Fashion Icon: Joan Holloway

(via christinahendricksdaily.tumblr.com)

Okay, so as you may know Joan Holloway is not a really person. Whatever, I still want it in this segment. Joan Holloway is strong, confident, sassy, office manager of Sterling Cooper Draper Price on the AMC series Mad Men. Mad Men is one of very favorite shows, and one of the many reasons why is it is set in the 1960's. Maybe it's just my untapped psychic abilities, but I have always felt I was once a darling housewife of the 1950's/early 60's...but I digress. One of the most popular characters on the show is that of Joan Holloway, as portrayed by Christina Hendricks.

Joan is sultry, yet professional. She oozes confidence and poise, and always know the right thing to say. I envy her. One of the most wonderful things about Joan, and Mad Men for that matter, is that Joan is always celebrated for her womanly curves. This is such a changes from the constant pressures of photoshopped perfection set forth to today's woman. What I especially love is that Joan is always perfectly dressed to show off her curves in a modest and tasteful way.

(Found Here)

How can you get Joan's look? First, start with a structured dress. Joan tends to stick to solid jewel tones, that compliment her red hair and alabaster complexion.

(Found Here)

(Found Here)

One should finish off the look with office-appropriate, retro-inspired accessories.

(jcrew.com)

(jcrew.com)

And don't forget a good girdle, darling. ;)

Life's Little Luxuries

Happy Monday, lovelies! I hope you all have a blessed week! These are my favorites little luxuries lately...

(via BeautyBroadcast)

Milani lipsticks: These lipsticks are absolutely amazing! Now I only have two shades, but I am so impressed by them. The colors are super bright and pigmented, the formula is really creamy, and I really enjoy the fruity/candy smell. They are such a bargain at around $5. I have Rose Hip (a cool, neon pink) and Flamingo Pose (a bright coral). Super amazing. Get ya some, girls! *Side note: stay tuned for a post on my favorite lipsticks soon*

(via Target.com)

Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark Circle Roller with Sheer Tint: Ok, so I kept seeing this thing all over the place, but thought it was a little ridiculous and probably a waste of money. Not so, dearies! It will definitely de-puff that rough Monday morning under eye of yours with its tingling caffeine and has a sheer tint to it to cover light dark circles. Now, don't get me wrong. This is not a concealer, but it does help especially if you want that "no makeup, makeup" look.

(via traditionalhome.com)

Decorating magazines: So, for the past six months my husband and I have been living in an apartment after we sold our home (we are moving across the country in four weeks). The one request he made of me was that I did not spend any money to decorate the apartment because he knew we would not be here long. I'm getting the itch, y'all. Especially with having this blog, I am dying to write fun decorating and DIY posts. I can't! I am trying to resist a few more months until we get moved and find a new home. So for now I have been OBSESSED with decorating magazines. Especially Traditional Home and any organizing magazine (weird I know, don't judge).

That's it for now. Take some time this week to enjoy life's little luxuries!

Beauty Guru

Lately I have really getting into makeup. In the past, my makeup routine has largely consisted of concealer, mascara, and Bonnie Bell lipgloss, but after seeing some links to beauty vloggers on Pinterest I decided to check a few out. These are my favorites:

1) Jaclynhill1: Jaclyn is the first beauty vlogger that I started watching and every video of hers is just perfect. Her makeup is absolutely amazing and she achieves so many different looks by using the same colors in different ways (which is really nice if you decide to go out and purchase the products she uses).

2) Melmphs: I happened upon Melissa's channel a few weeks ago and I just can't get enough of her videos. She will be the first to tell you that she is not a "professional" makeup artist or video director, but her makeup is always beautiful and her videos area so hilarious and fun. I love that her product reviews are so honest, she is always so positive and upbeat, and her videos just feel like you are hanging out chatting with one of your best friends. Check today for her "Friday Favorites and a Possible Poo! Whoo!".

3) Nguerriero19: Nicole is pretty well known on YouTube at over 500,000 followers. And it is no surprise because she is adorable and super sweet. She is very sincere and relatable, and I love that she uses drugstore products a lot....because some of are on a budget! Amiright?!

