New Favorite Lip Colors

Okay, I feel like I have to admit something to you. Until this year, my everyday lip color was... cherry chapstick. Yep, just like all of those girls Katy Perry is busy kissing. I'm basically addicted to moisturizing, so I was putting that stuff on constantly. But recently I decided to step up my game. My natural lip color is basically no color, so just adding a little hint of color makes such a big difference.

 

I'm not a lipstick girl. I just can't handle the maintenance. Whenever I would wear a bright color, I'd be paranoid the whole time that it was feathering or getting on my teeth or fading away to nothing. And most of the time, when I looked in the mirror, one of those three things had inevitably happened, no matter how often I checked.

That's why I love subtle color. It doesn't require the lip lining process, and if it starts to fade it's no big deal. Plus they're really easy to wear and go with everything. Win win win. Here are my current favorites:

First up is Bobbi Brown's Luxe Lipstick in Pink Cloud. This one is a really pretty light pink that's perfect when I want to feel like a girly girl. I actually got this lipstick for free when some girls from Bobbi Brown did makeovers in my office a couple of weeks ago. What, you don't ever get your makeup done at work?! It was kind of weird really, but I ended up finding a brow pencil that I love (I'm wearing it here in taupe), and getting this lipstick in the process so I'll chalk it up to a win. The formula is super creamy and moisturizing which, as a dedicated chapstick girl, I love. It also supposedly reduces lip lines but that's not really a problem for me yet so I can't tell the difference.

Next up is Revlon Kiss Balm in Fresh Strawberry, which I've been referring to as "Bonnie Bell Lip Smackers for Adults" because really, that's what it is. I mean, I'm wearing strawberry-flavored lip balm, really. I'm actually impressed that it has so much color, and while it looks like it's hot pink in the tube it goes on much more subtly. This one is also super moisturizing but also has a really nice shine to it, like a mix between a balm and a gloss. Plus, it really smells like strawberry lip smackers - I wouldn't be surprised if I found my brother trying to eat it, which he once attempted with one of my chapsticks when we were little.

Next is Covergirl Oh Sugar! Lip Balm in Candy. This one is definitely the least pigmented of everything that I've been wearing, but that's nice because sometimes you want to be able to slap on some color without looking in a mirror and go. I've heard this equated to the Fresh Sugar Lip Balms I love, but they aren't quite an exact dupe - definitely less pigmented. But, at a third of the price, it's definitely something I can live with!

I'm not really a red lipstick girl, but this Ilia Tinted Lip Conditioner in Bang Bang may have changed my mind! It's a really sheer red that's easy to wear (the description for the color on Sephora's website it literally "easy red"), and is buildable if I want more color. It does tend to wear off quickly, but because it's not a true lipstick it doesn't look bad as it fades. This one is really moisturizing too, which is helpful since I seem to be addicted to lip moisturizers.

Finally is this Nars Velvet Lip Glide in Bound, which I've raved about before. The color is so pretty and natural looking, like my natural color just got a little boost. The gloss also feels nice and isn't too sticky. The color is actually really opaque, which is fine for this color but I haven't liked the other colors I've tried - in case you haven't been able to tell from this post, I like my lip colors sheer ;)

Are you big into lip color, or do you prefer sheer, subtle color like me? Is there a product I'm missing out on?

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What's Your Dream Trip?

Tee - Bobeau / Jeans - Old Navy / Bag (here in tan, and here in the mini version) - Rebecca Minkoff / Shoes - BP / Earrings - Sugarfix by Baublebar

Where would you go if you could travel anywhere in the world?

I actually never left the country until the end of my college years for an epic, almost free trip to the Bahamas with a friend whose family owned an island (yes, apparently that's a thing, and also, why am I no longer friends with him?!). Well, I guess there also was one day trip to Canada, but we only went to Sault Ste. Marie for lunch and then left so I don't really count it. This was back in the day when you could get into Canada with just a driver's license (or in my younger sister's case, her library card!!) so it didn't really feel like you were leaving the country.

To me, going on an international trip just didn't seem like something I could actually do. Like how now I don't quite understand that I could just go to the doctor and get Lasik surgery if I wanted to. Literally, the concept that I could just buy airline tickets and go just didn't occur to me, until Jeff started wanting to go on a big trip with me (that sneaky man was looking for a place to propose). We've now taken three big trips out of the country, and my travel bug is still itching us to do more.

So my dream trip? Right now it's Paris. I know it's so cliché and that everyone's dream trip is Paris, but I just can't help myself. The tiny hipster inside of me that tries to avoid clichés at all costs has ensured that we've visited Morocco and Vietnam, but somehow not France! I studied French for six years in school and somehow retained none of the language but all of the dreams of Paris. I would love to stroll down pretty tree-lined avenues eating a baguette, see the Eiffel Tower twinkle at night, load up on all of the cheese and rosé, check out the Louvre and the Centre Pompidou, and do some serious shopping damage on the Champs Élysées. Or at least some serious window-shopping damage. From Paris we would rent a cute little convertible and drive down through Provence and the French Riviera, and maybe even end our trip in northern Italy. A girl can dream, right?

