Makeup Favorites

Hi friends! Today I wanted to go ahead and share with you my current makeup favorites. These products are things I use every day (or at least, every day that I actually have time to wear makeup!) and all of these items are things I have (or will) repurchase when I run out. That’s how much I love them! I am still in search of a primer, bronzer, and concealer to call my favorites, so if you have any suggestions for products to try I would love to hear them! Also, my new favorite mascara is the Perversion mascara from Urban Decay, but I didn’t list it separately because it is included in the Naked on the Run palette I’m going to mention. So, let’s get to it!

I’m going to go in order of how I apply everything to my face, so things might seem a little backwards from how I ordered things in the picture!

L’oreal True Match Liquid Foundation
I really like this foundation. I have been a big fan of the Revlon Colorstay foundation for a while, but since finding a few new youtubers I’ve been following, I decided to give the L’oreal True Match a try. I’m glad I did! I can get medium to full coverage with this foundation without it looking cakey at all. I love that it has a pretty natural finish to it, and even though I tend to have oily skin I stay reasonably matte all day. This line has a ton of colors to choose from in warm, cool, and neutral shades. It was kind of hard for me to choose my shade, but I ended up settling on W3 and I feel like the color match was a pretty good choice. This has become my new go to foundation!

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer
I intentionally bought this concealer a few shades lighter than my natural skin tone because I didn’t intend on using it as a concealer. I bought the color “light,” and I use it as a highlighter to brighten the area under my eye. I really like the way it blends out easily, and it does work well without being too heavy. I like it enough that I’m considering buying another one in a shade I would normally use for concealer to try it out for its intended purpose.

Bare Minerals Ready Blush
Oh my goodness…this is my favorite blush I have ever used. The color I purchased is called “The Natural High” and it is gorgeous. It is such a beautiful golden peachy color and it brings such a fabulous glow to the face without being overwhelming. I generally don’t like things that have a lot of glitter–looking at the blush you might think it does–but this goes on the cheeks as such a subtle shimmer…oh it’s just so pretty. It really does just make you glow.

NYC Liquid Lipshine
I know I have talked about these before on the blog, and they are back again because they are so fantastic. I own them in about seven shades and I wear them all the time! They have a great color payoff (and color selection) and they don’t feel too sticky on the lips which is really nice. The best part: they are only about two bucks! Hooray NYC!

Bare Minerals 5-in-1 BB Cream Eye Shadow
I first tried this as a sample in the shade Barely Nude and I liked it so much that I literally scraped the bottle clean. I decided to go ahead and purchase a full sized tube, and even though I liked the shade I had sampled I decided to go with a really pretty soft rosy shade called Blushing Pink. This cream eye shadow applies super smoothly and I pretty much use it as a primer for the rest of my eye shadow. Bonus: it doesn’t crease at all! Just a side note though–it is slightly glittery when applied, so if you aren’t a fan of shimmer on the eyes, this may not be for you.

Naked Basics and Naked 2 Basics Palettes 
Love. Love love love love love. I’m a huge fan of matte shadows and I love the nude colors in these palettes. The original palette is more on the warm side and the second palette has more cool colored shadows, but as is expected from Urban Decay these shadows are fantastic. They are super smooth and creamy when applied, and the colors blend so well. I have always had a little trouble making dark black shadows work for me, so I love that the Naked 2 Basics palette has more of a smoky grey color I can play with. I still use the black in the original palette, but I use it as an eye liner instead. I completely recommend both of these palettes to anyone (and I may have even gotten my mother-in-law hooked on them too!)

Naked on the Run Palette
I never would have splurged on this on my own, so thanks, Mom, for getting this for me for Christmas this year! I have used this pretty much every day since opening it on Christmas morning. I love the shadows and the highlight, I love the lip gloss, I love how smooth and creamy the eye liner is, but my favorite thing of all is the mascara. It applies so nicely, doesn’t clump, doesn’t flake, and lengthens and adds volume beautifully. If you want to hear all of my thoughts on this fantastic palette, go ahead and watch my newest YouTube video! It’s a short review and swatches of all of the eye shadow colors so you can see them in real time and not just in a picture. I hope you like it!

