I know this probably isn’t the first outfit that comes to mind when you think “French style”, but there is something about it that reminds me of Isabel Marant, which is of course a very “cool French girl” brand. I think it’s the short hemline on the dress, combined with the puff shoulders, and the floral print. The dress is actually Love Moschino (so, Italian not French) but that’s okay. The belt is authentically French, at least. It’s one of my best recent thrift finds: Saint Laurent. I like the little edge it adds to the sweet floral together with the Fluevog cage booties/sandals (another fave recent thrift score). The dress fabric is very lightweight so although this may look a little “heavy” for summer, it was actually perfect for a 23C day which is basically Edmonton summer at its best.
More Granny
My husband loves to make fun of this granny square top, but I love how loud and cheerful it is. Also … built-in AC, that’s all I’m saying. If it’s a little risque (you can see my bra if you squint really hard), my fellow grocery store shoppers didn’t bat an eyelid. Rather than lean into its Coachella vibe this time around, I paired it with some straight leg jeans and some fun sneakers for a more urban casual vibe.
Pink + Green
I am obsessed with pink, and pink & green combos at the moment. They feel so fresh and fun, separately and together. I took a bit of a calculated risk, pairing a graphic tee with a patterned skirt, but I like how it came together.
Pink + Green, Take Two
I’ve been reading up on the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and that has been inspiring some of my styling choices lately. All this outfit needs is some longer hair, otherwise it’s pretty much perfect for a romantic-bohemian mood. I love the soft pink next to the dark green velvet – so evocative.
In the Mood for Romance
Like I said, my Bohemian avatar is in full swing, and leaning heavily towards the romantic these days. I loved wearing this outfit so much – the pretty corset, the swishy dramatic skirt, ahhhh. The low key pattern mixing was just the cherry on top.
I ended up waiting an extra long time for my FabFitFun summer box to arrive, but despite a hiccup or two, it was worth it. Here are my (as always, unsponsored and honest) reviews of the products I chose.
This was part of a 3-item bundle that could be selected as one of the customizations for annual members. FFF has gone nuts with adding dozens of options in each tier, but the good stuff always seems to be lumped into the same one or two tiers, leaving the others to be full of, well, filler stuff. This time around, they seemed to do a better job of spreading things around so there were good options in each tier, but navigating all the choices was a bit overwhelming. Anyway, my daughter loved this ice cube tray. It’s cute but more of a novelty item.
This Seraphine lip mask was part of the same bundle. I really like it – smells good, seems to be moisturizing enough. To be fair, it’s hard to tell right now as my lips aren’t particularly chapped. I could save it for the winter, but I probably won’t as I enjoy slathering it on every night.
The last item in the bundle was this foot file, which is a very practical item for me at the moment considering that I haven’t had a professional pedicure in 18 months and my feet, umm, have seen better days. I was skeptical about how well it would work, as a lot of files aren’t gritty enough in my experience to really make an impact, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised so far. Using it after I shower, and then slathering my feet in Happy Feet cream seems to be working small miracles.
This was a default pick in a “meh” category. Am I ever going to use shimmering oil? Probably not.
This was another category where no item really grabbed me, so I chose this dry shampoo because I’ve seen lots of people rave about it on social media. I’m not a big user of dry shampoo, but I do need it from time to time, so this will come in handy. I hope I don’t end up loving it too much because it costs a whopping $70 a can or something equally ridiculous.
I don’t normally get make-up in my FFF picks, but I had good luck with the MAC lipsticks last time, so I decided to give this a try. I really like the formula – it’s like a gloss but goes on like a matte lipstick. The colour I chose (Blood Orange) is a bit darker than I was hoping, but I think I can get used to it; it’s a sort of brickish red/ dark orange. It will be a good colour for fall.
So here was a bit of shadiness. I selected a cooler bag as one of my main customizations, and it was a piece I was excited to get because my family could use it. I made my selections within the first few minutes after the window for annual subscribers opened up, and the cooler was still clearly available at that time. About 3 weeks later, I get an email from FFF telling me that they had to pull the cooler because of some quality issues, and that they would substitute another item and give me a credit. Fine. Except it turns out that a bunch of other people, including one of my friends, ended up getting the cooler anyway. I hate it when companies aren’t honest; just say that you didn’t have enough stock, and leave it at that. Anyway, the item FFF sent me as a replacement was this Sonix speaker. It actually worked out, because everyone in my family loves this thing. It’s easy to sync with all of our devices (Apple and otherwise) and has good sound quality.
This Summer Fridays vitamin C serum was one of my “big ticket item” picks because the reviews for it online were excellent. I’ve been using it and I have to say that I like it a lot. Is it better than the Sunday Riley CEO Glow oil? Hard to say, but it’s definitely not worse. I do feel like it’s improved the overall appearance of my skin, though it’s not some night-and-day thing.
I ended up adding a couple of extra items from some of the tiers, and this Dr. Brandt cleanser was one of them. I chose it because I had recently run out of cleanser and the one I was using before (The Ordinary Squalane cleanser) was impressing me. I think I prefer this one; it cleans well without making me feel like my skin is being stripped.
The other extra item I added was this Murad collagen serum, also based on reviews. I use it as a moisturizer, alternating with my blue tansy oil and the Dr. Perricone cream I got in my last FFF box. I like it so far, but I’m not sure it’s going to become a “must have” product for me. It falls into that category of “works, doesn’t irritate my skin, but is probably interchangeable with a dozen other products”. This is not a criticism, by the way. Getting products like this is one of the reason I like the FFF box: I can try different things and see what is truly worth the retail price and what isn’t.
Did you get the Summer 2021 FFF box? What was your favourite item?
There is something so fun about red lipstick, isn’t there? I mean, it jumps out on the t-shirt design, and it sure does brighten up the face too. I’m still masking up, of course, so my lipstick-wearing is pretty limited these days but I do like to put some on for photos because it’s just a nice little finishing touch. The other finishing touch here? Well, it’s a toss-up between the blazer and the shoes. The blazer was a spur-of-the-moment pick, which really jazzes up the basic outfit so nicely. The shoes … well, red sneakers are always the cherry on top.
Remembrance of Things Past
This is such a 2018/2019 Adina outfit. The monochromatic thing, the tulle, the layering. And you know what? I still dig this. I wouldn’t wear it every day (because I’d miss colour too much) but I love a goth-lite moment every now and then.
And Again
Speaking of revisiting past inspiration, remember my Jo March obsession. This is very on point, if Jo were to discover the joy of culottes. This is my current favourite pair of pants, by the way. It’s Kimchi Blue, and they are incredibly comfortable. The material is a sort of thick ponte (but nothing too sweaty) that has structure to it but is still stretchy and comfortable. I wear them a lot.
Case in Point
I rest my case.
Graphic x 2
I love graffiti prints, and this is a double take. Probably my favourite outfit with this skirt – the tee is a perfect match for it.
Step Outside the Comfort Zone
This one was def outside my comfort zone, both in terms of proportions and colours, but I ended up liking it a lot. The skirt is a stunner — parts of the pattern are entirely beaded — and I can’t wait to remix it.
