If you were to ask me who my favorite models were, Iman would definitely be at the top. She is one of the most exotic women in the world and I love her focus and mark that she has left within the beauty industry! Iman Cosmetics is focused on making sure that all women have fabulous shades to choose from that will work with their tones! In addition, she released a book a few years ago, The Beauty of Color, that also touched on this topic. Recently I received some new items from her line and I definitely liked the rich hues. My favorite is the Eye Defining Powder which is an eye liner that has the silky application of eye shadow with a great pearl finish. It will be available in stores next month!

Oh man! So on March 7th I will be heading to the Dominican Republic for 8 days of sun and warmth! Seeing that I am not into scuba diving and all of these various sports, I need to have a great book while my boyfriend enjoys the water sports! There are so many great books out there (and sagas - last year I was able to read all of the Harry Potter books which was amazingly good)! I have to say that I am excited about reading some of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's works as I have only read 100 Years of Solitude, it is rumored that at the age of 89, he has worked on a new book where he has a few versions of it (I got this from Latina Magazine which has an amazing look in this month's issue about Sessilee Lopez) and is currently torn between which one to go with. With all the comments on Twitter, I have started to become curious about Twilight but will only dive in if I read everything! In addition, there are some other great books on the horizon as well! So if you see me on the beach, you'll see me in my bathing suit with my large hat, Marc Jacobs sunglasses and peeking out of my Tory Burch beaded bag - one of these books that are my current picks! If you don't agree, let me know what you're reading or will be soon.

Ah moving in with your Food Editor who also has quite an eye for design means that I don't have complete say so on what goes within our space! I love that we agree and disagree and we are definitely learning. So we have an interesting space that is upstairs and downstairs. We decided that upstairs, which is our living space, will be very Japanese like. Our bed is a beautiful platform  bed that is known as Espresso in color. This is great since I love that the wood is black with a hint of brown but I find it difficult to find additonal wooden pieces. We also have gorgeous wood floors that are more a of a cherry stain so the problems continue. We need a bookcase badly and probably a few as we are piling up on books and interesting items. But what to get? Below are some shelves that I am thinking of and believe that this can add to our theme! This weekend we went to Pearl River and we bought our first sake set!

Fashionable Fridays are always about amazing fashions and people and I am so excited to share a great interview that I had earlier this month. At the beginning of the month, I tweaked your interest with a post about an interesting novel that recently came out and I let you know that throughout Oct, you would get to know more about it! Last week, during Thursday's Beauty Segment we presented various beauty treatments/rituals that appear within the pages of A.W. Gryphon's novel, Blood Moon; moreover; she generated this list.

Today's post brings tidbits of the novel while also learning about the author as well. Blood Moon is a novel that not only looks at the typical theme of good and evil but presents a well researched look on what happens through time and how many choices and decisions may not be of your own free will. In Amelia, the main character, we are also presented with the age old question of nature versus nurture and which one plays out. More importantly, this book doesn't focus on the choices made but creates an understanding of how events can come into play to allow someone to go in one direction versus another. As an outside observer, we are able to see how the individual people and events are very intricate puzzle and at the conclusion of this novel which is apart of a three book series, you find yourself pleased to be apart of the journey while being as conflicted as Amelia herself.

In addition to this, this story is very October appropriate whether you are focused on Halloween or Harvest principles. This story looks and follows various historic times in history in terms of Witches and Wiccans. While this theme plays on, we can also appreciate the very modern world that Amelia lives in which includes Chanel, the need to infuse beauty regimines within daily life, a love of art and as we leave her native San Francisco, we are also pleased to embrace London where most of the story takes place. This book was so compelling that it was extremely difficult to tear myself away and as I closed the last page, I wished that it was next Spring when the next chapter is slated to arrive. In addition, Gryphon took great care to think about the names of each character and to ensure that everyone matched what their personalities were meant to be.

Without giving too much away, I was left with so many questions - why was this topic chosen, what am I supposed to come away with in reading this book and most importantly who is A.W. Gryphon. One of the things that I am very appreciative of is the open dialogue between myself, Ms Gryphon and her assistant! We shared so many ideas in terms of how I wanted to introduce her to all of you and I loved that she was very hands on! So it was all of this goodwill and excitement that I took with me as I entered Saks on a Sun to have a lunch session with the author herself. In addition, As I left the chocolate cafe, passed through the amazing 8th floor of shoes and met Gryphon in the actual cafe we were supposed to meet, I realized that various nonverbal clues were telling me a lot about her!

I loved that she had already begun to shop for shoes and that I loved the handbag that she carried, as someone who is a huge fan of accessories - I am always on the lookout for this. I also love that she had an amazingly simple and yet fashionable outfit. Decked out in James Perse, with her hair pulled up, I knew that she was everything like the person who I emailed weeks earlier and she had an ease of character that flows through the book compelling you to continue reading.

During lunch, I asked Allison how she became inspired to write this book! Surprisingly, I found out that she is not a practicing witch or Wiccan; however, she researched it so well that I had assumed that she was. In addition, this book reflects bits of her own footprints in that she grew up in San Francisco and loved the idea of strong women (which you will find in the book) and was introduced to various religions which created an interest in general. She also loves London which is why it became the backdrop of the novel and is why art was such an importance in the book as well.

Interestingly enough, this novel does not depict the witch in terms of the expected "hocus pocus", rather it creates a quick historical education of the celtic Druid tradition. There is a focus on the strength of women and their importance in the cycle of life. More importantly, Amelia is a character that we can identify with that has the same ups and downs that women have.

When reading this novel it is completely cinematic and I began to wonder who would star in this movie. Interestingly enough, we both agreed that one of the characters, Jeremy who plays a significant role in Amelia's upbringing - we equally loved the idea of Jeremy Irons or Anthony Hopkins to play the part. Gryphon's wishlist also include a young Cate Blanchett to play Amelia. Finally, Dorian who is a central figure in the opposing group of witches could be a David Bowie - hands down. I hope to see this book as a movie and to see who the actual characters would be.

What intrigued me about this book is learning about Gryphon herself! I llove the fact that she is an accomplished screenwriter (we will cover her films later this month), she created a novel simply from an interest and research. Finally, her sense in giving back to various charities is also important. We are both involved in Surfrider's Organization as we believe in clean waters that we can all enjoy, she believes in the Shambala Preserve which is run by Tippi Hedren and strives to be a safe haven for big cats that have been mistreated and she is also apart of the Entertainment Industry Foundation which supports various causes as Breast Cancer. I love someone who believes in various causes and follows their passions as well. Make sure that you take a moment to visit Blood Moon's website; moreover, it is available on Barnes & Noble and Amazon!