My LA Style Diary

Hey guys! I was in LA these past four days working on an upcoming back to school video project- I can't WAIT to show you! Since it was my VERY first time in LA, I decided to stay through the weekend (I KNOW it's crazy- but this was seriously my first time EVER in California!) I had an amazing trip- it was so busy, but SO incredibly fun. But let's get to the best part- the clothes!! :D 

Day 1:
1. Studded Dress: Lucca Couture, Urban Outfitters
2. Sequin Jacket: IRO
3. Metallic Heels: Michael Kors
4. Rose Cuff: TJ Maxx
5. Sunburst Earrings: Betsey Johnson
6. Sunglasses: Gucci
7. Green && White bands: The hospital. (LOL, all joking aside though I seriously was very sick the days leading up to my trip. I spent monday morning in the hospital and was advised against flying- but I made it! Nothing was going to stop me!)


Day 2:
1. Slip dress: Alice&Olivia
2. Open Floral Robe: Urban Outfitters
3. Beaded belt: Anthropologie
(Heels and jewelry= same as before)

Day 3:
1. White tank: Windsor
2. Scalloped Sequin Short: Kitson's
3. Lace slip: Free People
4. White clutch: Coach
5. Sandals: Abercrombie&Fitch
6. Iced Coffee: Urth Caffe (How I miss you.)


Day 3 Night:
1. Tunic Dress: French Connection United Kingdom
2. Two-tone metallic flats: Tory Burch (c/o of Gina's closet)
(Same clutch/earrings as before)


Day 4:
1. Pink Maxi: Rachel Pally
2. Rose sandals: Enzo Angiolini 


Some of these pieces I bought this season (my open dresses), this week (kitson shorts) or years past (FCUK tunic). I only purchase clothing I absolutely love, so I keep and wear the same pieces for years! I also only brought carry on luggage with me- so I brought outfits I could accessorize with all of the same jewelry/shoes! 


The open dress is my favorite summer staple- it's great for all girls! It's a fun && bold piece- but still completely covering! You don't have to show skin to stay cool in the heat or to attract attention- this flowing silhouette is classy, comfortable and crazy cute!


In case you're not on twitter or facebook, I wanted to show you some pictures I posted over the weekend!

Can you guess what I'm doing? :D

Quick shot in front of the AMAZING rainbow macaroons at Bottega Louie! We went to dinner with the girls from Windsor (FINALLY!!!) and they brought us to the most ADORABLE restaurant! If you are in LA, you definitely need to go! 

I hope you enjoyed my style diary as much as I enjoyed the trip! 

OOTD: Sheer Tunic && High Waisted Shorts

What I'm Wearing:

1. Tunic: Monique Leshman, Hautelook

2. Deep Slip: Victoria's Secret

3. High Waisted Short: Urban Outfitter's

4. Bobby Sock: Urban Outfitter's

5. Heeled Oxford: Urban Outfitter's

6. Nails: Chanel, 'Steel'

7. Earrings: Betsey Johnson

I love sheer long sleeve tunics paired with high waisted shorts this summer! It's an interesting

way to pair a tunic, but also a great way to wear high rise shorts without showing too much skin. A sheer tunic would look great with a colored pair of shorts as well! (I'm really loving pink denim right now!)

I didn't want to lose the cut of the shirt so I paired a extreme plunge slip under the tunic, tucked in to my shorts (only feels/sounds strange- but it worked!)

I'm in LA right now so my next outfit posts will show my style diary out here! Can't wait to show you! 

How To: Big, Sexy Curls with a Clampless Curling Iron

I've been LOVING the middle part && glamorous wave style this past month- I've worn it in

several of my most recent videos and it was definitely the highest requested tutorial I've gotten so far!

Creating styles with a clampless iron becomes REALLY simple once you understand the technique of it.

Overall rule with a clampless iron: the closer to the root, the more 'taylor swift' and full the finished style will be. Start below your chin with your curls if you want them to be truly 'bohemian' relaxed waves

Use a larger iron for looser waves, a smaller one for a more defined curl! For this tutorial, I'm using a one and one fourth inch barrel size.

Start by diving your hair in half, pulling the hair above your ears into a clip. 

Then, divide the remaining hair into 2 sections- the left and right side.

I curl three evenly sized pieces on each side. Hold the barrel downwards behind your head

using the hand opposite the side you are curling for easiest access to the iron

To have hair maintain this smooth 'ribbon' look, smooth each section before

wrapping around the iron, flattening the hair to its widest state as you wrap it

Hold the ends as close as possible to the iron, even a little bit off will make

your ends super straight and ruin the end of the wave. Use a glove if

you're not comfortable coming that close to the hot iron- (some of the irons

you can get even come with gloves- I definitely burned my thumb a little bit while filming this!)

