Shells of Silver

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you found the time to overeat and watch Oktoberfest meets Santa Clause style parades. I don't know how I feel about the latter yet - I'll get back to you.

Keepers

Just a few beauty related things that have made their way into my daily routines over the past few months.

• MAC Shadow Quad: Christmas money well spent. While I had never been big into eyeshadow, I carefully selected these 4 to suit me and now wouldn't want to do without them. They're all multipurpose and seem to have everything covered, from all over-highlight and contour to helping out my dark brows.
• NYX Cream Blush in 'Boho Chic': My current favourite cream blush. Subtly highlights while blending easily to prevent a china doll situation. 
• For my lips, I've been using The Body Shop's Aloe Lip Care morning and night, as it's just so hydrating. During the day I switch between Burt's Bee's tinted balm in 'Honeysukle', and MAC's 'Peach Blossom' - both perfect nudes. 
• Too Cool for School Pumpkin Sleeping Pack: A gift from Katie that has me converted to sleeping masks. I've tried out a few North American versions but this remains the best so far for refreshing skin overnight. 
• Bourjois Java Rice Powder: I'll admit that the packaging of this one is what caught my eye. I knew it would look good on my desk. It turns out to be a pretty hightlighter as well, leaving a diffused champagne hue behind that's really flattering. 
• La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo: My second tube now, as this stuff has saved my skin. It magically calms breakouts and irritations overnight, without leaving skin feeling tight or dry.
• Bass Nylon Brush: I picked this brush up for just a few dollars in the Fall, seeing as the natural bristle brush that I had been using was causing some breakage. While I never would have thought that a brush could make such a difference, now my hair won't survive without it. It can be used on wet or dry hair, glides through knots, and generally just smooths hair to make it more manageable.

Sally

It's time for a lesson in eye rolling from Sally Draper. I'll be taking notes.

Happy Birthday Katie!

I hope you saw at least one person wearing a snappy plaid jacket.

Watching Lately: Movie Edition

While I seem to have a steady queue of TV shows to watch, and somehow become dedicated to, I watch far fewer movies. When I do find a movie I like though, it really sticks with me - so I thought I'd share some recently discovered gems:

'Safety Not Guaranteed' is inspired by the infamous 1997 Backwoods Home Magazine ad that read: 

"Wanted: Somebody to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. Safety not guaranteed."

It follows Darius (Aubrey Plaza - a nod to Daria?), a magazine intern who joins writer Jeff (Jake Johnson), and a fellow intern as they investigate the ad. While Jeff uses the story as an opportunity to connect with a childhood crush, which takes a different route than you'd expect, the bulk of the work falls to the interns. Darius impresses Kenneth (Mark Duplass), the ad's seemingly paranoid writer, and becomes his traveling companion in an attempt to get the story. Without going too much away, the fact that the movie is never actually defined as fantasy keeps it grounded. The characters are also relateable and charming, and it kept me interested until the end. 

'Love Me If You Dare' or 'Jeux d'enfants' details the unusual friendship of Sophie (Marion Cotillard) and Julien (Guillaume Canet). They bond at a young age in a time of chaos for both of them, starting a destructive game of dares. Whoever holds the small tin box has the power to dare the other. The task has to be completed before the box is returned. Over the years the dares escalate and we see how the game affects who they become, their relationships, and what they are capable of enjoying in life. While the characters could be called terrible people, I felt like their unpredictable moral compass was refreshing, particularly against a backdrop that melds fantasy and reality in the defining scenes (unintentional theme?). It kept things from veering too much into fairy tale territory. If anything, this one compares to the original versions of most fairy tales where people dance themselves to death or wind up arrested.

Have you watched any good movies lately?

December

A few phone pictures from the last while. A bit of card and gingerbread house making, decorating, serious snow, holiday reading, Christmas shopping slip up, and Levi enjoying his gifts from my family (sort of).

And 'fore you know it, it's already here

 Hope everyone's having a nice Christmas!

New Additions

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Bad Bats

Fall Style Inspiration: From The Movies

When it comes to covet worthy style, there are a select few film stills that fill up my desktop's 'Inspiration' folder. They may seem like odd choices movie wise, but the characters are so well styled that they have stuck with me and always seem to be in the back of my mind while editing my wardrobe and general style. With the exception of one or two Summer months when I go a bit Country Strong, my top favourites lend themselves well to Fall and Winter dressing, so I thought I'd share.

 

 Continue for exhibits A and B.

Read more »

Sun Don't Shine

Imaginary Friend

Collectin'

A few much loved items that I've picked up over the last while:

•   Bag from Aldo
• Bourjois Color Boost Lipstick in 'Peach on the Beach'
• Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Polish in 'Pacific Blue'
• Freeman Pomegranate Sugar Scrub
• Sunglasses case from Aldo
• Scarves from thrift store

Peach Stock

 

When it comes to makeup, I'm pretty into finding products that work well and sticking with them.I do have one vice though, when it comes to lip products. I'm constantly on the hunt for my ideal peach toned lipstick. You know, that perfect peachy nude that isn't too dark but not too washed out either (pale problems). I know its a bit ridiculous to have so many in the same colour range, but I do enjoy them all and I love finding new ones that might be even better. I narrowed down some of my current and all time favorites and swatched them.

A few notes: L'Oreal Infallible Le Rouge in 'Perpetual Peach' might just be my all time favorite, being long lasting and a true peachy nude that I always come back to (but it doesn't hurt to keep looking...). The YSL glossy stain is a new love - and probably tied for first if it hasn't already taken over: buildable, lasting and non sticky with the prettiest colour. MAC's Pro Longwear Lipcream in 'To the Future' is a great peach for pale skin tones that lasts forever. Rimmel Apocalips in 'Luna' is so lovely that I had to hunt it down on ebay because I couldn't wait for it to come to North America - its a bit like a budget version of the glossy stain. Revlon lip butters are my favorite tinted balm that I wear most days, and 'Juicy Papaya' is a really unique shade. The initial color of Revlon's balm stain is the ideal nude - my only gripe being that is fades into an odd red before long. Stila's convertible colour in 'Gerbera' is my current favorite blush, and works well as a lipstick when blended with a balm. Revlon Colorstay Suede in 'Front Row' is the perfect peachy pale pink, and NYX Xtreme Lip Cream performs similar to the Rimmel Apocalips.

Up-Do

 

Summer means putting my hair up most of the time to avoid frustration. It likes to be messy, so working with it to create textured styles is the easiest thing to do. Messy beehives, half updos, and most recently- undone topknots have been favourites. A few inspirations:

Read more »

Flowers, Food, Friendship

Documenting this year's gardens, Key lime Greek yogurt with strawberries, My new tea plant, The beginning of an unhealthy relationship.

Spring Wishlist

A few things I am taking inspiration from fashion and beauty wise this Spring:

1. Nina by Nina Ricci perfume
2. Marc by Marc Jacobs Sam Check Dress  
3. Dolce Vita Jentry Boot
4. Marc by Marc Jacobs 'Save the Birds' Resin Pendant Necklace
5. Yoox Envelope Bag
6. Stila Convertible Color in Gerbera

Zou Bisou Bisou

Happy Mad Men day! I'm very excited for the events, clothing, hair and makeup of this season (in no particular order).

But really this will be the highlight.

Spotted

Annie Monroe, Lucy Hale for WhoWhatWear, Unknown, Buffy, Jean Shrimpton, An Education, Zooey Deschanel for InStyle, Sucker Punch