Change Of Pace.

I've been trying to decide on the perfect amount of makeup and the perfect 'look' for summer. You know, nothing to heavy or overdone, but enough to enhance everything just a bit. I've worn the same look twice now, and usually I'm switching it up all the time, so I thought it was a good sign that this was a good summer option.

I guess I'll give a kind of mini-tutorial. I started by putting Urban Decay Primer Potion on my eyelids. Then I put a shimmery nude cream shadow on my lid. (A shimmery sand color works too, and be careful not to apply too much or it will crease.) The cream shadow I used was from the Revlon Creme Illuminance quad in Seashells. I also used the white color from this quad, which I put under my brow bone and down to my crease. Then I put MAC's pigment in Naked on just my lid. I blended it just enough to soften the edges but not enough to make the color travel too much. Next, I put on black mascara, the one I'm using currently is Rimmel's Sexy Curves. After that I put on just enough of a dark grey eyeliner, I'm a fan of Revlon's Colorstay eyeliners. The one I used was in Charcoal. Then, for the face I dotted just a little bit of the NYC Creme Blush in Big Apple Blush on the apples of my cheeks and blended it up towards my cheekbones. I put concealer on a few places just to brighten up my face (under my eyes, around my nose.) I also swept a little bit of a pressed powder over my face. I didn't include it in the picture because I'm really not happy with the one I'm using! This step isn't totally necessary, but I like to set everything with a powder. Lastly I like to add a little lip gloss. I'm still loving the Maybelline Shine Sensational one in Freshly Sliced which I mentioned a few weeks ago.

I hope that wasn't terribly confusing! This isn't my normal type of post and I thought it would be fun to share.

How much makeup do you wear for summer?

PS: Why do all of my pictures turn out like this? Suggestions?

And Float Away.

When I saw this editorial I knew I had to share it with everyone. It isn't one I've seen on every blog yet, but I don't know why it hasn't been. I think it might be the perfect editorial. A peaceful background, stunning model (Rosie Tupper), and perfectly feminine clothes. I'm also quite fond of the mix of subtle colors and black and white photos. The editorial, entitled, 'Soft Focus' is from Vogue Australia's April 2010 issue and is 13 pages of wonderfulness.

I didn't want to make this post last forever, so I just picked my top 6, however Fashionography has the full editorial.

I don't know how much more there is for me to say about how much I love the editorial, so I won't drag on for much longer.

Hope everyone's week is off to a great start, I want to leave you with a quote. I debated what I should share with you. I thought maybe I should choose something from literature, or maybe I should search out a fashion quote that is little used. However, I decided that there are certain quotes that you can never heard too often, and most things spoken by Coco Chanel qualify.

"Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening."
Coco Chanel

Look for beauty and fashion everywhere, it's all around you, no matter where you are.

Serious Blues.

I've become much more open to breaking fashion 'rules' in recent years, but denim on denim is one that I was never able to see myself attempting to break. However, it seems that denim is everywhere lately, usually covered by even more denim. It's certainly got me thinking. I'm tempted to test it out, but I don't know if it's something everyone can pull off.

What do you think? Have you tried wearing denim on denim? Let me know!

Give Me Some More.

I'm all about cute packaging, so when I spotted a MOR Soapette in a magazine, I knew I had to find their website. I was glad to see they have an online store and immediately started checking out the rest of the packaging.

Everything has cute packaging, but I found that the things I thought were the cutest were from the Little Luxuries collection. The items shown above are all from the collection. From the left it's the Belladonna Soapette, the Belladonna Roll on Perfume Oil, and the Belladonna Body Butter. I don't know what to expect of the scents, but everything is just so deliciously cute! I'm particularly partial to the Soapettes, I love that they have their own little tins.

I haven't ordered anything yet, but I might just have to order at least one soap.

I Hear The Bells.

Here is a peek at a portion of my suggested reading list for the summer. I set to work as soon as I got the list, asking which books people recommended and deciding which I thought might interest me the most. I'm supposed to choose three books of my choice from the list to read. It's also suggested that I read Hamlet and Jane Eyre over the summer, we're reading them in school, but it is recommended to lighten the work load. This is the first time I've ever had an official summer reading list and I'm determined not to get bogged down at the end of the summer.


