Show me the Manet!

I love these paintings from French painter Edouard Manet...

I actually do not enjoy eating oysters, but they are interesting to look at, and people who eat them are also interesting to look at, haha. They always remind me of the funny scene from one of my favorite movies, Mr. Bean's Holiday, lol!

Who in the world is George Moore? He had style!

Aren't the best things to capture in photos (or paintings) are fashion and food?

White with black trim

Forever 21 is having 15% off in-store only. I'm currently coveting the style of this pretty dress!

Essential Pleated Chiffon Dress $24.80

It would also look great with these ASOS Hostage Heeled Sandals $71.27 (saved in my cart)

Jellyfish?

Anthro is having FREE SHIPPING on orders $150+ this weekend with code: LONGWEEKEND 

At first glance, I was super excited about this top because I thought it was jellyfish print, but upon closer inspection, it's actually balloons silhouettes...

....bummer it's not jellyfish, but still a very cute shirt that would be great for work and play!

Float On Tank $88

But if you see a cute jellyfish print anywhere, send it my way! :)

Happy Wee! kend!

Pink Petals

Suddenly I'm in the mood for bright bright bright pink flowers....

The prettiest umbrella I've seen so far!

Fulton Pagoda Pink Daisy Umbrella $33.94 sale

This bell-sleeve jacket is interesting.

Paprika Floral Print Bomber Jacket $27.15 sale

Current ASOS 20% off everything promotion code: TAKE20 

Expires May 28, 2013

Seeing Tassels

Another trend I'm loving in the Anthropologie Summer 2013 catalog are tassels on jewelry, tassels on scarves, tassels on everything!

I personally prefer tassels on scarves....

Quimbaya Square Scarf $128            Neoscarf Necklace $48

Forever 21 has some similar inspirations for less...

Technicolor Baja Scarf $8.80             Fringed Floral Boho Scarf $8.80

Going Brazilian

Since I'm wearing sandals all the time right now, my poor feet gets pretty dry. For years, I've been using my favorite Alba Botanica Hawaiian Body Cream in Coconut Milk to moisturize my driest extremities, but it's getting harder to find that particular one at my local retail stores. Sadly, the price keeps hiking up every time I need to restock (almost at $14 for 6.5 oz the last time I checked). So I've been on a lookout for other brands to try.

My criteria are:
1. Moisturizing for rough skin areas.
2. Not greasy.
3. Smells pleasant (I like sweet scents), but not too overpowering.
4. No parabens or artificial colors.
5. Affordable or worth the amount, and easy to find.

Shopping at Walmart today, the price tag on this body cream caught my eye...only $4.48! That either means it sucks or is a really good deal. Curious, I opened a few jars to get a whiff of their scents...the Coconut Lime smelled too intense for me, the Almond & Honey smelled like medicine, and then...the Brazillian Nut, woah, it smells like Starbucks! I could not stop inhaling this yummy rich caramel and cocoa scent! Thus, I bought it home to try....

Tree Hut Brazillian Nut Shea Body Butter

Going down my criteria list...

1. The Tree Hut cream consistency is thicker than my Alba Botanica one, which feels great on my rough feet. Definitely moisturizing. 

2. Not greasy. I like that it doesn't leave a sheen on the skin. 

3. I'm attracted to this caramel/cocoa scent, but I can see it being too overwhelming, especially if I applied this to my entire body (instead of just my feet). The scent does linger around longer than my Alba Botanica coconut. 

4. No parabens and artificial colors. 

5. At $4.48 for a 7 oz jar at my nearby Walmart, that's a great deal! 

Tree Hut Brazilian Nut vs. Alba Botanica Coconut Milk

Ingredients-wise, my Alba Botanica beats the Tree Hut for being 100% vegetarian. I also like the neutral coconut scent of my Alba better. Even though the Tree Hut scent is definitely yummy, it might make strangers think I live at Starbucks. But Tree Hut is a better deal for the money and I think is actually more moisturizing than my Alba Botanica. 

Overall, I would recommend the Tree Hut Brazilian Nut Shea Body Butter if you love sweet caramel/cocoa scents! Since the cream is thick, it might be harder to apply on large surface areas, thus I would use this more as a foot cream or for elbows and hands. 

Here's the ingredients label for those interested....I don't know about you...but I love reading ingredient lists for some reason....

Still on the Brazilian-theme, I'm crazy over this print on the Lenny Niemeyer Ruched Bikini from Anthropologie....

Darn it, $256 bucks!  Too expensive, and I'm not even going on any vacations this summer.

Would look amazing on someone with a more tanned skin like this girl :) 

Are you loving the palm/tropical-forest prints lately?

China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint nail polish

Sandal season is here!

As mentioned in another post, I love nail polishes that resembles gems and jewelry.

Today's pedicure is inspired by the Marie Louise Diadem (from my Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History trip last year).