4) NikkieTutorials: I love Nikki! She is so bubbly and adorable, very relatable, and has very fun movie and music video-inspired tutorials.

Who are your favorite YouTube beauty gurus and what do you think of the ones I watch?

Long Time...No Blog

Hey there! It has been a while, hasn't it? The past few months have been so busy and absolutely flown by until I looked up last week and it was graduation day! It still feels very surreal to have finally graduated from college after so many years of work. I am so glad for the experiences I had in college and am greatly looking forward to getting back into the working force again! My husband and I are moving in 5 weeks so I am very lucky to get a little break before I have to start applying for jobs. So although my summer "vacation" will only be a few weeks long, I am ready to live it up! And what better way to enjoy summer than to lay by the pool and read a good book? My favorite summer reads are:

(Find It Here)

1) Any Mary Kay Andrews novel: Miss Mary Kay's novels are quick easy reads that really get you drawn in to the drama of her stories! I recently finished Spring Fever and am currently working on Little Bitty Lies.

(Find It Here)

2) The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris: These novels are the basis for the HBO series True Blood, enough said.

(Find It Here)

3) The Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich: Don't let Katherine Heigl's performance in One For The Money scare you away from these books. They are so fun, especially for summer ready. Also, I thoroughly enjoy a lot of Janet's short stories as well.

(Find It Here)

4) The Power of Style: Everything You Need To Know Before Getting Dressed Tomorrow by Bobbie Thomas: I just started this book today and it is so wonderful. Bobbie Thomas is best know for her style segments in the fourth hour of NBC's Today Show, but she also holds a degree in Psychology and has a past in social work. These experiences allow her to help you transform your style and yourself from the inside out in this book.


What will you be reading this summer? Let me know!

Life's Little Luxuries

Hello all!!! I am SOOOOO sorry I didn't post last week, but things at school have gotten so crazy which is so weird because it's my last semester and I thought this was supposed to be easy breezy. But anyways, on to this week's luxuries...

I love Tyler Candle Company. Seriously, I love it. I don't care if it's creepy to love a candle, I just do. As much as I love all of their scents my absolute favorite is Diva. It is sweet, musky (I don't really know how to describe it) and honestly, if there was a perfume of it I would wear it everyday. I have Diva in candle form and in the scent beads that I keep in my lingerie drawer and then put in my vacuum  bag after the scent fades. You can find them at select boutiques or [here].

 

These are the pretzel bottomed brownies that I made my husband for Super Bowl Sunday and have been snacking on all this week because they are so dang good! You can get the recipe [here].

Finally, this is my new planner that I found at Target on Clearance for like $6. I love it!!!! This planner has monthly and weekly calendars and has a beautiful shimmery gold cover. Also, I get a strange thrill out of buying office supplies (school supplies). Is that weird? Am I the only one that loves to buy stuff to organize with?

Have a great week and take some time to enjoy life's little luxuries!

Casual and Comfy

Sweater: New York and Co. / Tank: Express / Jeans: Levis / Shoes: Target / Necklace: very old :)

Sooooo... you know those days when you want to just stay in your jammies and Hello Kitty slippers all day? Well, since they kind of frown upon that look in civilized society, aside from the anomaly that is Walmart, this is what I threw together. I love these shoes I got on clearance at Target because the gray goes with just about everything and they are super comfy! What is your "go to" lazy days outfit?

Color Clash

Necklace: Sam Moon / Sweater and Belt: Target / Pants: H&M / Shoes: Payless / Purse: Michael Kors

Hey lovelies! Sorry I missed Life's Little Luxuries this week, but I got super lazy over the holiday weekend watching Homeland with my hubby :) Anyway, this is an outfit I put together after seeing Jennifer Hudson's gorgeous pics in Lucky Magazine. All of her outfits really capitalized on the color/pattern clashing trends and were so fun! Can you go too far with color classing? Probably. I might have, but I don't really care. I felt like a kid playing dress up putting together this fun outfit; and that's all that matters, right? Take a chance this week and wear something fun that makes you happy!

Casual Date Night

Dress: Express, Shirt: Target, Shoes: Steve Madden, Purse: Michael Kors, Necklace: Tiffany and Co.

