Obsess to Own story: Dreamy Flats

If you know me, then you know me writing a post about flats is strange.  I'm a heel wearing girl and I have been since I first stepped foot in NYC.  The way that heels elongate legs and polish off a look is just something I can't overlook.

However, there are days when the going gets too tough and it takes me down.  My fashion spirit is depleted and I need a day of rest for my fashion brain.  This means, that I want to sulk into a comfy pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and oh yes...FLATS.

Of all the flats out there, there's been one pair that I fell in love with years ago.  Repetto.  Baby Pink.  Lovely.  Delicate.  All the things I love.

Well, guess what kids?!  They came on the Outnet today.  AND I BOUGHT THEM.  Yeah, bitch (a la Jesse Pinkman)!

I've always wanted these and I'm so happy to Own them!  Getting that deal on something that you've always wanted is such a great feeling.  You know what else is a great thing?  That it's almost the weekend again.  WHEW.

Own: Give Your Skin a Break.

After a wonderful summer in NYC, it's time to recoup my skin.  All the sun that I got this summer has caused my face to freckle up and dry out and I've been looking for ways to improve its current state, but what I've realized is that my face doesn't need all that fancy, expensive frou-frou stuff.  It needs a break.  It needs real love and care.  I'm no skin care expert and I know that different skin needs different treatments so I'm just sharing with you what works for me.

Before I tell you what I've been doing for my skin, let me tell how my skin has changed.

1) Fewer breakouts.  I think new products sometimes cause my skin to freak out and it's only after extended use that this starts to happen.  I'm not sure what products were causing the break outs, but maybe it was just the fact that I was using so many new products.

2) Smoother skin.  When I wake up in the morning with my regime, my skin is BABY SOFT.  I LOVE IT.

3) No eye baggies.  A little extra moisture under the eyes before bed really makes a big difference.

4) More color.  I don't have to use nearly as much blush as I did in the summer!  That seems weird considering that most people have that "sun-kissed" look in the summer.  Maybe the products I was using before were covering up my glow!

Alright, so let me tell you what I've been using!

A good cleanser.  I took home a sample of the Fresh Soy Cleanser at the beginning of the summer and it's so gentle and amazing at removing eye makeup that I refuse to give it up.  Another thing- after I wash my face, I don't rub it dry with a towel.  Instead, I just gently dab with a towel and let it air dry.  It gives my skin a nice feeling of moisture even after I dry the water from my face.

A general moisturizer.  That's right.  I don't use a "face" moisturizer.  I use a general body moisturizer.  The one that I use is by C.O. Bigelow's Lemon Body Lotion.  Once I have that on, I just dab a little Lubriderm Intense Skin Repair under my eyes, rather than rubbing it in.

A gentle exfoliant.  After a dreamy facial at Grean Jones Spa in NYC a few weeks ago, I opted to buy the enzyme peel that they use during their treatments as a once-a-week treat for my face.  The Naturopathica pumpkin enzyme peel has been amazing and is extremely gentle- it has a little bit of grit for a soft exfoliation and after using it, my skin is brighter and softer.

I'm going to keep on this regime for another couple months and see where it takes me!  One important thing to add is that I wear SPF EVERY DAY.  EVERY SINGLE DAY.  Again, I'm not a specialist in any way, but I've heard from almost every specialist that I've seen that wearing SPF daily is extremely important when it comes to preventative care.  Anyway, wash your face and carry on!

Neglect.

Wow.  It's been MONTHS since I've posted on here.  Life got the best of me and I forgot about you.  I left you by the wayside.

I'm so sorry.

Things haven't slowed down, but someone I love very dearly recently told me that my view on life is sometimes a little too negative...that when the going gets tough, I just pull away from everything and everyone and try to go it on my own.  I don't know why I do that.  Logic says that when the going gets tough, having people help you would make the going easier, so why do I shut everyone out?

Well, we'll have no more of that!  I'm back on the grid and my spark for shopping is strong!  Let's do this!

Own: The Birthday Two Piece.

Guess what, people!?  It's that time of year.  That's right.  MY BIRTHDAY MONTH!

The princess birthday has been pretty mild so far, but now that we're coming in on the actual day (Saturday!), I've been searching far and wide for the perfect birthday outfit.

This year, a dress just wouldn't do.  I've looked year after year at dresses and this year, I needed something more.  So, I've turned to the Two Piece.  I'm not talking about bikinis.  I'm talking about crop tops and high waists!  I'm loving the look right now- that little sliver of midriff showing is just the right amount of skin.  Plus, after all these months of yoga, I'm ready to come out of my shell a little.  My birthday is the best day to do that.  Getting older isn't going to stop me!

