Atlanta Content Creator Inspiring [life] style

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

End of Summer Giveaway ~ Closed

Hey Muses!

Tomorrow I will be getting on a plane and taking a vacation first to south Florida to visit friends and family and then to NYC for some blogger meetups and shows.

So over the next week you'll have a bevy of wonderful guest posts on a variety of topics that are sure to inspire. But for now, I'm leaving you all with an end of summer giveaway!

I haven't done a big giveaway like this since the Makeup & Muses giveaway in spring.

Here's what you can win

giveaway1
(disclaimer: some of the items I bought myself and the others were gifted but not used. for example, the earring supports were given to me as a gift, but since my ears aren't pierced I'm paying it forward and giving them to one of you)

~ Amy Butler makeup bag

Face & Body
~ Philosophy Hope in a Jar moisturizer
~ Philosophy When Hope Is not Enough face serum
~ Tri-aktiline deep wrinkle filler
~ ELF duo eye shadow cream in black licorice
~ Pierced earring supports
~ KIM lip, face and eye brushes & pouch
~ Sigma duo fiber face brush
~ Pevonia skin cream
~ Nivea express hydration lotion

Hair
~ Double prong crystal headband
~ Pantene shampoo
~ Fekkai shea butter shampoo and conditioner

Lips
~ Soft Lips sugar & spice and vanilla lip balms
~ Neutrogena Naturals lip balm
~ Ulta lip gloss
~ Violent Lips printed lip sticker
~ Revlon colorburst lip gloss in hot pink

Nails
~ Nailene so real 24 nails
~ Medium/fine nail file
~ OPI nail color
~ ELF polish in dark red

collageHere's how you can enter

Mandatory Entry
~ Follow my blog publicly through Google Friend Connect
~ Leave your email in the comment letting me know that you follow me and would like to enter

Extra Entries
~ Follow the Muse on Twitter
~ Become a fan of the Muse on Facebook
~ Follow the Muse on Bloglovin'
~ Tweet about the giveaway
~ Place the giveaway link and first image on your blog

This End of Summer Giveaway is open to everyone and ends September 13!
~~~
Shout out to Heidi of The Closet Coach for featuring me in her post today! Go check it out.
SHARE:

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Inspiring Style: Filthy Magic

Today I'd like to feature a great website, which happens to be owned by a great blogger. Have you ever heard of Filthy Magic?
logo
Filthy Magic is an online web store founded back in 2009 by fashion blogger Ria Michelle. I'm sure you already know Ria (and if you don't, then go check her out here).

The site includes great styles from great brands featuring tops, jackets, dresses, pants, shoes, accessories and jewelry!

Here are some of my favorite pieces from Filthy Magic!
FM1
What do you think? Which of these pieces are your favorite?
FM2
So what are you waiting for? Go shop Filthy Magic!
SHARE:

Friday, August 26, 2011

Featured Fashionista: Lisa

~Did everyone have a happy Aaliyah day yesterday? She will be my forever favorite~

Featured Fashionista

Lisa from New York

pc2
pc3
pic4
Lisa is a wife, a New Yorker and a stylist who fashionably balances the world of retail and high glamour. Her stylist background shows full force on her blog, which is painted with personalized looks and tips for the everyday woman.

What do you think of Lisa's look?

Want to be a part of Featured Fashion? Then leave me a comment letting me know that you want me to feature your style on the Muse!

Check out a list of all my beautiful Featured Fashionistas for anyone you might have missed!
~~~
aaliyah
SHARE:

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Lookbook: Puffed Sleeves

Lookbook: Puff, Puff the Magic Sleeves

puff3
puffysleeves
I know we've all seen the puffy sleeve trend all over the place for a while now, but I don't think it's something I'm going to get tired of seeing. I like how people puff up their sleeves with soft ruffles and hard spiked edges. So when I saw this dress online I knew I had to have it for the sleeves alone. And the detail around the neckline definitely keeps this dress looking chic.

details
Both the necklace and the watch I picked up when I went vintage thrifting, and the knuckle ring is from F21. The headband is a ModCloth favorite from a giveaway. The shoes are Vera Wang.

puff1
puff2
I wore this to see the "And Then There Were None" play at a theater in Scottsdale (one of my fave books). We then went to Sapporo for some great sushi, ribs and bananas foster spring roll dessert.

What do you think of my puffed sleeves look?
Do you have any tops/dresses that showcase this trend?
SHARE:

Monday, August 22, 2011

Makeup and Muses: Marble Nails

Perusing Refinery 29 the other day and I stumbled upon this marble nail DIY. So, I decided to try it out myself and give you lovely muses a tutorial in the process.
(I haven't done a nails of the day since I learned how to use crackle polish).

