Styling 101: Tweed + Vintage Pearls

What’s great about this little neon shift dress is its versatility – It looks great alone as a statement piece, and it can be easily dressed up or dressed down with the right accessories. Sandals and a low-key tote make it perfect for daytime while piling on strand after stand of vintage beads and pearls make it the ideal dress for a hot Summer night.

{Jewelry can be shopped online at Sasha Maks Vintage, pieces will be available at The Factory through Summer, or you can contact info@sashamaksvintage.com for additional details & private appointments}

{You can shop similar pieces by clicking these hyperlinks: Dress – Asos, Heels – Zara & Bag – Vintage}

Photography, Jewelry & Jewelry Styling by Sasha Maks Vintage

The key to styling a piece like this dress, which is eye-catching on its own, is to pair it with high impact accessories. Trying to match the threads of the dress will give you a look that’s too matchy-matchy. By styling it with bold statement necklaces and simple black accessories you take the whole look to the next level.

Would you make this neon shift dress a daytime or a nighttime look?

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Links You’ll Love

Fashion & Beauty:

If you gentlemen are wondering how to begin wardrobe or style overhaul then this guide from Attire Club is the perfect starting point for you – Beginner’s Guide: A List Of 20 Style Tips Which Cover The Basics.

The key to creating a swoon-worthy wardrobe is the ability to use the same pieces in new and interesting ways – Skillfully mixing your separates can exponentially increase the number of outfit choices you have when you step into your closet. Check out The Glamourai’s An Outfit For Any Occasion for some great tips & recommendations!

Who knows how long the mixing prints trend will last so you should enjoy the amazing combinations while you can! Get inspired over at WhoWhatWear with their piece Steal Her Style: Clashing Prints.

A head-to-toe monochrome look is one of those styles that manages to look effortless and oh-so-chic at the same time, which is a fabulous combination. You’ll be dying to try this style after scanning the gorgeous shots in B a La Moda’s Looks Monocolor post.

As you’ve probably discovered by now, I’m a big fan of denim. And it looks like I’m not the only one! If you’re a fan of chambray and the perfect pair of jeans you’ll LOVE If You’re Thinking About… Summer Denim from The Sartorialist.

Health & Fitness:

While comfort food is a must, bad-for-you comfort food isn’t. Craving fries? Try making these Too Delicious To Dip Sweet Potato Fries instead for a healthier indulgence.

HIIT is the best way to get through your cardio so check out FitSugar’s Burn Calories, Blast Fat, and Save Time: 7 Minutes Is All You Need for some great new tips to try.

Embarking on a healthier lifestyle doesn’t have to mean forgoing all of the indulgences in your previous diet. It’s about making better choices, not depriving yourself. Try this Enlightened Carrot Cake recipe from Chef Amber Shea.

With stress and stress-related illnesses on the rise it’s important to focus on finding your inner peace. Not sure where to start? Read this – Easy Ways To Slow Down & Find Balance.

When you read the labels on your supplements and vitamins you’ll be blasted with information – Take on an empty stomach! Don’t eat for 30 minutes! Take with a meal! Curious when you should pop them? Learn the Best Time of Day to Take Vitamins.

Cauliflower Recipes

I don’t know about you, but I go through phases in the kitchen. Ingredients or recipes or specific foods that I’ll eat tons of until I’m sick of them. Right now that food is, you guessed it, cauliflower! I’ve tried everything from cauliflower mashed potatoes and cheese sauce to raw rice and salads.

Here are some of my favorites:

• Cauliflower Pizza Crust from Carrie On Vegan – One of my favorite comfort food recipes
• Cauliflower Risotto from Fork & Beans – Mine wasn’t pretty, but it was delicious!
• Creamy Mashed Cauliflower from Choosing Raw
• 5 Things To Do With Cauliflower from the Paleo Queen herself Holly Would If She Could
• Cheesy Cauliflower Popcorn from Balanced Platter {How cute is that blog name?}
• Roasted Buddha Bowl from Oh She Glows – Seriously obsessed!
• Cauliflower Couscous from A House In The Hills

I’ve tried all of these and have loved each and every one. I have a handful of other delicious looking cauliflower-based recipes printed out and waiting in my kitchen though so be sure to follow me on Instagram so you can see my cooking attempts! {moicontrelavie – no spaces}

What’s your favorite food right now?

Summer Trend: Jumpsuits & Rompers

After the fun Spring Trends posts on Little White Dresses and Overalls, Dungarees & Pinafores, I wanted to share some of the great seasonal trends you should consider for Summer. Let’s start with jumpsuits and rompers – They’re everywhere right now and no matter what your style is there’s a version out there for you!

