Please Stand By & Bear With Me

Hi lovelies!!!! I am so sorry I've been absent - there's a lot going on in my world right now! We are in the midst of moving [again!!], I started my new job, hubby's birthday is in 14 days and the holidays are finally here! With all that's going on I've been quite distracted (even though I did have 4 blissful un-interrupted days of sleep and food!) So just bear with me for a few days while I get everything straightened out! I will announce the giveaway winner next week and will [hopefully] have a slew of holiday posts on the way! Don't worry, I still love ya! xoxo

image via Bagwine from Pinterest

Inspiration: Words of Wisdom

I've been feeling a bit un-inspired lately. In my blog life that is.... every night I sit down to write a post I just seem to stare a blank screen for a while before closing up my laptop and heading to bed. I know I try to keep this blog more fashion focused rather than personal but I felt this was worth sharing. My good friend Katie (who has guest posted for BAD before) wrote an amazing and heartfelt post last week that really resonated with me and got me thinking! I wanted to share it with all of you and hope, that in some way, you feel inspired as well! As we hit Thanksgiving and quickly arrive upon the holiday season it's nice to remember what we appreciate about others as well as ourselves. After all, you can't love anyone else to the fullest if you don't love yourself first. Happy Wednesday!

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Giveaway: [Travel Beauty Bag] *closed*

Ok! It's time for the first ever Bedazzles After Dark giveaway! In honor of my Guest Blog about what to pack when you go on your honeymoon for Witty Whit's Words, I've got a great little giveaway lined up for you! I've packed an adorable cosmetic bag with a few of my personal choices for traveling beauty essentials. Read below to find out what you'll be winning and how to enter!

{1. Pink zip-around travel case with 4 zippered pockets 2. Travel shampoo & conditioner 3. Travel dry shampoo 4. Travel lint roller 5. Travel shaving gel 6. Travel body lotion 7. Travel face wash 8. OPI nail polish - I'm Really Not A Waitress 9. Travel mouthwash 10. Toothbrush carrier 11. Travel toothpaste}

I love packing my travel bag with mini replicas of the beauty products I use on a daily basis. Here are a few of my every day go-tos, in mini travel form, that I added to the bag:

One of my favorite things I've included is the dry shampoo [#2]. This is an every day staple that every woman should have. After I found the travel size I was so excited I literally screamed. It has totally saved me from the day after weddings when my hair needs a little pick me up but I don't want to wash it completely. I love it. Whenever I take a trip I also always pack a bottle of nail polish. It's always great to have a pretty red or pink on hand, so I threw in one of my favorite OPI colors ever [#8] It never lets you or your outfit down. I also love carrying a travel size lint brush [#4] You just never know when fuzzies or dog hair might pop up!

The rest are regularly used items but in mini bottles and packaging that will keep your luggage light and keep packing a cinch.
Here's how to enter:

1. Follow Bedazzles After Dark (You can do that by clicking the Follow box in the top left corner of your screen or by clicking that little box to the right that looks like this:)

2. Leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite place you've ever traveled to and why.

That's it!! So easy, right?

Please note: Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. 1 entry per person. Winner will be chosen at random via Random Number Generator. Giveaway ends at 9:00pm PST on November 21, 2011. I will announce the winner on November 22 in a blog post. The winner must contact me by email {bedazzlesafterdark[at]gmail[dot]com} within 3 days of the announcement to claim the prize. If there is no contact by the 4th day or the winner is not a follower, I will choose another winner at random.

Good luck and don't forget to read my packing picks for your honeymoon trip!

Ask Bedazzles: Guest Post

This past Friday we got to attend my good friend Whitney's wedding! Whit and I became close a few years ago when we bonded over our love for champagne, frozen yogurt and home-grown Kentucky boys. :) I got to see her journey with her new husband from the beginning so it was really special to attend their wedding. While she's away, she asked me to guest post for her blog [again!] This time I decided to tackle a wedding fashion related question - What To Wear On Your Honeymoon

Head over here to read the full post. Let me know what you think!

Style Crushing: Nicole Richie

I've always been a huge Nicole Richie fan. She's gorgeous, hilarious and has really grown into a style inspiration for my wardrobe. Especially as of late since she's been showing up everywhere looking absolutely amazing. Whether it's running errands, hosting an event or just taking her daughter to ballet, one thing is certain: the girl has style game.

Nicole tends to gravitates towards basic silhouettes but always adds a whimsical twist that makes her stand out from the crowd. She's become a pro at infusing bohemian touches into her everyday wardrobe while still keeping her look completely on trend and modern. I literally want to wear everything she puts on - making her a major style crush in my book. And.. Ok I'll admit it - I also can't help but love her new bangs - I was practically ready to cut my hair myself just to get the look.

