The Count Down Begins: www.LauraDunn.com

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The Count Down Begins!!!

The Brand New www.LauraDunn.com

Monday is the day!!

November 9th, 2015 at 6am…… is the day we launch the brand new WWW.LAURADUNN.COM. We have taken everything you love about www.fabulous365.com and we are giving it a new name and a new home. While we all loved the name Fabulous365…. this blog is such a huge part of my life, my world, my heart and my soul, we thought it only fitting to change the name to….

Laura Dunn.

As a model and actress, I have spent my entire adult life in front of the camera in one form or another. I started Fabulous365.com over 5 years ago as a way to share the information I have learned along the way. I use my many years in the fashion industry as a roadmap to help guide others on how to live a healthier and more fashionable life. I do not pretend to be an expert on any subject…. what I am an expert on is research. I research, research and then research some more on every single thing I write about. I will never write about a product unless I have personally tried it. I never will write about an item of clothing unless I have personally worn it, nor will I ever write about a service unless I have used it and know that 100% it works. I bring this blog to you because I love to help people…. and if in just the smallest way, I can help change your life… I have done my job well. I pour my heart and soul into into every photo and word on these pages. I love this blog so much and I hope with all my heart that translates to you My Most Beautiful Readers.

So….. with all that said….We so hope you will join us Monday as we launch the brand new….

WWW.LAURADUNN.COM

Please follow us on Instagram

@_lauradunn_

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SuperFoods for Super Sleep

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SuperFoods for SuperSleep

I am going to give you a list of 6 foods that will help us all sleep better tonight. Why all the hype on sleep? Why are all the experts touting the benefits of sleeping 8 hours? For one… it is proven that sleeping 8 hours…. beyond a shadow of a doubt…. is one of our best weapons in the war on anti-aging. Please note the difference on how you look after a poor nights sleep verses a great nights sleep. Two nights ago I slept a whopping 3 hours. The next day my skin looked dried out and crepey, my hair looked dry and lifeless and my complexion was sallow and gray. That alone is enough to have me consuming the foods that I am about to tell you about. But let me go just a little further and give you another 10 proven reasons that we NEED SLEEP!

1. We will be happier…. Research has shown that lack of sleep has a significant impact on our moods

2. Better sex… Sleepless nights lowers our libidos

3. We will be able to build more muscle…. No sleep…. no muscle.

4. Research shows that we learn better with 8 hours

5. We need sleep to lose weight…. between this and anti-aging, I am so in!! It was proven in a 13 year study that our bodies go through hormonal changes with sleep deprivation. Not getting enough sleep stimulates our appetite… OMG!!

6. Less Anxiety and Depression. I am usually filled with anxiety if I don’t get enough sleep. Add in depression… and I am walking dead without at least 7 hours.

7. Better skin… In a study published in Experimental Dermatology, it was found that the good sleepers recovered faster after ultraviolet exposure and showed fewer signs of aging.

8. Speaking Easy… Staying awake too long can cause us to get punch drunk causing slurred speech, repetitive word usage and a slow monotonous tone.

9. More productive and more focused…. Research says: Attention tasks appear to be sensitive to sleep loss.

10. Better Sleep-Better Sight…. Our vision is not as sharp if we are tired. Ranging from double vision to tunnel vision.

So now that we know that sleeping is an absolute MUST. Let me give you 6 super foods that will help lull us to La La Land.

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There you go My Most Beautiful Peeps…. 6 ways to a better nights sleep and 10 reasons to eat all 6!!

Sweet Dreams!

Laura Dunn

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Pennies & Posh … The Pink Coat

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The Pink Coat

Today’s edition of Pennies & Posh brings us to….. The Pink Coat. Dior pink that is! Since summer of 2015, Dior has been running ads featuring “Pink.” Pink coats, pink purses, pink perfume bottles, pink flowers… Pink, pink, pink! So gorgeous are these ads… especially the one with a pink coat and pink gloves, that I became totally obsessed with pink. So I googled “Dior Pink Coat” and the first image to cross my screen was our coat featured today. At $59.00…. Dior it’s not, but you can still get that Dior feeling by adding a pair of pink leather gloves (another fall 2015 obsession of mine) and a little black dress. Of course you have to posh it out with something fabulous, so we chose a pair of pink Valentino Rockstud patent leather pumps and a pair of embellished La Perla hose to give it that oomph factor.

