Oh, Net-A-Porter

Sometimes the things Net-A-Porter has in stock are too hilarious not to be blogged about.  A Gucci coin purse shaped like a mouse?  Lanvin playing cards?  See some of the more hilarious ones below.


Markus Lupfer Dressage Merino Wool Sweater, $490 at net-a-porter.com, Joseph Petra Silk-satin Tiered Mini Skirt, $275 at net-a-porter.com: Yes, I do just like this sweater because it has a pony on it.  A sequined 'dressage' pony (even though that pony has nothing to do with dressage) is exactly the kind of thing I would plaster on a plain sweater and wear when I was feeling quirky.  It's kind of weird, but in a glam, Zooey Deschanel kind of way, no?  I LOVE THIS SKIRT.  It's like a luxe version of a crinoline, and so flouncy and perfect for holiday parties in that deep red hue.  That skirt with a fitted black tank, a statement necklace, and some black platforms = holiday perfection.

Lanvin Faces Playing Cards, $85 at net-a-porter.com, Lanvin Doll 14 Metal Keyfob, $185 at net-a-porter.com: Oh, Lanvin.  You kill me with your price tags, but you get me with your adorable trinkets.  I might actually enjoy card games if my cards looked like this.  They have little French-looking faces!  And accessories on the backs!  I die.  This key chain is ridiculously overpriced, yes, but it has little Moulin Rouge girls sitting on it.  I mean, if you literally have money to burn this is a pretty adorable way to do it.

Gucci Leather and Canvas Mouse Purse, $280 at net-a-porter.com: And sometimes Net-A-Porter can get a little silly.  A Gucci mouse coin purse?  For almost $300?  Really now?  For $300 I could get another pair of Fryes.  Hmm.  Fryes vs. a purse shaped like a mouse that couldn't even hold my cell phone.  Hm...that's a hard one.

All images from net-a-porter.com.

Crystal Renn and the Plus Size Debate

This spread from the recent issue of Harper's Bazaar has caused a lot of controversy in the blogosphere recently.  There's been a lot of drama over Crystal's weight fluctuating, and how people think that as a plus size model she needs to stay plus size (especially as the poster child for plus size models).


To which I have to say: who cares if she loses some weight?  I think the fact that she looks a lot thinner in these is mostly due to the lighting and camera angles.

I read her autobiography over summer break, and here's what I think happened.  She had a severe eating disorder for most of her teenage years, and to help herself get over it she stopped going to the gym, where she would work out obsessively.  And she's said recently that she's just been able to start working out in a healthy way again, so I think that might be a big part of it.  The girl already has so much speculation over her body as a plus size model.  Give her a break.

Images from fashionista.com.

Fashion Contraceptive

I don't even know what to say about these pants.  Except that they could possibly function as birth control and the act of paying $900 for these should be illegal.


Ellery Bloodstone Extra Wide Flare Pants, $900 at shopbop.com:

Just...why?  WHY?  I DON'T UNDERSTAND YOU, FASHION.

Image from shopbop.com.

Audrey Hepburn Would Approve

Is it really obnooxious that I want an eye mask?  Not the skincare kind, the sleeping kind.  Look how glam Audrey Hepburn looks with one!  Adorable.

Glam Pink and Tulle Eye Mask by Love Me Sugar, $25 at etsy.com.  The story is that even though I'm as night owly as it gets, my roommates tend to stay up later than I do, and it is ridiculously hard to fall asleep with the lights on.  The eye mask solves all those annoying light problems, and looks glam doing it.  Much better than me putting a pillow on my face.  Much easier to breath too.  I love the sweet girliness of the black/pink color combo against the luxuriousness of the satin and the lace.  My only fear is that I would wake up and think that I'm blind.  Does anyone else have irrational fears like this?

Images from kamharrisphoto.wordpress.com, etsy.com.

Princess Diana's Ring?

6Unless you're living under a rock, you've probably heard that Prince William and Kate Middleton are engaged, and that he proposed with his mother, Princess Diana's wedding ring.  AKA this giant hunk of sapphire and diamonds.

 It's definitely gorgeous, but does anyone else find it a little creepy that he's using his dead mother's wedding ring?  Especially given the circumstances of her death and her marriage to his father.  I feel like it symbolizes a whole lot of bad things.  But again, so pretty.  So, so, so pretty.  I'm intrigued by these wedding rings that have colored stones in the center and diamonds on the perimeter.  I think I like.  What do you girls think?

Image from mirror.co.uk.

Daily Dose of Ugly

Sometimes fashion baffles me.  Don't get me wrong, most of the time I love it, but this...this makes me question it.
 
