Mommy Date

My mom takes me on the best dates! :) We went to dinner at Greenlife and then she unexpectedly paid for my healthy (aka expensive) groceries. We then went to her house and watched guilty pleasure reality TV together. I don't know what I'd do without her!

dress- Guess (also a gift from mom!), necklace- Charming Charlie, bracelets- swap party finds, belt- thrifted, sandals- Steve Madden

Festival Dress

My city has a music festival every summer that is frankly too hot and crowded for me most of the time, but I wanted to see The Beach Boys, so we attempted to go. I tried to dress as coolly and comfortably as possible, but it turns out it wasn't necessary. We couldn't find a parking spot anywhere, so we just gave up! I did end up going later on in the week, for the fireworks.

tunic- TJMaxx, sandals- Rue 21, earrings- Charming Charlie

Self Tanners

Last time I posted, I called attention to my tan, which is fake! I have used just about every self-tanner there is, so I figured I would review them, in order from worst to best.

7. Loreal Sublime Bronze Luminous Bronzer- This makes you very tan, very quickly. Unfortunately, it also is quite sticky and can smell up a room with that tell-tale, "fake tan" smell.

6. Clarins Self Tanning Instant Gel- Now I know a lot of girls that swear by Clarins products, but I just don't agree. While the color produced by this tanner is very natural looking, the drying time is just not worth it. By drying time, I mean it never really dries and you feel slimy for an entire day. It doesn't smell very bad, though.

5. Clarins Self Tanning Milk- Nearly the same as the Gel, but slightly less gross sticky feeling. Very slightly less.

4. Neutrogena Micro Mist Airbrush Tanner- I love how this one smells, but it was gone in 3 uses. Also, when you apply it, you had better be outside or else risk not being able to breathe for a long while. The color is nice if you can apply it correctly!

3. Tan Towels- These are extremely easy to use, and dry almost instantly. They don't smell disgusting, either. However, the color is so light it's almost not worth it. I would highly recommend these to very pale girls just starting out with sunless tanning, for a subtle result.

2. Loreal Sublime Bronze Self Tanning Gelee- I used this all the time for the past few years. It looks great, doesn't feel terribly sticky, and doesn't leave my skin parched. The only drawback to this one is the inevitable tan smell (though not horrendous), and the glitter. Yes, the glitter. Why is that necessary? I wish it would go away.

1. Loreal Sublime Bronze Self Tanning Towelettes- This is my go-to tanner for now. The color is almost perfect, the smell is nominal, and the ease of application can't be beat. I only wish that it moisturized my skin a bit more, so I wouldn't feel so dry after applying.

Does anyone else have a self tanner that they swear by? I am always taking suggestions!

Kisses and Cupcakes,

Jess

Easy Season

There are many, many reasons why Summer is by far my favorite season, and one of them is the ease of dressing. It took me all of five minutes to throw on this dress and some chunky accessories, and be ready to go. This dress belonged to my friend Ashley, and I acquired it at our last swap party. Also, if you've noticed my tan... sshh, it's fake! I'll tell you all about the self-tanners I've tried on my next post!

dress- Ashley's swap, shoes- Citi Trends, bangle- Forever 21, necklace- Target

Reined-In Wildness

I have become more fond of animal print as of late, and find myself buying more and more cheetah-like pieces. I combined two of my favorites, this dress (from Walmart!) and peep toe flats. Since I wasn't wearing heels, I didn't feel overdressed for a friend's casual birthday dinner. I wish I would have gotten to wear this outfit longer, though! It's comfortable in addition to cute, I think :)

dress- Norma Kamali for Walmart, flats- thrifted, necklace- Black Market Minerals, bracelet- swap party find, earrings- vintage

MAC Dame Edna in Wisteria

This is the inspiration chart I used, but I don't think I used any of the products that are listed on the sheet. I used similar ones, which is what you can do if you decide to try this look. All you really need to do is get the colors close to the picture, and it turns out great.

For the eyes, I started out with a primer. I use Bare Escentuals, but any eye primer will do. Next, I lightly applied a blue cream shadow to the outer half of my eyes, just to make the color brighter. I then applied MAC eyeshadow in Electric Eel (or any bright blue) on my crease and slightly above, out towards the corner of my eye. On my eyelid, I applied a light pink loose shimmer, and blended it with the blue. I also put the shimmer in the corner of my eye, along with an off white solid shimmer (MAC Nylon). I lined my eyes with solid black (MAC Carbon), and lined the bottom with the bright blue. I lightly swept an off white shimmer under the brows, and blended. Lastly, I put a very bright purple under the blue liner on my bottom lashes. I used a bright shimmery purple from my Coastal Scents palette. Two coats of Maybelline Great Lash finish the eyes.
I apply my foundation and concealer after my eyeshadow, so the fallout from the shadow will not stick to my skin. I use MAC Studio fix, and set it with MAC Mineralize Skinfinish. I then conditioned my lips with classic Burt's bees, and applied MAC Venomous Villains in Maleficent. The cheeks are a shimmery dark pink blush, MAC Style Demon.

