Friday's Fancies: Pretty in Pastels

While Spring is itching to arrive in DC, easter is here! And you know what that means... Easter dresses and lots of candy. Since I won't have an easter basket this year, I'd much prefer that the Easter bunny bring me a basket full of these goodies.

Pink Dress / Orange Dress / Yellow Dress / Blue Dress / Green Pumps / Coral Heels / Lavender Pumps / Blue Pumps

I did a slightly brighter take on "Pretty in Pastel" but I absolutely love it. Plus I threw in a little color blocking, and who doesn't love that? No one. duh.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend! Let me know what you get in your easter basket!

Linked up for Friday's Fancies here. 

March Favorites

Well March is almost over, crazy! So I can't believe there still aren't any real cherry blossom sightings around here! This post is supposed to be my march "beauty" favorites, but it's apparently all about the hair this month!

1.  Clear Scalp and Hair Therapy Shampoo and Conditioner. I've been using this for color treated hair and I absolutely love it! I really think my hair is more manageable and shinier! I occassionally suffer from dry scalp, especially in the winter, and I'll tell y'all I haven't had any issues since I started with Clear. But it doesn't make me overly oily either. Loving it!

2. Maybelline the Rocket Volum' Express Mascara. I picked this up a few weeks ago and I'm absolutely thrilled. While I wish it lengthened a little more, the density it provides is great, without being overly clumpy. *I have the shortest eyelashes of anyone I've ever met... so length is a constant problem.

3. Ojon Reparative Serum- I got a nice little sample of this serum in a birchbox a few months back and it's fabulous. I've been growing my hair out for the last year or so, and the ends were starting to look a little brittle. Put a teeny tiny bit of this serum on the ends and they look good as new. It's on the pricy side, but I haven't found anything quite like it.

4. TRESemme Tres Two Hair Spray. My lifelong favorite hairspray hands down. I absolutely love this stuff, and as a southern girl who loves volume this stuff is a godsend.  Don't buy anything but level 4, and the aerosol is my fav. (Sorry environment--- I promise to save you, but I can't give this stuff up).

5. Philosophy eternal grace perfume. I have loved another scent in this line, amazing grace, forever. But I was at TJ Maxx this weekend and spotted a 4 oz bottle of this stuff for $20 bucks. (Normally it would cost $90+) so I went ahead and grabbed it. I'm so glad I did because this is my new go-to and will be for years to come. Like most philosophy scents its very clean and feminine. It does have a few citrus notes and is ever so lightly floral. I think its a perfect balance for daytime. Another plus with this brand, more than any of my other perfumes, I feel like the staying power is fantastic.

I'm also loving the natural shadow smokey palette I received to review from BA STAR.

Included in this palette are three satin powders that have great staying power. Then there are two fabulous glitter gels. The products are geared towards cheerleaders and competitive dancers, but I'm not going to lie, I kind of loved the glitter!

plus, BA Star is nice enough to offer Blue Dog Belle readers a 50% discount to get this and any other palette from their site.  Just put in "BBSMOKY" at checkout, then let me know what you think!

So let me know, what have you been loving this spring so far?

*Note the smokey palette was supplied to me free of charge. All opinions voice here are always my own. 

Learning the Bar Part II

Remember when I showed y'all this cool chart about wines last week? Well, I found another one that may be even more helpful. How to choose a bottle of wine. Click through to see the full size image, but this chart is hilarious! 

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I love the "Thanks for playin' get out of my flowchart." Ha.  So what do y'all think? Would you use this to help you pick a bottle of wine?

Sketchy Art

Lately I've been looking for a new way to spruce up the house and fill up some empty frames. I'm loving the idea of fashion sketches as art. They are beyond gorgeous, and so much fun!  Here are a few I've been crushing lately (I've even ordered a few of these!)

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Don't you just love these?  I went on a pinning spree this weekend so check out my board here. 

Also, don't forget to link up here for the instagram hop!

