Sunny Side Up - Christmas in Florida

This year my family traveled to Florida to spend Christmas with relatives, therefore abandoning all sense of the traditional cold weather and spending the season in the tropics. I knew my clothes needed to make the change as well. The climate today is cool but humid, so bundling up didn't make sense. I decided to opt for a non traditional color palette to correspond with the weather. 

I thought that the pink and gray would provide a nice change from the traditional red and green while still being somewhat winter-esque. 

Sweater- J. Crew

Shorts- Forever 21

Leggings- Delia's

Boots- Old Navy

Necklace- Charming Charlie

Bracelets- Alex and Ani

This necklace is one of my absolute favorite pieces right now. The tortoiseshell makes it super versatile so I've been wearing it with so many outfits. 

I'm also a huge fan of these boots. They're comfortable and match a lot of the outfits I brought to Florida. 

And for a finishing touch, the Alex and Ani bracelets I showed a few posts ago. I thought they added the perfect nautical touch to polish off the look. 

Thanks for reading! Xoxo, Katie 

Taylor Swift Inspired Neutral Makeup

This morning as I was scrolling through Tumblr I stumbled upon a meme from Taylor Swift's interview with Barbara Walters, seen here. Her makeup was much more neutral than is the norm for her. She kept her signature winged black liner, but had an understated lip color and eye shadow as well as beautifully bronzed cheeks. I used it as inspiration for my makeup today since it was perfect for a glamorous but everyday look.

Here are some tips and products that made the look possible.

1. Bronzer is really important for making your face glow like Taylor's. Brush it onto the apples of your cheeks, your nose, chin and forehead and also on your neck. I used the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil bronzer. 

2. Defined brows pull together your whole face. I mixed together a brown powder and wax from Anastasia. 

3. For classic winged liner, I used the Loreal The Infallible Blackbuster pen. I'm not a huge fan of it since it's not very black but it did the job. 

4. For deep, nude-pink lips I used a liquid lipstick by Mary Kay. Another option would be the Revlon Just Kissable Balm Stain in Honey, one of my personal favorites. 

And finally, the meme that started it all. I hope this look inspires someone to take a Taylor Swift twist on their normal makeup like I did! Xoxo, Katie

http://incomparablyme.tumblr.com/post/105241650421

Arm Candy

Watch: Akkribos

Bracelets:

Lily and Laura

Alex and Ani mermaid and conch

John Wind

Nails: Sinful Colors Let's Talk

I'm going to do these arm candy posts once a week so y'all can see what nail polishes and accessories I've been loving! Feel free to share yours as well. xoxo Katie 

Out with the Old, In with the New

As I'm making the transition from my dorm room to back home for the holidays, I have also ended up running out of most of my essential products in both places and today it was time to replenish. I decided that it would be a good time to try some unfamiliar products as well as give some reviews on the old ones! For starters, I ran out of the daily morning moisturizer I had been using. 

I had been using the First Aid Beauty Daily Face Cream, a product that I really liked, but at $20 I wanted to see if I could find a drugstore alternative. I opted for this Simple moisturizer. The last Simple mosuturizer I had, the replenishing version, wasn't my favorite since it stung when my skin was very dry so I'm hoping for better luck this time around. 

Today I also bought a whole new set of shampoo and conditioner! These are the Clear Intense Hydration products. I just used them for the first time and my hair is super soft and smooth to the touch. I had been using the Organix Tea Tree Mint line and I wasn't satisfied with the results so I'm hoping that these will fare better as I keep using them. I also traded my Eos shaving cream for this mango one from Skintimate. I loved the Eos one but I didn't like how it didn't lather so I decided to go back to an old favorite. 

And last but not least...since I am out of the dorm room I get to burn candles again! My favorite at the moment, appropriately, is Tis The Season from Bath and Body Works. 

I am going to try to take advantage of my time here at home to get back into actively blogging, so wish me luck! xoxo, Katie 

It took me 4 months to read this. But it was so worth it.

I always have been, and always will be, a shameless book nerd. This is not something I am embarrassed about because a passion for reading is not something to be ashamed of whatsoever. The only embarrassing part of this is how long it took me to finish this book because I haven't been making time to read. I read about half of it on vacation and finally finished it yesterday, about halfway through my first semester of college. (How crazy is that?) Despite my laziness in this area, this book was amazing and I knew it needed to be shared. 

