Review: Chanel Graphite Nail Polish

I have resisted the siren call of the Chanel nail polishes for years.  Years!  No one needs to spend that much money on that little nail polish, I told myself.  And then I went into the local CVS-meets-Sephora-esque-beauty-shop for some toothpaste, and found myself in front of the Chanel counter, foundling the nail polishes.


They are such pretty nail polishes.  At first I wanted Pirate (a gorgeous bright red), and then it was Rose Insolent (such a lovely bright pink), then the infamous Black Pearl (jaw-dropping blackened green-grey metallic frost), but then I saw Graphite.  I actually didn't know much about Graphite.  I saw a swatch on Temptalia a while back and thought it was pretty, but promptly forgot about it.  But in person this polish is pretty unforgettable.  I'd describe it as a grey foil (with the smallest hint of green) base that is jam-packed full of silver and gold shimmer.  Like jam-packed to the point where I'm not entirely sure there is much of a base color, but that green has to be coming from somewhere.  In the US Chanel polishes are usually $25.  In Spain it was 20 Euros.  Not cheap, but I reallllly wanted it (actually that pricing was pretty competitive for the exchange rate.  Success!)  Here you can see the cute Chanel box, the nail polish with the outer cap still on, and the bottle with the outer cap removed.

In the bottle it looks a bit murkier and greener, but on the nail the shimmer really comes out to play.  The combination of gold and silver gives it a bit of a pewter effect.  It's just really lovely.  Because of the silver, it works for cool skin tones nicely, and the gold does the same for warm skin tones.  It looks different in every light, too.  The finish of this is what really makes the polish for me, though.  It has a foil base, so it's crazy metallic, but the fine shimmer packed on top of that gives it a completely new dimension of pretty.  It's like fairy dust on your fingers.  I thought my OPI Let Me Entertain You was the limit for sparkle, but oh my goodness, was I wrong.  I adore this.  The murkey silver hue keeps the shimmer from being too twee and girly, and I really like that it's not dark enough to be too vampy.  It's just a light-hearted foil-shimmer with a fun, pewter twist.  The formula was equally divine.  It was opaque in two coats with extremely fast dry time (although it dries shimmery, not glossy.  If you want a glossy finish, I suggest getting a glossy, Seche Vite-esque top coat), with minimal drag and no pooling.  The brush is long and flexible, and I had no trouble covering the nail with it.

Overall rating: A-.  The price is the only thing standing between the polish and an A+.  I was hoping one Chanel polish would stop my cravings, but I think this has only made it worse.  Black Pearl and Rose Insolent, I'm coming for you next!  You can get this in The States at amazon.com for around $34.  I've seen it all over Spain, but apparently it's selling out in the US, and since it's a limited edition color, get it while you can! 


My little adventure into the world of expensive fairy dust nail polish crack got me thinking.  What other brands had cool (but slightly more affordable) polishes on the market?  I was bouncing around Sephora, and I found Nails Inc.  Hello, new best friend.


Nails Inc Magnetic Polish in Trafalgar Square, $16 at sephora.com, Nails Inc Special Effects Electric Lane Holographic Glitter Top Coat, $10 at sephora.com: At first I was skeptical of this magnetic nail polish thing.  It seemed so expensive and the patterns weren't all that great.  But this Nails Inc version looks amazing (and has great reviews).  It comes in a metallic silver and purple, and while the top coat of the polish dries you hold a magnet in the cap over the nail, and you get a pretty pattern like that one below!  I love the idea of patterned nails, but I am lovely and not all that skilled with nail polish brushes, so this completely fascinates me.  And don't even get me started on the holo top coat.  Basically add one coat of that over your polish to get a finish that's packed with rainbow-colored glitter.  It makes any polish into a holo!  Ack.  I need both of these.

Images via sephora.com.

Review: Bourjois Chocolate Bar Bronzer

I finally found it, kids.  The mythical Bourjois chocolate bar bronzer.  I say mythical because I couldn't find it in the US or at any of the Boots stores in Heathrow (unless you want to buy it online) but I found it in a Spanish version of CVS!  Great success.  Even though I paid astronomically more for it than I should have--thanks for that, Euro exchange rate.

Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder (price ranges from about $10 to $20 depending on the country as far as I know):

So, the skinny on this bronzer is that it looks like a chocolate bar (and sorta smells like one too, hence the hype).  The packaging is carboard, and it opens like a little book, with a heavily magnetized closure, to reveal the chocolate bar-shaped bronzer inside.  For cardboard packaging, it's pretty decent.  I'd say it feels on-par with Benefit's packaging, and it's much less expensive. 

The bronzer itself smells like chocolate with a hint of citrus--overall rather delicious without being too sweet or foody.  The scent won't linger on your skin, however.  I got the Medium shade (#51) which was the lightest shade offered (curse those tanned Spaniards).  Seeing as I am a NW15 at MAC and the real life equivalent of Snow White, I was a little scared by that Medium description.  The bronzer swatches as a medium-light yellow-based brown that's 90% matte with the tiniest amount of sparse gold shimmer.  I saw complaints on Makeupalley about this not being very pigmented.  I had the exact opposite experience.  This stuff is so ridiculously pigmented that I need to be very careful with how much I get on my brush.  


The pressed powder feels very finely milled and goes on smoothly, blending with little effort.  I'd say this would be 100% fool-proof if you were naturally a bit darker than me.  For fairer-skinned gals, you do need to be careful not to overload that brush and end up looking like Snooki.  Given that, though, this Bourjois bronzer lasts a very long time, especially on my oily skin and in this heat.  If I apply it in the morning and I want to go out 12 hours later, I'd do a touch-up, but it really does stick around for most of the day.


Now if only my ridiculous sun burn would fade and I could get an even tan all over...


Awkward Chic rating: A+.  If you can get this online for less than $15-$20, it's a great value.  Makes me wish Bourjois was more widely available in the US.

Image via boots.com, superfabme.com.

Forever 21 Steal

So I'm supposed to be keeping myself from buying anything until I got to Spain next week so that, you know, I can buy clothes in Spain.  Well, when it comes to self-restraint, I am TERRIBLE.  I went shopping today.  But hey, I was practical!  Kinda.  Here's one of my favorite things I got:


Forever 21 Ruffle Trimmed Woven Dress, $17.80 at forever21.com: This Forever 21 dress comes in a bright, coral/petal pink, a blush pink (not on the website) and a teal/turquoise blue.  I got the bright pink and the blue because when they're less than $18 a pop, you can get all your favorite colors!  It's a rayon dress, so it has a nice drape but has to be hand-washed, and has an elasticized waist with a ruffle around the front and the back of the neckline.

Dress: Forever 21, boots: Frye, belt: vintage, jewelry: Tiffanys.  I really like this little dress!  It's lightweight, easy to style around, and very comfy.  I think the shape is pretty flattering for most body shapes because it floats over the hips/butt without clinging or adding too much volume, and the ruffle fills out the chest area.  If you're like me and have enough going on in that area, the ruffle can still help balance you out if you're a little bottom heavy, like me.  This dress is also adorable with a little leather jacket, or you can go a sweeter route and add a cardigan.

Images via forever21.com.

Current Cravings

I've been packing and cleaning all day today.  I hate packing and cleaning.  I really, really do.  So, to make me feel better, here are some pretty things.


Melinda Maria Gwyneth Ring, $42 at shopbop.com, Rachel Zoe Zoe Tote, $450 at shopbop.com, Rachel Zoe Pamela Satchel, $495 at shopbop.com: How cute is that skinny ring?  It comes in turquoise and black, and it's got stones set in 18K (plated, not solid) gold.  That's pretty good for $42, no?  I love it because it's skinny and basic enough to wear every day, but the alternating stone sizes and geometric feel keep it interesting.  It would be cute and dainty with just one on the ring finger, and layered with a few other gold rings it could have a more rocker/Olsen twin vibe.  Apparently Rachel Zoe has a bag line now.  I think they're pretty cute, given the price point, even if they are a little heavy on the hardware.  I like the doctor/framed shape of this first bag.  It feels very ladylike, but all the black and the gold hardware and the little chain give it a bit of a rebellious vibe.  This would be a great work bag that transitions well to going out at night.  And how great is that shape of that tote?  It would be such a great school bag, big enough to fit some books and a laptop.  The buckles on the bottom have a bit of a biker feel, but the overall shape is simple enough to keep it all from being too busy.

