Pretending to be a Model for a Day

Today was so fun!
My friend came over to shoot some of my new vintage items for my Etsy shop, The Vintage Bombshell . He has a lot of new photography equipment that he like's to practice with and I really need professional looking photos for my shop, so it's a win win. Plus, it's super fun to take photos with a friend you are comfortable with!
I tried doing my hair and makeup a bit differently for this shoot. I felt like a drag queen in the first one.....waaaaaayy too much makeup! I kinda went overboard. Having a heavy hand is useful when being photographer from a distance. But when you are doing portrait style photography, such as this, it's best to use natural looking shades and a strong eyeliner and bold lip.

Ewww..... waaay too much makeup here. I learned my lesson!

I finally nailed it! i used matte eye shadows, contoured cheeks and Stila lip glaze in "Giggle". It was on the Betsey Johnson runway for Spring 2012.

Want to Know the Secret to my Shiny Hair?....

I cannot use a ton of products in my hair.
First of all, I hate the feeling of most of them.....that greasy, sticky texture. Ewww. I actually have very fine hair. I have A LOT of fine hair that is easily weighed down by most products. Especially most shine serums.
After reading Hello Amanda's, one of my fave bloggers, posts on the muuuuch raved about Moroccan oil. I had to try this stuff! It sounded too good to be true!


I mix a dime size amount of the Moroccan oil with a quarter size squirt of the Hydrating Styling Cream throughout my damp hair BEFORE blow drying. 
Not only does this stuff smell incredible, it delivers what it promises. A healthy shine.



See for yourself!

Rocker Barbie

As I said in my last video.....I need any excuse I can to rock my favorite necklace. You know that one item you own, that makes you feel like a rock star?.......well this one is it for me. My prized Lanvin for H&M necklace. It has almost a Victorian- Barbie vibe to it. It's made if a heavy metal coated in a hot pink enamel with a ribbon tie closure. A perfect design. I'm lucky to have a friend who battled the crowds at H&M during the collaboration to score this for me!
H&M also made these beauties in red, but I think pink is the prettiest one ;) I only wish I could find something similar in black! Wouldn't that be cool?!

Check out my killer ring, made from a vintage clip on earring......by yours truly ;)

This killer moto jacket I've had with me since high school. It's by Clio,  I most def scored it on a clearance rack. I  love the  silver zipper details! It seems like I always wear this coat with the sleeves unbuttoned. I think it adds a cool touch.

My favorite tall Born boots pair nicely with this look, keeping with the black leather theme. My pants are the Victoria's Secret Siren Jeans I purchased from MjrSales.com, for only $22. These have to be the coolest skinny jeans in my closet. They are a light-weight cotton stretch fabric and look great tucked into boots as I did today, or worn with heels.

Because my outfit was so bold today, I wanted to keep my makeup light and fresh. I did a simple retro winged eyeliner and on my lips is a pearly pink by Hard Candy called "flirt".

Shades of Gray

I was beside myself last summer when I went to a church yard sale and scored an amazing light gray cashmere sweater by Jil Sander for 25 cents.......like, are you kidding me? Jil Sander sweaters typically retail for $300-500. So you can see my excitement for scoring such an incredible deal! The weather lately has been in the 40s*, so it's been perfect to rock my fabulous designer find.

I wanted to try something new, so I paired it with a crisp white button down by Alice & Olivia, which I snagged a thrift store for only $4. I think adding a chic button down not only keeps you warm in such chilly weather, but also adds a clean, preppy touch. I really love mixing shades of the same color within my looks, so I wore these incredible gun metal gray suede Calvin Klein over-the-knee boots I purchased from TjMaxx for $99. This was a large purchase for me, but good quality shoes seem to be the one thing I do not compromise. 

The fabulous skinny jeans are actually Victorias Secret Siren Jeans I scored from my fave discount site, MjrSales. I feature this site a lot in my YouTube videos simply because they have incredible deals!!! Most of the items are 50-80% OFF of retail prices. For instance, the Siren Jeans cost $69.50 on VS, and I purchased them for only $7 on MjrSales. You can't beat it!

Keeping with the cool tones of this look, I added these killer chandelier earrings from Shop Belina. This site has also quickly become one of my personal favorites. They offer high quality costume jewelry at very affordable prices. I recently saw very similar earrings at Betsey Johnson's for $80!! So when they had these beauties on their site for only $14, I snatched them up!

Emma Watson Adds a preppy collar

Kim K keeps it clean in bright white

Reese stole my sweater!

Call of the Wild....

I had fun putting this look together. It's so comfortable, yet still chic. My fave combination. I really love how combining different tones of neutral colors all come together to create a palette so very pleasing to the eyes.... My accessories are bold, yet stay true to the color palette.

This fun 80s inspired blouse was found at the Buffalo Exchange for only $15
The Nanette Lepore silk cami was gifted from a friend

This incredible vintage water buffalo horn  clutch was a thrift store find for only $15
Don't you just love this killer snake wrap bracelet? Only $18.99 from Last Minute Accessories!!
https://www.lastminuteaccessories.com/
I am excited to say, they have offered my subscribers 15% OFF your entire purchse
use code: mspink

My chocolate brown riding boots are from Maurices for only $15
Gun metal grey jeggings are Victorias Secret brand. I scored them on MjrSales for only $7.00!
Link to site: http://www.mjrsales.com/?ref=7

Cape Confusion

I have been curious to try the new cape trend and figured a good place to start would be one of my fave thrift stores, The American Cancer Society.
This particular store, is run by local elderly women whom, I assume, must also donate all of their own clothing and jewelry there. This place typically has clothing ranging from the 50s-90s.
So I began to thumb through the rack of newly hung sweaters and see this amazing ivory knitted cape with the prettiest gold buttons!! The best part.....only $7. I decide to give it a shot and head to the dressing room. This is where I begin to get confused.

