Mud Pie –
Navy Geo Mod Tie Tank Dress

This is one of the other items I picked up at Blooming Boutique in Rehoboth Beach DE in early August. Mud Pie Navy Geo Mod Tie Tank Dress (#810232S)

It’s a really nice versatile dress. Easy to wear because it’s stretchy and it can be dressed up with the right shoes and a cardigan but it’s also very comfortable and casual enough to, if you wanted to, wear it as a beach coverup.

I actually tried this on early in the week, liked it but didn’t know if I really needed a dress but then ended up spending the week looking at other dresses and comparing it to this one. So I finally went back and bought it (though it took me a bit to figure out where I had tried it on at.)

I have worn this with the navy wedge sandals I got at Payless and a white cardigan to a meeting. The ends of the ties have little gold metal toggles.

The only thing I wish were a little different were the cut in the back on the shoulders, it could be a little wider to more easily cover regular bra straps. Would be better with a racerback bra (or again, cover with a cardigan if you’re worried.)

Again with the preppy pattern, it reminds me a bit of the greek key pattern.
REALLY really happy with this purchase.

September 12, 2012

Silver Chevron Earrings from South Moon Under

Posted by By Hilary Baumann

Posted in Jewelry

While visiting Rehobeth Beach DE back at the beginning of August I was able to do a little bit of shopping and picked up a couple of items I’m REALLY loving and have been wearing a lot. Particularly these Silver Chevron Earrings from South Moon Under.

They’re called the “Tribecca Round Open Chevron Earrings” in matte silver and I bought them on Rehoboth Ave. South Moon Under also has these available online in this matte silver as well as gold. The pictures on their website don’t do them justice at all.

They are a really nice size earring. Not too big and gaudy, not so small that they aren’t noticeable and they aren’t too heavy either. (I hate earrings that are cute but painful.)

These silver chevron earrings are super cute and a little preppy.
Loving them!

They’re really well made. The chevron pattern, despite being open to see through to the other side, doesn’t really catch on anything. They’re just one of those items that you don’t know you need until you see them.

September 10, 2012

Review: Pixi Beauty Lip & Line – Fresh Pink

Posted by By Hilary Baumann

Posted in Makeup / Cosmetics

I bought the Pixi Beauty Lip & Line in Fresh Pink. It actually seems to look better in the photo than it does in real life (though I was tired and ready for sleep when I took the photo.)

It’s just a little too pink and a little too chalky looking in person somehow. I tried adding a lip gloss on top and that didn’t really help. Somehow it washes out my lips just a little too much and had that “teenager just starting to play with makeup” look to it.

I was impressed with the ingredients and would probably try something else from their line but I was not impressed with this lip & line product.

September 8, 2012

End of Season shopping – swim suit, a new purse

Posted by By Hilary Baumann

Posted in Accessories, Clothing

I ended up going back by Marshall’s looking for a swim suit. I had found one there before my beach vacation at the beginning of August that I hadn’t committed to because it was a bit of a risk with so much white in the fabric pattern. I still wanted another one piece suit just in case something happened to what I had been wearing and if it was still around I was going to buy it.

When I went back, I didn’t find it BUT I did find two other swim suits for $5 EACH. One of which was a Nike Spiderback one piece (pattern above) that would normally be about $78 (the Marshall’s label said it was originally $100 but I checked the Nike website.) The other was from a brand called St. John and the pattern was pink with flowers and had a sort of Lilly Pulitzer look to it. The ruched front looked odd on the hanger but fine when filled with a body. I actually picked it up because it looked out of place on a size 16 hanger. It turned out to be a size 6 that somehow fit me (a little tighter but NOT a size I can normally fit into whatsoever.)

Both suits suitable for swimming laps. No water flow issues or straps that would threaten to fall down.

Also after the beach vacation, I wanted a different purse. A cross body that I could throw my wallet, phone and keys in quickly because my purse had been such a nuisance playing putt putt and going a few other places (and the shorts I had been wearing for some reason didn’t have pockets.)

I initially set out to find a purse to add to my travel stuff. The purse on the left would have suited that purpose. Cute, small but big enough for the essentials.

However the purse on the right was actually just large enough to fit all of the contents of my purse in and the strap was adjustable enough that I could use it on my shoulder or make it longer and wear it cross body. So I bought it and replaced the black purse that had too many pockets and beautiful (but slightly squeeky) hardware.

The purse on the right also reminded me for some reason of a Dooney and Bourke purse… but much cheaper at around $20. I bought it at Kohl’s and you can find it here: Nine & Co. Sweet Sophistication Cross-Body Handbag (and I think it looks better in person than their photo.)

I’ve had it for almost a month and been really happy with it. Granted one week I didn’t leave the house because I messed up my back but that’s another story for another time. Totally unrelated to both the purse AND the swimming but it’s why I haven’t been posting all of these things!

