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Who Says a Little Color Can’t Change Your Mood?

About a month and a half ago, I treated myself to a mani/pedi for my birthday weekend. For my fingers I went with my fallback, a pale pink gel, but for my toes I wanted a bit more color. Combing the polish selections can be daunting at times, especially if you’re not sure on the shade that you want. I had an idea, sort of. I knew that I wanted to stay in the pink family, and that I wanted it to be darker and brighter than what I had selected for my manicure. So, with that in mind, I resorted to my second favorite way to pick out a color: by the name. Some of my favorite colors I never would have tried if not for the name. Essie’s Little Brown Dress. Marc Jacob’s Gatsby. I picked up a few bottles and put them back, and then I spotted it, a beautiful plummy pink: Essie’s No Boundaries.

I left the salon completely satisfied with my decision, so much so that I ended up letting the color stay on my toes for far longer than it should have, then set out to purchase it. This past weekend, after laying out in the sun and getting a bit of color, I decided to give No Boundaries a try on my fingers and I’m so glad that I did. It has easily become my favorite pink polish of all time. Every time I look at it, it makes me smile. What’s your favorite polish of all time?

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Spa-lightenment

Last month, as a birthday gift, my aunt and I went to Massage Envy Spa for facials. We arrived early, and after we finished with the paperwork, were asked about what we wanted to get out of our visit. We were both kind of stumped for a minute because we hadn’t really thought of facials in terms of anything other than something that was fun and relaxing, but we both eventually thought of goals. Mine was to lighten freckles that I have on my face due to sun damage. The facials were amazing (we both came out with soft, shiny skin), and I ended up learning a few things. The first being that the Vitamin C Radiance Capsules that I have from the Body Shop are great because they hydrate your skin and brighten it. The Body shop, you win again!

The second thing that I learned was about a product that will actually lighten and correct the sun damage from my face. Ok, if I have to be honest, the freckles are not dark and barely noticeable until I am out in the summer sun, and I always wanted to have them as a kid…but as an adult it’s another story. I can see the lightest freckle and I despise all of them. With the summer on its way, and some beach weekends already planned, I want to get a head start on getting rid of them and repairing my skin. Murad’s Rapid Age Spot & Pigment Lightening Serum does just that. It contains glycolic acid which removes dead skin cells, and hydroquinone which lightens sunspots and freckles. But, while these ingredients may be exactly what I am looking for, they can make your skin sensitive to the sun. It’s recommended that if using this product (or others like it), that you apply it at night and follow up in the morning with a moisturizer that contains spf. I love my Dior Hydro Life Sorbet Crème, but I use it at night so I don’t get the one with spf in it. I’ve done some research, and clearly, I am returning to the Body Shop and picking up their Vitamin C Daily Moisturizer with spf 30. I will report back with my findings.

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Go Country For a Day

Ever wonder why country boots are so popular down south? It’s because they are not only durable, but comfy as well. I may not be a fan of denim shirts, country music or southern fried chicken, but cute and comfy I can do.

I realize that cowboy boots are on their way out of style in the fashion world, but I don’t always follow all the rules. My boots aren’t exactly cowboy, but they are western. I found them last year on a random trip to dsw and was convinced to purchase them. I almost didn’t get them, but a year later, I’m glad that I did because I’ve gotten a lot of use out of them.

There’s something carefree and charming about these boots, especially when paired with a dress. They give a little something more than flats, heels or sandals, and keep your feet comfy while you wear them. When the weather is a bit warmer, I do this thing where I put together no two outfits alike: prim and proper, casually suburban, summer beach-y. But I have to say that carefree country may be my favorite because I can be girly yet comfortable. Anything goes!

Every so often my bff and I have country days, and we’re having one this weekend. They are always a blast. So, next time there is a cool day (aka below 80 degrees) like there is today, dust off your boots, put on a floral dress and go.

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Summer is Unofficially Here

This past weekend is one that we look forward to all winter – especially with the one we just had, the temperatures hitting record lows, and a blanket of snow that never seemed to leave – the unofficial start to summer, and what a weekend it was.

Though it started off with some showers, most of the weekend was hot (temperatures reached the mid-80s) and, more importantly, full of sun. During the rainy periods I watched movies with a friend, cooked and ran errands, and during the better half of the weekend I was out soaking up the sun, iced latte in hand and doused in spf.

While autumn is my favorite season of the year for many reasons, no matter how much I end up complaining about it, summer is my second, but not for what you may think. Of course, I love the long daylight hours, trips to the beach, and the sun, but the real reason that I love summer is for the sundresses. And yesterday, as I was switching out my sweaters for my summer clothes, I was reminded of that. No matter how hot or humid it is, or what kind of day I’ve having, dunning a light, airy frock always puts a smile on my face. Maybe I’m just a girly girl – I did wear dresses every single day of kindergarten – but sundresses make everything better.