Well that’s all for now! What are your favorites that I should try? Let me know!

Building a Simplified Wardrobe You Love to Wear

For the past few weeks I have felt the need to purge as much clutter from my house as possible, including from inside my closet. I was feeling really overwhelmed with all my clothes and still feeling like I had nothing to wear, so I decided to shop my own closet and simplify things. I mean for goodness sake, I turn twenty-six at the end of the month and I still have clothes from high school. It’s time to move on!

I was intimidated to start this process because I love clothes. I love love love them. Accessories too. But, I’m at this point in my life where I have neither the means nor the space to be able to support the kind of endless wardrobe that I dream of. I have the feeling that eliminating the bulk of clothes I don’t wear that are just taking up space will be freeing. Maybe I’ll even find that my dream wardrobe isn’t endless after all, but simple and minimal.

You could call this a capsule wardrobe of sorts, but I haven’t gone through yet to see how many pieces I have now that I have paired things down and I don’t think everything goes with absolutely everything. Can I still call it a capsule wardrobe? I don’t know. Regardless of what I’m calling it, I already feel SO much better about my clothes and about my body because I always feel good in what I wear. I’ll go more in depth in a separate post about what specific pieces I have kept and how I plan on mixing and matching them, but for now I wanted to tell you how I started the whole process because let’s face it–sometimes it is hard to get started, and even harder to let things go.

Take everything out of your closet // Seriously, everything. Clothes, shoes, your bath robe, belts, scarves, extra hangers, that purse that you forgot you had because it got stuffed all the way in the back. Everything. Lay it all out on your bed or the floor–where ever you have space. If you use a dresser or drawers, empty those too. You want your entire wardrobe to be out in the open, in plain sight, so that nothing can hide from you.

Stop for a moment // Breathe. Don’t get overwhelmed. You good? Okay. Continue.

Find your favorites // You know what I’m talking about. That shirt that makes you feel like a million bucks, or that dress that you get compliments on all the time. Quickly go through and pick out the things that make you feel great, look great, and that you love. If you have even a moment of doubt about whether or not you love it–YOU DON’T! Put it down, and we will get to it in a minute. You may find that when you are finished with this step you have only a few things hanging in your closet, and that’s okay! This is your foundation, and we are going to build up from here. If you end up with more than half of your stuff back in the closet or on the shelves, that’s okay too–but make sure you really are only choosing pieces you LOVE.

Begin to sort // Now that you have all of your faves hanging back up, it’s time to go through the pile again. For this part, move quickly. Don’t stop to think too much, otherwise you will talk yourself into keeping way more than you need to. Be instinctual. Remember, just because something is pretty, or was purchased on sale, or cost a fortune, or was a gift DOESN’T MEAN that you have to keep it. Some of your clothes have made it through a lot of legs of the race, but sadly, some players must be eliminated and cannot continue on. Sorry, I’ve been watching a lot of reruns of the amazing race on Hulu-plus. Anyway…

Go through your clothes and sort them into three piles: to donate, to try on, and needs to be fixed. In your donate pile go the clothes that you know you never wear, or hate wearing, or always try to avoid. Don’t think twice. Just do it. Your try on pile should be for clothes that you are kind of neutral toward. I had quite a few tops that were in fine condition that I liked and looked good on me, but that I wasn’t completely in love with. After trying them on, I decided to keep them for now because they were able to match many other items in my wardrobe, and I can’t exactly afford to get rid of everything I own right now. Remember though, if you have to say, “I like this, but…” or, “This would look nice, if…” you probably need to get rid of it, unless it is a super easy thing to take care of. Lastly, in your needs to be fixed pile should be the clothes that have a small stain you need to try to remove, or those pants that need to be hemmed, etc. If you feel confident that you are actually going to follow through on these fixes, alterations, or DIY attempts, then go for it and keep them; but if you know you are never going to get around to taking care of things, into the donate pile they should go.

