Fall for prAna: Sustainable Fall Style

This post was created in partnership with prAna. Clothes were provided complimentary by prAna, opinions are provided solely by me.

With school starting up this week around these parts and a bit of an added chill in the air, I am feeling that never-seems-to-leave-you feeling of fall freshness and a new year. I'm in my thirties and haven't been in school for some time now but I never seem to lose that feeling of a crisp new year starting. I'm usually ready around this time to leave my summer clothes behind and start adding on the layers. I love summer but I am an autumn girl at heart. The season is rather fleeting here in Michigan as we move into full blown winter pretty quickly so I have to enjoy it while I can!

prAna recently contacted me to try out a few pieces from their fall collection. I thought this might be the perfect way to dip myself into some comfy autumn gear - something my wardrobe actually lacks! I've never been much of a tshirt and jeans kind of girl so when I get in that mood to throw some comfies on, I lack pieces that are things I would actually want to go out of the house in. Faded cotton sweatpants paired with my husband's old t-shirt is not usually a look I like to share outside of my at home world. ;-) You're welcome.

Chillin out maxin' relaxin' all cool warm... in my dropped shoulder pullover!

OUTFIT DETAILS

• Jeans: c/o prAna - Kara Jean in cargo green [exact / use GHFF15 for 15% off!]
• Sweatshirt: c/o prAna - Penelope Pullover in lacquered rose [exact / use GHFF15 for 15% off!]
• Shirt: Canyon River Blues chambray tunic [bought FREE!]
• Shoes: thrifted Aerosoles [similar]
• Glasses: Bonlook Skunkboy Twinkle Tort [exact]
• Bracelet: vintage copper bangle bought at a church sale [similar]

First, let's talk about these Kara jeans. Can I get an AMEN for jeans that fit in ALL areas? I often have an issue where my jeans might fit my legs well but then have a huge gap at my waist or require me to scoot them back up all the live long day. Not these. These jeans have the perfect amount of stretch without being too stretchy. I like the feeling of being "held in" without feeling like my clothes are too tight. These achieve that perfectly. They retail at $89.00 and are worth every penny because their cost per wear is going to essentially bring that cost to pennies.

I walked around Detroit in these over the weekend and didn't even think about what I was wearing... That's a true indication that these jeans are a winner. No adjustments necessary! If you take a look at their reviews, they have over 900 reviews with a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars! I am always nervous to buy jeans online without trying them on but after reading some reviews and reviewing their size chart, I bought my usual size 8. Personally, I find they fit very true to size as I have not a single complaint to make about the fit. And let's talk about those cuffs... I love that they have this awesome detail. One of my favorite "trends" right now is detailed denim - whether it be an interesting color, embroidery or other little details like that. I think this oversized cuff gives a cool different, edgy look over regular skinnies... but the best part is that the cuff isn't permanent and can be changed up! I love a piece of clothing that I can wear more than one way!

Those cuffs, though!

Oh, and here is something important that we haven't talked about yet: prAna is also all about sustainability. Whether it is fair trade, recycled or organic, they do an exceptional job at creating pieces that are true to their aesthetic in a way that is also good to the rest of the world! For example, my jeans are made with 75% organic cotton. The use of organic cotton helps to cut down on the use of pesticides and fertilizers which is healthier for the cotton farmers and helps to preserve the biodiversity of the land they use to farm. You can learn more about the ways prAna is part of the sustainable clothing movement right here. If you've read my blog for a while or know me personally, you know I am a huge advocate of buying secondhand clothing. Over the last year, I've been learning more about the sustainable fashion movement and have been feeling a pull toward it in addition to my secondhand shopping. That being said, I'm delighted to try these pieces out from prAna and talk about that more with you guys going forward.

The Penelope pullover was an easy choice to add to my closet. I liked the idea that it's a sweatshirt with a twist. I dressed it down here but am looking forward to layering it over some of my dresses to wear to work. The cowl neck gives it a more dressed up look than a normal sweatshirt. This is a great, lightweight layering piece that allows me to feel comfortable and warm without being too heavy or hard to pair with other pieces. I love the way my favorite chambray is peeking every so slightly out at the top. And going back to sustainability, this piece is fair trade factory certified and made with 60% organic cotton. I consider that a look good-feel good kind of piece and I look forward to adding more like that to my closet.

