Links You’ll Love
Fashion & Beauty:
Are you a fan of topping your looks with a chic little blazer? Check out Refiner’s 29’s Challenge Accepted! Watch How Our Editor Styles 1 Blazer 5 Ways for some creative new ideas!
I don’t know about you, but I love a quick & easy up-do during the Summer, it’s the perfect way to get your hair out of your face. For Sure J’Adore clearly agrees – Easy Summer Hair: Braids.
This season is all about sunglasses – Bold colors, fun embellishments – There are some great pairs out there. In the mood to get creative? Try The StyleList’s DIY: Two-Tone Sunglasses.
Still in the market for the perfect Father’s Day Gift? Apartment 34 to the rescue – Fab Father’s Day Gifts You Can Still Get!
This Summer’s new trend in carry-alls is a bit of a throwback. Backpacks are back! Don’t believe me? Check out Into The Gloss’s Knapsack Nation for some of the options out there.
Health & Fitness:
Whether you love to bake or are a fan of adding something sweet to your morning coffee, this is an article you should read – The 5 Best Natural Substitutes For Sugar.
Now’s the time that the Farmers Markets and grocery stores are flooded with tons of colorful, fresh produce so it’s the perfect time to whip up some delicious vegetable filled dishes:
One of the biggest health risks in our modern society is stress. Not only can it play a role in ailments like heart disease, it can also lead to weight gain, interfere with sleep, and cause depression & anxiety. Read this now – Why Stress Can Kill You: A Cardiologist Explains!
There are a lot of supplements & superfoods & healthy foods touted as “miracle cures” today and it can be hard to figure out which you should try and why they may help. Here are some interesting facts about Wheatgrass to help educate you – 50 Reasons To Drink Wheatgrass Everyday.
Links You’ll Love
Health & Fitness:
Here are some GREAT things to keep in mind as you’re working through your list of New Years Resolutions for 2013 – The Things Successful People DON’T Do.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been shivering my way through this recent cold front in Northern California. Rain in December I’m used to. Wind & air so cold it feels like it should be snowing? That’s new. If you’re in a similar boat these simple tips can save your booty this Winter – Stay Warm!
Keeping your energy levels up during the way can seem impossible sometimes. Day-to-day you may feel changes due to diet, the amount of sleep you got, stress levels… And while you can’t always control every aspect of your life, there are some things that you can keep an eye on to help with this – Fatigue Facts: 5 Things That Make You Tired.
While I enjoyed all of the “round-up” style posts during December to celebrate the end of 2012 I have to say that this was one of my favorites so I just HAD to share – Best of 2012: My Favorite Vegan & Raw Recipes.
Staying inspired and positive about your body is an important step towards being happy and healthy! See what The Huffington Post has to say about keeping your attitude in check – Seven Ways To Be More Body Positive In 2013.
Fashion:
There’s nothing quite like a flashy new campaign to get you in the mood for some serious shopping. That’s part of the reason we adore fashion magazines, right? Well Fashionologie has the low-down on all the killer campaigns for Spring here.
Finding stylish but simple new updos that’s keep my hair out of my eyes is a new mission so I was thrilled when I stumbled upon this fabulous tutorial – Beauty How To: Braided Bun Tutorial.
Need some inspiration to get creative with your hair this Winter? Check out Rebecca Minkoff’s 2013 Ushers In A New Wave Of Hairstyles for some serious tips.
I ADORE Winer outwear & accessories so this Glitter Guide post had me in raptures. If you’re similarly inclined head over for their Style File: Chic Winter Wear and prepare to swoon!
If you’ve been trying to find a fabulous statement necklace but have come up empty so far, why not make your own? This DIY Charm Necklace from I Spy DIY is to die for!
London Fashion Week Spring 2013 – Street Style & Front Row Fashion
The street style in London always has a bit of drama to it – While New York Fashion Week is full of fun, bright Summer separates, London usually has more focus on deeper colors, outerwear, and great boots.
You can always out on Miss Dita to give great face. She always gives a look her all and looks perfectly put together.
Mixing prints like this is not a challenge to be taken on by a novice! Bright colorblocking, paisley pants, red, black & white heels, and an oversized black clutch with red piping. Masterly!
