Who made an A on the fashion exam?

I never go outside unless I look like Joan Crawford the movie star. If you want to see the girl next door, go next door.

~ Joan Crawford

So this blog is sorta delayed but I have been super busy lately with exams and all the business. But the Met Gala was in the recent past and all the biggest celebs showed up. I thought I would do a quick run down of those who showed up like movie stars and who... well... didnt.

Lets start with the bad ones:

Demi Moore. The dress is by Prabal Gurung. The dress isnt too bad but there is just too much going on and then it was really jacked up paired with that crazy hat thing. I looove hats as we all know but thing is not good..... not good at all

 

Christina Hendrix. The dress is by Carolina Herrera. I usually love stuff by Carolina Herrera but this is not up to par. I cant decide if it's the weird sheen the fabric has to it or maybe the really bad colors pallete. or maybe it's some combo of both. For whatever reason this is really really bad.

Christina Ricci. Dress by Zac Posen. Eh I cant really put my finger on why i dislike this dress as much as I do. It reminds me of something Lily on The Munsters would wear. It's like a Halloween costume or something... like seriously she should be carrying a broom or a cauldron or something.

Kristen Stewart. Dress by Proenza Schouler. This pattern is just ridiculous. I really dont understand how she keeps getting voted as best dressed on all these lists. This is ridiculous there is no shape or anything redeeming to it. You cant see it in this picture but this dress has a racer back but even that little surprise does not redeem this dress... like at all.

Naomi Campbell in Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. I know McQueen is known for designs like this but there is a time and place for dresses like this and this is not it. This is just a huge mistake. And that little hair piece looks like an 80's scruchie you would wear to jazzercize.

and the good ones!

Dakota Fanning. The dress is by Valentino. I think it is very princessy sorta like the dress worn by Olivia Wilde. Its also very age appropriate but still very fashionable. two thumbs up.

Ashley Greene. Dress by Donna Karan. I love love love this dress. It is so elegant. It is the perfect shape for her body and the color is just beautiful. Also she accessorizes well and lets the dress be the statement. Give the girl an A!.... I wouldn't mind a couple of A's myself

Ashley Olsen. Dress by Christin Dior. There were a lot of mixed reviews for this look, but I personally really like it. I think its very regal and elegant and chic. Yea the sleeves are alot but its a red carpet event and I feel like its appropriate and fashion foward. I like it.

Blake Lively in Chanel. I really like this dress its very Grecian like a goddess. Plus it goes amazing with her new hair color which i also love. Blake Lively is always a star.

Ok that is my run down of the Met Gala fashion. Hope you all enjoyed and happy studying!

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings

Lauren

Top 5

I am involved in a freedom ride protesting the loss of the minority rights belonging to the few remaining earthbound stars. All we demanded was our right to twinkle. 

~ Marilyn Monroe

So I hope everyone has recovered from the royal wedding! It was beautiful yadda yadda yadda. Honestly I am sick to death of hearing about it, so if you were expecting a run down on what I liked I'm sorry but i just cant stomach that right now. I am weddinged out. So I am doing sort of a random blog about my top five things I loved during the month of April. I have seen some other bloggers do this so I'm following suit. gotta be in with the crowd.

 

1. My Mary Kay cream highlighter

- I adore this product. It is probably my favorite product that I use. Unfortunately Mary Kay has discontinued this product and I haven't found a good enough dupe. There a billion different types of highlighters though so I'm sure when I run out of this product I will find a new one. A highlighter, especially a cream highlighter, can be used for a lot of different effects. I use mine for contouring my cheekbones and nose and pulling light to the top of my brow. Below are the areas i apply my highlighter. I know it looks a little crazy but I didn't want to blend everything in cause then you couldn't see it. The brown is bronzer, pink is blush, and the lighter color is the highlighter.

2. Aussie Sun-touched Shine Hairspray

 - I really like Aussie products in general because I think they are super affordable but still work really well. I like this hair spray because it really does make your hair really shiny. I use it as a finishing hair spray because it isn't wet and it wont mess up your due.