I decided it would be best to get my three books of my choosing from the library so that I'm not dropping too much money. The ones I chose were The Great Gatsby, 1984, and One Flew Over The Cukoo's Nest. I'm still waiting for the latter to come in, but the other two are sitting on my side table just waiting to be cracked open. Today I went to Barnes and Noble and picked up a copy of Jane Eyre. I had to order Hamlet because I needed a certain edition that the book store didn't have. I also picked up Tori Spelling's new book, Uncharted terriTORI. I decided I'll need something to read when I'm taking a break from all the school reading, and you know I'm a huge Beverly Hills 90210 fan. I read both of Tori's previous books, so I'm excited to get to this one. And if I'm being perfectly honest, I'll probably end up reading it before any of the others!

I also got an issue of Australian Vogue. I don't buy foreign fashion magazines very often because of the price, but I think occasionally they're a great treat. I thought the cover was really gorgeous and it seemed like the perfect choice. I haven't read this yet either, but I'm planning to read it before bed tonight.


While I was out to go to the bookstore, I noticed a beauty store nearby. Of course I had to peek in, and there were some OPI polishes that were 30% off and a few Essie polishes that were 50% off. I looked through all the OPI ones first as I usually like them the best, but the colors weren't shades I was crazy enough. I ended up deciding that Essie's Funships was my favorite, and it ended up only being $4.00. That is less than most drugstore nail polishes. Anyway, I wanted to take a photo of the polish for you, but my camera is weird about taking picture so nail polish. (Suggestions?) So this is the best I could do. There are my fingers peeking into the photo. I'm wearing OPI's Melon Of Troy. I usually paint my own nails but my mom was off of work today and wanted us to get our nails done, so it was the perfect opportunity to test out a color that I don't own. I think I might want to buy this one soon!

What is on your summer reading list? Any good guilty pleasure books? And what nail polish are you wearing/would you like to be wearing?

PS: I got third place in a Beverly Hills 90210 trivia, and my blog is being plugged in a post on the website of the person who held the trivia game. So, thanks to any new traffic from that! I hope you'll stick around, and if you're only interest in teen soap stuff, there are plenty of posts relating to or about Beverly Hills 90210, Gossip Girl, and One Tree Hill. (Especially Beverly Hills 90210.) Just type the teen drama names into the search bar at the top left of the page!

Built In A Day.

I'm still in the process of working on my room. Yesterday, I rearranged all the furniture and made a fail of a trip to Ikea. Can you believe they had no black furniture? Everything there is black-brown or brown-black. So, despite the fact that we made an extra long drive to get to Ikea (and all I ended up with was a clock, a very cute clock, but a clock nonetheless), I ended up going to Target. And I couldn't have done better there. I found a bookshelf that was just what I was imagining for my room ($19.99), a side table to use as my nightstand ($14.99), a new rug, a body pillow cover, a new set of sheets, new pillowcases, and the cutest mini-fan.

Yesterday we built the new furniture and got most things set up. I just have little things left to do. I need to get a new TV (mine is so old, so my parents decided I could get a new one and just take it to college with me), and I need to figure out where certain things should be plugged in and all that. I also need to finish de-cluttering my dresser a bit and I have to decide where I want to move around the things that were on my walls. That will be the most difficult part!

Anyway, today I recovered the cushion (though it isn't very cushy) on my chair with left over fabric from my quilt, and later I'm working on getting rid of that clutter!

(I looked for pictures of my purchases for the room online, and couldn't find any of it! So I thought I'd just provide you with another inspiring room picture. Pictures of my own room, coming soon.)

Keep Yourself Occupied.

