What We're Wearing

STEAMCREAM is my new obsession! It comes in THE cutest tins ever, they have so many options - below are a few of my favs. This cream is moisturizing but won't make your face greasy, it's so lightweight. You can use it head to toe - which is what I do! After I tried this product it has not left my bag, I take it everywhere. STEAMCREAM is literally just that: cream infused with cream. The steam means that this cream can sink past the surface of your skin so that you get the full benefit of it.

Perfectly Glossed Kisses,

Sutton

All Chloéd out today – Chloé dress and boots. This dress is amazing, it weighs a ton but not in a draggish, uncomfortable way, in a way that’s beautifully swathed in layers of flouncing satin. It makes me look a little like a circus tent woman, but I don’t care. I am all for wearing yards and yards of Chloé fabric. I found this at a sample sale for like nothing, so somewhat unflatteringness be damned! And the boots were found at the same sample sale in a moment where everything else around them and me disappeared and Kenny G stepped out and played a solo for us while we did that thing where you hold hands (or heels) and lean back and spin around. We are very happy together. In fact, that substantial Lucite heel is totally walkable – dare I say, even comfortable! 

Handbags and Hugs, 

Astor

Beauty Secrets Revealed Volume IV

It's that time again, beauty secrets for all! As you know, I love any beauty-related tips. I shared some with you in volume one, two and three. If you are selfishly hoarding some of your own secrets, you better email me at SobbingOnFifth@gmail.com and share them! Include your first name, if I love it I will feature it next month and give you credit!


1.) Keep That Blowout Perfect for Days
     There is almost nothing worse then waking up in the morning and forgetting how amazing your hair looked just the day before. I love getting my hair blown out but it is hardly ever worth it when it only lasts until I fall asleep. If you suffer from this dilemma as well invest in a silk pillow case or scarf to sleep on. You hair will still look perfect come morning.

2.) Natural Brows
     A great set of brows can make anyone look gorgeous. Use the side of your eyebrow pencil instead of the point. By using the side, your brows will look full and completely natural. Like broccoli in your teeth, bad brows will be the first thing people notice about you.

3.) Perfectly Applied Lipstick
     Smile while you apply your lipstick. This will give you an even application. The inside corners of your mouth should not be forgotten. If you apply lipstick without smiling it will look great.... until you're out and smile, suddenly very obvious!
 
4.) Extend the Life of Your Perfume 
     I love perfume and I am willing to shell out the money for a quality one, but I want to get the bang for my buck. (But don't bring this up with our mother. Astor and I thought it would make us smell nice to dump our Mother's entire 30oz Chanel No.5 perfume in a bubble bath when we were little.) Anyway, dab some petroleum jelly onto pulse points before you spray your perfume on. Perfume evaporates faster on dry skin. The small amount of petroleum jelly will keep the scent all day.


5.) Fruit Skin Scrubber
     Knees, elbows or heels looking a bit dry? This will have you smooth in minutes. Cut a lemon, grapefruit or orange in half. Squeeze out the juice into a glass and feel free to drink it, although I wouldn't do it if you're using a lemon! Now take the fruit and rub it over dry areas of your body to slough off that dead skin. 

Perfectly Glosses Kisses,

Sutton

Cheap Monday SS13 Collection

I’ve known about Cheap Monday for years, duh. But I think it was a multi-brand sample sale that I was telekinetically pulled into in an unmarked Soho studio that it really hit me. I looked down at my armload of clothes as I headed into the dressing room cattle pen and realized that they were all Cheap Monday. Of all the brands there, everything I picked, without looking, was Cheap Monday. It was the ultimate blind taste test. You see, Cheap Monday’s stuff was the coolest, most different and most wearable – yet the most affordable. It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship. It’s not monogamous, though, I’m not so selfish that I expect Cheap Monday to be true to only me. I think you guys should all date it. 

