Printed Bells

So I’ve had these bells for over a year now and I’ve only worn them a handful of times. I bought them at the beginning of last summer, but they were one of those things that I couldn’t figure out what to pair with them, so I didn’t really wear them that often. However, this summer I just decided to say F it, and throw on little crop tops (shocking, I know) and call it a day.

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HOLLISTER PANTS & TOP (old, similar here, here) || CHARLOTTE RUSSE SANDALS || LINEA PELLE BACKPACK || FOREVER21 CHOKER

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This crop top, on the other hand, I wear quite often! It’s one of my favorites to throw on with pretty much everything from bells, to skirts, to my trusty overalls! It’s comfortable and to be honest, anything I don’t have to wear a bra with gets extra gold stars in my book. Comfort is key in the summer.

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Side note: this is the first time I’ve actually shown my belly button on my blog, hah. It’s become one of those body parts that I spend an unusual amount of energy trying to cover up and hide all the time. It’s become way too exhausting trying to conceal it constantly, and ya know what, I’ve had two babies. This is what my body looks like. My belly button may not be my favorite part of myself anymore, but it’s mine so whatever, here it is world! Deal with it. ;] Anyway. These bells are amazingly comfortable, AND they’re still available, AND on major sale. YAY! Go, go, go!

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Wanderlust.

Do you ever go on vacation, even if it’s a small one somewhere not too far away, and think “this is the best place I’ve ever been. I want to move here.” Every. Single. Time. There’s something about being somewhere where no one knows you, where you know nothing, that is so attractive. Everywhere I’ve ever been I felt I could see myself there. Maybe not for the long haul, but for a little white at least. I hate vacations, it’s so sad coming home.

IMG_1244 IMG_1242I would move here. In a heartbeat. Good thing we just bought our dream house, right? haha, womp womp! Some day when we win the mega millions we’re going to have vacation homes all over the world! Promise. By the way! I feel it’s worth mentioning that the coffee at the Starbucks in Newport, RI is the best coffee I have ever had, anywhere, at any time. And my husband agreed. They brew it with love I tell you! If you’re ever there, stop by, you won’t be disappointed! And this is also the only time you’ll see me with a hot coffee for a long time! I drink iced coffee until I pretty much need gloves to hold the cup.

DSC_5015DSC_5019 DSC_5020 DSC_5021I was having a major red moment this entire leg of the vacation. For whatever reason everything I set my eyes on was in some shade of red. Even my lips. I just couldn’t get away from it. But whatever, I love red. I think it’s universally flattering.

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DRESS: URBAN OUTFITTERS (on sale now) || JACKET: H&M || SHOES: TARGET || BAG: REBECCA MINKOFF || SHADES: RAY BANS || LIPS: NARS ‘HEAT WAVE’

I really liked this dress because it is really something I’ve never worn before. It’s not my typical go-to. I generally prefer dresses with more shape, this was the exact opposite. I wanted to find something that was comfortable for walking around and sight-seeing. This was perfect. HOWEVER… I was totally unprepared for how windy it was going to be. I had quite a few Marilyn Monroe moments… ha.

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WATCH: MICHAEL KORS || BRACELETS: SKULL > ARUBA FLEE MARKET, ALEX & ANI

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A rare occurrence of THE Matt Ross in front of the camera! haha isn’t he cute? :]

DSC_5054 DSC_5057The view from our hotel was unreal. I have never seen anything like it before! Rhode Island is a lovely little state. Our hotel was smack dab in the middle of its own island, seriously. It took up the whole thing, hah. Anyway, definitely a place I’ll be revisiting. Well until next time, kisses!

Are you following me? Twitter: @The_RachelRoss || Instagram: therachelross 

Make sure you’re following me next week for behind the scenes shots straight from NY Fashion Week!

She bangs, she bangs!

