Eye Candy : Kim So Yeon & Joo Jin Mo for Vogue

Kim So Yeon and Joo Jin Mo's moody Vogue Korea editorial takes it's theme from their forthcoming film Coffee (Gabi), an action thriller in which the two play a pair of Russian national spies who implement an intricate assassination plot against a Joseon era emperor through his personal barista. Murder by coffee? That's a new one and it sure sounds intriguing. I'd watch it just for Kim So Yeon who portrays the barista/spy. She's one of my favorite Korean actresses and I can't think of anyone who plays a badass spy better. She was one of the only reasons why I even finished watching the debacle called Iris. The movie posters also echo the stylish intensity of this pictorial. I particularly like the illustrated comic inspired looking one with KSY. They're sure making the most of her sexy back.

Ladurée Anniversary Macarons

In commemoration of their 150th anniversary, famed maison du macaron, Ladurée will be releasing special monthly limited edition boxes of it's divine confections this year. The March collaboration with Paris based Japanese designer Tsumori Chisato is seasonally appropriately inspired by cherry blossoms. Inside the beautiful boxes bearing Chisato's delightfully whimsical illustrations will be special cherry blossom scented macarons filled with a light cherry ganache which were also developed under her artistic direction by chef Vincent Lemains. And if that weren't awesome enough, a cherry blossom infused signature candle is also part of the collection. These lovelies will be available in Ladurée shops worldwide on March 1st and I'm hearing that includes our very own NYC store. A queue just might be in my future...  Bon anniversaire Ladurée!

Enter here to win a Harvey Prince fragrance!

image via

Giveaway : Harvey Prince Eau de Crème

If winter has got you feeling down, why not let the power of scent transport you to the lazy days of summer. For the past week, I've been walking around enjoying a balmy retreat thanks to Harvey Prince's Eau de Crème fragrance. It hasn't hurt that NYC was also experiencing some incredible spring-like weather. I'm fairly particular about my fragrances but the delectable aromas of pink passion fruit, rum raisin, french vanilla & dark chocolate have won me over. While it is "ice cream" inspired, the scent isn't heavy or annoyingly sweet and the delicate notes of citrus are quite pleasant. It probably won't satisfy your ice cream cravings but it will feel like a blissful indulgence sans the calories.

Harvey Prince was founded by two brothers who were inspired by their mother to create high quality fragrances without the high prices. Their fragrances are cruelty & chemical free and produced using the highest quality essential and natural oils. You can view their entire product range on their website.

Harvey Prince is giving away a 50 ml(1.7 oz.) bottle of Eau de Crème valued at $55 to one lucky rolala loves reader. 
To enter you must be a follower of this blog on GFC 
and like Harvey Prince on Facebook.
Please follow the instructions and enter via Rafflecopter below.
GOOD LUCK!

This giveaway is sponsored by Harvey Prince and is open to worldwide entries. Entrants must be 18 yrs of age or older. Giveaway ends on 03/08/12 at 12:01 am EST. The winner will be chosen by random.org via the Rafflecopter form and notified via email.

Style Wise : Marni x H&M Spring 2012

I've feel like I've been inundated with images from the forthcoming Marni x H&M collaboration Look Book over the past week and I can see why this designer collab is so highly anticipated. Marni is well known for boldly elegant prints and relaxed silhouettes and the eclectic aesthetic of the brand has been pretty well translated in this refined capsule collection which launches on March 8th. Unlike H&M's Versace collaboration, these pieces actually look wearable and the price points which range from $9.95 to $149.00 are more reasonable. The dreamy looking ad campaign featuring models Liu Wen and Imogen Poots lounging about a Moroccan Villa was photographed by Sofia Coppola. There is also a film directed by Coppola which can be viewed here.

Paris, A Winner & A Song

"Paris is always a good idea." ~ Audrey Hepburn
Photo: Springer, Paris by Elliott Erwitt

The winner of the Butter London 3 Free Nail Lacquer Vernis in The Black Knight is Lena of Lenallure.  

Congratulations Lena! I'll be contacting you by email.

Thanks to everyone for entering! I have another fun giveaway coming soon.

A big THANK YOU to the sweet Meggy of Haus of Gala for the Lovely Music Award she bestowed upon my blog. I'm so honored. I love many genres of music including alot of non-English music. Blur is one of my favorite bands ever and "To The End" has to be one of my favorite songs  of theirs. I mean there's an accordion in it. How is awesome that? This version in French is made even better by the guest vocals of the fabulous Francoise Hardy. I think a good song is good no matter the language it's sung in. Do you listen to music in other languages?

