A Lesson in Pastels

pas·tel

¹    [pa-stel; especially Brit. pas-tl]

noun 1. a color having a soft, subdued shade

IFB Project #37 is all about spring and pastels. I’m lucky I just bought that perfect lilac jacket yesterday! Also, going through the entries on the main page, I realize not everyone understands pastel. I mean, not every fashion blogger went to school for fashion like I did, but I still feel it important to understand your passions. So this post, an outfit post, will also include a little information about pastels, and a glimpse into those pastel pieces of my wardrobe.

A pastel, as noted above, is a soft subdued shade. A lighter hue of a COLOR. This includes lilacs, soft pinks, baby blues, mints, white, et cetera. Which are all COLORS mixed mostly of white, if we’re talking about acrylic paints. This does not include bright pinks or neutral hues of basic colors.

Pastels:

Bullhead jeans from PacSun

WetSeal tank

Thrifted heels and jacket

DIY top

Justice skirt

Dior “Waterlily” (Giveaway HERE!)

Esse “She’s Picture Perfect”

NOT Pastels:

Delia’s tank

skirt from PacSun

Thrifted jacket

Converse sneakers

I hope this has cleared up any confusion in the blogosphere. Back to pastels, stay tuned for a post of my inspirations for my trip to Costa Rica next week; plenty of pastels will be packed!

Don’t Forget to Follow Me!

On BlogLovin’      On Twitter      On LookBook

Fall Uniform

I’ve legitimately already worn this outfit three times. Begging my roommate to take photos of it and he always refused, so I’d wear it again. Why not? It’s cute, comfortable, warm…It’s my perfect fall uniform! So, in lieu of football being on ALL day, I was able to strike a deal in exchange of photos for the television rights.

Say What? tunic sweater

DIY skirt I made in High School

H&M Jacket

Target Over The Knee knit socks

Aldo boots (old)

R&Em gifted bag

I made this skirt, and a matching vest, straight out of high school. I have never attended a private school but I sometimes ponder how things would have played out differently if I had. Would it have hindered my sartorial experimentation, or would it have challenged me and forced me to hone in on proper accessorizing?

In present times, though, my only problem is that I’m not currently in school. I miss education, learning, and challenging myself with projects and my high aspirations for good grades. Who knows, hopefully I can go back to school someday but for now I’ll keep wearing my burgundy plaid skirt and working my dream in the fashion industry.

Don’t forget to follow me!

On BlogLovin’          On Twitter       On LookBook

I’ll be doing another AMAZING giveway when I hit 100 followers on BlogLovin’! ❤

My Beauty Routine

I know no one has probably ever thought “wow, I wonder how Sahra does her make up”, considering I barely seem to wear any. But that being said, I have clean skin for a reason, and I still wear some quality products, so here’s my ode to those items that make me more comfortable in my own skin. Let’s start off with a picture of my uneven, make up less, face:

I always start with my Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Stress Control scrub. Then, with a fresh, dry face, I apply my Bare Escentuals matte foundation.

Disclaimer: I’m aware this shade is not correct for my face. I’m currently in between their lightest shade and this. I spent the money on this one and figured I’d just use it up until my summer skin fades back to their palest shade and then I’ll purchase that one. For now, though, this suffices and doesn’t look as bad in person as it does under the macro setting of my camera lens.

Next, I usually put on some eye shadow from my YSL palette before applying my eyeliner. I use Kat Von D tattoo liner in “trooper” and I swear you can’t get a better liner! The pen-like style makes it easy to handle, and it’s COMPLETELY smudge proof. Seriously, go to Sephora, draw a line on your hand, and then try to swipe it off-it won’t work.

The last step for my eyes, I use this Givenchy extension mascara. I love the subtlety of this mascara, and the round tipped brush is perfect for applying evenly. Lastly, I dab on some of my YSL lip gloss (the stay is long, and though it’s a gloss, it’s not overly sticky or shiny), and some Daisy by Marc Jacobs perfume. I have the bottle, the lotion, and the roller ball for this perfume so I’m never without my signature scent!

and Voila! My basic everyday beauty regimen!

I’m also thinking of doing an upcoming post about all my favorite lip gloss’ and sticks, what do you think? Let me know your thoughts on my beauty routine!

Also, don’t forget to enter my Hallie Friedman Jewelry Giveaway!

NYFW Day 1, Part 1: IFB Conference

Yes, my first day of NYFW is being broken into separate posts. It was a 20 hour day, beginning bright and early by waking up at 5am to get ready and be at Milk Studios for 7am to volunteer for the Independant Fashion Bloggers Conference. I’d attended last year as a guest and was excited to be a part of the behind the scenes this year.
I arrive, immediately followed by fellow friend’s and NYC Fashion Bloggers Yanil, Monroe, Tessa, and Ashley. There isn’t much for us to do at first so we mingle and chug down our coffees,as we chat about the biggest thing in the room.

That “biggest thing in the room” is Marina, the living doll who texts’ as the woman for Missoni for Target. She’s all over NYFW and totally stylish!

