British-Indian Summer Pt. 2

I'm baaaaack! I never leave a Part 1 hanging.
So in my last post, I was struggling with how to turn my summer wardrobe into fall-appropriate outfits. I have accumulated some tips for those of you, like me, who are craving fall, but the weather is far too warm to allow you to do so.

1. Scarves
Recently whilst shopping, my friend Amelia came across display of many beautiful scarves and simply exclaimed that she had caught a case of "scarvy". Scarvy, as she explained is a disease where one constantly and consistently craves scarves of varying colors, weights, textures, etc.
This disease is sweeping the nation, people. I am a chronic sufferer, and frankly, I don't see myself searching for a cure anytime soon.
My little abroad collection:

(L to R) H&M Pucci Marshall's Francesca's Thrifted H&M

Obviously when adhering to the strict, and ludicrous airline baggage weight limits, I had to tone my scarf collection down considerably. I have since, bought another scarf and, if I'm being honest with myself, I know it won't be the last I purchase here.

2. Lightweight fabrics
Everyone has a collection of lightweight summer shirts that seem to be on a constant rotation during the summer months. If you are not ready to let go of these, but still are craving a bit of fall, try layering a few of the pieces, or simply juxtaposing them with heavier-weight things.

3. Colored Denim

Bag: Celine, Booties: WallisFashion,
Scarf: Alexander Mcqueen; Jeans: Zanado
Top: Unknown

I recently wrote an article for my CollegeFashionista Style Guru internship about the transition of colored denim from summer to fall. I have determined this trend is going to last, at minimum, another few seasons, if not longer. The way to transition seamlessly into the colder months is to simply wear less vibrant colored pants, and begin to build your autumnal colored collection! This means dark orange, deep reds, mustards, deep purples, and my favorite, emerald greens.

4. Ankle Booties
They are my new thing. It is decided. I like these as transitional pieces because they aren't just flats, yet they aren't quite boots. And they make any outfit look ten times more awesome. This season, it seems that the flat ankle bootie is in, rather than the heeled. This is something I am adjusting to, being 5'1, I am still partial to the heeled version, but I never knock anything before I try it!

Aaaand thanks to the magic of Polyvore, I have incduded an outfit where you can use all of these ideas (plus a little celine bag in there, just for good measure) Woohoooo

British-Indian Summer Pt. 1

It's September 9th here in the U.K., and when packing to come here for the fall months, I was certain that by this point I would wearing my comfy sweaters, leather boots, and autumnal themed colored denim, or at the very least, some wellies!

But am I?
No.
Why?

Because for 98% of the last 2 weeks I have been here, the temperatures have been exceeding 75 degrees. Every day. Don't get me wrong, I am soaking up every moment of these fleeting views of that shining thing in the sky, but this girl did not pack for this kind of weather! I am adapting what I did bring as best I can into weather-appropriate and still cute without repeating the same 2 pairs of shorts I brought here.

Today we went to Stonehenge and Bath, and although it was only around 70 where we were, compared to 82 in London, it was still pretty darn warm!

Skinnies-asos Tank-Vintage Necklace-francesca's Sandals-Gap Sunglasses-RayBan

I chose my red skinnies, a giraffe-printed tank, and a nice mint and gold draped necklace. I am counting my shoes out of this ensemble, because they are so horribly disfigured, as walking approximately 5000 miles a day in cute shoes for the last 2 weeks does to a person's feet. So forgive me that I succumbed to my black leather flip flops.
I think this was a good transitional outfit from summer into fall, and obviously the best I could do with my current closet.

If you paid any attention to the title, you may realize that this, my friends is only part 1 to the story. I didn't want to overwhelm with the amount I have to say, so stay tuned!

London’s Calling!

source

I will be spending the next few months in London, and obviously, the first thing on my mind (other than staging an impromptu rendezvous with Prince Harry) is the fashion, and how I will adapt my wardrobe to fit in with the Londoners.

Having arrived a little short of two weeks ago, I have already noticed some main points of interest among the Londoners and their sense of style, which, by the way, is continuously impeccable.

First off, there are an amazing amount of women who don their tights on a daily basis. Although tights are popular in their own right in the U.S. I have never witnessed so many women wearing tights in so many different ways. It seems that the outfit of choice becomes complete when the addition of tights is made. Shorts, skirts, dresses, and even oversize sweaters are all tights-appropriate outfits.

Source

Next, I have become obsessed with tweed jackets and their underrated versatility. Before my arrival to the U.K., I always imagined tweed jackets as a piece made timeless by Coco Chanel, and something I planned to adopt into my wardrobe when I was older, wiser, and with a paying job to help me afford a Chanel jacket.

Chanel, via dailymail

But boy has my mind been changed!

Women in London rock their tweed not only to the office, but I have observed many using it to lighten up a rather tough ensemble. The most jarring of which was a women I saw whose outfit was almost entirely some form of leather, but with a light pink tweed jacket on top. I was stunned to see not only a juxtaposition of lighthearted girly-ness of the jacket with the toughness of the leather, but also the vast difference in the weights of both fabrics. It seemed effortless and made me crave a jacket of my own (which I am now on the hunt for, stay tuned!)

 Of course I have observed much more than this due to my love of people-watching, but I will not bore you with those details because this post is already longer than I intended, but I will be posting a bunch more about London because I just can’t get enough!

Cheers!

