The red lip. She’s classic, timeless and makes a statement all on her own. In my opinion, every woman should have a red lipstick in her beauty drawer! I picked up this red lipstick from Nordstrom last year, and it’s my front-contender for a fall red lip. MAC has always been a leader in the bold lip color game, and you can’t go wrong with their lipstick.
Today I thought we could take a deep dive in to the red lip and how you can find the perfect shade to make you feel like your ultra femme self.
Skin Tone Breakdown:
Fair | Fair skinned ladies tend to have a naturally pink undertone. You can complement that by using cool-toned red lipsticks with hints of blue or coral shades. These kinds of colors not only make fair skin look brighter without washing it out and they also make teeth look whiter. Helloooo Ruby Woo!
Light | These gals typically have more of a yellow undertone, so an orange-y red picks up the golden undertones to brighten their complexion. Loving this in Mangrove for my fair ladies!
Medium | These ladies gain and lose sun color easily, so an orangey-red works for summer (emphasizes the bronzed skin… enter Lady Danger) and blue-red is perfect for fall and winter (I love this in Russian Red).
Olive | Olive skin tends to have yellow-green undertones, so they look best in orange-y red when they’re sunkissed (like this in Le Orange) and a rust/brick red in cooler months (try this in Rouge Vinyle).
Deep | On dark complexions, a deep, bright, matte red really pops. As in true, candy-apple reds, cherry shade like this one in “Cherry Lush.” They mimic the richness and depth of deeper complexions!
photos by Christian Barnes
lip in Russian Red, more picks below! | similar striped dresses here, here and here | love this coin necklace and how cool is this one?
I dance on the line of medium and olive skin, so I usually stick to orangey-reds and blue-reds. I’d love to hear your go-to red shade! I’m sharing some of my picks below.
And before I wrap up today’s post, another product I’ve been wanting to try is La Mer. I’ve almost purchased it when shopping at Nordstrom (literally had it in my cart last week!), but have yet to try this magical product I hear so much about. The Mysteries of La Mer campaign launched earlier this month, and I think fall might be the perfect time to give my skin some luxe TLC. If you’re a La Mer lover, I’d love to hear your thoughts and experience!
Happy Friday! I’m currently writing this from Monterey, waiting on my adorable little nephews and sister-in-law to arrive. I have a fun project with a hotel in town, and a few of my people are driving up to spend the night! For four years I lived 45 minutes from my brother’s family. Now we are about 3-4 hours apart, and I haven’t seen his kids since May… which feels crazy. I didn’t realize how spoiled I was getting to see them so often, so I can’t wait to spend some time with their little boys!
This week has been a doozy (flashback to yesterday’s novel), and I’m definitely excited to get out of town and spend some time with some familiar faces. Thank you so much for all of your sweet words. I loved hearing what you’re making peace with – isn’t it incredible how much we can learn from each other when we’re willing to be vulnerable? It always blows me away, which is why I continue to spill my heart in the occasional personal post. I’m always so nervous to hit publish, but I’ve yet to regret it.
That’s about all I got this week! I hope you guys have a beautiful and relaxing weekend. Happy September! We are entering October and November, my favorite months all year. Soaking each day up. Thanks so much for reading – XO –
A few weeks ago, I went to a brunch event that had these little cards at every place setting. Each question was different, and there was no assigned seating. When I sat down and looked at this little card asking me, “What is something you have recently made peace with?” Oh boy. Where to even begin? I knew there was a reason I was faced with this little card.
We went around the table and answered our questions out loud, and my answer to this question was left on my heart all day, and then all week. Apparently all month becuase here I am, still talking about it. I shared this experience on Instagram Stories, and I loved the response I got from girls on Instagram and in emails, so I decided to bring it over to the blog for a larger conversation!
I’ve been open on this blog that I’m in a transitional phase of my life. If I’m being totally honest here – I’m not really enjoying it. Ha! I took a deep dive into some of the details here.
I’m in a place where I’m having to consciously practice gratitude and positive thinking every single day because I just can’t seem to get into a rhythym since we moved from Orange County. I don’t think I even realized how happy I was in Southern California until we moved and things have felt so different. It’s as if my emotions are dancing on eggshells and every time I bump my shoulder walking sideways into my closet (the only way to squeeze in there #smallspaces), hit my shin trying to dig in the back of some corner to find something I had to store underneath a chair or go up and down two flights of stairs 7x trying to do one load of laundry… I’m on the verge of tears.
