Glymm July 2012

The end of the month... time for my Glymm post!

It's hard to tell in this lighting, but the bag is a bright tangerine shade. I love how all the bags are a different color.

There were four items this month, all generous sample sizes, but no full size product.

The first item is one that probably won't be used for its intended purpose. It's Mane Tease Hair Perfume in the scent Social Butterfly. This would have come in handy when I was younger and I'd come home from a night on the town reeking of  second-hand cigarette smoke (thank you current smoking by-laws). I use yummy-smelling hair products, so I don't think I need a perfume specific for my locks. I sprayed it on my wrist though and it left a nice vanilla/coconut scent so I'll probably use it as regular perfume.

Next up is Dirt - Purify and Glow Salt Scrub. I haven't tried this product yet but I'll need it soon to slough off several layers of spray tan (slightly streaky at the moment....) The scent is amazeballs - cucumber/pear/fig. It's probably only big enough for one use though.

There were two Cyberderm moisturizers in odd packaging... kind of a syringe. One is hydrating and the other is anti-aging. I have yet to try these.

The last product is one I already swear by. Joico K-Pak Revitaluxe is a fabulous hair treatment. I already have two full sized bottles of this and now I have one for travel! These sample sizes retail in salons for $9-10.

I'll continue with my Glymm subscription as I think that for the cost, you get your money's worth. The rainbow of makeup bags are great too! A girl could put all her lipglosses in one, all her eyeshadows in another, face products in the next.... notice I said "a girl" and not "me"? I'm just not that organized.

Canadian girls, get your own Glymm for $12 per month (includes shipping) with this link.

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

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

A Visit to Luckett Vineyards

Good wine, good food, and stellar views.

A view all the way to the water!

Details:

Top: Max Studio (Gift)

Shorts: American Eagle Outfitters (Halifax)

Owl Necklace: Forever 21 (South Portland)

Short Necklace: Gift

Sandals: Madden Girl (Century 21, NYC)

Sunnies: Coach (TJ Maxx, South Portland)

Luckett Vineyards was a delightful detour on our way home from the valley last weekend.

Cute London-insprired phone booth in the middle of the vineyard.

We picked up a bottle of Tidal Bay to try at home. We haven't opened it yet, but we sampled it, and it was delicious!

I'm always looking for new wines to try. If anyone has any to pass along, I'd love to hear your favorites!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Not Too Tall

What do you do when you're wearing heels that make you taller than your boyfriend (oops) and you're leaving town for a wedding?

Impromptu trip to the mall!

Details:

Dress: Envy (Halifax)

Shoes: Call it Spring (Halifax)

Bracelet: borrowed from mom

Sunnies: Coach (TJ Maxx, South Portland)

Earrings: Gap Factory Outlet (Las Vegas)

I scored a cute pair of shoes for $15 (thank you summer sales) and no matter how pretty my first-choice five inch heels are.... I was soooo glad by the end of the night that I wasn't rocking the skyscrapers.

One more wedding to go to this weekand, then we're done until late September. Weddings and the associated activities are great for outfit posting.... but the best thing about them is seeing your newlywed friends so happy (and the cake, let's not forget the cake).  I love all the love!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Wagon

Isn't a sundress one of the easiest things to throw on? Comfortable, can be dressed up or down, and built-in air conditioning.

I wore this on Saturday to the hair salon with the bridal party. Then I went to visit my mom in the midst of dashing back and forth between the two weddings.

Details:

Dress: Aerie (Dartmouth)

Cardigan: Dynamite (Halifax)

Sandals: Old Navy (Halifax)

Sunnies: Coach (TJ Maxx, South Portland)

Earrings: Gap Factory Outlet (Las Vegas)

My apologies for the bad lighting. Full sunlight is hard to work with sometimes.

Today it rained. We needed it.... but... I was stubborn this morning and decided I was too cool to wear my raincoat in July. Pouring rain + no waterproof covering = drowned rat look. Not so fashionable.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Connect the Dots

This weekend was a wonderful reminder of why I love living in Nova Scotia. There are amazing wineries an hour from where I live.... so why was this the first time I'd ever been to see them?

R and I were lucky enough to attend a beautiful wedding at Domaine de Grand Pre.

Details:

Dress: Forever 21 (South Portland)

Shoes: Old Navy (Halifax)

Clutch: Guess (Century 21, NYC)

Sunnies: Coach (TJ Maxx, South Portland)

Bracelets: Gift

Necklace: Tiffany & Co (gift)

Earrings: Le Chateau (Halifax)

 

I wore this dress to the rehersal dinner. I thought the polka dots might confuse the mosquitos into submission, but no such luck.

