Monochrome comfort - packing for an unknown land

Darlings,
Turns out, Boo is taking me on a surprise trip for my birthday! Woohoo! So excited. 
I am trying to pack, but he won't tell me ANY details - all I know is the temp is "between 70-90" and he's not saying anything else...
I am, of course, turning to Polyvore.com to help me. Here's an idea i've just been playing with.

I have all these items, or items similar to them. I can recreate this outfit pretty easily, and I think it will be good for if we go to a city...
I'll work on other "destinations" next.
Have you ever done this? Totally blind packing is hilarious.


xoxo,
dash

Minimalism - Dresses & Jeans

Darlings.
Ok, I have met with about a hundred people about craigslist stuff, and my house is full of boxes. omg. :)
I am still in the process of eliminating  LOTS of stuff from our home, which feels good. Here is MORE of the base-line on the closet. 

OMG. Who has this many dresses? And so few pants? I've really gotta work on this...


Have you ever done a full visual inventory of you closet? I'd love to know!

xoxo,
dash

Makeup Monday: Just peachy

Darlings,
We are deep in the throes of packing right now. SO MUCH STUFF.
Never buy things - they will swallow you.


I am grungy today, in shorts and a tank, but I realized I needed to do my makeup post, so I went ahead and got slightly cute. Here ya go:

Items used:

Eyes: Sephora Eye Shadow in Carine

Sephora Liner in Gri Gri

Other than that it's the usual - Maybelline Mascara, Precious Posy Blush (clinique), lip balm. :)

ps - I am wearing these Stella & Dot Earrings.

Wish me luck as Boo and I pack! It's a little overwhelming.... 

xoxo,

dash

Minimalism: the Prelude

Darlings,
I am about to move... to Portland, Oregon. :) My Boo and I decided, with much prayer and a sense of trust in adventure, that we are ready for a change of pace. We will head to our new city in September, and there is so much to do! It is so hard to know what to pack first (you have to use your plates, ya know?), so I decided to use this time right now to begin prioritizing things we DON'T need to take. Number one being my wardrobe.
I simply have too much stuff. I am a collector of sorts... I keep all my clothes for EVER. I realize it's impractical... So, this move, I am going to go a bit more minimalist. Inspired by some other writers, I decided to go through my closet with a critical eye and eliminate things that don't look good, feel good, or go with at least 3 other items. in. tense. 


I wanted to show you a base-line of where my closet is after a little purge this morning:

Black/Grey tops

 Includes 3 tanks (sparkly, plain, embellished), 2 v-necks (plain and print), one striped, one grey, and one loose-fitting blouse

Tops: Grey with colors, sweaters.

Includes 2 tanks (pink&grey, B&W stripes), 3 sweaters (2 patterned, 1 solid grey) and 1 multicolored, fancy top

Blues and Purples AKA the only colors I wear

includes 1 ditsy floral, 2 plaid, 1 sweater, 1 dressy top, 3 "nice" tops, 1 vintage sequins, and 3 tanks

 Coral: AKA The OTHER only color i own.

Includes 1 one-shoulder top, 5 tanks (differing levels of fanciness), and 1 blouse. OMG.

 More Blues & Greens

2 sweaters, 2 strapless, 2 tanks, 1 peasant top

 Yellow and white: pretty much the same because they're both ugly

1 tank, 1 button up, 1 sweater

 Fancy, cool-weather outerwear

2 black cardis, 1 "tribal", 1 vintage sequin, 1 modern grey sequin 

Fancy outerwear for warmer weather

2 vests (long and short), 1 floral sweater, 1 coral sequin top, 1 fringe-y black bolero

Don't tell me it's hilarious. I like it.

 Coats/Jackets

1 black wool coat, 1 navy blazer, 1 green cropped jacket, 1 long houndstooth coat

9 skirts. Wow.

1 purple leather (I kid you not), 2 checkered, 2 floral, 1 black, 1 pink, 1 casual.

Almost all pencil skirts (what else would I buy? I'm no fool).

Shorts.

Too many. 2 denim, 1 brown/dressy, 2 checkered, 2 brights, 1 khaki, 1 linen.

damn.

Ok, this doesn't include dresses, jeans, or shoes.... That will come later.
Woof.


xoxo,
dash

Makeup Monday: Ooh, your eyes look sexy.

Lovies,
Here is my first go at Makeup Monday. Inspiration from Keiko Lynn. She's a boss. :)
When my Boo saw this look he said, "ooh, I like it... It's extra sexy." Victory!

