I have not met Carly Zipp – but after reading her post, I WANT TO!  She comes to us today from a mutual friend that always steers me in great favorite directions!  Carly is definitely a new favorite friend for me!  I would also love to be 27 again and having fun in NYC!  A little about today’s friend favorite:

“I’m 27 and live in NYC. My professional history includes MTV, VH1, CMT, In Style, Real Simple, Essence, Health, MyRecipes.com, and Time Inc. Corporate. Oh, I was also a radio DJ for a Clear Channel station in DC!  So, I love music and I LOOOOOOVE to dance. I have a pension for making interpretive dances if the lyrics work for me. I love fashion – I’m a sample sale guru and love to shop – retail therapy! I’m a movie junkie to boot and pride myself on seeing every Oscar-nominated movie. Most of all, I love going to events and parties in NYC. “

MY FIVE FAVORITE THINGS

CARLY ZIPP

These are a few of my favorite things…sadly, they are NOT raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens. No, mine are a tad more realistic because I do not live in the Austrian hills, and to hear me sing them would be less “The Sound of Music” and more “The Sound of Glass Breaking”.

1)    My favorite website – OpenTable.com

Have you ever wanted to get into that overbooked restaurant? Or wanted to stop by a local joint but don’t which one would be best for your three children who only like waffles? OpenTable.com is the SOLUTION! Insert my friend Kelly and her 22 friends on her last birthday. Three days before and typical Kelly had left reservations to the last minute. She called me with the assumption that I could simply clap my hands together and get us into anywhere, at any time! False. Thank goodness I signed onto OpenTable.com, submitted my astronomically large request, and poof! I had five restaurants waiting to welcome us. Pure genius, and made me a legend (and the new party planner).

2)    My favorite makeup – Maybelline Great Lash Mascara

If you’re like me, you hate putting on makeup. I mean yes, it makes us look better as women and the cosmetic industry is a multi-billion dollar success. Mainstream media would have us believe that these gorgeous women we see in magazines and on-screen are to be worshipped, and it’s thanks to the power of makeup. That having been said, I just can’t get into it. My mom (and boyfriend) would say I’m naturally beautiful, I’d say I’m naturally lazy. This actually works in my favor, because when I do want to bring out the big guns and actually paint my face, I am greeted by the stunned face and “wow, you’re beautiful!” commentary. I have one thing to thank – Maybelline Great Lash Mascara. I put it on and poof! I am Cleopatra meets lazy New Yorker. My eyes pop and I’m ready to paint the town all kinds of red. It’s clean, sleek, and has won the acclaim of countless beauty awards. All for $4.99!

3)    My favorite song – Watch Me Shine by Joanna Pacitti

Music is a powerful art that we sometimes take for granted. Have you ever seen a movie (or in my case, any episode of Grey’s Anatomy) and cried deeply at a certain moment? Chances are there was music involved that made you feel deeply about something. Whenever I hear Roy Orbison belt “Pretty Woman” I immediately recall Julia Roberts prancing around Beverly Hills buying everything in sight and showing up mean saleswoman. “You people work on commission right? Big mistake. Big. Huge. I have to go shopping now.” YOU GO JULIA!

So, in that vein my favorite song is “Watch Me Shine”, it’s by a little-known artist and the song never really got that much air time but it’s just one of those songs that PUMPS YOU UP! Seriously, I insist that you download immediately and blast it in the morning getting ready. It’s going to inspire you I promise, and you will have to restrain yourself from belting out “Now watch me shine!” I consistently have this on repeat on the treadmill or while walking (no, strutting, with this jam I strut) and it gives me the inspiration to shine everyday.

4)    My favorite piece of clothing

I’m a small girl. I mean, short and I’ve done all my growing. When I shop I’m looking for what all women look for – something slimming, comfortable, versatile, and won’t break the bank. However, I have an added requirement – LENGTHEN ME! MAKE. MY. LEGS. APPEAR. TALLER. Do I have to bring back Houdini for such a feat? Eureka! I have found the perfect item for horizontally-challenged ladies such as myself. Two words: Minnie pant. No, this is not a garment promoted by Disney. They are a pair of pants by J.Crew and they are fabulous. See below:

I don’t know what it is that makes these pants work as they do but they are cut for short people I swear. Hit right at your ankles and they ELONGATE YOUR LEGS! And make them look phenomenal. I have them in black and whenever I wear them I get at least three compliments and one gratuitous butt-slap. I can’t say I don’t enjoy it. To buy:

5)    My favorite TV series – Sex And The City

HBO answered my prayers when they put Sex And The City on DVDs and On Demand. I don’t know any woman that doesn’t secretly love Sex And The City – and even if you don’t love the characters, you can’t deny the bond between four women navigating the concrete jungle. Whether it was the fashion they defined, the equality it allowed women to feel personally or professionally, or the ability to make sex not taboo, Sex And The City definitely changed the way women think. I used to play a game with my friends to determine whether I was:

Miranda: work-driven, kind of harsh, fiercely loyal, and brutally red-headed

Samantha: fabulously dressed, outspoken, and sexually emancipated…”the ego of a man trapped in the body of a woman”

Carrie: adorably yet absurdly dressed, witty, a little self-centered, and sharp

Charlotte: conservative (and I don’t just mean wearing pearls), well-groomed, and Upper East Side princess, and later on “a shiksa goddess”

Which one are you?

What I love about watching this series is that each episode brings with it fun and flirty fashion, failed relationships, laughable flings, and the ability to see yourself in the utterly fabulous shadows of such bold and innovative characters. Bravo!

*** Love all the tips Carly!  I want to know how you did all that you’ve done by 27!  You are amazing and I think I’m going to pretend to vicariously live through you!  I’m a huge “Sex and the City” fan myself, as well as OpenTable!  Thanks again!