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Everyday Style & Recipes. Est. 2010

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Halloween How-To: The 1920’s Flapper/Gatsby Costume for under $100

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How to create a costume that looks way more expensive than it is?  Getting creative; that’s how!  I live in a city with a lot of great historical bars and restaurants that used to be 1920’s speakeasies and illicit bars and gambling places.  You can probably guess where the inspiration for this costume came from.  I’m actually looking forward to rolling into these converted speakeasies in full Flapper attire on Halloween! It just makes sense right?  I know Flapper and Gatsby outfits became super trendy when the newest remake of The Great Gatsby was debuted but this costume is seriously a classic and never gets old.  I wanted to try creating the perfect 1920’s Flapper look and getting all 1920’s glamorous without spending beaucoup bucks.  I also wanted the look to be somewhat traditional, but I’m not sure I quite succeeded there, but no matter.  This dress came from Amazon, and I couldn’t pass it up.  The dress was about $39, and it really has that glamorous Art Deco flair.  Love the fringe, and the green and gold accents! It’s surprisingly heavy for a dress; probably due to all that sequins.  I’m hoping to somehow get away with wearing it again!  I personally like dresses that don’t require a lot of adjusting and this dress just goes on and you’re done and comfortable the rest of the night.  No bra strap issues, no awkward fit problems, nada!  Fits like a comfortable glove, and runs true to size.  I believe it comes in several different colors too. Oh, and one of the most important details that adds an extra bit of glamour to the costume is the faux fur shawl!  I found this one on Amazon for about $30, and since it’s getting colder I know I’m going to be relieved to have this on Halloween night.

Accessories are everything for a Flapper costume, and I found mine at a local costume and thrift shop for about $6 total.  The feather headpiece, the gloves, the pearls and the cigarette holder really pull the costume together with those extra details!  The most difficult thing, really, was my hair which is way too long for the period.  And nope, I wasn’t willing to chop it all off for one costume.  So, what to do? I’m not very talented in the hair department so I went with a simple bun fixed up with pins, and it stayed together very well, and it looks passable for the period.  Ideally, you should have a bob cut but oh well.  There are plenty of tutorials online for a fancier 1920’s style up-do if you’re better at that than I am. The final touch were the shoes, and I didn’t want to go with the more modern idea of the Flapper Costume: the T-strap.  Apparently T-straps weren’t really the thing back then, so I went with a heeled leather oxford.  I also like that these shoes can be worn with a modern outfit, but has just enough retro vibes for a costume.  You can find tons of great retro shoes from thrift stores and I found these, practically new, Franco Sartos at the local thrift store.  I plan on wearing these shoes with other everyday outfits so it was a win-win!  Here’s the expense break down for this costume:

Expense Breakdown:

-Dress: $39.99

-Faux Fur Shawl $28.66

-Shoes: $19.99

-Headpiece: $4.49

-Accessories (gloves, beads, cigarette holder): $6

Total: $99.13

 

 

Outfit Set:

Outfit Details: Dress: Amazon, Shawl: Amazon, Shoes: Franco Sarto (thrifted), Accessories: Costume Shop, Tights: Target (old), Headpiece: eBay

Red Floral Dress & Fall Pullover

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The weather seems to be fighting onto Summer as long as it can, which is why this outfit has one foot in Fall and one in Summer.  The temperature difference between night and day has been pretty extreme too!  I’ve always liked pullover sweaters over dresses and this weather pretty much fits that game plan perfectly!  This floral wrap dress from Zaful is great for hot days and this chunky knit pullover is warm enough for cooler September nights.  This sweater has been much needed lately since it’s been in the upper 80s and then dips down to low 50s at night.  I guess this is life in a high desert/arid environment aye?  That was something that surprised me a lot when I first moved to Colorado; I really wasn’t expecting how dry it was.