SHOP IT: prAna has kindly offered my readers a discount shopping code! Use promo code GHFF15 and get 15% OFF at prAna.com. Hurry - the code is only valid through NOVEMBER 20TH!

Disclosure: The Kara jeans and Penelope pullover were provided free of charge from prAna. Both products were selected by me, styled by me and all opinions shared are my honest thoughts. #fallforprAna

Linking up with Style Wise Link Up!

Wearing & Reviewing: Victoria Emerson Wrap Bracelet Review

Disclosure: Victoria Emerson provided me with a bracelet of my choice for free to wear and review. All thoughts written below are 100% mine.

If one does not post outfit pictures does one really get dressed?

HA! I kid, guys. Of course one gets dressed. I like to think I wear cute outfits almost daily (ok, let's be honest, every day cannot be a cute outfit day... sometimes it's just a "this will do" kind of day, ya know) but between life, the snow and cold air in Michigan, limited sunlit hours, dog time, planning a wedding and gym time... I never seem to get around to taking pictures of any of them! Life happens. Luckily, life slowed down a bit a couple weeks ago and I got a chance to convince my fiancé to snap a few photos of my outfit on our way to a relaxed family dinner.

• Jean Jacket: thrifted Old Navy [almost exact match]
• Stud Sweater: thrifted [cute tshirt option]
• Maxi Skirt: thrifted and REVERSIBLE to a different animal print!
• Boots: Blondo via Amazon [exact]
• Wrap Bracelet: c/o Victoria Emerson [exact]
• Glasses: Zenni Optical [exact]
• Earrings: Gold hoops - an old gift from a previous AWESOME employer

I'm in the middle of a love affair with gold and skulls, guys. Random? Maybe. But there it is. Gold and skulls.

I've had this gold studded sweater in my closet for a few years now but seem to always forget about it. It's one of those 1980's kind of oversized, light poly sweaters that looks terrible on a hanger but once you have it on, you're like... hmm, this looks kind of cool and slouchy. Like, maybe I should be wearing this more often instead of just letting it hang for months on end without any wear. (This might also be an indication I have too many clothes. That's just a story for another day though.)

This maxi skirt embodies the perfect animal print. A little bit of tan, a little but of black - wearable with both color families. I found this particular skirt on a thrifting trip I did while on vacation a few years back in Traverse City, Michigan. I like my souvenirs to be thrifted too. So much more useable than a silly tourist trap souvenir you'll discard later on, am I right?

When Victoria Emerson reached out about sending a bracelet over to me, I eagerly agreed to try out one of their pieces and share my thoughts here on my little corner of the internet. I really liked what I saw on their site: pretty, affordable pieces of jewelry - exactly what the doctor ordered for Fashion Frugality! I chose the jet hematite and gold skulls on black wrap bracelet and could not be any happier with it. I absolutely love that it has a slight edge to it (hello, skulls) without being over the top. From far away, it simply looks like simple gold beads. Up close, fun skull arm party. (Does anyone use the word arm party anymore? I must be late to the party. Har har, get it?)

A few more good points - it is super easy to put the bracelet on yourself and, bonus, this type of bracelet works great for any wrist size! I have abnormally small wrists and sometimes find that a lot of bracelets are way too loose on me. Wearing a wrap bracelet like this means you can essentially customize it for your wrist size. In addition, while I love me some bangle bracelets, can we all agree that they are not desk work friendly? I mean, unless you like to listen to the sound of your bangles hit the desk every three seconds. I don't and I am quite sure my co-workers don't as well. That being said, this wrap bracelet is the perfect wear to work look! It has a close fit to your wrist, doesn't dangle and doesn't clang against your desk as you work. At $24, I consider this a great, affordable look.

Love my bracelet? Head on over to Victoria Emerson to get one for yourself or another piece of their beautiful jewelry. Right now you can save 20% with coupon code "fashionfrugal20"!

LOVE THE LOOK? SHOP SIMILAR ITEMS BELOW!

Linking up with: The Pleated Poppy!

Makeup by One Direction: The Looks Collection Review

Disclosure: A makeup kit was provided to me for free by Markwins in connection with Brand Backer. This review, however, was written by me personally and reflects my personal opinions after trying the product. I was not expected to provide a favorable review.

