Archive for July, 2010
UrbanOutfitters.com Shoe Haul
14 years ago
Inspired by vlogs, particularly ‘haul videos’, I thought it’s finally time to add one to Style Bust. I visit UrbanOutiftters.com all the time to check out their sale section. My most recent order consisted of three pairs of shoes, 1) BDG Canvas Skimmies in Navy for $19.99, 2) Dolcetta Buckle Front Peeptoe’s by Dolce Vita for $29.99 and 3) Kimchi Blue Macrame T-Strap Skimmer’s for $14.99. All the shoes were purchased at roughly 50% off – that’s just how I roll!
Special thanks to Christina at ItsChristinaLy.com who inspired me to begin making videos…check her site out, her videos are so cute!
Orange Lips
14 years ago
I would love to be a girl that wears lipstick, but every time I put some on, I feel like a clown! A recent visit to Sephora changed everything! I tried on a Makeup Forever lipstick in a shade called Nasturtium, which is a shade of tangerine (Makeup Forever has all sorts of orange hues to choose from). Surprisingly, the tangerine shade worked well and I didn’t look or feel silly!
The orange lipstick trend was shown at the runway at the Spring 2010 Prada show and has been seen on the red carpet. Orange shades work well with pretty much any hair color. If you’re blond you should try an orange-tangerine shade, brunette, opt for an orange-sherbet color and for dark hair, wear a red-orange shade.
To get the complete looks pictured above, I recommend you do the following: apply a bronzer, add golden or copper eye shadow, a few coats of mascara, minimal eyeliner and orange lip gloss. And voila, you’ll be rocking the orange lips without looking like Bozo!
Where to buy: MAC (MAC makes 2 orange-ish shades that are perfect for achieving the look…MAC Morange and MAC Meltdown), Sephora, and your local Drugstore. I recommend going into Sephora to see a full assortment of options, this way you can try on different shades and brands. If you don’t want to spend $15 or more on a lipstick, check out go your nearest drugstore – you won’t have as many options, and you can’t try it out…but you’ll spend about $6 and feel less guilty.
Sara Skotte porcelain jewelry
14 years ago
Oslo based porcelain designer Sara Skotte is on a mission to change people’s perception of porcelain. She’s designed some beautiful animal necklaces that are selling across Norway. I can’t wait for them to hit stateside so I can buy a couple!
Chicago, Home to the Old St. Pat’s World’s Largest Block Party
14 years ago
On July 9th and 10th, Chicago’s West Loop was jam-packed. Old St. Pats hosted the 26th annual World’s Largest Block Party. It was 40 bucks for admission, a little high for my budget. I was fortunate enough to get to watch it from my apartment window.
Friday night featured Kris Allen and the Barenaked Ladies, apparently a sold out show. I couldn’t believe that people were paying 40 dollars and packed in this empty parking lot like sardines to see a band that legitimately hasn’t had a hit since the 90’s. But it’s a band that’s name is recognizable. The show was rather average, extremely predictable. They played One Week, and If I had a Million Dollars. But the crowd showed up so it was a successful night for the festival.
Saturday night was the White Rabbits and Spoon. There seemed to be significantly less people present. And it was interesting to see the array of people in attendance. There were men in skinny jeans, girls that weren’t afraid to wear colored patterns, truly overall a younger crowd with a lot of style. It was an amazing show. And what frustrated me to no end was… all those people from the night before had NO idea what they were missing out on.
They picked a line up that was familiar when they should have taken a chance. I may be biased because I was a fan of Spoon prior to the show. But here’s the point that I want to get across. I have always been a big music fan, but I have not always been knowledgeable about the industry. I memorized the songs on the radio and took in all the mainstream information possible. But once I was introduced to a few independent bands, this was when my passion truly emerged. It was like a whole other world that to this day I still can’t get enough of. Since then I have made it my mission to spread the word for the bands that have a smaller voice. I have great artists to offer, starting with Spoon, pictured below…
Guest of a Wedding
14 years ago
Weddings are a time of happiness, dancing, eating, drinking and taking photos (which means looking your best)! Of course, the bride and groom have much more to worry about when it comes to their attire than the guests…but when you’re a guest, you also have to do some wardrobe planning.
When choosing a dress, make sure you know where the wedding will be held (in a church, on a beach, in a backyard) because it’s important to dress accordingly. Usually weddings in a church tend to be more elegant/formal than the backyard wedding. And you also don’t want to upstage the bride, so don’t show up in an elaborate gown or a mini dress (like Ciara recently wore to Lala’s wedding).
Ashley Stewart, T-Bags, Elie Tahari, T-Bags
Solid colored dresses are practical for either an indoor or outdoor wedding (if at all possible, just try not to wear the same color as the bridesmaids). By wearing a solid colored dress, you have tons of accessory and shoe options. You can wear a patterned or colored shoe to give your dress a little extra edge. And as far as accessories go, wear a long necklace or some earrings and you’re set! You can also add a light shawl (in my opinion cardigans tend to be too casual) in a neutral tone or even another shade of your dress to stay warm.
Haute Hippie, Avenue, Shoshanna, Issa
Printed dresses are great for outdoor weddings becuase they look more casual. With the right accessories, such as gold bracelets and earrings, you’ll be able to dress up a printed dress. I chose to show a lot of maxi-length printed dresses, because I think they are perfect for a summer wedding…they’re flowy, bohemian and above all…comfortable!
Most importantly, choose a dress that suits your overall style and wear a color that compliments your skin tone. You always want to be comfortable and look your best at weddings!
