fashion / the hotel barclay

oh how i miss having a model to play dress up for me and do my fashion posts. and having another sister. syd is almost half way done with her mission in costa rica and has been killing it out there. i don't know how she does it (or any missionary for that matter- props to all of you rm's!). i miss her all the time and am so sad she won't get to see my baby for his first 9 months. i'm sure she will make up for it when she gets back though- i have no doubt that she will be his best aunt! (sorry andie, audrey and hannah:).

this is the last fashion post that i have stock-piled of syd. it is from our day we spent in la in february. i have been hoarding it because it is such a good fall outfit with the best fall colors (although you can clearly see that springtime was blooming when we took these pics). as we were walking around la we noticed all of these people coming in and out of the 'hotel barclay', and realized they were making a movie inside! so of course we decided we wanted to take some pictures outside of it because it had to be significant in some way. 

syd is wearing: a green headband found at world market (is anyone else surprised at how cute their accessories are?), my favorite juicy brand light grey leather jacket (purchased years ago from nordstrom rack), a burnt orange peter pan collared tank (from brass plum), my high waisted purpley-brown silky pants (from soel boutique in utah), color-blocked bcbg heels (from marshalls), and my olive marc jacobs handbag (from nordstrom).

my [simple] beauty routine

i am not a beauty expert by any means. just ask each one of my sisters who somehow thought i was fit to do their prom/homecoming make up (each one ended up in tears- i know not one thing about eyeshadow which they all wanted). since high school i have perfected my 5 minute make-up routine and have pretty much stuck to it. i really wear only these make up items- though i have a few extras in my bag for when i'm feeling frisky (bronzer, concealer etc.)

1. Clinique Liquid Facial Soap - i start each morning (or let's face it, middle of the day at this point), by washing my face with this clinic face wash. i have notoriously bad skin, and have since high school. i use the oily skin-type wash and it is gentle and fresh.

2. Estée Lauder Daywear - this is probably my biggest indulgence. and i know as a poor college student i have no right spending this much on face cream, which i tell myself every time i run out. so, i usually try to do some other drug store facial cream that is less than $10 and i usually only make it a couple weeks before i run to the nearest nordstrom to buy my beloved moisturizer. i don't know what to say other than it is literally the best face cream on the face of the planet. like if the planet could use this face cream there would be no drought or pollution or world problems.

3. Bare Minerals Original Powder - if i could i wouldn't wear anything on my face, but seeing as it is a greaseball most of the time (except right after washings and using my bff daywear) i have to do something. bare minerals is pretty much the best- it's light and fresh. make sure to get the matte- i don't like the shimmer the original has.

4. Mac Dollymix Blush (and sometimes this Estée Lauder blush )- i love what blush can do for your face. it just makes you look so much happier and more alive. i switch off between the mac hot pink and the estee lauder coral to keep things interesting.

5. bare minerals brow powder - i started using this a couple of years ago and honestly don't go a day without filling my already bushy and crazy eyebrows in. maybe it's my desire to be more like audrey hepburn, but i love me a good dark eyebrow. though i don't like when they look too perfect. i like that this is a powder rather than a pencil because it is more loose and free. (sidebar: my eyebrows are naturally pointy- as are jarman's- we don't try to make them this way we were just born with it. my sisters think i look like cruella deville and won't let me touch their eyebrows because they don't want pointy ones like me. i can't imagine what our baby is going to look like with two pointy eyebrowed parents)

6. Clinique Eyeliner in Chocolate Lustre - i discovered brown eyeliner in high school after many days of putting on way too much black eyeliner that would drain above and beneath my eyes. i have faithfully used this brown eyeliner since. it has a shimmer and makes my eyes pop without looking scary. i generally use it on my bottom lash line, and sometimes on top.

7. Estée Lauder Mascara - i still haven't decided which mascara is my absolute favorite- i feel like there are plenty of good ones out there. i have tried lots of different brands (dior, clinique, mac...) i come back to this one a lot though.

