OOTD: 2012 edition

My Missoni for Target look

I was a big loser when it came to the Missoni for Target collection last fall. Luckily for me, though, I have a friend in Texas who manages a Target and was able to keep her eyes peeled for returns of the one dress in the whole collection I was really keen on. And voila! When she sent it to me I immediately had it tailored, because this particular dress was cut a little, err, generously. The one thing I couldn’t have the tailor adjust, however, was the length – it’s a little short, yeah? So I knew I had to wait and wear it with some thick leggings to make it work appropriate. Throw a cream shirt underneath to give it some sleeves and slap on beautiful brown riding boots, add an infinity scarf up top and I’m ready for the brutality of January in NYC.

Two words: Gel Liner

I’m back! With a heck of a New Year’s Resolution – to not neglect thee again. And also to broaden my beauty horizons.

Since having begun work at a cosmetics company a few months back one of my superiors noticed I don’t wear my eyeliner. “Why?” she inquired. I was too sheepish to tell her the truth: I’m scared of it! But when my first NYE in NYC came around I decided I needed a dramatic look – complete with (gulp) eyeliner. I don’t like pencils because they don’t give me the definition I want, but then liquid liner is just, well, liquid and scary. So I trekked my resolve to Target on Saturday afternoon only to find slim pickins (serves me right!). Then I noticed option C, which I previously hadn’t considered: gel liner. I liked that you use an angled brush (because, when I did seldom apply eye liner, I would dip my angled brush in a little water and then use my darkest shadow for the desired effect), and that the look walks the line between pencil and liquid. We have a winner! The regular drugstore brands were out of black (I’m shopping for eyeliner on NYE, that’s like saying on Halloween all that’s left is a witch hat), so I picked out the only black eyeliner left, and applied it with a mini magician:

Sonia Kashuk Dramatically Defining Gel Liner, $8.99, target.comSephora CollectionBrush Wand, $10, sephora.comSephora Collection Brush Wand, $10, sephora.com

 

 

 

 

I didn’t get any closeups from NYE, but here’s a quick snapshot. To apply this look to one eye only took about a minute – how’s that for an eyeliner novice?!

gel liner + eyeliner scaredycat = well, I'm impressed

Next up, maybe I’ll really throw caution to the wind and start applying mascara to my lower lashes. Are any of your New Year’s Resolutions beauty or fashion-related?

How to… layer stripes!

infinity scarf and sweater, LOFT; leather jacket, Michael Kors

The mixing of prints as a style has become increasingly popular in the last few seasons, so here’s my take on the trend. I wanted to play with the layering these stripes in the way that would be most pleasing to the eye (like Carrie Bradshaw, see below). Playing with the scale of the pattern is important when mixing any prints, which is why my scarf has wider stripes and my sweater has thinner stripes. And even though my scarf and sweater are both knits, since the scarf has metallic fibers it adds a different texture to the ensemble, giving the whole look more interest.  And lastly I chose different, but complementary colors (even though Carrie didn’t) to create even more visual interest

Carrie's version

Since layering prints has become such a mega-trend right now, I took inspiration from Carrie’s flight-to-Paris outfit. Since she paired vertical and horizontal stripes of different sizes, in the same color combinations, her take works more than equally well (because I’m more than slightly jealous of her striped rose applique).

OOTD: Volume 3, accessorize yourself

Long overdue, but here is my..11th outfit at my new job. Can I take a moment to talk about how much I love infinity scarves? Because I really do. In fact I wish I had more (this one is my only one, but luckily it goes with everything in my closet!). My favorite part of this outfit though, isn’t what’s happening around my neck. Here’s a detail shot:

Tights, H&M; Boots, Nine West

Since in the winter I repeat outfits a lot, tights are a major way I mix things up. When Missoni for Target happened (and I got left in the dust) I missed out on a really cool and funky pair of zig-zag tights. Fast forward a few weeks and I’m rummaging through H&M to find things for my Halloween costume – be still, my heart! – I found a pair of tights so strikingly similar and definitely not sold out that I just had to snatch them up.

Working girl

Today is a great day! A fantastic day! A mega-uber important day! Today I got a job offer, and as predicated by a previous post, I rewarded myself with a brand-spanking-new-grown-up-professional time piece (aka a fancy schmancy watch).

Michael Kors Horn Jet Set Watch, $195

I know I said I wanted the rose gold watch, but after closer inspection of my tastes this acrylic horn link watch is a better match (I think Patti Stanger would be proud). The cream color is a complement to my entire wardrobe and will work well in every season. The mother-of-pearl face is perfect for day-to-night.

Since I am now gainfully employed, expect a third volume of OOTDs to start Monday – complete with my favorite new accessory. Until then!

The cure for the common makeup organizer

When I moved into my three bedroom/one bathroom apartment in May I decided to convert the top of my dresser into a vanity so I would have to fight for face time with the bathroom mirror in the morning. Fast forward four months and I’m sick of the makeup sprawling across the top of my dresser – I’m more organized than this! Well, I finally decided to do something about it.