Images via shopbop.com.

Review: Zoya Armor Top Coat

So when I did that recent Zoya promotion (buy one get two free), I got two polishes and a Zoya Armor top coat.  


Now, I have a favorite top coat, Seche Vite's fast-drying one.  It dries in seconds and has great wear time and is SO shiny.  So why did I get another one?  Well, Zoya polishes do NOT like 99% of top coats.  Apparently the chemicals in most top coats don't react well with Zoya's more eco-friendly formula.  I heard that the Zoya top coat works perfectly with their polishes, and since I have so many Zoya polishes at this point, I figured that the top coat was a worthwhile investment.


Zoya Armor Top Coat, $7.96 at zoya.com: It's the same price as the polishes, just about $8, and it comes in the same bottle.  I like that, for visual consistency at least. 

As far as topcoat goes, I evaluate it on a couple categories: shine, wear time, drying time, and application.  So, the breakdown:


-Shine: On a scale of 1-10, this gets a 6 for shine.  It's a little better than average, but it's no where near Seche Vite or Sally Hansen territory.  It's definitely not matte and it has a sheen, but this is no mirror/glassy finish.  It's not dull enough that it bothers me so much as to not use it as a top coat, but it's a definite downside to this product.


-Wear time: With Seche Vite and other top coats, I can get about 4 days out of a Zoya manicure before tip wear and chipping start to get to me.  With Zoya's Armour, I can get a 7-8 days before I start jonesing to change my polish (I generally break down before then, but still).  So this has everything else beat when it comes to lasting power.


-Drying time: I'd say the drying time is mediocre.  It's about five minutes before it's dry to the touch and about 30 before I feel safe grabbing things.  That's a bit better than, say, Sally Hansen top coats, but not nearly as fast as Seche Vite top coat.  So it's good, but I've seen better.


-Application: this is a very thin top coat.  On one hand, that's a good thing, because it means the top coat won't get stringy and thick in the bottle as it gets more air exposure (ahem, Seche Vite).  So you can actually use the whole bottle of top coat without it drying out too much.  On the other hand, since it's a thin formula, polish with any glitter or gritty shimmer doesn't feel smooth under this top coat.  Thicker top coats can give you a smooth surface over a glitter polish.  Even with two coats, this can't.


Overall rating: I'd give this a B+.  I wouldn't use it with a non-Zoya polish, but with Zoya polishes it works better than anything else I've used.  So if you have lots of Zoya polishes and wear them a lot, then this is a sound investment.  If you use mostly OPI or Essie, then I'd stick to Seche Vite or Sally Hansen.

Image via zoya.com.

Craving: Heeled Campus Boots

So I watched 'The Devil Wears Prada' this weekend, and there was this one scene in the intro where this girl is wearing heeled campus boots, just like the ones below.  Now, I'm not a heels person, I feel like a giant enough already, but that kind of heeled boot...it calls to me. I wants it.  I put together an outfit around a pair of boots like that to legitimize my cravings (of course).



7 For All Mankind The Skinny Legging Jeans, $168 at shopbop.com, Frye Harlow Campus Pull-on Boots, $358 at shopbop.com: How cute are those boots?! The stacked heel is just over 4", which would be a bit impractical if these boots didn't have rugged, easy to walk on soles and squishy foot beds.  I'll all about adding a little practical sexy to the daytime wardrobe, and these fit the bill.  The leather is a lovely, thick warm brown but has this amazing tumbled texture that keeps them from being too dominatrix and too polished for daytime.  In sort, they are perfect and I must has them.  I'd wear them with simple black legging jeans.  With heels that high, you need a basic color and a slim cut to keep them from being too over the top (plus those 7 legging jeans are ridiculously comfy).

Soft Joie Maitza Top, $98 at shopbop.com, tuleste market Tufted Diamond Pendant Necklace, $60 at shopbop.com: As far as tops go, the jeans and the boots have such structured, clean lines and basic colors that for the top I'd do something more fluid and in a fun, bright color.  This top has a lovely shape, with the oversized body balancing out the draped shoulders and scoop neckline.  It's flirty without showing cleavage, which is great, and it hits at a good place on the hip, not too low.  To top it all off, I'd add this tuleste market necklace.  It's a lot of look with minimal effort, the geometric shape contrasts nicely with the more Grecian top, and the black ties in with the black jeans.

