When Brass Clothing reached out to their customers for real models, I wasn’t going to apply.
Even though I really wanted to. I just didn’t think that I was what they’d had in mind. But as a huge fan of quality local goods, I felt that I owed it to myself to at the very least take a chance.
I don’t think I’m enough of a minimalist (more like the epitome of the opposite…) to have a capsule wardrobe. But, I love versatile pieces enough to want to add plenty of Brass to my closet. The three pieces that I own are not the only ones I’ve had my eye on.
This dress isn’t one that I modeled for their website. I actually found it on their Last Change Room page. However, they did recently restock a very similar style (and in three different colors)!
There are some days that getting up and starting my day is hard.
Those days are the days I find myself questioning, regretting and worrying about decisions I’ve made. Comparing my progress to where others are in their life. Feeling like nothing I do is good enough, so why bother.
Anxiety has that effect.
I don’t stand by any one way to cope, everyone is different. For me, therapy was helpful and mind over matter helps. Not always, but sometimes.
Thanks to The Dainty Pear, I now have a dainty little reminder that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I have wanted a bar necklace for awhile, but this one is a bit more special. It’s hand stamped and custom made.
I cannot get enough of it, this necklace means SO much and goes with literally everything! I’ve already been wearing it on repeat, so prepare to see a lot of outfits topped off with this.
This outfit in particular is great for when you don’t know what to wear. You really can’t ever go wrong with a blouse and jeans. You can dress them down with Converse or a pair of Birkenstock sandals. And up with a pair of heels, like I did.
When it comes to hair, I can do a ponytail and that’s pretty much it.
That being said, my hair isn’t long enough for me to really do anything with, so I wear clip-in extensions 99.9% of the time.
It’s not that I have any problem with short hair. After all, I loved how I looked when I shaved all my hair off. And, when it grew back a little, I sported a super cute pixie. Right now though, my it’s just at this kind of awkward length, that I don’t know how to deal with.
This is my ponytail before:
This is my ponytail after:
On the other hand, clip-ins can be expensive, so after my sister (who can actually do hair) gave me a set of clip-ins that she’d made (yes, made!), believe me, I was PUMPED.
Then summer came.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the summer.
But, the sun changes my hair color and the extensions no longer matched. I needed a slightly lighter color and figured I could try my hand at making them myself.
I was able to grab all the supplies I needed (and then some) from Sally Beauty Supply for under $75!
Making clip-ins requires basic sewing skills. Other than that the steps are pretty simple.
Measure.
Cut.
Attach clips. (This is where the sewing comes in.)
If you are using any type of hair other than 100% virgin, you can NOT bleach it. I found this out the hard way. No mermaid ombre hair for me…
I’m overly obsessed with them and have tired them on.
A lot.
As I do, literally, every time I walk by a Sunglass Hut.
It’s bad.
Luckily for me, I’d recently won a gift card to TJ Maxx (thanks to the grand opening of the one on Newbury Street). I was able to use some of the balance to get a pair of sunglasses. And, in a similar enough style to make me one very happy girl!
Even though yoga is a constant in my life, I don’t share about yoga as much because I don’t think I’m very good at it. And I’m probably not. But I enjoy practicing and find it comforting.
Hopefully, my very basic yoga skills are enough to encourage others (maybe even you?) to give yoga a try.
Since I learned that Boston offers a decent number of free yoga classes and I plan to go to as many as I possibly can.
This may only be my second ever Play! by Sephora box, but I am SUPER impressed! I liked my first box a lot, but I really really love the July 2016 Play! by Sephora box, you guys.
I honestly thought I would just be testing it out for a couple of boxes or so. I don’t think I have ever been SO wrong!
I am so close to running out of my current favorite primer (which is the Smashbox Photo Finish Oil Free Foundation Primer Hydrating) that it hurts a little. It’s almost to the point where I need to cut the top off. I need to buy more, but now I’m thinking that maybe next time I’ll have to get the pore minimizing one. I was once told that I didn’t have big pores. But, in the summer, my face begs to differ.
After getting a NEST candle that was more on the strong side than I care for, I was hesitant to spray this perfume. I, however, took one for the team, and it’s still strong, but in a nice way. That being said, if you like lighter, less musky smells, I wouldn’t recommend.
Ouai is a brand that I’m only starting to see around, and I really want to try their hair oil. Settling for the wave spray, isn’t so bad. I have no idea if I’m using it right, or rather, what the outcome on my hair texture is supposed to be, but I LOVE the way it smells, so frankly, I don’t even care!