There you go…. a way to get that Dior look….. without that Dior price!

Big kisses!!

Laura Dunn

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Here are some great links that will help you “think pink!”

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The Halloween Macaron

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The Halloween Macaroon: Paint me a Cookie

This is such a fun and creative way to express yourself this Halloween… The DIY Macaroon. The easiest and most professional way to decorate (or personalize) a cookie that I have ever seen! When my markers arrived… I couldn’t wait to get my hands on something to decorate! So fun for a last minute holiday party because you don’t need to have mad cooking skills…. just a little creativity and the world is your cookie oyster! Let’s get started….

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Tomorrow is the big day…… so whatever you are doing… please be safe and have the most amazing
HALLOWEEN!!

With some Spooky Love,

Laura Dunn

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Here are some great food dyes and edible paints to get you started!

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Happy Halloween: Comfy Kigurumi Costumes

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Happy Comfortable Halloween!

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It’s 3 days before Halloween… and the big question is…. To dress or Not to dress. Not everyone loves to get all Halloween-ed out and not everyone feels comfortable in a costume. So we have options… The one piece allows you to still have that Halloween Holiday spirit and it feels like a big sack of comfort!! It doesn’t get more comfortable than a Kigurumi by Sazac one piece…. and every year they add more choices to the pack. This year we are featuring Hello Kitty, The Tiger, The Jaguar, The Hippopotamus and the newest addition… The Sloth! These are great last minute outfit choices and a great way to say…. Happy Halloween!!

Kigurumi comes from a combination of two Japanese words: kiru (“to wear”) and nuigurumi (“stuffed toy”). Traditionally, it referred specifically to the performers wearing the costume, but the word has since grown to include the costumes themselves. In Japan, kigurumi costumes are worn as a way to break the conventions of traditional dress… or just as comfy pajamas!

Love,

Laura Dunn

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Onesie | Sixty Dollars – Kigurumi Shop

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Pin Up: Embellish with Chanel Pins

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Chanel Pins: Embellish Now

I was getting dressed for a really fun event at Neiman Marcus last week…. and upon looking in the mirror, I noticed that I looked like I was going to a funeral. Somber and just not fun. So I reached into my CHANEL pin collection that I started a few years back, and grabbed the bling-i-est I could find. Upon re-checking…. Success! The outfit now had that Ooomph factor that it needed. Ooomph enough to get me several compliments on my outfit and pins. One pin alone garnered 6 compliments and actually helped me meet some amazing new friends. Now I am not saying dash out to CHANEL and buy pins…. but what I am saying is any outfit can be changed up with some simple accessories. Pins are an incredibly easy way to brighten up any outfit and really think outside the box with placement.

Big Kisses!!

Laura Dunn

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The Long and Short of it: Hair Extensions

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Going from Short to Long

It’s 2pm, two days before my birthday and I am leaving for San Francisco in the morning. My hairdresser asks me if I would like long hair for my birthday…. and of course a girl that’s had short hair her entire adult life of course would say…. “YES!!” I tell him I had the sew-in type many years ago and I tried the Great Lengths a couple of years ago and both had the same outcome…. within 48 hours all extensions were removed. I have so much hair on my head so it was a painful and very heavy experience. The extension team explained that they use the tape-in kind and it would be a much easier and no pain. My hair was carefully matched and we decided on a few different shades of blonde to give my hair more depth. I came back a few hours later to start the 4 hour process. Let’s get started on how to go from short to long in just a few hours….

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1. Sections were made horizontally in my hair starting at the base of my neck.

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2. A tape extension was placed onto my hair on one side, then repeated it on the other side of the same section. Then a flat iron and secured the two extensions together with heat.

3. The extension specialist went through my entire head with one inch sections while securing my hair in between the two hair extensions. Leaving the hair at the crown of my head untouched so it could cover all the extensions.

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Placing the extensions closer to the scalp will help them last longer…. 6-8 weeks. Mine will most likely last for 6 weeks due to them being lower on my hair. When the extension specialist finished, I was off to my the hairdresser to have him thin out the hair and shape it to a naturally looking long hair cut. The whole process look 4 hours and if I didn’t have as much hair (I have more hair than the average person) it would have taken 2 hours… start to finish.

