jess zaino world tour 2006

Life has been crazy with a capital K this past week. I flew in to Chicago last Friday for a Nordstrom gig on Saturday. The Michigan Ave. store is brill! Big, beautiful and tons of trendy merch to choose from... annnd, they carry Scott Barnes' Body Bling. Head to accessories and pick up the new crochet Isabella Fiore bag. I also got to meet some kick butt chi-town, my town ladies. If you are in the neighborhood, make sure to stop by Exhibit on Lincoln Ave. and grab som grub and bins of wine at Bin 36. Then it was to New York to host KMS California's I AM KMS CALFORNIA CASTING CALL at the Nokia Theatre on 44th St. I wore a dress by ECHO provided by my good friends at Tracy Paul & Co. and accessories by H&M. Hung with The Gastineau Girls and learned that KMS Calfornia SilkSheen is the best for my frizzy New York 'do and that Joyce Leslie on University Place has THE BEST cheap-o, trendy shoes. NNNew York girls are still rocking the knee-high rain rubbers, so keep that trend coming. On a side note, my bag was lost and I was involuntarily pulled from a plane only to sit in a Chicago airport Hilton for a day and a half. Where was Paris when I needed her? As a result, I am waging a personal boycott against American Airlines and I suggest you do to. Oh! yesterday on JFK to LAX, I had Nigel Barker from ANTM and Jessica Simpson's dad, Joe on board!!

We're back, baby!

Make sure to save the date or set your Tivos because Modern Girls Guide to Life is back for its second season premiering tonight, Friday April 21 at 9pm on E!'s Style Network . Watch the normally tame Jane Buckingham get buck nekkid or Claudia Jordan (recently from Deal or No Deal) eat bugs. I didn't think models ate, let alone insects. Ewww. Plus we've got more of the tips and tricks needed for living a fabulously fabulous modern life. Think Sex in the City meets Queer Eye (sans the queer but all of the homoerotic undertones).

Super Deluxe Style Tip for the Ladies: Start rocking the watch. During the day and also with event evening wear. The bigger the better. "Borrow" one from your beau if need be. While you're at it, grab one of his white button-down Oxfords and throw on a cinch belt at the waist. Super Sexy.

Super Deluxe Style Tip for the Lads: Ditch your Nike Dunks and chuck those Chuck Taylors - its time to take it back to the old school of Spicoli and rock the black and white check slip-on sneak. Rite-Aid is currently carrying an awesome pair for $9.99. They're the most poorly put together shoe but I think that's what makes 'em super California cool. Look for the original Vans if blisters aren't your thang.

I'm still having an amazing time on my national Nordstrom tour speaking about the newest and chicest in Spring 2006 accessories and cosmetics. Think white for shirts, shorts and shoes and the oversized Bestey Johnson Buckle Bag. All the rage. This weekend I'm off to Chicago then its New York City on Tuesday to host the KMS California "Express Yourself" Event with those gorgeous Gastineau Girls.

best week ever

last week was a great week. that's been happening to me alot lately. I've been saying "today is the best day ever!" more often than I ever have in my life. pretty groovy. last week brough the wrap up of the second season of modern girls. we banged out a season in less than a month and I hear its looking great! it premieres this friday, april 21 at 9pm on style. watch it!! then david and I secured our new place and its a dream apartment. I'm psyched to move in and start to decorate. I signed with babette perry at entertainment powerhouse ICM annnnd to top it off I got see alot of friends I hadnt seen in a minute becuase of the hectic shooting schedule. great week. and I look forward to this one as well as I am getting a new car this week and flying out to chicago and then new york at the end of the week. I only hope that for all these amazing things and experiences that are bestowed upon me, I give back to the world with as much kindness, compassion and honesty. feck yeah!

bada bing

I went to joisey this past weekend for the nordstrom gig at the garden state plaza mall. it was one of the proudest days of my life. my parents came out from long island and got to see me "do my thang". I work really hard and have all my life so for my parents to see me work and applaud it is really special and important to me. everyone was super duper nice (big up meredith) and it was great to be with my east coast peeps. kristine even flew out from the seattle location to reprise her role as #1 accessory maven. she rocks. so does the betsey johnson hobo bag I so generously recieved from my friends at nordstrom. forget the dior goucho, I think this is the "it" bag for the season. especially in white!!

need a gift?

