Magic my, oh, my...

Remember when chick flicks meant the new Meg Ryan movie or the screen adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel? Well not anymore, with Magic Mike all pre-conceived notions of a Girls Night Out of dinner and a movie have gone out the window. As much as we can hardly wait to see Channing, Alex, Matt, Joe and Matthew on stage, we couldn't help but fantasize about being in the Casting Director's seat. Who's your top five?

P.S. And when we say "fifty shades..." we're definitely not talking about nail polish, not even lip color! Maybe Beyoncé is right - Who run the world?

Rorie’s Fab Five


If I had another bachelorette party, I'd pick these hot, hunky and handsome men to serve as eye candy (and more) for the night.

Chris Hemsworth

Ryan Gosling

Chris Evans

Henry Cavill

Paul Wesley

Jenny’s Fantasy Five

Ryan Gosling

Rodrigo Santoro

Tyson Beckford

Mark Wahlberg

Ryan Reynolds

Karisia’s Dream Team

Cristiano Ronaldo

The sole reason I set my alarm at 2:15am to cheer for Portugal or Real.
Sleep is not a priority when it comes to CR7, that's why there's Starbucks.

Ed Westwick

"I'm Chuck Bass" and that's all I need to know.

Adam Levine

Crazy (must be all those tattoos.)

Sexy (thanks to yoga.)

Cool (just look at him. beautiful!)

  

Justin Chambers
I now know bad boys are overrated, but Dr. Karev is McDreamy & McSteamy combined.
In real life, he's been married for almost 20 years and is the father of 5 kids.
Can he get any hotter?

Josh Charles

Like fine wine, Knox Overstreet has grown better with age.

Adios Billy Alan Thomas, Will Gardner is now my favorite lawyer of all time.

Smart, confident and self-assured...swoon.

Kit's Tall, Dark and HOT Eye Candy

Henry Cavill

He was built for the Man of Steel. I cannot wait for this movie to come out!

Jordan Knight

Living proof that some things get better with age!

I was gaga for him 25 years ago, still gaga over him NOW!!!

Alex O'Loughlin

Of Hawaii 5-0 - it's the cargo pants and the Navy Seal swagger that he has on the show.

Gabriel Macht

Being called a suit is a good thing...

Channing Tatum

I have no words...beefcake through and through!

K & K en Europa! (Part I: Roma)

 

It all started with a plan...

The Bolso Babes have been friends for a really long time. More than half our lives. But the four of us are only half of our barkada. Altogether, we are the LLFs - Life Long Friends. The term LLFs came about when we were all sitting around celebrating - either another birthday, wedding, or christening - and we realized how long we’ve been a part of each other’s lives. We truly are and forever will be life-long friends.

I had a grand plan of the LLFs going on a girls only Vegas trip for the celebration of our “thirty-fab” year. But everyone’s busy schedules and family obligations made it difficult for all of us to get together - and only two of the original eight were free to go.

So LLFs became K & K, and partying in Vegas became galavanting around Europa! (Well, 2 countries anyway.)

Meeting in Madrid

Karisia and I decided to meet up in Madrid since she was already there. We had about a day and a half in Madrid before we officially started our adventure in Rome.

Rome, Italy 

We arrived at one of the smaller airports (Ciampini) outside of Rome pretty late and we were extremely lucky that all cabs leaving that airport had a flat rate fare system to anywhere in the city. Otherwise we would’ve been taken for an unpleasant ride with the otherwise “shady” cab drivers Rome is notorious for.

Hotel del Corso

We stayed at Hotel del Corso on Via del Corso - great location because it was smack in the middle of everything. You could walk to most of the major tourist attractions and the underground station was a couple of blocks away. It was also very safe to walk home at night.

The rooms are tiny and the walls are pretty thin, so if you’re a light sleeper you might consider another hotel. On our first night, the front desk had to give us a call to tone down our gabfest because the people in the next room could hear our laughter. The hotel needs a bit of refurbishing but the staff is very accommodating and friendly. 

The Vatican

We spent most of our first day at the Vatican - St. Peter’s, the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel. There was a lot to see and we didn’t want to feel rushed, so we took our time and set the whole day aside just for the Vatican. We also discovered that the currency exchange at the Vatican post office doesn’t charge a service fee when you change your foreign currency. Way better rates than the airport or hotel!

Fontana di Trevi, Vino, Gelateria San Crispino 

On our way to dinner, Karisia and I decided to make a quick stop at the Trevi Fountain for some pictures. There were so many other tourists with the same idea, it was impossible to get a good shot.

We were starving and very thirsty by the time we got to this quaint, family-run restaurant a few minutes walk from the fountain. It was then that we discovered K & K are NOT wine snobs and are just fine with house wine by the litre - or two!

