J. Crew/Madewell Haul

Disclaimer: I didn't buy this all at one time because I am a poor grad student and that would be insane, but I got all of this in the last month or so, largely on sale (yay!).

Madewell Afternoon Dress, $98 at madewell.com, J. Crew Collection Cashmere Plaited Sweater, $129.99 at jcrew.com: I am a huge fan of dresses like this, that are very simple with classic shapes in comfy fabrics and fun colors.  Why?  Because you can wear them so many ways!  I put a blazer over it and wore it to work, but I can also wear it with a pair of wedges and some fun statement jewelry for a night out, or with a cozy sweater and a pair of boots around for errands.  However, I am the most excited about this sweater.  I've loved this silhouette that J. Crew has been doing in all cashmere for a long time, with the French girl sweatshirt-chic vibe, but those sweaters run about $250.  This one was a magical sale find for $45.  TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS DOWN FROM THE ORIGINAL PRICE.  INSANE.  Granted, pink stripes is not the world's most practical color choice, but it's really cute (and much more neon in person), it's a cozy, flattering fit, and I think I can wear it a ton of ways.

J. Crew Button-front Dress in Linen, $138 at jcrew.com: This is the kind of dress that I saw online and I saw in-store, and I thought it looked kind of blah and dumpy.  But then it was on super sale ($45!), so I tried it on (it also comes in an adorable black and white print that I think is sold out online).  I got this in a 6, as it's a heavy linen blend with no stretch, so it seemed safer to size up.  It's much shorter on me than on the model, and I like to wear it with the top two buttons undone and the sides pushed back so it's more of a v-neck.  What I really like about this dress is that it's really well made--it has a lining, bra keeps, deep pockets, etc--and it has a shape that's pretty universally flattering.  The wide, full skirt would be great for adding the illusion of curves if you have narrower hips but also has lots of room for my ridiculously wide hip bones.  The top fits my chest really well, which is great for me, and the waist is also fairly fitted, which is also great for me.  However if you have a large ribcage, this may not be for you, as the torso is fitted and has no stretch.  My absolute favorite thing about this dress, however, is that it manages to look like something Sophia Loren would have worn while also still being modern.  It's a perfect warm-weather sundress.

J. Crew Drapey Elbow-Sleeve Tee, $39.50 at jcrew.com, J. Crew A-line Ponté Dress, $128 at jcrew.com: I have this weird thing with t-shirts where I accumulate a lot of basic tees, realize I have no blouses or nice tops, end up trading in all my tees for blouses, then realizing I have no tees, and the vicious cycle continues.  I wanted a basic tee to wear with my colorful minis and my legging-pants, and this J. Crew version fits the bill.  It comes in a bunch of colors, was 25% off today, and has a fit that is the perfect combination of slouchy-casual and slightly sexy.  I got this pink dress for work (wohooo unpaid internships) and for $45 as well!  I got it in a 6, and I really like it.  It's a good length, short enough to be flattering but long enough for an office, the v-neck is flattering without being scandalous, and the combination of the fitted waist and a-line skirt is both comfy and flattering.  I just realized that this is the third pink dress I've bought in the last few months.  I have a problem.

Tell me about your shopping adventures!  What have you bought lately?

Images via jcrew.com, madewell.com.

Delicate Gold Bar Necklaces--on the Cheap!

 You've probably seen these little bar necklaces everywhere--the ones on the short, delicate chains where the bar sits right below the collarbone.  I wasn't sure how much I would like them on me, because short necklaces aren't usually my thing, so I picked up a gold plated one on Etsy with an 18 inch chain for $20-something from this little shop.  I got the hammered version, where the bar is slightly textured (you can kind of see it in the second photo).

I absolutely love this.  I wear it every day.  I think it would feel cheap, because it was pretty cheap, but it looks and feels pretty expensive.  The chain is so thin that it almost disappears on me, and it's just the gold bar floating below my collarbone, which looks really pretty.  I love it because it's the kind of necklace you can wear with everything--it's fancy enough to wear out or to a nice event, but it's simple enough that you can wear it with a tee and leggings.  It's just a great, easy to wear piece of jewelry.

I also super recommend that Etsy shop!  It shipped quickly, came in cute packaging, and it was super affordable.

