{ three random snaps }

{ above: detail shot by the cherry blossom girl / i receive a lot of emails about the gold michael kors watch i regularly wear / it's the 'bel aire chronograph' style, and is available HERE }

{ above: everything's so meta: pic via stylecaster's twitter, of me tweeting backstage before a recent photo shoot ~ are you following my misadventures there yet?! / wearing a self-designed necklace (available HERE), zara sweater & OPI's got the blues for red nail polish }

{ above: the aftermath of last week's snowstorm / for those who didn't experience extreme eye-rolling over this last bunny post, there's more fluffy fun waiting for you in this facebook album }

{ beauty beast }

i receive a lot of inquiries about my skin/hair/beauty routines. i've posted about this before, but since my habits evolve every six months or so (and it's been nearly a year since my last post!), i figured it was time for an all-inclusive update.

let me start by saying that these are the products that work best for me, which i've come to depend on after a lot of trial and error ~ but they may not necessarily be perfect for you! nevertheless, i hope there's something in here that helps you out (or simply makes you happy!):

ABOVE: i've been using patricia wexler's skincare systems for years and couldn't be happier with them. i've tried every product in every line, and over time have narrowed my regimen down to the three that work best for me: the spf30 anti-aging moisturizer (applied every morning before my makeup), the exfoliating cleanser with acnostat (used morning and night, it controls breakouts brilliantly), and the mysterious, miraculous 'pink goop' ~ otherwise known as the skin reginerating serum (also used morning and night).
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at night, i remove my eye makeup with good old fashioned pond's cold cream before washing, while neutrogena's moisturizing body oil and dr. bronner's eucalyptus soap take care of everything from the neck down!

besides the upkeep above, there's quite a long list of makeup products that i love. please keep in mind that i don't wear every one of the items below every day. in fact, most days i just stick with a dab of concealer, a sweep of brow filler, a smudge of blush, and a wink of mascara. but on those days (well, mostly just nights) when i want to go all-out, here's what i reach for:

ABOVE, TOP ROW: after my moisturizer, mac's fluid foundation is the first thing i put on my face. {NOTE: i've been trying to apply the prep+prime before that step, but it hasn't really become a habit, because i'm not fully convinced it works. if anyone has some tips in regard to this or other primers, i'd love to hear them in the comments!} in general, i'm a fan of mac products because they're only slightly more expensive than drugstore brands ~ but much, much better quality. however, one exception that i swear by is vichy's dermablend concealer, which i pick up at CVS (a US drugstore). i sung its praises in my last beauty post, and my stance hasn't changed a bit.
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next, it's back to mac for my studio fix powder and mineralize skin finish bronzer.
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ABOVE, BOTTOM ROW: the thing i dislike about chanel cosmetics (that they don't go on concentrated enough), is actually the same reason why their tweed pink blush is my favorite cheek color! it's really sheer ~ and therefore great for everyday, when you don't want to look like you're wearing a bunch of makeup. although, if i could only wear one cosmetic for the rest of my life, it would definitely be brow filler ~ and right now prestige makes my top pick.
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i've only recently realized why beauty companies sell eyeshadows in sets, as i've begun to experiment more with shading and contrasting crease colors. what fun it can be! i'm convinced that mac's limited edition leopard luxe eyeshadow quad was tailor-made with me in mind {i know ~ leopard, me ~ shocking, right?!}. for a really dramatic look, i'll occasionally use it in conjunction with dior's smokey mania set.
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finally, i don't know why i wasted so many years struggling with eyeliner pens, pencils, etc... gel liner is where it's at!! mac's fluidline (that little black pot above) is a million times easier to control than anything else i've tried. i finish it all off with loreal's telescopic mascara. again, it's the best i've ever used (seriously, it beats every fancy brand around). its magic is in the thinnest brush you've ever seen ~ because it's so small, it manages to coat each and every lash, and neither you nor the brush ever end up with that scraggly, spidery effect.

speaking of brushes!

despite having cups full of makeup brushes at my disposal, i've noticed i primarily use the six ABOVE: bobbi brown's powder and blush brushes (i've owned both of these for nearly five years, and with proper care they're still as good as new!), plus mac's lash brush (i use it on my brows), 217 brush (for eyeshadow application and blending), 219 brush (for eyeshadow crease-work and contouring), and 210 brush (to apply the fluidline gel liner).

now, as you've probably gleaned from the various lists above, i'm much more focused on playing up my eyes than my lips (you've gotta work with what you've got!). since my lips are naturally pretty pinkish, most days i simply scrub them clean with a wet washcloth and dab on a pat of purple lab's huge lips skinny hips clear gloss...

...although, if i want a hint of color i'll swap that out for chanel's lèvres scintillantes glossimers (again, their products are pretty sheer). like everyone else in the world, i'm also addicted to smith's rosebud salve lip balm.

