Simple. Classy. Elegant. That’s how I would describe this Buji New York Puppy Love I Necklace. Nice and long, it’ll spice up any old boring outfit. But the black beads on the side breaks it out of the norm. It’s delicate yet got a hard edge. I think I could probably wear it to my grandmother’s birthday and then out clubbing and it would fit in either way. That’s awesome, no?

PSss… I have a secret to tell you. This secret is so going to change your world. You might be ashamed of it at first, but I tell you, no shame in it. Everyone is doing it. Everyone. So you know when you go to events and you see these girls with amazingly beautiful, long, full hair and you wonder, “what genetic lottery did you have to win to get that?” Or celebrities. How come their hair always looks perfect? It’s extensions my dear. Extensions are a woman’s best friend. I use it, I’ll be the first one to admit. And I think Hair Couture’s Clip N’ Go in 18” is perfect because at that length, you’d want your hair to look long and full, not stringy and thin. So seriously, get some extensions. It’s no longer a shameful secret to hide. Get ahead, girl! Get extensions!

The right clutch for an event is always difficult to scrounge up. You only need a few necessities for the evening. A lipstick, credit cards, a camera, your phone. Therefore the bag has to be compact yet pretty enough that acquaintances won’t think you just picked a random brown bag off the street and decided to use it for the night. No one is going to think you just lifted this Beth Springer Clam Shell Metallic Gold Leather Minaudière off the street. Perfect to fit your nighttime necessities, this little clutch has got all the right class and sass. Blinging!

Video recap is here!

Yes, it was all that and a bag of fried chicken wings.

Now that winter is coming in, it’s time to break out the long pants.

-Wait a second, no one does that anymore! These days, it’s all about the legging and skinny jeans. It’s all about the jeggings! We’ve got a pretty cool one by Flying Monkey. In vintage black, these jeggings go great with boots and long sweaters. Or ballet flats. Or heels. Anything but some muffin tops.

So this feather ring by KidViskous is pretty awesome. Two fingered rings are all the rage these days anyway but the brand takes it up a notch with a cute feather design. Coming in gold, silver and black, this is a great accessory for all the writers out there. Even though we don’t use that outdated mode of writing anymore, it’s still good to wear as a fashion statement. You feel me?

Btw: is it just me or does it also look like a mustache? Just me? Just me? Ok.

The Next Food Network Star season 6 winner, Aarti Sequeira

Time spent with Aarti really is a party. The season six champion of Food Network’s number one series, The Next Food Network Star is full of life; from her cascading waterfall of dark curls to her lyrical British accent. Aarti Sequeira was born in Bombay, India and grew up in her mother’s kitchen. Though her mom’s flavorful Indian spices had always surrounded her childhood, Aarti didn’t try her hand at cooking until she got married and moved to LA. Instead, the TV personality worked as a journalist for many years, producing for CNN in Chicago and New York. After taking some classes at a local cooking school, Aarti knew that she wanted to make food her career. But how to go about it? Aarti decided to combine her love of journalism and food together- creating an online cooking variety show and blog called Aarti Paarti. The show caught Food Network’s attention and the rest is history. Or just starting. After winning the reality show, Aarti’s show Aarti Party premiered on August 22 for six episodes that ran through the end of Sept. to great audience feedback. 13 more episodes for a new season are currently in production. From conjuring up the perfect summer picnic to warming up a cold rainy day, Aarti brushes up classic American dishes with a touch of her Indian heritage. Audrey caught up with the next food network star in Culver City, CA, fresh from shooting her first season.

Audrey: So Aarti, you started as a journalist, what made you switch career paths?

I started working at CNN a week after I graduated from university. I loved working there. There’s so much integrity and intelligence there but when I moved to LA, I really had to hustle for freelance jobs. I realized that I’m not a lazy person but I don’t really have that drive anymore for journalism in that form. A couple of years after I moved here, I worked with a Peabody award winning director on a documentary about Darfur that ended up being bought by HBO. That made me feel like, “okay, this is what I was supposed to be doing.” The same journalistic ideals and we’re going deep, deep, deep into it figuring out what is going on. But right around that time, the economy was starting to tank and no one wanted to make docs about Africa anymore. So that was when I started cooking it became the highlight of my day. It really helped me realized that no matter what was happening in my life, when I was in the kitchen, that was my safe place, that was my quiet place. That’s where I could control things.

Aarti and her husband Brendan

Audrey: How did your online cooking show and blog catch the attention of Food Network?

Food Network started doing their casting for The Next Food Network Star and people popped up randomly telling me to audition for this show. I was really hesitant. I didn’t think I had the culinary chops to compete with these people and the challenges that were requiring you to cook in 15 minutes or something. But my husband said to me, “listen, we’re going to make a video, we’re going to send it in and we’re going to see what happens. You have nothing to lose. And so we did and that was it.