I have found that the best place on the net for gift giving is at redenvelope.com. it is a great site with classy gifts and an easy order process. you can find something nice for anyone and any occassion. yesterday was my co-host claudia jordan's b-day and I wanted to send her something that wouldnt die like a flower bouquet if she wasnt home to recieve it or would ruin her valient attempts at a no-sugar diet, so I found this great money tree. she loves plants and money, so I thought it was perfect! it's a real deal...or no deal (ha. claudia is on that show).

studio city hotspots

for the last couple of months I have been kickin it in the valley living in a purgatory awaiting my move to the heaven that is hollywood. in pure PR fashion, my fab publicist scored me a featured spot in a studio city publication as a studio city resident who is down on all the hotspots. it comes out next month. by that time I will be living la vida lacienega...
For some uber fashion and the latest fun trendy hot spots, forget Hollywood and Vine! Pedal over the hill and find out that Laurel and Ventura is where it is at!
The Valley boasts a lot of history, a lighter traffic flow then Hollywood, and the parking Nazis here are just a tad nicer. While the other side of the hill might be a bit less exciting then the big city, the pace is slower, and after shooting an episode of my show and working 14 hour days with the hot lights baking me like a stuffed potato, it’s nice to come home to a more sedate atmosphere.
For the Valley Virgins, here are just a few of my favorite Studio City haunts:

Yes, the Valley has it’s very own Coffee Bean which I’m at for an Iced Mocha Latte with No Sugar Added every morning (ADDRESS?) -

A five minute ride takes you to a beautiful morning hike in the canyon of Fryman

Trader Joe’s for dried pineapples and other yummy groceries, not to mention 2 buck chuck!

Sunday morning Farmers Market for fresh flowers, vegetables, and authentic tamales.

The 24 hour Ventura newsstand for the New York Times Sunday Edition (Style Section and Wedding Announcements) and yes, Studio City boasts the same selection of magazines that you can find at Borders! (Which we have, too!)

NEWS FLASH ALERT! PINKBERRY YOGURT is coming soon to the Studio City Plaza!!?!

For those of you who don’t know Pinkberry, get to know it.

La Perla has its merits, but IMHO, hands down, Faire Frou Frou is THE SPOT for fancy pants lingerie and undergarment type goodies.

Everybody who is anybody, gets down at Guy’s North. I especially like their Sunday Sopranos viewing party… and their martinis ain’t too shabby, either. Make sure to ask for Lisa Anne. She’s the best darn rum-slinger in the SC.

I’m a big fan of Lisa Rinna’s place Belle Gray on Ventura. I saw Kelly Ripa there once

For cool jazz on a hot Friday night, hit up The Baked Potato on Cahuenga. Not only do you get cool jazz, you get a baked potato!

Get the tastiest exotic teas and the out-of-this-world vegan green casserole at the classy Hugo’s on Coldwater and Riverside.

stylish in seattle

I am currently invloved with a fab event hosted by nordstrom called 'make it mine'. I get to travel to locations around the country giving modern girl fashion tips to a group of fashion savvy ladies (and curious lookieloos). I then do an hour of personal styling consults with customers. yesterday was my first gig up in seattle and it rocked. everyone was super nice and seattle is really cool. a couple of years back, I stayed up there for a month rehearsing for the nasa tour, so I was eager to see the pacific northwest again. I got my makeup done up in mac dejarose by kari from the san diggy location and wore an ultra fab frock by moschino that I picked up at the store. my favorite part was that they made up water bottles with my face on them!?! drink up! my second favorite part was the buckle-up large betsey johson hobo bag which was modeled. me likey. next week I head to paramus, new joisey.

who knew?

