I read an article written by a nurse who cares for a lot of dying people and, consequentially, gets to hear a lot about their regrets. According to her, most are very common and can, in fact, be easily avoided. Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado:

Summary of the five most common regrets.

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

If these are any indication, it’s actually not that hard to construct a life without regrets. Of course, your list might be slightly different (mine is) but it still makes a pretty good guideline. If I were to compile my own list, as it stands now, it would probably go something like this:

1. I wish I had my sh*t together earlier in life. Like, in my teens. It took me so long to figure out what I wanted to do, if only I had known I wouldn’t have spent all my 20s chasing after something that wasn’t going to pan out!
2. I wish I worked harder at things that mattered and didn’t bother with those that didn’t. Sometimes we get stubborn and pursue things for the sake of pursuit while being totally miserable, when we could be focusing on what will actually make us happy.
3. I wish I had better control of my emotions. It’s true, I’ve got a temper and light up like a match! I’ve gotten a lot better at controlling it over the years, but in the end of the day I’m still the same hypo-sensitive person inside.
4. I wish I had known my biological father. He died when I was young and I never got to meet him. All I have to go by is a couple old photographs and whatever anecdotes my mother tells about him.
5. I wish I knew how to relax! Take a vacation or something. (No work! No cheating! No exceptions!)

Every time I look at this beautiful weather and realize we’re in the middle of winter, a fit of inward maniacal laughter comes over me. My first L.A. Christmas was glorious — 70 degrees/sunshine, bright blue skies, sandals and, finally, NO SNOW!!! (I often joke that if I liked the snow I’d still be living in Russia. Seriously, I’ll take the fake stuff at the mall over real any day!)

Anyway, this post is about the dress. I found it at a flea market in July and decided right then and there that it’s going to be my Christmas Dress. Do you ever do that? Buy something knowing it won’t get any wear until months later? I do, especially with Christmas it’s important to have the perfect frock stashed away…

The dress is vintage, possibly a square dance dress. It looks really good with a petticoat. My favorite part is the silver lace edging on each ruffle — so dainty and sweet!

The rest of the outfit came together spontaneously, mostly out of Christmas gifts. I got the red hat from Mark’s aunt, vintage muff from my sister, a tiny deer brooch from Mark’s mom. It all worked together so perfectly!

By the way, this holiday season I’ve resolved to wear a different shade of red every day — red lipstick, that is. Let me tell you, I did not regret it! It made me feel festive and upbeat every day, definitely doing it again next year. :)

Haha, someone said I look like a Raffaello! (Which incidentally happens to be my favorite candy. ;))

Is this the biggest lemon you’ve ever seen or what?!

Dress, hat, muff: vintage
Shoes: Poetic License
Socks: ASOS

Img via Tumblr

Dear Blogazine Readers,

Once again it’s that time of the year that we express our gratitude for the things we have. Some say we should be appreciative every day, and I am, but I really like the idea of having this day to make an extra effort to focus on what’s good in my life.

As I type this, I realize that I have too much to be thankful for. When I first started this blog in 2008, I was at the cross-roads: I had just lost my job at the bank and my music career had come to an end. I had a vague idea about what I wanted to do, but nothing concrete. It was a dark, depressing place to be and I desperately needed to let in some light. The Blogazine became such place of light: a creative outlet, a daily challenge, a second chance. Even though my first few posts generated modest attention, it kept me on the positive track; just knowing that someone cared enough to read gave me hope!

Fast-forward to 2011. For all its glorious victories and devastating losses, it’s been the best year of my life. Since my point of nadir three years ago it’s been a steady upward climb: I’ve never been more inspired, focused and happy. Every day I wake up with a huge grin on my face in almost-disbelief that I live in the most beautiful city in the world, run my dream makeup brand with people who awe &  inspire me every day, and have a loving husband & purring creatures to share my home with. In fact, in such state of dumbfound happiness, I sometimes wonder what the heck I did to deserve all this.

I also think about my family. I didn’t realize how close we were until I moved away — for the first time, I will be dining without them. (My presence at the dinner table will be strictly digital — Skype.) Yes, it’s going to be an Orphan Thanksgiving, but I’m hoping to make it just as good! Tonight, my friends who have no family in town & I are getting together so we can feel like we do.

Happy Thanksgiving, Deerlings!

Aaron, Debbi, Maria, me, Aurora, Ben, Chrissa

In early March, Mark & I packed up and left gloomy Brooklyn for sunny Los Angeles. It took us almost 6 months to transform our beige-clad apartment into a home we could live in and love, a place that reflected our lifestyle & personality. We invited our friends to celebrate our Housewarming last weekend.

The party was a blast! It was a mixture of old friends and new people, lots of Mediterranean food & wine, Lil Rae cake balls, and Cassie Wanda’s own delicious vegan cupcakes. I received an orchid, a drawing of Smooshie, an antique lipstick holder & a giant spoon as a gift, observed consumption of absynthe (I don’t drink, but fascinating nonetheless!), and had a discussion about boobs with Kimme and Kerli. My only regret is that the camera didn’t come out until after most of the guests had left! Something to remember for next time, perhaps…

Maria of Locketship

The boys: Mark & Richie Jackson, the skateboarding sensation

Kimme introduced me to this book (Anna Sui’s collections)

Alison and Sarah Marie (aka “Betty” from Lip Noir!) from Senna Cosmetics

Zeka of Noirlettes

 What I love about my friends is how different they all are, yet equally fascinating. Writing captions I noticed that most, if not all, have some sort of an awesome creative project or a business venture that I could link to (and if not, probably in a few months!). These are the kind of people I like to surround myself with and proud to call my friends.

More pics of the apartment coming soon!