Images via shopbop.com.

Anastasia Beverly Hills

I'm a little bit of an eyebrow freak.  I dye, tweeze, pencil, and trim my eyebrows so that they look normal and not like two dark blonde blobs above my eyes.  I've used half the eyebrow pencils at Sephora trying to find one that gives me color and hold but doesn't look too painted on, and so far, this one's my favorite (my mom's too!).  So when Anastasia Beverly Hills got in touch with me and asked if I wanted to review some of their products, I jumped at the opportunity.


Here's the Anastasia logo (isn't it cute? I love anything with crowns on it).  The brand started out with just brow products, but now they've got a whole range of makeup, as you can see from Blake Lively's look on the cover of Glamour--how adorable is that eyeshadow palette?

Hopefully sometime early next week I'll have this ILLUMIN8 With Youthful Synergy™ Complex Bronzer to review for y'all.  I may be pale, but I love my bronzer, and this one promises lots of skin enhancing benefits:

"Illumin8 Bronzer gives skin an instant sun-kissed glow without the sun. This clinically and consumer-tested bronzing powder hydrates the skin and helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Youthful Synergy™ Complex features: brown algae, a key ingredient that smoothes, firms, hydrates, and revitalizes the appearance of skin; diamond core powder, which diffuses shadows and minimizes the appearance of pores and wrinkles; sea whip extract that soothes skin; macadamia derivative, a natural hydrator capable of holding up to 300% more water; and vitamins A, B, C, E, and F. Balkan Botanical® Infusion, exclusive to Anastasia Beverly Hills, is an antioxidant-rich complex containing marshmallow leaf extract, lemon balm, bilberry extract, and green tea to soothe, soften, and hydrate skin."

Algae?  In bronzer?  I've never seen anything like it before.  So I'm pumped to swatch and review that for you all.  In the mean time, here's another Anastasia product I'm craving, the Youthful Synergy Complex Eye Shadow Palette.  My favorite eye shadow palettes are the ones that combine neutral and pastel shades, like this one here.  You have the neutrals to do a school/office appropriate look, and then you can add a little sass with the bright purple or cranberry red.

Review: Zoya Roxy Polish

Before you read any further, let me just say that I have had the WORST lighting for taking pictures of nail polish this week.  Like terrible.  These pictures do not do the polish justice at all.  Boo.


Anyways, I got Zoya Roxy with the latest Zoya promo.  The website describes it as "a sheer red-toned purple base loaded with bright purple glitter. A must-have shade for any rock star or glamour girl."


Awful pictures:

I really, really like this polish.  It is such a pretty polish.  I'd say the Zoya description is pretty accurate.  It is on the sheer side, almost a jelly, and it's a medium berry-red purple with fine matching shimmer.  The great thing about this is that the jelly finish makes the glitter seem to float on the nail instead of burying it under the base color.  It is actually the sparkliest polish I own.  It's opaque in two coats and goes on surprisingly easy for a glitter polish, although it does dry a little bumpy.  The wear time and formula are standard for Zoya (5-days and great).

 Overall thoughts: I adore this color.  It's bright and festive and glittery enough to feel girly and fun, but it's not so garish as to be office or age inappropriate.  It's almost a jewel-toned hue, and the glitter definitely adds to that.  I think this would work nicely on most skin tones and if you like sparkly things at all then YOU NEED IT.

Image via zoya.com.

Review: Zoya Neeka Polish

So I did that buy one, get two free Zoya proyo a while back.  I got a top coat (Anchor), Roxy, and Neeka.  Today I've got Neeka to show you all. 


Zoya polish in Neeka, $8 at zoya.com: So Zoya describes Neeka as: "A greyed amethyst with subtle red duochrome shimmer and bright gold glitter accents.? A fascinating, unique shade that manages to be glittery but not too flashy."  I'd say that's about right.  It's a medium, greyed purple (more purple than grey to be sure) with subtle pink shimmer and tiny gold glitter.  It is SO PRETTY.  It's showing up a little washed out here and I could not get the shimmer to show up FOR THE LIFE OF ME.  Stupid rainstorm lighting.  Here's a better swatch.  I adore this color.  It reminds me of Catherine of Aragon from RBL's The Real Housewives of the Tudor Dynasty collection.  That sold out before I could get it, but it was a very similar color--slightly lighter and dustier with a little more shimmer, but very similar.