   

After dinner, we got our dessert across the street from Gelateria San Crispino. I can’t remember which flavors we tried and I think this out-of-focus picture shows you why...

Hop On- Hop Off!

We had one full day left and we agreed that the best way to make the most of it was to take a bus tour. This was perfect for us because the bus stopped at all the must-sees, and we were free to get off and explore the sights, then get on the next bus that came along.








We powered through the day and saw the Coloseum, La Bocca della Verità, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, Castel d’Angelo, Piazza di Popolo...and a few churches in between.

Rome was packed. There were tourists and queues everywhere. I had a fantasy of myself sitting smack in the middle of the Spanish Steps posing for a solo photo, but the crowds were like this EVERYDAY!

Arrivederci, Roma!

Our last dinner in Rome was at an osteria just around the corner from our hotel -  ‘Gusto (Piazza Augusto Imperatore 9, 00186 Rome). Having passed it everyday, we took it as a good sign that it was always full of locals. And sadly, I cannot remember what we ordered (Blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-alcohol...), but I do know it was a lovely dinner to cap off our Roman adventure!

 

Karisia and I had time for a short stroll along Via del Corso and Piazza di Popolo before heading to the train station. Rome almost ended on a sour note when we had to pay more euros than expected  for the ride to the Termini - our shady cab driver literally took us for an unsolicited ride around the city! Grrr! But we were way too excited to get to Firenze to care!

- Kit G. Gordon

Date Night

KIT

I don't know about you, but I've done the Little Black Dress to death for V-day! While the LBD will forever be a gal's go-to, never-fail closet staple, a pop of color will always make a splash. It may not be the obvious choice for the Day of Hearts, but purple is my favorite color and I've been looking for a dress like Victoria Beckham's silk purple strapless dress since she wore it to American Idol a few years back. I love the clean lines and feminine details.

 

I was lucky enough to score these YSL platform pumps on my recent trip to Florence with Bolso Babe Karisia and have been dying to wear this on date night with the hubby! Nothing screams sexy more than a pair of black killer heels! 

I love the Balenciaga Tube Clutch because it's perfect for evenings out and roomy enough for my both my cell phones and beauty must-haves.

Make Up Forever's Aqua Eyes eyeliners are so easy to apply. The Anthracite gives me the strong, smoky effect I want and stays smudge-free all night!

MAC Lipstick in Faux is a nudey-pink-beige that balances out my strong eye make-up. I like layering MAC Cremesheen Glass in Boy Bait for a nice shine.

 

A spritz of Jo Malone's Limited Edition Lotus Blossom & Water Lily cologne and I'm all set for date night!

Photos from: popsugar.com, bagssale4u.com, bayareabags.com, makeupforever.com, maccosmetics.com, jomalone.com

JENNY

The girl with the pearl earrings...

The classic combo:

Jeans

 GAP

and a White Tee

J. Crew Perfect Fit Tee 

Every woman needs a pair of black flats...

 Kenneth Cole Reaction's Slip On By

It's in the bag...  

Tory Burch Nylon Ella Tote in Navajo Green

Photos from: gap.com, jcrew.com, piperlime.com, toryburch.com

RORIE

ROLAND MOURET Leather Appliqué Crepe Dress

Jerome C. Rousseau

Lizzie Fortunato

Yves Saint Laurent

Alexander McQueen

Photos from: net-a-porter.com and style.com

KARISIA

I love an excuse to wear a dress and get all dolled up. Getting ready in my house means scented candles, music blaring and modeling at least three outfits in front of my nieces. The LBD has always been my all time fave go-to outfit...It's safe, classic and slimming, hence it makes up half my closet. I've desperately been trying to step out of my comfort zone by adding colors and prints, but lately my obsession is to find the perfect LWD. Channeling Kate...

I truly believe that every girl must have her perfect pair of black heels that go from day-to-night, work-to-cocktails and GNOs-to-Date Nights. Thus, these black Badgley Mischkas from My Sissy are my post-6pm staple. 

One of the perks of being a Mama's Girl is that I have free access to Mother Dearest's dressing room. This Dior shoulder bag, used as a clutch, is perfect for my nighttime essentials.

Until I figure out how to do the whole "five-minute face" bit, I'm sticking to my tried and tested beauty products:

Benefit's Erase Paste in Fair, Fresh's Twilight Fresh Face Glow, Bobbi Brown's Creamy Eye Pencil in Jet, Nars' Volumizing Mascara in Black, Rosebud Salve, YSL's Rogue Volupte #12 Forbidden Burgundy (Gracias a Bolso Babe Rorie for introducing this to me) and T. LeClerc's Loose Powder in Banane

And just because PINK will always be my most favorite color, this Emilio Pucci Plexiglass and Crystal Cuff is high on my List of Lusts...

Photos from: runningwithheels.com, net-a-porter.com