Bring Out The Deep Berry Lips

I am so berry excited (excuse the cheesiness)  that fall weather is in full swing in Chicago, as I am sure it is also in most of the country.  The sweaters are coming out, the scarves, the boots, and also our designated fall lipstick, or should I say lipstickS that we keep stored for a chilly day in fall.  I love bold lips!  They are hard to pull of and intimidating, but once you give them a try you will wonder why you hadn't tried the trend earlier.

A bold lip acts as an accessory to an outfit or can really be the spark of a simple outfit.  Applying a lip product does not take very long and I can assure you it will  make a difference to not only your outfit, but it will also improve your confidence (weird right.)

One of my favorite fall colors is a deep plum/berry/maroon/purpley/redish/wine color.  Does that make sense?

It's the traditional fall color that goes by many names and looks something like this... but maybe deeper.

So back to the lips. 

They all look like the same color, but I swear they are not!  If you are new to bold lips I suggest starting with a sheer plum lip product, such as Burt's Bees or Korres.  Then look for a more opaque lipstick that will match your skin tone.  There are a variety of berry lip products out there and it is important that you find the right one for you.  Just like foundation, lipstick also has to be chosen with patience.  Leave comment below letting me know about your favorite fall lip product. 

-Diana 

Healthy Chocolate Pudding?!

http://thebeautydepartment.com/2014/09/chocolateavopudding/

Hello everyone! Do you remember my post about the healthy "doughnuts" made out of apples? Well in that post The Beauty Department used a healthy chocolate pudding made out of avocado and I have thought about it ever since! They finally posted the recipe and I thought I would share it with you.

http://thebeautydepartment.com/2014/09/chocolateavopudding/

Avocado is seriously the most amazing thing to me. It is a lovely fruit (some may consider it a vegetable) that is so creamy and delicious yet it is so good for your health. Apart from eating avocado in just about everything (guacamole, toast, alone, and now pudding), you can use avocado in your face or hair masks! Avocado really does it all! Anyway, back to this recipe. The ingredients they used in the recipe are:

• 2 ripe, peeled and pitted avocados
• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• dash of cinnamon

So how do you use all these lovely ingredients? There is only one step to greatness and that is to put all of your ingredients in a blender or food processor, and voila your done! If you want to go an extra step and add some toppings you can go right ahead! TBD used coconut whipped cream (what?! sounds so good) and pomegranate seeds! But honestly anything sounds good paired with chocolate pudding. 

http://thebeautydepartment.com/2014/09/chocolateavopudding/

Whenever I go back home from college and have more ingredients(and space) available to me, I will definitely be trying out this recipe!

Do you think this sounds good? Do you love avocado? Let me know in the comments below!

Have a great weekend!

-Emily 

Petitie Moment: I love New York

Call me a traitor to Chicago, it's okay.  I have lived in Chicago my entire life, but for some reason I am loyal to New York.  I leave my heart there every time I visit.  My parents lived in New York before I was born and we visit frequently.  From numerous visits and stories that my parents tell me about the city I dream of calling myself a New Yorker.  I find New York to be an inspiring city.  It is filled with much diversity, rich history, and many different variations of art.  I have always stated that New York has something for everyone!  Be you a music lover, a foodie, a fashionista, an art lover, a theatre lover and really anything you can think of, you can find it there.  New York is like a lover who  romances you better than any other lover and can also break your heart, but makes you want to come back.  

I could go on and on about how great New York is, but what is really worth being said about New York is that it is STRONG!  13 years later New York is rebuilding from a nightmare that we have all tried to erase.  But in reality we will never forget it.  It is best that we don't forget what happened 13 years ago today.  Many of our fellow Americans were lost and we owe it to them to stick together and love New York as well as this amazing country.  As Americans we can be proud of the strength that came from such a tragic event.  New York will never be the same, however it is still an amazing city and I love it just the way it is.

Never Forget

-Diana 

Petite Moment: Guess Who's Back?

Back again...

Pumpkin Spice Latte

As you probably already know, the Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks is back! Like a million other people, this is my favorite drink from Starbucks and knowing that its back makes my heart flutter. Fall is my all time favorite season and when school starts again, I start dreaming about sweater weather. And this is about the time where pumpkin everything starts coming out, like: doughnuts, coffee creamer, candles, and etc. I haven't had the chance to go get a PSL because I am waiting for the weather to be just right, I don't want my first PSL of the season to be iced, it just doesn't seem right! I will keep you posted when the magical moment happens(probably some time this week!). 

