Movado

HAT FREAK

luxorlivingandstyle

HAT FREAK


hat by Nine West, glasses by Prada, scarf by Betsey Johnson, jacket by Cache

     I have a very bad head cold, and feel like I want to go to bed and curl up in a ball and die…but you can’t tell.  Thanks to my new Nine West animal print hat, which provided an easy out for dealing with hair styling, my Prada glasses and a bright red lip by MAC in “Relentlessly Red,”  so that I appear alive and well, you can’t tell. 

   I am a hat freak.  A lot of my friends are scared of hats. What will people think? Who cares? Hats are cool and easy.


     The scarf is also new and is from Betsey Johnson.  I found it when I was helping a friend shop for a scarf for her new vacation outfit, and the request was for a scarf that wouldn’t look “old lady.”  We both ended up grabbing one of these!

     I thought it would be great to go with some of my other AP collection items and the animal print combined with the bright roses at the base of the scarf is too cool!


bag by Michael Kors, watch by Movado, ring by David Yurman, bracelet by Tiffany & Co

      From my perspective, after years working in the retail world, I’ve seen trends come and go.  The goal is to have you chasing your tail year after year, buying up the latest and greatest, season after season. I prefer classic timelessness, with a hint of edge so you don’t appear dated, cheap or broke. It’s all about balance.

     I was going into the bank to make a deposit about 8 months back.  A cute girl, in skin tight True Religion jeans, with sparkles all over the pockets, drove in and parked next to me, and walked into the bank in front of me.

David Yurman, Tiffany & Co, Movado watch, Michael Kors bag, Prada glasses

     

     She was still inside the bank, probably fighting with them over her overdraft fees (LOL) so when I was walking out the door, I noticed her car.  It had dents all up and down the left side, and the hood was literally tied down with a rope, which was looped through the headlight area.  The dents were all old, because they were already rusted.  This made clear to me the state of her finances, and served as a lesson to me when I want to go crazy and over spend!  You should have more money in the bank than you do on your back, period. 

     Fashion should be fun.  It shouldn’t put you in financial ruins.  Find fashion that is within your bracket and helps you to also maintain your financial peace of mind.  Have fun checking for bargains! Mix high end with low end, whether it be with fashion, cosmetics or home decor.

-SDS

October 10, 2013

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POLKA SPOTS

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POLKA SPOTS
Luxor Living and Style Blog in Texas, green bag and belt by Michael Kors, top by Forever 21, watch by Movado, ring David Yurman, bracelet by Tiffany & Co, Two Broke Girl Necklace
     A perfectly sleepy day comes along here and there.  I feel lately as though I have to fight for each one!
 
    I got a lot done, working from home but we also planned to go to the movies at 6pm to beat the night time weekend movie rush.
 
    When we went to the movies we realized that it had been a while since the last one that wasn’t seen from our sofa via Redbox, and wow time is our biggest commodity these days!
 
bag and belt by Michael Kors, top by Forever 21, watch by Movado, ring David Yurman
  bag and belt by Michael Kors, top by Forever 21, watch by Movado, ring David Yurman
    I found this new polka dot blouse at Forever 21  after building my “Style My Verde Bolsa“ inspiration board, shown below. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
   Sticking with black and white today, made it easy to use the bright green bag again, and the hat kept me from having to deal with a lot of hair on a hot day. I would prefer to have on some baggy boyfriend jeans, rather than black capri pants, but I’ve not been able to find some yet that I like!
 
     
J
-SDS
June 10, 2013
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SIX SHOTS: JANUARY 2013

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SIX SHOTS

month one of two thousand thirteen


     Wow, so January has flown by and it’s time for another “Six Shots” post!

     The picture above was snapped at a place that’s been my favorite Houston restaurant for years. This is the dreary, cold, rain soaked courtyard that was so cozy to me around 6 pm New Year’s Eve. This has been my New Year’s Eve thing for years.

Prada sunglasses, Texas blonde

     

     In my defense, my new canon camera broke this month and could not be fixed so I had to purchase a different one, which left me  with no camera for over two weeks of the month!

