In honor of the holiday season (and all the parties you need to get gussied-up for), here are the beauty blogs we’re loving right now.

1. Chalkboard Nails
There are enough manis here to go way beyond the 12 days of Christmas.

2.  Hair Romance
You can now achieve anything you’ve ever wished for your hair.

3. No More Dirty Looks
All-natural, organic, and DIY beauty in one blog? Perfection.

4. The Formula
How can you not love a blog that profiles beauty pros and editors in a section titled “You Are a Babe”?

Who are we missing? Tell us on Twitter at @ruelala #bloggerswelove. 

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1. m loves m
Great style meets great eats. Just the way we like it.

2. Verses From My Kitchen
Never mind the prose – the food styling here is a-ma-zing.

3. Hair Romance
We’ll never be stuck with plain old ponytails again.

4. Late Afternoon
The style and scenery make for one can’t-stop-reading blog.

Who are we missing? Tell us on Twitter @ruelala #bloggerswelove. 

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It’s no secret that we have something of an obsession with Anh Sundstrom and her workplace-friendly yet utterly chic style sensibility. So when she agreed to style our Tibi Boutique, we were appropriately thrilled. Here, we sit down with Anh to talk about her experience crafting the looks in this Boutique (as well as some fun, personal tidbits).

Rue La La: So let us pick your brain – what approach did you take for styling this Boutique?
Anh: Given the amazing (and fabulously work-appropriate) pieces in this Boutique, styling it was all too easy. I wanted to share exactly how I’d integrate the pieces into my own wardrobe with outfits I’d be thrilled to wear right now. The difficulty was deciding exactly which outfits I wanted to share because all of these pieces are so versatile.

Rue La La: Tibi is all about style that looks totally effortless. Is this a philosophy you draw from in your day-to-day?
Anh: This is exactly why I love Tibi! Looking effortless should always be the goal – you never want to look like you’ve forced a certain look or style.

Continue reading “Five-Minute Powwow: Blogger Anh Sundstrom” »

1. Studs and Sapphires
The best part of Lillian’s blog might just be the bold lip she rocks with every outfit.

2.  Sea and Swank
Fashion and travel? Our two favorite things.

3. Style Within Reach
Caitlin is an expert at navigating thrift stores, giving us plenty of inspiration (and motivation) to hunt for fashionable treasures.

4. Wendy’s Lookbook
No doubt about it: we’re totally and completely envious of Wendy’s closet.

Who are we missing? Tell us on Twitter @ruelala #bloggerswelove. 

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Living with a significant other can be difficult when you have completely opposite tastes in design. To easily merge your décor preferences, check out my tips for stylish cohabitation below.

Find a wall color that makes you both feel at home.
Greens, yellows, and creams work well as neutral colors.

Choose your storage unit wisely.
Storage is a huge necessity when you’re living with someone, so make sure to find the perfect wall unit that will fit both your love of sports memorabilia and their love of porcelain figurines.

Compromise is key.
If your partner is into stark modern design and your taste is more sumptuous, make sure to include soft touches such as plush throw pillows and soothing candles to help soften the minimalist look.

It’s okay to let everybody win.
If you can’t compromise on furniture, keep it all. Place your sharp leather couch atop their super soft shag rug – it’ll make you both happy and create a contemporary-meets-cozy space that you both can live with.

Have any tips on stylish cohabitation? Share them in the comments below or tweet us @ruelala.

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1. coco+kelley
Stylist Cassandra explains the ins and outs of design so well, recreating our own space is a breeze.

2. Pink Wallpaper
We’re ready to rip up our entire kitchen after staring at all of this design inspiration.

3. The Daily Spark
The only thing we love more than Matchbook magazine itself? Its design blog.

4. Urban Grace
Crisp and clean spaces feel totally relaxing – and have us itching to cozy up.

Who are we missing? Tell us on Twitter @ruelala #bloggerswelove. 

