Heels Over Head: Style or Comfort?

I can't say I'm really a heels kind of gal. Standing at my measly height, I could definitely work on wearing a pair more often than not. The fault is that although they're a much needed accessory in my quest to look older, I still haven't mastered the art of walking in them like a real lady. Clumsily clunkering around in them, while praying that I don't fall down the stairs (as one of my co-workers actually did recently) makes them more trouble than they are worth! I think more than a few of us can identify with the sentiments of Miss Keri Hilson, "Love how they look, but hate how they feel." Do we really have to sacrifice comfort for style, and style for comfort? I found two pairs of heels recently that made me think of this dilemma:

Recently seen on Lauren Conrad (one of my favorite style icons), the Aldo Fawson heels are completely sexy and frighteningly high, high, high! The first time I slipped into these, I thought I was immediately going to topple forward. The arch on these babies makes you feel like your feet are practically vertically upright. How did LC walk across that slippery walkway at The Roosevelt that night without toppling into the pool?! That's totally what I would've done. I've only owned two other pairs of Aldo's and can't remember them being too comfortable so I'm not sure if the hot factor of these are worth the scary consequences of the fact that I might probably will fall on my face. For about $50, I'm tempted to keep them anyway! With the perfect light shade of gray and a sexy high back, these are pretty irresistible. What do you think, are they worth keeping?

I found a more practical choice in these Via Spiga Lang Pumps at Nordstrom Rack over the weekend and couldn't be happier! I never really thought to get some gray suede heels for work, but as seen in Janice's summer work outfit entry for PAG's contest (yay for winning 2nd place!), they're great! I've heard countless praise for how comfortable Via Spiga heels are, so finding them for over 50% off (and in size 5.5, no less) was amazing. I've worn them to work twice already and can't echo how much more comfortable they are than the other heels I have. They are obviously not calling anyone's attention to my feet the way the Fawson's do, but the comfort factor completely wins me over. The padding on the foot bed is thick and soft and because they actually fit, my foot isn't constantly slipping in and out of the shoe! Since this is a platform heel, these 3 1/2 inch heels don't place as much pressure on the front of my foot. Love, love these and will be wearing them often! 

For any girls living in LA, be sure to check out the Nordstrom Rack in Pasadena (3363 E. Foothill Blvd). I've found this location to have one of the best designer shoe loot in the area. Not only do they constantly restock with a great variety of pretty current styles, they've got plenty of sizes for those of us with teeny tiny feet (sizes 4.5 to 6)!

Placing them right next to each really brings out the differences!

Zara Casual Summer 2010

As I continuously work at revamping my closet to represent more of a "mid-20's" girl instead of college student, the one store I've found to be worth saving up the pennies for is Zara. As I've mentioned countless times, their clothes are well-structured, sophisticated, but young. To keep in the know, I religiously check the Zara iPhone app, which features the brand's current collections (Women, Men, Casual) and even lists style numbers and prices. Although there doesn't seem to be too much praise in regards to the usefulness of the app, I've found that the ability to easily scroll through the in-store collection has been a helpful pre-shopping activity. It's much easier knowing that there are items that will make a trip to the store worthwhile. I spent this Sunday morning skimming through Zara's Casual lookbook, and wow, is it beautifully pulled together (and a bit more affordable than Zara Women)!

Photo Credit: Zara Casual Spring/Summer 2010 Lookbook

The layering of classic colors and pieces makes everything completely wearable and easily interchangeable. Small details, such as, contrast piping, light embroidery, and ruffles give the right touch of sophistication. This lookbook had me lusting over every single piece and a desire to buy up entire outfits! However, I was able to pick out three as my top favorite must, must-haves:

Aren't they pretty and oh so timeless?! And all for less than $40! (1) Paired with some cute sailor shorts, this light and airy bohemian top is such a pretty choice for hot, summer days. Transition it into nighttime-wear, or even the Fall, with a pair of jeggings (my faves here and here). (2) Love the pretty piping on the cardigan and the fact that it can easily be worn over a casual or work dress. It also looks dressy enough to wear out with skinnies, sexy pumps, and a ruffle tank. (3) A girl can never have too many white dresses, right?

