Cheap, Adorable Screen-printed Tanks? I Say Yes.

I love Etsy, y'all.  I was looking to buy some cute, casual tanks for wearing around the house.  I love the American Apparel tri-blend tanks--we've gotten them for sorority stuff, and they are the comfiest and have a really nice fit.  I was going to buy some of them, when I realized that they were being sold on Etsy, for the same price as at American Apparel, but with adorable screen-printing! Actually, if you factor in the American Apparel shipping vs. the Etsy shipping, it's cheaper to buy them on Etsy.

Anyways, I found the Zen Threads Etsy shop.  They sell a bunch of American Apparel products, tanks, cardigans, hoodies, etc, and home-wares, like towels and such, with a variety of screen-printed designs on them.  You can choose the item color and they give you a few options for the color of the designs, depending on the shirt.

I picked up the California Bear tank in tri-black with yellow ink and the Day of the Dead tank in tri-lemon with white ink.  How cute is that bear?!  And it has a little map of California on it (I'm from California, so this makes me inordinately happy).  I love Day of the Dead related things, so I think the slightly creepy, slightly floral nature of that skull is awesome.  It's just the right balance of morbid and sweet.  I got it in a bright tank with white ink to mitigate the whole, I'm wearing a skull t-shirt factor.

Obviously now I need to buy more of them (I have restraint issues).  If I could pull off the American Apparel pullovers--that shape is the worst on me--I'd totally get the Honey Pullover.  I like the weird bee.  It has a slightly Victorian, taxidermist feel to it.  And I'm dying over the Moose in Snow Shoes tank.  It's a moose!  Wearing snow shoes!

So when I got these in the mail and they were so much cuter than I'd been expecting, I realized that obviously I'd have to wear them out of the house.  At which point my housemate chimed in, "You never wear graphic tees!"  And she was totally right.  I am not a graphic tee kind of person.  But I have to make an exception for these.  They are totally quirky adorable and non-obnoxious.  I've been wearing them partially tucked into a colored denim mini with a little leather jacket.  It feels casual but still polished and summer appropriate.  So yes, I do wear graphic tees!  At least for now.

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.

Rory Beca for Forever 21

I think I was the only person in the blogosphere that I forgot that Rory Beca was doing a series of capsule collections with Forever 21.  Because I walked into my Forever 21 a few weeks ago and actually kind of screamed to myself.  Apparently there have been 3 collections so far, with the most recent one coming out a few weeks ago.

Guys, it's so cute.  I wanted to buy all the things in the collection.  ALL OF THEM.  I ended up only buying one, because while I love diaphanous, gauzy maxi dresses and tanks on most people, I cannot pull them all off.  Sob.  But here are some of my favorite pieces from the most recent collection (which you should rush over to Forever 21 and buy immediately).

So these two dresses are both sold out online, but they are so cute.  I really like the subtle fishtail hems going on here--it's an easy way to try out the trend, especially since none of the pieces in this collection cost more than $30.  I really like the sportiness of the purple dress, with the thick horizontal stripes.  The combination of the fitted top and a-line skirt is really cute and flattering.  I bought the green dress (actually much greener in real life), and it was like $25, and it is fantastic.  It's a muted hunter green with blue undertones in a silky (admittedly man-made) fabric with laser-cut patterning along the hem.  The laser-cutting is so lovely.  It looks really delicate and just plain fancy in person.  The drawstring waist gives it some shape, and the straps are adjustable.  I've worn it about 3 times, and gotten at least 5 compliments each time.

Watercolor Skirt, $17.80 at forever21.com, Textured heart skirt, $24.80 at forever21.com: How cute is the pattern on that watercolor skirt?  For $17, that's a pretty versatile piece, and a nicely flattering cut.  But I really want that heart skirt!  I want to do maxi skirts, but the sheer + mini combo is just so much more flattering than a real maxi skirt.  Plus it's a lot fresher feeling, and the heart pattern adds a lot of visual interest.  AND IT'S LESS THAN $25.  I want to buy it and wear it with a fitted pastel tank and a lot of necklaces and some sassy shoes.