By 8am it’s time to start preparing check in for the arriving guests and as soon as I get the chance I have KMS California do a quick number on my hair. My sweet hairdresser was a tattooed dude in a plaid shirt and yellow bow tie, so obviously we bonded as he put some soft waves into my hair that eventually proved solid as they lasted into the night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the room starting filling up with bloggers, old and new and from all parts of the world, I began seeing old friend’s as well as making new ones. People LOVED my DIY studded jeans! They proved to be a great conversation starter with said new acquaintances. I was also wearing my Jessica Simpson boots, which I now pretty much live in, along with a wet seal tank an Champion sports bra. I also carried my life’s supply in a matching gifted satchel from Francesca’s Collection, which can be found here.

The panels for the conference were alright, in my opinion. I felt the topics were very geared to newer bloggers (reiterating the importance of Twitter and other social media outlets to gain traffic, being yourself, approaching brands) though I can’t say I didn’t learn anything new and worthwhile.
Personally, I especially loved the panel about balancing business and blogging. As many of my followers know, I’m a jack of all trades here in the fashion industry. It was brought up to keep your professional life outside of blogging from being represented too prominently in your blog, even if you work in fashion. I also was inspired by Coco Rocha’s stance on being a good person and role model to help brand herself as an individual.
In the last panel, topicked around the evolution of fashion media, a major point that kept arising was the importance of staying true to yourself as a person more than as a brand. As is human nature, people change and style’s may mature or alter. Mary HK Choi, of MTV Style, noted that that’s okay to represent in your blog, as it is yours. I associated with this point because, readers as you know, I’m a woman of constant change and versatility. One day I’ll be in a floral dress looking wholesome, the next I’m back in my combat boots. I hope you guys enjoy my versatility and ever changing self (and hair).

I was honored to get the opportunity to interview the speakers from this panel for the IFB website. Ari Seth Cohen, though baffled by the questions and being put on the spot, was a wonderful speaker with great experience and words of wisdom to share. My favorite person to interview was Mr Mickey, editor of PaperMag. As a Williamsburg resident I’ve been familiar with the “hipster” popular magazine and all it stands for, but Mickey is a better representation of what the magazine stands for; fierce, fun, outspokenness, and being fearless. I loved that his favorite part about the convention was the diversity, a favorite factor of my own. You meet so many diverse people from, in his own words, “people of color, people with tattoos, and girls with blue hair!”

Moving onto my next point; apparently my spontaneous hair change was spot on with a current trend, or maybe just a coincidence. Nubia of IFB had dip dyed tresses, Hannah of The Fashion Hash had one side/streak of dipped blue, and Kimberly of Can I Get a What What had teal and purple mixed in with her blonde and black layered look. Now, I don’t know about you, but I think we’re onto something here!

Well, this concludes my IFB post. Stay tuned and follow for part 2 and 3 of my NYFW Day 1!

You Know I’m No Good

Old News: Amy Winehouse is dead.

Honestly, can’t say I’m surprised, but that doesn’t make it any less tragic. When her first singles came out I was all over them. I found her so relatable with her alcoholic references, tattoos, and her pin up retro inspired style. Her raspy voice was engaging, reminiscent of something out of her time.

I’ve done a beehive hairdo for myself on many occasions, and with the IFB Project #7 to do a tribute post I thought what a great way to honor someone whose style I’ve always loved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I for one will be sad to no longer see her effortlessly cool style popping up anymore.

Independent Fashion Blogger Conference Day 2

IFB selected a few (what I thought would be 50 but was really 20) bloggers to attend a second day of the conference.  Due to the exclusivity the entire day was much more intimate feeling. The day was devoted to three workshops and held on the top floor of the fancy-pants Standard Hotel, with spectacular views, comfortable leather seating, and perrier, coffee, glass bottled soda, and fruits and vegetables to sack on.  Right on the Hudson River, this location, plus the rare February sun, made the whole experience that much more enjoyable and refreshing.

 

 

 

 

Loft Sequined Sweater

H&M leggings

Converse Sneakers

Vintage scarf

Forever 21 ring

The first workshop was run by Gala Darling, who I’ve followed on BlogLovin’ and twitter. She’s rare unique blogger, who’s also very real and authentic, my kind of lady. Her collaborative discussion was the most informative and thought provoking of them all. Gala discussed how to set your blog apart, increase viewers, expand….I took a lot out of the workshop and am very excited to start implementing some new ideas.

The second and third workshop focused on business and everything I’ve been learning in school, so not particularly enthralling to me.

The girls, much closer and, as I mentioned intimate, were all friendly and talkative. LOVING Sivan of My Urban Runway ‘s accesories and glitter ombre nails here.

Amber and Yanil

Independent Fashion Bloggers Conference Day 1

Thursday and Friday I had the pleasure of attending the Independent Fashion Blogger Conference. Day 1 was held at Milk Studios in the West Village at the ungodly hour of 9am. It didn’t actually start until after 10, so I had a bit of time to walk around and explore all the fun sponsor stations. ShopBop was a holding a “Best Dressed” Competition and handing out notepads, along with a photo op.