Everywhere but here and a giveaway

Today I'm over on Going the Distance filling in for Jenn while she's relaxing on the beach in Puerto Rico. So not fair, but I'm happy to share my beach bag essentials and live vicariously through her. So come visit!

Then I'm also part of the lovely Tara's giveaway over on Penniless Socialite. So visit me there too!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday's Fancies

Well, it's offically the third day of spring. But no one seems to have let mother nature know, because goodness has it been chilly in DC this week. We even had snow! So as much as I'm itching to put away my winter clothes for good, I may need to postpone that project for a few more weeks. Understandably, I think you'll forgive me for planning two outfits. One for this cooler weather we've been having, and one a little better for a 70 degree day.

River Island dress, $98 / Full Tilt elbow sleeve top / Maison Kitsuné / River Island light pink pants, $23 / Libby Edelman shoes / Betsey Johnson / White House Black Market jewelry

Have a fabulous weekend ladies!

Thursday Randoms

Well it's Thursday, that time during the week where writing a full blog post with pictures seems extorindarily difficult, because I'm tired and ready for the weekend. But I still have stuff to say, so blog post in bullet form it is!

• Y'all were awesome yesterday! I got some really thoughtful insight and emails which I'm still in the process of returning, so if I haven't already told you, thank you!

• Today is kind of my friday, because I'm taking tomorrow off to go look at a law school here in DC. What???? yes. Woot!

• I listened to the whole S Club 7 album last night, and it was awesome. Remember them?

• I also went to the gym last night for the first time in I don't even know, and it wasn't that terrible yay! Maybe I'll even go again tonight. 

• I have the WORST senioritis right now, and it's bleeding in to all aspects of my life. I'm just so checked out of everything. ie. I'm super lame and quiet on social media this week. sorry folks. 

• I plan on spending a ridiculous amount of time in my bed this weekend. I'm even debating about putting paper over the windows and sleeping in a masque and ear plugs to keep out distractions. I'm serious when it comes to sleep. 

• I really am feeling an intense need to go shopping for beauty products and I even need some refills... but I don't trust myself at target. What's a girl on a budget to do?

• How are you guys liking bloglovin a week post google reader? I loved it at first, but now I feel like it takes me SO much longer to get through my daily blog roll b/c I have to load every single page. Is it just me, and my slow internet connection?

• I made cheese burger mac hamburger helper for dinner on Tuesday, and realized how freaking gross that stuff is! WHY did I ever buy that crap? never again.

• I really loved this post from Betsy on Tuesday. I can't wait to see what she says in her response. 

• Is it normal that I'm really sad at the thought of leaving my DC blogger friends? I don't know where I'd be without you girls, and even though we don't hang out irl as much as we should, I don't want to leave you!

• Is it weirder that I'm considering how many blog friends I have in other potential cities as a factor in my law school decision? (ATL is looking pretty good, blog friends-wise. You know who you are).

Well that's all I've got for you today. No pictures. Just my witty randomness to keep you occupied. See you tomorrow for Friday's Fancies (everyone's favorite day of the week).

On my mind...

As most of you know, I'm in the throws of deciding where to go to law school. I am often indecisive person when it comes to big life choices, so I can tell y'all I'm absolutely terrified about this decision.

I'm very fortunate that I've been accepted to six pretty great schools, and many of them have given me a considerable amount of financial aid so that's great. But sometimes having options makes things harder. There are so many factors that accompany each school, and multiply that by six (plus five potential additional acceptances), it's becoming a bit overwhelming to say the least. Oh. And I have to decide by April 1.

I'm not quite ready to share what my specific school choices are, but I want to give y'all a few hints. I know that so much of law school will be spent studying, but I'm a city girl and I'm sure I'm going to need some entertainment. So of course I've been doing some research on life in my potential new homes. Some, I know well, others not at all.

Atlanta, Georgia

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Columbia, South Carolina

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Fairfax, Virginia

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New Orleans, Louisiana

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Washington, DC

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Greensboro, North Carolina

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So, have any of y'all lived in any of these places? I'd love to hear your perspective? Where should I stay/go for this next step? 