I'm in seattle on my nordstrom tour. home of starbucks. when I got in today ben the driver took me to a starbucks and I had the best chai tea latte of my entire freekin life. ben then went into a story about how his whole family were baristas for starphux before they took over the world. seriously, the best chai tea latte ever! l.a. starbucks sucks. Imma pull a britney and send the private jet up here to get my tea in the morning from now on.

sue wong

checked out the sue wong show yesterday. every season, ms. wong has the only show that rivals a new york production. this was no exception. her lines were inspired by the 1920's and each look came from a city: berlin, london, hew york, hollywood, cairo, shangai and all in the 1920's. It was exquisite. the beading alone was breathtaking. the collection is for fall 2006 and showed alot of burgundy, silvers and royal blues. I got to sit in the front row which is where all the real action is. the first row gets the best gift bag and I walked away with a fab sue wong wrap, clutch and an electric pink make-up bag full of mac products. 'delicious' as david says. after the show, I went to the valet and waited for my benzie for soooo long that ms. wong actually came out and was waiting for her car too. she looked too chic in an all black ensemble with a black 1920's bob, beret and bright red lips. life is a cabaret.

if you're ever in hollyweird

juli b.

awww dumb 2006

l.a. fashion week for fall 2006 is in town. luckily, jane and I got to do a segment for modern girls on hip and cheap styling tips from the freshest fashion man around, davis factor. grandson of max factor, davis (and his brother dean) own smashbox studios (where fashion week is heald) and the smashbox makeup brand. we had our makeup touch-ups backstage at the elsie katz couture show, ran into janice dickinson taping her own reality show for oxygen and then went to work. did you know baby wipes take out those pesky deodorant stains on shirts? now you do. afterwards we scooted out of there b/c things can get pretty hectic. I came home to make the yummiest sausage and peppers for dinner and to watch there and back (I love that ashley angel!) on the couch with david. faaaabulous.

modern girls guide to fashion week

started shooting last week. it was sooo fun. I got hair extensions at naimies in the valley and went for a suddenly slimmer treatment in bev hills and lost 16.2 inches in an hour?!!? you'll have to check out the show starting april 13 to view the results of both. tre exciting! tomorrow l.a. fashion week kicks off and I will be attending some of the shows and working some others. I am going backstage tomorrow with janey b. for a modern girls segment and then the rest of the week, I will be writing for beautynewsLA. the suites start on wednesday at hd buttercup but they are make it abundently clear that there will be no samples, so whats that all about, alfie?

the digital couch

wow. whoever wrote up these reviews is someone I wish I was on the digital couch with. oh yeah, I am. funny, insightful and endearingly opinionated, if you're into the teevee, this is a site you won't want to miss.

in your face

I start shooting the second season of modern girls tomorrow. things have been pretty coconuts moving in with david and all, so I wanted to make sure my skin was relaxed and looking smoove for my season debut. when in need for some facial remedy, I head to only one place: jurlique. its on beverly in bev hills. they use all natural products like lavender, orange and rose. I get the signature facial for $105.00 and always stock up on my fave product like the rosewater spritz and herbel recovery gel.

mondrian madness

started my day being picked up in a jaguar and getting driven over to the oscar suites at the mondrian hotel. fab. checked out some crazy ice for the oscar attendees including jacob the jeweler and a $700,000 diamond piaget watch that piddy rocks often. I'm into the watches. especially the idea of wearing a watch with a dressed up/going out look as the main accessory. ran into jean lee who styles modern girls. she's prego and looks lovely. enjoyed a comp mushroom facial peel from actifirm. got a mani with the jessica ladies. headed over to the la confidential suites on the same floor. met some nice people. drank tab energy drink which tastes like watermelon jolly ranchers. yum. my fave pieces by far were the original creations by david joseph for bochic. I've never seen anything like it. got yummy swiss chocolate from the swiss watch people at parmigiani. if its a swiss company with a cheese-like name, does it make their product full of holes? umm, I'll keep my day job. headed home to prepare for tomorrow's bev hilton, silver spoon and w retreat suites.

