Paris Hilton a.k.a The Little Mermaid a.k.a Siren

sooooooooo obsessed with this image. soooooooooooooo jealous it is not me.

this image will be used with Paris Hilton's new fragrance, Siren.

fabulous

Confessions Of An Heiress. Hilarious

Her hair is fucking amazing. Her hairstyle changes as often as her clothing.

She is highly photogenic. ALWAYS looks amazing.

She twitters.

How could you not ♥ Paris?

. . . .i want hair like hers. . . .

i have a slight obsession. if i were paris hilton, i would be exactly like her. don't judge me.

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The Hair Files

To inspire not only you, but myself as well... I am (finally) going to begin blogging about information relevant to the industry that I work in:
Hair & Fashion.

For the hottest hair trends straight from the Runway visit: Fashion Week

[all images borrowed from Redken.com]

As of this week, I am joining Aniko Salon & Spa in the South Loop as a Redken Certified Haircolorist and Stylist.

You can catch me at the salon every Friday rockin' the locks of hott-ees.

5 Dresses

Dress: Forever 21 Handbag: Hype

Dress: Forever 21

Dress: Twelve By Twelve Jewelry: Handcrafted in Maui

Dress: BCBGeneration Jewelry: Zida

Dress: BCBG

Upgrade Me.

From: NWA Info
Subject: Elite upgrade notification - upgrade confirmed


Dear Crista :

The status of your complimentary WorldPerks Elite upgrade is as follows:

Flight: NW 438
From: Minneapolis - St Paul, Minnesota
To: Tampa, Florida
Departure Date: February 28, 2009

First Class Upgrade Status: Confirmed

Seat: 04C (Seat changes may be available at nwa.com.)

Your complete reservation and flight details are available at nwa.com. If you have further questions, please contact Northwest Airlines.

My condo is spotless (see: full of moving boxes) because the realtor is coming over this weekend to list the property. Crossing my fingers that is sells before April 1st. (Slightly creeped out that people will be in and out of there while I am gone)

I am wearing a short sleeve shirt, long shorts, and K. Cole flats despite the 16 degree weather in MN.

I am full on fresh organic fruit smoothie , NOT looking forward to the meal being served on the plane this afternoon. (see: CREEPY)

Just got word: Possible skydiving activities on my trip. I hope I packed a pair of appropriate shoes.

All of the fresh food in my refrigerator was gifted to a friend this morning. I can not stand to see fresh, organic, pricey food go to waste.

Praying to baby jesus, teenager jesus, AND grown-up jesus that MN will be snow-less upon my return.

That's all.

She Gone.

Shoes A-Go-Go

In preparation for my 18-day tropical get-away, I have been forced to make one of the hardest decisions of my life:

How many pairs of shoes will the girl attempt to fit into 3 bags (full of an un-godly amount of clothing)???

My prediction was that I would NEED to pack 20 pairs of shoes to get me through 18 days, but somehow or another, I was able to narrow it down to 11 pairs.

Below are Shoes A Go-Go and ....the Rejects.

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SHOES: A GO-GO

#1DOLLHOUSE: These sandals come complete with a low heel and a blingin' jewel mirrored and angeled in such a way that they provide a view up my dress... if one is looking hard enough.
#2CHINESE LAUNDRY: My mother passed these strappy silver sandals down to me. They will accompany me to evening dinner.
#3DOLLHOUSE: Due to the fact that high (or low for that matter) heels do not work on soft white sandy beaches and in crystal clear waters... one must come prepared with the Flips.
#4BCBG MAXAZRIA: Silver Flats that whore attention. Comfort & Style uncompromised.



#1KENNETH COLE REACTION: Loafer-style, mahogany flats. World-wide travelers. Within the next 18 days these flats will cruise through: MSP, ATL, TPA, San Juan, and LAX airports. I may also wear these to a meeting in Tampa.
#2CARLOS SANTANA: Red, Strappy, Corked heel. Hottness. Cruise wear. Possibly, meeting-friendly.
#3J CREW: Hawaiian-inspired flips. In rememberance of my trip to Hawaii last June. Chaka!
#4BCBG MAX AZRIA: Jelly egyptian sandals purchased in Wailea, Maui. Does it get any better than these?