Oh baby! Now, when you read that, do you hear Ricky Martin or William Hung? That’s his name right? In my mind it flip flops back and forth. But that’s neither here nor there. As you read in my last post, I did my own ombre and now that I had time to blow dry I am swooning over the final look! It’s amazeballs. I gotta be honest, I did a pretty damn good job! My hair didn’t break off and it actually looks pretty healthy. So, um, go me! And while that was a pretty big change from being root-to-tip brunette, I still wanted to go one step further. So I cut my own bangs too!

DSC_3655 DSC_3656I’m juuuuust kidding, they’re fake! Can’t even tell, can you? So dope. I have always wanted to be the girl that can rock bangs, but that’s never been me. I have naturally curly hair so my bangs would be a little absurd looking if I didn’t touch them up with a flatiron every 20 minutes. So these clip-in bangs are perfect for girls like me! They’re also perfect for the girl who is super fickle when it comes to picking a hair style, wanting the bangs but not the commitment. My mom & husband loved the look so much I was tempted to actually call up my hair stylist and go for it, but then my mom was like, why? Just wear them when you’re in the mood for them, and take them off when you’re not. She’s like a little Yoda, she knows me so well!

So if you want the look without the commitment, you little commitment-phobe, you!, buy yourself a pair of clip-in’s! I trimmed mine a little bit to make them more straight across. They were originally the side-swoopy bangs. Now that I know I like them I’ll have to trim a little more off the sides to blend them better, but there you have it! All the style without all the upkeep. ;] Until next time, kisses!

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Que pasa, ombre?

About a year and a half ago I took the plunge and joined the ombre trend. I have the absolute best hair stylist, Jacki from Glen Goldbaum 72, in Red Bank. She did a bang up job, I loved it. I was, however, super pregnant and started to get all fat and gross and decided that I would look much better with simple hair, so I went all back to brown. Every time I saw someone with ombre hair I missed mine a little bit, and then L’oreal came out with their DIY at-home ombre kit. I’m a big fan of at-home things lately. I’ve recently purchased the at-home gel mani kit, and I’m obsessed. So I figured I would try this. Here’s my thing, I figured if I didn’t love it, I at least didn’t spend an arm and a leg on it, you know? So I’ve been doing it myself. And I looooove it! I have to do touch ups about every 2-3 weeks to the ends to get it to the blonde that I want, so next time I’ll make a how-to video. This is a little teaser post, I suppose! ;]

IMG_6129This is the latest pic of my hair. This is about the 3rd process. There are 3 levels of color, one for brunettes, one for medium blondes, and one for blondes. I used the one for brunettes the first time and started applying the color by my ears to the ends. I waited about 3 weeks then used the color for medium blondes on top of that. I started by my chin and applied the color all the way down to the ends. Last night (about a month or so after the 2nd application) I added the color for blondes to the ends only. I promise I will post a how-to video with step-by-step instructions in about two weeks when I reapply color to the ends, it’s SUPER easy to do! I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

Here a few pictures from throughout the process so you can see the differences.

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Before.
After the 2nd process.
After the 2nd process.

 

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So there you have it! It’s gradual, which is important because if you apply too much lightener at one time your hair will break and die and fall out of your head!!!!! Maybe not, but maybe it will! Just be careful and know that if you have darker hair like me it will have to be a gradual process. And toners are your friend! But I’ll get into all that when I make the video. For now, enjoy these pics, ha! Until next time, kisses!

 

Friday Fav!

I have to say, and I’m pretty sure I’ve said this before, Kate Beckinsale is my ultimate girl crush! She can do no wrong. She is walking perfection. And if you don’t agree, there’s the door! No but seriously, how could you not? Let’s take a look!

 

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Um, yum! Let’s just talk about how beautiful this dress is! There is nothing wrong with going with your LBD when all else fails. Sometimes I think celebs get all caught up in the Hollywood fashion frenzy and end up straying too far from their own style, and you can always tell! And, this is random, but doesn’t her cleavage always look perfect? Don’t act like you don’t notice! So anyway, the Jimmy Choo strappy neon sandals make me swoon! I may need to grab me a pair of these. They look pretty comfortable, all things considered… ha. I love, love, love her smoldering sexy eye makeup! The hair thrown up, with some face-framing pieces, and gorgeous drop earrings. Everything about this, I dig.

