Cola-Con, Here I Come!

Carolina, stand up. In just one week, ET is coming home. I'm doing this for the kids who love the Boondocks and Spiderman. For the kids who go against the grain and create. To the hip hop heads and fashion junkies, this one's for you. The big event... Cola-Con. If you put hip hop plus the comic book culture, add two rap heavy hitters, and a pinch of me and you get this cool two-day shindig in South Carolina's capital city. And I've got something very special planned for you.

Not only will I be hanging out with Ghostface Killah and Phife from a Tribe Called Quest and speaking on a panel about women in entertainment, but I'm also hosting a model workshop. I want to offer anyone interested in modeling a head start, and a chance to learn to be confident in front of the camera. I want people to know that modeling isn't about adhering to stereotypes or being a sex symbol. It's about expressing yourself and creating something memorable.
What you'll be getting is a two-hour crash course on fashion and commercial modeling. I'm giving you the basics, but you'll walk away with so much more. I've teamed up with the Paul Mitchell School of Columbia to get you camera-ready for your very own mini-photo shoot with photographer extraordinaire Michael Dantzler. So be ready to work it! Oh, and I don't like to come empty handed so there will be gift bags.

Space is limited, so sign up now. Come correct like you're going to an audition. Bring your portfolio and any photos you have, and we'll go from there. Remember, you must purchase a ticket for Cola-Con to get in on the workshop fun. I want to bring a little of my world to you, so let's strike a pose together.

Click here for more info on tickets to Cola-Con.

Broken Promises

If you're going to make a promise, then keep it. Just months ago the queen of all fashion glossies swore an oath that it has now broken. Vogue, my trust in you has been violated. Just what is the nature of this betrayal? The use of jailbate in the pages of the magazine. Appalled, yes. Surprised, not really.

A little back story. Back in May, Vogue put out the six-point initiative that vowed to promote healthy standards for models and also not to knowingly employ girls under the age of 16. The fashion industry has caught a lot of flack for using super young models and making them work hours even a grown woman wouldn't want to work. We were all a little skeptical about Vogue's health pact, but I thought it was a step in the right direction.

Well, it didn't take much time for those rules to be at least partially relaxed. 15-year old American model Ondria Hardin appeared in the pages of Vogue China's August issue. And 14-year-old Thairine Garcia just shot for the December issue of Vogue Japan. My mind is blown! You can easily google these models to figure out how old they are. Blame it on the magazine, the casting director, or the agents for not speaking up about the age violation. I'm just speechless.

When Vogue came up with the health initiative, it's not like only the American magazine agreed on it. No, actually all the international editors swore an oath to abide by the rules that they themselves decided upon. No one forced your hand but you. So from here on out, I'm just going to take your promises with a grain of salt. I still heart you, Vogue but I must remember ...Do as you say and not as you do.

HOWTO : Highest secured Hiawatha Web Server 8.5 on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Server

Hiawatha is a very secure and fast web server in the market. It supports PHP, Perl, Python and Ruby. It is also very lightweight, easy to configure and setup too. How secure? Please refer to the features of Hiawatha.

For the performance, please refer to the study of SaltwaterC at here.

This tutorial is writing for setting up the highest secured web server. Please also to apply the "Optional" steps mentioned below for making the highest secured web server.

Since version 8.3, Hiawatha comes with Reverse Proxy and DAV features.  The DAV features can be used for ownCloud  for example, which comes with version 8.2.

Updated :

According to the Author of Hiawatha, the OwnCloud 4.5.1 can be running flawlessly on Hiawatha. The xcache error can be fixed very easily.

Hugo Leisink 27 October 2012, 11:04
I've got 4.5.1 up and running. Don't use any URL rewriting. To get rid of the xcache errors, in lib/cache/xcache, replace the lines 27, 34 and 39 with 'return false'. Now it all looks oke.

Prerequisite

Select OpenSSH and Mail Server when installing Ubuntu Server 12.04 LTS.

Update the fresh install system to the latest status.

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

Select unattendance update to your system. It will push all the updates to your system when there is some. Or, you can create a cron job later to update your system in a certain of time if you prefer.

If the kernel or kernel modules have been updated, you are required to reboot your system before going further.

