Check Yourself Ma'am

Check-it ✔️ (sorry, bad Ali-G reference) Before we dive into NYFW, back to school style, and seasonal office fashion, I wanted to kick off my return to the blog with a post that can truly help all of you my amazing female followers. So let's get right to it! 

Breast Cancer. I'm sure it's no news and no shock to you that Breast Cancer is infecting more young women than ever before. Did you know that 40% of all breast cancers are discovered by the patient herself? So isn't time that we REALLY start talking about Breast Self-Check exams? The answer is not just "Yes" but "OF COURSE!" 

Both my mother and grandmother are breast cancer survivors. Neither carry the breast cancer gene and had different types of invasive breast cancer. But even a benign family history doesn't mean you're not at risk... 

LADIES : 1 in 8 U.S. women will develop *invasive* breast cancer in her lifetime. 

Let that sink in. We are at epidemic levels when it comes to breast cancer among women in this country, and it's not long before it becomes world wide. So, what can we do... 

Literally, "Check Yourself Ma'am!"

Like giving my dogs their flea and tick medication, on the same day of every month I give myself a breast self-check exam. It takes only a minute in the morning, while you are waking up showering, and brushing your teeth. Why do you want to do this? A self-check every month helps you establish a base line, and allows you to educate yourself should anything look, feel, or seem different than the last time you checked. Education is so important ladies because as we all know, early detection saves lives. As I said before, over 40% of breast cancers are now detected by women at home first. It's time we spread the word.

Wondering what a breast self check exam means?
Click here to find out how to do a breast self exam correctly. The few easy steps are diagramed, demonstrated, and explained very well HERE and it's a good reminder for us all at any age and stage.

AND if you are truly impassioned and feeling like doing something to help, I've got a small favor to ask of you: Head over to www.seezona.com and sign up to use their amazing new fashion-finding shopping site. Ever snapped a picture of a piece of clothing you love, or screen shotted a look on pinterest desperate to find out where to get it? Seezona has developed an amazing new tool that allows you to upload that picture, and receive tons of matches for the look you want to find! And then you can shop it right then and there. The technology is really great and the team at Seezona is amazing. All they are asking you to do is provide your name and email, or sign in with one click via Facebook, and for every person that signs up, Seezona will donate funds to aide Breast Cancer Research. We want to reach our goal of raising 100,000 Euros for this campaign, so please consider signing up and spreading the word to all the wonderful women in your lives.

So tonight ladies... you got it: CHECK YOURSELF MA'AM
It could be the most important thing you ever do.

// Shop the Look //

Jacket, American Eagle Outfitters, Jeans, Blank NYC cc Nordstrom, Sneakers, Urban Outfitters, Bracelets, Tiffany & Co, Shades, Vintage, similar & similar

Many thanks to Seezona for including me in this awareness campaign.

Check out #CheckYourselfMaam on Instagram to find more self-check selfies!

Valentines Day Gift : Beauty Giveaway with Korres

I'm so excited that I have TWO great giveaways this week in celebration of Valentines Day and how much I love you all!

Today I've teamed up with one of my favorite skincare brands Korres to share with you the most delicious line of winter face products. (You may remember my review of their Black Pine Firming Line last year, read here) The Greek brand has produced a line of Wild Rose based creams and serums that work just as wonderfully as they smell. Paraben and sulfate free, the Wild Rose Vitamin C oil, cream, and sleeping mask works to increase the skin's absorption of vitamin C by as much as 1,000%! This effect helps your skin achieve that luminous dewy glow, even in the driest coldest depths of winter. With this immense boost of vitamin C, these Korres products dramatically improve the brightness and tone of the skin, and really reduce the presence of fine lines. And that winter dullness? Well it truly disappears. After just 2 wks of using the wild rose vitamin c active oil my skin is infinitely softer and noticeably smoother. I love that I've seen my hyper pigmentation spots starting to fade and my overall skin tone is so much more uniform (i.e. no blotchy red or irritated spots). And opening up the serum infused with real wild rose petals is the most luxurious and relaxing part of my winter night routine. 

So because I am such a fan, Korres and I want YOU to experience the amazing effects of these Wild Rose products. We are giving away 5 Wild Rose Vitamin C Active Brightening Oils to 5 lucky winners!

How to Enter:

1. Log onto your Instagram and follow @korresusa & @thesuppermodel ; you must follow both accounts as we will be checking

2. Like the photo of the product (will be one of the ones you see above) AND comment telling us the one skincare essential that you cannot live without in winter. Don't forget to include the hashtag #KorresWildRose so we can track your entry!

Open to U.S. residents only. One entry per person. Contest entry ends Friday February 12th at midnight EST !

