Just a few days to July 4th and time to look through your closet for all things red, white, and blue!

Indoor Fireworks

Did you click on the video? The perfect soundtrack for this section. What would be more romantic than presenting your soul mate with some diamonds during the fireworks? Make sure you are cuddled up on a deck or in a hotel room with a view of the display in the night sky. Guaranteed that you will create some of your own indoor fireworks.

Diamond earrings are always a good choice – they make a great commitment-free gift for a girlfriend and they are also are a special treat for your wife. Remember, jewelry shouldn’t always commemorate a special milestone or occasion – the best gifts come as a complete surprise. You can buy a very nice set of diamond earrings for less than $80 or you can go get some real celebrity-style icing and get earrings for several thousand dollars.

Happy Birthday

Gina Lollobrigida was born on July 4, 1927. She is actually Italian but was engaged to New York real estate heir George Kaufman for a brief period in 1969 and also was a Hollywood actress, starring in movies with Humphrey Bogart, Burt Lancaster, and Rock Hudson. At one point she was known as ‘the world’s most beautiful woman.’

She is wearing the perfect outfit for a July 4th picnic.

Add some celebrity icing to your style:

Check out this cute dress is from Tokyo Pink.

Accessorize with a vespa coin purse from etsy.com if you don’t drive the real thing. Also note, if you think a red, white, and blue color theme is too much you can try a light blue, pink, and white coordination like this one for your July 4th style instead.

And don’t forget the most important July 4th accessory of all, a picnic blanket!

American Sweetheart

Do you see fireworks when you kiss your American sweetheart? Propose on Independence Day and you will! Here is the perfect engagement ring for the day you give up your independence and start living the American dream – a house, a dog, some kids… okay, let’s just start with the ring, shall we?

The heart-shaped diamond and vintage-looking scroll pattern evoke old-fashioned romance. The cathedral style setting makes the most of the diamond and shows you are serious.

Have You Ever Had Your Colors Done?

During the 1980′s women would often get their ‘colors done’ – a trained specialist (like for example, one of your mom’s friends) would evaluate your coloring (hair, complexion, eyes) and then tell you if you were a Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter. You would be told what colors you should wear based on this evaluation.

This type of oversimplification and rigid rules of style went out with those scarves you were supposed to be able to wear in 150 different ways (instruction booklet attached).

Yet, there are colors that suit different people – and they can still be a good foundation to build a personal look on.

Today fashion rules are much more flexible (and fun) but not everyone has the confidence to break the rules (or the eye to do it well). In that case, we start a fun 4 part series based on the 4 seasons:

Are You A Spring, Fall, Winter or Summer?

Women of all Seasons

Join us as we look at the characteristics for each season and the colors that compliment them.

Which season are you?

Perhaps you will be surprised by the results. Perhaps we’ll inspire you to try out some new colors. Or, you can use the seasons as a gift guide for the Winter and Spring folks on your Christmas list (that’s probably how far we will get this month). And, of course, in true Celebrity Icing style – we will include some sparkly Stars and some starry sparklers for you to enjoy -with some fun nods back to that colorful decade, the 80′s along the way…

Last week our two favorite gossip girls Blair and Serena’s friendship turned downright frosty – but here at Celebrity icing we focus more on the frosting – in other words, the delicious designer duds that almost steal the scene from all the drama on our favorite show.

Did you take our quiz yet?

Go back to the previous post to find out Which Gossip Girl’s Style Suits You.

Are You a Vanessa, Blair, Serena, or Jenny?

Spotted: Sweet Shortcuts to Gossip Girl Style…

Jenny

When it comes to black eyeliner and social climbing, Jenny likes to lay it on thick….

Here’s a how-to video from Smashbox make up artist Hank Hoffman.

A little bit couture, a little bit rock n roll

Here she is in a Missoni dress, but you can honour Jenny’s budget roots by shopping for this look at H&M instead…

Vanessa

Vanessa has that whole boho thing going on. She dresses like a free spirit; however, if you look closely you can see that a lot of thought actually goes in to her outfits, which suits her character. Often she is wearing more bangles and necklaces that a carnival fortune teller, and has the big earrings to match.

