Peach Chiffon

No I was not attending an event. In fact I had no destination in mind at all when I threw on this Summery tea-party-esque look this morning. Isn't that why we have blogs in the first place? To get away with wearing whatever we want? It's much more feminine than most of the outfits I've been wearing lately but I think switching things up is nice for a change. 

I bought this peach chiffon dress from American Apparel for a wedding last Spring. At the same time I purchased this lace bodysuit so as to the layer the two sheer top portions. For a pop of colour I added turquoise socks scrunched down a tad, & my newest JC wedges. The socks-in-shoes made a significant improvement comfort-wise so I thankfully escaped today without any war-wounds. It was a cool day once again, so I topped things off with my military green Spring jacket (pictured here with & without).

Now, I have two (rather random) inquiries for you:

1. Spray-on tan, yay or nay? The above photos are a key example of how ghostly pale I am. Normally I don't mind, but with Summer & short-season approaching it makes me somewhat self-conscious. And I think tanned skin definitely goes better with this seasons key pastels/neons. What do you think?

2. This one is for my Deutschophile readers: I need some suggestions for good German films to help me practice for my upcoming German final. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! 

As always, thanks for reading :)

I was wearing:

Chiffon Dress - American Apparel (here)

Lace Bodysuit - American Apparel (here)

Jacket - Primark (old)

Necklace - F21 (old)

Pizan Wedges - Jeffrey Campbell via Nastygal (here)

Lemon Drop Jeans

I know I'm preaching to the converted, but there really is nothing like a little shopping to brighten a grey day. Especially when that shopping involves neon yellow jeans. That's right. Newest addition to my wardrobe & it wasn't very practical at all. Who cares? I love them to pieces & I can't stop smiling.

I was wearing this striped top from Banana Republic when I tried them on, and liked it so much I decided to wear it just so. The shirt is admittedly ill-fitted, but it was the smallest size & at the time I had to have it anyways. Because it was a cooler day I paired it with a black blazer (somewhat fearful of looking bumble-bee esque, but it was my only feasible option). Steve Madden peep-toe heels to dress up the jeans a little, neutral coloured bag, & classic Ray Ban wayfarers. Which is where a story comes in....

It's not often I share random personal stories on the blog, but here is one for the books: I, at the ripe old age of 22, have developed a new phobia of birds. I could go into great detail but basically a few days ago I was attacked by a crow TWICE in one hour. As in out of nowhere it pitched on my head and started attacking me. After googling I discovered it's fledgling season, when mama crows are teaching their young to fly. This makes them protectively aggressive to passers-by. They also have great facial recognition, hence why I've been wearing sunglasses on grey days, feeling as if I'm hiding from particularly threatening paparazzi. If you live in Vancouver I suggest you steer clear of Hornby Street & other tree-dense areas (crow territory/the sight of the crime) until July.

Last but not least, my hair is pulled back for once! I'm not a huge fan of having my hair up (unless I'm at home where it's in a constant messy bun) so this is one of few times you'll see it this way. I did a little french braid in the front to make it a little less plain. The main reason it is up though is because I finally tested out the Wella conditioner I received in my April Glossybox (here). I should have known better. It made my hair (which is very fine) disgustingly greasy, & of course I was short on time so there was no fixing it. Some days ponytails really are warranted. 

I was wearing:

Yellow jeans - Gap (here)

Striped tee - Banana Republic

Necklace - F21 (old)

Peep-toe heels - Steve Madden (old)

Gold Chronograph watch - Michael Kors (here)

Vanilla Hamilton Bag - Michael Kors (here)

Summer Wish List + Blog Award

Summer Wishlist items by shawnahynes featuring prada shades

Happy first of June! I haven't been shopping in approximately a month (this is border-line unheard of). So while I can't show you an outfit full of shiny new things, I can show you what I'm plotting for this Summer. I had quite a bit of fun compiling this set on Polyvore. With these items alone I could create about 20 different outfits (hence why things are organized a little haphazardly) - the sign of good investment pieces! 

The first items entering my wardrobe will most likely be the versatile staples: leopard print loafers, boyfriend jeans, & a lace/crochet dress (how beautiful is the Alice+Olivia one above?!). Apart from that a bit of neon here, a bit of fringe there.... and of course prints permeating every piece possible! Tragically the Missoni ruffled swimsuit & Acne blue pistol boots are sold out at the moment, but I'm optimistic about finding something similar. 

What pieces are you craving most this Summer? 