Rachel Gilman and the Return of Earrings
14 years ago
Previous seasons’ jewelry trends have been dominated by gigantic necklaces, and globes of rings and bracelets, and we’ve forgotten all about earrings.
For Fall, I’m all about rediscovering all sorts of earrings. My staples for the season will by your standard little studs in various colors and finishes. I’m beginning to branch out into bigger, and more colorful (even cheap looking) earrings for the season. The earrings featured here are purely for inspiration. They are the designs of stylist and jewelry designer Rachel Gilman. These are by far the brightest earrings I’ve found outside of Piedmont Boutique since the 80’s. I’m not sure I’d go for her rainbow bright pieces. Hell, I’m not even sure they’ll be for sale anywhere, but I thought they were pretty and unique enough to share with you!
Japanese Simplicity-Part 2: Bedding
14 years ago
Welcome to Week 2 of Japanese Simplicity—clearing your interior environment to rejuvenate your mind!
Have you cleared out the stale energy of those drawers full of old lipsticks and receipts yet? In last week’s Part 1: Decluttering, we emphasized the importance of having clean and open spaces as the foundations of a smooth-running, well-designed, stylish household. This week we’ll discuss the joys of simplicity when it comes to beds and what to look for in frames and bedding to evoke that feel of serenity for that perfect night’s sleep.
Here’s a quick review the seven Japanese design aesthetic principles:
- Kanso: simplicity and elimination of clutter. Key word: clarity
- Fukinsei: asymmetry or irregularity. Relax—imperfections are what make life beautiful and engaging!
- Shibumi: elegant, understated, minimalistic. Less is more.
- Shizen: organic. Raw creativity with a purpose.
- Yugen: subtle suggestions rather than statements. Think well-placed splashes of color.
- Datsuzoku: freedom from the day-to-day and ordinary. Let a few things in your home take you away from home.
- Seijaku: active calm, tranquility. Still, but never stagnant.
Traditional Japanese beds are called futons, thick comforter-like bedding that is placed on the floor that can rolled up and tucked away in a closet to save space. Of course, such asceticism is really unnecessary (unless the three of you are sharing a cramped studio apartment), but effective bedding should capture the same simplicity and lack of adornment. Let’s first take a look at some model bed frames that embody Japanese design principles.
Frames
Keyword search: modern, contemporary, platform bed
The most minimalistic of all beds, the platform bed eliminates the need of a box-spring mattress foundation by supporting the mattress directly on top of its flat, horizontal surface. Sophisticated and simple, these beds will add an air of tranquility to your spaces and make them seem bigger.
Staccato Bed by foamorder.com
Note the sharp, pristine lines and solid headboard. Dark-grained woods give an exceptionally dramatic effect. *sigh* Art. Simply put.
Isabella Modern.
Look for variations in underbed storage and period styles.
Malm Bed by IKEA
Oh my gosh! One a college kid can actually afford!
Bedding
Bedding is the most expressive feature of the bedroom and should be used to showcase your personal style and creativity! Avoid those drab bed-in-a-bags and mix and match your own combinations of pillowcases, sheets, and duvets. To infuse that effortless Japanese flair into your room, put together bedding sets that have:
- Natural fabrics (cotton and cotton blends) for a comfortable, breathable feel
- 300+ thread count
- Minimum or nonexistent accessories
- Airy, colorful, bright floral or whimsical prints
Anthropologieand Urban Outfitters carry amazing sheet sets and duvet colors that fit the bill perfectly. J’aime these prints!! Have a look (images are linked to product pages).
Sunbird Sheet Set by Anthropologie
Filigree Leaf Sheet Set by Anthropologie.com
50’s Birdcage Duvet Cover by UrbanOutfitters.com
Birdie Stamp Duvet Cover by UrbanOutfitters.com
Falling Leaves by Urban Outfitters
Don’t you just feel more peaceful and relaxed already?
Stay tuned for more Japanese simplicity for your home next week! I’m not sure what I’ll write about yet, but I’ll think of something. Maybe like storage and desks. Yeah. That sounds good.
Living Proof No Frizz
14 years ago
Every month or so I receive a postcard from Sephora offering free samples. I always take advantage of them, even if I don’t think I need the product. In this case I was excited to try out No Frizz Styling Cream, a product from Living Proof.
My hair is naturally wavy, if left alone it becomes an unruly mass of frizz neither curly nor straight. Thankfully the pony tail always comes to the rescue and on exceptionally bad days you will see me with a braided pony tail. Now I have to make a confession and admit I’m new to styling products, a child of the 80’s when pink Aqua Net ruled, I never realized it mattered which product I used to tame my hair.
Living Proof offers a complete line of anti-frizz products, so far the only one I’ve used is the Straight Making Styling Cream and I love it. First of all, it smells great and it made me styling faster, my hair feels very silky and touchable afterwards and it stays that way without having to add half a can of hair spray (like in the good ol’ days).
If you go to the Living Proof website, you can see videos and information on how they came up with the revolutionary technology to control the frizz. Instead of using Silicone, like most products on the market, they use a new molecule invented by their scientists called PolyflouroEster, which helps block the humidity without weighing down the hair. Also they do not test on animals, so you can rest assured purchasing their products.
You can find the No Frizz line as well as their Hold and Full lines in Sephora or at the Living Proof website. The product price ranges from $14 to $35, and they also offer intro kits with 4 products at only $39. Not sure which product is perfect for you? The Living Proof website has a handy questionnaire that will help you decide.