“Hand me my purse, will you, darling? A girl can’t read that sort of thing without her lipstick.…”

Holly Golightly was wise beyond her years, realizing that a lady should never be without her lipstick. I personally never leave home without it, except to go running or to the gym.

My love of lipcolor began when I was a little girl. In between playing with my Barbies I remember playing with my Mom’s makeup.

I loved the scent of her Estée Lauder and Revlon lipsticks, especially Bamboo Bronze.  It still brings back memories today.

In high school I recall Pink Champagne, Pink Foil and Silver City Pink summers with my Sis at the beach, thanks to Maybelline and Revlon. College followed and Clinique, Lancôme and Chanel were a co-ed’s best friend.

I went through a red phase during my first job on Capitol Hill.  That’s when I discovered Chanel Quatuor with my dear friend, coworker, and fellow lipstick lover, Mara. It was unanimous consent: we were smitten with the scarlett lip-quad compact.

I embraced MAC in the early 90’s.  My favorite hues were Pink Glaze, Frou, Pervette and Wuss. Back then, my sister Liz and I would dash to Nordstrom & bring our “5 empties” to the MAC counter to be recycled, and in return receive a free lipstick of our choice!

For me, at least half the fun of lipcolor is in the packaging & design. There is something so perfectly ladylike about the click! of a Chanel lipstick case.

My signature color? Pink, of course! Today my purse contains an eclectic mix of luxury and drugstore brands, from Dior Fantasy Pink to Cover Girl Pink Tutu gloss.

What if you need to re-apply your lipcolor in public? Don’t fret! Miss Manners says it’s perfectly acceptable to do so, as long as you apply it in a quick, ultra-confident manner.

Channeling Holly Golightly, I have a small mirror on the wall by the door to check my pout on the way out. She had a tiny mirror affixed to the top of her mailbox, where she kept a spare lipstick for last minute touch ups! A girl after my own heart.

So what signature color will you apply before dashing out the door?

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces…

After a long snowy winter, it looks like spring is finally near! Little Miss Sunshine has shown up fashionably late but she was worth the wait.

Do you know what that means? It’s time to think about your spring wardrobe! This season we’ll be seeing white, lemon, turquoise, fuschia, watercolor pastels, and a whole host of Liberty-infused florals inspired by blooming spring flowers.

I confess, I’ll always have black in my wardrobe. Navy, too. For a fun little challenge I created a colorful, vitamin D enriched spring palette – one without even a smidge of black. How did I do?

Now to top it off, soak up these spring colors with some pretty gems from favorite jewelry designers Meagan Kurtz of ADMK and Rachelle Céline and you’re off to a sunny start!

Jessica, Jessica, Jessica…

I think you mean well. You seem like a very nice, kind-hearted girl.

What I need to know is – why were you on David Letterman last week, embarrassing yourself in front of the world again?

Not only did you say you still admire the “cute butt” of ex-boyfriend Tony Romo who carelessly dumped you  - but then you discussed intimate comments made about you in a recent interview given by another self-absorbed ex!

I know your intent was to promote your new show, The Price of Beauty, but have some self-respect! Let sleeping dogs lie — especially that dog-of-an-ex, the one formerly known as a talented musician.

Ken & CaCee pray she doesn’t date a loser.

Along with your loss of self-respect, you seem to have misplaced any sense of style you had. (I’m still haunted by the Mom jeans incident).

This is sad, because I know you have a head for fashion, as evidenced by your successful self-titled fashion line, Jessica Simpson.

Jess, you’ve got a lot going for you, yet you sabotage your confidence and happiness at every turn. You’ve let yourself be defined by the paparazzi for your poor romantic choices, not your savvy business decisions.

Sadly, as a society, I know we’ve moved far, far beyond proper etiquette and what is considered decent to discuss in public.

Is it too much to ask that we all – celebrities included – act like ladies and gentleman? I’m afraid so. That is a bête noire I’ll save for another post.

However, once a man - or more accurately, a boy –  blatantly disrespects you in the press – don’t you think it’s time to not dignify such things with a response?

In this case, perhaps the price of beauty is silence. It’s golden.

As I look at the gowns streaming down the red carpet I always wonder what makes a gown Oscar-worthy? Even for those lucky celebs who have numerous occasions to get dolled up for, the Academy Awards are still a pretty monumental wardrobe decision.

So knowing the style stakes are so high, it’s always surprising to me that some actresses can still manage to get it wrong. Of course there’s a few who get it right. These are the Oscars! I expect to be shown something pretty that wows me!  Here’s some highlights from 2010:

Demi Moore – I adored her feminine, perfectly draped, peach ruffle-tiered Versace. She gets my best-dressed vote! The only thing missing? Her perfect accessory-of-a-husband.

Sarah Jessica Parker – I loved her pale yellow, metallic rosette-encrusted Chanel gown. Along with her piled-high hair, it reminded me of something Holly Golightly would wear.

Rachel McAdams – was feminine and pretty in a refreshing watercolor Elie Saab frock in blue, green and pink.

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Picture an office. A really big office space that takes up an entire floor. Now picture it without furniture – but instead - every corner, nook & cranny is curated with captivating contemporary art.

Then, try to visualize not one, but 5 floors of this art, each dedicated to artists hailing from California, New York, Washington DC, and the rest of the world, such as artist Aniekan Udofia of DC.

On top of that, imagine yet another floor filled with live painting and entertainment – last night it was music by DJ Sonny Cheeba and melt-in-your-mouth cuisine courtesy of Elephant Steps and Friends.

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