Up until recently I associated clear purses with beach bags, the 90s and those bags you’re forced to carry in some schools/stores so security can make sure you’re not bringing in anything sketch. Then, I came across this clear clutch in a YouTube video from Dulce Candy. They look so chic. I can’t believe this one is less than $20 from Love Culture (Have you been there before? It’s very similar to Forever21)
This one from ASOS is great too. I love the wooden clasp.
I also love the idea of adding a fabric pouch so everyone can’t see everything you have in there (Which I think is a lot of peoples’ hesitation about these.)
AND… I found this tutorial from Pop Sugar on how to make your own!
What do you think? Would you carry a clear clutch?
Read MoreI’m a huge fan of J Crew’s silk camis. I have a basic nude and a black, but I love the different colors they come out with each season like this fuchsia. I think this color would be so fun with the leopard flats from my last post.
They’re so flattering, go with a bunch of different things.Plus, they’re super soft and don’t need to be dry cleaned. I like to wear my black one with jeans and a black blazer, and here’s how I paired it with a pencil skirt for work:
I was flipping through an issue of Glamour when I came across these beauties. How cute are they? They’re at DSW by Jessica Simpson. Should I get them?!
I saw that Sephora was doing a delux sample of Diorshow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum with purchase (code: DIORMAX) so I wanted to do a quick post letting you know my thoughts about it. It’s a game changer. I picked this up while I was Black Friday shopping in 2012 and just picked up my second tube. I know, I know – you’re apparently supposed to replace your mascara every three months. I don’t follow that rule. I actually still had some product left in the tube but the brush was getting funky. See the photo (my old one’s on the left.)
This stuff seems pricey at $28 when you consider you still have to use mascara on top. However, it makes your lashes look SO much bigger and it’s lasted over a year. I think it’s definitely worth it. If you use the code “DIORMAX” at checkout, Sephora will add a sample of it to your cart.
Read MoreEver since being inspired by Emily’s pale pink lipstick on Cupcakes and Cashmere (I love how she pairs it with cat eyeliner), I ‘ve been eyeing Buxom’s lip tarnish in “wardrobe malfunction.”
I was about to get it online when I came across this set. It was $34 for three products, and just two of them would have been $38 if I got them separately soo I decided to go for it.
It came with Buxom glosses in “Boo Ya” and “Creamsicle”. Here’s a little snapshot of what it “Wardrobe Malfunction” looks like on:
You can’t ever just go to the Sephora site and get only what you need. I always end up with a lot of extras in my cart. Boscia’s “The Art of Masking is $42 and comes with 4 different masks. I think the coolest thing about this set is how it suggests how to combine the masks on different parts of your face for different skincare concerns. I’ll sometimes do one mask after another but (like an exfoliating mask before a clay one) but I never do different masks in different areas a the same time. I think even if I don’t get this kit I’ll copy their method and try combining the ones I do have.
:
-“The Balancing Act”: Cool Blue Calming Mask on forehead and cheeks, and Luminizing Black Mask on T-zone and chin.
-“The Date Night”: Bright White Mask on forehead and cheeks, and Green Tea Oil-Control Mask on T-zone and chin.
-“The Post-Flight”: Cool Blue Calming Mask on forehead and cheeks, and Green Tea Oil-Control Mask on T-zone and chin.
-“The Fresh Start”: Bright White Mask on forehead and cheeks, and Luminizing Black Mask on T-zone and chin.
-“The Clean Sweep”: Green Tea-Oil Control Mask on forehead and cheeks, and Luminizing Black Mask on T-zone and chin.
If you’re not interested in the Green Tea mask, this kit comes with the other three in a slightly larger size (1oz vs. 0.7oz) for $38.
I also recently picked up this kit from REN, which is quickly becoming my favorite skincare line. I had sampled the Glycolic Lactic Renewal Mask and wanted to get the full size, so I picked up this kit because it came with the full size and some extra goodies for only $3 extra. I read a review that said the Resurfacing AHA Concentrate caused someone to break out and tried it anyway. Mistake. It does make you break out. Even though I really only cared about the Glycolic Lactic Renewal Mask, I’d still recommend getting the kit so you can try out the extra products for only $3.
Thanks so much to my friend Lauren from Brave Young Thing for taking fun shots of me and my place this past weekend. Check out a little sneak preview and keep a lookout for some of her shots in future posts!
Here’s the makeup I carry with me.
1. Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Moonstone: Such a beautiful shimmer. I apply the liquid version in the morning but use this to touch up on-the-go.
2. Bobbi Brown Tri-Pan Palette with Pale Pink blush, and eyeshadows in Grey (lid) and Slate (crease): vrevre
3. bareMinerals Soft Focus Shadow Brush: Perfect for the lid and the crease so I don’t need to carry separate brushes.
4. Smashbox Brow Tech in Dark Brown: There’s a trick to using this product that I didn’t learn until a few months into using it. You have to dip your brush into the wax, then into the power and back and forth before applying. This creates a mixture that lasts on your brows.
5. Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Liner in jet black: I recently switched to this from Fabuliner. I find that the staying power is slightly better.
