Mulberry, Burberry, and why I'm obsessed

Traditional English fashion has really pushed to the forefront in most of this year's catwalks, (a.k.a. the "heritage" look) and fashion has come full circle again with this effortlessly vintage chic theme (as fashion is inherently cyclical).  Since my obsession for anything British (fashion, culture, accent, politics, you name it) can't be fed enough, I've been drooling over this year's classic English looks. Two brands have always epitomized a classic Brit gal, Burberry & a new lesser-known favorite, Mulberry.

Burberry is the iconic luxury British brand toting a long history of delivering classic test-of-time looks for men and women, such as their trench and recognizable Burberry check. Take a look at this year's Burberry catwalk featuring modern looks with vintage touches-- tweed, leather gloves, and classic silhouettes.

Mulberry is riding the luxury handbag wave and taking it's name at the top as one of this year's top brands in fashion. This year Mulberry came out with a Del Rey handbag (inspired by Lana Del Rey). I'm sure it will quickly become the new "must-have" bag. I don't think this Mulberry obsession has hit states wide quite yet, but watch out, because it's coming! Mulberry is a more playful (dare I say more colorful) take on classic English fashion. Juxtaposing the stormy, grays, taupes, and washed-out skin normally seen in Burberry, Mulberry takes a more youthful and glam interpretation. Take a look at these adverts for the SS12 collection and the AW12 collection. 

(Loving that the face-of-the-future model, Lindsay Wixon is part of the campaign. I've seen her in almost every high fashion advert this year, wow!)  

<3 Jeans 

The Search for Doll Lashes!

Please read our guest blog post by our fabulously fashionable friend Maggie!


For those of you who know me, this is old news. If you don’t know me, let me explain something to you. I will do anything possible to make my lashes look fake, while refusing to wear actual fake lashes. I have tried every mascara in Sephora. And yes, I’ve gone through my fair share of “omg best mascara ever phases,” which quickly come and go. However, I have recently been on aLancôme kick. I am allergic to almost everything in the world, but I’m always ready to try out a new product knowing that there’s a 75% chance that my eyes will look like I have pink eye for three days, or my face will break out in hives.

My first purchase was the new Hypnôse Doll Lashes mascara. The ad was too convincing. I too, wanted to disguise myself as a porcelain doll. I was not impressed with the mascara whatsoever looks wise. I applied it over one coat of primer, as instructed by the representative at the mall. However, the lashes, after two coats of the mascara, looked waxy, stuck together, and stiff. Not only did I not like how it looked, I had an awful allergic reaction and my eyes swelled. Realllllly cute.

I took back the Doll Lashes in exchange for something that wouldn’t make me look like I had been beaten up. The next representative convinced me to try Hypnôse Drama. It has a slightly S-curved brush which coats the lash line perfectly, AND… Drum roll please… It only takes one coat of primer and one coat of this mascara to give you wonderful results (and no allergic reaction!) This mascara gave me amazing length and volume. I will be buying this again as soon as my tube runs out.



<3 Mags

Winter Hair Scare

It’s that time of the year again where we get to pull out our cute pea coats, brand new tights, but then we have to wrestle with the dry mop on top of our heads.  Don’t fret fancy ladies!  I was inspired to write this post in the shower the other day, while I was trying to infuse my hair with some kind of moisture.

There are three products that are a saving grace when it comes to keeping my hair from being so dry.



1). Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Wild Ginger Keratin Intensive Treatment:  You wash your hair like normal, then slather this bad boy from roots to ends, then leave it in for about five minutes.  Wash out.  This product is AMAZING and it smells wonderful!  It can be a little bit pricy though, running about $25 a bottle so you might not wanna use it every single day.  A big shout out to my friend LA who gave me the remainder of her bottle (Thanks LA!!) because she didn’t like it too much, which inspires me to remind you all that you just gotta find what works for you and then go with it.



