Adrien: You get a Chambray Shirt! And YOU get a Chambray Shirt!

Well, you knew this was going to happen. I loved that first Old Navy chambray shirt so much I ordered another in a darker wash and have proceeded to wear it an obnoxious amount: 

So good! So comfortable! And I would say true-to-size. I'm wearing the medium wash in size small. (Don't go by the pics on the website! The photos are wrong. They are showing the light wash but comments indicate they're shipping the medium.) For comparison, I wore the light wash a couple of weeks ago. Old Navy also a boyfriend version and a peplum tank. And a chambray shirtdress. Slow down, ON. We get it. 

Sassy arm. I'm wearing Madewell high-rise skinny jeans, the coated edtion. I like them so much I may try the white denim version the next time there's a code, which probably won't happen for months, knowing my luck. Madewell denim is really good, though. Worth it! Now, the details: 

I'm wearing my House of Harlow mini sunburst pendant and a couple of bracelets, one of which is my Giles and Brother skinny railroad cuff, which is on sale! I really want another delicate pendant but nothing too precious. Maybe this funky Alexis Bittar piece? So cool. And I love this tiny snake necklace! The Saks F&F is killing me. 

I'm carrying my same old MBMJ Too Hot To Handle cement hobo! The bucket bag version is still available in that color but otherwise you'll have to settle for the light chocolate colorway, which looks very nice to me. The newer version is also on sale in a couple of colors! For something similar, this DVF hobo looks like a good one and my budget pick is this sleek leather hobo from Talbots. 

My aubergine Lottas T-Bar clogs never get shown in a very good light, but they are indeed a very dark eggplant purple. I wear them a lot because, hey, purple clogs. Why not. 

Reader Question: Help Me Find a Crossbody Bag!

We haven't posted a reader question in a while and we got a good one recently from Meg:

I'm a mom to two, and I'm looking for something slightly specific - a lightweight, slightly casual/slouchy crossbody bag I can sling on and run around with all summer. I have been eyeing the MBMJ Preppy Nylon Natasha, but its status as only-on-eBay is making me wary. Would you have any other ideas?  Eternal thanks - between the style ideas and makeup recs, I'm a lot less tired-looking and a teeeny bit more stylish :)

Meg gave me a budget of around $200 and was especially interested in a fun color instead of black. So, I got to looking and here's what I found for her:

Bloomingdale's has some really cute MBMJ bags marked down right now. This New Q Natasha is slightly over her price range but I'm an enabler:

I also think a Foley & Corinna tote might serve Meg well and everyone needs a red bag:

(If you aren't signed up for Gilt, it's worth doing! Great prices.) My friend Kate has a F&C tote and it's very easy to carry cross body and kind of molds itself to you. This beautiful sapphire blue version at Bluefly is also a great deal but there's only a few left! Someone get it.

I also really like this Fossil Preston bag in a versatile maroon color and a very marked down price:

It's very similar in style to the Natasha and comes in some fun colors like bright pink and seaglass green if maroon is too sedate.

I don't really know enough about the nylon Natasha to wisely troll eBay so don't necessarily trust my auction picks*, but I can't find anything non-leather that I like as much. I especially like it in a bright color. This blue version is basically freaking perfect:

And blue quilted! So cute!  There also appears to be a new nylon Natasha in cardamom available on Zappos. I am not really helping, am I. Heh.

And the result:

I sent these options to Meg last week and she let me know  this morning that she'd found the Fossil Preston in red on eBay and it was on it's way to her. Yay! There's nothing like a red bag.


*These are not my auctions so I can't guarantee authenticity. Read the feedback and do your research before bidding!

Weekend Window Shopping: Boden is SO CUTE.

Boden is so cute right now! Killing me dead with cute. Plus, right now get an extra 20% off full-priced items (and free shipping/returns on orders over $49) with code 9T6Z and don't forget to go through eBates for 2% cash back. Here's what I think is freaking adorable:

Cute Boy Friday: James Norton!

