Category Archives: Style

Things I’m Loving Lately

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  1. Ballet flats: I got these in nude and love that they dress up any outfit (and also make me feel like a ballerina ;). I ended up getting them in gold too for my wedding shoes!
  2. How to Get Away with Murder: The fiancé and I have been sick the last couple weeks (first me, then him once I finally started getting better) so we started watching this to get through the days spent sick on the couch. I’d never heard of it before so it was a pleasant surprise how good it is!
  3. Styled: Secrets for Arranging Rooms, from Tabletops to Bookshelves: My sister got me this book for my birthday and I’m loving it so far! It’s a fun easy read and has the same humor as Emily Henderson’s blog (which I find very funny). It starts off with a quiz to figure out your design style, and who doesn’t love a good quiz?!
  4. Cuyana laptop sleeve: I’ve had the same laptop sleeve since college so I thought it was time for a more adult upgrade. Cuyana is my go-to brand for any leather accessories and I can’t wait for this to arrive in the mail this week!

August Birchbox Review

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The August box did not disappoint with another adorable box design. (if you need ideas on how to use the empty boxes, click here!) Here’s what I got in mine:

– Coola Organic Makeup Setting Spray: This is the sample I chose for this month since I’ve been wanting a setting spray. It’s also SPF 30 so it works double duty.
– Beauty Protector Leave-in Conditioner: I’ve never tried a leave-in conditioner before so I can’t say I’m exactly sure what it’s supposed to do but this one worked great for untangling my hair without leaving it greasy!
– Harvey Prince Hello Perfume: I’ll admit I was a little annoyed to see yet another perfume sample in my Birchbox this month but to my surprise I actually really like this one! It’s light and fruity and doesn’t smell too perfume-y. Since I usually hate all perfumes this one must be good!
– Laqa and Co. Cheeky Lip Crayon: Love this one! I’ve been using it on my lips nonstop but I feel like it would be way too dark for cheeks.
– Supergoop! Hand Cream: I always like a good hand lotion since my hands get super dry but I’m not exactly sure the point of the SPF. It seems like it just makes it a little thicker than it needs to be.

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What’d you get in your box this month?

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July Birchbox Review

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This month’s Birchbox has been my favorite so far! The theme was “go bold.” Here’s what I got:

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They’re Real! Mascara: I’ve been hearing about this mascara so I was super excited to see it in my box this month. So far it goes on great (no clumps!) and lasts all day. No complaints here.

Classic SPF 30 Cucumber Moisturizer for Face: I haven’t tried this yet but I think it will be great for summer because of the high SPF! And I love anything with cucumber :)

Luminizing Moisture Tint: I love a good luminizer and this one goes on smooth and leaves a subtle dewy look. And bonus, it has SPF.

Weightless Moisture Leave-In Conditioning Mist: I’ve never tried a leave in conditioner before but this one was great for detangling and didn’t leave my hair greasy at all.

Look at Me Liquid Lipstick: I got this in coral and it is super bright! That being said it’s a fun summer color and after wearing it at work for 8 hours, it was just as bright as when I put it on that morning. Pretty impressive!

What’d you get this month?

Capsule Wardrobe Experiment

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capsule wardrobe

I tend to read a lot of blogs that promote capsule wardrobes (Like this, and this) and I’ve always been intrigued by the idea but it seemed way to daunting too try.

*If you don’t know what a capsule wardrobe is, it’s a 37 piece (or however many items you choose) wardrobe that includes tops, bottoms, dresses, outerwear and shoes.

So naturally instead of making a decision to try a capsule wardrobe and plan it all out, I  randomly just took everything out of my closet one day except for 37 items. Then came the “what the heck am I doing” moment but I thought well I already moved everything out of the closet so I might as well just try it and see how it goes!

That was 15 days ago and I’m still going strong with my 37 items (I did not include shoes). Here’s what I’ve learned/discovered so far:

1. Getting dressed in the morning doesn’t have to be so hard.
Even though I still occasionally exclaim “I have nothing to wear!” in the mornings, I then have a lot less things to pick from and end up grabbing something that looks great in the end.

2. Consider comfort when buying clothes.
I’ve been avoiding a few items I picked for my capsule wardrobe because I know they just aren’t comfortable even though they are the style I’m going for. I need to remember to buy clothes that are comfortable and not just the style I’m going for.

3. Thirty five items is more than I thought.
I haven’t felt like I’ve worn the same outfit or the same piece too many times which was definitely one of my main concerns.

4. Planning ahead is important.
I just randomly threw this wardrobe together but next time I will plan it out a little bit better and maybe shop for a couple extra pieces I might need beforehand.

5. It’s fun.
Overall I’m enjoying the experience so far. I don’t have an exact end date in mind so I’ll just keep going until I don’t want to! For now my goal is to get through a month so I’ll check back in after 30 days and let you know how it’s going!

Would you ever try a capsule wardrobe?