2). Aussie 3-Minute Miracle:  You wash hair like normal, cover your hair in this amazing conditioner, leave in three minutes, wash out with warm water, then rinse again with cold. This is the first product I tried when my hair was frizzled out, and it works wonders!!  Priced at only about $3 a bottle on average makes this one treatment that you may want to try no matter what.  I was VERY surprised that something so low priced could make my hair so soft and shiny right after the first time I used it!




3). Fekkai Protein RX Deep Nourishing Conditioner:  This one is even a little bit pricier than the Paul Mitchell, listed at about $30, but the effects are great.  This one helps repair hair that is broken, over styled, over dyed, too relaxed, etc and it restores it’s smoothness. 

Because of how pricey and how efficient Paul Mitchell and Fekkai are, I buy one bottle and then use it every few days as needed.  A few other dry hair tips:

• When it’s snowing, always wear a hat or hood.  Keeping snow off your hair will prevent it from melting and getting your hair wet, and when hair is wet out in the cold it will freeze doing great great damage to your strands.  Never go outside with wet hair in winter. 

• I know some of us like to tan indoors in the winter, so wrap up your hair.  UV rays can dry out your hair and cause your hair to lose protein therefore it will break.  UV rays also cause color to fade, which will make you do what?  Yep, you’ll go get it colored again, further drying it out.

If anyone has their own way of keeping their hair feeling great in cold months or just keeping it moisturized in general, let us know in the comments!  

Hair care-ingly,

Pants

Pictures via Google Images

My Christmas Stache!

Staches are the rage this year so I decided to go with a quirkier gift this year and make some awesome mustache mugs for my friends! These mugs are so cute and CHEAP! I think I spent about $3.00 on the porcelain paint pen at Michaels and $4.00 on a set of mugs from the Christmas Tree Store.

I got this awesome gift idea from Kandee Johnson's blog here. You can check out her post and get a free template for the stache or just keep reading. :)

It is pretty simple to make. All you need is:

Clean white mug

Tape

Stencil (or you can free-hand)

Porcelain/ ceramic paint pen

Oven

• Clean the mug and tape the stencil (click here) to it. I found that the higher the stache was placed on the mug, the greater effect it had when drinking out of it. 

• Color in the stach. Be careful because the ink is VERY wet and it will bleed through the stencil. 

• Let the paint dry for a few minutes and peel it off. It's okay if you made a few mistakes, just take a moist Q-tip and scrub off the harsh edges or go back and fill in missing spots with the pen. 

• Let mugs dry 24 hours and bake them so the paint will adhere and won't come off in the dishwasher (follow the baking instructions on your pen!) 

• Voila! You now have your very own stache mug! These are an awesome gift idea for parties or for creepin' around your local Starbucks!

Enjoy!

xx Jeans 

Breathe In...Breathe Out: Anti-Stress after the fact

Apologies on my lack of blogging as of late.  I began grad school in July and it’s been quite the whirlwind, causing a pretty high amount of stress- so I decided to write a little ‘how-to’ guide on stress relief.  These may not work for you, but they are things that do the trick when I’m feeling frazzled. 

Okay, number one. 

Go outside. 

Not the “get some fresh air” kind of go outside, although that does help.  I mean go outside to remind yourself that there is an outside.  Other people are doing their own things and dealing with their own problems just like you are.  It is good for the soul to expand your look on life. 

2.  Make lists.  To me, nothing is more satisfying than crossing things off a list, so literally put everything on it.  Wash clothes?  On there.  Change lightbulbs?  On there.  Start five page paper?  Well, of course that’s on there too.  When you can see what’s in front of you, it’s easier for you to conquer the easy stuff first and cross that off then concentrate on big bad assignments. 

3.  Shop.  Not shop ‘til you drop, and not go on a really long shopping spree at a mall in a different city, I mean keep it simple.  Why not walk around Wal-Mart or a grocery store and buy a fruit you haven’t tried before or a new nail polish, new smelling deodorant, your favorite cereal, whatever.  Pledge to not leave the store without buying yourself a little something. 