Wardrobe Must Haves: J. Crew Pixie Pant

Happy holidays/New Year's, everybody!  Since the year is coming to an end, I thought I'd share one of my favorite things that I bought this year.  I've been (and still am) firmly in the leggings are not pants camp.  HOWEVER (now is when I eat my words), I normally stick to skirts and dresses out of personal preference, but sometimes you just need to wear pants.  I'm completely over jeans at this point--they're never comfortable, they never fit me correctly, and they just aren't really my style.  In search of non-legging, non-jean pants, I stumbled across these J. Crew Pixie Pants, which are incidentally the exact same as the J. Crew Factory Ponte Pants (which are a good $30 cheaper on sale right now).  The only differences between the two are that the Pixie pants have a zipper in the back, whereas the Ponte zipper is on the side, and the Pixie pants come in grey, black, and navy, whereas the Ponte pants only come in navy and black.  I picked up a pair of the Ponte pants a few months ago, and I have been wearing them ALL THE TIME.

The Ponte pants are a rayon/nylon/spandex blend, which basically feels like a thick stretch jersey.  One of the things that I hate about leggings-as-pants as that they are so thin--they don't hide underwear lines (or even underwear color often!), and they stretch out and sag.  The Ponte pants are thicker, so they hide everything, and they don't stretch out at all.  They have a thick high waistband, which doesn't cut into my stomach, and a zipper on the side.  At J. Crew I'm often between a 4 and a 6 in bottoms, and since these have stretch I went for the 4, which fits perfectly.

I like to wear these with my Frye Jane boots (they would also be cute with flats, but that's not really my cup of tea) and either a sweater or a cute top.  What I really love about these, aside from the fact that they're super comfortable, is that they're so basic I can wear them with just about anything.  You can style them preppy, like in the photo above, or you can throw on boots, a tee, and a leather jacket and take them in a more edgy direction.  

I really recommend these!  I was a little skeptical at first, but I've ended up wearing them multiple times a week ever since I got them.  They've held up really well, and I might even get a second pair in the navy!  I wish they made these in more fun colors--I could totally go for a burgundy or a hunter green. 

Back to School Shopping

I've had very possibly way too much free time this summer, so I've been thinking a lot about what I want my fall school uniform to be.  For class, I like pieces that are easy to wear and easy to style different ways, but still pack a style punch.  I've been feeling a very Ali Mcgraw in Love Story, early 1970's vibe lately.  I'm thinking that this fall is going to be a lot of pencil mini skirts, 3/4 length sleeved tops and sweaters, long necklaces, and warm red leather boots.  Here are some of the pieces I've bought so far:

J. Crew Ink-Dip Popover, $72 at jcrew.com, Tippi Sweater in Colorblock Stripe, $95 at jcrew.com: I actually got this J. Crew shirt in Light Lilac (which is really more of a cool blush pink) but the neon pink picture was a lot cuter.  It's a popover, so it's like a button-up but the buttons stop about halfway down the front of the shirt, which makes it a lot easier to tuck into things.  This shirt is a very light, actually pretty transparent, cotton, with army pockets on the chest.  It feels very retro safari/men's shirt, which I love.  I got a 6 (I normally wear a small in J. Crew shirts) because I wanted it a little blousy and I wanted to be sure it would fit across my chest without pulling.  So is this shirt worth $72?  Eh.  It has a nice cut and comes in lovely colors, but it is a very thin cotton button-up for almost $75, so I'm not entirely convinced, but it is adorable partially tucked into a high-waisted denim mini.  I am in love with this Tippi sweater.  The cut is perfect, with the slightly opened up crewneck, the slim body, and the 3/4 sleeves.  It's wool, so it's nice and warm, but it's still a relatively thin sweater, so it's very fall appropriate.  It comes in solid colors, but I thought this colorblocked version, with the navy/white/camel/sky blue/grey was really cute and fun, and would go with a wide range of outfits.