Visit www.korresusa.com for more and get 15% off your first purchase!

Happy Valentines Day and Good Luck

Watch Darcy Tonight on Bravo TV!

Catch me tonight on the Season Finale of

Bravo TV's "Untying the Knot"!

If you're not caucusing in Iowa tonight then check out Bravo TV's season finale of 

"Untying the Knot" after "Vanderpump Rules" at 10pm EST !

I will be guest starring on my friend and ultimate #girlboss Divorce Attorney Vikki Ziegler's 

Bravo show, detailing how I planned her fabulous 

Divorce Dating App launch party this summer in NYC .

Lots of laughs, lots of drama, and a whole lot of fun...

I hope you'll tune in, DVR it, and check it out!

Winter Formal on the Farm

 Can you believe we are nearly one month into this new year! It feels like Christmas and New Years was just here and now we are in full winter style mode. How did that happen? After Christmas in Boca Grande (see here & here ) I spent the New Years holiday in the countryside outside Charleston. We had the most perfect transition weather: sun-filled fresh days and cold nights where we'd light a big fire and I got to break in some of my winter fur. Above was twilight on New Years Eve. My outfit was just formal enough for the country setting, but actually perfect for winter work wear. We've had a refreshing cold front hanging around here in South Florida this January so this outfit has been on serious repeat. 

The neck tie blouse has to be one of my favorite retro trends to return this season. I have several from Forever 21 and White House Black Market, since I'm seemingly always channeling Annie Hall no matter the season or year, but this particular blouse from Oasis Clothing has to be my absolute favorite. The beaded cuff detailing is simply gorgeous and the placement of stones and design look so much more haute fashion than fast fashion. I also love the material, as the blend is very hard to wrinkle, and the bright ivory is the perfect winter white shade for my January skin tone. I found a great metallic Deborah Lippman nail polish in "Dream Weaver" to make the grey, purple, and green tones in the cuff details pop and it also helped tie in these awesome eyelet emerald wide leg culottes (which I might add I found hidden on an H&M sale rack for $10!) The look is complete with my favorite winter white tiered faux fur cape. You can wear it two ways (shown above) long or short, which makes it an excellent travel item, one which I can't wait to pack for some spring skiing in Switzerland this March!

Accessory wise, I'm all about delicate and big this month. I have several sizes of mega large (but thin) hoops in gold and rose gold that I'm wearing constantly right now. As my neck heals necklaces I've found are rather irritating so a light weight statement earring has been my go to (it also helps distract from the scar, which in truth you can only see when up close to me, but I admit I'm self conscious about none the less. 

Many of you have been emailing me over the holidays about particular makeup looks in my posts, and what products I use, so here's what I did for this look. And by the way do keep those questions coming! Makeup and skin & hair care is an obsessive passion of mine so always happy to chat about it and help. Tweet me or send me a DM on Instagram or Facebook with what you want to know.

For my News Year Eve look I wanted to accentuate my eyes and divert attention upwards (and away from neck scar) during cocktails and dinner, so I blended some matte shadows from Urban Decay's NAKED Smoky palette (colors "Whiskey" & "Combust") & with Urban's gorgeous deep metallic Moondusts in "Shockwave" and "Zodiac" to bring in a hint of emerald and purple which gave my blues eyes a green tint. Keeping the metallics on and close to my upper and lower lash line, and the mattes on my lid, softened this look and made it look less "nightclub-y"- more subtle versus shocking. I'll be doing this look in detail on an upcoming post (maybe even some video!) as I think shimmer and glitter can be intimidating when it comes to makeup, and doesn't have to be. So stay tuned...

::Outfit::
Blouse, Oasis Clothing ON SALE*
Green Culottes, H&M, similar & similar
Snake Skin Heels, Sam Edelman
Faux Fur Cape,
Hoop Earrings, Forever 21
Nails, Deborah Lippmann "Dream Weaver"
Eyes, Urban Decay NAKED Smoky Palette, Moondust Shadows

Resort 365: Palm Beach Giveaway with Lilly Pulitzer

Today I'm so excited to share with you all my latest collaboration with the legendary Lilly Pulitzer. Living in Palm Beach, as I do, the influence of the iconic Lilly prints and playful patterns is undeniable and unavoidable: at every turn you'll find a perfect palm tree, a rich aqua shutter, pink cashmere, and of course a sea of ladies spending lunch time chatting in colorful shift dresses. Winter in Palm Beach is truly magical and this season Lilly has created a resort collection that feels so authentic and original that it could easily be mistaken for vintage 1960 Lilly. The dress I'm wearing above has to be my most favorite full length maxi I've ever seen. When I put on this kimono style dress I immediately want to host a dinner party or a alfresco Saturday lunch, and channel C.Z. Guest and Babe Paley. There is just something about wearing Lilly that makes you feel different: liberated, loud, fun, girly and confident all at once.

