Sunday Inspiration...Black and White Menswear

I love the idea of playing with an item worn by men and making it softer, more tailored, and feminine. Menswear-inspired clothing has really been taking off! It's so beautiful to me, especially in black and white. I thought I would make a set inspired by these items so that we can incorporate them into our every day wardrobe. Boss women of the world, unite!

Menswear-inspired black and white basics:

Horn-rimmed glasses

Black trousers

Men's watch (black, tan, silver, gold)

Tailored jumpsuit (LOVE this tuxedo-inspired one!)

Pinstripe crew socks

Black oxfords or brogues

Striped or checkered button-down shirt

Like any of the items in this set? Here is link for product information (and you can follow me on Polyvore too!):

http://www.polyvore.com/menswear-inspired_black_white/set?id=133430582

Happy Sunday, kittens! <3

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Saturday Round Up...8/30/14

Today is Saturday! Thank goodness for the weekend - especially a long one provided by the beautiful Labor Day.

Here are a list of some of my favorite news, articles, and pictures from this week:

http://www.refinery29.com/2014/08/73592/hello-kitty-sanrio-cat
My mom has been calling her Hello Miss Kitty for years by accident - I guess she was more right than I thought!!

http://www.dailydot.com/technology/date-rape-sensor-nail-polish/
This is a great article discussing the good and bad of Undercover Colors, a nail polish that may show date rape drugs in drinks.

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-28951981
Probably the silliest thing I saw on the Internet all week - and it's real. If only I lived in Russia!

http://www.rookiemag.com/2014/08/follow-the-leader/
Rookie is the greatest website on the WWW - period. Anything that they write is gold. Need some fashion inspiration? Get it from these fabulous cult leaders who were anything but shy (channeling my inner Tammy Faye this weekend for sure).

http://www.visualnews.com/2014/08/27/gigantic-carpet-brussels-made-750000-begonias/
My aunt is a fabulous crafter - she also blogs and does a lot of design research! She sent me this link and I was completely blown away by the amazing detail and skill it takes to make these floral carpets. Gorgeous!

http://www.manrepeller.com/2014/08/the-rules-to-life.html
Man Repeller is excellent - check out this piece on 10 rules to modern life.

http://www.refinery29.com/lipstick-art#slide
Lipstick...ART? You have got to see these amazing photos! I can't even begin to imagine the steady hands this woman has to have.

Happy Saturday, kittens <3 <3

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Fan Friday...e.l.f. Cosmetics

I believe that every broke college student has worn something from Eyes Lips Face, more casually referred to as e.l.f. Cosmetics. You can find it in Target, Five Below, Walmart, and many other low-priced stores. However, the low price doesn't mean low quality. There are products from e.l.f. that I have actually stayed brand loyal to. I have sensitive skin that reacts to products quite easily, so I have to say that this is high praise!

Some brand background: e.l.f. was created in 2004 by Joseph Shamah and Scott Vincent Borba (who aided in the creation of Hard Candy), who were inspired by wealthy women paying low prices for cosmetics. Their price points were set at $1, $3, and $5. Most importantly, e.l.f. is 100% cruelty free.

Today, e.l.f. has expanded into three lines: Studio (professional-quality), Minerals (products made with natural minerals), and Essentials (your basic standards). The brand started with only 13 products, but now offers over 300 different items to choose from, from skin care and makeup to nail products and beauty tools.

Here are four of my all-time favorite e.l.f. products. I can't seem to part with them due to their awesome quality and super reasonable pricing!

e.l.f. Essential Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick in Movie Star, $2.00I just love this - goes on like lipstick but is glossy and sheer with a hint of color. Cheap and so easy!

http://www.eyeslipsface.com/elf/lips/gloss/jumbo_lip_gloss_stick

e.l.f. Essential Liquid Eyeliner in Black, $1.00I know it seems crazy, but this is SO easy to use. I never mess up my cat eyes! I've never liked any liquid liner more than I like this one.

http://www.eyeslipsface.com/elf/eyes/eyeliner/liquid_eyeliner_

e.l.f. Studio Tinted Moisturizer in Porcelain, $3.00I rarely need a tinted moisturizer but I purchased it for the beach because I hate wearing sunscreen on my face. This did the job, covered well, and didn't cause any breakouts. Plus, it's the perfect size for trying out tinted moisturizer for the first time or for tossing in your bag. Love!

http://www.eyeslipsface.com/studio/face/tinted_moisturizer/tinted_moisturizer_spf_20

e.l.f. Essential Tone Correcting Concealer in Ivory, $1.00
This stuff is great - it smells nice AND works well. I don't get a lot of pimples luckily, so this dab and dot is great for me. If I broke out more, I would probably need a bigger size, but this works great for small problems!

http://www.eyeslipsface.com/elf/face/concealer/tone_correcting_concealer

Do you regularly use e.l.f.? What is your favorite product? 