Another thing I’ve been playing around with are layering necklaces.  I found this great store on Etsy that sells pretty gold and sterling silver charms.  You can buy them with the chain or individually.  I opted for individual charms and found the necklace chains for cheap on eBay! Plus it’s fun to mix and match chain lengths depending on what I’m in the mood for.  The one I’m highlighting in this outfit is the compass charm and the triangle choker is from Forever 21.

Outfit Set:

Outfit Details: Dress: Zaful, Sweater: Zaful, Shoes: Steve Madden, Layering Necklaces: Etsy and Forever 21

September Blues & Fall Matte Lip Swatch Review

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Happy post Labor Day weekend! Now that we are officially in September, I am super excited for the upcoming season and can’t wait to get started on more Fall related looks.  The nights and mornings have been getting cooler BUT the days have still been in the mid to upper 80s, so dress season is still a thing! Which is a good thing because this blue floral dress from Zaful has been one of my favorite recent additions.  I really don’t have a lot of anything in powder blue and it’s nice to branch out occasionally with something a little different. Its a color that I just don’t really gravitate towards for some reason, but I really love the color and pattern of this one!  As has been the case recently, this woven bag has made another appearance.  It seems to go super well with so many dresses so it’s hard not to include it in a bunch of looks!

Now to change gears a bit–over the years, I have tried a bunch of different matte lip colors and I wanted to showcase which ones have become my regular favorites.  Many of these I use daily, especially the ones with more of a nudey mauve tone that look great for casual everyday looks.  As a certified pale person, I can also vouch that all of these colors look great with fair skin. This post might get long and it’s all about makeup so just a warning!  If you’re a fellow pale person looking for the best lip colors for you, keep on reading! I would rate these lip colors on three different scales: affordability (1-5, 5 being most affordable), color tone (1-5, 5 being best color tone) and durability (1-5, 5 for most durable/longest lasting).  Scroll down for a full review!

Outfit Set:Outfit Details: Dress: Zaful, Bag: eBay, hat: eBay, shoes: Free People

NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams

I wear these ALL the time.  Zurich and Stockholm are similar, however Stockholm has a bit of an orangier tone.  Cannes has been one of my go-to dusty rose colors and is nearly a perfect dupe for the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dolce Vita. Rome on the far right is a bit of a darker berry color so I wear it more for nights and going out.  It looks darker on lips than on the swatch. Rome has a more vintage 90s look if you’re looking for that too.  As you can see in the final photo, these wash off the most easily but because they are so affordable and the colors are great I can let that one go.

Affordability: 5, Color: 5, Durability: 1

Maybelline SuperStay Matte Ink

This one gets high marks because of it’s affordability, durability, and the color Poet is a perfect nude that isn’t super washed out.  I tend to like more pinky nudes and this one fits the bill.  The more beige it is, the more washed out I tend to look so this one is a great nude for pale folks.  It goes on a bit wet but dries fairly quickly.  It’s also one of the most durable and longest lasting ones that I’ve found.

Affordability: 5, Color: 5, Durability: 5

ColourPop Ultra Matte *WINNER*

This one is really impressive in terms of durability and just overall value.  Platform goes on fairly light but somehow turns into a darker dusty pink.  It’s probably the MOST matte above all of the others and is by far the most durable.  I can wear this all day, drink coffee, water, you name it.  It does not come off! The application is lightweight and dries the fastest.  As you can see in the below photo, this one outperformed the others after washing with soap and water.  It’s also one of the most affordable so this one is the winner in my book!

Affordability: 5, Color: 5, Durability: 5

MAC Liptensity

This color is absolutely gorgeous for Fall.  Smoked almond is a gorgeous deeper rust red that is slightly less matte than the others.  It goes on like a more traditional lipstick but you still get that overall matte look.  Since it’s MAC, affordability isn’t great and I was surprised by how much it washed off in my soap and water test.  However, it’s a beautiful, rich color so it gets an overall good rating from me!