Do this sorting step with everything you have. At the end of sorting, hang up everything you are going to keep, and move the pile to be donated to a different room. If you feel so inclined, you can go through your accessories, including shoes, purses, jewelry, and belts at this point too. If you really want to go through everything, take care of your work out clothes or pjs now as well, and any other miscellaneous items. It should be noted that I am not counting accessories or work out gear toward my total item count, nor am I counting my t-shirts or pants I use for working at volunteer projects, moving, painting, etc. I also live in Hawaii and don’t have to worry about seasons, so if you have items you love that aren’t seasonal (including outerwear!) don’t get rid of them! This is where the “capsule” part of the wardrobe can come into play. You can either separate by season and then store those clothes elsewhere, or you can just move them to a separate part of your closet if you are low on storage space.

One more side note: If you are someone who has a really hard time parting with clothes (I know I am…) because you are afraid to get rid of something that you “might need if such-and-such occasion ever happened,” consider putting those clothes into storage for a month or two. If you go to retrieve something out of the box, you can keep it. But at the end of the time period you gave yourself, anything that hasn’t been touched should be donated. Chances are you’ll forget you even had it in the first place.

Find the missing pieces // Now that you have paired down your wardrobe, look at your closet! Doesn’t that feel so much better? If you don’t have too much hanging up still, don’t be alarmed! Based on the pieces you have kept–which should all be pieces that you LOVE and feel good in–you should be able to see your style start to emerge. Now you can begin to make a shopping list of pieces you need. Only left with one pair of pants? Need a new pair of classic black heels? Write down the items you need to fill holes, and then prioritize your needs so you know what you need to buy first. This will allow you to be able to shop sales when possible, and honestly makes shopping way less stressful. I went shopping today, and even though I saw some things I really loved, I kept my wardrobe in mind and knew if a particular item didn’t really fit in. I was able to be way more decisive, and my wallet was grateful too!

As for what ended up in my closet–I was so surprised to see that even though I love color, I naturally gravitate toward neutrals. The few pops of color in my closet were all in the same coral/pink shade range, except for a few dresses that I have which helped mix things up a little bit. When I saw my closet after it was all cleaned out, I decided that I want to primarily build my wardrobe using neutrals and spice things up with pops of color by accessorizing. I think this will allow my clothes to mix and match really easily and will give me way more combination options than if I have tons of colorful tops and bottoms. I still will have a few colorful pieces! But in the future when I am purchasing things I am going to be more aware of the color palette I’m going for.

There you have it! Sorry if that was kind of long winded, but I wanted to be thorough. What do you all think? Are you going to try to simplify things and revamp your wardrobe? Do you have any other tips I should know about? Let me know in the comments!

Don’t forget to be on the lookout next week for my follow up post where I’ll go in detail (with pictures!) about what my wardrobe looks like now that it has been made over.

I hope this was helpful. Have a great rest of your weekend, loves!

Weddington Way October Style Challenge

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Weddington Way to participate in a fun bridesmaid style challenge. This challenge came at the perfect time since my sister-in-law just got engaged and I have been constantly looking for bridesmaid dresses! I started scouring the Weddington Way website and fell in love with this dress. I tried to keep (somewhat!) to the color scheme my sister-in-law is planning, but I took some liberties to change things up just a bit. I love this subtle champagne color paired with the deep berry red color and a soft blush pink. It’s such a classy color combination, and it’s timeless without being cliche. Plus, isn’t the cut of this dress gorgeous?! I love that there are modest dresses to choose from on their website that are beautiful and sophisticated instead of awkward and frumpy.

Oh my goodness…I just love this dress!

Dress//Alfred Sung D575
Nails//Essie Dress to Kilt
Shoes//Caparros Odell Evening Shoes
Earrings//Gemma by EFFY
Daliahs and Peonies//Photo Credit 1,2

I styled the dress with bold nails for a pop of color, peep-toe shoes (because they are just too cute), these gorgeous drop earrings that I could never afford in real life but can gush over online, and a lovely bouquet of dahlias and peonies to change things up a little from the traditional deep red rose.

Thanks for helping me shop, Weddington Way!

Disclosure: This post was inspired by Weddington Way, however I was not compensated in any way and all opinions are my own.

