Cup of thoughts and a bag of tea.: July 2015

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Interview ready

One of the most stressful parts of having an interview for a new job - the actual outfit! I can't even remember how many mornings I've spent throwing clothes all around the room because nothing feels right, looks professional enough, or makes a good enough first impression. When you're going in for an interview, there's already enough pressure to do your best and give all the right answers, but how you dress and how you look is the first thing this person judges when you walk through their office door. How professional are you? Did you take your appearance seriously? Pressure in every aspect of the word, through the next 15 minutes to an hour of someone grilling you with questions.

Confidence is key. Admitting your nervous is okay. Confidence will change your attitude completely. If you don't feel good about yourself, they will know. Like a predator, they sense fear...;)

If you have on a look you feel professional and attractive in, your attitude will boost, you'll walk in a different way, and you'll be overall more confident.

That was my inspiration for this look. A girl who has a job interview, one she is taking very seriously. She wants to look professional, prepared, and intelligent.

The Look

Heels: Merona / Alternative

Slacks: Gap / Alternative

Blouse: Maurices / Alternative

The Makeup

Lips: Mirenesse Glossy Kiss

Eyeliner: Julep Gel Eye Glider

The Hair

The hair in this look was so easy to do! I curled my hair as if I were going to wear it down, with loose beachy-style waves. After doing the bottom and top sections of my hair and letting it flow, I flipped my hair upside down, spraying with hairspray and scrunching the curls up, to give them more volume and texture. I flipped my hair back up, added hairspray lightly all around my hair, and fluffed it all up! After this, I put my hair in a high pony, fluffed that section, and tousled the top of my hair. I think putting hair in a bun or pony for an interview is great because it keeps you from playing with your hair as a nervous tendency, it keeps your hair out of your face so the interviewee can really see you, and it looks sleek and clean.

My personal favorite for curling loose beachy waves is the Conair YOU Curl. I prefer to spend under $30 on hair products because I don't use them often, and this one works great, especially for being so cheap! The best thing about it is how the barrel narrows towards the end, it makes the curls look really natural.

My favorite for prepping and keeping hair in tact without making it crunchy is Paul Mitchell Hold Me Tight. It doesn't have that potent 'hairspray smell' that most do, it's actually a nice light smell! It works really well, and it doesn't make your hair crunchy or stiff. Showering after a day of wearing it doesn't feel like someone solidified your hair for the day!

Do you guys have any good tips for feeling confident and ready for an interview? Any interview-ready outfits that you love? Please share!

Till next time,

xoxo

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Sleeves of my sweater

My fashion obsession - big, loose, cozy, fuzzy, flowing, over-sized sweaters <3 They look good with lots of looks, they make you feel like you're rolling around in a huge cozy robe all day, and they look good on everyone! You can wear them at home with jammies and you feel comfy all day, or you can pair with some cute accessories for a simple look that doesn't require much thought or effort! If I'm going to pull off a really big sweater, I like to pair it with something form fitting or something that shows off my legs, since it doesn't give the top half of the body much shape. I was so excited to find this big mint sweater at Urban Outfitters last fall on clearance for $20 (usually $80), it's one of my closet favorites!

The Look

This evening I was listening to Sweater Weather by the Neighbourhood, and all I could think of was putting together a look with a big baggy sweater, and that's exactly what inspired this look.

Sweater: Urban Outfitters / Alternative

Skirt: Mossimo / Alternative

Heels: Merona / Alternative

Clutch: Express / Alternative

Necklace: H&M / Alternative

Makeup

If you see me out wearing a big sweater, you can assume it's because I didn't want to put in that much effort in the morning...so you can bet I won't be wearing much makeup. For this look, I kept my makeup nice and natural. I put on the standard liquid foundation and blush, a little bit of my favorite Artistry volume mascara, and a light coral lip shimmer from Burt's Bee's.

Eyes: Artistry Signature Eyes Volume Mascara

Lips: Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer in Cherry

Hair

I wanted to have my hair up since this sweater is so loose and open around the shoulders and back. I did a "half-pony". Start it like a regular ponytail, but on the last stretch of the hairband, pull the ponytail halfway through, and leave it there. Pull at the top to tighten the half-pony and it will get a little bigger and fluffier! If you have long hair and lots of loose ends popping out, grab a bobby pin or pop all the little hairs back into the hairband.