Summer Want List

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Here are a few things I have on my shopping list to pick up for this summer! I’m trying to stick with classic essentials that I can wear this summer and again for future summers. What’s on your summer shopping list?
baseball hat

[ navy baseball hat ]

summer dress[ simple summer dress ]

leather sandals[ leather sandals ]

tshirt

 [ plain tee ]

sneakers

[ vintage sneakers ]

sunglasses[ sunglasses ]

May Birchbox + Cupcakes and Cashmere

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Birchbox is at it again with a collaboration with another one of my all time favs: Emily Schuman of Cupcakes and Cashmere, one of my top 5 favorite bloggers. So basically this was all I needed to be convinced to try Birchbox for another month (not to mention it’s kind of addictive). In this month’s box I received:

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– Beauty Protector Beauty Wash Body Cleanser: This body wash smells amazing! The wash lathers great and the scent seems to linger a bit which I don’t mind at all!
– Coastal Scents Revealed 3 Eyeshadow Quad: Of the 4 eyeshadows in this sample, I’m loving the dark brown and gold ones. I’ve been using the brown daily and sometimes adding a little bit of gold in the creases. The other two colors are a dark purple and a sparkly purple and I’m not sure I will ever use those.

birchbox eyeshadow review– Harvey Prince Sea Salt Texturizing Mist: I just tried this today for the first time and it smells great! It didn’t seem to have too much of an effect of my straight, thick hair though.
– Vasanti Cosmetics BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator: I love when you can feel an exfoliating scrub working but it’s not too abrasive like this one. It seemed to leave my skin a little bit smoother and brighter!
– Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream: This cream is popular in Japan and can be used all-over from your heels to your lips. I’ve tried it on both and it seems to do it’s job. The only problem I have is the smell, it’s awful! It does go away after a minute when it soaks into your skin but when I use it on my lips I have to hold my breath!

I had already pre-ordered Emily’s new book “Cupcakes and Cashmere at Home” before receiving this Birchbox (this months Birchbox included a special offer to spend $55 at Birchbox and receive the book for free) and received it shortly after the box. I’m reading it now and I love getting a chance to peak into her house a lot more than we get to see on her blog. It’s definitely inspiring and the pictures are beautiful!

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April Birchbox + Rifle Paper Co.

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In previous posts I have expressed my hatred for beauty samples (see here) but my love for Rifle Paper Co. conquered all when I saw the Rifle Paper Co. + Birchbox collaboration. I’ve always been a little intrigued by Birchbox so this collab was all I needed to cave in and give it a try! I got my first box last weekend and it was just as pretty as I’d hoped it would be.birchbox product reviews

My box included a perfume sample, CC cream, body/face lotion, a 3-minute peel and a lip and cheek stain. I love the jane iredale Just Kissed Lip and Cheek Stain and have been wearing it on my lips and cheeks since I got it. This is one I may have to order again! The Supergoop!® Daily Correct CC Cream ​SPF 35+ is great too, I’ve been using this every day as well. It’s a high SPF but doesn’t feel too heavy! The Temple Spa Peace Be Still Calming Face & Body Balm smells really good and lotion always comes in handy but it didn’t seem like anything special to me. I haven’t tried the Real Chemistry Luminous 3-Minute Peel yet but I will definitely give it a try soon! The only product I absolutely didn’t like was the Harvey Prince Yogini perfume sample. The smell wasn’t terrible but it just wasn’t for me.

Overall I would say I was happy with my box and I will give it another try next month! As long as I use up the samples I get as soon as I get them or throw away the ones I don’t like, I can hopefully keep the amount of samples laying around to a minimum! Have you tried Birchbox? What do you think?

One In, One Out

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I have a shopping problem. Now that I’ve admitted that (anyone else?) what’s the next step? I decided a while ago this was an actual problem I wanted to fix and I needed to take control of my need to buy all the clothes (ALL THE CLOTHES).

I’ve read a lot of different books/blogs (like this one. and this one) about living with less and while I don’t go crazy with minimalism I still like to use some of the concepts that fit with my lifestyle. One is the: the one in, one out rule. You buy something, you get rid of something. Easy.

I normally use this with clothes but it also works great with anything that you buy. Bought a new set of dishes? Donate the old ones. Got the new issue of Elle? Recycle last months. This works best for me if I force myself to get rid of the old thing before I can use the new thing. Don’t cut the tag off the new dress until an old one is in the donate pile.

Stuff builds up when we are constantly buying new stuff but are unable to part with the old things we’re replacing. If you’re not ready to get rid of the old dishes or any of your dresses, don’t let yourself buy a new one!

shoes

I most recently applied this to a sweater dress I bought at the Banana Republic Outlet and a pair of nude heels I needed for an upcoming wedding. The sweater dress replaced a green dress I’ve had forever that my sister passed down to me. Although I still wear the green dress from time to time, I’d rather have the sweater dress. And a lot of times I’ll put on the green dress and end up taking it off. As far as the shoes, the old ones were old, gross and just needed to go.