A Night Out in Gilgamesh

American Apparel Dress
Hue tights
Whistles Blazer
Christian Louboutin pumps
Hobo International clutch

 I've gotten several recommendations for restaurants in the area, so Saturday I decided to tap into my arsenal for a night out with my hunny and one of his law school buddies. We went to Gilgamesh for some cocktails and light bites. I absolutely loved it. The ambience is very cool, and the decor is grand. The bar is made of rich mahogany wood and hand carved with really intricate designs. The food was average, but the drinks were delicious. I had like 4ish house martinis with peach vodka, gin, peach and cucumber. Amazing. I can't wait to go back. I had such a wonderful time.

For the evening out, I pulled out my favorite hot pink blazer for a pop of color on my monochromatic outfit. When I can't find anything to wear I always fall on all black, but my pink blazer is definitely a great way to refresh the look. It's cooled down quite a bit, so I had to pull out tights for the first time in a while. I did my smokey eye again, since I'm obsessed with the look. Black pumps and a statement necklace completed my look.

Date night makeup...obviously obsessed with this smokey eye look
Stella & Dot Sierra Necklace

Date Night Makeup

Nars Eye Shadow Pencil in Dark Rite
Nars Eye Shadow Duo in Rated R
Mac Eye Shadow in Black Tied
Nars Blushers Dolce Vita and Exhibit A
Nars Multiple in South Beach
Nars Larger than life lippies in Tiber and Gold Digger

Friday night was date night for me and my hunny. I decided to play around with the look that I had done at the Nars counter earlier in the week. I created a smoky eye using a navy blue eye shadow pencil, bright blue and black eye shadows. I started with the blue eye shadow pencil as a base. I covered my entire lid with the pencil. I then layered on the bright blue hue from my shadow duo on top of the navy pencil. I used the black shadow in the outer corner and crease of my lid. I used the Nars multiple on my brow bone for a highlight then finished the look with black gel liner and mascara. For my cheeks, I used the dolce vita blusher first then a touch of exhibit A. Finally, I layered "Gold Digger "gloss on top of the "Tiber" gloss.

Here's how the look turned out:

Arm Candy Cravings

Arm Candy

I instagram a good amount of pics of my arm parties. I feel completely naked without my arm candy. I've been on the lookout for some new chunky bracelets for fall, and I've fallen in love with wayyy too many. I love gold jewelry because I think it looks really great against my dark skin. I still wear silver from time to time, but my go to is a chunky gold piece. I'm convinced I would have been ALL OVER the dookie chain trend in the 80s had I been old enough.

My cousin wrote a really great article on gold jewelry making a come back recently. Make sure to check it out.

ASOS studded jewelry
asos.com

Gold plated jewelry
boticca.com

Kendra Scott pink jewelry
kendrascott.com

Stella Dot cuff jewelry
stelladot.com

Givenchy chunky chain bracelet
fashion.1stdibs.com

House of Harlow 1960 yellow gold jewelry
$155 - the-dressingroom.com

If You Love It, Buy All the Colors

Banana Republic tee
H&M belt
Asos skirt
Topshop flats
Stella & Dot serenity pendant necklace

It wasn't too long ago that I rocked a maxi skirt with a thigh high split. Well I really loved the look, so I decided to go for the black one as well. Thursday called for a hair appointment and lunch in central with my hunny, so I wanted something chic and casual. I just love this maxi skirt! I wore a fitted white tee this time around and my fave (obvi) neon belt. I think I'll need to give it a rest soon. I pull that thing out for like every outfit now. I'm sure everyone is sick of seeing it!

I switched up my makeup look for the day as well. I went for a more natural look and nude lip. I purchased a tinted moisturizer from Nars a couple weeks ago that I am LOVING. It's a really great lighter alternative to the foundation I wear every day. It's really great when you want some coverage, but don't want to necessarily have a face full of makeup.

After my hair appointment, I met my hunny for lunch near his office. We did a little breakfast for lunch thing at the Breakfast Club. I've had a lot of lousy breakfasts in London (I really miss brunch in the US among other things...) but the Breakfast Club is actually quite good. I had smoked salmon and scrambled eggs with multigrain toast since I'm trying to lose a little weight before the wedding in December (!!!!!). I've had pancakes there before in the past that are almost as good as what I get at home. Almost. Good enough for now though! Anyway I loved this look for a nice day out and about.

