Thank you for another wonderful year on The Daily Connoisseur. This is my last video of the year as I will be taking a break until January. I am greatly looking forward to 2015 and have some very exciting news to share with you upon my return. So until then... Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and I am wishing you a very...

Rain has finally made it to California! We've been facing one of the worst droughts on record here in Southern California so it is with great relief that we all welcome the rain. Today I am showing you an outfit of the day, rainy day edition. Many people automatically think they need to wear jeans in bad weather but...

In the second of three new videos this week, I am sharing my new signature scent with you. I actually shot this video in early November but because of the many family events we had that month, I am just publishing it now. A signature scent is a wonderful thing... A fragrance that encapsulates you, that your family associates...

Greetings Fellow Connoisseurs, My Christmas present to you this week is... three new videos! Starting with today's video on Cream Cheese Christmas Mints. Be sure to check back this week for an Outfit of the Day (OOTD) video, an updated signature scent video as well as an exciting interview/ giveaway from Shannon Ables...

Today I have two very fun and sweet classic children's books from New York Review Books to introduce to you that would make wonderful stocking stuffers or Christmas presents for the special children in your life. We can be so inundated by commercial characters and fast-paced children's TV shows these days that there is...

I'm going to let you in on a surprising secret. I love to decorate with faux flowers! Silk and faux flowers have really come a long way and can look incredibly realistic. They can be wonderful for people who don't have access to a garden or who don't have the budget to constantly purchase fresh flowers, but who still...

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and are enjoying the wonderment of the season. Thank you for your messages of condolence on my social media sites regarding my grandmother's passing. Last week was very difficult for me and your messages were greatly comforting. I'm back now on the blog and hope to spend this month...

Last week I filmed myself every morning so you could see 5 days of outfits: Monday through Friday. This is so you can get a real world sense for how my ten-item wardrobe works and to encourage you about how many possibilities you can have and how exciting it can be! Many people are under the misconception that they...

Cultivate your mind: one of my favorite lessons I learned while living in Paris. There are so many ways to do this but in our modern society of reality television and lowbrow entertainment, we have to make an extra effort to not let our intellectual and artistic passions go by the wayside. Reading poetry, especially...

Ah, the clearing of clutter. One of my favorite things to write about and incidentally read about. Why? Because when I write about it or read a good book on the subject, I get a new rush of inspiration and tackle projects that I had given up on long ago. Many people share that they have experienced this after reading...

I promised to speak more in depth about some of my recent fall beauty finds. This week's video shares these finds with you as well as shows a two part tutorial: my everyday fall le no makeup look and an amplified version. Fall makeup finds: CHANEL Perfection Lumiere Velvet- for me, this is matte makeup perfection....

Today's featured book is Bittersweet by Colleen McCullough. Bittersweet is Ms. McCullough's first romantic saga since The Thorn Birds and it has readers swooning. Here is what the critics are saying: "Filled with humor, insight and captivating historical detail, McCullough's latest is a wise and warm tribute to family,...

I'm not trying to be dramatic here, but today I do have a small piece of advice that can change your life. It's to do with how you eat lunch. Technology, in particular the internet, has changed our lives in the most amazing ways. In other ways it has also been a detriment. It's changed everything from the way we communicate...

What a truly wonderful book we are featuring on the blog today: Elsa Schiaparelli: A Biography by Meryle Secrest. Here's the description from Knopf: Her name was Elsa Schiaparelli. She was known as the Queen of Fashion; a headline attraction in the international glitter-glamour show of the late twenties and thirties,...

I often like to post my "Sunday Best" chignon pictures on social media and many of you have requested a video tutorial for them. This week I share two of the easiest chignons I do. Both work great with long hair but could also be achieved, with modification, on shorter hair. I love a good chignon because it is a classic,...