Cozy Urban Make-up favorites...

I've found some great new products this summer that will probably be my new favorites for a while. These are not new products, just new to me. I think they probably work well for most skin too! I'm always looking for good make-up so if you have something you use that you love, please share!

My first is by Origins. I found it at Macy's. I have never used foundation in my life! I just turned forty and am searching for something lighter that will even out my skin tone. I didn't want a heavy foundation, but the tinted moisturizer wasn't doing it for me anymore. At $21, this is a super bargain! I got mine in Bisque and it covers fabulously. It's oil free but in no way drying.

Next is my blush. I have always heard about how great NARS blush is in Orgasm. Frankly, the name of the color was always a bit of a turn off to me. I decided to give it a try and am in love with it! It is the perfect peachy-pink color with a very small amount of shimmer in it. I think this would probably be great on everyone. It barely looks like you're wearing blush...very natural!

My third find is something I've actually used for years. I ran out about 6 months ago and bought a cheap version at Target and was hugely regretful. I went back to my old Bobbi Brown standby. If you have brows like mine, you probably need a brow shaper too. I use mine religiously! 

Since we're onto eyes, I will now bring to you my absolute favorite color of eyeliner! It is called Crash by Urban Decay. I'm in love with the color. My eyes are pretty much green these days and it really is a great accent to the neutral shadow I wear. It is pricey at $18, but well worth it!

I've saved the best for last! I have found my new favorite summer perfume! It is a wonderful mix of green and floral without being too heavy or sweet. It is called Hampton Sun Privet Bloom and it is to die for. A light floral that I always get compliments on.

I really believe that when we find things we love, we have to pass them along. It would cost us a fortune to buy all of the things that people claim work! I love every single one of these products and will continue to use them. Really...if you have some favorites, please share!

-Stacy

Urban Style

SUNGLASSES! Do you have a million pairs? I do. Okay, maybe not a million but I just counted twelve pairs. If I could find my RayBan Wayfarers, from about 20 years ago that are back in style, it would be 13. Those things are in a box somewhere...I know it! Go count your glasses right now...I need to know how many pairs you have!

I think sunglasses are those things we can never have enough of, hence Stunner of the Month. For $9 a month (including shipping) you will get a fun new pair of glasses every month until you cancel. No obligation, no hidden fees, no nothing that will drive you nuts! You just wait for them to arrive in your mailbox! I think these would be such a fun gift for a teenager, or just a fun friend. They are styles that go well on most faces. Remember...you don't have to commit to a year or anything! You could just give a 3 month gift! Fun! Did I say fun enough???

See? These are cute and FUN....

And these are cute and fun...

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this idea! Remember that if you get them and they are not your style you can stick them in a bag and give them as a gift to someone who would!

Stacy

Urban Style...inspired by Jackie.

Today's inspiration comes from this woman...

Every picture that I see of Jackie could have been taken today. Her style was timeless, beautiful, elegant, and classic. We could wear any of her outfits today. Now that, my friends, is perfect style!

So we'll begin with this dress. It's from Ann Taylor and is $148 plus another 30% off right now. The brings it down to about a hundred dollars. I'd say that's darn good considering it's a dress you could wear forever.

For shoes we're going to go with a shorter wedge heel with an open toe. I found these on Amazon for $89.  I love adding just a little bit of leopard to the outfit so it's not too overdone. Leopard print is a timeless classic too...don't be afraid to wear it!

We're going to keep the earrings really simple and just go with a freshwater pearl earring from Overstock. They run about $34. Again, pearls are CLASSIC. Are you sensing a theme here?

Last, let's not forget these. They're pretty much Jackie's signature style. These just happen to be from RayBan and run about $140. Again, you will where them forever so don't be afraid to spend this on them. 

Now go and buy these things, or find some good reproductions of them and get your Jackie on!

Stacy

Urban Style

I thought I'd share some chic urban style to wear shopping, lunching, or barbecuing. Mix and match these simple pieces with other things you have in your wardrobe already...

You will find this tunic on Etsy for $40. It's one of those things that will never go out of style. It's just a cute retro-vintage sort of classic and the colors are so perfect for summer!

Pair the tunic with these slim leg jeans from Land's End. You can even roll the jeans up so you'll have a couple of wide cuffs...so cute! They are simple dark denim jeans and they cost $59.50. CHEAP for jeans and you can wear them all winter too. You'll be wearing them with some cute riding boots this winter!

Next let's throw on some comfy ballet flats in silver. These are from Nine West and they're on sale for $41.40. They still have a wide variety of sizes so get them quick if you want them. Nothing says comfort like ballet flats. I think they look great with jeans or skirts.

These earrings will go great with your new urban style and you'll be able to wear them with anything! They have gold (brass) and silver in them and we all know that a combination of the two means you can't go wrong. They are $24 and two and a half inches long. Go for big earrings!

These are just some ideas. Buy all of this for a great outfit or pick and choose things to buy and wear with what you already have. All of it will look urban and chic for a year or two...unless you live in New York where you are required to constantly update your style to look current. I think that in the midwest and other urban and suburban areas all of this stuff will look great for quite a while!

Remember to try different combinations of clothes in your own closet too. If you like how things look and it's comfortable there aren't many rules. Fashion these days is a great mix of fun vintage, crazy color schemes and hip new trends all thrown into one.

What's your favorite thing to wear these days? I'd love to hear!

Stacy

The kitchen I want...with a few changes.

