Roses & Rhinestones

Necklace: Vintage

Cardigan: White House Black Market

Watch: Betsey Johnson

Shoes: Madden Girl

Camisole: Vanity

Skirt: White House Black Market

Earrings: Betsey Johnson

Gorgeous, gorgeous day out today, almost too warm for a cardigan. I recently picked this one up though, as seen in this post and I couldn't resist wearing it. It has rhinestones and roses... so it's basically two of my favorite things in one thing. 

Blogging about my outfits has certainly made me realize that I'm nothing if not loyal to a few brands; particularly WHBM, Banana Republic and Betsey Johnson. I have a bit of a difficult body type to dress, so when I find a brand that works for me I have a hard time wanting to take a risk anywhere else. I'm definitely going to challenge myself to start branching out and discovering new places to shop. 

Belated Birthday Post

My birthday was on the 22nd of April, so I definitely procrastinated posting this a little longer than I should have. The good news is it was probably one of the best birthdays I've had in a while, definitely better than last year's to say the least.

My best friend came to visit me for the weekend. She goes to college in Madison, so we don't get to see each other very often. Her family also just moved to California which is where she'll be for the Summer. We had a lot of fun, and a misadventure involving a swarm of insects.

On my actual birthday I went out to dinner with some friends to Koreana, a Japanese and Korean hybrid restaurant in Appleton. I've never had Korean food before, but it was amazing. I usually get tempura or udon (or tempura udon!) when I go to a Japanese restaurant, but I decided to be adventurous and I ordered Purple Rice Bi Bim Bahb.

The waiter set the bowl down on the table and explained my food to me. The stone bowl cooks the purple rice on the bottom layer, and don't touch the bowl because it's hot (even though I did because durrr.) It was really, really good but the portion size was so huge I was eating it for lunch for two days afterwards. Not that I'm complaining. 

My friends all dressed up fabulously for dinner, too. I'm the second from the right. 

I got these pictures off of my friend's camera, and she resized them funky and they're not all uniform. Which drives me absolutely batshit nuts, but I guess mismatched sized pictures are better than no pictures.

Candid derp face!

Necklace: Vintage

Camisole: Vanity

Cardigan: Banana Republic

Skirt: Forever 21

Shoes: Target

Watch: Betsey Johnson

My Favorite Accessory

I love, love, love Betsey Johnson jewelry. Somehow it always manages to strike a perfect balance between gaudy and glamorous. 

I went shopping at the mall with my mom a few weeks before last Christmas. I remember passing a case at Boston Store and gazing in awe at the rhinestone laden watches on display and possibly salivating a little bit. In case you couldn't tell, I really like sparkly things. 

I was genuinely surprised when one of the watches ended up being one of my Christmas presents. It's so amazing when a gift reflects how the person who bought if for you really pays attention to what you like. I'm especially happy that she bought if for me in the cream color scheme rather than the pink (which is what I would have chosen) because the neutral color goes so well with virtually everything. 

I get lots of compliments on my obnoxiously sparkly watch, and it's become my go-to piece to jazz up any outfit that looks a bit dull. I somehow even think that this watch is a perfect reflection of my personality and style; a little quirky and gaudy, yet classy. 

What's your favorite accessory or go-to piece? Tell me in the comments!

Soft Cat Eyes

I haven't been wearing eyeshadow as much as I used to, and when I do it's been mostly neutrals. When I was in high school I used to love experimenting with color on my eyes, I think part of it was because I felt like I was too big to dress up nicely so my way of expressing myself was through makeup. Now that I've gained more confidence with my body though, I've stopped experimenting so much with my makeup.

I'm trying to ease myself into being more bold... it's so easy to fall into a rut when you find a perfect look that you just love. I decided to do some soft eyeshadow today to match my usual winged eyeliner though. it may still be neutrals, but it's a step! 

Eyeshadow: (MAC) Yogurt, Soft Brown, Gesso, Copperplate

Eyeliner: (Hard Candy) Little Black Dress

Blush: (MAC) Stark Naked

How to Get Perfect Skin

A few weeks ago, someone commented on one of my Facebook photos and said I had "gorgeous skin." Of course I was flattered, but it came as a shock to me to be complimented on my complexion. Through my tween's and early teenage years I had a horrible, terrible war with severe acne. There were times when my entire forehead was virtually one gigantic zit, with little colonies of pimples scattered elsewhere on my face. And being a melodramatic teenager, this of course meant that no one would ever love me and I would die alone.

The only remaining evidence I have of this dark period in my life is a picture that someone tagged me in on Facebook, which I will post for your amusement.

This is actually pretty mild for how bad my skin used to break out. But alas, this is me about six or seven years ago with frizzy hair, an ill fitting bra and what appears to be a pimple mustache.

I eventually went to see a dermatologist, who prescribed me a topical cream and some anti-inflammatory medication. Also, he squeezed a lot of my blackheads out, which I couldn't believe people actually did for a living.

My skin slowly got better through High School, and now finishing up my second year of college I'm actually very happy with my complexion. Part of it was definitely finishing puberty, but I think a large portion of my skin success story was finding the right skin care products and routine.

Here's what my skin looks like now.

Obviously I have makeup on, but this photo isn't airbrushed at all. If you look closely you can still see some scarring on my chin from popping zits (don't pop them! I know it's strangely satisfying, but don't do it) other than some left over scarring though, I generally have smooth and even skin and rarely ever break out anymore. So, fret not my friends. It is well within your power to fix any skin problems you may have.


 Here are the best tips for taking care of your skin that I've learned from my experiences: 

1. Find Your Perfect Facial Cleanser

I highly suggest Lush's cleansers. I've used Dark Angels for years and I can't imagine life without it. There are different cleansers available for different skin types so there's something to suit everyone. I love their skin care products because they're all natural, you're not putting any icky chemicals on your face and believe me when I say you can tell the difference between natural products and the drug store bottled variety. It looks pricey, but in stores you can request a certain size or dollar amount to be weighed out for you. I usually get about $15 worth at a time, but it lasts me months. 

2. Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize!

Seriously, moisturize constantly. At least twice a day, and especially before putting on makeup. It might take some experimenting to find the right moisturizer for you. I use Lacura which is super duper cheap, but I've had great results with it. 

3. Always Take Off Your Makeup at Night

One of the cardinal sins of skin care is forgetting to take your makeup off before bed. DON'T. DO. THIS. Makeup clogs up your pores and interferes with your skin's natural rejuvenation process. Give your skin time to breath. I use Neutrogena cleansing towlettes. Wipes make taking your makeup off super easy, you can do it in front of the computer or TV. No excuses!

4. Try a Toner

I wouldn't say it's a necessity, but if you're really trying to take good care of your skin a toner can be very helpful. Again, I like to use Lush products for this. I'm currently using Breath of Fresh Air but when it runs out I think I'm going to try Tea Tree Water. Toner took a while to grow on me as a part of my routine, but I love getting out of the shower and spraying some on my face. It's nice and refreshing and make your skin feel nice and tight. 

5. Use a Primer Under Foundation

Using a primer not only creates a smooth base for your foundation, it also creates a barrier between potentially pore-clogging makeup and your skin so you're less likely to break out. I suggest Smashbox Photon Finish Light or Too Faced Primed and Poreless. 

6. See a Dermatologist 

If you have a severe skin issue, see a dermatologist. Seeing one when I was younger didn't magically resolve my skin issues, but it definitely helped me reset some of the damage and give me another chance at having a good complexion.

Discovering what skin care products work for you can take some time, but once you develop your own routine it's entirely possible to get great skin.

Have you had any skin care success stories? Tell me in the comments!