Spring Tory Burch Flats

The Stitched Logo Chelsea Ballet Flats are new to Tory Burch and are perfect for Spring! It has the logo on the sides and top and look very classy. It comes in these cute colors, Black, Daisy, Iced Coffee, Fire Orange, Ocean Breeze, and Rose Petal.

My favorites for Spring are the Ocean Breeze, Rose Petal, Daisy, and of course you have to have a classic Black ballet flat.

Lilly Pulitzer Spring 2013

Lilly Pulitzer has new arrivals for the Spring collection.

I love all the cute and simple, yet classy Lilly Spring dresses! Perfect for garden parties, cocktails, and outdoor gatherings.


Rylan Dress


Briella Dress


Joslin Dress


Lowe Dress


Rosaline Dress

And I love this look! Cute top and skirt


And here is a similar, but more flirty outfit (top and skirt)

Michael Kors Spring 2013

Michael Kors has new arrivals for accessories and apparel.

I love this studded purse, very punk chic!


Here is a more classic and elegant purse


As well as studs, stripes are also in. Here are some good options for a striped purse and dress.

Banana Oatmeal cookies

I found this recipe online for banana oatmeal cookies. I fell in love with the fact that they are healthy and easy to make, then I actually fell in love with them.

All you need is 2 bananas and 1 cup of oatmeal. You can also add other ingredients of your choice, I put in a handful of chocolate chips and a tablespoon of cinnamon. You put them in a bowl and mash it all up.



Then, you put spoonfuls on a greased pan and put them in the oven at 350F for 15 minutes.



It makes about 18 cookies (depending on how big your spoonfuls are).



The cookies have a bit of a mushy texture, because of the bananas, but I think they're great! They are healthy, so I won't feel bad if I eat half a batch (it's only 1 banana and half a cup of oatmeal). They're are a great snack and I pack them in my lunch when I go teach.

Pearls!

Pearls are such a timeless and classy fashion accessory piece. So beautiful and elegant, yet simple. Here are some ideas from Refinery 29 for some genuine and imitation pearls.


Affordable pearl necklace from Boticca


Dainty pearl ring from Catbird

If you cannot afford genuine pearls, the imitations are an affordable option and can look the same!

My father was shopping for a pearl necklace for my mother and I went to try them on so he could see if they looked good. Now I really want a pearl necklace! Just so lovely :)

Nicki Minaj on the cover of Elle

Nicki Minaj is on the April 2013 cover of Elle magazine. She is often portrayed as wacky and crazy with her outfits, hair, and makeup. However, for this look she is mostly natural. She has no crazy wigs on, no bright pink lipstick, or intense costumes. Frankly, she looks beautiful!

Keds and Kate Spade

Keds and Kate Spade have partnered for a limited edition and online only collection of shoes. Both brands are classy and timeless, so it seems fitting.
I am loving the stripes and spots!

Leopard Print

So Leopard print is officially a trend this season! It was been spotten (no pun intended!) across the Fashion Weeks in New York, London, Milan, and Paris. I have always been a fan of leopard print; I have some shoes, scarfs, shirts, and a ton of bras and underwear with leopard print. I can play around and experiment with it more now that it will become increasingly popular!

Spring 2013 Nail Polish Guide

Fashionista came out with their Spring 2013 Nail Polish guide. I love nail polish and always have some color on my nails! There are so many lovely new ones, but I'm just going to focus on my favorites. I have noticed a theme of pastels, and although I have never tried pastel nails before, I do love this!


I love this Essie collection, plus they are named after famous shopping streets around the world, like Madison Ave.


The Butter London "Sweetie Shop" is more typical pastel colors, and perfect for Spring and Easter! Reminds me of macarons from Laduree in Paris :)


The new Deborah Lippmann collection has black glitter and pastel colors, fun and sweet!


The Estee Lauder collection is actually called "Paris Macarons"!


These L'Oreal Paris colors are classy and cute!


If you are into lighter pastels, try this Zoya collection.

On a bit of a side note, I adore the Deborah Lippmann Girls nail polish collection (the pink and purple are pastels, so it is not completely off track).

Cruelty-Free Beauty

I came upon this article from Refinery 29 which contains a list of some Cruelty-free beauty products. I've never heard of many of them, but they seem great!