What do you think? Have an amazing weekend kiddies! Kisses!

Wednesday Worst!

I think this particular Wednesday Worst is going to be pretty split with my audience. Some of you may agree, some of you may not. Let’s get started.

HAYDEN PANETTIERE

hayden-panettiere-290Glamour Magazine was tweeting about her hair this morning, but I only saw the hair, not the rest of the look. So we’ll start there. To be honest, I wasn’t crazy about it. As sleek as the braid is, the top looks kind of messy to me. She has tight, tight pin curls all around her hairline and crown, which I’m sure was supposed to look trendy, but reads kind of “I just got my hair cornrowed on the beach.” I’m a fan of bandage dresses and the jewel-tone color of this dress is quite pleasing to my eyes. But at first glance it looks somewhat like a tacky prom dress, no? Pair it with her clunky black shoes and it’s ALL wrong. If I were her, I would have gone with some metallic strappy sandals to play up the embellishments in the dress. Jimmy Choo has some extremely fabulous ones! She did one thing right by playing it safe with the accessories, so kudos for that!

What do you guys think? Love it or hate it? Until next time, kisses!

Friday Fav!

Remkerirussell11ember this girl? The oh-so awkward and sad Felicity? I was obsessed with that show, but not so much with her. Being that I am a victim of curly/frizzy hair myself, I watched in total agony every time this girl was on screen… like… why couldn’t someone get you a blowdryer? I know it was a late 90’s show and the frizzy hair wasn’t a HUGE issue in fashion yet, but whatever. I suppose that is beside the point. Keri Russell kind of came and went, didn’t she? I’m glad she made a comeback. First in August Rush, then in some Lifetime movies about Pie or something… now in The Americans [awesome show on FX, if you didn’t know] and she is hotter than ever! Check this out.

keri-russell-290um… MEOW. I love it. Everything about this. [except the fact that it looks like she has a broken ankle down there.. what the hell is that? Super uncomfortable looking!] Anywho. It is seriously so difficult to wear a leather mini dress, am I wrong? I’ve been 100% honest about my feelings on leather; you have to practically be a supermodel to pull it off… even though I own leather leggings… I’m very shy about wearing them! ha. This dress fits her like a little leather winter glove. If you guys saw Olivia Palermo in her leather dress not long ago, it looked like a big frumpy Hefty bag. Which is so weird to me because she hardly ever wears anything poorly, but apparently it’s possible. So when buying anything leather, make sure it’s flattering! Her smokey-eye-like makeup kind of gives her an uber sexy look without looking like she’s about to spank you with a big paddle. Simple black pumps, and an easy side-part blowout ties this look all together. I’m a big fan, and it kind of makes me want to go out and buy a leather dress. I won’t. But I want to.

So what do you think? Love or hate? Tell me your thoughts! Until next time. Kisses!

Wednesday Worst!

This post is proof that you can go from the best dressed celeb to the worst in almost the blink of an eye! A few weeks ago I posted this picture of Victoria Justice. 

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I loved the way she looked here! So sleek and sexy! This bold print mini dress is seriously gorgeous… I want it. And her hair looks perfect. But you can read that whole post here. I don’t want to dive into it all again. Anyway…. She is a beautiful girl, hands down. However, being beautiful doesn’t always translate well to your wardrobe. In this picture, she looks like a grown up.. not a Disney star. Not so much in today’s picture… take a look.