Yellow Flamingos and Eshakti.com

Ladies, how adorable is this dress? This post has been a long time coming. Back in August Eshakti contacted me and allowed me to pick a dress from their website to review. I was so excited! Eshakti is a website that allows you to completely customize the clothes you order, including not only the measurements, but also the style! You can change the length of the skirt, sleeve length, neckline, keep or remove the pockets–this is my dream website. So often I fall in love with an item of clothing or a particular fabric pattern only to find that the hemline is too short, or the neckline too low, or it’s sleeveless. Modesty is important to me, but sometimes it’s hard to feel like I have to sacrifice fashion to maintain my standards. Not with Eshakti!

I ended up picking two dresses because the first dress didn’t work for me. It was more user error than Eshakti’s fault–I had ordered just by choosing a generic size instead of custom ordering, and when it came it wasn’t the color I was expecting because my screen resolution wasn’t very good when I was looking at my options. When I emailed them to see if there was any way I could choose something else, they were so understanding and helpful! They emailed me a return label so I wouldn’t have to pay for return shipping and told me that I could make a new selection. That’s when I saw this adorable yellow flamingo print. I knew I had to choose this dress! I decided to order using custom measurements this time, and I’m so glad I did. I was so excited when it finally came that I tried it on immediately and it fit perfectly!

I love the bold pattern, I love how flowy the skirt is, and I absolutely love, love, love the fact that it has pockets. The dress is made really well, too. Eshakti definitely makes high quality clothing, and I am so happy that they contacted me to work with them. Be sure to check out their site–right now if you sign up with them you get a coupon for $25 off! You can also check out Eshakti on social media:  Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter.

Disclosure: This post was inspired by Eshakti.com and I received this dress in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wardrobe Wishes and Wants

This summer it seems like fun florals and bright, crisp, light colors are everywhere. I love the white on white trend right now, and I also love a nice white pair of pants with a bold top or pops of color incorporated throughout the outfit.

Our budget is still pretty tight, so I can’t go out and put together this look quite the way I want to…so the next best option is to window shop! It’s almost just as fun, and it doesn’t hurt my wallet one bit!

Top//Bottoms//Hat//Bag//Shoes//Earrings//Necklace

While I’m not necessarily wishing for all of these specific pieces, I have wanted this Kendra Scott necklace for forever. I see it on everyone (in the blog world I mean) and I just absolutely love it. It is completely out of my price range, but I have my eye on it for someday. I also really love the Kate Spade studs! I usually tend to gravitate toward larger or dangling earrings, but since Evan loves to grab them and I am really enjoying my ears being attached to my head, I’ve started to wear studs more often. This Michael Kors bag is fabulous too. I’ve been wanting a structured bag for a while now, and I think something this size and shape would fit the bill perfectly.

The kimono trend this summer has completely caught my eye! I love how flowy and breezy they are. I know technically it’s just another layer, but it seems somehow like I would be cooler wearing it. I probably wouldn’t go for this exact one because it has open sleeves starting at the shoulder, but I liked the floral print and the color scheme. And the fedora…so cute. I like the contrast of a structured hat (and bag) with such a flowy top. Strappy heeled sandals seemed to complete the look for me, but I also think a cute wide strap flat sandal would be cute too. I love heels, but sometimes I don’t care if I look short…because I am short. There’s only so much that can be done to help that. Sometimes, I choose comfort over height. I think it’s a good choice.

I also realized after I put this outfit together that I forgot the shirt to go under the kimono! Rather than recreate the image though, I think I would just pair it with a simple blue top–most likely light blue–or even white. I love a clean look!

What are your summer wardrobe wants? What trends are you loving?

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DIY Bow Back Shirt with Lace

It’s no secret around here how much I love Old Navy. (I know, I know…enough already, right?) Sorry! But not really. I love a good deal, and their clearance is hard to beat.

A few weeks ago I found this adorable Eiffel Tower graphic tee and I loved it. I instantly had a few outfit ideas in mind, so I scooped it up and was excited to bring it home. When I got home and re-tried on everything I bought (everyone else does that too, right?) I realized there were two small holes in the back. Ugh. I was kinda upset, but I only paid a few dollars for the shirt…so I realized I couldn’t be that bummed out. I looked the shirt over and decided I was going to try to save it.