To BB or Not to BB

I am a big fan of things that can cover many bases. For example, middle school me was loving the Marc Jacobs Daisy ring with hidden perfume under the gaudy surface. Part perfume, part obnoxious cocktail ring! Win-win. Not that I could ever rock them, but those Reef flip flops with the bottle opener in the bottom? Brilliant.

as gaudy as a New Jersey housewife...dark times in middle school

That's when I discovered tinted moisturizers and "BB" creams, I was immediately excited. I still am iffy on the logistical differences between the two, but in my opinion, it's irrelevant. I have tested enough to know which to continue using, and which to toss!

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I started by using the Aveeno tinted moisturizer about 6 months ago, and I think I would give it a 7.5/10. The lotion itself tended to clump in the pump (unintentional but awesome rhyme), and I felt that the moderate coverage it provided tended to wilt away within a few hours of application. However, the product did not, in any way, clog my pores or make me feel like my skin was suffocating. I actually felt like my skin quality improved while using this brand, regardless of its non-BB label.

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Next, I tried the Garnier Fructics BB creme, and used this for approximately 4 months. It's score would probably be in the 7/10 range. The coverage was awesome, and you honestly would not need anything but maybe powder in terms of foundation on a daily basis. However, I found that my skin, which has always been somewhat dry, has never been more oily. I actually used those blotting papers that Sephora tricks you into buying in the lane before the register! I also found that initially, my skin began improving and evening out in tone and texture, yet after a while, I began to break out in small patches that are probably just clogged pores. Not good.

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The next BB I tried was the CoverGirl BB creme. On this made-up scale I have created, I would rate it a 5/10. It's light, and did not clog my pores or make me very oily. However, it did not provide much coverage at all, and made my skin look somewhat grey and dull. Also, this is not quite a deal-breaker, but I just did not like the way the lotion felt in my hand before I put it on. It felt like a grainy cream and I was initially hesitant to put it on my face at all.

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Finally, I have recently tried the Arbonne tinted moisturizer, and this would be, by far, the worst in my opinion. The make-up itself gives somewhat good coverage.........aaaand yep that's the only good thing I can say about it! The cream is heavy, and feels like stage makeup, even though it is simply a tinted moisturizer! The lotion makes me very oily and clogs my pores indefinitely. It also is difficult to actually spread on my face, as it is so heavy it seems to snag on my skin. No no no.

So, moral of the story is I haven't found a BB cream/tinted moisturizer that I absolutely love yet, and yet being the operative word! I have high hopes for the L'Oreal brand, and I will be trying it soon!

The Long and the Shorts of It

Shorts are one summer staple that consistently changes in length from year to year. Whether it's the knee-length bermudas that were all the rage just a few summers ago, the classic 5'' chinos from JCrew, or the cheek-grazing denim cutoffs that continue to infuriate us who do not, in fact, enjoy showing the underside of our backside, (mainly because no one wants to see that anyway)

Exhibit A

So with all of these differing lengths of shorts happening simultaneously, how is one to know which to pair with which situation? For me, there are some rules that are set in stone:

1. Denim cutoffs can never, and should never, be "dressed up" by adding stilettos or any sort of heel.

2. Those under 5'3 should reconsider the bermuda short trend, because it does nothing but cut off your leg line and make you appear frumpy.

3. Just because of some fabric in the middle, doesn't mean you can go shorter with shorts than you would with skirts.

4. In reference to #2, if you are trying to dress up a pair of shorts, ensure that they are of appropriate length, not made of denim, and are paired with an appropriate top, (if they're short, go with long sleeves or a conservative neckline)

5. The shorter the short, the lower the heel. You basically will look like a hooker if you reverse this ratio.

Sorry, Emma Roberts, I guess the hooker look runs in the family!

Aside from my sufficiently lame "Pretty Woman" reference above, I hope that this was helpful, and that the world will start to continue without the heinous atrocities committed against shorts.

Mint-ervention

If you know me, you know my addictive personality. I tend to become infatuated with certain oddities for short periods of time, in which, I immerse myself in the current fascination. Some of these fascinations include; competitive swimming in the 7th grade, Fall Out Boy in 8th grade, edemame last summer, and the list goes on. 

Currently, my, for lack of a better word, obsessions, are; iced coffee with truvia, the olympics, and the color mint.

For whatever reason, the color widely referred to as "mint" (or "sea foam" for lame-os), has been severely lacking in my closet. This lacking was so severe, that after weeks of seeing this color grace the runways, (and by that I mean of course, "grace the runways...as viewed from my computer screen...") I realized I did not own one item of this amazing hue. 

Needless to say, as my new infatuation of the moment, this changed dramatically, seemingly overnight. 

Upon my next few shopping ventures, both the old fashioned way and online, I had accumulated quite a collection of items of the mint variety. My collection is as follows in this artistic representation from a past fascination, Polyvore. 

via polyvore

via tobi

The items gathered somehow soothed my closet's ache for this lacking section while still remaining a never-ending fascination. 

Stay minty fresh!

Hand Bracelets?

This will just be a very quick post, simply because I have a very quick question:

What are hand bracelets, and why do they exist?

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I have been seeing these little accessories online in different places and they have been intriguing me, yet not tickling my fancy. This is mainly because I immediately think of the many, everyday problematic aspects to these items;

What if you want to give a high-five?! The recipient of that congratulatory gesture could be seriously injured.

What if you happen upon an old-fashioned English gentleman who intends to kiss the back of your hand in greeting? He will be sorely disappointed by getting a taste of metal rather than skin.

What I'm also wondering is about the evolution of such a product. Is it the double-fingered ring idea just moved slightly south? Or is it simply a bracelet moved in the northern direction?
In any event, the love child of these two ideas seems to be expanding, but I am dubious it will catch on.


That's all folks!