Outfit of the Day: Leopard!

It is literally 102 degrees F today.  I'm not even exaggerating, it's actually over 100 degrees outside today.  I say that because I'd really love to do this jacket/tank combo with jeans and boots, but it was all I could manage to pull on jean shorts and flip flops.  Yes, I wear flip flops.  Probably about 90% of the time.  I'm seriously a California girl at heart, I wore flip flops in Boston until it got to the 40 degree mark and there was snow on the ground.  I have trouble wearing big girl shoes.

Anyways, here's the outfit: the jewelry is all from Tiffany's, the jacket is Walter, the leopard tank is Forever 21, the shorts are 7 For All Mankind, and the flip flops are Rainbows.  I know, I'm such a California cliche.

I got this leopard tank yesterday, and I lurve it.  It's a medium, so it's a little on the oversized side, and I like the contrast between the draping of the tank and the structure of the leather jacket.  The shorts are a funny story; when spring hit Boston, I immediately dove for my shorts drawer...and realized that I owned no pairs of shorts that fit.  I had a few nasty old pairs of F21 shorts, but literally none that fit and looked decent.  So I grabbed a pair of jeans that I didn't wear enough, in this case my 7 For All Mankind Ginger jeans, and hacked them to pieces.  It's actually really easy to do, just put the jeans on, mark how short you want the shorts to be (make sure it's even on both legs) and then add 1", 1/2", 2", however wide you want the cuff at the bottom to be to wear you marked the shorts length.  Then take off the jeans, cut them, and roll up the amount that you want to cuff them, and sew them in place.  It takes like ten minutes, and it's a great way to get new life out of a pair of jeans you don't wear often.  I did the cuff because it helps keep the cut edge from unraveling.  If you don't want the cuff, it just takes a little more sewing.

I am SO pale. Gah.

I realized that I haven't posted a pic of my makeup for a really long time, so I thought I'd let you guys see what I'm doing in that department. I'm not gonna talk about my face makeup because that's in a sort of flux at the moment, but I'm really loving my eye makeup.


I'm still rocking the cat eye on a daily basis (of course). I use Urban Decay's Primer Potion as a base, and top that off with a layer of MAC's Cream Color Base in Pearl and Stila's Smudge Pot in Kitten (I get these all over the lid and then a bit on the browbone and at the inner corner of the eye). I brush a little bit of MAC's shadow in Femme Fi into the inner corner of the eye for a little extra highlight. Then I blend MAC's shadow in Satin Taupe across the outer portion of the lid and into the brush, followed with a bit of NAR's shadow in Galapagos at the very outer corner of the eye and slightly into the crease for extra definition. I smudge a bit of Satin Taupe and Galapagos into the lower lashline. Then I line the upper lashline and lower lashline/waterline with MAC's Eye Kohl in Blooz (I like navy better than black for the waterline because it's not as harsh and it really makes the green in my eyes pop). I follow that up with my cat eye liner, done with the black Stila Smudge Pot and a Sephora angled liner brush. I do two coats of Max Factor's Waterproof Volume Couture Mascara (discontinued), and for undereye circles, I use an Anastasia pencil in light pink followed by a layer of Givenchy's Mister Light Corrective Pen, and blend those together. I sound so high maintenance. It only takes five minutes, I swear!

OPI Cajun Shrimp, $6.99 at salonsavings.com: Oh, my poor, poor feet. They do not look happy. I'M SO PALE. Grrr. Ever since the sun decided to start shining in Boston again, I've been embracing the flip flops like it's nobody's business. I didn't have any self-tanner to remedy the paleness situation, so I thought a summer pedicure would be a good way to make my feet presentable. Only problem: I didn't have any fun pedicure polish. But nothing was stopping me, so I mixed equal parts Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Polish Xtreme Wear (that's a mouthful) in Cherry Red with OPI's Don't Be Koi with Me. My goal was to achieve the poppy, coral/red/orange color of OPI's Cajun Shrimp (aka best pedicure polish of all time) on the right there. My version isn't all that pinky, but it's still a nice change from the usual red. Lesson learned: mixing your own polish is way easier than you'd think. Just start with small quantities so you don't end up wasting a bunch of polish like I did, and mix on a non-porous surface (I used the bottom of an expired Diet Coke can. So clever).