Antipodes
Lush
W3ll People
Vapour
Tata Harper
Intelligent Nutrients
Patyka
Pangea Organics
EO Organic
Dr. Bronner's

This list looks great and I will definitely check out these products! They are a bit pricey, but if they work well and are socially conscious, then they might be worth it. One of my favorite brands, Lush, is on the list and I'm happy about that. When I first bought from them, I was a bit skeptical because it a bit out of my budget, but they work great, so I love it!

PETA also has their own extensive list of products that do not test on animals.
They have Lush, Bath and Body Works, and The Body Shop listed, my favorite beauty products!

New York Fashion Week by the numbers

I love these kinds of charts! It really gets you to be able to visually see how much is really put into fashion week. Lots of work and lots of materials. Makes you realize how crazy and jam-packed it is. But it still looks like an amazing time!

"Queen Kate"

As in Kate Moss. The supermodel is up for cover of the century for her December 2001 British Vogue cover.



She was probably the first supermodel that really got me into fashion and I have loved her ever since. Her personal life maybe not be the best, but as for her modeling she is definitely the "Queen".

And on more recent Kate news, she is the new spokesmodel for the Kerastase hair products company.

Let me just say that we can all envy her hair! Stunning!

TOMS

I have always TOMS cause (when you buy a pair, they give a pair to a child in need) and shoes, and they also happen to be very comfortable!

I got my first pair last summer, the Red Canvas Classics.


They look great with just about everything. I wear them with summer dresses to jeans.

I also got 2 new pairs for Christmas.

The Pink Glitters


They are very vibrant, but I love the look!

The Black Crochet (which is not available anymore, but here is the similar Navy)


These are great for summer!

Michael Kors Watches

I have always loved Michael Kors accessories and I just saw an ad for these Runway watches and they show that he never fails me.



My favorite is the Rose one!

And speaking of Michael Kors, he is the most searched American fashion brand!

Victoria's Secret Bikini

So I just bought this online because there was a sale...



I love the leopard print! And it was on sale, so I couldn't help myself. But it's also great motivation to workout! I could look like Miranda Kerr if I keep it up. :)

Homemade Fruit Leather

A weakness of mine is Fruit by the Foot. It is such a yummy treat but horrible for you. I wanted to try to make some of my own, so I tried out this recipe.
I used strawberries and bananas (about 3 cups of strawberries and 1 cup of bananas chopped up)

Once I got them cut up, I cooked them on the stove



Then, I put it in the blender to get a smooth texture.
Next, I covered a pan in plastic wrap and poured the fruit on it.



It has to stay in the oven for many hours, the recipe said 8-12 hours on 140 F, but the lowest my oven could go is 170 F, and I left it in for about 7 hours.



Out of the oven! You know it is ready when the top is no longer sticky, but smooth.


I cut it with a knife into sections to form a Fruit by the Foot or Fruit Rollup



It tastes pretty good! Obviously not the same as the candy, as they are not natural and instead filled with preservatives. Some parts of my fruit leather came out stretchy and some came out more like a chip texture. It was pretty simple to make and healthy, you just need to keep in mind that it takes a while to cook.
It is great as a snack and kids would love it!

Lush!

This past Summer I really got hooked on Lush products. I never really knew about them before, but my friend took me to one of their stores and I love it!
They can be a bit pricey, but they last a while and they work! I also love the fact that they are natural and do not test on animals :)

The products I have:

Ocean Salt Face Scrub

It smells amazing and it works great! I just use it while I'm in the shower and it makes my face and hands very smooth.

No Drought Dry Shampoo

Great for those days when you don't have time to shower, or don't need to wash your hair. It keeps your hair fresh and smooth. My hair can get pretty oily if I don't wash it everyday, but it isn't healthy to wash it everyday, so I just use this!

Tea Tree Water

I love this spray! I just spray it all over my face and it gives me a clean and refreshed feeling. It smells great too :)

Similar to the spray, I love the Tea Tree Toner Tabs

They have the same effect and smell as the spray, but it seems stronger and it only lasts a couple of days. You just drop the tab into a bowl of water close to your face and breathe it in. It's great when you have a cold or you're feeling congested. Once the tab is done fizzing and dissolves, you can save the water by putting it in a spray bottle, but it will only last a few days.

Fun soap

I saw this in the store and it actually looked fun to use so I had to get it! It smells yummy, and lasts a while. I have used it as hand soap and body wash, but you can also use it as shampoo.