On one last note: Darling Sapana of Dreamy Sapna chose me for the 'Your blog is great' award last week! A huge thank you to her - it's so nice to be recognized for something I love doing! And to share the love, I'll be passing the award along to 5 blogs I've really enjoyed lately:

1. Wanderlust and Such

2. Island Life

3. Chemana Accessoires

4. Heart in the Clouds

5. Jade Ella

Have a great weekend everyone! <3

Palm Tree Print

It's funny how your closet seems to gobble up items. You think you've nothing new to wear until you randomly see an old item in a new light. So when the rain abated this morning & I peered into my closet it wasn't accompanied by the whiney woe is me "I need new clothes" but rather "hey this might work..." It's a pretty Summery look (probably too summery for such a day, but hey a girl can dream) but I liked it & hope some of you will too!

First things first - how cute is this palm tree print? It's a piece I purchased last Summer but somehow it got lost in the depths of my closet. Now that it's resurfaced I have about 5 combinations I want to try it with. For today I was in between this navy pencil skirt & my royal blue American Apparel skirt. In the end I chose this one because it's something you haven't seen before, & also provides more contrast with the flowy printed crop top. In the accessory department I went with two pink vintage items: cute costume earrings from my grandmother, & pink belt from my Auntie. I also chose my pastel yellow satchel to compliment the pastels in the top. My nails were painted in Baby Blue by OPI, more of a leftover from yesterday than anything.

And in other news: life. is. busy. My German final exam is in less than two weeks (terrified = understatement), the job hunt is ongoing, & I'm also in the midst of making some design changes to le blog. So for the time being, just bear with me & keep the comments a-comin' :)

I was wearing:

Palm Tree crop top - H&M (2011)

Navy pencil skirt - Costa Blanca (2010)

Belt & earrings - Vintage

Yellow satchel - H&M

Foxy platforms - Jeffrey Campbell

Better late than never? April Glossybox

I swear the fact that I'm posting about an April Glossybox the last week of May is only partially my responsibility. I received it at the ripely overdue date of May 18th, after a tangle of emails back & forth with their customer service manager.  I must say, I'm more pleased with the contents than my March box, but all the same I've cancelled the subscription.

First up, two of the three full size items:

1. Elizabeth Grant Shower Gel - In my opinion, this one is a winner. Although I don't normally go for sweetly scented skincare products, I really like this one (Exotic Apricot). It only leaves a faint scent after the shower, so it's not overbearing. I received the full size 240mL bottle, so it should keep me going for awhile. 

2. Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer - This is the second month in a row they've sent me an Aveeno moisturizer. This one has SPF 15, & trust me, you can tell. It's oily & smells like plain old sunscreen. The card says of it "clinically shown to improve the look of tone, texture, dullness, blotchiness, and brown spots - for naturally radiant skin." It's full size at 120mL, though I really don't see myself using this one again anytime soon. It left my skin feeling anything but radiant. And at 22.99 for a small bottle? I think not. 

Next up:

3. Marcelle Xtension Plus Mascara - I've been using this lengthening & curling mascara all week now, & can't really say anything bad of it. It has a great brush, doesn't clump, & definitely lengthens lashes well. All the same I think I'll be sticking with my trusty CoverGirl staple, as it is much better at thickening than the Marcelle. 

4. Marcelle BB Cream - This one I only tried this morning, but am loving already! It's a tinted cream which can easily replace moisturizer as well as a corrector or base. It comes in two colours; the lighter shade which I received was still a little too dark for my skin at the moment (though once I get a little Summer colour it should be perfect). It's also hypo-allergenic, which I always appreciate with sensitive skin like mine. I only received a one-time sample in my Glossybox, but am thinking of purchasing the full size product. 

Last but not least, I received two Wella hair products. I haven't tested either of these yet, so I can't really pass a comment on how well they work. I will however tell you what they're all about:

One is a conditioner for fine to normal colour treated hair. The other is a hair treatment cream for the same hair type. Because I have really fine hair, I usually avoid these types of hair products (with the exception of unruly split ends), though of course I will test these both out at some point. Apparently the big selling point of this product is that it contains diamond dust. Not sure what type of consumer they were hoping to sway with that one, but it certainly isn't me. Though to leave off on a positive note, they do both smell lovely. 

And there you have it, my April Glossybox review! It's a beauty of a day here in Vancouver so I'm off to soak up the sunshine while I still can. Hope you're all having a lovely weekend :)