Oh, how I wish I could live in a Zara store. What do you gals think? Are there any more must-have pieces?

Lightening Up With Some Nude Heels

I'm definitely late in the game, but I finally got myself a pair of nude pumps at the Nordie's Anniversary Sale (see post below for Janice's picks)! Since seeing them successfully worn by bloggers all over the blogoverse, I've been on the search for some of my own to wear with my lighter-toned work outfits. I found these Nine West Madeup Pumps on sale for $52.90 (original price of $79.95) and was lucky enough to nab a size 5.5 during the first day of the sale. At only 3'' high, these are definitely work appropriate and very practical for all day wear. I can already see these pairing well with half my work wardrobe!

I wore these pumps with a light cream tulip skirt from H&M. The skirt is an easy favorite for its pretty dotted texture and feminine pleats flowing from the waistband. Not only does the skirt fit amazingly well (the tulip shape is flattering and forgiving and the hemline sits perfectly above my knees), the light cotton material makes it way more comfortable, movable and machine washable. This is the perfect alternative to my more conservative pencil skirts that ride up and sometimes hug my butt a little too tightly. I promise that the light ridges around the waistband are due to my running late and lack of time to fully iron it that morning! Trust me when I say it usually looks a bit prettier than that. To complement the overall the look, I added the long strand of blush pearls from Forever21. Love everything about this outfit except that I wish I would've picked a more sophisticated-looking top (what was I thinking with those arm ties?). Next time!

Gettin' Cheeky

I rekindled an old flame this past week - with MAC makeup. Throughout high school and until the first years of college, I was completely obsessed with MAC makeup products. Every day I'd read each new post in the Livejournal MAC community, and absorb all I could about the huge variety of products, colors, collections, etc that MAC had to offer. I adored the company for its extensive color range, affordability, and general sense of playfulness and fun. It was the beginning of my foray into girly-girl world (growing up, I'd been more tomboy-ish and focused on sports) and it showed me one of the many benefits of being a girl - experimenting and playing around with makeup! My friend Eveline got equally hooked and described MAC in my favorite way ever, calling them her "Weapons of Mass Attraction" =D

I amassed a good-sized collection of MAC but over time sold them off since they were sitting around uselessly. However, I held onto several favorite eyeshadows, face brushes, and most importantly, my BLUSHES. Who knows why, but I simply adore blushes and have accumulated more than my two cheeks can handle. I really believe blush makes a big difference on appearance and can make you look alive. I also don't discriminate; I have equal love for bronzers and highlighters as well.

My cheeky collection. Top row: Shu Uemura blushes (P Orange 58D, P Peach 47, Harmonious Orange, and P Pink 30), Bobbi Brown Gold Shimmerbrick in middle. Starting from 12 o' clock position clockwise: MAC Stereo Rose, MAC Trace Gold, Nars Orgasm, MAC Uncommon Cremeblush, Cargo Medium Matte Bronzer, MAC Summerlily Cremeblush, MAC for Hello Kitty Fun & Games, MAC Shimpagne. Inner circle L to R: MSF Natural in Medium, MAC Refined Golden Bronze

Anyway, so what brought me back to MAC was the re-release of one of my favorite beauty products of all time - Stereo Rose Mineralized Skinfinish, or MSF's as MAC addicts refer to them. I bought it when it first came out, before I knew that it would hyped and elevated to cult status. It came out with the Goldplay collection in 2005, and everyone in the LJ community was going crazy over the MSFs, which are baked in Italy and then imported overseas. Naturally, I had to check it out and fell in love with the marble-ized color, which is a coral gold and imparts a shimmery sunkissed glow. It reminds me of Nars Orgasm but the glitter is much more refined and sophisticated.

