While this is somewhat of a departure from my typical style (too demure just doesn't work on me), I have to admit, this dress stopped me in my tracks when I spotted it at Saks. In the sale section. Yes. In the sale section. My first assumption was that it was misplaced and that I should keep walking. Until I saw the redline price (with an additional 30% off on top of that for just the weekend). And before I knew it, I was trying it on and telling my life story to the sales associate.
It's my first (and likely only for now) Dior piece, and if you read my thoughts on the classics here, you know I've been looking to streamline my wardrobe as of late, only buying pieces that truly excite me and have staying power. What drew me initially to this dress was the color (perfect for spring weddings and Easter gatherings coming up), but what hooked me was the subtle architecture of it -- essentially classic, turned slightly on its head. It's a staple spring dress that still makes a statement.
As far as it being too demure? Well that's not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, it's fun to channel your inner ladies who brunch but I can also picture this working well with a leather jacket and strappy heels. Uptown meets downtown.
What pieces in your wardrobe really excite you? Would love to hear!
I don't know about you, but this weekend is a welcome sight (especially after tackling my taxes earlier this week)! At first, I was a bit disappointed I wouldn't be trekking down for Coachella but I'm actually really looking forward to spending a few days relaxing at home, getting caught up on some reading and heading out for a few day hikes around Marin.
This is another dress I scooped up in Australia earlier last year and have been itching to wear for one of our first warmer days of the season. The back is just too good, right?
And in the spirit of spring weather, let's celebrate the season together! Join me at the Emporio Armani store (1 Grant Avenue) tonight for a little shopping and styling fun! We'll be hanging out from 6:30 to 8:30, sipping cocktails, listening to some tunes and trying on far too many pairs of shoes (I have my eye on this pair). Make sure to RSVP to emporioarmani@luckymag.com -- hope to see you there!
Ever since a young age, I've loved antique stores. My mom used to take my sister and I with her when she went antique shopping around town and rest assured -- Reno is full of antique stores. I remember spending hours poking around old treasures and curiosities -- hats, books, furniture -- trying to picture just how those pieces came to be there. Where they came from, who owned them before, what they'd see next. It was a wild guessing game and one that I love to this day.
While I don't make it to antique shops quite as often as I'd like, I do pop over to the Alameda Flea Market about once a month. For anyone who's ever wondered where I got this bar cart, these antlers or an unhealthy amount of frames for my gallery wall, now you know. If you're planning on going, I highly recommend starting early (7 am or so), make a short list of things to look for (it'll keep you focused) and leave your man friend at home (I've made this mistake before -- they just end up sunburnt and really annoyed with you).
Here are a few snaps from my visit yesterday...enjoy!
On an unrelated note, for all my SF friends, I'd love to see you tomorrow night for a little shindig I'm hosting with the Emporio Armani and Lucky Magazine teams. Join us at the Emporio Armani store at 1 Grant Avenue downtown from 6:30-8:30pm for drinks, tunes, photo booth antics and, of course, shopping! Send your RSVP to emporioarmani@luckymag.com. Hope to see you there!
The last (and certainly not uneventful) leg of our journey brought us to Vegas -- for all of 12 hours. And apparently, you can accomplish quite a bit in 12 hours, namely: 1.) acquire a lovely hangover 2.) play far too many slots and 3.) eat your own weight in carbs.
All in all, I'd say it was a pretty successful trip! Just joining now? You can catch part 1 here and part 2 here.
Hey SF friends! Mark your calendars! I'm thrilled to be partnering with the Emporio Armani and Lucky Magazine teams to celebrate the Armani spring collection. As a long time fan of this iconic design power house, I couldn't think of a better way to ring in the season. Care to celebrate with me? I'd love to hang, meet and shop with you! Join me next Tuesday, April 8 from 6:30-8:30pm at the Emporio Armani store downtown (1 Grant Avenue in SF).
Make sure to RSVP here and you'll be entered to win one of my favorite Emporio Armani's spring looks. Hope to see you there!
Perhaps it's the Nevadan in me, but something about the desert will always feel like home. It could be the dry heat, or the clear, star-filled night skies but really, I think it's the blazing pink and orange sunsets that linger for a good half hour after the sun has slipped away that just get me every time. August sunsets were always the best, too. Literally, the sky would look as if it had set itself on fire, burning into the night. While I love my city by the bay, I certainly have a soft spot for the open desert. It's desolate and majestic, all at the same time.
