Weekend Shopping

Over the weekend I had a much needed therapy session ... retail therapy that is - mainly because it's the only therapy I'll pay for willingly. I didn't buy much since quantity isn't what I aim for. No, instead I like purchasing things I know I love and will wear, not just buying for the sake of buying. Although I am guilty of doing the latter more often than I care to admit.

Well, I made three purchases all of which I am thrilled about - yes thrilled as in they are the most exciting thing that happened to me all last week.

The first is a beautiful pair of DV by Dolce Vita boots. I was quite pleased with myself for finding these boots because  a. they are made of a lovely suede material  and b. they were on sale at an unbelievable price. But then when I got home I became painfully aware of two facts, which were concealed to myself by the high the sale price gave me. Fact number one being that they look very similar to the Frye Engineer 8R boots I showed you recently. And fact number two being that I need another pair of boots like I need another hole in the head, especially considering the fact that winter is almost over. So now that we've established the fact that I don't consider my purchases as thoroughly as I think I do let me show you my new boots.

My next purchase was a gorgeous studded duffel bag. It is a blatant copy of the Alexander Wang Rocco duffel bag. I have been lusting after the actual Wang bag but I cannot justify the price, actually I can but my bank account can't. I was tempted to buy a similar alternative version Laura showed on her blog a while ago but resisted. But when I saw it this weekend right in front of me I swiped my card far too quickly. No, I'm not proud of myself but I am quite satisfied with my new bag.

My third and final purchase was a very unique necklace that I spotted quite by accident. I mean the accident part quite literally as I ran into the display. For once I was happy I wasn't paying attention because I ended up with a charming cat and fish necklace. I love how delicate it is so the cat lady concept isn't overdone.

So how was your weekend? Any new purchases that you're thrilled about?

Lipstick Love

I love wearing all kinds of lipsticks from nudes to bright reds. Usually, I wear a red but mostly mute it out by just using it as a stain. I do this by dabbing some red lipstick on my lips and then applying lip balm on top giving my lips a red stain.  But if I'm being really lazy I just wear my Maybelline lip balm in Cherry Me - I know the packaging is really girly, as in grade school girly, but it gives a perfect  hint of color.

 MAC Movie Star Red and Lip Fusion Clear Lip Balm - perfect long lasting stain         Maybelline Cherry Me Balm - hint of color but not very long lasting                                                   (both are swatched below)

Lately I've been, wearing all kinds of bright lipsticks. I mean don't get me wrong I love a nice nude, especially when I'm wearing a smoky eye. But nothing makes a statement like a bright lip. And it doesn't hurt that it brightens up your whole face.Plus it's nice to have some color during gloomy gray winter days.

Rimmel In Vogue, L'oreal Cherry Freeze, Revlon Cherry Tart, Revlon Coral, L'oreal Beyonce's Red, MAC Movie Star Red, Mac Basic Red pencil - the last three aren't really lipsticks but I wear them like lipstick because they last forever (swatched below in order)

Looking at the pictures now I see many of the colors look similar but I swear they are different. The Rimmel is a deep fuchsia, the L'oreal next to is similar but less opaque and softer, the Revlon has a hint of glitter and is redder, the next Revlon is a lovely orange red, the L'oreal is a beautiful bright true red, the mac is a deep matted fuchsia berry, and the MAC pencil is a deep matte orange red that is amazing on my lips. So, you see I'm not really insane, well maybe a bit but we won't get into that.

What do you think about wearing bright summer colors during winter? What's your favorite lipstick?

Current Obsession: Frye Engineer 8R Boots

Today I thought I would dedicate a post to my favorite boots: my Frye Engineer 8R. I love these boots - I feel like that's all I should say about them, but I like to talk.

I became obsessed with these boots after I saw Keira Knightly wearing them for a Vogue 2007 photo spread. Oh, I should probably mention that this same photo spread made me realize my life will never really be complete until I own a baby elephant - I should probably stop buying Vogue.

In all seriousness though these boots are perfection. I want to buy them in every color and live in them. They're perfect to wear with the simplest outfit of jeans and a t-shirt. But also perfect paired with a lace dress. So, you see you really can basically live in them.

If I haven't convinced you that you need these boots in your life then you haven't clicked on the link to the photo spread. Look at Keira Knightly and tell me you didn't just imagine a million different outfits to wear with these Frye boots.

If you don't already own these did I convince you to buy these Frye boots? Or did you already find you own perfect boot? If so, please tell me so I can take a look and add on to my shoe collection.

