~ my favorite things ~

One of my earliest memories is of my grandmother at the mirror, putting on her lipstick.  The first makeup I ever bought on my own was a tube of sparkly hot pink Covergirl lip gloss (it was 2005, don't judge me).  The thing that takes up the most space in my purse, makeup bag, and bathroom cabinet is, undoubtedly, lipstick.

I have a color for every decade from the 1920s to the 70s, and it's the one thing that I wear even if I'm at the beach, sick, wearing sweatpants, or having a day at home.

(one time I wore it to the gym, but I quickly discovered that red lipstick and sweat don't mix very well)

L. Revlon, matte, 012 Sky Pink.  R. Revlon, creme, 616 Wink for Pink.

L. Revlon, matte, 011 Stormy Pink.  R. Revlon, pearl, 657 Fuchsia Fusion.

L. Revlon, creme, 440 Cherries in the Snow.  R. Revlon, creme, 720 Fire and Ice.

L. Rimmel London, 109 Rossetto.  R. Revlon, matte balm, 240 Striking.

L. Revlon, creme, 750 Kiss Me Coral. R. Revlon, lip butter, 035 Candy Apple.

L. Revlon, matte balm, 250 Standout.  R. Maybelline, 075 Let me Pink.

Lipstick can instantly dress up an outfit, add some color to a rainy day, and can turn a quick trip to Target into an agonizing decision between two reds that anyone besides an expert would say are the same.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ black and white ~

Lately my wardrobe has been devoid of color.  Blame the grey weather, blame the busy mornings that cut into my dressing time, blame the lack of outfit inspiration, etc., etc...

But there's something very simple about black and white that appeals to me - perhaps it's because you can get dressed with your eyes closed and still look put together, or maybe it's the vaguely french vibe that one gives off when sticking to a limited color palate.

(or maybe because it makes my life goal of being a swanky french spy in a 1960s movie even more achievable)

{details of yesterday's outfit)

Whatever the reason, I'm perfectly okay with it.

{today's outfit: gap t-shirt, jeans, and ballet flats, target blazer}

The one exception to my new monochromatic phase is lipstick - yesterday it was bright red, today it was bright pink!

By adding a little color, maybe this weather will take a hint.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ bow down to the brows ~

All my life I've had what I like to call "baby brows."  Teeny tiny, not a hair out of place, and perfectly boring. So a couple years ago I decided to start training my brows (i.e. plucking a few hairs every month and hoping I'd plucked the right ones) so I could easily achieve a 1940s and 50s look with just a bit of pencil and some patience.

My perfect eyebrow would be somewhere between Joan Crawford and Lauren Bacall with a little bit of Carmen Miranda thrown in there for added fun.

And to those of you who are thinking "does she really put that much thought into her eyebrows?"  Yes.  Yes I do.

Who knows - maybe one day I'll join the ranks of Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe.  But first I need to get braver with my tweezers!

Happy plucking.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ clean and clear ~

I remember clearly the first time I wore makeup.  I was in New York City, I was 11, and I had snuck a tube of mascara past my mom.  For some reason I was under the impression that I wasn't allowed to wear makeup so there was an unnecessary feeling of guilt and excitement.  That green and pink tube of mascara made me feel grown up and sophisticated, even though my suitcase was chock full of boot cut jeans, Crocs, t-shirts with ponies, and my American Girl Doll.

My relationship with makeup has been on and off since then.  Cat eye and red lips is my go-to look, but I'm finding myself losing that panicky feeling I used to get when I left the house without eyeliner.  A couple years ago I was wearing makeup to the gym, to the beach, and on every trip to the grocery store, but the older I get, the less dependent I am on what used to be my mask.

I mean really...who the fuck cares if I have a huge pimple on my nose, dark circles under my eyes, or stubby eyelashes?  If you really notice any of that then I'm gonna have to ask you to take a step back and respect my personal bubble because only creepy people stand that close.

Sure, some days I look like I've stayed up for 72 hours straight, or my face has decided to display its rendition of Starry Night: Zit Addition, and yeah...sometimes the bags under my eyes are big enough to carry a week's worth of groceries.  But I've stopped letting that ruin my day.  Got a pimple?  Wear a busy dress.  Horrible dark circles?  Wear a scowl and then people won't talk to you, so, win/win.

I've got weird bumps, acne scars, baby wrinkles, and a few independent eyebrows that like to strike out on their own.  But that's okay.

I don't have time to worry about that shit anyway.  With highs in the 100s, anything that goes on your face ends up in a puddle of sweat by the end of the day.

xoxo,
Eliza

~ little things ~

Moments from my life this week and cool things that currently have my attention...enjoy!

01. taking photos outside and somehow avoiding the mosquito bites and poison ivy.

02. bathing suits from 1956 that would really come in handy with this heat

03. some advice from the card aisle at World Market

04. reading my sister's awesome article about urban beekeeping in Atlanta.

05. kitten snuggles

06. this beautiful mosaic in my favorite color

07. my new favorite mascara

08. shopping for beautiful vintage pieces that I can't afford and aren't my size (a girl can dream, can't she?)

{all from Adored Vintage}

Not included are the countless cold showers that come with summertime, hours of studying and essay-writing, and the record breaking outfit repeating that's been happening lately. 

Happy Monday!

xoxo,

Eliza

~ once upon a time ~

This weekend was filled with more than its fare share of fairy tales.

Beginning with Saturday's magical photoshoot...

I was planning on doing a 50s version of Alice in Wonderland but when I walked outside, Mother Nature was getting ready to have a major storm.  In between the lightning and before it started pouring, I changed the mood of the photoshoot into a creepy Alice/Dorothy/Wizard of Oz/tornado - I don't know why I didn't think of it before!

Continuing with the magic theme, last night I went to see Maleficent, which was amazing!  There were definitely some bits that could have been cut out, but overall it was a great film for kids and adults.  After paying more attention to the makeup and costumes than to the plot, I came home and did a rough version of Angelina Jolie's makeup and awesome cheekbones.  I'll have to try again when I'm using something other than brown eye shadow and concealer.

Whew.  What a weekend!  On the agenda for this week?  Making Maleficent's horns out of masking tape and cardboard and writing an essay on urbanization, immigration, and the politics of the Gilded Age.  I'd say back to normal, but I'm not so sure that counts as normal!  As close as I can get for now...

xoxo,

Eliza

~ it's a mod, mod world ~

Don't get me wrong, the 1930s, 40s, and 50s are absolutely fantastic eras for fashion - but there's just something about the 60s...

A little Twiggy, a little Audrey, and a little Bardot.

Even Ida wanted to get in on the mod action!

xoxo,

Eliza

~ the rite of spring ~

On this surprisingly warm day (for December), I decided to have a spontaneous photo shoot.  The ingredients?  One vintage dress, one diamond necklace, one scarf, and one bottle of baby powder.

After whiting out my eyebrows, eyelashes, and powdering every inch of visible skin, I went to an extreme and put baby powder in my hair (which is surprisingly hard to get out).  The bees were a little mad that I hogged their favorite tree, though!

I hope everyone is enjoying December so far!

xoxo,

Eliza