When did I first notice the two piece?

I was having dinner with the bf at Nyonya, and a girl walked in with a bunch of people.  She was wearing a black turtleneck, sleeveless crop top and a pencil skirt with a funky print.  A tiny bit of her stomach was showing.  She had her hair straightened.  She looked so cool.  In that moment, I thought to myself,

"I could do that."

So, here we are.

This is the outfit I've picked:

Fun, isn't it??  I am so excited to wear this out. I've seen lace around a lot lately, but I've felt that, in some cases, it has made the garment look old.  This lace over a rainbow fabric is such a fun way to change it up and take me out of my black.  Want to get it for yourself?  You can find it on asos.com and it's by MinkPink.

Happy May Day/My Birthday Month to you all!

Own Own Own! Julep deal!

Hey guys!  Back from hiatus with a winning offer today!  Julep, the lovely nail polish brand with the skinny rectangular bottles (yes, you've seen them) is offering an amazing deal today.  $30 for a mani or pedi set (which would usually run you $143 at retail).

What does this mean?  OWN!

Just go to the site here and use the code TODAYJULEP.  Get it.  Do it.  GO!

Enjoy :)

Ogle: Beyonce's Body Chain

Have you guys SEEN the Beyonce propaganda on HBO?

I LOVE IT.  I know there are some Beyonce haters out there, but I don't understand those people.  I mean, if there's someone in her industry that deserves the bucks, it's Beyonce.  She works hard.  Did you see her Superbowl show?!  She TURNED IT OUT.

Anyway, there were a few times during her documentary (if that's what you want to call it) where she was in a bikini on super posh vaca or showing off her preggers belly where you can see a very faint and delicate body chain on her.  I fell in love with it.  After some furious Google Searching, I had also remember that she rocked one on her very famous and recent GQ cover pic:

I love the way the chain drapes over the body.  It adds just a little something exrta and interesting.  Laying out and not swimming?  This is the perfect accessory.  

Why isn't this kind of thing more popular?  I've probably seen 10+ vacation/resort must have guides and haven't seen a single body chain on them!

If you have an extra $3000 lying around, feel free to pick up this beautiful piece, which is by Manon.  Oh!  And pick me up one, too, while you're at it.  Of course, there are cheaper options (here and here and here).

OGLE: The Ossscarrsss, Off the Carpet

Everyone is also so focused on the Red Carpet at the Oscars, but frankly speaking, I think the Red Carpet has been a little boring these past few years.  I mean, you always have some stunners like Charlize Theron or Jennifer Lawrence both in Dior Haute Couture, but I have to say that a lot of my favorite fashions were off the Red Carpet this year.

See my case and points below.

Ginnifer Goodwin.  I LOVE HER.  I pretty much love everything she wears.  Here she is in stunning Monique Lhuillier.  I love her makeup, too.  Her face is so angelic that when darker makeup is done on her, I find the contrast to be something I have to look at.

Rose Byrne is always beautiful.  Her hair and her makeup are so natural looking- I always feel like she has this glow about her.  Some might think that this is boring, but I think the fit to her body is perfect and the blingy, yet simple jewelry brings the attention to her face, which is SO PRETTY!  ::dies::

The lovely, Kate Bosworth.  Her dress by Giambattista Valli is so ethereal.  I love it.  I'm also a HUGE fan of her lip color choice.  The slightly purple hue is perfect!  I think this nude overlay type dress was popular this year with the stars, but I like this short dress keeps it fun.  Of course, this would never fly on the Red Carpet, but at a party, she's totally working it.

Aubrey Plaza in Izmaylova is stunning.  The color against her paler skin is so pretty and soft, but the structure of the dress gives it a little something extra.

To see more pics from this album, go to Buzzfeed.

Obsess: Donna Karan: For the City Warrior in Us

Donna Karan has been doing her thing for so long that, honestly, sometimes I forget to even look at her Collection- which is my bad.  Her clothes are still amazing.  Her collection for this Fall is really empowering- the slicked back hair and the intense eyes make the women coming down the runway look like warriors.

While the color palette is a little dull (we've all see combos of black, brown and beige), Donna Karan's collection is full of texture and unique cuts which make this a true Obsession of mine.  I tend to like the safe things that have a little bit of quirk so this stuff is right up my alley.  She pairs leather with velvet pair with narrow skirts and fur.  My favorite looks for your pleasure:

These girls look like City Superheroes.  The floating swathes of fabric create really unique and strong shapes against the skin-tight skirts.  I'm a big fan!  I don't care if I've seen all these colors together before, I think the strength in these designs is really inspiring and they look like pieces that I would love to wear.  I especially love the brown furry hat!