This weekend my hubby and I had a date night that included dinner and seeing the movie Zero Dark Thirty (which was absolutely amazing, by the way). I picked up this dress at Express during their winter clearance sale and couldn't wait to wear it. Because of the busy pattern of the dress, I chose to go light on the accessories. I was thinking this outfit would be cute with some gray tights, but it  has been unseasonably warm here (80 degrees!!!) so they weren't really necessary. However, I did bring the "motorcycle jacket" style windbreaker because it does get chilly in those theaters!

Golden Globes 2013

 Good morning! This weekend was the Golden Globe awards and I had so much fun watching all the glamour of the red carpet. Although everyone looked fantastic, these were my top 10 favorite looks!

I loved all of the different shades of pinks and the mermaid dresses. Great job ladies!

Who do you think was best dressed?

Life's Little Luxuries

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and had the opportunity to watch the Golden Globes last night! Stay tuned tomorrow for some of my favorite looks from the red carpet, but until then... please enjoy this week's little luxuries.

I love this bracelet bar that my mother gave me for Christmas is the perfect place for baubles, and I pretty much love anything that helps keep me organized!

My sweet kitty cat who is healing from surgery and currently trapped in a cone and Thundershirt because he keeps ripping out his tummy staples! :(

 

I basically spent all of yesterday lounging on the couch under my favorite fleece blanket. I love the sage green color and having my husband's and my initials embroidered on it. This was a bridesmaid gift from my bestie at her wedding, but you can find them here.

Have a wonderful week and don't forget to take some time to enjoy some of life's little luxuries!

White Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Cookies

Happy Friday! We made it through the week, and the first week back to school for me. I think that means we deserve a treat to celebrate! These cookies are super simple and delicious. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

White Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Cookies

Ingredients:

2 packages white chocolate macadamia nut cookie dough

1 cup original flavored Craisins

1 cup chopped walnuts (this would also be delicious with pistachios)

1t vanilla extract

2t orange extract

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.

3) Separate into "cookie" sized pieces two inches apart on cookie sheets.

4) Bake according to package directions.

Recipe courtesy of Doris Lee.

Here's to the sweet life!

-Jessica

Fashion Icon: Oh, Jackie O!

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis is one of the world's greatest fashion icons. What I love most about her style is that her looks are absolutely timeless. I would argue that any piece in her wardrobe, if accessorized to give a fresh outlook, would look just as modern and relevant as any new piece out today. The following are some of Jackie's most famous looks and some ways to reinvent them for yourself.

(Photo Credit)

The first look is the famous pink Chanel suit that our former first lady wore in Dallas that fateful November day in 1963. This is an interpretation upon that ensemble, because as much as I would love to show up to the office in a pink tweed suit, pillbox hat, and gloves (trust me, I have been DYING for an excuse to rock some gorgeous, lady like gloves), I just don't see that exact outfit happening.  Pink and black is classically gorgeous. The gold button earrings are a somewhat retro touch that add bling (and of course what be gorgeous with your J.Crew pave link bracelet, Dahling!) and are somewhat reminiscent of the gold buttons of the Chanel suit. Finally, a sturdy black leather handbag will last you for ages and go with anything.

The second look is the perfect casual day outfit. It is classy, sophisticated, and can be accessorized in different ways to be more fun or more glamorous. Frankly, I think that these pieces are absolute wardrobe staples and so imperative to a woman's wardrobe that I'm not going to post particular pieces, but I like to shop for my staples at Gap, Old Navy, and Target. 

 Trenches can be found:

(Here)

(Here)

(Here)

Ladies, get yourselves a trench! I loooooove this look! Now, that being said, I do not under any circumstances wear scarves on my head. Just don't, honey I've tried, I look like a gypsy and it's just not cute. However, you can definitely keep in mind the classic trench, gorgeous greens, and tortoise shell accents when putting together your outfit. I would recommend throwing in your tortoise shell accents in either your sunnies or watch band. Stay with the gold tones to compliment the olive green in this ensemble, and if you (like myself) don't wear your scarf on your head tie it around the handle of your purse for a preppy look.

What do you think of Jackie's style? Who is your fashion icon?

Lots of love,

Jessica