trend: harem pants

trend: harem pants by wunderkind-373 featuring harem pants

Slouchy top
shopexcessbaggage.com

Mango knit top
mango.com

Eileen Fisher harem pants
nordstrom.com

Elastic waist pants
$135 - styligion.com

Checkered pants
$15 - missrebel.co.uk

Giuseppe Zanotti jeweled sandals
$595 - farfetch.com

Nude sandals
boohoo.com

Daniela Farah bangle bracelet
yoox.com

Anton Heunis glass jewelry
$290 - farfetch.com

Dorothy Perkins ear cuff earrings
dorothyperkins.com

Cuff jewelry
boohoo.com

summer staples- forever 21

Sometimes you have to make an investment in certain wardrobe items,  i.e. a great LBD, handbag, or those heels you will wear all the time. But sometimes you don't want to put so much into your clothes that your week will be ruined if they get messed up or misplaced. I happen to be prepping my wardrobe to go to Europe this summer, and we all know about loosing luggage. So, I went to forever 21 in hopes of finding some simple pieces that would travel well. I ended up getting several lovely things. Not all of them will have a place in my suitcase, but nonetheless, go check them out!

 featuring forever 21

Forever 21 jacket
forever21.com

Forever 21 flower print jeans
forever21.com

Forever 21
forever21.com

Denim Jacket | FOREVER21 - 2020655785
forever21.com

food for thought: skinny tips

Cut carbs and sugars. Stick to proteins and good fats ( like avocado and olive oil ) Even if they are higher calorie, they keep you full longer, and don't spike insulin levels. Eat several small meals, instead of 3 larger ones.

Foods to eat. ( these are not necessarily all the mot healthful foods, just the ones that help loose or maintain weight.

Avocado- it's super yummy, keeps you full, and is all the right kinds of calories.

Think Thin bars- gluten free, 20 grams of protein, and no sugar. Plus, they taste like a candy bar. I highly recommend the chocolate fudge flavor.

Sugar free carbonated beverages- maybe not THE healthiest thing ever, but it really does help with sugar cravings, keep you from getting hungry, and there are some that are better than their sugar filled counterparts. Aka cherry coke zero. Enough said.

Popcorn. Not microwave popcorn, the amazing, stovetop kind. Use a healthy oil, and add a little salt. It's a party food so it feels fun, but it's super low calorie. You can even add cocoa powder, spices, or a little Parmesan.

Bell peppers - think of them as chips. Use these instead of the bad fat and carb filled chips you might usually grace your guac with.

Greek yogurt- boosts the metabolism, is super tasty, and has all sorts of other awesome benefits. It's a win win. my favorite is Chobani peach. So good.

Coffee or sugar free red bull- don't judge. If you're an athlete, they improve performance, they speed the metabolism and give you energy, get rid of headaches, and get off water weight. Seriously, what isn't to love?

Review: Revlon waterproof photoready 3D volume mascara

This is my newest mascara venture, and so far, I quite like it. It holds curl quite well, doesn't run, and gives lovely volume and length. It isn't the most natural looking mascara, but as long as it isn't clumpy, I don't mind. In fact, where my lashes are concerned, "natural looking mascara" also usually ends up meaning it doesn't give volume or hold curl. I have this in the blackest black shade, and it is a very true, glossy black, nothing grey or ashy. I really like the brush, it is quite separating and makes for fluffy lashes, complete with a spiked ball on the tip for inner corner.
Rating 8 of 10

designer love : Sam Edelman

raindrops on roses

Just a few of the pictures of water I've taken over the past few months.

review: bouncy blush

So, these have been out for a while, and I already had 2, but I just couldn't resist picking up another one. I know some people in the blogging community didn't like them for lack of pigmentation, however, I am as nearly as pale as is possible, so they show up perfectly on my skin. It's actually not too hard for me to overdo them. The two colors I had gotten previously, I didn't think we're quite right for me shade wise, and I ended up giving them to my sister. This time around, I picked up peach satin. In the summer, I always love peachy pinks for lips and cheeks, and this is the perfect shade. These stay on my skin until I take my makeup off, and survive a workout, ballet, or a really warm day. The top swatch is less blended, the lower, a more blended, sheerer swatch.

My Rating: 8 of 10

face of the day

Today's look is really natural, and I think I know why. I'm just going to own up now to having watched breaking dawn part 2 last night, and was stuck again with ( how awesome Benjamin is....) how lovely Renesmee's makeup is, even though she is playing a sort of 7 year old that is actually only like 1 year old. Anyway, she has this gorgeous bitten lip, perfectly highlighted and contoured skin, a little blush, and lovely long lashes. Here's the products that I used, and a picture of the look that was probably subconsciously inspired by this. (Again, the picture is a bit distorted, I promise to get my camera as soon as possible. )

review and swatch: L'oreal wet shine stain

These, again are amazing. So amazing that my sister got a couple as well. Here is my other one, Lilac Ever After, which is with one coat and light berry, but can build up to a full oxblood ( on my pale skin) with 2-3 coats. The picture below is one thin coat. ( I apologize for the extremely flaky skin, I'm using Retin-A, which works wonders for skin in the long run, and completely clears pores, but makes me so so dry for about 3 days.

woodsy scents.

