Dark Florals

I’m gonna be real with you for a moment here. I haven’t worked out in like a month. And as we all know, I’m someone who tries SO HARD to eat healthy but consistently  gains weight when she glances at a sweet treat (this is a real condition and I definitely have it.)

A little backstory as to why I haven’t worked out lately - 9 years ago (very close to this very day actually), I was playing soccer. And by playing soccer I mean trying to stay alive on the soccer field, running around like a crazy person trying to kick a ball in the right direction.

After the game, I spotted him across the field. He has SO good looking, tan, curly blonde hair. I tried playing it coy (not like the desperate-for-love girl I was inside) and kicked around the soccer ball with my friend. He sauntered over (with all the swagger), and started goofing off with us. He had this super bright idea of jumping on my back for a piggie-back ride (as only a high-schooler would) and something terrible happened. There was a pop and a thump (me falling to the ground.) 

LONG STORY SHORT, I had torn my ACL and MCL. I had surgery that summer and then married the man who essentially tore my ACL 6 years later. As one does.

Anyway, it recently became inflamed and I’ve been in a ton of pain for the last few weeks, and that’s why my legs have been in hiding. Because they’re growing larger by the minute. JOKES. But really.

So if you’ve seen me living in jeans or maxis like this one lately, you’ll know why. ;) In fact, I'm sharing some of my favorite maxis that you can shop below (since the one I'm wearing is sadly sold out!) Happy Friday, friends!

Wearing Keepsake maxi dress (similar), Halogen leather jacket, Sophie Blake bracelet, Via Spiga boots, Erwin Gomez lipgloss in SAB c/o and Express skinny scarf. Photos by Abbey.

SHOP MY FAVORITE FLORAL MAXIS

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Late

I feel as though I’m always late. Late to trends, late to the bus (you may have even seen me running down Wilson Blvd to catch it on occasion), late to LIFE IN GENERAL.

Also late to the game? SPRING. Like it came for the briefest of moments, then skipped town. Now I’m left out in the cold (quite literally), trying desperately to stay warm. (I was wearing THIS 4 days ago for pete’s sake.)

Luckily for me, I kept out a few winter staples JUST IN CASE a scenario like this would happen, thank goodness! Along with my tried and true fleece-lined leggings, this cashmere sweater from Lou & Grey has been in rotation at least once a week.

These photos were taken in New York a few months back, but I’m wearing a very similar variation of them today. Instead of these awesome faux leather fleece-lined pants, I’m wearing fleece-lined leggings under some trousers. But everything else is the same. Cozy boots, my most favorite cashmere sweater from Lou & Grey and the oversized blazer that’s taken over my life in the best way possible.

And of course, my favorite Sophie Blake jewels.

Are you guys ready to get rid of this winter weather as much as me? Shall we all dress for Spring and hope to goodness we can WILL IT to come back?! Who’s with me?!

Wearing Lou & Grey cashmere sweater c/o, Sophie Blake necklace, faux leather pants via Take 5 Boutique c/o, Achro jacket, Via Spiga boots, Ray-Ban sunnies, Erwin Gomez gloss in SAB c/o.

Photos by Cheralee

Holiday Lip Shades

I have this vivid memory from 5th grade - I’m sitting in my mom’s car waiting to be dropped off for school. I clumsily threw my hair into a half pony tail (my signature style back in the day) and swiped on some brown lipstick. Next, I got out my blue eye shadow (YES BLUE) and swiped a bit over my eyelids.

How my mother let me out of that car I’ll never know, but such was the start of my obsession with makeup. While I would not (I repeat - WOULD NOT) sport blue eye shadow ever again, brown lips are certainly coming back into style.

This holiday season, I wanted to share three fun lip shades that I’m loving at the moment!

First is this super cool relish brown lipstick from Erwin Gomez (in SAB), a local makeup artist and salon owner. In the tube, this looks sparkly and red, but it’s totally not. When I wear this, I’ll typically forgo blush and strictly stick to bronzer for contouring. It’s such a bold color and I’ll be honest - I wasn’t sure if I’d love it on me…but one swipe and the 5th grader in me was in heaven.

This gorgeous red color seen above is called "Serrano" from Makeup Meltdown. This is your red if you’re not committed to looking like you placed used a red crayon on your face (which is not a bad thing, but not always the look you want!) It has just a touch of pink in it too, which I really love. I only did one coat, but for a deeper, darker red, apply a couple.

Finally, the greatest bright pink shade ("Grenada" by Makeup Meltdown.) This color is not for the faint at heart. It's bright and it's beautiful. This tint would look great with a black holiday dress or even a casual light grey sweater and jeans for brunch out with the girls. I also just did one coat on this one, but if you’re looking for a brighter look, go for round two.

What makes the last two shades so special is that $5 from the $20 retail price of each lipstick will be going The Beauty Bus Foundation, a non-profit that provides "Bags of Beauty" to the terminally ill and their caretakers nationwide.

Hesitant to purchase before trying? You can try out the last two shades by Makeup Meltdown next week at Kendra Scott in Mosaic District on December 10!  And 20% of all Kendra Scott and Makeup Meltdown sales from that evening will go to benefit Active Minds! Hope to see you there!

Wearing Sophie Blake earrings, Everlane tee and Calvin Klein coat (similar)