Be Bold

Lip Color (noun): a disguise for lazy days; an easy way to look put together

I've never been one to shy away from bold beauty trends (Kool-Aid hair dye, anyone?). During my teen years, colorful eyeliner was my expressive makeup of choice. Not only were eye pencils pretty affordable—there were a lot of great options at my local drugstores for as little as $.99—they were highly pigmented and felt a little rebellious. I was frequently known to wear as many as three colors blended together at once, but I rarely ventured into lip color outside of the occasional candy-colored (& often similarly-scented) gloss. College brought out the "adult" in me, intermittently experimenting with a bubblegum pink or bright red lipstick, usually for a party or Greek life function (also known as more parties). 

Starting a job in the "real world" brought another shift, once I realized lip color is an easy addition in the morning to make me look more put together, as opposed to reserved for dress-up functions only. I've since toned down my eyeliner game quite a bit; lip color is a lot easier to wipe off before you sweat it out at the gym than eye makeup (hello, raccoon eyes!).

My latest lip crush is the Lip Elixir line from Maybelline. They're highly pigmented and come in tubes that look like a lipstick, but they're actually a gloss! I'm usually pretty hesitant about glosses and opt for a matte lip color instead, but in the winter it's just too damn dry for anything matte! These glosses pack a surprising amount of moisture that doesn't dry out or fade—I often re-apply lip color several times a day, but I only find myself reaching for another coat once or twice a day with these babies. I just might be a lip-gloss convert. 

#TBT to my teenage years, right?

Wearing: Maybelline Lip Elixir in Raspberry Rhapsody, Signature Scarlet and Floral Fuchsia 

Jewelry: Capwell & Co bracelet c/o, Sequin NYC necklaces

Disclosure: I received a sample of Lip Elixir glosses from Maybelline & Refinery29. The opinions expressed here are my own; thanks for supporting the brands that make Blonde in this City possible!

Words to Live By

I've made allusions to changes in my life over the last several weeks, and I suppose it's time I share with you that the biggest was leaving my job of nearly two years for a new company. Because of the industry I work in and nature of online media these days, I don't believe in divulging much about my work life no matter if it's good or bad, but I will say that I'd grown complacent and it was time for a new challenge. It was also a surprisingly hard decision for me to make (much harder than my decision to move to NYC, which you now know was really somewhat impulsive, unless you count leaving behind my baby). 

The funny thing is, instead of overwhelming me, making a big, empowering choice has rippled throughout my life and given me (even more) confidence to forge ahead where I really want to. I feel like I'm starting to form a plan—and as someone who notoriously couldn't plan further than a week in advance for years, that's a big friggin' deal. My 25th birthday is rapidly approaching (I know, I know-that's not that old to some of you, but in my defense I'll have been out of college for more than four years by the time it hits!) and I need some direction. Instead of doing things like fantasizing about a trip to Europe or an apartment with a bedroom bigger than a walk-in closet, I want to be planning a trip to Europe and moving (minus the fees, please) to a bigger apartment bedroom. Baby steps, right? I've never been one to shy away from my responsibilities or act irresponsibly, so I thankfully don't have mistakes I need to truly own going forward—and I'm not saying I haven't made mistakes, just that I'm quite content owning them already—but I plan on being around for a while and it's time to make things happen. Unfortunately, shoe collection, that means you're going to stay stagnate for a while so I can act a little more like the adult I am.*

The things I want aren't going to come easy, but #NoPressureNoDiamonds.

*Ed. note: Since I am an adult, dinner was chips, guac & caramel Hershey's kisses while I wrote this.
Followed by hot chocolate. Baby steps, right?

*image via

Not For Sale

 Thanks to a friend of mine investing in a leather jacket recently, I spent a lot of time both in the All Saints store and browsing online...which is how I discovered this tank, part of their Not For Sale campaign to support anti-human trafficking efforts. Not only do part of the proceeds support an excellent cause, I love the DIY-collage effect, which taps into my punk-kid roots (remember my plaid pants story? Yeah, that went even further). All this outfit is lacking are some pink or blue streaks in my hair—I bet you don't miss that, mom!

Jacket (similar) || All Saints Tank || Express Pants || Jeffrey Campbell Boots

Ray-Ban Sunglasses || Francesca's Collection Crossbody || Into the Night OPI Nail Polish

Photos: Jessica Sturdy

Weekend Reading

Wow, it's been an embarrassingly long time since I've done a link-love style post! I suppose I think they're so easy to do that I'll do it the night before/morning I want the post up, but somehow that never seems to happen (except this morning, thank you Sunday!). It's also tough because I prep a lot of my posts for the upcoming week over the weekend, but I never know what's going to catch my eye or happen in my life for a link love/Friday post. I've been telling myself for weeks that I'm going to spend that next weekend relaxing, getting things done around my apartment and doing some serious (blog) work...but that never seems to happen. I'm far too easily sidetracked by day trips to the Hamptons or upstate, brunches, coffee (lots) and the chance to wander the streets of NYC while it's still nice out. Oh, and let's not forget the puppies! Scout's honor (although I'm not a scout, so I don't think that holds weight here) I'm working on consistency. We all know it's not my forte.

Overwhelmed by the response this post has received from friends all over the country-if you want to see more writing like this, please let me know in the comments!

A delicious-sounding recipe for salt and honey pie.

Adding this chunky knit to my collection for winter.

Love this great list of bars that NYC's bartenders like to drink at. (A few of my favorites are on there-Amor y Amargo and Lantern's Keep!)

Have you seen Real-Life Instagram yet? Definitely a good laugh.

Bookmarking Lulu & Georgia's gift page for the holidays!

I know Dia de Muertos is over, but I still want some of these beautiful cookies from Dean & DeLuca.

Now's the perfect time to stock up on gardening supplies for next year-like this bright yellow watering can (so fun!).

Alpaca wool & silk throw, perfect for all the nights I won't want to leave my couch this winter.

What to do with all those apples from the orchard.

Great tips for removing stains from just about anything (coming to you from the queen of I-spill-on-everything).

Getting my sweet tooth fix with this baked donuts recipe.

Recently saw that Victoria & Grace have signed up for French lessons-I studied it for 10 years but am a little out of practice. Checking out classes in NYC here!

*image copyright Rose Mayo/Blonde in this City