Nails: Suzy Sells Sushi by the Seashore (OPI). Please ignore the obvious spray tan lines on my fingers... hands are always the tricky part.

Baby grapes

Fabulous sunset

Do you have hidden gems in your locale?

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Inspiration

From the title of this post, you may have expected to be bombarded by various quotes and sayings that will change your life, make you sigh with contentment, and possibly hug a stranger. Nope. That's what your Facebook newsfeed is for.

People often ask me where I come up with ideas for outfits.

My top three sources for style inspiration are:
1) Fashion blogs
2) Magazines
3) Pinterest

I have a confession. I used to be a blog stalker. Before I had Glitterary Girl, I had a ton of blogs bookmarked in my favorites folder. Now that I have my own blog, I connect thorough Google Friend Connect, Twitter, or Facebook and my social media pages tell me when they update. Time saved... splendid!

I haven't consciously ever copied an entire outfit, but I've certainly made note on fashion blogs of things I like. I love when another blogger will show how to do an updated version of a classic piece. For example, I saw someone (sorry gals, I forget who!) pairing a chambray shirt with printed bottoms, which inspired me to put this look together.

I've always had an obsession with magazines. I shudder to think how much I've spent on them in the course of my life so far. I was reading Seventeen at age eleven, and I remember Cameron Diaz when she was a model, not an actress.

I have a rule: I don't hoard magazines (anymore.... I used to have back issues in towering piles). I read them, earmark pages I want to go back to, then shelve them for about a month. After that, I attack them with scissors and clip out the things I want to keep.... outfits, make-up and hair ideas, work out tips, etc. I tape them into this.

A very fashionable city on the cover

My notebook is essentially an old-school form of Pinterest.

I'm a relative newbie to this social phenomenon, and I admit, I have more desserts pinned than clothes. You can find clothes I lust over here and some recent outfits posts of my own here.

Where do you get your style inspiration from?

I've got a super-busy weekend planned with multiple weddings, so I had my toes did.

OPI.... shade I can't remember :(

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

A Look for Less

When I figured out the cost of this outfit, I was pretty impressed with myself.

Details:

Shirt: Suzy Shier ($10)

Skirt: H&M ($6.95)

Shoes: Aldo ($27.99)

Scarf: H&M ($5)

Bracelet: Black Market ($6)

Sunnies: Guess at TJ Maxx ($12)

Earrings: American Eagle ($1.... three for $10 jewelery and there were 3 pair on the card) 

Nailpolish: NYC in Times Sqaure (on sale for $1 at Walmart)

Sometimes R says things to make me laugh during our very professional photo shoots

The entire outfit (accessories AND shoes included) was about $70. Hooray for deals!

This $1 nail polish was on for a whole week with barely any chips. I'm getting a pedicure today and a manicure later in the week because I have like 39 weddings to go to.

Does anyone else have a lot of wedding stuff going on this summer?

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

A Shore Thing

The best way to spend a spare few hours on a hot Sunday afternoon?A quick stop in at the beach to chill and read for an hour.

After a BBQ birthday party drop-in last Sunday, R and I drove 30 minutes to Queensland Beach.

Note that I'm not really dressed for beach activity, but I managed to avoid getting all sandy.

Details:

Top: Urban Outfitters (Vancouver)

Shorts: Gap Factory Store (Halifax)

Fedora: Jessica Simpson at Winners (Halifax)

Tank top: American Eagle Outfitters Outlet (Kittery)

Necklace: Market (Sydney, Australia)

Flip flops: Reef (the late and great Margolians, Truro)

Bracelet: Market (Cuba)

Sunnies: D&G at Sunglass Hut (Dartmouth)

The most beautiful beach I've ever been to is Whitehaven Beach which is on an island off the east coast of Australia. To me, just about any beach is beautiful, but the swirly white sand of Whitehaven and the remoteness of it was unbeatable. Did I swim there? You bet!

Source

What's your favorite beach?

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

The (Other) Bachelorette

My friend is officially going off the market, and her last-single-night-out was on Saturday.

I had no idea what anyone else was wearing so I decided to chance it and go fairly casual.

Details:

Cardigan: Kenzie (the late and great Margolians, Truro.... I miss that place....)

Tunic/dress: Forever 21 (South Portland)

Leggings: Urban Behavior (Toronto)

Shoes: Nine West (Edmonton)

Bracelet: Random shop in St. John's, Newfoundland

Earrings: Le Chateau (Halifax)

Necklace: Gift

I think I picked a suitable outfit..... but it's always so hard to tell with bachelorette parties. Sometimes girls get really dressed up.

