Be Naked

Clothes are great, makeup is even greater.

But style is about how you feel in your body.

No makeup, no clothes

Just you and your lovely skin-

free and feeling.

"And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet

and the winds long to play with your hair"

- Khalil Gibran

<3

Claire

p.s. i love freckles

Oxfords? With Flowers? And Sequins?

Kinda feeling these crazy oxfords from Forever21... what do you guys think?!

Oh p.s., they're 25 bucks. ;)

-B

Style Profile: Max & Gavia

Living in the Northwest practically endows its residents with a quirky sense of style

(okay, that's a gross exaggeration/stereotype, but it has some truth).

I went to high school with a lovely lady named Gavia who you will see in the the following pictures. Gavia has one of the most distinctive styles of any human being living on this planet. Her clothes are a lovely mix of old and new, with styles spanning more decades than she has been alive. I have always respected her quiet confidence, one that allows her to humbly pull off basically anything she chooses.

Her beau mister Max Reikosky is a male mirror image of Gavia.

Let's just say he's got a cool Northwest steez goin for him.

We had a little photoshoot yesterday because I'd like to share with all our readers (all 5? 10 of you? we love you :D) some styles that both stand out and are understatedly cool. Enjoy!

On Gavia: gifted dress; gifted boots; leather hair-band.

On Max: Vintage Reebok tank from The Patch in Victoria, CA; cut off Levi's; Black H&M beach shoes; gifted sunnies.

On Gavia: top stolen from Mrs. Angell; pants from Buffalo Exchange; Jacket borrowed from sister; shoes from Buffalo Exchange.

On Max: t-shirt from Value Village; jeans from H&M; pea coat from H&M; blue sneakers.

On Gavia: lace tank from Goodwill; pants from H&M; Doc Martins from Buffalo Exchange; sweater from local consignment shop.

On Max: flannel from Old Navy; Imaginary Foundation t-shirt; Levi's jeans; Sperry Topsiders boat shoes.

-B

My Earrings Arrived! Hooray!

They are so light and are fair trade and humanely made! Booyah!

Tomorrow I'll be meeting up with the lovely and stylish couple Max and Gavia to take some photos and talk some fashion!

-B

The Greatest Sin of All: Bad Eyebrows

Well haaaaaay there!

Today, I tried to dye my own hair. Every inch of me is covered in purple and blue!

But my hair looks good!

YAYYY!

But you want to know what does not look good?

Beautiful women with hideous eyebrows.

Like Olivia Wilde, the insanely attractive Thirteen from House

AHHHHHHH!

oh honey...

speaking of medical shows,

Do any of you watch Royal Pains?

Divya is so sexy

but her eyebrows are stuck in 1992

(also her bra is showing)

or how about

Lauren Conrad?

following in Jennifer Anistons footsteps as queen of understated style...

but lordy, these are some weird, awkward eyebrows.

So now you know,

I am an eyebrow bitch.

okie dokie have a great tuesday!

<3

Claire

Disney Couture? I Think YES

While browsing FredFlare the other day, I spotted a few cool piece of jewelery that bore the name Disney Couture. How intriguing... turns out Disney has a high end line of baubles based off of some of their most popular productions (such as Alice in Wonderland and Tinker Bell of Peter Pan).

Although a good half of the pieces for sale sport the same usual shameless Disney marketing tackiness, some were really sweet! Including some by Tom Binns, who is AWESOME.

Keyhole Alice in Wonderland Ring by Tom Binns for Disney Couture- $49.95

Disney Couture Tea Party Bracelet by Tom Binns for Disney Couture- $136.00

Disney Couture Hearts Necklace (more Tom Binns)- $180

Disney Couture Shark Bracelet- $54

I especially love the tea party bracelet. The enchanting whimsy in all things Alice are hard to avoid, no?

-B

P.S. After like 3 weeks of looking crappy the blog layout is FINALLY NORMAL!!!!!!!!

Uuuh... So This Is Awkward

To be completely honest, I was thinking maybe one person would want my sweatshirt... instead of like four.

So to decide who got it I wrote down everyone's names:

And put them in my tacky yet awesome fedora

And drew a name!