Happy Friday, kittens! Enjoy the long weekend!

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Your Thursday Confidence Boost From...Coco Chanel

Thursdays can be rough - it's STILL not Friday and there's a lot to get done. I've dedicated Thursday on Fashion Maeven to being a healthy dose of quotes and images from people who inspire me!

Our words of wisdom today are coming from the legendary Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, also known as Coco. She was ambitious, driven, and determined to make her business work. She helped liberate women from the corseted looks that had been prevalent for hundreds of years. Her iconic clothing line and perfume are still the epitome of elegance today. Tweed suits and jersey are a wardrobe staple because of her. She also cemented the permanence of the little black dress into fashion culture forever. This woman really KNEW what was up.

If you're feeling a little down today, here are some of Coco's inspirational words to help you feel a little more chic and fabulous. Embrace your inner diva!!

"I don't care what you think about me. I don't think about you at all.” 

“Success is most often achieved by those who don't know that failure is inevitable.” 

‘A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.’

Happy Thursday kittens <3

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Why Can't I Look Like...Cara Delevingne

Cara Delevingne is one of the most popular models at the moment (see the cover of Vogue's September issue). Not only is she extremely versatile, she is stunning in such an unconventional way. She's young with killer bone structure and obviously, some serious eyebrows. Thank god she's bringing the brow game up!

You may think to yourself: I wish that I could look like a model. HEY GIRL, you're already flawless - channel your inner Cara every day. Here's some inspiration for her outward style and appearance:

Those brows. You don't need much makeup with a gorgeous natural face like this!

Beanie, drainpipes, boots, and a casual t-shirt and jacket. EASY menswear-inspired outfit!

Oversized tee and skinnies with a rocker vibe of big hair and a leather jacket.

Here are some pieces that I think would stop a street-style photographer:

CARA'S ESSENTIALS:
VERY tight skinnies - destroyed, khaki, whatever your preference is!
Some kind of menswear jacket - leather or denim, preferably.
Combat boots
Beanie (silly sayings are a plus)
Oversized band or logo tee
Brow powder/filler and brushes - fill those brows in, let them grow, and keep them in check! When brows are your main attraction, keep everything else on the eye neutral and go for a bold lip.


Like the items pictured? Here's the set on Polyvore (you can follow me on there too!):

http://www.polyvore.com/cara_delevingne/set?id=132570107

Happy Wednesday kittens! <3

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Emmy Fashions 2014...

Good morning everyone! Did you happen to catch some of the Emmys last night? I usually never watch an entire awards show, but overall I thought it was a great night! Of course, Breaking Bad and Modern Family stole the show (although J was rooting for True Detective & we both love OITNB).

I thought that the fashion of the night was pretty well done. There are always some hits and misses. I especially loved the prominence of women in white and red. Here are some of my favorite looks (coincidentally, there are repeat designers in here too - a few really knocked it out of the park!).

Laverne Cox in Marc Bouwer

Sarah Hyland in Christian Siriano

Uzo Aduba in Christian Siriano

Taylor Schilling in Zuhair Murad

Camila Alves in Zuhair Murad

Who had your favorite look of  the night? Comment and let me know! 

<3

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Beach Baby...

Yesterday, I went down to Wildwood, NJ for the day to see some of my cousins. It's been so long since I've taken a family day trip - it was a lot of fun. I got massively sunburned unfortunately (pale people problems) but overall I had a great time. Here are a few pictures from my eventful day! When I'm dreaming of warmer days later this year, maybe I'll check back to this post!

(My apologies for the iPhone quality pictures - I probably should invest in a nicer camera soon!)

The clouds were super fluffy/low hanging yesterday!

The infamous Wildwood boardwalk

I got me some polish water ice - YUM - can't go a summer without it!

Didn't win any candy :(

Always a bummer to head back home

Have you ever been to the beach? Wildwood, NJ and Ocean City, NJ were the two beaches I went to the most growing up. They're pretty different from each other actually. Which beaches do you like?

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Sunday Inspiration...Indigo

Hues between blue and purple are so calming and really stunning to wear. Indigo can basically be worn all year long (think of it as a basic like denim). I threw together a little set of outfit inspiration for your these days where summer is turning into fall!