What You'll Need

~white nail polish ~ scotch tape ~ a disposable cup ~ water ~ a plastic utensil ~ a combination of colorful polishes ~ scissors ~ napkin

polish-stuff
1. Paint your nails in white as a base coat
2. Place a piece of tape just below your nail and then another piece just around your nail (this is so the skin around your nail is covered in tape, but not the nail itself)

tape-nails
3. Fill your disposable cup with room temperature water (the cup should be disposable because the polish will mess it up, and the water should be room temperature to allow for better separation)
4. Now take one of your colored polishes and start to add drops of polish into the water-filled cup. Continue this process with the other colored polishes (I used 3 different colors)

adding-color
5. Use your plastic utensil (I had a spoon) and place the tip of it just on the surface of the polishes in the water. Use it to separate the colors and make a design.
6. Then dip your finger into the cup at the most concentrated area of colors

color-swirl
7. Use the utensil to scoop up the rest of the polish around your nail in the water--it'll come right up.
8. Take your finger out and remove the tape. If you taped correctly (which takes some getting used to) you should only have polish on your actual nail instead of all over your finger.
9. Repeat the process for all of your fingers

*I don't think my water was exactly room temperature because it didn't separate as nicely as I wanted it to. Also, I found the Sally Hansen (the pink) polish to work a lot better than the two Confetti polishes.

**Since my polishes weren't separating how I wanted them to, I ended up placing my fingers into the least concentrated area instead, which gave me a more defined look.

final-nails
I hope you muses were able to follow this tutorial well enough to recreate your own marble nails.
What do you think?
SHARE:

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Inspiring Style: Anjolee Arm Candy

Happy Weekend Muses!

A phrase that I've been hearing around a lot recently is arm candy. If you don't already know, arm candy just means decorating your arm with a collection of bracelets and watches. The jewelry can be real, fake or a mixture of the two (if you're like me, then you like to mix it up).

So I've been searching vintage stores and online sites to add to my arm candy collection. I decided that birthstone bracelets would make a great addition as I don't have any jewelry that represent that.
gemstones
Anjolee has some really great gemstone bracelets that can be ordered to fit your unique specifications. You can customize your piece and choose from 10k, 14k or 18k as well as yellow gold, white gold or even platinum.

This is the Oval Focus birthstone bracelet that I picked out for myself, featuring amethyst stones (I was born in February for those who don't know their stones, lol).

bracelets
And if gemstones aren't your thing, you can even go for a classic diamond tennis bracelet that can also be customized to your needs.

Whether you want something vintage or something that is red carpet ready, you are sure to find an amazing array of diamond tennis bracelets or pieces with your birthstone that are both glamorous and personalized.

What do you think of my new arm candy?
~
Today is also my pomeranian's birthday, so happy 8th birthday to you Inigo Montoya!
SHARE:

Thursday, August 18, 2011

End of Summer Favorites: Day Dresses

day-dresses
Hey lovely muses! I hope everyone is still enjoying their summer (if it happens to be summer in your part of the world). I've always been a fan of warmer climates and that's probably due to the fact that I used to live in the Caribbean and then grew up in south Florida. And now that I live in what is possibly the hottest place in America (Arizona), the heat just keeps on coming.

During the summer months, this desert is about 102 degrees on average with the occasional haboob -- I didn't know what that was before I moved here. <--- Check the video link; it's pretty OMG.

So, to keep cool I've been staying hydrated, keeping sheltered when possible and wearing clothes that allow my body to breathe. Since most people tend to compare the Arizona summer heat to walking into an oven, I try to cool off by wearing stylish day dresses. The purple dress that I wore in this lookbook post is an example of that.

All the day dresses seen here I spotted on Very.co.uk for great prices. I think you'll enjoy them as they're a great combination of function and fashion!

yumi
lipsy
What do you think of these Day Dresses for summer?
~~~
And check out my Style Profile feature on Shen Dove Style.
SHARE:

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

What I'm Loving: La Mer Watches

Did I tell you that I'll be in NYC in early September? Well, I'll be in NYC in early September (lol) and I hope to meet up with some New York bloggers while I'm up there.

The good news: I'm going to the Independent Fashion Bloggers Conference on Sept. 7. Who else will be there?

The bad news: My flight leaves on Sept. 8 so I won't be able to attend any of the NY Fashion Week shows or Fashion's Night Out in the Big Apple.

But I do know that FNO will have events all over the country so I'm hoping there will be a great one here in Arizona. So I was on Shopbop and I noticed that they will be teaming up with FNO so I'm super excited about that. I continued to peruse the site and stumbled across some beautiful watches -- I'm such a big, crazy foolish fan of watches right now, it's insane!

These watches from the La Mer Collections are my absolute fave!
la-mer
Now, these watches are ultra feminine wrap arounds that, as you can see, come in a variety of designs. Either the top middle turquoise crystal chain wrap watch or this Bali stud wrap is my fave of all of these.

la-mer-wrap
~~~
Which is your favorite?