 

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Here she screams DISNEY STAR!! So much layering going on with this outfit. She has a striped tank top on under a white tee shirt under a very busy printed button up. All of this with some cuffed denim shorts… Not terrible although it is quite a lot for your eyes to take in… but if your eyes go lower you land on mid-calf high black leather boots. Say what?? They are so out of place with this whole outfit. It’s really just strange to me! From the torso up it’s super busy and from the legs down it’s so miss-matched! This outfit, however funkadelic it may be, would have been salvageable with some cute sandals since she’s clearly going for a laid-back look here… or at least I think she is? With the boots I’m seriously not sure. On the flip side, her hair and makeup looks flawless, as always, so she has that going for her, but the rest of this… major fail for me. Black leather boots are never a go-to when you’re wearing denim shorts… come on now!

What do you guys think? Are you digging the S&M boots with the day-at-the-beach outfit? (I don’t think you are.. but you never know!) Until next time kiddies. Kisses!

 

Wednesday Worst!

Remember Zenon? From those Disney movies? (I was obviously obsessed with them. After watching the Jetsons religiously when I was younger the future was the bees knees for me). If you don’t remember, this is what that little future dweller looked like.

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Bringing you right back isn’t it? Ok, so now that we have that covered, really soak this in. I feel as though my pick for Wednesday worst took a little style inspiration from Zenon here.

Brandy

brandy-norwood-290Zedis lapedis, Brandy! (see what I did there? ha ha ha) Anyway. Really though… what in the world? This is very Moesha of you, and not very 2013 Brandy of you. Knit mesh tops should ONLY, and I repeat ONLY, be worn while frolicking into the sunset on a beach. The silver hardware from her neck, to her skirt, to her shoes screams matchy-matchy. And the embellished leather jacket thrown over this look, where the hell did that come from? Nothing works with each other here, for me, at least. It’s just a big ball of hott mess. And, ok, your weave Brandy…. I’ve heard of texture but this is just cray. Come on girl you are better than this! Seriously though, that skirt looks like one of those things you put on the windshield of your car on a super sunny day to keep the seats from getting too hot. woof. All right, this is coming off pretty harsh but I had to go there. A sleek, fitted, solid black top would have maybe salvaged this look (and a comb), because the pieces aren’t 100% horrible by themselves. I will say that. There.

Alright kids, what do you think? Zenon, or Icon? You decide! Until next time, kisses!

 

Friday Fav: Casual Friday

We’re taking it down a notch today. Usually I post pictures of these stars all glammed up on the red carpet, but I saw two looks this morning that were toned down and I really, really loved the way they looked. Behold…

Jordin Sparks

jordin-sparks-290I really love this look on her. I have this weird complex in my head that only girls who are 9 feet tall and 80 pounds can wear leather… even though I’ve recently purchased a pair of leather pants from H&M, I still have to give myself a big pep talk before I wear them. So it’s super refreshing to see someone who doesn’t have the ‘typical’ Hollywood body type rocking some leather pants. Makes me feel better about myself! I am obsessed with her shoes also. I have been searching high and low for a pair quite similar to these. I am also really digging the white top paired with a neutral biker jacket. This whole look is so understated but still looks so hott. And let’s not forget her super swagful arm party! Always a plus. Her lip color choice is interesting to me too. It’s not red, coral, or pink. It’s like a bright berry mixed with coral and pink? Not sure about that, I could never pull that color off but it looks amaze on her. I am a fan of this. What do you think?

Nikki Reednikki-reed-290

This literally looks like something I would wear out to a nice dinner with the hubs or drinks for girls night. It’s SUCH a cute outfit! She’s rocking this outfit at an album release party which seems totally appropriate. She may be wearing leather pants too? It’s kind of hard to see in the picture, but I see some shine, so there’s probably some leather going on there. WHICH, if you didn’t know, leather is a huge trend for this Spring. So work it into your wardrobe somehow. Moving on… The little pop of color found in her clutch is fabulous, it does a great job of breaking up the black and white. I love the embellishments on the collar of her shirt, and her shoes! So simple yet so chic. She always looks so good, doesn’t she? I’m a big fan of Ms. Reed.

Those are my looks this week, kiddies! What do you think? This makes me want to get somewhat dressed up and go out to dinner now. A nice paleo dinner, of course! wink wink. Until next time. Kisses!