4.  Online games.  Try Sporcle.com.  That site is a huge database of fun word guessing games that are pretty enjoyable.  You may think, ‘hey why would I want to play a word game when my brain already hurts so much?’  Well here’s why: When you are stressed, your brain is firing in all sorts of directions and you can’t concentrate on one particular thing without worrying about everything else.  Enjoyable word games keep your brain exercising, but you are focused and you are doing something fun like guessing the company logo or matching movies with their poster. 

5.  Watch a funny YouTube video or look up episodes of Saturday Night Live on Hulu.  Laughter automatically lifts stress and makes you love life a little more. 

6.  Write.  If you don’t want a written record of your thoughts, write them down then rip them up.  If you are a journaler, do that.  If you are a creative writer like me, let your pen go crazy.  I write some of my best poetry when I am stressed because that is when I step outside and am inspired by what’s going on around me.

7.  Live in the present. There are mental strategies you can use to help, like stop thinking “what if,” live in the present instead of the past, and try to think positively.  You know best which pep talk strategies you need to give yourself.  

Try to find out what works for you and hopefully I have inspired some of your own ideas!       

Low Stressingly,

Pants

Picture via Google Images

Winter Trends 2011

**Sorry this blog has been put to the side as the fall season approached and life just got in the way. I want to start updating it at least once a month with trends and my favorite things (fashion, food, books, websites, etc.). Thank you for reading!  <3

We are in the midst of the holiday season and all that comes with it! Decorating, pie eating, gift-giving, and looking fashionable, per-use.  I want to update you on a few trends that I've been seeing this season that have filtered their way down to my local mall.

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Alpine Trend: Lodge wear, snowflake patterns, leg warmers, pom pom tassels, knitted hats and scarves, critter hats, snoods, flannel shirts, and lace up boots with fur/ knit trimming

Grandpa Trend: Patterned knit wear (think neutral Bill Cosby), oversized cardigans with elbow patches (think Mr. Rodgers), loafers, and boyfriend blazers

English Countryside: Riding boots, tweed skirts, fitted wool blend coats with waist belts, leggings, oxford boots, plaid, trenches, waistcoats and earthy colors

Color-blocking Neutrals : Contrast to this summers bright blocks, winter is bringing in the muted color-blocks like mustard yellow, taupe, black, beige, navy and orange.

Thicker Fabrics: Leather and velvet skirts, pants and waistcoats are big this season. That is, if you can pull them off.

Sparkle & Shine:  Metallics are everywhere with an emphasis on gold and gun metal. Silver is more or less out this year (at least for me).

**Personally, I am loving the alpine trend at the moment, though it's a bit difficult to wear in the middle of the spastic Georgia weather. I've also noticed an emphasis on knits, they can be adapted to every trend posted from a grandpa sweater to a shiny metallic off the shoulder. What trends are you into at the moment?

Stay Chic!

xx Jeans

September Favourites (A Working Girl's Guide!)

I apologize for slacking off on the blog postings (I've been only slightly busy, but mostly lazy). I'm back and ready to share my working girl favorites with all of you! Summer is still blazin' for us Southerners, but I've been keeping out of the Georgia heat by working indoors at my new (but temporary) office job (yay for getting paid!). During the past couple of months I have been prepping myself to get healthy and stay fabulous despite sitting at a desk for 40 hours a week. Here's what I've been into at the moment...

1. Lunch Break Reads: Why spend money when you can hit up the local library? Especially when they restock with best sellers each month! Seriously, we're already paying for it in tax dollars! Last month I checked out "Bossypants" by Tina Fey. This book is such a hilarious light read, even if your not that in to Tiny Fey. I loved how self deprecating she was in her memoir-ish book. I loved her before, but now I have a greater appreciation of her work and also developed some mixed feelings about her... After reading it, I get the feeling she might throw you under a bus and then write a 30 Rock script about it. She is less caring (affectionate) than I thought she would be in real life. I hate saying this, (but at the same time I secretly love her for it!) If you've read it, you'll understand. Also if you've read it, please leave a comment and let me know what you thought of it!

2. Working On My Fitness: Since I am in an office by myself, I don't mind indulging in a few chair squats or binder lifts throughout the day. However, since I am trying to loose the poundage I gained in grad school, I need a more substantial workout after hours. For only $10.00 a month, Gold's Gym is holding a grand opening sale in my area!