There's something so regal about this color.  It has the richness from the purple and the elegant, worn-in feeling from the grey, and the glitter adds a fun amount of dimension.  It's almost like the shade of a dress you'd see in Tudor times, and I am all over that.  It's neutral enough to wear to work, but edgy enough to wear out while still staying in pretty category (it's not an unflattering brownie-grey-purple-taupe type polish at all).


As far as application goes, this is a two coater.  It's a little sheer on the first coat, but the second one fixes that up.  It's self-leveling (meaning it doesn't pool on one side of the nail) and easy to use.  The Zoya brush is a little thinner than an OPI brush, but it's not hard to use.  I got average wear with this and the Zoya topcoat, about 5 days, and I think it my nails were less peely I could have gotten even more.


Overall, I ADORE THIS.  It might be in my top five favorite polishes ever. The color is unique, flattering, and just straight up pretty, it's big 4-free (all Zoya polishes are free of the big-4 nasty chemicals), it was basically free with my promo, and it's just amazing.  I'd give this an A+.  Everyone needs to go buy this.  Now.  I mean it.

British Drugstore Cravings

For some reason, I'm convinced that drugstores in Europe have much better drugstore makeup lines than we do in the US.  I think it's because of all the British Youtube beauty gurus I watch (pixiwoo and pixi2woo mostly) who always have the best looking drugstore products.  It's hard to get them in the US, but since I have about a 5 hour layover in Heathrow on my way to Spain next semester, I'm hitting up Boots and Superdrug in the airport.  Woohoo!  Here are some of the things I've had my eye on for a while:

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer, about 4 pounds, Barry M Nail Paint, about 3 pounds: I honestly have no comprehension of the exchange rate between pounds and dollars but I'm thinking all of these are still pretty cheap.  I've seen this Collection 2000 concealer in a lot of Pixi2woo videos.  It seems like an affordable, long-lasting under-eye concealer.  I just broke my MAC concealer (sob) and I need a new one, so I'm thinking I'll pick up this little guy.  I like the doefoot applicator, since I always irritate my eyes slapping on concealer with my fingers, and an applicator is much softer and easier to blend with.  I think Barry M polish is like the Sally Hansen of the UK, but cheaper and with better colors.  I love the retro type on the bottle, and the range of gorgeous vibrant colors and on-trend, dusty hues.  I think I have a bit of a nail polish addiction problem, so I'll definitely grab a few of these.

Sleek Pout Polish, about 4 pounds, Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation, about 10 pounds: I have about 25 lip balms.  And I don't really like any of them.  I use Aquaphor for actual moisture (it beats everything at that) but as for colored lip balm I have no favorites.  I've heard great things about this Sleek Pout Polish.  It has SPF (which I LOVED), seems to be very moisturizing, and comes in a bunch of pretty colors.  I really like that pink on top and the cherry red on the bottom.  I'm a little scared of lip color, but sheer lip balms are a great way to add a little color without going too over the top.  Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation got rave reviews both on YouTube and on Makeupalley.  It seems to be a light, dewey foundation with a ton of antioxidants to nourish your skin.  I'm always looking for lightweight, decent coverage foundations and this one is so affordable and may actually make your skin happier.  So that's a win-win!

 What about you girls?  Do you have a favorite European beauty product?

Images via: collection2000.co.uk, superdrug.co.uk, bourjois.co.uk.

Who loves free nail polish?

Unless you live under a rock, you've probably heard of the current Zoya promo.  If you have an account with Zoya already (you always need to make an account before they release their promos) you can go to the promo code section and see one for a 'buy one, get two free' code.  You pay for one $8 polish and shipping (comes out to around $14) and you get $24 worth of polish.  Woohoo!  

Zoya Armor Top Coat, $8 at zoya.com: Now what I did (I was very proud of this idea) was get a top coat and 2 polishes.  Zoya is on the eco-friendlier side of polishes, and the polish tends not to work as well with chemical heavy top coats, like my favorite, Seche Vite.  I get average wear time with that top coat.  However, I hear that with the Zoya top coat you can get like 7-9 days before it starts chipping, which is AMAZING.  So I got that.