Don't worry, I promise to take y'all with me where ever this endeavor may lead.

Learning the Bar

After reading my blog, you may have noticed I'm a girl who enjoys a cocktail. While I've been known to overindulge every now and again, I'm not one to love a sloppy night or the aches that accompany the next morning. 

In 2008, I did a semester in Spain where I was officially introduced to life as a wine-o. While I've strayed away from the beverage lately, I've decided to educate myself on the subject of wine in efforts to grow my love. I found this print on pinterest a while back, and I'm absolutely fascinated. 

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Click through to see full size

How cool is this? I think I'm going to order a full size print for my apartment. Maybe hang it up near the bar? I think yes.

It's interesting to see what wines I already prefer in relation to one another. Apparently I'm a fruity red girl who loves anything with cherry notes. My go-tos are Pinot Noir (california's especially), Cabernet Sauvigon, Tempranillo, and Cotes du Rhone.

If you're not a wine person, sorry for this post, but if you are, what do you think? Do you have a favorite type of wine?

I'm thinking this poster would be great for a tasting dinner party. You could explore fortified wines for a night or even better... sparkling wine.

I love this.

Weekend Recap

Well that was a whirlwind of a weekend! I have a ridiculously busy week ahead, so I'm just going to let the pictures speak for themselves. Hope y'all had a fab one too!

Trying to convince friends to come out in their green dresses.

Best response ever. 

I'm also coming to realize that I need to upgrade the iphone to get better front camera quality.

MO on Vogue

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This. Is. Happening. 

Can't wait until mine arrives on March 26th.

Happy Birthday Blue Dog Belle

Well one year ago today I wrote my very first post here. A year later I can't believe how much this blog and my life has changed. I have so many new friends and friendships that I'm sure will last for years to come. I'm actually kind of "in" to fashion now... not something I would have said a year ago. The blog has forced me to focus on what I want in my life, what I don't. It's kept me accountable, and pushed me out of my comfort zone.

Some days I still don't really know why all of you lovelies stop by here and read my opinions on the random happenings in my life, but you keep coming back. For that, I am forever grateful. I'm sure those of you that blog can share in my sentiments.

And seriously, what better day to have a Blogiversary than on my favorite day of the week! Friday's Fancies!

T shirt / DKNYC / TOMS / Kate Spade bag / Metal jewelry

Did you see my post yesterday? I shared some of my feelings about the big google announcement. Needless to say I'm going to make the transition to bloglovin, so don't  forget to add me!

And if you're new to BL, like me, check this post out from Whitney on how and why to change your comment form!

I'm heading out tonight with #DCCallie and many of my favorites to celebrate the Blue Dog Belle's big day! Thanks again to everyone who has come by, left a comment or followed me over the last year, it means so much to me!

A new phase

So I updated my blog during lunch today after I found out about the death of google reader. Well, I have more to say. I'm beyond frustrated with the amount of time and effort I've put into growing this here blog all to have it essentially go by the way side (though the friends I've made here will have made it 100% worth it).

I went and read the official google reader blog post about it, and the reasoning just seems ridiculous. They are cancelling the service to to waning interest. I'm sure that just about any other company would be thrilled to have the user-ship that reader does. It seems absolutely absurd to throw that to the wayside, not to mention anger so many "influential" people. 

As someone who has had an on and off love affair with the blog world for years, I loved google reader/blogger for keeping me linked with old friends. Now it seems that link will be disappearing. All of this change is forcing me to strongly consider moving to a self hosted page. I don't want to deal with google or these antics any more.

So yes Google, I'm "sad to see reader go", but I've learned my lesson. I want to own my blog, and my readership.

I will personally transfer my feeds to both bloglovin and feedly. I'm still new to both, but bloglovin seems to be better for blogs, feedly for news and magazines. While I'm frustrated that I will now have to rely on two platforms to handle what reader did, I'm happy to support two companies that appreciate their users and won't be going anywhere anytime soon. In the meantime lets make some new blog lovin friends! Link up below and post the code on your page.