I've been trying to keep myself busy this summer with little projects (if you have any DIY suggestions, let me kn0w), so I'm always on the look out for something I could do. Last night I was reorganizing the stuff I have stored under my bed. (I've become crazy about reorganizing since school let out.) Anyway, I found a set of three picture frames and a mirror tray that my parents gave me forever ago. There wasn't anything wrong with it but the finish wasn't right for my room. So, I remembered seeing a can of spray paint when I was looking for the glue gun the other day, and decided it would be a good project to spray paint it and try to make it useful. A tray for perfumes had been on my list anyway.

I found the tape you use for painting and put a piece of printer paper over the mirror and then taped around all the edges. I was very pleased to see I didn't end up with any paint where it shouldn't be!


This was my outcome. I think it worked out pretty well. (The mirror really doesn't look that dirty in person!)


And here it is being put to use. I haven't decided if I'll end up keeping it in my room, but it was a simple enough project and it's definitely better than having it under my bed for all eternity.

Tomorrow is the day I'm going to rearrange the furniture in my room and go to Ikea. Wish me luck and remember to let me know of any good DIYs.

Whiskers On Kittens.

On Friday I got together with a friend that I haven't had much time to hang out with because of school, and we went to the mall. We didn't have too much time there but we stopped in a few stores, so I thought I'd share my favorites of the things I purchased. My absolute favorite is my new panda ring! It's from Forever21 and it really is just too cute.


I also got a tiger ring, which is from Forever21 too. I have to say, I feel pretty fierce wearing it. I'm envisioning that both rings are going to be new found favorites.


My other favorite purchases from Friday were from Bath and Body Works. I got a new lotion and fragrance mist. They were having a big sale on the lotions because apparently they've been reformulated. The ones in the old formula were on sale for $4. I was smelling all of them and found the Wild Honeysuckle. And it smells amazing! It really does smell just like honeysuckle. I think it's perfect for summer. Anyway, after I smelled the lotion I wanted a body spray too. I looked all around the store for a smaller size, but couldn't find a size other than the big one. Eventually I decided that I really needed it, and gave in. And I'm so happy I did, the scent is wonderful.


On Sunday I went to see Get Him To The Greek (I love Russell Brand), which was very funny. Before the movie we had some extra time so I went to Sally's. I got three China Glaze polishes: Thataway, Rich & Famous, and Secret Peri-wink-le. The colors in the photo aren't exactly true to live. They're all just a bit darker in person and Thataway is more orange and less coral.

I also got the Seche Vite Retain because it was free with the purchase of two China Glaze polishes. $8.99 value. You had the choice between Retain and two others, but I decided I most wanted strong, durable nails.

PS: I'm wearing Rich & Famous in the ring photos.

A Lesson In Every Breath.

My dad has taken a liking to buying fashion books for me, and it is something I'm very grateful for. I love having a bunch of fashion books on hand. On Thursday he came home with a new one, 101 Things I Learned In Fashion School.

I'm still working on reading the book, but here are a few of my favorites so far.

41 You can't add value where some doesn't already exist.
It is better to aim too high-by overconceptualizing a garment or collection or by attempting design moves that are overly effusive-and have to "water it down", than to attempt to augment a middling design concept that lacks true inspiration.

58 If you feel like a misunderstood genius, it might be because you're not a genius.
Even if you are a genius, the fault of being misunderstood is yours, as is the responsibility for becoming understood: You need to get better at communicating your ideas to the world.

100 True style is innate.
What we recognize as visual style is the surface revelation of something existing at a deeper level. Style is not simply how things look; it's how they are. A genuinely stylish person is not one who has learned to look a certain way, but one who is a certain way-a way that has expression in a visual form.

There are quotes and lots of tips, and number is accompanied by a nice sketch that relates.

I'm definitely going to read this one from cover to cover. A lot of it is more design focused, but there is plenty of information that could be helpful to any fashion lover and that could provide a little insight for anyone.

Enjoy your Fridays!

PS: The picture of the book was taken on top of the quilt I made. Full pictures soon!

Things I Can't Live Without This Week.

Today was the last day of school, which means although it isn't technically an anniversary for this blog, it is still a very special day! It was the last day of school last year that I decided it was time for a fresh start and made my first post on this blog.