Images via: forever21.com, shefinds.com, blogs.babble.com.

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.

Hair Dye and Sephora Hauls

I am a little blogging failure.  I've been so busy traveling and working and studying for midterms and dealing with my terrible internet that I haven't been able to blog.


But, on a plus note, that Chanel manicure I did in the last post lasted NINE DAYS.  It probably could have gone longer, but I had to go on a weekend trip and didn't want to risk beat-up nails.  So Chanel polish = totally worth the investment.


In other not that exciting news, I'm getting my hair dyed on Thursday!  Now, I know what you're thinking.  Megan, didn't you just do a drastic hair color job?  Yes, yes I did.  But the problem is that I have so much hair and the red I have underneath all the brown dye isn't taking color evenly.  So basically I have neutral brown hair on top and then a ton of medium-light reddish-blonde-brown hair underneath.  Literally.  Someone asked me if I got highlights.  No, I just fail at dyeing my hair.


Normally I'd just suck it up and dye my hair again, but at the salon right by my dorm they have a deal for wash+blow dry+color (with L'Oreal Inoa!!!) for 25 euros.  Um, what.  That's just under $40.  For professional hair color AND styling.  So that's happening.  What I want is a medium-dark warm brown, something like these two pictures below (Paz Vega and Leighton Meester): a little lighter and warmer than the dark brown I have on top right now, but much darker than my roots.  So hopefully that goes well and I'll have pictures!

So, sad news: Sephora does not ship internationally (except to Canada).  BOO.  This is especially sad because they just had their Friends & Family sale, where you get a 20% off discount code.  Sales on makeup are like sales on Christian Louboutins and double rainbows.  They never happen.  So I bit the bullet and made a little order, which should be waiting for me at home.  In California.  Until the end of December.  Sob.  Here's what I got:

Nails Inc. Magnetic Polish in Houses of Parliament, $16 at sephora.com, Sephora Brand BCA Pink Eyelash Curler, $16 at sephora.com: I finally cracked and got the magnetic nail polish.  I got the purple one, and I am so pumped!  I dismissed magnetic nail polish as a fad for years, but the Nails Inc. version has such a strong pattern from the magnet that I couldn't ignore it.  It almost looks like Minx.  The purple is a gorgeous, velvety color, and you get a ripple effect with the purple and a lighter, more silvery purple.  Gah so excited.  You put the magnet over the polish right after you paint your nail and the magnet pulls out particles in the polish to create the pattern.  Sometimes I love science.  I also picked up an eyelash curler.  I know, I don't have one.  I've never really seen the need, because my lashes have a bit of a natural curl, but I've been told time and time again by my makeup-loving friends to buy one, so I caved.  I'm thinking it will make my lashes pop more and look even longer.  Plus, it's pink and $1 goes towards breast cancer research!

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in 15 Taupe, $22 at sephora.com, Boyfriend 1.7 oz Perfume, $65 at sephora.com: I spent a really long time deciding what to buy on the Sephora site.  I ended up going back to my fail-safe--eyeshadow.  I saw this taupe cream shadow in an AllThatGlitters21 video, and it is so pretty--a shimmery taupe brown.  I usually go for powder or loose shadows, but cream shadows have such a pretty sheen and are so easy to use.  I'm thinking I can do a simple, but polished daytime eye with just this across the lid and a bit of an inner corner highlight with some gel-liner smudged into the lashes.  Easy-peasy.  I got a ton of samples with my order, but the one I'm most looking forward to trying (in like 100 years) is this Boyfriend perfume by Kate Walsh.  The notes are dark plum, myrrh, night blooming jasmine, benzoin tears, skin musk, golden amber, and vanilla woods.  I love oriental, woody scents with twists of vanilla and amber--heady and musky, but not too sweet or too girly.  I think the idea here is that it's the smell of your boyfriend's perfume mixing with yours, which I love.  The bottle, not so much, but still.