Step 1 - Installation of PHP5 and MySQL

sudo apt-get install mysql-server mysql-client php5-cgi php5 php5-cli php5-mysql php5-curl php5-gd php5-intl php-pear php5-imagick php5-imap php5-mcrypt php5-memcache php5-ming php5-ps php5-pspell php5-recode php5-snmp php5-sqlite php5-tidy php5-xmlrpc php5-xsl php5-xcache php5-suhosin php5-ffmpeg apache2-utils mini-httpd

Step 2 - Installation of Hiawatha

Install required dependenices for Hiawatha.

sudo apt-get install libc6-dev libssl-dev dpkg-dev debhelper fakeroot libxml2-dev libxslt1-dev

Download the latest version of CMake at http://www.cmake.org/

wget http://www.cmake.org/files/v2.8/cmake-2.8.9.tar.gz
tar -xvzf cmake-2.8.9.tar.gz
cd cmake-2.8.9
./configure
make
sudo make install

Download the latest version of Hiawatha (the current version at this writing is 8.5).

wget http://www.hiawatha-webserver.org/files/hiawatha-8.5.tar.gz
tar -xzvf hiawatha-8.5.tar.gz
cd hiawatha-8.5/extra

./make_debian_package

cd ..

sudo dpkg -i hiawatha_8.5_amd64.deb

or

sudo dpkg -i hiawatha_8.5_i386.deb

Step 3 - Configure PHP5

The following settings are for making PHP5 more secure.

sudo nano /etc/php5/cgi/php.ini

Make changes as is.

cgi.rfc2616_headers = 1

zlib.output_compression = On
zlib.output_compression_level = 6

Step 3a - Configure PHP5 (Optional for security purpose)

display_errors = Off
log_errors = On
allow_url_fopen = Off
safe_mode = On
expose_php = Off
enable_dl = Off
session.cookie_httponly = 1
disable_functions = system, show_source, symlink, exec, dl, shell_exec, passthru, phpinfo, escapeshellarg, escapeshellcmd
cgi.fix_pathinfo = 0

*** According to the author of Hiawatha, the cgi.fix_pathinfo should be set to 0 at this moment.

*** There will be something at the end of "disable_functions" at Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, you just append the captioned list to the end of the previous list.

*** some PHP applications may require safe_mode = off

Step 4 - Configure php-fcgi (PHP's FastCGI)

sudo nano /etc/hiawatha/php-fcgi.conf

Uncomment the following line and change it as is.

Server = /usr/bin/php5-cgi ; 3; 127.0.0.1:2005 ; www-data ; /etc/php5/cgi/php.ini

sudo php-fcgi -c /etc/hiawatha/php-fcgi.conf

If you make any change on php-fcgi.conf, make sure to restart it by the following commands.

sudo php-fcgi -k -c /etc/hiawatha/php-fcgi.conf
sudo php-fcgi -c /etc/hiawatha/php-fcgi.conf

Step 5 - Configure Hiawatha (Part 1)

sudo nano /etc/hiawatha/hiawatha.conf

Uncomment ServerId at GENERAL SETTINGS.

ServerId = www-data

Uncomment the following entries at BINDING SETTINGS.

Binding {
   Port = 80
#   Interface = 127.0.0.1
   MaxKeepAlive = 30
   TimeForRequest = 3,20
}

Step 5a (Optional for security purpose) :

Add the following line at the GENERAL SETTINGS.

ConnectionsTotal = 1000
ConnectionsPerIP = 30
SystemLogfile = /var/log/hiawatha/system.log
GarbageLogfile = /var/log/hiawatha/garbage.log
ExploitLogfile = /var/log/hiawatha/exploit.log

LogFormat = extended
ServerString = Apache
CGIwrapper = /usr/sbin/cgi-wrapper

Make changes for the following entries at BANNING SETTINGS.

BanOnGarbage = 300
BanOnMaxPerIP = 300
BanOnMaxReqSize = 300
BanOnTimeout = 300
KickOnBan = yes
RebanDuringBan = yes

BanOnDeniedBody = 300
BanOnSQLi = 300
BanOnFlooding = 30/1:300
BanlistMask = deny 192.168.0.0/24, deny 127.0.0.1
BanOnInvalidURL = 300

ReconnectDelay = 3
#Reverse Proxy
HideProxy = 127.0.0.1
MaxServerLoad = 0.8

Step 5b :

The entries at COMMON GATEWAY INTERFACE (CGI) SETTINGS should be looking like this.

