Tuesday, January 15, 2013

January Birchbox

Hello! Long time no see ladies, sorry for dropping off the face of the earth yesterday. No post. No instagrams, nothing on Facebook. Not even a tweet. What is happening to me? Well--- I'm a tad stressed about life right now. So much to do, so little time. And I didn't write any posts over the weekend- I normally write outlines for all of my posts on Sundays. So we're winging it. Woohoo. aka--- I might go MIA again until after the inauguration. But I promise to update Twitter and Instagram like a crazy person. 

Anyways. I received my Birchbox in the mail a few days ago, and I've been loving some things... others not so much. First up.
I'm still semi- new to the Balm product, but so far I love what I've seen. This is no exception. Great primer. Takes a bit to dry, but one it does you are set for the whole day. I still prefer my UD primer potion, but this is not to say I won't love using this lovely sample. Thanks!

Ojon damage reverse™ Instant Restorative Hair Serum

Birchbox must have read my mind, because I just ran out of my argon oil. Seriously, the day before my box came. I'm not sure I love this more than my orofluido elixirthis is a great product. You can use it on wet or dry hair (I've only tried dry), and a little goes a long way. Smooth the product from the mid-shaft to the ends to reduce frizz and protect ends.

I'm kind of obsessed with this nail polish. The color is Blue Lagoon, and actually comes off a little closer to navy than this pictures makes it seem. The formula is great though, super pigmented color. Goes on smooth, and three days later I still have yet to see a chip. Plus they have tons of other fun colors!

I may be the only one out there who likes getting perfumes in my box, but this one was a miss for me. I can't quite put my finger on what I don't like about it, but I'm just not feeling it. Sorry. Birchbox says: 

"The dominant note of crisp green apple is tempered by marine mint and lovely lotus blossom. In the background, notes of grapefruit, bergamot, fennel, white cedarwood, amber, and iris mix and mingle."  

Which if you ask me sounds like a lot of different smells that don't necessarily mingle well.

Loving this great face cream. Smells lovely- very light and as you might think... fresh. It definitely moisturizes, so I would only ever use this at night, plus no SPF, but it's great! I'm new to night creams, so I don't really have anything to compare it to, but I'm a fan!

Friday, January 11, 2013

Emerald Inaugural {FF #15}

I'm not going to lie, I've had Inauguration on the brain all week. I'm so excited to get all dressed up, see friends and family, and pretend like we are a part of the Washington elite. What a glamourous life I lead (said with full sarcasm). So after Wednesday's post where I talked inaugural options, where SO many of you commented and just gushed about the emerald option (no longer available at Macy's BTW, ANNOYING), I've been re-evaluating my options. I want to incorporate emerald one way or another. But should I run out and get a new dress? or maybe invest in a few accessories? What to do. What to do. So these are all options I would love to consider adding to my look.

Emerald Inaugural


What do y'all think? Full on gown? or do I stick with accessories?

PS. How amazing would it be for Michelle to rock that Elie Saab Gown? I'm dying just thinking about it.  Have a great weekend loves!

Thursday, January 10, 2013

MNF, Part II

That’s me in the corner. That’s me in the spotlight, losing my religion.

Trying to keep up with you and I don’t know if I can do it.

Oh no. I’ve said too much. I haven’t said enough.

                A whole 2 weeks for Part II (Remember Part I)!  Hope I haven’t lost your interest!  We are in the MIDST of football playoffs, so let's wrap up Monday Night Football... To recap – we’ve left Chinatown’s bat cave and head to the infamous Capitol Lounge on Capitol Hill, a New England Patriots bar (I recently discovered) to catch the Monday Night Football game.  If I were to make a list of the things I love most about DC, near the top would be the fact that DC is an international and domestic hub for individuals from all types of backgrounds.  It’s a skittles commercial-all the colors of the cultural rainbow.  And here we are – a Monday night in our nation’s capital, and this Southerner is surrounded by New England Patriots fans with Mark Wahlberg accents and his reaaally NSFW (unless you're Officer Dignam) The Departed vernacular.

                Capitol Lounge (Cap Lounge as they call it on the street) is located on the strip of Pennsylvania Avenue restaurants down the street from the United States House of Representatives office buildings, nestled between Capitol Hill and Eastern Market in Southeast DC.  It is a Republican-owned (but bipartisan in business) playground for congressional staff, particularly interns and younger twenty-something staff.  The décor is pretty austere, but it is adorned with aged political paraphernalia (the walls are a collection for Reagan and Nixon campaign swag, hung amidst red+white+blue and stars+stripes fabrics/flags/buntings, etc.).  Of bars in DC, with such power-packing patronage, Cap Lounge is the Jenny from the Block version of Jennifer Lopez – the inconspicuous, no frills neighborhood pub, full of fully suited puppeteers for our federal lawmakers.  It is a staple in Capitol Hill so there is no need for inventive concoctions or promotions, although they do offer a few good ones, and I would call it unpretentious for that reason but doing so would only be half-right.  Among the political and patriotic stylings are signs stating, “I don’t care who you work for.”  And, if you show up AFTER the safety hours of happy hour, the place is full of political loose lips and poisoned philosophies, all willing to dive into a debate on House Resolution yadayada, the exact role/size of the federal government, skinterns in the office of Congressman Cat in the Hat, to whom and how much big donors have spent this past campaign cycle, the economics driving the American job market, and of course, how this/that party is screwing over America’s future. 

