Charlène - Le Marais - Paris

Charlène
" ... I sudy to ba a Make-up Artist.
For me Fashion is a state of mind.
My look is normal. I love Make-up.
I hate insects. My message to the world:
Nothing !
I wear a tunic and cardigan by H&M
bag just bought in Châtelet ..."

Fantastic Weekend

Living etc.

Happy Week!

What a productive weekend we had around the house and actually being in town for the first time in many weekends helped. The kids were so helpful, everyone pitched in and it was actually fun!

My first task...a "road trip" with all 3 kids in tow to IKEA for the "expedit" that my office has needs to hold various wallpaper books, fabric swatches, etc. Aka a work in progress!

So easy to put together ( my husband said) and functional.

Quadrille Fabrics

I have loved this China Seas Nairobi fabric since it was featured in Elle Decor and I think I may be able to use it on a screened in porch off of of our bedroom...once again a work in progress!

I love this space and it functions well for my husband...mainly myself and our children. Everything I have found for the area I have found from places off the beaten path.

I adore my elephant fern stand that I found in a little antique store 30 minutes outside of Richmond, VA in a small town where my grandparents live...absolute steal!

Lonny

A fern stand as seen in Lonny Magazine

My new glass lamp bases from IKEA that now need just the perfect shade.

Last but certainly not least I am so excited about these wicker chairs that I found at a consignment store this weekend and believe you me I scooped them up! New seat covers, although for the time being I am digging the white vinyl!

Town and Country

Maybe I will look as chic as Tory Burch perched in her wicker chair.

M Designs

We worked on our wall photo gallery which is long overdue and I found black and white inspiration from M Designs which we currently have and was inspired with color by the image below...

 

Elle Decor

Sunday a day of rest took me to a blistering day at the Flea Market where I scored a blue and white porcelain vase for under $20

I was actually able to take a nap and watch A Single Man which is fantastic, beautiful men, and of course Julianne Moore and Colin Firth are amazing.

Headboard in Tilbury Lapis and who wouldn't love to have that phone, gorgeous lamps as well!

Ending the weekend on a glamorous note, the Emmy's. I usually just watch for fashion and am normally a color gal but 2 of my favorite fashion picks this year were dressed in stunning black.

Kelly Osborne

and the lovely

Julie Bowen

The week is looking good, hope your's is too!

Maxime - Le Marais - Paris

Maxime
" ... I am student in High-School.
For me Fashion is a social code. Today,
my look is sports wear casual. I love Lady Gaga,
I hate black chocolate. My message to the world:
God made us as we are and God cannot be wrong ..."



I wear a sweat by John Galliano
Pants by The Kooples
Sneakers by Dior
Suniies by RayBan
Bag by Lancel
Perfume: "Alien" by T.Mugler

Timothée - Le Marais - Paris

Timothée
"... I am a student in Art & Fashion.
For me Fashion is a part of culture.
It's very important in life. Today, my look
is "à l'arrache" casual street wear ...
I love Art. I hate mathematics.
My message to the world: stay yourself ..."



I wear a sweat by Franklin Marshall
shirt by Blend
Shorts by Eleven
Sneakers by Converse
Glasses by Marc Jacobs
Bag vintage

Jennifer Aniston Updos | Classic Hairstyles

It's not very often that you see Jennifer Aniston wearing an updo hairstyle.  Typically she will be wearing her signature long layered hairstyle with waves mixed throughout for a beautiful look.


We love this style on Jennifer! This look is a fabulous upstyle which is very soft on the face and features a beautiful bun that has been styled neatly to the side. This look will suit most face shapes and is perfect for all occasions.


Here Jen has opted for extreme length for her lovely locks. This is a fabulous option for softening larger facial features as the feathery texture of the layering creates length in the face. This cut is best suited to medium to thick hair typesSee more Jennifer Aniston Hairstyles

Rachel - Rue Tiquetonne - Paris

Rachel
"I work as Brand Manager.
iN Fashion I think that aesthetic is
less important than confort. You have to
find the right middle. I love Sun, Sea and
good food like french cheese: le Chèvre is the best !
I hate disrespect and arrogance and people who don't mesure
consequences of their behaviour. My message to the world:
You make your own luck ..."



I wear a denim dress by GAP
shoes 10€ in a small shop in Paris
bag from Sidney
Sunnies by Carrera
perfume: "Romance" by Ralf Lauren

Thomas - Etienne Marcel - Paris

Thomas
"I work as Glass-Blower
For me Fashion is to stand out of the crowd
with my own style. Today, my look is Rock.
I love music. I hate cheese"



I wear jeans 511 by Levis
T-Shirt by H&M
Shirt by Levi's
Sneakers by Converse
Cap by All Saints
Perfume "A Man" by T.Mugler

Vintage Girl - Rue Tiquetonne - Paris

Saturated Fat, Glycemic Index and Insulin Sensitivity: Another Nail in the Coffin

Insulin is a hormone that drives glucose and other nutrients from the bloodstream into cells, among other things. A loss of sensitivity to the insulin signal, called insulin resistance, is a core feature of modern metabolic dysfunction and can lead to type II diabetes and other health problems. Insulin resistance affects a large percentage of people in affluent nations, in fact the majority of people in some places. What causes insulin resistance? Researchers have been trying to figure this out for decades.*

Since saturated fat is blamed for everything from cardiovascular disease to diabetes, it's no surprise that a number of controlled trials have asked if saturated fat feeding causes insulin resistance when compared to other fats. From the way the evidence is sometimes portrayed, you might think it does. However, a careful review of the literature reveals that this position is exaggerated, to put it mildly (1).