Georgie Ashley Lace Bell Bottom Pants, $218 at shopbop.com: More than $200 for polyester lace printed bell bottoms.  No.  No.  No.  Just no.  NOOOOO.  So ugly my retinas are burning.

Image from shopbop.com.

The Perfume Equation

I'd like to introduce something I like to call the perfume equation. It goes something like this.

Cute dress + skanktastic perfume = skanky outfit

Cute dress + tasteful perfume = chic outfit.

I see in on campus every weekend, and I'm looking at you, freshmen.  Let me explain. I think that sometimes people underestimate the effect of perfume. Even though you can't see it, perfume plays a huge role in how your outfit is perceived. Let's take a cute dress that could go in either the chic direction or the skanky direction, such as this Elizabeth and James dress:

Now let's say the girl wearing this dress decides to wear, say, Fairy Dust by Paris Hilton.

Even though the dress is only mildy lingerie-inspired, an overly sweet, tacky scent like this pushes that girl's outfit into the cheap, skanktastic category.

Whereas, a perfume like Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle has a completely different effect.

With a slightly more sophisticated, less overwhelmingly sweet perfume, this dress gives off a totally different vibe. Instead of screaming slutty and "I'm trying way too hard," it says "yes, I am sexy, but I'm also elegant, complicated, and maybe a little bit mysterious." I know. It's a tough choice.

Image Sources:
Dress: net-a-porter.com.
Fairy Dust: beautyme.com.
Coco Mademoiselle: Tendance High-Tech

Eye Cream?

I realize that I'm not even 20 yet, but I'm thinking about investing in some eye cream.  Yeah, I'm crazy, I know.  But I feel like the sooner you start the anti-aging stuff, the better, right?  And I get terrible undereye circles, so anything that makes those go away is good in my book.  


My goal: get a somewhat cheap, low-key eye cream that will moisturize without breaking me out and isn't too chemical heavy.


Say Yes to Carrots Eye Contour Cream, $14.99 for 1.7 oz at sayyestocarrots.com, Burt's Bees Repair Serum, $18 for 1 oz. at burtsbees.com: The Say Yes to Carrots option is a bit cheaper, and it has green tea, aloe, carrot juice, chamomile, dead sea water, and various other things.  It seems like a light cream and promises to hydrate and refresh.  The Burt's Bees option is a little more expensive, but I think I'd use less of an oil than I would of a cream every night, so it might end up costing the same amount.  It has rosehip oil, jojoba oil, primrose oil, wheat germ oil, hazelnut oil, and green tea extract--basically lots of oils.  I think if you break out easily around the eyes or tend to get milia, this might not be a good option, but I have such dry skin that it might work out.

What do you guys think?  Am I crazy to want to get an eye cream before I even turn 20?


Images from sayyestocarrots.com, burtsbees.com.

Lanvin for H&M Preview

If y'all haven't heard, Lanvin is doing a collection for H&M.  I know.  I felt a little dizzy when I found it out too.  Take a moment, sit down for a bit.  Get a glass of water.  All better?  Okay. 


Here's the first promotional picture.  The line hits H&M on November 23, and if it's like any other of the big designer collaborations, it will only hit certain H&Ms (LA, NYC, San Fran, etc), which means that I will only see it on eBay.  GAH FRUSTRATION.  What really kills me is that it's basically the same designs on the cheap.  Even the styling is similar.  That one-shouldered dress is really killing me.  It's so damn chic.

I wish H&M had an ecommerce site.  It seems like it's about time, huh?  I would totally snatch up a pair of those sunglasses.  Drool.


Image from vogue.fr.

VENOMOUS VILLAINS REVIEW!!!

I don't know if y'all picked it up from the title, but I'm so, so excited about what I got from Venomous Villains.  The whole thing was such an ordeal.  It was supposed to hit stores last Thursday, and since I have a midterm that day I was going to go into Boston on Friday with my roomie and hit up MAC.  We had it all planned out.  But then I heard that MAC was releasing the collection early online, so I decide just to stalk Twitter until it dropped and buy what I wanted ASAP before it sold out.  Well.  MAC couldn't decide when to release it or couldn't release it for some reason, so it went up two hours late, and I wasn't with my laptop.  Cue panic attack.  But, luckily, an hour later both things I wanted were still in stock, so it all worked out.  The only thing that freaked me out was that I got an email confirming my order saying that I'd get a tracking number when it shipped, and a week later, no tracking number.  It just mysteriously showed up at mail services today.  No bueno, MAC, no bueno.