6. Angled brow brush – this is from bareMinerals but I couldn’t find it online so I think it’s discontinued.
7. bareMinerals Heavenly Liner Blending Brush: I’ve never seen another brush like this one. The first one I had fell apart and I repurchased. After I apply the Stila liner, I like to run over it with the darkest shade in the Smashbox Brow Tech palette.
8. Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer in Vanilla 5: I would prefer not to ever leave the house without this.
9. & 10. bareMinerals Flawless Definition Mascara: I’ve been using this for years. I’ve tried a lot of mascaras and can’t find one I like better. This looks even layered over Dior Lash Plumping Serum (It’s like a primer for your lashes.)
11.Buxom Full-On Lip Polish: My favorite lip gloss of all time. My favorite shades are Katie, Kystal, Dolly, Samantha, White Russian and Pink Lady
12. E.L.F. Complexion Brush: I love E.L.F. brushes. This one is super soft and perfect for touching up bronzer and blush. It’s available at Target.
13. NARS bronzing Powder in Laguna: obviously.
14.Bvlgari Rose Essentielle Purse Spray: This is my go-to scent.
15. Carmex Lip Balm in Strawberry: my tried and true.
Read MoreMy bathroom just underwent a dalmatian transformation!
I talked about wanting a dalmatian rug for my living room in a previous post after being inspired by this office. Well, I switched gears and decided my bathroom walls would be the perfect place for the print. The next step was the hunt for the tutorial. It turns out this is wallpaper, but two bloggers had a DIYed version.
First, I came across this tutorial from Lauren at Make it a Double blog. I love it so much!
Lauren’s post led me to Chrisann at Ducklings in a Row blog, who talks through how she stenciled her way through the project for less than $30 here. Check out how gorgeous it turned out!
I decided to go with Lauren’s strategy. I was eager to jump right into it AND I don’t have an exacto knife/Martha Stewart stencil paper. I already had black paint that I purchased when I originally wanted to paint vertical stripes like this. (I didn’t end up going through with it because I was too nervous about the precision it required.) I also had some brushes so I didn’t even need to go out and buy anything for this project.
I practiced the dots first on a sheet of paper. I was looking at a bunch of dalmatian prints in Google images and trying to mimic my favorites.
Then, I started out with the safest wall. This little section of wall is behind the door and hardly visible so there was less a stake if I messed up.
Once I got the hang of it and liked how the spots were turning out, I went for it. I used a small-ish brush and made straight on strokes and also pressed the brush against the wall on it’s side so I could get uneven looking spots. Here’s a quick video so you can see. Look at these spots! I’m so happy with how they turned out.
Here’s a progress pic from when I was just about done. This has been a night time project so the photo is a little dark.
And I finished all the spots! I’d say the whole thing took about 6 hours. This project has been so spontaneous and fun. It’s still in progress – I’m going to add shelves and possibly change out the light fixtures/mirror but I’m excited about it so far! Stay tuned for the “after” shots!
According to this article, leopard print is the new black, and I’m OK with it. As you can see, I’ve had an appreciation for leopard print from a young age.
Thankfully I’ve learned to tone it down a bit. I now incorporate leopard into my style with a little more subtlety. I choose these leopard flats (from Banana Republic outlet) or this J. Crew phone case, so I look a little less like Fran Drescher in The Nanny.
I don’t know if you can tell from the picture but the phone case actually has a faux fur texture!
I love this look from Pinterest. I’ve wanted one of these calf hair clutches ever since I saw this one on cupcakes and cashmere. I found this one from etsy and this one from J. Crew. Do any of you have a recommendation either way?
I love how this trench coat just has the tiniest leopard detail.
For a bolder look, how fun are these leopard pants? I actually picked up a pair of leopard leggings at Marshall’s but I haven’t had the courage to wear them out yet.
I think this leopard scarf (Thanks for teaching me the difference between a snood, stole and scarf, Sydney!) with all black looks super chic.
Finally, I love the plaid paired with leopard here, but I’ve never tried to wear these patterns together. Plaid seems to also be super in right now, but the only plaid I have is this, which I don’t think would go with leopard very well. Also, I once ordered leopard booties because they looked adorable online but they were terrible in person. Some things are fun to look at but not for me, I guess. What are your favorite ways to wear leopard?
I thought I’d share a little tip with you all. I couldn’t decide for a long time if I wanted to buy Coco Mademoiselle. I always noticed it on other people and loved it and tried it on in the store, but I have Miss Dior Cherie and I think they smell really similar. (Does anyone else think so?)
Then, my friend Dana turned me onto the purse spray. It’s perfect! I didn’t want to get a giant bottle, so this would be the perfect thing. Then, I looked into the price. It’s actually a better deal and more product than the traditional bottles. When buy the Twist and Spray ($95 at Nordstrom) you get two 0.7 oz. refill bottles in addition to the one already in the case. That’s $45.24 an oz., compared to the regular bottle which is $90 for 1.7 oz. ($52.94 an oz.) AND it’s less convenient. Now, I haven’t had to refill mine yet, so I don’t know how much of a pain that’s going to be; I’ll keep you updated.
Note: If you already know you love the perfume and you’re going to wear it for a long time, the 6.8 oz. bottle is still your best bet at $200 or $29.41 an ounce.
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