My Essentials: Makeup

I'm one of those people that has more makeup than any sane person should have. I blame this on several reasons: I love makeup, there is always the latest-better-then-the-last-guys makeup, and well I love makeup.

Usually wherever I go I carry a small makeup bag that has what I call my essentials. You know the makeup I would take with me  if I somehow end up on an island with a gorgeous man and can't take my fifty tons of makeup. Yes, I believe in being prepared for these kinds of situations. Plus if I'm running late I use only these essentials to get myself presentable.

My Essentials:
MAC Taupe Eyebrow Pencil  (similar here)

Peter Thomas Roth Mattifying Gel
Laura Mercier Undercover Pot (Concealer, Corrector, and Setting Powder)
Sonia Kashuk Eyelash Curler
L'oreal Voluminous Mascara
Victoria's Secret Dark Chocolate Eyeliner
Mac Movie Star Red Cream for my lips (this is the red Im using at the moment but any MAC red) (similar here)

All of these are products I really love as is proof the countless times I come back to them after trying out and tiring of the newest.

You might have noticed the lack of a foundation, no its not because my skin is flawless. It's because I've yet to find a foundation that I want to keep going back to. I have never found a  foundation that matched my skin color and provided the consistency I'm looking for, more often then not I mix my foundations. But then again I often mix everything- concealers, lipsticks, mascaras, anything I think benefits from added layers.

But please do tell if you have found the holy grail foundation. What other holy grail makeup have you found? 

Put A Ring On It

This post will be dedicated to probably the easiest piece of jewelry to wear, yet one that can make a statement depending on what you chose: the Ring.

Yes, I'm a strong believer in putting a ring on it, multiple rings as a matter of fact. From dainty to chunky I can never have enough rings which my overflowing ring collection can attest to. 

Dainty rings can be worn alone as an accent to a simpler look or stacked together to make a statement on your hand.

But if its a statement you want then you need a chunky over-the-top ring, add more than one chunky ring to really seal the deal.

 

So, tell me do you like dainty rings, chunky, rings, all kind of rings, or are rings just not for you?

Retail Therapy

One thing you should know about me is that I love some good retail therapy. Now this doesn't mean that I have to spend a lot of money, as a matter of fact overspending often makes retail therapy suddenly not so therapeutic.

I love buying something (whether clothes, shoes, makeup, etc) that makes me happy all over again the minute I get home and then once again when  I wear it.  But my favorite thing when I'm shopping is finding items I want on sale. Yes, nothing like a sale sticker to make me want to squeal like a little girl, of course I refrain from this.

As promised, in the last post,  I'll be sharing my purchases. I didn't get too many things but I love everything I got. Did I mention all of it was on sale?

Charlotte Russe nude & black shoes remind me of the Zara shoes many bloggers wore last summer

Charlotte Russe red-orange wedges (similar here)

Forever 21 two tone blazer (similar here, here, and here)

CCO makeup MAC Taupe eyebrow pencil (similar),  MAC True Red pencil, MAC Movie Star Red cream (similar), Bobbi Brown Light Peach corrector

Makeup swatches same order as above

What did you do this past weekend? What was the last purchase you made?

Arm Candy

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I did some shopping and got a few things that I'm excited to wear but I'll show you that in the next post.

What I want to talk about is arm candy. As I was getting ready this weekend I realized I love bracelets and the more the better. I love them in all sizes, textures, and colors. Although I do tend to get more gold since I feel it looks better with my skin tone.

Here is the arm candy I wore while shopping this weekend.

More pictures of my favorite arm candy that I tend to wear the most. The thing I love about it is that you can create a million different looks by wearing them alone or mixing a whole arm full of them.

I have a vast collection of bracelets but lets not forget about watches. You know that no matter what you wear no arm candy is complete without a watch thrown in the mix.

What's your favorite arm candy? Do you like to go for one piece at a time or ten at a time?

Meet Chic and Bonita

As an avid reader of blogs I have finally decided to start blogging myself. I think it’s a great community and outlet for creativity and shared ideas of all things beautiful. I do have to make a quick apology for the lack of expertise in the blogging world.  But I hope this is a start of a great experience.

I guess I should start by talking about myself a little. I am a fashion and makeup lover but above all I am a shoe lover. I am camera shy so I don’t see postings of myself anytime soon but maybe in the future?

I really don’t know what the purpose of the blog will be but I hope to share postings of fashion, beauty, and art. But it will most likely turn out to be random bits of everything that I think others might find amusing.

So tell me what  made you start blogging? What was you first post about? If you don't have a blog what are some of the blogs you've been following since they started?