Recently I had a chance to try out one of the new makeup kits in the Makeup by One Direction Looks Collection. OK, I know what you're thinking: One Direction and makeup? How do these things go together? I get it. But I kind of like these sort of collaborations... they are different and who says one thing goes with another? Am I right?! That being said, I was excited to try one of the kits because, despite generally being a makeup minimalist, I have such a thing for makeup kits! I love it when I can get a whole perfectly packaged look within one item. It takes a bit of the guess work out for those that are looking for an easy look or maybe aren't very cosmetically inclined.

The Looks Collection includes three different kits inspired by One Direction's three albums: Up All Night, Take Me Home and Midnight Memories. The Take Me Home and Midnight Memories kit appear to include some pretty neutrals with a pop of an accent color in each. I received the Up All Night collection which included two neutral eye colors, three pops of blue eye colors, a hot pink gloss (that GLOWS under a black light!), a vibrant blue chubby eye pencil, a vibrant pink creme lipstick, a good basic black mascara, a funky blue/green metallic nail color and stencils to create cosmetic tattoo-type creations. To say I was challenged was a bit of an understatement. Blue eyeshadow? This girl? Let's just say, the alternative title for this post should be: How to wear blue eyeshadow without looking like a 1980's prom queen. Because I think I achieved that and I think I became a blue eyeshadow fan while doing it!

I put together three different makeup looks using this kit that I hope you'll find useful. I am most certainly not a beauty blogger but I like to dabble in it every so often. That being said, I feel I should fully disclose that I like to spend probably 10 minutes or less putting on makeup. I also don't believe in using 2847475736 products. It's just not in my nature nor do I, personally, feel it is good for my skin. As you'll see, I'm prone to breakouts and covering my entire face in heavy makeup only makes it worse. If you can handle that, then I hope you'll like the looks I put together!

MY EVERYDAY STLE LOOK

Products used here include: More than This on entire eyelid, Gotta Be You on eye crease, Little Black Dress mascara and Taken lip gloss. Nothing too fancy about this look but this is true to my every day style. A simple eye with just a curled eyelash (no mascara), a bit of blush and a little pop of color with gloss. I'm an avid eyewear fan so I don't often feel the need to go to town on the eye makeup. For every day makeup, I follow the "KISS" method: Keep It Simple Stupid. ;-) The Taken lip gloss appears very bright pink in the tube but goes on pretty sheer. I imagine it could be layered for a brighter look, but I like the subdued pop of pink it gives me in this look.

FUN DATE NIGHT LOOK

Products used here include: More Than This on entire eyelid, mix of Gotta Be You and Save You Tonight on eye crease, and Stand Up creamy eye stick as top and bottom liner. This is a look I would wear on a fun date night to somewhere like a concert or eating out at a funky restaurant in downtown Detroit. It's much more makeup than I would normally wear during the day so it's perfect to up the anty a bit for a date night. I kept my lips nude with a bit of glossy chapstick considering the eyes were heavily lined with the creamy blue eye pencil. I smudged the pencil a bit with a Q-tip to purposely make the look a little more deliberately messy.

A FANCY VINTAGE LOOK

Products used here include: More Than This on entire eyelid, mix of Gotta Be You and Save You Tonight on eye crease, Another World eye color used as top liner, Little Black Dress mascara, and I Should Have Kissed You creme lipstick topped with the Taken lipgloss. Guys, I love this look. My favorite makeup look, when dressing up, is a good cat eye flick paired with a pink lip. Normally my cat eye is made using typical black liner but I love this updated look with the blue glitzy Another World as the liner! I think I am a blue convert.

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Final thoughts: I'm surprised by how much I like these shades! I imagine they are geared towards a younger crowd but I think I made them also work for those of us that are, ahem, 30 and possibly older. ;-) My favorite pieces of the collection are all of the eyeshadows and the Taken lipgloss. The eyeshadows are easy to apply, stay put and don't have much fallout. The shades blend well and compliment each other or work well alone. The lipgloss has a great, flat applicator brush, has a great color to it that I think would work for a lot of different complexions and also has a very faint, sweet scent. My least favorite part of the collection is the Stand Up blue creamy eye color stick. I found it was a little hard to apply neatly so it is best used for a smudge-necessary look like my Fun Date Night look above. I also wish the kits came with a cheek color in order to complete the kit and make it an entire look. Other than that, I think these kits are a great value!