Mulberry had itself quite the front row! Designer Emma Hill was joined by the a couple of fabulous British It girls – Alexa Chung, Kate Moss, and Lana Del Rey.
Texture! Texture! Texture! Between the stacked beaded bracelets to the contrasting lace in blues and creams to the chunky statement necklace – This look is all about mixing and matching textures and fabrics.
Such a stylish, colorful outfit – I love the marigold cropped pants paired with the emerald-green double-breasted blazer, it’s an interesting and striking combination.
This is such a great British outfit! The sweet silhouette of the drop-waist shift dress, the contrasting collar, and the chic retro hat are lovely, and I like how she paired them with a statement necklace and brightly colored clutch.
Poppy has been a longtime fan and supporter of Matthew Williamson and put together a great boho look for his show – Torn jeans, metallic strappy sandals, an embroidered top, and braids.
This is a fantastic jacket and I love how she gave it a fun, relaxed feel by paring it with a graphic tee and the cherry red handbag.
Rocker chic meets Catholic school girl – Daisy Lowe put together an edgy but stylish black & white ensemble by pairing a pleated mini with a high-neck blouse, cropped motorcycle jacket, and ankle boots.
I absolutely adore this – The puppy sweater is too cute for words, the tweed coat is killer, and I NEED those moccasin heels!
The stylish outerwear wasn’t just on the runway at Burberry, Miss Julia Restoin–Roitfeld and Robert Konjic looked great in double-breasted coats just outside the show.
Drama Queen! Never interested in being a wallflower ADR stuns in statement pieces after statement piece! Maybe she got caught in a fashion shower on her way to the show? 🙂
I adore this shot of models Poppy & Arizona. They have such distinct styles, but they both look great. Poppy’s studded ankle boots and black & white printed blouse suit her perfectly, while Arizona’s button-front dress and cropped leather jacket work really well to create a fun, unique look.
Stunning! I love the sweet Peter Pan collar and can’t imagine a more flattering color or cut for her. And those booties? Swoon! Leave it to a blogger to knock it right out of the park! 🙂
{Click on the links above to view the original source}
Previous LFW & Spring 2013 Collections: New York Fashion Week Spring 2013 – Part I, New York Fashion Week Spring 2013 – Part II, New York Fashion Week Spring 2013 – Part III, New York Fashion Week Spring 2013 – Street Style & Front Row Fashion, London Fashion Week Fall 2012, London Fashion Week – Street Style & Front Row Fashion, London Fashion Week Spring 2012 Round-Up, and Streetstyle & Front Row Fashion – London Fashion Week.
Additional reviews, photographs, shows, and videos: London Fashion Week Spring 2013: Parties & Front Row, Street Style Spring 2013: London Fashion Week & London Backstage Beauty Files: Spring 2013 from Harper’s Bazaar.
Do you prefer the wild & vibrant styles that feature heavily on the sidewalks of New York City or the moody, Fall-inspired fashions on the London streets during Fashion Week?
Listing…
Everyone seems to be in the mood for lists right now. A handful of bloggers that I adore have published list posts lately: The Life & Lessons of Rachel Wilkerson’s What I’ve Been Eating, What I’ve Been Reading, What I’ve Been Writing, What I’ve Been Wearing, Holly Would If She Could’s 16 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Me, and SnackFace’s This Week’s Sounds, Scents, Sips, Snacks & Sights…
And with my hectic schedule lately, both at work and personally, I’ve been living and dying by my daily To Do lists. First thing in the morning I make a list of all the things that need to get done that day and before I leave the office for the day I take the list of tasks and put them in chronological order. Don’t worry, I’m not going to share my daily To Do lists with you. I thought I’d take a cue from my blogging idols though and share some of the details of what’s going on in my life these days.
What I’ve Been Eating:
I didn’t do a great job following a healthy diet in April or May, as I confessed, so I’ve been doing my best to rectify that over the last few weeks. Tons of fruits and veggies, and smoothies galore. Green smoothies, berry-based smoothies, and even peanut butter smoothies. Yum!