Color Crush: African Violet and Google Reader

UPDATE: So before we get on to the main show, I'm late on this whole google reader/gfc retirement. I, like so many of you, am furious with this development. I have only 1/6 of my readers on bloglovin... so this is a hit to say the least! I had several other feed sources linked to my reader, so I'm not sure if I'm going to make the transition to bloglovin or another rss feed reader like feedly. What are y'all planning on doing? 

In the meantime, I'm adding all of my blogs to blog lovin so I don't lose anyone! So add me! I have a button over on the side (looks like the feed button, but it's really bloglovin... I should probably change that) or just click here. 

For my next installation of color crush I'm featuring African Violet. This is such a pretty color and makes me so ready for spring time!

Oscar de la Renta Cocktail Dress  / Jeans  /  White House Black Market Heels /  Nine West Heels / Handbag /  Watch  / Vintage jewelry / Stud earrings

How pretty is that Oscar de la Renta dress? Oh my goodness. I'm absolutely dying, in love. I want to wear it every day and twirl around Capitol Hill.

Growing up I was more of a pink girl, as opposed to a purple one. In my house there were three girls and we were each "assigned" colors to differentiate between our possessions. My color was pink, Sara's was purple, and Beckie got whatever the other option was. Ha. Sucks to be the youngest. Now that I think back on it, those assignments were even reflected in the walls of our rooms. Mine was pepto-pink and I loved it. Sara's was a lavender, and Beckie had white/blue.

Anyways, back to African Violet. I've totally been crushing on this color lately. I love it paired with Emerald. Anyone else?
 
So what are you feeling currently?

March Birchbox

Another month, another Birchbox. I can't believe it, but we're coming up on my two year birchbox anniversary (something else has an anniversary this week too, stay tuned)! I was absolutely thrilled with this month's box! So many great products and fantastic samples! 

Wish Shave Crave Shaving Cream

This is a blueberry scented shaving cream. Perfect because spring is coming, so I need be a tad more vigilant about shaving. It's super creamy and smells SO good. Plus my legs stay super moisturized after I use it! Loving this stuff so far, but not sure it's really worth $20 price tag for the full size, but I'm loving the sample!

MAKE Satin Finish Eyeshadow

I got this sample in the gorgeous grey color called: great lakes. Now we all know how much I love grey, so this is perfect! Plus I don't have a single mid-toned matte grey in my collection. Thanks Birchbox! I really love the formulation of this shadow. It's not hyper pigmented, but it blends well and is very buildable for more color impact. Plus 30% of every MAKE product goes straight to charity! Love that.  

MAKE Face Primer SPF 30

More MAKE stuff. I'm really impressed with this new brand because this primer is right up my alley. I love that it has 30 SPF, because this girl doesn't want any more wrinkles or skin cancer while were at it.  This primer is awesome. It's kind of tacky when you apply it, so it doesn't blend super well. You need a decent amount to properly cover your face, but I feel like the texture really binds with my foundation, so that stuff is not moving! Definitely considering buying this in full size.

Nick Chavez® Beverly Hills Color-Saver Sulfate Free Shampoo

Once again, birchbox knows me so well. I'm almost out of my super expensive shampoo that I was talked in to last summer. MAN was I stingy with that stuff. 1-2 times a week MAX. Anyways, I'm super excited to try this stuff out!

Plus they send me a great floral emery board! and lord knows I always need more of those. So what did you get in your box this month? Have you gotten it yet?

Currently

Listening to my favorite Pandora station, "Tupelo Honey." It's the perfect mix of southern and classic rock, with some motown thrown in for good measure. I'm obsessed. Go add it now.

Watching CNN. Y'all are shocked I'm sure. But, I do have a new favorite show. Do y'all watch Duck Dynasty? Oh my gosh. It is hilarious and my DVR is filled. So glad there's a new season right now

Loving daylight savings time! It's so light outside when I get home. Yet another sign that spring is here!

Reading The Secret Life of Bees. I don't know why I haven't read this sooner! I'm only a few chapters in, but I'm absolutely loving it so far.  