ANYWAYS, I got My Dark Magic Mineralize Shadow from the Maleficent collection and Vainglorious Shadow from the Evil Queen collection.  I was so happy that the boxes looked like the blogger press hits with the awesome concept drawings of the characters!  That's Maleficent on the left and the Evil Queen on the right. 

So My Dark Magic sold out pretty much within 12 hours (in fact, almost all of the Maleficent stuff is gone), which makes me so happy that I got it, but sad that most people didn't.  I think it has the best packaging of the line, with Maleficent and her crow/vulture BFF on the lid.  The Evil Queen packaging is much less awesome.  The queen's face just looks so small compared to the shadow itself.  I think if it was blown up two or three times it would have been a lot better, but I'm glad that the images were printed on, and not stickers (ahem, Dame Edna).

My camera struggled so much taking pictures of My Dark Magic because it is SO SPARKLY.  The picture on the left gives a better idea of the texture, but the picture on the right gives a better idea of the actual color.  The surface feels very organic--it's a little bumpy and swirly.  The left side is a crescent shaped black with fuschia shimmer and fucshia swirls, and the right is a smaller oval with a black base, some white swirls, and violet and blue shimmer.  The shimmer on the right is a bit bigger/chunkier than the shimmer on the left.  The white swirls really just blend in with the black and add a little white shimmer.

JUST LOOK AT THOSE SWATCHES.  LOOK AT THEM.  The left is the pink side, the right is the purple side.  You can see the difference between the shimmer sizes pretty clearly, and because the shimmer on the right is a little more noticeable, it's much easier to do a sheer wash of the purple side than the pink side.  If you do a sheer wash of the purple side, you can almost blend it out to a sheer base with violet shimmer, which you can't do with the pink side.  I found this duo incredibly pigmented.  I literally brushed my fingers over it and came up with these swatches.  I think you could apply it wet for more lasting power and less fallout, but they seem to do pretty darn well dry.  I know I'm not going to be wearing this all the time (it's not exactly class friendly) but it's the perfect thing for weekends or for a fun, going-out smokey eye. 

Vainglorious is still up on the MAC website for $15.50 ($1 more than usual because of the licensing fees for the Disney characters).  The picture on the left refused to come out right, the swatch on the right is much more accurate.  I think the macro setting on my camera hates me.  I'd describe it as a brownish-burgundy with red shimmer.  It's a lot more wearable than I thought that it would be, for sure.  It's a little scary looking in the pan, but if you put it in the crease and blend it out, it's a really flattering warm hue, especially on green or hazel eyes.  I was definitely scared by the Frost finish, but I wouldn't call it frosty at all.  It has a bit of a sheen to it, but it is in no way reminiscent of '90s frosted lipstick or other scary frosted things.

Overall thoughts: I really love the two things I got.  I would have also gotten Revenge is Sweet Lipglass, but I needed more Studio Sculpt Concealer (I'm NW15 now!  Ahhhhh so pale), and I'm broke.  So.  I'm so glad that I got My Dark Magic because I think the packaging is fab and I adore blacks with colored shimmer, and I love Vainglorious because it's surprisingly wearable and a color that I needed.

Woah, Alexis Bledel. Just Woah.

I don't know how many of y'all know this, but I'm a huge fan of Gilmore Girls.  As in if I could have one show to watch for the rest of my life on a deserted island (which for some reason has a DVD player), it would be Gilmore Girls.  Everyone can relate to it.  It's witty and clever and just generally great.  But anyways, one of the main characters on the show was played by Alexis Bledel, who y'all can see below.

So this is what she used to look like:

And this is what she looks like now.  Woah.  I'm struggling to adjust here, guys.  I think I really like it?  The strawberry blonde hue does great things for her blue eyes.  I think the brown hair is a little more girl-next-door and the new color is a bit flirtier and sexier.  I just dyed my hair again last night (loving the Clairol Perfect 10) and I'm really loving the idea of going a little warmer next time.  Maybe an auburn?  Hm...

Images from: buzzsugar.com, glamour.com, bellasugar.com.

Breaking News: Emma Watson Got a Haircut

That title is only 98% sarcastic.  Today's a slow day for me inspiration-wise, so I thought I'd show you what Emma Watson has decided to do to her hair.


Just for reference, this is what her hair used to look like:

And this is what her hair looks like now.  I included Mia Wasikowska on the right just for some pixie cut reference.  I have mixed feelings about this haircut.  I feel like pixie cuts are really, really hard to pull off, and while Emma Watson does look cute, and she certainly has the face to pull it off, I feel like it really ages her.  I just don't feel like it suits her overall look/personal style.  It makes a lot more sense on Mia, no?  But Emma does look a little like fellow British icon, Twiggy.  Thoughts, anyone?