Lighting is a little off here, but it's very warm-toned. My dome is flattening =(

Stereo Rose quickly sold out and although there were similar colors produced in later collections (Petticoat comes to mind), the marketing geniuses at MAC chose to hide this product away until now. Unsurprisingly, this sold out in stores on the first day of launch. I was a slowpoke and didn't get to a counter until a week later. I did however pick up an MSF Natural after reading Michelle's reviews and am still weighing how I feel about it.

I'm sad I missed out on the Stereo Rose train, but glad it made me bring out my beloved original version and use it again after putting it in storage/hoarding! Here it is (lightly or it kinda melted away under the NY humidity) along with MSF Natural over Prescriptives Virtual Matte foundation and the Cargo Bronzer. I usually apply MSFs with the skunk brush, which picks up the lightest layer and deposits the product gently, since MSFs can be quite shimmery.

For application of any face product, my favorite brush is the MAC 187; I got two so I can go longer without cleaning them =P The short kabuki brush was the most expensive brush I have but I don't know if I would buy it all over again, it's not absolutely necessary to get a smooth application. Frankly, I love the Sonia Kashuk and Sephora fluffy brushes, quality is great without breaking the bank!

MAC 187 aka skunk brush (x2), Sonia Kashuk powder brush, Sephora powder brush that I use for blush, MAC SE 152, MAC SE 168, MAC 182 aka kabuki brush

I'm always interested in adding to my blush collection - do you have any must-get recs?

Blushes: Uncapped version.

Another Reason Why I Love Nordstrom: Anniversary Sale Time!

My favorite Nordstrom sale is here! In the humid heat of summer, Nordstrom is offering discounts of around 30-40% on select fall merchandise during their annual Anniversary Sale. Now I am not a fall gal (too much of a sun worshipper), but I can get definitely excited about new boots and clothes (winter coats! sweaters! cardigans!). These aren’t leftover sales items after a season, but brand new stuff that is sold at a lower price BEFORE the season starts. Sale runs through August 1 (everything will be full price come August 2), and Nordstrom.com just restocked today so hopefully you guys can still grab the smaller sizes! I browsed the store at Cherry Hill Mall and can report that not everything in stores is available online so I’d also recommend checking out the nearest physical store.

What I got:

Classiques Entier Dramatic Bootie in Black (at left) but the Smoke color is also hot. These arrived at my doorstep last week and I love them! I’ve slowly warmed up to booties over the last two seasons and seeing how they’re not going away, I finally grabbed a pair to go with tights during cooler weather. I’m also eyeing them as wearable now to edge up black dresses.

Born Crown Yolanda Boots in Gray: This fills up the gray color void in my boots collection, and these are my first pair that have buckles detail. Trying to venture out of my plain shoe comfort zone! Can't wait until these arrive.

Love by Design Military Open Front Cardigan in Beige + Gray Stripe. The color I got is sold out online but it's the same style as the link above, except beige overall and thinish grey stripes. I usually hate beige and gray mixed together but made an exception for this sweater.

Rubbish Oversized Cardigan in the olive and light gray stripe. Adding to my stripe collection, I got this long cardigan for travelling (super comfy and covers up leggings. The model's outfit is ugly - yuck, plum under green and gray? - but I like this cardigan by itself and would pair it simply with black jeggings. 

What I’m sitting on my hands trying not to buy:

Vince Camuto Amber Peep Toe Bootie in Midnight True Suede (1st on right). Gorgeousss color, I’m a sucker for dark blue and this bootie is just delicious. What’s stopping me is the impracticality of suede in NYC (the porous material will be ruined by rain + snow slush) and also the peeptoe. Just a personal preference, I despise how my long toes look in peeptoes, but they are adorable on other people who have smaller, cute toes!

Nine West Pocketful Pump in Dark Natural (2nd on right): The more I stare at these, the more convincing I am to myself that I must have them. These would be great for summer casual outings, and I'm really liking the cutouts. The ankle wrap is the only thing stopping me, as I am hesitant of anything that cuts me off visually. The wrapped leather would cover up my ankles, giving one giant calf down to my feet which won't be pretty..  Wish I had tried these on in store!

Nine West Madeup Pump in Taupe or Red Patent (3rd on right). Stylish yet sensible 3” heels for work, the dark red color is droolworthy and a welcome addition to classic pump colors. I tried this on in stores and NW runs half to a full size large.

Halogen Drape Neck Dolman Sleeve Sweater in Moody Iris. Such a pretty color, and I’m all about drapey loose tops over skinny / straight leg jeans.

Other very popular items from the sale (as far as I gathered from reading forums and people's reviews) are the Sam Edelman Over-the-Knee boots and the Ugg Abilene suede perforated boots.
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Yet another reason to love Anniversary Sale is the bonanza of limited edition Beauty Exclusives available. These are great values so if you've been wanting/needing some makeup, skincare or fragrance products, now's a good time to grab these:

Clarisonic kits that Michelle and I swear by (read posts here and here) - Mia and Plus sets (I have the Plus set with the body brush and Michelle loves her Mia!)

MAC brush kits or Giorgio Armani Travel Brush Set: Face brushes are important to smooth, even application of foundation and blush. I think eyebrushes are more interchangeable so can go lower-end with those (or maybe I just don't use enough eyeshadow!) but I'm okay with spending more on face brushes.

Did you get anything you love from the Anniversary Sale?

Crisp White Summer

The sun finally decided to come out in LA and temps reached 95+ degrees! After the sad, sad slew of dreary days, I was happy to wake up to some sunshine this week. The fun part about summer is that even running errands means you can dress up a little more these days. My favorite look of choice: a crisp, white linen dress!

Dress: Forever21 Heritage 1981

Necklace: J.Crew

Shoes: Miss Trish for Target Seahorse Flat

I found this Forever21 dress while roaming around the Fox Hills Culver City mall last weekend and didn't even think to try it on since I couldn't see how I could go wrong with such a cute dress! Lucky for me, it fits perfectly. I can't find the dress online for some reason, but I wanted to point out that I've had some pretty good luck with the H81 line. The pieces are a little more casual and after finding a few great pieces, I always make sure to look through this section now.

Aside from this dress being super comfortable and lightweight, I love the eyelet accents across the bosom and along the hemline. I was concerned at how sheer the dress would be, but even with my blue GapBody bra (a favorite, favorite!), there was barely a hint of it underneath. No embarrassing slip-ups to be feared. White dresses are an easy choice for looking fresh and clean and this was such a great find for less than $25. The only thing I'm debating changing is cutting off the fabric ties on the dress so that I can add a belt instead. 

White dresses also mean you have a ton of freedom when deciding what to accessorize with, but I chose to keep it simple for the day. Adding a J.Crew necklace I found at the Cabazon outlets (for less than $30!) was an easy choice with the gold and pearls. The Miss Trish sandals are becoming a quick summer favorite since they can be paired with almost anything and come in size 5.5. They weren't super comfortable the first few times I wore them, but now that they're completely broken in, I can wear them all day long. Although I took the easy route and accessorized with some more white, I could just as easily see this dress worn with some bright flats and a bun with a flower.

Summer Work Outfit Entry

::EDIT:: I'm the 2nd winner!! Thanks so much to everyone who voted for me =) Really unexpected outcome.

I entered my first blogger giveaway! Jean from ExtraPetite, whose blog I adore, asked people to send in pictures of summer work outfits for a chance to win some assessories from Ann Taylor LOFT and I decided to throw my hat in the ring. 

Top: Club Monaco

Skirt: Banana Republic

Belt: Club Monaco

Cardigan: Nordstrom BP (I love this cardigan.. and have 3!)