I loathe the way clear and opaque acrylic makeup organizers can look. Plus they’re so bossy sectioning things off and forcing you to place lipsticks in the spaces designated for them. What if I want to put my bronzer there, what then? Plus, they just look so cheap.

Exhibit A: the bossy know-it-all of makeup organizers

I decided to go another route and find something that complimented my thoughtfully designed vanity. When I found this beautiful dark wood and pebbled purple serving tray at the Beauty Sale last Friday (sorry! I don’t know who made it) from the Life and Home closet I knew it was perfect.

Ahh, so attractively organized!

Take a page from my book and find a gorgeous and inexpensive home accent tray to wrangle and organize your makeup without being bossed around and told where each piece of makeup should go.

Artisan Serving Tray (I couldn't photoshop the food out), $19.99, jcpenney.com

Modern Serenity Decorative Mirrored Tray, $14.99, target.com / I love that this one has a mirror on the face!

My perfect shade

Laura Mercier Shimmer Lip Colour in Raspberry Sorbet, $22, lauramercier.com

I hate lipstick. I really do. I don’t like the way wears off after what feels like only 30 minutes of wear and how it requires a million reapplications throughout the day (unless you’re wearing fire engine red like Beyonce in those lipstick ads – red stays forever!). I don’t like the way it melts in my purse (well, in Texas that was a valid reason). I don’t like the way it feels on my lips (to be fair, I like the texture more than lip gloss). I could go on for the rest of this post!

But all of that changed on Friday, because on Friday I found my perfect shade. The last day of my internship coincided with the Beauty Sale, where all products are sold for $1. While rummaging through the bin of lip products with hopes of finding another great lip stain – my preferred alternative for lip color, I found a tube of Laura Mercier. Wooed by the name on the tube I opened the cap and swirled the shaft to see what color lay inside. After seeing a gorgeous raspberry shade I paused. I considered for longer than one should when the normally $22 lipstick is only $1 before tossing it in my bag. When I got home I tried the color out. As the creamy smooth texture glided across my lips I was hypnotized. I couldn’t believe how great my lips looked! The color pairs perfectly with my light-almost-fair skin, cinnamon brown hair and tendency toward peachy bronze blush.

(don't mind my Texas Rangers t-shirt #gorangers)

I’m not saying I’m a convert yet, but suffice it to say that I’m a lot more likely to throw some lipstick on in the morning over a lipstain. And with a fall nip in the air here in NYC, I won’t have to worry about the lipstick melting in my purse if I choose to carry it around to reapply throughout my day. Thank you, Laura Mercier.

My fall reading list (when I’m rich and famous)

In honor of National Read A Book Day (at least that’s what twitter tells me), I’ll post this picture. For the month of August, the shelf above my desk/cubicle looked roughly like this. Jealous? Yeah, me too.

While I might not be awesome enough to actually get to keep all of these amazingly beautiful books, I did get to write about them for InStyle.com – check out my story here!

I think this has been my favorite assignment for InStyle.com so far, even though unlike the others it didn’t become the main story of the day. Don’t get me wrong, I have in mind which books I’d keep if given the opportunity, but you’ll just have to guess. In the meantime read my article!

OOTD

Everyone has an item of clothing that gives them confidence, makes them feel ultra sexy/skinny/and all-around better. For me, this pair of jeans does exactly that. They’re like insta-spanx – they slim me down, make my butt and legs look great and, perhaps best of all, leave absolutely no signs of muffin top (because, let’s get real – even if you don’t have it, many wrong pairs of jeans can give anyone muffin top). The dark color, with no fading or whiskering whatsoever, make them great for work, happy hour, date night, etc. Seriously, this pair can do no wrong. The flare might be a little 70’s for many people’s taste, but with an hourglass shape (I pose so you can’t tell, but I have some seriously wide hips), the flare at the bottom balances me out.

The silk top, while tailored, seemed just a little bare, so I belted my waist. Since it’s August (but thanks to Irene, a little cooler out than normal) I rolled the sleeves, which left me wishing I had an awesome cuff to wear at my wrist. Actually, I’m holding out for this Michael Kors rosegold watch. It’s as close to perfect as something could ever be. I’m not a gold person, but my complexion is too warm for silver (that and most of my handbags actually have gold hardware), so the happy medium is this gorgeous timepiece. At $250, it’s a little out of my constantly-broke-intern price range, but I’ll own it one day.

Pitbull + Lanvin = WIN!

Dancing (ahem, flailing) models? Check.

Alber Elbaz joining in at the end? Yes, please!

I like it more than the stop-action movie campaign Lanvin did for spring 2011. While that one was on-trend ad-wise, this one has a sense of humor and you can totally tell everyone is enjoying themselves in the process. I bet they even went out line-dancing afterwards. Ok, maybe not. But this campaign is fresh and fun and I hope to see more designers taking their ad campaigns in a similar direction. I can’t wait until this starts popping up as an ad on the side of various blogs – I’ll actually watch it rather than muting it, or turning it off altogether.

Looking forward to spring 2012!

P.S. My Baylor peeps (ehh.. that doesn’t work, does it?) will understand how much I love this because it reminds me of All University SING! This could totally be the first minute of an awkward fraternity act – the moves are spot on!