Easter Ensemble

This Easter I was looking super sassy in some traditional Easter colors, and I thought I'd share this look with you all! I try to go against the customary way of dressing from time to time, and since it seems the vast majority of women wear dresses on Easter, I decided to come up with something different, which was part of the inspiration behind this look. I pulled two of my favorite tops, my light pink button up and my mint green argon sweater. Now, yes both of these pieces are long sleeved, and with one being a sweater, you might be wondering how I managed in the almost 80 degree weather. Well the button up is 97% cotton, and the sweater, %100. Cotton does breath, even in more modest garments. You'll notice I also cuffed the sleeves back, not only to keep me slightly cooler, but also as a style choice. The colors of the sweater are also a give away as to what particular season/weather it is meant to be worn. Next as a neutral against the many colors I'm wearing on top, I wore a basic white short paired with a brown belt to give separation to the two pieces. My favorite brown boots and a few simple jewelry pieces complete the look. Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!

Pink Button-Up : Banana Republic

Sweater: IZOD

Shorts: Aberocrombie&Fitch

Belt: Hollister

Boots: Enzo Angiolini

Watch: Fossil (See "Wedding Look")

Bracelet: Gift

Skin Care Routine (Morning & Night)

My current skin care routine is not a specific order of products that I always use every day or even every other day. But the products I'm sharing with you are all things that I do use at some point within the week. Again, I'm going to be listing several Neutrogena products, but a few others as well. First off, a product I've been using for several years now that I highly recommend to anyone, The Neutrogena Naturals Fresh Cleansing + Makeup Remover.  

I use this product on an everyday basis, both in the morning to give myself a clean pallet for any makeup I might wear that day, and then at night to remove any dirt, oil, and of course makeup that accumulated on my face during the day. Personally, for me this time of the year always proves to be bittersweet as I love the warm weather, but the allergies, that accompany the new plant growth, are something that plaque me every year. So, it's even more important and beneficial for me, and perhaps any of you who struggle with allergies this time of year, to wash and keep your skin void of allergens as best you can. My products I use only at night are, first my Neutrogena Pore Refining toner. 

The purpose of this product is to reduce the appearance of and close pores after cleansing, and also to refine skin. The reason I only use this product at night is so my skin is able to have a full 7 or 8 hours to allow this product to produce optimal results for my skin, but also because this product contains an alpha hydroxy acid that may increase your skin's sensitivity to the sun, which increases the chance of sunburn. After I've used my cleanser, applied my toner and allowed it to dry, I lastly apply a moisturizer. At night I use Clinique's dramatically different moisturizing lotion.

 The reason I reserve this product for night time use, though it does well in hydrating and healing my skin, is it does not contain sunscreen. If you care anything about anti-aging or preserving your skin's youthfulness and elasticity, you should be applying sunscreen to your skin on a daily basis. So for daytime, in the morning, after I've cleansed my skin, I apply Olay Complete All Day Moisturizer with Sunscreen. 

This product is another I highly recommend. I've been using it for quite sometime, and while it does contain SPF 15, it does not have a greasy or heavy texture to it that some of you might associate with certain sunscreen products. So that is my basic skin care routine that I practice on a daily basis!. As for other products that I like to mix in from time to time, I use Biore's new Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser.

 I was honestly drawn to this product by the packaging. The cleanser itself is black in color which I thought was especially interesting. This product also causes a nice cooling sensation on my skin. Also from time to time I like to use Neutrogena's Oil-Free Acne Wash pink grapefruit cleanser and the Blackhead Eliminating Cleanser/Mask. 


I don't actually have acne but this product is nonetheless beneficial in preventing blemishes from occurring on my skin. Not to mention it smells amazing! As for the cleanser/mask, I like that this product has a bit of grit to it which is great for gently exfoliating my skin, something you should also incorporate into your regular skin care routine. Love your skin and it will love you back! 

Fresh Face for Spring!

Lately, I've been wearing a very natural, simple, easy makeup look which I believe to be absolutely perfect for spring! It takes me less than five minutes to apply everything for this look, yet it still looks very polished, not to mention it lasts all day! So here goes! For my foundation, I use Neutrogena's Healthy Skin liquid makeup in the color buff. This product is very light weight, and it provides me with a mild even coverage, and what I mean by that is that this makeup is not one that will cover blemishes fully, but it does give your skin a subtle healthy glow. It also contains broad spectrum suncreen in spf 20!

