i literally just gasped when i saw this dress

elie saab fall 2011 couture. model: mirte mass

i mean, seriously. apart from a pair of jeans on sale (that fits!), an old couple holding hands and a giggling baby, is there anything more beautiful?

writing again

i've gone away from writing stories for a while, and it sucks. my problem has never been starting, but saying "what's next?" and answering that question. i have a million three-page stories that go no where.

i've always wanted to be a published writer, not just a writer. when i was younger, i wanted to be a pulitzer-prize-winning published writer. i think that idea has gone by the wayside. these days it would be a massive accomplishment to finish something. so i'm trying. you can't write nothing, i read somewhere once. it might be crap, but that's not the point. it's getting written.

current writing inspirational song: bon iver, "holocene"

the perfect non-neutral neutral lipstick

i'm not a big drugstore makeup buyer - for good reason. most of it is as cheap in quality as it is in price, and i'd rather pay more for a better product. HOWEVER, if i have, have, have to buy makeup at walmart, i go for l'oreal or revlon every time. more expensive than cover girl (or zeus forbid, her evil stepsister maybelline), but there is a correlation between price and quality with makeup.
one of those exceptions is my new favorite lipstick, in a neutral-but-not-quite-neutral color. revlon colorburst lipstick in peach is a fabulously flattering shade that compliments every skin tone - perfect when you need just that little bit of color. the light melon shade will bring out the pinks in your cheeks and is so suited for summer - though i'll be using this lippy for a long time.

orange lips are popping up on red carpets everywhere, but this look can be really hard to pull off. major props (do people still say props?) to emma watson, who paired her bright orange lips with a neon chartreuse dress at the after-party for the mtv movie awards - and looked a-mah-zing.

the peach lip is a way to stay on trend and still remain neutral. at $9, revlon colorburst lipstick definitely on the high end for drugstore makeup, but this is one color i'm going to be wearing for a while.

credit to bubz for pointing this out to me in her bridal look video.

monday must-haves

so it's monday, and i've had to have my finger pricked today, which on any normal day would make me cranky - but i lost just a little weight over the weekend. i'll take what i can get.

here's my must-have for this could-have-been-bad-but-is-actually-good monday:

kate spade maryanne bag, on sale for $187

until i can afford chanel, this shall fill my quota for one gorgeous quilted bag. oh who am i kidding? this is BETTER than chanel. look at that color. shocking pink actually does go with everything - just don't wear more than one piece of it at a time. this is the kind of accessory i would wear to dress up jeans and a button down (with bright yellow flats, of course!) or an LBD out to dinner. i love everything about this bag, especially the price.

makeup review: buxom lip plumper

i confess: i'm a sucker for lip gloss. and lip stick, and lip stains. pretty much any makeup. it's hard to go grocery shopping without picking up something.

in the lippy area, i tend towards glosses. my lips tend to be dry, so i gravitate towards products that i can actually feel on my lips. buxom lip plumpers come in a multitude of colors and instantly work the moment you put them on. my lips feel tingly and cool, and i especially love the color. i went with destiny, a peachy color that is super flattering, especially for summer. i ordered this product a few weeks ago, and just ordered a second tube because i've used it so much. at $18, buxom lip plumpers are on the low end of sephora's price scale, making them even more worth it.

bottom line: two out of two lips plumped to perfection, yummy taste and smell and perfect color. i am now obsessed!

my brother, the husband

there was a moment at my brother's wedding when i almost messed up.


i was the first bridesmaid down the aisle, and i almost left early, dragging a groomsman with me. i felt my face go red, and i stopped and breathed and waited. the music changed, i counted to four, and off we went to witness my little brother get married.

little is a wrong word to describe him. i don't think he's been little to me for 12 years. i went from wanting the house to myself to wanting to be cool in his eyes. i was never the cool older sister. i was the band geek, the girl who shopped too much, the second mother he didn't need. i tried to stop caring. i ached for phone calls. i relished visits in college from him - then was disappointed the lame house party with the pony keg wasn't the sorority event he thought he was getting. but as we've gotten older, i've realized how alike we are.

we're both sensitive - very sensitive. we both have an affinity for strange family heirlooms. we're both gross. we both cuss a lot. we understand the value of hard work. we're very loyal.