Affordability: 2, Color: 5, Durability: 3

ColourPop Metallics

This one isn’t a true matte but it’s not really glossy as advertised.  It goes on very dry and has a matte feel, even though it does have a bit of shimmer.  Growing up in the early 2000s I think I’ve been traumatized by wet lip gloss so I really like this one being dry, while at the same time offering a little shine and shimmer.  Tight Fit is a beautiful metallic with slight orangey pink tones.  It reminds me a little bit of a pink grapefruit skin and looks beautiful on! Slightly less bold of a pigment but that’s okay for me. One of the top performers in durability and affordability.

Affordability: 5, Color: 5, Durability: 4.5

Sephora Luster Matte Lip Color

For all that rich pigment, it sure isn’t durable which is kind of surprising.  I would have thought it would have some staying power.  I wouldn’t call this an every day color for me, but it is beautiful.  It’s a very rich, pigmented orangey red, and looks great if you want a bold look for the evening.  I would call this a semi-matte since it’s not as quick drying as the others.  It is not long lasting at all and tends to smear so I’m careful not to use too much of it at once.  While it’s nice for specific looks, I probably wouldn’t purchase this one again.

Affordability: 3, Color: 4, Durability: 1

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

I really like this pencil.  It’s a true matte and goes on very smooth and dry.  The color Dolce Vita is fantastic and is a rich dusty rose, but if you’re looking for a cheaper option, try NYX’s lip cream in Cannes.  As you can see in the swatches, these colors are nearly identical.  However, it’s not very long lasting and its affordability is so so.

Affordability: 1, Color: 5, Durability: 1

Summer Stripes

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Sometimes when you’re nowhere near the beach, you just gotta recreate it yourself right? That was the goal of this outfit.  Since I live in a landlocked state now, I was missing the beach a lot recently and I wanted to create the beachiest Summer outfit possible. Also, it’s back up to mid-90 degree temperatures so that might have had something to do with it!  I spied out this vertical stripe 60’s inspired mini dress on Urban Outfitters and had a big time nostalgia flashback–it reminded me so much of my favorite beach towel that I knew I had to snap it up.  The stripe pattern was almost exact, I couldn’t believe it! I also love the 60’s inspired silhouette and the light and breezey chiffon fabric.  The fabric has a double layer with a black slip underneath which really makes the stripes pop.  I love the muted retro colors of this dress and the fact it’s not SUPER bright.  I kind of avoid bright stripey patterns and this isn’t like that at all.

I’ve also been kind of obsessed with this woven circle bag.  They’ve definitely become more popular lately on social media which means that you can find them for much cheaper on sites like Etsy, Amazon and eBay.  This particular one I found off eBay brand new.  If you’re looking for a bag like this, I highly recommend going to more affordable sites first before you buy a branded bag for a big markup!  That said, you will be seeing a lot of this bag in the future because it goes with so many darn things–I can’t seem to get it out of my outfit ideas!  Same goes for these shoes, there are a lot of more expensive choices that are just like these, but I found these on Amazon and so far they have been way worth it.  The dress however, was slightly more expensive so sometimes you just have to pick your battles and know when to splurge or save!

Outfit Details: Dress: Urban Outfitters, Bag: Unbranded, Shoes: Nature Breeze

Outfit Set:

 

Summer Daze

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It has been insanely hot for most of the Summer so I have been in hot pursuit (see what I did there?) for more cute summery dresses.  Lately, I’ve been into polka dots, breezy wrap dresses and button down fronts, so when I saw this one I knew I had to snap it up!  Where I used to live on the California coast, with the exception of September which could get into the triple digits, the Summers there were almost entirely 65 degrees year round.  I remember when my parents came to visit one July and they brought only shorts and t-shirts, and had to buy sweaters while they were there! The nice thing about Colorado Summers is the low humidity which makes it way more tolerable. This place has the most finnicky weather I’ve ever seen too, and I’ve lived in Ohio where the mantra was “if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes.”  Well Colorado takes that saying to new heights as I’ve never seen such rapidly changing weather ever, but I digress.

