Links I Love

BUST // Manic Pixie Dream Girls Exist With or Without the Term

I think this is really important to point out considering how often the phrase is thrown around. Not every quirky girl is a "manic pixie dream girl." 

NY Mag // Why Do We Treat PR like a Pink Ghetto

This brings up a lot of interesting points. I briefly interned in music PR, which is probably a whole other beast.

Bark Post // Insider Information About Dogs in Entertainment

Distractify // 22 Animals That Are So Adorable They WIll Make You Mad

Buzzfeed // An Ode to Old Dogs

Since getting a dog, I am drawn to animal articles, especially this one about senior dogs, since Tallulah is technically "senior." 

Buzzfeed // Two Ingredient DIY Tries

This is as complicated as things need to be.

Mashable // Common Tourist Scams

This is really frightening since there are so many, but it seems like pretty useful info!

Buzzfeed // 25 Times The Internet Fell In Love With Daniel Radcliffe

I'm not even a big Harry Potter fan, but he just seems like such a nice, smart fellow!

Marie Claire // Beauty Fails Fixes For Summer

I think the only one I'm guilty of is the razor..I must remedy that!

Buzzfeed // 101 Easy Ideas For Random Acts of Kindness

I love this list since any one of these small things can turn someone's day around.

Glamour Daze // The History of Makeup in the 1940s

I love that makeup was considered essential for the war effort.

Marie Claire // Best Websites For Women

This is a great list, I have many of these already bookmarked. Marie Claire was really on top of things this week. I don't usually save so many of their articles.

Mashable // Inspiring Comedian Quotes

Great advice Kristen Wiig!

Food File: The Lunch Menu

[Photo via Plum Pie]

I anticipate Food File to either be food I tried to recreate or a pretty list of links. This section used to be called "Food Porn," but Food File seems much more appropriate. Let me direct you to this week's recipe from the blog Plum Pie.

Plum Pie // Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad

Jason and I decided we should make a (relatively) healthy lunch which would last most of the week. I'm not sure where I initially saw the link, but the recipe seemed similar to something my grandma used to make. We decided to give it a try. I love fruit and nuts in my chicken salad, but I'm used to a certain sweetness. Like it says in the recipe, this version is a bit more savory than sweet. I definitely tasted a tanginess that was new to me. We substituted walnuts for pecans and I assume both work fine. It was quite a bit of mixing and I'm really glad we doubled the recipe. It made about 4 lunches each. The picture I took is pretty sad, but the chicken salad was delicious.

Other recipes I recently came across come from Lauren Conrad's site. They have some super delicious-sounding suggestions!

Lauren Conrad // 4 perfect Tea Sandwiches

Tales of a Sad-Sorry Beauty Writer

In the past year, I have graciously been gifted items to potentially review, some of which I requested for xoJane. Since then, I either put off reviews or got a few xo articles cancelled. As I move away from xoJane to concentrate on Twee Valley High, I ended up with a lot of guilt over this lack of content return. My policy has always been "consideration only," but these companies took the time to send me something special and I'm hoping to remedy this lack of beauty content. At this point, I've tried quite a few products so I'd love to share my favorites! 

Most likely, I won't share products I was less than super into. I'm a big fan of honesty, but I don't think anyone wants to hear the negative stuff. I can always change my mind on this though so let me know if you feel differently. Obviously, if I promised a review to a specific company, I will always be honest, whether that's positive or negative. 

Today I'll start with a product I love, but is sadly out of my price range.

MUN No.1 Aknari Brightening Youth Serum ($95)

This fancy pants facial serum was sent with a few other samples and, since I was not yet an oil convert, I wasn't sure how useful it would be. I eventually came to the conclusion that...

..THIS STUFF IS AMAZING. If I had all the money in the world, I would bathe in it. I wore it before bed and it made my face all glow-y beautiful and shit (official reviewer-speak). At this point, I've used it all up, down to the last drop. I even added water to the tube to make it last longer. I was sad when it was gone. The serum is made up of organic prickly pear, rose oil and argan oils, which I kid you not, made my whole face look better instantly. I must be used to the cheap stuff since instant results are like a bizarre-o beauty world I don't live in. The site uses the word 'radiant' a lot, which is appropriate since it's pretty much the best word to describe your face post-serum usage. Apparently you can also use it as a primer if you're going for a dewy, moisturized look. I never quite tried that.