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Entertaining, in a nutshell, takes practice, courage, and a little imagination for repurposing furniture and objects into party central. I love throwing a party regardless of my small floor plan. Pick a party theme that embraces the coziness of your mini-sized space and start planning:

• Create different party zones even if you live in under 300 square feet – an area for conversation, games, drinking, and dancing. Keep seating away from drink central to avoid congestion.
• No room to spare for guests’ coats?  Time to hit the showers! I have a collapsible coat rack that fits right into my shower and moonlights as a coat check for parties. To be fun, you can create “numbered” claim check tags printed with a guest photo to hang on each hanger. Try to keep hangers all the same color so they look neat and tidy.  I also provide baskets underneath to hold purses and briefcases.
• Not enough table space? Grow up! Put everything on a footed platter and start stacking. I use regular white plates (a dinner, salad, and dessert size) and stack them with white eggcups. Reusable Museum Gel keeps everything attached and stable. When the party is over, plates store flat in their cabinet until the next gathering.
• Create an invite and menu around miniature appetizers and tiny martinis. Mix up a signature cocktail for the night, which always makes guests feel special and festive.
• Have a few friends help pitch in for a “short” bartender.  Even in a small space, having someone dedicated solely to ice, shaking cocktails, and filling glasses elevates the cool factor for the night and instantly relieve hostess anxiety.
• Invest $50 of your party budget toward a folding butler’s tray table that you can transform into a portable bar. You will use it over and over again. The best part is that everything folds up flat. Another recessionista-style option: a cheap luggage rack can double as a second drink station.  Just top it off with a tray that you own, and guests will be partying until the sun comes up.
• Lighting is key so put your main lights on dimmer switches and opt for flameless candles everywhere – safety first! Flameless tea lights can safely add a glow to bookshelves, windowsills, baseboards, and bedrooms… places you would never use real flames.
• Petite Party Favors To Go: Personalize miniature cupcakes with photo icing for each guest… in take-out form. Just upload your favorite photo to any of several custom icing websites, and they’ll send back edible photo sheets that dissolve into icing.

1. A Pinch of Lovely
Graphic designer Krystal has a knack for finding beauty in fashion, jewelry, and print materials.

2. Just Add Glam
Every post feels like it came from a high-fashion magazine shoot, meaning there’s no end to the inspiration (or incredibly amazing outfits).

3. Rockstar Diaries
This stylish mom (and her kids) are just too. darn. cute.

4. Made by Joel
Need inspiration for keeping the kids busy on snow days and weekends? These DIY crafts and projects should have the whole family covered.

Who are we missing? Tell us on Twitter @ruelala #bloggerswelove. 

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In an age when memories are most commonly preserved in the form of mobile upload, the hard-copy photo is often overlooked. (And that is just plain wrong.)

8 Reasons Photo Prints Will Always Be Superior to Uploaded Photos:

1) Everyone needs an embarrasing photo or two hanging in the hallway. (Keeps them humble.)

2) Dotting the home, they’re the quickest way to acquaint guests with your life (as you race to and from the kitchen).

3) There’s no faster way to make a space feel like home than by packing it with beloved moments.

4) That good hair day deserves to be immortalized, on- and off-line.

5) Advertise your proudest moments to non-Facebook users, too.

6) Daily reminders of your life’s many riches… even on those days it may not feel so rich.

7) A (totally of-the-moment) wall gallery is impossible to create using solely JPGs.

8) Blackmail. (Just kidding… sort of.)

And, of course, every printed memory deserves an equally memorable frame. Our Picture Perfect: Silver, Wood, & Beaded Frames Boutique opens Wednesday, October 31, at 11AM ET.

By Sarah Stanley, Staff Writer

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1. Lemons & Loafers
We love how bright and fun Julia’s outfits are, and the healthy recipes sprinkled throughout? It’s a win-win.

2. A Keene Sense of Style
When we’re buried under a foot of snow, we’ll be turning to this L.A. blogger’s chic sense of style for warm and sunny inspiration.

3. The Brick House
We’re hoping that after a few of these brilliant DIY projects, our house will look (almost) the same.

4. A Beautiful Mess
Between all the recipes and home décor ideas, we’ll never leave the apartment (because we’ll be too busy crafting).

Who are we missing? Tell us on Twitter @ruelala #bloggerswelove. 

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