Heels: Kenneth Cole

The anchor of this outfit is the top, a breezy silk/cotton blouse from Club Monaco. The watercolor-like colors, front ruffles and ties in the back makes it a favorite in my closet. It's pretty as a casual top, but also works under a cardigan or blazer for work appropriate attire. To balance the lightness of the blouse, I paired it with a lightweight skirt, white 3/4 cardigan, and a skinny belt from Club Monaco. My work desk is located in a freezing area of the floor so a cover-up is absolutely necessary for me. This outfit isn't particularly bright and vibrant but working in finance, I can't push the envelope with big colors / accessories, though I think the light colors help play up the summery feel of the outfit.

I loved seeing the cute ensembles that entered; there were some bold, adventurous stylings (wish I could wear that kind of business casual to work!) and all of it inspired me to inject more color, blouses and take more risks with work outfits. Check it out here!

ModCloth Online Store

Who knew that late night procrastinating via FBing could lead to an interesting find? I'm sure everyone's seen their share of odd Facebook sidebar ads, but apparently they did good with the targeting of ads for me tonight. Lured in by a cute advertisement for online store, ModCloth, I think I've found a new online shopping obsession. The website says the company was "Founded by high school sweethearts, Eric Koger and Susan Gregg Koger, and built on a foundation of love..." Okay, the sentence actually finishes with "love for vintage and retro clothing," but I liked the idea of it ending with love. The idea of Eric creating ModCloth.com for Susan to expand on her passion for fashion is pretty darn cute, right?

Anyway, I did a quick perusal of the inventory and, wow, there are so many great options! It's pretty late, so for now I can only share the items that quickly caught my eye (of course I went straight to the dresses):

Riesling Dress ($64.99): I tried on a dress exactly like this once and loved the shape and fit of it! Adding a belt or a long strand of grey pearls would be perfect.

In the Blue Light Dress ($79.99): I've been leaning towards trying dresses of shapes different from my staple cami top ones, and this one is gorgeous! Love the color and the fact that the shorter length balances out the more conservative top.

Guava Goddess Dress ($49.99): A simple and casual--I can slip this on any day--kind of dress. I can't resist the fun color, pockets, and comfy, light material.

The price points are moderately higher (think Anthropologie style and sale prices), but similar to prices offered by a local boutique in my neighborhood. I think shopping at boutiques like this always gives you the best inventory to choose from. Hopefully the quality makes for it being worth it to spend a little bit more for more unique pieces. For those of you who like the joy of finding vintage, one of a kind pieces, the store also offers a vintage section (although I was confused as to why all the inventory listed was already labeled as "Sold").

Has anyone tried ModCloth? I wonder what the quality and fit is like. The company's vast social network includes a fun Blogger of the Moment feature, which showcases fashion bloggers across the web so I will definitely need to read up on these. As a shopping perk, the store offers free returns and quick exchanges, so there's no real reason not to give this place a try. Can't wait to take some more time to pick out a few items to order!

Suntan with a Plan

With the temps hitting high 90’s this weekend, I couldn’t pass up some quality tanning time. It’s funny, I never needed to tan when I was younger because I swam competitively and was about 10 shades darker than my normal skintone at the end of summer. I’d slather on as much and as high an SPF as I could find in the drugstores but even so, by August I’d still have thick swimsuit tan lines (and a giant circle on my back from the Speedo back cutout, oy). I stopped swimming when I was 18 and it was refreshing to finally be pale! Even during college, I wouldn’t tan often, save for spring break trips and vacations. Now that I’ve moved to New York though, where I’m stuck indoors most of the day and sunshine isn’t as abundant year-round as California, I grab all chances I get to get some color. A friend from CA moved to NY a few years ago and actually got sick from a Vitamin D deficiency since he never saw the light of day! So tanning is healthy (in small doses of course and with sun protection)

Not the day we went tanning (it was MUCH more sunny), but this is a look at our rooftop