Vanessa wears designers like Catherine Malandrino – affordable compared to the other Gossip Girls’ clothing, a Malandrino dress can be purchased for $300 (check out her sale page for even better pricing). Of course, a real-life Vanessa would also be able to walk out of thrift store with an entire outfit for less than $50… (less than $20 if you get lucky!).

Serena

Generally Serena looks like you wish you would look if you rolled out of bed wearing the same clothes from the night before… tousled hair, and thrown-together outfits, with skirt lengths and footwear inappropriate for daytime. Recently, she’s cleaned up her act quite a bit so picture the same look only with clothing fresh from the dry cleaners (and it looks like she finally found her hair brush – it only took her two years…).

Okay, I’m being a bit hard on her – I have to admit, I’m jealous – I miss the days where I didn’t feel self conscious in mini skirts and heels. This look definitely has an age limit – if you dress like Serena during the day and you’re under 35- you’re edgy; if you’re over 35 you’re something else… not sure what…

Blair

Oh, Blair. Not everyone can pull this one off. Many of us would end up looking like a sunday school teacher or a time traveler from 1985. You can get a similar look by shopping at any store that caters to older women (Ann Taylor Loft for example). Of course, this only works if you’re not actually already old. Just add a headband, or scarf-choker, and presto! At best, if this style appeals to you, I would recommend that you shoot for the ‘sexy librarian’ look – that might work. Don’t forget to add some pretty (and preppy) jewelry, like the bracelet below.

This week we continue our features on star sign inspired style.

Scorpios are born between October 24 and November 21.

According to circles of light.com, Scorpios have “piercing eyes, sexual magnetism” and are “secretive… and exciting”. They are also “great leaders… well spoken and charming.”

Julia Roberts

At first impression Julia Roberts seems like a nice person (and she probably is) but there is something else in her eyes and her mannerisms that hints that there is a lot more going on behind the scenes. She is either much smarter than she seems or a lot more ruthless – definitely, she is more mysterious than popular opinion gives her credit for.

Hammered fine silver and crystal earrings at etsy.com.

Chris Noth

Perhaps Chris Noth is more like Mr. Big than we think? Sexual magnetism and charm are both traits of the scorpio…

18K yellow gold wedding ring with blue sapphires. Masculine yet luxurious – just like Chris Noth’s suits.

Lisa Bonet

Lisa Bonet is definitely a mystery – she seems to resurface every few years in movies alongside big names such as Mickey Rourke (in 1987 Rourke was considered a big name), Will Smith, and John Cusack – only to disappear again – drawing some conjecture that she is perhaps difficult to work with?

Yet, if you grew up watching her as Denise Huxtable like I did, you can’t help but like Lisa Bonet – she seems like an old friend or cool older sister.

Most recently she appeared in two episodes of the TV series Life on Mars.

20 mm Hoops 14K Yellow Gold

Joaquin Phoenix

The epitome of a scorpio.

Theo Fennell scorpion ring – the perfect gift for a scorpio if you have around $8,600 British pounds…

theofennell.com

This week celebrityicing compares two famous and iconic American boys: John F Kennedy Jr and Nick Simmons.

Sadly, JFK Jr’s plane crashed tragically in 1999, so he is no longer with us (although our crushes on him will live forever).

A Life Built on the American Dream

The original Kennedy, Joseph (John F Kennedy’ father), still held the tenacity and ambition of his Irish immigrant family – making his fortune in banking and the film industry. Gene Simmons came to the US with his mom Florence (a holocaust survivor) from Israel and built his fortune in the entertainment industry using raw talent, ingenuity, and excellent business and marketing skills.

Joe Kennedy; Gene Simmons with his Mom

Controversial Dads/Grandads

According to time.com, Franklin D Roosevelt called Joe Kennedy (JFK Jr’s grandfather) a ‘crook‘ (although indirectly). According to wikipedia.org, Al Franken (now a US Senator) described Gene Simmons (Nick’s dad) as “the most awful person I’ve ever met” during a 2002 interview.