3. Dove Hair Nourishing Oil Care Daily Treatment Conditioner

- I am totally in awe of this conditioner. It makes my hair incredibly soft and silky. I do use it everyday and it doesn't weigh my hair down like some other heavy conditioners. I also blow out my hair everyday and I have pretty frizzy coarse hair to begin with. I imagine that if you have fine hair this conditioner might be too much for you and make your hair a tad greasy. But if you have some damage like me, this is the way to go!

 

4. Lip Smackers in Vanilla

- As I mentioned in one of my previous blogs I had some issues with my lips a little while ago and the skin peeled off so now I am super careful with what I put on my lips. I like lip smackers because they don't claim to heal or soften or any of that kind of thing, its just a lubricant that smells good. Because of that it doesn't irritate my newly grown lip skin (lol) and I wear it as often as I like!

5. Jessica Simpson Fancy Love

- I already have and love Jessica Simpson Fancy and I have been wanting Fancy Love for like...ever. I love this scent sooooo much. It might be my favorite. Its a really good scent for summer and spring. Reader beware, this is a very very sweet scent. It is floral and all things sweet. There is no musk, no spice, no dusky undertone. It is just sweet. I love it and i would recommend it to everyone but I know that some people don't like things that smell so sweet BUT I DO!!!!

Ok well those are some things that I was loving this past month. I hope everyone has a good week!

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings

Lauren

How sweet it is!

 You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming.

~Alan, age 10

So today on the news I heard like eighty people trying to predict what the menu would be for the royal wedding and WHAM inspiration for today's blog. Apparently at the royal wedding they are serving boiled fish, quail, starling pie (whatever the heck that is) and of course the ever sophisticated pig in a blanquette.... wow. Well none of that is really striking my fancy and honestly it really just sounds expensive, so as usual I have some fun, cost effective ideas to better suit your personality.... and they are waaaaay cuter than boiled fish... ew.

1. The Cupcake Bar
- Holy cupcake batman! This is such an amazing idea! HOW DOES EVERY WEDDING NOT HAVE THIS!!!! I love this idea because it is hands-on and pretty cheap. You could totally do this all by your self. I mean how hard is to bake some naked cupcakes and then pour some sprinkles in a bowl.... I also really like this because you can personalize everything to match your theme or personality. Having a underwater themed wedding? Throw out some swedish fish. Marrying a nerd? Smarties are the way to go! THIS IS THE BEST IDEA EVER!!!!!!

2. The Chocolate Fountain
- These are pretty common but I love them. Again this is a super cheap option. You can rent the fountain and then you just cut up some different stuff and let people dip. My favorite dippers are strawberries, bananas, and meringue puffs. YUM! Also another fun little thing you can do is use white chocolate and then food coloring to match your wedding colors. Let's not kid, there is a pink chocolate fountain in my future for sure!

3. The Mac & Cheese Shooter
- Who doesn't love mac and cheese? This is so perfect because it can please a wide variety of people. Little kids will like it plain and the grown-ups can jazz up their mac with toppings like bread crumbs, bacon bits, tomatoes, and a billion other things. This can even be dressed up to fit into a more formal wedding. Instead of regular elbow shaped pasta try the little spirals or instead of little bowls dish up the mac and cheese in little martini glasses!

4. The Candy Bar
- I know, lots of different types of bars, but I don't really care cause they are so darn cute! This is very versatile and cost efficient. You can buy they candy in bulk and its dirt cheap. You don't need servers because you are just putting it in bowls. Also this can double as a party favor. Put little to go bags on the table and your guests can scoop up some candy and take it with them as a favor!!!

5. The Pancake on a Stick
-I'm not sure why, but put anything on a stick and I pretty much think its adorable... something about all that portability.... These would be absolutely perfect for a morning wedding when you are serving a brunch type meal after. Pancakes are cheap because there isn't much too them but people are just gonna gush about cute they are!

6. The Milk and Cookie Shooter
- These are cute and comforting all at the same time. On your wedding day everything is gonna stress you out. every. little. thing. So why not have something at your reception that is just straight up comforting. These shooters are way cute and if you wanted you could mix it up with different types of cookies. I personally would just stick chocolate chip because I think it would be beneficial to keep something simple on a day when everything else is soo complicated. I want one of these. Like now.