Images from: posh24.com, gofugyourself.celebuzz.com, refinery29.com.

Somebody Got a Face Lift!

Nope, it's not me.  I hope y'all didn't think it would be me.  I'm 19.  That would be creepy.


The blog got a rather drastic face lift!  If you've been reading this for a while, you know that I have a short, short, short attention span.  I like to change things a lot.  I wanted something a little more grown-up and festive and fun, so I went with this lovely background (a Chanel campaign pic) and the transparent post background.  If y'all absolutely hate it or find it really hard to read, please comment and tell me all about it.  I want it to be fun looking, but I don't want the blog template to totally distract from the content.  (PS: if you tried to read the blog between 8PM and 9PM today, I'm sure you saw the hilarious number of backgrounds and colors tried out and were confused to death, and I'm sorry).


In other news, The Rachel Zoe Project is baccccckkkkkkkk!  I heart that show.  Rachel is hilarious, her husband Rodger is hilarious, her assistant Brad is precious, and the clothes...oh, the clothes.

Bradley and Rachel.  So adorbs.  Does anyone else watch this?  If you don't, you really, really should.

Images from: girlscene.nl.

Yay for Diane Kruger, Not So Much for Germany

I think I've expressed my love for Diane Kruger before.  She always seems collected and chic, styles herself, does her own hair and makeup, and is basically never annoying/stupid/trashy. 


But I think I love her even more after this Calvin Klein event.  She went in wearing this minimalist, lovely Calvin Klein dress, and then somewhere in the back she threw on this Germany jersey to watch the Germany-Spain FIFA game.  Girl looks upset.  I don't blame her (SPANISH DOMINATION!!! The sad part is that I'm actually German and rooted for Spain).  My biggest question is where did she keep that jersey?  Did she McGuyver it into that impossibly tiny clutch?  Did she make Pacey wear it in?  And you know that when she got there she usurped a TV that was probably playing a Calvin Klein runway loop and was all "We are watching the World Cup if I have to strangle you all with this jersey to do it."  Everyone else is clearly not as amused, but mad props, Diane Kruger.  Mad props.

Image Sources:
gofugyourself.com.

MAC, LUSH, Target, and Total Randomness

This post is even more all over the place than normal, I have to warn you, but I'm just so excited about all this sunshine that my brain's kind of scattered at the moment.

MAC Face and Body Foundation, $32 at maccosmetics.com, MAC Bronzing Powder in Golden and Refined Golden, $22: I just ordered this MAC foundation in N1. I'm very much a tinted moisturizer girl, and as much as I love my Kiehls TM, sometimes it just isn't enough coverage. I wanted a foundation that was very light and dewy, and also a closer match to my skintone, but something that wouldn't break me out. Makeupalley was full of raves for this MAC foundation, and since it's water-based I figured it would be moisturizing and non-pore-clogging, both major pluses. It's $32 for a GIANT bottle that will probably last me forever, and I like the hygienic squeeze top. The only issue is that the color range is way different from the normal MAC color range. Normally MAC does NW, N, or NC (neutral-warm, neutral, and neutral-cool) attached to numbers from 15-50 (15 being the lightest and 50 the darkest). I'm NW20, pale with pinky undertones. The range for this foundation is C1-C9 and N1-N9. What??? I did a little research and I think C is for yellow undertones and N is for warm undertones, but it just makes no sense. Hopefully N1 works out. Another MAC thing that I'm really excited for is the To the Beach collection for summer, which releases May 27th. The packaging is SO CUTE. These bronzers look promising for a natural glow that's not too shimmery.


Lustre Drops in Pink Rebel and Sun Rush, $18.50, Nail Lacquer in In the Buff and Scorcher, $12: I'm intrigued by the lustre drops. Pink Rebel might be a nice, warm highlight color, but Sun Rush sounds perfect for an even, sunshiney, I just got back from the Bahamas look. Note sure about the In the Buff polish, but Scorcher looks like the perfect summer pedicure color, that ideal mix between reddish-pink and orange.


Powder Blush in Hipness and Get-Away Bronze, $18.50, Lipglass in Easy Lounger, Flurry of Fun, and Splashing, $14: More adorable packaging! Hipness seems like a flattering peachy-pink, and Get-Away Bronze looks like a really awesome cheek contour color. And that little starfish is just killing me. I'm craving a peachy lipgloss for summer, and Flurry of Fun looks perfect. But I'd buy it just for the tiny seahorses, let's be honest.