    I like the photo above because we were reduced to using one of our old digital cameras for the blog “Perfectly Prada” and the pictures still came out acceptable enough!

     The good news is that I upgraded to the Canon Rebel T3i, so all is well, and I purchased it in time to take pictures like the one below for the “Master Bedroom Re-Vamp.”

     It is so hard to photograph a room, especially a black one, so after 200 shots, I really liked this shot!

master bedrooms in black, decor, bloggers in Texas, Houston, black paint, black bedroom

Have you ever had a really bad day ?  No, I mean a really bad day ?

     With too much stress going on for a prolonged time, we can all break.  Long ago, I had a really bad couple of years. Only a few people really seemed to understand what I was going through, so I felt alone. Felt alone? Heck I was alone!

     The one thing that really kept me on track was having a little heart to take care of and be responsible for. Jazzy.

    

      Jazzy is calm and enjoys peaceful times, just like me. She is a rock.   I guess it’s insane the amount of love and companionship we can derive from little hearts.

     I snapped this picture with my new camera, playing with the focus features.  I realized the amount of trust she had in me when I placed her up high on a big swing set and then stepped back to snap pictures from afar.  She calmly waited for me to return and lift her back down to the ground.

     I suppose I try to always snap the perfect photo of her to be able to somehow show people the love I feel for her.

With that in mind, we try to pay her back and make her happy by going on tiny walks more often.

     The photo of a zillion turtles crammed on a stump came during a Jazzy and Bella walk.  It appeared in the “Stealing Time” blog post.  I love how the duck kept swimming by them, everyone getting along.

movado rose gold watch

    This is a shot from the “Movado” post.  It was actually just a test shot to figure out how to best shoot a watch.  It turns out to be a lot harder than it looks! Give it a shot! A watch ad with nothing in it but the watch is sort of boring, so I tried something different.

    

     These were my Six Shots for January, 2013. The ones that told a story and meant something to me. I can’t wait to see what the new month brings!

-January 31, 2013

-SDS

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A MOVADO for ME

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

Marilyn, Luxor, Houston bloggers

       Something very unwonderful happened at the beginning of this year.  I decided to not let it ruin the remaining 11 months of 2012, and worked  hard, learned a lot and finangled resolutions to the mess.  I believe in not letting bad things waste any more time than necessary. 

     That being said, after making it through adversity with flying colors,  I needed a gift to myself for my birthday, which arrives every year, like clockwork, at the end of the year!

 

     Mi amiga showed me a Movado Rose Gold, Two Tone Unisex watch that she wanted, and I wanted it immediately!  We both ended up purchasing this same watch.

     I love the rose gold color as well as the fact that it has two tone coloring so that I can wear it with silver jewelry as well.

I guess I feel it appropriate to note, that I see blogs all the time, in which they act like money is no object and spending is of no consequence. This is something I really wanted and thought about for a few weeks before purchasing.

 

     The huge, thick animal print coat was a classic purchase from 12 years ago, for a retailer I worked for at the time.  It’s safe to say I’ve gotten my investment out of it after 12 years!  I try to maximize my dollar and balance between quality, functionality, longevity, fashion and price.

Jewelry is a weakness of mine, however, I have sold old, outdated pieces which I have no emotional attachment to and redesigned others.

    I feel Movado has hit the mark with this Unisex rose gold design, and I will wear it for many posts to come!  

     Additionally, bring on 2013, I am ready!

 

 

-January 1, 2013

-SDS

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TOP TWELVE SHOTS OF THE YEAR 2013

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image_preview (4)

     The year zipped by quickly.  What happened to the good old days that yousee in movies in which people had time to sit around outside on the patio, drink tea and gossip?  I need time like that.

     There were a lot of photos taken for the blog… probably thousands, but these are the ones I am choosing to highlight.  

 

Michael Kors, Movado, Jessica Simpson shoes, David Yurman, Prada Glasses, animal print top, white blonde hair, over 40, Old Town Spring, Luxor Living and Style,fashion blogger, lifestyle blogger, Luxor Magazine, Texas Top Bloggers

If you click on each photo, it takes you to the original blog post to see more. I choose photos of people, since that is one of my passions.   If there is a photo of me, my husband took it, which is a miracle/fluke, but it’s included because he does help and when we are not rushing, it’s fun for us.