Now…I’m a total novice when it comes to anything sewing. I know pretty much absolutely nothing. I don’t own a sewing machine, and I’m pretty sure the sewing I do by hand is wrong. Can sewing be wrong? I really think mine is. Anyway, I decided I loved the idea of doing a bow back shirt because it can usually be done without sewing anything at all, which instantly sold me on the idea. When I looked at the back of the shirt again, I realized that the holes were a little too far down for a bow back to work and still be modest enough…so I went back to the drawing board. I came up with this! I love love love the lace with the subtle pink color behind it, and I still get to have the fun flirty bow I originally wanted! Plus it is still plenty modest and I don’t have to worry about being too exposed. And the best part…I did this all without sewing it.

So, here is how to do it! You will need:

A t-shirt, lace, cotton fabric, a pair of scissors, and liquid stitch (original). Oh, and a ruler or tape measure of some kind will help you out a ton, but I guess it isn’t essential.

I got all of my supplies at Walmart, other than the shirt. The lace and cotton fabric were in the fabric section and were only a few dollars a piece, and the liquid stitch was just a few aisles over in the sewing section and was about $3. I love inexpensive DIYs!

The how:
Just to reiterate…I’m no expert, so I might be doing this wrong. I decided to just wing it, and I like how it turned out!

I went ahead and measured to find the middle of the shirt and lightly drew a line down the middle in pencil.

See the holes? They’ve gotta go!

Next, I decided how high up I wanted the lace to come. There was nothing technical about this. I eye balled it. Once I decided how high I wanted it, I lightly drew a horizontal line across the back where I was going to stop cutting to allow for the bow. Then, I cut it. Actually it took me like 3 minutes to convince myself to do it. I was nervous I was going to mess it up!

Bam! Did it!

You can’t see it here, but I DID NOT cut off the sides of the shirt. They are folded under, about 3 inches on each side.

After I cut the shirt, I decided how much lace I wanted showing in the back. I knew I wanted the shirt taken in about an inch on each side in addition to the alterations I was doing, so I decided I wanted about four inches of the lace overlay down the middle. I made sure to take into account the three inches of t-shirt on each side that I had measured as well.

To make the lace and pink cotton fabric a little easier to work with, I glued one end of the lace down to the top of the fabric strip, and cut them both to be about 6 inches wide so I had some room to work with (aka in case I messed up a little).

Fancy angle photo! Haha, sorry y’all…I did this late at night. Sleepy Maria was the one taking the pictures.

Once I had that somewhat secured, I made sure my shirt was the right side out…not inside out. I folded under the three inches of fabric on each side, just like you see in the picture above this one. I was going to attempt to do this all with the shirt inside out, but I knew I would mess it up that way. All I did from here was place the pink and black lace piece underneath the back of the shirt, lined up the lace pattern as I wanted it, and began to glue it down.

Everything all lined up…

I put one thin line of glue down one side of the pink and black lace piece at a time, and lightly pressed down. Once I had both sides secure, I folded both the top and bottom flaps over and secured them with the liquid stitch as well. I glued down the seam at the top (which would become the bottom of my bow) just to give it a more polished look, and then I gathered the material at the top so the bow would look a little pleated. I wrapped a piece of lace around the bow to secure it, and then I did sew that by hand just to make sure it was completely secure (I didn’t trust the glue for that part). It turned out like this:

Pretty bow! Oh, I also used my needle and thread to tack down the sides just at the top of the lace to make it lay nicely.

The glue needs to dry for at least 30 minutes, but as I mentioned before, I did this just before bed so I let it dry overnight. Full disclosure: I’m almost positive that I’m going to bring this to one of my friends with a sewing machine so I can go over all of the seams, just to be safe. I really like the way this turned out and I want it to last! From everything I read online about the liquid stitch, it seems to be pretty common for it to loosen or detach in the wash. It seems like it’s a solid hold for things that wont be worn/washed all the time though. I wore this today though just being held together by the adhesive with no problems at all.

So there you have it! Finished, and no more pesky holes!

