Why I deleted my Facebook account

Exactly 2 weeks ago I came home, unpacked my dirty dishes from lunch, took off my work shoes, got myself a big glass of water, sat down at the computer and deleted my personal Facebook account.

I wasn't in a bad mood, I wasn't being held at gunpoint by pirates - I had just simply had enough. For most people, this would be a strange and unthinkable thing. Our culture has become so attached to social media that even the smallest businesses need to have some sort of online presence to be even mildly successful in today's competitive marketplace.

Prior to the night I deleted my Facebook account, I didn't make an announcement, have a going away party, or do anything other than privately think about whether or not I should actually do it. I had been on Facebook for years, so I thought on that decision for a week before I realized my life would be a lot happier after hitting that "Confirm" button saying: yes, I am sure I want to delete my account. Social media is a fun and useful tool, but with any good can come bad. While it is relatively harmless - a platform used to connect with people and share your life, I found it becoming a negative and anxiety-inducing presence in my life. Within the last 4 months it had become something I loathed rather than liked, yet for some reason I couldn't stop checking my account.

Before deleting my account, I researched other people's videos and stories about their reasons for quitting Facebook, and I realized I wasn't alone. Now, don't get me wrong, I haven't quit social media altogether. I have a Facebook page for my blog that I solely use for the purpose of sharing my latest post. Because my blog's Facebook page is purely business, I don't find any anxiety associated with it. I put up my latest blog post, talk about the latest trends and call it a night. I also have a Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, Myspace, and Tumblr account, none of which have ever caused discomfort or formed addictive habits for the years that I've been on them.

While I have various accounts on other popular social media platforms, the deletion of one account has made me feel more unplugged and balanced than I have in a long time. Ultimately, at the end of the day, what we all really need is a balance: one that perfectly blends ourselves, personal connection, and technology into a harmonious ebb and flow of life. Sadly, that's becoming harder and harder to come by, which is why I took one giant leap for myself, and one baby step for mankind (at least I like to think so), by deleting my Facebook.

It may get a little awkward now when people who want to talk to me outside of work ask "Are you on Facebook?", but I just smile, say "Nope, but here's my number if you want to talk sometime." and keep on going.

<.3

Memorial Day Deals

I love the red, white and blue, and deals too! There are a lot of amazing deals going on today until midnight. Here are a few of my favorite to help you stock up until the next super sale:

nastygal.com

Extra 50% off of sale. Extra discount taken at checkout.

gap.com

Extra 40% off of entire purchase. Enter MIDNIGHT at checkout.

potterbarn.com

Free shipping, no minimum. Enter code FREESHIP at checkout.

threadflip.com

Extra 20% off of sale. Enter code MEMDAY20 at checkout.

dailylook.com

Buy one, get one 50% off. Use code SUMMER50 at checkout.

nomorerack.com

Free shipping all day, no minimum. 

toofaced.com

10% + Free shipping. Enter code JETSET10 at checkout.

saturday.com

Extra 25% off of sale + free shipping. Discount applied at checkout.

emcosmetics.com

Extra 20% off + Free shipping. Discount applied at checkout.

asos.com

Extra 20% off. Enter code WEBEGRILLIN at checkout.

landsend.com

Extra 20% off of clearance or 40% off of regular-priced item. Discount applied at checkout.

swimsuitsforall.com

40% off of everything + free shipping.

nordstrom.com

Extra 40% off of sale. Discount applied at checkout.

And remember beautiful people, stay patriotic <.3

Trending Now: Blue & Orange

Summer's coming and stores are a buzz with a feverish tremor as the race to put the best outfits on display is on. In my world, what I put on the mannequins is dictated (about 80%) by what corporate decides will look good. However, on that 20% chance that there's a mannequin that my Ipad doesn't tell me how to dress, that's when I look to the latest trends. 

The past 3 months of a few of my favorite magazines: Lucky, Nylon, Teen Vogue, have all shown me a very prominent trend in clothing AND makeup - blue and orange. Blue and orange is everywhere. It was seen heavily on the runways, and now I'm seeing it in the windows of the discount store at the horror-movie dark end of the mall all the way to the glittering Dillard's.

In makeup, it's a bold statement, not for the timid at heart. Bold orange lipstick or eyeshadow, or a dramatic big blue cat eye. It's captivating, and beautiful. In clothing, it gives the clothes a very sporty feel, which works perfectly as a sporty trend has been spreading through magazine spreads like wildfire as well. 

What do you think of this trend? Would you wear it for makeup? What about for clothes?

The Brow Bias

As I'm sure all of you have seen by now, bold, beautiful brows are really freakin' popular. Thanks to the like of Cara Delevingne and Lily Collins, bold brows are sought after, and the techniques to achieve the perfect brow seem to multiply daily. 