hollywood fusion

checked out the fusion in D party at hollywood and highland. got lots of fun free goodies. my fave being a lip plump mask from too faced, my new fave line. they also carry a fab "book" of shadows and blushes. very efficient. the owner and creator of product jerrod is a total sweetheart. somebody's got to get that brother on teevee. some other notables include christo's line of curly hair product, curlisto and pure hapa lotions from the isles of hawaii. aloha.

RIP harold hunter

harold was a good friend of mine. he was a really good guy and always down for a wild time. we would joke around about how one day we'd get hitched. he gave me my fave piece of art work. he lived fast and died waaay too young. I miss him already...

A skateboarder from the 1995 movie "Kids" has died in New York from what was believed to have been a cocaine overdose. Harold Hunter was found dead in his apartment Friday with cocaine "on and around" his body, police told Saturday's New York Post. Hunter, 31, skated in Larry Clark's movie about an HIV-positive skateboarder. His sister, Rebecca Atkins, told the Post: "He was saying stuff like, 'When I die I'm going to be famous.' "H used to have this saying, 'Legends never die,'" she added.

who is that guy's?

my mom came in from new york today for a visit. she loooooves doing the hollywood thing, so I figured I would take her to the opening (and birthday) of guy's north hollywood on ventura. guy's is famed for being the place on beverly that holds danny masterson's sunday jazz nights. my friend jamie primak does the PR for both places, so the invite was one I didn't mind checking out. I first put on a vintage number that my mom wouldn't be caught dead hanging out with me in. I finally gave in to her nagging and changed into my betsey johnson dress and shoes. I put my own special stamp on it by adding my libra earrings. what kind of bratty kid would I be if I gave into everything?!?! we showed up pretty early, grabbed a drink and a seat so we could watch the guests arrive. my mom said people were not as dressed up as she thought they'd be. I had to explain that jeans and camis for the girls and jeans and tees with blazers for the men is the la. nightlife uniform. my mom looked pretty in her very new york all black outfit. she borrowed a pair of shoes from me that were way too tight and had to be shucked off her feet. it was funny. alot of the guests arrived in my friend abi ferrin's designs. abi is a very sweet girl. she and jamie are BFF. jamie hooked it up so that abi designed the guy's cocktail waitress dresses. they were black and red and looked like something out of the jetsons. I commented to my mom that I didnt like them then when I saw abi, I kissed her ass and said they were cute. typical hollywood bullshit. we watched some of the "celebs" arrive like cindy margolis and constantine maroulis and finally when jason hervey, who played the older brother on the wonder years came through, I knew it was time to jet.

viva versace!

this fashion superstar does it right...

to wax or not to wax

I think that v-day is an appropriate name for valentines day because us girls have to shine up the ol' hoohah and make it presentable for our valentines day lovers and friends (in my case, my hottie new beau, D). I have been waxing since my early twenties at aveda in soho. when bliss came along with their lavender mix, I went over to them spending countless mornings and dollars in chic pain. when I moved out to cali, I didn't have a clue who to go to, so I googled up vaj wax and picked out pink cheeks in the valley where apparently all the porn stars go. this place was horrible and their service intolerable. not a fun experience when someone is ripping hot wax from your labia. for years following that, I just kind of let things go and rocked the retro bush. finally, a friend suggested a place called the beehive in beverly hills. for 40 bucks you get the full monty (front and back) and the sweetest most gentle woman in all of the city, marina taking care of your business. they are the best -- so for your cookie's sake, don't go anywhere else in l.a.!! she said that most women want hearts waxed into their privates for the special day. now thats love.