Take a few style cues by pairing a simple look with leopard touches {1 & 4} Or change up your weekend style by pairing your favorite skinnies with an oversize sweater and open toe booties {2} At your next event choose a cutout dress or  plunging neckline but keep it tasteful and understated with closed toed shoes {3 & 5}. Branch out and discover a few new style tricks you hadn't thought of before. And if you take one thing away from Nicole's wear - have fun and enjoy it! Happy dressing! xoxo

all images via People

New Obsession: Pinterest

Ok - so this post may be a little late to the game - but better late than never right?! I joined Pinterest about 6 months ago when Katie couldn't stop telling me how amazing it was. I told her I didn't really "get it" What is this? I asked. Is this worth all the time people spent on it? Why are so many people talking about this site? She convinced me to join and well... let's just say I have been pretty much hooked ever since. In fact, it's totally taken up most of my blog research time as of late! (though I think it technically could be research!) I find myself sitting on my couch pinning and then I look up and 2 or 3 hours have gone by... Yes it's that addicting.

If you still aren't sure exactly what Pinterest is - here's the breakdown. It's an online inspiration board. The site let's you collect all the things from the internet that you love, want to cook, want to DIY, want to make, want to decorate [this list goes on... and on.. and on] It's kind of like when you read a magazine and tear out pages of inspiration or recipes that you intend on trying. Only 6 months rolls around and you're combing your house up and down for that tiny piece of paper that you ultimately never find? Yeah, I know you know that feeling! This eliminates stacks of papers, cut outs, recipe cards and just the general mess and craziness that comes with making a inspiration board.

You can create as many inspiration boards as you want with just about anything you can think of. The boards that are getting the most action from me right now are my Style Inspiration, Style Crushes, Tattoo Ideas, Braided Hairstyles and of course... my Ryan Gosling board (sigh) But I've got so many other ones too!

My favorite part is probably the fashion posts. I love seeing what real girls are wearing and then trying out their ideas with my own twist. I guess I've been totally inspired. And with that sentence, we've come full circle in the world of Pinterest....

So if you haven't joined start! Follow me here and I can't wait to see what you start pinning! Happy Tuesday everyone!!

xoxo

Look Of The Day: Freida Pinto in Salvatore Ferragamo

Freida Pinto at the premiere of Black Gold

The always gorgeous Freida Pinto wore a lovely berry colored pleated gown from Salvatore Ferragamo during the Tribeca Film Festival last week. The Grecian inspired look, including a soft updo, absolutely knocked it out of the park for me. I LOVE the tassel belt and all her gold-toned accessories. All in all, it's a completely stunning ensemble.

As we delve further into the winter months, I've decide to keep my brights going as long as possible. It doesn't get extremely cold here in LA but you can further you're bold options by pairing them with basics like black tights and long sleeve tees. You could even trade out the typical black dress and go for a long gown in a jewel tone [like the above] as a fabulous option for your Holiday parties or formal New Year's Ball. I guarantee that your vibrant choice will have you wearing a smile on your face the entire evening. Happy Wednesday! xoxo

Image via InStyle

Halloween 2011 Part I: Sonny & Cher Costumes

My Cher Costume

This past weekend was a great one. I spent the first half of Saturday with some fabulous friends and their adorable kids. Then in the afternoon I cleaned up around our apartment and caught up on my neglected DVR. By the time Bill got home from work all of our friends had officially said they were spending a quiet Halloween at home. I was a bit sad and worried we wouldn't be able to wear our costumes! But thanks to my lovely husband we rallied and went out just the two of us! It was actually tons of fun bar hopping in our area and we got to do some major people watching.

P.S. he posed on his own FYI :)

This year our costumes were the glamorous Sonny & Cher. I have this gorgous vintage dress that my mom bought for me a few years ago while we were shopping at a thrift store. It's definitely a bit big and was slightly long for this look but it still screamed Cher to me. I'm also so terrified of getting it tailored and taken in for fear of ruining it. It's literally a million of those shiny sequin discs individually sewn on. I can only image the price tag of getting it fixed... Anyways it was still a major hit and everyone loved our costumes! We were told twice that if we entered the contests we would have won... I paired my sequin dress with the gorgeous Versailles earrings from Jewelmint {get them here} and the Wyld platform pump from Sole Society. P.S. Check out Bill's furry vest! Thanks to Dana & Steve for letting us borrow it... it was a major hit! As was his faux mustache. Though I must say I hope he never really grows a real one! :)

Hope you had a fabulous Halloween weekend! I also dressed up for work yesterday but I'll have more on that later on in the week... xoxo