Wearing my first piece from Gwynnie Bee. I'm so obsessed with this red pencil skirt. I may have to buy it! Promise I'll take some pictures for y'all.

Thinking about where the heck I'm going to go to law school. Right now I have 5 pretty good choices. And I still have to hear from 6 schools! Jeez. Making life decisions is hard.

Feeling a slew of mixed emotions. Excited to start the next chapter, explore a new life, but so sad to leave the one I have behind.  

Excited for one of my favorites, #dccallie, to come to town for the weekend. It's going to be an epic St. Patty's Day, are you excited yet? Any fun plans around DC?

Wondering where the heck I'm going to go to Law School. I wish I could hurry up and decide, but I'm still waiting to hear from several schools.

Realizing how much I love DC, my friends, and my life here. I'm really going to take advantage of my last few months of pre-law school DC life. Even if I stay in the area, I'm sure I won't have quite as much play time.

So what are you feeling currently?

Springtime Shopping

Well, if your weekend weather was anything like mine, you know that spring is here! We are in the glorious part of spring with warmer weather but no pollen yet, so I actually got to go outside without having an asthma attack. It's the small things in life, right?

Anyways, now that my shopping freeze is officially over I've started compiling a list of pretties I'd love to invest in this spring.

Blouse / Blazer / Skirt / Flats / Clutch / GUESS Bag / Watch / Earrings / Kate Spade Bangle

Clearly there is some pattern here. Black. White. Pastels. I'm so loving soft springy colors right now, and I love the classic black and white combo (especially in stripe form). 

I wrote about watch in a Friday's Fancy post a few weeks ago, and I haven't been able to get it out of my mind. Should I make the switch to a leather watch?

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend. Happy Monday!

Friday's Fancies

Wow... did this week feel crazy long? or is it just me? No matter. Friday is here! One more day of work then I'm free and have a super fun weekend planned. Plus spring is well on it's way! Sunday is going to be 58 and sunny! YES!

This week's Friday's Fancies theme is Lace Love. Now I know what your going to say... this dress doesn't look lacy... more shiny. I know, I know the sequin has made another appearance. But when I saw this dress by Dorothy Perkins, how could I say no? Lace and sparkle in one? Yes ma'am.

I was a little conflicted on how to style it, so I went two ways. Day and Night (because a sequin/lacy dress is totally appropriate for work).

Dress  /Sweater / High Heels / Flats / Clutch / Envelope Clutch / Watch/ Earrings / Studs

I'm so loving the metallic cap toe look... I picked essentially the same shoe, I'm okay with it. And that watch? Oh my gosh. Don't get me wrong, I love my chunky Micheal Kors, but it may be time to branch out a bit... and my birthday is only 7 weeks away. Hmm. Anyways, hope y'all have a fabulous weekend! If you want to follow along find me on instagram or twitter.

Cocktail Hour: Spiked Peach Tea

Well, In my part of town the #Snowquester was not so much. I'm talking a gross drizzle all day long, but snow... nope. More than anything the dreary weather and slow day at work left me dreaming of summer time. I know that peaches are few and far between this time of year, but good news! All you need is peach tea for this one!

Spiked Peach Tea

Ingredients

• Two bags (or two TBSP of loose) peach tea
• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 jigger of your favorite bourbon
• Ice

Directions

Basically you're going to heat the water then steep the tea bags until it becomes a deep brown color. Remove bags and return to heat, adding the sugar to create a syrup. You will need to heat the liquid until the sugar fully dissolves and begins to thicken slightly (5 minutes or so). Let the mixture cool. It will create more than enough syrup for your cocktail--- so store the leftovers for a rainy snow day. Once the syrup is cool, combine with ice and bourbon (add water if you need a little less bite), and enjoy your peachy drink in the middle of a "snow storm."

This yummy cocktail was also inspired by my lovely roommate BW who had been enjoying lots of peach tea lately, and the wonderful Mr. and Mrs. LWW who are returning to DC this weekend!  #DCCallie needs to join us! 