Zoya Roxy, $8 at zoya.com, Zoya Neeka, $8 at zoya.com: As far as nail polish goes, I got Roxy and Neeka.  Roxy is a sheer red-toned purple base with bright purple glitter.  I have a ton of glitter nail polishes, but none that are medium berries, so obviously I had to buy this.  I like sheer jelly glitters, because they make the glitter seem to float in the polish.  The deepness of the berry gives it a little more maturity than the average glitter, and all the glitter makes it great in a Disney princess kind of way.  And Neeka is a greyed amethyst with subtle red duochrome shimmer and bright gold glitter.  It actually reminds me of Katherine of Aragon by Rescue Beauty Lounge, with it's dusty lavender base with glitter.  I love that the base here is such a soft, pretty, romatic/Jane Austen-approved color, but the red duochrome and gold glitter add a glam, modern twist.

On a totally random note, I was thinking about what to wear to a summer wedding the other day.  And then I realized that other people probably have the same question, so I thought I'd mention it.

J. Crew Arabelle Silk Chiffon Dress, $225 at jcrew.com: J. Crew is the source for wedding/bridesmaid dresses.  I love this little coral number.  The ruching/draping on the bodice is very flattering, as are the cinched waist and sweetheart neckline, and the a-line skirt hides any sins.  You could take this all sweet with a white satin ribbon around the waist and nude peep toe platforms with pearl earrings, or you could take it a little edgier and do a dark grey patent leather belt and peep toe platforms with a statement cuff bracelet.  Either way, it's demure enough for a wedding but still fun enough to make that open bar work for you.

Images via zoya.com, jcrew.com.

Cute Sundress for Less than $20?

I love weekends.  I really love three-day weekends.  I slept till 11 today.  It was beautiful.  Anyways, here are some pretty things:



Forever 21 Summer Tiki Dress, $17.80 at forever21.com, Frye Kara Trapunto T-Strap, $136.80 at zappos.com: I picked up this dress a week or so ago at Forever 21, and I love it.  First off, it's less than $20.  That's a win in my book.  It's not the sturdiest dress in the world, but it costs less than going out to dinner, so I've accepted it.  The cut is adorable, a flattering sweetheart neckline, fitted to the waist, a-line skirt.  The print is a little on the funky/tribal side, but I think it's really fun and festive.  Plus, since the print has so many colors, it makes the dress easy to accessorize.  I like to pull out the brown in the print with a brown leather belt and a pair of brown heels like these.  It feels very summery and easygoing, but at the same time it looks very polished and chic.

 Mod Cloth Object of Confection Dress, $94.99 at modcloth.com: Last night I was telling a friend about how I'm making pumpkin spice cupcakes today, and mentioned how I'm really a closet '50s housewife.  And then she turns to me and goes, "sweetie, you've been out of the closet on that one for a while."  So, in keeping with my repressed retro tendencies, how cute is this polka dot dress?  I love the shape, with the sweet little neckline and the slight a-line skirt.  The polka dots and layers on the skirt make it look like a little wedding cake, but the red hue keeps it from feeling to formal and bridal.

Images via forever21.com, zappos.com,

What I'd Like to be Wearing to Work

I am the worst with dressing for work.  In theory, I have all these adorable outfits that I'd wear, but in reality, I just wear what I already have, which is lots of cardigans and sundresses.  Gah.  But people at my office wear JEANS.  It's so weird to me.  Anyways, here's one of those theoretical outfits I'd wear to work.  I really like slightly '50s, retro work ensembles (Joan Holloway = my icon) with a slightly modern twist.


J. Crew Ruthie Shirtdress, $118 at jcrew.com, J. Crew Skinny Patent Belt, $34.50 at jcrew.com: This J. Crew shirtdress is ADORABLE.  It's a lovely camel color, which is very of the moment but also flattering and versatile.  The cut works well for a lot of body types--it's fitted through the smallest part of your torso, and glides over the lower body.  The elbow-length sleeves add a hint of sweetness to the utilitarian feel of a shirtdress.  To add even more emphasis to the waist, I'd do a skinny patent leather belt.  The patent gives it a bit of an urban edge, and a cinched-in waist is always a good look.