I picked it up thinking it was just about women in the war and thought I would give it a try. However, it is really about so much more than that. It narrates the lives of several women that lived in Oak Ridge, Tennessee during WWII. Haven't heard of it? That's because at the time, no one else in America knew the city existed. 75,000 people lived there working on the atomic bomb. It was so secretive that none of them even knew they were working on it at all. They were told it would bring a quick end to the war, and that was all they wanted. I have been raving about this to all of my friends because I'm so fascinated by the concept. It was an eye opening story of what life was really like for women and what their goals were. The war so drastically affected every single person. I would go into more detail, but it's something that is so much more fun to find out from the author. 

Whether or not history is your thing, this book is engrossing. I feel like it gave me a lot of new knowledge about the atomic bomb, which is a huge part of our history. I hope that you'll consider picking up a copy! 

Spring OOTD featuring an Envelope Skort

One day I will find a way to move beyond the mirror selfie. No one in my family can take a decent picture. I've tried. This will do for now but trust me I'm brainstorming!

Button down shirt: J. Crew

Skort: forever 21

Sandals: Delia's

Bag: Guess

Earrings and bracelet: local boutiques

It took me a while to wear the skort since it's a bit short for school and work, and I'm at those places about every day! I wore this to church in the morning. It was easier to style than I made it out to be. It looked great with the button down and the sandals. This sums up the way I like to mix my clothes: some on trend pieces, and others that are classic. The color combo and jewelry also give it a somewhat preppy, nautical feel without being overly obvious. 

PROM

I had such a good time at my senior prom last weekend. My sister suggested that I do a post on my makeup since I did it myself. I am really happy with how it turned out, despite having to run to the Walgreens in the middle of it to get eyelash glue since mine had dried out! Here is the complete list of makeup I used. The only things I had to buy were the lashes and the foundation/powder to match my spray tan.

Face
Neutrogena Shine Control Primer
Makeup For Ever Mat Velvet Foundation in shade #40
Covergirl and Olay Simply Ageless Eye Concealer in 205
Makeup For Ever HD Pressed Powder
Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer
Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Blissful
Benefit Watt's Up Highlighter


Brows
Naked Basics Palette- Faint
Anastasia Brow Wax


Eyes
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Lid- Revlon Photoready Primer + Shadow Palette in 505 Impressionist- Shade 1
Crease- Naked Palette- Naked
     Sephora Primal Instincts Palette- Bronze
Outer Corner- Naked Basics- Crave
Highlight- Sephora Primal Instincts Palette- Universal Beige
Inner Corner- Naked Basics- Venus
Lower Lashline- Sephora Primal Instincts Palette- Bronze
Liner (upper lashline and tightline only)- Jane Water Resistane Eyeliner in Black
Lashes: Katy Perry by Eyelure in Lovely Lolita


Lips
Milani Lipstick in 26 Nude Crème
NYX Butter Gloss in Crème Brulee

Also my dress is by party time I believe. If that's even a brand? Anyway, I'm still in love with it. I hope this can provide inspiration for somebody out there. Xx Katie 

Beware the Self Tanning Trap.

Every year, I try to fake a tan and every year I fail. I now consider myself an at home tan connoisseur so I feel like I need to share my experiences with the world so that someone can be spared the mistakes I have made. I'm going to go in chronological order. 

The first self tanning lotion I ever tried was the classic Jergens Natural Glow. I will admit, this is by far my least favorite out of all the products I've tried. Everything else had it's moments of goodness but this has no redeeming qualities. (Sometimes my candor in these reviews surprises me but hey, at least I'm being fully honest!) It smells horrible and the scent lasts on your skin for days. It also sparkles which makes it that much less natural looking. It has a very yellow undertone and most people don't tan yellow, so it doesn't really pass for natural looking on anybody. I hated the way my skin looked with this stuff. You also can't control where it darkens very much so you get splotchy. My family called me "carrot toes" that spring break because it turned my toes orange. It was gross. 

I have a better review of the Loreal Sublime Bronze Clear Self Tanning Gel. I like this stuff a lot because application is easy. However, with it being clear, you don't know where you've applied it and it's easy to miss spots or get spots where a drop went astray. It's also somewhat orange. According to one of my close friends it doesn't actually look good on. (Thank you for telling me this a year later, but okay.) This is a pretty good one for first timers because it's gradual and not too intense right away. 

Now for my most recent experiences. I have been using this stuff the last few days and it is my favorite out of anything I've tried. It smells like vanilla and fades in a few hours which is pleasant. It sprays on well and dries quickly. It develops into a great color. However, I had some application issues somewhere and got some lines on one of my arms. My boyfriend has been calling me "creamsicle" and "Oompa Loompa" the last couple days which I think is a signal to stop. Clearly no one in my life thinks self tanning is a good idea and won't hesitate to give me grief about it..anyway, this was not actually orange. I got good reviews from my girlfriends. I recommend this one. Now for the fail product of the season. 