The glycemic index, a measure of how much a specific carbohydrate food raises blood sugar, is another darling of the diet-health literature. On the surface, it makes sense: if excess blood sugar is harmful, then foods that increase blood sugar should be harmful. Despite evidence from observational studies, controlled trials as long as 1.5 years have shown that the glycemic index does not influence insulin sensitivity or body fat gain (2, 3, 4). The observational studies may be confounded by the fact that white flour and sugar are the two main high-glycemic foods in most Western diets. Most industrially processed carbohydrate foods also have a high glycemic index, but that doesn't imply that their high glycemic index is the reason they're harmful.

All of this is easy for me to accept, because I'm familiar with examples of traditional cultures eating absurd amounts of saturated fat and/or high-glycemic carbohydrate, and not developing metabolic disease (5, 6, 7). I believe the key is that their food is not industrially processed (along with exercise, sunlight exposure, and probably other factors).

A large new study just published in the American Journal of Clinical nutrition has placed the final nail in the coffin: neither saturated fat nor high glycemic carbohydrate influence insulin sensitivity in humans, at least on the timescale of most controlled trials (8). At 6 months and 720 participants, it was both the largest and one of the longest studies to address the question. Participants were assigned to one of the following diets:

1. High saturated fat, high glycemic index
2. High monounsaturated fat, high glycemic index
3. High monounsaturated fat, low glycemic index
4. Low fat, high glycemic index
5. Low fat, low glycemic index

Compliance to the diets was pretty good. From the nature of the study design, I suspect the authors were expecting participants on diet #1 to fare the worst. They were eating a deadly combination of saturated fat and high glycemic carbohydrate! Well to everyone's dismay except cranks like me, there were no differences in insulin sensitivity between groups at 6 months. Blood pressure also didn't differ between groups, although the low-fat groups lost more weight than the monounsaturated fat groups. The investigators didn't attempt to determine whether the weight loss was fat, lean mass or both. The low-fat groups also saw an increase in the microalbumin:creatinine ratio compared to other groups, indicating a possible deterioration of kidney function.

In my opinion, the literature as a whole consistently shows that if saturated fat or high glycemic carbohydrate influence insulin sensitivity, they do so on a very long timescale, as no effect is detectable in controlled trails of fairly long duration. While it is possible that the controlled trials just didn't last long enough to detect an effect, I think it's more likely that both factors are irrelevant.

Fats were provided by the industrial manufacturer Unilever, and were incorporated into margarines, which I'm sure were just lovely to eat. Carbohydrate was also provided, including "bread, pasta, rice, and cereals." In other words, all participants were eating industrial food. I think these types of investigations often run into problems due to reductionist thinking. I prefer studies like Dr. Staffan Lindeberg's paleolithic diet trials (9, 10, 11). The key difference? They focus mostly on diet quality, not calories or specific nutrients. And they have shown that quality is king!


* Excess body fat is almost certainly a major cause. When fat mass increases beyond a certain point, particularly abdominal fat, the fat tissue typically becomes inflamed. Inflamed fat tissue secretes factors which reduce whole-body insulin sensitivity (12, 13). The big question is: what caused the fat gain?

Friday Favorites

M Design Interiors

Hooray for Friday...

So many fun things to do today so little time!

Here are some of my Friday favorites

Absolutely Beautiful Things

Mexican Otomi Everywhere

Traditional Home

 Designer Windsor Smith who is out of this world

 

Fleur

Jules Reid Tunics for Fall

Elle Magazine

Fabulous Closets, this one being at one time Julie Janklow's

M Design Interiors is off the charts awesome, exciting, fresh and inspiring

Windsor Smith for Kravet

Last but not least this Friday I am thankful for the best clients any gal could ask for, thank you!

First Day of Kindergarten

Source

My daughter starts kindergarten today, what a bittersweet day. Seems like just yesterday we were thinking of her name, anticipating her arrival and now she is more than I ever expected, so beautiful, spirited, unique, and full of life. Here we are another chapter closed and the next ready to begin... what a beautiful day!   

Shades of Red

Source

Rainy days make me happy sometimes, a reason to stay home, work on projects, play with the kiddos and stay in my pj's!

This last full week of August I am feeling transition in every aspect, school, fall, schedules, (thank goodness) and am drawn to beautiful shades of red. Gorgeous crimson drapes, a lacquered red bamboo accent chair or a vibrant to die for wall covering make a bold sophisticated statement in any space.

M Designs

Tucker by Gaby Basora

Elle Decor

High Street Market

Elle Decor

Frances May

Ruby Green

Barrie Benson

Romo Wallpaper

Miles Redd

Missoni

Speaking of super yummy and oh so luscious, the website All Modern, has all their Missoni Home up to 30% off until September 5th. Luxurious linens, throw pillows, rugs, and accessories are all on sale!

If you are not familiar with the brand, Missoni is an Italian knitwear line started by Ottavio and Rosita Missoni in 1953 and continues to be a family run business. Missoni has evolved into a large fashion house as well as home accessory brand and they have even branched into the hotel world with a Missoni Hotel in Edinburgh, UK and another due to open October in Kuwait. Seeing that it is Tuesday, if you are a fan of The Rachel Zoe Project you can catch a glimpse of the chic home furnishings in Rachel's home, she obviously goes bananas for Missoni.

Missoni Hotel Kuwait

The Missoni 2010 Spring ad campaign shot by photographer Juergen Teller at the home of founders Ottavio and Rosita Missoni and the younger generation of Missoni.