What I’ve Been Reading:
My boyfriend’s mother insisted that I read The Botticelli Secret by Marina Fiorato, and I ended up reading all 544 pages over the course of a weekend because I couldn’t put it down. Botticelli’s Primavera has been my favorite painting of his since I saw it in Florence when I was 21 so I was especially drawn to the storyline. I’ve also just finished Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think by Brian Wansink and was stunned by how much I related to each and every study that he discussed. Definitely keep an eye out for a Book Report on this! I’ve also just started Add More -Ing to Your Life: A Hip Guide to Happiness by Gabrielle Bernstein, which isn’t a self-help book – I swear – it’s a self-transformation book. 🙂 I’m looking forward to seeing how it impacts my daily approach to life as part of my #1 2012 goal to Be Positive.
Oh, and I have a serious fashion magazine problem. Like a – I need a 12 step program type of problem.
What I’ve Been Writing:
One of my goals for 2012 is to publish a piece of my writing and while this has been a personal goal for years, this is the first time I’ve officially written it down. Not to make excuses, but as a result of my spinal injury and my laptop dying earlier this year, I haven’t worked on this goal much so far in 2012. Hopefully this post will serve as motivation for me to start editing my first novel, I started writing it when I was 20 and wrote a large chunk of it while I was traveling around Europe by myself when I was 21.
What I’ve Been Wearing:
During May I submitted a handful of looks to a fashion challenge run by Definitely RA, you can so you can check out some of those looks – Mission: Put Together 2012 – Part I and Mission: Put Together 2012 – Part II. The challenge was great and I wish I’d had time to participate more, but even putting together a few looks was fun. And as part of my goals for June I wanted to make an effort to wear less black, especially on sunny weekends, so that’s been a major factor in choosing my daily looks. Definitely an adjustment not to automatically reach for the black pieces!
Some Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Me:
- I don’t actively follow astrology but I’ve always believed that I embody many of the traits of my Scorpio sign – Determined, loyal, suspicious, discreet, introverted, dramatic, passionate, possessive…
- I originally hurt my back springboard diving in college when I was 18
- If I could only eat one food for the rest of my life it would be sweet potatoes. There’s an endless number of ways to cook them… Chips, fries, baked, mashed, in pudding. They can be sweet or savory. Hmmm… Now I kind of want to spend a weekend eating only sweet potatoes and blog about all the recipes I come up with! 🙂
- Sometimes I forget that I don’t really “know” bloggers. I begin to feel like I’m friends with people whose lives I read about every day. Does that happen to anyone else?
- I have three tattoos.
And so that we can continue to get to know each other, I’m going to re-start my short-lived Les Confessions series, where I post some “confessions” about myself and my life on a regular basis.
Sounds:
I’ve been listening to 70’s and 80’s music non-stop. From vintage Bon Jovi, Kenny Loggins, and Twisted Sister to fabulous 80’s movie soundtracks – Footloose, Pretty In Pink, Breakfast Club. The upside is that it’s really upbeat music that wakes me up and makes me smile every morning, the downside is that I dance at my desk. A lot.
Scents:
I’m a peppermint junkie! Candles, air fresheners, essential oils… Whatever I can find. I’ve also been baking up a storm and I love the scent of raw cacao and carob powders as their heating up.
Sips:
Peppermint tea – duh – and I have to confess that my guilty pleasure these days is Cherry Coke Zero or Cherry Diet Dr. Pepper. My boyfriend is horrified by the red color from the syrup but I treat myself to one a week! I’ve also rediscovered the Synergy Kombucha drinks, and I laugh every time I get carded buying them!
Snacks:
I seem to have almost forgotten about hummus when the weather was cooler but now that it’s warming up I’m craving hummus daily. Carrots, celery, sugar snap peas, and radishes dipped in spicy hummus is favorite after-work snack. I’ve also been eating my bodyweight in fruit on virtually a daily basis – pounds of grapes, cherries, apples, and bananas. Just can’t get enough!
Sights:
This Spring was amazing with weekends in Sonoma, San Diego, and Sea Ranch, but June has been a gorgeous month in San Francisco and I’ve been really enjoying spending time in my favorite city. Walking everywhere, trips to the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market, lazy days spent shopping and wandering around the sun-drenched streets… Amazing!