BELOW: i had a pixie cut in college, and the last time i cut it all off again, the thing that excited me most was that it meant i could start using aveda's custom control wax again! it's pretty dense, and thus works best on short, choppy do's. and it smells sooooooo good! i run that through my hair every morning, then mist it with a bit of control force hair spray (it also offers an impressively pleasant aroma).
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with that, i must confess that i'm a total floozy when it comes to perfume. there are just so many to love!! while i've truly been enjoying my new big pony collection colognes, i was also recently excited to discover a local, brooklyn-based brand call ds&durga that makes smokey, sultry, wonderfully wintry scents that i just can't buy enough of!

and so, top-to-toe, this is literally what the inside of my bathroom cabinet looks like!! now you know ;)

{ FAQs } the inside scoop

recently, i've been bemoaning on twitter about how busy i am, and i hope it doesn't come across as complaining, because i feel really lucky to get to do all the things that i do! still, i have a really full plate these days (as you've likely gleaned from recent postings)! i try not to let it get in the way of keeping this page updated, but it's not always as easy to stay on top of the innumerable emails & formspring questions i receive. thus, i thought i'd take a moment to address a couple frequently/recently asked questions!

1. what do you do for a living?
i studied apparel design in college, and i've worked in fashion (as a designer & stylist) for many years ~ long before i'd ever heard of this thing called a blog! however, for a little over a year now, i've been self-employed ~ supporting myself by designing jewelry, consulting clients as a personal stylist, collaborating with fun companies, and yes, blogging!

this site has certainly opened doors to opportunities i might not otherwise have had, but when i first started blogging, it hadn't occurred to me that it might benefit my career. in fact, i kept it a secret for a long time because i was afraid it would yield the opposite result, and that my credibility in the fashion world would be jeopardized if people knew i had this silly little personal style site! still, i loved reading other people's blogs, and felt irresistibly drawn to get in on the conversation.

2. since you buy so much vintage clothing, do you have any suggestions for getting musty smells out of things?
first of all, if it smells really gross, i don't go there. some things just cannot be forgotten. however, a little mustiness can usually be mastered by your dry cleaner ~ and i spend a fortune on dry cleaning!! fresh vintage finds always get an automatic trip to le bain; sometimes they go through twice before i'm willing to wear them. i'm so not a grunge girl; i like my clothes to be clean and pressed. that's why i also take a lot of new, fast-fashion, budget pieces to be professionally steamed before i wear them. i think it makes an enormous difference, even if i'm the only one who can tell.

3. do you have any advice on blog formatting? did you do it all yourself or have some help?
i've done all the design work on my blog by myself. it's a constant process of tweaking and updating. i started with blogger's most basic template, then slowly customized the html over time. i figured out each step through a good old-fashioned combination of google + late-night experimentation.

4. what camera do you use for your blog?
i shoot my own pictures (like jewelry shots, or the recent alice+olivia post) with a canon s90. i carry it with me everywhere, so my guy will either use that, or his own nikon d3 to shoot my costume posts. it just depends on where we are & how much time we have.

5. how do you stay in shape? do you have a specific diet/exercise regimen?
i am very fortunate to have a gym in my apartment building, so i have no excuse not to be active. i try to use it three times a week, though i fall short of that more often than not. i like to use the weight machines and the bike machine ~ i'll pedal on that thing for an hour if there's something good and trashy on tv! since i don't actually have a tv in my house, i have to work out if i want to earn a little mindless entertainment (flipping out on bravo is my current favorite).

i also eat pretty healthily. i'm primarily pescetarian, and don't really have a taste for junk food (except tortilla chips. LOVE tortilla chips). luckily, i was only allowed to eat healthy, natural stuff growing up ~ so that's what i developed a liking for!

6. some people always go on about how high-street stores are cheap; what would you say to that? i like F21 and h&m, but some of my wealthier classmates look down on me, because they wear dior dresses, and i can't even afford to *look* at those.
i think the greatest trend we've seen recently is the democratization of fashion. part of what i try to communicate through this blog is that glamour is attainable every single day, whatever your lifestyle or means may be. i could go on indefinitely about the difference in quality, labor practices, distribution/exclusivity, etc between high-end & mass brands, but i think in this case we're just talking about personal style & affordability. and i've never believed that true style comes just from a fancy label.

while there absolutely IS a difference between the quality of what you'll find at h+m versus dior, i don't think that either is necessarily more relevant than the other. i feel just as chic sporting my stella mccartney vest as i do in my forever21 dress! as a true fashion lover, i enjoy ferreting out finds from anywhere and everywhere. i feel distinctive and unique when i'm wearing my miu miu pants with a modcloth top, because my confidence comes from a strong sense of self, not from a ritzy receipt!

i love designer clothes, because i know from experience the thought, work & care that goes into creating them. at the same time, i think it's equally feasible to create a great look with $100 or $1000, so don't go broke for fashion. i say purchase what you love, and what you can afford. train yourself to look at clothes objectively ~ never buy anything just because it's a bargain, or just because it comes with a designer label. learn what flatters your shape and your personality, have fun fine-tuning that, and you'll always look like a million dollars! it may sound like a total cliche, but over time i've learned that it is unequivocally true.

XOKelly