Glymm Bag June 2012

Another month, another bag.... in blue this time! I love the different colors. Great for organizing.

It's like they knew I have a crush on cobalt. The bag is actually darker than the pic looks.

These are great little nail polish remover wipes! They smell amazing, leave the nails moisturized, and one wipe took off all 10 fingers of glitter polish. For those of you who don't wear glitter, it's much harder to remove than regular polish. The wipe was destroyed by the end of it but did the job well.

Eco Beauty La Fresh Acetone-free Nailpolish Remover

Too musky for me. Enough said.

Salvadore Dali ItIsDream

I haven't tried this mask yet, but I'm shocked that this tiny pot is supposed to provide 10-14 samples. I'll try it soon (in a paper thin layer). I really like the packaging.

Clark's Botanicals Intense Radiance Mask

I usually buy oil free things, so I'm a bit skeptical of a skin oil. I tried it last night. It felt nice on my skin and I didnt wake up to any skin disasters.

Vitamine & Sea Perfect Skin Solution

The full-size product for the month is a combination lip balm and lip color. The packaging is super-fun. The balm pops out of one end and the color out of the other. You have to push one side in to make the other pop out! I tried this on my lips as soon as I saw it and the color was light (Soft Pink) but the formula was opaque enough to show up on my lips.  The balm felt great too!

Harmony by Belvada:- the color (Soft Pink)

The balm

If you'd like your own Glymm (Canada only at this time), please use my link to sign up. It's so fun to get a surprise every month in the mail! You can earm points by referring friends and taking product surveys and use the points to get discounts from the on-line store.

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

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Novel-Tea: Part 10

I left my Kobo in the box for 3 weeks before I started it up. I wanted one.... but I think a part of me was resistant to actually use it. I thought I'd miss holding a real book and turning the pages.

Now that I've read a few books on it, I can't believe I was so stubborn.

I love my Kobo.

Pretty pink cover! A Kobo Touch in black is inside.

It takes me less time to read on the Kobo. I've set the size of the type to medium, meaning there are fewer words on the page. For someone who gets distracted as easily as I do, this means less time trying to find the last line I read before my mind drifted elsewhere.

I was late to read The Secret Daughter. I was enthralled with the story from start to finish and it's one of the books that will stick with me for a long time. It didn't end how I expected it to, but it was still satisfying.

Read this if you haven't yet!

My tea of the moment is Organic Blueberry Jam by DAVIDsTEA. This stuff is soooo scented that it makes my whole kitchen smell like blueberries every time I open the bag. I hope they keep this one around!

I decided to find a dress that fit the blueberry theme, so I found this one worn by the lovely Lauren Conrad. Such a flattering shape and the color is stunning!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Rain? Check.

I have a closet full (seriously... overflowing) with cute summer things.

I wish I could wear them.

Weekday weather has been (mostly) beautiful lately. Then the weekend comes and the rain sets in.

Details:

Cardigan: Joe Fresh (Halifax)

Tee: French Connection (Toronto)

Tank and earrings: Le Chateau (Halifax)

Jeans: Guess by Marciano (Vancouver)

Shoes: Miz Mooz (Town Shoes, Toronto)

Bag: Coach (gift)

Bracelet: boutique in Newfoundland

Long Necklace: Forever 21 (LA)

Short Necklace: American Eagle Outfitters (Halifax)

Hat: Element (late but great Margolians, Truro)

Since joining Pinterest, I've been spending far too much time looking at/trying new nailpolish techniques. Evidence below.

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtremewear in Fuchsia Power, Ocean nail laquer in White Opal, OPI Glitter Topcoat in Nutcracker Sweet

Use the button near the top right of my page to follow me on Pinterest! I'd love to see what all of you have on your boards.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Pretty Little Liars Style: Spencer

Of all the Pretty Little Liars, Spencer has the most preppy style. She grew up playing tennis at the country club and her style reflects this (think blouses, riding boots, and blazers).

The stylists from Pretty Little Liars say Spencer's outfits are often from Gap, Ralph Lauren, Club Monaco, J Crew, Theory, and Donna Karen.

 http://shopyourtv.tumblr.com/ is a fun website that tells you where you can find clothes from your favorite TV shows. Spencer's maxi dress from this week's episode is made by Dolce Vita. Such a beautiful color!

 This is a photo of Troian Bellisario off-set.

When I wear a hat, I don't wear bold earrings, thinking they would compete with each other. Troian is owning this look though! Seriously stunning. Big earrings with a hat is now on my "to wear" list.

Mixed neutrals are one of my favorite things to wear. This outfit has grey, black, tan, and brown living in perfect harmony.

I hope you enjoy my Style Spotlights. They're fun to create!

Has anyone else been watching Justin Bieber's TV special? I would love to cradle rob see him in concert someday.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

In Full Swing

I love it when my friends feed my scarf collection (cuz I'm starting to feel like an addict when I buy them myself).

