February Issue.

Fall 2011 seemed like it would be a promising season for me; it will mark the start of college. That means a new city, new people, and lots of excitement. After seeing what made its way down the catwalk for F'11 fashion week, I can't help but think the season will be even better than I had imagined. My favorite collection was easy to pinpoint. Matthew Williamson, without a doubt. You know a collection has really left a good impression when you can't decide which looks to post about because they are all just too good. Cohesiveness is so important in a collection and I loved how there was so much variety with the looks but everything still flowed perfectly. My favorite parts were the great patterns. There were so many fun ones to choose from. The furs in the collection were another favorite of mine, and I couldn't help but be won over by the socks and chunky heels. There was just too much to love!

Mulberry was another standout for me. I loved all the footwear and the simplicity of some of the looks. There were plenty that I could easily see myself heading to class in (sometimes Ready-to-Wear isn't quite as RTW as the name claims.) The pictures I chose are of some of the more neutral looks, but I also loved how color was incorporated into the collection, there were some pretty great pops of lilac and aqua. I couldn't help but also notice how well the makeup and hair for the models worked with the collection. I'm a sucker for a fresh face and subtle shiny waves.

Jason Wu also had no trouble making my list of favorites. This collection was a bit more glam than my other picks, but no less enticing. I loved the lace accents and the seductive headpieces. I died for the extremely sheer polka dot tights, and I know a lot of other girls will too. And of course, what is more glam and fun than feathers? I really don't think there is anything. I also happen to have a hopeless affection for black, which definitely encouraged my love for the collection. Everything wasn't black, but there was plenty to get me interested.

Choose Something New, Never Forget You.

Lace top: Old Navy, Skirt: H&M, Sweater: Mom

I love blogs that feature regular outfit posts, and always aspire to do the same. However, when I get around to actually taking the pictures I tend to realize just how awkward I am at posing and waiting for a self-timer to go of. Despite this I felt pretty determined today, so after lots of relocating and deleted photos, I decided I had two acceptable shots. Hopefully if I keep at it things will improve?

I won't detail my own outfit too much, but I wanted to add that a few things didn't make the photo. I was also wearing opaque black tights (removed after school), black sequin flats, a tiny heart necklace (in the photo, you just can't spot it), and two of my favorite rings (see those here.)

I hope an outfit post was a nice change of pace!

I have also been feeling extra inspired lately, and I thought I'd share two things I've found inspired these past few days. (One quote and one fact.)

• "Fashion is not frivolous. It is part of being alive today." -Mary Luant
• Marie Antoinette arrived at the guillotine wearing a new white dress, a white scarf around her shoulders, and a pleated white cap. She had been wearing the same black mourning gown for two months in prison, saving this outfit for her execution.
  

My inspired state of mine might even lead to another post before the week is over. I'm planning a post about my fashion week favorites, which should be next.


Have a great whatever-is-left-of Wednesday! Make the most of the rest of your week. Smile when you see someone you know, smile when you see someone you don't. Break out a pair of impractical shoes and rock them. Enjoy an episode of your favorite guilty pleasure show. Tell as many people as you can something you like about their outfit, and mean it!

Breaking Habit Is Bad.

There are three things I get really passionate about: fashion, television, and nail polish. (Don't judge!) I have an ever expanding nail polish collection, but it takes something really special to get me to buy ten polishes from one line. Which is how you know the polishes that I'm talking about today must be pretty amazing. Well, try this...they're nail polishes named after television shows, they only cost $1.99 each, and most of them are dupes for more expensive polishes.

If you didn't catch that, it pretty much means this is the best nail polish collection ever.


The collection I'm rambling about is from Wet n' Wild, their new Fast Dry polishes. The polishes I picked up so far were: 9.0.2.1.Orange, Sagreena the Teenage Witch, Teal or No Teal, Teal Of Fortune, Hannah Pinktana, Buffy the Violet Slayer, Grays Anatomy, Silvivor, Ebony Hates Chris, and Party of Five Glitters. If you want any of these (or there are another eight that I don't own) to be in your own collection, you can buy them from Walgreens. I went to two Walgreens and two CVS. I was able to find them at the second Walgreens I went to, so it might take some searching (soul and otherwise) to track these down. But I promise it'll be worth it!

Now, I knew I couldn't provide you with amazing swatches, so I won't even try. Instead I'll be directing you to Nouveau Cheap where you will find two posts detailing the entire collection. Here is part one and part two.

