What's With All the Ugly?

I went shopping yesterday and stopped by the BP section (Juniors) at Nordstroms and kept thinking to myself "everything here is a damn mess!" (excuse the language, but it is necessary!). This whole "back to the sixties" thing bought us some cuteness - the mod dress, the high boots. But what is with all the ugly patterns? It's not even attractive - my dad calls attractive people "easy on the eyes" and these tops and dresses definitely were not. Here are some of the worst offenders (also brought to you by Reference):

Ew.

What the....?

It's almost like a Christmas sweater dress.

Recently, I have been totally turned off by these kinds of clothes and find myself lusting after Banana Republic fall collective - so chic and yummy. I just ordered this gorgeous dress that I can't wait to arrive. Isn't this so much better than all that sixties craziness?

Keep it Simple

Sometimes something doesn't have to be the latest and greatest to be one of the best products out there. Case in point: The Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque (usually costs all of 4 bucks at any drug store). This stuff has been around for AGES and it's just the best deep cleaning, pore-shrinking mask out there, in my humble opinion. Whether or not acne is an issue for you, this mask is great for tightening up your pores and refreshing your skin. I've been using this since freshman year of college -somewhere between once a month and once a week and I just love it and HIGHLY recommend it.

On a side note - can I just say that my amazing husband designed and printed notepads for me for my birthday that match the colors of this blog and include the website address on the bottom. How sweet is he? He says that he's proud I'm writing, even if it is about all things pretty.

Quality Versus Quantity

I have a lot of clothes. A lot. My college roommate was pretty shocked by the amount I brought in freshman year - and ever since my roommates have been a little taken aback by the sheer volume of options I bring with me. However - I probably don't consistently (or even ever) wear 75% of what I own. Pathetic, huh? I tend to get into a bit of a frenzy when I shop and make some bad choices just because there might be some aspect to the shirt or pants that I like and I figure I'll just deal with what I don't like about it. The problem is that I typically don't wear the "problem" clothes at all and rely on a small number of staple pieces that I really love. I've decided that I need to become a more critical and savvy shopper. If I'm going to buy something, there needs to be a good reason and I'd better LOVE it - because seriously, otherwise, it might never leave my closet.


So, this week, I spent more money than I usually would on a dress that I absolutely love from Banana Republic. I didn't even think it would look good on me but I tried it anyway, and it's just great. It's surprisingly flattering on my "guitar" shaped frame - I thought a lot about the fit and it's great - comes in at the waist but floats away instead of clinging to my hips. And I love the little sleeves and the neckline. It's perfect for fancier days at work - like board meetings or Amethyst Ball committee meetings, days when I need to look extra sharp. And I feel so confident in it. Now, this dress wiped out about half of my clothing budget for the month, but it's worth buying this one great piece, than five pieces I might never wear but give me that shopping high. NOTE: Now, if I was extra savvy like some of my friends, I would wait until the dress went on sale and then still have the dough for other things...but hey, one step at a time!

The New Man in My Life - Oscar Blandi

Shh, don't tell Chris. Oh don't worry, the new man in my life is just a hair stylist who I've never met...but his products are really doing a number on my hair...in a good way! I just realized that I've started quite the collection of Oscar Blandi products - and decided to learn a little about the man behind the gorgeous hair. Apparently he's Italian and always uses ingredients that remind him of Italy in his products - like Jasmine Oil and Eucalyptus (I didn't know those were particularly Italian). Anyway, I love his stuff and since Sephora's return policy has bolstered my confidence about trying new things, I've accumulated quite a few items from his line (the problem is that they are so good I don't return them!).

First of all, there's the dry shampoo. We've talked about it before...it's magic.

Before I discovered the dry shampoo I got the "Trattamento al Fango" (I'm getting so Italian) - it's a marine mud mask...for your hair. I use it as a deep conditioner about once a week and first of all - I'd just use it because it's amazing smell - but it also revitalizes my poor fried ends.

Next I tried the Proteine di Jasmine Protein Mist for Restyling Hair - this is great for the days I don't wash my hair, I use the dry shampoo on the roots and the restyling mist on the ends and it seems to protect the ends from the additional damage of getting flat ironed again and freshens everything up. No one liked stale hair.

Last night I picked up the Jasmine Oil Hair Serum - the stuff is great! I put it on the length of my hair and put my mousse on the roots and it just smoothes everything out, protects it when I'm styling it and leaves it so soft and manageble all day. The stuff is dang expensive but since I used literally three drops today, I think it'll last a long time. Gosh, I've bought a lot of hair stuff lately. At least I'm spreading it out over like 6 months. Anyway, next time you're ready to try a new hair product and spend a little more - go to Sephora and check out their Oscar Blandi selection. And hey, if you don't like it, you can always take it back!

Something New - Urban Decay Eyeshadow

Last night I made my long-awaited trip to Sephora. Usually I get a little self-conscious and just grab something I need and get out (paying for it first, of course). Last night, I made myself take my time and explore because I'd promised myself that I would get some different looking eye shadow. I pride myself on my ability to apply shadow to create a subtle work look or turn it up a notch for a wedding - but in general, I'm pretty boring with my eyes. The colors I use? Browns...sometimes blacks for a smokey eye. Something bright for highlights. That's all. So last night I decided that I needed to get something different - have a little fun and maybe get something a little more summery for a change. I spent a long time trying Benefit cream eyeshadows but wasn't thrilled with the colors and cream shadows sometimes get really creasy on me (although I have their shadow in Skinny Jeans - a dark, shimmery gray which I love). I ended up falling in love with Urbay Decay's eyeshadows. Now, these shadows are legendary - a lot of women swear by them, but I'd never tried them out.

