lusting after: christmas wishlist

being a kid, there was nothing better than when holiday catalogs started showing up and when christmas commercials began playing; soaking up the toys that we needed to have waiting under the tree on christmas morning. I was always super elaborate when it came to my lists, noting the stores items were available at and the color/specifications it may have. that type a-ness has carried into my adult life in more ways than one, and holiday wish lists are no exception. while some people love gift cards and your ability to choose your own gift, there's nothing I hate more than a bunch of gift cards. while it's nice to be able to choose exactly what you want (and it's nice to take the pressure off when shopping for someone), I love seeing what someone else has chosen for me. I've rounded up a few things that I would love to find wrapped under the tree on christmas morning 🎄

1. I live in a pair of taupe booties I bought last season, but sometime the slightly higher heel makes them tough to wear all day. I've been meaning to add a pair with a smidge smaller heel to my wardrobe for days when I know I'll be on my feet, that can be worn with jeans and sweaters in the winter/fall and skirts and dresses in the spring/summer. I love this pair from Lucky Brand with it's perforated detail and cut out opening.

2. I almost always ask for a fragrance for the holidays- it's an easy thing for someone to gift (as long as they know what scent you wear), and the gift sets feel extra special with their bonus gifts. this set from Elizabeth and James in my favorite scent (Nirvana Black) comes with a mini version of their dry shampoo (a cult favorite amongst dark haired gals & anyone who loves the scent) and a mini lotion along with the full sized fragrance. if you love the idea of gifting a fragrance but aren't sure what scent is right, try this perfume sampler from Sephora- try the samples, pick your favorite, and get a full sized version of your fave.

3. as someone who loves glitter and sparkle, this phone case is the best. when my uber cool boss showed up with it, I knew it had to be mine. equal parts girly, cool girl, and grown up snow globe- all amazing.

4. rebecca minkoff makes my favorite (and most accessible) handbags, hands down. while my collection seems to keep growing, I can't get enough of her bags. amazing quality leather or suede, great design, and realistic price point. this bag is one of my favorites for a classic bag, in a neutral color that will go with anything (this version is a bit less everyday, but so fabulous or holiday!)

5. I've loved Gray Malin's pieces for years, and with his Positano beach series, I was hooked (it's one of my favorite places on Earth). moving back to the East Coast and redoing my apartment has me dying to add this piece to my life. love everything from the colors, to the symmetry, and of course the subject. whether you're looking to add a piece to a bedroom, living room, or even a child's room- Gray's pieces are perfect.

6. a gift guide from me wouldn't be complete without without some jewels. these earrings are part of the collaboration between my former bosses (M. Flynn) and blogger Erin Gates (behind Elements of Style). love everything from the rose gold color, to the diamond accent, and the compass rose design. the perfect everyday earring that will look fabulous for years to come.

what items are on your wishlist this holiday season?

xx, marissa

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

bucket list: DTLA

as I was heading to my other must see spot on my DTLA adventure, I had a super deja vu feeling, and realized that I was right in the middle of one of my favorite movies. remember the park bench from 500 Days of Summer that was tom's favorite view of LA? you're looking at it. the park (Angel's Knoll) has unfortunately closed due to budget cuts (some suit thinks it should be turned into a sky scraper - cue eye roll), but if you walk down the Angel's Flight railway/stairs (another randomly cool thing I stumbled upon), the park is to the right. being from boston, a city where old and new combine so seamlessly wherever you look, I love finding pockets like this. I snapped a quick picture, almost slipping and tumbling down a giant concrete trench in front of a gaggle of homeless people, checked out the originally restored cars from 1901, and headed on my way.

the point for my trek away from the museum was to see the bradbury building, an obsession of mine for years. I love old architecture, and this building is a serious gem that is still fully functioning as an office building (including the original cage door elevator). thankfully, visitors are allowed into the lobby of the building during office hours, so I poked my head in for a few fan girl minutes, snapped some pictures, and headed on my way. so much attention to detail- they just don't make building like they used to. unfortunately for fans of the building, there is a security guard on duty who makes sure you don't go any higher than the first floor landing. I'm sure the view from the top looking down is amazing, but even from the bottom I loved it.

