October Favorites

Stars, stripes and lions are my backdrop for this month's favorites (thank you Jeffrey Campbell shoebox). October will always be one of my favorite months due to Halloween and the chillier weather, but also because I get to break out some deeper makeup shades and chunky sweaters. Without further ado, here's some products I've been digging this month. 

Makeup 

Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 Palette- (Many thanks to Miss Marissa for this for my birthday in late September) I LOVE THIS PALETTE! In fact I think I like it better than the first Naked Basics (that statement only half breaks my heart). It's cool toned, and I've found myself reaching for it as my every-day eye this October. I've been loving Stark on my lid with a little bit of Frisk blended with Cover in my crease. Primal and Undone are also perfect to blend into the crease for an transitional evening look. Well done, UD, I'm super impressed.

Kiko Milano No.32- I purchased this gorgeous gunmetal back in May, and it's been my go-to for smokier eyes this fall. This is great for the crease or smudged out on the upper or lower lash line. It also adds awesome dimension to any eye look, and I even used it for one of my Lala Halloween Tutorials! Pro Tip: Add a little of this or a similar shimmery grey to some Fix+ or Makeup Setting Spray on an angled brush and turn it into a gunmetal creamy liner. 

Mac's Plum Foolery- FAVORITE blush for fall, this gives the most perfect purply-pink flush to your cheeks with a little gold sparkle. A must-have for a makeup starter kit or gift for Holiday time and it will compliment absolutely any skin tone, guaranteed. 

Mac Rocky Horror Lipstick in Sin- Can you say IN - LUST ?! I've had my eyes on Sin for a while, but when I heard it was coming out as part of Mac's Rocky Horror Collection,  I knew I absolutely had to get it in the Frankenfuter-lips style packaging. This shade is deeper than Diva, with more of an oxblood payoff and brown hues. I've sported it a ton this month and I plan on using it a whole lot more for upcoming holidays and colder weather. It's "absolute pleasure" as the good old Doctor Frank would put it. 

Sephora Cream Lip Stain in Everlasting Burgundy- If Sin is a little too daring and not quite your cup of tea, Sephora's Cream Lip Stain in Everlasting Burgundy just might do the trick. A deep, shimmery red-purple, it isn't too harsh, rather, it's pretty soft and light. You still achieve the deepness of a burgundy color without having it scream in your face, so it's certainly more user-friendly, and rather gorgeous to compliment any fall makeup look. 

Bioderma Solution- (Yes, this is the third time I've featured it in my favorites, all for good reason, I swear) Doing elaborate Halloween or Holiday Makeup this year?... forcing you to use like 5 makeup wipes to take it all off? Yeah, so when I did this Lala tutorial, that happened to us and we didn't know what product to turn to because after five makeup wipes, Vic still had red dots all over her face.  I decided to give Bioderma a try, and all the dots slipped right off in a few minutes with two or three cotton rounds. That's right. Not only is Bioderma magical in general, it is especially magical for getting off stubborn Halloween makeup. AKA, it will be your savior this season. 

Miscelleneous 

Mac Rocky Horror Nail Lacquer in Formidable- Yay! Another RHPS product I'm head over heels for. This is perhaps one of the coolest polishes I've added to my collection, it's super 3Dimensional, and basically has a rainbow of iridescence within a sea of deep purple. I think it's a brilliant shade for Halloween and the month of October in general.

Betsey Johnson Perfume- Fun fact, I'm pretty sure I got this as a gift for like, my 16th birthday. Yes, I've had it for THAT long. What's odd is I know I totally wear it but I guess not often enough that I've used the whole thing (it's also a perfume so it's ok if it's pretty old.. kinda?). It's a big go-to for me in the fall months because it has this airy and sweet scent with a little twang. I just recently brought it to school this month so I've totally been reaching for it every few days, and I've been reminded of how much I dig the scent. 

Michael Kors Wrap Watch- A Christmas gift from last year, this is one of my number one fall and winter accessories (it's actually probably number two, next to beanies of course). Doused with gold studs and a gold face, it totally compliments every fall or winter outfit. I also really love wrap watches so it perfectly blends in with other accessories I wear and isn't too chunky or big. 

Horoscope Candle- I wouldn't have normally purchased this, but when Miss Marissa and I went shopping a few weeks ago at Urban, these candles were on sale for $5 each! So, what do Riss and I do in this predicament? Purchase one for each of us and our roommates, of course. Mine is the Libra candle, naturally, and I love the ombre pink-orange (it's almost as if they knew my bedroom was pink and orange during most of my life). It's kind of a fun candle to have, and it does compliment my room at school as well. We also have a friend who's basically an horological expert and he told us that the info on these candles is pretty basic but accurate, which is pretty cool. 

Lookbook of this Month's Outfits on KQ

Here's to November and the start of Holiday Season !

"He will give the devil his due"

[Henry IV Part One, 1.2]

Cheers, x

Rebel For Days

.... Promise I only used the "Rebel" wall as my backdrop because I'm wearing Mac Rebel Lipstick- how perfect, right?! I sported my gorgeous camel J.Crew Blazer and black skate skirt from Forever 21 on this gorgeous October day. My blouse is also from Forever 21, and it's a little different for my style, but I adore the trimmed geometric collar. The sheen of the blouse also gives off a water-color affect, which is really eye catching and photogenic.

