Three Summer Fashion Essentials

Warm weather is here! After the long cold snow filled winter we had here in the Northeast, I'm so happy the longer sun filled days of summer are back. It's so nice to be able to sit on the deck and relax and not have to be stuck in the house under a pile of blankets. I'm sure my attitude will change when we get into the scorcher temps of late July, but for now I'm happy.

I wanted to put a post together with a couple of items that I deem as essentials during the warmer weather. And we are going to try something new here and talk non-beauty. While I don't consider myself to be a fashionista by any means, I have been making a conscious effort over the last year to streamline my wardrobe and actually put together outfits rather than just throwing on whatever is at the top of my drawer. The following items I feel are staples in my wardrobe at the moment.

1. Teva Mandalyn Wedges

Teva Mandalyn Wedges featuring Teva

Having lower back issues, as much as I love a good high wedge sandal, it's just not practical for everyday wear for me. That being said, I don't want to go slogging about in regular flip flops. The Teva Mandalyn Wedge is something that has been in my wardrobe for the past 2 summers. This year I've restocked my basic black Ola Wedge and picked up a new pair of the Mush Adapto Wedges in Brown. These offer the best mix of comfort and style for me. I've paired these with everything from maxi dresses to shorts as they can be somewhat dressed up or down. The price tag isn't too bad either at $30 a pair. I wore my last pair into the ground for two seasons, so I definitely feel I get my money's worth from these.

2. Target Merona V Neck Tees

Target Merona V Neck Tees featuring v neck t shirts

In the warmer weather, t-shirts are a must have. These are my go-to t-shirts at the moment. What's so great about these is that they can again, be dressed up or down. They are not frumpy at all and the material being 95% Rayon and 5% Spandex allows them to wash well and keep their shape. You can easily pair these with both skirts for a dressier look or shorts for a more casual appearance. They have a pretty wide selection of colors and basics. These also can work into the cooler months as layering pieces under a blazer or cardigan. Again, the price can't be beat at around $10 a piece. A word of caution though, because of the spandex, these can be a little clingy so they might not be the best choice if you have any tummy issues you are looking to hide.

3. Maxi Dresses (any and all brands)

Target Maxi Dresses featuring Mossimo

Being tall, I adore maxi dresses. The bolder the pattern, the more I gravitate toward them. I always end up adding a couple to my wardrobe each year as they are one of the easiest no-brainer looks to wear. When the weather is hot and you don't want to give too much effort or thought to your outfit, a maxi dress can really allow you to pull a quick look together. And they also hide a multitude of body issues. Don't like to show off your legs? No problem, they will be covered. Because they are more flowy, you don't have to worry about any extra lumps and bumps you want to hide. Plus, when the weather is hot, the last thing I want to wear is something clingy. The flowy factor allows you to keep cool. Price points are all over the place so you can easily find one to meet your budget. Most of mine I've purchased from NY and Company as I love the bold prints they do, but they also have cute ones at Target and Kohls. I actually just purchased the one above on the right to use as a coverup after swimming at the beach.

And there you have it. Three of my summer fashion essentials. What are your summer fashion must-haves? Let me know in the comments below.

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette - Pictures, Swatches, and Review

**All products mentioned were purchased by me. I'm not affiliated with any companies mentioned.**

I know it's been ages since my last post. Life and work have been hectic. I've been thinking about making a conscious effort to get back into blogging. I've decided to start by sharing some of my current favorites. One of them that has been in constant rotation for me for the past six months (yep, I'm always grabbing this cause it's just that good), is the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette.

Now, when this first came out back in winter I thought, "I really don't need another neutral palette. I've got all the Naked Palettes. What could this palette really offer?" Well, this palette blows the Naked Palettes out of the water in my opinion. You get a very versatile mix of mattes and metallics/shimmers. I think every possible shade of matte brown you could need is in this palette. There are two awesome transition colors (milk chocolate and salted caramel) and two darker colors that you can use to deepen the outer v or line with (semi sweet and triple fudge). And the metallic shades are just gorgeous, no fall out and glide on like butter. If you like do warm neutral eye makeup looks, this palette is a must have in my opinion. Now, on to the pics/swatches.

The tin is really cute. Looks like a big chocolate bar palette. I know they've slimmed out the case a bit more recently so it's not as thick as it was originally which could allow it to be somewhat more travel friendly. The only downside to the packaging is that the shadow names are on a plastic slip sheet that sits over the shadows and is removable. It really would have been nice to have the shade names printed below each shadow. I think maybe they thought it would be more like a box of chocolates with the slip sheet (you know how you buy those boxes of chocolates and they have the sheet telling you what is in each one?), but it gets to be a nuisance to have to hold on to it in order to know what the shade names are called.

Shade names are as follows, left to right:

Top row = Gilded Ganache, White Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Black Forest Truffle, Triple Fudge

Middle row = Salted Caramel, Marzipan (LOVE!), Semi Sweet, Strawberry Bon Bon (probably the most disappointing of the lot), Candied Violet, Amaretto

Bottom row = Hazelnut, Creme Brulee, Haute Chocolate, Cherry Cordial, Champagne Truffle

Ooo I forgot to mention, the shadows smell like cocoa powder. Yes, really you open this palette and you are greeted with the scent of a cup of warm cocoa. I'm sure there is someone out there that is nauseated by this, but I'm not a chocolate fanatic and even I think this smells delicious. Anyways, on to the swatches.

First up, the left side of the palette:

Top row, left to right = Gilden Ganache, Salted Caramel, Hazelnut, White Chocolate

Bottom row, left to right = Marzipan, Creme Brulee, Semi Sweet, Haute Chocolate

Some closeups - first top row, then bottom row

This side of the palette is my most used side. I absolutely love the shade Marzipan. Its a gorgeous pinky peachy champagne shade. I liken this shade to Stila Kitten but soooo much better. For some reason, Stila Kitten just never looked right on me, tended to wash me out. This Marzipan shade though is just gorgeous. If I could buy a large pan of this one, I would. Creme Brulee also makes a fantastic lid shade, such a gorgeous gold. I also adore the Hazelnut color in the crease. Just warms everything up and looks fantastic. 

Now on to the right side of the palette:

Top row, left to right = Milk Chocolate, Stawberry Bon Bon, Cherry Cordial, Black Forest Truffle

Bottom row, left to right = Candied Violet, Triple Fudge, Amaretto, Champagne Truffle

Some closeups - first top row, then bottom row

The shades I tend to have used the most on this side of the palette are Milk Chocolate as a crease transition shade, and Amaretto to warm up the crease. I think Strawberry Bon Bon is the most disappointing shade in the palette. It took a while to build it up to the color you see above in the photo. This side of the palette also has two colors that have glitter in them (Black Forest Truffle and Candied Violet). I'm not sure if fallout is an issue on these as I haven't really used them that much. 

So overall, I think I've used this palette way more than any of my Naked palettes. I like the ratio of mattes to metallics that this palette provides. While the earlier edition of the palette was a little bulkier, I think with the newer slim design could make this an excellent palette for travel because you really have everything you need to create multiple solid eye looks. You don't need to tote along additional mattes to make it work. If you're on the fence thinking that you have enough neutral shadows, I'd say you should definitely give this a second look. It's honestly my most used palette for the past six months. 

Do you own the chocolate bar palette? If not, are you still considering it? Let me know down in the comments below.