SOF Scoop: Nico, TV Dog Wonder

There's only one thing Sutton and I love as much as shopping: dogs. We actually much prefer them to people, no offense, guys. So, there's obviously nothing better when our two worlds combine and dogs go shopping and show off their chic style sense - when they love it of course. And it seems no one loves it better than Nico, the too-cool-for-school but still total sweetheart pup that has become the resident pooch of Anderson Live, Anderson Cooper's daytime show. The pet of producer Terence Noonan, Nico has melted the hearts of  viewers and celebrity guests alike, and is totally coming into his own as a four-legged style icon. We are so all about this, because we feel like he's kind of a total trailblazer - finally, he is bringing focus to a subject matter that needs our attention, and that's canine fashion. I definitely see a Doggie Sartorialist in the near future. What about Puppy Fashion Week? EEK. I have to breathe. Anyway, we interviewed Nico - yes, we said interviewed, because the language of fashion transcends all...species.

 

We had to know what it's like to be a canine fashion celebrity, and Nico informed us "it's exhausting." He can't even walk the streets because people keep stopping him. You know how those paparazzi can be. Relentless. The life of an icon is hard. And it totally changes the way you dress - now he has to think about what to wear everyday and can't wear the same thing twice - dog forbid! It's definitely putting a dent in his parents' wallets, since he needs an ever-changing wardrobe (we totally feel him on that). But on the upside, he's getting treats, clothes and fan mail! (Jealous...)

There are a lot of memorable moments for a tiny style influencer on the set of a TV show everyday - some of Nico's favorites were when "Snooki was on the show and had to bring me out - oh, and Stacy London and Keke Palmer are big fans. I was also on the show during Hurricane Sandy as a mascot and got to wear my raincoat."

Nico describes his acclaimed personal style as "classic, preppy chic - inspired by my parents. I like to change up my looks, from a down vest to a cashmere sweater." A lot of Nico's sweaters are handmade by his grandma - major "aw" factor. Of course, that preppy look is toughened by his signature mohawk - the results are that effortlessly cool mix of polished and cool.

Speaking of which, what, you ask, is Nico's favorite look? "A hand-knit sweater my grandma made. It has a hood and is very cozy."

Nico does a lot of traveling so he picks up things when he's on vacation - a plus for keeping your wardrobe unique and varied with one-of-a-kind looks. Although, it can be hard to find things in his size since he wears an XXS.

For all you aspiring canine fashionistas/fashionistos out there (or, fine, we're not totally crazy - for you parents of aspiring canine fashionstas/fashionistos who can read this blog), Nico has some style advice. "It's about finding the right look. You have to have your own style, be who you are." Nico gets his inspiration from people, not other dogs - he's raising the bar. He looks through the J.Crew and Vinard Vines catalogs for patterns and styling ideas.

And because we ask all of our favorite subjects, we had to know what the last thing Nico bought was! "I went shopping with my cousins, Maggie and Ellie, in Center City, Philadelphia. It was a cold day and I bought two sweaters. I love this one I got, it's lime green with stripes."

Hugs and Handbags,

Astor 

DIY Hair Treatments

I already told you about the face masks that I do at home. Now it's time for some TLC on your locks. Visiting Serge Normant, Hiro Haraguchi and the Ted Gibson Salon was the norm but now we have to get crafty when we want a pamper-worthy treatment. After making a giant mess and trying tons of treatments I have found the best ones for every hair dilemma. 

Cleansing:

Oily hair is not a great look. If you are one of those unlucky girls (like myself) who washes their hair and ten minutes later it looks greasy, these treatments are perfect for you. These treatments are also great for you if you use a ton of products in your hair, get rid of that buildup!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons baking soda

3 cups water

Mix them together, you can pour them in a bottle and shake it up. Shampoo normally and pour this mixture over your entire head, follow with conditioner.

Option 2 Ingredients:

1 tablespoon Apply Cider Vinegar

2 cups water

Similarly to the treatment above, you will want to mix these together in a bottle as well. Shampoo, rinse with treatment and condition.

Brightening:

Need to brighten up those locks? I have the answer.

Ingredients:

2 tea bags – Chamomile for blondes, orange tea for redheads and black tea for brunettes or darker.