Garment-dyed Denim Mini, on sale for $39.99 at jcrew.com, J. Crew Factory Classic Corduroy Mini, on sale for $29.50 at jcrew.com:  I don't actually have this skirt, I have a J. Crew factory skirt in coral-orange that's basically the same, but this pink is adorable, if impratical (it also comes in a mildly more practical kelly green).  The corduroy mini is absolutely fantastic.  I vary between a 4 and a 6 in J. Crew skirts, and got a 6 in this because it doesn't have a lot of stretch.  It hits just below the waist, is short enough to be a mini but not so short as to be indecent, has lots of pockets, and comes in a pretty, rich navy.  I like corduroy in small, sleek doses, and this one is on major sale!  Pencil minis like these have become my new staple pieces.  They basically go with any top, can be easily dressed up or down, and are both flattering and easy to move around in.  Now I have one in orange and one in navy, so I have the warm and cool ends of the color wheel down.

Forever 21 Union Jack Raglan Sweater, $22.80 at forever21.com, Frye Jane 14 Stitch boots in Redwood Leather, $328 at zappos.com: I bought this sweater in the middle of the Olympics when my London fever was raging, and I totally love it.  It's a little oversized, has a fun, abstract Union Jack on the front, and is so affordable (if a little itchy) draped over a pencil mini.  These boots are my absolutely my new favorite things.  They are definitely not cheap, but they are so well made.  I'm a little spoiled when it comes to leather boots after years of horseback riding.  My boots need to be able to stand up by themselves, and be 100% made of real leather.  These are made of a thick, gorgeous leather, lined with leather on the inside as well, with a little heel just over 2" and a slightly pointed, turned-up toe.  They have such a '70s feel, the leather is the perfect warm brown color, the insole is nice and squishy, there's great arch support, and basically I want to marry these boots and have their babies. 

  
Is anyone else feeling the 1970's for fall as much as I am?

Images via: jcrew.com, forever21.com, zappos.com.

My Perfect Face Routine (Drugstore and High-end!)

I thought I'd do a round-up of all my face makeup--primer, BB cream, and foundation.  These are all products that I use either everyday or very often.  I like them all, none of them irritate my skin or break me out, and I'd buy them all again, so I really recommend them all.  For the record, I'm very pale with warm undertones, with acne-prone combination skin.  Oh, and there's a pretty nail polish at the end.


Primer: Korres Quercetin & Oak Age-reversing Primer, BB Cream: Garnier Fructis BB Cream:
A friend of mine gave me this primer.  It comes in a 1 ounce, flexible tube, smells like grapefruit, and goes on feeling like a light moisturizer.  I use a pea sized amount for my entire face in-between moisturizing and BB cream. It's chockful of anti-oxidants and other things that are supposed to be good for your skin, and it has no silicone!  Yay!  Silicone primers break me out like there's no tomorrow.  I've been using it every day.  I put my foundation on around 10AM, go to the gym, and bop around all day, and I've noticed that this definitely keeps my foundation lasting longer.  It still fades off my blemishes by the end of the day, but in terms of overall lasting power and keeping redness at bay, I get about 3 hours more wear from using this primer.  That makes me very happy!  I think this tube is going to last me a long time, but I think I'd buy myself one when I used it up.  After my primer I use a BB cream.  I know that sounds silly since I also use a foundation, but I've noticed that with a lighter foundation, like Colorstay, the BB cream helps give me just a little extra coverage and a slightly nicer finish.  I grabbed the Garnier Fructis BB cream because, well it was cheap.  I have the light-medium shade.  It's a pretty thick, moisturizer-esque consistency, with a yummy citrus-floral smell and SPF 15!  Yay SPF!  I love it for that reason alone.  Light-medium is definitely dark on me.  I couldn't wear this as my only coverage (both because it's too dark and it's too sheer), but it has a really pretty finish on the skin, and it's going to last me a long time, so I think it's a winner.

