Pantone's Color of the Year Takes Over

January 27, 2017

Out of the ground and into your shopping cart.

Every year, a small group gathers around a table — one mission in mind. They have journeyed into the world of fashion, product design, tech, and the cutting edge. Now after a long, thoughtful year . . . they are here to report back. Not on rising fashion talents or new smart devices — but color. Simply. These select few are trend forecasters for the Pantone Institute of Color, and together they will select the definitive "Color of the Year."

Inside the Makeup Illuminati: Colourpop Cosmetics

November 1, 2016

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about asking strangers where they got things. One of the main examples I gave was asking a girl about her lipstick. I had this encounter over a month ago, but little did I know that it was just the beginning of a long journey.

Colourpop. Yes, with a “u.” The British way, but for an American company. That was the brand of lipstick the girl said she was wearing, in a shade called “Bad Habit.” I figured I would pick it up the next time I found myself at Ulta, or Sephora. Maybe they’d even have it at the drugstore. Nope. Nope. And Nope.

I began to realize I was venturing into the makeup underground of insider knowledge, but the insider knowledge was actually everywhere I started to look — specifically in the realm of instagram-fame.

So, if you’re a makeup guru, chances are you’re thinking “old news.” But, if you’re a makeup pleb like myself, we’re just discovering what lies beyond the pictures we occasionally see in our feeds of airbrushed pores, eyebrows not of this earth, and dark painted lips. (Oh, and highlights and contours — but we’re sort of, already figuring that one out.)

The Year of The Can

October 24, 2016

A few months ago, if you looked in the fridge at work, you might find a common smattering of cokes, bottled iced coffees, and maybe a sprite or two. Now there’s only one thing — it comes in a pastel can, and you can’t pronounce the name: La Croix.

Suddenly, you begin hearing cans cracking open with a signature hiss, you can’t escape it at the grocery store, it’s in your fridge, it’s in your hand… you’re drinking it right now.

We’ve all experienced this phenomenon within the last year. And I’d take a guess to say that I’m right, you really do have a box in your fridge right now. And while we’re all drinking the Pamplemousse Kool-aid, no one has stopped to ask: How? Why? What? So I looked into it to try and uncover some answers, and I have the first right here:

The Guide for Work-Day Wanderlust

October 21, 2016

Vacation season has ended. All of your co-workers have returned from their family beach weeks, schools have settled back in, and the world is driving on into the months where holidays still seem far away, and hard-work is expected.

That doesn’t mean you’re not thinking about a plane-ride to a land far-away from Monday meetings, and dragged out Friday afternoons. But luckily, the internet exists for more than the purpose of flooding your email — and there’s a cure for your wanderlust right at your fingertips (and inside the incognito browser).

Whether you’re actually planning a trip (and it is a great time to get the best prices) or you’re just daydreaming — I think you’ll enjoy the list below. Think of it as a guide to ease your boredom, and an adventure supplied straight to your office chair.

How to Navigate an IKEA Trip Without Breaking the Bank, or Breaking Up.

October 19, 2016

We'd all like to pretend that trips to IKEA are for romantic days filled with staged rooms that are simply for playing house with our friends and significant others. But chances are you're not going to be walking hand-in-hand with Joseph Gordon-Levitt past the bedroom displays without a care in the world.

If you live outside a 50 mile radius of the signature blue and yellow store, you know that IKEA is for big, home changing trips only. And once you get there, it's game time.

If you've never been to an IKEA you might think- hmm reasonably priced, modern scandinavian furniture. What's the big deal? In truth, IKEA is an underworld of mass consumerism where Swedish brainwashing causes us to go broke, end relationships of many years, and loose all directional (and mental sense) in the IKEA maze — all the while, the employees stand there, devilishly licking lingonberry jam off their fingers.

My Favorite Brand is Fall

October 17, 2016

Just as Anne of Green Gables once said, "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."

October is a magical month. A time for crisp air, dark nights, and crimson leaves that cranky neighbors love to rake on Sunday mornings. It's also a time for tricks and treats — and something that has a fair share of both — is fall itself.

How can we help spending money on fall when the aisles are packed with orange and plum packages that say enticing things like "Pumpkin Waffles" or "Pumpkin Cheesecake" or "Pumpkin Hand Sanitizer" -- you know?

The Foolproof Guide for Obsessively Planning Your Home (with pinspiration)

October 16, 2016

We’ve all been faced with the same daunting challenge at one point in our lives: an empty room. No, this isn’t going to turn into a philosophical rant. I literally mean a bare room — nothing on the walls, no furniture, no rug, no nothing. Just a new home that needs a little love, and a whole lot of vision.

Decorating does not come to me naturally. I discovered my unfortunate predisposition when my parents agreed to let me redo my bedroom at age 13. And when I come home to visit I still have to stare at the eye-burning popsicle pink on the walls, and slump against my feather boa pillows.

Luckily, I’ve come up with a few remedies for my questionable taste — culminating in a foolproof guide for planning, executing, questioning, and re-executing an entire decor overhaul (on an ikea or less budget). I’m happy to share my tips & tricks with you, whether you need them or not, but I guarantee that none of them will ever lead you to paint a 30x15 bedroom itchy-eye pink again.

Tiny Target Things

October 13, 2016

The Target Logo is great at serving two functions. It’s a bright, easily recognizable symbol for the brand — and it’s also an eye that looks deep into your soul and convinces you to load your cart with things you don’t need.

Like an entire collection of ceramic woodland creatures.

And where Target succeeds the most in their trickery is the “Target Dollar Spot.” With items that seem pulled straight from your personal Pinterest page, such as brightly colored desk supplies, holiday décor, and Etsy inspired craft kits — Targ is killing it. They know exactly who’s stepping into the 12x12 dollar maze, and they know exactly what you want.

What's in a Name? Ranking Bath and Body Works' Seasonal Candles

October 12, 2016

If you’ve ever painted your nails, bought shampoo, or even smelled a candle — you know one thing to be true: a great name can make a product infinitely better.

Yeah, maybe you’d agree that OPI’s “Lincoln Park After Dark” was just a great color, with its almost black purple glare shellacked onto your nails. But I have a feeling that it wouldn’t have been your go-to moody fall/winter color if it had been named something like “Purple Jazz” or simply “Dark Purple.”

"Where'd You Get That?" The Benefit of Talking to Strangers

October 10, 2016

Have you ever seen a stranger wearing something amazing — something you know would hit you in all the right places, or perfectly complement your complexion, something that almost (almost) makes you cross the lines of social norms and ask a random stranger a personal shopping question?

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