Zara

Zara Hand Made Cape (see more zara capes)

Zara coat

Zara Suede Coat (see more suede leather coats)

Zara skirt

Zara Suede Skirt (see more brown suede skirts)

Affordable fall Looks

Overview

Everyone wants to go out every season and get a whole new wardrobe. But who has the money to spend on all those clothes. Not me! Today I will show you some affordable fall styles.

Fall Looks

Oxblood Coat|sortra.com

H&M| Wrap Dress

H&M| Wrap sweater

H&M| Fitted grey dress

Zara| Dress

Grey Ribbed Dress| H&M| $49.99

H&M| Cut out dress

H&M| Grey  Wrap Coat

Fall Activites

Overview

Fall is steadily approaching and I am not prepared! About time to dust off those riding boots and

jackets. There are plenty of activities to do in the fall time around the DC, MD, VA area. Today I will

 tell you about some activities that you can do in the area.

Fall Festivities Outdoors

If you want to go out and about in the elements, try venturing over to witness the fall foliage in 

Virginia's Shenandoah National Park. (http://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/fall-color.htm ) Drive 

a long side all the beautiful trees, or go on a hike and enjoy the air. 

Food

In DC in October there is the Taste of DC, a culinary culmination of wonderfulness.

( http://thetasteofdc.org/ ) Taste of DC is a multi-day culinary and cultural event in the heart of the 

nation’s capital. This expansive festival packs four blocks of Pennsylvania Avenue with area 

restaurants, great drinks, lively entertainment, engaging corporate partners, and fellow Washingtonians 

and visitors. 

                                            Trick-Or-Treat

For those who want to have a little fun and get a scare, the National Zoo has "Boo at the Zoo." 

This event is a the end of October and includes 40 treat stations, animal demonstrations, keeper

 talks, decorated trials. All for the whole family. There are also musicians, DJ and jugglers, and 

a corn maze. https://nationalzoo.si.edu/ActivitiesAndEvents/Celebrations/Boo/boo.cfm

For the adults, Nightmare on M Street bar crawl in Georgetown, DC is for the adventurous.

 Make sure to take an uber!! 

Also just outside of DC, in North Western Maryland, there is an actual haunted forest, for 

the brave. Markoff's Haunted Forest is a collection of haunted attractions such as a corn maze, 

hay ride, haunted bus walk through, and the haunted forest. This place also has a big fire pit 

and some carnival type food available for purchase. markoffshauntedforest.com

Well I hope this helps you guys get a jump start on your fall activities! Until next time!

Pre-Fall Wardrobe

Good afternoon everyone! I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend and took advantage of some of those sales! I have put together a collage of ideas for the pre-fall season. Outfits to hang out in, or go out in. What ever your fancy. Enjoy!

Relaxed by lindsayjoyner featuring a slim shirt

Monsoon tie belt
monsoon.co.uk

Cotton Citizen slim shirt
$77 - donnaida.com

Genetic Denim distressed boyfriend jeans
modaoperandi.com

Chanel stone jewelry
truefacet.com

Going out by lindsayjoyner featuring mac cosmetics

TIBI zipper crop top
boutique1.com

H m coat
$46 - hm.com

H M zipper skirt
$31 - hm.com

Giuseppe Zanotti spiked heel shoes
thecorner.com

Black Brown London black brown belt
asos.com

Mac cosmetic
$16 - johnlewis.com

weekend outfit by lindsayjoyner featuring a henley shirt

River Island henley shirt
$15 - riverisland.com

Zara brown vest
zara.com

Paige Denim white jeans
$205 - stylebop.com

Nude shoes
$46 - publicdesire.co.uk

Versace gold jewelry
shop.harpersbazaar.com

Shift Dresses

Overview

Good Afternoon everyone! I love, love, love shift dresses, also called A-line dresses. They are simple and can be dressed up or down, depending on your event. You can wear them to a cook out, on a date, or to brunch with friends. The possibilities are endless. Today I am going to feature some companies who make these wonderful shift dresses. And in a later post I will be trying on some outfits that I have.

Lully Pulitzer

This company's background is in the resort/prep style clothing in the Palm Beach area of Florida.  Lilly Pulitzer, was an American socialite and fashion designer. She founded Lilly Pulitzer, Inc., which produces clothing and other such wares featuring bright, colorful, floral prints. The brand is popular with high society, she was called the "Queen of Prep."  On an average these dresses and outfits can range from $70-300. Just try to catch the sale. That's what I did! lol. Everything is bright and vibrant, clothes are true to size and they have these cute yearly planners with stickers to help plan your year.