So tell me - what's your dream trip?

Tee - Bobeau / Jeans - Old Navy / Bag (here in tan, and here in the mini version) - Rebecca Minkoff / Shoes - BP / Earrings - Sugarfix by Baublebar

Previously on KDTI - distressed white jeans:

 

Linking up with Friday Fab Favorites, Flashback Friday, Mix It Monday, Style Me Wednesday.

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This Weekend...

This weekend I...

...Met up with a friend at The Kitchen for a little bit of happy hour and a lotta bit of gossiping. The bar had an amazing cocktail list, plus a pretty view of the river. Not a bad way to spent a Friday afternoon!
...Spent a lot of time saying goodbye to some friends who are moving away to Colorado. On Friday they had a bunch of people over for dinner, and then on Saturday we met up with them for some good old fashioned patio sitting that morphed into pizza at Compass and then darts at a neighborhood dive - so really, one of the best kinds of Saturdays! I was really sad to say goodbye to our friends though - no one else move, okay? Ever. Please?
...Had my family over on Sunday for a big Mother's Day brunch. I made this quiche which turned out so good. I mean, really, who can say no to bacon fat fried potatoes and roasted broccoli? Well, besides my sister, who managed to find the shallots I snuck in there. I always think I'm going to be able to sneak onions into her food and she won't notice, and it never works.
...Managed to catch The Parent Trap on tv, which is still one of my all-time favorites. I think I saw it three or four times in theaters when it first came out, and still will watch it whenever it's on tv. Can I go to their summer camp please?

I hope you had a good one!

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Friday Finds

Happy Friday, and Happy almost Mother's Day to all you mommas out there! I'm celebrating my mom and sister this weekend with a little brunch (and a mimosa or two!) at our place on Sunday. Besides that we're planning on keeping things quiet and hopefully getting a lot done, but we'll see how that goes. I feel like I say that those are our plans all the time, and then something comes up and we end up being busy the whole weekend. Still haven't managed to shop for any flowers or herbs to put on our balcony, which I believe was my goal two weekends ago!

Here are my finds for this week, brought to you by the colors blue and white:

one / two / three / four / five

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Spring Sweater + Bow Mules

Sweater - J. Crew / Jeans - Gap / Flats - BP / Bag (similar) - Coach / Necklace - LOFT

You guys. I found it. THE perfect sweater. 

Well, at least THE perfect sweater for chilly spring days and cool spring nights. 

This sweater was one of those things I pulled out of the box to try on, and then had to keep it on my body the rest of the day. I got it a week ago and have already worn it multiple times. I love that it's oversized but not too oversized, and has amazing drape for a sweater. Plus it's not itchy at all - I have super sensitive skin so almost every sweater is itchy to me. Win win win. So, you know, don't be surprised if you see me wearing it allllll the time. 

Oh, and I also bought those mules. The bow mules. THE bow mules. I kept alternately wanting them and thinking they were really weird, but when they were originally available they weren't in my size so my feelings towards them didn't really matter. Then they were restocked in additional colors and sizes, and I decided to give them a go. I actually ordered them while I was in Asia, which is really a poor choice to make because according to everyone you shouldn't enter your credit card info online while you're in Asia. So far no one has stolen my identity, so please, pray for me. 

I don't want to say they were worth it, because I'm knocking on wood here that no one tries to buy another Match.com and eHarmony membership with my credit card (which, yes, once actually happened), but I freaking love them. I was worried they would make my feet look weird or huge, but in person they look completely normal. Plus they really are so comfortable, I've walked all over Chicago in them with zero issues. And, you know, there's a bow! I just love how they spruce up any casual jean & tee combo I throw their way. Or, in this case, jean & sweater combo. Thank you, bow mules, for making me feel fashionable even on my worst days. 

Sweater - J. Crew / Jeans - Gap / Flats - BP / Bag (similar) - Coach / Necklace - LOFT

Previously on KDTI - white jeans:

 

Linking up with Flashback Friday, Friday Fab Favorites, Mix It Monday.

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Southeast Asia Photos

We only got back from our trip to Southeast Asia, oh, a month ago, so I thought I'd share a little of what we did and a whole lot of photos! 

Our first stop was Hong Kong, which we really only added to the trip because you could fly direct there from Chicago - a major win when you consider it saved us 12 hours of travel time!! We were only in the city for 36 hours and were super jet lagged (I'm talking waking up at 3 in the morning!) but still tried to squeeze a lot in. 

One of our friends had just been to Hong Kong, so she shared a two day itinerary with us that we basically copied - thanks Alyson!! We started first thing in the morning by heading to the top the city, Victoria Peak. Hong Kong is built into mountains surrounding a bay, and Victoria Peak is at the tippy top of the highest mountain. There's a observatory at the top that you can pay to get into, or a free three mile hike that goes around the mountain you can check out instead - that's what we went for! Supposedly the walk has an amazing view of the city, but when we were up there it looked like this: 

I wish it had been a clear day as opposed to crazy foggy, but it was still really cool to see these incredibly high buildings just barely poking out of the fog. Plus, you get to ride a tram up to the top of the mountain which is an incredibly steep ride. If you want to hit Victoria Peak, definitely go early! We didn't have to wait in line at all, but by the time we got back down to the bottom (around 10am) the line was two hours long. Yikes.

