Simply Summer

Last week I cashed in my beauty points on Sephora.com for this lovely sample set by bare minerals. The set is called Beauty and the Beach and it includes 5 pieces for a summer look. The set included marvelous moxie lip gloss in party starter, ready bronzer in the skinny dip, bare minerals ready blush in the natural high, all over face color in pure radiance and a sample of their lash domination mascara . So here is my take on the set: Here it is ladies! Marvelous Moxie lipgloss in Party Starter- this is a darker, coral and peach color. It was very sticky but it lasted for a few hours. It matched the blush perfectly. Ready Blush in The Natural High : This blush is a nice peachy pink color, it looks really shimmery in the package but looks more matte when applied. I loved that the color matched the gloss! Ready Bronzer in The Skinny Dip- I used this to contour and sculpt my face and it turned out beautiful. It matched my skin tone very nicely. Its very similar to t...

By request, here is my very first beauty product review. This lovely brush set is the Teddy Bear Hair Brush Set by Too Faced Cosmetics, $65 on sephora.com. I've always been a fan of Too Faced, there products are great and I love how they package and market their products. So of course I was very excited to receive this brush set. This set comes with 5 makeup brushes and a bag to carry them. I love tge bag, I see myself using it for something else; i dont like tge idea of makeup brushes being loose in a bag. The set includes a large powder brush and 4 brushes for the eyes, contour, blender, all over shadow and liner. The brushes as expected, are super soft. They really feel like a soft teddy bear! I also loved that they printed the name of the brush on the handle, so you could always know what each brush is for. So after using the brushes to apply my makeup here are my thoughts: Powder Brush: This is my new favorite big brush! I don't wear powder but I used it f...

As much as I love fashion and clothes, beauty products are my one true loves. There's not much that I love more than trying a new beauty product. I have literally spent my whole paychecks at sephora or ultra. And Ive been known to spend all day on sephora.com. I am really and truly obsessed with beauty. With that being said, here are the products I'm loving this month.  Glam Glow Super Clearing Mud Mask- This is the holy grail of all face masks. As the label promised, all blackheads and breakouts magically disappeared. My pours also appeared smaller and I noticed a huge difference the next day when I applied my makeup, it went on much smoother.  Hourglass Ambient Glow Palette- I have yet to own this gorgeous palette but after sampling it, its definitely on my wish list. I applied it as a highlighter one morning and later that night it was still on. My husband said it made my iskin glow in dim lighting! I've never tried any other products from hourg...

Color Blocking by summeredmonds featuring a leather  purse Whether its mixing classic black and white or mixing two colors you would never wear together, color blocking is a fun way to make your outfit stand out. I love pairing a brighter top with a darker color for the bottom. There are also so many fun colorful accessories to try out this trend. I like having a solid colored outfit with multicolored accessories to add some fun to an otherwise boring look. Do you color block?  What are your thoughts on color blocking?

I live in a house with 3 men, so trust me when I say that I know what men like. Women don't give men enough credit. They are a very intelligent, complicated, and emotional species. So long gone are the days of buying fishing lures, golf clubs or ties for father's day. The modern dad is more confident and cool. Clueless on what to buy your father, grandfather or husband for father's day? Here are some sugggestions that are dad approved. Sneakers- Whether they actually play sports are not, men love a good pair of sneakers. They are comfy and go with man's favorite clothing item: jeans. My pick is the Nike Cortez nm. This pair is classic but can also be customized so you can buy them in dad's favorite colors! Check them out here Leather Jacket - Dad doesn't have to be a biker to sport this modern yet classic look. Leather jackets always have and always will be in style for men. My favorite is this leather jacket from Affliction. I love the tailored slim...

This is my second list for my top beauty hacks. I have tried all of these and they are totally foolproof and super simple for anyone to try. A lot of these you probably have already heard of and these or tried them, and I am sure some of these are new to you. All of these tips are super simple and the items listed you probably already have.  Make pimples disappear with peroxide.  The main active ingredient in most acne medications is peroxide. Dab some on a cotton ball and hold on your pimple for 30 seconds before bedtime, repeat the next morning and it soon will disappear. Rub deodorant on bikini zone.  This may sound odd but after shaving your bikini zone, rub deodorant on the spot and no razor bumps will appear. This also prevents ingrown hairs. Use Vaseline to make your perfume last longer.  There are certain 'pulse points' on our body that stay warmer than other places. These spots are great to use this trick. Put a little Vaselin...

