Happy Wedding day Mrs. Massey

I took over Jess' blog today! Go leave your love over there today!! 

http://glistenfit.com/general/happy-wedding-day-mrs-massey/

It's a Twirly Skirt Kinda Day!

 

Photos c/o Angela @ Pretty in Her Pearls 

Top// j. crew factory Skirt// LOFT (similar) Wedges// Nine West (similar) Jewelry// Stella and Dot (Sutton Necklace) (Somervell Necklace) (Gilded Arrow Bangle) (Amelie Bracelet)

This is my twirly skirt and I wear it on extra happy days, and today is a very happy day. Today I head to Florida to help Jess, my blog BFF and the uber talented girl behind Glisten Fit, celebrate her WEDDING. There is just something so happy and free about chiffon... plus it is the quintessential bridesmaid fabric just PERFECT for this day! Pairing my twirly skirt with this 

j. crew gingham is a slight nod to the wedding venue and the fact we are wearing boots with our bridesmaids dresses... it is going to be the perfect weekend of pure joy, country music and lots of hugging the new Mrs. Massey! 

...and Jess is lucky she doesn't have to spend 3k to get a someone to live tweet her wedding. She has me and I will be keeping all of you wedding hashtag stalkers (don't worry you are in good company I am SUPER GUILTY of hashtag stalking) up to date by taking over her IG account (@glistenfit)

Monochromatic White

top: langford market// jeans: old navy rockstar// wedges: bcbg generation// belt: target (similar)// watch: fossil 

A few weeks ago I was feeling adventurous while shopping and decided to grab a super fabulous looking white jump suite. Yall, I literally laughed out loud in the dressing room at how it looked on my 5'2 frame. Although it looks utterly ridiculous I still loved the idea of a monochromatic white look. Making monochromatic work is all in the details. I chose to stay monochromatic with my accessories as well picking an all gold palette.

Also, I pinky pinky promise not to wear this outfit out in public before Easter... mostly because I said "tradition be damned" and wore these white jeans to a party last weekend. I proceeded to spill coffee not once, but THREE times on them... the wrath of southern women everywhere can sure be a bitch.



Steal My Look!

School Style Favorites: Luxe Link and Pixie Pants

Pants...the struggle is real. 

I vividly remember crying in the American Eagle dressing room in the mid-2000's because I couldn't find jeans that fit me (ironically I still have a pair of jeans from AE that fit me from HS). 

I had to wear Limited Too Jeans(the words "limited two do NOT look right in black arial font, where my purple sparkle at?). Clearly the world was going to end. 

The world didn't end, but I had to grow up and get real pants to go to work in so it was back to crying in dressing rooms (or really just buying all the dresses ever). Until I found the pixie pant from Old Navy. NEW FAVORITE ALERT!!! Listen to me! Listen to Amy! GET A PAIR. 

Can we also talk about my other new favorite thing? Luxe Link Purse Hooks. Luxe Link graciously sent me a few to try and I LOVE them. Personally, I use my hook in my classroom because my floor is disgusting (I teach in the country and often have all sorts of manure on the floor, I wish I was kidding). Due to state of the floor after .537 seconds of having kids in the room I was cramming my bag into a cupboard and it was getting all squished. So my options were wrinkled or crappy (literally). Needless to say I am a BIG FAN. Plus my hair dresser has one and she is the coolest. 

You can read more about them HERE

See how they work HERE 

and buy them HERE. 

 Pants//Old Navy Pixie Pant Top//Loft Similar Shoes//Target Lakitia Flat  Bag//Jon Heart Left Bank 

Disclaimer: I was given Luxe Link to review, opinions are 100% my own.

Skeptical Girls Guide to Lipstick

My mom is a lipstick lady. When I think of lipstick I think of my mom. However I hated the stuff growing up. It was not unusual for my mom to utter the phrase "you just need some color!" before big life events. I would often opt for a gloss or a color almost identical to my skin tone to appease. WHAT WAS I THINKING!! 25 years later I am ready to admit that mama was right (Yes, I have admitted this to her. Yes, it was difficult).

One of the reasons I hated lipstick so much was because when I smile majority of my upper lip disappears. Confession--I am super self conscious about it. It took a good quarter of a century but I have finally embraced my amazing disappearing lip and won't it it stop me from "just needing a some color".

You may find this a little shocking but lipstick doesn't fall into the make up category in my mind. I consider it an accessory. Make up is something that is neutral and doesn't change too much with what I am wearing (again this is just me). However, my lipstick choice is 100% driven by my outfit choice for the day making it fall into the accessory category in my mind much like a necklace or a pair of earrings. Below are my 5 favorite shades and my 5 tips for stepping up your lipstick game.

All shades are from Maybelline 

1. Know your undertones
Undertones fall into one of two categories--warm tones or cool tones. Knowing your tone is extremely important in all aspects of fashion but especially in lipstick wearing. The wrong undertone can come off a little Bozo instead of Bombshell.
Here are some helpful articles about finding your undertone: Style Caster, Beauty Department,

2. Exfoliate
There is nothing worse than peely lips and lipstick. It flakes, it is messy, its not cute. I love love love using the e.l.f lip exfoliator (a là Target) to slough off any dead skin before I apply my lips for the day.

3. Don't Re-Apply
If I notice that my lips are fading and I need to look a little fresher (which for the record I normally don't because I'm busy telling teenagers that "No, I do not have a pencil they can use" and they "should be more prepared for class") I completely take off the first layer and start with a clean slate. I think about it like painting over paint. The more paint you apply the more likely the paint will start to peel and look janky.

4. High Pigmentation
Pick a color that has a high pigmentation. Colors look different on everyone but the higher the pigmentation the closer you will get to the "true" color on the outside of the tube. I highly recommend the Maybelline Color Sensational Vivid  collection (all but the "Are you Red-dy" and "Born with It" above are part of that collection) because of the high pigmentation and it is cheep.

5. Have fun with it
Because I categorize lipstick as a accessory I tend to get a little crazier with my lip color. Have fun, try something new, get a little crazy! Might I suggest the ombre lip trend I head Kristen Cavaillari talking about on E!'s new show Fabulist (also I can't decide how I feel about this show.. thoughts?)

BTW Maybelline has no idea who I am I just like their lip color and it works for me. It is inexpensive and comes in a trajillion different colors and can be picked up with I am picking up milk and eggs!