Yay Sydney! :D

I'll definitely be doing this again because let's be honest... there's tons of crap floating around my room that I've made and never worn/used. As Claire said the other day... "Being in your room is like being in Ariel's cave!"

-B

P.S. I ended up getting the white water buffalo horn earrings. in case anyone was interested. :3

Dior Fleur

The new collection by Dior is delicious!

Dior is great-

and a lovely lovely luxury makeup line

<3

Claire

p.s.

check these awesome candles by Sergio Silva

Cheaper Alternatives Final Post! (for now...)

Okie dokie!

I painted my nails lavender with gold sparkles today!

Also,

Here are my top drugstore brand picks, (all under 10$)

L'oreal Paris Voluminous Mascara-

Thickens, lengthens, doesn't flake, highly rated by makeup artists everywhere,

I actually use this stuff more than my Dior Show Mascara.

L'oreal Paris HIP Foundation-

looks and feels much more high end than it is!

Great range of colors, and has lasting power.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Glosses-

staples in my kit, these come in great colors,

have a delightful consistency and just a hint of sparkle.

Maybelline New York Eyestudio Precision Gel Liner-

Long lasting creamy formula that comes with a professional quality brush.

Perfect mix of liquid and pencil liners, and mistake proof.

<3

Well, thats all for now!

But I am constantly on the search for great, cheap products

PEACE

Claire

Any Takers? Re-Purposed Hoodie

A long while I gutted an old (old, old, old...) hoodie. I think it was Roxy brand or something, but it had tacky sparkly designs all over it. I cut them all out and replaced them with a heavy canvas-y fabric, removed the zipper and added military-esque tabs that snap. And then I forgot all about it.

The other week I unearthed it in my closet and decided to add some vintage brass buttons.

Although I really like it, it's not something that will make the final cut when I go back to school (I can only take so many hoodies to a place that rarely dips below 65 degrees). However, it put so much work into it that I don't want to just drop it off at Goodwill!

... Will someone please take this off my hands?!?

It's probably around a size SM-M. Is anyone interested?

-B

Halp Me!

A month or two ago D bought me my first pair of wood earrings from a little shop in the U-District and I must say that I absolutely love them! They look just like this:

Wood earrings have always fascinated me, and these are especially cool because when worn they look like gauges (although I'm too chicken to take that step quite yet...)

The past few days I've been looking to expand my collection and purchase a new pair, and I'm quite torn between two pairs that are both ornately beautiful and nearly identical in price... a price that I'm not willing to spend twice to get both pairs, ya dig?! :3

Tell me your opinions! Which ones do you like best?!

(Fairly traded, harvested, etc. Water Buffalo Horn)

(Hand carved Sono Palm Wood)

-Berit

I'm a Lazy Poop

Summer has been getting the better of me...

But I have returned!

Tanner, Thinner (I lost 10 pounds!), and more DELIGHTFUL than ever...

EIO!

Here to talk about TARTE

This brand, most famous for it's lovely cheek stains,

has now made the transition to all green products!

" Here at tarte we strive to make the world a healthier, more beautiful place. "

(from the website)

Hey- You can look great and be saving the rainforest at the same time!

TALK ABOUT SEXY!

as the New Zealanders say, HILL YIS!

i love my tarte cheek stain!

Let us applaud this wonderful company

*wooooo*

<3

Claire

p.s. I filmed two tutorials a while back, but they take FOREVER to upload. Patience my young stylistas.

p.p.s. Just finished reading "God of the Small Things" by Arundhati Roy. Magical. Must read.

p.p.p.s. I am so happy lately! Why?

beCAUSE:

crab is delishus

zumba is fun

sun is superb

i just bought a boat load of great stuff from Ross for only 80$

including these 5 inch platform stilettos:

these are my sisters legs... she has better calfs LOL

k but for real now,

I'm out

Stay lovely

DAMN YOU NORDSTROMS ANNIVERSARY SALE AND ALL OF YOUR POPULAR GLORY

Trouve 'Sabrina' Distressed Leather Ankle Boot

I want these SO BAD. BUT THEY'RE SOLD OUT.

Boo :(

-B

Long Live McQueen

This is awesome. Overpriced, of course, but awesome nonetheless.

Long Live McQueen Canvas Tote- Lola & Bailey $49.00

-Berit

Simple Dresses Are Magical!