Eye Candy : Song Seung Hun & Company for GQ

Clockwise from top left: Kwon Sang Woo, Jung Woo Sung, Lee Byung Hun, Song Seung Hun

This is a special eye candy post for my friend Bessie of Bravoe Runway who made a request for her fave Korean actor Song Seung Hun. Yes I do take requests apparently. Since she has claimed him for herself, the rest of you will just have to somehow avert your eyes and check out Kwon Sang Woo, Jung Woo Sung and Lee Byung Hun instead. This quartet of suave actors all appeared in a special tenth anniversary issue GQ Korea released last March with rotating covers and a 40 page fashion spread. Here is a selection from the editorial. I love the dapper tuxes and bow ties. Jung Woo Sung's cover is probably my favorite. Is there one that catches your eye?

Song Seung Hun

Rena & Ian : Fashionable Couple

On Ian // Sweater: Vintage Ken // Jeans: Twilight Edward // Sneakers : 1:6 Nike

On Rena // Dress: Re-ment // Leggings: Cool Cat // Boots: Re-ment

Rena's boyfriend Ian prefers to be behind the camera for her outfit shoots but sometimes she manages to convince him to get into the shot. Generally he lets Rena pick out his clothes and his outfits tend to coordinate with hers. As Rena fits Barbie clothing, Ian fits Ken clothing, though options for him aren't as vast as for her. I sometimes end up buying male dolls on the cheap just for the clothes. A Jonas Bros. doll might've even passed through my threshold. Oh the horror. At least it was only $2.

Enter here to win an 8"x 10" print of your choice from my Etsy shop

Enter here to win a Butter London 3 Free Nail Lacquer Vernis

Style Crush : Olivia Palermo & A Giveway

images via celebinspire

So I'm still not exactly sure what it is that Olivia Palermo actually does for a living. Can anyone please enlighten me? What I do know is that the woman has an absolutely impeccable sense of style. Whenever I see photos of her, she's always perfectly put together and occasion appropriate. And she's quite genetically gifted as well. These are a couple of her looks from NYFW. They're all rather fabulous that I can't even pick a favourite.

Kim over at A Very Sweet Blog has a feature about my blog today and you can also enter to win a print of your choice from my Etsy shop. Please click on over and check it out and if you don't already know Kim, do say hello. You'll be glad cause she's an absolute sweetheart. Her blog also happens to be one of my favorite daily reads. The fun and informative format in which she presents various stylish topics is always inspiring.

There's still time to enter my Butter London Giveaway!

Style Wise : Reiss SS 2012

I haven't exactly been the trendy sort for quite some time now. Instead I prefer to invest in classic well made pieces with details that make them special. I was instantly intrigued by the Reiss SS 2012 collection when I saw it described as fusing the simplicity of minimalist nineties style with the playfulness of 1940's poolside glamour. To me this sounds like a perfect marriage of tailoring and femininity and I'm finding myself drawn to these streamlined wearable shapes. I'm coveting the knee length Hula Fully Pleated Skirt (top left) with it's pretty sculpted scalloped waistband along with the sleek Bette Lace Jersey Cardigan on top. I'm loving the silhouette of the textured Lola Chunky Pointelle Jumper (bottom right) and the Percy Wide Leg Fluid Pant it's paired with. The elegant biker style Dahla Technique Luxe Jacket (bottom center) with the macramé collar is on my wish list as well. Actually my closet would welcome any and all of these pieces. Are there any looks here that speak to you? See more at Reiss 

Through My Lens : Love

While I'm not a fan of the commercialization of Valentine's Day, I am all for a celebration of love. 

As far as I'm concerned it's something that should happen everyday. 

Rena will be with her boyfriend Ian as she always is.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Eye Candy : Han Chae Young for W

"Korea's Barbie Doll" Han Chae Young dazzles in Dior in this W pictorial.  

So why is the actress/model called that? 
Just look at that face and those killer proportions!

There's still another week to enter my Butter London Giveaway!

Giveaway : Butter London

To show my appreciation for my amazing readers, I'm super excited to hold my first ever blog giveaway! The prize is a Butter London 3 Free Nail Lacquer Vernis in The Black Knight. This fashionable shade is a glittery fusion of pink, blue and sliver in a black base. It does look a tad darker in person than this stock image I posted. If you're familiar with Butter London polishes, then you'll know that they're quite coveted, highly pigmented and safe for your nails.

To enter:

Follow rolala loves on Google Friend Connect and leave a comment letting me know you want to be entered. 

If you're already following via GFC (Thanks!) just indicate that in your comment.

