Friday, May 29, 2015

Friday Favorites #95

Happy Friday! I hope you all had a great week. It's been nice to have some semblance of normalcy again (and to have time to blog!). Here are some of the things I've been loving recently, starting with some pieces that look good enough to eat!

food novelty purse

1  //  2  //  3  //  4  //  5  //  6  //  7

These are the cutest, fruitiest pillow cases!
urban outfitters bedding
What pretty prints!
novelty print dress
a   ||   b   ||   c

I might be crazy, but I think this swimsuit is adorable!
polka dot swimsuit

I really want this retro radio:
retro radio

I have a small collection of makeup and toiletry bags, and I want to add this one!
retro makeup bag
I don't talk very much about makeup on my blog, but I recently picked up this BB cream on a whim and I'm IN LOVE. My skin tends to be prone to redness, and because I'm on Accutane, my skin is even redder and it's incredibly dry (so my BareMinerals powders don't look right). These cream goes on green and then turns to a universal shade. It looks SO natural but still provides pretty great coverage (and it's non-comedogenic/dermatologist recommended). If you have similar issues with your skin, I'd definitely recommend giving it a try!
l'oreal paris bb cream
This denim dress is so cute!
denim dress

These might be the prettiest/tackiest pink jelly shoes ever:
pink jelly shoes
Speaking of pink, flamingoes seem to be everywhere lately!
flamingo dress
a   ||   b   ||   c   ||   d   ||   e   ||   f
g   ||   h   ||   i   ||   j   ||   k

And finally, while we're on the subject of birds: has anyone else seen I Am Big Bird? It's a fantastic documentary about Carrol Spinney, who plays Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street. I really want to be a puppeteer, so the subject is of keen interest to me, but it's an incredibly interesting and moving film. It's available on iTunes and On Demand and I highly recommend it.

i am big bird

That's all for this week! Have a great Friday!
xox Sammi

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links, I may receive a small commission, which helps to run my blog. I link only to items and brands I absolutely love. Thank you for supporting The Soubrette Brunette!

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Tick tock

JORD watches

I'm not normally big on jewelry. I'll wear a delicate necklace or a cute ring on occasion, and of course, I have my ever-growing novelty brooch collection... but other than that, I don't like the guild the lily, so I usually let my dresses do the talking. But when the kind folks over at JORD contacted me to review one of their beautiful wood watches, I decided to take a trip outside my accessory comfort zone! JORD (the Swedish word for "earth") specializes in contemporary, sustainable watches for modern living, and they carry a variety of stunning designs. After some hemming and hawing, I ended up choosing the Fieldcrest watch in Maple; I felt it was simple, versatile and not too oversized for my small wrists. The craftsmanship of their watches is evident from the product photos on their website, but even so, I was very impressed upon receiving my watch (which comes in a carved wooden box for safekeeping).

pinup girl clothing mary blair
#jordwatch
mary blair commuter print

One of the best features about the JORD website is that you can actually have your watch custom-sized before it's even sent out to you! Having a watch resized is a bit of a pain, so JORD provides instructions and a printable ruler to help you to determine your correct size. I provided them with my measurement, and the watch ended up fitting perfectly when it arrived (it also came with extra links, just in case!). I love that all of their watches are made from natural and sustainably sourced woods, and they also use stainless steel clasps (which is helpful for anyone with metal sensitivity). I was afraid my watch would feel bulky, but I actually found it to be surprisingly lightweight and comfortable to wear. Plus, I knew it'd be a great match for my new dress from Pinup Girl Clothing!

magic of mary blair
jord wood watches
pinup girl clothing jenny dress

I fell for this piece from The Magic of Mary Blair collection as soon as it arrived in their "coming soon" section, but I was unsure as to whether or not the olive green would work on me. After seeing how great both the dress and skirt versions looked on social media, I decided to go for it – and I'm so glad I did! This is my third Jenny dress, and the fit seems to have changed slightly for this piece; there's some extra baggy fabric around my ribcage that isn't present in my other Jenny dresses, but I remedied it by swapping the belt for a thicker option. The print of the commuters on the skirt is obviously the most important aspect of this dress anyway! Since they're all hurrying to get to work on time, I thought the addition of my watch would be especially fitting. :)

pinup girl
Outfit Details
Jenny Dress in Mary Blair Commuters Print: Pinup Girl Clothing
Fieldcrest Watch in Maple: c/o JORD
Black flats: similar
Pettislip: similar

commuters print mary blair

Do you have any pieces from the Mary Blair collection?? If not, what's on your wish list? I'm adding at least 2 more pieces from the line to my closet (oops)!  

