Layer me, please!

Happy Sunday babes! I don't know about yall, but I majorly enjoyed some much needed R&R this weekend. It was a loooong and hectic week, and I am so grateful to have had nothing on the agenda this weekend. I hope you all were excited about whatever plans you may have had as well, and I can't wait to read all about them :)

First, I'd like to share a few exciting things with you before I post the promised "layer success" photos (er, at least I think it was a success!) Thanks to an amazing giveaway from the ever fabulous Erika of Cafe Fashionista, I was introduced to an amazing boutique filled with wonderful trinkets of all sorts! Shock Boutique has all kinds of chic goodies from dresses and tops, to accessories and intimates! I think I need to pick up that fierce panther ring if I'm not lucky enough to win Erika's giveaway! Shock Boutique has been so kind to offer all of you lovely readers a 25% off promo code if you see something you like, which I have no doubt that you will! Just use "SHOCKTWEET" when you go to check out. Happy shopping bellas and don't forget to let me know what you find!

If any of you are as devoted to beautiful shoes as I am, then I know that Jessica of Style Obsession's KM2 shoes giveaway is a no-miss!! I am so beyond in love with these work-of-art heels that I can't even explain it, but I needed to share these delectable treats with you lovelies. Click on over there to check out how you can enter yourself to win a pair of these couture heels!

And now, the layers :) I have been wanting to figure out how to layer up without making my frame look too bulky for quite some time, if only for practicality's sake. I would see other bloggers pulling off the look effortlessly and want so badly to find a way to make it work for myself. Needless to say I spent many hours in front of the mirror modeling various combos, yet each time I would frown at the less than satisfying end result. Until Wednesday, that is, when i managed to put together something that finally didn't make me look three times my usual size. 

I apologize for the boring backgrounds of my photos. I will have to  get more creative :) Dress: Macy's; Sweater wrap: H&M; Belt: Kohl's; Socks: Century 21; Shoes: Simply Vera Vera Wang; Necklace: Amrita Singh, Watch: Michael Kors

All day long I got compliments on my "boots" lol. I guess the socks and shoes kind of run together if you aren't looking closely. 

Sorry for the poor quality of the photos. I have been having difficulties with my camera  unfortunately. 

The sweater is sooo comfy!

Found these on sale at Kohl's this summer and have been meaning to wear them ever since! Nothing like the first wear of a new love, right? :)

Ok, now I want to hear your tales of looks it took you a while to perfect. What was the look and how did you finally master it? Do you live for layering or does the style trip you up? How was YOUR weekend?

Oh, don't forget to enter my In Fashion giveaway before Thursday!!

Bisous!

 

Lacquer up dolls!

Hi loves! I realized this weekend just how much blogging has come to mean to me when I really missed all of my blog friends and reading about what was going on in your fabulous lives! It was a lovely weekend with my brother though, which is always good. The weather was absolutely perfect for a sports-filled weekend, and that is exactly what we had! I always enjoy a good dose of baseball, particularly when my brother is pitching GREAT, but I had forgotten how much fun a live college football game can be! And of course watching your team win as the underdog just adds so much joy to the outing.

Taking our picture with the superstar! Getting the whole family together is always such a blessing, since it doesn't happen often anymore. My mom and I are such shrimps next to them! I am actually the shortest of the bunch, but I was on higher ground.

I have mentioned a few times that my biggest fashion goal this season is to diversify my look and not be afraid to try new styles. Well, I feel that I have been making progress with my clothing choices every day, but I am still in a major beauty routine rut. I am so quick to stick to them same look day in and day out with makeup, hair and nails. I have always been a fan of the natural look, and it is quite easy to do when in a rush in the morning. But with plenty of incredible beauty products, hairstyles and nail trends out there, it is a faux-pas for any fashionista to eschew creativity for simplicity all the time. With the s/s 2011 shows indicating that muted beauty trends will be traded in for bright and wild, now is the perfect time to get more comfortable with new looks.So I hereby declare to branch out my entire look from head to toe.

So excited to try out this perfect fall collection! I have been rather obsessed with it for awhile now, so I was thrilled to finally get my hands on these beauties! Now, I just need to get them on my fingers!

As a girl who tends to be averse to change, I am aware that I will need to ease myself in on this full beauty regimen overhaul, so focusing on one thing at a time is the best way to go. Changing nail polish colors may seem like such a basic, and fun, way to spice up any beauty lull but as the girl who continuously reaches for the same shade of pink year-round, even this is a step in the right direction. But with wonderful colors such as the Essie Fall 2010 collection now easily within reach change has never looked so good! Now, my biggest dilemma is which of these gems to lacquer up with first. I'm thinking merino cool or sew psyched first.

How fun is this??