Yet Another Summertime Dress

Found this dress at some boutique in Atlanta
Stella & Dot femme fatale necklace
Topshop ballet flats

For the last really nice day in London, I pulled out a color block dress for a day out. I spent some time at Liberty where I got my makeup done at the Nars counter. I don't really care for "makeovers" as much now that I like wearing my makeup a certain way, but it's cool to see what a different pair of eyes would choose for you. I told Francisco that I wanted to do something a little different from my usual go to toned down eyes/bright lips look. He went for a smoky eye using deep blues and blacks. I don't ever wear blue eye shadow, but he did a really great job. My only issues were the way he did my foundatino and eyebrows. I get really anal about the coverage with my foundation. I have really good skin (yay!) but that also means that makeup artists put little or no foundation on me when I go to these things. I like my skin, but I like it to look 100% flawless. My tone is a little uneven, so I like to correct that. I also have terribly thin and shapeless eyebrows. I basically fill in and draw in the nonexistent parts to look like a normal person. This man just filled in what I had. Ugh.

In spite of my own little neuroses, I did purchase a few of the products to duplicate the look. We'll see how it looks when I try it on my own. It was a little early for such a dramatic smoky eye, but sunglasses quickly resolved that problem. I'm curious what a day time smokey eye might look like. Kris Jenner pulls it off quite well.

The weather has cooled again here, so I'll be back in layers next week. I can't wait for fall though! Gotta love boots season!

Summer Uniforms

H&M dress
Sam Edelman sandals
Prada shades

Last week we had hot sticky summer weather. I would have appreciated it much more if the humidity wasn't suffocating me. I spent the morning walking around Borough Market with my hunny. We enjoyed some brats for lunch, walked from stand to stand looking for yummy treats, and finally stopped at a Sangria stand to enjoy some Sangria on our way home.

For my little day trip, I slipped into my summer uniform - sundress and sandals. Gotta love a nude dress...perfect backdrop for bright lips and colorful accessories.

Style Repeats

Whistles dress
H&M belt
Sam Edelman sandals
Prada shades

I blogged this dress a few weeks ago when I wore it to church. I pulled out my hot pink Whistles dress again for an afternoon at the hair salon and a late lunch with my hunny. I just adore Whistles dresses. They're so chic and versatile. I always feel like it was money well spent when I can wear a piece multiple ways to different events. I love the bright hue of this dress against my skin tone. Perfect casual fit for a warm sunny day!

I like being at least a little glam when I head to the hair salon. I always have a little boost of confidence when my hair is whipped, so I like my look to reflect that. I had a Brazilian blowout done this week, and I really like the results. My hair is straight, full and bouncy. I'm not sure if this is cheating since I'm supposed to be ditching chemical straighteners, but whatever. I like the way my hair turned out. I think I'll stick with this for a while.

Maxi Skirts and Thigh High Splits

Asos knit tee and maxi skirt
Sam Edelman sandals
Rebecca Minkoff handbag

I've been seeing maxi skirts all around London, but I wasn't really sure how I could pull it off. I've never been a boho kind of girl, and I'm not about to start now. This is my first attempt at the maxi skirt. I got this one from Asos. I love the thigh high slit and could barely resist giving a little Angelina Jolie action every few minutes. I went for a simple grey knit tee and flat sandals since I was just going to see a movie with my hunny. The skirt is quite long, (I pulled it up under my bra urkel style to wear with flat sandals) so I'm excited to pair it with wedges for a dressier look at some point.

The maxi skirt is a really great transitional piece for fall. I've already found the perfect booties to wear with this once it cools down.

Peplum Love

Miss Selfridges peplum top
American Apparel leggings
Dolce Vita sandals

Like pretty much everyone, I am loving the peplum this season. It's such a flattering shape for much everyone, and the fit can chic up just about any outfit. I'm conscious of how much I wear peplum tops and dresses because there's this woman who's been on several shoots I've worked on who wears them constantly...like so much so that we refer to her as the peplum lady. I don't want to be "that girl". Anyway, I love this pastel number because it's a nice, casual take on the trend. I paired it with leggings to meet a friend for coffee. I wore some big earrings for a refreshing change since I usually go for necklaces these days.

