1. Mason Pearson Styling Comb from Elements Beauty Shop: I bought these for my dad and my boyfriend this past Christmas and they both really like them. My dad had always used type of plastic combs that are free in hotels, so he was excited to have one that’s made by hand. The plastic comes to the factory in Switzerland from Italy in a sheet, where it is die-cut into the general shapes of the comb styles. From that point, until the comb is finished, everything is done by hand. Each tooth is cut, one at a time, on a special saw. The comb is then tumbled in a polishing drum to smooth the surface.
2. The Red Lindsay Lambswool Scarf from Ledbury: Everything from this store is so luxurious and has me wishing they made clothes for women too. They’re kicking off a big warehouse sale this Thursday with a Mardi Gras-themed party in their downtown Richmond showroom. Sweaters, blazers, accessories and discontinued shirt styles will be up to 75% off through Monday the the 16th.
3. Statesman Socks from BoldFoot: Frustrated by design under a concept called “planned obsolescence,”(the amount of time a brand wants its products to last before they fall apart and you’re forced to replace them) and the fact that just 3% of apparel sold in the U.S. is made in the U.S., my former coworker, Brad, launched Boldfoot just last year. Boldfoot aims to prove that “American-made” stands for something, and is starting with awesome socks. They’re 100% American-made from cotton grown right here in the states.
4. The McDaniel Chambray: Another classy pick from Ledbury.
5. Caswell-Massey Shaving Brush: My boyfriend really wanted one of these for Christmas. I didn’t realize that Elements carried them until after I’d already bought him one from The Art of Shaving in Short Pump Mall. I wish I’d seen these though. A much cheaper price-point ($35 vs. $85) and it’s a local business.
6. Jack Black Supreme Cream Triple Cushion Shave Lather: I bought this to go with the brush. He says he only needs to use a little bit of the product and it’s his favorite thing from the Jack Black line.
7. Luncar Eclipse Tie from Richmond Thread Lab: I showed my friend Molly this roundup as I was working on it and she made sure I didn’t leave out this company. I love this tie and this grey one.
8. Candy Valley Cake Pops: How awesome are these?! I first tried these when they made these adorable custom geckos for our client’s book launch and I’ve since had them at company parties, bridal showers, and football parties. If you’re guy has a sweet tooth, these are perfect. AND, they’re taking orders up until the 13th!
Get 10% off any purchase from Elements Beauty Shop with the Code TIRAMISU.
Read MoreJust picked up this dainty little thing from Need Supply in Carytown.
PS: Cat Bird also has a pretty version (which is what I saw first), but it’s $$$.
The lovely Tiffany Williams of Chloe+Isabel knows supporting the local arts community in Richmond is important to me, so she offered to collaborate on a fundraiser for Richmond CenterStage.
Chloe+Isabel is a jewelry company based out of NYC where everything is designed in house. Everything is hypoallergenic, nickel- and lead-free, and has a lifetime guarantee.
Richmond CenterStage is a 501c3 organization whose mission is to provide diverse local and world-class performing arts, transformative arts education experiences for students of all ages, and inspirational venues—all to strengthen the cultural and economic vitality of Greater Richmond. I’m the current chair of the Richmond CenterStage Associates board, where we support the foundation by spreading awareness and raising funds. Here’s a few of us from the group at one of our fundraising events.
One of my favorite parts of being involved with this organization is participating in Lights Up. Lights up is a free weekend of youth and the arts at the Genworth BrightLights Education Center with 30 workshops, master classes, lecture-demonstrations and live performances featuring the Resident Companies of Richmond CenterStage. Children get to play in an “instrument petting zoo,” with cellos, violins, trombones, and other instruments that might not get to experience if it weren’t for this organization.
Now that I’ve convinced you of the worthy cause, here’s how the fundraiser works: I picked out ten items from the Chloe+Isabel collection. ALL of the profits from these ten items will be donated to Richmond CenterStage. Click here to see/shop these items! Thank you, Tiffany, for being so generous and I’m excited to see which jewels you all choose!
This is the second post of a collaborative series of posts with Elements Beauty Shop about skincare. (Check out the first one here.) Because it’s been super cold here in Richmond for the past week or so, we decided we’d share some winter skin savers.
