Kerala Ashok Garden fragrance bracelet by Lisa Hoffman Beauty

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Photos: Earrings: c/o Twisted Silver (use code INSIDERS fir 15% off) / Lipstick: c/o Dolce & Gabbana “Amethyst“ / Scarf: L’Wren Scott for BR / Blouse: Collective Concepts / Handbag: Coach / Jeans: L’Wren Scott for BR / Bracelet: c/o  Lisa Hoffman Beauty / Nail Polish: c/o Mineral Fusion “Amethyst“ / Shoes: Prada

One of my favorite beauty items to shop for is fragrance. Another one of my weaknesses is jewelry! Combined, they are a match made in heaven 🙂 I absolutely adore the new Kerala Ashok Garden bracelet from Lisa Hoffman Beauty. The bracelet is a beautiful purple hue which blends well with 2014’s color of the year, Radiant Orchid. 

The bracelet itself is made from vintage glass beads with a beautiful silver ball charm. The silver ball charm is the secret of the bracelet! Inside the charm you can place a few fragrance beads which exude peace and happiness. The beads offer fragrance notes of India’s Ashok blossom, deep violet, ripe pear, velvety apricot and sheer jasmine. With the fragrance beads inside the charm on the bracelet, the scent lasts for many days as opposed to spraying perfume on your skin; which disappears within the course of a day. You can also wear the bracelet and smell beautiful, then take it off when you need to be scent-free at the gym, and then put the bracelet back on to smell pretty again! Love that! No fooling with bottles!!

Another benefit of the Kerala Ashok Bracelet is that it is perfect for traveling. The beads retain their scent throughout an average holiday vacation or business trip and you don’t need to fiddle with a bottle at airport check points! 

To learn more about Lisa Hoffman Beauty and the Kerala Ashok Garden bracelet, please visit lisahoffmanbeauty.com. 

Lipstick for spring 2014 in almost Radiant Orchid

spring 2013 lipstick almost radiant orchid

From top left: Pantone Universe / Two Faced / Estee Lauder / Dolce & Gabbana / Dolce & Gabbana / Laura Mercier

Since Pantone announced the color of 2014, Radiant Orchid, in early December 2013, Fashionistas everywhere have been flocking to stores and shopping websites in search of the coveted “IT” color for the new year. One of the easy ways to incorporate this vivid hue is with cosmetics; specifically lipstick!

Pantone teams up every year with Sephora to create a make-up collection which reflects the color of the year. This year, Radiant Orchid, is an easy hue to turn into cosmetics since it is naturally a color found in make-up on a daily basis! Due to this fact, the lipstick has flown off the shelves and is next to impossible to find! Thankfully there are several other lipsticks on the market which are similar to the coveted color of 2014, Radiant Orchid.

I found a few alternatives to Sephora + Pantone’s Radiant Orchid lipstick and assembled them into this article. Some of the colors have a little more pink than Radiant Orchid while others offer more of a purple tinge. I hope you love them as much as I do! Happy shopping, and stay fabulous 😉

 

Chunky heels for spring 2014

The chunky heel is back! Chunky, thick and stacked heels graced the runways for spring/summer 2014 in New York, Paris, Milan and London signaling a slow end to the tall and skinny heel. (The skinny heel will never disappear, but it is not the only choice anymore!) Ankles everywhere are thanking designers as we speak 😉

Chunky heels for spring 2014 bring a new feeling of stability to fashion; allowing Fashionistas everywhere to walk with confidence and stand for long periods of time without tipping over. Love that! Heels on the runways for spring/summer 2014 were shown in varying heights from 1″ through to 4″ and they were generally shown with flat soles. The design of the heels varied according to the designer and his/her inspiration for that particular collection. 

The most popular versions of the chunky heel included stacked heels, wooden heels, sculpted heels (think Dolce & Gabbana pillars) and leather/fabric covered thick heels. All versions of the thicker, chunkier heel are on trend for the spring/summer 2014 season. If you have any chunky or thick heels hiding in the back of your closet this is the perfect season to bring them back life! Just make sure they are not platforms 😉 Think flat sole or “single soled” shoes.

The shorter versions of the chunky heel, 1″ to 2″, offer a vintage vibe which reflects many spring/summer 2014 collections that have a 1950’s and 1960’s flair. The taller chunky heels, 3″ to 4″, offer more of a 1970’s vibe and look amazing with the flowing wide pants of the season.

This is the beginning of the return of the chunky heel, so you can rest assured this trend will continue for several seasons to come. To build the perfect chunky heel wardrobe, find the heel height you are comfortable in and then invest! Look for neutral shoes first and then add one or two colorful pairs to the mix. You will find yourself wearing this style all the time since they are actually comfortable! Imagine that?! Fashion can be comfortable and practical; who knew?!

I found a few fabulous pairs of chunky and thick heeled shoes around the web and assembled them into the shopping widget below. I hope you love them! Happy shopping, and stay fabulous 😉

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