I love flats. I have a serious thing for them…and if they come in black and leather…even better. When I saw these Ralph Lauren black leather slip ons a few weeks back I knew they had to be mine. They are the perfect shoe that is comfortable the minute you take them out of the box. I greatly appreciate that, as I do quite a bit of walking through out the day. If you are looking for a comfortable and stylish slip on shoe…I suggest you give these a try on the next time you are in Macy’s.
Do you have a favorite slip on shoe?
Beauty: Favorite Fall Lip Liners
I have finally found my holy grail lip liners! Yes I have been on the hunt to find that perfect mauve nude lip liner that can both be worn alone or with a lipstick on top. My top two favorites would have to be Charlotte Tillbury Pillowtalk and Laura Mercier Plumberry. Although they are both slightly different they leave a beautiful finish on the lip. They are very creamy and extremely long lasting. One great bonus is Laura Mercier includes a pencil sharpener with all of her lip liners. Definitely a nice touch.
What are your favorite lip liners?
Travel: Preparing for Travel
Here is a great list of things to do in preparation for travel. I hope these guidelines help!
1. Talk to your doctor if you have an medical concerns and ask if you need immunizations. Fill your prescriptions so you have enough while you are gone. Check to see if you will need a vacation override.
2. Bring your health insurance information and travel insurance policy. I can’t stress enough what peace of mind travel insurance can be.
3. Provide family and emergency contacts with a copy of your itinerary including phone numbers, etc.
4. Call your bank and credit card companies so they know where charges can be coming from. Otherwise distant charges may look like fraud.
5. If you have pets, find a good caregiver so you don’t worry about them while you are gone.
6. If you will be traveling for a long time be sure to have someone check on your house, alarm the house and or keep lights on so it looks like someone is home. Stop mail and newspapers too.
7. Arrange for rides to and from the airport. If we have an early morning flight we stay the night in a Park, Sleep Fly hotel that keeps your car there for free for up to two weeks.
8. Get special luggage tags so you can spot your luggage in baggage claim.
9. Start putting clothes and shoes aside that you will want to pack ahead of time. Packing aides. I am in love with E-Bags, toiletries bags, shoe bags, messenger bags, travel purses etc. They help you stay organized and wrinkle free. Pack two extra collapsible bags for extras you are bringing home and one for dirty clothes.
10. Go online to check your seats on the plane. You can find your plane online and if economy comfort seats are available I highly encourage you to upgrade. It’s often as good as business class.
Check on seat guru! You can also check in for your flights 24 hours ahead of time and print your boarding passes. Also confirm flight times and how far ahead of time you will need to be at the airport.
11. Bring a book, kindle, ipad, tablet, cell phone, computer and camera. Downloading books and movies to watch on the plane is great. Don’t forget the chargers!!!
12. Check with your airlines what luggage size and weight restrictions they have for checked and carryons are.
13. If you are traveling out of the country don’t forget your birth certificate, passport and electrical converters.
14. We all pack our toiletries last yet we often forget some. Make a list to check off before you leave.
15. New RFID wallets keep your credit card numbers from being stolen. I use one all the time now.
16. Make sure to keep essentials in your carry on in case you lose your luggage. Remember the rule for liquids is that everything needs to fit in a quart size zip loc bag.
17. Don’t Over Pack Like I Do! Less is usually more.
18. Enjoy every moment of your trip. Things don’t always go as planned but you come home with the best stories.
*This blog post by Margie Dingfelder
Hot Topics: The Tiny House Movement
I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!
This past weekend I watched the documentary Tiny Home Movement. It was surreal that people choose to live in such small homes…and I mean tiny some of these homes are 200 square feet. It really had me thinking…is living with just the necessities the way to live your life? All our lives we strive to have big homes, nice cars, great jobs, etc. We are always buying new things and constantly growing out of our living space. I was amazed at how at ease, happy, and content these individuals were in these space compact spaces. I think there is a lesson to learn…that we don’t necessary need all that we have and sometimes less is more. If you are curious to learn more about these tiny homes…check it out here.
What are your thoughts on the tiny home movement?
Everyday Life: Apple Watch Review
I want to start off by saying I am a huge Apple fan. I normally love their products and believe everyone should love them too. However I am not a fan of the apple watch and actually ended up returning mine. Now before you think I’m jumping to conclusions, I want you to know that I used it religiously for almost 2 weeks. Also I purchased the sport version. Okay now onto my thoughts. At first…I was amazed at how light on the wrist, non invasive, and how easy it was to use. I thought it was a perfect fit to my everyday lifestyle and actually made my pay less attention to my phone throughout the day. However after days of use it started to become a bit invasive. Even though you can set your alerts to what you want to be notified on…I felt it was a constant interruption to my daily activities. It slowly became invasive. Another huge complaint I had was how hot the product became on my wrist. I am not sure if I had a defective product but by about mid day (everyday) the metal on the watch was almost burning my skin. By the beginning of the second week…I knew this product had to go back. As much as I love being in touch at all times…it allowed no break whatsoever as no matter what your doing…the watch will alert you. Once I realized this…it immediately went back to the store. Overall I am glad I gave it a chance, but would not recommend this to anyone for the reasons above.