I write this post from my desktop computer, as I somehow spilled half a cup of coffee on my work laptop on Monday morning and it’s currently drying out in front of a fan. The screen won’t turn on and of course I had a great computer repair place in Orange County… but I don’t live there anymore so every obstacle, every challenge feels more complicated and magnified because I have to start over. It feels like I can’t catch a break these days, and knowing I’ll inevitably be starting all over in a handful of months when we move… feels exhausting. Sidenote: I hate moving and have always struggled with change.
It’s been that kind of season, if you feel me. A season where I’m feeling unlike myself, emotionally delicate, holding my breath for the next mishap that normally I would power through but these days makes me crumble.
So what is something I have recently made peace with?
Clearly… I’ve not yet made peace with this transitional time. But something I am working on every single day is focusing on my path. I told Christian in one of my tear-filled broken moments last month (poor C… tending to my many meltdowns is becoming all too familiar) that I felt like I decided to run a marathon with all of my friends and they’re 5 miles away from the finish line and I’m still stretching.
He said, “More like you’re all on a hike and you are stopping to smell the flowers before you get to the rocky peak where the flowers don’t grow but the views are good. Some people only want the view and some people only want the flowers. We want both, so we can’t really compare ourselves to people with other aspirations. They’ll do what’s best for them and we’ll do what’s best for us.”
Which brings me back to this quote:
“For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin – real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.” Alfred D. Souza
I do feel genuinely happy for all the wonderful people in my life who have all the things I’m desiring right now – stability, fellowship and support from their communities, a home (with a yard! and a laundry room! and maybe even a garage!), holidays spent with their families, kids and so on. I truly am. I’m just not there yet.
And rather than focus on all the things I don’t have, I really need to appreciate what I do have. We don’t have as many responsibilities or bills, so we feel comfortable splurging on ourselves and others. There aren’t nap times or diaper bags so we can ride Vespas all over town and have wine with lunch without worrying about pumping and dumping or daycare pick up. With no yard or greenspace outside, we’re walking the dog 3 – 4x a day uphill but hey – we’re toning those glutes! Living in a small apartment so there isn’t as much to clean, no “housework” or landscaping to maintain. We can go to 9PM dinners without worrying about the babysitter and can be completely selfish with our time.
Would I trade all of these things for more space, a house, community and maybe a baby Barnes? Of course. I’m ready for that phase of my life… but we’re just not there. I’m actively working on making peace with my path. It’s unlike yours and yours is unlike mine. And that’s ok. In fact, it’s wonderful! We can all learn from each other, and truly appreciate achievements and milestones when we reach them.
These obstacles are our lives. It’s a part of our story, and an important part. I know it will be revealed to me why I had to go through this overly emotional and challenging chapter. Am I enjoying it? Nope. Not really. Is it going to make me smarter, stronger and more grateful when the next chapter starts? Definitely.
So now I want to ask you – what have you recently made peace with? Life isn’t all roses. Frankly, I know I learn the most from the harder times. They’re important and character-building. So let’s all learn from each other.
Thanks so much for reading and sharing! Big hugs to all my girls in a transitional phase right now. XO –
Not too long ago I stumbled upon this article about the proper way to burn candles, and while so simple, it made so much sense. I had no idea I was burning candles incorrectly for years.
It’s a bummer when you get a new candle, start to burn it and notice the wax is funneling or it’s creating a black ring around the candle jar. Especially when you’re burning a gorgeous, expensive candle. I want to get every drop out of them! The ones you’ll find around our house are from Votivo and Capri Blue, and at the bottom of this post I’m sharing my favorite candle scent and how YOU can win your own luxe candles (scent of your choice)!
I discovered three important steps in my research that I now always abide by when burning candles.
Burn Time
Especially for a candle’s first burn, they should burn for at least one hour per inch of container diameter. So, if you bought a new candle that is 3 inches in diameter, you should burn your candle for at least 3 hours (though not more than 4 at a time).
Wax has a memory, so you want to burn your candle so the melted wax spreads all the way out to the edge of your container. That way, when you burn your candle the next time, it will remember to melt all the way out to the sides. Another solution for easily doing this is finding candles with multiple wicks.
Below is an example of what not to do!
Trim Your Wicks
Trim your wicks to 1/4 inch before lighting, and try not to burn for more than 4 hours, otherwise carbon will start to accumulate again (queue the black smoke and that not-so-pretty black rim on your candle jar). I’m trying to actively be better at this. It’s definitely my biggest candle downfall! I think I need this set in my life for easy trimming.