Refinery 29 is definitely one of my must-reads every day and it was perfect timing when they happened to have a fantastic article the other day on spring nail trends. This one is just too cute! I think I prefer the look of a moon at bottom or top, but not both. I can't wait to try it out. Might need professional help on this one, though.

Does this take anyone else back to middle school years?? In those days, it seemed that the more you had on your nails the better. Thank goodness for the return to minimalism.

I just adore fall! The perfect breezes, the leaves changing, chai lattes, the CLOTHES!! Everything about the season is magnificent and Friday was one of those perfect days where you needed at least a light layer. I bought this vest last year, a little too late in the season and I have been itching to wear it ever since.  Long sleeve tee: H&M Paris, Vest: Hautelook.com, Jeans: Levis, Boots: Steven by Steve Madden, Belt: thrifted, Bag: handbag heaven, Jewelry: Amrita Singh, from Gilt.

So the place my mom stayed for the weekend in Williamsburg was gorgeous and the lighting was great when we got there, so went a little crazy on pics!

I am totally in love with this necklace right now. Kind've wishing I had ended up buying the matching ring for the set, but c'est la vie!

And to finish the weekend off, a little peek at my current lust-list obsession:

I am just crazy for this Just Cavalli multi silk printed dress!! I adore the pattern, and like how there is a little mixing of pattern working. It is majorly marked down on Rue La La and they aren't sold out in my size yet, but.... I don't know!

What was on your agenda this weekend lovely ladies? Ever been in a beauty rut? How did you get out? Any nail trends you can't wait to rock? Should I be bad and get this wonder of a dress, or admire from afar??

Bisous!

(Nail images courtesy of refinery29 and dress image courtesy of Rue La La)

Shoevention Time

Bonjour babes! J'espère que vous êtes bien. Ok sorry I was feeling international today after reading about various European fashion weeks and reminiscing on all my lovely study abroad memories. Ohhh college how I miss you! Isn't it funny how we are in such a rush to grow up as youngsters, and then when we get there we want nothing more than to go back to to those idyllic days? Although, big girl clothes are so much more fun, right ladies!  On that note, I have come to a serious realization. After stopping by my beloved Bloomies Outlet yesterday on my way home, I have made the gut-wrenchingly hard decision that I must stage a shoe-vention for myself. Yes, ladies, the time has come to admit that I have gone from harmless shoe lover to full-fledged shoe-a-holic! And what prompted this revelation you ask? Well, when the darling cashier who was so kindly ringing up my latest addition (gorgeous black open-toed lace-up booties, which will be featured on tonight's outfit picture!) said, "Oh hey! Back so soon after the Badgley Mischka shoes?" I had to mentally snap myself out of the shoe fairytale I had eagerly been a character in for the past month. Could there have been a bigger reality slap?? I mean let's face it, if cashiers are recognizing me by my shoe purchases, I am probably purchasing too often!! So in order to satisfy my unavoidable craving I will instead focus on blogging about the beauties I am salivating over, rather than adding them to my already stuffed shoe rack. Since I know I will not be able to quit cold turkey, I will allow myself to make a well-considered purchase every so often (length of time undetermined as of yet) in order to stave off total sprees. Hopefully this attack strategy will be successful! 

I have had these steve madden lace-up wedge booties bookmarked on my computer for weeks now! I like how they have a bit of an oxford look, a trend I have never been brave enough to try, but still remain very feminine. I'm also totally obsessed with wedges right now.

Ok who wouldn't want these incredibly fun Jeffrey Campbell cheetah wedges?? I think an animal print accessory is a must for every fashionista this fall because it is such an easy way to add a bit of edge to your style.

Refinery 29 had a great post on Tuesday about all the fabulous shoe collaborations that graced the fashion week runways, and this extremely affordable Aldo for Julian Louie collab is one of my favorites. It has a bit of a Jeffrey Campbell vibe to it and the ikat-patterns are an added bonus! I think the first one in the second row is my favorite. The last one in the second row is classically beautiful as well. No release date on this line yet.

I have a major addiction to anything that glitters, thus I find these shoes divine!! I almost bought them in NYC when Steve Madden was having a 30% off store-wide sale, but I decided to be "practical" because I thought they might get messed up easily. I have been kicking myself in the butt, with non-glittery shoes I might add, ever since.

This outfit has always kind of reminded me of the pink dress Carrie wore towards the beginning of the Sex and the City movie. Dress: Calvin Klein, Belt: Paris, Shoes: BCBG, jewelry: borrowed from cousin

The shoes that started the shoe-vention :)

 

Ok ladies, what have you been craving lately? Have you ever had a shopping reality-slap moment? Have you staged an intervention for yourself? Am I totally crazy?? Don't answer that one :) 

Also, If you like what you are reading here, I would love for you to become a follower!

Bisous!

(All images from bloomingdales.com and shopstyle.com)