I will start by saying that I will probably never have a kitchen that looks like this. I have no plans of moving from my tiny home in the city and a kitchen like this would not fit here. I like looking at pictures of kitchens that I love and then perfecting it for me. Who knows what might happen someday! I might win the lottery or something. I suppose for that to happen I'd have to buy a ticket. I've bought one in my whole life and it wasn't a winner so I gave up. You'll get used to how I am! I'm an instant gratification sort of girl. It's unfortunate, I know.

Here's the kitchen I love. It's not overly huge and seems completely attainable for the average person. I like white, but I would add more black. I'll show you that in a minute.

I would quickly get rid of the pot rack hanging over the island and hang two of these lights instead. I'm not a fan of that pot rack at all. It clutters the kitchen and I prefer a cleaner look. I can't link you to this because I found it a long time ago and I'm not sure where. You can buy something similar at Ikea on a budget!

Next I would put black subway tile in for the backsplash. I love the contrast of black and white in a kitchen and it looks really clean and polished. That's just my opinion. People have a love/hate relationship with black.

Last I would stain the floor really dark like this. Again, I love the contrast of white and black. Obviously this isn't black, but it's ALMOST black and I love the look. The stain they chose for the kitchen floors is way too traditional for me. I'm not fond of  the honey colored stain. That being said, it's the color that my floors are throughout my house. Insert frowning face here. If I didn't have to find a place for four animals during the refinishing process, I would have my floors redone. I'll just wait until I win the lottery for that.

I like to go here and look at kitchens. You will find everything from modern to country. 

Stacy

Etsy find of the day!

Today's Etsy find is great for short or long hair. I could not pull this look off. Alyssa could, and so could a lot of my friends. For some reason wide headbands don't work great on me and I feel like people are looking at me like I have completely lost it! It could just be my perception, but if you can wear these I am jealous...just so you know!

This headband is $24 and I think it would look great with jeans and a t-shirt or a dress if you're heading to a wedding. I love the rosette! It helps that this model is absolutely darling and has beautiful thick hair too! I am currently trying to grow out my bangs so any cute hair accessories are catching my eye these days. Could you wear this? Would you wear this?

Hope you had a fast-moving Monday!

Stacy

My modern (dream) life.

If you've looked at my home under the Stacy's House tab on our homepage, you have probably gotten a good sense of my decorating style. I generally do a mix of Traditional pieces with French Country and some whimsy thrown in too. Over the years my style has evolved from stuff I didn't necessarily love to only having things in my home that I absolutely love. I have gotten rid of a lot in the past few years in order to simplify my life. I always try to pass my stuff along to friends who I know like it, save a little for my daughter when she has her own place, and donate it to the local thrift store. I finally like my style and have settled into a look that makes me feel comfortable and glad to be at home. I've tried to make it inviting to other people too and I consider it the biggest compliment when people tell me that my home feels "cozy." Who doesn't want to be cozy? I have a friend who went through some stressful times in her life and would come to my house to take a nap on my couch. I'm completely serious! I would be in the kitchen cooking and going about my business and she'd be laying on my couch napping. It made me feel good that she felt comfortable enough at my house to do that.

I have matured over the past five years or so in terms of my style. Considering I'm entering my 40's soon, it's about time! It's been hard for me to get rid of STUFF because I always associated STUFF with cozy and charming. I've let that myth go for good. I'm trying to embrace organization, simple living and a more sparse environment. I will never master this and that is a fact. During this "evolution" I have started to appreciate modern decor more than ever. In my younger days I considered it too cold and sterile. Now I consider it organized and conducive to easy living. I would consider trading my cozy home decor if I could have each and every one of the chairs I am about to show you in a more modern home.

I would need to have the Eames Molded Plywood chair in red. More than one would be appreciated. I find them really comfortable and at around $500, they should be!

The Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman are classics. In a modern sort of way. I remember going to a friend's house when I was a kid and they had one. I thought it was the ugliest thing I had ever seen but I loved lounging in it. At, roughly, $4000.00 I will never have one of these unless I find one on a curb for free someplace. Highly doubtful!

I may need to settle for the Kartell Louis Ghost Chair. I can find one for about $400 and it would fit in well with my current style. Though I love these chairs mixed in with more modern home styles.

Then, of course, there is the womb chair and ottoman. I love it in orange. My modern life would be all white with orange pops of color. Orange is one of those colors I gravitate too. I don't want to wear it, but I wouldn't mind living with it. These run about $700 so there is a possibility that I could see one in my future. I have no idea where I would put it, but I would never get out of it once I found a place for it to live.

I will have to continue to live in a modern world in my dreams. My house was built in 1941 and I have tried to be loyal to keeping it's charm and character in place. Maybe our NEXT house will be modern. If there is a NEXT house...but for now I'm quite happy here.

Stacy

Etsy find of the day!

I love everything about this purse. The color combination is fabulous and it's a funky little statement piece when you don't want to carry a big purse. Throw in your cell phone, lip gloss and your debit card and you're ready to go.

If you're even a teeny bit interested in this, go to the site I linked you to quick! It's only $24 and it's the only one the seller has. It's too cute to pass up!

Keep shopping!

Stacy

Etsy find of the day!

Silver jewelry on tan skin and $24! Need I say more?

Modern and fun...you can get it here!

If you ever buy any of my Etsy of the day finds, let me know!

Stacy

Etsy find of the day!

This pretty much says it all. As I've gotten older, I have realized the importance of being "real." It's what I look for in other people too. I don't care what kind of car you drive, how much money you make, how thin you are or what brand your purse is. Just be you. If being nice is part of being yourself that makes it even better. Be yourself because it's hard trying to be someone else. If you you have flaws, I will like you even more...it means I'm not alone.

I REALLY like this. Hang it on your wall and live by it.

Have a fantastic evening!

Stacy