In honor of that, I thought I'd have today's post be an homage to how it all started.

Maybelline Shine Sensational Lip Gloss
I bought one of these lip glosses a few weeks ago and lately I've been really loving it. They aren't too sticky, and have just enough shine and shimmer. The one I bought is Freshly Sliced (not the one that is pictured). It's a pretty coral-pink that smells like grapefruit. I'm a total sucker for citrus scents, so of course I'm in love.

School being out!
Is this much of a shock? It was on my list last year too. By the end of the year, I'm just so incredibly ready for it to end. I can finally feel at ease now that I've turned in and presented all my projects and taken all my finals.

Claire's Matte Topcoat
One of things I asked for at Christmas time was Essie's Matte About You topcoat. When Santa didn't bring it I wasn't too disappointed. Since then I've thought about the topcoat some, but I never wanted to spend the money for it. So, as you can imagine I was very excited to find a cheap alternative. I was wandering around the mall and happened into Claire's, where they just so happened to have the perfect matte topcoat. It was only $4 and it turns out, it works great too. I like wearing my nail polish normally for a few days and then adding the topcoat to it once I start to get bored of the color. It changes up the polish and saves me a bit of time.

Organization
I consider myself a pretty organized person, so I'm organized most of the time. But I do go on major organization kicks from time to time where I want everything to be perfect. It just so happens that one of those is occurring at the moment. As I mentioned a few posts back, I'm planning to rearrange my room. In preparation I've been trying to start organizing things a little better and trying to de-clutter. Yesterday I devoted some time to organizing jewelry. Tomorrow I'm going to organize all of my sewing stuff because it has become quite the mess!

Room Tours
I love seeing other people's rooms. It's a great way to get ideas, and it can also be the perfect inspiration to stay organized. I like looking at peoples homes and closets in magazines (Ashley Tisdale's was in this months issue of InStyle and Jessica Stam's was in Elle.) But, most of all I love watching people give tours of their rooms on youtube.

What do you love this week?

And It Never Ever Fails.

I'm extremely excited for the next MAC collection. It's a collaboration with Alice + Olivia. The packaging is great, I'll definitely need to get something. I'll probably end up buying a lip gloss.

The collection comes out July 8th! Is there anything from the collection that you would want to buy?

We've Almost Made It.

I've decided that once I'm out of school for the summer my project will be to rearrange and reorganize my room. Today I did a little organizing, but I'll do more once I've gotten the furniture moved around in a few weeks. And of course, pictures will follow.

I don't want to redecorate exactly, but I'm ready for a change. I'm going to move the furniture and some of my pictures and posters around, and I'm going to try and de-clutter. I want everything to feel nice and simple and streamlined.

So far, I've gotten most of the furniture placement figured out. I've also decided that I'm going to relocate my many magazines into storage. (Storage, aka a big bin in the basement.) I still have to think about more ways to create less clutter. I guess I just have too much stuff/not a big enough room. I think I might buy a small bookshelf to organize things on. I might try to bring my sewing machine into my room too, I'd prefer if I didn't have to keep it downstairs. It's a lot to consider! I might also start campaigning for a new TV that could be mounted on the wall. It's hard to believe I've had my little TV since the end of fifth grade. (I'm about to finish my junior year of high school.)

Anyway, blah blah blah. I don't know that all that meant much to any of you. But, I figured we'd all enjoy pictures of pretty rooms, so I wanted to share.




I did post pictures of what my room looks like a few months ago (imagine a few more things on the walls and a bunch more pillows on the bed, and a different comforter). So, you can check it out and let me know if you have any input on the rearranging. Here is the post!

PS: This is my 219th post on this blog. I had 219 posts on my old blog when I abandoned it for this one!

Has It Come To That?

I'm currently in love with this Elle Croatia editorial.

Share an editorial you're loving, if you please.

Oh, and my blog roll is starting to get a little lonely. Let me know if you'd like to exchange links!

PS: 5 days left of school! I have one final to take, one independent reading project to present, one historical (1930's) dress to finish, and one quilt to finish.