My Favorite Color

"I love red. Red's a great color."

There's so many wonderful things about the color red.  It's emotionally-charged: passionate, vibrant, bold, romantic, adventurous, and so much more.  Fashionably-speaking, it's both modern and classic.  It's a beautiful color for every day and for special occasions.  It can be the center of attention that immediately catches your eye, or it can serve as a gorgeous background.  I like to use the color red wherever I can--but these days I most like it when it's in a form that I can wear.  Ever since I watched the James Bond movie "Casino Royale", I've been head-over-heels for bright red dresses--

--Inspired by the dress that the character Vesper Lynd wore in the film.  I now have two red dresses in my wardrobe, and a few different pairs of red shoes.  A red dress can be worn with a lot of different accessories, but I firmly believe that if a girl is going to own a red dress, she should wear it with red shoes at least once or twice in her lifetime.  ;)  Red lip colors are also some of my favorite things to keep around...red is a wonderful, sophisticated color for makeup, but I think it really ought to be restricted to the lips, with a little spared to use for cheek color.  Red eye makeup is--I find--tricky, at best.

Recently, I went on a shopping excursion with a friend, and we picked out some fabulous new wardrobe pieces for her, from H&M.  Our findings got me to thinking: I really ought to write a blog post about the versatility of the color red in one's wardrobe.  I think it's a color that's vastly underrated in clothing.  Yes, it is a bold color, but sometimes bold colors can be treated as neutrals, in much the same manner as they can be used as impact-making statement pieces.  In addition to that, red is far from a seasonally-exclusive color; it can be worn beautifully year-round.  Allow me to elaborate, using the styles of three very unique ladies.  

In Micah's set, I used bright, cherry red slacks as the focal point of each outfit.  From left to right, the outfits progress in season from summer-early autumn, to autumn, to winter.  Red can be paired with neutral shades--such as the shoes, handbags, and jewelry accessories with each outfit here--as well as brighter colors, such as the melon shade of the first outfit's shirt.  It can be paired with pretty floral prints preppy nautical stripes, and cozy knit materials.  

The trick here definitely lies in treating red as a neutral shade; the red slacks in each outfit here could easily be swapped out for a pair of skinny-fit jeans, and the effect would be much the same.      

For my set, I chose a piece that I actually have in my wardrobe--a red dress, although it isn't this specific red dress shown here.  Red dresses can be just as versatile a piece in one's wardrobe as red slacks; it all simply depends on what you choose to pair the red dress with.  

For a really bold color statement in the first outfit, I chose most red accessories.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with playing the matchy-matchy game with your outfit these days!  The combination of the slightly different but mostly uniform shades of red gives the outfit a put-together but not garish look.  For a slightly more casual effect, denim, leather, and knit materials look really nice with red, and the red itself gives a cheery and warm pop of color to the ensemble.  Lastly, a simple leather belt and pullover sweater transform the dress into what appears to be a skirt, paired with tastefully sparkling accessories and never-fail flesh-tone pumps.  See?  Red dresses aren't meant to be relegated to only the holidays!  

For Jenn's outfit sets, I chose to emphasize a color that is always very trendy for the cooler months of the year: oxblood.  (It's seriously in e-ver-y style magazine that's out for purchase right now!)  My and my two friends' styles are very different: Micah tends to go for a preppy-chic look with lots of bright colors and girly accents, while I gravitate towards a layered country-sophisticated look, and Jenn has a classic minimalist style with a hint of edginess.  

Jenn has the kind of style where she lets a statement color shine through in a few key pieces of her outfit: an elegant point-toed high heel in the shade of oxblood, a knit shirt paired with a cozy cardigan and faintly blush-hued jewelry, or a flowy dress with sparkling accessories.  She never plays it too safe, but she never overdoes it either.  If you don't want to wear an all-red outfit, but you still want to experiment with the red trend--be it bright red or the autumn-appropriate oxblood shade--Jenn's wardrobe system of subtle accents is the one for you!