Obsess: Billy Reid and a Decadent Fall

It's going to be a wonderfully decadent Fall!

Fashion Week, Fashion Week, Faaaaashion Weeeeek!

While I don't take any kind of active role in anything Fashion Week, I always love to see what the designers have lined up for the next season.  In a dull, cold and dreary winter, Fashion Week sweeps through the city and breathes life into the faces of those that are worn out in their black peacoats and snow-resistant boots.  So poetic and over the top, but it's true.  Just looking at what's in store for Fall next year gets me excited about new trends I can Ogle now at least until the weather gets warm....and then cold again.

So, what were my favorite shows?  It's really hard to pick favorites.  I like shows the same way I like albums.  I never love the entire album, but if there are enough songs on it that I listen to more than 3 times, I can solidly say I like its style.  Same with Runway shows- I rarely see one where I love everything in the show (I actually don't think I've ever looked at a Collection and loved every look), but I'll still love a lot of the things I see.

Anyway, let's talk about some shows!  Let's start with Billy Reid and how wonderfully Obsessed I am with the feel of his Collection.  When it's a Fall Collection, I want it to feel like it's Fall and the collection is everything that I love about the season.  It's warm with a lot of earth tones, leather, jackets that almost seem oversized, alongside the secret to pairing black and brown.  The outerwear is AMAZING.  Here are some of my fav looks:

I love the boxy silhouettes of the coats.  Paired dresses that come in right at the natural waist and deep necklines, I just can't get enough.  The plunging neckline with the high waisted dress in olive and navy...ah, it's what I want right now!

The show was both Men's and Women's.  To see the rest of it, check it out at NYMag.com.

Ah, so lovely!

Obsess and Own: Demylee Sweaters Are Sneaky.

I love sweaters.  A pretty generic statement, I know, but it's true.  To me, almost nothing is better than a cozy, fuzzy sweater completely engulfing you when the weather outside is 10 degrees (like NY right now...).  Well, it might be better if you're sitting next to a fireplace and there's a fresh pie in the oven, but hey, we can't have it all.  Not today, anyway.  Maybe tomorrow!

Anyway, a few weeks ago, I walked into Steven Alan in Soho and spotted an adorable cropped sweater.  I tried it on, fell in love with it, and the rest is history.  I looked at the brand when I was at the register and it was a brand I'd never heard of before- Demylee?  I haven't really thought about it since I bought the sweater, but it's now a frequently worn staple of my winter wardrobe now so I see the tag a lot.   The sweater isn't on StevenAlan.com anymore, but you can find it here.

Weeks went by and when I was in LA, I spotted another sweater by the same brand- a sweater that I'm completely OBSESSED with.  If you have been a reader of my blog for a while (thank you!), you'll know that I love fuzzy things.  Well, this sweater fell square into the "fuzzy things" category.  You're probably asking yourself why I didn't just buy the damn thing if I loved it so much.  That's a good question, especially since the sweater was an extra 50% at the time.

The sweater was VERY unfortunately, not in my size.  *dies*  I thought that was the end of my affair with the sweater, but no!

The a few days ago, Popsugar notified me of an extra 60% off on sale items at Otte.  Cruising around in their sale section, there it was!  I quickly entered my info to pay for it and the order when through.

YESSSSSS!  The sweater was going to be miiiiiiiiiiine.

Days later, I get an email saying that the sweater was already sold out.  **CRUSHED**  It has evaded me....TWICE.

Rather than this just being an "Own" post, it has to be an Obsess post, too. Who knows if I'll ever find this sweater again- it's sold out...everywhere.  I'm haunted still today.

Moral of the story?  Demylee sweaters are awesome.  Also, this brand is sold in a lot of places all over the US and international as well.  Appears I might have just been living under a rock on this brand, but oh well.  I know it now!

Obsessed and Owned: LA!

Recently, I took a much needed retreat away from NYC.  I trekked out to LA.  And Thank God I did.  I've had it with the cold weather.  You know what else?  I think it's BS when people say that they couldn't live in LA because there are no seasons.  Who gives!?  It's beautiful and sunny all the time and I think that keeps people happy.

Anyway, I have some friends that live there that I hadn't seen in a while and it was great to catch up.  One of them you might know!  She's the Skinny Critic in LA as well as a Yelp Community Manger- Brittany Bassett.