For extra entries (please leave a separate comment for each):

Follow rolalaloves on Bloglovin' (+1)

Friend rolalaloves on Facebook (+1)

Share this giveaway on your blog, Twitter or Facebook (+2)
Please leave a comment and link letting me know how you shared.

This giveaway is sponsored by me.
It is open to all readers until 11:59 PM (PST) on February 20, 2012.

A winner will be randomly selected.

Good luck!

Rena : Mod Girl

Trench: Vintage Barbie // Leggings: Cool Cat // Boots: Vintage Barbie // Sunglasses: Pullip

While I may share occasional closet details, outfit posts just aren't my thing but I have a stylish friend who feels differently. Rena was first introduced on the blog dressed in an LBD, relaxing in her living room, enjoying Pierre Hermé macarons. Besides knowing how to live luxuriously, the girl is quite stylish and loves fashion. She even has her own ostrich Hermés Birkin bag. Rena is an Asian Pullip doll which is a line similar to Blythe fashion dolls. She fits certain styles of Barbie clothing but she finds modern Barbie's fashions a little trashy so she prefers vintage. Isn't her Vespa just fab?

Dine Out : Maialino

We had been wanting to dine at Maialino for awhile now so Restaurant Week seemed as good a time as any. For those unfamiliar, NYC Restaurant Week which occurs biannually in early Winter/Summer, offers an experience at some of the city's finest restaurants for a fraction of the usual cost. A three course prix fixe lunch is offered at $24.07 while dinner can be had for $35.00. We booked lunch at Maialino. The self-billed Roman style trattoria is located in the Gramercy Park Hotel. The entrance off the hotel lobby leads into a busy coffee/wine bar area through an open pass bread station onto the spacious dining room. The decor has a rustic homey feel and if you're lucky to be seated by the window you're treated to a view of Gramercy Park. Some restaurants put up a rather limited RW menu but Maialino offered two menus at $24.07 and $35.00. We opted to each order from one for a variety of options. The food was both hearty and delicious. We enjoyed all our courses enough that I would come here even if it wasn't Restaurant Week. If you go, the pastas are a must. And Maialino means "piglet" in Italian in case you were wondering. 

Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue (Gramercy Park Hotel at 21st Street)
New York City
212.777.2410

parma & buffalo mozzarella

artichoke mousse on toasted fione

braised lamb, black olives, spinach

spicy tomato & guanciale

chocolate cake & zabaglione

chocolate custard & poached pears

the lobby of the gramercy hotel just cause it's so cool

Cook : Guacamole Salad

This is a quick, incredibly simple and delicious recipe that I make all the time. If you love avocados or guacamole, you will definitely enjoy this one. It can also easily be adapted according to your tastes. Like I tend to only use one jalapeño cause the heat makes it a little less refreshing and sometimes I add corn. You can totally omit or add ingredients as you see fit. I notice that my skin always looks great when I'm eating alot of avocados.

Eye Candy : Dear My Lady

I'm really liking the sweet feminine fashions in this Singles Korea editorial. 

The pretty pastel hues and fresh floral accessories feel so very Spring-like.

Singles Korea // January 2012

Photographer: Ryoo Hyoung Won // Stylist: Eun Ji Jung // Model: Hye Jung Lee

Through My Lens : Invincible Summer

I came upon this quote last year when winter seemed eternal and it was quite inspiring. I also love this Camus quote about autumn. I don't really have any complaints about this winter in NYC since it's actually been quite mild. I sure haven't missed the cold. Happy weekend!

On My Bookshelf

Here's a little section of my bookshelf that I call "oversized books" just cause most of them are too big to be placed vertically and therefore must be stacked. My Petite Night Flower Blythe doll Peony hangs out here too. I collect photography volumes that I like to study and also have an admitted propensity for fashion and design books as well. I was fortunate enough to be gifted six of the books here. I love receiving pretty books as gifts.

So do we own any of the same ones?  What kind of books are on your bookshelf?

Eye Candy : Gong Hyo Jin and Ha Jung Woo for Vogue

Gong Hyo Jin and Ha Jung Woo team up for this chic and cheeky Vogue Korea pictorial to promote their new film Love Fiction. The romantic comedy has Ha Jung Woo as a sensitive novelist who's hapless at love pursuing a relationship with Gong Hyo Jin's confident female executive. I like that she's playing a strong character again cause she did the whole docile thing in The Greatest Love and Pasta. Ha Jung Woo does nothing for me but I totally have a girl crush on Gong Hyo Jin for her versatility as an actress and her quirky cool fashion sense.