                The yin to balance the yang, however, is that Cap Lounge will often reserve entire levels for private parties, like it is on this particular night as the main level has been hijacked by a trivia night.  The private party this evening (for what, I’m not quite sure) is closing down, so the staff has been kind enough to let our small group enter the private party for the tail end so that we may catch kick-off while trivia concludes.  Not that there aren’t enough televisions upstairs, but we absolutely take the offer.  The space has mostly cleared, with a few lingering behind, most of whom are vortex’ed into liquored-up conversations, with exception to a small, isolated table which is shared between 3 suited men (much grayer than the usual suspects) who are holding their alcohol much better than the usual suspects as well.  This particular exclusive table is enthralled in a quiet conversation, with a private television, a table of beer, catching the beginning of the game between incognito conversations, all of which is being kept quite private. 

                In the same room, I’m sitting adjacent to 2 fine, young, over-served gentlemen I’m fairly certain wound up here from the Hill, discussing the state of our country and slurring their personal patriotism. “I mean…dude, I rreaaally love the Constah-tution,” divulging very little into any substantial political theory at this point.  Full confession - by the end of the night, I will be guilty of similar crimes myself, bickering with well-informed friends over whether or not the state of Texas will remain red or turn blue in the 2016 presidential election.  #onlyinDC  In my experience, veteran Hill staff tend to turn their noses at the thought of Cap Lounge after work, probably because at one time they’ve done this exact, roll-your-eyes-the-next-morning-in-embarrassment, type of thing.  I label it infamous because by the end of the night, it can be fall-down drunk, the last place that you didn’t need to visit on your way home from the evening’s shenanigans, yet you’re inside ordering another round and plunging money into the computerized jukebox. 

                Around 9:00, the majority of the trivia masses leave the bar, and Cap Lounge releases their Jerry Jones-sizedsuperdome screen (well, for a bar space it is huge) and we head upstairs to the main room.  The crowd has dwindled, but that will change before halftime.  The bar offers great specials for the football game, including $5 pizza which is my favorite from their food menu.  If pub grub is not pleasing your palette, the location is perfect to explore other eatable options-Top Chef’s Spike Mendelsohn offers 2 amazing restaurants: Good Stuff and We the Pizza, located just across the street, perpetually packed with power players including President Obama.  Cap Lounge is now packed with sports enthusiasts at this point, in particular New Englanders from the Hill, small business owners, veterans, lobbyists, and a few 2012 Presidential battleground campaign staff.  After 9:00 on most nights, you are bound to see just as diverse a crowd...



My last call:  great locality, interesting crowd, even more interesting conversations, most of which devolve into superficial matters.  It is the bar for workers of politics to unite, and a spot for the rest of the world to watch the beer-based bipartisan common ground burn up in flames. 

Until Next Time,

xo, Megan

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Inaugural Gowns

As many of you know, my office is on Capitol Hill here in DC so I'm lucky enough to see the gorgeous capitol building every day. Congress officially began their new session last week, but the President doesn't start his new term for another two weeks or so.  I've been slowing watching the process as they've built the scaffolding, hung flags, and delivered more port-a-potties than you can imagine. With festivities kicking off next weekend I've been running around making sure I have dresses and accessories to all of the various events that weekend. I think I'll be attending 3 balls this year, most of them for work, so I need three different outfits. 

While I haven't decided yet, there are some things to consider for Inaugural balls. First... this is not prom. Obvious, but I haven't really had to wear long gowns since high school, so there's a whole new set of rules.  As with anything in DC the balls are potential networking events, so I need to stay some what professional. Strapless dresses are pushing it--- so make sure you have a wrap. This may not be the time to make a real statement with your fashion choices, so tone down the color and the trends. 

Here are a few dresses I think would be perfect. 


I really like the coverage of this dress. It's a gorgeous bright red, which is fun while still being patriotic (obviously this is an inaugural ball). 

Again, really liking the coverage of this dress, but the lace detail make it a little less stuffy. Plus it's emerald, so on point with the trends--- while not taking too many risks. 

Emerald Dress
While this dress is strapless, I really like it. The deep color is fun, yet professional and the beading is just enough to make the dress unique but again not overly flashy. A gorgeous pashmina and you're all set to hit the town.
Purple Dress
Again, this one has some sparkle (which we all know I love), but I adore the halter neck. The shoulders show a lot of skin but you do have to worry about cleavage.
Navy Blue Dress

So what would you wear to an inaugural ball?

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