Hold your hair on the iron around 5 seconds- more or less depending on the thickness of your hair

After finishing the lower section, release the top layer of hair && create your middle part

Hold the comb between your brows and above your nose for the perfect position

Use the comb also to find where to brush the hair back from the part

Put the base at the front of the part- where the comb starts to lift off your head

is where your crown should begin

Work in 3 sections from your part-

the right side, the left side, and the back

From each section, divide hair into three layers

Curling each layer into three equal pieces as before.

The layered curls will give volume to the style as opposed to just grabbing the ends and

curling at one time.

(Curl the ends together if you'd like looser waves, curl in layers for more volume)

Besides layers, you can add more volume by teasing, or curling closely to the root.

Angling the iron upwards will make it easier to curl the back layers of your head

Curl further away from root for pieces directly around the face/bangs- this will

create the swoop away effect instead of having tight curls starting directly

at your forehead

Right off the iron, these curls are tight and a little crazy looking

Let them cool for a few minutes before brushing them out

(Brushing them out does NOT ruin your work! It actually helps the waves stay in place

all day! I promise you they will not fall just because you brushed them!)

set with a hair spray && you're finished!

the final look: 

What I'm Wearing:

1. Foundation- Boots No 7 Intelligent Balance Mousse, 'Blonde'

2. Concealer- Tarte Maracuja, Medium

3. Bronzer- Urban Decay Baked

4. Lipstick- MAC, 'Hue'

5. Highlight- Lancome Eclat Miracle

6. Shadow- First Matte Brown shadow in Urban Decay 'Naked' Palette, Sidecar

7. Mascara- Lancome L'oscillation Intensity, Black

8. Nails- Chanel, 'Steel'

Dress: Adrianna Papell

I'm really loving the middle part this summer. It might feel weird the first few times you wear it, but it doesn't look as weird as it may feel! I LOVE this look!

Once you learn the technique of the iron && how to maneuver it around your head, it will become SO easy for you! This is now the only style of curling iron I'll use on my hair- I got my first one back in october, and I never looked back :) 

July Haul && Review

It's time again for my monthly haul && review! Here's all my favorite picks for this month:

Items Shown (Linked where Available)
1. Bronzer, Tarte: 'Park Avenue Princess'
2. Rose Heeled Sandal, MICHAEL by Michael Kors: 'Berkeley T-Strap'
3. Brightening Concealer, Tarte: 'Maracuja Creaseless Concealer' in Medium
4. Blush, Tarte: 'Peaceful'
5. Snap Cuff, Bakers
6. Illuminator, Lancome 'Eclat Miracle'

All of the Tarte products came from the 'Glow Your Way to Gorgeous' kit which retailed for around $50 (at first sounds expensive, but a full size bronzer alone retails for $29 from the company! Kits are a great way to try out a variety of popular products from a brand) I found the kit on QVC but it was no longer available when I searched for the link.

The picture of this bracelet does NOT do it justice- the website does not show just HOW sparkly and beautiful it was. (On a scale of 1 to Shiny it was a 'ask a stranger where she got her sparkles').

Items not pictured: Lancome Bi-Facil eye makeup remover, Victoria's Secret striped satin robe, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri 'Pink Blink'

Items not worth purchasing: Lancome 'Oscillation Intensity' mascara, Tarte 'Lights, Camera, Lashes' mascara

To see the full review, watch the video here

What I Wore:

1. Pink Maxi Dress, Rachel Pally

2. Foundation, Boots No. 7 Intelligent Balance Mousse: 'Blonde'

3. Bronzer, Tarte: 'Park Avenue Princess'

4. Coral lipstick, Tarte: 'Sweet'

5. Blush, Tarte: 'Peaceful'

6. Highlight, Lancome 'Eclat Miracle'

7. Brown shadow, Tarte Cream Shadow

8. Mascara, Lancome L'Oscillation Intensity

9. Pink Polish, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri: 'Pink Blink' 

10. Earrings, Betsey Johnson

I created these waves by curling my hair in sections with a 1 and 1/4 inch clampless curling iron (the Fahrenheit 4 in 1). After letting the curls set, I brushed them out with a paddle brush to create the flowing wave! I did a tutorial on how to use a clampless iron to create these waves (just using a smaller iron) but the technique is the same- click here to watch! If you'd still like a tutorial on this specific, larger, middle-parted style- let me know :)