Pictured above, is the vintage cape. Beautiful color, pretty buttons, fun fringe, right?..... Well, this is pretty much as FAR as I can move my arms....... I felt like I was wearing a pretty Winter straight jacket for crying out loud. Maybe this one is kinda messed up? Is this why it's at the thrift store? Are they supposed to fit like this? I am utterly confused.

I'm not giving up the search though....... Here are some other styles I am loving this season.

A year of Growth

This year I have completely changed.

In a good way. I feel I am becoming closer to the person I've always wanted to be.

I am working on my relationships. My relationship with  my parents, my husband, and my close friend. I do not feel like the dynamic of these relationships has changed at all, but the way I treat them and appreciate them has...

This year I was nearly struck by a gravel truck on the freeway, the only thing that saved me was the grace of God. I believe that. I found myself in the hospital with incredible abdominal pain, that has yet to be explained. My husband and I lost  a dear friend, the man who married us. And my best friend was diagnosed with  and has battled breast cancer. These things have made me take a step back and look at life and how fragile it really is.

I am working on my confidence. I have not always been a bubbly, outgoing person. Growing up, I was extremely quiet and shy. I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve and sometimes get taken advantage of.  I  take a conscious effort to step outside of my shell when I find myself in a new situation, with people I do not know. I've always admired people who can strike up a conversation with anyone and intrigue others with their stories.

Creating my YouTube channel was a big step for me in the direction of creating my own confidence. It is also a creative outlet for me. Getting to share what I am passionate about, and just being myself with friends who accept my silliness and uniqueness. Thank you for that. Thank you for helping me along this self journey.

Girls' Night out!

I only go out with my girlfriends for a night of drinks and dancing one, maybe two times a year. Nearing our 30's we are pretty much the oldest people at the clubs sometimes. It can feel like we are creeping on a high school dance. Everyone looks so young, and not old enough to be carrying around a drink!

Amanda and I got ready together at my place. It was sooooo funny when I saw what she had picked out to wear for the evening because I literally picked out the exact dress from Marshalls that day and put it back on the rack. 

It was almost a "Bitch Stole My Look" moment!!

Anyways....we got a Groupon for this swanky club in PDX.

 $60 worth of food and drinks for only $30. Sounded like a good deal, so we gave this new place a shot. The drinks were SO yummy and exotic. Most came with pretty tropical flowers on the rim. Except mine. I think the waitress didn't like me. Whatevs... Good thing we had our coupon though, they were $12 a pop!!

We got out groove on until about 11:30pm and headed home since we have about an hour drive from the city. Honestly, I think my favorite part of going out with my girlfriends is the getting ready part! Here are some fun photos from the night.

Amanda's fun sparkly top was from Marshalls

Calvin Klein grey suede boots from TJMaxx and my vintage clutch  I scored at the Goodwill

I found this fun ruffle top at Marshalls and paired it with a vintage Givenchy necklace.

I'm obsessed with loose waves!

Cheers to swanky cocktails ;)

Got cold feet?

Haha!!!..........Had you with the title, didn't I?!

I know I'm cheesy. I'm an only child and hence was the only one around to laugh at my jokes. Gimme a break.

Anyways, I am heading to the outlet mall today to do some Christmas shopping. You heard me right! I start early, and once December hits....I am typically finished. I HATE fighting the crowds. People get so pushy, it just ruins the whole shopping experience for me, so I prefer an early start.

I am on the hunt for some super comfy, warm slippers for around the house. I have heard the the North Face Tent Slippers are incredible!! They aren't the cutest in the world, but SUPER soft and WARM. They literally feel like wearing a sleeping bag on your feet. They are made of a soft, slippery nylon and filled with down feathers.



I think I want to get the tall, boot style ones! I'm going to grab a few more while I'm there for some Christmas gifts. Christmas shopping always turns into shopping for myself.. I can't help it.

Wearing Vintage to Work

Sooooooo this nippy Fall day..... (and by that, I mean 45*) was screaming for me to take my favorite vintage coat out of hiding and let everyone admire it today!!!

This IS my favorite coat. I feel like old an old Hollywood starlette every time I rock it. I scored this incredible 1950s wool coat at a consignment store on the clearance rack for $15. Like, really? She sat all alone for months on a sale rack before I brought her home????.....It was meant to be. It's the perfect length for my tall frame and I love the over sized buttons and faux fur detail on this one!

Since velvet is totally IN this season, I also paired it with this great knee length black velvet skirt I got from a clothing swap a while back. I wanted to add a lux contrast with the silver silk Bebe wrap top with vintage lace details. I am all BFF'd out today as she gifted me this beautiful top, scroll tights, and the most precious Cynthia Rowley cashmere gloves. They are too cute with that ruffle!!

My shoes are a faux suede Nine West pump from TJmaxx. I added some vintage shoe clips ( a 50cent Estate sale find) to add interest and a fun detail to an otherwise plain shoe. I feel like these great accessories get passed up all of the time because most people don't know what they are. They are such a simple, yet great invention!!! I think I am going to hunt for more of these clips, so cute, huh?!

$15 Fabulous Vintage, YES!!

Vintage Shoe Clips add instant flai

$3 costume jewelry from the mall, It reminded me of Betsey Johnson