Trench Cape & Scalloped Pants // Redone Classics

Trench Cape (℅): Banana Republic // Pants (℅): Banana Republic // Bag: Stella McCartney // Shoes: LC Lauren Conrad // Watch (℅): VOTCH // Bracelet (℅): Kristine Lily // Full Makeup Details on my Instagram

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.

Parisian Ease // Transition to Fall

Coat: Marc Jacobs // Top: AllSaints  // Jeans: Rag & Bone {altered} // Bag: Chloe "Drew" dupe by Justfab (similar) // Watch (℅): VOTCH // Shoes (℅): Wills Vegan Shoes // Scarf: Coach // Eyes: Jaclyn Hill x Morphe

Smiling Brilliantly with Smile Brilliant

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!

Love you all!  Always and forever.  

How Much Is Teeth Whitening

Blossoms on Black // Late Summer Blooms

Romper: H&M Coachella // Bag: Harrods London // Shoes: Lulu's // Choker: Francesca's // Lips: Ofra Cosmetics x MannyMUA in Hypno 

Long time, no post!  I'm sorry for the weeklong gap in posting- I'm trying, I swear!  This past week has been absolutely insane and jam-packed with a ton of major events: some fun, some less than fun.  I'm sitting here at 10 PM on a Sunday, typing up this post right now, because I really want to update you all on all the major stuff that's happened in the past week. 

My fall semester started on Tuesday.  I'll admit, the first day was a little rocky.  I'm pushing myself harder than I ever have with my courses this year, and I'm already feeling the brunt of the workload.  But oddly, despite having literally no time to relax or do anything fun, I'm kind of liking that constant feeling of being busy.  Do I miss not being stressed out 24/7?  Yeah, totally.  But it kind of feels good to be productive and turn up my work ethic.  To cap off the business that was this week, I started at my new internship on Saturday.  I absolutely love it!  Thankfully it's pretty flexible to my schedule so I can work around classes and other obligations.  So yeah, that's how busy I've been this week!

Happy Monday loves!  Here's to another productive (and hopefully all smooth sailing) week!

Summer Stripes + Starling & Ivy

 Top: Kate Spade New York // Bag (℅): Starling & Ivy // Jeans: Rag & Bone {altered} // Watch (℅): VOTCH // Bracelet (℅): Kristine Lily // Shoes (℅): Wills Vegan Shoes // Glasses: Dior

This outfit incorporates some of my favorite pieces from this summer that I'm in love with right now, starting with this gorgeous bag.  I love the minimalistic structure of it, and the simple gold detailing that makes it look so luxurious and streamlined.  It's the Onyx Mini Crossbody from Starling & Ivy, an amazing indie company that specializes in gorgeous and ethical vegan bags.  This one is a black canvas material, which I feel so much more comfortable carrying around on a daily basis because I know that it's easier to clean and keep looking nice.  I definitely recommend checking out their gorgeous line of bags, you're sure to find an amazing everyday bag like this one!

This bright Berber striped peplum top is everything right now for me- such a summer piece.  Kate Spade always nails it on her summer collections, and this top is just so stinking cute.  And if you're a little confused about the first picture, those are my new glasses!  I took them off for the rest of the pictures, but I wear them for reading and distance, and it's been a while since I've last worn glasses (not since 4th grade!)