Are you guys as crazy about over-sized sweaters as I am? Do you have any closet favorites? I'd love to see them!

Xoxo

Monday, July 27, 2015

Mondays

Let's be honest, no one likes Mondays. I was up at 5am for work, after having gone to bed way too late. No matter how much I sleep, though, Mondays always feel miserable. Naps are a necessity. My ideal Monday - a cup of thoughts and a bag of tea ;) Sitting on the couch or the back deck working on picture editing, blog posting, or sitting with a good book is perfection. Something thought-provoking, but relaxing and chill.

Today was that day. After two cups of my teatox tea, I was feeling more energized than most Mondays, and luckily, more creative. Last week I prepared a few fashion blog posts, but my Monday laziness inspired me to capture a different look for today...

The Lounge-y Look

I love this look because these pants are insanely comfy (and only $7), and it looks cute at home or out running errands! The pants are so stretchy and light, you could forget you're wearing pants. Disclaimer about these pants - super comfortable and flowy, but prepare for some butt jiggle, its inevitable, and I'm sorry if that's TMI, but, fair warning. Like every pair of pants, these were just a tad too short on me (most pants make me look like Urkle), so I rolled these ones twice, and I ended up loving the loose capri! I chose a tight fitting undershirt camisole for my top, because it tucked perfectly under the stretchy waistband of the thin jersey pants without causing any awkward "lumpage" that was unflattering. Also, the tight tank is the perfect balance with such a loose bottom.

Cami: Maurices

Pants: H&M

Flip-Flops: Maurices

Mug: Starbucks / Alternative

The Makeup

Since the outfit for this look was so chic and simple, without any glam or anything that really stands out, I wanted the makeup look to be bold. Deep red is my favorite lip color, so that was a must! And as you know if you've read before, I'm a winged eyeliner addict, so any excuse is a good one. I did a really thin, long and wispy wing for this look because it looks so sleek and clean! I did a side swept bun to keep the hair out of my face and show off my back in the simple white cami.

Lipstick: MAC Salon Rouge / Alternative

Lip Liner: MAC Brick

Liquid Liner: Artistry Signature Eyes

Earrings: Maurices / Alternative

Do you guys hate Mondays as much as I do? (That's probably a rhetorical question). What are your favorite lazy Monday looks and pieces?

Xoxo

Sunday, July 26, 2015

From day to night

I love the idea of having a basic look that you can wear all day long, casually and effortlessly, and then change one to two pieces and have a look that is completely different. That was my inspiration for this post. I wanted a look I could have during the day, and change just a few accessories, ones that were easy to transport throughout a busy day, and just these few changes would completely transform my look.

How To - The Makeup

I was super excited about my makeup for this 'day to night' look. I tried something basic (winged liquid eyeliner), but added a few finishing touches of glitter and jazz. I used a Coastal Scents sample palette that I received in Birchbox a few months ago. The colors on this palette are pretty basic, you can find a similar palette almost anywhere whether it be Clinique or Mary Kay.

I labeled the colors on the palette and corresponded them to a photo of my makeup so you can see where I applied which shades onto my lids. If you would like a more in depth tutorial of this look, let me know!

I applied shadow 1 to the corner underneath my eye, to add a contrasting highlight against the dark color of the wing. Shadow 1 is a shimmering light pink/coral color. I put shadow 2 under the inner corner of my eyes, just to highlight, it is a creamish pink matte shadow. Shadow 4 is a matte medium brown which I applied just above the winged liquid liner. Shadow 3 is a shimmering light brown that I applied in a line directly above shadow 4, on the upper lid of my eye towards the corner, as well as covered some of the liquid liner to make it sparkle!

Early Bird

My inspiration for this look was a laid back, relaxed girl, who likes loose jeans, baggy t-shirts, and being comfortable. She likes making a statement, but not being too bold. She is a bookworm, and a style junkie, loves fashion magazines, vintage stores, and unique coffeehouses to sit and think. She wants people to view her as beautiful and stylish, without trying to hard. In a word - effortless.