Lifestyle: Live the Lovely Life

Lifestyle: How to live a lovely life ... in style!

Fashion and beauty trends, home dÃ©cor, food, and recipe ideas, travel and reviews.

Things I Want: J. Crew Antique Fleece Shawl Cardigan

May 7, 2008 · 3 Comments

If you are going to wear fleece, do it right. Every once in awhile you see an item that is comfy fleece masquerading as a stylish, well-tailored piece.

This J. Crew Antique Fleece Shawl Cardigan is just such a piece – a gorgeous sweater that just happens to be luxurious, comfortable fleece inside. Imagine looking put together at the office and feeling like you are wearing your PJs – and no one will be any the wiser. Try putting it together with a long trouser or a pencil skirt – great for those days this time of year that you are wearing lighter layers but the air conditioning leaves you a bit chilled.

Find it at J. Crew for $39.99.

New Product: M.A.C Skinsheen Leg Spray

May 6, 2008 · 5 Comments

My legs are really pale. We’re talking complete lack of color here. And I don’t tan, I go straight to burning (theoretically, of course – I’m a sunscreen girl). And if I use a self-tanner, it just becomes blatantly obvious that I used a self tanner since I’m pretty pale everywhere else too.

So I’m pretty excited to try MAC’s new Skinsheen Leg Spray. Since it provides low coverage while adding radiance and sheen, it works for us pale gals since it gives more of a natural sunkissed look rather than attempting to give the appearance of a tan. And since it’s a gel formulation, it gives your legs sheen – I’ve tried various leg sprays over time, but it always gives a matte foundation finish, not a healthy skin sheen. And best of all, no fake-tan streaks!

Available at M.A.C for $22.50.

Free shipping with code SKINSHEEN through May 11th.

Things I Want: Banana Republic Seersucker Blazer and Shorts

April 22, 2008 · Leave a Comment

I love Seersucker. I love suits. I love suits with shorts. Add a tank or cap-sleeve tee underneath, and you have a perfect company picnic outfit.

Available at Banana Republic – the blazer is $120, and the shorts are $59.

Things I Want: J. Crew Citronella Coat

April 17, 2008 · 3 Comments

Despite the fact that I have a lot of coats, I can never find one that’s right for this time of year when one day you don’t need a coat at all, other days you need a lightweight wool coat, and a trench is fine on other days. The J. Crew Citronella Coat fits the bill on days that layering is key. With it’s 60’s appeal and Peter Pan colar, it is sharp on it’s own and compliments a lot of other J. Crew clothes – try it with a polo or even last year’s Striped Pique Polo dress.

J. Crew Citronella Coat

New Products Spinlash The Cure for the Common Clump

April 15, 2008 · 2 Comments

Metal eyelash separators freak me out. And the few times I’ve used one, they never actually got rid of all the clumps anyways. And no matter how non-clumping a mascara formula is, lashes still get stuck together after I apply mascara.

And then the SpinLash was invented.

This amazing device gently removes every clump from your lashes, leaving your fringe perfectly defined and frankly, better than your lashes look on their own. Take a look at your non-mascara’d lashes they grow in clumps some grow straight out, some grow kind of diagonally, and some grow straight down. Is it any wonder your standard wand can’t distribute mascara evenly?

Spinlash works via a battery operated lash brush that slowly spins as you work it through your lashes after you have applied mascara use the same motion as how you apply mascara just work it from root to the tip of your lashes. It works in two directions, so you can use it on both top and bottom lashes, and it fits comfortably in either your left or right hand. As you brush it through your lashes, it pulls out all the clumps, as well as distributes extra mascara on the tips of your lashes, giving your lashes definite presence and extra length. Your lashes will look magazine ad perfect in seconds!

I was truly astonished at how easy Spinlash is to use it takes virtually no time to brush through your lashes, and considering I don’t have to manually separate lashes that get stuck together, it saves a lot of time (and eyelid cleanup) in the morning. And I find that I look forward to using it it’s kind of fun to watch the clumps disappear!

While you can apply your favorite mascara with no problem before you use SpinLash, they also include a complimentary mascara you can choose from black or brownish black. It’s a great mascara black is a rich, lush black that doesn’t smudge at all and can stand on its own as a great product. My lashes looked incredibly thick and long, even though they were looking pretty wimpy before I applied the product (remember a few weeks ago saying that I was at the long part of my lash growth cycle and I’d be complaining soon that my lashes were short? My lashes are short now. Good thing Spinlash came along…)

You can order Spinlash for $14.95 from the geniuses at Spinlash.com or check their retailer page at http://www.spinlash.com/locator.html. And never worry about clumps again!