Archive for the ‘Beauty’ Category

The Great Gatsby and a few other things…

Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013

 

Is everyone as excited as me to see Baz Luhrman’s The Great Gatsby?  It comes out May 10.  I am all about period movies based on classic literature.  I think it is my favorite movie genre ever.  I’m in love with the clothing from this time period.  Have you seen the Prada sketches of costumes for the movie floating about on Pinterest?  Every time I watch this Gatsby trailer I want to chop my hair off and lose 20 pounds.  LOL  I am of course on the lookout for some Gatsby inspired clothing.

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I have been extremely lucky in finding some new clothes this Spring that I just adore.   They are not 1920′s but they feel vintage and maybe even a little Gatsby to me.  They sort of make me want a Mint Julep.

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I am just crazy for subtle, feminine detailing in clothing.  I also really enjoy clothes that look period or even a little costumey.  I get that it’s not everyone’s thing.  In some parallel universe, I think I just might be a costume designer for the movies:)  This is a 100% cotton eyelet, peplum top with a scalloped sleeve from Ann Taylor Loft.  I have to admit that I had just about given up hope on Loft.  Their fall/winter stuff was all synthetic materials and no vintage feeling clothes at all.  I am so happy I “happened to check them out” again.  They are just about the only convenient clothing store (other than Target) to me so I will most likely forever continue to walk through Loft even though I have a love/hate relationship with it.

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Here is another one from Loft, 100% cotton, dotted Swiss t with an eyelet panel down the front and 3 little buttons on the back.

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This mint, 100% cotton, peter pan collar shift has row, vertical pleats (That isn’t the right word.  Granzie, help me out…what is that called?  It escapes me right now.) and khaki highlighted, open work/hemstitching (not sure exactly what that’s called either) down the front.

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This one is from Boden.  It’s 100% cotton, dotted Swiss with a peter pan collar and scalloped button placket.  I will most likely wear all of these with jeans.

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The shoes are from dsw.com.  It’s a brand new to me called Chelsea Crew that does some very vintagey looking shoes.  Yay!  I saw these shoes and had to have them even though I don’t wear heels.  These are very comfortable and great for someone like me who loves the look of heels but doesn’t have the sort of life for heels (they are very low+wide=practical).  I’m wearing these to the grocery.  With jeans.   I don’t care.  I’m not waiting to dress up to use them (because I really never go anywhere that I need to dress up).  I have always wanted t-strap shoes, they are just so old fashioned.  These are synthetic (not leather) and therefor, pretty reasonably priced.   The hat was $10 from Target.  Oh no!  Hats on beds is bad!  Thanks Drugstore Cowboy for giving me a hats on beds phobia (Carey, this movie always makes me think of you <3 ).

PS  The flower duvet on the bed is a recent consignment find that I’m absolutely crazy for.  I got a whole set of Liberty of London for Target bedding from the Consignment shop next to the Farm Woman’s market in Bethesda a few months ago.  It was a great price AND my mom was so kind to spoil me and buy it for me :)

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I’ve been messing around with some Masterpiece Theater inspired hairdos in an attempt to feel inspired about keeping my hair long when I see Gatsby.  I’m so not kidding.  When I walked out of Luhrman’s Moulin Rouge movie I knew I needed a belly button ring.  I didn’t even like the movie, but it was so visually inspiring.   PS  This hairstyle was super easy.

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Um….I’ve never posted a pic of myself in the 3.5 years I’ve had my blog.  Awkward.  I wanted to post this for 2 reasons.  #1 My Grams face-timed me by accident last weekend and I was sick and looked awful.  I promise I don’t always look soooo horrible, Grams :)  (plus, I was taking a pic of my hair anyway).  #2  This is the other shirt I bought this Spring from Boden.  It is synthetic, but it has a peter pan collar and horizontal, row pleating/what-sits?    And the color is just darling.

 

OK, so the name of this post should actually be:  Holy Cow!  I bought five shirts!  Such a splurge but I’m happy I did it.  Sometimes it just feels good when it’s my turn to be spoiled.

 

**Pin tucking!  Thanks, Nora :)  Those are the pleated what-sits I was thinking of…**

 

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One more thing…

Tuesday, May 15th, 2012

 

Sock bun.  Holy cow it worked!

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SLS/Coconut free products

Monday, March 19th, 2012

 

So the quest for SLS/coconut free products continues.  The shampoo on the left of this picture was mud/clay/awful.  Didn’t feel like soap at all and I couldn’t rinse it all out properly.  The body lotion in the middle seems to work well for me but they have changed the formula to include coconut.  So I can only buy the old bottles for so long :(  This shampoo is the only shampoo I can find so far that works for me and is coconut and almond free, but it dries my hair out terribly.  I have found two bar soaps and a toothpaste I can use without problems.  I have not found a conditioner or face cream that doesn’t make the rash/breakouts worse.   Every time I think I am on top of this, about a week passes and my skin begins to heal, I somehow mess it up with another product that makes it terrible again.  This time it was the conditioner I tried to balance out the new drying shampoo.  I need to just order the conditioner that is the partner of this shampoo and maybe it will be just fine.  In the meantime I can only use pure aloe on my face.  The dermatologist told me that once I completely eliminate all the products that are causing the problem, it will take 2 weeks for my skin to heal.  AHHHHH!

 

This blog has been sooo very helpful to me right now!

