Hollywood is buzzing about the upcoming film “The Butler,” starring Forest Whitaker, which tells the real-life story of Eugene Allen who served as White House butler for more than 40 years.  The trailer looks absolutely incredible.  And The Washington Post article that spawned the movie is one of the best things I’ve read all year.

Speaking of things that please me, I can’t believe that these totally cool sandals are a) Nine West and b) under-$100.  I must own them.  Must.

I’ve had a number of Ask Belle e-mails come through about maxi-skirts for petite ladies, and with pretty pieces like this skirt on sale, it’s no wonder so many women are rocking the maxi.  Luckily, Washingtonian has some advice on how petite women can wear them well.

The CBS station in New York has an interesting piece on happily married couples who choose to live apart.  To each her own, but I’m not sure I could pledge to love someone for all eternity but then send him back to his place.

I’ve decided to buy a Jo Malone cologne to wear this summer and I’m torn between Assam & Grapefruit and Nectarine Blossom and Honey.  Love those citrus scents.

The latest tragedies at clothing factories in Bangladesh (first a building collapse, and now a fire) have a lot of people talking about the ethics of “fast fashion” including a reader who sent me this article from NPR.  In the 1990s, when it was revealed that factories were using child labor to make clothing for the Kathie Lee Gifford line at Wal-Mart, the resulting outcry “virtually eliminated the use of child labor” at garment factories exporting to the U.S. Perhaps these tragedies can spur a similar change and lead to improvements in working conditions?

The Social Security Administration released the list of the Top Ten Most Popular Baby Names of 2012.  If you named your daughter Sophia, Isabella, Olivia or Emma, I would begin schooling them on the meaning of the phrase “e pluribus unum.”

After watching this rather long video on how to apply foundation flawlessly, I decided to buy a buffer brush to apply my foundation with, and I couldn’t be happier with the results.  I just mix my primer and my BB cream together, and that brush gives me a flawless, airbrushed finish.

And last but not least–My love for Taco Bell is well documented.  I’ve eaten at some of the finest restaurants in America, but I would skip any reservation for a Mexican Pizza and a Baja Chalupa.  So this article from Fast Company about the creation of the Dorito’s Locos Taco absolutely fascinated me.  The best line from the whole story:

“The companies ended up creating a proprietary seasoner in the process, not least because for workers on the manufacturing line, the plumes of Doritos seasoning would create an almost Nacho Cheese gas chamber.”

And before you knock the sheer genius/deliciousness that is the Doritos Locos Taco, consider that this one fast food product is responsible for creating 15,000 jobs.  Talk about an economic stimulus plan.  Yo Quiero, Taco Bell.