Do you own the apple watch? If so…what are your thoughts?
Fashion: NYFW
Now before you think…omg Lauren went to NYFW…the answer is no…but it doesn’t mean we all don’t get to enjoy the awesome shows and excitement of all the new collections. I love reading fellow bloggers and watching online some of the wonderful fashion shows. Some of my favorites this year had to be Boy Meets Girl, Givenchy, Alexander Wang, Alice and Olivia, and Proenza Schouler. You can check out some of the shows and blogs here.
What were your favorite collections and shows from this years NYFW?
Beauty: Glossier Product Review
I am all about makeup that gives you the no makeup or your skin but better look. For some time I have heard about Glossier and their amazing products. Their cult product by far is the balm dot calm which is their version of Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream. I was never a fan of that item due to the thickness of the product…the balm dot calm however is much less thick and provides lasting moisture to your lips and cuticles. I also picked up their moisturizer and perfecting skin tint. I am in love with their moisturizer and would definitely purchase this again. The skin perfecting tint provides a beautiful wash of color without concealing or covering your skin underneath. If you are looking for something with coverage this is not the product for you. However on days that I want more of a coverage I mix this with my cc cream from Chanel. It’s a beautiful combination. Overall I am in love with their products and definitely see why there is a hype around them. If your interested in learning more about these products you can check them out here!
Have you tried Glossier?
Travel: Seattle
Hi Everyone! Lauren is back, and so am I!
The only place we traveled to recently is Seattle. I have been there before but this time we saw totally different things.
We were lucky to dodge rain drops so I got some good photos. I love Seattle when it’s not raining! This time we stayed at the luxury boutique hotel called the Hotel Ballard. My college roommate lives in Ballard so we got to see her charming neighborhood. I highly recommend the hotel. It’s new and very beautiful. Ballard has great restaurants, shops, a beautiful garden and the locks where you watch boats go through them after changing water levels. You can also see salmon jumping there.
Our favorite place was the Chihuly Museum right next to the space needle which I also love. For those of you who don’t know who Chihuly is, he’s known for his Fabulous Glass structures! I had seen his traveling exhibit in San Francisco, his glass ceiling in the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas and his work in Palm Desert. This is his Mecca though. The museum in Seattle has the ultimate collection inside and out. If you’ve never been there don’t miss it. Here are some photos of Seattle and some from the Chihuly museum.
What’s your favorite place to visit in Seattle?
*This blog post and pictures by Margie Dingfelder
Hot Topic: After the Olympic Games…
I hope everyone had a nice weekend. Mine was spent celebrating my Mom’s birthday and enjoying the last bit of summer weather.
This past Sunday my husband and I were out for our usual lunch date. We started talking about the Olympic Games coming up next year and how much I love the Summer Games. We also discussed how absolutely sad and devastating it is when the games are over the stadiums and buildings are left to deteriorate over time…as seen in the pics above. This has been a hot topic every time an Olympic Games comes to an end. It amazes me that after all the Olympic Games no one has made this more of an issue. I could only hope that as time goes on we learn to reuse these stadiums and buildings to help the community and thank them for letting us host the Olympics in their city.
What are your ideas for using these Stadiums and buildings?
Everyday Life: Summer Recap!
Happy Friday! I hope you had a wonderful week. I must say…its been amazing to be back up and back on schedule. I thought a fun recap would be a great way to wrap up the week. I have picked 5 of my top summer favs to share with you all.
1. Sara Happ Lip Slip/Sugar Scrub
*I can’t wait to do a review on this stuff. Its amazing. I can’t believe it has taken me this long to get my hands on it.
2. Louis Vuitton Insolite Wallet
*I was so sad to hear that Louis Vuitton was discontinuing their Multicolor line. I knew I had to get my hands on one piece before they went away forever. This wallet has quickly become my favorite long wallet that holds everything I need and more…with staying slim.
3. The Weeknd
*I am absolutely in love with his music. He just recently released a new album that is on constant repeat. I am so looking forward to his concert in December!
4. DryBar Products
*I must say…I was very worried about these products, as some big chain salons don’t make the best products…but this is worth your time. I absolutely love the smell and the overall finished product it provides. If you do not have a DryBar near you…check out your local Sephora.
5. Kombucha
*I know kind of a silly summer fav…but I adore these drinks. They are refreshing and good for your body and soul. They have a bit of a vinegar taste…so be aware.
What have your top 5 summer favorites been?
life according to ld 