Congratulations to Amanda Gibson Walmsley, winner of the L’Oreal/Carelle Best Actress Compact!

As I mentioned, my friend Katherine has been in town the past week. This weekend was incredibly crazy with all the Oscars events, so I had Katherine attend the L’Oreal suite for me and do a write up. She says:

After a night of torrential downpour, I set off to the L’Oreal Beauty Suite at the Four Seasons Hotel. Nadine informed me I’d be getting a manicure, which I thought was hilarious as I’d broken off all the nails on my left hand and wasn’t sure they’d be able to work with my manicure disaster.

I walked into the suite and was greeted by the lovely L’Oreal publicist Danielle, who told me a bit more about their new lines and their celebrity spokespeople (including Jennifer Lopez and Gwen Stefani). We sat down for the manicure, but to be honest, I had such a fun time in the suite–which was full of L’Oreal products in giant glass jars, and took place upstairs in a beautiful suite at the Four Seasons–that I barely noticed the manicure itself until I saw the final results!

My nails looked glossy and gorgeous, and you never would have known that just half an hour previously, I’d been sporting raggedy claws. The color, Now You See Me, is a deep, elegant plum (almost bordering on the red) and I can’t stop staring at my nails now.

All in all, a wonderful way to spend the afternoon! Tomorrow, I go back to London–and while I’m sad to leave LA, it’s been such a busy 7 days that I’m looking forward to a bit of peace and quiet. Thank you Nadine (and L’Oreal!) for an excellent experience…and see you again soon, LA!

H&M navy blazer and shirt; J. Brand skinny jean leggings; Forever 21 earrings

It’s Oscar weekend in LA! It’s been a whirlwind few days, primarily because one of my best friends (the famous KSned!) is in town from London, so I’ve been juggling all the Oscar activities with her visit.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Force 2010 CLS63 AMG

On Friday, I spent the afternoon riding around town in the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Force car. My ride was the brand-new 2012 Mercedes CLS63 AMG, a 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V8 beauty with 516 lbs of torque. (I grew up a Mercedes baby; my family had two 600s that my dad was obviously enormously proud of.) Everywhere we went, heads turned, jaws dropped, and several people flashed us thumbs-ups and stopped us to talk about the car.

Giorgio Armani interns in Beverly Hills; wearing fabulous labels head-to-toe!

The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Force had previous tooled through the streets of New York during fashion week, as I read on my friend Jordan’s blog Ramshackle Glam. I wasn’t sure how this experiment would translate–we were searching for people with the best street style–since nobody walks in LA.

On Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills; Marc Jacobs trench, Coach bag, Ray Ban aviators, and Australian jeans

But lo! My trusty driver and I put our heads together and decided the best bet was Rodeo Drive: and, in the end, it delivered! All of the people I found looked absolutely adorable and super-stylish–I filled out questionnaires with what they were wearing, but had to turn them in at the end of the day, alas. Still, I was surprised to discover that most of the people I approached were Australian or Canadian–who knew? Also, I ran into Sofia Vergara on Rodeo Drive and Kris Jenner in the Montage Hotel, but wasn’t able to talk to either of them. Blast.

Still, all in all, a super fun day!

Outside the Louis Vuitton store (he's wearing a Louis Vuitton belt, plus Gucci glasses, Zara shirt and Perry Ellis blazer; )

These two (wearing Calvin Klein, BCBC, Philip Lim, Polo Ralph Lauren and Banana Republic) were shopping for outfits for the Elton John Oscar party this Sunday - lucky gals!

Originally from Romania, but now LA-dwelling, wearing Louis Vuitton and Free People

Here from Tokyo, and wearing Japanese labels head-to-toe!

Breaking news! Stop the presses! Jennifer Aniston has cut her hair!!!

Jennifer Aniston at the Madrid premiere of Just Go With It, sporting a new bob (WireImage/Naharro)

Okay, that’s all. Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

VanityFair.com, one of my favorite sites–I occasionally write beauty pieces for SunHee’s Beauty Blog, as you might know!–has just launched a beauty video series. Check out the first installment here. Beauty Director SunHee Grinnell visits with supermodel Veronica Webb to discover her beauty secrets and favorite products. Enjoy!

Veronica Webb’s favorite products: (more…)

A dress from Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty at the Costume Institute

The yearly Costume Institute gala held at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is the most glamorous ticket in fashion: like the Super Bowl and the Oscars combined.

Vogue UK reports a first look at this year’s exhibit, which honors the late Alexander McQueen and will be co-chaired on May 2nd by Anna Wintour and Stella McCartney. At the launch in London at the Ritz this morning, Anna and Stella joined Samantha Cameron (the Prime Minister’s wife), the director of the Met Thomas P. Campbell, and the Costume Institute’s curator Andrew Bolton to unveil the dresses in the collection.

A dress from Alexander McQueen:Savage Beauty at the Costume Institute

All of the dresses were photographed on real models and then digitally altered so the images you see here appear like mannequins. Previous exhibits have included “American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity” (2010), “The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion” (2009) and “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy” (2008).

A dress from Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty at the Costume Institute

Visit Vogue.co.uk to see more images from the collection!