I have compiled a list for the top beauty hacks. I have tried all of these and they are foolproof and super simple for anyone to try. A lot of these you probably have already heard of these or tried them , and I am sure some of these are new to you. All of these tips are super simple and the items used are common house hold items you probably already have. Make eye hashes longer by heating eyelash curler with hair dryer.  This is number one for a reason, i've been doing this everyday for years. I do not recommend for you to doing this everyday, it may damage your lashes but I do recommend using it for special occasions. It's very simple, after applying your mascara, turn your hairdryer on and blow it on your eyelash curler for about 5 seconds(do not over heat or it will burn your eyelid!) then curl lashes as usual and voila! longer lashes! Dip eye shadow brush in eye drops to make eyeshadow pop.  This is another hack I use on a daily basis, and it ...

unconventional jewelry by summeredmonds featuring gold jewelry Ear cuffs, arm cuffs, harem bracelets and midi rings are my favorite jewelry looks right now. Unconventional jewelry can draw the eye to places of the body that go unnoticed. Ear cuffs bring more attention to the neck, arm cuffs draw the eye to the upper body, harem bracelets and midi ring brings attention to your nails. Free people and Top Shop have a great selection of these jewelry items. I'm putting the ear cuff above by Free People on my wish list. Which type of unconventional jewelry is your favorite?

This is my first post on what's in my bag!? This bag is fairly new, i've had it less than a month. It's by Liz Claiborne, I love snakeskin prints and I really love the bright orange for spring. It's a medium size bag so it holds all of my stuff perfectly. Hope you enjoy this post! xo And here it is ladies and gents, the contents of my purse. This is my lovely wallet that my husband bought me a few years ago(he has such good taste). It's by Kenneth Cole Reaction. I love it because it has a lot of storage compartments. I don't like to switch out wallets when I change purses so I love the solid black leather because it goes with everything. I also keep my buisness cards in my bag just in case I might need to give one to somebody. These are my sunglasses, they are from New York and Company. I carry lotion with me whereever I go because my hands always get really dry after I wash them. I also carry this Daisy Eau So Fresh by Marc Jacobs r...

As a fashion consultant, my job is to help people learn how to dress for their body type and what looks best on them. But, we all have our own signature style that comes through. Some of us know what our signature look is at a young age and some develop it later in life. Here are some tips to help you find your signature look. Accentuate your best assets . What is your favorite feature of your body? It can be long legs, flat stomach, muscular arms, nice booty or even your boobs! What ever it is, dress to show it off. One of my personal motto's is, if you've got it flaunt it! Figure out your signature accessory . About 10 years ago I started wearing big earrings to make my ears look smaller. So my signature accessory that I always wear is big, statement earrings. Some women love pearls, so they wear either a pearl necklace, bracelet and/or earrings. If you haven't found your signature accessory yet, don't be afraid to experiment. Try on different jewelry pieces t...

Last but not least in my favorite designer series is New York designer, Marc Jacobs. No one exemplifies modern style like Marc Jacobs does. Not only does he make fabulous clothes but he has an ultra luxurious line of beauty products and fragrances. Personally, I love Marc Jacobs Daisy it is one of my all time favorite scents. He also was briefly the creative director of Louis Vuitton. Shop Marc Jacobs here . Brief bio here . Marc Jacobs by summeredmonds featuring leather shoulder handbags Here are my favorite fashion finds from Marc Jacobs. I hope you enjoyed my designer series. Let me know what you think about my favorite designers.

Every time I need a little inspiration, I get on Pinterest. I love these hot weather hairstyles that I recently discovered while pinning. I hardly ever wear my hair down in the summer, my hair is really long, thick and black so you can imagine how hot it is. So i'm always looking to try new hairstyles to sport in the summer months, these are my favorite pins for summer hair. Click on photo's for links to original website. Check out my pinterest boards and follow me here What are your favorite Pinterest inspired looks? Do you look at Pinterest for hair, makeup or fashion looks?

Next in my series of favorite fashion designers is Belgian-American designer, Diane Von Furstenberg. One of my first big fashion purchases was a black wool and silk DVF wrap dress. I've had it for 6 years now and I don't ever see myself getting rid of it. It's timeless and I love the way it hugs my curves. I always recommend that every woman should invest in a DVF wrap dress, they look good on all body types and it never goes out of style. From her shoes, bags, jewelry and dresses, she can make any woman at any age look fabulous. After all, she once was a princess married to a German prince!  Shop DVF here . Brief DVF bio here . Diane Von Furstenberg by summeredmonds featuring high heel shoes Here are my favorite fashion finds from Diane Von Furstenberg. Here is my DVF wrap dress.

Ever wonder what people notice first when they visit your blog? Most of my readers are also bloggers, so I check out their blogs if they leave a link. Here are the first things I notice when I visit a new blog: Layout:  I love a nice easy to navigate layout. Blog readers like something simple, that can lead them to several pages with ease. I also love a plain white background. When you are reading an article, nothing is distracting more than a loud, colorful background. Also, I can speak for most of us readers when I say to make your font size normal. I won't read your posts if I have to strain my eyes. Content : Chances are i'm not going to look at a blog for very long if it's based around something i'm not interested in or if the content is just like every other blog out there(lookbook photos, beauty reviews, makeup tutorials etc.).  I read quality content that's different and the writer uses their own voice.  Reader Comments:  Before I leave a comment...