I hope these ideas gave everyone some inspiration, whether it be idea for your wedding... or just what to eat for dinner!

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings
Lauren

A Symbol of Love

 "One of you should know how to write a check. Because, even if you have tons of love, there is still going to be a lot of bills"
~Ava, age 8

Hope everyone is having a great Tuesday! Today I want to discuss another thing about weddings. I have been to like a jillion weddings and the ones that always make an impression are the ones that have some type of releasal at the end. Ya know like butterflies or doves or something. So in this blog I thought I would give you my opinions about which ones I think are the most beautiful and then some tips to make sure you are being safe and environmentally responsable.

 

1. Dove Release

- Doves are a very important symbol in the christian religions, one that is seen many times in biblical texts. Doves are gorgeous and majestic and so ridiculously romantic. However there are several things you need to take into account if you are going to do a dove release. You need to make sure that the doves you pick are properly trained for homing. In other words you want to make sure that when you release the doves they know how to fly back to their roost. So on a cruise... dove release...not ideal....

2. Butterfly Release

- A butterfly is also powerful christian symbol but I also think it is a good symbol for marriage. The whole going into the cacoon and turning into something beautiful, pretty romantic. However it can be very tricky to orchestrate. Butterflies do not home like doves so when you let them go you just sorta let them go... It's important to research what sort of butterflies can live in the climate in the certain season you are releasing in. Otherwise you are sending them to their deaths. Also you might want to check out the area you are releasing in before hand. A bunch of crows that live in a tree near by eating your butterflies as you release them might spoil your mood a bit.

3. Balloon release
- Ok I know what you are thinking, AH BALLOONS GET IN THE OCEAN AND KILL SEALS AND WHALES AND STUFF. But dont worry I did my research and thankfully that is soo not how it goes down. Apparently when you release a balloon, as long as it isn't carrying too much weight, it goes up to five miles above the ground and then shatters into a billion little pieces... seriously I'm not making it up. One important fact though, is that you need to make sure the balloons are 100% latex. Latex is completely biodegradeable, in other words completely safe. You will not hurt the environment with a balloon release. It is recommended, however, that you limit the amount of balloons released tied together to 10. It can cause a hazard to airplanes if you release like 100 balloons tied together.

Well that is my take on wedding releases. I don't know if they will release anything at the royal wedding but I do think they are royally romantic and I most def see one in my wedding future.

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings
Lauren

HATily ever after

"I enjoy hats. And when one has filthy hair, that is a good accessory."

~ Julia Roberts

I think hats are a great fashion piece. They have a long and strong history, and while I personally think that hats are always in fashion, they have recently been brought back into the forefront of fashion by the highly popular Kare Middleton. So since this week I'm doing wedding themed blogs I decided to discuss an aspect of wedding I feel that is sadly neglected and that hats could totally fix. The leaving outfit! You know the outfit that you go to the airport in or leave your reception in. I know we all want to stay in that glorious wedding gown as long as possible but just wear it on your anniversary or something. I think it is very important to have an outfit to wear as you are leaving the reception and going on to your next stop. I mean its one more opportunity to look absolutely fabulous... why pass it up?!?

In my head I have always seen myself leaving my reception running under the rice or bubbles or whatever in a fabulous hat with a veil and all that jazz. It's probably because my mom wore a hat and I have seen it in pictures. For whatever reason it has always been an unshakable idea in my head. And with the royal wedding coming soon, and it being mandatory to wear a hat to the big day I think its the prefect time to explore the world of hats. Here are my top five favorite types of hats to wear with a simple outfit to make sure you look elegant whether spectating or fleeing!

 

1. The Wide Brim

- This is a classic shape for a hat. I like wide brims, but i like them with only simple adornments. Sometimes people have a tendency to think that the more stuff you put on them the more rich and fashionable you look. I think you eventually you just look like you are wearing a craft closet on your head. A simple bow will do you. This hat can go with a wide variety of outfits but try to keep whatever it is form fitting. With all that size and shape on your head if you wear something with a lot of volume on the bottom you will just end up looking spacious and not elegant.