GUESS Osten Heels, $99 at zappos.com, J. Crew Oval Heirloom Locket Necklace, $50 at jcrew.com: For a bit of modern sass, I'd do a suede platform heel in this lovely ruby red.  The rich visual texture of the suede adds a sense of warmth and luxury that livens up the shirtdress, and the pop of color from the red is just so fun and girly.  To top it all off, I like this vintage-y locket necklace.  It works with the general '50s feel, and adds a personal touch (since generally you put adorable family/pet pictures in lockets.  I would totally have my dog and my pony).

So what do y'all wear to work?  Jeans? (just kidding)

Images via jcrew.com, zappos.com.

LUSH Head Case

Confession: I am a total LUSH junkie.  If you don't know LUSH, it's an eco-friendly/natural body shop.  You'll be able to smell it down the block.  They're most famous for their soaps and ball bombs/bubble bars, but since I hate solid soap and I don't take bathes, I've been struggling to find something for me at LUSH.  I really wanted to like something from the store, since I love their brand mission and their products smell amazing.

Well, I found four new favorite things!  Right now, LUSH has 3 limited edition 'Head Case' sets for sale.  They're sets of 4 hair products, each with three sample size products and one full size solid shampoo bar, and they're all just under $24.  There's a Volume & Shine box (which I got), a Protect & Nourish box (meant for curly/frizzy hair) and a Balance & Repair box (for damaged hair).


The Volume & Shine box has a 3.4 ounce tub of Marilyn deep conditioner, which is about an $8.50 value (look at me doing math), a 1.6 ounce tub of Big shampoo, a $3.20ish value, a 3.3 ounce bottle of Veganese conditioner, a $5.25 value, and a full size Total Shine solid shampoo bar, which retails for $10.  So that's about a $27 value.  It's not an amazing deal, but it is a good chance to try out a ton of LUSH hair products and find out if any of them work for you.


So here's the Marilyn deep conditioner and the Big shampoo.  Marilyn was the one thing that I was least excited about.  It's a deep conditioner and brightening treatment for blondes.  I am a natural blonde, but I dye my hair for a reason.  I most certainly do not want a mask that makes me blonde.  So I did a little Googling, and it turns out that this can lighten you a little/add a few golden tones if you have actual blonde hair, but on my dyed dark hair it won't do anything.  It's packed full of chamomile, olive and linseed oils, and a bunch of citrus oils and juices.  It has a very thin, goopy consistency that made it hard to get out of the pot, and smells like olive oil with a hint of lemon.  Now, LUSH doesn't use silicones, which are what make your hair feel all slippery and smooth with normal conditioners and masks.  So this may not feel very effective--it really feels like runny lotion.  But once your hair dries it does add a lot of shine and softness.  The smell lingers pleasantly, and my hair feels happy, so I'm pleased with it.  I probably wouldn't purchase the full size just because I don't want lightening agents anywhere near my hair, but it is a lovely conditioner.  Big shampoo is my favorite product from this box.  It also looks the weirdest.  It actually looks like a salt scrub in the tub, and it honestly smells like laundry detergent to me (very cottony and clean).  I stared at it for a while in the shower before I could work up the courage to use it.  You need about a nickel sized amount, and you rub it vigorously into very wet hair.  It lathers up a lot, and the salt kind of melts away, leaving your hair and scalp feeling very refreshed.  I was a little scared of the idea of washing my hair with a shampoo that has salt and salt water and seaweed infusion in it, since my hair does not do beach hair well, but this stuff is MAGICAL.  It makes my hair feel so soft and look so shiny, and gives it a TON of volume.  I have thick, flat, normal/not-oily hair, and this manages to add texture while still making my hair feel clean but not dried out.  I imagine it would be wonderful for oily, thin or limp hair.  The only downside is that Big isn't cheap (the full size tub is $23), but this is a once or twice a week shampoo.  It would be very drying it used on a daily basis, since it's meant to strip all the product residue out of your hair.  That means even though it ain't cheap, it will last you a long while.