Have a great day!
xox Sammi

PS: the winner of my Beauxoxo giveaway has been announced! Congratulations to Jennifer W.! Georgie will be contacting you shortly with your prize. Thanks so much to all who entered!

Monday, May 25, 2015

Amazing Gracey

voodoo vixen dress

Happy Memorial Day! I don't get the day off, but I am back to working for my mom (I had to take the last three weeks off for my performing gig). As much as I've loved feeling like a professional actor this past month, I'm kind of glad to be getting back to some normalcy for a bit. I guess I'm sort of out of practice; not only did I become really dehydrated during the rehearsal process, but I also really messed up something with my hip. My body is definitely telling me I need to take it easy right now, and that I need to start taking care of myself better and build up some stamina and strength. I'm already in rehearsals for my next show (but the process won't be anywhere near as grueling), but I'm definitely going to make that a goal for this summer.

voodoo vixen gracey dress
white sunglasses
gingham dress

Now, a little bit about this adorable Voodoo Vixen dress! Seriously, who doesn't love gingham? I think this tiffany blue gingham is incredibly sweet, and I like the fact that the neckline is a little more sultry in contrast. The buttons are a lovely detail too (though all are purely for show), and I always appreciate a back zipper in a dress (I am very anti-side-zip!). I normally like my skirts a little bit longer, but this would definitely be a good option for hot summer days. The cotton fabric is on the thin side and the skirt is unlined – which, again, is good for the heat factor, but it's a little too sheer for my taste (though wearing a slip underneath helps). This dress does run true to size, but if you're in between sizes on the Voodoo Vixen chart, I would recommend going with the larger size in this particular dress, since it doesn't contain as much stretch as some of their other pieces. All in all, the Gracey is a great option for summertime BBQs, picnics or simply enjoying the sunshine.

voodoo vixen gingham
Outfit Details
Gracey Dress: c/o Voodoo Vixen
Sunglasses: c/o Unique Vintage (similar)
Flats: Aerosoles (old)

blue gingham dress
Have a great day!
xox Sammi

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Orange Crush

orange print dress

Picking a favorite Bernie Dexter dress is next to impossible, but this vibrant orange print one is pretty high up on the list. Bernie's Paris style is definitely one of her best silhouettes, in my opinion, and it's the sort of dress you can put on and instantly feel pretty stellar about your bod. I do wish we had orange groves in Upstate New York (for the sake of blog photos), but my backyard will have to do for this post.

bernie dexter
orange fruit print
orange bernie dexter

I'm currently in the midst of performances for the workshop/reading I'm in, and I'm totally wiped out. I had planned on doing a Friday Favorites post yesterday (especially since there are a bunch of good Memorial Day sales going on), but I passed out almost immediately after getting home from our Thursday night performance. In case you're in a shopping mood: Unique Vintage is offering 20% everything (including this orange print Bernie!) with the code MEM20, Pinup Girl Clothing is offering 25% off everything with the code CCSAVE2015ASOS is offering 20% off full-priced items with the code LONGWKND, Tatyana is offering 20% off all dresses and separates with the code FLAG, Amazon is offering 20% off all fashion-related products with the code FUN20SUN, and ModCloth is currently having an up-to-40% off summer sale!

orange dress
girl with bangs
bernie dexter dress
Outfit Details
Bernie Dexter dress: Crush Boutique
Boater hat: similar
Petticoat: eBay
Flats: similar

vintage dress

Have a wonderful weekend!
xox Sammi

PS: you have until Sunday night at midnight (EST) to enter my current giveaway! The winner will receive a $30 gift voucher to Beauxoxo! Get all the details & enter to win here.