Chelsea's Going-Away Party :(

My friend Chelsea (who I happen to have 2 matching tattoos with) moved to Atlanta last week :( She is the one who put the awesome blue streaks in my hair. I guess I'll have to drive down there to get my hair done now! I know I'll be going to visit her a lot, we already have a fun girl date planned! Her going away party was fun, but sad too. I dressed up extra loud for her!

eyes- MAC Electric Eel, lips- Burt's Bees tinted lip balm in Hibiscus, cheeks- MAC Style Demon



dress- Miley Cyrus for Walmart, belt- Express, shoes- Steve Madden, feather earrings- Rue 21

Holly's Birthday

For my good friend Holly's birthday, she wanted to wear a really short dress, so I wore the shortest skirt I own so she wouldn't be alone in her "skank dress"! Haha I love her! I felt like people were staring at me all night, but that's probably just me being self-conscious. I matched my makeup quite literally to my outfit, not necessarily on purpose. The orange lipstick is my new obsession.

tank top- The Limited, skirt- Forever 21, necklace and earrings- swapped from my friend Ashley, shoes- Dollhouse
eyes- MAC Lucky Green, and lined with Carbon. lips- MAC Morange, cheeks- Tarte blush in Tipsy

Moo Fest

Some friends, boyf and I went to Moo Fest in Athens, Tennessee recently. We were expecting lots of delicious ice cream, cheese, and chocolate milk, but were sadly disappointed. It was super lame! we ended up sitting at a random restaurant for a while, and going home. Oh well, at least I got to wear the new dress I got from my clothing swap party!

dress- swapped from a friend, originally Forever 21. necklace- also swapped, Target. sandals- TJMaxx

Girly Brunch 3.0

I went to brunch with my friends Simone and Sarah Jane this past Sunday. I'm really wanting to get all my girls together at the same time this week! We just all have such different schedules. We walked through the antique mall after brunch, and I bought this fabulous hat. Can't wit to wear it again!

bow dress- Charlotte Russe, sweater- J.Crew, cameo necklace- Rue 21, sparkly bow heels- Marshall's, hat- vintage

Cookout Wedding Party

Our friends Katie and Kevin got unexpectedly married the other day, and invited us to a last minute post-wedding cookout. They then moved the next day to North Carolina! Lots of surprises. I threw this little tunic on, and I thought it looked cute in person but the pictures came out so weird I'm starting to have second thoughts!

tunic dress- TJ Maxx, sandals- Forever 21, necklace- Charming Charlie, earrings- Body Central, bangle- H&M

Nothing Day

This was one of those days where I really didn't care what I looked like. I threw on this dress (which I've had for years and hate the pattern on), barely any makeup, and went out. I'm pretty sure I didn't do much that was very exciting, since I can't even remember where I wore this!

dress- Forever 21, wedges- Target, coral necklace- Black Market Minerals

Too Hot For Fashion

I wore this dress to meet my friends, and I just about melted while walking from the car to the Yellow Deli. I changed when I got home, and decided I would save this dress for a less blisteringly hot day!

My friend Chelsea, who is moving to Atlanta to work in a salon :(
dress- Target, necklace- Charlotte Russe

Trying New Things

I've been wary of these little legging shorts since I saw them, but I finally bought a pair. They are the same material as traditional leggings, just much shorter. I decided to pair them with a long tunic so I wouldn't feel too exposed. I liked the result and will be wearing them again :)

This is a strange angle, but unfortunately the only full shot of my outfit from the day.

sandals- Forever 21, necklace- Rugged Wearhouse, cuff bracelet- Rue 21, Love tunic- Ross, spandex shorts- Ross, bag- Coach

interview part 3

I guess this sort of counts as interview outfit number 3, but it was over the phone so I didn't have to dress professionally. I was actually out to dinner with my boyfriend when they called me. I had to talk to a representative for about an hour, and now I'm waiting to hear back from Clinique!

gold old boyfriend

dress- Forever 21, wedges- Target, necklace- I can never remember- but probably Wet Seal, belt- Body Central, purse- Coach

memorial day

For Memorial Day, my roommate and I went up to my dad's lake house for boating and sun. We ate delicious ice cream on the way up there, laid in the sun, had barbecue for dinner, and then a fun pontoon boat ride and swimming. I wish it was summer all the time!

dress- TJ Maxx, sandals- Target, necklace- Charming Charlie, bracelet- H&M, earrings- Body Central, hat- a shop in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (oh how I miss Mexico)