We got a new swing for the deck. It took R four hours (um... I mean.... not long at all) to put it together, but the result was well worth it!

Details:

Scarf: Gift (Forever 21) thanks Janet xo

Shirt: Smart Set (Halifax)

Pants: Lucky Brand (Toronto)

Sandals: Nine West (Las Vegas)

Belt: Gap (Halifax)

Bracelet: random store in Fiji

Earrings: Silpada

Sunnies: Guess (TJ Maxx, South Portland)

I'm sure we'll enjoy relaxing on the swing all summer. Do you have a relaxing retreat in the backyard?

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Shorty

I've finally come to terms with it. I'm vertically challenged

At 5'3'' I'm probably on the high end of what's considered petite. There are a lot of advantages to being on the smaller side including being able to score items in the kids' section from time to time. I'll never buy an adult ski jacket again after finding the exact same Burton jacket as mine in the juniors' section for almost half of what I paid for the adult version. Grr.

I found this blazer in the petite section at Ann Taylor. It's nice to have the proper sleeve length! Shhh.... I never have anything tailored. The What Not to Wear team would be angry.

Details:

Blazer: Ann Taylor (Wrentham)

Shirt: Guess (Vancouver)

Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters (Halifax)

Belt: Levis (Halifax)

Sandals: Old Navy (Dartmouth)

Necklace: Joe Fresh (Halifax)

Hat: Le Chateau (gift)

Do you use tailoring when things don't fit perfectly? Is the expense worth it?

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Small Mall Haul

So, I went shopping today. A quick trip to Bath and Body Works (from which I bought nada.... big sale but stuff was very picked over) turned into a slightly longer stay at the mall.

My first stop was David's Tea to fill up my mug with $1 iced tea. I tried Secret Weapon, which is a white tea with gogi berries, licorice, cocoa nibs, blue cornflower, orange peel, and almonds. It was so delicious. The almond flavour stood out to me the most. I will be purchasing this to take home soon!

Aerie had a great sale on. Undies were five for $10. Super deal so I bought five. I saw some beautiful scarves and pretty ponytail holders too - I used massive restraint and walked away.

This is all you can see of my undies.

I liked the color of this green t-shirt and it was really soft. $11.99 (regular $19.50). Some colors were $9.99.

I picked up some Daddy-O purple shampoo from Lush. I've tried this before and it's great for brightening up blond hair. It was $9.95 for a tiny bottle (100 ml), but it lasts a really long time. The salesgirl gave me a sample of Marilyn (a hair treatment for blondes that's supposed to make you look like you have fresh highlights). Can't wait to try Marilyn!

My best find was at Aldo in Dartmouth Crossing. I donated my white sandals last spring because I was sick of them. These are a great replacement!

The original price was $60.00 and I got them for $27.99. They're leather and have zip access in the back (I love not having to constantly do the buckles up).I think these will work to dress up or dress down.

I had an armload of things in the change room at H&M but I didn't buy anything. They had some really great sales on, but I felt like I was drawn to things because they were such a good price, not because I truly loved or needed them. If anyone is looking for tunics to wear over leggings (because leggings require a long shirt), they had some cute ones on sale for $7-10.

Have you found any great deals lately?

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Novel-Tea: Part 9

Want to know an amusing way to freak out your boyfriend?

Read a book titled The Marriage Plot.

I was a big fan of Mr. Eugenides' book Middlesex. If I had to compare, I'd give my vote to Middlesex, but The Marriage Plot was still a great read. In many ways, I related to the main character and remember how it was to be in the strange place between the end of university and the start of being a grown-up. I'm not even sure if I qualify as a grown-up yet. Some days Most days, I think not.

The tea party dress I've selected is from TopShop. I've been to the one in NYC and it is an amazingly overwhelming and wonderful store. The best UK import since Russell Brand.



Shoes by Steve Madden

Tropicalia by DAVIDsTEA is like a pina coloda without the rum.... which is fine by me because rum and I had an incident circa 2003 and haven't been on good terms since.

No caffiene! Good for dessert after dinner.

Is this not THE cutest mug ever? I found it in South Portland at TJ Maxx.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Open Knit

How to look sort-of summery in cooler-than-normal temperatures but still keep the cozy factor.

Try wearing open knit.

Details:

Sweater: Gap Factory Outlet (Wrentham)

Jeans and Necklace: American Eagle Outfitters (Halifax)

Shoes: Franco Sarto (Town Shoes, Toronto)

Scarf: the late and great Margolians (Truro)

Bracelet: gift

Sunglasses: Coach (TJ Maxx, South Portland)

Then when the wind picks up throw on a leather jacket. Aren't you just so jealous of June weather in Nova Scotia? To be fair, it's not always like this. I'll be bathed in sweat in July and wishing for a cool breeze.

