Shopbop Sale!

Shopbop has their Friends & Family Sale today! The site is full of too much goodness, but I have my wish list picked out. 

Use code WEAREFAMILY at check out and receive 20% off your purchase! 

1. House of Harlow nude sunglasses $125

2. Parker dotted dress $99 (on sale)

3. Joe's Jeans denim shirt $138

4. Jennifer Zeuner gold side cross necklace $138

5. Surface to Air gray coat $630

6. Alexander Wang blush clutch $295

7. Melissa + Jason Wu cut out flats $105

8. Goldsign boyfriend jeans $244

9. DANNIJO bracelet $115 (on sale)

10. Club Monaco color block sweater dress $170

11. Clover Canyon Baroque scarf blazer $473

12. One by Bardot leather panel leggings $80

13. Jeffrey Campbell suede booties $165

14. Joie flared sweater dress $328 

15. Missoni scarf $180

16. Alexander Wang duffel with rose gold studs $895

17. Eberjey pajama set $87

18. One by Krisa coated drapey jacket $258

19. One by Donna Mizani leather cut out skater dress $338

20. Sam Edelman suede loafers $90

21. J Brand skinny printed jeans $259

22. Jennifer Zeuner Love bracelet $121

23. Parker zig zag dress $352

24. DANNIJO earrings $198 (on sale)

25. Boutique 9 knee high boots $215

26 Vince cashmere oversized sweater $295

I know, clearly I am not great at narrowing things down. But it is all SO cute. 

What are you getting? 

xo

Erin 

Grown Up Back to School

This time of year I get a bit jealous of kids going back to school. Though it was always sad to have summer over, the anticipation of a new year and the newness of your next grade was always fun. I really loved high school and would do it all over again. I would love to repeat more so that I could enjoy it even more and not worry about that nonsense that keeps you from truly enjoying the present. 

So at the risk of being totally cliche and posting about Back to School looks, I really just found some fun pieces to bring us back. Just a little. 

Striped notepads from Kate Spade ($12)

Warby Parker ($95) specs (wish I never got Lasik, so I could have these)

School bus Yellow Cambridge Satchel Company ($135) 

Minty Nike running shoes ($153)

Sequin running shorts from TopShop ($120) 

The lovely Garance Dore for Kate Spade iPhone cover ($40)

Coated sleeved fitted denim jacket by J Brand ($260)

Illustrated city calendar from Anthropologie ($24)

White rubber and gold watch from eWatches ($139)

xoxo

Erin 

Style Snapshot: Becky

This week we report from the West Coast. Where one fun-loving, gorgeous and chic Santa Barbara native shares with us her style and beauty secrets. Though this Southern Californian girl now lives in San Fran, she always has that beachy fresh look we love. 

'When it comes to my hair and skin, natural is what I always strive for. 


So let's start with my hair... When I first started highlighting my hair I would always tell the lady please make it look natural!  When it comes to highlights I like my hair to look as natural as possible.  One of my best friends, Sarah Hammel, happens to be a colorist for Serge Normant at John Frieda Salon in West Hollywood.  Unfortunately, I live in SF and cannot get my hair done by her.  So when I made the move from LA to SF she referred me to Monica West at Zip Zap salon.  I have been going to Monica now for 6 years and will be the first to say if you want a natural, sunkissed beachy look, balayage is the way to go. 

Sarah Hammel Adding the Finishing Touch

When it comes to lightening up, one of the most natural-looking and modern coloring techniques available right now is balayage. Essentially, balayage involves painting sections of the hair freehand, rather than using foils. The end result is a sexy “grown out” look that takes literally minutes to achieve, and requires less maintenance than traditional highlights. I love the grown out look, so I only get my hair done two to three times a year.

When it comes to my skin, I pretty much stick to what feels great. As someone who loves being outdoors, sunscreen is the most important product I use. Neutrogena Sunblock, Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch SPF 55 is the best and does the job it promises. 