What colors and trends are you looking forward to wearing for the autumn?

À bientôt!

-- Cait

Defining Country Chic

Have you ever used a term to describe something, and yet never really sat down and thought about what the term meant, exactly, to you?  This was a thought that occurred to me when I was recently asked--by one of my aunts--about the theme of the gender reveal party that Mr. Darcy and I will be having for our baby on Saturday.

What is "country chic"?

From the numerous times that I've browsed Google's image search, Pinterest, and various other websites, I've learned that this is a style term that can mean a whole lot of different things, to a whole lot of different people.  That's part of its charm, naturally. :)  However, in this blog post, I'm going to attempt to define what the "country chic" style means, in my own eyes.

To start off with, here's a few pictures that I've pulled from the vastly obliging world wide web; these are the images that I felt best expressed the look that we'll be going for with this party.

(The following images are from Pinterest and Google's image search.)

I love the look of mismatched containers and simple flower arrangements.  These are both important elements of the country chic style: nothing ever seems to be too matchy-matchy, and it's never, ever fussy.  It's casually but thoughtfully put together, with an emphasis on a worn-in patina and a cozy, homey sort of prettiness. 

Another staple element of the country chic style is Mason jars.  They can be any size, in a variety of colors, opaque and clear, embellished or not...but where there's a country-style design theme, there will almost certainly be Mason jars.  And why not?  They're sturdy and they look fabulous without your having to over-think how you're going to put them together.  Also, I ought to add, like the ubiquitous Little Black Dress that the world is so very (justly so) fond of...

Mason jars pair well with pretty much ev-er-y-thing.   

Again, we have wildflowers and mismatched vessels, with an emphasis on the nicely-aged and weather-worn look of the non-flower items' surfaces.  But now I'd like to point out another element of the country chic design, which a friend described to me in her definition of the country chic style--and that is the color palette.  Country chic style can vary between vibrant, saturated bright colors and soft, whispering pastels, but those colors will always be firmly based in nature.  You won't find any neons here, I'm afraid.  You will, however, find the aforementioned natural colors and a host of lovely neutrals: shades from wood, burlap, natural fibers such as cotton, and others.

So there we have a few examples of the elements of country chic design: mismatched flower containers and tableware and cutlery--simple flower arrangements gathered from the side of the road, the flower market, your own backyard, or a conveniently-blooming meadow (if you see any such place, do let me know...they're in rather short supply around here...)--Mason jars, in whatever size you want, with whatever embellishments you want--and a color palette that mixes natural neutrals with brights and pastels.  This is by no means an exhaustive definition of the elements that composed the country chic style, of course...it's just the handful of examples that I've chosen to highlight for my own interpretation of it, for this particular occasion.  :)

I suppose that ultimately, I would have to agree with my friend's definition of the country chic style: it holds both natural and vibrant colors, it's aged and worn in without being worn-out and deteriorating.  It's country in that it includes wildflowers, burlap, and an unpretentious sort of coziness, and it's chic in that it holds a unified, well-thought-out scheme of colors and materials.  With the country chic style, you get wildflowers in a collection of sparkling clear glass Mason jars; there is a crisp white linen table cloth with a burlap-and-lace table topper; there is faded turquoise paired with rough-hewn wood and fine silver flatware.  It's cheerful, cozy, and sophisticated without seeming as though it's trying to be.  

And how does that translate for the gender reveal party on Saturday?

This is just the base of my ideas for the decorations, but I think it gives a suitable picture of what I'm planning to include.  There will be lots of pink and blue for the table decor, in both the gingham pattern and solids.  We'll also have pink and blue balloons placed here and there; I'm thinking of trying to make a pair of question marks to decorate either side of the front door.  We'll also hopefully have some of the flowers from the backyard: fuschia pink roses and blue-tinted hydrangeas, if there are enough of them blooming to use them for arrangements.  And of course, there will be some burlap and twine involved.

