JAMMIN' at the ZOO!

So Courtenay and I have decided to be more adventurous this summer and go downtown (Chicago) as much as possible. So we heard about a concert to benefit the Lincoln Park Zoo and we went! It was great we saw  a Canadian band called Hedley and Neon Trees! Neon Tree were amazing live, but they were a bunch of divas as we had to wait for them in a crowd of people, in high heels, in the mix of crazy drunk old people for about an hour and a half! It was a little bit of craziness. But anywho here are some lovely pictures of me shopping with Courtenay for her concert outfit and then her getting ready for the concert. I took the picture with my BRAND NEW camera which I love and I am so happy I got!

This is us shopping. We got her lovely shirt and later necklace at the store called Dry Goods. Its is a juniors store for Von Maur. 

                                            Courtenay getting ready is definitely a process.

We tried taking so posing shots, but Courtenay doesn't know how to work the camera, hence the lovely ^ results. Me with my brand new shirt which I got from the amazing Nordstrom Rack. And my lovely new bag which I am actually returning today because it killed my shoulder. It was the Fran by Marc by Marc Jacobs.  

                  Random girl whose outfit I liked. I love the color blocking with the crochet toms.

                  This is the hottie lead singer from Hedley. All the boys from that band were actually cute.  

                                                 The necklace we got at Dry Goods.

                                                                       Photo Bombers.

 NEON TREES! He was dress in this amazing leather jacket with back studs, and striped white and black pants. He almost looked like a sexy beetlejuice. Oh! And his shirt under the studded jacket was a graphic tee with shoulder studs. He really knows how to get out there.

Movie Lovers

Who doesn't love the movies? Answer: no one. I have a small obsession with movies. I have seen silent black and white films, I have seen Elvis Presley films...etc. This summer I have planned to see:

1. Moonrise Kingdom
2. Brave (saw it last night with Court)
3. My Boy
4. Ted
5. Magic Mike

Just a couple of the top of my head. If you have any comments/opinions on the movies I would love to hear them!

new found love

I just saw this brand in an article in ELLE magazine and I have completely fallen in love. How cute are these outfits?! Brand: Faith Connexion

 

Photos via http://www.faithconnexion.com/en/catalogue/saison/9-autumn-winter-2012

Bits of love part three

Although I am a vegetarian I love animal print. Cheetah and snake skin are my favorite.There is something about animal print that just can complete a whole outfit. I love the new trend of bright color blocking with animal print accessories. For instance, a white collared button down shirt with a pair of mint green jeans and cheetah print espadrilles.

Right now I am kinda in love with platformed shoes. I think the idea just being tall and not elevated is great! I can last longer in the shoes, and not worry about falling to my death down the stairs. Now that I have those Jeffery Campbells, all I do is look for more platforms.

Photos via blog Fashion Toast and other blogs

Bits of love deux

I am absolutely obsessed with tattoos. I have four more planned. I am getting the eye of Horus, the Egpytian god on the inside of my right ankle. I want on the outside ankles, Nein on the right and Ja on the left. No and Yes in German, because I was born in Germany. And the last one I want on my left shoulder, it will be the word Dreams in Bulgarian, because I am Bulgarian. Some of you already know that I have two tattoos, so in the end I will have quiet the list. On my left arm I have the word Bisous, which means kisses in French. On the middle of my back I have an elephant with a yin yang in it.

Don't you love my tattoo guy? 

On the left is my friend Niki with her sun and moon tattoo. On the right is me the day I got mine done. Niki will soon be visiting me here in Chicago with her little brother, so amazing times to come!! If you love tattoos as much as I do, or just like looking at them, I have found a tattoo blog which is amazing. Check it out:
                                                     http://rodeo.net/tattoologist/

Another thing which I absolutely love is blazers. I don't know what it is about them, but I literally have a blazer addiction. I don't even work in a corporate office and I have FIVE blazers and counting. When my friend Josh heard how many I have, he said that I have more blazer than a catholic school boy.

 

photos via me and fashion blogs.

Courtenay's Key Tips: Number 2

Hey, Hey Lovelies. This beauty tip involves the thing that drives me crazy CRAZY crazy, mostly because it is so preventable and fixable, and it really takes away from every girl's natural beauty when done incorrectly.

2.) Take Care of your Eyebrows

Eyebrows are freaky and who knows what the heck their purpose is, but we would all look very strange without them. 

See the Difference? Beautiful thick brows versus uber thin ones. 

Save the Tweezers for Maintenance Only

 We have all seen the girls who have extremely thin brows, we all know it doesn't look good, and it is completely obvious they went nuts, at some point, with the tweezers. Lets face it when we do pick up the tweezers and start plucking it is extremely easy to get carried away. My mother never let me touch my own brows with tweezers when I was younger, because she has very thin almost non-existent brows that she dedicates to over-plucking when she was a teenager. 