Like I said, I can't afford it regularly so I'm making due with coconut oil or grape-seed oil as nighttime moisturizer. It's definitely not the same though and I think I'll officially "be a grown-up" when I buy this for myself. It's one of those "beauty splurges" people talk about. 

*I was provided products courtesy of MUN for promotional consideration, but was not compensated or obligated to post a "review." All opinions are 100% my own.*

Links I Love!

Happy Friday! Are you ready for today's links? I'm particularly excited because I found many of them in the past week, which means I still have a long list to pull from. I hope you enjoy these while you take an internet break from work!

Time Out New York // 16 stories of New York niceness that will change your opinion of NYC

Something to remember in a city like this...

xoVain // Does It Really Matter If Beauty Products Are Natural? A Cosmetic Chemist Weighs In

Seriously amazing article. I love when this guy writes for xoVain. I feel like I really learned something!

Swimmingly // Mom Creates Amazing, Homemade Costumes Each Time Her Daughter Goes to Disneyland

This is too cute!

Marie Claire // How to Score a Job at ModCloth

I found this interesting, but sad timing that the article came out around the same time they fired 70 employees...I don't see a job opening up in the near future..

Miss Lindsay Lane // The Sad Life of Veronica Lake

I was surprised at this sad, fascinating story about such a legendary beauty.

Pansy Panda // 27 People Doing Amazing Things for Animals

I cried my eyes out...made Jason look through it..and cried some more. PMS might have been at play, but it's still a great list!

A Beautiful Mess // The Party Party App

I have yet to download this app, but it sounds amazing. Plus I use their last app quite often. It's definitely worth the 99 cents. The team at a Beautiful Mess seem totally unstoppable!

The God Help the Girl trailer

After so many years, knowing Stuart Murdoch was creating something special, I feel a sense of pride at his film finally being done. It looks like a combination of Moonrise Kingdom, The Virgin Suicides and, of course, a Belle and Sebastian video. I can't wait to see his director debut. September 5th can't come soon enough!

HelloGiggles // A Brief History of SNL Early Exits

I don't even watch SNL, but for some reason, this stuck a chord. It goes to show that your big break might not be what you think and there's no reason you won't move on to bigger and better things.

Vulture // Here’s Proof That Michel Gondry’s New Film Is the Michel Gondriest Film Ever

I can't wait to see this!! It combines so many things I love...Audrey Tautou, french films and whimsical  elements. This may be Gondry's most whimsical film yet!

Anyhoo, hope everyone has a great weekend! xo

Inspiration of the Week: Old Movies I Caught on TV!

As much as I love vintage, I don't often watch a whole lot of old movies. The pacing is slower than I'm used to so I'm rarely "in the mood." That said, once I start one, I usually fall in love. The style and story win me over and I get totally sucked in. 

Flipping through the channels, I recently caught two movies in one night. A Place in the Sun (1951) and Gidget Goes to Rome (1963). Although they are vastly different time periods and styles, each film impressed me for different reasons. 

A Place in the Sun is obviously renowned since it went on to win SIX Oscars. The ending was a downer, but the film itself was memorizing. I'm ashamed to say I'd never seen Elizabeth Taylor act. Her incredible presence transcended the silver screen. She was both beautiful and complex. Montgomery Clift also gave an amazing performance as the perfectly mysterious George Eastman. Overall, a wonderful film that left me with that high-brow, pondering feeling. 

Gidget Goes to Rome is another story. This fluffy film was just straight-up adorable. I need to see more Gidget films since the style is so similar to my own. The early sixties is definitely my time period!

Do you have any favorite old films? I need recommendations! Some of the ones I love include Funny Face and Bye Bye Birdie. I love a good musical, but I won't turn away a drama.

What I Wore to Hang With Susie's Senior Dogs

I recently had a fun doggie date with Susie's Senior Dogs aka Erin and her adorable senior, Susie. Erin started this amazing facebook page to promote senior dogs who are up for  adoption. "Tallulah" was actually featured the same day I picked her up! The response was amazing and it makes me feel so lucky to have found her when I did. After our meet-up, Erin wrote a cute little feature that totally made me (and Tallulah) smile.

Such cuties!