Back view

Nothing says "I'm getting married" quite like a pink boa.

This is just the start of the wedding festivities for the summer! Hope you had fun, Christie!

Now to discuss the other Bachelorette. Was anyone else super surprised she eliminated Sean?  I thought he was the frontrunner! Who do you think she'll choose in the end? I think Jef and Emily look cute together and Sean should be the next Bachelor.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

The Oatcake Adventure

Ever stumble across a place that you're so glad you found?

You know how I love anything striped.

The White Sails Bakery  is about ten minutes from where I live, and I'll be going back soon! I saw soooooo many goodies I wanted to try. I have the craziest sweet tooth. SUGAR PIE? Gimme gimme.

Details:

Tee: Aerie (Dartmouth)

Skirt: Costa Blanca (Moncton)

Shoes: Aldo (Vancouver)

Bracelet: Old and unknown

Long Necklace: A/X Armani Exchange (NYC)

Short Necklace and Sunnies: American Eagle Outfitters (Halifax)

Earrings: Le Chateau (Halifax)

So, after drooling over the entire glass case of treats, I decided on the chocolate dipped oatcake. Yummy! It was big enough to last for three snacks!

Half eaten oatcake. On Nails: Base of Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtremewear in Mint Sorbet. Dotted with Sally Hansen Hard as Nails with Nylon in Black Night and Sally Girl in Neon Pink (I made the name up as no name on the bottle. Original, eh?

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Novel-Tea: Part 11

All Fall Down is a captivating story about a young girl, Sunny, who flees a cult - transitioning from the only life she's known into the scary world of the blemished (average people).

I really enjoyed this book.

Notice how I always enjoy books? That's because I only mention the ones I like on my blog. Being a writer, I imagine how sad it would be to stumble upon a bad review, so if I have nothing nice to say, I say nothing!

Source

It kept me guessing how things would turn out for Sunny and her kids. The end wasn't what I expected, and I liked the unpredictability of it.

I'm pretty excited about my DAVIDsTEA review. Bamboozled is so sweet smelling that when I put my nose near the bag, I can almost taste it. It's another one of those teas that's great hot or cold. I've been putting my tea in the steeper with cold water and letting it steep in the fridge overnight. I can't deal with hot tea in the summer.

Big pineapple chunk at 12 o;clock

My tea party dress is from one of my favorite stylish stars - Lauren Conrad. This is from her Paper Crown line. The cut of this dress looks like it would be very flattering.

Source

I've been lazy lately with sending in queries for my book. At last count, I've submitted 21 query e-mails and received ten "no thanks" responses. I know I should send in more queries, but the idea of shelving it and writing a new book is tempting. I can't really focus on starting something new until I've done everything I can with Losing My Anchor, but when is the point where I stop trying? I'm also toying with the idea of approaching local publishers.

Have you read anything great lately?

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Gardens and Patios

After weeks of complaining, Mother Nature has been cooperating.

I think it's summer!

R and I had dinner on a rooftop patio and then went for a stroll. One of my favorite places to walk in Halifax is Public Gardens. I'm lucky enough to work down the street from the gardens, and I really need to start taking advantage of this on my lunch break.

Details:

Tank: Gap Factory (Halifax)

Skirt: American Eagle Outfitters (Halifax)

Belt: Forever 21 (LA)

Necklace: Le Chateau (Halifax)

Clutch: Guess (Century 21, NYC)

Shoes: Aldo (Dartmouth)

Headband: H&M (Vancouver)

Sunnies: Coach (TJ Maxx, South Portland)

Gotta love a $6 pitcher of sangria!

I hope all my Canadian readers had a great Canada Day, and Happy 4th to those in the USA!!

XOXO

Glitterary Girl

Flutter and Fray

It's my bird shirt again! The last time I wore this top was on my US vacation.

I had my hair highlighted the day this photo was taken and it happened to be prom night. It was crazy raining and the poor girls had to leave the salon and enter an absolute monsoon. I felt bad for them, but jealous at the same time because..... darn it.... I just want to go to the prom again.

Details:

Shirt: H&M (Dartmouth)

Tank: American Eagle Outfitters Outlet (Kittery)

Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters (Halifax)

Bracelet: Joe Fresh (Halifax)

Shoes: Miz Mooz (Town Shoes, Toronto)

Necklace: gift

To my prom... which was a "few" years ago.... I wore a champagne dress with a criss-cross back. I picked a classic style. I can still look at the photos without saying, "What was I thinking wearing that?"

Did you go classic or trendy for your prom? If you could do it again, would you pick a different dress?

XOXO
Glitterary Girl