My favorite station was the Aldo “Life’s A Beach” corner set up. The Canadian brand has teamed up with emereging designers to bring the HOTTEST shoes. I’m in love with all the wedges they were showcasing. In between these two spots was the Levi’s set up for their “Shape What’s To come”. They were sizing every girl and giving them the perfect fit of jeans, and also doing a photo op (I’ll spare you the numerous monotenous images of me in the same outfit 30 times).

On the other side of the studio Windows 7 was showing an entire line-up of computers and hosted a raffle where two lucky bloggers won a laptop, Jonathan Adler case, and camera. I saw THE tiniest, cutest, little orange Sony Vaio. Sadly, I just bought my new 17″ Vaio less than a month ago. Also, a new fashion website, The Find, was there with tutorials on the new site and a raffle for a gorgeous See by Chloe satchel!

I made SO may new friends these couple days, so here’s a few shout outs.

With the lovely Jen of HouseofJeffers.Blogspot.com

the fabulous and fashionable Taylor of SterlingStyle.

Nina of Style Glossary and Amy of Stylish Year.

The VERY informative conference covered some major business aspects to blogging. The Panels were “Who owns your blog content”, which focused on trade marking and copyrighting. The second panel was focused on the business of blogging, and how to make monetaries off your blog. As you’ve noticed my blog is still small (but vapently growing!) so I don’t do too many collaborations or sposorships. There are some lovely plans for the future though, so keep watching!  Looking back I took over four pages of notes on this panel alone…

The next panels was branching off of the same topic, focusing on how to work with brands gracefully and get the most out of your collaborations without offennding anyone, be it readers or companies.

The final panel was all about the rise of the professional blogger, which was pretty much a collaborative discussion on the future of blogging. It’s entrhalling to see everyone’s opinions on where blogging will be headed towards in the future, and I’m excited to hopefully be a part of that revolution.

Lastly, Lazaro and Jack of Proenza Schouler were interviewed by Imran (the founder of the must-read Bussiness of Fashion) and answering Q&A, twitter questions, and our own bloger questions. They’re adorable (personality wise and aesthetically) and have such good chemistry, no wonder they’re the masterminds behind the brand. The best advice they gave out? “You’re best design tools are paper, a pencil, and google”. Apparetly GoogleImages is their home page for inspiration.

After the MiLK conference, the 21+ crowd headed to the Chelsea Hotel bar for some drinks and mingling. The after party was sponsored by The Find and Windows 7, who were raffling off two new Windows phones, which are actually pretty sweet. You basically go to one person in your phone and can see EVERYTHING together; facebook, twitter, call or text them…very convenient technology if you ask me.

With Tomeka of FashionSteele and Yanil of The Vintage Devil and New Yorker Style.

The fabulous Deanne of Dream Sequins

As I mentioned, The Find was one of the hosts of the afterparty, and they had concocted a “signature” cocktail (which I was seen with in-hand at almost every second). It was actually quite delicious, a mix of vodka, cranberry juice, seltzer, and garnished with lime. Other people I ran into there was Andy, of Style Scrapbook, Vahni of Grit and Glamour, Chiara of The Blonde Salad (are links really needed? you should kow who they are)…so many great people, who are all surprisingly SUPER nice and real!

After leaving the after party at a reasonable hour (I’m trying to be “responsible” this FW, you’ll see how that works out later), I got home and emptied out my gift bags, which were 100% fabulous.

MAC, Juicy Couture, Carlotte ronson, tee shirts, gift cards, press packets….so much STUFF!

Anyway, this concludes my post of day 1, stay tuned for day 2 and more NYFW events!!!

What I Wore: IFB Conference Day 1

Today was the first day of the Independent Fashion Blogger’s Conference. My head is spinning as I write this (though that may be due to the open bar at the after party and then me deciding to pick up a bottle of rose on my way home). The conference was incredible, to describe it in one word. I learned SO much and was able to make new blogger friends and network. I was interviewed three times and many a photo was taken.  I plan to do a full post of both day 1 and day 2 after it is all complete, but I figured I’d do independent “what I wore” posts.

Images taken by the lovely Amy of StylishYear.com

Forever 21 Top

H&M High Waist Pants

Aldo Wedges

TopShop Bracelet

Francesca’s Collection Ring

Leopard tri-finger ring from Canal St.

 

MANY more pictures to come from the IFB Conference and of all my new friends. But for now, I need to finish this bottle and hit the hay for tomorrow. ❤

NYFW Plan!

Thursday, Feb. 10: Independent Fashion Bloggers Conference

Friday, Feb. 11:  get my hair done/nails done/err’thing did

                            Patricia field Valentine’s Ball & Presentation

Saturday, Feb. 12: General Idea Fashion Show

                                 Get my VDay dress!

Sunday and Monday: Personal things, boyfriend time, valentines day ❤

Tuesday, Feb. 15: Badgley Mishka

                                School

                                Boy Meets Girl USA Fashion Presentation & Party

                                Sexy MF Fashion Show

Thursday, Feb. 17: HVS Presentation

Pictures will come, definitely. I can’t wait to meet a bunch of bloggers and network tomorrow at the IFB Conference!