We've got a bunch of dear, dear friends and family who are planning to attend--some of them are traveling a ways in order to be present for the grand reveal.  I'm so, so incredibly honored and happy to be looking forward to the company of everyone who is planning to be there with us on this special day, whether they're from out of town or from the local area.  Auntie Jenn is going to make a special blue punch for the party, and Auntie Micah is making the cake--I'm anxious to try both!  And baby's bonne-maman--that's my Mom!--is joining forces with me to make an amazing finger-foods menu, which is to include "Texas caviar" and tortilla chips, individual veggie-and-dip cups, fruit kabobs and antipasto kabobs, a hummus-esque dip from one of Giada de Laurentiis' cookbooks, and...cherry pie pops.

Sheesh.  Now I'm really hungry again, after talking about all of that food!  I think it's time for me to put an end to my rambling and let everyone go, for now.  ;)

À bientôt!

-- Cait

A Makeup Tutorial

It has been quite some time since I included a step-by-step makeup tutorial on a blog.  The last time that I wrote such an entry, it was a tutorial on how to do a modern-retro look with bombshell red lips and black liquid eyeliner.  Today's look is more of an attempt from me to recreate the fresh, sophisticated, and yet somehow effortless look that is worn by so many of the lovely ladies that we see in the fashion magazines.  It's kind of a daytime chic look: with lightly smoky violet eyes and a year-round-appropriate, glowing complexion and lips.  Well!  That's an awfully wordy description...the look itself, however, isn't at all complicated.

Shall we?

Step #1:  Start with a clean, moisturized face.  Around the eye area--from the brow bones to the lashline--gently pat a bit of liquid concealer into the skin until it's blended.  Don't apply the concealer to the under eye area yet; that will come later.  Take a fluffy eyeshadow brush and lightly dust some loose powder around the entire eye area, from the brow bone to the lid to the under eye area.  The loose powder will not only help to soak up any residual oil on the eyelids, it will also serve as a barrier between the skin and whatever flecks of eyeshadow that might fall onto the skin during the process.  And that, let me assure you, makes for much easier under eye clean-up!  :)

Step #1:

This is the eye area that you will be working with for this look, 

from just below the eyebrow to about where the first line of 

this writing would be, if this picture was your face.

Step #2: Take your fluffy eyeshadow brush and dip it into a shimmery champagne eyeshadow, then dip it into your loose powder.  Dust this shade--a combination of the champagne shadow and the loose powder--onto your brow bone and into the inner corner of your eye, to highlight.  (The combination of the champagne shadow and the loose powder makes for a subtle glow that works well for the daytime, I found.)  Make sure to softly blend out any harsh edges.

Step #2

Step #3:  Take a smaller, flat eyeshadow brush and very gently pat--pleeeeease don't rub!--a light grey/taupe shade onto 3/4's of your eyelid only.  Leave the inner 1/4 of your eye alone, so that the champagne highlight can still shine through.  (Oh...and I apologize for the "highlight" instruction, the circled areas, and the arrows.  I couldn't erase them once I had added them onto the drawing, as it was done in pen.  Sigh!)  

Step #3

Step #4:  Dip your small, flat eyeshadow brush into a dark brown shade and a light plum shade of eyeshadow, and apply it to the outermost 1/3 of your eyelid, blending out the shadow at the crease of your eye.  With the darker shades in this look, it is important to keep the edges of the shadow soft.  It's a smoky look, but it's also a subtle look.  :) 

Step #4

Step #5:  Take a black eyeliner pencil and apply it to your lash-line, in a lopsided " < " shape.  The upper half of this " < " shape should be longer than the lower half, with the line growing from thin to thicker at the outer corner of the eye.      

Step #5

Step #6:  Take a thin, stiff, flat eyeshadow brush and gently pat a sparkly black eyeshadow onto the eyeliner that you just drew onto your lash-line.  This not only helps to further emphasize the eyeliner; the powder of the eyeshadow also helps to lock the eyeliner pencil in place and helps to keep it from smudging and running.  Using the same brush, apply a dark plum/black shade over the sparkly black eyeshadow; if you want, you can skip the sparkly black eyeshadow and just use the dark plum shade.  It's entirely up to you. :)  The plum shade really softens the look very prettily, though.

