How to Rock a Bold Matte Lip

Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dragon Girl
Mac lip liner in Cherry 

Mac Matte Lipstick in Quick Sizzle

Mac Matte Lipstick in Quick Sizzle

I started venturing into bold lip colors like 3 years ago, and now I rarely wear neutrals. You have to have a certain confidence to rock a bold lip because people will see your lips before they see you. I typically go for a matte color because I love the way it pops. The thing about matte lips though is that if you don't properly moisturize, your color will look dry and start to flake. Hot mess.

To rock a bold, matte lip you need to start by making sure you lips are moisturized. Start with a lip scrub to remove any dead skin. I use a lip scrub by Bliss, but you can make your own sugar scrub using olive oil, sugar and salt if you're a DIY kind of girl. I then moisturize my lips with vaseline or lip balm. Before applying the color use a piece of 1-ply toilet paper (tear apart a 2 ply piece) to blot your lips. This will take off the excess layer of moisture without drying out your lips. I start with a lip liner. I line and fill my lips and then follow with my lip color. You can then blot your lips with a little translucent powder to set it. The translucent powder keeps your lipstick on longer. Apply another layer of color and you're good to go!

One last tip...stay hydrated all day long! Dehydration will cause your lips to dry and your color to flake. Gross.

DIY Lip Scrub:

1 tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of honey
1/2 teaspoon of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of vaseline

Mix the honey and sugar.
Add vaseline and olive oil and mix well.

Sunny Days

Ms. Selfridges top
H&M leggings
Dolce Vita sandals

Mac Matte Lipstick in Quick Sizzle

I absolutely loooove sunny days in London. The city is so alive. People are out everywhere. Everyone is more pleasant. It's almost like Christmas...only warmer...and you don't get presents. Anyway, I spent the other day walking around Mayfair with my boss after doing a couple of returns. 

After spending quite some time in the Christian Louboutin store (No I didn't buy anything unfortunately), I stopped into a few other boutiques before having lunch outside at Cafe Rouge. One of the things I miss most about the States is long lunches on patios. Anyway, it was a fabulous day in the sun! 

I kept my look very casual for the day. I didn't even carry a big purse! I did rock a hot pink lip though. Got to keep the lips BOLD!

Green Smoothies!

I don't log on to Pinterest very often, but when I do I'm always on there for hours at a time. It's what time management gurus would call a "time trap" for me. In any event, it's a great place to find wedding ideas, DIY projects, manicure ideas, thinspiration, etc etc. I found this really great green smoothie recipe that I made for myself this week. I modified the recipe because I didn't care for so much banana flavor, so I'll post the Pinterest recipe as well as how I prepared it.

Green Smoothie Recipe (Pinterest):

2 handfuls of baby spinach
1 cup of chunk pineapple
2 bananas
1 cup of yogurt
1 cup unfiltered water

My moderation:

2 handfuls of baby spinach
1 cup of chunk pineapple
1/2 cup chunk mango
1 banana
1 cup of organic vanilla yogurt
1 cup unfiltered water

Blend well & enjoy!

You will have have way more than one glass, so I just popped the rest in the fridge to enjoy the next day. If you try the recipe, please leave a comment!

Neons and Brights

Whistles Dress
H&M dress
Topshop commuter shoes
Stella & Dot Bahari Necklace

Taking pictures at sunset kind of altered the real color of this dress

Apparently there were some changes in jet streams or something, so the temperatures shot into the 80s this week. Yay! I am a summer baby, so I'm almost skipping around the city these days. 

It's obvious how much I love hot pink, but I love this casual dress from Whistles. I adore anything with pockets, so this dress has a few of my favorite things all knit into one. One of the main things I look for in a dress is versatility, and I like that I can wear this with pumps, but not look totally frumpy when I have to slip my commuter flats on! Nothing like a dress that easily transitions from casual to smart!

I am getting really into bright colors this season, so I wore the Stella & Dot Bahari necklace and grabbed my new go-to orange bag for a fun summer look. Naturally I threw a little neon into the mix. Fashion is a funny thing. Had I walked out of the house in this 15 years ago everyone would have said I clashed. Now it's called color blocking. I love it.

Wish lists: Miu Miu Glitter Loafers

Yesterday I tweeted about a pair of Miu Miu flats that I need to own or I will just die. It's no secret that I'm 5 years old in my head and nothing makes me as giddy as hot pink or loads of sparkles. I saw these shoes on display and literally had a moment as I held them in my hand. I may have to treat myself in a couple of weeks....

