Lookbook: Romper

So, I know when I last mentioned rompers I said I wasn't going to wear heels with them but I found this little romper that wasn't too short and decided that heels would be acceptable to be worn with it.

What I'm Wearing:

Cardi: Quicksilver
Romper: Forever 21
Shoes: Cynthia Vincent (from Gilt)

I was hesitant about wearing the romper as I wasn't sure if I could pull it off but when my husband saw me in it he told me that I was too cute to resist so who was I to argue right? Whatever he likes, I like, especially if it's on me. :)

I woke up early one Saturday morning and checked my e-mail to see a Gilt sale. I was like "What? Gilt sale on a Saturday?" and lucky for me it was a shoe sale! I got 3 pairs of Cynthia Vincent shoes and these were one of them. The platform in front gives just the right amount of height and I love the pleats in front.

Overall, rompers get a big thumps up for me! Really cute and easy outfit, adding a cardigan is not necessary as it's just as cute without (just not for Seattle weather) and looks good on lil shorties like me!

Each photo session usually ends with a ridiculously goofy picture of me as my husband always likes to say at least one comment to get this reaction.

Silly man, but I guess that's why I married him, I love that he can make me laugh at any moment. :)

p.s. if you are looking for a Gilt invite, click here!

What's in my bag?

Continuing on to yesterday's post about bags... I've decided to show you the contents of what's in my bag! Actually, Lotus requested that I do this post a really long time ago and I was total slacker and didn't do it until now. Apologies for how long it took me!

The bag: Louis Vuitton Neverfull MM - I know a lot of people don't like the Louis Vuitton monogram because it's like a walking advertisement for the brand, however it doesn't bother me. Even if the bag didn't have LV all over it, I would totally still buy it as it's been on the best bags I've purchased. I love how easy it is to carry (never slips off my shoulders like some bags) and it can carry a whole lot! I sometimes even stick my work laptop in there (and that is a very large laptop!)

Counter clockwise from top left:

• Marc by Marc Jacobs sunnies - these are my cheapies that I just stash in my bag and I don't care if they get scratched. The majority of sunnies I own are Chanel and those get kept in their case.
  
• Gucci cosmetics case - full of lipglosses, lip balm, anti-bacterial hand gel, pill box (for advil, tylenol)
• 2 RuMe bags from Delight.com - I LOVE these bags. We rarely use plastic bags at the grocery store now because I always carry these reusuable bags with me and they carry SO much more than one plastic grocery bag. The best part is that they roll up so small that I barely even notice then in my handbag! We keep two more in the car for times that we might be buying a lot more (like Costco trips). I even pull them out when I'm shopping at Nordstrom or other retail stores, to save from using their bags. If you have not gotten a reusuable bag yet, I highly recommend them!
• iPhone & the Louis Vuitton Wapity - I've had a "smart phone" for over 3 years now. I was one of the first of my friends that actually got e-mail on my phone. Now everyone has one and this is my 3rd version of a "smart phone". I admit that it does help that my company pays for my cell phone bill so I don't have to worry about all the expenses that a data plan brings. When I got my first fancy phone J knew that I was worried about scratching it so he bought me the LV Wapity to protect it. It's now lasted through all 3 upgrades and has fit all the phones that I've had! I love it because I never have to scramble around to find my phone in my bag. I just reach in and find the Wapity!
• Ice Breakers Sours - I have a thing for sour candy. Also, I have a habit of forgetting to eat so when my blood sugar is low, I pop in one of those candies and it helps me not faint at my desk. :)
• Hello Kitty tissue holder - I bought this at the Tokyo airport. It was Hello Kitty, I couldn't resist! Plus, I always like to have tissue on me so it's nice to have a cute lil holder.
• iPod Classic - it's crazy how much this can hold! I have full seasons of It's Always Sunny in Phildelphia (funniest show ever!), Gossip Girl and all my music and photos and I still have a ton of space.
• Hello Kitty toothpick holder - same reasons as the tissue holder :) It's got a little pocket for the toothpicks and a little mirror built in. As I mentioned before, I always have stuff stuck in my teeth so it was a must-have.
• Gucci passport wallet - It was originally used to protect my passport but now I use it to keep all my grocery store "club" cards, blockbuster card, gift cards, coffee cards, etc. I found it to be a pain to keep those things in my wallet with my credit cards and such so it's much nicer to have a separate place for all that stuff.
• Gucci long wallet - I have used this wallet for I think 3 years now and it still looks new. It was expensive but considering how many wallets I went through before I got this one, it was worth it. (I don't think they carry mine anymore, but this one is similar)
  

Close up of my iPhone wallpaper! :) I always like to see what other people have on their wallpaper. And how cute is the little red bow on the tissue holder?

This was fun sharing what I keep in my bag! I've seen a few other bloggers who have done this and it's always interesting to see. If any of you post a "what's in my bag" on your blog let me know and I'll link you here!