SHARE:

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Featured Fashionista: Tanvi

Featured Fashionista

Tanvi from Texas

t5
t4
t3
t2
t1
Tanvi might live in Texas but she is a transplant from India and it's always fantastic when that is showcased in her many creative looks. It's hard to even pick a few outfits to feature because there are just so many great ones to choose from. Her blog also focuses on fitness, food and food for thought, which is definitely oh so rich and fabulous.

What do you think of Tanvi's look?

Want to be a part of Featured Fashion? Then leave a comment letting me know that you want me to feature your style on the Muse!

Check out a list of all my beautiful Featured Fashionistas for anyone you might have missed.
SHARE:

Friday, August 12, 2011

Lookbook: Purple Snapshot

Lookbook: Purple Snapshot

purple1
If you follow me on Twitter then you might have seen my Twit pic of this dress when I first bought it. Basically, I was in a 'I need more summer dresses now' kind of mood so I bought like three different ones. I live in Arizona and it's super hot here in the summer so I can't wear my skinny jeans all the times. A girl's gotta have options!

purple-acccessories
And in my Vintage Thrifting post last month I showed you all two lovely stores full of amazing baubles. Well I picked up this awesome white watch (I've been wanting a white watch for months now) and a silver chain link necklace from that shopping venture.

purple2
Since I've always been a fan of bangs, I'm really happy that mine look pretty nice in these pics. Check out these celebs rocking bangs at All Women Stalk.

I think this is the first time I've worn purple in all of my lookbook posts.

purple3
One of my favorite necklaces at the moment has got to be this cute camera necklace that I scored for like $2 at Forever 21. How awesome is that!

And don't you like the pattern on the dress and nice ruffles at the neckline?

close-up
Dress ~ Forever 21, Heels ~ Dolce Vita, Watch ~ Thrifted
~~~
Also, I unfortunately did not win the Style a Shape contest (maybe it was rigged, lol), but thanks to everyone who took the time to vote for me. Love you all!
SHARE:

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Inspiring Style: Rodarte Opening Ceremony

Inspiring Style ~ Rodarte Opening Ceremony

rodarte8
In this edition of Inspiring Style I bring you the Rodarte Opening Ceremony. I've recently become a much bigger Rodarte fan after I bought one of their dresses for the collaboration with Target.

rodarte13
I'm having a hard time picking my favorite looks from this collection, but I think everything in black is totally beautiful.

rodarte12
rodarte6
Which of these is your favorite?

rodarte3
You can find these looks and more on the Rodarte Facebook page.
SHARE:

Monday, August 8, 2011

Man Candy Monday - Ryan Gosling

Ryan Gosling

It's almost like where did this guy come from? He's been on the scene for a while now but 2011 seems to be his year.

This TV (do you remember him from "Flash Forward" with Ben Foster on the Disney Channel?) turned movie star has really separated himself from all the other Ryans of Hollywood and come into his own. His most notable movies being "Remember the Titans," "Murder by Numbers," "Lars and the Real Girl" and "The Notebook".

Earlier this year he did a tremendous job as Dean in "Blue Valentine" -- you can check out my movie review of it to see more. And now you can see him in "Crazy, Stupid, Love" which is actually a really great movie.

rg1
rg3
rg2
Name: Ryan Thomas Gosling

Date of Birth: Nov. 12, 1980

Place of Birth: London, Ontario

See Him Next: In the upcoming "Ides of March" movie - it's the one with the split cover of his and George Clooney's faces.
~

See the other sweet men of Monday by visiting Join the Gossip!
~~

Also, the winner of the Chic Therapy Giveaway is Marisa of The Well-Appointed Catwalk!
~~

And check me out as the Wear To Go Girls Best Look of the Week for the 2nd time & I'm also featured on All Women Stalk!
SHARE:

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Models on Parade ~ Phoenix Fashion Week

I am no model.

I'm about 5'3" and I have no experience. Although, I do think I have a pretty good runway walk. But my position as a Style Team member for Phoenix Fashion Week allowed me to participate in a model search for the upcoming fashion show in October.

Basically, I made sure the models got their head shots, were lined up correctly and were properly styled for the designer shoots. Here are some photos of what I've been up to.

model-line
More than 150 models auditioned to be a part of the top 40 who will walk in the October fashion show. We selected 30 girls and 10 guys for the event.

Here are a few of the models doing a shoot for designer Mabella Chic.

mabella-chic(designer)

model-trio
model-4
model-1
model-2
model-3
Left: Style Team Members & the Right: At the Model Announcement Event with Wade

style-team
At the Model Announcement event, Cassie was the winner of the head shot challenge. Just look at those cheek bones!

cassie
And I just had to include this photo. This is a model (not one of the top 40) who was at the model announcement event wearing this dress and hat made entirely of balloons.

bubble-model
~The Top 40~

all-models
What do you think?
~
Also, a big THANK YOU to everyone who voted for me in the Style a Shape contest!
~
And I was featured as a Style Muse on Muse Origins so go check it out!
SHARE:
Blogger Template Created by pipdig