Head Wraps + Saying Bye Bye to Hair Extensions (for now)

Whistles jumper
H&M leggings
Jeffrey Campbell booties

Nude lips: Bobbi Brown 'Burnt Sugar' Lipstick and Petal Pink Gloss

I've been wearing hair extensions for the past few months as I let me relaxer grow out. I decided to give my hair a one week break from the braids, so Friday the hair extensions came out and I roller set my hair. I feel weird not having a head full of weave anymore, but it's a nice break. Because I'm now rocking two hair textures, I've been working head wraps like it's my job. I tied my favorite silk scarf into a bow to give this look a cutesy edge to it. I love this oversized jumper from Whistles which I paired with peep toe booties for a fun, casual look.

So funny story...the reason I have a stain on top of my right boob is because I tried to push open a door that should have been pulled. I was holding my purse, my latte and croissant when I violently rammed into the door which didn't give the way my latte did all over my stuff. Sometimes I really love myself. The best part was the faces of the two guys who were coming in as I was walking out. They were nice enough not to laugh in my face as they opened the door to let me out.

I'm still struggling with my hair care/maintenance here, but I'm trying someone new this week. I can't wait to see him work his magic! I desperately need a hair cut and a protein treatment. If anyone has advice on transitioning from relaxed to natural hair, please leave a comment!!!

Stylist Chronicles: Mr. Appletree Video

On set

One of the many things I love about styling is traveling to new parts of London! Last week I spent some time in East London to style songstress, Meleka, for her Mr. Appletree video. The song is really cute, and after hearing it 8973598350855 times it was stuck in my head for quite a few days. I'll post the video once its released!

I was very excited to get Meleka into some Stella & Dot pieces for her video. All of you know how much I LOVE a statement necklace. For Meleka's performance look we put her in a little black dress with thigh high boots. The pegasus necklace really popped with this look. Just another reason it's one of my favorite pieces. We also put the chantilly lace cuff on her for a little extra pop. Everything looked absolutely fabulous against her complexion.

What do you think of her look? 

Pegasus necklace and Chantilly Lace Cuff

All About Big Cats

I was all about the big cats on Tuesday apparently. Leopard  scarf, tiger top...all about it. Anyway I pulled out some really chunky Jeffrey Campbell platform sandals for a day of lunch, shopping and blogging. I purchased a few really great dresses from Whistles before having lunch and people watching on the patio at Strada. I'm working on keeping the posts more consistent, so I blogged quite a few posts in Starbucks later that afternoon!

Whistles top
H&M Leggings
Jeffrey Campbell Platforms

I like making casual looks a little more fun and I think the turban and shoes did that for this fit. I was just happy to break those shoes out again. I've worn them once since I got them like a year (maybe 2) ago. 

Who Do You Think You Are?!

For day 2 of Hoopla, I wore a bright red dress with a pink blazer. I was color blocking for my life. I wore another turban and my Marc by Marc Jacobs saddle shoes to complete the look. I felt kind of obnoxious in this when I left the house, but by the time I got to the tube station I felt fabulous! I really want to wear this look again like right now, but I guess I'll wait a couple of weeks...

Whistles blazer
Asos dress
Marc by Marc Jacobs shoes
Stella & Dot Sierra necklace

So since I touched down in London, I've just been running away from my comfort zone. It's weird. It's like I became a new person once I got here. I'm not a big risk taker and it takes everything in me to reach out to people. I moved to London and started reaching out to people, talking to strangers, wearing bright colors, rocking sneakers and making moves to become a stylist. I don't know who I think I am, but I love it. Life is constantly changing and I'm just trying to keep up!

Basics for Hoopla!

Joe's Jeans
Banana Republic Blazer
Topshop shoes
H&M tank top
Stella & Dot Pegasus necklace

I spent all day Sunday and Monday at a conference for Stella & Dot known as Hoopla. This was the first annual Hoopla for the UK since they just launched towards the end of last year. I was so excited to go because I wanted to see the Autumn collection which just launched today for the UK. It is EVERYTHING. I spotted a few statement pieces that I'm dying for. I can't wait to order a few.

Because I knew we would be seeing the new collection, I kept my outfit simple. I always wear a basic white or black tee to try on jewelry. I can play around with colors and prints once I decide I like the piece. Any excuse to wear black and white is always a good one for me anyway. I wanted to play with head wraps some more, so I tied my favorite silk scarf into a turban. I added a statement necklace and a pop of color with my hot pink shoes and orange bag for a chic take on an otherwise classic outfit.

I have no idea why these pictures came out grainy/blurry, but I didn't realize it until I uploaded them to my computer....love myself.

