a latte lipstick

It is time...the search for the perfect Fall lipstick!

Excitement bubbles over when a new season arrives, because new season=new lipstick. After all, that's why seasons exist, isn't it? For the sole reason to let you change up your style, colors and add new essentials to your closet. Right? :)

Your skin care routine, clothing choices, and shoes should change with each season, including your lipstick shade. Your shade should match the changing season! While bright colors are perfect for carefree summer,  darker colors work best for Fall.

Getting a new lipstick with each season is a great tradition and you should definitely join me in the quest for the perfect fall shade.

Fall Lipstick Shade Trends 2014:

• Orange
• Dark Rouge
• Coffee
• Bright Red
• Nude

The lipstick search began and ended where they all typically do, Sephora. I spent the better part of my day smearing an assortment of lipstick shades across my lips. As a germaphobe, it takes extra time to choose a lipstick because I put alcohol all over the lipstick tester before each use. Don't roll your eyes, germs are scary! By the end of the journey, my lips were dried out! Burts Bees is always in my purse to rescue chapped lips.

Nars Vesuvia and Nars Mascate held me in a real tough place. Eventually I made the challenging call. The pigment in Mascate was more blue, while the pigment in Vesuvia was more orange.  So using my Lipstick Shade Guide I decided on the Vesuvia.

Nars Vesuvia is a perfect starting point for me this fall season. I really struggled between wanting a bright red or a high fashion dark purply-coffee color. But this was a great medium and more practical of a purchase. I knew I could wear this shade every day, while the dark purple would be ideal for evenings and night-outs.

My mind keeps going back to the dark one though... I don't think Sephora has seen the last of me.

Which lipstick shade will you rock this Fall?

How does everyone feel about this pop art and brand trend? To be honest, I have not jumped on this look or trend in the past years, it's just not my style. I tend to dress more classic and these pieces are anything but that. It is a definite fun look, but not for me.

To wear this trend right, it needs to be styled to perfection. Not to mention how memorable the pieces would be once you wear them. You couldn't wear a pop art item twice without anyone noticing. A screaming Shrek hoodie is not easily forgettable.

Via /////

The Moschino McDonalds products are especially unappealing to me. First off, I hate McDonalds, second off who even likes those colors together? Looks like they have even gotten into a bit of trouble for glorifying McDonalds logo. That takes it a little far, but hey subliminal messages are powerful!



It's great advertising for brands and companies who have lucked out and gotten interested fashion designers to promote their products. See Shrek, McDonalds, Pop Eye, examples below.

Popular Pop Art Fashion

Moschino McDonalds Sweatshirt
Taylor Says Pop Art Heels
Jeremy Scott Shrek Collection 
Karla Spectic Collection 
Venus in Sequins
Lisa Perry Pop Eye

Do you like Pop Art? How do you style it?

"Let Food be Thy Medicine and Medicine be Thy Food."
- Hippocrates

Do you actually follow this quote? You should always be eating for overall wellness, not to solely lose weight. If you eat right then your body will show it. Put good in, get good out.

There are different foods that should definitely make it into your diet. One of them being Garlic.

Why You Need Garlic::

Garlic is full of nutrients that your body needs: Manganese, Vitamin B 6, Vitamin C, Selenium, and Fiber. You can take in all of those nutrients in a single clove!

Got sniffles? With the fall season coming, garlic is even more useful because it helps to fight the common cold. Garlic boosts the immune system and reduces the severity of a cold or flu.

Prevent Alzheimers and Dementia. Today, the number of people afflicted by this disease is growing and there is no cure discovered yet. Garlic provides necessary antioxidants that protect against oxidative damage and harmful inflammation.

Want to live a long healthy life? Garlic reduces high blood pressure, fights infectious diseases, and boosts the immune system.

Are you a hat person? Most people have classified themselves as either a hat person, or not a hat person. But after the mouth watering round up this year, everyone should transform into a hat person!

I have never been a huge hat advocate, but that's changing quickly. With the plethora of adorable hats fashion designers have created for Fall, you will drool. Another bonus to hats is not having to fool with your hair! Possibly even your makeup, considering the size of hat you choose to place on top of your head.

Adore this red hat <3 

When Fall arrives, so does the pumpkin, cinnamon, and apple pie candles. Candles automatically make a house more cozy, warm, and delicious.

