Learning to Knit: Peach Fizz Cardigan

Over the past year, I’ve fallen down a knitting rabbit hole! I learned about different kinds of yarn, what "gauge" means, how to decipher a pattern, and much more. After a few months, I was finally able to knit pieces more complicated than a scarf! Tears were shed, a million mistakes were made, but the feeling of accomplishment was astonishing.

I wanted to share my first knitted garment and the process with you guys! And if you knit or crochet, I'd love to hear about your own fiber art journey. 👀

Retro Beauty Tips: the 1960s

Doll eyelashes, bouffants of tumbling curls, pixie crops, geometric eyeshadow, and slicks of eyeliner. Welcome to the Swinging 1960s! Here, I've compiled beauty lessons from some of my favorite beauty icons who emerged from the era.

Uncover which product was used by three iconic 60s It Girls, the surprising inspiration for Twiggy's famous eye makeup, and more!

Vintage Beauty: Elsa Schiaparelli's Perfumes

Significantly intertwined with fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli's imagery are the watercolor paintings Marcel Vertès created for her beauty campaigns. Schiaparelli's fragrances Shocking, Sleeping, and Le Roy Soleil were brought to life through Vertès' bold brush strokes, pulsating candied colors, and a glittering cast of characters including harlequins and gamines.

Retro Icons: That Girl

Before The Mary Tyler Moore Show, before Sex in the City - there was That Girl! The 1966 tv series revolved around actress Ann Marie (Marlo Thomas), struggling to "make it" in New York City. The hit show thrust star Marlo Thomas into the spotlight, and Ann Marie's Mod fashions and 1960s bubble flip hairstyle became just as iconic as her madcap misadventures.

Keep reading as we spotlight Ann Marie's signature fashion looks, favorite beauty products, and more!

Old Hollywood's Beauty Tips: the 40s

Welcome to the 1940s installment of my Old Hollywood Beauty Tips series! Find out which famous perfume both Rita Hayworth and Merle Oberon loved, how Lena Horne was the original glamour girl to start a cosmetics line, and more!

Books I Read in 2020

As the pandemic wears on, I find myself reaching more to books for a much needed break. I read books set in the roaring 20s with glittering Bright Young Things, ornate Rococo palaces housing French royalty, writings on the houses of Dior and Givenchy, and found comfort in the familiar surroundings of childhood favorites, the history of beauty, and more!

Here are some highlights from the 40+ books I read this past year.

Favorite Beauty Products of 2020

Finally got a chance to wrap my very overdue end-of-year makeup 2020 highlights hehe. I didn't have time to try very many new products throughout the difficult year, but I still found a few gems! ♡

Old Hollywood's Beauty Tips: the 50s

Glossy red lips, Max Factor "Pan-Cake" foundation, powder puffs, glistening gold compacts and jeweled lipstick bullets... Old Hollywood practically glittered with glamour. And the starlets that lit up the silver screen became beauty experts in their own right, learning first-hand from film industry professionals - from makeup and hair artists to lighting technicians.

I want to share beauty tips, tricks, and stories from some of the most iconic Old Hollywood leading ladies in the technicolor and sun-soaked 1950s!

Fashion in Film: Literary Heroines

In this edition of my series diving into cinematic costumes, I wanted to spotlight literary heroines that have come to life in film. I picked three characters who made a huge impression on me growing up: Anne Shirley, Elizabeth Bennet, and Jo March. Anne of Green Gables (1985) and Pride & Prejudice (2005) specifically were my introduction to a whole new genre of costumes and film as a child: the period piece.

Almost as inspiring as the headstrong characters wearing them, were their costumes: ribbons, straw hats, delicate ginghams and plaids, high necks and ruffles, muddy skirts, puffed sleeves and pinafores - let's get into it!

Makeup Look: Mint to Be

Needing a break from thinking about serious things, I wanted to share this makeup look I did a few weeks ago! My inspiration? Wanting to play with some new (to me) products (like the Colourpop Mint to Be Eyeshadow Palette *!), the 60s, and mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Beauty Icons: Retro Star Trek

Where no man has gone before...
Every week from 1967 to 1969, Star Trek: The Original Series had a carousel of actresses modeling the newest, most dazzlingly futuristic looks of 1960s sci-fi dreams. The frosty lipsticks, ornate hair styles, and geometric eyeshadow underscored the daring costumes, rendered in eye catching fabrics with strategically placed cutouts (showing belly button was still forbidden).

The space age clothing and beauty trend, ushered in by fashion icon Pierre Cardin and the Space Race, combined with advances in makeup and wardrobe to create never-before-seen, hyper-pigmented beauty products as well as vinyl and metallic fabrics. All the while, Star Trek was at the forefront of the trends with it’s frosty-lipped, metallic-clad glam icons. Here are some of my favorite beauty looks on Star Trek: TOS, and tips on how to get their trademark looks. Scotty, beam... *ahem* us up! (I'm sorry, I had to...)

Baking Recipes to Try

Psst: hover over me!

One thing that has been making me smile? It seems like a lot of us are taking comfort in baking these days, myself included! I have loved seeing my friends proudly sharing their successful banana breads and swapping recipes. This Focaccia recipe has been calling my name, but yeast has been selling out everywhere, so sadly I won't be joining the many who are currently baking their own breads.

Instead, I've found myself daydreaming about learning how to bake beautiful desserts, like bright citrus cakes, glazed donuts, or comforting cherry pies. I thought I would share the recipes I've been saving and planning to tackle myself, in case any of you are also itching to bake more!