  

 

 

I try to use other people at times, for the blog.  Although it my site, I try hard not to shove my grill front and center of every photo or post.  

     The blog is about beauty, fashion, relationships, travel, life and basically my vision of the universe and my passions.  It is not about me.

 

I chose to include my shoot with Jennifer, because I am so proud of the make up artistry, styling of the shoot, photography and editing.  Not only that, she’s so nice and we had fun, and will be working together again.

 

Photography helps to release a creative facet of myself, and to be able to style a shoot, and do all the cosmetics artistry and hair, is a plus.

     I love the photo of me and my husband above, because we were having a great night, going to dinner and a concert. I like how you can see us, but you can’t.  It’s more the idea of a couple that is portrayed.

Animal Print hat, Prada, white blonde, Texas, Old Town Spring, Luxor Living and Style, Houston Top Bloggers, stylist, MUA, Photography in The Woodlands

 

I am an animal print lady.  I love my cheap, new hat in this, and I love that we are at a place we like to go together.  This picture is the true me. Throwing on a hat, lipstick, glasses and ear bobbles, and BAM!  

Prada, glasses, Michael Kors, Marilyn Monroe, Luxor

 

This was interesting.  Blogging the same look daily isn’t any fun, so it’s nice to step out a little.  It turned out sort of Marilyn.

 

bald actor, New York men,

 

It was a blast shooting Vinnie in Laguna Beach.   What I learned was that it is entirely different photographing men than it is women.

    They want to look good, but you don’t want to take away from the manliness by over softening with filters.  He’s a very masculine type guy, and I wanted to enhance that. His little pet Sabatino helps to show his sensitive side, however!

 

The Perfectly Prada blog post was one of the first of the year.  This is the point I decided to just be myself, take pictures and create style how I want, and not try to meet typical expectations.

 

     Mr Sjoberg of KS TENNIS USA made a reluctant appearance for the blog, so I could further my photography  portfolio experience with the male species.

Full body shots are hard to shoot, when you’re an average person.  Sitting down usually doesn’t help matters either! However, it was a lovely Saturday night at church, it’s in focus, and did I mention I love animal print things? It’s sort of a reserved jungle kitty look.  Fun.

 

Part of the fun of running your own blog venture, is the opportunity to work with various brands.  

     This shot was part of a STUDIO GEAR COSMETICS post, and there will be more from them to come, but it’s so much more difficult than it looks to photograph makeup artistry, so I was glad they were pleased with the outcome.

     I have deals pending with other types of companies, and can not wait to see what happens and what is going on a year from now! Thanks so much for reader and follower support, and I wish everyone the best possible for 2014!

-SDS

-December 31, 2013

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ROCK SOME KITTY WITH A LITTLE KORS

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     I remember the first time I ever saw anything Hello Kitty.

     I was back-to-school shopping with my mom at Foley’s before entering the 2nd grade.  There was a little “Sanrio” booth next to the register with wonderful little nick nacks and most were decorated in pink with a little kitty face on them.  That was the first year that the kitty was added to the lineup of the Japanese company’s characters.

The Hello Kitty franchise has grown tremendously over the years and you can find pretty much anything with Hello Kitty and her friends on it.

This top struck me when I found it as being something fun to throw on for a casual day or night.  I love the logo seen on the back hip!  Well, and I love the gold metallic trim, the gold studs around the neck with mesh detail!  It has short sleeves so I thought this short cropped leather jacket would be a great addition for a cool November day out to lunch.

The Sanrio company just rocks, and so does Hello Kitty and that’s all there is to it!  IF you want to check out the multitudes of Kitty products that exist, then check out the Sanrio site.

     The black clutch is the Michael Kors & Estee Lauder Holiday bag out now for Fall 2012.  The nail color and lip colors shown are the ones from the purchase as well!  The shoes are from Jessica Simpson.

 

-December 6, 2012

–SDS

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