I have had the extensions in for almost a month now. Do I like them? I have had it cut 4 times already trying different hair styles…. and it took me a couple of weeks to get used to dealing with such a great amount of hair. But all in all I absolutely adore having long hair! So much fun and I know if I get tired of it… it will take us an hour to get it out. The best of both worlds!!

Love,

Laura Dunn

DISCLAIMER: I paid full price for this entire process. This is a story about my personal journey from short to long. This is not an advertisement. 

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Pennies & Really Posh: Burberry trench

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Posh off the Runway….

Today’s story brings us to The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, AKA: LACMA…. where we shot inside the famed rows of lights. These photographic dream lights have been shot by many a photographer…. and today our creative director, Tiffany Marie Brannon, takes all the photo credit. Today’s Pennies & Posh could be just about one of my all time favorites! The Italian made, Burberry trench coat is straight off the Spring/Summer runaway 2015, with details only Burberry could put on a trench coat. The removable collar and cuffs are a dreamy pink patent leather that accentuates the multi-color cotton blend body of the coat. The cut of this trench coat is so exquisite…. I actually squealed with delight upon placing on my body. Add in a front button closure, front and back storm flaps, two side pockets and a matching belt. PERFECTION in TRENCH! Coming in at a very posh price around three thousand dollars…. but unfortunately Sold Out across the globe! An Alexander McQueen silk skull scarf and a sequin Mui Mui purse finish off the Posh.

We “Pennied” out this outfit with a pair of Zara glitter boots that were gifted to me by my daughter, Beau. Talk about excitement!!! I opened that package thinking I was holding the Saint Laurent glitter boots that took the runway by storm this Fall 2015/16! I cried with delight when I found out these Zara knock offs were a mere $49.00, compared to the $1000.00 for the Saint Laurent. We finished off the Pennies part of this story with a pair of Flying Monkey jeans….

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Happy Wednesday and Happy Shopping!!

All my love,

Laura Dunn

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Caramel Apples – The Easy Way

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Caramel Apple Magic

I discovered Concord Caramel Apple Wraps several wars ago…. and became TOTALLY obsessed! From the moment I made my first perfect caramel apple, I knew I would never go back to the old school way of melting caramel in a pot… and then trying to figure out a way to not burn myself in the process. So easy and safe to use are these wraps, that even a small child can make a perfect fall treat! Last year Concord sold out of the wraps in September…. I went into a total panic and searched all over the US to no avail. This year at the beginning of September, I ordered several cases just to be sure to not miss out on being able to share the ease of making homemade caramels apples with you. When I was in Ralph’s last week I noticed that they had a huge display… so not to worry. And if you get stuck in a pinch… give me a call… I am prepared this year!!

Let’s get started!!

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We used M&M’s, Oreos, cashews, AppleJacks, coconut flakes, chocolate chunks, Halloween sprinkles and dried cranberries. And we even made some mini caramel apples with some tiny little crab apples. We used some clean sticks from the yard… and VI’OLA!! The Halloween Carmel Apple is yours for the making!!

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Love,

Laura Dunn

P.S.

YES!! My hair is long! Wednesday’s story will be on how to go from short to long in just a couple of hours!!

For Laura’s outfit and secret caramel wraps click the links below or visit the Boutique page!

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Pennies & Posh: The Denim Jumpsuit

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The Denim Jumpsuit

The JumpSuit just keeps rolling along and seems to be gaining some serious momentum for the fall and winter of 2015/16! I found this little bargain of a jumpsuit at Urban Outfitters for a cool $29.00! $29.00 bought me a serious bargain and some serious cool factor!! What I loved most about this outfit is the fact that it can be…. repeat after me…. dressed up or dressed down…. with the change of a few items. We started off with our Converse to give it that slouchy “I don’t care” look. We added more Pennies with our ridiculously inexpensive leather and brass belt from Planet Blue. Then we stepped into our favorite Mui Mui clogs from a few seasons past…. and thew on a Shourouk necklace, the ever present Harry Winston watch and called it a Posh day. Easy breezy and so easy to wear for any body type, and height (just roll up the legs for an even cooler look) and as we all know… denim looks great with any skin tone. So there you go my most fabulous Peeps… a really inexpensive denim jumpsuit that gives you a lot of bang for the buck…. and anyone on the planet can wear it!!

Love,

Laura Dunn

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As always, click the links below for this look or visit our Boutique page! xoxo

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