Step #6

Step #7:  An optional finishing touch on the eyes would be to curl the eyelashes and then apply black liquid--or gel, or cream--eyeliner to the upper lash-line, winging it out at the outer corner of the eye to make a cat-eye shape.  This is purely an optional finishing touch, however; if you don't like liquid eyeliner or you simply find that the eyeliner that you have already applied is enough to your liking, you can by all means leave it at that.  I just like to add liquid eyeliner sometimes because it gives my lash-line a nice, crisp pop...and I happen to really love the winged-out cat-eye shape.

However, another few finishing touches on the eyes that I would not skip--unless I had the fortune to be in possession of naturally dark eyelashes and fuller eyebrows, that is--would be applying mascara and filling in the eyebrows.  These are both elements that give the eyes a nice, polished look, and a well-groomed and nicely emphasized set of eyebrows can frame the eyes so very well, as other makeup artists before me have pointed out.  :)   

The Optional Step #7

As for the rest of the face:  after I've made up the eyes, I take a fluffy powder brush, dip it into my loose powder, and gently sweep away the eyeshadow that has fallen onto my face in the application process. I then apply my concealer to even out my complexion, and blend a mineral powder foundation over that.  I use the same champagne eyeshadow that I highlighted my eyes with to highlight the high points of my face--my cheekbones, the Cupid's bow of my upper lip, and the bridge of my nose; then, I add a light sweep of bronzer and natural pink blush, applying powder afterward as I find necessary.  

For the lip color to pair with this look, I would recommend wearing either a pink-neutral shade or a rosy-mauve shade, in a lip gloss, balm, or lipstick.  I'm about to add the list of items that I used to make this look, and you might be surprised at the lip product that I used for it.  ;D

Oh...and before you begin to wonder if I'm being paid to advertise for this company because I've used so many of its products to make this look, allow me to assure you that this is not the case.  I own a lot of Lancôme products because a) I've been a fan of the line for several years and I've bought a good amount of their items, and b) until autumn of last year, I worked at a makeup counter for that cosmetics line, at a department store.  When you work for a cosmetics company, they tend to send you a lot of their products, so that you can try them yourself and therefore better recommend them to your clients.  

I can tell you, then, without being biased by my occupation--because I no longer work for the department store or the Lancôme company--that I really do like the products, and I believe in their quality and efficacy.  It is an expensive line, however, by most levels of constructive criticism; I like the line, but I can't always afford to buy solely from them.  So, if you would rather buy the less pricey makeup options that are available at the drugstore or other such places, I can assure you that it is completely possible to make this look without breaking the bank.  :)  

The items that I used for this look are:

- Lancome mineral powder foundation, in Ivoire 10 

   (I've heard that they've stopped making this product; any loose mineral powder will do just as well.)

- Lancome Maquicomplete concealer in Ivoire

- Lancome eyeshadow compact in Mauve Cherie

- Lancome single eyeshadows in Mannequin and Successorize (or Trendy)

- Estee Lauder Double Wear eye pencil in Onyx

- Lancome Artliner liquid eyeliner in Noir

- The bronzer that I used was a complexion-warming/highlighting duo from Lancôme; however, it was part of a limited seasonal makeup collection that the line did, and so it isn't available anymore.  (Which is a real pity, because it is one of the few shades of bronzer that goes all right with my palepalePALE skin!)  You can substitute any bronzer that you like!

- Elizabeth Arden Color Intrigue Cheekcolor in Pink Star

- L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes mascara, in Black 

- Maybelline Ultra Brow Brush-On Color, in Light Brown

- Bonnie Bell Lipsmacker lip balm in Dr. Pepper

   (See?  I told you that you'd be surprised about the lip color!)