Anyways, back to the outfit. I’m typically not super into cherry red in general? But for some reason I like the darker hue of this one. I’m also weirdly picky about polka dots.  Sometimes I hate the pattern of polka dots so much, but this one I dig. It might have something to do with how the dots are patterned. This is going to sound very OCD but if they are too even and symmetrical I get annoyed, and this dress is more randomly spaced out.  So now that you know I’m officially crazy, I recently, picked up a pair of white Converse All-Stars. I know they’ve been something of a trend for a while now but now that I’ve got more Summer outfits, I needed some cute sneakers to match! They are really comfy too, which is always a plus!

Outfit Set:

Outfit Details: Dress: Goldie London, shoes: Converse, tank top: Forever 21

Little Black Dress

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Lately I’ve been into 90’s inspired dresses, especially fit and flare styles with button down fronts. This “LBD” from Urban Outfitters is a perfect homage to 90’s style while keeping it modern and fresh. It works as a day-to-night option, perfect for every day wear that can be easily transitioned to an evening out–kind of hard to find in one black dress! In this case I paired it with more casual items, including my favorite pair of flats right now from Free People   and a few finds from Etsy: a vintage tooled bag and a few pretty little rings. How adorable is this mountain range ring? I must admit I am a little bit obsessed with VermeilSupplies’ rings and accessories–go check them out!

I wanted to also give a quick review of my two holy grail products for pale folks. As you can probably tell I am very pale and a lot of companies just don’t really have a great match for my skin tone. Most products are too yellow and look awful on me so after a lot of trial and error I wanted to talk about a few of my favorites. I’m not a foundation girl–it’s just too heavy for every day wear but I do have somewhat alarming dark circles. If I walked around without under eye concealer, you’d probably think I had a serious illness sooo I do have to rely on concealer to look normal. After I apply SPF (I like EltaMD’s physical sunscreens), I use NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly which is described as a “true ivory shade” which is 100% accurate. While it runs on the pricey side, its worth it for me since the benefits make up for the price. It’s a perfect tone match and as the name describes, it has a lovely creamy, matte texture and brightens everything up. While it’s a little thick, it does not settle into fine lines and dries perfectly matte almost immediately. I usually just apply this under the eyes and t-zone, or to calm down red areas. Another one of my favorite “pale folks products” (PFPs?) is this HD Finishing Powder from E.L.F. It has absolutely no pigment and goes on completely sheer. I can’t stand heavy powders and this one is completely transparent and gives a very natural matte look. And of course, leave it to E.L.F. to make it super affordable. So pale people, I highly recommend checking these two out if you are still looking for your holy grail products!

   

Outfit Set:

Outfit Details: Dress: Urban Outfitters, Shoes: Free People, Ring: VermeilSupplies, Bag: Vintage

Mustard Dress & Circle Bag

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 Spring has officially Sprung here in Colorado! One moment the trees have tiny buds and the next they are in full bloom almost overnight. It’s nice being in a spot with real established seasons compared to California. In Cali, every tree, flowering plant or whatever had their own rhythm of blooming and dying off, with little regard to seasons. Here, the plants seem to all be operating along a similar pattern even though the weather here is all over the place all the time. I’ll take it though, I actually enjoy seasons and weather.  A good thunderstorm is one of my favorite things and that almost never happened in California.

Now back to some of my latest Spring finds–how about this dress from Forever 21? I love how much the color and style reminds me of Spring time. I can see this becoming a perfect dress for a Sunday brunch or just hanging out on a warm afternoon. Looking forward to the weather warming up a bit more so I can wear it more regularly!  Lately I’ve been getting more into wrap “fit and flare” style dresses, they seem like a perfect Spring addition to the closet.