Concealer is optional of course, but I've been using Neutrogena's Healthy Skin brightening eye perfector. This product also contains spf 25. This is perhaps more useful for adding youthful, lightness to the eyes as opposed to concealing under eye circles. This product may also be used as a primer should you want to apply any eye shadow but, for this simple look, I am not. I apply the eye perfector underneath my eyes, the inner corners on either side of my nose, just under my brows, and If I have any excess product on the applicator, I will place it down the bridge of my nose and the tops of my cheeks as a very minimal highlight. 

Next to set both the foundation and the highlight, I lightly dust Neutrogena's Healthy Skin pressed powder all over my face and under my chin as you should always slightly carry your makeup down to your neck to prevent any harsh lines. If you'd prefer a more dewy finish as opposed to matte, you can simply just apply the powder to the areas you used your highlighter, or those areas and your nose, forehead and chin. I have worn the look both ways, matte and dewy, and I love both equally. As an additional step, if you're going to be wearing this look outdoors in the warm weather for an extended period of time, you can apply Neutrogena's shine control powder to the areas on your face where you tend to perspire such as your hair line or T zone. This product is excellent for absorbing excess moisture on your face, helping your makeup last longer. Next apply any blush to the apples of your cheeks, and any excess product on your brush or applicator to your temples. The majority of the time I use Wet N Wild's Mellow Wine. This particular blush, on my skin tone, creates a very natural color and finish. Almost done! 

Next apply your mascara. I use Neutrogena's Healthy Lengths in carbon black. A couple coats on both the bottom and top lashes and lastly, I apply my favorite lipstick, which I am wearing in my spring look post, Revelon's Creme Siren #677. I love this color because it's not your traditional red lipstick, it has a orange tone to it which, yes, is perfect for spring! And that is the finished look! Can you tell I like Neutrogena??

Pirate Look

Over the weekend I attended a party with the theme of pirates! I have to admit, I wasn't too excited about going at first... I didn't know what to wear! Sure I was imagining all sorts of fun and interesting looks to dress in and be absolutely, 100% pirate-y, but I didn't want to spend money on clothes I didn't need or might not ever wear again, no matter how inexpensive. So, I had to get a little creative with some pieces just waiting to be put together for the first time, and most likely the last, already in my closet. And here's what I found! I wanted to go the more realistic route with my costume, since all of the pieces I was incorporating would be regular clothing items, and not specific costume pieces. My initial instinct was earth tones, earth tones, EARTH TONES! So let's start from the top and work our way down the ensemble. Around my head, I've tied a very simple black scarf, and allowed the strands to drape over my outfit. For earrings, I went with some I had that reminded me of coins or gold, certainly pirate-esk. For a pop of color against all of the earthy colors, I layered together two turquoise necklaces. Next I decided to go with a creme colored top, an over-sized dark green button up, a thick brown waist belt, three bracelets of various styles and colors, a tan mini skirt, and my favorite boots, which have managed to make it on here a few times. All in all, I was extremely proud of this look. I don't believe I could have put together a better look for such an occasion if I had set off to purchase some pieces in particular. 

Spring Look

Yes yes it's been quite some time since I've posted anything, but I must say anyone who knows me can vouch that I have been extremely busy the past couple months. However, my schedule has freed up enough just in time to enjoy this gorgeous, long anticipated weather, and so I thought I'd share my first look of spring '14 with you all! So this look I just quickly put together this morning. I threw on the denim jacket last minute in case it was a little chilly on my walk to class this morning, which paid off because it was, and it went quite nicely with the overall look. The colors are not exactly traditional spring colors, but I think that's why I like it so much. You can see I've got some deep purple going on as well as army green, and even some black here and there, but my favorite aspects of this look are the pops of orange/red. My flowy top, which I belted to accentuate my waist, my beaded bracelet, and my latest lipstick purchase, which I am obsessed with, all feature the vibrant, striking color. I do believe I heard some where that orange was going to be "The Color" this spring, so if that's the case, then kudos to me for flaunting it in my first look, even though it's kind of red at the same time. Hope you like it as much as I did!

Jacket: Aberocrombie&Fitch
Top: American Eagle
Shorts: Charlotte Ruse
Boots: Rack Room Shoes
Black Belt & Bracelet: Unknown
Lipstick: Revlon #677