I have used Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 forever.  I love it because it doesn’t apply like a thick foundation, smooths out your skin and has sunscreen in it.

Even though I love the Laura Mercier tinted sunscreen, I recently started using Skin Perfection Gel by Per-fekt Beauty and love it. It works as an antioxidant rich serum and improves the look of your skin. It is super lightweight, natural and water proof. I switch off between the two now.

For bronzer, which I always have on, I like Laura Mercier in Golden Bronze. It helps me get that bronzed look I love without having to sit in the sun. Nars Deep Throat is the perfect blush with it. It is a peach color with a hint of shimmer. Who doesn't love their blush!

As for eyes, I generally do not wear much makeup, but when I want to spice things up I love the smokey eye look. I have always used dark browns with a touch of brown shimmer.  Any brown really works for me but I like to stick to the MAC eye shadows.

As for eyeliner,  I use Lancôme in café.  When I apply eye liner I will put it under my top eye lid, then use the end of this eyeliner brush to smudge it and make for that smoky look.

 I love how a nude lip looks with a smokey eye. So if I am going for that look I use Nars Belle du Jour lipstick. It is a sheer nude-beige that works great with my skin tone and gives just enough color.

I have been using the same perfume since seventh grade. I love Acqua di Gio eau de toilette because it is a fresh, soft smell that is not too overpowering like most perfumes in my opinion. This has been my scent forever and I will never switch! 

When it comes to fashion, my jewelry is the finishing touch to every outfit. Over the past 5 years I have started collecting vintage jewelry.  I love the story behind each piece.  Everything is so unique and just gorgeous.

Current Favorite Find: Cuff & Earrings

A good family friend of mine, Holly Murphy, started Coast 2 Coast Vintage and sells her amazing pieces in Santa Barbara, CA.  When I go home to visit my family, I always visit her to shop her latest finds and never leave empty handed.

Blue Moon Dress 

I shop all over, but one of my favorites is Planet Blue. When I feel the need to online shop, this is where I turn to. I recently found my new favorite leopard maxi dress there by Blue Moon. I love dresses, but also cannot resist the perfect pair of jeans. J Brand is the greatest and the only brand that I will buy now. All the styles fit great and the selection is amazing.

Balenciaga Bag, Celine (top) & Ray Ban Sunglasses

Exercise has always been a huge part of my life.  I had been doing triathlons for the past 2 years until I unfortunately injured my hip last October.  Now that I am off crutches, I have started adding pilates, yoga and biking back into my weekly workouts.  San Francisco has a ton of pilates and yoga studios but my favorites are the The Pad and Aha Yoga on Union Street.  I train privately with Dina Ricken for pilates at the Pad and take group yoga classes at Aha Yoga. You are guaranteed to sweat no matter what.

If you are into biking, Breakaway Performance is fantastic. Joel Ramirez will whip you into biking shape in no time.  

All of my inspiration in everything I do comes from my family and friends! Without any of them I would not be who I am today.'

xo

Erin 

Style Snapshot: Kathryn

Now we get a taste of some West Coast style from Kathryn, in San Diego. For sure one of the sassiest and stylish girls I know. She shares with us what she uses to doll up, stay in shape, and how this teacher stays chic. 

'First of all, if I were homeless, I'd still find a way to have my brows waxed. Melissa McDougle at Salon de Marcus is my brow shaper and I adore her. She is simply the best brow waxer/shaper that  I’ve ever gone to and I will never stray! 

I used to swear by Lancome Definicils mascara. However, after relocating to Tucson for college and being 60 miles from the nearest Nordies, I was forced to buy mascara at the drug store. It took me years to find a good one but I finally did.  I am completely dependent on L'Oreal Telescopic mascara. My eyelashes are thicker and longer than they have ever been before, except when I had eyelash extensions, of course, and I recommend this brand to everyone. 