If you're in the UK, you can check out the Autumn collection here. (My US peeps can check it out here)

Lazy Gray Saturdays

I'm going to stop talking about how gray its been all summer, since that's more the rule anyway. To be honest, the weather isn't all THAT bad. It's cool, but not cold, and I hardly miss the sun at all anymore. (Ok that's an exaggeration, but I need to talk myself into believing the sun isn't all that great) I really love London, so I guess I'll just have to accept that the weather is shit and find a way to be cute in it.

Awkward makeup picture
Nars Velvet Matte Pencil in Red Square
Exhibit A blush

Splendid dress
Topshop vest
Hue tights
Steven flats

This past weekend was really quiet for my hunny and I. We had a nice dinner on Saturday evening followed by a walk and some QT before he pulled a 36 hour bender in the office. Casual days call for casual fits, so I wore my very comfortable Splendid dress with my new Topshop leather vest. I bought that vest about a week or so ago, and I wore it last week at least 4 times. I love that thing. Ever since I saw Rachel Zoe rock one, I've wanted to get one. I wasn't sure that I'd be able to pull it off, but I think I do! (In my completely unbiased opinion) I've worn this with leggings and a tank, a dress, jeans and a flowy top and a few other things just to run out of the house. Chucks, flats, heels or whatever, this piece is so versatile. I don't know who I think I am making all these daring (this is daring for me people!) fashion choices, but I love it. I think moving to London and ditching corporate America was a really great look for me.

I hope you all know that I'm telling you how much I wear this vest, so you're not weirded out when you start seeing it constantly on the blog. I will always be 5 years old with certain things. I will forever love hot pink and I will wear my favorite outfits 9338708086 times. Only at 26, my mom can't stop me!

Two Tones and the Christian Louboutin Exhibit

The two toned Whistles blazer I've been lusting for is finally MINE! It was marked down in the sale, and they had one left in my size. I think it was fate. I know it was fate. Anyway, I finally pulled it out this weekend. I loves myself a structured blazer, but this one just made my heart sing. I love the color and the two toned lapels. I picked up this orange bag at T.K. Maxx, and everything just came together so wonderfully. Nothing like a little color block to brighten your day! I went to see the Christian Louboutin exhibit on Saturday afternoon since my hunny was working most of the day.

Whistles Blazer
Joe's Jeans
H&M tee
Stella & Dot Bahari Necklace
Salvatore Ferragamo flats

 If you're in London and didn't get a chance to see the exhibit, you missed out. It was amazing. You got to see so many of Louboutin's fabulous designs, but you also got insight into his inspirations and his process. They also had a 3D hologram of Dita Von Teese doing a burlesque in sparkly Christian Louboutin pumps. My favorite section was the Fetish area where shoes were designed more as sculptures than as a wearable shoe. Two dancers from the Crazy Horse were chosen to model them in a shoot for the particular arch in their foot. The photos were provocative in nature, but really fabulous works of art. Unfortunately, I could only take pictures outside of the exhibit. The museum had a strict no photos policy which they enforced almost ridiculously. My phone was still in camera mode from taking photos outside when I walked in and one of the employees rolled up on me like a shoplifter to ask me to put my phone in my pocket. I made several unsuccessful attempts at taking pictures before eventually giving up. This is all I could get for you guys...

Don't mind if I do!

Apparently I Wear High Tops

Ever since I got my first Barbie, I've been in love with fashion. I'm sooo happy to finally be breaking into it. I started assisting a stylist here that I met through a mutual friend. We hung out  a few times before I told her about my career ambitions, and the rest is history! I'm so excited to be assisting her and learning all about the styling business. I've been working a lot which is why I haven't been updating the Stiletto Jetset as much as I'd like.

A lot of my new position has me walking all around the city of London with a heavy case picking up and returning pieces for shoots. Unfortunately, my ballet flats and cute sandals were not cutting it. I had to finally give in and get some shoes with the support I need to last me all day. Sneakers. Yes, sneakers. I haven't worn sneakers anywhere but the gym since I was in elementary school, so deciding what to get was quite the challenge. I've always been scared to rock J's or dunks or something comparable because I'm so tall. I don't want to look like a WNBA player. I want to look chic, but be able to walk by 6pm. I settled on Chucks. I kind of love them, but I'm still getting used to the idea. Here's a peek of my first look in my new kicks!

Express Top
American Apparel leggings
Stella & Dot Jewelry
Converse kicks

Exhibit A blush and Dragon Girl velvet matte lippy both by Nars

I wore this outfit for a menswear magazine shoot last week. I had to keep it super casual and comfy, and naturally I rocked a red lip. Gotta keep it funky!

Here are some shots from the menswear shoot I worked on last week:

So many wonderful things going on in my life! Stay tuned for more updates on my work!