Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Hi, I'm Ellen

Today I'm focusing on two of the most awesome things involving the name Ellen.

The first is Kate McKinnon's Ellen DeGeneres impersonation on Saturday Night Live. I love pretty much everything Kate McKinnon does on the show, especially her Long Island Medium sketch,  but her Ellen impersonation just makes me absurdly happy. 

The second is my most go-to pair of shoes ever, Vince Camuto's Ellen flats. I am on my second pair after running my first pair into the ground last year. They are incredibly comfortable, especially once they've been broken in. Add them to skinny jeans, throw on a sweater and a peacoat, and you have my winter uniform. Piperlime has them in some great bright colors for spring (my favorite is the Coral Reef Stingray), as well as neutral colors like nude and black. 


Hope everyone is having a great week so far!

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Work It: Black and White

Black and white is a classic combination that happens to be popping up everywhere for spring. For me, a lot of the ways it's being presented are a bit stark--black and white vertically striped pants, for example.
I wanted to find pieces that translate the trend into something fresh and wearable, but not abrasive.
Here are some of my favorite ways to work black and white.

Work It: Black and White

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

A Year To Say Yes

"It was the summer of yes--that's what Isabella and Lauren decided. 'We're going to say yes to every invitation that comes our way,' they told each other. 'We're going to be positive, and put positive energy out there, and then we will meet someone.' Mary decided that she would be a spectator for the summer of yes. She was studying for the bar exam and made it clear that she couldn't say yes to anything."
- Girls In White Dresses

I turned 27 five days ago, and I have decided that I am going to do my best this year to say yes--not to everything, but to things I'm scared of or nervous about and things that I wouldn't normally do.

So far, it hasn't been that hard to say yes. I celebrated my birthday and Valentine's Day with Dude at a restaurant with a ten course tasting menu featuring things like spoonfuls of eucalyptus gel sprinkled with pink peppercorns. I am not a foodie at all, but overall, the meal was amazing. This past weekend, we went with friends to watch our alma mater, George Washington University, take on VCU in basketball. GW lost by a lot, but watching the game and being able to spend time over the weekend with our friends was awesome.

One of my favorite girlfriends recently forwarded information about a panel sponsored by the Levo League. As someone in sore need of career advice and networking (and someone who doesn't have the easiest time asking for advice or help), I knew it would be great for me to go.

So tonight, I will put on my fun and professional outfit, grab my business cards, and get myself out there. I may not be the person with the most insightful questions, but I'm looking forward to hearing and learning from some terrific women. And I will say yes to taking a small but important step to finding a career direction that I really love. What's a better gift to myself than that?


Panel Tote Essentials

Friday, February 15, 2013

Photo (Album) Shop

For the past few days, I've been running around and happily celebrating Valentine's Day and my birthday. It has been wonderful, but now it's back to business!

Recently, one of my favorite things to do is put together photo albums. It's very relaxing for me, and I love the idea of having tangible albums to look through instead of simply clicking through Facebook. 

I've been filling one album with pictures of me, Dude, and our friends and families from the past couple of years. I have another album that I'm just using to store engagement cards that we've received. It's a great way to keep track of them and when I put together a big memory book, which is what I want to eventually do, I'll know exactly where they are. 

Here are some photo albums that I really love! Graphic Image can emboss most of theirs, so I highly recommend those if you're thinking of giving one as a gift.


Monday, February 11, 2013

Hello, Prabal.

Yesterday morning, I persuaded Dude to head to Target "for 10 minutes" to check out Prabal Gurung's line for the store. It wasn't too crazy (we were there around 10 AM, before our usual Sunday bagel run) and we found the display pretty quickly.

I had seen most of the clothes in a lookbook I saw on Pinterest and had also seen a skirt I loved in the March issue of Lucky magazine, so I had a pretty good idea of what I was interested in.

I liked a lot of the dresses, but the silhouette of many of the ones I tried on was just not meant to work on me. These dresses had a boat neck and a full skirt, and my figure (big chest, smaller waist, butt that I like but is very much present, 5'4) did not want to play. I tried on an equally poofy skirt, it looked weird, and I moved on.

I had the best luck with the Pebble Racerback Tank Top and the Lace Overlay Top, shown below.


The Racerback Top comes in several colors, but I liked this coral hue. I'm looking forward to wearing it  with my dark jeans and metallic Jack Rogers sandals this summer.

I grabbed the lace overlay top on our way out and figured I could try it on at home and return it if it didn't work. I have a pretty low threshold when it comes to shopping, and I was done. (We didn't even look at the shoes, accessories, or jewelry.) I gingerly tried on the shirt at home and to my delight, it FIT and it looked beautiful. It brought such a smile to my face and made me feel terrific. I'm thinking about wearing it with jeans and black heels for my birthday.

I always love a good Target collaboration (I still have my Liberty of London dishes, bowls and tote, and I've written about some of my favorite items from the Neiman Marcus collection.) I'm really happy that I checked this one out, and I'm glad that my budget, our apartment's very limited closet space, and the way the clothes fit me allowed me to come out with two tops that I really like and that I'll actually wear. The collection's bright colors, pretty patterns, and colored lace were style elements that I love and certainly hope to see more of this spring.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Making me smile today.

