Invaluable

I was challenged by Invaluable to create my jewelry box, a collection of jewelry pieces that carry special meaning with me.  

Invaluable is the largest online auction marketplace where you can find antique jewelry (among many other items).  They have some pretty cool and unique finds so I recommend checking out their website.  

While I haven't yet inherited any of my family's antiques I do have some pieces that are special to me. 

I became obsessed with this bracelet in fifth grade after seeing Lizzy McGuire wearing the necklace version in the Lizzie McGuire movie (major throwback), and when I was in 8th grade my parents decided I was old enough to have my first piece of nice jewelry and surprised me with it.  This is my favorite bracelet I own to this day, and I love wearing it.  Fun fact about silver: if your jewelry is authentic sterling silver it will have "925" printed somewhere on it.  

The second piece, this necklace, was my graduation gift from High School.  Growing up (and still to this day) Tiffany's has been one of my favorite jewelry stores.  

The next necklace I received as a gift from my friends in high school for my 18th birthday.  My friend group in high school went through a phase where we would all pitch in $20 and as a group get our friend something really special. 

Next is my monogram necklace.  This one I purchased myself with money I saved up from babysitting.  This necklace is my most worn necklace (I'm typically wearing it almost everyday).  It's special to me mostly because I saved up to purchase it, and it is my monogram, so even though I know there are other girls with my initials out there it feels unique to me.   

This is my state necklace I picked out from Baublebar.  This necklace represents my home state and I love wearing it.  Even during cold winters in Boston I would put on this necklace and think of sunny California weather.  

This piece is a pendant I purchased during my time studying abroad.  Even though I studied in London I actually purchased this during a weekend trip to Venice, Italy.  Venice is famous for Murano glass, and I wanted something special to remember my trip to Italy.  I actually never purchased any jewelry in London, so this is the only piece of jewelry from my entire trip abroad.  

These are my most worn earrings, my pearl studs.  I reach for these almost every day.  These were also a gift from my parents at the start of my second year of college, and they were purchased in Boston.  Fun Fact about pearls:  To test if pearls are real rub them together and they should create a thin dust between the two of them.  If they do

Makeup Favorites: Foundations, Concealer, and Bronzer

Happy Monday y'all.   Starting off a new week can be dreary, but discussing one of my favorite things, Makeup, can make-up for Mondays not being as fun as the weekend (ha ha see what I did there).

Today I'll be talking my favorite Foundation/BB Cream/ Concealer Products 

1. Benefit POREfessional Primer or Tarte BB Cream (I use shade Medium). Both of these I use as a Primer 

POREfessional: My honest opinion I still can't really tell if I'm blown away by POREfessional. I've only been using it for three weeks or so and I haven't noticed any dramatic difference between this and my BB cream, except for that my BB cream is more tinted.  It doesn't really reduce my pores, it doesn't coverup redness, and it does very little to any scars.  But if you need a lightweight primer it's not bad.

Tarte BB Cream: I've been using this product almost everyday for a year and love it.  It is super easy to put on, blend, and it give a good amount of coverage (pores, lines, scars and redness)!  Even though it is a liquid it doesn't feel heavy.  Plus it has SPF so yay for sun protection!  I feel comfortable wearing this product alone out to run errands.  Between this and POREfessional I'd pick this product.  

2. Tarte Concealer.  This product is probably my favorite concealer I've tried.  It's liquid, super easy to blend, light, and works wonders on my under eye circles.  I went for a shade lighter than my BB Cream and it works, though I will note I don't tend to break out all over my face so I mostly just use it for my under eye circles and any breakouts on my chin.  

3. Tarte Amazonian Clay Bronzer in Park Ave Princess.  This is my absolute favorite bronzer I own.  It's a great color that looks natural.  It's easy to use for contouring if you are into that, or if you just need a basic bronzer.  

4. BareMinerals Powder Foundation (Original, Matte, and Mineral Veil).  I love these products because I have oily skin, and powder makeup helps reduce the amount of oil on my face without clogging my pores.  The Mineral Veil is also useful if you want to add a little bit of a highlighter tone to your face overall.  These products are super light and easy to wear.  Additionally because they are powder they are easy to travel with (i.e. on planes you don't need to worry about it exploding).  

5. Benefit Hello Flawless: This touch-up powder comes in a really convenient (and cute) packaging with a brush and foam pad.  I mostly use this to touch-up throughout the day.  It also comes with a mirror so I tend to keep this product in my purse for when I'm on the go.  

So sorry if this was a bit of a longer post, but I'm always looking for some new makeup suggestions and reviews so I figured I would give my opinions on these products.  

What are your favorite foundation, coverup, or bronzer products?