I met a friend for coffee at Heathrow since his layover was too short to come into the city. It's crazy that I've been meeting up with more people now that I live across the pond. No one came to see me in Chicago...just saying.

Chocolate Tour!

Saturday afternoon I went on a 2 1/2 hour chocolate walking tour around west London. We visited a few chocolate shops, sampled some truffles, and learned all about the queen's favorite chocolate shops in London. I really loved the salted caramel filled chocolates at the Paul. A. Jones shop. We also stopped at Laduree where I got to get some macaroons....my favorite!

H&M Leggings and top
Topshop vest
Converse sneakers
Marc by Marc Jacobs crossbody bag
Stella & Dot fringe necklace

I threw on my favorite vest with a white tee and chucks for a comfy casual look. I opted for a crossbody bag so I wouldn't have to lug around my life all afternoon long. I just got this Stella & Dot fringe necklace earlier this week, and I am in LOVE. I love how it made this pretty low key outfit just a little more cool. Gotta love a good statement necklace.

Stella & Dot and Topshop Arm party

Stella & Dot Fringe Necklace

Stylist Chronicles: Cover Drive Video

The very first project I worked on was styling extras for the Cover Drive Explode video. Because we didn't style the main artist, there was a good amount of down time which made it the perfect no pressure  first day!

Check out the video below:

Tall Girls Love Their Heels Too

I ventured out to the Westfield shopping center in Shepherd's Bush for lunch with a fellow American and some window shopping. Yes, window shopping. I wasn't particularly moved enough by anything to make any fun purchases. I pulled out this dress from Whistles for my day out and about. I added my go to neon belt to bring my waist in and add a pop of color. I typically wear my Pegasus necklace against plain tops, but I thought it would be fun to add it to a printed dress for a different look.

Whistles dress
H&M belt
Jeffery Campbell platforms
Stella & Dot Pegasus necklace

While I walking about this guy decided to get all into my life and ask why I would wear heels when I'm already so tall. Being the nice person that I am, I asked him why he didn't wear them too since he's so short. I think the argument against taller women wearing heels is interesting. Most women wear heels because they're uber feminine, improve your posture, elongate your legs, etc etc. Why would a taller woman not want to take advantage of those benefits? I know that some tall women are insecure about their height and prefer not to wear heels. That's fine. You should wear what makes you feel comfortable. I feel comfortable wearing high heels. The higher heels, the closer God. High heels, high hopes. All of that. There's nothing more irritating then someone projecting their insecurities on you.

When I was living in Chicago, my little boss made several comments about my height. He even went as far as to ask me not to wear heels when we went on meetings together. Despite him being 2x my age, he was concerned that people would think that I was the manager. I was new on the job, and still trying to decide if my boss was a jackass or not, so I went along with it and wore flats when we went on meetings together. In the back of my mind I always wondered how many people had this same way of thinking. Celebrity stylist June Ambrose whom I adore even tweeted once that taller girls should stick to lower heels. I was really disappointed to hear that since she's such an advocate for personal style. Why should taller women stick to lower heels? To make shorter people feel better? If that's the case, then should short women wear really high heels? I think everyone should wear what they feel comfortable in (within reason of course) and everyone else should keep their opinions to themselves.

I Guess I Got My Swagger Back

Topshop top
Joe's Jeans
Saks Fifth Avenue brand wedges
Kooba bag
Prada shades

 I finally found someone to do my hair! I got my hair blown out today at the Patrick Ludde salon, and Vernon is now my favorite person in London. I am so happy to finally have my bouncy hair back! I'll be saying bye bye to my hair extensions now. I've missed my little bob. Anyway, today was a really casual day of pampering for me. After enjoying some lunch, I got my hair whipped in Mayfair before heading back to my side of town to get a pedicure. I must have been on a winning streak today because my pedicure was also excellent. (I've been to 4 crap nail salons prior to today) I wore a sweatshirt top with distressed sleeves, skinny jeans and wedges. The sun was in and out so I kept it douchey and left my shades on all day. I don't have time for the on and off game.

Mac Amber lights and Nars Brousse shadow duo
Bobbi Brown gel liner
Nars Exhibit A blusher
Nars Red Square Velvet Matte Lip pencil (Mac Redd lip liner)

Stella & Dot and Tiffany's arm parties
Stella & Dot Odette earrings