So, while summer doesn’t officially start until June 21st, sundress season has begun. I have already added two new ones to my collection and you can bet that there will be more. What is my ideal summer day? Sitting outside in a sundress with a good book and a glass of champagne or prosecco. What’s yours?

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Emily Giffin’s Something Blue

In honor of the recent release of Emily Giffin’s seventh novel, The One & Only, of which I am eager to delve into, I took a step back to the beginning of her writing career and reread her second novel, Something Blue, the sequel to Something Borrowed (will she ever bring back those characters again?), which brings back the beautiful, but self-centered Darcy as she travels to London to seek the comfort of her friend Ethan and start a new life away from New York, away from her ex-fiancé, away from her former best friend, and really, away from everyone who didn’t agree with the way she was choosing to live her life. With her impending motherhood, will Darcy be able to change her life for the better, or will she stay stuck in her ways?

What I love about Giffin is that not only is she great at getting the chick-lit story right, but she’s also a good writer which you don’t see a lot in that genre. Even though her stories have a light air to them, they also possess great strength and always make me take a step back and examine certain things about myself, decisions that I’ve made or haven’t made. All of her characters grow in one way or another. Take Darcy for instance. In the first novel we see her in she is extremely self-centered. She’s that way too in the beginning of Something Blue, but eventually learns that life can’t always be that way, and that if she were to stay on the path that she was going, she would never actually be happy. It’s a hard lesson for anyone to learn, but a valuable one. I leave you with a quote from the novel.

“Love and friendship. They are what make us who we are, and what can change us, if we let them.”

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Discover Laidback London

A few years ago when my office changed locations, I discovered a cute little boutique with a pink awning called Pookie & Sebastian, but it was only recently that I chose to venture in and aside from an amazing dress and bracelet that I purchased, I found something else there that is far more valuable, beautiful sandals by a company called Laidback London. They were a little pricey, but you could tell that they were of a high quality and worth the cost. Me, being the type of person who needs to know everything, immediately set about to find out information on the company and was amazed at what I found.

Laidback London was founded in 2002, spawning from the idea of making quality, fair trade sandals that are uniquely beautiful and timeless. The products are created in Africa, the leather is from a local tannery and everything about these sandals is handmade. The leather is dyed and cut by hand. The beads are hand sewn into the leather and the shoes are stitched together by hand. I have only worn my pair a few times, but I have received many compliments. Not only are they beautiful and comfortable, they can be dressed down or up. Really, the perfect sandals for summer. Check them out at laidbacklondon.com.

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Charles James: Beyond Fashion

This past weekend, I went to see the new fashion exhibit at the Met, Charles James: Beyond Fashion. With the recent renovations to the Costume Institute and renaming to the Anna Wintour Costume Center, the exhibit was truly amazing. First and foremost, I love the fact that the exhibit was held in two different spaces, on two different floors, and on opposite sides of the museum. It broke it up allowing for double the enjoyment, and gets visitors to take in more of the museum as opposed to just the fashion exhibit. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for going to the Met to view special exhibits, but even when I waited in line for an hour and a half for Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty (to then be in the exhibit for another hour), I still made a point to see more of the museum…but that’s coming from someone who can spend hours walking around in there.

Another aspect of the exhibit that I really liked was the staging of it. I remember from the McQueen, how there was so much packed into multiple rooms, and how it felt a bit closed in (perhaps partially because of the mass amount of people), but James was different. Both the upstairs and downstairs galleries were open and airy. The gowns and clothing displayed in such ways that you could see them from different angles if not walk all the way around them. There are also monitors for many of the pieces which show the painstaking steps that were taken to create these works of art. I only watched a few as they didn’t catch my eye as much as the clothing, but they were fascinating.

Then there were the garments themselves. They. Were. Fabulous. Breathtaking, really. It was hard to pick out just one favorite, although his Four Leaf Clover ball gown was definitely in the top five for me.

Charles James was a truly great couturier, but part of what makes him so amazing was that he was a perfectionist. I, who sometimes walk away from my writing mid-sentence because I just cannot find the right word, can completely understand. Part of this could be due to the fact that James started off as a milliner, and carried-on that approach into his clothing. He even went so far as spending years on one dress until it was exactly what he had envisioned. According to Voguepedia, he was even known to “don a finished gown and dance all night in his apartment above the Chelsea Hotel before handing it over…if he handed it over at all.” I could go on and on, but really, the exhibit speaks for itself. Charles James: Beyond Fashion opened at the Met just last week and will be on display through August 10th. I caught it opening weekend, but I will definitely be there many more times.

