Style Lush

Friday round-up: Another giveaway, red coral necklaces and the cutest kids backpacks around

By Jennie

Who had a crazy week? I sure did, but let's recap the good stuff going on at Style Lush!

1. Another incredible giveaway from Red Bean Dream. You have the rest of today to enter, so what are you waiting for, honestly? 

2. I asked for sports bra help and you all DELIVERED.

3. Groovy Glass Girl: an Etsy favorite of Kristie's for good reason.

4. Wall stickers as decor: tacky or lovely? 

5. Skip Hop backpacks for kids. Try not to die of cuteness. 

6. Emily showed us so many ridiculously amazing red coral necklaces, the Internet began drooling simultaneously!

7. Sarah has you covered if you're building the basic bar.

8. All these sunglasses had me craving summer even more than I already was (and I didn't think that would be possible.)

******

In other areas of the Internet:

- The cutest little tile coasters (and easy, too!) (@allthingslovely)

- Who DOESN'T want something useful to do with all that junk mail?

- You can MAKE this adorable skirt. My god. (@freshlypicked)

AND

- A Clothesasaurus! Oh, my kid NEEDS this one day. (@racheldenbow)

Stuff I Love: Horta Wine Glasses

by Elizabeth

So, these wine glasses? All the reviews talk about how breakable they are. And I don't need wine glasses. And I'm 25 weeks pregnant, which means I can't even drink wine. And they're REALLY girly, which means my husband will probably hate them. (Not that I would let him use them anyway. AS IF.) Also they're TWELVE DOLLARS each. 

Which is to say, there are a lot of reasons why I don't need these wine glasses, and why I totally shouldn't buy them. But oh, aren't they still just so lovely? 

Someday, somehow, they will be mine. 

{image credit:  anthropologie.com}

Store Spotlight: Prairie Path (perfect for Easter!)

By Jennie

Hey, have you caught on to the fact that I like holidays? I like celebrating and decorating and, more than anything, throwing a party or hosting a get-together or organizing a dinner.

So, even though we're a full month (and some change) away from Easter, I'm already enjoying the candy, the pastel colors and searching for the perfect menu for the day.

While doing a little online browsing, I stumbled upon this set of ten handmade Easter egg ornaments {$20} that would look perfect displayed in anyone's home who's filled with a little Easter spirit.

 

{Photo from Prairie Path}

(Check out the rest of items in this shop. It's full of great stuff!)

It's never too early to start celebrating. So, get to it.

Pursuit of the perfect panty

by elisabeth

I don't know about you, but wearing the wrong pair of underwear can really ruin your day. I've spent way too many times facing backwards to a plant in the corner of a room to adjust the ever rising cotton headed where the sun don't shine.

It's a mood ruiner for sure.

My favorite pair of skivvies used to be Gap's Hipsters. They were ideal for jeans, pants, sweats, you name it. Then, they changed the design. They used to rest nicely on the buns and create no line from behind, but all of a sudden, the last batch I purchased, the lines were apparent. And my love was lost.

I was deeply saddened by this discovery. I mourned and moped all the way to Old Navy to see if they had anything that would be suffice. And they did! Until I washed them a few times and noticed the cutest designs begin to fade before my eyes. I was sad, and fresh out of favs.

Until....

I randomly went over to the underwear section at The Gap while my husband searched for a particular sweater vest he "had to have." There they were. A new style with a familiar look. They were called Girl Shorts, but they looked like my old version Hipsters!  I picked up a set of 3 and hoped my latest findings would suit my fancy.

And they did.

My only problem was I wish I had purchased a dozen because for some holiday special, they were on sale for mere DOLLARS a pair. Like TWO dollars a pair.

Tell me, do you find these pairs to be your choice of coverage or do you find yourself more fond of another fit?

Lacy Dotted $14.50 Now $8.00

Top Stitched $14.50 Now $7.00

Supersoft Button $14.50 Now $10.00

 

Ultra Low Lace-Trimmed $14.50 Now $5.50

Can a "taboo" print ever be cute?

by Christina

While shopping with the girls last weekend we popped into a massive shoe store and I spotted a pair of shoes that stopped me in their tracks. I love them but sort of made thatehhhhh face. "Are those tacky?" I wondered aloud. I saw two women trying them on and I loved them more; neither of them purchased the shoes. I see them bringing so much life to a pair of jeans and a t, and as I expand into my own zip code accessories are as important as ever.  Still, I don't know.  I don't do leopard, do I go with that or take the plunge?

What do you think; would you wear them or are they, in fact, tacky? 