How do you feel about the PSL, do you love it or hate it? Let me know below!

-Emily 

Fashion Icon: Sarah Jessica Parker

Ya loved her in Sex and the City, Ya loved her at the Met Ball, and Ya can love her every other day of the year too!  Sarah Jessica Parker quickly became a fashion icon from all of her creative outfits in Sex and the City.  Lucky for us her impeccable taste in fashion did not stop once the show came to and end.  She is stunning on red carpets and is chic and laid back walking through the streets of New York on her days off.  Sarah Jessica inspires me to take fashion risks.  She is a working woman with children and she still has fun with her clothes.  She doesn't take fashion too seriously and I think that is why she looks fabulous all the time.  Fashion should be fun and exciting.  It should not bring us stress and we should be confident in the clothes that we wear.

We all can't have designer clothes like Sarah Jessica, but we can allow her confidence and desire to enjoy fashion rub off on us!

At The Met Ball

Casual, Comfortable, Chic

Throwing on some basics

Mixing colors doesn't have to be scary

What do you like about Sarah Jessica Parker, how has she inspired you? Comment below and let me know!

-Diana 

Time Management

So you're probably thinking this post is going to be about time management and how important it is in college and all that good stuff, right? Well I'm sorry to inform you its not (even though time management is seriously important in surviving college). Today we are going to talking about managing time on watches.

Watches are seriously essential in college. Since a lot of classrooms may not have wall-clocks and pulling out your phone during class is rude, it makes it difficult to tell what time it is. Sure you should probably focus on the class and not the time, but does anyone really do that? Sometimes you just need to know the exact time. This is where watches come in! Having a watch has made my life so much easier because I can just check the time on there and it looks cute at the same time. You can seriously get any style you want: sporty, classic, over-sized, digital, bangle, and etc. The possibilities are endless!

Marc by Marc Jacobs 'Baker' in Rose Gold

This is the watch that I am currently(it's my only watch) using and loving! I received this for Christmas and didn't use it very often because I thought it was "too fancy" to wear to school, so I only used it on weekends if I went out. But when I got to college I saw a lot of people wearing watches and caught on that it was necessary to have one, so now I wear it everyday! Investing in a designer watch is great but it is not the only option! I have seen so many cute and sturdy watches at Target that I may have to give them a try so I can have more than one watch option.

What do you think? Are watches a necessity or just another accessory? Let me know below!

Have a good week everyone!

-Emily 

Look Up!

A later friday post than usual, but it is here nonetheless.  My week has been filled with many adventures around Chicago.  With my professor and classmates I have visited many places which I have seen many times before, as well as a few new places that I have enjoyed seeing for the first time.    An open mic night on Tuesday in Wicker Park, a Boat ride on the river and lake on Wednesday, a walk in the heart of Chicago on Thursday along with a trip to the Chicago Art Institute, and to end the week, a walk through Lincoln Park while stoping to gaze at statues and learning everything possible about them, lastly we headed to the Chicago History Museum to end an exhausting week.

Growing up in Chicago I have been lucky enough to have parents and family members that take me around the city to learn about and absorb everything the city has to offer.  However after 18 years you can get sick of going to the same places, WRONG!  Because I have lived in Chicago for many years I have become blind to all the beauty it had to offer.  I walked around the city at a fast pace with my head looking at the ground or at my smart phone.  As much as I loved city life I failed to see the beauty in the Sky scrapers and I began to ignore the beautiful architecture of Chicago.  I focused on the fast paced lifestyle of the city and decided that was what I loved about Chicago.  But boy am I glad that my eyes have been opened again.

This week I have met people from different parts of the country who have all come to study in Chicago.  Because of them I have been able to see the city through their eyes.  Their excitement rubs off on me and I am reminded that I live in a great place.  I am reminded that every part of the world has its own beautiful qualities.  I caught myself looking up at the skyscrapers this week (something that I had not done in years) and I smiled.  I appreciated Chicago and found that it is quite a treasure and that I should continue to look up and search for its beauty everyday.

I tell you about my experience this week so that you too can be reminded to look up!  Where ever you may live I can assure you that beauty and excitement lives there in some shape or form.  Traveling is a great thing, but traveling and going to new places everyday is not realistic.  So appreciate where you are living.  Find the ins and outs of your location and learn to enjoy it.  Have an open mind!

A quick picture of the Chicago skyline.  -It's not too shabby!

-Diana