As for my thoughts and opinions, here is my overview. First for the weaknesses, I wouldn't hold these to their promise to be fast dry and they can be a bit shear. When it comes to positives, there are quite a few more. First of all, some of these are really great dupes (especially Grays Anatomy, which is an amazing dupe for Deborah Lippmann's Wicked Game.) The polishes being shear can be a bit of a pain, but it does make them great for layering. There are so many fun combinations you can find. I'm currently rocking Buffy the Violet Slayer with Hannah Pinktana over top. Application with these polishes has seemed pretty easy, just be careful if you start to layer too much. I haven't had a chance to use all of the polishes yet (but I'm working my way through), but my favorites so far are Grays Anatomy, Hannah Pinktana (this has an amazing holographic glitter in person), Party of Five Glitters, and then, if not just for the name, 9.0.2.1.Orange.

I honestly hope you'll try to find these, if you are looking to build your collection or just need a fun new polish, these provide so many options and for the best price!

PS: If you were wondering, the Steve Madden box is not any kind of product placement, it was just the best (clean) surface for me to take a few photos on. My dresser and desk happen to be a bit cluttered at the moment.

Recluse Thursday.

I've started writing and rejected multiple posts so far this week. Think of a movie about a writer with writer's block. It has pretty much been like that, lots of crumpled paper and backspacing. I decided I had to end it at some point, or there would never be a new post for you guys!

My desk is currently covered in notes, many of which say something along the lines of "blog post tonight!" I have a deep love for sticky notes, which means those notes are accompanied by many others featuring lists, reminders, etc.

Other than this, my life has recently been revolving around new classes and day dreaming about college.

My fashion program ended last week and I've taken on three new classes. Foundations of Technology, Advanced Foods, and Financial Literacy (I'm also still in AP Literacy and my independent study in Fashion Marketing.)

As for day dreaming, I have less than four months until graduation, and I can't help but think about next year almost constantly. Nothing is set in stone yet, which makes me anxious. My first choice is The Fashion Institute of Technology and the more time that passes, the more I feel like I'm set on going there. I guess I've talked about this a few times, but it's what encompasses my mind a lot of the time. The school says they send out acceptance in April, but everyone I've talked to has said they received theirs earlier, February or March. So, here's hoping for February!

I guess I'll wrap this up. I honestly do have post ideas to put up soon, which I know I always say. I just haven't been able to work everything out for them yet. Like having my room clean at the right time, or having time to take/edit/upload photos (not that much of a demanding process, but my computer seems to make it one.)

I promise to be productive this weekend, I'll go ahead and tell you the next post so I can't back out of it! I've been planning a post about a new line of nail polish from Wet n' Wild. I'll be doing a review and sharing my favorite colors!

Things I Can't Live Without This Week.

OPI Black Shatter
This is the newest nail polish trend, and I'm absolutely loving it. Its a black polish that you can put over any other color (glitters and duo chromes look great) and the black polish separates creating a shattered look. This might be a little tough to find because it has been selling out everywhere, but call around to different Ulta locations and different local salons. I was able to pick mine up on Saturday and I've already tried two different manicures with it.

Sweaters
When it's absolutely bitter out and the ground is covered in snow, how can you not love cozy sweaters? My favorites are extremely comfortable in neutral colors. I'm a big fan of a ribbed gray flyaway sweater.

Light Years Away by Mozella
I've been listening to this song a ton since I heard it on One Tree Hill (more about this at the end of the post.) The singer has a really nice voice that is just easy to listen to and I love the lyrics.

Eyeliner
Of course eyeliner isn't something I've never been familiar with before, but lately I've been loving having a nice black line on my upper lash line. I used to wear a gray on my bottom lash line, but I've given it up for this. Not wearing bottom eyeliner really opens up your eyes, but the black line on your upper lash line makes your lashes look thicker (always good.) I switch between using gel eyeliner with an angled eyeliner brush and using a liquid eyeliner. My favorites are the Maybelline Eye Studio gel eyeliner in Blackest Black and the ELF liquid eyeliner in Black.

Disintegration by Jimmy Eat World
I couldn't just choose one song as a favorite for the week because I've been listening to two just about equally. I also heard this one on One Tree Hill (the show includes so much good music, you'd be surprised, I swear.) I don't know what to say about the song, I just love it.

Comforters
Me and my friends are already planning how we'll decorate our dorms and the most important part is the comforter. I've been loving looking for the perfect one. I don't know that I've found that one yet, but definitely some viable options!

One Tree Hill
If you didn't know this already, I'm a bit of a television junkie. While the latest blizzard was going on I blew through a lot of TV on DVD and started watching old episodes of One Tree Hill. I started watching this show in middle school, and always loved the early seasons. Sometimes when you re-watch a show you'll wonder why you ever thought it was so great, but I'm actually finding I've been liking One Tree Hill even more than before. There is a bit too much basketball in the first few episodes, but after that it really turns into a great show, and I found myself hooked all over again.