Audrey: It seems like your husband is very supportive of you.

My husband has always been my champion. We’ve been together 14 years and he’s always seen so much in me that I don’t see in myself. When I happened upon this cooking show idea, he hopped on it. He’s an actor-director and he understands forging your own way and trying to do what you want to do until someone comes knocking on your door and says, “I like what you’re doing and I want to pay you to do it.”

Audrey: As artists, did you guys ever struggle financially? How did that reflect in your cooking?

Aarti spices up her dishes

Brendan and I have definitely struggled. A year ago, I wasn’t even sure if we could make rent so we’ve really had to make a lot of sacrifices. But it’s been entirely worth it. So that kind of thinking is always going to pop up in my show anyway. Even in the competition, they would give us a budget and I would always spend the least money out of everyone (laughs). Even though I was making these things that were- for lack of a better word-exotic, I always came up really under budget. That’s just the way I cook. With Indian food, at least the kind that I grew up eating, there are so many vegetables, lentils, beans and things in the cuisine- it’s really a budget friendly way of cooking.

Audrey: Speaking of Indian spices. How does your Indian heritage influence your cooking?

I think what I’m trying to do is open the door for Indian cuisine for America. There are people out there who have been championing Indian cuisine for years. What I’m trying to do is take those traditional Indian flavors and wrap them around some classic American dishes so they’re not that intimidating. Here is a whole new way to enjoy Indian spices without overextending yourself. I try to use the spices that you can find at the regular supermarket- tamarack, cumin, and oleander-all those things. I’ve been kind of astonished actually by how many people have run out, bought the spices, come home, made what I made and would upload pictures. I’ve just been floored by that.

Tandoori Chicken from aartipaarti.com

Audrey: If you get a season 2, where do you think you will take your food to?

I’m always on my Facebook page. So I post on there, “what do you guys want to learn how to make?” I got 300 comments within a couple of hours and people are asking how to make these really traditional Indian dishes. They weren’t asking for fusion, they were asking me for the authentic stuff. That was so encouraging to me, I was like, okay, after this season, god willing if I get season 2, there’s an appetite out there. People are willing to order the ingredients online. Or they’re willing to hunt them down in Indian stores.

Audrey: Being a cooking show host is partially about the food but partially about the host’s on-camera personality. Have you always been this telegenic?

My husband is an actor and he would take these improv classes. I would go to his shows every week and I was floored that there were so many things about improv that was affecting his personality in a really helpful way. The great thing about improv is that there are so many things you can completely carry over into real life. Focusing on other people more than yourself or just making a decision and trusting your gut. So I took these classes and it really gave me a sense of confidence. It helped me realize I really do have good instincts and I just have to trust them. That helped in being willing to improvise in the kitchen and trusting my palate. It really helped with my personality because it pulled me out of my shell and it made me feel like I was worthy of being heard, I guess.

Judging from the positive reviews the show has been receiving, it would seem like the rest of America feels like she’s worthy of being heard as well.

Check out Aarti Party Sundays at 12PM ET/PT on the Food Network. You can also read more about Aarti at www.aartipaarti.com

For those of us who weren’t blessed with long, thick, seductive eyelashes I have some big news: our savior is here in the form of LashFood’s Conditioning Mascara (in black or brown).

LashFood Conditioning mascara, with Nano-Peptide Technology gives you gorgeous, full, long eyelashes with just a couple swipes of the brush. That means you can don it while watching a weepy Korean drama or take a lap around the pool and still look beautiful.

The mascara is infused with LashFood’s Nano-Peptide Technology conditioning serum and conditions the root of lashes to transform frail and brittle lashes to become healthy and strong with every stroke!

Hallelujah!

I don’t know where you live but I live in LA and the weather has been CRAZY these days! Cold like it’s Canada one moment and hot like it’s Miami the next. I don’t even know how to dress for the weather anymore because it keeps changing on me! I packed away all my summer clothes already but should I bring them back out? Well, this Barbie Clone Zipper Tank in Dimepiece Designs is perfect whether the weather is hot or cold. It’s extra baggy so it’ll be breezy for the hot days but the black and white minimalist side makes it good for layering during the colder times. Sure a bunch of doll heads on your shirt could seem a little creepy but people would definitely remember your shirt.

I think earrings are the ultimate accessories. Dress up or dress down, with long hair or short, they make any face look just a little bit better. The right pair of earrings are not always easy to find. If you get one that’s too big, it might make you look a little big. Sometimes, ones that are too small can seem too casual or prim and proper. But these dagger drops in black garnet have just the right touch of class and sass. Drop earrings are great because they slim your face down and black matches…everything. Plus they look a little vintage. And we all know vintage is so now.