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The Met, an Old Friend

There are some places that, no matter how long it’s been since you’ve visited, or no matter who you had gone with, always envelope you into their doors and surround you with familiarity and warmness. This is the Met to me. Every time I go there I lose myself both in the beauty that it houses and in the literal sense. I always get lost. Normally, that is the type of thing that would frustrate me, but not there. I always look in wonder at my new surroundings and enjoy every minute of it.

Whenever I venture to the museum I have to visit the Egyptian temple, Monet and Degas (I love Degas), but the place that I spend the most time in is a result of one of my happy accidents. A few years ago, I stumbled upon a staircase, a beautiful hand carved staircase that sits on the first floor between European Sculpture and Decorative Arts and the American Wing, from Cassiobury House in Hertfordshire, dating back to the late 1600s. It’s breathtaking, and although that is by far my favorite piece, it is not my favorite section. It is from there, however, that I discovered the period rooms in the American Wing and truly fell in love. You walk through rooms from the late 1600s to early 1900s and see beautiful furnishings, amazing chandeliers….It brings you back to a different time where great care was taken into the production of rooms and houses and possessions. Even the floors in this section are old, hardwood and creak under your feet. Aside from the beautiful interiors, I love the period rooms because they’re quiet, never crowded and truly feel like home. No matter what mood I’m in, they give me an inner peace that I rarely find elsewhere. It’s the most special place in the Met to me. In it, time stands still. Where are your special places?

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Met Gala, White Tie & Charles James

As the fashion obsessed person that I am, my love for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual Met Gala should come as no shock. Every year, I scour social media and the internet (mostly Vogue) to find images of the event, gasping in utter amazement at the gowns and tuxedos that are worn by those who attend…dreaming of a day that I will get to attend. This year, with the Met’s new fashion exhibit, Charles James: Beyond Fashion opening today in the Anna Wintour Costume Center (formerly the Costume Institute), and the dress code for the gala being white tie, I knew I was in for a rare treat.

For those of you that aren’t familiar with the rules of a white tie dress code don’t fret because I wasn’t clear on them either. I knew what white tie was, I just didn’t know that that was the name of it. The rules for men are much stricter than women, who aside from having to wear full length dresses (ie ball gowns) have no other restrictions with the exception of white opera length gloves, an accessory that is not always required. Men, on the other hand, have to get decked out, from evening tailcoats, white bow ties and white low-cut waistcoats, down to the type of shoes (court pumps or Oxfords) and socks (silk). In other words, this is the most formal dress code and not something that you see every day. If you still can’t picture it, think about the Victorian Era, think about Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, think about the formal dances that took place in that time period. If that doesn’t help you, google pictures from this year’s Met Gala and you will immediately know what I’m talking about.

Beginning in 1971, the Met Gala continues to serve as both a fundraiser for the Costume Institute and the opening of the annual fashion exhibit. It is considered to be more prestigious than the Oscars and is mainly invitation only with individual tickets that are rare and boast a hefty price tag. This year, tickets were $25,000 per person. The new exhibit, Charles James: Beyond Fashion examines Charles James, an American couturier best known for his ball gowns (hence the white tie dress code) and will be open at the Met through August 10th. I haven’t even gotten there yet, but already I am in love…and I feel this is worthy of purchasing an exhibition catalogue (I have not purchased one since Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty back in 2011).

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Pieces of Ourselves

I was talking with Melissa this morning and she told me about a dream that she had last night, a vision, of a specific moment with an old love, one who she has never been able to fully forget. Her description was so vivid that I could imagine myself being there, so vivid that, in the moment, she felt as though she was there again. When she opened her eyes, she felt an intense ache in her heart, a longing that she hadn’t felt in a while. I told her that I knew exactly what she was talking about and how she felt because the same thing happened to me a few days earlier. She asked me, “How does it feel so real?? How come we can’t remember happy moments like that…”

I thought about her question for a moment, then answered with this: It feels so real because it was, because we still love/miss that person so much. Because the memories that bring us to tears have a more profound effect on us than ones that make us smile.

As much as we live for those moments of happiness, they don’t affect us nearly as much as the devastating ones when remembered. Happiness is what we strive for; it’s the ideal, yet, it is pain, we are told, that gives us strength and makes us grow. But really, why is this? Could it just be that we can remember loss more than love because that is what we’ve grown up hearing? Couldn’t we grow just as much through love as through loss? Honestly, I think it is more a matter of changing your perspective, because of course we can and we do. But those memories that Melissa had, that I’ve had, that we all have had, they will always haunt us not only because of the people that we were with then, but even more so because of the person that we were at that moment…a piece of ourselves that we can never get back.