WELL - the colors are beautiful! If I had enough money, and I sure don't, I'd buy the whole lot of them. They are so pigmented and shimmery and...different. And you can really build the color the way you want to and they don't crease! I had a hard time making my selections and ended up choosing MidNight Cowgirl - a golden beige with gold micro shimmer (according to sephora.com) and YDK - Bronzed Mocha with golden shimmer. I haven't worn anything with gold in it for a long time - I tend to go for the cooler shades, but these are gorgeous and different. They can be worn in the same places as my brown shadows and have similar effects regarding shading, but they are just more interesting! And my gosh, Urban Decay has about a hundred shades of eye shadow - I can't wait to save up and get more!

As Requested - The Three Beauty Products I Won't Go Without

As requested by a good friend, I will now tell you all about the three beauty products I won't go without (she asked for the products I can't live without, but I'm trying to show my depth by saying that I can live without makeup and beauty products...yeah right). :)

Anyway, these are obviously my preferences based on my beauty needs. First, Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner in Black/Brown. I have tried a lot of eyeliner in my time (my eyes are deep set and kind of get lost without eyeliner, I think) and this is by far the best in that the pencil is soft and doesn't tug, but also stays put really well. I have had some bad experiences with liner that goes on well but then 20 minutes later it's all over my eyelid.

Next: undereye concealer. Now, this I need your help with. I think that concealer is CRUCIAL for opening up my eye area and making my whole face look awake. However, I'm still working on finding the perfect one. My usual problems? Either the concealor is too orangey and doesn't really brighten the area OR (and this is the big-y) it becomes a weird consistency and either settles into the really fine lines under my eyes (making me suddenly look older and tired) or get's kind of grainy and cakey and looks super weird. I'm still on the hunt for a concealer that's a nice light hue but the right smooth consistency. I've tried a lot and thought I found the right one but was sadly mistaken - Boing by Benefit - too orange, Revlon New Complexion Concealer (been trying to make this work but it makes me look all grainy), Lemon Aid by Benefit (it's for your eyelids but I tried it underneath and that was the worst regarding getting in my lines and looking creased). There are many other sad failures. So, do you have a favorite? Help me!

And my final product choice that I won't go without? My flat iron!! I have large hair. Most people no longer know that since I discovered this invention - and in particular, the pricier version. For many items, buying drugstore doesn't actually make that big of a difference in performance, in my opinion. (In fact, maybe that's been the problem with my concealer attempts - maybe I need to step up to more expensive, department store products. Hmmm). However, with flat irons, getting a good quality iron makes a BIG difference. First of all, you need a LOT of heat. My Solia flat iron (which cost me about $100 if I remember) heats up to 400 degrees in a minute. So, yes, I am baking my hair. It's also ceramic, which means you don't smell burning hair when you use it because it heats your hair from the inside out instead of frying it. Not to say that this is at all good for my hair, but at least it doesn't completely wreck it. I'll go into what I do to keep my hair as damage free as possible in another post. Anyway, flat irons are amazing and a must-have. Oh, and don't think you are limited to straight styles with it - I recently learned how to CURL MY HAIR WITH MY FLAT IRON. I seriously did not think this would work but if you clamp it about an inch from your head and then turn the iron (still clamping) a full 360 degrees and then pull it through, it gives you amazing waves. It works in the same way that using scissors to put curls in ribbon works. Weird but true. And SO CUTE, I wearing my hair that way today!

Bronzer

Oops, it's been a while since I last posted! The good news? It's August so I have another month's budget to spend on clothes and makeup (I...um...wasn't allowed to buy anything in August due to an overly spendy June). I plan on making a trip to Sephora this week (I "need" some interesting new eye shadows and we'll see what else I find!).

Today, I'd like to discuss bronzer. I've battled with bronzer in years past - I first tried it while on Europe Semester in college. I bought some Clarins powder face bronzer in Rome but after a little while realized that it just made my face look dirty. However, this year, when my body tan was looking great from my spray tanner (scroll down to learn more about that), I realized that my face was a completely different color. I ran off to Sephora and scooped up Stila Sun Bronzing Powder SPF 15 (it's so tricky, you LOOK tan, but you're actually wearing sunscreen!) in Shade 2, Sheer Warm Matte Bronse. Now, I have learned that the key to bronzer is figuring out where to apply it and, to be more specific, where to apply it on your particular face. Before, I had been applying it "where the sun would normally hit you" - on the tops of my nose, cheeks, forehead, chin. However, I'm a bit cheeky, and I mean that physically, my face cheeks are plump and happy (and whenever I gain weight it goes there first). For me, I use bronzer as a contouring trick - under my cheek bones, around the edges of my face, on the sides of my nose, and a little on my forehead and chin. This slims my face down a little while still looking summery.

I say, try bronzer again and experiment with where you put it. It can make a big difference!