High-Light Powder in Marine Life, $26, Cream Bronzer in Beach Bronze and Weekend, $25: More seahorses! I don't particularly like pink highlighters, just because I have so much pink in my skin already that I don't need any more, but the pattern on this one is just so precious. And if you like your bronzers in a cream formula, MAC hasn't forgotten about you either. Both of these seem to have shimmer, which seems weird to me for a cream bronzer, but we'll see.


So basically I want the entire collection. PROBLEM.

Sephora Brand Dry Oil in Nectarine Blossom, $7 at sephora.com, LUSH Glitterbug Sparkle Bar, $6.55 at lushusa.com, LUSH Honey I Washed the Kids Soap, $7.95 at lushusa.com: Since summer's struck here, I'm getting very self-conscious about shaving and moisturizing my legs. They've been cooped up under jeans and tights for the last four months or so, and I'm dying to let them see the sun (and some fake tanner, but that's besides the point). I really love the sheen that dry oils give you, and I'm lazy, so anything that I can spray on instead of rub in is good in my book. These Sephora dry oils come in a wide range of scents and for $7-10 for 5 ounces each, they're a good bargain. I'd go for Nectarine Blossom, mainly because I'm seriously craving fruit at the moment. So I've been watching a ton of YouTube beauty videos (what else is new?) and I totally in the mood to become at LUSH junkie. They have a store in my shopping area at home, but I've never really ventured in. All those giant soaps in the window and containers of mysterious liquids were a little intimidating. But I think I have a pretty good idea of the kinds of products that they sell now, and I'm dying to try out the Glitterbug Sparkle Bar, which is a massage bar filled with iridescent glitter that smells like neroli, vanilla, and rose, and the Honey I Washed the Kids soap, which is a honey/caramel-scented soap with a lather of beeswax on top. The massage bars are basically concentrated oil/body butter bars that you rub on your skin after you take a shower, and yes, my inner 5 year old is very pleased by the concept of iridescent glitter. I've heard that this soap lathers up so wonderfully and smells so convincingly like honey (aka my favorite scent of all time) that I'm already dead-set on buying it when I get home.



Cynthia Vincent for Target: Gladiator Wedges, $29.99 and Wedges in Multi-color Print, $29.99, Eugenia Kim for Target: Straw Sun Hat in Tan with Blue Trim, $19.99, Straw Fedora in Green with Black/White Trim, $16.99: There are a ton of Target collaborations at the moment, and while the clothing ones seem to be getting a ton of attention, I thought I'd highlight some of the cute accessories lines that are hitting stores soon (Cynthia Vincent and Eugenia Kim). Cynthia Vincent has a line of insanely adorable shoes, all under $30. I love the gladiator wedges, which very much resemble a pair of wedges from her actual line, and those festive printed wedges. Eugenia Kim has some sweet little hats, like this straw bonnet (so, so, so Jane Austen), and this green fedora. I generally hate fedoras and their hipster-ness, but the jaunty mint hue of this incarnation just makes it so fresh and dapper that I can't resist.


Dallin Chase Edison Pants, $225 at shopbop.com: And now a brief interlude for the ugliest pants in the world. Seriously. What's the point? Really, what IS the point?


Gemma Feather Top, $152 at shopbop.com, Juicy Couture Embroidered Victorian Dress, $278 at shopbop.com, Gryphon The Studded Biker Jacket, $645 at shopbop.com: And then some prettier things. I tend to get stuck in a tee/tank top rut during the summer, and I've realized it's because I own no actual blouses or cute, formalish tanks. This Gemma tank is light and flowy, perfect for summer, but the asymmetrical tiers and graphic feather print keep it from getting too hippy-dippy-trippy. Juicy Couture describes this dress as Victorian, although personally I get more of a Wild Wild West, country sort of vibe from it, but either way it's a fab sundress. Pair that with a little men's leather belt and some adorable sandals, and you're set. I don't usually go for tan leather at all, but this Gryphon jacket has me rethinking that policy. There's something so casually deconstructed about the cut, and the studded shoulders play into the traditional edginess of the leather motorcycle jacket perfectly, but the beige hue takes it in a very fashion forward, almost Celine sort of direction that makes this like no other leather jacket I've seen before.


Image Sources:
MAC foundation: sophiaeriksens.blogspot.com, MAC To The Beach collection: temptalia.com, Sephora dry oil: sephora.com, Eugenia Kim for Target: target.com, Cynthia Vincent for Target: target.com, LUSH glitterbug: lushusa.com, LUSH soap: lushusa.com, Dallin Chase pants: shopbop.com, Gemma top: shopbop.com, Juicy Couture dress: shopbop.com, Gryphon jacket: shopbop.com.