Winter Style-Injection: Sheers & Neons

So, a couple of my favorite trends right now are sheers and neutrals paired with neon colors. They're especially my favs as we enter phase two of winter (as I look out my window at 8+ inches of snow with more forecasted to be on the way). I love the snuggle-factor of a nice wool sweater for sure, don't get me wrong... but, it gets redundant (as does the cold). These two trends offer both an ultra-feminine factor, and a playful one as well. I've categorized my hand-picked selections by color: blue, yellow, pink/coral, and then finally honorable mention neutrals.

Without further adieu...

THE BLUES:

Pictured, from left to right:

• Francesca's Collections Checking In Scarf in Blue, $18
• JCrew Contrast Stripe Tee in Yacht Blue Navy, $39.50
• Express Shawl Collar One Button Jacket in Celestial Blue, $79.90
• Top Shop Animal Border Vest in Multi, $60
• Francesca's Collections Banana Flat (by Restricted) in Turquoise, $38
• Top Shop Canvas Blue Flash Holdall Bag, $72
• Top Shop Zip Back Vest in Pale Blue, $56
• Francesca's Collections Apple of My Eye top in Blue, $38 *Own it, love it, recommend it!

THE YELLOWS:

Pictured, from left to right:

• Express Zelda Jean Legging in Bright Yellow (or Spiced Guava), $79.90 (*BOGO
• The Gap Striped Woven Tee in Pink or Yellow Stripe, $49.95
• The Gap Neon Border Scarf in Green Thumb, $29.95
• Modcloth Des Colores Top in Lemon, $42.99
• H&M Sleeveless Satin Blouse in Yellow, $29.95
• Hunter(ess) Original Gloss Tall Boot in Yellow, $125
• Anthropologie Painted V-neck in Neutral Motif, $58
• New York & Co. Wide Patent Leather Stretch Belt in Medium Yellow, $26.95
• Aldo Shoes Mease High Heels in Peach Yellow, $80

THE PINKS/CORALS:

Pictured, from left to right:

• Top Shop Oversize Zip-side Tee in Fuchsia, $60
• JCrew (Petite) Schoolboy Blazer in Poppy, $99 (*Sale)
• Express Keyhole Halter Dress in Coral, $79.90
• Express Zelda Jean Legging in Spiced Guava, $79.90 (*BOGO)
• Modcloth Count On V top, $59.99 *Particularly awesome if your name begins with "M", if not– just as awesome paired with a navy blazer!
• Modcloth Strike A Prose Heel, $49.99
• Madewell Stripecast Cardigan in Scorch Orange, $68.00
• The Gap Multi-print Square Scarf in Parisian Plum, $29.95 *For the person who is equally as obsessed with ikat as they are polka dots, aka me.
• Urban Outfitters Kimchi Blue Lace Bandeau in Orange, $14.00 (*Same bandeau pictured in Rose at bottom right corner)
• The Gap Striped Woven Tee in Pink, $49.95
• LOFT Coral Trim Berkeley Ballet Flats in Coral Rose, $44.50
• Madewell Striped Ex-Boyfriend Sweater in Spiced Marmalade, $34.99 (*Sale)
• Hunter(ess) Original Gloss Tall Boot in Fuchsia, $125
• Madewell (blanknyc) Skinny Jeans in Vivid Poppy, $88
• Urban Outfitters COPE Striped Slit-back top in Blush, $59.00

And of course, the honorable mention NEUTRALS:

Pictured, from left to right:

• Totes Clear Bubble Umbrella, $19.20
• JCrew Pixie Pant in Black, $88
• Urban Outfitters Kimchi Blue V-inset Crinkle Blouse in Peach, $59.00
• Banana Republic Dot Lace Tee in White, $49.50

OOTN: Outfit of the Night

So, I'm pretty excited – Ryan and I are having a little date night downtown Chicago this evening. (Can you tell we don't get out much?) Anyway, headed downtown to a pretty popular whole in the wall bar (oxymoron?) called the Underground Wonder Bar to check out a soul singer (and band) named Aryk Crowder. Aside from being stoked to have a date night with Ryan, this is my first outing in Chicago in pursuit of live music. I know, shocking as I've lived here 6 months now, but better late than never! I have fond memories when I used to live downtown Milwaukee, bartending on the weekends and getting to see some of the city's greatest bands. I'm a junkie for local music! So anyway, y'all get that I'm excited – moving on.