FX Flat Iron Shining Defrizzant, $5.99 at amazon.com, Jergens Natural Glow Foaming Daily Moisturizer in Fair to Medium, $8.49 at drugstore.com: I can't believe I haven't blogged about this flat iron spray yet. I've used up almost the entire bottle already! I stumbled across it looking for a replacement for my Tresemme heat protection spray (I liked it, but whenever I travel, no matter what I do, it gets all over EVERYTHING). I grabbed this on a whim/because I like the purple bottle. It was a lucky whim, because this stuff is fantastic. The bottle doesn't last quite as long as my Tresemme, but it works so much better. I flat iron my ends every day, and my last haircut was in January, so my ends should be dead. But they aren't at all, and I think it's because of this spray. It keeps my hair extremely shiny, helps it stay straighter long, and banishes all dryness and frizzies. The smell is a little weird, but at this point I just don't care. That tiny purple bottle is full of magic. If you looked at the picture of my feet, you know that at this point, coming out of the winter of death here in Boston, I am Snow White pale. No joke. I like the look of a natural tan, but I always, always, always burn first, and I'm trying to take better care of my skin. I'm seriously contemplating this foaming self tanner. I like the normal Jergens, but it does apply something streaky at times, and it seems like the foam nature of this version would eliminate all of that. The reviews are glowing, and I want to be glowing too! I'll probably pick it up this weekend, and I'll let you guys know how that goes.

About two days ago, once the sun finally poked its head out again, I realized that all my skirts and dresses were in the wash and that I had zero pairs of shorts. But it was one of those days where I absolutely COULDN'T wear jeans again, so after five minutes of intense pouting and frowning, I dug out an old pair of Sevens and hacked them to pieces. Voila, instant jean shorts. They're actually super easy to make. I guess-timated how long I wanted them to be, added about 2 inches for the cuff, and cut them with a pair of scissors. Then I put them on, folded the cuffs to where I wanted them to be, and literally sewed them into place while I was still wearing them. Problem solved.


J. Crew Leather Capri Sandals, $49.50 at jcrew.com, Longchamp Eiffel Tower Le Pliage, $155 at saks.com: I realized that I have a ton of sandals, but none of them are actually nice. I have rainbows and plastic flip flops and random gladiators that I got at Urban Outfitters about four years ago. My last pair of J. Crew capri sandals died in ninth grade, and I've missed them terribly. They last forever, and they're so darn chic. They're understated and simple, but not at all boring, and while they might not be the comfiest shoes in the world, they're pitch perfect with any summer outfit. I saw these Eiffel Tower Le Pliage totes at Saks when I was in NYC, and I played with them for almost an hour. I want a Le Pliage tote, but every other girl at Tufts has one, and I don't want something that everyone else has, you know? I haven't seen anyone with the Eiffel Tower version (it also comes in black), and it's super practical and roomy, but also insanely adorable and whimsical. That diagonal, awkward little Eiffel Tower takes the totes from basic to chic, and who doesn't want to look like a little French Girl?



And on another summery note, I've been listening to this song non-stop for the past few days: Love love love by Tristan Prettyman. She is AMAZING.

Image Sources:
OPI Cajun Shrimp: andilynn77.xanga.com, FX flat iron spray: amazon.com, Jergens tanner: drugstore.com, J. Crew sandals: jcrew.com, Longchamp le pliage: saks.com,

Playing House

On a slightly random note, I also have a hardcore ( I mean hardcore) addiction to interior design as well as all that fashion stuff. When I was younger, like middle school, I dappled in the world of architecture; in my spare time I would buy professional design programs and make blueprints and collect paint chips and fabric patterns, all that jazz. Besides my endless love of power tools (I don't actually own any, I just daydream about them), I love, love, love reading about and look at the before and afters of diy projects. Oftentimes, I see what people have done with a cabinet or table and find a similar object in my possession and think of all the things I could do with it. Which is what brings me to the next four blogs I'm going to show you. Some reference household items, others diy projects, and some total overhauls. They're fun to look at and learn from. So if you're in a hands-on kind of mood, read away.*

Oh Joy!
You've probably heard of Oh Joy! already, but if you haven't let me tell you why this site is just so amazing! It's written by a graphic designer, Joy Deangdeelert Cho, who also sells her products online. Oh Joy! contains wonderful images of little bits of wonderfulness. The products she features are often not only whimsical but practical as well. Take this laptop case, for example. Yes, those old books are really laptop cases. Joy is very adept at finding these lovelies.



CasaSugar
While more of a time killer, CasaSugar is still an excellent site for all your design fetish desires. Part of the PopSugar network, Casa follows the same line of all the news you need in one place. Every post has some interesting aspect to it, as well as many photos that correspond to the topic so you are always visually intrigued. There are often quizzes to test your savvy and such.