Before You Blow It Out…
If you’re real fancy, you can use the tip of a screwdriver to dip the wick in the wax to put out the flame. Then use it to straighten the wick out for the next burn. Or you can use a snuffer like this one!
I wanted to photograph the glass jar that I have in our den filled with matchbooks. I started collecting them years ago, and my grandmother actually gave me some of hers she’s saved from when she was a flight attendant, traveling all over the U.S. I love reaching in to see what I pull out, where it’s from and guessing if it was originally mine or hers. A fun little thing to collect!
AND, now the most exciting part of today’s post! One of my absolute favorite candle brands, Votivo, is giving a CBL reader the chance to win 3 candles of his/her choice!
I’ve shared my love of their products in this post, but their Red Currant Collection has slowly become the signature scent of our home. It smells earthy and musk-y, and better yet, it’s Barnez-approved. Everybody wins.
To Enter (open to US residents):
1) Leave a comment with your favorite candle scent.
2) Subscribe to my new YouTube Channel (and leave your YouTube username so I can find you!).
**UPDATE: The winner is Cara Alexander! Thank you so much to everyone who entered!**
Another fun video (filmed in Orange County… and this video makes me miss that patio big time!) answering some of my most commonly asked questions from you guys!
A lot of these you can find on the FAQ page as well, along with some additional popular questions.
If you like this video, I’d love to hear what else you guys would like to see! I still have another video I filmed in OC to share (may or may not include Barnez), and I’m planning on putting together a San Francisco apartment tour this fall. I have a fun weekend trip coming this weekend… would you guys rather see photos of a trip or a video? Would love to hear.
You can now find all the videos on CBL in the “video” category or by clicking the YouTube icon at the top right of this site OR you can subscribe to my YouTube channel to see when new videos are posted! Thank you so much for reading and watching – XO –
Heels so nice, I pulled them out twice… in one week! Ok truth be told, these photos are from June before we moved from OC, and I forgot about them. So forgive me!
There are so many reasons I could preach about the topic of bold accessories. If you’re looking to put together a simple yet still interesting look, stick to a classic foundation wardrobe (i.e., solids) and let your accessories pop.
A great pair earrings or heels can take you a lot further than you might think. These earrings are currently on sale for $25 and I think they are so fun! They look great with your hair down and in my opinion, a pair of statement earrings (or a necklace) looks even better with your hair pulled back. Chic!
I also love a pair of statement heels with jeans or a midi skirt. You can wear a little black dress and then a great pair of heels elevates the look to another level.
And of course, one of the best reasons to invest in great accessories: they always fit. No judgement, just sayin’.
Can you get down with some bold accessories? I think this strategy is an easy go-to for the girl who doesn’t want to spend a lot of time thinking about what to wear or putting together new outfits.
If you’re looking for efficiency, find something easy that works for you and stick to it!
When I was in Anguilla back in July, two of the fabulous fashionistas on the trip, Helena and Sai, had this layered necklace game that I was totally enthralled with.
When it comes to jewelry, I go through phases. I used to wear tons of bracelets and no necklaces. Later I fell in love with all things statement necklace. Then I became earring-addicted and never wore bracelets. And now I’m having a delicate necklace moment. My relationship with jewelry is all over the place.
I came home from that trip and started going through all of my necklaces, looking for what I could layer. You guys know I love Dana Seng Jewelry (shared in my FAQ and here), so I combined her pieces with a new Etsy shop I discovered and love – Simple Dainty Jewelry. She’s actually based in San Francisco!
Other shops I love for delicate pieces are Katie Dean Jewelry and Adornmonde. Below I’m sharing some of my favorite necklaces for layering (and a great coin necklace is most definitely a must).
AND before I forget! I want to answer a FAQ from you guys –
How do you keep them from tangling?
Sadly the answer is that there is no secret. I sleep and shower in most of these so I simply untangle them in the morning (gently!), and usually that’s enough to get me through the day.
Below are some necklaces that I think would look fabulous layered up! I don’t think they all have to layer up perfectly. You can see in these photos that two of the necklaces are similar lengths… so what? I switch them out and sometimes I go longer – you do you. Make it your own!
I’d love to hear if you are a layered necklace kind of girl. Maybe you’re a bracelet or earring lover – gimme the scoop!
Bring on all the patterns today, sister! I hope everyone had a fabulous holiday weekend. I got to spend 24 hours with Christian before leaving town today for the week… so it was a day to be treasured!