And that is how I made my daytime-appropriate, effortless and yet polished-chic makeup look.  I feel as though there are still a lot of instructions and a lot of different products to use, but the end result of the look really doesn't appear to be overdone.  All it takes is a light hand with the makeup, and a good amount of blending.  And you can simplify this look as much as you want to.  :)

Before I sign off on this post, here's an update on Baby, size-wise first...  

Image source: thebump.com

Baby's bones are turning from cartilage into real bone, and my little munchkin is starting to fill out with some baby fat now, I've read.  I'm also starting to notice what I think might be some of Baby's movement in my tummy: it's all little squirmy flutters, tiny judges, and tickling feelings, and sometimes it's difficult to tell if it's the baby or just the usual activity of my stomach.  I'm becoming increasingly convinced, though, that what I'm feeling is the baby...and it is so awesome to sit very quietly and wait for the little bumps and squirms to start up.  I love it.  

I think the tummy is also expanding somewhat...sometimes I feel like my stomach muscles are really stretched and achy, but I'm happy about it, because that means that the baby is growing.  We've started planning the gender reveal party, so you'll be hearing about that soon too. :D

Until then--

À bientôt!

-- Cait + Baby

Photos and Mascara

Today has been a catching-up on things kind of day for me.  I finally managed to get a few random chores done around the house--things that needed to be done, or that I wanted to get done, things that weren't really urgent but are helpful to have off my to-do list now--and now Mr. Darcy and I have a get-together with some friends this evening to look forward to.

This party is being held in celebration of a pair of our friends getting engaged: the groom is one of Mr. Darcy's best friends, and the bride is a dear friend of mine.  The ladies will be inside our hosts' actual house, enjoying dessert crêpes, wine, and cheese, while the gents will be outside in the offset office-at-home building that they have dubbed their man-cave, playing poker and most likely making a few pizzas disappear, if I know them well at all...it's looking to be a fun evening.

I love throwing parties.  My parents have always put on the most wonderful get-togethers in their home, and I've always loved the opportunity to try and follow their lead myself.  From thinking up a theme to choosing the perfect outfit, from cooking the food to putting together the decorations, it's a creative process that really has a thrill for me.  Recently, I was able to play decorator for a dinner for the ladies at my church that was held in my parents' home.  Mom made a few pretty country-chic garlands and Mr. Darcy provided me with a whopping bunch of flowers to arrange...and these are some photos of the results.  (We went with a winter-white color scheme...)

(Mom's mantelpiece garland and my candles arrangement.)

(My favorite picture of the bunch.)

(The obligatory shoe photo featuring--clockwise from the left--

Jenn's red heels, Micah's champagne flats, and my red peeptoe wedges.)

And, an exciting development for me--I get to take on the responsibility of decorating of another ladies get-together at church at the beginning of March!  So far, I've been drawing my inspirations from Bath and Body Works Country Chic fragrance and Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland.  How do those two elements work together and how it will all look?  That is for another post.  For now, since I've shared the photos that the title of this entry mentioned, let us move on to the other half of the title: mascara!

Like many women, I have tried an enormously varied range of mascaras in search of the One Mascara to Rule Them All.  (Please forgive the Lord of the Rings pun.)  Higher-end cosmetics lines such as Dior and Lancôme have certainly been among my favorites...especially Dior.  But I have also found a few drugstore varieties of mascara that have worked quite well for me too.  Recently, I returned to using a 

mascara that I had tried before in the past--and wouldn't you know, I fell in love with it all over again!

(Photo source: http://thekarin.wordpress.com/2009/02/14/loreal-does-it-again/loreal-double-extend-mascara/)

L'Oreal's Double Extend Beauty Tubes mascara is a two-part formula that makes my lashes look like the long, perfectly-separated lashes that you might see on a doll.  The first coat is a white primer-esque formula; if you apply it and let it dry completely, add another coat, and then let that dry completely before you apply the top coat of the actual mascara, it works amazingly well to extend the length of your lashes.  The mascara itself is a nice, defined shade of black as well.  

