Style Spotlight: Rachel Bilson

If I had to pick one girl whose casual style I love the most, Rachel wins.

Why?

Her outfits are often comprised of items I already own. And if I have a lot of her basics, chances are so do you.

White blouse? Check.
Dark wash skinnies? Check
Brown belt and shoes? Check
Sunglasses? Check
Dog? Sadly, no. But I can borrow one. Her pup is named Thurman Murman. Cute!

I just bought a new black blazer (haven't even worn it yet) and you can bet I'll be adding a striped shirt and grey jeans with it someday. I love her fedora too.

The black blazer and bottoms would be great with almost any color shirt underneath. Try a solid in a crazy bright color to make it hot for spring 2012.

The pieces are so simple, but she looks amazing.

Yes, her outfits are probably super-expensive. BUT.... they're basics. You can buy the $30 version of the blazer instead of the $500 version. It won't be as high quality, but it'll do the trick for as long as it stays intact! A trick for buying lower priced items - check the seams by giving them a gentle tug. Any substantial give at the seam means it won't hold up for very long.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Bring on the Bright

Spring fever has hit! What a great season for people who like to wear color... I can't remember fashion being this bright for a long time. Coming from a girl who loves her neutrals, color is a trend that's totally refreshing.

Details:
Shirt: Dynamite (Halifax)
Skirt, necklace, and belt: Forever 21 (South Portland)
Shoes: Nine West (Las Vegas)
Sunglasses: Coach (South Portland)
Earrings: Gap (Las Vegas)
Rings: H&M (Dartmouth) Close up in this post.

On nails: Base is NYC Park Avenue. Dots are Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Extreme Wear in Mint Sorbet and Fuchsia Power

I wore this to a friend's wedding shower and the skirt is so comfortable. It's my goal for the summer to wear skirts more and shorts less.

Do you prefer shorts or skirts when the weather is hot?

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Houseguest

R and I looked after Jessie for the weekend. When she saw the camera, she begged to be dressed up and have her picture taken.

Details:

Cardigan: Dynamite (Halifax) $5 last week!

Tank: Zara (Toronto)

Skirt: American Apparel (Halifax)

Shoes: Nine West (Las Vegas)

Bracelet: gift

Necklace:Forever 21 (LA)

Belt: Forever 21 (South Portland)

Earrings: What on Earth (Dartmouth)

Jessie is wearing aviators from American Eagle Outfitters and an old and unknown scarf. I think her dog tag adds some edginess to her ensemble. Heehee!

These shoes are very comfy, but the bottom on them isn't great so I may get them re-soled.

On my toes: Sally Hansen Hard as Nails in Fuchsia Power

What's your favorite polish for your toes? I'm always looking for something new to try!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

May Glymm

No more pretty pink boxes.... Glymm has made the switch to pink cosmetic bags. I'll miss the boxes, but the bags are cute too!

Product description card

I was really impressed with my Glymm this month!

First up is a sample of his and hers CK one Shock perfume. I like the scent - the main top note is passionflower.

Next is something that I was going to have to go out and buy this week anyway - I love when Glymm saves me money! This is a lip and eye serum, and I'm down to my last few uses of eye cream. I haven't tried it yet. It's a generous sample (about half the amount you usually get in a full size) and I'm quite sure it'll last me at least two months.

Coola Mineral Matte Cucumber Face Sunscreen (that's a lot of words) dries quickly to a powder finish. It's SPF 30 and doesn't leave an oily feeling like some other sunscreens. It actually works sort of like a primer. My skin looked more even after I applied it. I had to rub it in well to aviod white patches, but overall I liked the feel of it.

Next is a sample sized conditioner from Nu.Me - Hydropunch Hydrating Conditioner.I'll save this one for traveling.

Two oddly shaped little packets are next. These are Caudalie Vinosource Moisturising Sorbet (not the ice cream kind) and Vinosource SOS Thirst Quenching Serum. These people need to be more careful with their words. Both of them sound like I should eat them. I won't.

Last is this month's full size product!

Cargo Eyeshadow Duo in Vienna.

The colors are darker in the pot than they actually are on the skin. They look nice for an evening look (too shimmery for daytime for me) but I'll have to be careful to hold a tissue on my cheek or something when I apply them because I ended up with sparkle face.

If you'd like your own Glymm, you can use my link to subscribe.
http://www.glymm.com/share/jennifermerlin

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Hey Sailor!