I purchased the dress below, which is called the Janice Shift Dress in Scuba to Cuba. Very playful and colorful dress

A couple of the other dresses that I will keep an eye out for when they hit the sale rack are the 

ASTRID KNIT CROCHET LACE SHIFT DRESS

$248

ALEXA HIGH COLLAR SHIFT DRESS

$188

Happy shopping everyone!

Face Highlighters

Overview

Every company is jumping on the highlighting bandwagon. And every company claims they have the best one. Today I will show you some of those highlighters, and a few blushes.

Products

One of the most talked about highlighter's around right now is one by Becca, called

Becca x Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector® Pressed - Champagne Pop. This is limited edition so it was already sold out at my local Sephora.

Another favorite that I use all the time is the Nars blush in a color called Albatross. It is used as a highlighter on the check bones and any where on your want your face that you want to give it a pop of shimmer.

A recent purchase is a duo blush by Nars in the colors, Orgasm/ Laguna. The effect is a peachy-pink shimmer for Orgasm and a  sheer light brown shimmer for the Laguna color.

I hope you guys liked my little tid-bit on blush and highlighters. See you soon!

Tricks and Tips for Even Skin Tone

Problem

Recently I took a trip to the dermatologist for some advise on creating an even skin tone and getting rid of the dark circles under my eyes. Nobody likes to take off their make up and look like a totally different person. That scares people. lol, kidding but it's not a good look at all.

Recommended Advice

According to my dermatologist, to have the look of an even skin tone using over the counter face cream with 2% hydroquinone would help. She stated that over time my face will have the appearance of an even skin tone. Also the sun creates the unevenness on our skin. I also purchased 50 SPF sunscreen for my face.

As for the dark circles my dermatologist claims that there is nothing out that can lighten the appearance of dark circles only make concealer. That was disappointing. I will try to get more sleep.

Solution

Every morning after I wash my face I apply the 2% hydroquinone cream and 50 SPF sunscreen. 

Face cream with 2% hydroquinone

Active Ingredient: Hydroquinone 2.0%

Uses: For treatment of dark spots, hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone.

Sun screen 50 SPF

Results

I have not noticed any dramatic changes in brightness or even tones of my face. But I have noticed that my skin was irritated, so I reduced the frequency, I was using the dark spot fade creme to every other day instead of everyday.

Linen Closet Organization Update

I took a couple hours and organized my linen closet and boy was I tired. I folded all the towels, sheets etc. in the same way so they will neatly sit on the shelves and in the baskets.

Here is a before picture incase you forgot. Lol

Here are the different baskets I purchased from ikea. I had a gift card so I made my way over there to the home organization department. The small baskets were about $7 and the larger ones were $14

Here is my closet now. I still need more containers for my hair stuff. This was overall an easy task, only thing to pay attention to is symmetry, and neatness. Lol

Linen Closet Organization

This week I am on a mission to organize my linen closet. I think this is the hardest task to do next doing organic chemistry homework! lol. No not really but pretty freakin close! I researched ways on how to fold a fitted sheet, towels, and types of storage containers to place in a linen closet. Ultimately, I want my closet to look like one of those staged homes you tour when looking at new homes. lol.

Below are step by step instructions on how to properly fold a fitted sheet:

One way to fold a towel long ways:

End result on how I want my linen closet to look:

One step I will eventually do is to have only 2-3 colors of towels and wash clothes, it makes the closet look neater. 

Here is a view of my current closet situation. I know I should be ashamed of myself! Smh

I will update on this closet as soon as I can get some organizing materials and time. 

Contour, Contour, Contour

Good afternoon wonderful people!!

I passed by Sephora the other day and couldn't help but walk in. So what I ended up buying was the contour kit by Anastasia Beverly Hills in the color tan. I jumped on the band wagon. Lè sigh. lol. So far I am playing around with the different highlighters and contour colors. I will say it does slightly brighten up my face and creates depth and definition. But at $40 per pallet you are investing a lot. But it will last you a long time. I wanted to purchase a powder contour kit because the oil base kits might have been harder to blend for a novice contour like myself. My friend who is a make up stylist recommended this product for me. Overall I would recommend this product!!  

Spa day, Red Door Spa

Recently I made a trip to Elizabeth Arden, Red Door Spa to get pampered. The sitting/ lounge area was very tranquil and nicely decorated. Upon entering the spa I was greeted by employees asking my name and with whom I had the appointment. I was led to this sitting area and offered either infused cucumber or lemon water and hot tea. I was called into one of the rooms to have my services completed. 

Sitting area 

Lounge area

Overall my experience was wonderful and I would defiantly be returning to have other spa services done!! Also look out for spa week in you local areas. Usually it is sometime in the spring between March and May.