The No-Lipstick Challenge

Ok the title is kind of deceiving. I'm not actually doing a "challenge" or experiment. What I have been doing is wearing a lot more clear lipgloss. This was my mainstay in high school, but over time I grew very fond of bright, matte lipstick, especially red and pinks from MAC . 

Embarrassingly enough, my lips have been massively chapped lately, even the skin above my lip has somehow gotten irritated and flaky (gross!). I decided to give my lips a break from long-lasting, drying lipsticks. MAC Ruby Woo is amazing, but definitely dries out my lips. MAC's "Girl About Town" is more moisturizing, but the CoverGirl knockoff "Spellbound" definitely contributed to my dry-lip issues.  I wanted to give my lips a break, but I'm so not a "just lip balm" kind of girl. 

I recently bought Ellen Tracy lipgloss from TJ Maxx that, to the naked eye, looked hot pink. I was surprised to find it was basically clear, but I didn't hate. I've actually been wearing it a lot! It feels moisturizing but stays glossy. I also feel slightly French with done-up cat-eyes and a nude gloss. It's a look I'll definitely keep in my arsenal.

Mad Men's Last Season

Everyone caught up on this season? It started out annoying, but is getting more and more intriguing. My issue is that Don Draper is kind of the worst. He pretty much never changes and, when it comes to Draper, the story repeats itself continually. I'm also not loving the fashion of this era. Megan Draper is rocking cute, psychedelic minis and awesome big hair, but Peggy is hit or miss (ugh pantsuits!) and the dudes are getting hairier. 

Anyhoo, these photos are lovely and I'm still in awe of the magical moment between Don and Peggy last week. The season was way too depressing until then. I'm bummed we have to wait so long for the next half of the season, but I'm glad they're headed in a "not everything is horrible" direction. Anyone else still rooting for Joan and Roger?

This moment absolutely killed me. I re-watched it three times, crying happy tears for their rekindled friendship.

Movie Review: Obvious Child

I was excited to get a press invite to a screening of Obvious Child. I've been wanting to see this film since Jenny Slate did a short with the concept in 2009, followed by a subsequent Kickstarter. I have a soft spot for Slate who used to do free comedy on Wednesdays with her bestie Gabe Liedman (also in the film). She created Marcel the Shell, which is pretty amazing and one time, we complimented each other's fashion (yay!). I don't personally know her, but I'm weirdly proud of her for doing her own thing and being a part of such a unique film.

Being a fan of Slate and having seen the short, I basically knew I'd love Obvious Child.  I went by myself (because I'm a badass) and sat down to watch the first romantic comedy about abortion. 

It's cliche, but I laughed, I cried, the whole deal. The film is hilariously quirky, but also incredibly real. I choked up when Slate's character crawled into bed with her mom, telling her she was pregnant. The moment made me miss my own mom and obviously think about "what ifs" and potential crisis. My mom is considerably annoyed that I live so far and I totally get why. 

For a film, it's kind of heavy on the stand-up, but also seems like a large part of the character's life so I didn't mind too much. I noticed they changed fellas from the short to the film, but this guy does a great job endearing you towards him. The film is super female-driven, which is so cool and sadly pretty rare. 

It may be a "romantic comedy," but it uses cliches in all the right ways to touch on how it feels to be a young woman, or person for that matter, dating in NYC. Two-thumbs up!

This photo. So cute!

This film was part of the Rooftop Summer Series, which is a  non-profit known for showcasing up and coming filmmakers and musicians. (<-I gotta tell my boyfriend to get in on that).

If you head over to BUST.com, they are giving away tickets!

Happy Mother's Day!

Not a day goes by in NYC that I don't miss my mama. She's one of a kind in so many ways. I wish we could have some fantastic brunch alongside my amazing grandma, loving aunt and fantastic godmother. Alas we are far apart, but I'm grateful to have so many amazing ladies to think of on this special day. Thankfully, next month my mom be visiting and we'll go see Diana Ross! What a dream! 

These are two of my favorite pictures of her. The makeup and hair are totally enviable in the photo above; 80's glamour at its best. She's a pro at blending eye shadow. 

I hope you all have an amazing day with your moms and don't forget to say Happy Mother's Day to the rest of the mothers in your life!

Exciting News!

Today is the day! I have some exciting announcements. First of all, as you can see, I got a whole new blog design courtesey of Kaelah! She is seriously amazing and worked with me through every design detail. I'm excited to get serious and start a new chapter in my life as a blogger. 

Take a peek at the "mood board" I created for intial ideas and themes. I wanted pastels and a sixties vibe, which is exactly what I got. It's a whole new look and I love it completely! I'm still working on a few details, but feel free to explore. The site is now much easier to navigate. I also have a few of my favorite xoJane tutorials at the bottom of the page. 

My next exciting news has to do with BUST Magazine. I recently helped put together a new kind of Craftacular appropriately titled Primped. It'll be heavily focused on beauty and fashion, which should make for quite an event. Not only will I be "DJing" the first hour of the event (aka  making a playlist), but I will also be teaching how to create flower crowns the first half of the day. 

Last, but certainly not least, today is the day my best friend of 10 YEARS (yikes getting old!) is coming to NYC! I'm thinking lots of delicious food, possibly a museum and a bunch of bumming around laughing about dumb things. It's what we do best. xo

If you're in Brooklyn this Sunday, I highly recommend the BUST event. There are a million things happening and I'm already afraid of the money I'll be tempted to spend. Good thing there's tons of free stuff as well!

In case you're wondering, these photos are all from my day at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. It looks very floral, but surprisingly most things weren't in bloom and the park was crazy crowded for the Sakura Matsuri festival, which was also semi-dissapointing. 

My favorite event of the season is coming up soon: the Jazz Lawn Party! Buy your tickets now for the Early Bird Special. I'll be there Saturday, June 14th with my hair pin curled and my drop-waist dress!

What I Wore:

Dress: Modcloth

Shoes: BASS

Tights: HUE

Broach: Vintage

Crown: Hand-made (by me!)