#1GUESS: Be-jeweled strappy gold sandals. Evening Wear.
#2CHINESE LAUNDRY: Black strappy sandals. I refuse to wear the same pair of shoes two evenings in a row.
#3XOXO: Pink! Be-jeweled comfy slippers. These go everywhere I go. (there were in Duluth, MN two days ago)

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SHOES: REJECTED

#1GUESS: Again, purchased in Hawaii. These ALMOST made the cruise, BUT I made the decision to NOT wear a little black dress on the cruise. I am going all out tropical colors & patterns. Busy dress + Busy shoes = ...eh... tryin too hard?
#2BEBE: Chunky wedge? Maybe when I was 19. Give me a spike.
#3RAMPAGE: Again, busy shoes. Made for daytime. Daytime = Beach. Heels + Beach = Do Not Mix
#4BCBG: Closed Toes? Not on this cruise. BUT these do happen to be my most favorite and the most reliable pair of shoes I have ever owned. I have had them for years.........




#1STEVE MADDEN: Chunky Wedge? eh.......
#2GUESS: Silver HIGH heel? Love em, but they didn't make the cut.
#3BCBG: Love this low-heeled strappy sandal, BUT the strappies are becoming fragile. I will not tolerate any mis-haps on this trip.
#4MOSSIMO: Love em. BUT a girl can only carry so many pairs of closed toes shoes to the tropics.

Sin City + Wonderlust

I heart the W


new news to me, but old news to some:

DEVELOPMENT: W hotel takes Sin City spin $1.7 billion luxury condo-hotel aims for hip clientele

Starwood Hotels and Resorts plan to make its W hotel in Las Vegas a flagship property for the upscale brand's "global footprint," W Hotels Worldwide's president said Tuesday while giving details about the $1.7 billion project.

The hotel at Harmon Avenue and Koval Lane will have a mix of 3,000 hotel and residential units, more than 10 restaurants and nightclubs, a 75,000-square-foot casino, 300,000 square feet of meeting space and a spa and gym, W's Ross Klein said. It's scheduled to open in 2008.

Klein said Las Vegas has been at the top of W Hotels' development strategy for years, ranking No. 1 or No. 2 on the request list of W guests along with South Beach in Miami, where a W Hotel is already under construction.

"It's also an opportunity for us to redefine and reinvent what an urban oasis is," he said. "The W in New York came into an urban environment with a different point of view. When you come in off the street in New York, it's a retreat, an escape. That's going to be the same design point of view we put into the W in Las Vegas."

Adam Frank and his partners at Edge Resorts started talking with Starwood about developing a W hotel in Las Vegas at the site of Bourbon Street casino on east Flamingo Road. Even after acquiring an adjacent apartment complex for a total of 8 acres, it wasn't enough land. Edge Resorts sold the Bourbon Street property to Harrah's Entertainment last month and bought 21 acres at Harmon and Koval, including the existing Ice nightclub and two separate parcels from Fort Worth, Texas-based home builder D.R. Horton, for $108 million.

Edge Resorts entered a joint venture with Starwood Hotels and Resorts and will be a 75 percent owner of the W hotel. Starwood owns the remaining 25 percent and will manage the hotel.

"They wanted a bigger property and they really wanted to be on Harmon," Frank said. "Twenty-one acres really gives us a lot more flexibility to do what we want to accomplish. We want to build a destination resort, but at the same time, we want to have an intimate feel to it, that signature W feel with great night life and a blend of restaurants."

Frank said the project combines the hottest, most sought-after hotel brand in the world with one of the most vibrant hospitality markets in the United States.

"We really think that location is the future of Las Vegas," he said. "There's so much happening right around us."

With some $20 billion in planned development, from the Hard Rock Hotel
expansion to MGM Mirage's Project CityCenter to the Palms' new hotel and condo towers, the Harmon corridor is poised to become a hip, happening location, Klein said.

"I think it's going to be a destination with a very specific offering, sort of a pop culture, and I think we're going to be sort of an anchor," he said.

