Style Lush

True&Co: At-Home Bra Fitting

By Jessica

Elisabeth has talked about getting fitted for her bras and maybe you were thinking about having a fitting done, too. Maybe your sizes have changed. Maybe your current bras are ill-fitting. Maybe you have no time for an in-store fitting. Maybe it just sounds like something you'd like to avoid if at all possible. What if you could get a better fitting bra AND do it at home?

Enter True&Co with their online quiz to help you determine the best bra fit and style for you. Once you complete the quiz, you are shipped a bra box containing 5 bras (3 that you select, 2 that they pick) and you return the ones you don't want to keep. You are billed for the ones that you keep. (Bras cost $45)

 (Photo from: True&Co)

Elegant and Affordable Jewelry from Morgan Prather

By A'Dell

I like jewelry, but I do not often treat myself to new pieces. I find jewelry beyond my wedding rings to be a bit inconvenient in that I have a tough time quickly locating pieces that look right with my outfit for the day, and my small children often grab at long necklaces and dangly earrings. A lot of the time I just skip it and because of this it never seems like a worthwhile thing to buy. 

But when I do buy myself jewlery? It tends to be simple, elegant, and something I can wear for days and days and days and never get tired of or wonder if it matches my clothes. The items from Morgan Prather's Etsy shop are exactly the kind of thing I might buy myself (and I just might!).

Chrysanthemum Flower Earrings, $20

Simple and graphic, without being too arty, I just love these. 

Chrysanthemum Flower Necklace, $23

This necklace also looks like a winner for similar reasons, though I wouldn't wear the matching set at the same time. (I don't know, it always seems too matchy-matchy to me.) But I sure would not mind owning both and having the option to swap.

Leaf Lariat, $25

This comes in silver or gold, and it's just kind of light and lovely and simple.

The shop has many more earring and necklace designs, all with a similar look/feel in a nature-insrpired vein. I'll definitely be putting these on future gifting lists.

Stuff I'm Not Sure I Like Yet: L'oreal Paris EverPure Shampoo

by Elizabeth

Recently I was trolling some back corner of the internet and I came across a forum all about drugstore shampoo where I noticed a comment from someone saying that L'Oreal EverPure Shampoo is the only good drugstore shampoo, period. 

How this has been established, I have no idea, but considering that I am always looking for shampoo that is 1. cheap 2. readily available 3. volumizing and 4. will make my hair shiny, I figured it was worth a shot.  

When I finally found the stuff at my local Target though, I froze.  I don't think they had all the varieties in stock, especially because it's new, but the stuff comes in EverPure, EverStrong, EverSleek, and EverCreme. Nowhere did I see anything about volumizing or body, which is what I always look for, so I ended up making a wild guess and bought a bottle of the EverCreme Nourishing Shampoo, and I am...not sold.  

I love that it says it's sulfate free right there on the front of the bottle in big letters, and I guess this stuff is supposed to be a BIG DEAL because some of the reviewers mention buying it instead of hundreds of dollars worth of salon products, but it's really, really greasy, to the point that it makes all of me feel greasy and I don't feel like I need conditioner after I use it, and I really don't like the smell. I do like the way it leaves my hair feeling soft and shiny after it's been blow dried, but it isn't volumizing, for certain. However, looking on Amazon, it looks like the EverPure Volume Shampoo (which wasn't on the shelf at my local Target) might be more what I'm looking for, so when the stuff I'm using runs out, I'll probably try a bottle of that before giving up and continuing my endless quest for a good volumizing drugstore shampoo. 

Have you tried the new L'Oreal shampoo? Do you agree it's the best there is (at the drugstore?) or do you think I should try something else for my flat fine hair? 

Window Clings: Cheap and Easy Toddler Entertainment

By Tara

I'm a pretty big fan of the Target dollar bins, where I like to stock up on cheap little items to add to my emergency toddler entertainment drawer. My newest favorite find?

The window gel clings...

(Photo from: amazon.com, because Target doesn't have the window clings I buy on their website.)

I picked up a pack around Christmas, and my two-year old had a great time sticking snowflakes all over the kitchen door. And a few holiday versions later, the fun of sticking and unsticking things to and from the windows hasn't worn off.

Case in point, the current state of my back door (please ignore how badly the porch itself needs a new stain job, ok?):

Festive, no?

Print of the Week: Watercolor Koi

By Sara

Whenever I look for pretty and inexpensive art, I turn to Etsy (obviously). I find I'm drawn to beautiful watercolors the most and love finding ones that use watercolors as an medium of expressing movement. 

Koi Pond Archival Print, 16 x 11, $30 at TheJoyofColor via Etsy

The colors are bright but the subject matter is soothing. My neighbors have a koi pond in their front yard and we love watching the fish swim. This would be a great print in a kids' bathroom or even in the grown up one!

Summer-Appropriate Blazers

By Rebecca

Summer is officially here and the weather is hot... yet I still have to wear work-appropriate clothing to ye olde day job. What to do? Stock up on a couple of these lightweight blazers! Blazers are one of my favorite and most-used wardrobe items, because they pull together an outfit like nobody's business.