Jacket: Danier (Halifax)

I was in one of those moods where traditional nails weren't going to satisfy me... (I blame Pinterest)

Had a very hard time trying to get my thumbs at the proper angle...
OPI in shade unknown (one of the minis) and NYC in Skin Tight Denim. Thumbs dotted with Finger Paints in Hip Hip Hue Ray 

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Oh Summer, Where Art Thou?

This rain in Halifax is starting to bug me. It's JUNE and I really don't want to be wearing cardigans and boots.

Details:

Cardigan: Gap Factory Outet (Las Vegas)

Shirt: Joe Fresh (Vancouver)

Jeans: Guess by Marciano (Vancouver)

Boots: Call it Spring (Halifax)

Bracelet: gift

Necklace: Forever 21 (LA)

I used to be all about the fun socks, but I sort of replaced them with boring grown-up socks. Not that I should be wearing socks in JUNE anyway, right?

A whole week of mostly gloomy skies dictated some new ta-da for my tootsies.

TA-DA!!! Socks from Forever 21.

Soon, I'm going to give in to the Pinterest craze. I'll let y'all know when I finally start pinning. I've been snooping around and could spend about a year looking at all the amazing nailpolish ideas people have pinned. What's your favorite thing to look at on Pinterest?

XOXO

Glitterary Girl 

Pretty Little Liars Style: Hanna

Got a secret - can you keep it?

Pretty Little Liars is one of my favorite shows.

I've always liked shows about high school... BH 90210 (the original), Dawson's Creek, The OC, and of course My So-Called Life.

Somehow I got voted "best wardrobe" in grade nine. Funny, because 90% of the photos I see of myself from that era involve some hideous sweatshirt from Northern Reflections with a wild animal on it or a plaid shirt. Let's not forget the black lace-up number I wore to a dance that can best be described as a catsuit. OMG.

The Pretty Little Liars actresses have no wardrobe woes. The stylists dress them so well!

In honor of the summer season premiere of PLL (did you watch? so good!) I'm doing a blog post on Ashley Benson (actress)/Hanna Marin (character).

Such a simple and fun look! I am on a hunt for a new LBD. Let me know if you have any suggestions. This is ALWAYS the look I'm going for when I curl my hair. This is NEVER how it actually turns out. Sigh.

 Words can't express how much I love this dress. The little ruffle on the bottom... the belt...perfect!

I adore red, black and white together. They did a good job here of letting the necklace take center stage for jewelery. This outfit could easily go from day to night with a switch to black heels and removal of the blazer.

The stylists for PLL did an article for Teen Vogue, and they shared which stores/designers they often use for Hanna's outfits:

Zara
BCBG Max Azria
Marc Jacobs
Mango
Alice and Olivia
Elizabeth and James
3.1 Phillip Lim

This is one of Hanna's outfits from the season premiere. The blazer and the dress would be amazing on their own. Together, they're risky - but it works! I bet that BCBG blazer is flying off the racks.

XOXO

Glitterary Girl

Classic Khaki

A shirtdress is a good thing to have in your closet. It's wonderful when you want to be a step up from casual but a step below dressed up.

Details:

Shirt dress: Gap (Halifax)

Belt: Smart Set (Halifax)

Scarf: Joe Fresh (Truro)

Sandals: Madden Girl (Century 21, NYC)

Tank: Garage (Vancouver)

Earrings: Le Chateau (Halifax)

I've had this shirtdress for ages (at least 3 years) and my only complaint is that it wrinkles easily. I hate ironing, but I have a clothes steamer that makes wrinkle removal a bit more tolerable. Notice how I didn't bother to try to fix the wrinkles before this photo was snapped?

On toes: Sally Hansen Hard as Nails in Fucshia Power

I recently purchased this candle from Bath & Body Works, and it smells wonderful! I love how the three-wick candles burn evenly.

Mango Beachwood

I had the hardest time deciding on the scent. I had it "narrowed down" to five. The short list included Peach Bellini, Ice Cream Shop, Tiki Beach, and Pink Sangria (I love to drink sangria too!)

What's your favorite candle scent?

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Tribal

For an afternoon spent at a Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia meeting and then wandering around Spring Garden Road in Halifax, I picked something comfortable but "fresh" (as described by the fashionable guy working at American Apparel - he made my day).

I struggle with what to wear on top with this skirt. Plain black or white just doesn't look right (in my opinion). Enter chambray....

Details:

Chambray shirt: Gap (Halifax)

Tank: Le Chateau (Halifax)

Tribal Skirt: Forever 21 (Vancouver)

Shoes: Old Navy (Dartmouth)

Needs a polish....

The bracelets were both gifts from unknown stores, the necklace was a birthday present from my BFF (no, I'm not into horses but I have a horseshoe ring from my parents that I wear every day and everyone needs a plethora of good luck). The earrings are from Forever 21 in Maine and cost a whopping $1.50.

I donated my old pair of black wedges last year and have been missing them. I found these shoes at Old Navy last weekend. $25 and I had a 25% off coupon. I heart good prices.

Have you scored any great deals lately?

XOXO
Glitterary Girl