And I couldn't think of a better way to describe the Grand Canyon: desolate and majestic, austere and yet so regal. All formed by a river! Millions of years ago! Lately, I've been all about trying to keep things in perspective, which I think is an easy thing to say and a much harder thing to do -- but standing out on a jagged vista ledge here at the Grand Canyon did just that for me.
Continue reading for the second leg of our journey...
I absolutely love road trips. The open highway. Windows rolled down. Best friends in the back seat and your favorite songs blasting. Growing up in Nevada, our summers never truly started until road trips were in full swing. We'd pack up the car for Fourth of Julys at Lake Tahoe, spring breaks down in San Diego and unmentionable debauchery in Las Vegas (it stays there after all!) and relished every mile of it. Truth be told, it's one of the biggest reasons I love the west coast so much -- our open, sprawling highways that lend themselves so well to, for lack of a better word, drifting.
As I mentioned last week, a few of my closest girlfriends and I packed up our trusty steed and headed into the great southwest to do just that -- drift -- with our eyes set on the Grand Canyon. As someone who runs a pretty manic work schedule, I can't tell you how excited I was to have my main decisions for a few days revolve around: 1.) when we should refill the gas tank 2.) where we should pull off to watch the sunset and 3.) what mom & pop diners we should stop off at to eat...
Continue reading the first leg of our journey...
A bucket list moment for all four of us: staying at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo. Trust me when I say, we didn't want to leave!
Although it seems like forever ago now, this is one of the dresses I picked up while we were bouncing around New Zealand and Australia late last year. It's admittedly a very spring-time dress so I've been patiently, or rather impatiently, waiting for our temps to warm up a bit to debut it.
Just a few things I packed up (or wished I packed up) for our trip this weekend. We're leaving California state lines today to make our way east over to Arizona. About 10 hours of driving ahead of us. I'm expecting our juice supply to come in handy, which will help offset the road side diners I'm sure we'll pop into.
One of my resolutions for this upcoming year was to travel more. And while I definitely have my sights set on a few distant and foreign destinations for the coming months (more on those later!), I'm personally really excited to explore the States more than I ever have before.
As you're reading this, I'll already be driving south on the 101 with a few of my close girlfriends, Heather, Natalie and Alicia for a little girls' road trip to the Grand Canyon. If you're like me and grew up on the West Coast, your parents probably took you to the Grand Canyon at some point between the ages of 6-8. You know, just old enough to stay relatively calm during a long car ride but too young to really appreciate the view (and secretly wish you were at Disneyland instead).
I often get asked how I balance blogging and working full time. The short answer? I don't manage it very well. Between early morning wake up calls for meetings and long commute times in the evenings, fitting in outfit shots, editing photos and even managing to look semi-presentable (let alone photo-worthy), gets hard when you work full time. I'm probably preaching to the choir when I say this, but sleep is usually the first thing to go.
What's saved me over the years though (aside from lots of coffee), is: 1.) a patient boyfriend who doesn't mind taking outfit shots on the weekends and 2.) a go-to, no brainer routine. In our apartment, most mornings are pretty manic (read: we're both rushing around, checking email on our phones and making to-go breakfasts all while brushing our teeth usually). What gets me out the door on time? Short cuts. Let me explain...
When it comes to getting my outfit ready for most days, I tend to literally walk into my closet and grab the first thing that I get excited about. Sometimes it's a new piece (like this Isabel Marant jacket I scored from The RealReal) and sometimes it's an old favorite that the works wonders with a little blazer and heels. For work, more often than not, I'm usually in some combination of cropped skinny jeans, a silky or slouchy blouse, a statement jacket and nude heels. It's put together but still comfortable for my more casual work environment.
I always wash my hair in the evenings, never in the mornings. For gals with thick hair, you feel my pain. Drying time = a major time suck and generally, my hair will look super frizzy if I blow dry it and try to curl it without letting it relax first. Plus, washing it the night before and sleeping on it gives me a little extra wave (I like to call it bedhead wave) which cuts my curl time down. These days, I've been all about wrapping my hair around my curling iron instead of clamping -- more to come on this soon. I'm working on a tutorial now. In general though, I will do my hair first, before my makeup, to give it a bit of time to settle and relax.