MAC had a little party on May 15 to launch their new line called Hey Sailor. I got an invite... and really, how can a girl say no to cocktails, nibblies, and make-up? AND I got to dress in sailor theme!

The packaging for the new line was striped (my scarf blended right in...)

Such a shame that I forgot my camera for the event. This picture was snapped after I got home.

Details:

Shirt: Jacob (Toronto)

Jeans: Guess (Moments, Truro)

Shoes: Merona (Target, Plainville, Mass.)

Scarf: H&M (Vancouver)

Bracelet: market in Cuba

Anchor necklace: Forever 21 (LA)

Earrings: What on Earth (Dartmouth)

I was a good girl and only bought one eyeliner. It's called Bountiful Brown, and it's not part of the new line. There was a brownish-gold eyeliner with Hey Sailor, but it was too light for my liking.

It's a great everyday brown shade. I haven't tried it on my eyes yet....I need to use up the current one I have first! What's your favorite MAC product?

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Brunching it Up

Ah.... gotta love new shoes! These are another purchase from my weekend of shopping and Chili Peppers. I think this is the first time I've bought the brand Merona from Target. So comfy and so affordable. I picked up the nail polish there too (Sally Hansen Hard as Nails in Mint Sorbet).

Chocolate Lake in Halifax for Mothers' Day brunch

Details:

Shirt : H&M (Toronto)

Skirt: Zara (NYC)

Shoes: Merona from Target (Plainville, Mass)

Bracelet: unknown boutique in St. John's, Newfoundland
Sunglasses: D&G (Sunglass Hut, Dartmouth)

Too bad you cant see my earrings and necklace. Didn't I just say a few posts ago that I can't get a blog photo that doesn't need a little adjustment?



Note the patient photographer reflected in my bracelet....

I hope all my Canadian readers had a lovely Victoria Day weekend. I was hit with a bad head cold, but managed to get some quality time in with one of my favorite friends who I don't get to see nearly enough. She gifted me a belated birthday gift in an amazing color... I'm sure you'll see it on me soon! Thanks Janet. xo

I've joined Twitter! You can follow me by clicking on the Twitter button near the top right of my home page.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

By the Way

Everyone needs to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers perform live. It should be a requirement.

I could write a looong post on everything that was amazing about their concert at TD Gardens in Boston... but I'll keep it short and sweet.

They played a fabulous mix of new, old, and really old stuff. It was so hard to believe that the core members of the group are nearing fifty. They were flinging themselves around the stage like teenagers.



We had really great seats!

Before the show started.... could I be more thrilled to be there? Nope.

I disliked how these outfit photos turned out. They were taken in the dim hotel hallway. I meant to stop and get decent shots on the way to the concert, but I was so flipping excited I forgot.

Details:

Sleeveless Cardigan and Tank Top: Forever 21 (LA)

Glasses: D&G (my friendly Truro opthamologist's office)

Necklace: Gift

Jeans (yes, again): American Eagle Outfitters (Halifax)

Sandals: Aldo (Vancouver)

Belt: Old and Unknown

Bracelet: boutique in St. John's, Newfoundland

Watch: Guess (Vancouver)

If I had massive amounts of money, I'd follow RHCP all over the world, watch every show, and never get sick of them.

XOXO

Glitterary Girl

Sightseeing in Style

Boston was so much fun! A few people told me that it would remind me of Halifax, but n a much larger scale, and they were right.

R and I did a hop-on hop-off trolley tour, taking us to most of the major tourist spots. It was nice to be able to get off the trolley to see some of the sights close-up. Our longest hop-off may have had something to do with The Cheesecake Factory (which is our favorite attraction in all the major US cities).



Hanging out at Boston Common

Details:

T-shirt and Jeans: American Eagle (Halifax)

Necklace: Gift from Tiffany and Co.

Earrings: Old and unknown

Bracelet: Suzy Shier (Truro)

Watch: Guess (Vancouver)

Belt: Old and unknown

Sunglasses: D&G (Sunglass Hut, Dartmouth)

Sneakers: Converse (Wrenthem, Mass.)

I was so pleased with how comfy my new Chucks were. This was my first time wearing them and they were perfect for city strolling. I was worried because the soles on the "girl ones" are so much thinner than the unisex ones.

I wear my colored denim soooo much.

Boston, you're beautiful. Thanks for having us!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Novel-Tea: Part 7

I was immediately drawn in by the first chapter of this book. I HAD to know the backstory as to why two former best friends were so painfully awkward when bumped into each other randomly.