My outfit du jour:

(*Undecided on the blazer, but nonetheless: UO Silence & Noise Boyfriend Blazer in Black, $78)

Francesca's Collections Apple of My Eye top in Blue, $38

Zara Ponte Di Roma Trousers in Black, $49.90

Zigi Soho Mixer Boot in Brown – sorry, circa 2010, though these are comparable: Bakers Jay WP Boots in Brown, $99.99 (*Just reduced)

Mine are from UO, but these are comparable: Target 10k Gold 25mm Endless Hoop Earring, $24.99

Hope everyone had a great week, happy Friday & have a great weekend everyone!!

BHLDN: Tiered Tulip Gown

Above: Tiered Tulip Gown, BHLDN

My I just express that I am legitimately FLIPPING OUT and sobbing like a total baby on the inside right now?! Anthropologie/BHLDN – I am so frsutrated with you! WHY ON EARTH are you discounting and discontinuing the ONE DRESS that makes me feel like the "ideal dress search" is over?! THIS DRESS has inspired the entire daydream in my mind of what I want my someday wedding to be like! PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT DISCONTINUE IT! If I won't be able to purchase it via BHLDN... where will I be able to? Who are the makers of Va et Vien??? *ARG!*

If I Had A Million Dollars: Anthropologie Jan 2012

I FINALLY got a chance to flip through my Anthropologie January 2012 catalog that came in the mail sometime this week, this morning... and I find myself singing in my head, ♪If I had a million dollars♫!!! SO many adorable new items, especially some amazing 'for the home' selections – to be honest I think I liked more of the home stuff than the clothing stuff this time around. *I'll note that much of the January collection is nice in the instance you a.) live in a warmer climate, or b.) are taking winter vacation to someplace warm. For someone braving a Chicago winter however, not all items are conducive. Well, enough rambling – without further adieu, here's my hand-picked favies:

Above: Bike Lane Dress in Red Motif – $158, Image ©Anthropologie

Above: JuJube Heels in Multi – $418, Image ©Anthropologie

Those heels especially... drool! They're right up my alley! LOVE them! The dress is a bit more of a manageable price and I do have a wedding to attend at the end of April... we'll see ;). As for some of the for-the-home loves:

 

Above (from left to right): Cockatoo Bedding – $98-$548, Mineral and Might Dining Table – $5,998, Illusion Bench – $1,698, Etched bottle pendant light – $448, Images ©Anthropologie

♪ If I had a million dollars ♫ ... :)

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue

So, something I'm super excited about coming up this Summer is not just one cousin's wedding, but TWO cousin's weddings!! Both of which I am so honored to be standing in – the first all the bridesmaids will be dressed in unison, but the second it's the 'maids choice! Only rule: it's gotta have a navy blue overall scheme to it. So, I've begun looking into some choices (probably prematurely, but like I said – I'm excited!!!). Here's my findings:

Above, from left to right:

• JCrew Marla dress in printed silk, Deep blue, $178.00
• JCrew Drawstring dress in pebble dot, Deep atlantic, $72.00
• Express Floral banded-waist dress, Blue, $59.90
• Modcloth Paint stroke of genius dress, $47.99 (*sale) 
• Banana Republic Dot v-neck dress, Navy, $140.00
• Francesca's Collections Growing fonder dress, Blue, $24.98 (*sale)

I have to admit, I expected more from Top Shop, Anthropologie, Madewell, Urban Outfitters and Lauren Conrad's collection at Kohl's. BUT, cutting some slack – it's the middle of winter. Keeping my fingers crossed for awesome spring/summer collections :)

Lip Service: Products I've been loving lately

Above: my latest go-to lip product arsenal

With the incoming of what I predict will be a bitter winter, especially so in contrast to living in Tampa, FL for the past two years, I've prepared myself with a go-to army of lip products that serve both as functional moisture and as aesthetic color. (*Of course I have a pile about tripple the size of what's pictured, but these are the ones I toss into my purse and apply most often as of lately).