Lots and lots of hairspray and finger combing.
As for makeup, for those of you who tuned in last week, I shared my recent beauty favorites here. What I constantly look for my makeup routine are products that last me throughout the day and require minimal to no touch ups. Since I'm often away from my apartment for close to 12 hours on any given work day, it's important to me to have lasting beauty staples that keep me feeling fresh-faced and natural-looking all day. I've introduced TEMPTU to you guys before (remember this video?) and am officially now hooked on not only how easy it is to apply (2-3 minutes max for foundation, blush and highlighter) but how flawless it looks, even after multiple meetings, presentations and a couple of shuttle rides. It goes the extra mile and stays put and I couldn't ask for more.
Practice makes perfect!
As for accessories, I'm getting my routine pretty fine tuned here as well. Gold rings. Gold necklaces and a few gold bracelets. Have I mentioned I like gold jewelry? 😉 And I'm out the door! What does your morning routine look like?
Har details: Conair curling iron 1/2" and lots of TRESemme hairspray
This post is sponsored by TEMPTU. As always, all opinions and styling are my own. Thank you for supporting posts that keep This Time Tomorrow's doors open.
If we were all about those ankle strap sandals last year (especially the tan and black ones from Zara), then I predict this to be the season of the mule. Typically, this wouldn't be a silhouette I would try out for myself -- as I think it would cut me off awkwardly -- but I'm tempted to try out the Topshop pair above for a test drive so to speak.
Beauty has always been a bit of a daunting subject for me. Admittedly, I've never really been one of those girls who experimented with eye shadow growing up, eyebrow shaping has only really been part of my normal routine for the past recent couple of years (I know, shame on me!) and I'm pretty lost when it comes to the whole lining the inner part of my eye and thereby temporarily blinding myself for the day. BUT. This doesn't mean I don't admire those who have mastered it. And in fact, it's something I'm trying to push myself to try out more. After all, why not?
As far as most mornings go though -- my routine has to be pretty edited. Around 10-15 minutes to be exact. I'm always in a rush first thing in the morning because I never want to get out of bed! Maybe I should have selected a less comfortable mattress from this mattress review website. Since my morning commute to work can take close to 2 hours, I rely heavily on a rotation of reliable, go-to products that a.) get me out the door quickly and b.) last me throughout the day, with minimal touch ups.
It's been a while since I've shared a roundup of my favorite beauty products, so I wanted to introduce them here -- some old and some new...
For my face:
Stila beauty balm: A great base before my makeup (and I wear it alone on the weekends).
TEMPTU airbrush system (with foundation, blush and highlighter pods here): Hands down, one of the most flawless and natural looking finishes I've tried when it comes to my foundation routine. Plus, it takes all of 2-3 minutes to apply. #Hooked. (In case you didn't catch it earlier, check out my tutorial here.) If you want to try it out for yourself, TEMPTU is offering a 25% discount to my readers! Just enter the code "KRYSTAL25" at checkout.
Benefit pore-reducing cream: This one is relatively new to me -- I'm not convinced my pores look any smaller, but it's a great primer nonetheless.
NARS smudge proof eyeshadow primer // NARS eye shadow "Cyprus": When it comes to branching out makeup-wise, eye shadow is something I'm easing myself into. Luckily, my NARS obsession helped relieve any concerns here, especially this smudge proof primer. Creases by 6pm? Not a chance!
Givenchy mascara: A bit pricey, but the applicator wand is pretty worth it (really thickens your eyelashes). Sometimes, I'll just use the wand after I have my Lash Domination applied.
NARS shadow pencil "Aigle Noir": I know most people say to use a dark brown eye liner for day use to "soften the look." I tend to wear black for everyday use (subtly of course), as I think it stands out better against my darker features. I love how this pencil is easy to smudge and blend with just my fingertips.
Stila balm lipstick in "Ruby": The Stila team surprised me with this lip color while I was in New York a few weeks back. I love collecting red lipsticks. Can never have too many in my opinion.
NARS satin lip pencil in "Rikugien", "Luxembourg" and "Hyde Park": The perfect trifecta of lip colors. And so easy for everyday wear.
What are your morning routine favorites?