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Flower carts

tatyana boutique

This springy, scalloped dress from Tatyana was destined to be part of my wardrobe. It's absolutely darling, and well-made to boot. My one complaint is that Tatyana's sizing is very inconsistent, and they don't provide specific size charts for each garment they produce. I had to guess on my size, and since the dresses I tried on while visiting the Tatyana store were both larges and mediums I went with the large on a gamble. It turns out that I should have ordered the medium, because this dress runs quite big. You can't tell too much from these photos, but I want to see if I can get it taken in a bit. It's also more see-through in the top than I would have liked, but even with these flaws, I think it's still going to remain in my closet. I'm such a dress hoarder!

tatyana dress
bait footwear
tatyana flower cart dress

I'm normally a lot better at thinking of creative blog post titles, but I have to be honest: not only was it really difficult with this dress, but my brain is absolutely fried from this rehearsal process. On paper, our rehearsal hours don't look like much (typically, they've been 5 hour days with 1 day off per week), but I am physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted. It's been a great experience to work with industry professionals and this kind of opportunity is really rare around here... but that being said, it's going to be a relief once it's over. I'll definitely miss being able to feel like a "real" working actor, and this has kind of lit a fire under my tush, but I also really need a break (especially since I ended up getting really dehydrated and was kinda messed up last week and this week from it). Taking care of yourself – even when you don't think you're doing anything particularly strenuous – is so important, and I certainly won't forget that any time soon! I feel like "self care" has kind of a negative connotation, but it's totally necessary.

flower cart dress
Outfit Details
Dress: Tatyana
Belt + petticoat: eBay
Shoes: BAIT Footwear (similar)

retro bangs

Have a great Wednesday!
xox Sammi

PS: Have you entered my current giveaway yet?? The winner receives a $30 gift voucher to Beauxoxo! Get all the details and enter to win here.

Monday, May 18, 2015

GIVEAWAY with Beauxoxo! [CLOSED]

licorice hair bow

It's no secret that I love girly accessories. It's also no secret that I have an insane sweet tooth. So when the lovely Georgie from Beauxoxo recently sent me this darling hair bow that combines two of my favorite things... you could say I was immediately hooked! Licorice Allsorts are one of my favorite kinds of candy (I know I'm in the minority there, but that's alright – more for me!), so I couldn't resist styling this bow. Georgie makes all kinds of bows – everything from gingham to pastel to cupcake print! – and I absolutely loved my choice. This print looks good enough to eat!

taveners licorice
the soubrette brunette
Outfit Details
Dress: c/o eShakti (similar)  ||  Hair bow: c/o Beauxoxo  ||  Cardigan: ModCloth
Belt: ASOS  ||  Shoes: ModCloth  ||  Petticoat: eBay

beauxoxo

Although I personally love her bows best, Georgie also makes the dearest headbands, flower crowns, butterflies and other hair goodies. It was very difficult for me to choose just one... but one of you lucky readers won't have that problem, since you can enter to win a $30 gift voucher to Beauxoxo! Just read the rules below and enter the giveaway through the widget!

beauxoxo giveaway
GIVEAWAY RULES:
One (1) winner will receive a $30 (USD) gift voucher from Beauxoxo. Enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below. You must be a follower of The Soubrette Brunette to enter (no unfollowing after the giveaway ends!), and you must leave a blog post comment to be eligible to win. This giveaway is open internationally, and will be open until Sunday, May 24th at 11:59 PM (EST). The winner will be chosen at random through the widget and will be contacted via e-mail on Monday, May 25th. The winner must respond within 24 hours, or a new winner will be chosen. Thanks for entering and best of luck! <3

Friday, May 15, 2015

Friday Favorites #94

Goodness, it's already Friday again? This week has flown by for me. Here are some of the things I've been lusting after lately, starting with something I can't get enough of: fruit-themed pieces! I especially love the apple – it's a battery charger for your iPhone or iPad!
fruit clothing
a   ||   b   ||   c   ||   d   ||   e   ||   f   ||   g

This swimsuit is so romantic!
floral swimsuit
A girl can never have too many polka dots or pastels in her closet, so I love these skirts that feature both!
polka dot skirt
1   //   2

This 50's print dress from Voodoo Vixen encompasses so many things I love!
voodoo vixen dress
A hot air balloon novelty purse! I feel like I've been waiting for this forever!
hot air balloon purse
Apparently, Nishe isn't really being carried by other vendors anymore, but these two dresses are still available for order through their own website. The prints are a little hard to see, but the first has a cherry print and the second is all ice cream cones!
nishe dress
a   //   b


This popcorn necklace is adorable:
popcorn necklace
I'm seriously considering this entire ensemble:
hell bunny violet dress
a   //   b

And finally, because I think having flowers around is very important... here are 23 perfectly valid reasons to buy yourself flowers.

Have a great Friday!
xox Sammi

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links, I may receive a small commission, which helps to run my blog. I link only to items and brands I absolutely love. Thank you for supporting The Soubrette Brunette!