Friends Like Us by Lauren Fox was a page-turner for me. The love-triangle aspect reminded me a lot of one of my favorite chick-lit books, Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin. I admit, I was a bit disappointed with the ending. It was vague, and I like my endings all tied up with a pretty bow on top. Despite the ending, I really enjoyed it and it was worth the read. I'm going to read her first book Still Life With Husband.... but I have sooooo many books on my to-read list. It's insane. This blogging thing is super-fun but it cuts into the time I used to spend reading.

The tea I chose to tell you about today is called Bear Trap by DAVIDsTEA.

I've had it both hot and iced and it's really good etiher way. It's a very strong fruity flavour - nothing subtle about this one!

Barely steeped

It turns a lovely magenta colour as it steeps.

Fully steeped

My querying process continues.... so far, thirteen emails sent and six replies. All were no, but a few were kind enough to urge me to continue trying, as they were interested (apparently this a key word in agent-speak) but it wasn't the right personal fit for them.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Birdy Blue

I finally bought a bird shirt! I've been longing for an animal themed piece for a few months now and even posted on the dress version of this print back in March.

Details:

Shirt and Skirt: H&M (Dartmouth)

Tank: American Eagle Outlet (Kitterey, Maine)

Cardigan: H&M (Vancouver)

Sandals: Aldo (Vancouver) 

Necklace: Gift from Tiffany and Co.

Watch: Guess (Vancouver)

Bracelet: Old and unknown

Sunglasses: D&G (Dartmouth)

I wore this on a marathon day of shopping at the Premium Outlets in Wrenthem (yes, R survived and wasn't even cranky about it).

Happy Mothers' Day to all of the moms out there, including mine who is seriously the kindest lady alive and a loyal reader of Glitterary Girl (but hasn't become a follower yet.... what's up with that, Betty?)

“Most of all the other beautiful things in life come by twos and threes by dozens and hundreds. Plenty of roses, stars, sunsets, rainbows, brothers, and sisters, aunts and cousins, but only one mother in the whole world.” -Kate Douglas Wiggin


XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Color of the Year.... Diluted

Until recently, I had no idea that Color of the Year existed.

2012's color (as chosen by Pantone) is Tangerine Tango. I'm a big fan of this color. It just happens to go nicely with fair skin and blue eyes....

I wore a diluted version of this color for an evening of shopping in South Portland at The Maine Mall and TJ Maxx. If I look a bit tired, it's because I'd just traveled for ten hours in a car.

Details:

Shirt: Gap (Halifax)

Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters (Halifax)

Shoes: Miz Mooz (Town Shoes, Toronto)

Bag: Coach (Las Vegas)

Belt: Gap (Halifax)

Necklace: Le Chateau (Halifax)

Earrings: Old and unknown

Watch: Guess (Vancouver)

Bracelet: The Black Market (Halifax)

My necklace wasn't sitting flat. Did you notice? I always wonder if little things like that are noticeable to anyone but me. I can't ever seem to take a blog photo that doesn't need a little tweak....

Have a great weekend!
XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Style Spotlight: Audrina

Oh, the girls of The Hills..... how I miss your fashions.

Truthfully, I'm a fan of all of their fashions and will likely spotlight each of them at some point. I started with Audrina because when I was trying to decide what to wear to the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert, I asked myself.... WWAW?  (What would Audrina wear)

Remember when she'd go out and watch Justin Bobby's band? She dressed so well in rocker-chick style. She's a fan of leather (like me!) but she's edgier. So when I was picking out my concert outfit, I asked WWAW, then toned it down a notch to make it more like me.

OMG, I love this. So simple yet SO stylish.

Nude heels make legs look loooooong. Black bra = tiny bit badass.

I love the metal detail. I almost phoned her to see if she'd let me borrow this shirt for the concert.

Our roadtrip was so much fun! The Chili Peppers were amazing.... I wish they toured more often! Check back for outfit posts from the trip in the coming week.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl



City Getaway Packing Tips

There are two kinds of packers:

A) Those who throw random things in a suitcase and end up having to wear a a denim jacket with jeans (a very select few can pull this off and I'm not one of them).

B) Those who are like me.

I've had many friends raise their eyebrows at me when I pull out my pack list and style itinerary. What's my style itinerary, you ask?

What I plan to wear, every day. Right down to the socks, accessories and undies. And I try it all on before I pack it.