Look how little hair is there! Severely over plucked!!!!

My suggestion to you would be the same my mother gave me, only bring the tweezers to your brows to pluck a couple obvious stray hairs and no more.  

Get Your Eyebrows Done Professionally

 Plucked, Waxed, or Treaded in the hands of a skilled professional your eyebrows will look gorgeous. My treading lady never ceases to amaze me when she turns my Sasquatch disgusting dark brows into elegant ones for only 7 dollars. 

Personally, I have had everything but a blowtorch taken to my eyebrows, and I prefer treading. Mostly because my skin reacts terribly when I get them waxed (when I say terrible I mean redness, burning, and itching for a minimum of three days). Also, I absolutely hate getting them plucked…. when god was giving out eyebrows it was decided I would be given the deepest rooted hairs in the universe, and getting each one pulled out individually makes me want to choke the bitch pulling them out. Treading is just perfect for me. 

I think you need to try each kind of method to find out which one you like best.    

My biggest tip, when you are at a professional, is to ask them to keep your eyebrows at your natural thickness. Thick eyebrows just look better, and the professional is just there to give them a good shape that will flatter you, not to demolish them in order to create a certain arch.  

Fill In Your Brows 

Most people in this world do not have perfect eyebrows, but you can totally fool everyone by filling yours in.  If you have thin brows you can make them look fuller, and give them shape. Also if you have regular brows you can fill in all the places where your eyebrows are sparse; this defines the brow and makes them look more symmetrical (and symmetrical facial features are, in part, key to beauty).

Here are some great brow products:

Anastasia Beverly Hills--

These products are absolutely top of the line and definitely a splurge, but they are the best brow products I have ever used. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz is priced at $20. The product comes in four shades: Ash Blonde (suggested for light to dark blonde hair), Medium Ash (for light to medium brown and silver hair), Brunette (for medium brown to black hair), and Carmel (for light brown hair with warm undertones, auburn, and strawberry blonde hair). I also believe that they are coming out or already have come out with a line of shades strictly for red heads-- so if you have red hair you might finally have a product will work for you.


The Brow Wiz is so great because it draws on with very fine lines that really do look like hair. This really is the perfect product if you have really thin brows or some serious bald spots on the brow.

Anastasia Brow Gel is priced at $21 dollars. The most popular version of this product is clear, but I know it comes tinted as well, which is also amazing (it is also $21 and comes in 5 shades). The clear gel is ideal if you, like me, have unruly brows that like to stick out in all sorts of directions or just look messy. The tinted is more for someone who has non-existant brows, it makes the little light hairs darker and more textured-- almost as if you have always had the brows. The gel does not get flaky as the day wears on, nor is it heavy. It's great!


This gel was really a god send for me, because before I would use a brow brush and hair spray to try and tame my crazy eyebrows-- and that feels kinda icky, but,  I mean, if you really don't want to spend 21 dollars on brow gel, the hair spray works fine, and you can work out a good hairspray to brow measurement that won't feel too bad.

Drugstore Pencils--

Eyebrow pencils from the drugstore and places like Target or Wal-mart work well too. They provide good coverage at a good price of only a couple dollars. If you only have some sparse spots and don't feel the need to spend a lot on products for your brows these pencils would be perfect for you. It can just be a little tricky to find the right color. Sometimes when I buy drugstore pencils I need to use two different shades on the same brow---so just mix and match and experiment and you will totally find a good color for you. 




Eyeshadow and an Angled Brush--

Pick a matte eyeshadow or a specialty eyebrow shadow and work it in with an angled brush. I love doing this when I am just filling in my sparse spots and not going for a dramatic brow! If you use this just make sure you stay within the lines of your normal brow---powder does look a tid more drawn on than a pencil, but I guess that depends on how one would apply with a pencil. :)

GOOD LUCK, Let me know if you have any questions 

 Love, 

              Courtenay

Bits of Love

So I am a little bored here at home, now that I'm back for the summer from college. So, I have decided to share with you some things that I absolutely love. I thought about making a list, but I didn't know what to put first so I'm just going to tell you.

I love Sam Edelman. I am competlely obbessed. I think I have about five or more pairs of Sam's. Amazing designer. I love everything he does, but I do have to say his wife Libby should stay out of the business. Her line Libby Edelman is never as good.

These are just two more pairs I am thinking about getting. If you like them too you can get them online or at Nordstrom. http://www.samedelman.com/collection/the-spring-summer-2012-collection/

Another thing I really love is a well made leather jacket. It doesn't have to be motorcycle crazy, or Mary Kate Olson fashion forward, but just a nice simple leather jacket. I hate when they have a shit ton of 'fake' zippers.

 

I love how versatile a leather jacket can be. I can wear it with some chunky boots and have a grungy outfit, or just a nice dress and be totally chic. I love it!   

Photos via fashion blogs and  http://www.samedelman.com/collection/the-spring-summer-2012-collection/