First up, we have the Gibson Linen One-Button Blazer. I have the wheat color pictured below, and it goes with absolutely everything, especially the bright colors that are so popular right now. It's linen (duh) and lined with a very lightweight cotton. I wear this bad boy at least once a week, often twice. (SHHHH.) It looks equally fantastic with jeans, skirts and white pants. And at $88, while not inexpensive, is not too bad for a versatile wardrobe item that lasts.

Then, we have the shrunken classic blazer from the Gap.This color is to die for and I love how it's styled over a striped t-shirt. This jacket is 100% cotton so it's lightweight enough to wear to lunch when it's a million degrees outside. This one is slightly more expensive at $98, but I certainly never buy anything from Gap without a coupon code and there are often codes floating around for 20-30% off.

Our final choice is the Frenchi Linen & Cotton Blazer. I am in love with the cream color and how it's paired with white underneath. So fresh looking! Now, this is from one of Nordstrom's junior lines. In my personal experience, that sometimes means I need to size up. However, I haven't tried on this particular jacket, so your mileage may vary. At $54, this is the price winner of the group.

Do you wear blazers in the summer like I do?

(Photos from nordstrom.com and gap.com)

 

Tree Wall Decals for Nursery

By Jen

So, I am in the process of decorating a nursery at the moment.  And since the path to this baby was a rather long, bumpy road, I have pretty much been decorating this nursery in my head for the last two years.  I do have an older daughter, but we didn't have a nursery for her and just stuck her crib in our room.  Now that we live in a different house, I have a dedicated room for a nursery before the baby even gets here.  Basically, what this boils down to is that I have been obsessing over this room for an extremely long time and I need to pick out the perfect tree wall decal. Luckily, there are lots of different options available. 

(Photo from Lulukuku)

(Photo from JaneyMacWalls)

(Photo from ModernWalls)

(Photo from NouWall)

(Photo from WallInspired)

All of these decals can be customized in color.  I am wanting one with real tree colors- meaning a brown trunk and green leaves.  I'm not having any strong feelings towards accent colors, it would probably depend on which particular tree I pick out and therefore whether I am deciding on a bird color or a hedgehog color. 

What do you think?  Which of these decals is the clear winner and I'd be crazy not to choose it? 

Summer Hair Staple: Paul Mitchell Sea Spray

by Natalie

Let's be honest here. Despite the fact that I did go and buy myself a big, grown-up blow dryer (yay!) it is now completely out of season for me to dry my hair. Yes, we have a hair dryer season in Texas, and that season is October to April(ish.) Also, though I work during the summer, my work environment is considerably more relaxed than it is during the rest of the year, so I don't worry about showing up with bangs clipped back in a bobby pin and hair shoved up in some Spin Pins.

I have several (ok, more than several) of the products that claim to give "beachy" hair; in general, I like the ones that are a bit grittier, as opposed to ones with an oil base (I don't like crunchy waves.) I did actually count how many of those sprays I own and the answer is: SEVEN. Seven! Just picture Monica, if you will. SEVEN. (Sorry. Had to be done.)

{shot via screened.com}

I have a new favorite product that actually makes my hair pretty decent with very little effort: Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Wild Ginger Texturizing Sea Spray, which has a ridiculously long name but works really well. I shower at night, wash and condition and towel dry my hair, and then spray it pretty liberally with this. I generally just sleep with it loose, or pin it up with the aforementioned spin pins, and then when I let it down in the morning it has defined waves and lots of volume at the roots. I like that it doesn't leave my hair crunchy, and it smells amazing. (Side note: this is a black bottle, and there is apparently no decent photo of it on the whole of the internet.)

{photo via amazon.com}

Happy summer waves, ladies!

Cheap and Easy Bracelet Storage

by Leah

My organizing philosophy as of late has been "put it in a bin and call it good enough." This goes for clothes, toys, craft stuff, makeup and accessories, important paperwork, everything. Although my belongings aren't exactly organized in these bins, they're at least contained thematically, and, like I said, that's good enough for me to call it "good enough."

This is better than good enough, though, and is a major improvement over having all my bracelets and necklaces tossed together in a jumble in a sad plastic bin that I keep under the bathroom sink and then never look at:

   

That's a $3.99 paper towel holder from Target--idea and photo courtesy of Allison of The Adventures of VAMH. Brilliant, right? Affordable, practical, and attractive. Winner!

AdoramaPix Giveaway!

By Jennie

Remember when I posted about my family yearbook? Well, thanks to the awesome powers of social media, I was able to connect with a fantastic woman at the company (after that post went live) and we've got a real treat for you today coutesy of AdoramaPix.

You can win your very own 10x10 26-page photo book (exactly the size and length that I showed off).

Some ideas for you:

Finally put that wedding album together
Make a book of recipes with photos for a new mom
Create a travel album from a favorite family vacation
Or, make a year-in-review book like I did

The layouts and designs are endless and I can vouch for the awesome quality of these books. I love mine, and I'm thrilled one of you will get your own!

The fine print-type stuff:

• To enter: leave a comment on what kind of book you want to make (we won't hold you to it, if you change your mind!)
• Giveaway ends: 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, June 28
• Who can enter: Anyone!
• Other notes: One comment per person, the winner will be selected by random.org and announced on the site by 6/29.

Good luck and thanks to AdoramaPix!

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