Famous Family

The Kennedys and the Simmons are the closest thing Americans have to the royal families of European countries. The average person is very familiar with their lives, which are covered in the media in detail. They are affluent, exciting, inspiring, and -most importantly – photogenic.

US President John F. Kennedy, First Lady Jacquie Kennedy, daughter Caroline Kennedy, and son John F. Kennedy Jr make up the most famous first family of the United States of America and belong to one of the most famous, wealthy, and influential US families (“the Kennedys”).

Rock bassist, vocalist, actor and successful businessman Gene Simmons, girlfriend Shannon Tweed, daughter Sophie Tweed, and son Nick Simmons make up one of the most famous rock n roll families (perhaps a close second to the Osbournes?).

American Royalty: Two Families

Surprisingly Vulnerable

Despite all of the advantages that good looks, wealth, and popularity bring –  both JFK Jr and Nick Simmons seem(ed) to be rather flustered by the attention and even embarrassed by their situation. (JFK Jr grew out of this so perhaps will Nick Simmons.) The tousled hair, eye-rolling, and awkwardly long limbs during the post teen years help purvey this image of course.

Professional Pursuits

John F Kennedy Jr was a talented actor but was discouraged by his family and studied law instead. He also founded the magazine George. Nick Simmons is also an actor (he plays himself on a reality TV show about his family) and creates comic books.

Tall, Dark, and Handsome

Swimsweets, I mean suits...

Here at celebrity icing we get style inspiration from our favorite stars. To get the JFK/Nick look above:

Meaningful Necklace

Chai Necklace (Judaic symbol, means "alive or living")

Swim Trunks

speedousa.com

Tousled Hair

The perfect accessories for the new mom!

Get Personal

These sweet charms are custom made, available at myretrobaby.com.

myretrobaby.com

Another idea – select a moppet from danforthdiamond.com to match gender and birth stone for a reasonable price (pictured below is the moppet for an August baby girl).

danforthdiamond.com

Available in gold, and they also have a sterling silver option (no stones) for under $40!

danforthdiamond.com

You can always get a tattoo of your children’s names – this is getting more popular now that tattoos are becoming so mainstream.

Rocker Travis Barker (Blink 182) has his 3 children – Alabama, Landon and Atiana tattooed on his lower back.

Special Delivery

For the truly unique gift, etsy.com is always a good bet.

Here is a vintage locket and charm combination created to safeguard photos of those precious little ones – and for an extra $2.00 she will gift wrap it for you and enclose your personalized note on a card.

Etsy seller Tamar

Great Things Come in Small Packages

A gift just for mom is also always appreciated in a time where everything is about the baby.

Try to keep jewelry kid proof so she can enjoy it – curious fingers or rough housing rug rats can pull big earrings right out of mom’s ear. These butterfly gold earrings are pretty safe (and pretty!) – they also symbolize the transformation of your friend (or wife, daughter, or sister) into a mother.

danforthdiamond.com

The fifth installment in our astrology series!

Give Your Accessories Some Star Power

If your birthday falls between July 23 and August 22 you are a LEO just like some of Celebrity Icing’s favorite stars: Amelia Earhart, Zelda Fitzgerald, Mick Jagger, Dustin Hoffman, and my friend Darcy! (Happy Birthday Darcy!)

This week we will look at some classic Leos from the black and white era of film…

According to astrology-online.com, Leos are “the most dominant, spontaneously creative and extrovert[ed] of all the zodiacal characters” (astrology-online.com).

Clara Bow

The characters played by silent film star Clara Bow fit this description perfectly: a real ‘go-getter’ who would always get her man. According to a fansite, she “was the first actress who visibly flaunted her sex appeal” and has become “an icon of sexual freedom for women everywhere” (clarabow.net).

clarabow.net

Note that Ms. Bow didn’t feel the need to wear showy jewelry to get attention – her natural charisma and confident poise would have been enough. Instead she wears a simple gold watch and a yellow gold link bracelet.

danforthdiamond.com

Myrna Loy

Another favorite of mine, Myrna Loy is best known for her role as Nora Charles in the Thin Man movies.

