america hot: Soap & Glory

I am sick. Again. Ugh. Sick and without cough medicine, so if I seem particularly grumpy/ill-humored, it's because of that and not because I don't love you guys.

Anthropologie: Moon Moth Cover-up, $68 at anthropologie.com, Present Perfect Top, $68 at anthropologie.com, Folks Voile Chemise, $68 at anthropologie.com: Anthropologie is really one of those places that is dangerous for my bank account. It's interesting, because it's not full of particularly on-trend or edgy stuff, but there's just so much pretty. It draws me in. It's like crack for hopeless romantics. I know this moth cover-up is meant to be worn at the beach, but that's definitely the sort of thing that I'd wear around the house with a glam pair of flip flops while watching Sunset Boulevard. I realize that that is a really specific daydream, but hey. My brain is fried at the moment (finals week, woot woot). This top makes me want to be French. The boatneck collar, the giant off-center bow, the bracelet length sleeves, the dove grey hue...it just screams Paris. And this chemise just screams summer. Whenever June rolls around, I get this crazy craving for retro-inspired sundresses. I blame True Blood and my weird obsession with the South. Anyways, this dress is perfection. The delicate cut, the washed-out print, the cinched waist and soft ruffles--it all works together so perfectly.

MAC Eyeshadow in Cranberry, $14.50 at maccosmetics.com, Frye Laurel Leaf Sandals, $158 at shopbop.com: I'm on a slow but steady road to falling in love with warm eyeshadows. I started off easy with MAC's Mythology, a warm, sparkly copper that I've been wearing literally every day for the last week. I do a wash of Mythology across the lid, Femme Fi in the inner corners, Romp on the outer half of the lid/into the crease, and then NARS Galapagos in my v. So lovely. Anyways, loving the way that warm eyeshadow picks up the green in my hazel eyes. I think the next step is picking up MAC's Cranberry. It's a lovely, warm red with pink shimmer, and the swatches that I've seen are crazy gorgeous. On a totally random note, how adorable are these Frye sandals? They really remind me of Greco-Roman times, with the gladiator styling and the whole laurel leaf concept. There's something so simple and yet so classic about them. They're clean, but not boring, fashion-forward, but also timeless, and since they're Frye, they probably will last forever.

Soap & Glory: Clean On Me Body Wash, $9.99 at target.com, The Fab Pore Facial Peel, sold out at target.com, One Pit Wonder deodorant, sold out at target.com: I've been meaning to try out Soap & Glory FOREVER, and I've just never gotten around to it. I'll stand in front of its section at Target on my bi-weekly trips there (at home. Where they have Target. Le sigh), and think about buying every single piece, and then get distracted and walk out empty-handed. I'd buy it for the packaging alone. I'm a total sucker for anything retro-kitschy that makes fun of gender stereotypes. I realize that sounds odd, but has anyone seen these? Love. Thanks mom! Anyways, asides from the packaging, I hear the actual products are fab. The line is created by the same woman who created Bliss, the high-end spa company, so you know that what goes in those bottles is just as great as what's on the outside. A girl on my hall has this shower gel, and I may have sniffed at it, and it smells DIVINE. According to the reviews on the Target website, it's extremely moisturizing, lathers really well, and the smell lasts all day. Plus, that bottle is huge. I'm a huge, huge fan of things that exfoliate your face but aren't scrubs (things with enzymes, salicylic acid, etc, etc). This peel has kaolin and salicylic acid, so it'll exfoliate, and then clean/shrink up your pores. Last but not least, a deodorant without aluminum that apparently works!!! I can't use deodorants that have aluminum in them, mainly because they really irritate my skin and are super, super, super bad for you, but it's hard to find the natural variety of deodorants that actually function as deodorants. If the reviews and the fact that this is sold out are anything to go by, this not only smells great, but actually keeps you dry and fresh as a daisy all day. I don't care how much it costs, I'm grabbing this next time I'm at Target.