September 6, 2012

Birchbox August 2012 unboxing

Posted by By Hilary Baumann

Posted in Beauty & Skin, Subscription boxes

Unboxing video below descriptions:

Schick Hydro Silk Razor – I kinda wish I knew what was in the moisturizing strip BUT this is a problem I just have to ignore because it’s pretty much the same question I have with any good razor. This razor IS better than the Venus3 I was using before so I think I will be switching to it because it really is that much better. As long as I can find blades for it (first drugstore I was in didn’t have them but that could have just been the one.) First few uses it felt like it almost suctioned to my leg. The only problem with this is if you have a bug bite (be careful!) A much cleaner shave all around though.
WEI™ Pomegranate Buffing Beads – ingredients: Polyethylene, punica granatum (pomegranate) peel, coco-glucoside, benzoic acid. EWGEWG Environmental Working Group - an organization focused on research to make informed choices and live a healthy life in a healthy environment. rates it on these ingredients as a 1 (custom report.) LOVE this. I always love a good exfoliator and this is gentle and very different from a lot of the other options out there. You use it with your own soap so you’re not stuck with a soap that doesn’t agree with your skin. 20 packets for $20 is … not too bad actually for what you’re getting. Yes, there are better deals to be had but I think I might actually buy these.
Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream – I’ve received this before (on second look, I actually received this in my KlutchClub box as well.) Camphor is a really wonderful thing for sore muscles. Since I recently royally messed up my back, I did in fact go through almost all of the two samples I had stashed before trying a cheaper drugstore muscle cream (almost all of them have menthol so there was only one.)
They say that the camphor smell in this product dissipates but it doesn’t really seem too in my opinion. It’s less harsh than menthol but it still makes me smell a bit like a little old lady. Maybe it would dissipate more if just used as a lip balm. This isn’t specifically a sore muscle cream but HOWEVER this is WONDERFUL on sore muscles.
Would I buy this? I’m really on the fence. I would love to use it as an occasional post workout muscle rub but it comes in such tiny quantity that I don’t think that’s practical. It’s also fairly expensive at $18/2oz.
WEI™ Golden Root Purifying Mud Mask – I can’t seem to find the ingredients list for this but I think it’s just clay and golden root: http://www.weibeauty.com/by-type/purify-chi/golden-root-purifying-mud-mask.html
I liked what this did but the scent was a bit overwhelming for me. It’s not a bad scent, just one I felt irritated my sensitive allergy prone nose. Top that off with the cost … $5 per pod isn’t bad as a treat but since you have to come up with $40 and commit to more at once my brain kicks in and says “$40 for mud?” 🙂
Caldrea Hand Soap – this is a 4 according to EWG’s cosmetics database and part of that is for the essential oils being labeled “fragrance.” However the fragrance in this soap is derived from natural ingredients so it should have a better score. As a soap it’s still a little harsh, a little generic to some degree… I just wasn’t wowed. http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/product/206539/Caldrea_Liquid_Hand_Soap/
stila stay all day™ foundation, concealer, & brush kit – apparently the ingredient list isn’t posted online, I’ll write the company. http://answers.sephora.com/answers/8723/product/P374937/questions.htm?page=2
I did go ahead and try it on the inner part of my arm and the color somehow came across as chalky to me. It seemed to match my skin tone but something was just off about it.
Juicy Couture Viva la Juicy La Fleur – again with the synthetic fragrances. Seriously, when are they going to stop sending me these? Moving on.

via YouTube

** SPOILER ALERT **

I watched the September Birchbox preview for a change and here’s what I’m really hoping I get in my September box:

Color Club Put a Pin It – Rose gold nail polish
Brush guards – brush rolls are too space consuming unless you have a large sink counter to work with which makes them annoying for travel but my last trip I threw everything in a cosmetic bag and it wasn’t kind to my brushes so really hoping I get to try these
Vasanti Brighten Up! – Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator – this has good ingredients and is an exfoliator which is something I always like trying
LiQWd Professional Volumizing Catalyst – I’m on the fence about wanting this. I can’t find the ingredient list.

July 30, 2012

Color Club Blue-ming nail polish

Posted by By Hilary Baumann

Posted in Nail Polish

I like it but I’m not as crazy about it as I thought I was going to be. The color DOES grab people’s attention and get good comments. Since I took it off my finger nails and left it on my toe nails, I’ve liked it a bit more so maybe just on all nails it’s a bit too much.

It also might have been that I kept needing to go to meetings and it didn’t seem appropriate and now that I’m on the beach it makes more sense.

Second photo I have the antique gold crackle on my thumb over this.

These silver chevron earrings are super cute and a little preppy. Loving them!

These silver chevron earrings are super cute and a little preppy.
Loving them!