After packing up a bag with tanning essentials, I headed to my building’s rooftop, which has both an expansive city view and a Hudson River view. My roommate Tiffany came with me and gave me some tips on tanning so I thought I’d share here:

1) Use a tanning oil spray for optimal efficacy. The oil product magnifies the sun’s rays as they hit your skin and intensifies the light for faster results. Rich, darker color in less time, awesome! There are ingredients in tanning oils that are beneficial to the skin once soaked in (vitamins, antioxidants, etc); extra moisturizing for soft, supple skin, which is great because moisturized skin retains tans longer than dry skin that peels off. Plus, the ingredients make the spray smell great and the skin glistens after application =) The oil I used was Banana Boat Dark Tanning Oil Spray w/ SPF 4, which had coconut and smelled wonderful. I’ve also read great reviews on Hawaiian Tropics Golden Tanning Dry Oil Spray so will be picking that up in the near future.

Some tidbits about tanning oil:

• Be sure to select a product with some level of SPF so the most harmful UV rays are filtered out. It doesn’t have to be sky high (otherwise, it defeats the purpose of tanning) but should have some protection there. This was news to me – I had never used tanning oils before, mostly because I thought they lacked SPF and didn’t want to get too dark but I’m glad to know there is still protection!
• Apply liberally and reapply frequently. This is especially important since SPF is typically very low in tanning oil so reapplying is necessary to prevent burns 
• Don’t use the oil on your face, it's too greasy and heavy. Instead, put face sunscreen on prior to tanning and reapply regularly. The skin on our faces is more sensitive, burns easier and so requires a separate protectant

2) Strategically time your tanning sessions for the best sunlight and avoid heat. At its zenith, the sun’s heat and rays can be dangerous so the best times to tan are 2-3 hours before and after noon. I went around 4PM and the sun was still high up and light was aplenty but the heat started to subside after awhile. This isn’t to say I didn’t sweat (because I did, it was way too hot!) but the late afternoon sun gave color without burning me to a painful crisp. 

3) Exfoliate before tanning. I didn't learn this one until afterward. After coming back from tanning, I immediately checked out my tan lines out to see how many shades darker I had turned and was really happy to see a marked contrast. The tanning oil had worked! Then I showered and scrubbed clean, feeling brand new. Later, when I looked again, it seemed like my tan had disappeared a little on me! Where there was a clear line where my swimsuit was, now was more faint. This is when I realized we should have showered and exfoliated prior to tanning, so that the sun could hit the new skin. Otherwise, what ended up happening was the topmost layer got the most color, but that was washed away when I showered. 

4) Use sunglasses (and optional hat). It was too sunny to not have shades on, and I didn’t want my forehead to get too dark so I donned a hat and kept it on for most of the time. Once in a while, I would take both off and expose my face toward the sun for half a minute so my face wouldn’t be off-colored from the rest of my body.

5) Other useful items to bring:

• A white or light colored towel. Mine was a dark pink and it absorbed a lot of heat from the sun’s rays, so much that at times it became unbearable to lie still. I reached over to my roommate’s towel and hers was a lot cooler than mine (her towel was striped white and light pink)

• Canteen / thermos filled with ice water. I have a Nissan thermos which retains heat and cold equally well, so I dropped several ice cubes in it, filled to the brim with water and sipped when I was thirsty. The cool water feels amazing when you’re hot and I also used some ice cubes to hold in my hand and cool down

• Evian spray (chilled in refrigerator beforehand). The best moments of my tanning session were when I spritzed my face and décolletage with the Evian mist. SO SO REFRESHING. My skin (and me) said, “Ahhhhhh” 

• Popsicles. Luckily for me, my apartment was so close that I could run downstairs to grab some popsicles from the freeze when I got thirsty or overheated

• Aloe. For afterwards, in case you get tinged pink by the sun

• And of course, entertainment material, including books, magazines, ipods, etc. 

Happy tanning! Do you have any other tips for better results and color? (Michelle, I'm looking at you, LA beach bunny!)