My skin tends to be on the dry side, so I like to use hydrating masks year round. I’ve started to incorporate some extra moisturizing products into my routine for winter. I like to keep most of my routine the same (cleanser, moisturizer) so I like to pack in the extra moisture in the form of oils and balms. Here are a few of my favorites:
1. REN Vita Mineral Emolient Rescue Cream: I love using this on any spots of dryness (like the corners of my mouth). I’ll put it on before I go to bed, and even dab it on over my makeup throughout the day if I need to.
2. CV Skinlabs Restorative Skin Balm: Sherry and Jeanie had nothing but good things to say about this stuff. The consistency reminds me of Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour cream: that thick, vaseline texture that’s good for super, super dry spots.
3. REN Rose O12 Moisture Defense Oil: This smells amazing, obviously, but it seriously does the job too. I mentioned it first in my Best of Ren post, where it’s described as a “blanket for your skin.” I like to put this under my moisturizer before bed.
4. REN Vita Mineral Omega 3 Optimum Skin Serum Oil: Leslie, the Ren rep mentioned here, was kind enough to send me a bottle of this to try and it’s great! It’s not quite as thick as the rose oil, so I can use this one during the day too. Omega 3 from Vegetal Plankton and Gold from Pleasure Oils are supposed to promote natural cell renewal and optimum moisture levels to restore firmness and elasticity.
5. Erno Laszlo Hydra Therapy Memory Sleep Mask: I can’t even believe how soft my skin is when I wake up after using this. It has the coolest texture. Apparently it’s “based on memory foam developed for the NASA space program, the weightless gel texture bounces back, cushioning the skin to restore youthful elasticity overnight.” How crazy is that – NASA?! I bought this last month and it’s my favorite new product.
If you have issues with dry lips, Jeanie and Sherry recommended the Pure Marula lip balms. It has micro-encapsulated marula oil, beeswax and mango butter for barrier protection and Kokum oil for skin rejuvenation. I can’t wait to try it.
Use the code “Tiramisu” at ElementsBeautyShop.com for 10% off your purchase!
I’m also super excited to tell you about the Elements Beauty Shop Pin To Win contest! All you have to do is create a beauty wish list on Pinterest (here’s my board), and you could win a gift card! ! Check out the details in the image below and click through to enter on Facebook.
*This post is a sponsored collaboration with Elements Beauty Shop. All opinions are my own.
PS: Elements also teamed up with a few more bloggers, so be sure to look out for their posts (I’ll be sure to share them on my Facebook page).
I got this makeup bag for Christmas (which I LOVE). I did a “What’s in My Makeup Bag” post a while ago, and I’ll be doing an updated one soon.
Express has some really great wear-t0-work staples. I talked about the portofino shirt here, and now their Barcelona Cami has caught my eye. I was shopping with my friend Emily, who was looking for things to wear for her job as a statistician (Models, SomersD, Basel? What?!), and she picked up a couple of these. The shape reminds me of the silk camis at J. Crew (I talk about those here) but these seem a lot sturdier and I love that they’re reversible.
It smells like Christmas!
My boyfriend sweetly surprised me with this as a stocking stuffer after I raved about a sample I’d gotten. I love love love the way it smells.
PS: Tiramisu For Breakfast followers can get 10% off on this and tons of other great stuff with the code TIRAMISU at ElementsBeautyShop.com
I borrowed a fancy fur from my friend to wear to a fancy event (seen here) last year and loved it. Then, one of my favorite YouTubers, LisaLisaD1, mentioned this one from Forever21 and this one from ASOS in one of her videos.
I went for the one from Forever21. I wasn’t sure about it at $67 but I got it half price on Cyber Monday and it’s awesome. I wore it to dinner with my boyfriend’s aunt, and got lots of compliments when I wore it to the mall the next day.
I’m wearing it with this blouse from LOFT (one of my favorites), and a pair of black J Brand jeans I found at Marshalls.
Forever21 actually has a bunch of really cute coats like this. I like this one:
I was hesitant at first, but I think these are all really fun. If you’re dressing up for new years, it would be fun to wear one with a dress, but I also really liked it with just jeans and a blouse.
What’re you wearing for New Year’s?
Read MoreI loved these Vince mules (No longer available) when I saw them on Gal Meets Glam, and I just found a copycat version at Macy’s. Aren’t they cool?
Here’s what the Vince ones look like (on Julia from Gal Meets Glam).