The reason I bring this love affair up now is that spring is finally here – I know, it certainly doesn’t feel like it, but I can no longer afford to pay the meteorologist to work his magic and raise the temperature, so deal – and coincidentally, Cheap Monday’s spring collection is, well, awesome.

It’s inspired by anomalies. Cheap Monday cites the need that humans have to divide the environment into categories in order to understand it, like day or night, sick or healthy – that helps us wrap our heads around things and feel like everything is in order. (You guys are deep, Cheap Monday.) But then there are the things that can’t be categorized, that live in the in-between. Like the whole idea of androgyny, which is a perfect example of how anomalies are usually the most interesting. Or, the idea of outer space, which really caught Cheap Monday’s mood and left us with one cool collection that focuses on the future with a vintage spin, the unique with a laid-back vibe. Colors exist between brights and pastels. Fabrics are sheer and sometimes coated. Stitching is sporty. There’s mesh, thrift store-esque denim – it’s what downtown girls would know they were just about to obsess over and wear if they could see the future.

Conveniently, you can snag Cheap Monday at one of our favorite sites, Need Supply. Which is where I'll be getting this perfect-for-everyday-literally dress:

You can also find the line at ShopBop, OAK, and Piperlime, to name a few.

Handbags and Hugs, 

Astor

Highlight Your Cheek Bones

Do you have naturally high, defined cheek bones? Well then I don't like you anymore. Okay fine... I guess I can't hate you for your natural beauty! For those of us who could use a little help, I have the answer. You will be looking like a model in no time!

First start with your blush- I do not recommend you use the bright red like I drew on this picture of course! While the 'model' in this template (which I got from the Mac website) does not look happy you should smile while applying your blush. When smiling you will see the natural apples of your cheeks, apply blush right there.

Now time to highlight. You can you a powder (with a brush) or cream highlighter (with your fingers). Apply the highlighter in a "C" shape starting at your brow bone and ending under your eye.

Lastly, time to get your skin glowing with some bronzer. For this step you can look as unhappy as the face above, go ahead and purse your lips for this step. Just under your natural cheek bones use a bronzer to create a more defined hollow in your cheek.

Voila, instant supermodel bone structure. You're welcome for the thousands of dollars I just saved you in plastic surgery.

Perfectly Glossed Kisses,

Sutton

SOF Favorite SS13 Ad Campaigns

We don’t talk about fashion marketing campaigns or what our favorite photographer, stylist, fashion marketing agency, etc. is very often. It’s not our niche and we leave it up to the pros – like how The Cut highlights the month’s most memorable fashion editorials, for better or worse, or how sites like Fashionista and Racked post on particularly wow-factor ads. For the most part, personally, I use my favorite ads from magazines to put on my physical, IRL Pinterest board that hangs over my bed. But lately, I’ve noticed that a few are actually affecting my shopping habits, like: 

 This Dior Lady Dior Spring 2013 campaign with Marion Cotillard. What she’s wearing isn’t even my style per se, but something about it makes me want to be wearing every last piece – she just looks perfect, and effortlessly so.

 This Osklen campaign. Nothing crazy, but this works in perfect timing for me and my recent I-want-to-be-in-Venice-Beach phase. I want to be standing right where that model’s standing, wearing that dress.

 This Louis Vuitton campaign. The whole two-tone, mod trend sprung up on me. I didn’t even know I liked it and now I’m obsessed. This ad sums it up – it’s so chic and saturated with color. So sharp and retro yet fresh.

Handbags and Hugs,

Astor

What We're Wearing

I know that I have told you how much winter dries out my skin but I will tell you yet again, my skin is so dry! I am a tiny bit of a germaphobe and wash my hands about a thousand times a day, what can I say I love New York City but it can be a bit dirty. With that said I refuse to wash my hands and not apply some moisturizer. LeCouvent des Minimes makes the Gardener’s Hand Healer, I always keep a tube in my bag. It is a miracle worker: dry, cracked hands instantly transform into soft, smooth hands. 