Desire to Inspire
LOVE this site. It's a fabulous source for home decor. The site compiles images from all over the interwebs of themes that relate to one another and mix in styles for all tastes and budgets. There are also images that homeowners send in to boast (rightfully) about the beautiful spaces they call they're abodes. It's very easy to get lost in the magnitude of posts that exist. Also, the site was recently redesigned and as an effect had become much easier to navigate and search through the archives. So if you are a free spirit willing to have hours sucked out of your life, click away.



Design Sponge
Last, but most definitely not least is Design Sponge. This is the one stop shop for all your diy needs. Readers send in images of their befores and afters and some are truly amazing. Often times there are also notes about how you can repeat the processes yourself. Besides diys, there are also product posts and occasional food posts (yum! yet to disappoint). I have spent many many hours looking through the site's archives. Why? Because it's amazing, I need not say more.



* Mind you, as a mini disclaimer, these images in no way show the bounty of fantasticness that awaits you if you actually link hop over to these beauties. So, this is me hinting at you (wink, wink) to take a look for yourselves and make up your own minds.

Image Sources: all images linked to their prospective sites

Shaun of the (Un)Dead

Clever title, I know. Mah brain ish FRIED. Bleh. But, on a high note, Maud and I are doing a vampire themed photo shoot this weekend. Why? Because we secretly want to be vampires and evidently that's very on-trend right now. Before your brain goes to that tween-dominated Twilight stuff, no, that's not what we're doing. We're not doing Underworld either. It's going to be more of a blend of True Blood, Interview with a Vampire, and Dracula (the old school Dracula).

In my mind it's the story of two girls (since Maudie and I are modeling--le gasp! You may actually see our faces) who get turned into vampires in the very early 1800's, and then sort of wander through the country as these animalistic, fleety nomads. So their clothes are reminiscent of that Victorian, Gothic era, but they've also picked up newer pieces along the way, like a menswear vest from the 1920's, a fur stole from the 1940's, and so on. We're doing (or going to attempt to do) the shoot in an old cemetery nearby, so that'll be interesting. We're thinking barefoot, slightly smudgy/dirty, messy hair, maybe some Rodarte-esque tribal tattoos.

As for makeup, obviously pale-ish skin (dewey but no color in the cheeks), which neither of us has to work too hard at, and maybe a mixture of nude and stained lips. Definitely no red lipstick. Personally I want to nude out my lips with a little concealer and layer a bit of berry gloss on top (so yes, I'll probably cave on Clinique's Black Honey gloss). For the eyes, I think we should do a heavy crease to exaggerate the brow bone for a really primal feel, and then do elongated shadow/liner to give the eye a feline quality. I don't want to cop out and just do a smokey eye, because I feel like that's such a standard thing for the vampire look (red lipstick and smokey eyes) and I want to go a little further out of the box. Even if it means ugly instead of pretty. I'm feeling lots of greys and purples for the eyeshadow, lots of heavy blending, some black eyeliner.

We've got lots of cool, old props lined up. Think antique lanterns, perhaps an antique (but broken!) pistol, weird old mirrors and photos and the like. As for the clothes, there's a lot, and I mean a lot, of crazy vintage pieces, and I've got a few pics to give you guys a sneak peek.

Why do I own these things? That's a fantastic question. Like this torn up black tulle dress and oversized plastic cross. No idea. Not questioning it. This black velvet dress was actually my grandma's. It has tiny buttons up the cuffs and a sheer, beaded/sequined panel over the shoulders and across the back. The fur stole was also my grandma's, and will now be mine. Sorry dad. It's too flufftastic to sit in a closet all the time.


A sheer, black lace sequined trim cardigan? How do these things live in my house for so long without me knowing about them?! And I was just pining over that Rodarte lace cardigan today. Why yes, that is a fur-trimmed cape. I just--wow. And then some creepy/awesome random jewelry pieces. That cross is like 10 times older than me. Very vampire appropriate, no?


In unrelated but entertaining news, I cut two of the bows off my leopard Rodarte for Target dress, and now have two leopard print oversized bows to play with. Yippee! They're the color in the first pic, I don't know why the other three are coming out acid yellow. Eek. So far I'm thinking I could attach one to a belt for something fun and whimsical, turn one into a brooch and pin it on tees and cardigans, or attach one to a headband and go all Lady Gaga. I know I would be publicly mocked for this, but I really love the last one. Another other ideas guys?


That's all from me. Happy Holidays guys!