That's right people, if you are in the market for a gym membership, try checking out the deals they have going on in your area. Some places have trial memberships, student and military discounts, and even young adult discounts (the Family Y has these!). Also try discount sites in your local area, like Living Social or Groupon, they often have deeply discounted fitness memberships. I know I've received at least two deals this month on gym classes! Invite your friends to join and sometimes you can even get a discounted membership (and a workout buddy!). Woo hoo! Getting fit never felt so cheap!

3. Cutie Foodie!: Last year I discovered the amazingness that is Bento-style lunches. It is a trend straight out of Japan (and much of Asia as well) that is putting fun back in to carrot sticks

(there was never any fun in those...) and making those boring sack lunches tradable again! Basically the concept is to create a healthy, delicious, well-balanced and aesthetically pleasing lunch fit into a small box (yes it's possible!). It is really fun to get creative with your lunches. This requires some planning, so I haven't been so dedicated to the "aesthetically pleasing" part, but I've been doing pretty good at the healthy, well-balanced part! My favorite bento blog, Just Bento, is perfect for beginners (like me) and gives some great tips and planning material to begin you bento-ing journey!

4. Appropriate Threads: I've had trouble adjusting to the "corporate dress code". Let's just say that I LOVE my skinny jeans, but sad to say that I can't wear them to work. Fortunately for me, I went to target and found a pair of black straight leg pants on major clearance for only $13.00! Yay! I can get the stylish non-trousery effect for less!

I wanted to do a separate "What to Wear to Work" blog post. I find that many articles just skim over the basic rules and never address the need to feel stylish at work. However, when I was researching the topic, I found an awesome post by Lauren Conrad on the must have items for a stylish work wardrobe. She's the expert, so I'll let her have it!

5. Primp & Plump- I need to talk to you all about tubing mascara. Ladies this stuff is so legit! I am blessed with fairly long curly lashes, but I still need mascara to define and thicken them up a bit. I found out about this mascara from Pixi2woo's youtube channel, she talks about it all the time so I had to check it out!

It's different from most mascaras in that, it is not a wax that fills out your lashes, it is actually a polymer coating that goes on fairly wet and then sort of "shrink wraps" itself around your lashes. You can even build it up to create a truly "fake lash" effect. Now, I have issues with mascara, I love my regular plain-Jane-Maybelline (the hot pink and lime kind), but I get what I pay for. I always end up looking like a raccoon (insert Drita coon killin' face here) and the waterproof formula's are a nightmare to remove! I've been branching out lately trying more expensive drug store and department store brands, but the result is always the same (womp, womp).

Although there are several high-end tubing mascara's on the market, I found the L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes at Wal-mart for $8.99 and I am ADDICTED! Let me just tell you that I am willing to fork out a little more for this product. Not only is it water resistant (pretty much sweat and tear proof also), but it is a dream to remove. All you have to do is rinse your face with warm water to loosen the polymer coating and sort of gently pull the tubes off of your lashes (yes I said pull!). It's a little weird at first, because the mascara comes out in clumps that resemble your own lashes, but don't be fooled it's just the mascara coming off. If you want to learn more about tubing mascara, check out this awesome Elle article.

6. Awesome Jams: When you are in your office by yourself, sometimes you just need to pump up the jam (yes I said it, and I'll say it again!). I just recently discovered TuneIn which allows you to access radio stations from all over the world. Right now I am loving "Capital London 95.8" a station that plays top 40 music from the U.K. (of course I would pick a London station, to go along with my new-found obsession with anything British). It is so interesting to hear what music popular in different parts of the world and even in your own country (check out the Miami stations!).

I also love the Carla Bruni station on Pandora, it makes me feel fabulous and sophisticated listening to her French and folky sound. I also love the fact that she is a supermodel and the first lady of France, love Carla! Even better, the station is relaxing and safe for a work environment.

I hope this post inspires all you working gals! Let me know how you stay fabulous during the work week!

xx Jeans