8. Estée Lauder Gel Eyeliner - so this is the only item that i don't wear every day. it's mainly for days when i'm feeling fancy or feel like trying a bit harder. but that doesn't mean that this isn't the best product in my routine. it is simply amazing. it may look a little scary to put on- but it goes on evenly and smootly and stays in place. even when you have notoriously greasy eyelids that can't handle any eyeshadow or other liquid eyeliner. i'm obsessed.

9. YSL #58 Purple Lipstick - and finally, i finish by choosing one of many different bright lipsticks. i just got this ysl one and have been wearing it tons lately. i usually ask jarman to pick a color- red, orange, pink, coral, purple, dark purple, peach etc. he's become an expert at choosing for me when i can't choose for myself.

(ps. see this post for most of my favorite lipsticks)

fashion / summer staples to fall favorites

last year i did a couple of posts about how to transition your favorite summery items into fall in just a few short steps (see here and here). this past weekend in st. george my aunt angela and i came up with a few more outfits that show these same tricks.

angela got this bright jumpsuit over the summer and we obsessed over its simpleness and fun colors. to create a fall feel, we first added dark accents of black and put on the deep purple lipstick. for fall accessories we used that awesome floppy black hat in the shape that we can't get enough of (see my instagram for my other favorite hats in the same style). for shoes we would pair this type of flat that mimicks the lip color (i still can't get enough of the d'orsay style shoes!)

ps. follow angela on instagram for more fashion and design tips!

fashion / last days of summer

labor day was a little depressing for me, i'm not going to lie. don't get me wrong- i had an awesome day and went to a bbq with my favorite people. it just means that summer is coming to a close, and fast. for me this means less beach days, which is probably the biggest bummer of all (well, that might not be true; san diego is pretty much gorgeous year round). however, this year i am looking forward to fall fashion much more than usual because my little hot-blooded and pregnant self can't handle the heat, which greatly limits my clothing options. i'm ready to be able to layer, and wear pants and hats and jackets.

anyways, i just wanted to share one last summery look modeled by syd. we actually took these pictures back in january (that's california for you). but i have been saving them for just the right time, and i think this is it. she is wearing an old chambray dress from jcrew, a hat that was purchased for $2 from target, my favorite coral seychelles heels, and the best lipstick in the world.

fashion / embracing the bump

well really i should title this post embracing the bumps- because everything has gotten so much curvier (it's still up for debate whether my belly or booty is bigger- i feel like nikki minaj most days). i think it's time for me to get over it and embrace it. why not show off my curves- it's the one time where it is almost encouraged right??

lately i've been wearing tight tops (and sometimes bottoms) so that people can really tell that i'm pregnant. i have been following oh joy's 'dressing the bump' series and have learned some awesome tips- like pulling your skirt above the bump. i love doing this with all my skirts now. i got this black and white polka dot pencil skirt just before i got pregnant and contemplated returning it as soon as i found out. the stretchy material and long length make it ideal for pulling up over my bump though. i can't get enough neon right now and this top has been my go to for a pop of color. 

ps. swelling has gotten the best of my feet and ankles. it hasn't even been going down over night, i wake up and they are still massive. my inner ankle bone is long gone. while i typically don't have the slimmest ankles (some call them cankles), any semblance of definition i have is totally gone.

pps. i just want to make it known that i don't dress like this every day. in fact most days i wear a t-shirt and maternity jeans. but after looking at another fashion bloggers pregnancy fashion i was encouraged to try a little harder and feel a little better about myself. so while most days all i care about is comfort (and yes my rainbows are the most comfortable thing i wear), i  do like to sometimes feel cute and fashionable. i wanted to say that in case any of you readers are pregnant and annoyed at me, because that's how i feel toward other pregnant bloggers who wear things like heels and leather pants. but don't worry, i will definitely be doing a post on my typical pregnancy styles. since i bet you were super worried about that.