Designer Obsession: Erica Weiner

Good evening lovelies. Last night I stumbled across this amazing jewelry designer, Erica Weiner. I am so excited about her jewelry because of her fun collection. Born in Brooklyn and influenced by an Art History degree from Vassar College + traveling for Broadway shows doing costuming, her pieces are undeniably unique and have a personality all their own. Her USA-made jewelry makes a statement, ranging from the large and unusual to delicate and lady-like, all while being very affordable.

ericaweiner.com

My favorites from her collection

$50 or Less

Arrow Hoops: $45.00

 These are so fun, and every time I look at these I get Nelly Furtado's "Big Hoops" stuck in my head. Hoops like these are perfect for anyone looking to make a statement, especially for anyone with a lot of voluminous hair. They're very easy to style yet big enough they won't be hidden if you feel like wearing your hair down, a common problem I have since I have a lot of thick, curly hair with a ton of volume that hides most earrings.

 Winged Migration Necklace: $40.00

 I love really beautiful pieces that are "thoughtless" in a sense: you don't have to wonder if they're going to look good with what you have on, you can just throw it on and go. This airplane necklace is really fun and easy for when you're in a rush and not sure what to wear with that shirtdress or blouse or tank top - you're going to look stylish and put together in an instant. I love traveling, and I absolutely LOVE airplanes - I really enjoy getting to travel in them. I've been flying since I was 3 years old, so to me this necklace is a great way to feel very worldly, even when you're stuck in the office.

Cicada Earrings: $30.00

These are a bit more funky and for the adventurous. The Cicadas make the very fun unusual cricket-y sound you hear at night, and this summer is the first time in 19 years most of the US has seen them. They are a fascinating species since certain kinds of Cicada stay underground and only emerge once every 19 years to reproduce. Living in the south, I hear them every night due to the kind that emerge once every 2 years that are prevalent in southern Louisiana.

Pen Nib Necklaces: $40.00

Paired with a structured dress, or button-up shirt and pencil skirt, this necklace evokes a very Joan from Mad Men feel that is so fun and so very 1950's.  The slight secretary, office-chic vibe is a really perfect way to add some fun to your 9-5.

Making fun of celebrities through products: Good fun or bad business?

Good evening lovelies! I'm sure through the Twitterverse or email web you've all heard about the latest clothing giant to come under criticism in an attempt to be mainstream.

If you haven't heard about it in the last few days; Abercrombie & Fitch decided to make fun of Taylor Swift by putting out a t-shirt that reads "More Boyfriends Than T.S."

This isn't the first time a company has decided to put a popular figure into their clothing concept - Look at every Pro Obama/Pro Biden shirt that existed from different clothing lines. When you walk into Spencer's or browse through Ebay/Cafe Press, you can find any sort of extremely sexual, dirty humored shirt that is 100 times more offensive than this Abercrombie shirt, and a lot of times they're making fun of celebrities.

However, Taylor Swift fans caused a major uproar when the discovery of this shirt went viral. Abercrombie has since pulled the shirt from it's stores due to the outcry of "Swifties" (Taylor Swift fans)

I wouldn't wear this shirt, I think it sends the wrong message for the age group that it's meant for. Countless comedians have made this exact same joke so many times though, and not a single one has come under fire because of the audience it's delivered to. I think this shirt would work better in Spencer's or on Ebay as more of a humor-based shirt as compared to one that's supposed to be "Cutesy" and meant for a tween audience.

When a shirt is making of a celebrity in a humor-based forum, that's where the success is. Just look at this shirt, which was featured in Jimmy Kimmel's video "I wanna Channing all over your Tatum" where Jamie Foxx and Channing Tatum made fun of Channing's name:

This shirt is funny, because it's meant to be, and it's geared at an older, adult audience. The Taylor Swift shirt might have been popular and successful had it been geared at an adult audience as more of a gag shirt. In this situation, I think both parties were wrong: Abercrombie shouldn't have put out that shirt for such a young demographic, and Taylor Swift fans need to lighten up. I enjoy Twilight, but I can laugh at everything that makes fun of it too.

What do you think? Do you think the Swifties were too harsh? Do you think it's fair that they made Abercrombie take this shirt down? Do you think it was a good idea for Abercrombie & Fitch to put out this shirt in the first place?