I totally thought Marianne and I had discussed Mr Norton previously (what with my penchant for tall drinks of ginger water) but apparently not. What an oversight! He's something to behold:

YES. I love everything about this. Everything. I could climb him like a treeeeeeee. Also, cheekbones: 

And he's lovely as Granchester, all vicar-y and riding a bike: 

Love it. He can also rock a cravat and tights and boots and woof: 

And, you know I wanted to see what was going on under all that: 

Not bad AT ALL. That is some good shoulder action right there. Happy Friday, my friends. 

Adrien: Stripes for Days.

Hi there! The weather finally got it's act together so I decide to celebrate with bare legs. Did I shiver like a poodle at my desk all day? Damn right I did, but for the half an hour I was outside, it felt great. I'm wearing an old Banana Republic dress that I love:

If you don't have a striped fit and flare dress, get on that. This Cynthia Steffe option looks super flattering and I love the crazy colors in this Nine West dress. The Gap also has a cute summery version that might have potential. The closest thing I could find to my dress is this one by Kate Spade. Spendy, but super cute. 

Details! A bold stripe requires a bold necklace, so I'm wearing my chunker of a tassel pendant. It's Lulu Frost for J.Crew and nobody does a tassel quite like Lulu. This beauty is still on sale! Someone buy that. For the more modest budget Kendra Scott does a nice tassel and for under $50, this Rebecca Minkoff is awfully pretty. My watch is an old black studded La Mer wrap that I totally forgot I owned. I used to wear it a lot on the blog. 

My shoes are Madewell Sidewalk Skimmers in a purply-blue suede. I love them. They don't seem to be carrying the Skimmer style anymore, but the blue suede Lydia flats look pretty amazing. BR also has a blue suede pointy flat that's currently on sale. Ooh, and check out this Marc Fisher pair! That color is closest to my pair. 

And finally, so I don't freeze to death in the morning, I threw on my excellent Madewell Beckett jacket. Thanks, Marianne! It shouldn't work with this dress at all but I think it does. An olive utility jacket is the perfect in-between weather option. The Fleet jacket at Madewell has potential and this Target Merona jacket looks like a great under-$40 option. I don't generally link Forever 21, but damn, this is cute. 

Oh, and finally, my bag is my ancient Marc by Marc Jacobs Hillier hobo. There's an updated version (on sale here!) but I just keep on carrying my old one.

Sephora VIB Sale: I Am A Sucker.

I don't know why but when Sephora sends me a discount code I feel SUPER COMPELLED TO USE IT RIGHT NOW. It's not like it'll never happen again, right? But still. They have my number and aren't afraid to use it. Through today code VIBNOTE will get you 15% off all orders if you have VIB status, which, if you read this blog, you probably do. (If you're one of those Rouge freaks I am in awe.) So, what did I buy? I was mostly kind of boring and repurchased a couple of old favorites:

Smashbox Studio Skin 15 Hour Wear Foundation
I just keep wearing this because it's decent and doesn't budge. It also works well mixed with a little illuminator or sheered out with moisturizer. It's not super fancy, just dependable, so I keep buying it.

Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Mushroom
This color is pretty unusual - a taupe-pewter shimmer.  I wear it pretty much every day. Sometimes I layer it over a darker color and sometimes I layer a brighter color over it, but it's good all on it's own when you want something subtle. It's especially good for brown eyes but I might just think that because I have brown eyes.

Now, the fun stuff!

Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask
Ooh, I am so excited about this! I have been hoarding my little sample of this product and then the other day I dropped it face down on the bathroom floor next to the toilet. WEEPING WEEPING. So really, duh. I should just buy it. It feels so nice on and has enough rosy pigment that you can wear it by itself or layer it under regular lipstick. The champagne color is also really nice but I need to not be a total lip product hoarder so I just bought the red one.

Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Beetroot
People keep talking about this and how amazing it is and OMG I just bought it okay? We'll see if it lives up to the hype but it looks like the exactly kind of thing I like which means I probably already own three lipsticks of a similar color. Shut up, this one is supposed to be amazing. It does your taxes. It's the world of magic. I will report back.