Fashion in Film: Emma. (2020)

I have always been transfixed by clothing in films, and over the years I’ve read everything I can about costume design. I was inspired to start a Twitter thread, but wanted to explore the topic without a word count. And this series, Fashion in Film, was born! Here we will take a deeper dive into notable costume design in film.

Seeking a distraction during this difficult time, I finally was able to see Emma. (2020), a movie people started recommending me immediately after the first trailer dropped! Watching director Autumn de Wilde's first foray into feature films was like a soothing balm, with a carousel of visual optimism arriving in quick succession: floral wallpaper! Ornate costumes! Lingering close-ups on hands! Tear-stricken confessions! A shock of blood! All anchored by strong performances from Anya Taylor-Joy, Miranda Hart, and Bill Nighy. There was so much I loved about this spirited take on the Jane Austen classic.

Read on for a deeper dive on my favorite costumes in Emma. (2020).

Personal Style Questionnaire

I've been thinking about personal style a lot these days, what it says about us and how it evolves over the years. So when I saw Swedish writer Sandra share this personal style questionnaire a while ago, I thought it would be fun to fill out as well! Read on to hear more about my wardrobe staples, what I wear in my down time, and more.

Six Women and Their Signature Scents

After working on the My Favorite Perfumes post, I found the experience of researching and painting perfumes just wet my appetite for more! Aching to learn about and try more beloved perfumes, I decided to ask some of my friends what perfume they consider their signature scent, and what makes it so meaningful to them.

I had such a great time compiling this list and interviewing such incredible people, and this just reaffirms my love for perfume. It's such a meaningful and intensely personal experience! From a fashion designer, to a screenwriter, to a ballerina - here are 5 signature scents as unique and multi-layered as the people that wear them.

DIY Maison Margiela Inspired Lipstick Kiss Print Blouse

I became captivated by this blouse by Maison Margiela (formerly Maison Martin Margiela) from the moment I first saw it. A cotton shirt marked with genuine lipstick prints, which were kissed onto the garment by in house seamstresses - only 7 were made in total. This piece is a romantic dream come true, reminding me of sad romantic poets.

Determined to make my own, first I had to work out how. With a white blouse, if you washed a genuinely kissed garment the red would bleed and feather - ruining the blouse and the lipstick kiss marks! That's when I had the idea to make a stamp based on my own lipstick kisses. Continue reading for how I did it below! Or, if you are more of a video person, watch the video tutorial on Youtube here. If you make this, please let me know, it would make my week! Far from perfect, it's still one of my favorite pieces in my wardrobe.

DIY Vintage Yves Saint Laurent Inspired Floral Bra

Everybody has those runway moments that feel like fashion royalty, and for me, the "wedding" look from Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Spring 1999 is one of them. Picture this, French model Laetitia Casta preens as she descends down the runway, wearing an all floral ensemble designed for her by Yves Saint Laurent himself. Laetitia Casta later would say of their partnership: "We were like two people in the water that stopped each other from drowning. I miss him very much, because you don't have many people like that in your life. One, if you are lucky."

Yves Saint Laurent would retire only three years later, but the effect of the nymph-like, Persephone touched ensemble continues to ripple in the fashion community. I've been obsessed with the look and wanted to recreate it since I first saw it years ago. I decided to save an old bra from its unused fate for a floral makeover in honor of looking forward to Spring! It’s not an exact recreation, but merely taking inspiration from this iconic look. I shared a preview of this piece on twitter back in December (and hinted I was working on it here heheh) and several people requested a how-to, so let's get started!

Favorite Beauty Products of 2019

Ink black eyeliners, cream to powder lipsticks, gradient blushes and fruit themed eyeshadow palettes - 2019 was a huge year for the beauty industry. Here, I wanted to share what products stood out, and what exactly made them so good! If you have any recommendations you'd like to share, please let me know!

Twenty-Twenty Vision

Welcome to 2020! Last year for NYE, I was on my couch, sick with the flu and absolutely miserable! To make up for last year, I threw together a makeshift "party" by setting up a photo backdrop, dressing up, and doing my makeup in the stereotypically "NYE" way with a glittery, smokey eye. I danced (badly), played charades, drank a little bubbly, and counted down - and then settled down in my Barbie PJs for watching old movies after midnight :')

A bit low-key definitely, but fun nonetheless - and certainly an upgrade from last year! I'm trying to remain hopeful for this year, but it can be difficult. Either way, I'm sending you so much love and thank you for occupying this world with me.

My Favorite Perfumes

With a simple spritz of the juice, perfume unlocks powerful memories, enhances atmosphere, clings to experiences, and unfurls different scent narratives. It’s one of my favorite parts of "getting ready" - the mist a finishing touch after picking out your outfit and makeup, helping to establish what kind of person you feel like or want to channel.

As somebody very driven by the idea of capturing a moment, learning that wearing a specific perfume can, in effect, bottle up meaningful moments, sensations - every time you smell it, was a revelation.

I am in no way an expert when it comes to the more technical side of fragrances, but I have such a great admiration and love of perfumes, and wanted to share some of my favorites! While writing this post, I did quite a bit of research on fragrances and the ones I like, and discovered I’m usually drawn towards fruity, warm, and sweet scents.

This experience has made me want to learn even more, so if you have any book or scent recommendations please let me know! I also took another shot at learning how to use watercolors, so I could attempt to accurately portray the translucent perfume bottles. While the paintings definitely aren’t perfect, I really like how they turned out!