 

Product Review: "Hello Sailor" by Lipstick Queen

There is a major trend this season that is popping up everywhere that in my opinion every woman should wear: blackberry lips. This trend is easy for the spring and summer because it genuinely goes with everything you could possibly wear. Depending on the colors you typically sport, you can even bring it into fall and winter with just darker shades for the seasons. This trend has a lot to do with my product review tonight because the product I ordered is a special one that was featured on Yahoo news a few weeks ago by a blogger who also did a review. 

Blackberry Lips Trend

Product Review

"Hello Sailor" by Lipstick Queen

$25.00

Purchasing this product has been the first time in my life that I've decided to try a makeup trend. I'm always willing to try makeup products, but I've never really cared about the trends because, to be honest, most of the makeup trends don't work for my coloring or work place. Seeing this product though, something inherently Vogue snapped in me and said "I need this!", as well as something about the fact that it's blue made me feel a little, well, rebellious.

I debated about ordering it for 2 days after finding it only being sold online through Saks Fifth Avenue. When I finally decided to go back and purchase it, it had completely sold out online. This product is no doubt incredibly popular, and so I called around the country to a few stores in feverish excitement, only to find the Saks in Hollywood having 3 left. 1 1/2 weeks later I had the box in my hand and in a giddy squeal I tore open the box, pulled out the pretty blue tube and ran to the bathroom to look in the mirror as I applied it to my lips mid-run. (I'm brave when excited, and lucky I didn't lipstick my cheeks while I ran - girls, don't try that at home)

While the lipstick itself is blue, it doesn't go on blue based on the color wheel theory: the blue lipstick + pink lips = purplish berry tint. The brand promises that the bright blue lipstick when applied will make your teeth look whiter and your complexion much brighter. When it first goes on though, it just looks like a clear matte gloss - pretty, but not berry. I was colored a tad disappointed the first few days of wearing it, only seeing it when I put it on first thing before work, until one night mid-shift I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror. I realized that the lipstick goes on neutral, but after a bit of time to mix with your natural lip color you look like you're wearing a beautiful berry shade. 

Of course, depending on the natural color of your lips, the shade it ends up varies, but with my lips after a bit of time (about 15 -30 minutes) it looked like something from the runway.

 My overall review: buy this product. Don't let the blue color scare you, it's absolutely beautiful, moisturizing, and worth every penny.

Mother's Day

Instead of talking about what to buy your mom to celebrate Mother's Day, I've decided instead to celebrate my mom and a major way she's always influenced my life: through her style. 

This is my amazing and stylish mother, Pamela. For as long as I can remember, as far back as my mind reaches, she's always oozed this effortless elegance. She is classic and modern and is always very well put-together. I was always fascinated by her vast wardrobe that took up all the closets and beaureau's in her room and half of the closet in mine when I was growing up. I could've cared less about clothes at that age, but for some reason her flowing dresses and skirts made me stare in wonder and awe when she'd open the closet doors. On summer days while she was at work I'd try on her shoes and wonder what it was like to run around for 10 hour work days running the Pulminary Function lab at the hospital in Manolo Blaniks. Her closets were overflowing with Coaches, Louis Vuittons and her Dooney & Burkes. In the photo above you can see the little loon tag under her arm, the wordless indicator of a woman with taste. 

It should come as no surprise though that my mom has style since she's a New Yorker and an original hippie child during the Woodstock era. Even in her earliest photos in her tye-dyed garb, she was classic, simple, elegant, in tye-dye of course. You can see an underlying style from an early age on through her teens and early adulthood with the way she put together outfits that made you pay attention.

As a child I'd watch her get dressed for work and put on her makeup with fascination, and at the same time a bit of repulsion simply because the little tomboy I was when I was much younger saw makeup as the enemy. 

Despite my best efforts to resist her teachings, she is the reason I am so passionate about fashion and am constantly doing my best to put forward my best efforts, even while going to the grocery store. 

My mother is by far the coolest because she told me just a few years ago "You can't go wrong with a little cleavage". My mom is fearless and not afraid to be her, perfectly manicured nails, designer purses and shoes and all, all while observing through rose-colored Coach frames.

When I think of my mom, I think of style, and while I don't have the same style as she does, I do try to take the same approach that she does; it doesn't matter how much you have, just as long as what you have is quality. 