Beautiful cards from Rifle Paper Co....






My beautiful orange ranunculus flowers from Trader Joe's. Eight dollars and certainly my best buy of the week. 


Happy Friday!!! 

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Printed Blush/Coral Sweaters

I was perusing a new Garnet Hill catalog that we got in the mail recently and I was drawn to the sweater on the left. However, I know that I'm not willing to commit to a nearly $100 sweater.
I looked at the Forever 21 website and found both of these options. I like the looser fit of the heart sweater but I also like the preppy vibe of the smaller polka dot sweater--I'd layer it with a longish white tank top, skinny jeans, and Rainbow flip flops once the weather warms up.
I'm very realistic about the quality of Forever 21 pieces--in my opinion, that's why they are pretty good for "test-driving" a look. I won't really mind if the sweater disintegrates after I wear it six times, and if I still like the look, I know that places like Garnet Hill and J.Crew will have similar pieces that I can commit to.
I am also somewhat amused that my look is getting a bit more preppy. For the record, I blame Dude.


Printed Blush/Coral Sweaters

Monday, February 4, 2013

Valentine's Day Treat: Smathers and Branson Key Fobs

Whether it's for a friend, family member, or someone special, I love these key fobs as a gift or part of a bigger gift. At $25, they provide a nice pop of prep that isn't overwhelming.

There is a pretty big selection on the Smathers and Branson website. I've also found the fobs at
Sherman Pickey in Georgetown and C.Orrico in Palm Beach.

Hope everyone is having a good Monday!


Valentine's Day Treat: Smathers and Branson Key Fobs

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Skin Products and Progress

It's almost four months to our wedding, and I was reading my new Cosmo with Miley on the cover last night when I saw the following blurb: 


Here is a brief history of my skin and the stuff I'm using now. (DISCLAIMER:  I have sensitive skin and these products worked for me, but I would strongly encourage anyone who wants to use these products to consult with a dermatologist or aesthetician. I am in no way, shape or form an authority on skin care!) 

Last year, I realized that my acne scars were present enough that they needed to be dealt with. I have sensitive skin, so I added Neutrogena Rapid Tone Repair Moisturizer to my "regimen" of washing my face twice a day. That made a noticeable difference. 

Then, I read Carly (College Prepster)'s post about her skin care regimen and decided to try the Clean and Clear Persa-Gel 10 that she recommended. It is awesome and I had a really similar experience to hers--a little goes a very long way. I use it at night to smack down any zits that are trying to creep on my face.

I was super happy to find that my beloved Neutrogena grapefruit face wash is now made in handy wipe form. I use them in the morning and at night. They feel so good and cool and they make it impossible to be lazy--I am swiping something across my face for about 15 seconds. That, I can manage.

So after seeing the thing about glycolic peels in Cosmo, I was interested. Not interested enough to look for a dermatologist (I keep remembering when Samantha had a chemical peel in Sex and the City and that was kind of scary), but definitely looking for something I could do at home. 

The glycolic peel system I found can be seen in the picture below. 


Joined by the skin products I mentioned before and a headband and black skinny hair bands to restrain my hair, here are the two steps in the Skin Effects Glycolic Peel Kit. I got it at CVS after checking it out online. I just did it for the first time and it is really simple, which is necessary for me. I swipe the glycolic pad over my face, wait one minute (hence the iPhone timer) and swipe the soothing pad on my face. I let it dry and follow with the Neutrogena moisturizer. You definitely feel the glycolic pad doing its thing--it is very tingly in a good way. You are supposed to use it three times a week or as recommended by a doctor, so I am spreading my three times out.

When I do something like this, I have to force myself to stick to it. Having it in my planner is necessary for me--I also just really, really love checking boxes and at least I'll be enjoying DC's Restaurant week! 


So thank you, Cosmo, for encouraging me to up my skin game. If I feel brave enough, I might post before and after pictures in a couple of weeks. No need to worry--my lovely slouchy headband will be included!

Sunday Steal: Gap

I've been doing pretty well at Gap lately. Last week, I walked out with the coziest scarf ever and two supercomfy long sleeve waffle tees for about $21.

Today, with the code GAPSCORE, Gap is offering 30% off of your online purchase. I tested it by putting a sale item and a full-price item in my cart and applied the code, and it worked on both of them. 

I restrained myself and didn't buy what I put in my cart, but I loved a lot of the items that I saw. Here are some of my favorites, and I hope everyone has a great Sunday!


Sunday Steal: Gap

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Tech Talk

In the past year, it seems like a lot of brands are putting a growing emphasis on their tech products. I really love this! The covers and cases are a great way to protect an iPhone or iPad while giving it a kick of pattern and personality.

I also really enjoy mixing different patterns. As seen below, I can go from really girly Lilly Pulitzer patterns to more edgy and eclectic pieces. My advice: just as it's more fun not to stick to just one style, it's more fun to mix patterns.

Either way, a iPad or iPhone case with a pattern you love is much less likely to go missing in a giant bag and much more likely to make you smile.



iPad Covers/Stands

iPhone Covers

iPad Cases and Folios


Kate spade
katespade.com


Kate spade
couture.zappos.com


Z spoke by zac posen
couture.zappos.com