{Stripes are the perfect way to make a basic black romper Summer-ready!}

{If you want to throw together a high-impact look then a boldly colored jumpsuit is the way to go. Simple. Chic. Dramatic.}

{This little silk romper is the perfect weekend piece – It’s fun, flattering & versatile!}

{Not sure that the jumpsuit trend is for you? Try layering – It’s like chic training wheels. Tienlyn shows you how to make it work on Say Hello Max.}

{Basic but anything other than ordinary – This black romper looks fabulous paired with a simple denim jacket.}

Would you try a romper or a jumpsuit this Summer?

In related news, I just bought my very first jumpsuit so be sure to stay tuned for a fun new post featuring my fabulous great find with a retro 70’s styling twist!

MCLV Style: Shorts Suit

I recently attended the Blogger Brunch SF hosted by Nicole of Vanilla Extract and Camille of PR Girl Camille at The Social Beauty Co in the Marina. Not only did I have a great time chatting with other bloggers, I fell in love with the sweet little spa and am planning a lady date to go back in the near future.

{You can shop similar pieces by clicking these hyperlinks: Shorts Suit – Aqua, Tank – Banana Republic, and Shoes, Bag & Necklace – Zara}

{Photos by Bethann of Beth Animal Print}

I paired this same shorts suit with a similar white tank and black heels in April for Lucky FABB in Los Angeles, but this time around I wanted to try a more Summery spin on the styling with colors and neutrals.

Do you prefer the simple accessories and black heels I paired with this suit in April or the bright, Summery styling in the pictures above?

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June Round-Up

June was a busy month filled with great events, travel, and lots of hard work. It was the perfect way to start Summer – Not only was I really focused on my health, I had a number of fun fashion-related outings and collaborations to keep me entertained.

Overall Goals For 2013:

• Social Media – June was quite fun on the social media side of things, in addition to creating some great new Pinterest boards {Summer Motivation, Swimsuit Season}, I also starting posting fun collages on Instagram & updating my photo shoot Outtakes folders on Facebook again.
• Writing, Writing, Writing – Not only have I been writing up a storm for MCLV and Ajent, I’m also working on a website overhaul so stay tuned for a brand new Moi Contre La Vie! ❤
• Expansion & Growth – June was a big “behind the scenes” month and I’ll be rolling out new services, an email newsletter, and sharing some fabulous new collaborations in the coming weeks.
• Be Positive – I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Loving where you live is EVERYTHING. I adore San Francisco and have “I love this city” moments on a daily basis. It’s amazing how much that can keep you happy & positive!

June Goals:

Fashion:

June was a busy month in the San Francisco fashion world – Loads of sales, store openings, collection launches, and oh-so-fun events to attend. Some of my favorites included The Factory’s new custom gown collection and the launch of Sonas Denim‘s Indiegogo page which means getting a fabulous new pair of jeans for $89-$99 rather than the usual $249! {There are still jeans available for pre-order so head to Indiegogo for details.}

I also have a series of great beauty-related posts to share with you in July, a giveaway, and a fun event for you to come meet me at – So stay tuned for more news!

{Left – How To Wear White Jeans & Right – How To Wear White Jeans: Dressing Up}

Food & Fitness:

My June health goal was simple – To get in shape and mentally prepared for warm weather dressing and bathing suits – Enter the Swimsuit Shape-Up Challenge. Using The Fitnessista’s 2013 Summer Shape-Up Plan and Tone It Up’s Bikini Series as inspiration I spent four weeks focusing on healthy eating habits and regular workouts.

New July Goals:

Fashion:

My goal fashion-wise in July is to keep up my momentum – I’ve had the opportunity to work with some amazing photographers, bloggers, brands, and store owners to date and I want nothing more than to continue on this path. Getting to know San Francisco based people and companies is such a joy!

Food & Fitness:

I’ll be undergoing a medical procedure at the end of the month so I want to spend July being as healthy as possible so that I can recover quickly & painlessly. So with that goal in mind I’m going to continue my 5 days a week workouts and eating a clean diet high in raw, whole foods.

{June Fashion: Heavy Metal, Casual Fashion & Polka Dots}

After reading my friend Holly’s amazing 2013 Summer Bucket List and Cupcakes & Cashmere’s Summer To Do List I was inspired to create my own mini bucket list for the month. So for the rest of 2013 I’m going to give myself a couple of items to accomplish or go-after each month.

July Bucket List:

1. Launch MCLV Newsletter
2. Film first YouTube video

What’s on YOUR Summer bucket list?

Are you following my adventures on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram yet?

My Week Via Instagram

Happy Saturday my friends! Today I’d like to share some good old fashion Instagram photos from the last week so that you can get a little peek into my daily life – Enjoy!