Turquoise and Diamonds

Using: China Glaze Nail Laquer with Hardeners in Re-Fresh Mint (highly recommend!)

Embellish with: 2mm faceted acrylic flat back rhinestones (bought at craft store jewelry section)

Finish with: clear nail polish (I'm using some old Wet N Wild brand)

What's your favorite nail color this summer?

Cute case

cute iPhone5 case at Anthropologie

Color Block Sequins pretty dress alert

I know summer is too hot to be wearing sequins from head to toe, but when I was browsing ASOS this morning, this pretty dress caught my eye. Only a few big sizes available and still way too expensive for me ($326.67)....but I'll archive it here for future ideas!

French Connection Color Block Sequin Dress

The problem with sequins is that the sparkles look better in person than in photographs. This dress is ga-ga-gorgeous in the runway video. Really loving the dark midnight colors; I'm definitely in a blue & green mode lately! 

Ah, so pretty!

Palm Palazzo trend

I've been seeing wide-leg or palazzo pants all over Anthropologie lately, and I think I like them more than the harem or peg pants trend (my previous H&M peg pants experience didn't suit me). However, I'm not too sure if palazzo pants would suit my short legs either....but I enjoy seeing them on others. I really dig this palm print from Forever 21 because it's camouflage-y!

Palm Print Wide Leg Pants $19.80

Ooh, with matching top...

Peplum Palm Tree Shirt $17.80

Although I'm not too keen on the silky blue collar....I would cut them off (something I learned from the guys here). 

Kleinert's Dress Shields to the rescue

Wearing old J.Crew stretch perfect shirt size regular XXS sold here, GAP outlet pants size 1 similar here, and Talbot's pumps.

The story behind today's outfit is that I can finally wear my green J.Crew stretch perfect shirt in warmer weather, thanks to Kleinert's Dress Shields! 

Ever since high school, something strange happened to my underarms....they were always sweating, annoyingly. I couldn't wear any fitted tops without having these embarrassing wet marks under the arms. I tried every brand of antiperspirants at the drugstore, which seemed to irritate my skin, and didn't prevent the wet marks at all. For two decades, I only wore loose knit shirts, darker colors, and layers to hide any signs of wetness under my arms.

But of course, sometimes I just want to "look good" which requires a fitted top. For instance, I love my green J.Crew shirt, the most fitted button-up I own, but it shows armpit wet marks major time! Thus, I've been reserving this shirt for the winter only when I can layer a short sleeve t-shirt underneath to soak up the sweat before it reaches the outer layer. (I wonder if wearing layers actually makes my body hotter and sweat even more!)

It wasn't until I read this Extra Petite post, that I found a real solution. I'm a little hesitant on trying the panty liner trick (because I've actually had a panty liner fall out of my own panties once, so embarrassing! I'll be horrified if a panty liner fell out of my sleeves too). But one of Extra Petite's readers suggested Kleinert's products.....something I've never heard before.

I could not believe this company has been selling sweat-control products since 1869, and I finally heard about it in 2012!  I suppose the population of people with sweating issues is small or no one ever talks about it. Heck, I was pretty content with wearing loose tops and sweat-proof fabrics, that I never thought about searching for alternative solutions, and never talked about it to anyone myself.

The Kleinert's website looks infomercial-cheesy, but I like that they have many interesting options. I decided to try their Washable Snap On Ready Shield style 1114F in Beige.

It's easier to put the shields on the bra first, before wearing the bra....

They are not the prettiest thing, and looks quite ridiculous on....

The inner side of the shields feel like linen-cotton (2 layers of 100% cotton absorbency to soak up the sweat). The outer side is a silky nylon.

I'm wearing this whole contraption underneath my green J.Crew shirt above, and you can't really detect I'm wearing these shields. And they work! 

I wore this outfit for 10 hours at work, and my typical sweat did not show through. Granted it does feel like I'm wearing pads under my arms, but they're not uncomfortable, and are breathable. My overall body temperature felt cooler than wearing a full t-shirt underneath.

The best part is that they are washable, and yes, I'll be wearing these every time I wear my green J.Crew button-up shirt!

Since I'm into vintage stuff, I also loving these old Kleinert's advertisements I found on Google search...

Still can't believe I have been oblivious to these until now...

Do you wear dress shields?  Or have other solutions to underarm wetness?

Statement shorts and pretty dress alert

There's a difference between clothes that are pretty and clothes that look good on camera. So far, my favorite photogenic styles are definitely bold stripes and color blocking....

This is the most perfect outfit on what I'm yapping about:

ASOS High Waisted Shorts In Bold Stripe - $49.88

Ah, this dress is so pretty especially on the ASOS runway video:

Closet Sleeveless Swing Dress with Contrast Panel - $74.73

What's your favorite photogenic fashion piece?