{photo credit: Steve Madden dot com}

Red coral necklaces

by Emily

A chunky red coral necklace has been on my wish list for years. Seriously, YEARS. I'm getting thisclose to buying one before summer arrives. I just think it would be the perfect accessory for so many things: simple tank tops and cotton skirts, jeans and dressy blouses, sundresses... actually, I think if I end up buying one (which I will, I just have to make it look like I'm only CONSIDERING buying one so my husband doesn't give me the Eye of Disapproval) I'll wear it all the time, even to bed. I think it goes perfectly with understated neutral tones (browns, taupes, greys) as well as with bright turquoise blues and yellows. And of course, it would accent a white tee perfectly.

Now, which to choose? Oh, Lordy, if only cost were no option...

 
1: Coral Cowgirl by CarolineChance, $128
2: Cranberry and Nuts Necklace by Melefant, $45
3: Lola by KentonBeadworks, $47
4: Serendipity II by DeniseJewelryDesigns, SOLD 
5: Island Jam Twist by rockedjewelry, $125
6: Chunky Coral Jade Necklace by theBabyMoon, $30
7: Chunky Turquoise and Coral Necklace by AshleyCollection, $125
8: Poppies in the Meadow by DeniseJewelryDesigns, $28

Building the Basic Bar

By Sarah

I'm sure there are 1,001 articles out there on everything you need for a perfect cocktail party bar and I'm sure I'm breaking all kinds of bartender rules with this list, but I don't care. I firmly believe you can make all of your party guests happy with only a handful of liquors and mixes and more importantly, I don't think you need to break the bank with the fancy-schmanciest of brands. Here are my basic bar essentials, along with my accompanying alcohol recommendations.

The Liquors:
Gin (My personal favorite is Bombay Sapphire, but honestly, I usually just keep it real with Seagrams, which is surprisingly pretty good.)
Vodka (Doesn't it seem like everyone has really strong feelings about vodka brands? Personally, I think Absolut is perfectly acceptable.)
Tequila (I like Hornitos or El Jimador and I DO NOT think it's necessary to have Patron. However, if one of your guests brings you a bottle of Patron, well, enjoy!)
Whiskey (There's an on-going debate in my family between Bushmill's and Jameson. At the end of the day, they're pretty much the same.)
Rum (Cuba Libre, anyone?)
Vermouth (For the martini-lovers.)
Triple Sec (For the margaritas.)

The Non-Liquors:
Tonic
Soda water
Cola
Lemons & limes

And that's it! Cheers!

Writer round-up: Men's fragrance. Kind of.

Coming off of last week's wildly popular women's fragrance round-up, at the request of a few readers, we opted to do a round-up on scent for dudes. And, um, wow. It turns out that scent on a man (well, the synthetic kind anyway) is not particularly popular among the Style Lush writers. I, for one, am a huge fan, but have unfortunately (well, the marriage isn't unfortunate) married a man who has zero interest in wearing any.

So! Below, I've included the few that the SL writers did like, and including my favorite. It's important to ask, then: What say you, dear readers? Is fragrance on a man detestable, evocative of The Situation on the Jersey Shore? Or is it fresh and a little sexy?

Jennie: Lacoste Pour Homme. "Because it's what Mike has always worn so it = Mike, even if it smells just ridiculously awful on another human (or, all other humans)."

Sarah: Cool Water. "I feel obligated to say that my favorite male scent is what my husband wears, but he doesn't wear cologne. So! My choice would be Cool Water. An oldie but goodie. Plus, Josh Holloway is their spokesman; can't go wrong there!"

Amy: "I'm a big fan of Cool Water [linked above] and Acqua Di Gio.  I'd give you a link, but apparently the district I work for has declared men's cologne to be 'ADULT CONTENT.'  I can't blame them; it usually works on me."

Leah: "Lagerfeld Photo makes me quite literally weak in the knees. I know there's some pheromone technology at work there because it turned me to goo even the first time I smelled it, but chemicals aside, it will always go straight to my gut because it's the cologne my junior high boyfriend wore when we were falling in love for the first time. (He used to spray it on love letters he wrote to me. Could you just die?) So to me, I couldn't describe this with terms like "musk" or "spice" or "smoke" or anything
like that--to me it only smells like thirteen-year-old luuuuv."

Natalie: "...I do like the way Hermes Eau d’Orange Verte smells... it's actually marketed as a unisex scent but I think it's more masculine. It's citrusy but has a great base note of mint in there too. I love the combination of the scents and if my husband wore cologne, I would totally get this for him!"

Christina: "I love Estee Lauder Pleasures for Him. Come to Mama!"

Jonna: I love 10 Corso Como. It's warm, sandalwoody, musky and a little rough around the edges. It sinks right in to a man's skin and becomes part of him and never, ever smells like cologne.