Drugstore Foundation: Revlon Colorstay Foundation in Buff Chamois 150, Nars Sheer Glow in Montblanc:
Sheer Glow I've reviewed before, and I still love it.  However, it's still $42 a bottle.  So that's difficult.  I picked up Revlon's Colorstay foundation as a day-to-day alternative to save some money.  Colorstay is about $12 at CVS and comes in a nice range of shades if you're pale, not so nice if you aren't.  It has a pretty, natural finish, layers nicely (I need 2-3 layers for good coverage), applies easily with my fingers, and lasts almost all day.  It's pretty liquidy and has a certain chemical smell, but I have no major qualms with it.  Long story short, Sheer Glow is definitely a nicer foundation, but Colorstay is a pretty good buy.  In terms of shade comparisons, Montblanc is slightly pinker and deeper than Buff Chamois, which is lighter and more neutral-toned.  Either one is a good match if you're NW15-20, but Buff Chamois is actually a better color for me.   Colorstay has a more natural, slightly matte finish than Sheer Glow, which has a very dewy finish.  They're both pretty negligible in terms of SPF.  Sheer Glow is a medium coverage foundation on me, and Colorstay is light-medium.  They both last for the same amount of time on me, and both work equally well with my combination skin (not making me too oily or dry and not breaking me out).  I wouldn't say that Colorstay is a dupe for Sheer Glow, but it's a viable alternative, especially if you want to save some money.

I know the Korres primer and Nars Sheer Glow are on the expensive side.  They are lovely, and if you can swing them, I recommend them.  However, the BB Cream does act as a decent primer and the Colorstay is a nice foundation, so they're good drugstore alternatives if you're like me and on a student budget.

OPI polish in Call Me Gwen-ever: Please excuse the horrible picture.  Call Me Gwen-never is a really lovely, muted orange-coral.  It's an opaque cream, covers in 2 coats, and lasts a full week on me with Poshe topcoat.  I've been wearing it for weeks--it looks equally good on fingers and toes, and I think it would be flattering on a wide range of skin tones and hues.  I got bored and did two stripes of Chanel Graphite with some tape.  Yay attempted nail art!

Images via: sephora.com, amazon.com, drugstore.com.

Outfit of the Day and Zoya

I got a dress from H&M this weekend!  I really like it.  It was like $45, it's fitted through the waist with an a-line skirt, an exposed zipper up the back, no sleeves, and a high-ish neckline.  I'm really feeling higher necklines these days.  This is big for me.  The fabric is thick and stretchy cream with a black lace overlay tacked on top.  It looks really expensive...but it wasn't!  I'm wearing it with a vintage Bergdorf Goodman belt, a Walter jacket, Hue tights and Frye Carmen short boots.

What I really like about this dress is one, that it's so comfy but it looks really put together, and two, it's really easy to style differently.  I tried to make it a little more modern with the sassy boots and leather jacket, but I could also take it in a more '50s direction with a fitted little cardigan and some peep-toe heels. Here's a close-up of the fabric!  And in terms of Zoya, they have a tooonnnn of great promos right now--if you do their 'Share the Love' and sign-up for a new account through your old account (google it, I'm terrible at explaining) then you get 1 free polish and free shipping if you buy two polishes...aka buy 2 get one free and free shipping, which is excellent.  I got (left to right) Wednesday, Dree, and Lara.  I'm wearing Dree right now, and it is a fab dusty olive green.

Outfit of the Day: Madewell

So yesterday I did this thing were I went out and I bought clothes...and it was so great.  I LOVE SHOPPING, GUYS.  I love it.


ANYWAYS.  I got an adorable little lace, '50s dress from H&M that I will probably put pictures up of next week, and in the meantime I have an outfit of the day for y'all.  (Notice the excellent lighting and high-quality camera-work.  Jokes).  I'm wearing a Madewell sweaterdress, Hue brown tights, a vintage belt, and Frye Melissa button boots.

So the story with this dress.  I hate sweaterdresses.  They scare me.  They are generally so not flattering, with the thick, clingy knit fabric.  This one, however, is a nice balance of warm but not bulky fabric and a close, but not clingy fit.  Horizontal stripes also usually scare me, but I think the thickness of the stripes and their cream/coral palette makes them feel fun and fresh.  It has a flattering v-neck and thin stripes on the sleeve cuffs with little buttons down the back, and it's really comfy and I love it.  I'm not a preppy girl at ALL, but I really like this with tights and equestrian boots.  It feels very clean and classic.


AND IT WAS $20.  It was on sale at Madewell for $30 in store, and then it was on double sale!  For $20, it was a total steal, especially since I think it can be dressed up or down nicely, and work for class or work.

