Katherine Chloé Cahoon

I thought the hardest part of filming my Spring Break fashion video was sneaking into stores to bring you the latest looks. Then I returned home to tape my intros and connectors and realized that I was lacking in crew members…aka snagging a kind-hearted soul to work the camera. But no problem. As you can see, hitting play and running into the frame works! Now I’m just down to editing. Final Cut Pro and I have become quite close friends:) What can I say? I’m a one woman production company.

I’m about to film a Spring Break fashion video. Some of you asked me to cover swimsuit trends. I guess that means I have to remove my towel? Yikes!!!

Sliver Linings Playbook fans, prepare to laugh!

This was quite the whirlwind project. I scripted it during the Oscars, filmed each clone persona afterwards – complete with costume changes – and then edited it. I wanted to post the video that night…or at least before the sun rose:) But Compressor had a mind of its own and took much longer than usual to render it. So I had to post it the next day.

I’m getting comfy watching red carpet festivities. Tonight, I’ll post a funny Oscars video for you all…with a twist! In the meantime, this occasion might call for two bowls of popcorn. Anyone wanna join me?:)

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I’m sharing my grandma’s timeless dating secrets. She advises, “Some girls date guys who are good friends and who they work well with. Those qualities are really important, but if there’s no romantic spark, forget it. A girl should be so excited for that special someone to pick her up on a date that her stomach is dancing with butterflies.”

Grandma’s quite a catch! When she was young she had dark brown hair and emerald green eyes that had men mesmerized. She met my grandpa while working at the Trianon Ballroom during World War II. Soldiers stopped in while on leave. They lined up to dance with her. She had so many admirers that she would only dance one song with each man. But when she met my grandpa that changed. She was so taken with him that they danced for three songs in a row! She said that romantic sparks never stopped flying between them from their first date until the day my grandpa died ten years ago. She can’t imagine remarrying because as she puts it, “Why, when I had Prince Charming?”

Professional makeup artist, Duncan Smith, is the king of explaining step-by-step how anyone can pull off a beautiful smoky eye with any product line. I’ve seen countless tutorials on this look that were too complicated—or so overdone that when I tried them, I resembled a raccoon. So Duncan and I teamed up again to give you these easy-to-follow tips.

If you want to enjoy the rays you might consider these beaches that are not just beautiful, but filled with personality.

Waikiki (Oahu, Hawaii) Anything goes here, but not in a wild party sense. Waikiki is friendly to both families and singles. I’ve seen almost everything there from stand-up paddle yoga to beach acrobatics. One time a group of professional surfers overheard me saying that I’d never surfed. They invited me to join them. I explained that me surfing for the first time would be equivalent to the I Love Lucy episode where she took her first ballet class…disastrous times ten. They didn’t mind. I love this friendly, nonjudgmental vibe. When I took this picture one evening before going to town, no one even seemed to notice that I was striking a dance pose on the beach. After all, the people behind me were doing ocean aerobics!

Mykonos (Greece) This town is party central and packed with stylish beaches, bars, restaurants, and shops. Unlike Waikiki, it doesn’t have hot weather right now but is perfect for planning a summer getaway. Mykonos has developed a glamorous reputation without losing its Greek roots. During the high season, girls live in their bikinis all day until evening. Even if they decide to take a hike, head out to a restaurant, or shop, they often simply throw on a sarong and go. When the weather is good and the sun begins to set, Tropicana, located on Paradise Beach, is the place to be for a buzzing beach party. And girls, you know you can find guys here. There’s a reason why Mykonos is one of the towns I featured in The Single Girl’s Guide to Meeting European Men!

Tamarindo (Costa Rica) My friend just spent the holidays here. She wanted to soak up the culture as well as the sun, so she sought local outdoor hubs. Her favorite beach was Playa Conchal. She said there was a Westin in the middle of it, which attracted tourists, but locals flocked to the rest of the beach. School was on break there, so Playa Conchal was filled with generations of families camping on the sand. When the sun went down, the families barbequed and played music from boom boxes on the hoods of their cars. Her group was invited to join one of these parties and “adopted” into a Costa Rican family!

When entertainment writer Chris Trash asked me to contribute to a charity cookbook, I was excited to help. If you’re like me and love eating so much that it might as well be a hobby, by ordering this book you can both get your food fix and help those in need. Chris said, “the idea is to get a group of young up-and-coming faces together and have them share a little piece of their everyday lives.” As he put it, “Buy this book and get recipes from Katherine Chloé Cahoon, Mike Benner, Chase Mitchell and MANY MORE!…Not THAT many more, like 15 more people but still pretty fancy…you don’t just become Gwyneth Paltrow overnight.” I like to think of us as the “almost famous” because we’re included on almost prestigious sites like Celebrity wikiFeet! But seriously, check out the book!

Whew! I did it! I snuck into another dressing room to show you the latest fashion trends. There was no time to manually focus my camera so the video gets blurry every once in a while, but that’s the price of sneaking in! And if only I’d invented a tripod that collapsed small enough to fit into my purse there would have been no camera wobbles:)

I love everything about the holidays…the decorations, caroling, and time spent with family and friends. A favorite holiday memory is dancing in Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Nutcracker. Each year while growing up, I had about forty performances filled with festive cheer and unexpected adventure. One that stands out was when it snowed so hard in Seattle that driving felt like going on a slip and slide ride. Many of the dancers, stage crew members, costumers, and makeup artists couldn’t make it, but audience members who lived nearby walked to see the ballet. No one wanted to turn them away, so our artistic directors decided that the show must go on.

