Blush & Gray: May 2014

Geometric Cardigan

According to the Farmer's Almanac, We're in for a miserable, hot, sticky Summer. And if they're right, I can't take any chances not getting in some cute outfits before I'm living in a uniform of tank tops and flip flops trying to survive the heat with no fashion care in the world!
Much like this Winter which was so brutal, I could barely find the motivation to pull on my Uggs, let alone conjure up something fabulous for the frozen Tundra I found myself living in.
(Shout out to the East Coast. lol)

While I still have the temperature on my side, and the heat isn't melting off my face or any other body part, I thought I'd bring out my GEO CARDI for a casual Friday at work followed by a dinner and movie date with my friends.

For anyone interested in purchasing this sweater, I highly recommend it. Aside from the gorgeous neutral pattern I was so drawn to, it is SO soft!! No pilling which is a huge plus when using softer sweater materials and I really feel this sweater could take you through all four seasons. For Spring, you can do jeans and sandals (like I did). Summer, you can do a white pant or short for breezy evenings with fun wedges for a bit of dress up, Autumn, of course the ever so classic riding boot or a neutral flat and Winter can be a heavier knit long sleeve for underneath or even a turtleneck (which I love!) with a bootie or yes, your Uggs!

This was a fabulous find (and it's on sale!!) I couldn't wait to wear and share. Hope someone else scoops it up too!

Happy Saturday!
- V.V.

Photo credits: Christian Aristizabal

P.S. I am TOTALLY into the white pedicure for the Summer. This is going to be a repeat offender for sure.

Nails: Essie "Romper Room"
Toes: Button London "Cotton Buds"

Maximize Your Maxi!

Most people (myself included) equate dresses with dressing up. I mean, why wouldn't they? They word "dress" itself is in the term dress up.

But let me tell ya, dresses are in fact, the ultimate dress down. Dresses are the new sweatpants.

Aside from ballgowns, wedding dresses and super fancy attire (duh), I'm here to tell you (incase you didn't already know, which I'm sure you did!) that dresses are a lazy girl's best friend.

Gotta wake up early and run to the post office/cvs/grocery store? Top knot, dress, flip flops.

Brunch date with the girls? Sunglasses, dress, sandals.

Date night? Statement necklace, dress, light sweater/denim jacket

Company coming over? Dress

Beach? Bathing suit, Dress, Spf

Mani/ pedi? Dress means easy access to your legs and feet.

You see the common denominator here?

The simplest thing you could do to appear put together, to feel good, to look chic and polished, is to throw on a dress.

Jeans, tops, cardigans, camis, layers, shorts, scarves, button downs, zippers, etc.

Blah. Blah. Blah. Doesn't that sound like a lot of work?!

Think about it, you LITERALLY slip a dress over your head, or step into one and with one swoop of an adjustment, you're dressed! It's like magic. And you automatically look great.

The same goes with a maxi skirt and a t-shirt or tank.

This past weekend I had a birthday dinner to attend in honor of my best friend. The weather was iffy, I was feeling a bit out of sorts and wasn't sure what to wear. I went with the dress. Took me 5 minutes to do my makeup and 1 minute - maybe less! - to get dressed and I was out the door and feeling good. There's no thinking involved. The dress does all the work for you....all YOU have to do, is find one (or 10!) you love!

Here is my look from this past weekend:

Dress - Forever21 (sold out) //Denim Jacket // Sandals // Clutch Watch // Cross necklace

Trip To the MAC Counter

What does one do on a day off in 85 degree weather? One goes to the air conditioned mall.
At least this one did! Yesterday (Memorial Day), I had a few things in mind I wanted to look into at the mall so here is a sample of a few treats I scooped up at the MAC counter.

Mineralize lip glass in "Tender"
It's a perfect mix of pink and lilac which is exactly what I was looking for. I have found that the plums and purples work with my skin so I'm trying to build my color palette.
Also, I like the opaque finish. It's very creamy and not sheer which I prefer because sheers tend to look the same on my lips no matter what shade they are and they just don't show enough color for my preference when I am going for a strong lip.