W Hotel Las Vegas will offer guests "extraordinary experiences" at every turn through the brand's lifestyle elements, including indulgences and experiential surprises that will be unheard of even for Las Vegas, Klein said.

Klein said he expects the new resort to compete with the Hard Rock Hotel, Mandalay Bay, the Palms, Wynn Las Vegas and Four Seasons.

Deutsche Bank analyst Marc Falcone said it was important for W to finally land in Las Vegas. "I think W needs exposure in Vegas given what the brand stands for," he said. "It's going to be a strong fit for Las Vegas. This is a very powerful location."

Condo-hotel and residential units will go on sale in the fourth quarter, priced from $550,000, offering a combination of poolside cabanas, studios and one- and two-bedroom condominiums, all attached to the W hotel.

Klein said the project is in the final stages of architectural plans and design reviews.

The first W hotel opened in New York in December 1998. There are now five hotels in New York and 20 more around the United States and worldwide with another 20 under development, Klein said.

PROJECT CANCELLED as of 5/12/07

W was coming to town. (no, not Bush) Edge Group and Starwood's 'W Hotel' brand of chic-modern-hip-ultra cool resorts has confirmed that they have cancelled their plans of building a 4000-room resort and casino at the NE corner of Harmon and Koval.

FUCK.

RS09

The Redken Symposium is the industry’s premiere educational event and gathers over 10,000 Redkenites from all across the world!

The REDKEN SYMPOSIUM atmosphere is unconventional and unrivalled by anyone else in our industry. This time, there are no rules to hold you back… no formalities that tie your need to twist tradition and adjust reality. Our talented artists will work without rulebooks to encourage you to entertain your innermost aspirations. Using your mind over attitude, you’ll sharpen your intellect with focus that inspires you, network with individuals who can think on your page, bring creativity from the outside in… and exhibit whatever you feel, whenever you feel it without judgment, attitude or compromise.

Las Vegas, a city which reinvents itself daily- and where color, energy, innovation and nightlife never end - will once again host the Symposium.

Join us at its most eclectic hotel, the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in 2009. redken.com

This is a small visual of what my world will look like as soon as I step off of a plane in Vegas on Friday. The Redken Symposium only happens every 2 years and is probably the largest event I will ever attend. Year after year, the Symposium is voted the #1 Educational Event by hairstylists across the nation.

I am proud to be a part of it.

But what the hell am I going to wear?? I will dress simply and let my personality do the talking. . .

ALSO, I apologize for the lame content of my blog since the turn of the New Year. I'm feeling slightly understimulated and I've been in a funk. The Symposium will drag me out of the funk I have been in and will be sure to load me with content to spill Crista From The Block* style.

Please do not forget to check your reactions at the bottom of the blog.

Peace, love & unicorns. xox

Golden Birthday

Last night, while amongst many of my closest friends - everyone dressed to the nines, we celebrated my golden birthday (early).

The party began at my place. I prepared a variety of appetizers that we indulged as we sipped on Merlots & Chardonnays, Cabernets & Sauvignon Blanc.. including: Hummus & Tabouleh, Black Bean Dip, Exotic fruit strips rolled in Nori drizzled with a Fig Coco Sauce, Exotic Chocolates, Marcona Almonds, Cheese (gouda, white cheddar, & buun-usoto baked jalapeno), Grapes, & Crackers. We bopped our heads to the tunes of: Fergie, Guru, M.I.A, Madonna, & Amanda Lepore .

Later that evening we headed to the Thunderball Event happening at a warehouse in N.E. Minneapolis. The party was (obviously) James Bond themed, and featured 3 local bands, photo opps w/ a photographer, Martini's, and models. We were all dressed appropriately - the men in 3 piece suits, and women in revealing little black dresses. We instantly scattered as we entered the venue and mingled with the rest of the crowd.

As the evening progressed we decided it was time to head dowtown to the new W Hotel location and enjoy a few cocktails in their 27th floor bar area. Again, dressed appropriatly for the venue, we mingled with the downtown crowd and eventually settled in a room of our own to finish off the evening with a few delightful cocktails and stimulating conversation.

xox Crista