Benefit They're Real Mascara
After using up several sample tubes of this I'm finally giving in and admitting it's worth purchasing. I really like the brush with the little spikes on the tip and it's a solid formula. It's also available in two sizes if you're tired of your mascara drying up before you're good and finished with it.

Things I didn't buy that I'm regretting not buying:

Burberry Fresh Glow - Luminous Fluid Base
I am still eeking out a sample tube of this and I love it and I should've just bought it but it's expensive and ugh. Soon.

Clinique All About Eyes

I literally just ran out of eye cream last night. I'd been using a deluxe sample of this but didn't find it amazing enough to buy the full size jar and suddenly it was empty and NOW WHAT. Why didn't I buy the Clinique eye cream I'd been meaning to try? And really, is eye cream just bullshit anyway? Is it just a tiny jar off pricey face cream with the word "face" scraped off and "eye" written over it? 

Kate Somerville Mega-C Dual Radiance Serum

Kim France posted about this and immediately I was all, THAT IS WHAT I NEED. Then I remembered that vitamin C breaks me out. But maybe this won't? Maybe it's the unicorn of vitamin C products that will make me glow like a magical elf? Does anyone have this? I am a sucker. 

Adrien: Swimsuit Shopping is Wearing Me Out.

Oh my God, you guys. I am basically exhausted from trying on bikini parts. Exhausted. After my initial terrible foray into a poorly-lit department store dressing room I wised up and decided to order from home. Everything I ordered from Zappos and 6pm was returned, by the way. For round two I chose to order (and order and order) from Athleta because I get free shipping and returns and I like their quality. So, I first fell for this Laser Beam print set:

Laser Beam Cross Strap Bikini

What I love: The design, the print, the fact that the top doesn't have an uncomfortable knot in the middle of my back and the cute strap design. What I don't love: The small was too small and the medium felt a little big. The straps adjust but there's no way to adjust the band size, so I was just out of luck on this one. Returned.

Laser Beam Bottom

What I love: The print. What I don't love: Everything else. There is no way that three pieces of stretchy thick elastic on your hips is not going to dig in. I got a medium and it was turrible but I think even the large would've been bad. Nope. Returned. On a whim, I also ordered these:

Laser Beam Kata Shorts

What I love: All of it. The print, the fit, all of it. They're so good! I was really surprised because the cut looks similar to the Lululemon Speed Short which look awful on me. But these are great, I promise. I got a medium and they're a perfect fit. They'll be great for the days when I want to a bit more coverage, but don't want to feel mumsy. I might even wear them to the gym this summer because they really do feel like running shorts with the liner and all. Oh, and they come in solid colors too, which is nice. I kept them and decided to get a solid bikini top to match. I picked this one:

Tara Halter Bikini

What I love: The color is beautiful and the quality is very good. It has underwire and comes in bra sizes so I ordered two sizes and the size up fit better. What I don't love: It is significant. It feels like wearing a full-coverage bra when you're used to wear bralettes. There is just a lot going on up there. So far I've kept it because it fit and looks good, but I'm not 100% convinced. Now, because I like to torture myself, I also ordered the following matching solid bottoms:

Smocked Medium Tide Bottom

What I love: Nope. What I don't love: I mean, look at them on the model. What was I thinking? I got the medium and they were weird and bulky and side-squeezy. Badness all around. 

Medium Tide Bottom

What I love:  This bottom is pretty basic but it has the right amount of ass coverage and the side ties are removeable, though I feel like they balance out the top so I'd probably leave them on. What I don't love: I ordered the medium and the large and I can't decide. The medium fits but cut in a tiny bit at the hips. The large are a tiny bit too big. Halp. I actually like a true tie-side because you can fix that problem but the Notsostring bottom doesn't come in purple and the Tieside bottom is pretty minimal. 

SEE? This is exhausting. I need to go take a nap now.