From the new Summer Aquatic collection, frosted lipstick in "Pet me, Please"
I wasn't particularly drawn to this color until the makeup artist insisted I try it on. She thought it would go great with my skin. I thought, " yeah, yeah, lady, push your product, I don't fall for those beauty counter games!"......and then I tried it on. I HAD TO HAVE IT! She was sooooo right!
What a gorgeous, frosted, bronzey, metallic for Summer skin! Remember those Bonnie Bell frosted lip balms we all had in the 80's? It's like that, but so much better.....and grown up!
So glad I tried it on. Such a cliche but the fact remains: never judge a book by it's cover.
The faux water bead packaging is to die for. Y'all know I'm a sucker for packaging.

Mineralize blush in "Gentle"
Coming back to the plums again - I wanted to get away from all of my pink.
This is sheer, but pigmented enough where it really shows up on the skin and can be layered for a more dramatic look. It has baked in gold flecks and swirls so it's a natural highlighter as well.
Round of applause for a multi purpose product. Again - I am so lazy, skipping a step in my makeup routine is such a bonus!

If you're into any of these products or colors, I hope I helped your shopping endeavours!

(I Took the pics with my flash on so they can come across pinkish, but next time I will do with and without the flash so you can get a better idea of the shades)

Have a great day!

- V.V.

What I Wear to Work (Tips for the working girl!)

In my other life, I'm sure I was a rich and fabulous woman who spent most of her time brunching, sailing and shopping. I am just absolutely certain, in my previous life, I was a woman who never had to work a day in her life. This life? Not so much!
I am your ~~not so~~ typical office girl who click clacks on that keyboard by day, and I am a dreamy, fashionista blogger by night. Kinda like Clark Kent and Superman, ya know what I mean?!

When I have special events or social gatherings I love to plan a nice outfit and pull out all the stops with my hair, makeup and jewelry. And while that just thrills me, the reality is, I don't dress like that everyday because I have a full time job that ....lets just say requires less than the "Lights! Camera! Action!" of it all.

It's a modest office with a small group. We don't see clients most days.
I am blessed to be able to wear pretty much anything I please aside from the obvious no-no's.
I can wear jeans and Uggs every day if I choose, but I think my boss would still frown upon neon hot pants and thigh high boots!
Some days I wear makeup, most I don't (God, I am SO lazy! My call time is 8am so waking up at the crack of dawn to dabble with eye shadow is daunting to say the least! But I'm making more of an effort now that Spring is in full effect), I type all day so my watch tends to bang and scratch on the table and I end up flinging it off halfway through the morning, I also speak on the phone all day so bigger earrings also get annoying....

So where does that leave me - a girl who lives for clothes but doesn't have the necessity to get "dressed" everyday?

I have settled on "Realistic Office Casual". lol
Comfortable but still polished pieces that I can put on and not feel like a schlub when I go to work. I may not be a Wall Street bigwig power walking in stilettos on the streets of Manhattan but I still respect myself and I respect what I do for a living. I want my clothing to reflect that.
Even if it is just realistic office casual.

Here are a few things we all can do to feel less schlubby!

1) Put a brush through your hair. A no brainer, right? Ha. Some people don't even do that!

2) You don't need full war paint before leaving the house. A nice moisturizer, maybe something with a tint or a BB cream type of product, some gloss or lip balm, a swipe of mascara and we're out the door! The goal is to look presentable. No pageant judges hiding under your desks.....I hope?!

3) A light spritz of perfume. No matter what I'm wearing, my co-workers ALWAYS mention that they love how I smell and for me, it's important and makes you feel nice.

4) DO be a bag lady! A nice work tote in a neutral color helps you stay organized, goes with all of your outfits and jackets and gives you an overall polished look when walking in and out of your place of business.

5) Try to always have your nails done. It will always be the first thing people notice. Especially for me, since I look at them all day long (as I'm doing right this minute!) on my keyboard.
When I hand documents back and forth to my boss and co-workers, I know they notice as well so I do try to keep the chipping to a minimum. But hey! Sometimes mama can't get to the salon at a timely fashion and they can look.....not so nice. Such is life, right?! That's why it's called realistic office casual. All we can do is try our best.

Now that I'm done yapping, here are two examples of what my work outfits look like this week.
I'd like to do a blog like this weekly to show that it's not high heels, sequins and ballgowns every day for regular people and fashion bloggers alike. We wear every day clothes, too.

Now in my other life.....I didn't wear every day clothes. I'm positive I wore Kaftans and diamonds all day! ;)