Perfectly Glossed Kisses,

Sutton

When I saw this Tibi vinyl skirt at a sample sale for $100, I felt the warmth of light from heaven shining down on me. I heard angels singing. I felt the intergalactic power surge of Tilda Swinton. I'd been wanting the $700 skirt for quite some time, but never bit the bullet because, well, it didn't seem the mooost practical. But for $100? Done. It can make any outfit absolutely amazing. I felt like I was wearing a car interior in the most incredibly chic way. I will warn you, though, if you should happen to come across this skirt, too: you can't reeeally go up stairs. Well, you can, but...slowly. It could also be that it's a little longer on my smurf proportions - but I like the midi length, I think with these Marni pumps it takes on a retro vibe.

Handbags and Hugs,

Astor

Scoring Fast Fashion on ClothingLoves.Net

We’ve talked before about faking a high end look without knocking it off. You know, like not spending $7,000 on a Pucci neon fur coat, but also not buying a $50 that says “Fucci” on the label. Well, there are a whole crop of sites popping up that define fast fashion, and you should have them bookmarked so you can scoop really on-trend pieces at shockingly low prices without actually getting something totally bad-taste generic. A lot of these sites are in Asia, so be prepared for some translation-centric “huh?”s and slightly longer shipping times, but if you pick your site carefully (because a lot of them are straight-up knock-offs) you can find some seriously affordable trend statement pieces. Like Clothing Loves (which ships faster with dropship from China). Clothing Loves is becoming a favorite fast fashion bookmark of mine because man, is it cheap. And they’re not setting out to legitimately copy any designer pieces. They’re just working some trends. Whether your style is lovely ladylike or directionally downtown, they have you covered. Even just searching for white chiffon dresses, there are prettier than pretty ethereal ones (Sutton’s picked one) and even some hard-hitting rock-girl ones (and yes, I’ve picked one). And because their jewelry is wholesale jewelry – which you’ll mostly come across on these sites – it’s hella cheap. And hella cute. Super fad-tastic, so not the kind of stuff you’d want to pay an arm and leg for – perfect! So bookmark, and hit it up when you see a street style shot you’re dying to copy on a low, low budget.

Handbags and Hugs,

Astor

Take Care of Your Makeup Brushes: Brush Guard

I have already told you about how long you can keep makeup. But what about brushes? Of course you don't need to go and purchase new brushes every few weeks but they won't last long... unless you clean them! Full of germs, grime, oil and dirt they can get really nasty. I the Brush Guard cleaning kit to keep my makeup brushes in tip top shape. This kit includes everything you need!

First wet your makeup brush completely and put a few drops of the shampoo into the washing cup. The bottom of this cup has tiny little nubs on it so you can gently rub the bristles against the surface to really lather it up.

Now rinse your brush under running water until all of the shampoo is completely gone.

Blot the excess water off of your brush with the blotting cloth and remove as much water as you can.

Finally, just slide on the brush guards about a quarter of an inch past the end of the brush's bristles. Now you just need to dry your brushes, place them upside down in the drying vase. Once dry, remove the guard and fluff your brush! Clean, dry and perfectly shaped.

Remember, you should always keep your brushes in the brush guards when you are not using them.

Perfectly Glossed Kisses,

Sutton

Normal People are Street Style Stars, Too, Volume III

More street style inspiration made a shopping reality! I swooned for this look during the spring couture shows in Paris. Everyone was wearing that Tibi skirt, a ladylike look updated with a high-voltage hue. It's perfect for spring, especially since you don't even have to wear that jacket, you can just do as the editors do and drape it over your shoulders.

Get a gray biker jacket, perfect for your shoulder hooks, at Nordstrom for $69:

 

For the top, you can either go the structured route with this origami top for $62 at Asos:

Or you can do a color-pop tee like this one from Mango for $40:

You can find the skirt for just $60 at Asos:

For a statement sparkler (aka rhinestone necklace), try this one for $40 at Topshop:

And you can finish the deal with neon pumps, for just $30 at Target:

Handbags and Hugs,

Astor