Culottes

When I first saw the culotte/wide leg pant trend I don't really know how I felt about it. It wasn't until I tried some on that I realized what all the fuss was about. 

Sure they look cute and you can get away with wearing more cropped tops since they come up pretty high on the waist but aside from that they are INCREDIBLY comfortable. 

If you read last week's Friday Five you would've seen me talk about flatforms & espadrilles. I'm going to have such a difficult time wearing anything else this summer. 

Espadrilles really scream spring/summer and platforms or in this case "flatforms" make such a statement on a basic sandal.

& of course I had to pull out my favorite straw hat, this thing doesn't get a rest all summer long. 

OUTFIT DETAILS: Hat: Lack Of Color | Shirt: Urban Outfitters | Culottes: Urban Outfitters (black is currently sold out) | Shoes: Forever 21 (In store, can't find it online. Similar styles below) | Watch: Daniel Wellington | Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

• SHOP SIMILAR STYLES •

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Mask Monday

I just want to express my love for Banish's Pumpkin Enzyme Mask

I know. I get it. How many times is she going to talk about it?! 

The answer is: when I feel like I've talked about it enough... & right now I do not feel like this little guy has received enough love.

This week my skin was not looking its best, I had some kind of allergy to something and the right side of my face (cheek & jaw area) always flares up and turns red and blotchy. The right side of my jaw is the first thing that immediately gets irritated whenever I put something on my face or eat something that my body doesn't like. 

Aside from the allergy I had, I did my eyebrows on Friday and the area that was waxed got extremely red, bumpy & inflamed, this never happens because my eyebrow lady uses a hypoallergenic wax and immediately follows the waxing with aloe gel. This simply happened because my skin was having an off-week, which is fine... but enough is enough.

I have mentioned this mask in a favorites video, in my skincare video and it was also in my Mask 101 post but I have never really talked about it in depth and how it helps me.

When you have very sensitive skin there are times where even your holy-grails won't bring you back from a skin irritation but I kid you not, I put this mask on for 5 minutes and then wash off the residue with my aveeno calming foaming face wash and 90% of my irritation went away immediately. It is my savior.

The bumps on my eyebrows along with the inflammation and redness vanished less than an hour after using it. It is seriously magical. Every time I use it I am more and more impressed. So much so that I was compelled to open my laptop and write this.

Here are Some notes about this mask which I notice on my skin seriously moments after use. This mask delivers everything it claims to deliver.

• Contains Vitamin A (fights acne) , Vitamin C and Beta-Carotene (plumps,  reverses damage & reduces fine line)
• Contains AHA which is a chemical exfoliant (removes dead skin, brightens, doesn't dry out your skin)
• Vegan and cruelty free
• All organic (actually made fresh to order)
• No parabens or sulfates

Sure, it feels like I'm putting baby food on my face, it tingles a little & it's kind of annoying to rinse off but when I tell you it is worth it... I truly believe it is worth it. It is so incredibly underrated but so good.

My face the next day after using this looks so healthy, plump and even. It is packed with so many amazing beneficial ingredients at such a reasonable price point, I cannot get over this mask. 

Friday Five

1. Ever since I went to Greece last year I fell in love with the whole flatform trend, everyone over there was wearing them but I just never really found any that I loved that weren't too expensive and last year they were no where near as popular as they are now here in the states. Yesterday, I just passed by forever 21 to get to another store, I had no intentions of purchasing anything until I saw these and instantly knew I had to have them. They are so comfortable and I'm currently really loving espadrilles so these are the best of both worlds. At first I wasn't too keen on the buckles but they have really grown on me and the more I wear them the more I love them.

For some reason I can't find them on their site so I have linked some similar styles down below. 

• SHOP SIMILAR STYLES •

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2. How pretty is this poster from The poster club? They were nice enough to let me choose a print and I had a lot of trouble picking just one poster because they have such a beautiful collection, I will definitely purchase some in the future. Also, I will most likely change the frame that it's in but for now this is what we're working with.

3. This week I re-learned that being lazy and spraying your toner onto your face doesn't really do anything for your skin, or at least it doesn't for me. I use the Boscia balancing facial tonic and I LOVE this stuff, it clears my stubborn texture so incredibly well. However, lately I had been super lazy with it and I would just spray it on at night after cleansing my face as opposed to using a cotton pad.

My skin has been freaking out and as soon as I started using a cotton pad + the toner I woke up a lot better the next day. Point is, when you wipe your "clean" face with the cotton pad soaked with your toner it actually removes the residue on your skin. (Obviously this is just for those of us who use toners that have a spray.) No matter how clean you think your face is, chances are a good toner will lift some kind of residue off post-cleanse.

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4. I'm obsessing over linen lately, these overalls just came in the mail & it fits like a dream. So perfect for summer! Will be styling it soon (:

5. If you're into shrimp creole check out this extremely easy & relatively quick recipe. My first time making this dish myself & you would've thought I was a pro lol. I did make some substitutions though. Instead of white rice I used brown, instead of butter I used a little olive oil & instead of salt I used No-Salt sodium free salt and slightly less of it than the recipe suggests.

Also, wanted to thank you all for the overwhelmingly positive response I got on my kitchen tour video. So many sweet comments, I appreciate all of the kind words. 

See you all next week! xx

Silk

Silk is one of those fabrics that just feels so luxurious when you put it on. I feel as though everyone needs at least one silk piece in their closet. There is a difference between throwing on a basic tank and a basic silk tank. Silk just makes your outfit look and feel more put together with very minimal effort.

Take this jumpsuit for instance, It's very basic but I can easily dress it up or down and it will work either way because it is silk. I love the way it feels, it is not a heavy fabric at all so it is perfect for this time of year. 

It tapers at the leg & has pockets which is seriously always a plus for me. 

Got a couple of pieces from Grana's Chinese Silk collection & I seriously cannot believe the quality of them, they are all composed of 100% silk & are all so ridiculously comfortable.  

You can receive 10% off their entire site + free shipping world wide for new customers by entering "GEMARYXGRANA" at checkout valid through the end of July. 

The back has this beautiful cross detail and the front is a V-cut which is one of my favorite cuts in pretty much any top. 

 It ties at the waist so you have the ability to make them high, mid or low waisted.

Find this jumpsuit HERE.