But beware, most candles let off toxins into your house! You are unfortunately spending money on something harmful to breathe in, leaving poison in your lungs. Most candles that people have are made with paraffin.The paraffin in candles is damaging, it lets off at least 7 known toxic properties, 2 being carcinogenic. If that doesn't phase you, paraffin lets off the same toxins as diesel fuel!

After reading more information on Beeswax candles I was convinced to find some new candles that smelled delicious and wouldn't fill the house with toxins. Your home should be a safe place, not filled with damaging poisonous air. You inhale enough toxins walking outside in your environment without choosing to breathe in diesel fuel toxins when you return home after a long day. Choose to keep your home as clean and fresh as possible!

Beeswax candles help allergies, reduce asthma effects, and let off negative ions to combat positive ions that are harmful. Make the swap between paraffin candles and choose beeswax!

Life can be so ridiculously stressful. Everyone agrees. Life can throw a wide array of troubles our way, just because it can. How do you handle it?

Don't ever judge other people's stressors, we are all so different. Regardless of what causes it, we all have stress.  Lately, I have been feeling so overwhelmed and have no idea how some people balance it all. How do people do it?! The most important thing is to push past the stress and keep working on yourself, your soul is an unending project.

I think that you have to learn how to balance and reevaluate your priorities, then reevaluate again, see what works for you. You have to keep everything in perspective, try your best, not be perfect, make mistakes, learn, excel, fail, move on, and just keep on moving toward your best self.

Banana bread should be made healthy, appreciated immensely, and enjoyed often. The combination of chocolate and banana bread is too delicious!

These Banana Bread muffins, or should I say Banana muffins?, recipe uses no added sugar and no butter! It's moist, delicious, and great for breakfast! Any excuse to make banana bread regularly, I'll take.

Creating muffins instead of bread means that it can be done in 20 minutes versus 60 minutes. Quicker baking time means that it is quicker in your tummy...as it should be.

Every morning should be sweet, don't you think?

I recently diagnosed myself with Photokeratitis. It's not as bad as it sounds, yet it can be quite harmful if it's recurring. Photokeratitis is a temporary sunburn of the cornea.

My eyes have recently been completely blood shot, watery, and just so uncomfortable. This time, for the first time ever, it wasn't from my contact lenses but because I wasn't protecting my eyes against the sun. How careless.

Sunglasses are so stylish and such a great statement piece, yet they're one item I have never really had a thing for. You could say we just didn't see eye to eye. Cheap joke. As of late though, I have realized how important it is to properly care for your eyes.

Sunglasses aren't just for looks, not protecting your eyes is quite dangerous! Excessive sun rays, natural or unnatural, can lead to quite terrible eye problems, not just photokeratitis. More serious problems like cataracts, macular degeneration, and many more troubling sounding diseases. When you're older you will be happy you cared for them!

So do what's right...purchase some sunglasses that protect against UV rays. Below are some of my favorites that I have my eye on.

If you are on a raw food diet, props to you. It makes perfect sense to eat more raw, living food. Raw food advocate's diet is based on not eating foods that have decreased nutritional value due to overheating. To be considered raw, foods cannot be heated over 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Raw food aids digestion, stimulates the immune system, provides good bacteria, clears skin and is high in nutritional value. Sounds like a smart move to me, but a challenging one to follow 24/7!



Raw chocolate leads in providing the highest antioxidants, even beating red wine out with around 30 times more! Raw chocolate also has a lot of anti depressants. Enjoy whenever you're feeling a little blue or sick.

Do you have boyfriend jeans? I have desperately been searching for over a year. None of them had perfectly fit, and you just can't get boyfriend jeans that don't fit right. They'll either look way too big or just like loose holey jeans that you need to retire. Neither look is preferred. But lo and behold, I found the perfect boyfriend jean...FINALLY!

Aren't we just a world of opposites? We have the options between skinnies and boyfriend jeans. I know which pair I'm picking when I'm feeling on my larger side :)

So how should they fit? 

Boyfriend jeans should fit loosely around your frame but not swallow you. They are typically straight legs that are cuffed. I like the added wear and tear of rips at the thighs or holes in the knees. Boyfriend jeans should be slightly roughed up. Your boyfriend doesn't wear pristine jeans does he? Might as well go all in.

When boyfriend jeans are too loose, sophistication is lost and it quickly becomes a disheveled look, in a negative way. It's important to properly balance the look. You walk a fine line between looking cute and feminine or looking like ... well, your boyfriend. I have seen some looks that have simply been stunning or simply horrid. Go with the prior.