After our morning hike, we wandered around Hong Kong Park, which is huge and contains a really cool aviary filled with hundreds of birds, a conservatory, pretty little ponds, and this fountain that I decided to go into because it's what all of the teenage tourists were doing.

Other highlights? Dim Sum (basically Asian small plates) at Maxim's where they still bring around all of the food in little carts so you can pick whatever looks good, a ferry ride across the harbor, and a visit to the Mong Kok neighborhood to see the crazy crowds and weird streets (we literally found one that was all karaoke stands - what?!) and visit the Ladies Market (which is, of course, an outdoor market that ladies would like - all the knockoff handbags and clothes and jewelry you could ever want). You also have to find a restaurant or bar with a view of the harbor for when the sun goes down, and we chose the lounge at our hotel - it was so beautiful!! 

And that was literally it for Hong Kong! The next morning we left super early to head to Koh Samui, Thailand, to meet up with my brother and his wife who were there for spring break. They live in South Korea, so it isn't quite as crazy a spot to go on a quick trip as it is for us. We stayed at Bandara Resort & Spa, which was freaking gorgeous and had a bunch of different pools, a sandy beach, a spa, and a daily four-hour happy hour, so we barely left the resort. The one cool activity we did was scuba diving - Jeff and I were beginners so they literally paired us with an instructor who showed us what to do and then pushed us around a coral reef. Besides that, we literally laid at the pool, got massages, went back to the pool, ordered some cocktails, and repeat. Not a bad way to spend a week ;) 

Our suite had a little private pool, which is basically the best thing ever. 

Hanging with my brother - at the bar, of course ;) 

From Thailand, we went to Siem Reap, Cambodia. We, like just about everyone else who visits Siem Reap, were there for the monuments. We hired a guide and a car through our hotel (normally you hire a tuk-tuk, but we got confused when booking - whoops!) and went out to see some temples! Guides typically give you the choice of the "small circle" which takes you to more famous temples like Angkor Wat and Ta Prom, which is where they filmed Tomb Raider, or the "big circle" which has a lot of smaller and less crowded temples. We opted for the small circle our first day, and then part of the big circle on our second. The temples are absolutely nuts - they were all built between the ninth and twelfth centuries, and while some of them are literally being pulled apart by the giant jungle trees growing out of them, others are so well preserved that you can still read the original sanskrit carvings - you know, if you can read Sanskrit. It looks like we were wandering through deserted monuments from these photos, but really our guide was just good at taking us to secret back entrances and Jeff and I are both tall so we can shoot above people's heads. In reality almost all of these places were crawling with tourists, the majority of whom wanted to take pictures where they were either pretending to fly or sitting in one of the four thousand doorways. I tried to copy, the results weren't great ;) 

Oh my gosh you guys, isn't my outfit for all day sweating and hiking so freaking cute?! To be fair, I did have to cover my shoulders and knees. 

Besides checking out temples, which you can really only do in the morning before it gets super hot, we did a lot of hanging out and drinking 50 cent beers on Pub Street, getting "fried" rolled ice cream which I had previously only seen in Snapchats from people in NYC, hanging out at our hotel pool, and eating all of the Cambodian food - we loved Khmer Touch for the beef loc lac and Grill Wine Cafe for the fun cocktails. We also loved Siem Reap Brewpub that specialized in craft beers, which after a week of Asian lagers was a welcome change! 

Our last stop was Vietnam. We flew into Hanoi really late and spent about six hours at our hotel before being picked up for a three day cruise through Halong Bay. This was by far my favorite part of the trip - we spent three days cruising through the bay looking at the beautiful scenery, eating incredible seven course meals, lounging on the deck, checking out a floating fishing village, a private beach, and a cave, and hanging out with the twenty other people on the boat. 

After our cruise, we just had two more nights left in Hanoi. We made the most of it by eating and eating and eating of course. We had a huge dinner at New Day where we learned that bun cha is our favorite of the Vietnamese foods, and did a street food tour to try everything our guide could think of (but don't worry, no bugs!) including egg coffee, which is, in fact, whipped egg in your coffee. Strangely good. We also visited Beer Corner, where you drink fifty cent beers on tiny plastic stools in the middle of the street, and every now and then have to stand up quickly and pretend you weren't in fact sitting in the street when the cops come by. 

We also wandered into the French Quarter, which literally feels like a little section of Europe was dropped in the middle of all of the standard-sized no frills communist buildings of Vietnam - freaky! We had drinks at the stunning poolside bar at the Metropole Hotel, which rivaled the prices of fancy cocktails in downtown Chicago but came inside of frozen hollowed-out pineapples so we could forgive them the price.

And whew, that's it! If you managed to stick around this long, I applaud you. 

If you're looking for details on traveling to Southeast Asia like hotels, currencies, and other logistics, check out How to Plan a Trip to Southeast Asia. If you want outfit details, check out what I packed. 

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