Over the course of the weekend, I realized that while New York and California are both part of the same country, there are things that are so different about the culture over there.  The nice thing about seeing a place that's different from your own is that they expose you to new things!  After this weekend, I have a whole host of new things that I Obsessed over.  And some that I ended up Owning.

You're the lucky people that I want to share these things with.  Let's start with the things that I now Own as a result of my trip:

Ralph Lauren Jamaica Candle- While in California, we took a day trip over to Malibu and when I was in my friend's house, there was this alluring and lightly sweet smell that I just couldn't get enough of.  It was just one candle that filled the entire room up with the fragrance "Jamaica."  I was so in love wit it, I immediately came home and ordered two.  Can't wait to light them up!

T by Alexander Wang Dresses- First of all, I always find T by Alexander Wang perfect for a more casual night out.  He has some stuff that's a little sexier and some stuff that slouchy and all in all, when I walk into a store, 80% of the things I pick up are this brand.  So, Scoop was having an awesome sale.  Styles differ from NYC to LA, so I was actually able to find the styles I liked in my sizes while I was shopping at the Scoop in LA.  I picked up this maroon fitted dress.  I love that it's simple, but has a very slight mesh cut out tracing from the small of the back to the front of the hips.

I also picked up this thermal dress- flattering on the body and because it's a thermal and not a slinky material, it's able to hide some minor imperfections.

C.O. Bigelow Mentha Body Wash- Our hosts had this in their guest bathroom and I thought it was wonderful and refreshing as face wash.  It was tingly!  When I got to LA, I had a mild breakout, but by the time I left, the Mentha Body Wash had totally cleared me up.  I've now ordered myself two bottles (because apparently I can't order just one of anything).

Now, onto the lovely things that I am totally Obsessing over after my trip:

Torn by Ronny Kobo Dress- Brittany had been gifted this by her boyfriend and it fit her like a glove.  I think white definitely gets overlooked in NYC because it shows dirt and grit so quickly, but I think I'll put it "wearing more white" on my list of things to do in 2013.

A fine Burberry Coat!- Another night out on the town, Brittany emerged from her room in an amazing coat- Burberry, of course.  While I loved her coat on her, I quickly realized that a coat that length on me would have made me look so short.  However!  That didn't stop me from coming home and quickly Googling the wide array of lovely coats that Burberry has to offer.  Here are a few that I found to be especially Obsession worthy:

This trench with contrasting sleeves has all the "ooh-la-la" of the jacket I saw on Brittany.  It's mid-length so I might actually be able to wear this without looking too mini.  Oh and it's on sale.

This one is awesome. I love the giant collar.  And it's also on sale!!  Still pricey, but in a slightly more affordable range (right??...)

Wow this ended up being a long post.  Let me know what you think about the last coat I posted there because I'm really thinking about becoming its Owner. Happy Monday!

Year in Review: Ogled, Obsessed, Owned, but Left Behind.

Hey guys!

Sorry I missed all the New Year's Dress action.  Life's been moving fast since Thanksgiving and I've been kind of behind on my fashion updates for you!  The lack of the New Year's Eve dress post was simply because, miraculously, I was able to find a dress that I really loved at the beginning of December.  I usually spend weeks toiling over the perfect amount of sequins and sparkle for that one night, but this year, the dress found me.

Anyway!  I'll post pics of that lovely dress later, but first, I want to talk about what I've loved this year that I'm leaving behind.

Neons.  I've had enough.  Neon took over 2012 and I think that they're ready for a break.  As much as I fawned over the pops of color in 2012, I'm leaving it behind and forging ahead to new trends in 2013!

I did fall into this trend pretty hard in 2012 and I still love my Cambridge Satchel, but I'm ready to move on.


Half sheer skirts.  Is it long or is it short?  This trend has always kind of confused me so I'll just slowly back away from it as we come into 2013.  I never did try this trend in 2012 (though I did try the mullet skirt- short in the front, long in the back), but I'm ok with that.

Collar necklaces.  I'm a bigger an of the general statement necklace, but when it comes to the collar, if I want to wear a collar, I'll just get a shirt with one.

Not too many things to leave behind, right?  There are so many wonderful things to look forward to in 2013. The year has started off right so far with some beautiful trends from the Golden Globes.  Stay tuned for some of my favorites!  I know I'm a few days behind, but getting back into this blog writing and work has been the biggest challenge of 2013 so far (Thank Goodness!).