tire."  I curse you, Stone family genes...you may have given me great teeth and milky white skin but you also bestowed me with non-existent ab muscles. I digress.