Etsy Loves

I love Etsy.  I don't think that's a secret.  But I find the best stuff on that website.  It's the best for somewhat personalized accessories, beauty products, and home decor.  Here are a few of the things I've gotten recently:

Mane Message Pantone Fall 2011 Package, $16.50 at etsy.com: I've wanted some of these hair ties for FOREVER, and they are a heck of a lot cheaper on Etsy than at other places.  These were actually an Xmas present from my brother!  The set is all the 2011 Pantone colors, mustard yellow, tangerine, pink, purple, green, deep ocean blue, brown, nougat, orchid, and quarry.  So they're fun, on-trend colors.  I got this set because it had a nice mixture of bright and neutral colors, but Mane Message's shop also has a ton of different, fashion-forward color options, including tie-dye.  These hair ties work out to $1.65 each, which is decent.  In terms of quality, they're the same as any other incarnations of this trend I've seen, but I love me these colors.  They look pretty on my wrist just as a bracelet, and they look much nicer holding up a ponytail than some ratty old elastic.  And they work well too!  I have tons of thick, slippery hair, and these manage to keep it contained in a bun with minimal falling out and no awkward hair kink marks.  Consider me a convert.

BirdAve Gossip Poster, $18 at etsy.com, Big Ben Skyline Poster, $20 at etsy.com: I finally caved and got these posters!  I've wanted the one on the left for at least a year now.  BirdAve's shop has a TON of adorable posters, including lots of city ones and some sassy quote ones.  The chair one says 'If you don't have anything nice to say, come sit next to me.'  It's perfect for me!  I got it in a pretty medium pink, and then I got the London skyline one in a royal blue.  I also got little white frames with glass from Amazon so I can actually hang them on my walls like a real person and not just haphazardly tape things everywhere.  I feel so grown-up.

All images via etsy.com.

I'm in love...with a skirt

I miss my camera. Don't get me wrong, my iPhone has a nice camera.  For a phone.  Wahhhhh.  Anyways, I finally got my conical wand from Ulta in the mail.  FINALLY!!!!  I've been stalking in via UPS for days now.  I much prefer my hair wavy/curly to straight, so I was extremely excited to play with my new toy.  Here's my second attempt with it.  Happy bouncy hair!  I'll have a real review of it up next week.  Back to the main event: this new Madewell Tweed Belltoll Skirt, $98 at madewell.com.  I was casually online shopping a few weeks ago, and I came across this skirt.  I've been looking for a good daytime skirt for months now.  I have an hourglass-shaped body, so when I add a lot of volume to my bottom half, like an a-line skirt, I start to look really bottom heavy.  I really look best in a pencil skirt, but I'm not comfortable running around in a pencil skirt for errands and to class on a daily basis--it's not all that comfortable and I'm curvy enough that it looks too over-the-top for class.

That's why I fell in love with the shape of this skirt!  It's like an a-line skirt and a pencil skirt had a baby.  It hits at the low waist, has a bell shape, and has a few soft pleats at the waist with adorable little pockets in the front.  It's in a nice, thick grey/black/white tweed fabric with a generous hem and a black lining.  I bought this on Monday, and I've worn it every day since.  It's that great!  The shape is lean enough that it's flattering, but it's not so fitted that I'm constantly self-conscious about my stomach whenever I eat anything.  The color palette makes it easy to wear with just about any colored top, and the tweed and structured shape have a fun, retro feel that I really love, but the length makes it modern.  It's really easy to dress up or down, too--the tweed can transition from day to night really easily.  Anyways, the skirt is Madewell, the shoes are from Maripaz (like the Spanish Payless), the top is from Stradivarius (Spanish again), the necklace is vintage, the watch/bracelet is La Mer Collections, and the bag is from Etui.

Mama's Got a New Bag

When I was in London, I popped into the Topshop at Oxford and happened across a whole display of these gorgeous, handmade leather bags from Etui.  I couldn't find much on the internet about Etui, but the tag on my bag says they make 'Vintage Inspired Leather Bags'.  They had a toooon of bags at Topshop, little pouches, wallets, big totes, and I grabbed this medium-sized clutch/shoulder bag.