Images via: agirlnamedbong.wordpress.com, trendencias.com, sephora.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!

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.

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.

Burt's Bees Lip Tint and Pretty Clothes

So I was bumming around Target today picking up stuff for my next semester in Spain (apparently they don't have Tampax in Spain.  Um.  WHAT.) and I was meandering through the beauty aisles when I saw this little guy:


Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Honeysuckle, $7 at burtsbees.com: How cute is that packaging?  From the outside it looks like this giant, elegantly packaged lip balm and Target conveniently had no price tags up, so I bought it.

The cute packaging is much bigger than the actual lip balm (sob) which is normal tube of Chapstick-sized.  That said, the tube still looks pretty chic for a lip balm, and I love tinted lip balms that come in tubes instead of pots (so you don't have to germify them up with your fingers).  Here's what Burt's Bees has to say about them:

"Care for your lips with beautiful, sheer color. Our new tinted balms give you a hint of color with a soft, sweet flavor and natural ingredients that moisturize and condition your lips. Available in six flirty shades – Hibiscus, Honeysuckle, Tiger Lily, Pink Blossom, Red Dahlia and Rose." 

It's packed full of shea butter and lots of plant/flower oils too.  I wish these had SPF, but you can't have everything.  Honeysuckle is a brownish-peach nude, similar to my favorite lipstick, MAC Shy Girl. It has no shimmer, and the pigmentation is sheer but noticeable.  I have medium-light pigmented lips, and this tones down my natural lip color a bit for a hint of nude color, but it's still too sheer for me to swatch and get it to show it.

The balm goes on very easily, and manages to have that nice texture between oily and waxy--it doesn't sit up your lips like Vaseline and it doesn't go on all dry and waxy like the Burt's Bees chapsticks.  It's not as moisturizing as, say, Aquaphor, but it's moisturizing enough to be me through the day.  Since the color is sheer, it doesn't last too long, maybe an hour.  The moisture lasts 2-3 hours, which is standard for me.

All in all, I really like this lip balm.  I've tried a fair amount, and this is one of my favorites.  More moisturizing than my Kiehls and Korres lip balms for sure, and a prettier color than my clear Aquaphor.  The only downsides are the misleading packaging, slightly high price, and lack of SPF.  I'd give this a B+.  I'd really like to try Hibiscus, which seems like a medium warm pink (they also have sheer reds, which would be so, so pretty with this formula).


On a totally random note, look at these pretty things I found on Shopbop today:


ADAM Leather Aviator Jacket with Shearling Collar, $895 at shopbop.com, Chan Luu Key Earrings, $62 at shopbop.com: I love little leather motorcycle jackets.  I also love shearling collars.  A little black leather motorcycle jacket with a removable shearling collar?  YES PLEASE.  The cropped waist and long, tight sleeves of the jacket create a flattering, streamlined silhouette but still have the inherent edge of a moto jacket.  The shearling adds some warmth and a wild, impractical glamour that I find strangely endearing.  I want to wear this with fitted black jeans, sassy harness boots, and a fitted olive green tee.  Okay, y'all know that I'm a sucker for old-fashioned key-shaped anything.  I have those Tiffany's necklaces.  I even have random old-fashioned skeleton keys hanging out in my room.  But antique key-shaped earrings?  WHAT.  These are so cute!  They're small enough to not be too over the top, and the keys have such a dainty, elegant feel to them.  Plus they're plated in rose gold, which develops the prettiest patina over time.

Happy weekend!



Images via shopbop.com, burtsbees.com.

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.

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.

Outfit of the Day!

So here's what I wore to work today (I had a nicely buttoned-up cardigan on top, I'm not that ridiculous), and I got creeped on excessively on the way home.  So it must be a good outfit!  Jk.  Kinda.


Dress: Forever21, belt: vintage, boots: Frye, sunglasses: Ray-Ban.