Doesn’t this outfit feel very Carrie Bradshaw-inspired? And between that and this cool breeze coming through the window by my desk (my desk by the window also feels very CB), it seems about time to pull out my SATC dvd’s…
But let’s get back to this outfit. If you search “wrap dress” on this site, you’ll find tons of posts dedicated to my love of this silhouette. I think it’s such a flattering style for women. I always reached for a wrap dress anytime I had a job interview, important meeting/presentation or fancy luncheon. It can be modest and professional while still giving you shape.
I’m linking some of my favorite patterned wrap dresses below. You can mix prints with them like I have here, or you can keep it simple with a pump. Mix it up, sister!
Do you have a go-to dress silhouette? I’d love to hear!
What’s not pictured here are the many Marilyn Monroe moments I had in this dress. You would think it’s long enough, but it was SO cold and windy when we snapped these (if you look closely my nose is red) – Christian was laughing so hard! Yeah, yeah – real funny when he’s wearing a sweatshirt and jacket and I’m in this lightweight dress!
There are some seriously major sales happening this weekend, so I wanted to share the best deals I found! Above are some pieces that are marked down that I think could easily carry into fall, and below are all the promo codes and details I’ve got.
– some seriously gorgeous new heels from Pour la Victoire –
– after wearing this little red mini bag constantly I was upgraded to backpack level, love this little one too! –
Happy Friday gals! I have just been soaking up this week to myself. Usually I’m the one who travels and leaves Christian at home, but this time it’s been the reverse. While we of course miss him… it’s also been a fun chance to literally do whatever I want all day and night.
You want to clean out your closet at 9PM? Go for it.
You want to eat cereal for dinner instead of spend 1.5 hours cooking and cleaning? Sure.
You want to apply self-tanner all over body and make your bed smell like a spray tan booth? Bronze yourself.
In other news, I was so excited to see this week’s launch of the episode of Gold Digger Podcast that I was featured on! We answered reader questions about blogging, and I think it turned out really fascinating to anyone wanting to learn more about this industry or typical FAQ’s.
This week I also had lunch with a blogger friend and attended a brunch event. While that may not sound like much, it was really nice to get out. This summer I’ve just been focusing on getting settled and work. Because we know we’ll be packing up again in 9-10 months, I haven’t really focused on community as much. I think I forgot how great it is to be around girls. I’ve always been a girl’s girl, so I really loved getting some of that time in.
Christian is returning from China, and it’s basically a game of tag because I’m leaving to spend the week in Sonoma! September is Sonoma’s Wine Month, so I will be going to experience a peek behind the curtain of wine-world, including a grape stomp and making my own wine blend!!! You know I’m excited for that! Can’t wait to share more with you guys on the blog next week, but until then you can follow along on Instagram if you’re interested!
Do you guys have Labor Day plans? I’d love to hear what you’re up to this weekend! Thanks so much for reading – XO –
I shared this video on IGTV this summer, but I also wanted to share it on the blog and my baby of a YouTube channel in case any of you missed it!
Whenever I wear jeans with a raw hem, I get questions from y’all if I cut them, how I cut them, etc. I’ve been taking scissors to my jeans for about 10 years and haven’t gotten a pair hemmed in who-knows-how-long. It’s so easy to do yourself and completely free! Plus I love that relaxed look of a raw hem. They feel cool and lived in.
If you like this video, I’d love to hear what else you guys would like to see! I still have two fun videos I filmed in OC to share, and I’m planning on putting together a San Francisco apartment tour this fall. You can now find all the videos on CBL in the “video” category or by clicking the YouTube icon at the top right of this site.
You can also subscribe to my YouTube channel to see when new videos are posted! Thank you so much for reading – XO –
A few weeks ago I was listening to a podcast (some of my favorite podcasts shared here and here), and I heard someone describe one of their favorite healthy snacks that sounded SO good.
Carrots, lemon juice, salt, almonds.
So simple, right? I added some cucumbers, but you could really add any veggies you want. I used slivered almonds because it’s what I had on-hand, but you could totally use salted or unsalted whole almonds. Whatever you’ve got in the house, girl! My mom bought this salt for me and it’s very delish if you’re looking to up your salt game.
Warning: elevating your salt inventory can change your cooking life. Proceed with caution.
I hope you guys will try this and let me know what you think! Even Christian, who isn’t as much of a veggie lover as I am, also thought this was really delicious. It’s salty, savory and sweet.
Get your snackin’ on. Thanks so much for reading! XO –