I went downtown ahead of the storm, checked into a hotel close to the Opera House, walked there, and did whatever I could to help out. With the lack of makeup artists, we all did our own stage makeup. Even the little dancers got creative and smeared some on as older girls helped clean them up. When the ballet was slated to begin, a voice came over the backstage intercom asking, “Can someone lead the orchestra?” The conductor was stuck in the snow so the tuba player spontaneously took his place. Onstage, we had to double up on roles and improvise. Since there weren’t enough fighting mice, some of the soldiers had to kill themselves in the battle scene. As you visualize this, keep in mind that PNB is one of the top five ballet companies in the nation, with a renowned orchestra, and a famous Nutcracker, complete with sets and costumes by Maurice Sendak! Somehow, we all pulled it off. At the end of the performance, the tuba player joined the curtain call in his jeans and t-shirt…which was slightly small from indulging in holiday goodies…instead of the usual tux our distinguished conductor wore. He got a standing ovation!

Meanwhile, the snow continued pelting down and dancers piled into the hotel instead of risking the roads. We had so much fun playing games and everyone agreed that this performance was a memory we would always cherish. I hope you all are enjoying the holiday season and creating new memories.

As I think about what I’m thankful for, all of you are high on my list. This past year I’ve received many wonderful emails, messages and comments from around the world. I especially appreciate all of your support at book signings. One that stands out was a university event in California. While I was traveling there, someone accidentally dropped a suitcase on my head! With a throbbing headache, I just wanted to bond with my bed instead of bonding with a bunch of sorority girls while delivering a speech on European hot spots and culture. But I went and was so touched by all of the girls clapping and cheering me on that my headache instantly went away! A friend commented that I had a fun job. I told her that you all were what made it so much fun.

Retail therapy gives any shopping lover a natural high, but when your credit card takes a hit and post-spree depression sets in, that’s never worth it. Like many, I love to shop. I travel a lot for work and always enjoy checking out trends in new places. For those of us prone to this indulgence, there’s no need to abstain. You can still enjoy the experience without empting your wallet. The key is to find places that are amazing merely by walking through the door. Here are three of my favorites in three countries:

Waikiki’s DFS Galleria (Oahu, Hawaii) I’ve spent most of the past six weeks living out of a suitcase. When I arrived in Oahu, I was all out of face cream so I went to the Galleria. I planned on just stopping in on the way to an evening out on the town—but the next thing I knew it was eleven PM, I was closing down the stores—and I hadn’t come close to abusing my bank account. The moment you walk inside the Galleria, you’re greeted by chic sets like the one in this picture…many of which are in motion with rotating light shows. The friendly sales experts provide complimentary giveaways, makeovers, candies and drinks while live music plays.

Harrods (Knightsbridge, London) I’ve heard people say that they can’t afford to shop at Harrods—but it’s not like there’s a cover charge, so step inside. Just looking at all of the beautifully displayed luxury merchandise feels like being inside a live special edition of a fashion magazine. I’ve treated myself to this retail eye-candy multiple times over weekends when I just wanted to relax. Harrods isn’t only about high-end clothes and accessories. Their chocolate department goes on for what seems like an eternity. The last time I was in London, I promised myself that I would only buy three individual chocolates from Harrods because they can be pricey. I had so much fun!

Shops in the Heart of Madrid (Calle de la Princesa) These shops were within walking distance of the home I lived in for two months during study abroad. They are known for having unique clothing items not just from Spain, but other European countries. They are also known for having incredible sales. I found merchandise discounted as much as 75%! But beware. Many of these are high quality items that could put a dent in your wallet if they weren’t on sale. I still wear my finds and girls often stop me asking where they can be purchased. With a name that means Princess Street, you know this shopping district is girl heaven.

Jacqueline Parker, founder of Drinks at Six, a site empowering single and independent women, interviewed me and wrote, “The other week, I poured a glass of wine and gave Katherine a call. I wanted to know how to meet a hot, European man. Katherine who? Don’t be silly. Katherine Chloé Cahoon is the author of The Single Girl’s Guide to Meeting European Men – a one stop guide packed with road-tested tips on finding love… or lust abroad. I love the book – it’s chock full of candid, true stories of girls’ experiences meeting European men abroad. Like any other girl, I love to hear what really happened to other girls…not just the hits but the misses. There’s a whole lot of ‘in between’ too as you’ll find out when you read the book. It’s pretty easy to chat with Katherine – she’s a firecracker even on the phone. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how she meets men inEurope, or in the grocery store and probably even in the ER ward. She’s magnetic and I can see loving/hating traveling with her. She would steal the show for sure. So better to find out the secrets behind enemy lines than be left in their dust, right? I pour a second glass and launched into my list of questions.”

Chatting with Jacqueline felt like a girls’ night out! Even though we only just met and were miles apart, it seemed like we had been friends forever.

The inspiration for the But I Do storyline came from my several experiences at hosting university events as an author and Love and Romance expert for publications like Seventeen and Cosmopolitan and talk shows like those on RT TV. At each event, girls confided that they wanted to attract guys, but felt like they had to look and act a certain way to do that. This troubled me since every girl has worth and appealing traits. I believe that what is most important in building genuine relationships is that she has confidence and is true to herself. This is the message of But I Do.