Adding a piece of glitzy statement jewelry is a great option to add to the look and feminize it. Love a simple low heel pump with this look too.

Looks to steal:: 

Boyfriend Jeans with...

Parka & Fedora
Leather Jacket & Tank
Black Blazer & White Tee
Plaid Button Up & Sparkly Necklace

Monthly Musings and Mentionables...I haven't ever done a post like this so I'm excited to share some of my worth mentioning links and begin this new series!

Love how the trend of keeping track of your fitness, calories, sleep, etc is so popular in society now. Let's join together and end this obesity crisis, it's all about health ya'll! This Tory Burch Fitness tracker adds some additional glitz to the look.

This emoji shout out really entertains me. We really have welcomed these little guys into our lives, haven't we??

Leaving the college scene, or a job, and looking for a new job can be terrifying.This idea to humanize the job search is a great development to create ease and make it a little less stressful.

Have heard great things about this inspirational and inspiring book. It's a powerful book teaching you to take control of yourself and your life. After all, you are the one who can make the change. Quit blaming others, your situation, or your weakness and be the person you were created to be!

Have you heard of PlyoJam? It's an unstoppable mix of dance and plyometrics, needless to say, it's awesome and very challenging. Don't believe me? Try this PlyoJam 10 minute workout and be collapsing on the floor in a sweaty mess in no time.

Want to give a meaningful gift but don't want to put in the effort or time? Ha, it happens. Friend going through a break up? Asking a girlfriend to be a Bridesmaid? Missing your best babe that has moved away, regardless of your pleading? Purchase a Packed Party!

Body lotions are an easy way to treat and pamper yourself. A 3 minute spa treatment? Yes, please.

Moisturizing your skin is important to keep your skin healthy and glowing. Look for lotions with shea butter to properly moisturize your skin from the outside to the inside. Other essential oils in lotions, like neroli, rose otto, and lavender can reduce skin inflammation and soothe irritated skin (a sensitive skin girl's wish.)

Lotions can help moisturize but also can help soothe your emotions too. For instance, when you're a frantic maniac, lavender lotion can be a true lifesaver.

Amazing Moisturizers and Scents to Love Now:

Purity Cosmetics Pink Grapefruit Nourishing Body Cream
Just recently discovered this brand and am already in love. The products are 100% natural, and 100% vegan. Plus, there is research out there that smelling grapefruit can reduce cravings and enhance memory. Love that!

Thymes Green Tea Body Lotion
This lotion includes Vitamin E, helping to protect your skin cells from harmful elements you face every day: cigarette smoke, pollution, sun, etc.

Loccitain Lavendar Hand Creme
Doesn't your body oooh and ahhh just at the sound of that? Everyone should be a huge fan of Lavender. Anything that can help you relax after a stressful day! Smelling lavender reduces your heart rate and blood pressure, leaving you in a relaxed state.

Vaseline Spray & Go
Concept is fabulous. Worst part of putting on lotion can be when you are in a rush. This way, you can spray it on quickly, put on clothes and be done with it.

What scents do you like in your moisturizer? 

Oh sweet sweet Summer, how you come and go so quickly. Things were really starting to heat up. You always treat me well though, I'll give you that.

Summer brought some amazing treats and discoveries that must be shared. It's hard to say goodbye to Summer... but Fall has a lot to offer too.

Technically though, we have until the 21st. What do you want to accomplish before Summer is officially over?

Summer Favorites to Remember...

The Fall weather has been tempting me! I'm overwhelmingly enthused for all that Fall brings to the table, and not just in regards to Thanksgiving food. I'm ready for the crisp air, crunchy leaves, and endless smell of pumpkin. I don't even like pumpkin.

But mostly what I'm excited for is Fall fashion! The runway has already left me in a foggy haze of furs, prints, scarves, and textures. This season is sure to bring some fun fresh looks! You can begin to see the styles that will emerge and I can't wait to don a cozy oversized knit..

Think furs, shearlings, embroidered fabrics, bright colors, oversize knits, and plaids! 

Trends to look forward to:

How was everyone's Labor Day? Mine was spent hiking with my boy at the Wichita Mountains. I hadn't had a good day away from it all in the beautiful outdoors for too long. This was the perfect way to celebrate no labor :) I'm so thankful to know whenever I need some relaxation, I can find it for free in the great outdoors!