Leo is All You Need.

The Great Gatsby is creating quite the stir. 

Now I love the classics and Mr. Fitzgerald's has always been one of my favorite American pieces, probably because I was never forced to read it in school like most everyone I know. Anyone who's anyone has been using social media to prophecize, predict, analyze and comment ever since Baz Carny Cray Luhrmann announced his intention to start filming. I've heard whines about everything from the unnecessary extravagance to casting of Daisy to the way the modern soundtrack makes/breaks the film.

I'M OVER IT.

If you're being honest with yourself, only one thing really mattes, well, besides the fact that Jay-Z produced the soundtrack which is Epic. 

Jay Gatsby. 

Shout out to Robert Redford from my grandma but HELLO, Leonardo DiCaprio being mysterious, rich and in a three piece suit? 

I'm in. 

So without further adieu, the many (incredibly attractive) emotions of Leo as Gatsby: 

Anxious/Awkward Gatsby

Romantic Gatsby

"I Really Want to Hurt You Right Now" Gatsby

Classy Frat Boy Gatsby

Perfection.

xoxo,

B

Gwyneth Paltrow is My Spirit Animal?

To be fair, I was on the fence about Gwyn for years. Yes, she's got the unattainable perfect blonde hair and porcelain gluten-free skin but is that enough? I specifically asked myself that very question after finally being allowed to watch Shakespeare in Love at the tender age of 14 when my mother gave in to my bribery. I had great taste in films even then! Okay, so as I watched the movie I realized the leading lady was a nice looking blonde who spoke too slowly, although I noted maybe Shakespeare was to blame for that last oddity.

Years later, aka LAST YEAR, I ended up randomly watching a lot of her films –including Country Strong, OY - and reading about her in my favorite magazines and online outlets where she was suddenly an expert on everything from skincare to eating clean. This counts as exhaustive research, so I've since worked through the fact that she named her kids after fruit and a major Biblical character, respectively, and grown to love her for who she is: an Oscar-winning Actress turned NYT Bestselling Author who is married to a Mr. Coldplay. As if that wasn't enough, she has been deemed MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN BEYONCE. Let that sink in for a moment. 

So for all of you non-believers/haters, I present to you 8 reasons to adore Gwyn:

1. She is 40 years old and looks like this.
2. Her list of past-suitors sounds like the Oscar red carpet line-up: Brad Pitt (in his prime), Ben Affleck & Luke Wilson. 
3. She's married to Chris Martin and all signs point to a happy, healthy marriage. Say you don't love Coldplay and I'll say you're a liar. 
4. Leonardo DiCaprio inspired her to become a vegetarian. 
5. Her favorite look? Jeans and a t-shirt with minimal make-up. (In love, yet?)
6. "I feel my most beautiful when I am truly myself. Meaning, when I accept exactly where I am in time and space, and I'm not judging myself in any way, and I feel that I have the peace that comes with loving yourself and all of your flaws," she told People.
7. Her kids eat healthier on the daily than most adults I know but Gwyneth does let them eat Oreos and Cheetos. Hello, Mom of the Year.
8. She and Chris go on double dates with Jay-Z and Beyonce on the regular, telling Harper's Bazaar in a recent interview they have a lot in common: "We're all calm, grounded people." Word!  

XOXO,

B

All I'm Saying Is, Put Down Your iPhone. You Deserve a Real Date.

I grew up watching black and white romantic classics with my grandmother – think Roman Holiday and From Here to Eternity. While this did solidify my obsession with Audrey Hepburn and teach me the value of a perfectly tailored dress, it also left me with unbelievably high expectations of meeting someone new and subsequently, the first date. We should meet somewhere adorably unexpected – a coffee shop, on a business trip, at the park – then he would take charge and plan our night – picnic, dinner for two at a new place, hot air balloon ride because he knows a guy – where we will inevitably discover random common interests. 

The reality? Your friend from work/church/yoga knows a guy who is "perfect for you" because he's "super funny"so she has him look you up on Facebook. There's no candlelight, only the illumination from your iPhone as you read the short, vague message from Mr. Breezy. He asks for your number and you send it, under the pretense that he'll call and there will be no more typing. He texts and asks you for coffee/drinks/to watch basketball at his place and you're supposed to what…swoon?

It's 2013. I get it. I love my Apple products just as much as the next twenty-something and you don't even want to hear about the time I thought I had lost my iPhone to a carny cray's water spill at Bonnaroo. Google, Facebook, Twitter and yes, Linked In, are excellent tools to make sure your prospective date isn't married/a serial killer/repulsive, BUT you have to stop there. Investing too much time in analyzing someone's online persona is guaranteed to mess with whatever might develop when you actually spend time with that person. You start to rule him out because of what, he wore a man tank in 2004? 

Whatever happened to sitting across from someone and hearing firsthand where they work, what music they're into, where they went to college and where they ate amazing mexican last night! The eye gaze, the body language, the chemistry! I propose that we step away from the crutch that is social media and date the old-fashioned way called conversation. Besides, getting to know someone new and the anticipation you feel shoot out your fingers and toes is what it's all about, right? 

XOXO,

B