"Committed", Celebrity Weddings and Cadbury's

Elizabeth Gilbert's first book, "Eat Pray Love" was a book about her travels in search for herself after a bad divorce, and it was devoured by readers around the world. Her second book, "Committed: A Love Story" (interestingly, and fittingly, my hardcover version says" Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage" ) explores the aftermath. She has fallen in love, but struggles with the idea and the legal issues of marriage with a foreign man. Part memoir and part anthropolgical/historical discussion, Gilbert explores her own doubts and fears as well as cultural expectations and realities of marriage. As a skeptic myself, I was glad Gilbert stayed true to her mostly cynical and overly analytical, almost neurotic voice, as many books on marriage only show us the pretty parts. This is basically a love story for realists, and I assure you it won't make you run away shrieking from weddings, but it does make you think very hard about the romanticized notions of marriage in our culture. (that being said, it's not as fun or funny a read as "Eat Pray Love", and I doubt it will ever get made into a smiley Julia Roberts movie.)

On the issue of romanticized notions of marriage, I apologize for bringing up something that most people are already tired of hearing about: Royal Wedding Fever. What is our obsession with celebrity weddings, and especially the nerdlike fascination with British royalty? Ok I admit, British fascinators ARE fascinating, and I too wanted to know what Kate Middleton was wearing, and what makeup she wore, she did her own, apparently! (see chart below)

I can understand being mesmerized by the proper pomp and circumstance of Lady Di and her wedding years ago, but although times have changed, Kate and William apparently disappointed some by not ultimately sticking to tradition or being uber fancy. I say that's awesome, and award them the Prettynerdy Couples award of the century. Cheerio!
P.S. British Cadbury chocolates are way better than Hersheys anything....Another award?

"Be Different", Beautiful!

Everyone has heard the phrase "be yourself," but often the reality is "be yourself....as long as you're not different." So when I heard about the new book "Be Different" by John Elder Robison, I was instantly intrigued. Robison is the brother of comedic author Augusten Burroughs, who wrote the book "Running with Scissors" that inspired a movie. Robison also has an Autism Spectrum Disorder called Asperger's, which I am very familiar with and interested in. This book is an easy to read compilation of his experience and advice on how to be happy and successful while still being true to yourself, despite your so-called flaws, quirks and eccentricities. Some may get bored with his plain speech but I found it refreshingly simple and straightforward, an Aspergian trait and also a tactic to make the book accessible to all ages. His matter of factness makes the anecdotes even funnier because he's not trying hard to make you laugh, he just does. As per the cover, this book gives humorous hope to all the "creative, quirky, geeky, and wonderfully different."



Hopefully the book "Be Different" inspires you to embrace your personality quirks and inner beauty, but if you have physical "flaws" that you struggle to hide, the advice is simple...stop hiding and hating! Embrace your flaws and enhance what you've got. If you dislike something about your looks, whether it be gap teeth or a nose too big for your liking..learn to like it and have a sense of humor about it. Don't hide it, but play up what you do like about your looks. If you don't like your teeth, don't stop smiling, just play up your pretty eyes with bold colors! It also helps to have a "beauty role model," someone with similar "flaws" that still appears attractive and confident. Personally, I have a huge forehead (a fivehead!) which I would painstakingly cover it with my hair, hats, headbands. It not only was unflattering but uncomfortable. Now I let it breathe with pride! Oh, and play up my eyebrows. Seriously, well-groomed eyebrows can make up for anything. Benefit's Brow-Zings are ama-zing. As for role models, Tyra Banks showed me that there's no shame in a huge forehead, and I think she'd agree when I say "My forehead is big because there's a big ol brain under there."
For some "be different" inspiration, think about successful quirksters Mark Zuckerberg, Apple's Steve Wolzniack, Bill Gates. And for bold beauty and style inspiration, the prettynerdy crowns go to the King and Dueen of Quirkiness: gorgeous oddball Johnny Depp and wacky fashionista Lady Gaga. So, Who inspires you?

The Alchemist and Beauty Alchemy

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is a best selling international novel, even without being an Oprah book club book! However, it's message is universally appealing and applicable, and delivered simply and beautifully in 150 pages. But the short length packs a lot of wisdom. It's almost like a self-help book in the form of a fable: a young shepherd boy named Santiago takes a journey through exotic lands and Egyptian deserts seeking an alchemist and learns a lot about life along the way. It sounds sort of hokey and you might think the ancient, faraway setting would not be relatable. However, I think almost anyone can take away some tidbits of wisdom and inspiration. The message is an oldie but goodie, to follow your dreams and enjoy the journey, but it's delivered in a story form that almost anyone can understand and appreciate.
So, there's no question everyone and their grandma should read and learn from the Alchemist, now the real question is... what the heck is an alchemist, anyway? A person who studies alchemy, duh...ok but what is alchemy?! According to Merriam-Webster:

1: a medieval chemical science and speculative philosophy aiming to achieve the transmutation of the base metals into gold, the discovery of a universal cure for disease, and the discovery of a means of indefinitely prolonging life
2 : a power or process of transforming something common into something special

Yup, that's some pretty nerdy stuff, but what does that have to do with beauty? There is a nice beauty brand named Alchemy. But really, beauty is alchemy...the power of transforming something common into something special. And a good way to do that is also alchemy-related....as in making things gold! Bronzing, shimmering, highlighting. Lots of beauty revolves around getting golden, and summer is the perfect time for that.

How can you play alchemist and get the gold? Invest in a liquid gold shimmer you can use on both face and body like Stila's gold all over shimmer , Or Add sparkle/loose shimmer to your moisturizer and other loose powders, and you're golden! The prettynerdy award for modern day alchemist goes to: Jennifer Lopez, queen of the golden glow. Not only because she has perfected the art of metallic makeup, but she has transformed herself from "Jenny from the Block" to Most Beautiful Woman in the World...Pretty amazing alchemy!