On a fashion note, plus-size brand, Yours Clothing was sweet enough send me this adorable mint dress and a cute pink bag, which I'm really into considering I have so many bags. The bag feels heavier than most non-leather options and I was surprised at the great quality. The dress was perfect for a lovely day in Central Park. They also sent me some super cute pjs with puppies on them, but that shall be for another day. 

The mint version might be out of stock now, but they also have a summery coral color.  The dress I'm super obsessed with is this lacy one with a peter-pan collar. So pretty! A big thanks to this brand for sending me such quality items.

Photographer portrait!

If you feel like shopping this dress or the cute bag, head over to Yours Clothing and use this Twee Valley High coupon code: Kristina10. It's valid for 10% off $35 or more. 

P.S. I just noticed the bag is on sale, only $18! The code can't be used on sale items but you can always pick a dress to go with it.

Dress and Bag c/o Yours Truly*

Sunglasses: ASOS

Shoes: H&M

Scarf: Vintage

*I was provided products courtesy of Yours Truly for promotional consideration, but was not compensated or obligated to post a "review." All opinions are 100% my own.*

Links I Love

You GUYZ, I have so many links saved, it's pretty crazy. There is just an insane amount of links that added up in my save/share pile. I also have "wishlist" and "buy" piles, but that's for another day. I don't want to overwhelm you so here are a few starter links. I'm thinking I'll start posting these every Friday. 

BUST Magazine // This is What a Feminist Fashion and Beauty Fair Looks Like

My own pictures to come...someday. It was such a great event!

Tom and Lorenzo // Vintage Mad Men Ads

I'm late to game with these, but they're still pretty neat.

Buzzfeed // Money Saving Tips Every Makeup Addict Need to Know

Too many to remember, but so many helpful tips!

Refinery 29 // 8 Reasons Why Dogs Are Better Friends Than People

Yes,  sometimes I feel this.

Buzzfeed // 25 Inspiring Pictures Of Dogs Before And After Their Rescue

Heart-breaking and heart-warming!

Retro Rover // Popular Dog Breeds in America By Decade-1930s

Ok, this is my last dog link! My heart goes out to pit-bulls and their decrease in popularity. They are apparently quite a sweet breed.

Huffington Post // 12 Things We Learned From Mindy Kaling This Year

This is so accurate! I must go re-read her book now.

HelloGiggles // Fictional Characters Who Love Food as Much as We Do

I love all these characters as much as I love food. =)

The Lingerie Addict // The Real Cost of Cheap Lingerie: Why Who Made Your Intimates Matters

My friend Quinne wrote this awesome article, important stuff!

Vogue // #IWokeUpLikeThis: Dita Von Teese Reveals the Strategies Behind Her Morning Routine

The #IWokeUpLikeThis hashtag is kind of annoying, but she doesn't really claim that in the article anyway. She seems much less high-maintenance than we might think.

Shout-out to the woman who sold me this awesome mid-century table a while back. I found out she wrote this amazing children's book, Stuck with the Blooz. She gave me a copy and it's really adorable.

Dress c/o Yours Clothing

Fourth of July

I spent my holiday leisurely sleeping and getting ready for a Rockabilly event while watching World War Z on Netflix. I'm weirdly into zombies lately. The last two movies I watched, before Netflix pulled them, was Evil Dead 2 (AMAZING) and Resident Evil (MEH). Both Resident Evil and WWZ had dogs briefly in them. The moment a dog pops up on screen, Tallulah jumps off my lamp and starts barking, looking around somewhat confused. The Resident Evil dogs were huge zombie dogs so she went especially nuts. 

We had a little bonding time before I went out and Jason captured these adorable moments. I'm super happy with the way these photos turned out!

If you're wondering how I mastered the art of bumper bangs, then head here!

Silly faces and cuddles!

The event I attended was early, which I truly appreciate, so it left time for Jason and I to grab some "champagne" and head to my roof for the last half of the Fourth of July fireworks.

The Jazz-Age Lawn Party 2014!

Here are the best of my street style and party pics from this year's Jazz-Age Lawn Party. I had an amazing time. It's such a memorable event!

I even bumped into Lynn Yaeger, who was inspiration for a BUST photo shoot based on a street style photo I took! I also have this cool animated gif a friend made of the two of us chatting at fashion week.

Don't forget, there's one more event next month. Have fun if you plan to attend and let me know what you decide to wear!