Are you loving this collection as much as I am? Are you interested in checking out the rest of the kits? You're in luck! Kits hit Macy's stores around the U.S. starting today, August 11, 2014! After that, you can start finding them in Stage Stores, Dillards, Beauty Brands and Lord and Taylor stores on August 25, 2014. International releases will be announced soon!

Don't forget to connect with Makeup by One Direction on their facebook page!

Tried & True Review: L'Oreal Paris Magic B.B. Cream

A few weeks ago, SheSpeaks offered me the chance to try L'Oreal's Magic B.B. Cream and I jumped at it! I have been reading SO many good things about b.b. creams but had yet to take the plunge because I was pretty happy with my current makeup - which consisted of a foundation and concealer combination. I'm always up to change things up - especially if it comes with the promise of not only covering the things I'd like to hide but also correct issues over time! After using it almost daily for a few weeks now, I can honestly say that I am a believer!

A few things you should know: My skin is sensitive. My skin is acne prone. My skin is combination. I have what some call "adult acne"... I like to call it stress acne. I never had problem skin in middle school, high school or college. Honestly, I never had much acne up until the last few years of my life. Why it suddenly started to appear now is beyond me - I just know I want it GONE or at least hidden. The L'Oreal Paris Magic B.B. Cream has helped me do a good job of that while still letting my skin breathe. That is something I really appreciate and can be rare to find. I have tried dozens of different concealers, foundations, tinted moisturizers and powders over the years. This one is my favorite.

That being said, I thought to best demonstrate the coverage, you would want to see some before and after photos. I'm hardly afraid to show myself without a stitch of makeup - my skin is what it is. I will admit that it looks better when I eat better, get good amounts of sleep, work out and have low stress levels... but this is the real world and I rarely maintain that kind of heavenly schedule. :) The stress part has especially been high lately so my skin is certainly wearing some flair buttons right now, as I like to say...

Here it is for you: Not a single stitch of makeup. Fresh from the shower. Acne, visible pores, dark circles. All things no one really likes to have, but it is what it is.

This is after using just the L'Oreal Magic B.B. Cream. I like that it provides a more even base for me. It takes away a lot of my redness and covers up my acne decently enough. Most importantly: It feels so light - like I am literally wearing nothing! (Note: I never add any makeup to my forehead because my bangs are not a fan of sticking to makeup!)

My typical completed look: Added a little extra coverage with some concealer, a little bit of eyeshadow/eyeliner, mascara, blush and gloss. (And in desperate need of a hair cut! Just disregard that!)

Perhaps you're wondering at this point what the heck B.B. Cream even is.... I understand! I had to google it when I first heard of them because I had no idea either! I kept seeing all kinds of these new creams pop up with no explanation of what they even were. Well, "B.B." stands for beauty balm. The L'Oreal B.B. Cream comes with the promise that it has four actions - prime, perfect, hydrate and correct. I found that it stood by that promise:

• Prime: I own a Stila primer but never feel the need to use it with this cream. It covers smoothly without any help.
• Perfect: It lightly covers my acne and red spots just like a foundation would - without the heavy feel. Admittedly, I do still use concealer as I feel I need the extra coverage in certain areas.
• Hydrate: I don't use a moisturizer with it at all. While I do have dry spots, I wouldn't consider my skin to be especially dry so this might be different for each person. Keep in mind, though, it is winter in Michigan. And I still don't have to use a moisturizer with it. Awesome.
• Correct: I can honestly say I have seen an improvement in my skin. I have seen a little bit less acne and have noticed that a lot of my older acne spots have started to fade. 

Overall, at around $10.95 a bottle, I can 100% feel comfortable recommending this product. It can be found in drugstores, is budget friendly, and lasts! A little goes a long way and will last you all day. I love this as an addition to my everyday look. It is so easy to apply and I never feel like I have to worry if my makeup looks or feels obvious. This is light but effective.

Disclosure: I was provided the L'Oreal Paris Magic B.B. Cream (in Fair) free of charge from SheSpeaks. This review, however, was written by me personally and reflects my personal opinions after trying the product. I was not expected to provide a favorable review.