Steep the tea bags in boiling water for 10 minutes. Let it cool, or refrigerate. Pour onto clean, wet hair. Massage it in like you did with your shampoo. Leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes and rinse. Shampoo again and use conditioner.

  

Moisturizing:

Dry, damaged hair? Time to add some moisture back into your hair!

Ingredients:

1 avocado

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 banana

1 egg

Mash all of the ingredients together - this will be much easier if you can use a blender. Apply the mixture to dry hair and leave on for at least ten minutes, but the longer the better!

Very easy option 2:

Massage some olive or vegetable oil into your hair. Rub into your scalp and comb it out all the way to the ends of your hair. Now wrap your hair in the wrap that I use by Hair Therapy. Leave your hair wrapped up for as long as possible! Shampoo hair well and condition.

Shine:

Dull and lackluster hair? No, thank you.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon apple juice

2 table spoons lemon juice

Shampoo and conditioner normally and apply this mixture to your hair, concentrating on the ends. Leave it on for one minute, rinse and go.

Strengthening:

Over dyed, over processed, over blown out, over straightened, over curled? Basically, over – anything-ed? Your hair needs some help, strengthen it up now.

Ingredients:

2 eggs

½ teaspoon olive oil

Mix the ingredients together and massage onto dry hair. Wrap it in a turban and let it soak in for ten to fifteen minutes. Wash normally.

Perfectly Glossed Kisses,

Sutton

Giveaway Time!

Update: We have a winner!! Congratulations to Daraya Johnson! We'll be e-mailing you now!

Hey, we haven't done in a giveaway in a while and we like you guys and like to give you stuff, so...we're having a giveaway! Woohoo! Seriously, get excited, because we are giving away beauty. Yes, you read that right, we're GIVING BEAUTY. Because the gift bag the winner's going to receive is so full of products (both sample-size and full-size), it's got everything you could ever need or want for your beauty routine. Makeup? Yeah, we got that. Hair stuff? Duh. Skin care? Do you even have to ask? Even a cute tote bag! You know how beauty editors always brag about their closet full of freebies at home? Well, if you don't have a beauty editor friend, trust us, there's lots of talk about it. Now, you can go up to your beauty editor friend - make a new one, if need be, just for this - and be like "BAM, I guess I'm like a beauty editor now, too! I got so much stuff!"

SO. What do you have to do to win? Not very much, if you ask us. I mean, we're talking about beauty here, hai. Just follow our blog. That's all. Follow, right there, on the right. Follow on Blogger or Google or whatevs. And you'll be entered to win BEAUTY. You have until Wednesday, March 13th because we like the number 13, okay? And so sorry, but US residents only because of the shipping thing. Good luck, beauties!

* Update: We were just going to post the winner here at the end of the giveaway and have them send us their e-mail address, but a lot of you forward-thinking geniuses have been leaving your e-mails in the comments. You guys are brilliant. So, we'd like to ask everyone to do that - once you follow, comment with your e-mail address, that way we know who to contact. Thanks, lovelies!

Handbags, Hugs & Perfectly Glossed Kisses,

Astor & Sutton

What We're Wearing

I have a new obsession- Mai Couture Blush Paper. My favorite color is Prettyful. Remember how Mom would say 'pinch your cheeks when you need a quick flush of color'? Well, that is painful and I do not recommend it. But I love the idea of only needing a few minutes to apply blush no matter where you are. I am a makeup addict but I don't always carry around a blush and blush brush in my bag. These teeny sheets are perfect. Rip one out and rub onto your cheeks, couldn't be simpler.

Perfectly Glossed Kisses,

Sutton

Here's a change of background for ya: last night my friend and I basically sat on the ice at the Rangers game - my dream come true. In case you haven't caught the rare Rangers-based tweet from me, I'll tell you right now that I'm a semi-closeted hockey fiend, and it's nice to move up from the nosebleed seats. Can't get too attached, though, since next time I'll be right back up in the cheap seats. Fun while it lasted, especially when a lot of the players are pretty easy on the eyes. Anyway, I'm loving this camouflage shirt I picked up from Romwe (sold out now, boo, but you can get a similar one here), so I layered it over a metallic t-shirt from H&M (similar one here) and under a leather vest from Target (similar one here) and added my trusty leather skirt from Kohl's (here!) - my thriftiest outfit for my least thrifty-seeming night at the game!

Handbags and Hugs,

Astor