Ta-da!

You can dress this both up and down depending on how you’ll be spending your day. I wore it to work with nice black dress pants and some white heels, and then came home and got a little more comfortable with some cute skinny jeans and my favorite flats.

If you try an alteration like this I’d love to see it! Find me on social media (all my links are at the top right hand side of this page) and tag me!

Linking up today!
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A Modern Twist on a Vintage Look

Polka dots.

I love polka dots. They are so fun yet so classic at the same time. And with a color combination of black, white, red, and grey, this look is incredibly versatile. I wore this outfit to work in the morning, came home and changed bottoms, and rocked the more casual pants look all night long. I love finding a look that is comfortable yet classy, and I love it even more when I can style one item two ways!

No surprises here…you all know I love Old Navy. I found this top on clearance there for under $5. Isn’t the ruffle detailing just adorable?! The pants I have had forever and the skirt was an awesome find when I was closet shopping a friend’s wardrobe before she left the island (thanks Karyna!) These red shoes are also an Old Navy find, but they are from a while back so I’m not sure if they are available anymore.

I made the whole look pop with a bright red lip in Revlon’s ColorBurst Matte Balm Stick in the color Standout, and did a variation of my five minute hair fix for an up-do.

What’s your favorite way to wear polka dots?

Linking up today!
Shanna//The Pleated Poppy//Get Your Pretty On//Transatlantic Blonde//Tucker Up//More Pieces of Me and On the Daily Express//Stylish Tuesday//Mix It Monday//Monday Must Haves//Tuesday Pretties//Let It Shine//Style Sessions

 

Fun Florals Flashback

I have a love-hate relationship with florals. I love the idea of flowery prints, but in practicality most of the time I end up feeling like I look like an old lady. Maybe I just haven’t giving it enough of a chance yet? I love seeing this trend on everyone else, but I just haven’t tried very hard to be able to pull this off myself.

This week I decided I wanted to go out on a bit of a limb fashion-wise and try to incorporate the flowery look into my wardrobe, only to realize that I have literally only 3 things in my closet with flowers on them. A dress, a skirt, and an old(er) bathing suit. All three of them have a pretty, bold print, and I realized it has been ages since I have worn any of them. I realized upon discovering them again that I do love the flowers on all of them, and I was glad I didn’t have to go out and spend money to experiment with the trend. It can be so nice to go shopping in your own closet!

The last time I wore this beautiful dress, I was nine months pregnant (yay for stretchy fabric!) I love how crazy comfy the dress is, and the colors–especially the bright turquoise flowers–make me so happy. Why has it been so long since I have worn this?! 

When I was pregnant I layered this black top over the dress to better define my belly. Without it the dress was a bit flowy, and since I was wearing it for maternity pictures I wanted as much belly as possible! I wear a lightweight cropped cardigan with it normally to help make it not only a bit more modest but also a more put together look. I’m considering experimenting with altering it and adding sleeves so I don’t have to always wear it with the cardigan, but I might make it into just a skirt instead. I don’t know anything about alterations or sewing, so it would be a great learning experience. Any of your how-to tips or words of wisdom are appreciated!

The best part about the dress? I found it at Ross for a steal of a deal. I love when that happens!

As a side note: I can’t believe my baby turns 10 months old tomorrow. I feel like it was just yesterday we were taking these pictures!

Linking up today!
Shanna//The Pleated Poppy//Get Your Pretty On//Transatlantic Blonde//Color Brigade//Tucker Up//More Pieces of Me and On the Daily Express//Trend Spin//Stylish Tuesday

Anniversary Date Night Denim

Yesterday Brinton and I celebrated our four year wedding anniversary! It blows my mind to think that it has already been four wonderful years. I feel like they have flown by so fast, and at the same time like we have been married for way longer than that. We had a great day with one another and were even able to get a sitter for Evan in the evening so we could go on a real date just the two of us (thank you Rachelle and TJ!!!)