CGIhandler = /usr/bin/perl:pl
CGIhandler = /usr/bin/php5-cgi:php
CGIhandler = /usr/bin/python:py
CGIhandler = /usr/bin/ruby:rb
CGIhandler = /usr/bin/ssi-cgi:shtml
CGIextension = cgi

FastCGIserver {
   FastCGIid = PHP5
   ConnectTo = 127.0.0.1:2005
   Extension = php, php5
   SessionTimeout = 30
}

Step 5c :

Add the following line at VIRTUAL HOSTS.

Include /etc/hiawatha/enable-sites/

*Make sure the make a directory enable-sites and disable-sites under /etc/hiawatha.

sudo mkdir /etc/hiawatha/enable-sites
sudo mkdir /etc/hiawatha/disable-sites

Step 6 - Configure Hiawatha (Part 2)

If your domain is mysite.com, you are required to create a file namely mysite.com and place it under /etc/hiawatha/enable-sites/mysite.com.

VirtualHost {
   Hostname = www.mysite.com, mysite.com
   WebsiteRoot = /var/www/mysite
   StartFile = index.php
   AccessLogfile = /var/log/hiawatha/access.log
   ErrorLogfile = /var/log/hiawatha/error.log
   TimeForCGI = 15
#   UseFastCGI = PHP5
   UseToolkit = banshee
   # if ownCloud or alike is installed, otherwise, it should be "no"
   WebDAVapp = yes
   #
   DenyBody = ^.*%3Cscript.*%3C%2Fscript%3E.*$
   DenyBody = ^.*%3CsCrIpT.*%3C%2FScRiPt%3E.*$
   DenyBody = ^.*%3CScRiPt.*%3C%2FsCrIpT%3E.*$
   DenyBody = ^.*%3CSCRIPT.*%3C%2FSCRIPT%3E.*$
   DenyBody = ^.*%3CSCRIPT.*%3C%2Fscript%3E.*$
   DenyBody = ^.*%3Cscript.*%3C%2FSCRIPT%3E.*$
   #
   # e.g.
Please make sure to re-do this step when the logwatch is updated or upgraded as it will overwrite the configure file.

Step 11 - Change the ownership of the log files

cd /var/log/hiawatha
sudo chown www-data:www-data access.log
sudo chown www-data:www-data error.log
sudo chown www-data:www-data exploit.log
sudo chown www-data:www-data garbage.log
sudo chown root:root system.log

* "php-fcgi.log" and "system.log" leave them untouched (root:root).

Step 11a - Change ownership of all directories and files at the /var/www/mysite

Put the web application files to /var/www/mysite and then change the ownership of all directories and files under /var/www/mysite to root:root.

cd /var/www/mysite
sudo chown -R root:root *

Step 12 - Start, Stop and Restart Hiawatha

sudo /etc/init.d/hiawatha start
sudo /etc/init.d/hiawatha stop
suod /etc/init.d/hiawatha restart

Step 13 - Performance tuning for MySQL (Optional)

You can fine tune the MySQL as per this link.

Step 14 - Secure your Ubuntu Server in a passive way (Optional)

Please refer to this link to secure your server in a passive way.

Step 15 - Setup a FTP server on Ubuntu Server (Optional)

This link shows you how to setup a vsFTPd server.

Step 16 - URL Rewrite rules (Optional)

For the url rewrite rules for your PHP applications, please refer to this link

Make sure you add "UseToolkit" at the VirtualHost section.

Step 17 - Send email to GMail via Postfix (Optional)

Please refer to this link

Step 18 - Create normal user for MySQL or MariaDB (Optional)

Please refer to this link

Remarks :

If you encounter "500 Internal Server Error", you may consider to make the Apparmor to "Complain mode".

sudo aa-complain hiawatha

After several days browsing the website, you may consider to turn the Apparmor to "Enforce mode".

sudo aa-logprof

sudo aa-enforce hiawatha

It is because the captioned usr.sbin.hiawatha may not 100% work for you.

In order to further hardened your Hiawatha web server, please consider the following options :

Optional #1 :

For SSH connection security, you also may consider to implement the Port Knocking feature.

sudo apt-get install knockd

Optional #2 :

You may also consider to enable your firewall at your router or on the Hiawatha Web Server with UFW.