Bronzer is one of the reasons I have trust issues. More specifically, Too Faced’s bronzers. I have it and never use it as a bronzer, because it’s too light. Then, they finally come out with a “dark chocolate” shade. Prayers answered, right? Nope. It looks darker online, but in person it’s basically the same. The shade I got as a sample wasn’t even the dark chocolate one…
Spending $20 on a makeup sponge sounded absurd to me. My $5 e.l.f. Cosmetics one works just fine. The idea of a sponge for blotting was even more preposterous. But I now see the error of my ways. Mostly because blotting paper feels kind of wasteful. I’m also glad the blotterazzi came with a liquid cleanser sample, although almost everyone I know who is into makeup (including myself) uses Dr. Bronner’s.
I’ve been using a different face mask each week, but next week I’m going to take a break to give the First Aid Beauty cleanser a try. I haven’t used anything with red clay in it yet. Should be interesting!
Even though I won’t be sharing a photo of the product on me, or any swatches quite just yet. I have worn it. What I like most about it is how smoothly it blends into my skin.
Seriously smooth.
Like butter.
I wrote a review on the Sephora website, where I mention wanting them to come out with a warmer shade. That’s more of a preference thing, but if they do, I’ll be AWESOME!
Also, I’m starting to think that I just may have to try that full face highlighter makeup challenge. Thoughts?
Even though I am still crazy about Birchbox, I thought it was time to give another beauty subscription box a try. Due to my love affair with Sephora, Play! by Sephora seemed like the only valid option. Plus, I had just got the email to claim my spot after being waitlisted.
I’ve used They’re Real! mascara well over a dozen times. It may be the unpopular opinion, but it’s not my favorite. But, I also don’t hate it. I like it for when I’m just going to run out real quick for a bit. Buying a full size version isn’t in my plans, but the sample size is just the right amount.
Tocca makes some of the best fragrances. I would wear this for an anniversary or a summer wedding, but it’s a little heavier than what I’m used to.
After sharing my top three highlighters, I admitted that there were still some brands that I wanted to try. One such brand being BECCA. While this is a primer and not an illuminator per se, I am still pumped (pun very much so intended, because the sample is in a container that you pump) to try something by them. And a little dab after apply your foundation, helps creates a dewey look.
Very similarly, I’m happy to try another bronzer. I haven’t shared about my favorite bronzers yet, because finding bronzers that compliment darker skin tones isn’t as easy as one would think. I really like how this bareMineral serum bronzer blends in.
Perfect for the days when I don’t want to heat style my hair, which has been a lot lately. I haven’t tried using Don’t Blow It after washing my hair yet, but as a general hair styling product it’s not bad!
I don’t think Sephora’s is that much better than Birchbox’s, but it did have six samples instead of five and two products that I don’t think I’d ever have found waiting for me inside my Birchbox.
There’s no need to write off Birchbox just yet, but I’m not sure that if I had to pick one, that I could wholeheartedly say that I wouldn’t go with Sephora.
Have you tried both boxes? Which would you choose?
Part of being into style, means giving fashion trends that you’re not all that entirely sure you’re into a try.
Off-the shoulder anything, was something I thought looked cute on other people. But I wasn’t convinced that I’d be able to pull it off.
It wasn’t until I saw this Topshop top online, after searching for a specific off-the-shoulder top at Zara, that I decided to commit to at least trying one on.
Now, I know you can easily buy things on the fabulous world wide web, but until you can virtually try them on, I will continue to go to the store. In this case I’m glad I did, because Nordstrom only had one top left. Even though it wasn’t in my size (I’m normally a size 0, sometimes a 2).
Topshop tends to run small so the size 6 ended up being perfect. Which I would not have known for sure, if I didn’t physically put it on in a fitting room.
Is there a summer trend that you’re totally loving, but hesitant to wear? I say, give it a go!
For what feels like way too long, I’ve been wanting to shift my focus a little more back towards style. It sounds easy enough, but when your photographer is your boyfriend who works 8-5 with an hour commute, it’s not.
Investing in a professional photographer is a financial commitment. I want others to take my blog as seriously as I do, so I decided to find someone worth investing in.
The happiness that I feel with the newfound potential of Twenty Something Plus after shooting with Miranda Mu, is indescribable in the best possible way!
I still plan to cover some beauty, as it is a part of my life. But, how do you feel about Twenty Something Plus being more of a life and style blog (emphasis on the style), instead of a general lifestyle blog? Share your thoughts in the comments, so I can take them into consideration!