Our day was filled with chocolates and flowers, dinner and movies, and spending time relaxing with one another. I feel so lucky to call this man my husband. He is without a doubt the most amazing person I know. The amount I love him could never be fully expressed in words, but it never stops me from trying. I love him more each moment. That might sound like a big claim, but it’s so true. Every day, I come to a new understanding of what love is and what it really means to be completely in love with him. I am so blessed. A lot of people say that when a baby becomes part of the family that things change between husband and wife and life gets harder, but for us…it has only gotten better. We have changed, but we have grown so much closer with one another, and when I see the way he loves Evan and how Evan looks up at him, my heart becomes so full it could burst.

Happy Anniversary my love! I am so excited that we get to have an eternity of anniversaries to celebrate together.

Turns out, the millionth kiss is even better than the first. Pictures from first dating in high school in 2006 through now.

Dinner selfie!

For our dinner date I wanted to wear something fun but casual. I got this pink top at Old Navy a few months ago and paired it with a pair of dark-wash, wide leg denim jeans and cute nude high heels. The picture doesn’t really do it much justice, but this outfit was so cute! I love that my beaded necklace went with it so well too. I think next time I’ll trade in my heels for my new favorite wedges, which probably would have helped me look a little taller! Last time I was at Old Navy I noticed that this top is on clearance now, so scoop it up while you still can!

After our meal at Nico’s at Pier 38. If you all are ever in Honolulu, you have got to go to this restaurant. Dinner was delicious!

Yes, this post was way more about love than fashion. Sometimes you just have to write about what really matters (but you can still look cute doing it!)

PS-This is my 100th post on my blog!

Link ups! The Pleated Poppy//Transatlantic Blonde//Color Brigade//Tucker Up//More Pieces of Me and On the Daily Express//Trend Spin//Stylish Tuesday

DIY Beaded Necklaces

When you’re on a budget, it can be much less expensive and way more fun to get creative and make jewelry rather than buy it. And why not? These necklaces are so easy to make! I will say, I am completely new to the jewelry making world, so it is completely possible that there are much easier or more correct ways to do this. That being said…this process seems to have worked for me. I also know that there are lots of tools dedicated entirely to beading and jewelry making, but I don’t have any of those. My husband, however, has a wide variety of tools…and now they are used to both work on the car and make necklaces. Haha. Hey, it works.

What you’ll need:

Beading wire, seed beads, crimp beads, jump hooks, clasps, and a pliers of some sort. You’ll also need scissors, but I forgot to add them in the picture!

I didn’t know how these were going to turn out since this was my first attempt at jewelry making, so instead of buying everything separately I bought this “value pack” that had most things included. Next time I’ll just buy crimp beads, jump hooks, and closures separately. By the way, I got all of this stuff at Walmart, so you don’t need to live by a craft store to find these things–I certainly don’t! Hawaii could use some good craft stores…

Anyway, I started by deciding how long I wanted the necklace to be and cutting off a section of beading wire. I taped off one of the ends and then strung on all of the beads; for the bright green necklace this was simple! I made all of the strings of beads the same length and all the same color, so there really wasn’t much guesswork. For the layered necklace it was a bit trickier getting everything the right length and spacing the beads correctly. I really don’t have advice for this part. It was just a lot of guesswork. If any of you have a good way to do this, I would love to hear your tips!

After I had everything beaded and taped off, I threaded the ends through a crimp bead, looped it, and fed the ends through the bead again, like so: 

Once the loops were formed and the beads crimped, I threaded them onto a jump hook so I could attach the clasps. I only took pictures of the green necklace for some reason. Note for the green necklace: I wanted it to be braided, so after the loops were on the hook, I braided the three “sections” I had made (each section has three strands of beads), and was sure to put the loops on the second jump hook in the right order for it to stay braided properly.  

I wanted to make the green necklace adjustable, so I added quite a long chain to it. After I took these pictures and actually wore the necklace, I realized I had made it slightly too long, so I took off a few of the chains and made it shorter. The white necklace I wanted only one length, so I attached the clasps directly to the jump hook instead of a chain.

Here are the finished products!

I really like the way the turned out! I still have a lot to learn, but I’m having so much fun doing it!

I have a feeling that I’m going to be spending a lot more time browsing Pinterest now for more ideas. And I’d love to hear your suggestions as to what I should make next!