Laura Stone in Vogue September 2010

When I opened my September issue of Vogue and saw these breath taking photos of Laura Stone I instantly knew I wanted to continue to shop for feminine, soft, beautiful, 50s inspired clothing. Don't get me wrong I have loved the 80s and 90s fashion that have been dominating the runways, but there is something so romantic about dressing this way. These clothes celebrate a woman with curves and that is something I definitely can get on board with. Last week I wore two retro styles (here and here) and you can be certain I am going to try even more. 

Here are a few items that can help you achieve this 50s style:

1. Pretty poppy suede pumps from Isabel Marant from Net-a-porter. 

2. A beautiful chunky knit from Stella McCartney or similar yet affordable version from Topshop

3. Retro rectangular frames from Jill Sander

4. Classic camel a-line skirt from Stella McCartney

5. Leopard coat from Topshop

6. A pretty polka dot headband from Thread Sence

7. Knit cardigan from Modcloth

8. A silk 1950s black and white dress from LA Vintage

{images via Fashion Gone Rogue}

Date Night

Dress-LA Vintage, Belt-J. Crew, Bag-Marc by Marc Jacobs, Shoes-Zara, Earrings-unkown 

Every week I look forward to date night with my boyfriend. So many of the other nights we work all day, then force ourselves to hit the gym, and then slave over a meal, and by the time we are done we plop down on our coach and open our lap tops. So, when Thursday night rolls around I know we are in for a treat. Last week  I wore my new vintage printed dress from LA Vintage that was the perfect casual yet sexy piece. We enjoyed a fabulous dinner at a restaurant right around the corner from our place. With our delicious smelling food and great drinks we laughed like we did when we first started dating.

Just a reminder that I am off in Texas and won't be online too much. I will announce the winner of the LA Vintage Giveaway on Twitter and I will be updating Facebook and Twitter while I am gone and there should be blog posts if all goes well!

My 10 Rules to Live By

{Me, April, and Kristin at a winery in 2008}

I recently read an article in Shape magazine in which Kristen Bell talked about her 30 rules to live by. I thought this would be a fun thing to share. I have condensed my 30 to 10 to keep it easy. I hope you all can leave a few of your rule to live by too!

1. Don't take things too seriously. I have to remind myself all the time that I am stressing out for no reason. We can control everything by our state of mind. Happiness is a choice and I want to choose it every time.  

2. Banish the scale. This is one that Kristen Bell and I agree on. I haven't stepped on a scale at home in over three years. I judge how I feel by the way I fit into my clothes. If my jeans are a little tight, I eat healthier and run a little faster. I hate feeling like my self worth is based on a number.  

3.  Treat yourself once a week. I can sometimes get so overwhelmed with work, family, friends, blogging, that I forget to spend time on me (like here). So, at least once I make sure to read a book, get a pedicure, or cook something new. 

4. Laugh with your girls. Now that we are all getting older my girlfriends and I don't get as much time together. So, when we do we have to have fun and enjoy every moment. The days are over when we would sit around a whine over boys. Now, we are older and wiser and spend our time at wineries drinking and talking about our futures.  

5. Stay in. I am a home body and always have been. With my social circle and being in the blogging community there is always something fun happening every night. However, I know that for me to stay healthy and happy I prefer to spend most nights at home with my boyfriend cooking dinner and watching a funny movie. 

6. Do something active everyday. I understand that the more obligations we have the less time we have for being active. I am a victim of it too, but if we aren't getting the activity our bodies need we will suffer and then the obligations fall to the waste side too. So, I try my best to do something everyday. Sometimes that means Crossfit, yoga, running, and sometimes its using the stairs, parking far away to walk more, or flexing my abs while I am stuck in traffic. 

7. Give back. I love to help the community. I work with young girls who are from poor neighborhoods and help them become active in sports. Many times these girls get over looked and their parents only have time to let the brother's be active. BAWSI helps encourage young girls to get moving! If you can't do this so something nice everyday. Like telling someone they have food on their face, hold doors open,  or call someone out of the blue. 

8. Sleep for eight hours. Not everyone needs 8 hours of sleep at night, but I do! If I even miss one and sleep seven I am off for the whole day and can't focus. Know what time you need and get that every night you can-even on the weekends. 

9. Take care of your skin. This one is another biggie for me. I use to be so careless when it came to my skin. I would leave make up on for hours, never wear sunscreen and lay out all day! Now, that I am in my late twenties I know how important it is. I make sure to drink plenty of water, wash my face every night, and wear sunscreen every day. 

10. Don't fear failure. In the last few years I have tried to push myself out of my comfort zone and try new things. This blog is a great example. I am not perfect and never claimed to be. I am going to wear things that don't look good and have a typo here and there. The best I can do is try my best and not be afraid to fail!

This weekend enter the giveaway for $100 to LA Vintage! 

I will be in Texas till Thursday and won't be as interactive, but I hope to have posts every day while I am gone.

Earth Angel

Dress-Anthropologie, Belt-Ralph Lauren, Bag-vintage, Shoes-Forever 21, Socks-J. Crew, Bangle-vintage, Ring-YSL

In keeping with my fifties vibe this week, I slipped into my best Charlotte from "Sex and the City" dress and tried Brigitte Bardot hair. This was actually one of the easiest hair styles I have ever done. I just zapped it with a hair dryer not drying it all the way and sprayed it with volumizer and dry shampoo. Then I pinned it in the back and was done. I left it frizzy because it was too hot to even attempt anything else. I have to say it feels good to embrace the frizz. I recommend it to all my frizzy sistas out there! I also got to wear my other pair of Forever 21 mary jane platforms, but this time with socks.
{This dress somehow reminded me of the 1950s song "Earth Angel" and now I feel like watching "Back to the Future".}

The Beauty Breakdown

With all the traveling I have been doing this year I have been forced to only pack my favorite items. This is always a challenge for me because I have sooo many favorites. However, these are some of the items that I catch myself using a lot during the week.

I am a chapstick girl and have to have it EVERYWHERE I go. When it comes to make up I typically wear some light spray foundation (Dior AirFlash #202), concealer (Laura Mercier #3), bronzer or powder, a little blush (Nars Desire), some cream eyeliner, eyebrow gel or filler, mascara and lipstick (Sephora Glamour Lip Attitude). 

When I do my hair straight I like to have a little texture and volume. I use surf spray obsessively (Bumble & Bumble), dry shampoo (Rene Furterer), a little Moroccan oil for shine (Moroccan Oil), and volumizing spray at the roots (Aveda) 

For my face and body I have a lot, but a creamy body lotion is a must (Avene), lot's of self tanner (Dermaquest), and layers of SPF (Glytone).

 My hands are always cracked and dry before bed (I am our dishwasher) and this one keep my hands soft and smelling sweet (Dr. Hunters via Anthropologie).