My mom is the most stylish woman I know.

My lifesaver is lemon, Lemon Aid that is.

Living by a coast for a large part of my life, I had never really experienced horrible acne problems due to to the salty sea air and temperate conditions. Despite occasional breakouts from stress, school schedules and hormonal fluctuation I WAS very lucky to always have smooth, even skin tone - that is until I suddenly moved to Louisiana last October. Without warning my skin started breaking out as if my life depended on it, and within a few months a few light scars turned to numerous dark ones and suddenly stopped fading. 

Being someone who works with people on a daily basis, I want to look my best, so I started looking for answers as to what was causing this sudden reaction. I was told many times that the air is what's to blame. According to skin care professionals, Louisiana's air is  horribly polluted and thick, and the constantly changing weather and pressures causes acne problem and the best way to deal with it is to just keep up my beauty routine. While everyone provided the answers as to why, my  makeup routine suddenly stopped providing how to cover my new-found  problem. Despite my unchanging beauty routine my skin responded like a picky eater at a salad bar. By the time the 6 month mark of living here and the 3 month mark of working overnights hit last month, I'd officially crossed into pizza-face territory, even while wearing my best concealer. For the first time since starting a makeup routine 5 years ago, and all the beauty tricks I had acquired since then from fashion school and beauty-obsessed friends, I had run out of ideas.

 It wasn't until last week after my haircut I caught a glimpse of myself in Ulta's big beauty mirrors and cringed. My concealer had now become so jarringly different than the color of the scars it was trying to cover up  that it was painfully obvious I was wearing makeup, but it was doing nothing to help me anymore. I walked through the beauty department and asked a sales girl how to properly cover my acne. She quickly removed my makeup and looked at my scars and present acne, carefully inspecting like an OCD drill sergeant. In my determined mind set, before she could even decide what to try first, I mentioned I'd heard about a green product used to cancel out the redness of acne, based on the color wheel principles. The sales girl without question ran off and grabbed the only product  in the entire store that would work. My suggestion ended badly though as to my horror even after using my usual foundation on top of the green product she applied, I looked like I had green scales instead of red acne; the green was far too much for my fair skin tone. My heart sank at the thought of not being able to find something to hide my scars. Then another sales girl overheard our frustration, came over and asked "What about Lemon Aid?"

I raised an eyebrow and thought to myself "They sell lemonade?". The other sales girl exclaimed "OH yes! Lemon Aid would be perfect!!!!", and she scurried away to grab whatever it was. I sat there, confused and uncertain as to what they meant before she came back moments later back with a small black compact. Sensing my apprehension, she opened it to reveal a lemon-colored product with a similar consistency to lip balm, and I went from confused to incredulous. The 2nd sales girl smiled and explained that concealer actually causes more acne since it doesn't allow the skin to breathe by horribly clogging the pores. I believed her since her makeup looked flawless, but the idea of putting yellow on my skin tone made me sink into my chair like a kid getting a haircut for the first time.

And at that, without hesitation, the other sales girl whipped out a brush, dabbed it in the compact and began to paint my face. When she was done, I glanced in the mirror to see soft yellow marks on my skin where my red acne once was, but before I could utter a word of protest about the yellow color she then picked a foundation  from a shelf beside her and gently smoothed the lightweight cream over my whole face. After a moment she stood back and smiled in a way that only meant one thing; she did good and I was going home with less money in my bank account.

I turned again to the mirror slowly only to see my jaw drop in astonishment: my acne was almost completely gone. I could still see the slightest hint of a scar or two, but my worst acne, my worst scars were 98% gone, hidden under the magical products. My skin tone looked healthy, glowing and even, and I suddenly felt like being in the daytime, instead of hiding behind a desk at night. I turned back to her, smiled, and asked the most important question in any makeup store, "How much?"

My Life Saver

Lemon Aid: $20.00

This product is like a 3-in-1 - It is actually made to cancel under eye circles and redness on eyelids, but it works just as well to cancel the redness from acne and scars. This under my foundation is so beautiful and flawless I could kiss whoever created it. I recommend it for anyone who experiences under eye circles, scars, or acne redness that just won't quit, even with makeup on. The best part is, it's incredibly inexpensive and it's an easy integration into any beauty routine to replace concealer, and this product won't clog pores due to it's lightweight composition.