If ufw does not exist in your server, you can install it :

sudo apt-get install ufw

Optional #3 :

Consider to place your web server behind this free service at Cloudflare. The main point is you can manage the DNS yourself and have a fixed IP address.

That's all! See you.

Eat Like A Model

Don't Feed The Models were the words on a shirt my old roommate used to wear. I get it. There's a common misconception that glamazons starve themselves for fashion. That we only eat celery and drink water to prepare for a photo shoot or a fashion show. We never indulge in anything sweet. And that we all have eating disorders. Ha! On the contrary, we do enjoy food. Some of us even like to cook. In this edition of Blank Like A Model, we'll explore the eating habits of those wild creatures on the catwalk.

Writing this as I stuff my face with chicken and asparagus

Food is an essential part of life. It nourishes us, gives us energy, and tastes good. There's this myth that models don't eat. Sometimes you'll see a photo of a model gnawing on carrots and chugging water backstage at a fashion, and you think "Is that all she eats?!" The truth is, we like food. It's just difficult to grab a healthy bite to eat when you're running around from shoot to shoot. We'd rather put things into our bodies that are going to give us the vitamins we need to sparkle than greasy fast food.

With all that said, we do still have our guilty pleasures. British supermodel Jourdan Dunn loves McDonald's. Sessilee Lopez tweets about her brownies ganache. And I throughly enjoy overdosing on Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough ice cream. Eating these things isn't something we can do everyday. We've learned to enjoy the finer foods in reasonable amounts. Maybe once a week, I'll order pizza. But you can guarantee that the very next day I'll be exercising off all that cheese and pepperoni.

So here are my model food rules to live by:

1. Start your day with something in your belly - You need fuel for your fire, so eat a little something for breakfast.

2. Eat your greens - I'm not talking about just a boring salad. Pack your daily diet full of kale, spinach, and other leafy greens. They pack plenty of vitamins like A and C, and can also help protect you from heart disease and diabetes. Some leafy greens even have calcium to build strong bones.

3. Get your protein - According to WebMD, the right amount of lean protein can help manage your weight while also keeping your tummy full. Go for meats without a lot of fat, egg whites, and even soybeans.

4. Say yes to fresh - Put things into your body that are still living or organic. Go for foods that are free of chemicals, aren't canned, overcooked, or frozen. I know these things are convenient, but are they really giving you the nourishment you need? Probably not.

5. Scale back on foods that are going to make you bloated - That means certain beans, dairy, and anything that's already bubbly. Cheeseburgers, bean and cheese burritos, Frappucinos with extra caramel and whipped cream are all on that list. Steer clear of salty foods because these help your body retain water weight.

6. Everything in moderation - You can't avoid everything, but you shouldn't have too much of anything. Go light on sauces, dairy, sweets, and processed food. Don't pile too much food on your plate either. Keep your portions reasonable.

These are just my personal guidelines, and by no means am I a nutritionist. This along with regular exercise is what's worked for me. You have to find what works for you. Be realistic and make the extra effort to treat yourself to the good,healthy food. Remember, if you are what you eat then make sure you're a plate of grilled veggies and brown rice and not the #1 with special sauce add a Coke.

Yeah Boy: Contrast Pocket Shirt

Everyone needs a great T. They're simple, comfy, and all around heavenly... If you find the right one. And when I discover that perfect t-shirt, I rock it everyday. I'll hear people say "Didn't I just see you wearing that?" To which I reply "No, I've got like five T's that look exactly the same." Come on. Who doesn't live in their favorite shirt?

What I love about this t-shirt are the details. It has a deep V for showing off your décolletage. There's a single contrast patch pocket to matches the contrast sleeves. And it's 100 percent cotton. This shirt works great for guys and girls. So, chicks this is one T you can buy for your boyfriend and then steal it from him. It will look just as good on him as it will on you.

So you know what to do... CLICK HERE TO SHOP

When In New York - Part II

Fantastic. Awesome. Exhausting. Those are the words I've been using to describe my adventures in the city that never sleeps. Like seriously, this was the one time that I really needed to clone myself in order to make it to all the fashion shows, presentations, and festivities. Somehow, even without a doppelganger, I was able to do it. Without further adieu...let's get this party started, right?!