2. The Pillbox with a Veil

- The pillbox hat is a style that always reminds me of the 40's and 50's and small little white gloves. Its such a feminine little accessory and I adore it. I feel like for a wedding it really needs a veil. If veils are not your thing you could certainly wear it without it. But let me tell you when I get married I need everyone to know I am the bride and the veil helps me accomplish that. Plus I think short veils like this are super flirty and intriguing. ( credit for picture "The pillbox photo was me (Katie Greiner) taken by Christa Taylor in Portland, Oregon, and is by Unveiled Designs - MUAH Caprice Hammon")

3. The Fascinator

- The fascinator has become widely popular lately all thanks to Kate Middleton. She has rocked the fascinator at several different appearances and I say keep it coming. They are perfect for people like me who have slightly bigger heads and have a hard time finding hats that fit. Fascinators come in a wide variety of shapes sizes and colors. they are the perfect thing to add some sparkle to an outfit. I sorta want to wear one like everyday....

4. The Cloche

- This hat is originally from the 20's but it is making a resurgence. I think this hat is suited for a more subdued personality. But just because there are no feathers doesn't mean that this hat is any less elegant or alluring. I do however think this hat is more suited to the winter months or maybe if its in a jewel tone the spring. In the summer it may look a little silly. I can see this hat paired with a tailored skirt suit in a cool color. Tres chic!

5. The Fedora

- This hat is a little more casual yet still elegant and interesting. Floral is really in right now and I really like the idea of a floral or some other pattern instead of boring old straw or felt or whatever else. This is for your wedding, we cant have hum drum we must have fabulous!!!! I like the fedora and it goes well with a ponytail. Which if you had a really elegant hair style for your ceremony a pony tail will be a welcome comfort.

OK those are my top picks for hats. And while I picked these for after a wedding, these can be options for a multitude of other occasions. I think hats are magnificent are seriously neglected. So go find a hat and put it on!

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings

Lauren

going to the chapel and we're gonna get maaaaarried

You should never kiss a girl unless you have enough bucks to buy her a big ring and her own VCR, 'cause she'll want to have videos of the wedding

~Jim age 10

 OK so as I am sure pretty much all of you know, the royal wedding is less than a week away. I am completely obsessed. For one, its like a fairy tale come true with the prince and the tiara and the royalty and blah blah blah. and second I'm obsessed with weddings in general. I have a huge scrap book full with all sorts of clippings and plans and samples from peoples weddings and just a bunch of other ridiculous memorabilia. Sooo needless to say this royal wedding is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. So until this blessed event, my blogs are all going to be wedding themed. I am pretty jazzed.

Today I want to talk engagement rings. I have sort of a weird opinion on the whole thing, so I sorta want to preface it with an apology because I feel like some people will be offended with what I'm about to say if they already have a ring on their finger. My opinions regarding engagements rings are my personal opinions and I only project them onto my own lifestyle. I do not expect people to agree and I think any ring that comes from the heart is lovely.... I am just a little critical when it comes to my personalized styling. so here we go

I do not like traditional diamond solitaire engagement rings. I think they are cliche and plain and we are all brainwashed into wanting them. Seriously. Look into the history and the dealings of the company DeBeers and you too will see. I mean look at all our stupid sayings: "diamonds are forever" "diamonds are a girls best friend" and so on and so forth. So basically I'm against diamond engagement rings in general. I feel like there are much more beautiful options that can be tailored to match your personality. Plus people are much more likely to remember your ring if it's different. And remember different doesn't have to mean quirky, it can still mean elegant. So let's explore some options that are anti-diamond solitaire. 

 

1. The Opal.

- I love opals. I think they are so gorgeous. This one is pretty subdued in fire but you can get them in many different colors. I think they are so elegant. This has diamonds surrounding it ,but if you wanted, you could pick a colored gem stone to go around it to pull out other colors from the fire. I love this one. It just feels very classy and elegant and sort of Victorian. Ugh its just really really beautiful.

 2. The Pearl.

- Ok I know these two rings look really similar but I just happened to pick two rings that are pretty matte in their coloring. Pearls can also have a lot more color to them. I love pearls. I try to wear pearls as often as possible. If somethings has like faux pearls sewn on it I will buy it. No question. But I love the idea of a pearl engagement ring because it has color and dimension and an interesting shape. I just think it is very romantic. It makes me think of like deep sea expeditions to find the perfect thing to give your bride... ok so yea that went a little far but you get what I mean.