Products used:

Face: Tarte Tinted Moisturizer

Cheeks: Clinique Blushing Blush Powder Blush (can we say "blush" a few more times?) in Precious Posy

Eyes: Sephora Collection Color Flip

Liner: Revlon ColorStay Liquid Liner

I am in love with the Sephora Color flip: 

...even though I dropped it and cracked my two favorite colors.:(

For this I used the far right colors. Pretty standard smokey eye - dark green all over lid and crease, then heavy on the blue in the crease. Make a wing with both the shadow and the liner, and dust a little blue on the bottom lash line.
Hot.

Keep the lips simple - your boyfriend WILL want to pounce you, and nobody like smudged lipstick. ;)

have a pretty monday!

xoxo,

dash

What I wore: Hoopla

Lovelies,


This is what I wore for the more casual day of Hoopla:

 Sweater: Urban. Shoes: Anthro. Jeans: Anthro

I wore this sweater A LOT. And i bought it on the trip! 

 We also ate delicious Thai. nom nom nom.

That's all I've got for you today. I have spent the last 6 hours revamping my closet... Trying to be more of a minimalist....

I'll let you know how that goes. ;)

xoxo,

dash

Catch up! Ketchup!

Somehow, this seems appropriate:

Darlings,

Where has the time gone? Goodness, it has far too long since I wrote you anything. My Boo and I have been running around like maniacs - what with driving 3 hrs to see Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallow Part 2....

Professor Trelawny and Fred Weasley.

A plot twist JKR never anticipated.

... To getting all my new jewels in the mail after Hoopla...

 The box...

 Marchesa Necklace

Cleo Earrings

Contessa Jade Necklace

 Such yummy goods...

Beautiful, no?

... to figuring out what to wear it all with!

Jewelry: Pegasus, Serpent bangle, by Stella & Dot

Dress: Target

Weird undergarment: Target

Shoes: Target

Belt: Anthropologie

Painting: By my grandmother :)

So, I have accidentally neglected you! I am so sorry - I'm sure you were crying every day. 

I'll never break your heart again. Unless I get busy.

xoxo,

dash


ps - my facebook fanpages are pretty awesome. Check them out:
https://www.facebook.com/dashspersonalstyling
and
https://www.facebook.com/dashlovesjewelry

Belle of the Ball

Loves,

I got back from San Francisco last night... still a little exhausted. :)
I am a little behind, so I want to start with the best-dressed girl at the wedding I attended last weekend:

Izzy is her name, and she is so. damn. cute. 


the photos were taken at the end of the night, so the lighting isn't the best, but you can still see the fabulous detail of her dress and the little bolero. She topped it off with a great clutch and some REALLY hot pumps.
This girl was my hero at the wedding. :)


Ok, I am recovering from travel, but be on the lookout for new posts tomorrow!
 Oh, and GET YOUR ASS ONTO MY WEBSITE TO LOOK AT THE STELLA & DOT FALL LINE.
xoxo,
dash

Friendship Bracelets Take Forever. I made two.

Lovelies,


Remember making friendship bracelets? Why did we stop doing that?


Oh. I remember why. It takes a hundred years and hurts your back.


HOWEVER - I am a slave to fashion, so I went forth. Because it's cute, dammit.
I could barely remember how to do it, so I found this GREAT tutorial at Honestly WTF, which re-taught me everything. :)

Then, I sat down with my Grandmolly (the gp's were visiting, and the men decided to take a nap), and we chatted while I wove. 
First bracelet took about 2 hrs. omg.


Today, I realized that I had bought 5 other things of thread. holy moses, I couldn't just waste it. So, I put on "The Princess and the Frog" - what? It's awesome - and it took slightly longer than the movie to finish my second bracelet (probably took so long because I was riveted by the story. and oprah). 
The results? Here ya go:

I paired them with some S&D bracelets... And I'm loving it!


I also painted my nails today. You can't see very well in the photos because my camera is crappy. BUT, I used Revlon Black Lingerie (2 coats) followed by Revlon TopSpeed in Royal (1 coat). It turned out to look really thick, matte, and lovely. I highly recommend this combo. 






In addition, I wore this outfit, using my new scarf as a belt. Cute for a lounge-day at the casa. :) 

Seriously, it's difficult to look cute when you are using the 2-second timer in your kitchen! haha :)


Have a gorgeous weekend, stay safe, and enjoy yourselves! I'll be back Monday!


xoxo,
dash