I popped on my black beanie and black knee socks to complete the look, and couldn't do without my Kenneth Cole USE ME tote (which always gets double takes and giggles when I walk down the street with it). It reads, "USE ME, AGAIN AND AGAIN, I'M USED TO IT" in neon orange onto of camo canvas.

"An honest tale speeds best, being plainly told"

[Richard III 4.4]

Cheers, x

Seeing Spots

"Ferosh" entered my vocabulary at about the same time Christian Siriano won Project Runway Season 4. But, the definition of ferosh of isn't just fierce...

ferosh - fierce; very impressive, remarkable, or outstanding; inspiring awe, admiration, or wonderment

Thank you Urban Dictionary. 

Further, ferosh is the only word I think I can use to describe this beautiful button down c/o Wildfox Couture. Framed by two (leopards? cheetahs?) cats, this knit blouse is suited for chilly October days. I paired it with my favorite black skate skirt from Forever 21 (I love this thing, if you couldn't already tell), and could not do without my brand new Doc Martens in Black Matte Leather. 

To add a little more drama and keep my face out of the sun, I popped on my Lydia Deetz style hat. It's a nice thick navy-black wool, so it's great for crisp fall in NYC. My Michael Kors wrap watch has become a favorite of mine so far this month, and it compliments the blouse and ensemble pretty flawlessly. Finally, I added one of my newer (FAVORITE) lipsticks, Mac's Retro Matte in Dangerous- which is a blood-orange to absolutely die for. 

 ♕ Photography by Marissa Legnini ♕

"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown"

[Henry IV Part II 3.1]

Cheers, x

Lift

This past weekend was a blast. Why, you may ask? Because Miss Lindsey visited, of course! We had a bomb night and an awesome day of shopping whilst exploring downtown in Nolita. We started though, at Tompkins Square Bagels, where we fueled up on Birthday Cake Creamcheese (that's right). If Lindsey and I shopping together doesn't already seem overwhelming (we tend to go overboard and buy many items we don't need), we like to push it even further with our shopping attire. After all, who says you have to look boring when buying new things? Plus, it's super fun to dress up and walk around downtown. 

Inspired by Lindsey, who sported a long 1950s style midi skirt, I decided to wear one of my favorite dresses in my closet. I've had this gorgeous piece since 2011, where I purchased it (with Lindsey.. actually) at a cute boutique called Swish, in Edinburgh, Scotland. I like to refer to it as my pilgrim dress, due to it's incredibly vintage looking boatneck, and it's heavy silk drapery. The print of this dress drew me in the most, how cool are the upside down/right side up printed trees and little castles?! It's totally unique and quite irreplaceable- and I'll probably have it forever. I paired this with my black knee-highs from Urban Outfitters, and added my black JC Soulmans. Finally, I added my off-white pleather jacket from Forever 21 (I've been wearing this non-stop), and a cream envelope clutch purchased in Florence at the central leather market this summer. Lindz gave me a little 1950s style do (I love hairstyles like this), and I complimented the deep brown and navy with Sin by Mac on my lips. 

The perfect, but super fun and eclectic shopping outfit. 

"I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it"

[As You Like It 2.4]

Cheers, x

PS> Check out my first Lala HALLOWEEN TUTORIAL HERE!!!

Sin

Casual and classic, this baseball tee is everything. But just because it's super casual and comfy doesn't mean I didn't want to spice it up with some glam (duhhh). I paired this Brandy Melville tee with my black skinny jeans c/o Bullhead&Co, and cuffed the bottoms. I added this gorgeous triangular necklace from Forever 21 that I stole from my roommate (thanks Riss!), and completed the look with my JC Soulman boots and my black beanie.

My favorite trick for glamming up a baseball tee would have to be adding a super dark or bright matte lipstick. This is super unexpected and just creates a really interesting contrast, which I love. I added my brand new deep matte lipstick, Sin, from Mac's Rocky Horror Collection. It adds dimension and looks especially cool with round dark sunglasses like my Ray Ban ones above. To add a little color, I popped on my Free People shirt around my waist, and added a red long-strapped vintage bag. 

♕ Photography by Marissa Legnini ♕

With Halloween around the corner, stay tuned for my Lala Halloween tutorials coming up in WEAR!! (lots of fun stuff coming your way)

"Conscience is but a word that cowards use, 

devised at first to keep the strong in awe"

[Richard II 5.3]

Cheers, x

Emerald City

One of my favorite colors for fall is a beautiful emerald or forest green. So, when I laid eyes on this sweater at Brandy Melville in Boston last winter, I absolutely knew that it would be a staple for this fall. The awesome thing about cropped sweaters is that they look really rad with a high waisted skirt or shorts. I paired this with my black skate skirt c/o Forever 21 and black high knee socks from Urban Outfitters. 

This GORGEOUS head wrap (which is super Gatsby) is c/o Pookie and Sebastian, and finally my brand new sunglasses are Ray Ban, (YAY birthday gifts!). My purse was purchased at the central leather market in Florence, Italy, it's a super nice, clean off white that pretty much goes with anything. It also has two super schnazzy compartments which is pretty fun. 

Pumped for chillier weather, technicolor leaves (stole that line from the Lala), and Caramel Apple Spices from Starbucks (thank you Lindsey for introducing me to those). 

♕ Photos by Jack Walsh ♕

"O tiger's heart wrapped in a woman's hide!"

[King Henry VI Part III, 1.4]

Cheers, x