But what I love most about this gown is what I love most about Lilly, and that's it's ability to be effortlessly elegant and playfully practical all at the same time. And it's that brilliant combo that has made Lilly Pulitzer such a timeless staple in the heart of fashion history.

So to celebrate the new year and Lilly Pulitzer's 365 days of resort wear living I'm giving away this fabulous LP cosmetic case, perfect for all your sunny destination travel needs or to brighten up those gloomy winter days!

Two Ways To Enter:
1. Follow me @thesuppermodel on Instagram HERE & then leave a comment on this dress post with your name and hashtag #loveTSMxLilly
or
2. Subscribe to my newsletter HERE and comment bellow letting me know you did so, adding #loveTSMxLilly

Contest ends midnight EST Wednesday January 13th.
The winner will be announced on my Instagram & email newsletter on Thursday January 14th.

Good Luck and Love Lilly!

::Outfit::
Kimono Maxi Dress, Lilly Pulitzer 
Shades, Quay
Hoops, Forever 21
Nails, "Bikini so Teeny" by Essie
Lips, Bobbi Brown Lipstick in "Rose"

Beach Trekking

It's a New Year and today I'm kicking it off by sharing a recent resort look from my Christmas vacation. I spent the splendid Christmas holiday at Gasparilla Inn in Boca Grande Florida, on the Gulf of Mexico. It's a place that holds a wonderful laid back luxury, with white white sand, sunset filled beaches, and an old world serenity. I grew up going there almost every Christmas and it was so nice to return and soak in the warm gulf water, play backgammon and ping pong after dinner, and fill the day with tennis, beach, spa, and boating. Old school, endlessly relaxing and I can't wait to go back.

Above, I was headed straight from the beach to pre holiday cocktails, so I traded my flip flops for a chunky iced pale blue heel as we left the beach club. I adore jogger pants right now as they can become as casual or dressy as you want to make them and are the perfect weight for resort weather. Olive green, ice blue, and camel are a color trio that I've been playing with and really love how chic and clean these tone always end up looking together. I went for rose gold accessories for this holiday look which is a killer trick if you want to highlight and show off your tan. More to come on rose gold jewels this month!

I'm still at work on my new years resolutions, which is very unlike me as I usually have a long list of personal improvements. But this holiday I really unplugged and tried to take a digital break for the first time. I must be finding re-entry from vacation life a little jarring, so maybe "to take more unplugged vacation time" should be one of them...

Any resolution recommendations?

::Outfit::

Top, Julien David, similar (love) similar & similar

Joggers, Windsor

Belt, Hermes

Sunglasses, Quay, similar

Purse, Celine

Hat, here, similar

Ring, Folli Follie, similar

Watch, Folli Follie , similar

Nails, Bikini so Teeny by Essie

Champagne Pop: Candy Cane Champagne Cocktail

Merry Merry! Today's holiday post is a quick simple yet stunning Candy Cane Champagne Cocktail Recipe you can make to impress a crowd or just to treat your special someone. This holiday I've created this cocktail with One Hope Wine's Limited Edition Gold Glitter California sparkling wine. Every bottle of this champagne you serve provides 15 meals to children in need, and that is certainly something worthy of drinking to.

This season I've partnered with One Hope Wine and the One Hope Foundation to spread the word about their wonderful quality wines that provide so much to children, women, animals and so many others in need. A portion of each bottle purchased is donated to the vintage or grow's designated cause. I encourage you to check them out the next time you are planning a party or stocking your cellar.

" We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give "

Wishing you all a truly wonderful, very Merry Christmas.

Thanks so much for reading and following along this year.

Candy Cane Champagne Cocktail

~

Ingredients:

1 bottle (750ml) dry, Brut, champagne

(like this fabulous One Hope Wine Gold Glitter Ltd Edition sparkling wine)

2 candy canes, crushed

2 shots creme de cacoa or 

rim the glass with an orange slice (much like a margaritta) in a pinch

5-6 unwrapped candy canes, for garnish

~

Directions:

Take 5 chilled champagne flutes and rim each glass by either dipping the rim into a shallow dish of creme de cacoa liquor or taking an orange slice and coating the riming much like you would with lime when prepping a margarita for salt.

 Crush 2 candy canes in a zip lock bag using a rolling pin till you have a nice powder with several small chunks of the peppermint. Transfer to a shallow dish or plate.

Then dip each glass rim into the crushed candy cane and let sit on the counter for 1 minute, while you pop the champagne. Pour champagne into each glass about 3/4 of the way and garnish with a candy can right before serving.

Enjoy!