Receipt in the Bag

I really want to like this lip scrub. First and foremost, I am a lover of lip scrubs. Lip scrubs are exfoliators for your pout. They keep your lips soft and lush. My favorite DIY is a simple raw sugar and honey paste. Does the trick every time. 

Fast forward, I decided to forego the homemade route and buy my very first lip scrub. After a little research, I happened upon Sara Happ’s famed Lip Scrubs and Lip Slip. I was all geared up to pull the trigger on her Vanilla Bean flavor. I went to my local Nordstrom and it was all sold out. Given my disappointment, the sales associate was kind enough to recommend the Poutmud Fizzy Lip Exfoliating Treatment by Glam Glow. She said it was a gentler alternative to the coarser Sara Happ scrubs. I decided to give it a try.

The first thing that you’ll notice about the Glam Glow scrub is its stellar packaging. The lip treatment comes as a shiny chrome orb packed inside a neon pink and chrome box. Very pretty. Very bright. 

Other than that, the scrub was a little disappointing. It has a fruity mint flavor that I initially disliked, it fizzes and foams when it comes in contact with water AKA your saliva, and dissipates entirely too quickly to be effective. The other downside to this lip treatment is the price. For $24, you get .85 oz of product. At that price point, I would’ve expected it to perform better. In short, I will not be repurchasing the Fizzy Lip Exfoliating Treatment. It just doesn’t seem worth it. I will probably invest in something a little more heavy duty or return to my tried and true DIY.

Stay fierce,

-S

Here’s an impromptu shoot out in the rain. 

I have returned. After months of radio silence, I am back. I don’t know what took me so long but here I am. I think I spent the past few months trying to pursue other things but to be honest, being here with you guys makes me incredibly happy. So if you need me, I’ll be here. 

On to lighter things: I’m a big fan of turtleneck sweaters. I’m a long necked girl. Nothing makes me happier than enveloping my neck in fabric. That being said, this sweater is really cute but itchy as hell. The looks outweigh the itch. So for now, I’ll keep wearing it. An added plus that you can’t quite see here, the hem is long enough to cover your bum and the sleeves to cover your hands. This sweater has major cozy vibes.

 I went on a little shopping binge at Zara. I found these stellar pairs of shoes. The first pair are Zara’s Shiny Loafers. I find these shoes quite cool and edgy. The metallic detailing looks like liquid metal. It’s an unconventional twist on a very conventional shoe. The second and third pairs are the D’orsay Flat with Metal Detail. These shoes are very sexy, very understated, very chic. The fabrication feels classic and luxe while the metal detailing gives the shoe a little extra oomph. The flats come in black and blue. I liked them so much that I bought both.

I arrived in the city and jetted over to Pier 59 Studios for Custo Barcelona. The collection, “Slow”,  was bright, creative, and intricate. 

According to Custo Dalmau [the designer] the collection seeks to “celebrate the colorful, eclectic, one-of-a-kind personality of a woman who is unique and has her own rebellious style. Muscular patchwork garments, dresses, coats, jackets, tops, tunics and pants featuring organic cuts inspired by ergonomics and puzzles.” With the men’s looks, the designer seeks “the carefree elegance of the Mediterranean man, using geometric and pictorial graphics in the signature look of the company.”

Dalmau definitely achieved what he was going for. The collection was quirky, cheeky, glamorous, and above all fun. 

First stop post-Custo was lunch. Sashaying around Manhattan in a high-waisted tap short and a mean pointy toe d’Orsay flat work up an appetite more than one would think. 

After lunch, we headed over to Skylight at Clarkson Square for newcomer, Karigam. Karigam is the sleek ready-to-wear brainchild of emerging designer, Karina Gamez. Gamez describes the brand as, “a new, high-end, ready-to-wear apparel brand designed for young, professional, successful, affluent women.”  I had the privilege of sitting front row to witness Karigam’s spectacular debut. 

Let me just say that this collection was everything!!! First, as many of you know, I am a huge fan of models and modeling. So, I nearly fell out of my seat when not one but four supermodels [Toni Garrn, Devon Windsor, Jessica Stam, and Hilary Rhoda] came strutting down the catwalk.

On top of that, I struggled to contain my inner fangirl while sitting across from Jamie Chung, NeNe Leakes, and Solange Knowles. These ladies are incredibly fabulous and impeccable dressers. It took me a good 5 minutes to stop gawking over them and focus on the show. I would post the photos of them but they’re a little more shaky-handed, poor quality, and swimfan - y  than I would’ve liked. I didn’t get a chance to meet Solange or NeNe but I did get a chance to chat with Jamie and her trainer Nichelle Hines [from E Network’s Hollywood Cycle] before the show. They were very sweet and gracious. They even offered to take a few photos with me. Meeting them really made my day.  

Supermodels and celebs aside, the collection was superb. The looks were black and white minimalist, magic. They were very modern and angular but neither boring nor overwrought. Each piece was clean, streamlined design at its finest.

I’ll be the first to admit, before this week I had never heard of Karigam. But thanks to this collection, Ms. Gamez is all over my radar.