Gift Guide 2015: Beauty

Every girl loves a product. Whether it is to stock up on something she already loves or try something new, giving a gift that makes someone feel pampered works every time. Here are some ideas...

For the girl that loves a cult classic and is dying to try the best...

1. Giant bottle of the most luxurious lotion by Kiehl's. 

2. She used to mix this up by hand for Kate Moss, now you can use it too. Charlotte Tilbury

3. Arguably one of the most talked about masks out there by GlamGlow

4. The magic potion that Cate Blanchet swears by. SK-II 

5. The big bottle of every one's favorite moisturizer by Clinique.

For the girl who always has the new iPhone...

Left: A high tech toothbrush that cleans like no other and whitens your smile. Issa

Right: Every girl needs a Clarisonic, it is life changing. 

For the girl who loves a blow out, but can't always make it to the salon...

Left: Get Jennifer Anniston hair with these products by Living Proof. 

Right: Everything she needs for the perfect blow out at home by DryBar. 

For the girl who could play with make up for hours...

1. An essential kit filled with industry expert favorites at Violet Grey

2. Clutch friendly mini lip glosses by Laura Mercier

3. The perfect size little kit in a color palette that looks good on everyone by Bobbi Brown

For the girl who is always traveling...

Left: Little bottles of the best sun protection that has nothing scary in it. Coola 

Right: TSA friendly sizes that can get her through an entire trip by Violet Grey

For the girl that lives in the cold and needs something to brighten her skin and her mood..

1. For dry hands and lips all winter long by Kiehl's 

2. A sampling of masks from one of the best French beauty lines, Caudalie

3. A beautifully packaged set of two different masks in individual pods by Glossier

Check out the other guides: 

Lux List

Custom gifts

Happy Gifting

xo

Erin 

Family Photo: What To Wear

Family photo taking season is upon us. While fun to set up and get the proofs from, it can be a little tough to put together a look for the entire family. I think these groups just nailed it. 

While I do not have anything against matching outfits (I have actually seen it done well. Rarely though), it is better to stick to a cohesion as opposed to straight up uniformity. I put together some groupings so you could see what I mean. 

Other rules of thumb are be careful with your prints, stick with clothes that fit really well to your frame, and wear body smoothing undergarments (aka spanx and smoothing tanks). That way you are comfortable moving around and wrangling the kids while they take the pictures. 

I broke the options down by their theme/dress code with a little boy and girl option to go with the parents. 

If you are doing a more formal sitting, then a cocktail dress you can sport to parties/weddings one the season is perfect. I kept the rest of the family in the same color story of navy, gray/silver, and white. 

 1. Alice + Olivia $396 / 2. J. Crew $405  / 3. J. Crew $128 / 4. Gap $60 / 5. Gap $9 / 6. Gap $26 / 7. Gap $24

We have all seen the families with the white shirts and black pants photo. This is a different take. Again, staying with the theme but breaking it up so it is not too matchy. Pair the girls tunic with leggings and boys sweater with jeans. 

1. J. Crew $98 / 2. Koral $159 / 3. J. Crew $128 / 4. J. Crew $155 / 5. Gap $44 / 6. Gap $39

Choosing a color to work around is not a bad idea. Just pick several hues and mix in at least one pattern. 

1. BB Dakota $65 / 2. J. Crew $88 / 3. J. Crew $69 / 4. Old Navy $12 / 5. J. Crew $39

Another example, this time in green and gray. 

1. Bailey 44 $174 / 2. J. Crew $118 / 3. J. Crew $69 / 4. Zara $35 / 5. Boden $30 

This is what I call "Everyone is dressed for Fall." Chunky knits, warm colors, and denim. 

1. Etienne Marcel $209 (wear with tights) / 2. J. Crew $98 / 3. J. Crew $155 / 4. J. Crew $48 (wear with leggings) / 5. Gap $44

Most likely you will base everyone's pieces off of yours. Right? So this for example shows you that by just adding in a color from your dress to the group and adding one more with pop, everything sort of mixes perfectly. 

1. Maison Scotch $120 / 2. J. Crew $98 / 3. J. Crew $69 / 4. Gap $44 / 5. Zara $19

And if you are headed outside in the cold to take your photos, try and coordinate your outwear. Yours should have a belt of fit as close to the body as possible. It is more flattering. I love this black and gray set so much. 

1. BB Dakota $144 / 2. J. Crew $520 / 3. Patagonia $114  / 4. Gap $44

I hope this helps you with some inspiration for your family photos. Really just work around a color or set of colors and you should be set. The most important piece of advice I have is to wear things you would wear normally. Everyone wants their pictures to be as natural as they possibly can be, they always turn out better. 

xo

Erin 

Kitchen Table + Chairs

I am so excited that my table and chairs have come! Thank you for all your feedback when I was deciding, it made ordering new things sight unseen a lot less scary. As you remember, this was the old set (and old wall color). It was a great set that we ended up selling on Craigslist (first time!), but the dark color was too much with the dark floors and island. 

The new set is so much more bright and cheery. It seriously lightens up the entire space. 

I love the style of the Boerum table from West Elm. It has a farmhouse feel, but is in a modern style of a Parsons. This is the natural finish. And you will not believe that a table this large and of this quality was only $600. 

The Serena & Lily Riviera chairs were worth my obsession for a year. I LOVE them. The navy is the perfect color woven with bright white. Again, the quality is really nice, which scared me given the price and the fact I had never seen them in person. 

Another bonus to both pieces is there are easy to clean and durable for the kids. The chairs wipe clean and the table does not show every finger print like a dark stained version does. 

Such a fun addition to the house. And a huge relief that it all worked out after only shopping on the Internet. What do you think? 

xo

Erin