The Secret Society of the Stylish

I have a secret to tell you. It is the secret to having killer style. It’s like an ACTUAL secret of the “secret society of the stylish” passed down to me by an elder member of the club. And now that I am privy to this classified information, I too am a member of the club. And obviously the whole idea of a secret society is that like, it’s members aren’t really supposed to reveal the super exclusive secrets of the club…or else everyone will have it all figured out and they won’t be so special or powerful anymore. But I will tell you anyway. It’s CON-FI-DENCE. In other words: sell it, sister. I knooooow…kinda cliché. But seriously I am telling you confidence is KEY, people. Confidence is all about trusting your gut; not worrying about whether or not you nicely fit into some arbitrary archetype that the media tells you best represents your particular psychographic. Just do YOU. Do you as if your damn life depended on it and then…you will be the baddest bitch on the block. Now of course, all this confidence talk leaves you with one burning thought, “Easier said than done, gurl.” I know, I know. I also read this quote the other day that, regardless of how confident one may be, can be really comforting to hear: "The greater the artist, the greater the doubt. Perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize.” SO if you ever find your confidence is wavering...just remember that it's obviously because you are a brilliant artist. BOOM BABY

Thrifted sweater. Zara shorts. Thrifted pumps. PS- I dyed my hurr!

Until next time,

Chelsea

Take me to another galaxy | Outfit Post

I must admit that I rather loved having the snow around for my outfit posts, but I'm glad to see the back of it (for now); did anyone else have snow drifts? Some of the ones around my village were absolutely crazy and created snow-walls higher than my car!! Any way, how very British of me - let's stop the chitchat about the weather and get on to this little number...

Dress: c/o She Likes. Brogues: Urban Outfitters

I don't usually go for little tight dresses, but there was something quite endearing about this one - it feels playful, young and of course colourful. As you know I'm usually head to toe in black but the purples and blues in this dress are gorgeous and I love the contrast of the galaxy print against the snow. She Likes is a clothing brand I'm loving at the moment - quality, beautiful pieces for an absolute steal, this little badboy was only £15!!! And at those prices you can't really go wrong can you?

Do you lovely lot have much planned over the Easter weekend? Daniel and I booked some extra time off either side of the bank holiday's so that we ended up with a week off (yippee!!). It's mainly going to be a time to relax and do not much of anything, but we are going to be looking at a few houses which is quite exciting...I feel like such a grown-up writing that.

p.s. My little blog is a whole year old on 4th April, how crazy is that?! I can't quite believe it :)

Mood Predicting Pajamas

Generally speaking, I am not a jeans and a t-shirt kinda girl. You know…I need more glamour. I’m old fashioned in that way. But sometimes the non-chalance and ease of jeans feels downright decadent, ya know? It’s the uniform of leisure. And paired with a slouchy, oversized, pajama top and gobs of diamonds, stones, and silver the whole ensemble says, “Look…I ain’t got nowhere to be. You’re on my time, bitch.” Also let’s talk about the magical fabric of this pajama top…ya it’s like mood ring fabric. I SWEAR. I bought it at a vintage shop and I am terrified to wash it for fear it may loose it’s mood prediction power. But that’s what Febreeze is for, right?

Vintage hat. Vintage top. Vintage earrings. F21 necklace. F21 bracelets. Gap jeans. Vintage boots.

Until next time, 

Brittany

Shit White Girls Say at Goodwill

Or more specifically, shit Britt and I said last night while at Goodwill:

 “Ok, I’m gonna go dresses, then shoes, then tops. You hit up jackets, then skirts, and we meet in pants. We’ll end with a lap through the home décor section to get the heart rate down before we mob out.”

 “I gotta leave the Jaegermeister tank behind…I’m over budget.”

“What is that?” “You know…like one of those things. Just a thing. Like a vesty/dress/top/thing.” “Ahhhh yes…one of those things.”

“Dude I’m stressin out…there isn’t a single dress that’s pre-Y2K.”

“Damnit this Clueless top is for little girls…no way that’ll fit my boobs.”

“Are these booties good weird or bad weird?”

“Dude, is $20 too much for this leather jacket?” “YES Britt…it’s a cropped moto. Come on! You know that’s not the shape of the season! Keep your head in the game!”