Here’s a glimpse of her wilder side. The picture is from an early role in the movie “Across the Pacific”. Note this famous Leo’s wild mane – perfect for a lioness. Hair like this is the only accessory you need (and I should know, trust me!) Perhaps a flower tucked behind your ear is a nice touch; otherwise, simple gold earrings would be enough.

wikipedia.org

Her most famous roles cast her as a perfect wife – her response to this was “Some perfect wife I am,” she said, referring to her typecasting. “I’ve been married four times, divorced four times, have no children, and can’t boil an egg.” (wikepedia.org)

Myrna Loy

Happy Birthday Leos!

Here are some gift ideas for the Leos in your life.

Amber or yellow stones are always a favorite of the feline friendly…

The Tiger Eye stone traditionally belongs to Capricorns, but also suits Leos.

It also reportedly helps you gain personal empowerment and courage (not that most Leos need help in those areas). Here’s the perfect gift for the stylish Leo man in your life:

amazon.co.uk/Fred-Bennett-Tigers-Eye-Cufflinks

Charm Your Leo

A sweet tiger will charm your Leo.

neimanmarcus.com

Controversial court cases, gossip, and plastic surgery aside – certain adjectives come to mind when I think of Michael Jackson.

Sparkly

Those glittery socks, the glove  and the shiny red jacket with all those zippers. Michael Jackson definitely knew how to catch our eye.

You wouldn’t know it from watching his performances, but he actually DID have more than one glove…

According to luxist.com, the glove from his Victory tour will go up for auction in early October and is estimated at a value up to $80,000 (somehow that seems low to me, but I guess we’ll see). The glove was designed by Ted Shell and is covered with beads, Austrian crystals and 50 tiny lights (a 9 volt battery in his cuff powered them).

The ‘Billie Jean’ glove was different – shiny all over with jewels and sequins and worn during almost every performance of the song and during many other public appearances. Samanthamo.com claims to offer the closest replica on the market – the glove is custom tailored to your hand size and the jewels are sewn on by hand for around $200.00 US.

samanthamo.com

Costumed

Just like a little boy who never quite grew up – Michael Jackson also seemed to find a lot of pleasure in playing ‘dress up’. Remember his military style phase? The jacket below, along with many other possessions were to be put up for auction in April but then Michael Jackson had a change of heart and cancelled.

Original 1994 Jacket

Influential design house Balmain offered a similar jacket for its Spring 2009 collection which means that there are plenty of Balmain-inspired coats on the racks of the more price-accessible stores if you’d like to wear one as a farewell salute to MJ.

The King

Elvis was the King until he came along – thanks to Elizabeth Taylor, Elvis has been relegated to ‘The King of Rock N Roll’ and Michael Jackson is ‘The King of Pop’. Elvis has Graceland, Michael has Neverland. I wonder if they will sell all sorts of monogrammed and portraited bling at his gift shop? And,  instead of Elvis glasses, they will probably sell gloves?

In the meantime, you can buy this matching set from Etsy seller PopBangles so you can be a little bit pop and a little bit rock n roll…

PopBangles.etsy.com

PopBangles.etsy.com

Too Much? Instead you can just wear a ring as a reminder of his passing, perhaps one like this that recalls a quote from one of his songs – that it ‘doesn’t matter if you are black or white‘…

danforthdiamond.com

Loyal Friend

It’s kind of unclear whether Michael Jackson was a loyal friend or whether he just inspired loyalty from those around  him, but he definitely had several long-lasting friendships that survived the different struggles and transformations he faced along the way. Elizabeth Taylor, Liza Minelli, Diana Ross are some famous examples I can think of at the moment…

Many of us grew up with him, and feel a loyalty and special nostalgia for his earlier days… It’s been said over and over that his passing is one of those remarkable days where everyone will remember exactly where they were when they heard the news.

You may not have danced outside the Apollo Theatre and you may not have tickets to the Memorial today.  Perhaps like me, you pulled  a bunch of old Jackson 5 videos up on YouTube and had a dance party in your living room as you introduced the songs to your children… Or perhaps you just spent some time feeling grateful for your own family, your good health, and your ability to walk around this world freely and enjoy the sunshine.