I'm a teacher, so the finer things in life are often just a bit out of reach. This is especially true when it comes to skin care products. A teacher friend recently introduced me to Oil of Olay's Touch of Foundation (not to be confused with touch of sun) daily moisturizer. I am obsessed! It gives you a dewy glow without the look of heavy foundation. It is great for daytime and also a great base to wear under powder at night. 

I am a loyal fan of Flowerbomb perfume by Viktor & Rolf. I have been wearing it for a few years now and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

I get my hair cut and colored by Dana Priest at Salon Texture. She is my hairstylist and my friend and I wish my hair always looked like it does after spending a few hours in her chair. 

I use Palmer's Cocoa Butter daily...it's Walgreen's best kept secret and it works to tone skin and smooth away any unwanted stretch marks. I also wear Aveeno SPF 85. I know it’s a bit excessive but I am a total weirdo about my skin these days!

My usual shopping often consists of getting hand-me-downs from lacey's closet. She works at Elyse Walker in LA. The best part is that it's usually "out of style" in LA far before it's even become "in style" in san diego. 

If I am in the mood for a hunt, I go straight to H&M. I prefer it to Forever 21 because I always have more luck there. It is so great to finally have an H&M in San Diego! 

If I don't feel like digging, Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's are my best bets. I can always find a cute dress and/or tops there. There are not that many great boutiques I like in San Diego these days, so I do most of my shopping at these two places. 

My favorite brand for dresses is Alice & Olivia…love their cute patterns and fun styles. For shoes, I am very into Sam Edelman at the moment. They are stylish and relatively affordable and I have bought more pairs than I care to admit in the last few months. A girl can never have too many shoes though, right? 

For online shopping, gilt.com is my favorite. It has really fun jewelry and I also do a lot of my jeans and dress shopping on Gilt. When shopping online, I usually buy J brand jeans because I know how the various styles fit my body and that's important to me when ordering online. If i'm being completely honest, it's an added bonus that J Brand's sizes run a bit big so you get to wear a smaller size than you might in another brand. 

I like to mix memorable and special jewelry, like my grandmother's rings and the diamond hoops that my parents had made for my 30th, with fun costume jewelry that I get from gilt.com and other local shops. 

Cosabella bralettes! (above) Lacey turned me onto these adorable lace bras and they are truly a girl's best friend. I have one in white, black, and pink and wear them over my regular bras because it's okay if they show through a semi-sheer top or if the strap is exposed since they're super cute. 

Voluspa candles are my absolute favorite and we have several of these great smelling, cute, decorative candles throughout the house.

I have been running lately. A lot. Running from or toward nothing in particular, just running. I completed my third half marathon this past weekend and today I feel as though I never want to run again. I have one more half marathon to go this year and then I am going to seriously scale back and go back to running 4-5 miles just to stay in shape. Running is great because it's a quick way to work out and because I live in San Diego, I am able to run outdoors most of the year. I will participate in the Rock and Roll half marathon every year because it's a super fun race with a great cause. Come join me next year!  

I LOVE yoga and especially the yoga sculpt class that is offered by Corepower Yoga. Sometimes yoga can be a bit slow moving for  my taste, so this is the perfect class for me. It combines traditional yoga and core strengthening with weight lifting and cardio in a heated room. It is an ass kicker and never gets easier.

I can be a glutton for punishment, so I really like boot camp too. In fact, I just bought a boot camp through Groupon, so I am looking forward to checking that out. After telling other people (4th graders) what to do all day, it's nice to have someone telling me what to do! Because of my hours as a teacher, I am able to work out 4-5 times a week, which is great. 

I am on a serious vitamin kick that is supposed to help combat migraines and actually has seemed to do so. I was prescribed this daily regiment by Dr. Craig Pursuit and I take vitamin D, B-12, Coenzyme Q-10, Calcium Citracal, and Fish Oil.'

Thanks Kitty! 

xo

Erin