The first chapter of this story begins on Monday. My crew and I had a challenge before us: one show and two presentations in just a matter of hours. And none of them were anywhere near each other. I put on a simple tank and blazer, Future Heretics snake-print skinnies, Shoe Dazzle heels, bright orange lips, and I hit the pavement running. At the Lincoln Center, I met up with my partner in crime Taye to catch the Farah Angsana show. The energy at the tents was oddly quiet and a little tense, but all that died down when the first model hit the runway. Farah Angsana's collection featured jeweled collars, sequins, lace, and paisley in a vibrant take on evening wear. The finale dress with its jewels and brightly-colored feathers looked like something you'd wear at Carnival, but it worked.

Next up was the Lublu Spring/Summer '13 collection by Kira Plastinina. We walked into this posh suite at the Four Seasons full of champagne, great music, beautiful people and gorgeous clothes. The room was buzzing as we all gushed over Kira's new stuff. There were lots of geometric-almost-tribal prints, flirty silhouettes, and fun accessories. She's continued her use of blues and orange in the Fall/Winter '12 collection into Spring as well. The party reunited me with my favorite Russian Vogue social butterfly Laura Djaga. So many adorable ladies and gents and such a wonderful atmosphere... loved it!

Without a moment to spare, Taye and I high-tailed it over to the Alice + Olivia presentation. With gift bags in hand and our foreheads glistening with perspiration, I'm sure we looked a little crazy amongst the crowd of fashionables. This didn't seem to matter to us as we consumed cocktails and over-indulged in cake pops and the Alice + Olivia Magnum Ice Cream Bars. I ate like two of them. Such a glutton. Oh, I can't forget the clothes! The collection was like a retro ball of sunshine with clouds and disco balls. Groovy!

After that one day, everything else was a blur. We ate like kings, and partied like queens at super trendy spots like Beauty & Essex, Ward III, and a cute bar named Isola with an even cuter bartender named Bobby. We also had the priviledge of popping bottles with Claire of The Fashion Bomb. On a non-fashion related note, we went to a taping of Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell and Issa Rae of The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl as the special guest.

Whew. Can't believe I packed all that cool stuff into a week. Even though you sucked every drop of energy out of me, you were well worth it New York. Until next time.

xoxo

My Style: Urban Layers

When in New York, dress like a New Yorker... A shirt. A skirt. A button-up. A scarf. Kicks. And a big bag. All the necessary layers for an urban dweller. Gracious... do I have on enough clothes? The entire day I was wearing this, I was constantly peeling off and putting back on.

What I'm Wearing...
Tank Top: BDG from Urban Outfitters (similar)
Scarf: Cooperative from Urban Outfitters(similar)
Button-up: H&M (similar)
Skirt: H&M (similar)The Accessories...
Glasses: Forever 21
Shoes: Nike Wedge Sneakers
Bag: Zara (similar)
Bracelet: Thrifted You never know what the weather will be like until you step out the door. That's why New Yorkers come prepared with multiple layers, shoes to walk the town in, and an oversized bag to live out of. I definitely followed suit with this outfit. Funny thing is, I was trying not to dress so West Coast, but I guess I'm just an LA woman. Cue the song.

Thanks to the wonderful Taye Hansberry for snapping these pics. This street style was totally uncontrived and last minute, but it looks perfect!

Goodies Galore

Besides the runway shows and the people watching, there are tons of perks at fashion week. Free stuff! Think about it, after a long day of looking fabulous and networking you need a little pampering. This season, the Empire Hotel was the prime destination for gifting suites and beauty lounges. You know I indulged.

My very stop on my lounge tour was the BWR PR "Kick Off Your Heels and Get Glam" suite. As soon as Taye and I walked in the room the atmosphere was warm and inviting. Since we had literally just been fighting the humidity outside, we made a beeline straight over to the Bare Minerals makeup chairs to get touched up. The very sweet makeup artist used the new Bare Minerals READY SPF 20 foundation to refresh my face and the Well-Rested brightness to wake up my eyes. A little mascara, blush, and lip gloss and I was right as rain.

Now that I was feeling pretty again, I headed to Stella & Dot for cute bags, journals, and jewelry. The wonderful ladies there let me make my own charm necklace. It turned out super simple and super cute. Next we snagged some comfy flats from Footwear and a few must-haves from Foot Petals. That's just what I needed to save my footsies from the pain of heels. I also scored a a quick manicure that I desperately wanted. That suite was just what I needed to recharge and prepare again for the tents.