So tell me, what have you been up to? Do you like to make lists to ensure that you get everything done that needs to be done each day?
J’aime Pinterest
As an avid supporter of moodboards and a longtime lover of visual inspiration, Pinterest really appealed to me for its capability to influence and motivate.
In case you’re not following me on Pinterest I wanted to share a few of the things that I’m loving and can’t live without right now. My boards are broken up into a few of my favorite categories:
La Mode
Fashion shows, clothing, sketches, advertisements, editorials, red carpets, street style, accessories, bags, closets, blogs, jewelry…
Belle Maison
Home decor, books & book shelves, furniture, floral arrangements, trunks & hat boxes, wet bars, closets, organizational tips, pillows & bedding, wallpaper…
YUMMY
Entrees, cocktails, breakfasts, snacks, desserts… Anything that looks good!
MOI
Places I love, things I’ve bought, clothes I wear, words I believe…
I Use, Therefore I am
Things I swear by, from protein powder to skin care products to perfume…
J’Adore
Pretty much anything that strikes my fancy…
So take a look and get to know some of the things that I love!
Would you like more recommendations on great moodboards to take a look at? Fashionista has you covered with their piece 10 Fashion Pinners You Should Be Following Right Now.
P.S. Am I the only one who hears all of this “pinning” talk and thinks of an adorable couple in an old black & white movie going steady…? 😉
Hippie Chic
With the Coachella weekends swiftly approaching and people planning their trips out to Southern California, I thought that I’d show a little hippie love with some bohemian-inspired outfits to get you in inspired and in the mood.
Rule #1:
Don’t forget your boots! As the reigning queen of music festival-chic, Her Highness Kate Moss never forgets to bring her boots. They’re key for tramping around between sets, especially given the erratic weather patterns this time of year and the random, unannounced Spring showers.
And in honor of The Queen, here’s outfit suggestion numero un – You’ll need some flattering, tiny shorts, a loose tunic, low slung belt, Hunters, a cross-body bag and hippie accessories like feathers and chains
Rule #2:
Whether you’re a fan of aviators or Wayfarers, don’t forget to pack a couple of pairs of sunglasses for your trip. Choosing a pair of shades that suits your face can be a challenge, but once you settle on your favorite style you can spice up your look by trying out everything from black & white zebra prints to classic black to tortoiseshell.
The lovely Kate Bosworth is always at the top of the Best Dressed lists after a music festival weekend and here’s yet another example of just how she makes her hippilicious outfits work. This outfit illustrates just how important sunglasses are, both to complete your look and to keep your eyes healthy and safe in the sun!
To put together similar look you should keep it simple and try a summery romper that’s spiced up with lace-up sandals, hoop earrings, a saddle bag and your favorite sunglasses!
Rule #3:
The extras are incredibly important when you’re putting together a fun boho look – You can try adding anything from the handbags and jewelry to headbands and hats. So when in doubt, pile on the hippie accessories!
Celebrities really know how to do the hippie chic look right by complementing their outfits with colorful headscarves, floral headbands, fringed pieces, hobo bags, braids, draped vests, and oversized vintage sunglasses.
For this kind of outfit you can’t go wrong with faded or distressed skinnies, a basic tank, flat Peter Pan-inspired booties, and then pile on all the hippie accessories that you can get your hands on.
Rule #4:
Why not be an undercover stunner on this trip? Avoid sunburn and disastrous fading and bleaching of your hair by adding an oh-so-chic hat to your ensemble. A floppy, oversized felt hat like below goes really well with a floaty, low-key look like a maxi, while a brimmed fedora will complement a more structured separates look better.
Vanessa Hudgens {anyone seen Sucker Punch?} definitely knows how to stay cool in the summer heat. Believe me when I say that the Southern California sun can be pretty punishing, so please be sure to pack both your hat and sunglasses!
Try mixing up your hippie chic look by pairing a flowy, ethereal maxi dress or maxi skirt with strappy flat sandals, vintage gold chains, and a fedora or wide-brimmed hat.
Now run off and enjoy the music loves, and don’t forget your sunscreen!
Moi Contre La Vie 