“I mean it’s cute…but it’s just like a cute floral sundress. Too Taylor Swift, ya know?”

"There's some Marc Jacobs flats over here...but that doesn't really distract from the fact that they're hideous."

“Bro you can’t rock that. It truly looks like something Grandma Sharon would wear…but not in like a cool way.”

 “Damnit…Britt the shopping cart doesn’t fit inside the fitting room.”

“Are you into these like, silky pajama trousers? Ok…they are literally just pajamas.”

“Look at this. It’s beautiful. I got this beautiful beaded caftan.”

We crack us up. I wore my new forest fairy top out for dinner at a random taco stand with my fam bam over the weekend. Thumbelina Realness.

Thrifted top. Thrifted skirt. Thrifted booties. H&M choker. New nose ring!

Until next time,

Chelsea

Camera Ready at Shear Ego

On Saturday I had the pleasure of going to Shear Ego Salon and Spa in Pittsford Plaza to test drive their special occasion hair and makeup services for Rochester A-List.

God knows I can use all the help I can get...

I walked in looking like this:

And walked out looking like this:

Necklace c/o Arwark

Isn't amazing what the right hair and makeup can do?

When I arrived, I was given the grand tour of the 18,000+ square foot salon, spa, and men's club.  I had no idea how big this place was.  This beautiful facility has a little something for everyone.  Whether you're a guys guy looking for a quick game of pool before a straight shave or a group of ladies looking for a mimosa-filled spa party with girlfriends, Shear Ego has got you covered.  I can't wait to go back and try out some of their spa services!  Don't worry, I'll be sure to write about that too, but for now let's get back to hair and makeup, shall we?

The first item on my agenda was an up-do with Valentina.  I left it up to her to do what she wanted with my hair.  I showed her a picture of the dress I was wearing that evening and made it clear that I didn't want to look like I was going to my 8th grade dance, but other than that she had free reign.  I wasn't disappointed with the side sweeping curls she had in mind.

She might be smiling back there, but I'm sure she was looking at the hair that I had slept on wet the night before thinking - this?  this is what I have to work with?  She never let on a bit though... what a doll!

Here I am getting my curl on:
 

What?  I don't have any makeup on yet!

This is what I really look like!
It takes A LOT of work to get this girl camera ready!

And the finished product:

After hair, it was time for makeup and lashes by Melissa.  Again, I pretty much gave her poetic license to do whatever she wanted aside from making me look like a drag queen.  Thankfully I was in very good hands.   Melissa used all Cargo products, was a complete sweetheart,  and I walked out looking every bit the lady.

I think one of the biggest wow factors of my makeup that night was the lashes.  Too many people are afraid of false lashes.  They really make your eyes pop.  Melissa used individual Ardell lashes with tinted glue to give me a seamless, natural look.  I absolutely love them.  While I definitely don't have the time to put on lashes for every day wear, I usually wear them for special occasions and events.   It was so nice to have someone else apply them for a change! 

Little, tiny miracles.

Can you believe the difference?!

You can't even compare the two!  The falsies look so natural, yet they really give that added oomph to my look, not to mention that they photograph really well.  Any time you want your eyes to stand out in pictures, lashes are the way to go.  And if you're too scared to apply them yourself, head on over to Shear Ego and have Melissa do them for you.  She is a lash master.

After two hours of being primped and pampered, I looked like this:

A far cry from this:

Yowzah!

After they indulged my need to take a few awkward #selfies in the mirror, they handed me my new client goodie bag (I love gifts!) and I was on my way home to get dressed for dinner.  

My new client welcome package included hair and skin care samples and
 a $25 gift card to use toward my next service!

You've heard the phrase "it takes a village?"  Well that applies to not only raising children, but also to getting a fashionista camera ready.  Don't get me wrong, I clean up pretty good on my own, but for a little extra pop on those special occasions, it definitely "takes a village" and Shear Ego is just the kind of village I need.  I would highly recommend having your hair styled and makeup done for the next special event in your life.  Updos and lashes aren't just for wedding and proms.  You only live once... why not look and feel your best?  And why not let Shear Ego help you do it?