For the next few days, Taye and I hopped from suite to suite. We went to the Clarins lounge to check out the new Beauty Flash Blog where we scored a sample of the Beauty Flash Balm. Can't wait to try it. We were also able to sneak in a quick massage too. Then there was the Spanx suite where we got to preview the spring collection. The lovely ladies of Spanx were nice enough to give us a couple of intimates. The older I get, the more I feel like I need Spanx to lift up what gravity is trying to bring down.

So many lounges and suites that I'm probably leaving out, but they were all wonderful. Don't be surprised if you see me sporting my complimentary swag in the near future. It's all sooo cute. Thanks to all the above for your hospitality. Sharing is caring!

When In New York

If for some reason you haven't been paying attention to a word I've been blabbing the past few days, I am living it up in the Big Apple for Fashion Week. As soon as I stepped off the plane from LA, grabbed a cab to Manhattan, and got settled in I crashed hard. But there was no time for jet lag. I woke up on my first day to rain and a message from Taye that read "You want to go to Jill Stuart?"
Must you even ask...

My level of commitment to fashion was definitely tested that day. Not only was it raining, but the humidity was ridiculous. Why did I even bother to take a shower? Oh, I got splashed by a car before I could even cross the street to get to the Lincoln Center. Seriously?! And a bird crapped on me as I walked under a tree. They say it's good luck, but that string of unfortunate events almost had me frazzled.

After all that craziness, Taye and I made it to Jill Stuart. The mood was set. The music was fantastic and there was this excitement in anticipation of the show. When the lights began to dim, a hush came over the crowd and everyone prepared their cameras for the first look. The Spring/Summer collection started with a beautiful black lace dress and continued on with great textures like chiffon and brocade. There were ruffles and sequins with cream and flesh tones. The runway looked romantic.

The next show for us was Russian designer Katya Leonovich. The models had their hair pulled up in tight top knots and wore very minimal makeup, so that the focus would be on the clothes. The collection reminded me of Lord of The Rings or the Dark Crystal. Everything looked fit for an elf or a fairy, but with edge. Leonovich ended the show in a political statement: two models wearing dresses with the hand-painted faces of Obama and Romney on them. Wow! It is an election year.

So in between shows and after shows, I ran into some familiar faces and got snapped by a few cameras for street style. Right outside of the Allure Magazine Lounge at the Empire Hotel, I spotted Afrobella. This was the very first time we'd actually met, and I was so thrilled. Then inside the tents I met Claire of the Fashion Bomb, Ty of Gorgeous in Grey, and Teena of Fashion For Breakfast. Oh my goodness! All of these ladies looked impeccable. We took a few photos to have proof the encounters actually happened.

Just when I thought my day was done, the evening came. My friends and I hit the town. We ended up at this party where the super-talented creative magnet and designer Marcelo Burlon was dj-ing. He is absolutely amazing! I rarely ever get starry eyed, but this dude is so cool that I had to get a pic with him. When you're among greatness, you've got to make the moment last forever.

If this is what my first day was like, you can only imagine what would happen next. To be continued...

I Heart Russian Vogue

Who knew that going to a party would lead to this! A few weeks ago, my fashion homies Taye Hansberry, Jae Joseph, Matsen Andres and I were invited to the debut of Kira Plastinina's new collection. I had no idea what to wear, but decided on a sheer deep orange top and striped skirt. I looked like Halloween, but it was still cute. Low and behold, I meet up with my friends and Taye and I are wearing the same color. Too funny. But no time for changing clothes, we had a party to go to.

When we arrive at the Lublu store, we skip the red carpet and head straight for cocktails and cupcakes. I'm always thinking about sweets. My funkiness about looking like Taye and I had color coordinated our outfits was finally put at ease. Apparently, many people at the party had citrus on the brain. I swear, every other chick had a pop of tangerine in her outfit. Kira's new collection shares the same love for orange too. Pantone was not kidding about Tangerine Tango being the hue of the year.

Anyway, in between sips of bubbly and icing I was able to meet some great new people including Laura Djaga, social editor for Russian Vogue. She's absolutely darling! Her life seems so adveturous. She basically travels the world and covers events for Russian Vogue. And she's the perfect social butterfly for the job. It's because of her that my friends and I are on the magazine's blog today. LA meets Russia. Love it!

xoxo,
Никия Феникс
(my name in Russian)

P.S. Read more about our adventure on Taye's blog Stuff She Likes.