 

PS  Did I mention I always knew I had a problem with SLS (sodium laurel sulfate in regular shampoo gives me terrible skin) but when I switched to natural shampoo 15 years ago I was fine again.  It is only since Lyme treatment that coconut has become a problem.  However, I read online that if you have a problem with SLS than you probably have a coconut allergy.  The coconut allergy blog told me to rub coconut oil on my inner arm and watch for redness.  I did and it was red and blotchy, but when I went to wash it off, it was like fire.  I think I need to see an allergist to help me figure this all out.

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Lollia

Friday, January 13th, 2012

When we were in Ellicott City I tried some of this Lollia cream (I can’t wear perfume anymore :( it gives me a headache, but cream I can do).  It smelled so lovely.  I wish I had gotten some.  I can’t remember which scent I liked the best or I would order it online.  Isn’t the packaging beautiful?  I bought some for a friend a while ago at TJ Maxx!  I knew nothing about it other than I was in love with the packaging.  Now I know it actually smells delicious too.

PS  Anthropologie carries it.  How do they always know what I want?

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My Christmas treats

Monday, December 26th, 2011

Darling and I didn’t really do Christmas presents for each other this year…but at the last minute I ordered a few things that I have been wanting…it was too depressing not to have a few things for my stocking.  Most were inexpensive and came from Vitacost.  I tried the Jason Thin to Thick hair elixer last night.  I am going to try and use the elixer every other night since I am on my kick of washing my hair every other day.  Darling said it smelled like dryer sheets (a little intense).

I used the Jason shampoo and conditioner this am and then blew dry my hair.  It feels nice.  My hair usually can’t tolerate conditioner so this one seems pretty good so far.  Today is December 26th, I will take a hair pic on Jan 26th so I can monitor hair growth/thickness.  My hair is very fine and seems to grow pretty slowly in the Winter. I am also going to start the hair grow vitamins today.  I read a lot of reviews for hair/skin/nail vitamins.  These Maxi-Hair vitamins have a ton of positive reviews and they are a fabulous price (like $8 or something).

I have been on some heavy duty meds for Lyme for almost 6 months and my hair seems a bit thin (Can you see all the broken/short pieces around my face?).  The last month that I was on the meds my face was always breaking out in hives.  Even though I stopped taking them a few weeks ago I am still trying to get rid of the bumps on my face.   Another weird thing is that I have some new (new as in I noticed them about 4 months ago) brown spots on my face.   I was on doxycycline over the summer and I think it may have damaged my skin a bit (you are not supposed to go in the sun at all when you are on it and I was taking the kids to the pool everyday).  I have to try and figure something out for that.  Any ideas?  Anyway, I am off meds now and wanting to go on a big health kick!

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makeup bag

Monday, December 26th, 2011

I always love to see what makeup people consider to be their essentials.  So here is what is in my makeup bag right now.  A good magnifying mirror with good tweezers for eyebrows.  I have a nice, natural, under eye concealer, powder and brush from Afterglow Cosmetics.   Dr Hauschka blush (I don’t love the color but I love the quality, it never bothers my extremely sensitive skin).  Rosebud salve feels so old fashioned for bare lips and Aubrey Organics tinted lip gloss for when I want color.  Great lash mascara.  It is about the only mascara that works for me.  I have tried natural ones and they made my eyes itchy and red and didn’t do the job.  So I keep going back to Great Lash (I’ve used it ever since high school).

I didn’t wear makeup for probably 10 years.  Over the last 3 years or so I have started to wear it regularly.  Not a lot but a little.  I like makeup, I think it is fun.  And the older I get, the more I feel like I need a little.

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Organic sea mist spray instead of dry shampoo???

Sunday, December 11th, 2011

OK, so I am liking the idea of this product better than dry shampoo.  It is completely natural/organic and contains only 3 ingredients!  Some of the reviewers on Amazon say that they have fine, oily hair and this product works better than dry shampoo.  They spray it on their roots on the days that they don’t wash their hair and it fixes the oil situation.  Oh and it smells like lavender too!

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Dry Shampoo…

Monday, November 21st, 2011

Do you remember my experiment with washing my hair with baking soda last year?  It did not turn out well.  At all.  I have very fine, straight, oily hair that I have to wash everyday or it looks horrible.  I am not kidding.  Everyday.  I go through periods where I try to train my hair to go every other day, but I have never been successful (except when I was pregnant with Liam).  I always give in because it looks so horrible I can’t leave the house on the second day.  I know washing your hair everyday is not supposed to be good for it.  It strips the natural oils and can be drying to the ends and/or make your scalp produce too much oil because it is trying to compensate for over washing.  So, should I try dry shampoo? And what kind should I try?  I read a lot of reviews…and two brands seem to stand out…

1.  Klorane Gentle Dry Shanmpoo With Oat Extract (non-aerosole pump)

2.  Renee Ferterer Naturia Dry Shampoo

3.  Should I make my own?  Someone had a recipe to make your own on their blog…maybe it was a link from Angry Chicken?

Here is a tutorial on how to use dry shampoo on youtube

A bonus of dry shampoo is that it is supposed to add volume to your hair.  That would be nice.

I think I’d like to try this style:  Angry Chicken (blog) linked to it.

Isn’t it so cute?  PS  It also involves growing out my hair.  Again.

Has anybody tried dry shampoo????

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