So, I absolutely love the smell of the woods. Pine, and cedar, and the smell of grass after a rain. But, for some reason, body wash/ deodorant/ fragrance companies generally think women only like fruity, or floral, or vanilla in scents. And I do. I have a ridiculous number of rose, grapefruit, cherry blossom...ect body washes, but sometimes I want something different. That's when I buy things targeted towards men. They oftentimes aren't incredibly masculine, and usually smell like a forest, mixed with spices. The packaging often leaves something to be desired, but, we cope. Here are my favorites. (I also love the Jack Black line, their lip balms are AMAZING. )

Burt's Bees natural body care for men body wash. This has bergamot, patchouli, cedar, and fir oils, and smells fresh, definitely the lightest one of the three scents.

Neutrogina rainbath. This isn't just for men, it's rather a gender less body wash, but it definitely a woodsy, spicy scent that reminds me of some oriental incense I used to have.

Old Spice pure sport. This just smells so good. Maybe I'm weird, but I absolutely love the scent, for guys or girls. It works extremely well, even after 8 hours dancing.

So, what are your favorite woodsy products?

review: L'oreal true match super blendable crayon concealer

So, this is definitely not a typical review, as I am using this for a totally unintended purpose. I got a dark shade, and I wear it as a shadow stick, or mix it with lighter foundation and use it as a cream bronzer.
Here's some photos. By the way, the texture is amazing, so I'm sure it would make a lovely concealer in the right shade.

review: Revlon Colorburst lip glosses

Let me just say. Chanel glossimers. I have had a few of the Chanel glossimers, and I can't tell that there is a difference in the formula. The Revlon packaging is a clear tube with a quilted black top. You can obviously see the color of the product, and the applicator is a standard spongy tip. There is barely a scent, and the texture is silky, a little balmy, and not at all sticky. The staying power is quite nice, especially for the lack of glue like qualities. (Aka, Bobbi Brown, or MAC lip glosses/glasses. ) Here's some swatches.

review: L'oreal color caresse wet shine stain

Ok. So I completely caved to the hype on this one. And I'm so glad I did. Lets start with the packaging. It's a gold tube, and the band of color is actually the product showing, not colored plastic, so you get to see the color of the product straight away. The applicator is a tear drop, and is shaped really nicely for precise application. The next thing you notice. The scent. Oh. My. Goodness. Roses. This smells so incredible. Not overpowering, but just enough that you get little whiffs throughout the day. The colors range: you have a pretty good selection, several neutrals, pale pinks, rose and lilacs, brights, and deeps. When you first put this on it feels...expensive. That's my best adjective. It feels like water at first, then dries down to a slightly firmer consistency. You can just apply one layer, which gets sheer color and a bit of shine, or wait for the first layer to dry and add another, which deepens the color, and adds more shine. The shine lasts several hours, and survives eating and drinking. The color is literally there all day. L'oreal is the parent company of YSL, so these are rumored to be exactly the same formula as the YSL glossy stains. I tend to agree.

Rating: 10 of 10

trend: ankle pants

This is one trend that popped up during fashion week, here is my take on it. Sometimes ankle pants can be intimidating, I know I used to be afraid it would just look like my pants were too short. But they're a really fun way to transition into spring.

how to:

They problem with red lips is that they feather, they aren't symmetrical, or you have to touch it up often because they fade into a blotchy pink mess. Here is how I get a red lip that can go all day or night without doing any of the things above.

Step 1. prep lips by using a concealer stick on, and around lips. dust with setting powder.

Step 2. outline lips, and the fill in using a lip liner that matches your lipstick.

Step 3. use a lip brush to apply a thin layer of lipstick, then blot with a tissue. apply a second, thicker layer.

Step 4. dust setting powder to set for a matte lip that won't be going anywhere.

(this would actually work for any strong lip, I just get the most questions about red lips.)

my face of the moment

I am a little ADD when it comes to makeup, I do one look for about a week, and then switch it up. Here's my current one. I apologize for the distorted iPhone picture, I didn't have a camera, just ignore how weird my face looks. Basically it's just been smokey liner (wet n wild eyebrow and eyeliner in black, because this is great at smudging) , my usual Bobbi brown shimmer brick for contour and highlight, and Anastasia brow pencil in ash brown. For my base I'm using L'oreal true match in W1. This is a really natural, pretty sheer coverage foundation, it's oil free, and dermatologist recommended. The make up forever full cover concealer, and Bobbi brown corrector, Laura Mercier eye basics in flat for my eye primer, the Rimmel scandaleyes eyeliner in nude in my inner corner, and the revlon escapism collection crystal waters gloss. It's a really moisturizing, and it isn't sticky, having a texture more like a balm.
So, I hope you guys like it, and there will be another one of these just as soon as I get tired of this one.

travel musts.

Whether you are traveling by plane, train, or automobile. Or ship. You know, you really need similar things. So anyway. Here's the checklist I always make sure I have. (This is aside from what I pack, just what I keep in my purse.)

Phone/iPod +headphones/earbuds+ really awesome music+or books and movies. (Or an entire season of your favorite show, whatever works. )
Mints/Gum
Touch up makeup products.
Dramamine + ginger ale + ginger snaps ( if you're prone to motion sickness, sea sickness, ect...
Perfume. Always.
Cozy sweater. Why does traveling = cold?
Outfit that looks cute but isn't actually much beyond sweats. Aka, legging and long top. Or stretchy shorts, depending on the season.