It was 56 pounds, so around $80? It's a thick burgundy-red leather with crocodile stamping.  It has a nice sheen to it and a bit of a vintage finish--it looks a bit lived in, which I really like.  It's about 12"x4" and an envelope style, so the top flap folds over and closes at that magnetic snap you can see in the first picture.  The shoulder chain (which is pretty long, it hits me at the hip) snaps on at those little rivets you can see on the left, so it's removable if I want to wear it as a clutch.  The inside of the bag is a plain black nylon-ish fabric, with a small zipped side pocket (the zipper pull is a little heart--too adorable).

I've always been wary of these little shoulder bags because I tend to carry a ton of stuff around with me.  But on the other hand, my shoulder is always killing me because of that, so downsizing is definitely a positive for my back.  I can fit a surprisingly amount of stuff in this bag though: my phone, sunglasses, keys, touch-up makeup (powder, brush, lip balm, lipstick/gloss, eyeliner), credit cards/cash/license, etc.  


Overall I totally love this.  I've never really had a bag in a color before, so that's fun for me.  It's a vampy sort of color, so it's fun but not so bright that I can't wear it with a lot of clothes.  I love the texture of the crocodile stamping and how it makes my bag feel more upscale, and the size is perfect for me.  I have no complaints!  So if you're ever in London (or on eBay), definitely look into Etui's bags.

I Got a Watch!

That is actually surprising news, y'all.  I haven't had a watch since 5th grade.  I had one of those giant Baby G watches that was absolutely hideous, but I loved it and wore it literally constantly until I got the grossest watch tan and I haven't worn a watch since.   I really dislike the little 'girly,' dainty watches, but I don't feel like I can pull off the oversized men's watches that I really love.

I've had my eye on these La Mer bracelet watches for awhile now.  At first I thought they were too trendy to invest in, but they've come out with some more classic styles recently and I've been itching to get a watch so that I'm not so tied to my phone all the time, so I sprung for one as a Christmas present to myself.  (Apologies in advance for the shitty iPhone pictures.  My camera kicked the bucket on me).

I got the Moscow Braided Chain Watch, which is $110 at lamercollections.com.  The website describes it with: "Extra-long soft brown Italian leather strap topped with one large Antique Brass Chain Braided with thin natural Chain. Wipe clean. 22" long and 1/2" wide strap, Buckle closure. 14 K Gold Plated Square Signature La Mer Watch Case, .875" wide Watch case, seiko watch movement, Nickel Free. Due to the handcrafted nature of this product, each watch may vary slightly. Made in the USA."  It comes in this nice leather box.  The watch itself has an extra-long brown leather band, with the actual watch-face in the middle and a thick, copper-colored chain (with a little chain woven through that chain) attached to one half of the band--the chain runs between the buckle and the watch-face.

So basically I wrap it around my wrist haphazardly and try to get the chain all tangled in there, and it comes out looking like this!  The watch-face is pretty small with Roman numerals, but it does the trick.  I've always loved leather wrap bracelets with chains woven in, so I probably would have bought this without the watch, but that does make it so much more convenient and useful.  I really love it.  The strap has a couple different holes for different sized wrists and I think the leather will wear really well.  Overall, I think I'm gonna wear this all the time.  It's low-key, but refined, I think it'll go with a lot of outfits, and it's really easy to wear.  I'm super pleased with this purchase.

Review: Essence Gold Old Buffy Nail Polish

So Twilight: Breaking Dawn comes out today in Spain (wahoo!) although it isn't being shown anywhere near me in English. :(  But Essence, a newish, affordable drugstore brand, came out with a Twilight-themed makeup collection to coincide with the movie called 'Vampire's Love.'  It has perfume, cheek highlighters, nail polish, and a few other things.  I've tried Essence polish before and wasn't all that thrilled about it, but when I saw this polish from the collection, Gold Old Buffy (like Buffy the Vampire Slayer!) I had to get it.

This polish was 2 euros for 10 ml.  For reference, OPI polish is 15 ml for $8, so by the ml this is quite a bit cheaper than OPI or Essie.  It comes in a round bottle, a lot like the Nails Inc ones, with 'Vampire's Love' on the front and the polish name on a sticker on the cap.  The brush is short and pretty flat, but easy to deal with.  I took a bunch of pictures to try to capture the color, and totally failed.  In real life it's a blackened olive-green packed with gold shimmer and tiny, tiny flecks of pinky-orange shimmer.  It is absolutely stunning!  The blackened aspect makes it dark enough to feel vampy (hehe), and the browny-olive-green makes it a fun, off-beat twist on a neutral shade.  The shimmer makes it just look magical.  I've never owned a green polish before, but now I'm totally obsessed.  I usually have a 5 day manicure rule, where I can't change my manicure until I've worn the polish for 5 days or it's chipped off (to save my pathetically weak nails some stress), but this polish made me change my manicure at day 4.  That's a big deal, y'all.

