new year’s eve get-up

hourglass primer (the best!) | laura mercier liquid lip color and gloss (last year’s Christmas collection) | hourglass ambient lighting palette (individual palettes here) | l’oreal infallible eyeshadows in iced latte & bronzed taupe | shu uemura eyelash curler (also the best!) | ysl shocking mascara | nars eyeliner in most wanted (from the nars x guy bourdin voyeur set) | kevyn aucoin sensual skin tinted balm in 05 | fresh sugar lip polish (sample size) | stila convertible color in peony (sample size) | dolce & gabbana the one rollerball

happy New Year’s Eve, everybody! our plans are pretty laid back – a byob dinner of sushi & bubbly at a restaurant near our apartment, followed by more bubbly at home – so my outfit is decidedly low-key. grey & black is a color combo I love, so I started off with the j. crew shirt I specifically bought for this evening in mind and built on from there, adding in some new faux-leather trim leggings, and an old & much-loved knit blazer. while all three pieces are pretty streamlined and monochromatic, they’re all knit, which is key to accommodating the food baby I’m going to have by the end of the night. who says fashion can’t be stylish & comfortable?

to liven things up with a little bit of sparkle (it is NYE, after all), I’m throwing on my new watch that I’ve used nonstop since getting it for Christmas, my favorite baublebar necklace ever with its ornate, vintage feel, & a metallic clutch to round things out. and to top it off at the toes, a pair of silver pumps. don’t worry. I haven’t lost my mind. there is snow & ice & winter in Chicago – these babies are carrying me from the curb to the table and back again.

now on to the cherry on top: the makeup. I’m going for a glowing base, lightly flushed cheeks, defined eyes, shimmering lids, voluminous lashes, and a sparkling red lip. all the big guns came out for this one. the final touch? a spritz of the perfume I only wear on special occasions.

whether you have big plans out or cozy plans in, have a fantastic New Year’s Eve and here’s to a happy and healthy New Year!

p.s. thank you so much for reading and following along this past year. it’s been such a rewarding space to talk about the things I love, and I hope it’s been a rewarding space for you to visit. I have some big and small changes planned for the blog in the new year, so stay tuned. :).

things I love

I’ve raved about this candle previously, and while stalking the space.nk website’s sale section, I’ve discovered that they’re now $10 a pop (down from $40)! I can’t recommend this scent enough. it smells like a kitchen that’s been producing all sorts of winter goodies all day long, without being too cloying or sweet. cinnamon, oranges, clove…all the good stuff! while it was a perfect Christmas candle, I think it’s appropriate for winter in general. since I live in Chicago where it will be winter until April, I just bought 3 more.

yeah, it’s that good.

space.nk shimmering spice candle

monday memo

Happy Monday again, everybody! Oof, this Monday’s a tough one – all Mondays after holidays are, but this one’s tough since Christmas was such a lovely respite from the hustle and bustle and New Year’s is only two days away. So I thought I’d commemorate the last Monday of the year with an appropriate Monday Memo.

I’m not going to do specific resolutions for this New Year’s – it almost seems like dooming yourself to failure when your expectations are so specific and so high. Instead, I’m going to take the saying above to heart. Eboni from The Fashionista Next Door included it in a post a little bit before Christmas, and it really struck home. Instead of listing 10 or so things I’d like to improve, I’m taking it to the crux of the matter: discipline. Ah.

Discipline can be applied to everything, whether it’s something trivial like foregoing the chocolate cupcake at lunch so you can have wine with dinner or something more serious like holding tight to your wallet on the daily so that that big purchase (house, car, trip) can come true a little sooner. I think sometimes it’s easy to say “I just need to want less” or “I just need to say no more often”, but let’s face it, wanting and saying yes are things that come naturally more often than not. The idea, I think, then is to prioritize those wants so that the most important things don’t give way to the less important things.

2013 has been a hard year on so many levels, but we’re hopeful for the next one. We have big plans, both professional and personal, and we know that with a little discipline and prioritizing, we can slowly and surely work towards them.

I hope your holidays were lovely, and here’s to a happy and healthy 2014.

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