Here are Veganese conditioner and Ultimate Shine solid shampoo bar.  Veganese is a 100% vegan conditioner (no lanolin), and is full of rosemary, lavender, and seaweed infusion.  It's a pale creamy yellow with the consistency of thin lotion, and smells like rosemary and lavender.  The herbal smell doesn't linger long, however.  Again, since this has no silicones it doesn't feel like it's doing much in the shower, and it certainly won't work out any stubborn tangles.  This is LUSH's lightest conditioner, so it's great for keeping your hair from getting weighed down when you want a lot of volume.  I have dry ends, and this is a little on the light side for me.  It made my hair really soft and shiny and happy, but my ends were still a little parched.  I think Veganese could be great for girls with thin hair that's easily weighed down.  Ultimate Shine shampoo bar is my second LUSH shampoo bar.  They're these little hockey pucks of concentrated solid shampoo, and once you get used to using them they are AMAZING.  I like them for traveling, since you can put them in your carry-on, and they'll never spill all over your luggage, plus they're so much lighter than a bottle of shampoo.  Plus, they last forever.  My only issue is storage, since these need to dry completely before being put into any, or they'll basically melt onto whatever surface you put them on.  The Ultimate Shine bar has glitter (?!), violet leaf, gardenia extract, elemi tree oil, and smells just like eucalyptus to me.  The scent doesn't last, however, and neither does the glitter, thankfully.  Ultimate Shine lathers up really nicely, and leaves my hair feeling clean and soft.  It doesn't add texture or body, but it does get rid of any excess oil without stripping hair dry.  My hair is naturally very shiny, so I can't say if it adds shine.

You can only get these sets in store, so hop over to your local lush now!

Overall I'd give this set an A-/B+.  I'd give Big an A+, since it's possibly my favorite shampoo of all time, and Ultimate Shine a B+ for being a good, dependable (if not mindblowing) shampoo.  I'd give Veganese an A-, because even though it's not great for me I think it's still a great conditioner for most people, and Marilyn gets a B for being a decent deep conditioner.

Images via amazon.com, beautyjunkielondon.com.

Channeling Mad Men

I came to the realization today that I need more big girl work clothes.  Like sheath dresses and pencil skirts.  Those things scare me.  But it had to be done.  So I went into Anne Taylor Loft today (I know, I know, but they have cute work clothes) and picked up a pencil skirt and some other basics.  I felt very old.  It was weird.

Anne Taylor Loft Sateen Straight Skirt, $49.50 at loft.com, Schutz Open Toe Nubuck Pumps, $152.60 at shopbop.com: So I picked up this skirt today.  It's really much cuter in person.  It's a medium grey with a little bit of a sheen, it has a little stretch, it's a nice length, and it's comfy.  My only issue with it is that it's built for someone with a little boy's torso.  Seriously.  Straight up and down.  I dropped it off at the tailor today to get almost 6 inches taken out of the waist.  Yeesh.  Anyways, I've been thinking of cute little outfits to wear around this skirt.  I'd add these mauve platforms.  They're neutral enough to be work appropriate, but the color is still a little offbeat, and the platform makes them comfy.  Plus the suede texture adds visual interest.

Anne Taylor Loft 3/4 Sleeve Crew Neck Cardigan, $39.50 at loft.com, Anne Taylor Loft Rib Tank, $7.25 at loft.com: Obviously if you're going the retro, pencil skirt, Mad Men route, you have to have a little cropped cardigan.  I picked this up today too, and I really like it.  The sleeves are nice and fitted, and it actually hits me at the waist, which makes for a much more flattering cut.  The black and the slate from the skirt play together nicely.  For a pop of color, I'd do this coral tank.  It's fitted and simple, so it'll fall cleanly under the cardigan, and the pretty pink is sweet and feminine, but not too much to wear to the office.

Anne Taylor Loft Braided Jeans Belt, $39.50 at loft.com, Adia Kibur Jumbo Pretzel Necklace, $48 at shopbop.com: To highlight the waist even more (can you ever do that enough?), I like this braided belt.  The black keeps it from being too over the top, and the rustic, braided texture adds a slightly earthy twist to the ensemble.  Lastly, I'd finish it off with a piece of statement jewelry.  This twisted, knotted necklace gives the outfit a quirky vibe.  It's a little offbeat, but not so much that you can't wear it to work, and the gold would be lovely with the pink tank.

Images via shopbop.com, loft.com.