I Wear My Sunglasses at Night

by Maura

Obviously I wanted to write this just so I could have that SUPER COOL song stuck in my head -- and to bring you a plethora of sunglasses options for the spring and summer! As in all elements of style, when choosing sunglasses you should consider what looks good on you in addition to what is popular. This means knowing the shape of your face when shopping for your new shades. A few tips will keep you looking cool in the sun.

[Image credit: Uproxx.com, Bloomingdales.com, Forever21.com]

Do you have a heart-shaped face like Reese with a wide forehead and narrow jaw? Accentuate the eyes with a cat eye frame or a frame with a straight-across brow. Pick up these cute (1) Tory Burch Vintage-Inspired Cat Eye sunglasses at Bloomingdales for $145 or (2) get these Opus Sunglasses at Forever 21 for a steal at $5.80. With a solid line across the brow, these Nine West Metal Rimless frames at $42 are a sweet alternative to plastic frames for heart-shaped faces.

[Image credit: BET.com, Forever21.com, Coach.com]

If you have a square face like the lovely Jada, with her strong brow and jaw and wide (gorgeous!) cheekbones, soften your look with round sunglasses. Cat eye or oval sunglasses will also soften strong features. You'll look equally chic behind (3) these large black plastic frames from Forever 21 at $5.80 or (4) these hot brown Coach Maxine glasses for $88.For an option that is not plastic, these Armani Exchange round cut-out sunglasses have hot details for a cool $65.

[Image credit: Goodhousekeeping.com, Forever21.com, Bloomingdales.com]

Women with round faces, like Catherine Zeta Jones, should go for angular frames slightly broader than the widest part of the face. I love (5) these Two Tone Plastic Frames from Forever 21 for $5.80 and (6) these Kate Spade New York Mid Size Square Lenses with Ring from Bloomingdales for $128.For a mid-price and mid-size option, check out these frames from Nine West at $36.00.

[Image credit: Mannythemovieguy.com, Bloomingdales.com, Target.com]

Lucky ladies with oval faces, like Mariah, can wear pretty much any style frame. I have to admit absolutely falling head-over-heels IN LOVE with (7) these Diane von Furstenberg metal sunglasses with drop temple detail. I want to make out with DVF already for her wrap dresses, but these sunglasses?! I'll do her dishes, too. They are available at Bloomingdales for $175. Can you picture Mariah wearing (8) Adi Designs Uni Lens sunglasses? You can get yours at Target for $16.99. 

Are you into fun and funky sunglasses? I'm a huge fan of Paul Frank sunglasses, which are cool, colorful and always a conversation piece. Unfortunately I do not think I'm the girl to pull them off. These are called Beneath the Bleachers and are available (in other colors, too) at Bunker Online for $103 along with other awesome frames by Paul Frank. All orders over $75 are 10% off with code Winter10.

[Image Credit Bunkeronline.com]

Do you have a favorite pair of shades? 

Reader Help Follow Up: Crib Mattresses

by Elizabeth

A few months ago I asked the readers if they had any recommendations for vinyl free crib mattresses because I wanted to buy one for the new baby that I've got coming along shortly. 

I thought I'd update you with some of the options I looked at, and what my final choice was - I got such a lot of great recommendations, as well as requests for more information on what I ended up choosing.

The first option I almost went with was the Naturepedic No Compromise Organic Cotton Classic 150 Crib Mattress.
 
It got great reviews in the comments and some of our Style Lush readers use it for their own kids. My only hesitation was the price, because even though I am sure it's worth it, over $200 for a crib mattress did give me pause. 

My second choice was the Quilted Organic Cotton and Wool Crib Mattress from Dax Stores.

It was slightly cheaper than the Naturepedic, which my bargain-hunting side really loved (even though the difference was pretty small), but I also appreciated the lengthy description of what was actually IN the mattress - way too many mattresses out there are described as "organic" without giving very much information about what that actually means.

My third option (and the one we finally went with) was discovered by a friend of mine - it's the L.A. Baby Natural Organic Crib Mattress available from Costco.

 
Obviously not everyone is a Costco member, but it is available online, so maybe a friend or parent with a membership could help you out there.  And I love that it states right in the description "no phthalates" since that was my main reason for ordering an organic mattress.  At $169 dollars, the price can't be beat, so that was our choice.  It's not going to be anywhere near as light as a standard foam crib mattress, but I personally am ok with that trade off.  Friends of mine already have this mattress and have confirmed that it's a good one, so there's that extra bit of reassurance as well.

{photo credits:  amazon.com, daxstores.com, costco.com}