 

the last stop on my DTLA adventure was a total happy accident. I had a bit of time to kill before I headed home, and realized that I was right around the corner from the last bookstore - a place that I had read about for a while, but never made it to. I love putzing around a traditional bookstore, and this place takes that love to another level. used books for dirt cheap, new releases, records, vintage books, artist studios, and a labyrinth of rare book combine in an insanely cool downtown space. I could have spent hours pursuing the shelves, and checking out the art work. definitely a must see, we all have to work to keep cool and unique spaces like this alive in a world that is slowly and surely killing off bookstores in favor of amazon and online shopping.

have you paid a visit to any of these locations?

xx, marissa

let's get serious for a minute...

a huge piece of my life since january has been working on the campaign of a candidate who I find not only strong and brilliant, but also compassionate and genuine; two things her biggest critics would never associate with her. now I am by no means saying that she is perfect, no person is. and if we're taking political candidates, candidates for the job of being commander in chief, no candidate in history has ever been (or will ever be) perfect. being the opinionated and headstrong gal that I am, I've always been a fan of hillary, and looked up to her as a role model for the strength and oomph that I hoped to possess as a woman (sharing the same birthday certainly didn't hurt). I will be the first to admit that I didn't believe she was the right person for the job in 2008, barak's message of hope and change resonated with me, and I am proud of being a piece of his victory. but now, she is more than ready. her position as secretary of state, combined with her work as the senator of new york, women and children's rights champion, lawyer, and actively involved first lady have given her that. we have two of the most polarizing options in history for who will lead our country, and one has me (and many other citizens of the world) scared for our future. even if in your soul you hate hillary, whether it be any of the hundreds of reason that both republicans & democrats throw at her, a presidency and country under donald trump is not a promising place if you are a woman, person of color, LGBTQ, child, immigrant, parent, college graduate with student loan debt, person with a mental illness, muslim, small business owner, addict, working class person, or veteran. and even if you don't fall into any of those demographics, think about the people you love (mothers, sisters, friends, wives, girlfriends, neighbors, coworkers, mentors, family members, etc.) that do. november 8th is the day that we as a country decided what kind of a world we want to live in, what kind of message we want to send out to the rest of the world, and to our children. and today, the final presidential debate, is the last chance we have to formally see the type of candidate both hillary clinton and donald trump are.

please, watch the debate, educate yourself on the candidates and issues (biases/preconceived notions/personality opinions aside), and register to vote. the fate of the country and world rely on it, literally.

xx, marissa

cheap date: the broad

as part of my art history minor in college, I spent a good chunk of time at the ICA in boston and fell head over heels for the museum. contemporary art had always been my favorite, so museums focusing on it are always on the top of my list. I had heard of the broad when I first moved to LA, but for some reason never made the trek out there. with my newfound fun-employment until I head back to boston in a few short weeks I've made it my mission to cross as many things off my LA bucket list and finally paid it a visit. the first thing I realized (and loved) was that it is a free museum- hello cheap free date! museums can be seriously pricey, so it's nice that this museum is all about educating and engaging over profiting. however, since it is free, you have to reserve tickets in advance or risk heading down there and waiting in line without getting in. one exhibit/instillation in particular (the infinity room) has been an obsession of mine for years, and requires a separate reservation of it's own. the day I happened to go to the museum, the reservations unfortunatley were full for the day. if you go on a day when reservations are full, there is a standby line that you can wait in, but there is no guarantee you'll get in/how long you'll be waiting. luckily for me a whole slew of reservations were no shows, so I only waited maybe 5 minutes before I was able to go in. the infinity room is unlike anything I've ever seen or experienced. the closest thing I could compare it to is standing inside of a galaxy, and since space is my favorite, I was over the moon (pun intended). I was expecting to share the experience with the other museum goers in line, but was seriously pleasantly surprised when I realized it was one on one. best minute in a long time.

the museum releases the tickets in monthly batches the first week of every month, and they fill up fairly quickly. if you can make it work, a week day is easier to visit and you don't have the same weekend crowds that make museum going not as fun (in my opinion). it's a great collection, but not a giant museum- so take that into consideration when planning your day. there are quite a few museums in the vicinity of the broad, so make a museum day of it, or bop around DTLA and explore. I decided to do the latter, and crossed a few more things off my LA bucket list. more on that later :)

have you visited the broad or scored tickets to the infinity room? what's your favorite part?

xx, marissa