A LITTLE BYRDIE TOLD ME

I'm assuming y'all have heard of a little site called Who, What, Wear. Anyway, after having a beauty spin-off with its own dedicated email for awhile now, just today they launched a whole new beauty-focused site called BYRDIE.  The site - and the daily email - has everything you ever wanted to know and more about the latest in hair, makeup, skin, etc. products and styles and things I don't even know about yet.  I highly recommend signing up for it, even if you're like me and don't even know how to work your curling iron, much less create perfect mermaid waves in less than ten minutes.

And even better, as I clicked though to the site today I saw their post on Carven's new perfume.  Remember this post about the weekend my parents and I visited Paris while I was abroad? And how I stopped into Colette and they had this lovely little perfume on display, in such a chic bottle and with such a florally, decidedly French scent that I picked it up as my Paris souvenir of choice?

Well, lo and behold, it was this same Carven perfume. So imagine my surprise when I was reading on Byrdie that it was going to be available this month. But wait! I thought. I bought this months ago.  Yes, I did - in Paris, where it was apparently launched before it was in the U.S.  

Sometimes I'm so cool it hurts.

Anyway, besides me being all Parisian and ahead of the times, this perfume is lovely and floral and light and girly and French, and I highly second Byrdie's recommendation. And even if you don't snatch it up now, definitely sign up for Byrdie's emails - how else will you discover you've been wearing a cool new French perfume before anyone else?

both images via byrdie.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

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My sentiments regarding this blog. 

Look out for some good posts this week - I'm back in action! 

(at least for the moment...)

WORK/LIFE LACK OF BALANCE

How do y'all handle this? Yesterday was the only day this week I was home before 11, and I used it to write a post and catch up on  a TV show. And now it's Thursday night, and I find myself home past 11 again.  So many things to do, so little time. How do y'all balance it all? Between working a nine to "five" (more like six thirty at the earliest) and trying to juggle both a routine and a social life?  WAHHHHH this all makes me want to go back to college with only two classes a day and ample time for sitting around drinking beer on a front porch. 

Lesson of the week: Real life mostly sucks, and if it doesn't suck, it's really busy.

image via. whining via me. but mostly i'm just being dramatic. i'm so thankful, i swear. 

INSPIRED BY: GIRLY LIVING ROOM

Don't y'all just love this room? A light-filled space with the bright colors and clean lines - it's right up my alley! It's super girly, sure, but honestly, when else are you going to be able to decorate a room in corals and pinks and oranges and turquoises than when you're a twenty-something girl living by yourself? (Or with a roommate, natch.) Love the bright colors and the graphic prints and how all the white keeps it from being too overwhelming.  If I could redo my room, this color scheme would def be a top contender.  

Here are my picks to recreate the look!

 inspiration via.

ONE / TWO / THREE / FOUR / FIVE / SIX / SEVEN / EIGHT

AH!

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AH! That's what I feel like right now. Haven't had a free night since last Wednesday - birthday celebrations and my mom in town and dinner and drinks and brunch and bars and Broadway shows and baseball games and plans with old friends and new friends and shopping and sunshine and rain and work and all the things that make New York in the summer so fun - and so exhausting. Currently trying to pull my life back together / get back on track.  Hopefully will be back to regularly scheduled posting - more pretty pictures and some updates about my life - SOON!

PRETTY LITTLE POUCHES

Just some pretty petite pouches I've pinned (try saying that five times fast!)

Perfect for corralling smaller objects in a huge tote or a beach bag,

 or just to grab and go on their own for dinner or drinks!

ONE / TWO / THREE / FOUR / FIVE / SIX

WHITE OUT

madewell vest / jcrew tee / anny and ava crystal necklace / asos heels / american eagle jeans

There's this girl in our office, Claire, who I have the biggest girl crush on. She has the best clothes and always looks so freaking cool. She's also tall and blonde and gorgeous, of course, but really she just always looks so great and I immediately want to wear exactly what she's wearing. (In a completely non-creepy way, of course.)

Anyway, she wore this outfit to work on a recent Friday (aka casual Friday aka you can get away with wearing jeans), and I loved it because it was so simple and looked so chic.  The denim vest offset the white-on-white, while the silver heels and statement necklace dressed it up enough for the office. She accessorized with a messy pony and bright lipstick, and I had to wipe the drool off my chin. (JK, dudes.) In my book, it's a perfect summer Friday work look.

HAPPY WEEKEND

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Friends, Romans, countrymen - have a great weekend.

 Eat lots of chocolate and drink lots of wine and spend lots of time with good people and sleep in late and just own it.

A QUICK SPIN

classic summer sandals.

pretty chandy + painted ceiling.

lace pants.

major girl crush.

colored pencils + a jar full of ribbons.

a room overflowing with flowers.

cuffed + clutched.

Posting from the laundromat while waiting for my spin cycle to finish, and then off to dinner for a friends birthday! #mutlitaskingmaster #citythatneversleeps

These pretty things + more over on my tumblr!

DRINK OF THE DAY: GINGER LEMONGRASS BASIL SPRITZER

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Nothing like staring at cocktails on Pinterest to get you in the mood for Wednesday after-work drinks.

(After all, three days of work in a row is an accomplishment - you've gotta reward yourself!)

WEEKEND WARRIOR

After a quick jaunt down to the great state of North Carolina for the long weekend, I've returned to New York rested, sunburnt, and in dire need of a new weekender bag.  I've had a fantastic orange and white striped one from Bella Bags (similar to this one!) since freshman year of college, but after lugging it across the country multiple times a year - not to mention dragging it around Europe for a semester - it's a little worse from the wear (actual rips in the plastic that you can see through and handles that are slowly becoming detached...)

I've been leaning towards the J.McLaughlin sailcloth one forever just because it's classic and durable (and can be monogrammed, of course).  (I actually first posted it about it here, where I'm lamenting the same thing. Good to see my little orange-and-white stripey lasted another year!) But now I'm thinking that white might not be the best idea for lugging something through dirty airports and train stations and whatever other forms of public transportation I endure.  So I figured I'd do a little online shopping and round up the best ones. Now the only problem is to choose....hopefully in time for my next trip!

L to R, top to bottom: CLARE VIVIER / KATE SPADE SATURDAY / HUDSON SUTLER / STELLA & DOT / HERSCHEL SUPPLY / HALSEA / JMCLAUGHLIN / DEUX LUX / LONGCHAMP / DEUX LUX / JCREW

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Sometimes, the future freaks me out. 

Sometimes, even questions about the future freak me out.

Sometimes, growing up sucks.

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FOURTH OF JULY: WHAT TO EAT + DRINK

This time tomorrow, I'll be heading for the runway at the tiny airport near our beach house in North Carolina, ready to touch down for a weekend of family, sunshine, craziness, and of course, food.  We do a traditional cookout on the Fourth - cheeseburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, and corn on the cob.  I personally think there's nothing better after a long day on the beach.  You can keep it simple like we do, or make your All-American meal as fancy as you want (sriracha corn or bacon bourbon baked beans, anyone?) Or go the surf route instead of the turf and enjoy some good fresh lobstah. According to my personal philosophy, a meal is not complete without dessert, so finish it off with a yummy shortcake topped with the perfect American color-combo: white whipped cream and red and blue berries!

And of, course, how could I forget something to wash it all down with? Crack open one of Budweiser's American-themed bottles to be extra festive (yes, even I will drink Bud Heavy for the occasion).  Or celebrate with another summer staple - watermelon. Soak it in tequila, dip it in salt, and you've got a portable margarita! You can sip a strawberry daquiri on the beach, or sit on the front porch and watch the Forth of July parade with some Front Porch Lemonade - a yummy mix of bourbon and ginger and lemonade. (And y'all know how much I like my bourbon.)

Above all, remember this: eat, drink, and be aMERIcan.

CHEESEBURGER / GRILLER LOBSTER / BUDWEISER / STRAWBERRY DAQUIRI / CORN ON THE COB / STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE / FRONT PORCH LEMONADE (WITH BOURBON) / TEQUILA WATERMELON / BACON BOURBON BAKED BEANS

FOURTH OF JULY: WHAT TO WEAR

dorothy perkins dress / jcrew bikini / forever 21 shorts / PJK skirt / clare vivier clutch / jcrew striped shirt / charlie jade maxi dress / sea bags tote / lovers and friends shorts / dolce vita top / jcrew sunhat / design darling necklace / forever 21 shorts / ray ban aviators 

I'm kicking off the countdown to one of my favorite holidays, the FOURTH OF JULY, with a little outfit inspiration. I always dress up for the 4th - both because I'm always at the beach for my family reunion and we never half-ass anything, and because half my closet is navy and white stripes anyway, so it's not entirely difficult. While the heinous accessories of American flag handkerchiefs tired around my head, leis, red white and blue beads, and other monstrosities from Party City might be well in my past (and luckily for me, immortalized in photographs), I still plan out a festive Fourth outfit.  

I'm just at the beach with the fam, so I tend to stick to a jorts-and-top combo, but I may have to step up my game to the fireworks shorts above.  And if you're doing anything remotely fancy, that maxi is a must.  I've found that pretty much everyone has blue and white in their closet, but red is a bit harder to come by. If you don't have that perfect red/white/blue printed skirt shown above, you can always just throw a red coral necklace on with your favorite Breton striped shirt or eyelet top.  

The bottom line: there no excuse not to dress up and party like it's 1776. #murica

HAPPY JULY!

Happy first day of the best month of the year!

July 4th, smack dab in the middle of summer, beach days, barbecues, popsicles, and my birthday (!!!!).... 

What more could a girl ask for?

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

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