I wanted to love this stuff. It smells like coca cola and has the best gel consistency. It surpassed all expectations for application. However it turned my face orange enough that another random guy thought it would be okay to tell me so, and it settled in all the dry patches. Never again. I hope these reviews helped someone out there. Tanning is such a touchy subject right now especially with prom coming up. My own belief is that tanning beds should be avoided at all costs and that as girls we should stop hating on each other's fake tans since we all get them anyway and it's not anyone's fault if they turn orange. It happens to the best of us. 

Xoxo Katie

New York City and Dreams of Journalism

 I am infatuated with New York City. 

This isn't exactly remarkable, seeing as how there are tens of millions of people thinking exactly the same thing. However, I think that's part of the appeal. So many people live there and have been there that I felt a connection between myself and all the souls that have seen the many sights before me. It's hard to talk about this without being cliche but the crowds made me feel so small and just like I was a part of something bigger. I was captivated immediately after the flight in. 

I was priveledged to attend the Columbia Scholastic Press Association conference at Columbia University. (Our yearbook took home a Silver Crown, for anyone that has any meaning for.) I attended classes learning about journalism and my favorite was called Writing Fashion and Beauty: Frivolous or Functional? It really inspired me and reminded me of the passion I have for the field. It was led by Gerit Quealy, who was extremely insightful and I was sitting on the edge of my seat and hanging on every word she said. I think I wrote down just about every word too! I only wish I could have spoken with her longer. I know that some of the resources she gave me will be so valuable. 

Review: Sephora Primal Instincts Eyeshadow Palette

I got this palette from my lovely grandmother for Christmas and have been totally obsessed ever since! (Carrie, if you ever find this, thank you very much!) It is a very unique palette that I thought would be good to show. It has some fabulous colors and is different from a standard neutral eye palette. 

Swatches: (top to bottom) camel, bronze, mahogany, deep burgundy, plum, steel, must have

Second picture: apricot, gold, sand, universal beige, tea rose, taupe, matte brown

My first note is that I did have to swipe each color several times, simply because I am so pale. The pigmentation on these is really great, especially on the darker colors. The only colors I had issues with were sand and mahogany. The oddest one of them all is taupe. It looks very light in the pan but is actually really dark. It was a little bit of a disaster the first time I applied it! Not what I was expecting at all. I really recommend this for anyone who loves a deep smoky eye and is looking for a high quality selection of colors. It has multiple warm and cool tones so there's a lot that can be done with it! Hope this was enjoyed! Xoxo Katie

 

Fight oil with...oil?

Due to Sephora's latest campaign about face oils, I thought it was due time to share my input! I was very skeptical, having had primarily oily skin ever since middle school. However, I trusted articles from magazines, online, and Sephora's advertising to not lead me astray. I purchased a set of smaller versions of the Josie Maran Argan Cleansing Oil and the Pure Argan Oil. I highly recommend this set because it gives you sizes that will last a while for a great price. I'll talk about the cleansing oil first. It has an amazing citrus scent that I can't get enough of! You apply it first, then add water to lather it up and rinse off. It does a great job at removing makeup and the best part is how soft your skin feels afterward! It doesn't feel tight like after a regular cleanser. It nourishes your skin and I love how that feels! Now for the real stuff, the face oil. First of all, I love a good multi use product. I like mixing a drop of this into my foundation a lot for some added glow. Mainly I apply this at night between cleanser and moisturizer. It gives my skin a glow and I didn't know that was possible! It has ridden me of some of that oiliness and added balance. My skin now feels more normal. It isn't overproducing oil like I did before. My skin has such a healthy glow even without makeup. I cannot praise this stuff enough! I also love applying it to pulse points to make fragrance last. This is great stuff. And this post would not be complete without my Moroccan Oil. This stuff is truly a miracle, to the point that I savor every drop and try to use it only on days when I want some super gorgeous hair! It makes it so shiny and soft and makes you look like you just came from the salon. These three products are must haves even for those of us who are afraid of oil! Hope you enjoyed xoxo Katie

OOTD: Simple but Classic

This is an outfit I chose to wear to school and work one day. It combines some of my favorite pieces. The red jeans are Rockstars from Old Navy and I love the way they fit, they're very skinny but they stretch just enough. The shirt is also from Old Navy and I'm wearing my Tory Burch Reva flats. I've been dying to buy more lately. They're not so great on the budget but so comfortable and I'm in love. My favorite part of the outfit is probably the necklace. I ordered it from Etsy from the Look Factory. It was $20 and I got to pick the tortoiseshell print and the length and color of the chain. I also got it in 4 days. I've never been so pleased! If you're looking for a monogrammed necklace in practically any color, that is definitely the way to go!