what i'm loving lately!

hello readers! i've seen other bloggers/vloggers doing "june favorites" posts, and other posts of the like, so i decided i'd share with you what i'm loving lately. i know it's usually limited to clothes and/or make-up, but i want to share a few extra things. enjoy! :)

i'm currently in love with lace! it's such a pretty, girly fabric, and it's being incorporated into so many trends lately. these are my two favorite lace tops, the one on the left is from necessary clothing boutique in soho, and the right was $15 at forever 21! the light weight of the fabric makes it totally wearable for summer, even with sleeves.

pleated midi skirts are coming back! i found this one at a salvation army for under $3 :O they're a classic, flattering piece, and i think every girl should have one in her wardrobe. i've gone a bit skirt crazy, this is one of 5 or 6 that i've picked up this month!

CORAL. no matter what, this hue will always be one of my favorites to wear - whether in clothing or lipstick, it just makes a statement. M.A.C.'s creme lipstick ($14.50) in Vegas Volt (left) moisturizes and texturizes, and wears SO well. This dress, from Necessary Clothing, $22 (right) has a fun geometric print on top, and the a-line skirt hits right above the knee for a perfect summer fit.

ahhh, shoes. i have always been a shoe lover, but lately for some reason i just can't.stop.buying.them.

the floral t-strap wedges mimic the jeffrey campbells of the same style (but about $120 cheaper...). i had been searching for a pair exactly like the Mixx brand white eyelet boots for EVER, when i found this pair (ON SALE) in a little union circle boutique, i was ecstatic.

this pot of maybelline new york eyestudio gel liner was around $8, and is literally the best eyeliner i've ever owned. first of all, it has lasted forever, and it's not even half-gone. it lasts all day without a touchup - or if you're me and you don't wash off your makeup before bed occasionally, from morning until the next night. i HIGHLY recommend you go out and purchase this right now. it should be in stock anywhere maybelline is sold!

my next make-up product rave: e.l.f. Eyebrow Kit. long-wearing, the perfect shade, and easily manipulable. nothing better. and the best part? it costs three dollars. most e.l.f. products are really quality, their aim is to provide higher-end products for drugstore prices, and they have eyeshadows and brushes for $1! and it seriously does compare to the higher end brow kits (like anastasia brow, etc). go to www.eyeslipsface.com and check out their products!

instant film! i stocked up on instax, polaroid, and pack film because unfortunately my canon ae-1, my main film camera & baby, is broken and will probably be out of service for a bit of time. at least until i can rally up $120 for the repairs. 

new toys :) left: minolta super a rangefinder camera, thrifted for $20! i'm running a test roll through it right now, but the shutter seems to be working just fine, so we'll see! on the right is the polaroid automatic 100, an instant pack film camera that i have been wanting for a long time! i got this one off of ebay for about $15, now i'm just waiting for the battery to arrive in the mail!

i heard about The Civil Wars a year or so back, but only recently have i gotten a chance to sit down and listen through an entire album of theirs. i adore their sound, and their album Barton Hollow has been my soundtrack for weeks  

thanks for reading, i hope my favorites could inspire you to go out and get summer-fied! 

xoxo,

maryclaire              

p.s. a big thank you to my beautiful and lovely momma for helping with some of the above photos! she's talented, huh?! ;)          

the city that never sleeps.

the big apple. the city that never sleeps. the empire state. or as i like to refer to it, the city that holds my heart & soul. new york city is a place of excitement, diversity, exuberance, and passion. it's a place for dreamers, it's the city that makes you feel alive. being the incredibly lucky & privileged woman that i am, i got to spend 8 days exploring and carving out this city i hope to soon call "home."

i could spend this post writing on and on about the exact events and stories of what i did each day i was there, but i don't want to bore you all, or lose the magic of the memories for myself. instead i'll give you a bit of an extended overview.


while in the city, i had the pleasure of meeting up with many an internet-friend!

(from top to bottom): sandy honig, michelle pathe, jordan tiberio, monika balazy, natalie kucken, and matt holmes.

i had so much fun hanging out with these lovely people.

 i actually got to spend an entire day with michelle, and that was one of my favorite days in the city out of them all. we ate (a lot), walked, failed at thrifting, took photos, toured the met's alexander mcqueen exhibit, had starbucks (twice), laughed, talked, walked, did i say walked? it was wonderful.

one of the main reasons i went to nyc was to check out a few schools! i'm taking the next year off of college (after having completed my first year at community college) to research more and decide where i would like to end up next fall. i visited the school of visual arts and the fashion institute of technology while in the city, both of which are amazing photography schools with emphases in fashion! i still have a lot of learning and research to do, but i definitely plan on living in new york city very soon, whether or not for school.

my mother and i were there for 8 days and so we had a lot of freedom to go exploring. we:

visited times square late at night. the last time i was in new york city i was fifteen years old and don't really remember appreciating the magnificence of the square like i did this time.

had my first dunkin donuts experience!

did the touristy things - here i am in front of the plaza hotel (eloise at the plaza, anyone?)

visited sheep's lawn  (and quite a bit more of the expansive central park)

 

became public transit aficionadas (the subway system intrigued me so entirely! functional and efficient public transit is literally nonexistent in southern california)

walked fifth avenue (and i wore the right shoes this time!)

my dad was doing business in DC and he met up with us for a few days! we saw Memphis on broadway and it was one of the most incredible musicals i have ever seen! the score is amazing, i highly recommend seeing it and/or purchasing the OST.

we went a little shop-crazy in soho...but hey, how often is a california girl in the fashion capitol of the country! i budgeted for this anyway. we ended up coming home with four new pairs of shoes between my mother and me...hehe.

i tried on the Jeffrey Campbell Lita's that i have been eyeing since they came out, but the guy at the shoe store told me that they are coming out with 17 new colors for fall in august and so i decided to wait until then to empty my pockets ;) and surprisingly they were really easy to walk in! oh, platforms.

i got to do two photo shoots as well! 

hannah contacted me a few weeks before i finalized my trip to ask about hiring me, and it just so happened that she goes to school in the city and i let her know i was planning a trip, so we organized a shoot and we had SO much fun. she was gorgeous and a natural in front of the camera!

earlier in the week, i had the pleasure of shooting with kelly @ apm models. again, super fun and easy to work with. loved her attitude and down to earth personality!

i tried to keep track of the outfits i wore so i could share them with you, but i sort of lost track of any type of organizational efforts. here is the outfit i wore on the first day of the trip, a vintage pleated mini skirt (thrifted, $2), a nude lightweight tank top (forever 21, $2.80), and my mother's blush colored quarter-sleeved cardigan (juicy couture, garage sale-d!). my bag is from target and it is my go-to hobo bag, it's comfortable, and holds a BUNCH of stuff (camera's, anybody?)!

when it was time to go home, we felt ready. we got to do pretty much everything one would have on the list, and we were ready to go home to our own beds and precious puppy dog! new york city truly is the creator's environment, i was so inspired by each and every person on the sidewalk, building lighting up at sunset, musician playing at the subway station, window displays in times square, and simply the atmosphere of being in a city with a story. i cannot wait to return for more adventures.

until next time,