I’ve also decided to share with you guys a review of some of my favorite hair products. My hair is a bit weird where it can straighten out really easily but can become fairly wavy if it air drys without heat. I’ve been trying to find a “holy grail” product that accentuates waves without using heat and I recently discovered Ouai Wave Spray. This product is a great way to get beachy, natural waves with minimal effort. All I really do is spray on dampened hair and run through with my fingers and voila–defined, natural waves. I am completely obsessed with this stuff and it smells so good too! A few other products, as shown below, are a couple of my tried and true favorites: on the left is my favorite anti-frizz product–one tiny little dab helps smooth out frizzies. On the right is Lush’s No Drought which is my favorite dry shampoo product. I’ve tried a bunch of other brands but I prefer the powder instead of aerosol sprays for one big reason–it lasts so much longer! You get way more for your money with this stuff. I apply just a few puffs to my roots and brush out with a boar’s hair brush and it soaks up access oil super well! I’m not really a hair product nut so these are pretty much the only three I use regularly over the years. Definitely recommend checking these three out!

Outfit Set:

Outfit Details: Dress: Forever 21, Bag: Alba Baskets and Shoes: Lucky Brand

Leather & Leaf

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Sometimes black Friday can really come through with amazing steals! I had been on the hunt for a quality leather jacket for months and I was having pretty bad luck finding the right one at the right price. Real leather jackets can be super expensive but I didn’t want to give up on the search. On black Friday, I just happened to be poking around on Zara’s site and saw this fab leather jacket marked down for only one day. This jacket is a moto-style and made from sheepskin leather. I couldn’t pass it up! I was hoping this jacket would be as soft and flexible as it looked and I wasn’t disappointed. It turned out to exceed all expectations! I was really pleased with the softness and quality of the leather.

Zara also had this lovely 70’s inspired shift dress on sale and I instantly fell in love with the pattern. The colors of the falling leaf design is just too pretty. It reminded me of a late fall day in October. I pictured this being worn to a festival or concert, especially with the 70’s vibe of the dress. My favorite pair of Chelsea boots came in handy for this look again; they seem to always be popping up in my looks lately!  

Outfit Details: Jacket: Zara, Dress: Zara, Tights: ebay, Boots: Marc Fisher

Outfit Set:

Autumn Dress & Oxfords

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Happy Halloween everyone! It has been an extra busy last few weeks. October is my favorite month of fall festivities. Apple picking, haunted houses, corn mazes, apple cider, horror movies–love it all! The only bummer is that it has been sooo hot here and only now has it been cooling down. Pumpkin picking in 85 degree weather just makes no sense! We went to a local patch and picked out a few and it was still fun even in the heat. Really glad that the weather is behaving better for Halloween though!

When the weather can’t decide if it wants to be hot or cold I figure a post about transitional outfits makes sense. I love oversize cardigans and comfy slip dresses. This dress from H&M is perfect for the out of season hot weather we’ve been having lately but the cardigan provides some Fall coziness. If the temperature drops, leggings would be good as an extra layer for this outfit as well. I’m also a huge fan of these heeled oxfords! They’re surprisingly comfy for heels. To complete the look I added my favorite big leather bag. It’s big enough to carry home a pumpkin and you never know when you’ll need that!

Outfit Details: Dress: H&M, Cardigan: American Eagle, Bag: Live Fashionable, Shoes: Lucky Brand, Watch: Stock Watches

Outfit Set:

 

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Dark Floral

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Lately I have been into long sleeved, dark floral patterned dresses and this one combines the best of those things. This dress is comfy and loose fitting with a great retro 70’s floral pattern. You can take it in at the waist with a belt if you’re looking for a more fitted look but I actually like the looseness of this style. I like this outfit as a transition look for the in-between seasons. Long sleeve dresses and tights are your friend for that weird in between time. It’s also super affordable too which is a plus.

I’ve also been pretty much obsessed with these Marc Fisher ankle boots…they just look so good with so many things! It’s hard to resist wearing them with pretty much everything. To complete this look I added my favorite Brixton felt hat and this Hustle & Hide leather bag. Who says black and brown can’t be worn together? I beg to differ thank you very much. In terms of where to wear, I would probably wear this out to a concert or as a Winter to-Spring every day look.

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