Back to school shopping

Clinique CC Cream, Bare Minerals Hydrating Mineral Veil, Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Bikini Tini, and Clinique Airbrush Concealer in Fair

These are some of my favorite makeup buys that I always re-purchase. Instead of heavy foundations I use Clinique's CC Cream in Light, it is good for balancing out your skin tone as well as hydrating your skin too. I wear it alone with a dust of Bare Minerals loose powder foundation to "set" the CC cream, though it is more like a tinted moisturizer and really does not need to be set unless you want some more coverage. I love the airbrush concealer by Clinique too, it is a light formula and really brightens up the eye area. If you like to use liquid formulas for contouring and highlighting, this would be good. After purchasing Benefits' Creaseless Cream Shadow in Birthday Suit, I love how long lasting and pigmented this shadow is! I really wanted a pinky nude color to put on quickly in the mornings before class. Lastly, I picked up the hydrating mineral veil since I need to add extra moisture to my face beyond my moisturizer and CC cream with the anti-acne products I use. Normally I am prone to oily skin, but after getting different topical creams for my acne, my skin has become more dry.  

Lord & Taylor Button Down

Not too big of a shopping day, but I did pick some things up online too. I was able to purchase this button down, which is super soft, as well as two scarves that I couldn't find online. Nevertheless, I ordered two pairs of jeans at Zara and the much coveted Kate Spade backpack I have wanted for awhile, and I got it on sale, which helped a little with the price, but I will definitely be using it for many years to come. 

Grey

Now that you have seen multiple posts about this sweater here it is! Though I didn't get a picture of the sweater as a whole, and my outfit, it looks as it does on the website and is super comfy. I also wore my Gap legging jeans, though I forgot to wash them first and my legs turned blue from being outside in the rain... but they look good at least. I paired the sweater and jeans with my J. Crew flats and the Kate Spade idiom necklace. I love this sweater and will make some more purchases for comfy and drapey sweaters. 

Niagara Falls

I was able to visit yet another country this summer, Canada! I traveled with one of my best friends, and fellow blogger, Angela! We went to Niagara Falls to see a show at a casino and then walked around the falls area  before gambling for about ten minutes and then crossing the border to head back home. I had such a fun time and the falls were so beautiful, I am glad I was able to go to Canada, even for a day! Here are some pictures of the falls, we went on an amazing day so getting soaked in the mist was not bothersome, though my camera didn't enjoy it. 

Assisi

One of my favorite places I visited in Italy was Assisi. I decided to spend the day in Assisi in order to walk around and see the sights. Assisi is so beautiful and remote, it is an amazing getaway from a busy city like Rome. If I could, I would've stayed overnight in order to walk around the hilly city more, but I had to get back to Rome for work. If you like to visit churches, Assisi is a great place since it is filled with amazing churches, plus an amazing church dedicated to St. Francis (of Assisi if you need more clarification). Unfortunately many of the tourist heavy churches cannot be photographed inside, but trust me, they are spectacular and beautiful and worth the visit. The only annoying part of my visit was the heavy on and off downfalls of rain, but regardless of the rain, the city is beautiful. I cannot wait to go back, hopefully before I am retired. 

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites by labelmechic featuring long length sweaters

Here are some of my favorite things this Friday! First, my new Gap sweater which I wore last week and it was super comfy. I really want this is more colors, but I wish the colors weren't all pastels. Next is a pair of Naot oxfords that I bought for Rome last year. I recently went to Niagra Falls, and these are amazing for walking around (in style). They are expensive, but very comfortable and lasted for four months on cobblestone streets and I am still using them over a year later! Next, is the idiom Kate Spade necklace I bought in London this summer. Though I couldn't find the picture of the one I own, which says "find the silver lining," so adorable. This is a perfect necklace for layering since you can adjust the length to the extreme. Next are my current mani pedi which insists of Essie colors in Master Plan and Be Strong. Stay tune for more Friday Favorites and some more posts about Italy!

Evening Stroll in Rome

Now that I have been home, in a boring city, I miss my evening stroll in Rome. I decided to post some pictures of my typical walk, beginning at the Vatican to the Pantheon and back on a night where the sky really made the pictures look amazing. I miss being in Europe a lot, but I think that Rome has become to much of a "home" for me and I want to explore more of Europe! Here are some pictures from a typical nightly stroll!

New Favorites

After spending time abroad and living out of a suitcase for ten weeks in two different climates I realized that I really don't need a closet full of unwanted, too small, and too old clothes, I went on a wardrobe purge. When I clean out my closet I try to make split second decisions to decide if I like an article of clothing or not; or if easier, would I buy it if I saw it in a store right now. After this, I normally begin to get rid of a bunch of articles of clothing that I haven't worn in over a year or not at all. Face it, if you didn't wear it when you first bought it and several months (or years) after, you won't wear it now. At this point, I go through what I have left and what I need to buy to give my closet an upgrade. Here are some recent purchases I have made to help elevate my closet this year, and hopefully many more to come. 

                                                

Textual Raglan Sweater at Gap

Short Sleeve V-neck  at Gap

 

Tissue Scarf at J. Crew Factory 

As you see from a lot of my posts, I love basics, they can be layered and worn through every season and stay classic for many years. I am very inspired by Pinterest on how to layer and style clothing, and by making a list on my phone of what I need and trying to avoid impulse buying, which often leads to over buying and ultimately getting rid of clothing several months later. I definitely will start doing some outfit posts, and even showing you what is in my closet! But first, I need to start getting organizing better since I keep putting off writing on the blog! I will be posting soon!!

Friday Favorites

 

Despite my absence from my blog I have been doing relatively nothing while being back in America. I have caught up with some friends and family, and managed to watch some Netflix and clean out my room (phew), but updating my blog about my amazing time in Italy hasn't happened, yet. I promise next week will be the week for Italy updates and "what to do where" articles. For now, I want to let you know about some of the things I recently purchased.

I took full advantage of two sales in the last week, first the Ulta coupon that gave me 10% high end makeup brands (thank God!) and the Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale. While I don't have a Nordstrom near me, I did need to pick up a couple things. First, I went on a mini shopping spree at Ulta and found this Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in the shade 'Birthday Suit.' I absolutely love the shade and the product. It is super creamy, build-able, blendable, and highly pigmented. I will definitely purchase this in a couple more shades. Next I picked up some more much needed Essie nail polishes in the shades 'Going Incognito' 'Wicked' and 'Ballet Slippers.' All beautiful shades that will be great to carry into the upcoming fall and winter seasons! The next big sale was Nordstrom's, where I picked up my new Kate Spade cheetah print phone case and a pair of BP boots. These are my fourth pair of black leather boots in the last four years, thanks to walking on a hilly campus, each pair gets ruined. I am hoping that these may last a little longer, since they came with a heftier price tag.

Next week, in addition to telling you all about my travel experience, I plan to get back into the swing of things by writing about style, beauty, books, and other things that interest me (well this is a style blog after all...). I hope you have a great weekend and stay tuned for some Italy talk!