This post is sponsored by TEMPTU. As always, all opinions and styling are my own. Thank you for supporting posts that keep This Time Tomorrow's doors open.
1. Huge thanks to everyone who came out to the bebe event last night! Had to snap my little stripe on stripe ensemble for the evening. // 2. Something about this photo from our day trip to Santa Cruz screams Saved by the Bell to me. And I dig it. // 3. Ready, set, GO! Feeling a good travel itch coming on. Where shall I go next?! // 4. Filming a little makeup tutorial for Temptu with the awesome, Alex Grant. // 5. In honor of our NYC Broadway tradition, Heather and I caught the one and only, SJP, in The Commons of Pensacola. // 6. My new desk digs. // 7. Discovering a new favorite decor haunt in SF, Coup d'etat. // 8. My jewelry game as of late (I wasn't lying when I said I loved gold in this post!). // 9. Elvis surprised me with a rose on Valentine's Day. Not pictured? Him eating the flower shortly after this photo was taken. // 10. Serious shoe envy at the alice + olivia presentation in New York. // 11. The view at work. #NotBad // 12. Making tough decisions at the Everlane studio -- eenie, meenie, miney, mo...
Just a few snaps from our mini-getaway this past weekend. Who knew Elvis would love to paddle board so much?
And in the spirit of kicking off another weekend (albeit a few days early, but who's counting?), I'll be hosting a little spring collection launch at bebe this Thursday at Westfield Mall in San Francisco, from 6-8 pm. Hope to see you guys there!
Sometimes, all you need is a reset button. And the last few weeks have been non-stop to say the least. This past weekend, I escaped the city with my guy and pup for a quick retreat up at Lake Tahoe. Having practically grown up in the area, I fully realize now how much I took that place for granted (man, I miss it!). The fresh mountain air, early morning hikes, lake side reading and binge watching all the Oscar nominated films late into the night -- precisely what the doctor ordered.
I always look forward to the J.Crew presentation and this year was no exception. The fur scarves and clutches. The drop waist flared dresses. And don't get me started on the Sophia Webster shoe collaboration. Too good.
Rapunzel. Cinderella. Snow White. And those ruby red slippers! Oh my! All of the whimsical details at the alice + olivia presentation were just too good. Definitely a favorite.
I've stalked this dress pretty much from the moment I flipped through Katie Ermilio's Spring 2013 lookbook. So when it popped up on The RealReal brand new with tags, at about 75% off the retail asking price, I couldn't say no. Let's just say it was a birthday present to myself.
Lately, I find myself reaching for jewelry pieces that I can wear day after day. The more simple and easier to layer with each other, the better. And after meeting Jennifer Zeuner for a hot second at NYFW, I have to say my obsession has taken itself to a whole new level. Not only was she incredibly humble and sweet, but her accessory game was unreal (I would expect no less after all).
Here are a few of my favorites lately...all of which you can snag as part of Shopbop's site-wide sale. Just enter "BigEvent14" at checkout.
Just a few of my favorites from the Trina Turk presentation. Clearly, I favored the fellas in this collection (slightly reminiscent of a certain Chuck Bass, no?). Either way, the layering and print mixing was too fun to pass up. And I never thought I would say this, but sign me up for a newsie cap!
New York just has a magic way of bringing people together. And I love it.
Case in point: while in between shows at Lincoln Center, I ducked into a nearby Starbucks to 1.) search high and low for an outlet to charge my phone at and 2.) ease the frostbite. As I patiently waited with my fellow low-battery folks, I started chatting with a sweet girl about a new luxury shoe designer she was working with, Henri Lepore Dezert. Being the sucker that I am for shoes, I cleared my afternoon to check out the debut collection at the Viceroy Hotel nearby.
I'm so glad I did. The shoes, all Italian leather, made in Milan, are equal parts classic and fresh (something I find myself reaching for more often than my quirky, statement shoes to be honest). And Henri and his wife were a dream to hang out with for the afternoon. What was originally supposed to be a quick drop in turned into several hours of chatting over wine, admiring the view from the penthouse suite and swooning over beautiful shoes. I love unexpected and unplanned afternoons like that.
Huge thanks again to the Henri Lepore Dezert team for having this cold, weary traveler for the afternoon. I had a lovely time and am definitely your latest biggest fan.