As for application, the first coat went on sheer and patchy, but a thicker second coat fixed that right up and made it opaque.  All in all it was very easy to apply, self-leveling with no pooling or dragging at the cuticles and it was fast-drying. 

I really, really like this polish.  I think the color works for the vampire theme because it has a bit of a gothic, antiqued feel and it's a deep shade.  The pretty shimmer could theoretically work into the shimmery vampires in Twilight (probably taking that too far haha) and vampire thing aside, this color is just so pretty.  I think it would be flattering on most skin shades, light to dark and warm to cool, and it's a great value for the money.  I would definitely get other colors from this collection.


Awkward Chic rating: A+.  I'm not sure if you can get this online, so hit up your usual Essence retailers.

Review: Nelly Biphase Conditioner

One of the tricks about studying abroad is that you can't pack your suitcases with multiple bottles of your favorite beauty products (unless you want to pay some crazy overweight baggage fees).  I've started to use up some of my US favorites, and I've been scouring the Spanish beauty shops for replacements.  I've struggled the most with hair products.  I have very thick, very shiny/slippery straight hair with no volume, no texture, and dry ends.  I usually use a mousse for volume, a salt spray for texture, and a serum for my ends.  However, I ran out of the last two and couldn't find an affordable European alternative...until I ran across this little guy:


Nelly Biphase Conditioner, about 3.50 euros in Spain: I've never used a leave-in conditioner before, but this was so much cheaper than all the imported Garnier Fructisse and Pantene products that I had to grab it.  Nelly is a Spanish beauty company, so if you want this in the States you have to order it online or scour TJ Maxx.  It's a biphase leave-in conditioner, with a watery layer on the bottom and a lotiony layer on top.  You shake the bottle until it's all one color, and spritz it a few times onto towel-dried hair (starting at your ears and going down to your ends).  Here's the PR copy: "Recommended for fine, fragile, or limp hair.  Detangles and conditions in one go, without overloading the hair or adding oil.  Acts on the hair both internally and externally.  The aqueous phase provides internal care with its active conditioning agents and proteins that nourish and repair the hair shaft.  Its marine extracts repair damaged hair like a 'hair bandage.'  Its silicone phase provides the external care, adding shine, softness and volume and making the hair easy to brush."  It smells like the beach in the most natural way possible and even though it's extremely light on my hair and seems impossible to overdo, it keeps my ends so moisturized!  I am absolutely in love with this.  It was so cheap, it isn't oily or heavy, and it packs a serious moisturizing punch and smells yummy.  I've dyed my hair like ten times this semester, and it's still looking crazy healthy--all thanks to this blue bottle!

A few days ago I ran out of my beloved salt spray, Blow Beach Blow, which I can't find anywhere in Spain.  Desperate for some hair texture, I had an idea.  The ingredients of this leave-in conditioner are very similar to those in Beach Blow, minus the sea salt.  So I added two teaspoons of fine sea salt to my Nelly conditioner.  I know.  I'm silly.  But it totally works!  It helps to give my hair a bit of grit and texture, and when I put it up in a bun after I spritz on some of this, I get nice little waves.  Not dramatic waves (I need me some 400+ degree heat styling tools for that) but not straight Barbie hair.

Conair Infinti You Curl, $29.99 on sale at ulta.com: Speaking of waves, one of the things I'm most excited to get when I go back to the US is a conical wand curler.  Conical wands are curling irons without the clamps, so they don't leave those awkward little dents on your hair.  I can curl my hair with my straightener, but it takes forever and gets a little wonky on the back of my head.  This curling iron from Conair seems basically foolproof.  You just wind your hair around the wand.  That's it.  It's perfect for beachy waves, which just happens to be my favorite.

That's all for now, guys!  Besos from Espana!



