currently loving: may

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I've always been a fan of other bloggers doing a regular roundup of their current favorites, and I'd like to start doing that regularly on this blog. As I try to be more selective of what I add to my closet, it's easy to focus on the bad purchases. While this isn't a bad thing in and of itself (I'm learning not to repeat said bad purchases), it gets to be a downer if you don't take into account the good purchases. 

So staring with the past month, these were my favorite good guys:

Dolce & Gabbana light blue. An oldie but a goodie. Now that the weather is warming up, I've returned to my perennial spring/summer favorite. I've worn this scent for years and years. I know it's fairly ubiquitous, but I've yet to find another scent that I like more.

Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfector in #06. The perfect, barely there nude lip balm/gloss hybrid. With just the slightest hint of shimmer, it makes my lips look just right. I don't know how it does it, but I'm sold.

Donna Karan Woman.  I received a deluxe sample of this perfume, and I was immediately intrigued. The scent is unabashedly womanly. Not delicate, not sweet, but sensual and female. I like to use just a little on my wrists and behind my ears. The past few days have been rainy and gloomy, and I've found that this scent stands up to it and gives me a little pick-me-up. 

NARS x Pierre Hardy in Rotonde. My new favorite blush. NARS is one of my favorite makeup brands, for a variety of reasons, one of which is the company's dedication to creating makeup shades for a very wide range of skin tones. This blush is easy to blend and easy to layer. When other blushes have either not shown up on my skin tone because of lack of pigmentation or have had the color but have been impossible to blend, this one is so easy to use and so beautiful. 

Old Navy boyfriend khakis. I bought these khakis in the coral red, promptly fell in love with the softness and fit, and proceeded to buy the army green, black, white, and kelly green pairs. 5 pairs later, I'm seriously tempted to get more colors...they're that good. Old Navy is often hit or miss when it comes to quality...these are a definite hit.

Zara white and nude sandals. I've worn these babies with everything - with jeans, with skirts, with a sundress to my sister's graduation. Perfect whether dressed up or dressed down. The thicker heel makes them comfy and suitable for all day wear - I wear them for 6 hours with no pain (and only a tolerable ache in my arches after 8+ hours). Worth the $49.90 + tax I paid for them.

Coach Penny and Longchamp Le Pliage Cabas. I've alternated between these two bags for the past month: the Penny for the weekend and the Longchamp for the workweek. The small size of the Penny forces me to just carry the basics - phone, keys, cash/cards, and lipgloss. On the weekend, what more do you really need? The Longchamp has been a workhorse. I owned the shopping long-handled version of Longchamp's famous totes in college and used it to death over the course of 3 years. Now that I don't have textbooks to carry, I prefer the more streamlined shape of the Cabas (short handles, open body with no zipper). This shape is discontinued (boo!), but they're on eBay fairly regularly. Just do a saved search and you'll be updated about the available options. Like other foldable Le Pliage bags, the Cabas lacks structure on the bottom, so I ordered a base shaper via eBay to help the bag keep its shape. 

What are you currently loving?

current obsessions

A new feature on the blog: a quick roundup of everything I'm currently loving. 

I didn't mean for it to be so makeup-centric, but I guess I've just been inspired by the beautiful weather around here lately to play around with makeup. 

This blush looks scary and intense in the pan, but with the right brush and a light touch, it blends beautifully to the perfect peachy cheek. Now that I know it's blendable, I'm tempted to get the other color in the NARS x Pierre Hardy collection: Boys Don't Cry, a beautiful flushed pink. If you've been eyeing it, keep in mind that it's much bigger than the regular NARS blushes (0.45 oz. vs. 0.28 oz.), which explains the much bigger price ($41 vs. $29). It originally came with a gold overlay in a geometric pattern all over the pan, but I've already wiped some of it away with use.

I've been looking forever for a bronzer that would give me enough of an effect on my relatively dark skin. This one from D&G was a splurge during the Sephora friends and family sale, and it's given me just the right amount of contouring and color. I don't think it will work for me when I get darker as the weather gets warmer (I get about 4 shades darker than what I am now), but until then, this has been wonderful. I got it in the shade "bronze 40". The packaging is beautiful and luxurious, coming with its own velvet pouch and gold-handled compact brush that fits in the pouch's front pocket.

 I'm really digging this cobalt blue and silvery/gold glitter mani combo. I used these colors this weekend, and I can't stop looking at my nails.

This lipgloss is a recently re-discovered oldie but goodie. It's the perfect coral (#165 volupte), and the formula is not too sticky. I got this mascara as a sample, and it's become a fast favorite. It really extends my lashes and gives me an open-eyed look for when I'm looking half-asleep, either by itself or layered with my other favorite mascara. While I don't have really bad undereye circles, this concealer has been great for some touch-ups on my face after a particularly hard week when I need a little help. It's creamy and blends seamlessly, and I like that it comes in an easy-to-transport tube.

Lastly, I've been wearing this necklace nonstop. It's delicate while still giving enough of a sparkle. It's no fuss glam, which is what I've been needing as the past few weeks at work have been grueling.

What are your current obsessions? Do share!

trio

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A woman's perfume is somewhat like her signature.  One of my closest friends wore Angel by Thierry Mugler and another close friend almost always wore Daisy by Marc by Marc Jacobs, and with each one, I considered those perfumes as their signature. I have three perfumes that I wear almost exclusively, one for spring/summer, one for fall/winter, and one for more special events.

I've worn Light Blue since my freshman year of college and am on big bottle #3. Its citrus scent has just the right amount of bite while still staying light and fresh, making it perfect for the spring and summer. The only downside is since it's an eau de toilette, the scent dies down after a couple of hours on me, and I have to respray. While that's unfortunate for my wallet, I love the scent too much. 

I discovered The One about 2 1/2 years ago. I had been looking for a stronger perfume to wear for nice dinners and more formal functions. I wanted something warm and romantic without being overwhelmingly floral or strong, and surprisingly, this fit the bill. Doing some post-buy research, I found out why I liked it so much: it has notes of mandarin, peach, bergamot, and vetiver - a great mix of things I like.

My search for a fall/winter perfume was even tougher. I wanted something that was more suitable for the colder temps than Light Blue but less "fancy" than The One.  I actually discovered Narciso Rodriguez For Her as a sample in a beauty box. I sprayed it absentmindedly and while the first spray was a lot more musky than I usually like, it died down into a really unique scent that I can't even describe but found myself loving. Even though it's an eau de toilette (in the black bottle; the eau de parfum is in the pink bottle, and I've heard the scent is quite different), it's a lot stronger and more lasting than the Light Blue. 

Do you have a signature scent?