My Makeup Collection: Eyes

As part of my 25 before 25 I'm supposed to clean out my closets. Well, I decided that in deference to the spirit of the project, I probably shouldn't limit my purging to just clothing alone. This weekend I tackled the ever growing makeup collection. 

I first fell in love with makeup in the 7th grade. I still remember getting a slew of Clinique products for Christmas that year (some of which I still had--- can we say eww?), and from then on I've been pretty hooked. 

According to many of my makeup gurus, powder products should really only be kept for 2 years before you need to toss them.  I had some serious work to do, but I have to say I'm thrilled with the result.  

Today I want to introduce you to my whole eye shadow collection.  

This is after I cleaned it out...

I honestly can't believe this is it. But lets be honest--- I really only use my naked palette and a few purple shades every now and again, so I probably should have tossed more, but oh well. I'm a make up hoarder. 

I confess. 

I think a girl's makeup can tell an interesting story about them. I'm definitely a girl that plays it on the safe side when it comes to color selection, though I may wear my eye makeup a tad on the heavy side. 

In the summertime, gold shimmy eyes are my favorite. 

I'll pause here while you pick your jaw up off the floor. I can hear you all thinking, "Emily? Loves gold? Shimmery? Glittery? No.... I would have never..."

As a pale girl I feel like there's just something that a lightly tanned complexion and a little shimmer that screams summertime. I'm so ready. 

Golds

You also may not have noticed, but I'm pretty fare. I often feel that black is a little harsh on me so I normally opt for deep brown for liners and smokey colors. 

Browns

The trio of blues is one of those Almay eye enhancing palettes. I'm still not totally sold on the blue eyeshadow looks. I remember my Grandma telling me that only trashy girls wore that color... guess that wisdom stuck--- because I always feel a little trampy if it crosses over the line. 

Blues

*Side note, did you see RHOA this week? EVERY SINGLE ONE of the girls had on bright blue eyeshadow at dinner... #Imjustsaying 

Now when it comes to purple--- I'm LOVE a good purple eye. Eggplant liner has been my latest obsession this weekend. I think if you're wanting to branch out just a bit with your eye routine, try throwing a purple into the mix. In my opinion it's really subtle yet interesting, and oh so work appropriate.

Purples. 

Now, here is a mondo palette that will offer you every color under the sun. I've had this thing over a year, and haven't used it anywhere near as much as I should (I swear I'm addicted to the naked palettes). The pigmentation on these shadows is insanely good. I'm just not quite sure how to work many of these colors into my conservative-washington-work-appropriate rotation. If you're thinking about costal scents, I would definitely recommend the quality of the products--- but I probably could have picked a palette more suited to my lifestyle. Oh well, live and learn. 

Coastal Scents 88 Original Palette

Now it's time to introduce you to my babies. Tada.....

Naked and Naked 2

I love love love my naked palettes, and I seriously use them every single day. Look at my naked (1) palette (bottom). I used that thing every day for a year and I have YET to hit pan on even one of the shades (though I'm getting close with naked). I've been favoring naked 2 lately, but I think that's more to do with the fact that it's still new... and I'm playing. 

So there you have it. I am pretty much drugstore eye shadow all the way, but I think it's definitely worth the investment into a few high end palettes that you know suit your style. 

So now I'm curious, what's in your makeup collection?  Do you have a favorite... because I suddenly have a lot of room....

Brunchable

A few weeks ago I went to brunch with Betsy, Brea and Jaime. 

The girls were nice enough to take a few snaps of my outfit. 

Dress: LOFT | Cardigan: H&M | Trench: TJ Maxx | Bag: Kate Spade | Necklace: Gift

Remember when I bought my self a little present for getting in to law school? Well... here she is. My ridiculously large, gorgeous kate spade bag. Perfect for toting around a few heavy books right?
Watch out law school. 

On a completely unrelated note, my spending freeze is over!!! YAY! whew. That was TOUGH.
But my bank account sure is happy

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