Inside the makeup bag: summer beauty

Wow! Where have I been?! This summer seems to have been totally consumed by wedding prep and work. On top of that I scored an amazing assistant to a designer position and am still settling into our new apartment. Really, it's all been such fun and I'm dreading the end of summer (my favorite season). Suddenly however, I've felt the itch to blog again so here are my current summer beauty staples:

1. Dior Shimmer Powder in Amber Diamond

2. Mac lipstick in Impassioned

3. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in Sand

4. Bobbi Brown Cream Blush in Calypso Coral

5. Tom Ford for Estee Lauder Body Oil Spray (Bronze Goddess)

6-9. Essie Polishes from left :Tart Deco, Fiji, Absolutely Shore, Topless and Barefoot

10. Nars Blush in Deep Throat

11. Bobbi Brown Beach Eau de Parfum

12. Bobbi Brown Sand and Sea Eye Palette

13-14. Body Shop Mango Body Butter and Body Scrub

15. Nars Duo in Sin and Casino

16. Dior Eye Duo in Diorland

17. Chanel Lipgloss in Fluorescent

11th Annual Driehaus Awards for Fashion Excellence

Friday night I attended the 11th annual Driehaus Awards for Fashion Excellence. I placed last year and was super excited to see what was chosen for this years competition in particular what was picked from Columbia College's seniors (my alma mater). This year I brought my  mother and couldn't wait to show her how great this show is. Overall, there was not one let down. There were so many great designers this year and more avant guard pieces were shown than in years past.

The host of the evening ABC 7's Linda Yu wore a jacket designed by yours truly and looked amazing. The look from my winning collection was also featured on the news a few days ago and was worn by Yu on the afternoon news on Thursday.

Link! 

David Cantu

Gilda K. Hosseini

Andrew Cruz

brighten up

Last Friday I attended a little cocktail party in honor of my friends' upcoming wedding. Being that we are well into April and it's quite chilly again I wanted a bright spring look while still staying warm. My solution? Some super bold color blocking. So bright in fact, that upon arrival I was introduced as a cast member from Designing Women (hopefully, not Delta Burke) haha. Either way I got to carry my new bag which I LOVE ! It's clearly a copy of the Celine version I've been lusting after form quite sometime.  Here's what I wore:

Jacket: H&M, Blouse: Everly, Jeans: J. Crew Toothpick, Booties: H&M

Lipstick: Mac Impassioned

Clutch: Street Level, Bracelets (from left): Presence, Topshop, H&M Watch: Michael Kors

wedding weekend

Oh my my, it's been a bit since my last post. Very naughty blogger indeed. This weekend was packed with fun pre-wedding events as my good friends Kris and Allison were finally tying the knot! I had the honor of doing the brides makeup and in return I ate my fair share of wedding pie and danced until it was necessary to change into ballet flats.  Here's a little peek into my weekend.

Dress and Belt: H&M, Bag: Topshop

Shoes: Payless

Driehaus Cocktail Reception

Hello all! Pardon my absence, March has been insane with moving, unpacking and living without internet but alas, I am finally back into the modern age! This passed wednesday I was invited to a cocktail party at the Ransom R. Cable mansion to celebrate the 11th annual Driehaus Awards for Fashion Excellence.  Overall the party was super fun, however the best part of the night was seeing my piece from my winning collection from last years competition. It had been donated to the Driehaus collection so I hadn't seen since last May. It was also great catching up with the other designers and meeting the judges for this years competition. Here's a little outfit of the evening:

Dress: Tibi, Shoes: Fioni, Purse: Marc Jacobs

Shoes: Fioni

Coat: Old Navy, Sunglasses: Presence

Ransom R. Cable Mansion

My Look

February Favorites

Here are some of my favorite things from the month of February:

Essie Nail Polish in Going Over Board: A unique dark shade a teal. It looks great alone or with a glittery topcoat. 

Urban Outfitters Mirrored Flats: I've been giving more attention to ballet flats as spring approaches. I'm sick of all of my boots and these are more exciting than your basic black flats. They look great with black tights but will look cute with jeans or shorts as well. 

Yankee Candle in Beach Party: I'm usually not interesting in candles. I can't stand the scent of most of them and they can be a bit overpriced. I happened to see this one in Target recently and the name drew me in. It smells like one of my favorite perfumes, Beach by Bobbi Brown. It's a mix of salt and sunscreen and I love it. 

Revlon Lip Butter in Creme Brulee: Everyone knows about these lip butters and they have been reviewed constantly. I finally decided to try one for myself. They are super moisturizing and impart a subtle sheen. These really lean towards lipstick rather than tinted lip balm and I love that. In short they are a very moisturizing lipstick. This shade is a great nude that is more brown than pink. 

Downton Abbey: I finally decided to start watching this show from the very beginning after watching a few episodes here and there and it's awesome (obviously, everyone but me already knew this).

J.Crew School Boy Blazer: I have a few of these and have been wearing them for years. They are great quality and come in a variety of colors and fabrics. I've been reaching for them a lot lately as they can really dress up a basic out. Jeans, tee, flats and a blazer...easy chic!

Hold Tight by Dave Dee Dozy Mick and Titch: I just rediscovered this song again after being obsessed with it a few years ago. 

best dressed.

 Let's face it, as much as I love movies and all the hoopla of a major event such as the Academy Awards, I'm tuning in for the dresses! I have a feeling that's why most of you watch in the first place as well. I even find myself looking at best dressed lists and watching Fashion Police afterwords to get every one else's opinion.  So, here is my list of all time best dressed: