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Simple greenery for a festive touch. Image Source: Pinterest
Cozy blankets and roaring fires. Image Source: Pinterest
White and Green. Image Source
Fair Isle. Image Source: Pinterest
Put a bow on it. Image Source: Pinterest
All plaid everything. Image Source: Pinterest
A holiday-ready kitchen. Image Source: Pinterest
This holiday season, I'm leaning towards simple, natural decor with lots of greenery for a cozy and rustic feel. I love the idea of taking a few holiday elements and incorporating them in the kitchen!
-MC-
I know this sounds completely irrational, but this year it feels as though the holiday season is coming faster than ever. Maybe it's because the stores have been promoting holiday wrapping paper since before Halloween (thanks again for that induced panic attack Duane Reade!) or the fact that my inbox was flooded with a serious attack of Black Friday/ Shop Local Saturday/Cyber Monday/Extended-Cyber-Monday-into-Cyber-Tuesday promotions, but this year it feels like the holidays are on overdrive. I do love this time of year, and I think it's important to take the time to stop and smell the hot chocolate.
Here are a few ways I'm slowing down to enjoy the season:
- Keep a Running List. I love a good deal as much as the next person, but honestly, all those promotions can leave my head spinning! Instead, I like to keep a running list of fun, interesting things - some of which end up on Friday Finds! - that I think could make for great gifts. I might not even have anyone in mind for them, but I like to keep a list on my phone (for easy reference) of things that catch my eye throughout the year.
-Buy 'em As I See 'em. When I find something that would make the perfect gift, I grab it. There is no telling if it will still be available in the size, color, etc. I'll want or need when Christmas/birthdays/anniversaries roll around.
- Stock Up Early. I love me some holiday cards. Love Love Love. Last year I stocked up on holiday cards after Christmas when they were heavily discounted. Now, I'm all geared up for this year.
-Be Present. Whether it's whipping up a batch of holiday cookies or decorating the tree, I like focus on the task at hand. Sure, I'll take tons of photos but I'll wait to post them. I don't want to ruin a real moment, so that it can live online. Enjoy in real time!
-Give Yourself a Break. This one is the hardest, but I'm going to try my best not to get too caught up in the whirlwind of the season. It's a marathon, not a sprint.
-MC-
-MC-
#thankful
-MC-
"I think everything in life is art. What you do. How you dress. The way you love someone, and how you talk. Your smile and your personality. What you believe in, and all your dreams. The way you drink your tea. How you decorate your home. Or party. Your grocery list. The food you make. How your writing looks. And how you feel. Life is art."
- Helena Bonham Carter
The little details matter.
-MC-
In effort to shop my closet, I like to look for pieces that can be worn multiple ways. Right now, I'm loving embellished sweat shirts. With slight (key word!) adornments, these can up the glam factor in any outfit. Here a few ways I'd style them:
#1: Weekend Warrior: Layered with a chambray shirt and a dark wash pair of jeans, an embellished sweat shirt adds an extra stylish layer, plus extra warmth. Double win. The combined look is pulled together without trying too hard. Wear this look while running errands or doing brunch.
#2: Work Wear: A leather skirt is another item on heavy rotation in my closet. Depending on how formal your office is, combining an embellished sweat shirt with a leather pencil skirt is the ideal combination. Tucked in or left out, the embellished sweat shirt effortlessly combines high and low style and offers a flattering play on proportion.
#3: Winter Whites: There is something so chic about winter white. I'd combine a pair of white jeans with this cozy sweatshirt for a simple, polished look. Wear with ankle booties or ballet flats.
Image Source: Look 1: MichaelKors/Guess/Guess Look2: AnnTaylor/GivenchyShopBop Look 3: JCrew/CitizensforHumanityShopBop
-MC-
This week was all about playing catch-up from a few blissful days to celebrate our anniversary down South, but here are a few things that have caught my eye.
- Sounds weird, but I love to learn the minutia of everyone's get-ready routines. This piece breaks down a few It Girl routines.
- Could there be a more stylish co-brand? Nope.
-Ayurveda has been this week's buzz-word. This piece toplines the ingredients you need to know.
-I'm not hosting any holidays, yet, but I am happy to bring a side dish. These and these are top new contenders. Yum!
-I'm itching to head over to this exhibit. So Mad Men.
Have a great weekend!
-MC-
Each morning I start the day with bowl of cereal followed by an espresso. However lately in attempt to detox pre and post trip to New Orleans (more on that later), I've been switching it up and jump starting the day with a hot water with lemon trying to cancel out the sheer amount of gumbo we ate down there. Turns out that starting the day with lemon water really does do the body good. Here are just a few reasons to start sipping:
-Aids in digestion.
-Boost immunity. (With cold-season, who doesn't need that?!)
-Helps keeps skin blemish free. (Always a perk!)
-Gives you an energy boost.
Need more convincing - check this and this out!
-MC-
Image Source: Sephora
Winter is officially here (OK, maybe not officially quite yet), but the plunging temperatures outside have me craving heat - hot showers, upping the thermostat, oh you know, just the worst things you can do for your skin. To counteract the inevitable winter dryness I've been dousing myself in oil to lock in as much moisturize as possible. Lately I've been using Peter Thomas Roth Oilless Oil 100% Pure Squalane, and I really like it. First and foremost, it has a dropper, and honestly is there a more elegant applicator? I don't think so. As the name implies, it's made of 100% natural purified (and naturally-sourced from sugarcane) squalane which helps protect the skin's lipid barrier, aka lock in moisture, while still letting skin breathe. It's lightweight and scent-free, making it perfect for my sensitive skin, and one to two drops are honestly all you need for your face and neck. I've been use a drop daily as a primer of sorts to give my moisturizer/tint combo an extra boost, and so far I'm really liking the results! I've been using it for about 2 weeks, in combination with trying to seriously commit to drinking more water, and I've noticed that my skin is softer and smoother. (Direct quote from Mr. C this morning, "You're glowing", but I think he's just trying to peer pressure me to keep up the water habit.) I feel like it's been making makeup glide on easier and stay in place longer, always a good thing. It's quickly becoming a staple of my cool-weather beauty arsenal.
-MC-
I just finished Lois Leveen's Juliet's Nurse, and it was a breath of fresh air. While the story surrounds the classic Romeo & Juliet tale, it tells it through the eyes of Juliet's beloved nurse and reveals an entirely different backstory. Definitely worth checking out for anyone who enjoyed the original, or even just the movie!
-MC-