Dresses are fun, period.

There is a dress out there to fit any body type or preference, and nothing is more awesome than waking up to a sunny day and slipping on a lightweight dress. 

Although unique/crazy/eye-catching dresses are delicious, it's also helpful to have a plain dress or two in your arsenal; ones that look completely different with the exchange of just a few accessories.

The other day I picked up a black dress that had a simple cut with a flattering v-neck and a cool t-strap in the back. And then I found one in teal. And cobalt blue.

In the end I picked up the black and teal ones (they were ten bucks EACH, okay?!) and am already glad that I did. They're extremely versatile; I can dress them up or wear them to the beach with a floppy straw hat.

Dress, TJMaxx; sandals, Sam Edelmann (found for super cheap last winter); scarf and belt, thrifted.

Here's some more examples of versatile, plain dresses:

Frenchi Tank Dress- Nordstrom's $31.90

It's Getting Haute in Here Dress- Modcloth $67.99

S

Slub Dress- Gap $19.99

Wohoo! Go frolick with your own sexy soccer stars!

-Berit

Christian Siriano: Fierce To... Quite Awesome, Actually

To any of you in the fashion world, especially those that watch Project Runway...

Remember Christian Siriano?

This guy?

He was most well known on the show for being excessively flamboyant and making the word "fierce" popular, but I can't say I was always fond of his designs.

However, I've been looking through the collections he's put out since the show and I have to say he's got some great stuff going on! I am especially a fan of his Spring 2010 collection, including pieces made from Google Earth images!

Check out his full collections here- he makes beautiful pieces that span from ethereal to structured and business-like, and he sure knows how to do volume...

Here's to being overwhelmingly fierce!

-Berit

Cheaper Alternatives #9

Witch Hazel~

I realize I am excessively redundant,

but as much as I talk about Olay and Witch Hazel,

they are in fact, remarkable products.

Witch Hazel is SO cheap- the Safeway brand costs me $3.99- and is astonishingly effective.

It was discovered by the Native Americans and has been used medicinally for ages.

So, hello, I think I would bank on this stuff.

All other toners have witch hazel as the main ingredient,

and most of the other stuff in there is superfluous

compared to how much more it costs.

Just swab some on between washing and moisturizing

and badabing badaboom

you are looking like Beyonce!

In case you feel cheated by my lack of novelty in this post thus far

(despite my rather impressive vocabulary... I think I got too much sun today LOL!)

I provide you, yet again, with an additional tidbit:

When you scuff your shoes, Sharpies are a great quick fix!

<3

Claire

ps.

sun bleached hair

beach bonfires

skinny dipping

watermelon

lincoln logs

puppies!

filipino food

taking hose showers

singing lullabies

strawberry salads

Berit's cupcakes

To DIY, To Not DIY...

I was browsing the interwebs recently and found this bow tie necklace by Old Soul New Heart.

I love it.

Unfortunately, it's $95. No bueno.

I'd like to DIY some version of this myself (would that be idea stealing...?), but the only problem is that I can't find any freaking bow ties!!! You'd think there would be a plethora of them in thrift stores, but I guess all of the world's bow-tie owners love theirs too much to give them away...

Good thing my dear mother found one... IN WISCONSIN.

So soon I'll have a sweet bow-tie fresh from Wisconsin to make a glorious creation out of! Stay tuned!

-Berit

Cheaper Alternatives #8

Dry Face?

yeah, I've talked about it before, but its SOOOO great.

Olay is cheap and even better than department store brands, its so awesome!

Alsooooo

For annoying dry skin around your nostrils, use honey!

Yeah, I know, I just included 2 different cheaper alternatives in one blog-

Just think of it as my apology for not blogging enough lately.

<3

Claire

Oh yeah, and:

SEATTLE IS SUNNY

Cheap Alternatives #7

Makeup Remover is expensive and comes in small packaging...

AWESOME alternative?

BABY WIPES!!!

Especially organic baby wipes,

which are only a little bit more expensive and AWESOME on sensitive skin :D

YEah yeah YEAHHHH.

happy things:

picking raspberries

the harry potter theme park

fresh mowed glass

books on tape

creating pizzas

stinging lip plumper

puppies

red wagons

nirvana

smooochie noonooz!

Claire