“Spotted, Juliette Lewis in Tribeca. Greenwich Street between Watts and Desbrosses.” (omgicu)

Website OMG ICU (omgicu.com) allows users to share New York City star sightings with each other.

Often the information just includes the name of the celebrity and the location; but sometimes the information is juicier.  For example,what they are doing, who they are with, even critiques of how they look are sometimes included. I found first spottings of engagement rings and smooches, and I’m sure there will also be spottings of weddings, newly married couples coming out of churches in the future, too!

You can search by most recent sightings, neighborhoods, or celebrity standings (A to D list). You can also do specific key word searches for celebrity names, streets, or other key words. A list spottings include everyone from Stephen Colbert to Justin Timberlake and the Dalai Lama. D list spotting examples are: Nicholas Cage (what?! I do not agree!) and Fisher Stevens (formerly married to Kirstie Alley).

Members also get to rate whether they care about the celebrity sighting (or not). For example, 75% of members cared that Uma Thurman was spotted “…on her blackberry, Busy but friendly, smoking a cigarette and looking great.” (omgicu)

Members who live in the NYC area can sign up to receive texts when sightings occur.

This site is great is you are in New York City, but also fun if you just want to keep up to date on your favorite celebs!

Heather Matarazzo

Heather Matarazzo (of Welcome to the Dollhouse and The Princess Diaries fame -she was also DJ’s girlfriend on Roseanne) spotted on the 5 train to Union Square“reading Conversations with God with an engagement ring on“(omgicu).

wikipedia.org

Edward Westwick and Chace Crawford

In a beautiful case of irony, Gossip Girl fans can keeps tabs on their favorite gossip boy crushes Chuck Bass and Nate with OMG ICU. Also a great way to find out where they are filming so you can try to catch a glimpse of them ‘for reals’.

“…saw ed westwick and chace crawford at a gossip girl set infront ofgramercy dorm “Chase Crawford with a big posse @ The Thompson Hotel (190 Allen St) on the les around 1am wearing a hat and hoodie.” (omgicu)

OMG ICU is a new website (it is currently operating as an alpha version) so I think the lack of current members is swaying the ratings quite a bit. Do them a favor and sign up and help save Kyle Maclachlan and Kim Gordon from the D-List category, for heaven’s sake!

wikipedia.org

The third installment in a series about how your accessories can have some star power!

Born between May 21 and June 20? Then you are a Gemini just like Johnny Depp, Joan Rivers, Stevie Nicks, and Nicole Kidman.

Geminis are adventurers in life – they aren’t afraid to try new things and they are fun people to have around. Geminis are known as great communicators – they’re good talkers but also good listeners and are usually dialed in to all the dirt on their friends (famous gossip columnist Hedda Hopper was a Gemini). The Gemini, or two sisters, are also known for having two sides to their personalities.

Gemini Star Style: Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman’s adventurous spirit is seen in her very diverse choice of film roles: from chick flick Practical Magic, edgy comedy To Die For, experimental foreign film Dogville, to blah Hollywood flicks like Far and Away and Days of Thunder. Like all Geminis, Kidman has two sides to her character: she is a celebrity but she is also a humanitarian (recipient of the United Nations Citizen of the World Award). She has had two very different husbands. She is a dual citizen: American and Australian – she was born in Hawaii but has lived most of her life in Australia.

One of my best friends is a Gemini and all of these characteristics fit perfectly with her as well: she loves life and is a fantastic listener. She has her professional side, working in the corporate legal world, but also uses her connections and talents to contribute to local fundraising. Early years in California but living in Canada – she has enjoyed two very different childhoods. Happy Birthday, Kristine!

Gems for the Gemini

When a Gemini arrives in our world, Summer is just around the corner. Perhaps that is why they look great in anything that catches the light: sparkly stones, transparent gems, and silver or white gold.

Here are some great birthday gifts for Geminis:

Bulky Bracelet

Birthstone Moppet