Fab Finds Under $50 #3

Ok so this post has a lot of picks from the Nordstrom sale, which is still going on!  But I've also included some other fun pieces (like that two piece from Shopbob! So cute).  Some of these are great steals, so happy shopping.

Booties in the Summer 3 Ways

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I recently picked up these Dolce Vita booties at the Nordstrom Sale.  I immediately began brainstorming ways I could wear them this summer!  As I mentioned in my last post I recently got a job, and I will be working in the tech industry here in SF.  This environment is incredibly laid back and casual so most people don't dress up to work (i.e. everyone I saw at the office was wearing T-Shirts and Jeans).  So the top and bottom outfits are two that I could easily wear to work, as well as out to a casual brunch or dinner (assuming the weather isn't too hot).  The middle outfit is perfect for a fun day out shopping or hanging out with friends.  

What is your favorite way to style Booties?  

Review: Sultra Bombshell Curling Iron

So my old curling iron was retired after a solid 4 years of use (pretty good considering it came from CVS).  I figured the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale would be a good time to invest in a nicer curling iron so I pulled the trigger and bought The Sultra "The Bombshell" 1.5 in Curling Iron: 

Now this curling iron comes with a storage wrap and glove.  After playing around with it I have to say I'm not a fan of the glove.  I have tiny hands and the glove makes it hard to grab and hold onto the sections of my hair while curling.  Also if you put the hot curling iron on the glove it will melt the rubber band in the wrist section (which happened to me).   So after that I kinda gave up on the glove and only burnt myself once so I'd say that's a success.

Let's talk pro-cons of the curling iron itself.  One con for me is it doesn't come with a clip attachment so if you are used to working with this it may take some time to get used to.  It also means you have to hold your hair in with your hand and this is how I burnt my index finger.  But after that I was much more careful.  

Second con it doesn't come with a cold tip on the top (like my older one did).  This means if you touch the tip of the iron to your hear, ear, hand ect. it will hurt.  

Possible Con you can't adjust the heat.  It's one setting.  Not really a huge deal for me because I have very thick hair, but if yours in very thin it could be an issue.

Pro/Con the curling iron gets EXTREMELY HOT.  I like this because my hair is thick and it curls my hair really well at that heat level.  Con if you accidentally touch it, ouch.  Also if you have thinner hair it might burn it (as stated earlier).

Pro it heats up very quickly.  Great if you are in a rush (my flat iron takes forever to heat up).  

Pro the curls hold really well.  I've been using it without any styling products (besides heat protection and dry shampoo) and they last a few days.  Also note I have naturally curly hair that tends to hold shape easily. 

Pro I really like the shape the 1.5 in barrel curls come out as.  

My overall experience - I really like this product, and after playing around to learn the nuances of how to use it without causing injury I am very pleased.  The curls are nice, they hold well, and again once you get used to it its very user friendly.  I recommend if you are used to having a clip or cold tip play around with it off so you see how you have to hold it to avoid burning yourself.  I would definitely recommend this product.  

Here are some pictures of my hair curled (sorry for the awful selfie quality of the first two).  In all photos the only product I used was heat protectant (my favorite is the Bumble and Bumble).  

Sale + Life Updates

Hello friends,

These beautiful pink sandals I picked up are on sale (along with many other beautiful pairs of shoes).  M. Gemi is a company that makes beautiful Italian shoes, handmade, with a new style each week.  The flats I received so far have been great, they are comfortable to wear and I get so many compliments.  I can tell the quality of these sandals is very high.  The sale only lasts till tomorrow and I highly recommend you check it out! 

I scored these sandals and these flats

Here is a link  https://mgemi.com/privato_

You need to sign up for their emails but they honestly send one weekly so its not a huge deal and all their shoes are beautiful.

Now life updates:

First, and most exciting, I Got my first post-college big girl job!  I am so excited. It is in San Francisco which means I will be living at home to save money for now, but I am really excited to start working.  

Second, along with the above major change there may be some major changes coming to the blog.  Nothing concrete has been worked out yet, but stay tuned.  

Tried and True

I feel like most people have that one tried and true outfit combo they always default back to.  For me it is a chambray/OBCD shirt and my favorite J.Crew skirt.  

Shirt - J.Crew // Skirt - J.Crew (Factory Version linked here under 30$!) // Shoes - Jack Rogers // Necklaces - Kendra Scott (and Nordstrom Sale version here) and Baublebar 

This skirt style is one of my favorites.  I own it in more colors than is probably normal, and every fall, spring, and summer it is on repeat.  What can I say, it's comfortable and easy to wear.  

What is your Tried and True go to outfit?