Since I'm sure you're dying to know, here is the completed look for date night at 2Vine with my hubby:

Taylor Pink Bubble Dress c/o Lendperk
Sauvignon Blanc c/o 2 Vine
Hair and Makeup c/o Shear Ego
Best job ever c/o Rochester A-List

And for the rest of the month Shear Ego is offering some FABULOUS specials for A-List subscribers, but you have to get on The List to take advantage of these limited time offers.  Sign up for A-List and open up a world of fantastic spa deals here.

Love you like I love the red carpet treatment, 

xoxo

Jenny

Elemis Fresh Skin | Skin Clear Overnight Serum

You may remember my post from a while back on Elemis’ new skincare range. There were a few items in there that were really lovely, but as a whole the range wasn’t tailored particularly well to my skin. The lovely people at Elemis read my review, got back in contact and asked if I would like to try some of the Fresh Skin range aimed at blemished and problematic skin. Of course I said yes – I’m always looking for products that will help sort out my troublesome skin.

There a few products that I will be writing about from the range, but first up is the Skin Clear Overnight Serum. This product is aimed at blemished prone skin and aims to work its magic whilst you’re sleeping. Now – the bottle instructs you to apply a thin layer across the whole of your face; but being wary of anything I haven’t tried before I wasn’t very willing to slop a whole face full of this serum on. Instead I used a pea sized amount and spread it across the areas that were suffering with a few howlers as well as applying across my t-zone where I suffer with larger pores.

The smell isn’t at all overpowering and the serum sinks well into the skin without leaving a sticky residue (let’s face it, nobody wants that), whilst providing a cooling sensation on the skin. I have to say I’m really impressed with the results - the spots that were bulbous, red and painful the night before are left calmer, smaller and less prominent and my pores were tightened. Now I’m not going to fib and say it got rid of all my spots overnight, it didn’t – but it definitely helped to reduce them and take away the pain without drying out the area which I’ve found to be a common thing in most acne/spot treatments. My spots now hang around for 3 days, instead of 2 weeks.

It’s the most sensitive spot solution product I’ve tried to date (trust me, I’ve been through them all) and for the£17.99 price tag, it’s definitely going to be something I’ll keep as a staple in my routine. I’m not sure that I’ll ever use it as an all over treatment – perhaps when my skin and hormones change and is less sensitive I could use it to even out my entire skin-tone but for now the next products on my list are the facial wash and moisturiser…fingers crossed!

Have you tried anything from the Elemis Fresh Skin range? What were your thoughts?

Vintage in a Room of Sak's Sale Rack

The weather is warming up in SoCal and my booty shorts are coming out. I wore this saucy little number to an OC Fashion Week event at some fancy-schmancy art gallery in Laguna Beach Saturday afternoon. We stood out like patchouli in a room full of Chanel; only we were wearing vintage in a sea of Sak’s 5th Avenue Sale rack. (You know we secretly love it.) We made the most of it by sipping all the complimentary champagne we could get our pretty little paws on and gossiping about the housewives, OC socialites, and Persian mafia from afar. A perfect Saturday afternoon if you ask me. Apparently, my ensemble is not so culturally sound; as I did have a minor incident with a Vietnamese business person who was concerned at my lack of traditional Vietnamese underpinnings. “You wear with pant,” he explained, “Traditional is white pant.”

“I was goin for a little leg action,” I told him, re-enacting my best Angelina pose. “No, I make you pant,” he said matter-of-factly as he handed me his business card. I would be SO down for some flared kimono print pants a-la Wes Gordon Fall 2013…but somehow I don’t think that’s what he had in mind. Damnit. The show began and I was on a champagne induced campaign to give every model an extra boost of self-confidence. “OMG you’re so gorgeous,” I said out loud to every girl who sashayed past my front row seat. (It was my random act of kindness for the day.) Instead of staying for the after party we opted to go where our eccentric ensembles and fierce fashion sense would be loved and admired by all. Naturally, of course, we ended up at our favorite gay bar and drag dinner show, VLVT where we danced the night away to Brit-Brit, Rhi-Rhi, and Queen Bey.

Vintage kimono. F21 shorts. Vintage pumps. F21 jewelry.

Until next time,

Brittany