Come Valentine's Day, I always love the feeling of getting dressed up and feeling gorgeous. This year I'm wearing this gorgeous burgundy lace number from Tobi, one of my favorite online retailers for inexpensive, on-trend pieces. The "Leila" Lace Scalloped Dress made me feel so special when I put it on, and I have to admit, I felt pretty self-conscious looking at this dress on the hanger. The plunging neckline scared the heck out of me, as I'm pretty small chested, but once it was on and I was looking in the mirror and getting my jush, I felt that self-consciousness melt away and I felt so pretty.
Happy Valentine's week! Spend Wednesday with someone you love, even if that someone happens to be yourself.
It is finally shifting out of the heat wave that is a California summer, and this week was the first with temperatures below 85 in Southern California. I'm so ready for fall, and so, it seems, is the fashion scene. Today I'm teamed up with Banana Republic to bring you the perfect look to transition into fall.
First off, I seriously can't believe I'm collaborating with a brand like Banana Republic here on my little blog. This is seriously a dream come true and I had such a fun time working on this project. Banana Republic's new fall collection is seriously stunning, and these pieces I'm wearing today are my favorites. I wanted to put together a look that reinvented classics like the camel trench and skinny navy pants, and these two pieces really did that for me.
This trench cape is everything: the perfect combination of a standard wardrobe staple and a high fashion piece, and wearing it made me feel so chic. I paired it with these skinny navy legging pants with the most gorgeous scalloped hem. I personally love the look of long, tailored skinny pants with a great pair of heels. This look is such a go-to and I've already worn it to class a few times!
I've started posting my makeup looks on Instagram: something I've been nervous to do for a while but I finally decided to take the plunge and just do it. I run a beauty Youtube channel and I'm a self-taught makeup artist, so I've been wanting to share my looks on social media for a while. In this one I stuck with the classic theme and did a gold and neutral eye look with a classic dusty mauve lip. Full details are going to be on my Instagram if you want to know what I used.
What are your go-to fall transition looks?
Thank you to Banana Republic for partnering on this post.
This review is something I've been really excited to share with you guys for a while now. I've never tried out any kind of teeth whitening before, so I was really excited when Smile Brilliant reached out to let me review their kit for my Beauty Channel on Youtube.
After trying out the kit, I noticed such great results that I wanted to share it here on the blog as well! I know that not all of you watch my Youtube channel (please check it out if you are interested though!) and I wanted to share my review and opinions here.
As always, I want you to know that I deliver unbiased and honest reviews on all products sent to me in PR. The beauty Youtube world is so saturated with content and many top influencers get sent bucketloads of PR, and to avoid being taken off these PR lists, they might sway their opinions to the positive side. I'm still a small channel but I'll never ever jeopardize my honest reviews in return for free stuff.
Before (left) and after (right, above)
After just two uses, I noticed that my teeth were already a few shades whiter and brighter. The before picture is from a selfie just a few days before I started my kit. This picture has a very light brightening filter on it, which means that it was supposed to make my teeth look even a little bit better, but as you can see they were still yellow. The picture on the right is from last week's outfit post and after I finished my teeth whitening kit. So much better!
How it all works is they send you a kit with putty and trays to make your impressions. Once you send those back to them, they send you your custom fit trays (like Invisalign liners) and you can get started with whitening. You first inject the desensitizing gel into the liners and keep that on your teeth for around 20 minutes. This numbs your teeth and gums so the whitening gel doesn't hurt them. The whitening gel stays on from 45 minutes to 2 hours. I won't lie, I couldn't make it past the 1 hour mark. My gums are a little sensitive after I brush my teeth, which is when I used this kit. But despite the little bit of discomfort for a short period of time, I noticed amazing results after just a few uses.
If you want a more in depth review, please watch my video below on my skincare routine and teeth whitening review. (Bonus- you get to see me looking like a potato without makeup!) And if you are interested in picking up your own kit, Smile Brilliant is offering my readers a 15% off discount on their products! Just use this link and you'll claim my custom code, or use littlemisshautecouture15!
These photos are from my last day in Ireland, which was about two weeks ago. I'm missing gorgeous Dublin so much, for everything from the weather to the lovely streets like this one. This sweater is something I picked up at Topshop on St. Stephen's Green in Dublin. I love the gingham ruffled cuffs and hem in the bag. It's such a perfect piece for spring, especially if you live somewhere that's a little colder this time of year.
I've been loving this jewelry that was gifted from me by SugarFix, Baublebar's new affordable collection at Target. This layering set of dainty little bracelets are seriously my favorite new pieces of jewelry and I've been wearing them with everything. Right now, SugarFix is actually having a sale from May 7-13 online and in Target stores for 20% off your purchase! If you're a fan of Baublebar jewelry, you'll definitely love SugarFix and I'd totally recommend checking our the collection.
This sweater is my latest obsession. I love the ruffled "lettuce-edge" and the dusty pink color. I've noticed turtlenecks making a comeback lately, and it's a good thing- they're super comfortable and perfect for all winters, whether it be our mild California temps or snowy and frigid! I wanted to juxtapose the pink of this sweater with this vegan leather moto jacket that I've had for ages. I think it's super fun to mix a feminine, soft piece like this sweater with edgier elements like distressed jeans and a moto jacket.
I recently got this bag from 88's new Spring collection, and I'm so in love. I've been toting it to classes and work- it's awesome for fitting in a laptop and notebooks, but it would be great as a carryall tote for everyday life as well. I love the pale blue color and the whipstitch detail on the sides.