All of the product information for this set can be found here:

http://www.polyvore.com/dreaming_in_indigo/set?id=132788984

Happy Sunday dolls! <3

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Are You Red-y For Me?

Redheads are always getting dissed. Carrot top, too many freckles - sounds pretty unique to me! Being a redhead is rare these days, because people just want to be blonde or brunette so they won't get teased.

Don't do it girls - WORK that red!

Here are two pictures of my favorite redhead (unnaturally though). Evan Rachel Wood is a stunner with any hue on her head, but when she was a ginger babe, she really had me. I'm actually thinking of turning my overdyed blonde towards a strawberry/light red to match hers (I think it's time for a change!).

What are your thoughts on red hair? Who is your favorite redhead? 

Enjoy your Saturday off, kittens! <3

PS - The title of this article is a little reference to RuPaul's Drag Race. Watch the bit here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVWx5R2C38A

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Fan Friday...Floss Gloss

Floss Gloss has just recently released three new polishes as part of their Fall/Winter line, Lifestyles of the Floss and Gloss! These polishes have got some serious sass. Not only does the brand name their beauties flawlessly (I mean..Donatella..), the colors are unlike anything you've seen anywhere else.

If you aren't familiar with them, Floss Gloss was started in Cali in 2009 by art school besties, Janine and Aretha. Together, they concocted their polish which is cruelty free with no DBPs, toluene, formaldahyde, and formaldehyde resin. Boss nail polish that isn't harmful? I dig it.

Not only do their polishes rule, but their lookbook photos are perf. Below are snapshots of each of the shades. I love that it feels like a cohesive collection and also shows you how the polish looks on real fingernails (something not every website does)!

Needless to say, I have got to get my hands on these babies. I am especially lusting after Donatella - that color is unlike anything I own! Unfortunately, the shipping is a bit expensive, so I haven't been able to afford to purchase ANY of their polishes yet (Faded has been on my lust list for months). However, check the Retailers tab on their website to find a physical location to snag these gems in your city. I'm gonna get one next week at a local boutique :)

What do you think of Floss Gloss as a brand and as a product? Let me know!

Happy Friday <3

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Your Thursday Confidence Boost from...RuPaul

RuPaul is a goddess to me. She is so inspiring! I've read both of her books, and I am a huge RuPaul's Drag Race fan. Being able to look at yourself as a canvas and having the ability to recreate yourself every day is amazing to me. Drag queens have such confidence and personality - I try to take inspiration from them daily!

RuPaul is an extremely smart person, and I think that some of her wisdom can boost our confidence on a dreary old Thursday.

WARNING: The images below involve sickening beauty and truth from the baddest queen in the world!

“Look at me -- a big old black man under all of this makeup, and if I can look beautiful, so can you.”

“When you become the image of your own imagination, it's the most powerful thing you could ever do.”

"Learn to love yourself, 'cause if you can't love yourself, how the hell you gonna love somebody else?"

Have a great day everyone! <3

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Why Can't I Look Like...Audrey Horne

I'm starting a new series on women that I find powerful and gorgeous - with serious style that I can take beauty and outfit inspiration from!

The first woman I want to highlight is the absolutely stunning Audrey Horne (played by Sherilyn Fenn) in the show Twin Peaks. When I watched the series, I was enthralled with Audrey's beauty and all-around fierceness. She did whatever she wanted and didn't care about the consequences. Dark and wavy hair, perfectly arched brows, a killer pout: who could resist?

Here are some images to give some style inspiration:

Short curls, red lips, and a plunging neckline - PERFECTION

Sweater with a high-waisted skirt = foolproof for day and night. 

Schoolgirl chic! Plaid and saddles are adorable and still sexy.

Here are some pieces that I think would make a damn fine outfit, inspired by Miss Horne:

AUDREY'S ESSENTIALS:

A neutral cropped sweater
High-waisted knee-length plaid skirt
Red lipstick (choose wisely with your skin tone!)
A cool updated saddle shoe
Red kitten heel
Plunging gown for nights out (I chose red, but any color works!)

Like the clothing pictured in collage? Here's the set on Polyvore (you can follow me on there too!):

http://www.polyvore.com/audrey_horne/set?id=132565492

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Picking up some hobbies...

It's been a weird time transitioning between being a student and being a worker. Since I'm still searching for a full-time job, I feel a little bit stuck. I'm between many things right now.

In trying to find my current place, I feel a bit lost on the hobby front too. When I was in college, I had a lot of time to work on hobbies or try fun new things. I love to knit and crochet, as well as collage, sketch, and create. However, with a lot of my time and energy going towards job hunting and my current temp job, I find myself in a hobby rut. I haven't had time to simply just make anything!

