Category Archives: summer

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Just give me all the gingham

I have gone crazy for gingham! Lane Bryant has been having quite a few gingham pieces show up in their store and none of them really screamed for me to take it home.  Low and behold, they come out with some online exclusive pieces that I absolutely fall in love with!  Now, I like to try my clothes on and I hate returning things so I’m not really an online shopper.  I held out on buying these pieces for a while but would still stalk lanebryant.com daily just to make sure they were still there.  Then the 40% off and spring sale came and sizes started disappearing.  I had to act fast and get the three pieces that I had been lusting after and I have not been disappointed.  I selected a size and kept my fingers crossed that everything would fit.  And it did!  I could have gone down a size on the dress, but once I added a belt…it was perfect.

I purchased my very first bikini!  It’s a high waisted one.  (I’m not that confident….yet!)  But I was surprisingly very emotional about it.  I always look at 2 piece suits and really love the way that they look, but have always been to scared to get one.  Well, I purchased the top as part of their online exclusive and the bottoms I got off the clearance rack at the outlet for $5.98!  That made the entire outfit less than $50. The shoes are Rebecca Minkoff from last year. (Gingham Flounce Bikini Tolt-In Bandeau Bra $41.02)

The next gingham piece is the Gingham shell with belt $26.69.  I absolutely love this top.  I tried it on in the store and when I walk out of the dressing room to show one of my favorite store managers…people wanted to know where that top was in the store.   Sorry, online only.  Kind of a bummer for them.  I paired it with a white skort also from Lane Bryant but many many years old.

The final piece from Lane Bryant is the Off the shoulder shirtdress ($40.04).  I have a beach trip coming up and I just pictured myself wearing this dress while walking on the beach.  It’s so pretty, flowy and summery.  I could not pass it up. I’m so excited to see if it makes me feel as good on the beach as it did in my imagination. This dress has a thin lining which is pretty soft and comfortable.  I also love the tie detail on the sleeves. The gold belt is from Lane Bryant and does not come with the dress. The sandals are from Guess last year.

The final piece is a gorgeous off the shoulder shirt that I bought from Saks off 5th.  It’s by a brand called BeachLunchLounge which I absolutely love!  This is my first piece from them, but I know that I am going to buy more because I have been eyeing some of it for a few months now. It was $34.99 and I just paired it with my denim boyfriend fit distressed capri’s from Torrid.

As you can see, the trend that I have fallen in love with this year is gingham and I continue my love for the off the shoulder trend that picked up steam last year. I believe I blogged about that for several pieces I purchased back then.

I hope you enjoy the looks!  Talk to you all soon.

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August Favorites

Here are my beauty favorites for the month of August (late I know).

1.  Tarte Amazonian Clay full coverage airbrush foundation.  The color that I use of this is Rich Sand.  I bought this last summer and fell in love with it, but didn’t use it much in the winter since my skin was a little dryer.  I really love buffing this in with the buffing brush that is sold for it. 

2.  Nyx blush in dessert rose.  I am a little bit blush crazy so I have a ton to choose from.  This one is so pretty on.  I just dab my brush in it a little bit since it is so pigmented and lightly brush it on my cheeks.  It gives me a perfect flush. 

3. Anastasia Amreezy eye shadow pallet – Ack!  These colors are so beautiful, I can’t stand it.  I am obsessed. As you have previous read, this is a brand new buy and I have worn colors in this pallet every day in August. I have not worn the darker colors much, but I’m sure I will be using them in the fall.

4.  Bobby Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow in Beach honey – I use this as a base for my eye shadow although it is very pretty on its own. 

5.  YSL Volupte in Sheer Candy – This is just so moisturizing and gives me the perfect ting of red on my lips.  It has been my go to all summer long, really. I never have to worry about being to heavy handed with it.

6.  I did not include this in the picture above for some odd reason, but the nail polish combination of Deborah Lippman’s Boom Boom Pow and Butter London’s Tea with the queen is the only thing I had on my nails this August.  I will have to take a picture and post it as a nail of the day, but I can’t get over how in love I am of these two.

Talk to you all soon.

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July Favorites

There were a few things that I really enjoyed using this month.

 

1.  Glamglow Thirstymud hydrating treatment – This product is really, surprisingly great.  I’m not sure what I was expecting of it, but whenever I think of a facial treatment, I think of a thick, sticky, messy substance that  feels like mud.  This is actually just a truly lightweight product that just glides onto your skin.  It is slightly sticky, but I have been able to sleep with it on my face without fear of it messing up my sheets.  The bonus is it really makes my skin feel super soft and hydrated.  I tend to get really dry patches of skin around my nose and eyebrows and a patch here and there on my cheeks.  I have not had any issues since I started using this.  The first week that I used it, I was also using a sample of a DIOR serum which I was also enjoying (but at $145 price tag, I am to afraid to bite the bullet on that one).  After that was out, I was only using the Glamglow, so I really feel that this is a really good product for my skin.

2.  Anastasia Brow Wiz in Granite – Filling in my eyebrows is a completely new regime for me.  I have pretty thick brows, but they taper off at the ends.  Well, this really helps me get both of them to look somewhat similar without looking like I took a marker to my brows.  It can be as subtle or as strong as you want it to be.

3.  Great Lash clear mascara/brow gel –  This helps to keep my brows in place after using my brow wiz.  I had previously been using the Milani brow wax pencil, but it tends to make my brows itchy.  The Great Lash brow gel has worked wonderfully.  My brows still feel and look soft, but stay perfectly in place all day.

4.  Hourglass ambient lighting blush in diffused heat – This has pretty much been the blush I have worn all summer.  It really does give a radiant glow to the cheeks.  It just give a light color to my cheeks with a little bit of glow.  It’s not glittery or sparkly, it just has a slight shimmer that looks perfect in the sunlight.

5.  Victoria Secret’s Endless Sunset lotion and body spray – The last thing I needed this summer was more fragrances, but when V.S. had their semi-annual sale, I just had to stop in and look. Anything named summer, sunset, moonlight, etc. is going to draw my attention.  So this set was calling my name.  It smells amazing.  It’s got a slight coconut smell, but not as strong as my second favorite of the summer which is Oahu by Bath and Body Works.  Oahu can be a little stronger than I like, but Endless Sunset is perfect.  I can use both the lotion and spray without feeling like I am going run people off with the overpowering scent.

Summer is winding down, but I am really enjoying these few items this summer.  August is here, which is my birthday month, so I plan on enjoying it to the fullest. I plan to enjoy the shorts, sunshine, and beaches all month long.

Talk to you all soon.