Fashion:

{I love animal prints and I cannot lie – See more in my Casual Fashion post from last week}

{Short suits for Summer w/ Beth Animal Print}

{Gorgeous vintage baubles from Sasha Maks Vintage – You can see the whole look in the Styling 101: Heavy Metal post}

Food:

{My favorite new smoothie ingredient is mint – So refreshing! Check out some of my other favorite smoothie recipes here}

{Vegan, Gluten-Free Baking – Mini Protein Cake & Peanut Butter Coconut Cookies}

{Salad beast from the Plant Café in San Francisco – Kale, quinoa & beets for the win.}

Fitness:

{Working hard at my Swimsuit Shape-Up challenge so that I can get bikini ready for Summer!}

{CrossFit Competitions = Sweaty shirtless boys. Any questions?}

{Fittest of the Sierras in South Lake Tahoe – I support my team in Prabal Gurung for Target – What about you?}

Follow me on Instagram at: moicontrelavie {no spaces}

MCLV Mange: Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake

As much as I love making cookies I have to confess that my favorite desserts to make, and eat, are always raw. The Wannabe Chef’s Raw Salted Caramel Chocolate Pecan Torte is hands down my favorite dessert. It’s also the most requested by my friends and family.

So when I saw Taste Space’s Better Than Nutella Cheesecake (Almost Raw Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake) it seemed like fate. A few little changes in the recipe due to ingredient availability and I ended up with a delicious, chocolatey cheesecake that was a big hit.

Crust

• 1 Cup Almonds
• 1 Cup dates
• 1/4 Cup Raw Cacao
• Pinch salt

Filling

• 2 Cups Raw Cashews {Soaked & Rinsed}
• 5 Tbsp Maple Syrup
• 1/2 Cup water
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1/4 Cup Powdered Peanut Butter
• 1/2 Cup Coconut Oil
• 1/4 Cup Raw Cacao

It was really rich and creamy, and tasted great cold straight from the freezer. It also wasn’t too sweet which I really liked – Sometimes too sweet on top of really rich can make a dessert a little over the top, but this was perfect!

Stay tuned for the next MCLV Mange installment and check out the previous posts from this series to see what you’ve missed so far:

Coconut Vegetables

Farmer’s Market Fare

Vegetable Lasagna

Super Charge Me Cookies

Mac n’ Cheese

Energy Bites

Sunday Preparation

Hemp Salad

Tuscan Baked Quinoa

Spicy Peanut Stirfry

Mini Polenta Pizzas

Indian Feast

Healthy Treats

Bacon Deviled Eggs

Vegan Gluten-Free Pizza

Peanut Butter Cookies

Soft Serve Ice Cream

Coconut Cookie Cake

Gluten-Free Protein Cake

Styling 101: Heavy Metal

One of my current fashion crushes is DylanLex of Me And Alex – She’s everywhere on Pinterest & Instagram these days and is easily recognizable for her habit of stacking intricate, eye-catching, dramatic silver necklace. So with her as our inspiration Sasha and I set out to try a stacking project of our own – Using one-of-a-kind gold & silver vintage pieces.

{Jewelry can be shopped online at Sasha Maks Vintage, pieces will be available at The Factory through Summer, or you can contact info@sashamaksvintage.com for additional details & private appointments}

{You can shop similar pieces by clicking these hyperlinks: Skater Skirt – Asos, V-Neck Tee – Banana Republic, Bag – Furla & Peep-Toe Booties – BCBG}

{Check out outtakes from this shoot here – Just log into Facebook to view}

Photography, Jewelry & Jewelry Styling by Sasha Maks Vintage

I have to confess that this is one of my favorite Styling 101 posts to date – I loved mixing the gold and silver pieces, as well as the different eras and styles. It creates such a stunning, dramatic look, and I love how you can create something wholly original.

Do you like to layering jewelry?

Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram!

Decorating Inspiration

Whenever Spring and Summer roll around my desire to change everything rears its ugly head – Including my apartment. If you’re anything like me than this post will have you drooling – It’s filled with fresh, bright, fun ideas for decor updates and DIY projects that you can take care of in a weekend!

Budget Updates:

If you’d love to do some redecorating but the potential cost is making you balk then you’re in luck – Here are some great tips & suggestions that won’t break the bank.

• Instant Home Upgrade: 9 Brilliant Design Picks Under $100 from Refinery 29
• Easy Home Makeovers from Real Simple
• What To Do With A Book Addiction from SF Girl By The Bay

Inspiration:

Know that you want to make some changes but aren’t sure just where to start? Get inspired by these amazing pictures & stories – You’ll be ready to go in no time!

• Lucy Fenton’s Colorful Modernism from Apartment Therapy
• Gallery Wall Inspiration from Frankie Hearts Fashion
• Inside S.F.’s Teensiest Apartments from Refinery 29

Room Projects:

Do you have a specific project in mind for this Summer? Whether it’s updating your home office or creating a nursery, these are the posts for you.

• 5 Living Room Inspirations from Damsel In Dior
• Lake House Decor from Love Meagan
• Home Office Space from Cath In The City

{Pictures from Belle Maison Pinterest board}

What’s your home decor project for this Summer?