This mascara doesn't do much for making my eyelashes look thicker or more voluminous, but adding volume to the lashes isn't what it is really intended to do, after all.  It is purely a lengthening mascara, and it does its job quite well.  I like that the formula not only makes my lashes look longer, but that it also is clump-resistant...however, again, you absolutely must let each coat dry completely before adding another coat, or the mascara will inevitably clump...not fun.  

Oh, and another bonus point for this mascara?  It removes with great ease when you apply warm water to your lashes--otherwise, it will virtually not budge an inch all day.  Love that!

Now, I'm off to put myself together and go make some crêpes, and help throw an engagement party!

À bientôt!

Cait 

     

After the Holidays

Phew!  Well, Christmas arrived and is gone again now, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day has passed, and now we are facing the first few weeks of January.  

The weeks leading up to Christmas saw me and Mr. Darcy packing up and moving out of our apartment; we are now settled into our new living quarters, and--while it has been an adjustment for both of us--we are both much less stressed out than we were before the move.  We watched my parents' house and their two dogs while Mom, Dad, and my two youngest sisters went out of town for a week after Christmas, and hosted our first New Year's Eve get-together.  Shortly after that, on King's Day, we hosted a French-themed dinner party for my best friend, Micah.  She had been having some serious health issues for a while that had prevented her from having a normal diet, and just before Christmas she had surgery to correct one of the issues.  Well, it turns out that this one issue was really the root-cause of most of her health problems, and now she is able to eat normally again!

Following that, I requested that she come up with a French-themed menu of foods that she most wanted to eat again, now that she could.  She asked for beef bourguignon, a simple greens-and-vinaigrette salad, and some kind of dessert.  My New Year's resolution was "Have more adventures!", so when she asked to have beef bourguignon for dinner--if it wasn't too difficult to make--I was eager to rise to the challenge.  It was time-consuming, more than anything else, but I found that beef bourguignon isn't difficult to make at all.  I used Ina Garten's recipe, from Food Network's website.

(Beef bourguignon doesn't look spectacular in a photo...but its taste is nothing less than sublime.)

(Table decor from the dinner party,  featuring fine china and silverware, a fun bowl-shaped candle, 

and my very own brand-new, platinum-hued charger plates, a Christmas gift from my grandmother.)

(Shoes!  Clockwise: Micah's dangerously chic cage booties,  my pretty peep-toe pumps, 

and Jenn's strappy and sophisticated rosette-embellished heels.) 

The beef bourguignon turned out nicely, and paired well with the loaf of French bread that I bought.  Her mother made the salad that Micah had requested: field greens with a raspberry vinaigrette and walnuts.  And for dessert, we had crepes with a buffet of various toppings.  We had Nutella, sliced bananas, sliced strawberries, frozen vanilla yogurt, peanut butter and granola, and more...and that was when I decided that crepes-with-your-choice-of-toppings were definitely a good dessert idea for a party!  Everyone really enjoyed themselves that evening: from getting to dress up in our favorite French-inspired outfits, to the food, to Jenn and her husband's surprise appearance at the front door just before dinner started.  Great friends and great food never fail to make for a wonderful time.

That was this past weekend; this week, it's back to work, Bible studies, and time with the family and friends again.  I'm hoping that soon I'll be able to get started on my next "adventure"--which will be digging my new sewing machine out of its box and starting to work on the first sewing project that I've had in a while.  I'm hoping to make a dress, something that will look similar to this sundress, by dELiAs...

That is, of course, provided that I can find a suitable sewing pattern, and white eyelet lace material that does not cost an arm and a leg.  I have a $25 gift card to work with at the fabric store, and I'm determined to use it wisely.  Wish me luck...

Now, I'm off to take care of Mr. Darcy, who--like me--is suffering from a bit of a head cold.  We've been a sad, sniffling pair today!

À bientôt,

Cait