 There are numerous ways that people demonstrate how to get the perfect brow, and out of curiosity, I've tried a great deal of methods. Honestly, there are no wrong ways to achieve a great brow (except Sharpie. Don't do Sharpie), it just simply depends on what works best for your coloring and brow type.

Now, I'm very lucky to not have thin eyebrows to begin with. Despite my many years of plucking and shaping my brows, they are still full, thick, and utterly wild. Luckily, this works to my advantage, as it's much easier to achieve the bold brow look  when you already have a lot of brow. The trick for me is taming them. They have the tendency to wonder off in various directions no matter what I do. I've tried waxes and goos and goops galore, but alas, after a few hours on the town, they're all hodgepodged and askew. 

I first attempted to start filling in my brows last year when I was urged by a lady behind a makeup counter to take advantage of my brows. My trials started with powder: first a light brown, then I moved on to deeper browns from M.A.C to try to match my hair color. It became a careful game of "Don't apply it too dark or I'll look like I'm trying to be in Vogue instead of going to Olive Garden". Then came the brow pencil trials, ending in me liking the results, but ultimately still finding my hairs straying in various directions.

I was on the hunt for a fast and easy way to do my brows and not worry how they'd look in an hour after stepping out into the real world. Then I saw an article last week from Marie Claire talking about mascara as a fast and easy way to do your brows and have them stay. I was intrigued, and so the experiment commenced.

My Julep mascara is now officially my saving grace. One product for my eyelashes AND my eyebrows, and the color darkens (not too much), while holding my eyebrows in place. The product does the work, while the mascara applicator brushes the hairs and makes my eyebrows appear much thicker.

On the left is my "before". My brows are thick, but this brow has a slight arch that I'm growing in to have a more natural, rounded look. On the right is my "after" - my brows after only a few seconds of swooshing with my mascara. And my brows stay that way too!

It's kind of amazing what one product can do <.3

Met Gala Favorites

The Met Gala happened the other night, and everyone looked AMAZING. Sadly, my invitation got lost in the mail, but that's ok, I'm sure next year it'll get to me on time. Until then I can just gaze at the pictures from the other night and drool at the dresses. Here are some of my favorite looks from the event:

Emma Stone: Her partner Andrew Garfield is lovely, but her outfit is really what shines. Her outfit is fun without being too much; just the right amount of nonchalance and wow.

Marion Cotillard: I'm convinced this woman can do no wrong style-wise. She always looks absolutely amazing every time her picture is taken. I need her shoes, for what I don't know, but let's be honest, with great shoes, is there ever actually a reason other than to have great shoes?

Lena Dunham: This dress is wonderful; her whole look is amazing actually. I read an article earlier today where the author stated that this look isn't flattering on her, but I personally feel that this dress is perfect for her figure and skin tone.

My favorite look of the evening

Kirsten Dunst: A dress with a Death Star is of course, my ultimate nerdy favorite. Also, it's a really pretty dress. She keeps is classy and simple with hair, makeup and jewelry so the focus is on the dress; a perfect 10.

The Coming of Comfortable

.

In every style magazine, high fashion and couture has been injected with a serious dose of sporty spice. Couture sneakers, high-end track pants, haute hoodies - style has become for the comfortable. Most people are overjoyed at the ease of dressing now. You don't have to worry about blisters from dancing in your Jimmy Choos all night; you can wear sneakers now with your Alexander McQueen gown and not bat an eyelash. Most style mavens wear their sneakers with pride with their Chanel jackets and YSL skirts, while I have always, and still, make a beeline straight for my heels. While comfort in fashion isn't exactly anything new per-se, in the realm of houte couture, crystal sneakers aren't something you see everyday. It's not that I don't appreciate being comfortable in my colorful Nike running shoes, something just feels like a Freaky Friday mixup whenever I try to walk out of the house in my vintage dress and running shoes.

For the first time in my life, I'm rebuking sexy sneakers, but only when paired with formal wear.  Slide-on Vans with your romper? Sure. Some leather high tops with your leather skater skirt or legging? Sure. The casual outfit can rock a casual shoe, but in my opinion, formal wear, especially high-end dresses, are dressy. No matter how many crystals or how much lace you put on a sneaker, it's still a sneaker.

The likes of Rita Ora, Eliza Doolittle and Lilly Allen have been rocking the sneakers and dresses trend, and while I respect each talented singer, something about the site of sneakers, especially white ones, with a fancy dress, just makes me cringe:

If these are a little too plain for you, Chanel sent some down the runway in their latest show that has me seriously questioning whether or not I'd wear them with couture. Sparkly sneakers on my run? Absolutely, but I'm still on the fence when it comes to high-end dressing.

I love going outside of the box with fashion, but I don't love it enough to wear my running shoes with my vintage silk gown.

 At the end of the day, all I can say is: comfort be damned, I like my blisters.

How do you feel about this trend? Would you wear it?