Look of the Day: Dressed in White

 Ahh, summer dressing. The simpler, the better. I live for it. In the winter, I'm tired of layering by Christmas. It takes so much thought and planning.

Warm weather clothing, though, you only need one piece (or two, if one piece is see-through like this dress is).

 This is another fab find from Deseret Industries. It had puffy sleeves, but I cut them off. Puffy sleeves are not my thing. They made it look like a nightgown/choir robe. Subtract the sleeves and I've got a new favorite dress! It's pretty much the same story as this white dress, which is my other favorite dress. Let's see how long I can keep them white, because the other thing I love best about summer is ripe fruit. Disaster in the making. Although, I wore it to my mom's last week, and managed to keep it clean.

What a treat to have enough flowers to cut for a bouquet. I really love floral arrangement and wish I had more room to grow my own flowers. Tilly and Otto get along so well. I'm so glad he loves everyone (Frida was not great with kids).

(Speaking of disaster, I just dropped salmon salad all over my desk)

Vintage maxi dress (similar) - American Apparel Hot Short - vintage Nordstrom sunglasses (similar) - Birkenstocks

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Look of the Day: Midi or Pencil?

It's probably supposed to be a pencil skirt, but I'm hecka short so it is a midi skirt on me.

...Hold on a sec. I was just reading about it on the JCPenney website and I guess it's meant to be long. Also, it's apparently convertible. You learn something new every day.

Anyway, I've been looking for a good skirt, and you know what? No one has a good selection! It's kind of strange. All the buyers opted for sun dresses this summer. I finally found a couple at Value Village this week, but honestly it's taken a couple months! Seems weird that a good skirt would be so hard to find. Especially jean skirts! Washes are weird, waists seem to come in only one size (not waist shaped), and they're all waaaay too short. The skirt I found is from the 80s, hits a couple inches above the knee, and has a huge bongo tab on the back. It'll have to do for now. I also found a white a-line skirt with lots of eyelets. It's cute.

What have you been on the hunt for this summer?

Vintage crop top (similar) - Bisou Bisou Convertible Skirt - Tocca Jewelry Black Tourmaline Necklace - Birkenstocks - Vintage Nordstrom Sunglasses 
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Look of the Day: American Bohemian

 This outfit pretty much embodies everything I'm into this summer. Raw, organic, relaxed; anything that might be described in that way.

White dress? Check.

Denim? Check.

Natural/Hippie/Boho accessories? Check.

Birkenstocks? Check.

Ok, so I'm always into denim, but in the summer my preoccupation with it is twofold. It's perfect for Seattle, where it never gets unbearably hot (well, very rarely), looks crisp, unfussy and so cool with anything white.

I found the dress at Deseret Industries, which is a giant thrift store out here in the west. My mom is convinced it's a wedding dress from the early 1970s. That's certainly possible. It's was in fantastic shape, up until I took the sleeves off. They're were really puffy. Once I started ripping the seems, though, I realized that the sewing quality was much better than most vintage pieces. I can't tell you how many times I've put a shirt or dress back, because it's splitting at the shoulders or the armpit. The sleeves on this dress were attached with three different layers of stitching! I feel kind of bad about ruining all that hard work. The dress isn't ruined, though, so I guess it's okay. I had to buy white American Apparel hotpants to wear underneath. It's a touch see-through.

What are your favorite things to wear in the Summer?

 GAP denim jacket - Vintage white dress (similar) - Tocca Amethyst necklace - Birkenstocks - Thrifted straw bag (similar) - American Deadstock sunglasses

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Skincare: California Naturel Review

If you're a follower of the blog, you probably know I'm always going on about my sensitive skin. I'm forever on the lookout for gentle, natural brands that my skin will like. Just in time to address summer dryness, the lovely people at California Naturel offered to send me a selection of their plant & mineral based skincare products.

Like always, the packaging is what I noticed first. Colorful accents and embossing are such simple ways to make a product stand out.

A little about the company:

Based in California, duh. I really, really love that they are completely committed to making seriously all-natural skincare products. Everything is naturally scented, meaning they use plant extracts, and are free of parabens, sulfates, and synthetic chemicals. According to the site, they also pride themselves on being a socially responsible business. They also use a lot of organic ingredients. Each product has a different percentage of organic ingredients, so if you're curious, click the links below to learn more!

Here's what I got to try:

Gentle Cleansing Gel

No complaints! Pretty gentle, and at least hasn't made my dry, itchy skin any worse. Great if you wear a lot of make-up. Damascus rose, palmarosa, and ylang-ylang oils are all beneficial and make it smell lovely!

Nourishing Cream

This gentle face lotion smells very herby, which I love. It's exactly what my skin needs, too! Olive leaf and Crithmum Maritimum (fancy science name for sea fennel) are supposed to reduce inflammation and redness. It soaks in pretty quickly, which is nice when you're hurried in the mornings.

Sunscreen SPF 30

I'm not as crazy about this lotion's scent, but scent is in the nose of the beholder, so maybe you'll like it? If you're real concerned about protecting you skin, than this is the sunscreen you want! It's one of those physical sunscreens, so if you don't rub it in real well, you'll look pasty. Mixing it with the Nourishing Cream makes it a little easier to put on. The only complaint I have is that it turns yellow when it dries and I've stained a few shirts. If you plan on wearing a white collar of any kind, use a different sunscreen for the day.

Lip Balm SPF 8

I love this stuff, but I'm pretty into any and all lip products. Especially ones with SPF that taste like berries! It protects against both UVA and UVB, which is important since lips don't have their own natural protection. It goes on smooth and provides a long-lasting barrier against the elements. Great for the beach and won't make your milkshake taste like lipgloss. Well, unless you're drinking a McDonald's milkshake. I'm still bitter about the "improvements" they made to their recipe -_-

Overall Grade: 

A-

Great company & great products!

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Look of the Day: Dots & Denim

Life has been so busy! I accepted a small promotion at work and, even though I'll still be part time, the training is pretty extensive. It also means my job will be moving to one of the other neighborhoods in Seattle. I nannied there for 4 years, so I'm pretty excited to be back in the old 'hood. It's a nice one; lots of great coffee shops (like the rest of Seattle), upscale gift shops, yet very family-oriented. And I'll be right next to Trader Joe's! I'll never run out of their coffee again!

In other news, I watched like seven hours of X-Files on Friday. It was my one day off.

Oasap let me pick out a few things from their Summer line and I was very excited when this dotted blouse arrived in the mail. I love how random the spots are. It's very fun to wear. I also ordered this sparkly, green and gold bracelet, but I' have had a chance to style it yet.

Oasap Flounce Dotted Blouse - Thrifted St. John's Bay jeans (similar) - vintage purse (similar) - Arizona Sneakers - Vintage Nordstrom sunglasses (similar)