3. The Sapphire

- This one is my absolute favorite... pretty much because it is pink. This is a sapphire. Traditionally sapphires are thought of as blue but I absolutely love the pink color they come in. This is what I want to wear on my finger no doubt about it. I feel like it matches my personality and it's just so dang pretty.

4. The Ruby

- The ruby is a classic gem stone. Many celebs and royalty have chosen rubies as their engagement ring stone of choice. Jessica Simpson rocked the ruby engagement ring. I like this stone and feel like it would go really well with a pale skin tone. Red is such a classic romantic color. The ruby is ideal for an engagement ring.

 5. The Amethyst

- I like this one because purple is the color of royalty and that is quite fitting for this week! Purple is such a pretty color and it looks good on so many skin tones. I don't actually there is a skin tone it doesn't go well with. The stone just looks so rich and luxurious. Its a decadent stone but it still seems to have a depth to it. It's extravagant without being too flashy which I think makes it a good fit for lots of people!

I totally get it that some people just genuinely like diamonds and I think that's awesome. But I think everyone should know you don't have to limit your choices to diamonds. In fact diamond engagement rings are a pretty recent trend. If you look back in history you will see back in the old days, for example the Victorian period where I should have been born, diamonds were not even popular. To sum it all up, there are many different options that can help you express yourself and also keep your costs down.

I hope everybody has a great week!!!!

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings

Lauren

Gotta be smart to catch those z's

Once you wake up and smell the coffee, it's hard to go back to sleep.
~Fran Drescher

So last night after a crazy turn of events I managed to spill a whole glass of water over my ihome which started blaring Mexican radio and needless to say all my designs for a restful night of sleep were over. Even more unfortunate for me is the fact that I fall asleep to the sounds of either a "long soothing rain" or the ocean. But alas, without my ihome I can no longer here these noises that lull me to sleep each night, so I been laying here for about an hour without sleeping. I am guessing I am not the only person out there that cannot sleep so I thought I would explore some tricks I will be using shortly after finishing this blog to get my beauty sleep.

- Aromatherapy. There are lots of skeptics out there about how true the effects of aromatherapy are. However for me I really do think it works. There are a couple of scents I feel like relax me and help me sleep. My favorite candle right now is from glade. The scent is called angel whispers and it has sort of a flowery smell that is really light. I feel like its just really unobtrusive and relaxing and it does help me sleep. I also did some research that confirmed what I already thought. Lavender is also supposed to really help you sleep. According to the Sense of Smell institute lavender not only helps you to fall asleep but it also helps you to get better more restful sleep. Sounds good to me!

- Light training. What I mean by light training is to make sure that you turn of all most if not all light at least 30 min before you want to go to bed. Small lights are OK but the basic idea is that you are in a dim room without direct light on you. The reason this works (disclaimer: I am a psychology major so I do have a background in this but I have watered down the science a little into a more easily digestible form) is because a gland in your brain called the pineal gland secretes a hormone called melatonin when its time for you to get sleepy. Melatonin is counteracted by light meaning that even if you are really tired and it is really late, if your body detects a lot of light it will mess up your rhythms and tell your body its not time to sleep yet.

-Melatonin. I am not a doctor nor can I prescribe medicine but I can tell you that taking an over the counter melatonin supplement can really help me when I get in a bad sleep funk. You can buy melatonin at you local drug store in the vitamin section. I trust this supplement because it is the same as the hormone already secreted by your body so it is not habit forming all though they do suggest you don't take it for more than two weeks continuously because you can build an immunity to it. I use melatonin when I get into a weird sleeping schedule that I want to break, like after a big test or something.

-Stop worrying! It is nearly impossible to sleep when you are just sitting there in the dark worrying about something or another. Find something that works for you to clear your mind. For me i say a little prayer then read a couple chapters in a book. I know some of my friends meditate or do some exercises. whatever it is that works for you, just get your mind off whatever is bothering you. There is plenty of time to stress tomorrow.

OK it is now time for me to take my own advice and get some well deserved beauty sleep!

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings

Lauren