Steal the Look: Angelina's Diamond Studs

I've never owned a pair of diamond studs, but seeing Angelina wear them from everything to a walk in the park to the red carpet makes me wish I had a pair. I've been doing some research on these beauties and it seems Anglina's earrings are most likely a minimum of 4 carats of flawless diamonds set in platinum. Something like that would cost well over $10,000, perhaps even more depending on the quality of the diamond. I don't think I'll ever have the money to get the real deal, especially since all my savings are going to hell in a handbasket in the stock market, but I think I've finally found a faux pair online that would pass for studs just like Angelina's.

4ct Absolute 14K Round Stud Earrings, $45.95

Check these babies out ladies, 4 carats (2 carats per ear) of simulated diamonds set in 14K gold. For me, the 14 K gold setting is key, because my ears are allergic to the nickel/metal plating done on most costume jewelry. I don't care if they're not real diamonds, I just want the sparkle and the look of real ice, without breaking into a rash or going broke. Besides, when Marilyn Monroe said diamonds are a girl's best friend, she didn't say they had to be real diamonds. For me, faux friends will do just fine.


UPDATE:
I actually ordered these, and ended up returning them soon after because I found the size of the studs too big for my ears. There's no question these were beautiful earrings, but I think my earlobes are too small to accommodate 2 carat stones. They ended up looking fake and over the top instead of subtle and glamourous. I think faux studs in the 2 or 3 carat range would have been a better choice.


Angelina pics via Just Jared.

Check Out the $5 Dollar Bling at Amrita Singh

I love how all the fashions of South Asia have slowly been merging in with Hollywood. First it was the lehnga-style skirts (remember those crinkle skirts from Express in the early 90's?), then the kurtis, the sari-style dresses made popular by J.Lo, and now more recently, the jewelry.

Everything from bangles, pendants, to the chandelier earrings, desi style is in. Wearing lots and lots of bangles on one arm, or both, is one of my favorite fashion trends of the moment, and the designer who I think is bringing us the the most practical way to achieve this look, in the US anyway, is Amrita Singh.

Her costume jewelry line, Bangle Bangle, represents everything I look for in everyday wear jewelry. The style is the perfect blend of east meets west, practical, affordable, and very well-made. And right now, you can get a whole mess of it for only $5 bucks!

Here are some of my fav picks from the $5 sale:

I love this bangle mainly for the color, orange, which is so in right now. The flower detail and the fact it's made of kiddie-proof wood doesn't hurt either. (If you've ever had a flimsy metal bangle or even 22kt gold hoop earrings squeezed into a D-shape by a curious child's hands, you'll know what I'm talking about here.) I really love wood bangles for how practical and durable they are. This is a great piece to add color and interest to any outfit, especially if you're wearing a white t-shirt and jeans.

I like thin bangles like this for layering. The green ones are sold out, but the red ones are still in stock.

Isn't this piece just stunning? This is actually a 3 piece metal bangle set, which you can wear alone, or layer with others. Whichever way you wear it, the sparkle in this is sure grab attention. I could even wear this with my desi clothes. And it's such a steal for only $5 bucks!

There's a few other pieces I'm eyeing at Amrita Singh too, mainly this beautiful wood cuff:



Scalloped Edge Bangle, $24


and this stack of bangles.



11 Piece Bangle Set with White Stones,$30



It's a tough choice choosing between the gold and silver bangles in this design, but I think silver is the more wearable color for me. It's better for casual, everyday wear.

photo source: drew barrymore, shopamritasingh.com

Cruisin' With My Homies

Again, sorry for the much overdue update, but we just got back from a much needed, and quite possibly the best vacation I've ever taken in my life, a week long trip to the Bahamas on a Disney Cruise. This was our first time on a cruise, and I'm glad we chose the Disney line over any other. We were looking for a family-friendly cruise, and Disney definitely fit the bill in every way. Plus, the kids loved it too because they got to interact with characters and themes they were already familiar with and adore. (The girls are gaga over Disney Princesses and my son loves anything to do with Playhouse Disney). We had done the Disney World tour thing in Orlando last year for vacation, and although we all really enjoyed walking around the parks and seeing the shows, we were exhausted by the end of the trip. Standing in long lines all day for 3 minute rides, bathrooms, food, etc.. really zapped the energy out of us. This year we decided to try something different by going on a cruise, and I'm glad we did because it was the first time we went on a vacation and all of us actually got to relax and have fun.

I think the best part of the vacation, aside that I didn't have to cook or do laundry for an entire week, was that I didn't have to watch the kids for a good part of each day. All of them were enrolled in The Oceaneers Club, a playgroup for kids ages 3-7, where they got to hang out with children their own age, make crafts, dance, play, and meet the Disney characters face to face, even the girls' favorite, Belle! The Oceaneers Club was such a fun place to be, the kids would beg us to drop them off after breakfast each morning, and usher us to just "Go! Go!" after they got signed in. The supervisors were great, and even hooked me up with a pager in case somebody wanted to be picked up early, but that rarely happened. The staff in the Club took care of everything, from making sure they ate their lunch and dinner, to reading them a story before naptime, and most importantly, making sure everyone took frequent bathroom breaks. It was perfect, and just the kind of break all of us were looking for.

I'd like to say that with my kid-free time on the ship, I went to the ship's spa and got one of those fancy stone massage treatments, but they were damn expensive, so I didn't. Instead, I used my free time to do a little shopping on the island with the husband, eat, drink, and roam around aimlessly. It was the best fun ever.

Now we're back, about 5 lbs. heavier from overindulging in all the awesome food onboard, and slowly settling back into our normal routines. I spend a good part of last week helping my son catch up with all the homework he'd missed in kindergarten. Who knew kindergarteners had so much work to do? And you know, the homework really is for me. If I don't keep track of all his assignments and make sure he gets them done, it's me who gets in trouble with the teacher, not him, because I'm the one who the assignments are given to. I'm usually up-to-date with all his homework, but with all the hustle and bustle over the holidays, I came this close to completely forgetting about his Flat Stanley project. Luckily, I had left a giant Post-it note on the fridge with the words "Don't Forget To Mail Flat Stanley!" to remind me. My original plan was to take Stanley with us to the Bahamas and mail him from there, but he was accidentally left home alone. When I got back, I overnighted the paper dude to my sister in Pennsylvania with a note to please send him back to school with a picture of a tourist attraction in PA. It's so crazy. My son, all he did was color Stanley in rainbow colors and bring him home with the instructions. I'm the one doing all the work, and yet I'm taking a most unusual interest in it. I hope I..... I mean, my son gets an A.