It may be a bit extreme, but I assure you I've never had the hot wave of panic that I imagine would exist if a girl were to glance in a reflective shop window on Rodeo Drive and see her black polka dot underwear through white pants.

When packing for a trip, the two most basic things to consider are

• The special considerations of the place you're heading to. Please check the local weather forecast and browse the internet for travel tips before you zip your suitcase. There are places where a rainjacket is needed on a regular basis (Vancouver) and Pepto Bismol is a food group (Caribbean).
• The type of activities you'll be doing. Yes those strappy platform sandals are cute and you just had a fun pink pedicure, but after eight hours of city sightseeing your feet will be raw and bleeding. Not pretty.

R and I are headed to Maine and Massachusetts this weekend on a road trip to spend some quality time together, visit a shop or two (only for a quick moment...), and see Red Hot Chili Peppers. I can't talk about the concert right now because I'm writing this in Starbucks and I'll get too giddy.

I'm taking this suitcase:



By Foxy Jeans. 80% off at the Bay two years ago. Got this carry-on size and the large one.

It holds a surprising amount of stuff.

I like to pack a few days in advance.... it gives me time to "not forget".

Here's a copy of the 'pack list' I keep in my dresser drawer for quick reference. It saves me a lot of time to have a reminder of common things I need. I don't always need all items but it helps to skim over them.

Clothes (shirts, pants, belts, shoes, sneakers, underthings, socks, jackets, bathing suits).
Make up
Face cream (day and night)
Eye Cream
Q Tips
Body lotion
Shampoo and conditioner/other hair products
Deodorant
Face wash
Shower cap
Earplugs
PJ's
Hair clips, ties, headbands
Brush/comb
Hair appliances (curling iron/flat iron/hair dryer)
Sunscreen
Jewelry
Camera and charger
Books
Laptop and charger
iPod
Wristlet
Medications (don't forget headache remedies)
Bandaids (I told you not to wear those sandals)
Local currency
Toothbrush and toothpaste (floss is always in my handbag)
Passport
Tickets to event (I would DIE if I left my RHCP tickets at home)

My toiletries go in this case from LL Bean.

It's waterproof so if anything liquid spills, it won't get on the rest of my stuff.

I hoard travel sizes of lotions, shampoos, conditioners, etc and I also have small bottles if I decide to decant something (although when I do that, I seem to waste some).

I try to limit my footwear by choosing outfits that I can wear with the same shoes.

I make sure the handbag I bring goes with everything I'm wearing. I'm bringing my champagne Coach tote this weekend. It's a really versatile color and holds a lot of things.

So, this will be my last post til the middle of next week. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

I've recently added a little Facebook "like" icon at the top of my page. If you'd like to follow me on Facebook, click away.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

April Glymm Box

April showers bring pretty pink boxes filled with goodies!

First up is a sample of Free Your Mane shampoo and conditioner. I'm saving this for my trip to Maine/Massachusetts this coming weekend. It has various oils (Argan, Pomegranate, Sweet Almond) so I'm hoping it's good at moisurizing my newly-colored locks. They're thirsty....

Lately I've been loving the perfume samples! So strange for me since I'm usually terribly picky with scents. This sample of Orange Sanguine Fragrance is made by Atelier Cologne. It reminds me of a more subtle version of The Body Shop's Satsuma ( I wore it in high school). It's a great summer scent. They included a cute postcard that looks like a breakfast table of someone on a cottage holiday.

Isn't this the prettiest packaging? I haven't tried this soap from Lucia yet.... I admit, it looks too cute to open. The scent is Ginger and Fig (mmm.... Fig Newton).

The full sized product this month was Mai Couture Social Gloss in the shade G'Vinity. It's slightly vanilla-scented and not goopy. I was really hoping it would be a (free!) replacement for my MAC Lipglass in C-Thru. I have pigmented lips and I like having a gloss that actually takes color away instead of adding it. This gloss is too sheer to hide my lip color and too sparkly for daytime. I love the look for evening though! At $28 retail, this was a great item!

 

Also, there was a $100 gift code for the Nu.Me website. I checked it out and they sell hair dryers, flat irons, curling wands, and hair extensions. The curling wand I want is $145, but with my discount I can get it for $45 plus $15 for shipping. I haven't decided if I'll get it yet. The coupon is good for several months, so I have some time to think on it.

Visit the Glymm website and use my link to get your own Glymm Box. It's so much fun to get in the mail once a month, and a good deal at $10 plus tax.

http://www.glymm.com/share/jennifermerlin

XOXO

Glitterary Girl