The print on this dress is really fun.  My belt is doing weird things.  And no, I did not wear those sunglasses inside.  I'm not crazy.  I am really feeling sundresses and cowboyish boots, though, which I'm sure surprises no one.  Apparently I secretly want to be Taylor Swift (I bet that doesn't surprise anyone either).


So that's that.  Sorry I've failed at blogging this week.  My iPhoto got all kinds of messed up when I switched computers, so I haven't been able to upload pictures :( but I think I fixed it!  I think.

Review: Aveeno Anti-Fatigue Eye Treatment

Yes, I bought an eye cream.  I am barely 20, and I bought an anti-aging piece of skincare.  I feel very silly.  


I decided to pick up an eye cream because I keep reading these articles about how the younger you start doing the whole anti-aging thing, the better head start you have on it later.  I like that idea.  Also I looked really tired the other morning so it was kind of a compulsive thing.


My under-eye issues aren't really that serious, but here they are: I have slight puffiness (not really bags, just a little swelling if I don't get enough sleep), nasty dark circles (I am horrible at sleeping), and dry/irritated skin from scrubbing mascara off my lashes and the like.  So not huge problems, but enough to make me seek out an eye cream.


I wandered around CVS for a while and finally settled on this Aveeno Anti-Fatigue Eye Treatment, which you can get for $9.34 at ulta.com.  I picked this one because it was cheap and because Aveeno is relatively natural/won't irritate my skin.  Also the packaging is cute, and I like the rollerball idea. 

Here's the product spiel:

Aveeno Smart Essential is a unique line harnessing the power of Active Naturals antioxidant southernwood extract in formulas to cleanse, nourish, protect and treat stressed skin so you can look beautiful every day. Recommended by dermatologists for over 60 years, Aveeno combines the best of nature and science to reveal the natural beauty of your skin. Aveeno uses select natural ingredients because of their advanced benefits; Aveeno calls them Active Naturals, natural ingredients uniquely formulated to deliver visible results.
Great, healthy looking skin begins with a refreshed outlook. Lack of sleep, free-radicals and a hectic lifestyle can result in dark circles and puffiness. Formulated with antioxidant southernwood extract, Smart Essentials anti-fatigue eye treatment hydrates and infuses under eyes with vitamins and antioxidants so you'll look and feel replenished.
Smart skincare that knows what your skin needs and what it doesn't because:

It keeps the good in

Infuses your delicate under-eye skin with antioxidant southernwood extract and Vitamins A, C & E in a formula to combat dark circles

Hydrates to help immediately brighten eye area

De-puffs under eye area by massaging with a cooling roller-ball

Directions

Rinse with water to remove. Shake well and gently roll under the eye from the inner corner to the outer corner, in the morning and at night.

What on earth is southernwood?  A tree that only grows in the South?  Confusion.  Anyways, the product.  The tube is about 3 inches long and made of a sturdy, relatively nice feeling plastic.  The product comes out through a rollerball that you roll across the under-eye area.

The product itself is translucent, with a thin lotion feeling.  It feels cool and soothing going on the skin, and absorbs quickly without leaving any sticky or oily residue.  And the smell!  It smells FANTASTIC, a little mango-y, a little floral--very tropical and tangy and delicious.

So, I wanted this to address 3 problems: under-eye circles, puffiness, and dryness/irritation.  As far as under-eye circles, I can't say this makes a huge difference.  My circles have faded a bit, but it would take a miracle to eradicate them.  So I'd say it's a 6/10 on that front.  The cooling rollerball helps fight puffiness, and I have noticed that my eyes do look a little less swollen in the morning, so 7/10.  But where it's the best is with dryness and irritation.  The area under my eyes is usually red and dry.  This product gets rid of the dryness and makes my skin feel so soft and happy, so it's no longer red or irritated as well.  That means my concealer goes on more evenly and overall I look more awake, so 9/10 on that front.


All in all I'd give this an 8/10.  I don't have looks of puffiness or fine lines to deal with, I really just want moisture and calming effects, and this totally address those needs.  Plus it's affordable, easy to use and carry around, and it smells great.

Image via drugstore.com.