A Warm Cup of Beige

The color beige reminds me of cappuccinos and almond biscotti, a treat of warmth, romance, and happy times, so why not incorporate those feelings into my wardrobe right?

Inspiration from colorpalettes.net: #3105 and #2388 

Minimalist outfit I'm trying out

Isn't this a breathtaking photo?

From H&M: white top and calf-length skirt 

Also from Banana Republic:

top, undershirt, skirt, sandals

And this Forever 21 outfit styling is just perfect:

 white top, taupe skirt, suede slides. 

Here's how the Forever 21 skirt looks on me below:  

• Pleated A-Line Skirt in Deep Taupe size XS ($19.90) - relieved the cappuccino color is still pretty in person as in stock photos online; perfectly light and flowy! The elastic gathered waistband measuring 12" across fits just right at my natural waist.
• Boxy Slub Knit White Tee size Small ($8.90) -18" crop length great for loose effortless-don't-care style; I like that it is 100% cotton and just enough starchy texture to not be see-through.

I expected the length of the skirt to be longer on me compared to the tall model at Forever 21, but I'm actually thinking this awkward length is not bad, even with flat shoes on. Maybe it's the vertical lines created by the pleats that's helping.

Balmy palmy cover-up

I've been on a roll in the men's department lately, discovering that men's t-shirts tend to be more sturdy and sometimes less expensive than women's. Since I prefer wearing loose fitting shirts in the summertime (no sweating here), men's tees are the perfect thing! I love the blog-popular leaf print on this one. The long length is also great for tucking in or wearing like a tunic/mini dress. If you're crafty with the sewing machine, this tee (in the larger sizes) can turn into wonderful feminine pieces (ie. Extra Petite's old diy shift dress, or this oversize tee turned dolman top from Trash to Couture...so cool!).

The tee would make a great cover-up with the recent swimwear collection from H&M too!

My past palm print ideas here....

Peaked by palm print decor from The Zhush: pillows (on instagram), wallpaper (from Martinique)
Atlantic-Pacific totally obsessed with the palms: bomber jacket, shift dress, Indochine wallpaper, skirt
And bounced off of I am Khatu's leafy outfits: romper, diy dress (also seen on Jean recently)

Flower gazing

Taking a stroll in my parent's garden. This is how flowers bloom in the desert...

Neapolitan ice cream palette

I was skimming through an ULTA advertisement, and this new Physicians Formula Nude Wear line caught my eye. I'm not needing any makeup products at the moment, but man, I give Physicians Formula the award for "prettiest packaging!" 

The dainty metallic bows made me want to purchase these goodies right away! But as a smarter consumer now, I always check reviews online before buying any cosmetics. My favorite drugstore reviewer is Musings of a Muse. All the products that I have bought based on her reviews have been great! Thus, I generally will not buy anything now unless it's "Muse approved."

Here's her reviews on the above products:

PF Nude Wear Glowing Nude Powder: I can tell the powder will be too sparkly or itchy for my face, so no buy. 

PF Nude Wear Touch of Glow: maybe I might try this with my Ulta coupon...

Have you been sucked into buying cosmetics with cute packaging?

And why not wear an outfit inspired by this pretty Neapolitan ice cream colors too?

Massimo Dutti Brogues

I first heard about Massimo Dutti from the wonderful Fast Food & Fast Fashion, and have been intrigued with their shoe selections since. I finally decided to order something from them during the July sales when these NYC limited edition leather brogues were around $79 (marked down from ~$220). Also being heavily influenced by menswear fashion lately, I decided to try these out.....

Gasp! They are gorgeous!

The packaging made me feel like I was opening a gift from the King of Spain or something....

The size 36 (US 6) fits true to size. The shoes are well-made and have that expensive leather furniture smell. Here's how they look on me with different outfits:

In actuality, I had a difficult time trying to figure out how to style these shoes. The shoes look beautiful on their own, but I felt dowdy in them. I'm thinking the problem is that the brown color doesn't suit my complexion and the heel is too low for my short legs. The sturdy leather also pinched the sides of my feet (bunions), so I decided these weren't going to work out for me. Thank goodness for the free returns.

Maybe brogues/oxfords are not suited for me after all. I'll leave 'em for the boys to look good in, or leggy girls like this gorgeous model from Massimo Dutti:

Oxfords are trending this fall. If I'm ever tempted to try this style again, must remind myself to keep the shoes more dainty like these from Wendy's Lookbook.

Darn, aren't these shoes so beautiful though?