Images via nelly.es, drugstore.com.

Outfit of the Day!

So I've done a little bit of shopping here in Spain.  Not a lot--trying to practice that whole self-restraint thing.  It's going pretty well, except where baked goods and Diet Coke are concerned (as usual).  Anyways, I've picked up a skirt, a dress, two tops, and a pair of shoes (for about 75 euro! not bad, huh...).


Here's the dress I got (no full-length mirror in Espana, sadly).  It's from a store called Sfera and it was about 22 Euros-ish.  It's a scarlet chiffon-weight dress with little white polka dots, tank sleeves, smocking at the waist and a bow tie at the v-neck.  The belt is vintage and the leather jacket is from Wilson.

I really, really like this dress.  It has a very Alps-y feel to me for some reason (probably the Swiss dots), and I love the sweetness of the ruffles and the bow, especially against the toughness of a leather jacket.


And I might even be getting a little better at this hair curling thing!  Now I'm just waiting to go back to the States so I can buy a curling iron like a big girl and stop using my straightener.


Besitos!

Hair Dye Adventures in Espana

I know, I know, I'm a bad little blogger.  To be fair, I have been traveling a lot and my internet is so slow it takes 3 hours to upload an album to Facebook.  Excuses, excuses, I know. (I also have to read all of Don Quijote, parts 1 and 2 for class.  Please, kill me).


I don't have that much news, but I did dye my hair!  Again.  So long story short, it's naturally a dark blonde/light brown.  Then I dyed it brown for year, and for about the first 6 months of the year it was red.  Like red-red-red.  But I got tired of it, and I wanted it to go back to brown.  So I dyed it medium-dark golden-brown literally 3 separate times.  It was still red, and worse than that, it was strawberry blonde on the bottom half because I have too much hair for one box of dye and the color on my ends had faded away.  This made me very frustrated.  So one day,  I freaked out and grabbed 2 boxes of a neutral dark brown and dyed my hair.


It's dark!  Dark dark dark.  It also looks like I have highlights because now my hair isn't taking dye evenly (damn you, red hair dye), but I guess that makes it more natural looking?  Either way, I really like the dark.  I had it this dark when my hair was way shorter--just over chin-length--and that felt a little harsh.  I think the extra length softens it up a lot, and I feel much more Spanish now!  Haha.  But no, really, the red hair + epic paleness was getting stares and comments from creepy old men on the street.  So.  Oh, and I slept with it in braids last night and attempted to make it wavy today.

I've been bouncing around Spain quite a bit since I got here.  So far I've been to Madrid, Toledo, Cadiz, Sevilla (obviously haha), Huelva, and Granada.  Here are some pics I took of the Alhambra in Granada--the last Moorish palace built in Spain in the last city conquered by the Catholic Kings.  Sigh.  Isn't it gorgeous?  It was abandoned by centuries and random squatters lived there before it was reclaimed and restored by the state. 

And on a totally random note, I've been doing a lot of online shopping in my downtown.  Being in Spain without being able to use my beloved iPhone and being stuck relying on my stupid little Movistar piece of junk has gotten me thinking about watches.  I'm normally that girl that walks around clutching her iPhone in a death grip so she always knows what's going on.  But not being able to do that has gotten me thinking, and honestly...it's a little obnoxious.  I'd like to be able to have a watch so I'm not constantly playing with my iPhone.  The one problem is that I HATE how watches look on me.  So when I found these bracelet-watch hybrids from La Mer, I got really excited.  La Mer Collections Moscow Braided Chain Wrap Watch, $110 at lamercollections.com, Brown Leather-Copper Motorcycle Chain Watch, $120 at lamercollections.com:

I know these are basically the same.  I really like the combination of skinny watch face, long brown leather straps, and chunky chains mixed in.  The watch face is so delicate and lady-like, the leather adds an equestrian/slightly preppy-aristocratic feel, and the chain brings it all back down to earth and gives it some grit.  The basic dilemma is between silver or gold.  I think I like the silver one better.  And all the rest of my rings/bracelets are silver too...hm...And momma, if you read this, I may or may not be asking for this for Christmas.  Love you! 

That's all for now, darlings.  Hasta luego!

Images via lamercollections.com.