outfit inspo: thanksgiving

thanksgiving is in one week. please, let that sink in because I can't believe we're already at this point of the year. holy moly. my family is pretty relaxed around the holidays, so wardrobe is pretty much whatever you want. while leggings and hoodies may be comfy and the norm for my younger cousins, I like to look a bit more put together even when we're just at home. sweater dresses are one of my favorites- comfy sweater material and a roomy fit after all the yummy food. you can add a pair of tights (thick black, sweater, sheer, whatever) if you think it's a bit bare, or higher boots for more coverage.

one. love the lace up detail, but the oversized chunky laces keep it more comfy less clubby.

two. this color! cannot get enough deep marsala red. love it with a dark lip and a statement earring.

three. super flattering silhouette- the zippers keep it from looking boxing, and add a touch of edge. 

four. between the cowl neck and the camel color, this dress may need to be mine regardless of the holiday. love it with some thigh high black suede boots that I have.

what's your wardrobe for thanksgiving? strictly comfort, or a bit more style?

xx, marissa

love it/hate it: glossier

as far as instagrammable companies go- glossier is definitley at the top of the list. everything from their easy breezy beautiful staff "models" to the perfectly pale pink packaging and cutesy feel good messaging, is just waiting to grace your feed and help anyone achieve cool girl status. any self respecting hills fan should remember emily, the preppy dark haired new york teen vogue intern brought in to show up lauren during some party for the magazine- love the battle of east coast vs. west coast. fast forward to present day and that same emily is the writer behind the popular beauty blog, into the gloss, and the skin care/cosmetic company in question, glossier.

the second I saw the packaging, I knew it was only a matter of time before I would be placing my own order (sucha sucker for packaging). the original claim to fame was boy brow, a product that was supposed to give you brooke shields worthy brows without all the fuss and muss, and was on backorder for basically ever (hate when companies do that). when I saw that it was back in-stock, into the cart it went (in the shade brown) along with the priming moisturizer. 

the packaging of everything was just as amazing as I anticipated it being; pale pink everything, a bubble wrap pouch (I love a good pouch!), stickers to decorate your products/phone/whatever (what kind of person doesn't love stickers...), and the most perfectly perfect moto "skin first. makeup second. smile always." too, too cute.

boy brow was the one I couldn't wait to get my hands on. all the videos on the site show the models using boy brow as their only brow product to achieve amazing whipspy natural brows, and I tried it that way my first go around and wasn't wowed by the results. it's definitely a good brow product, keeping my thick and unruly brows in place (a feat in and of itself) and since it's tinted, it added a little somethin' somethin' to some thinner areas. but, if you're looking to fill in spare areas where hair just won't grow, or use a product to build up your arch or create a tail- you'll definitley need to pull in a powder/pomade/pencil to get the job done. I've had the product for a couple months, using it daily, and have noticed that it's already starting to change in consistency; either getting to the end of the tube or it's already drying up- bummer since it's definitely not drugstore pricing, but not make or break.

I've blogged about my issues with moisturizers in the past (check it out here!), but decided to give this one a try. since the basis of the company is skin care I thought that it would be basic enough for my super sensitive skin (fragrance/paraben free and derm approved), doesn't contain sunscreen (leaves me with super cute bumps all along my hairline), and has a thinner texture (something that I prefer in my everyday moisturizer). the first time I tried it I was still living in los angeles and it was just too much for the warm climate. I could feel the product sitting on my face, and caused a couple blemishes after a few days of use. I had a feeling that once I was back in the colder new england air, it would be a great part of my skincare routine. it's been two weeks and it seems like I was right.

still looking to try the balm dot com (deciding between the original or rose & cherry flavors), the milky jelly cleanser (love a milky cleanser during the winter), the mega greens galaxy pack mask (after I finish up some glam glow masks that are still kicking), and the soothing face mist (evian is my go-to, but I love trying new mists)- so safe to say we're in love it territory. 

have you tried anything from the glossier line? what are some of your brand favs that I shouldn't miss?

xx, marissa

ps. haven't pulled the trigger on an order? here's 20% off your first order ♡

goodbye LA

the time has come for this east coast lady to head back to her roots, and kiss LA goodbye. these past 2 years have been amazing, and I'm so glad that I decided to pack up my life and try something new. I knew when I made the decision to leave boston, that it was temporary. I didn't have the standard LA dreams of moving here and becoming famous, or leaving massachusetts forever and setting up shop in california. these two years have been exactly what I needed to reignite the fire in my belly for boston, and allow me to fall back in love with new england. they say distance makes the heart grow fonder, and this is certainly one time when "they" know what they're talking about. there are plenty of things that I'll miss about LA, but number 1 is definitely all of my loves (mostly the ying to my yang/resident best friend <3). I've been so lucky to meet some of the most amazing people, and I don't take a single one of them for granted. I consider myself a 'people collector'- not a weirdo who collects people in a freaky way you sickos, but a person who collects important people from every stage of their life and holds onto them. LA, with it's industry people who are vapid, shallow, and stereotypical in every sense own the word, is a tough place to meet people, real people who you will share your life with and become better person because of. I was lucky to meet a whole slew of them, and I'll treasure them forever. anyone thinking of moving to LA, my advice is to have a thick skin to deal with all of the bullshit that comes with living here, but once you get past that, it can be an amazing place to grow as a person. I tell people all the time that I do my best growing as a person when I move to a place where I know (hardly) no one, and are forced into a sink or swim situation- my time in Madrid was the best thing for me, and now LA is a similar situation. I think anyone can benefit from time outside of their comfort zone, and these two years in LA have been such a learning period for me. goodbye LA, I'll miss you and your flakey people, your traffic, your lack of public transportation, your incomparable mexican food, your incredible vintage shopping, your beaches, your bums, your comedy scene, your jay-walking, your toilet seat covers, your lighted parking garages, and some of my favorite people in the whole wide world.

thank you for everything; I'll be back before you know it.

xoxo, marissa