I've been thinking a lot about Etsy - many of the blogs I follow have really cool writers who also make amazing things on the side. I would love to be able to craft or create something that people would be interested in and maybe even want to buy.

Last night, I got out some scrap yarn and my trusty ol' big needles. It felt good to watch some TV and just knit a little bit. I'm hoping that once I get a job, I can start learning how to use my sewing machine. It'd be nice to make some cool things with all my fabulous fabric (see previous post). I'd also love to make some jewelry and learn how to quilt. I have a lot of things to knock off my crafting bucket list!

Do you have any recommendations for a hobby or craft to try? What do you do/make on Etsy? I'd love to know!

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A New Reading Endeavor...

Ever since I've been back from Europe, I've been trying my best to get back to reading books. I've joined Goodreads and am trying to read 40 books this year (I'm officially at the halfway point!).

My two good friends and I recently decided to start a book club together. Our first meeting is this weekend and we are going to discuss The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. The book was a pretty quick read! Overall, it wasn't one of my favorite books - at times, it made me very bored actually. However, I'm really happy that I read it and that I can talk about it with friends and hear their opinions. Did you ever read The Sun Also Rises? What did you think?

Our next book is High Fidelity by Nick Hornby, which I have already started. I'm sensing a trend of male insecurities here...

Do you have any books that you would recommend for a book club? Are you in a book club and would have some good tips for me? Let me know!

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Nail Fun...

I've been very busy lately, but I'm having such a blast with my nails when I can! My co-worker is from Brazil, and when she found out how much I loved nail polish, she brought me some formulas from there! Safe to say, I've fallen in love with the polish. The formula is thinner than most American ones, so it goes on very smooth and easily. It's not thick or clunky, and lasts for a very long time! Here are some pictures of my latest manis (along with some recent buys and finds!).

I loved doing this mixture of nude and red polish. Paired along with my printed lounge pants from Primark in London, I felt totally fabulous!

I love doing stripes and fun pops of color with dark polish. Plus, I just bought The Pore Fessional from Benefit (which I LOOOOVE), so it's a double win for this picture!

My co-worker gave me this wonderful deep lilac from Paris. I felt tres chic!

My princess Jasmine nails (sea foam green and pale pink with a sparkly Sally Hanson top coat) and my first read for my new book club!

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Paris...

It's so hard to believe that our trip was over a month ago! It feels like ages ago that we were away - coming back and working immediately is a harsh reality for sure.

Paris was our third destination on our trip. After our time in London, we took a gorgeous train ride and arrived in Paris at night. Overall, Paris was definitely the most difficult city to get along in. There's not as much English speaking going on there, and also the food was the most expensive. We used this opportunity to walk a lot, learn a little bit of French (I had a few basic phrases down, but it wasn't as helpful as I thought it would be), and cook a lot of our own food.

Of course, you have to do the tourist destinations. The Eiffel Tower was stunning. We walked up to the second floor (exhausting) and then took the elevator all the way up to the top. The views were too beautiful to even try to describe. It's quite breathtaking. You can see everything! We also spent a good six hours at the Louvre. There are too many masterpieces to really take in at once. Since we were only there for six days, we couldn't really split it into two days, but I think we made our time count. We saw around 80% of the museum, which is pretty impressive! We even took selfies with Mona Lisa. Notre Dame was amazing as well. The inside was so gorgeous, it actually brought tears to my eyes.

Our diet basically consisted of two things: wine and bread. Both are amazingly cheap compared to the rest of the food. We had a baguette for lunch and dinner. The bread is unlike anything here in America. It's incredibly fresh, crusty, and soft. It's also a very easy lunch to carry around. At night, we bought a lot of fresh produce and made our own sandwiches at our flat. We had a television there, so we watched a ton of World Cup games, French news, and music videos.

Paris was certainly the least enchanting of all the cities we visited. Surprisingly, it was pretty dirty and at times a little scary (and this is coming from two people living in Center City Philadelphia!). Overall, we weren't exactly sure where all the talk about romance and beauty was coming from. There are many parts of the city that aren't paved - it's just sand. We still had a wonderful time there and learned a lot, but it wasn't as majestic as we had assumed it would be.

Here are some pictures from Paris!

The Eiffel Tower in all her glory!

The view from the second level

Being a true Parisian (baguette & arc de triomphe)

The Louvre

Yummy macarons!

Delicious fresh bread, produce, and wine!

The infamous windmill of the Moulin Rouge

Our espressos

Notre Dame - absolutely stunning inside

There were actually a dozen bridges with locks on them!

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