i've gotten the question that every single sibling whose younger brother/sister gets married first gets: "are you upset your younger brother is gettting married first?" because apparently there's a rule against that. and it's also their business.

no, i'm not upset because - and i'm not just saying this - i love my sister. i can't even call her my sister-in-law. that sounds forced. or like some bad rom-com. she is perfect for my brother. she's also my polar opposite, which i also love about her. i love my brother, but i always wanted a sister i could shop with or talk clothes or just be girly around. jack's not the only one whose dreams are coming true. she's the happy ending. and i'm so, so happy she's part of my family.

a tragedy in italy

today the cycling world suffered a horrifying loss. wouter weylandt, a 26-year-old belgian cyclist, died during a descent in the third stage of the giro d'italia.

wouter just joined the schleck brothers' leopard-trek team at the beginning of the year. he spent most of his professional career with the quickstep team, and he was one of the most talented sprinters in the pro cycling world.

his death is particularly horrible because he leaves behind teammates, fans and his girlfriend - who is five months pregnant.

cycling is a dangerous sport. i watch it whenever i can, and i'm constantly squeezing my eyes shut as the cyclists peel down some of the highest mountains in the world with nothing between them and the pavement (or a ravine) but flimsy spandex. each death, when it happens is rare - but also profound. when andrei kivilev died during paris-nice, the uci (cycling's governing body) instituted a mandatory helmet rule.

but when you're traveling upwards of 70-80 mph down a mountain road that curls like a raging river, sometimes surrounded by other cyclists, hovering at the mercy of your milimeter-thin wheels - what can you do? what can we do as fans but love the sport for what it is? wouter died during one of the three Grand Tours (the other two are the vuelta a españa and of course the tour de france). in this sport there is no bigger stage, no better example of why we love it than the sight of a cyclist in a colorful jersey whipping down a mountain, for a moment like he is flying - hands in the air, victorious.

wouter was one of the best. he will be missed. and more importantly - remembered.

could i pull off a romper?

i don't ask myself important rhetorical questions - instead, i ask stuff like "could i pull of this adorable romper?"


srsly. adorable. (i really almost wrote adorbs. wow, sad but true.)

too bad it's $195. (wtf, j. crew?)

p.s. i called it about that casbah scarf - it's already sold out in green. really pissed i didn't buy it last week.

the royal wedding

ah. today was the day that i had been waiting for ever since the couple became engaged in november - and it did not disappoint.

oh what a lovely wedding. the music was gorgeous, the men looked so handsome and the dress - the dress was perfect. she truly got every detail right. even her earrings with their little diamond oak leaves paid tribute to her home in berkshire. i loved how she chose a smaller (but still stunning) tiara and bouquet. the trees in the abbey were absolutely gorgeous. and how can i forget the hats? america is SO overdue hats. i almost bought a birdcage hat at target last year, and am seriously regretting that i didn't.

the couple - now known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - are just adorable. i loved how he said, "you're so beautiful" when she arrived to him after that long walk up the aisle. i loved their two (!) kisses - he was even charming enough to blush. and just when you thought they couldn't get any cuter, they appeared after the Queen's reception in charles's aston martin, complete with balloons attached to the back. i half-expected cans.

more commentary tomorrow on the rest of the fashion, but today has been lovely. it started at 4:15 a.m. for me, and was totally worth it. i snuggled with my cat on the couch, huge mug of coffee (with "it's hard being a princess" written on it!), tiara in my bed head and a smile on my face the whole time.

photo via the British Monarchy's flickr account (yes, they even have their own flickr!)

10 reasons why i would make a bad (british) princess

1. i cuss a lot. if you read this blog, you'll agree.
2. curtsying is stupid.
3. i'm (ex) catholic. apparently there's some process to become an official ex-catholic, but i think that's ridiculous and refuse to do that, therefore my poor husband would have to give up his rights to the throne. and i just couldn't have that.
4. the milk in england was bad. not bad bad, as in spoiled, just bad as in it didn't taste like the milk i'm used to.
5. my accent. not the prettiest.
6. have i mentioned how stupid curtsying is?
7. if i'm feeling a certain way, you will know it. i don't have a poker face.
8. i really, really like where i live.
9. same goes for work.
10. do they have target in england? no? then forget it.