How to fix your ailing flats

Good morning lovelies!This morning I went into my closet to grab a blanket and saw my favorite  Style & Co. flats I had snagged at a thrift store back in California for only $3 sitting on the shelf gathering dust. They had been in perfect condition and were my go-to for any outfit because of the rich purple color and adorable silver studs since I had found them last February, until recently that is.

They have always gone with everything, so I was more than sad when I realized about 2 months ago that my flats were starting to loose their studs on the sides and in the front. For anyone who's ever experienced this before with any pair of shoes, it can be more than disheartening. Especially when that shoe doesn't need to be tossed because it's still a good pair of shoes and the color hasn't faded, it just needs a bit of love in the embellishment department.

It broke my heart when I had the urge to wear them to work the other night and realized they just didn't look professional any more because of those big gaping holes. It was then I decided to do something about it on my first day off this week.

As I sat down with shoes and tweezers in hand, I realized that if those rivets could fall off and leave the material underneath looking presentable, then that meant they weren't IN the fabric, only ON TOP of it.With this realization I grabbed my extra strength glue and went to work.

Within an hour I had made a cute pattern out of the studs on my shoes and turned the big holes into a really cute look.

With the extra studs I had pulled off to create this pattern, I filled in any holes in the pattern that needed to be, and the rest I stored in a ziploc bag in case any more fall off in the future. 

Fix Your Flats Tutorial

1.) Get a pair of tweezers and clear, extra-strength glue with a small spout/opening (You don't want it oozing all over and then staining the fabric of your shoes if you have to glue studs back on)

2.) Determine the pattern you want to make - It might be best to make the ones you want to pull off to make the pattern or use something that comes off easily and doesn't leave behind a mark.

3.) Do a test stud/piece on the side by the bottom to see how easily they pull off. If you see that they're not coming off easily or they're ruining the fabric underneath, it might be a good idea to re-think your strategy and maybe glue larger embellishments over the studs instead.

If they're coming off and not ruining the shoe underneath, go slow and pry them off carefully.

4.) Wear your new shoes around every day with pride knowing that instead of donating or throwing them out, you saved your shoes. Your feet with thank you.

Spring Blazers

Good morning lovelies! Looking for a great blazer for work or play this summer? I have some gorgeous options below to fit your budget and your lifestyle. These are my favorites, and I'm sure you'll understand why.

Spring Blazers

$50 or Less

Kardashian Black Spot Blazer: $44.00

Possibly one of the cutest blazers ever. If Audrey Hepburn wore a blazer in Breakfast at Tiffany's, this would be it.

Printed Open Front Blazer: $44.44

Definitely a blazer Carrie Bradshaw would squeal over in her Manolo Blahniks. Luckily this blazer is easy to wear - just throw it over a white t-shirt and skinny jeans and you're all set for the day. Pair with a simple gold pendant and some funky rings & bracelets and you'll be the hottest thing since humidity.

Ponte Two-Button Blazer: $42.99

The sweetest little easter egg; a very easy and sneaky way to try wearing pastels without looking like a movie extra from Marie Antoinette. While the color is fun and feminine, the blazer itself is structured and perfect for the workplace mixed with neutrals - a fun way to add some pop in the workplace. If you're not sure colors to pair this with, try a light grey or tan - they'll help balance the pop.

 

Navy Studded Jacket: $35.00

I'm pretty positive this is my next splurge - a deep neutral color works even in the middle of summer when mixed with fun bright colors on a night out. Wear this over a coral dress and nude wedges for a sizzling outfit. Luckily the studs on the sleeves help  with accessorizing - a few major rings, bold statement earrings and you're all set with this immediate staple.

Easter 81 Jacket: $40.99

There's a sort of Americana  tough-love romanticism with dark fitted denim jackets, like something out a James Dean movie or a greaser. You're tough yet feminine, and it goes with everything. I can see this easily becoming a go-to for what to wear over your favorite blouse or vintage dress, just remember, denim jacket + boots = major style points!

Fun Find

Ok, so this is a little bit more than $50, but this shirt is so fun. I'm not normally one for shirts with words on them, but this one is cool enough for adults without making you look like you're trying to be 13 again. There are few items in general I would pay over $50 for, but I think this one is too perfect to pass up.

Dang Men Tee: $58