Stella & Dot

My friend Amy just became a stylist for Stella & Dot.  You know how you get invited to jewelry or tupperware parties and don't really want anything?  Well, this stuff is SUPER cute.  It's a bit on the pricey side, but the pieces are so well made.

Check out her website.

I have my eye on these charm necklaces...a silver chain with two gold and one silver charms.  I would choose the heal charm, a "K" and my birthstone.

I also LOVE this bracelet.

I would wear it on my watch wrist to contrast my silver watch.  I love mixing my metals! (within reason, of course.)

I love accessories because I prefer to wear simple, classic clothes...and update easily with fun jewelry.

Blend those colors

I started wearing bronzer all over my face a few years ago when I got vigilant about wearing sunscreen on my face.  My bronzer of choice for this is Bare Minerals Warmth or Faux Tan (as I've mentioned here and here.)  I love that they are mineral and don't clog pores, and I can use a tiny bit to give color on my forehead, nose, cheeks and blend into my jaw and neck.

YES, ladies...the neck is generally the lightest part of your upper body!!  I learned this trick when I saw myself in pictures with my lightly faux bronzed face and stark white neck.  It was shocking.  It has since become a pet peeve of mine, and I notice it in my celebrities' photos as well.

If you are a faux bronzer, bronze your neck!

Moroccan Oil

Wowza, this stuff is amazing. I kept seeing it raved about everywhere, but figured I didn't need another oil. I am already obsessed with Tahitian Monoi oil, Bio-Oil and Jojoba oil!

I stayed with Laura last week and she told me to try this Moroccan Oil. WOW. For her, it's taken the place of serum or Frederick Fekkai Glossing Cream (my drug of choice.) My hair is already pretty shiny, but I would never use FF on second day dry hair...for fear it would feel dirty or greasy. I used the oil on my hair the second day...NO oiliness, no dirty feel. It seriously restyled my hair. I love it.

The smallest size is $14.99. I may wait until I finish my jumbo tube of FF to purchase, but may break down and buy the small one...if I can find it with free shipping.

Target Sort-of Finds

So, a couple of weeks ago, I enjoyed my new endless amount of free time to saunter on over to Target. I ended up trying on a huge stack of clothes--something I haven't done in so long as it takes so much energy! I loved so many of the Converse line. Out of all of these, I only ended up purchasing the white sailor shorts. In the Fresno heat, I have worn them quite a bit.

I really like the seersucker dress, but it was just too wrinkly. I hate ironing, and know that I would end up never wearing it.

Still, I had fun...

Nude Lip Trick

I love the Glamour beauty blog. I hadn't read it in over a month, but just started again today and saw this:

Reader Tip: How to Get the Most Perfect Almost-Nude Lip Shade Ever

Clarifying Shampoos

I am a huge fan of deep cleansing--whether it's body, face, hair. I love the idea of stripping away the build up and starting fresh.

I steam my face over boiling water, apply a purifying mask. I use a mineral salt purifying body cleanser every once in a while. And I use a clarifying shampoo once a week.

Not only do you strip away the product build up, but it's the perfect time to apply a deep conditioner...penetrates more easily on that clean hair. It used to be that the clarifying shampoos were too harsh for color treated hair, but gone are those days.

Here are a couple of my favorites:

Neutrogena Anti-Residue


Paul Mitchell Shampoo Two

Mad Men Hysteria

Mad Men Season Three premieres tonight and I am SUPER excited. How long have I been a "Maddict"? (Seriously, that's what the fans call themselves.) Well, I watched my first episode this past week. Luckily, in this beautiful time I am calling my summer break, I watched both seasons one and two...and am obsessed.

With all the smut of adultery and copious amounts of alcohol and cigarettes, I am most impressed by the curvy women. I love the difference from today's standards. It was so much more natural. Take a look:

Greek Sandals

I come back, wearing my ever so authentic Greek sandals. They are handmade, and came in a cute little handmade bag...all for 15 Euro! My friend has had hers for over ten years! You season them with olive oil, and can darken them with water. I, however, prefer the nude color...which I'm told is very Italian (and the telltale sign of a tourist in Greece.)

I'm wearing them nonstop.

I'm Baaaack

I had a fab trip...super relaxing and a time to not worry about makeup or skin products. I actually could only take carry on luggage to Greece, so very few liquids and clothes. It was really good for me. I'm generally a pretty light packer...except for vast quantities of toiletries. This way, I had to be super low maintenance.

And since I'm not working this month either, I don't wear any makeup most days. Ah, bliss.

However, I did notice some really cute trends over there, and great LOW MAI hair ideas. And gained a huge appreciation for the Greeks and their lack of body consciousness issues. Everyone was just so confident with their flaws. I loved it.

I totally forgot to post these before I left. Here's how I did my toes for the trip:
I used Essie "Jazz", my absolute favorite taupe. It is my current love for my toes and very hot this season.

I actually got three Essie nail polishes last month at Ulta for $11! How, you ask? Well, they were having "buy two, get one free" and I had a $5 coupon. Steal.