From left to right:

• EOS smooth sphere in Sweet Mint
  Regarding the EOS lip sphere – at first I didn't really like it. It felt too waxy in texture and too much like the traditional Burt's Bees balm, which I'm not a huge fan of. But, after swiping it a few times it began to have a much more nourishing effect and smoothes on similarly to Sweet Lips balms, which prior to trying EOS were my go-to chapsticks.
• Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple
  The Revlon Lip Butters I swear are the greatest product since sliced bread! I'm especially obsessed with the Candy Apple formula – it's the perfect balance of balm and pigment!
• Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait
  The Peach Parfait is a great go-to color that's just neutral and goes with anything.
• Urban Decay Lip Junkie Lipgloss in Wallflower (*sample)
• Urban Decay Lip Junkie Lipgloss in Naked (*sample)
  Both the Urban Decay glosses are the same hue, but the Naked one has more luster to it. Both are neutral and easily go with anything, however I'm sure to apply the EOS balm prior to swiping the UD gloss – otherwise they're too tacky for my liking.
• Jouer Lip Gloss in Birchbox Pink (*sample)
  And finally, the Jouer gloss sample I got in my Birchbox for December is awesome! It looks rather intense, but what's so great about it is you can swipe once for a feminine flush of color or really layer it on for a more pigmented effect. It's the perfect accessory to pair with a neutral outfit and definitely flattering against winter pale skin which often times can look dull.

Well, that's my review folks! Enjoy :)

Review: Clinique 3-Step Skin Care System

Above: Clinique 3-Step Skin Care System

(plus arsenal of other skincare products in basket & cotton balls/pads)

Allow me to kickoff by saying a.) I'm so sorry it's been such a long while since my last post, holiday chaos got in the way of my spare time, and b.) happy 2012! I personally am kicking off the new year with a brand new skincare routine which I wanted to be sure I shared with all of you! For Christmas I received the Clinique 3-Step Skin Care System as a gift from my boyfriend's sisters, and have been using it twice daily since Christmas Day (December 25). So, being that I'm about week-ish into my new skincare routine I figured I would share my impressions and things I've noticed. So, let's get started!

As some of you know, those who've been reading my skincare story, I've been on a mission the past few months to explore not only paraben-free skincare solutions, but I wanted to test suggested dupe products for the Clinique system before taking the plunge on something so expensive. (*If you're interested in a skincare story recap, check this out). To compare notes with my previous post, particularly focusing on the facial cleanser and toner products:

• Up until switching over to the 3-Step system, I had been twice daily cleansing with the Neutrogena Naturals Fresh Cleansing + Makeup Remover. I still very much like the Neutrogena product and still regularly use it on my beauty blender in fact. Something I like a little better about the Clinique cleanser is that it foams on my face a bit more, and there's more of a lather thing goin' on whereas with the Neutrogena the formula is a bit more watered-down in comparison. It may be a total placebo thing, but I feel like I'm getting a deeper clean with more of a lather.
• I had also been twice daily applying toner after washing my face with a cleanser using the the Burts Bees Rosewater & Glycerin Toner . Again, I can't knock the Burt's Bees because it was definitely effective while I was using it, but I've noticed a pretty significant leap between the BB and the Cinique toner formulas and Clinique's is far more intense. Something I've struggled with is enlarged pores, and part of the reason I adopted a toner into my routine was to minimize their appearance, and also to combat dead skin. In reading the ingredients on both the Burt's Bees and the Clinique toner bottles the major difference is the inclusion of Salicylic Acid, and boy can I feel it! I've read and heard that Salicylic Acid is the ingredient in Proactive products which is what makes them so desirable.

Everybody has unique skin and unique skin problems – even those who 95% of the time have nice complexions, indeed have problems. I can't complain about my complexion, I know that I'm blessed to have an overall clear face. However, my unique problem is cystic acne. I'm not sure if that's an official term, but it's how I describe my trouble areas. No matter my skincare routine, I've always struggled with acne underneath the skin's surface that is literally painful and typically when it does surface it causes scaring. Not cute. I've never tried Proactive, but this Clinique 3-Step system is the first skincare routine I've ever tried that's noticeably addressing my cystic acne trouble areas! This makes me beyond happy and relieved!!!

I'm trying not to get too excited because I know I'm only a week into using it, and I've been in this spot before – getting prematurely excited about a product and by the end of the month I hate it. Though, I'll admit I like the results so far and have high hopes that I can finally stop the search for new products! Stay tuned ;)