Bags, bags, bags

photo by Liz Ham

I love big bags. I like being able to carry all of my essentials and not have to worry about taking stuff out to make room. Plus my husband likes it too, he ends up stashing his wallet and cell phone in my purse too!

Lately I have been getting lots of questions from readers about what bag I use to carry my camera (and still stay style-ish). Unfortunately I do not have a great answer for you as I don't use a camera bag, I usually just stick it into whatever handbag I'm carrying that day. I guess that's another perk of carrying a big bag as my camera fits into it with room to spare. Sure, it makes it heavy, but on the days that I feel like taking my camera out with me, that's my best solution (other than wearing it around my neck of course). I have basically given up on finding a true camera bag that is remotely stylish, so I am constantly looking at handbags to see if they can function as my camera bag. For the wedding we just shot, I used my Foley & Corinna City Tote, which is awesome because it's big and I could sling it over my body (and it's totally cute and could function as my regular purse as well) but that was just for carrying my lenses. I still don't have a great solution for carrying my camera around.

Since my husband and I now have a combined total of 3 dSLR's and quite a few lenses, we use a Crumpler bag for when we travel. We love it! It totally keeps our cameras safe and secure and is a lot easier to carry them all together rather than each one on it's own. They have bags that can just carry one so you could look into those. Although they aren't so pretty, sometimes function just wins.

I've promised everyone that has written me that I would let them know when I came up with a good solution, so will post if I find it. If anyone has a recommendation, let me know!

Update: I know I will get lots of comments about the Shootsac so wanted to put it out there as an option. It's not what I'm looking for, as I want a bag that will just hold my camera, not any additional lenses. The Shootsac is for carrying your additional lenses and you wear your camera on your neck. When I bring my camera out on just a normal day, I only use one lens, I never change it. For example, all my New York pictures were shot with my 50mm f/1.2L lens. It makes much more sense as a wedding photographer to use the Shootsac as you are changing your lenses so much. That's the difference that I'm looking for, an everyday vs. an event photography camera bag. It just seems that nobody makes a nice everyday camera bag that can double as a handbag as well. I swear I'm just going to start designing my own! :)

Lookbook: Pink Scarf

I always end up picking out random accessories wherever I go. I just see something that I think is cute and I have to have it. This scarf is one of those things that I just ended up picking up randomly and had no clue how to even wear it. I just loved the bright pink and the pattern.

What I'm Wearing:
Blazer: United Colors of Benetton
Shirt (that you can't see): J Crew
Scarf: Forever 21
Jeans: True Religion
Shoes: Christian Louboutin

(what's up with my weird stiff poses? total off day. ha!)

Got out another one of my blazers (I told you I own a lot!) and paired it with a regular uniform of jeans and heels. Added the scarf at the last second for the added pop of color and I think it worked okay. This is one of my more "dressy" blazers (I usually wear it to interviews) so I think that the scarf went with the dressier aspect as I don't think it would've worked with one of my more casual blazers.

On a side note, I'm on a hunt for new nail polish colors. I need some recommendations! I am loving all pinks and purples right now and I'm open to blues and even greens. Any ones in particular that you guys love?

My current nail polish du jour is OPI Parlez Vous OPI? It's a really pretty creamy purple and I really love it but I need something brighter!

Makeup Tutorial

By popular demand, an I am Style-ish makeup tutorial!

I get a lot of comments on how I do my eye makeup and my lashes so I thought I'd do an easy eye look. I do have to mention that my makeup tutorial is probably best for girls with small eyes and small lids like me.

The makeup used for this look, Coastal Scents 26 Shadow Blush Combo palette on the left and 28 piece Eye Shadow Neutral palette on the right.

The process:

• Apply MAC shadestick in "Fresh Cement" on bare eyelid. I apply it all over the lid and a little over the "crease" or fold of my eyelid. This acts as a base and a highlighter at the same time.
  
• Using the #1 shadow and the #1 brush, (the darkest color and the smallest brush shape) apply the color to the outer corner only. I like to keep the deepest color at the outer corner of my eye because you can see it the most and it makes for a more dramatic effect.
  
• Using the #2 shadow and #2 brush (lighter shimmery shade and medium shadow brush) I apply the lighter color to the inner corner of my eye to meet the outer color and then blend in the middle.
• Using the #3 shadow and #3 brush (highlighting color and larger shadow brush) I dab a little of the color to do an all over blend on the lid and then use the same color to highlight the area underneath the brow.
• Apply false lashes, I'm wearing Ardell #105.
  
• To apply lashes: put a very thin line of glue on the strip. Wait for about 5 seconds so that the glue can become tacky.
• Hold lash up to your eyelid to check placement. Place the lash on the inside corner near your lash line (but not on your actual eyelashes) first and then slowly pull the lash down to the outer corner. Hold in place for a few seconds to stay in place.
• Using black liquid eye liner, apply to the top of the lash strip to hide the lash strip. I usually apply the liner so that it's enough to cover the lash strip as well as blend into my eyelid that way it just looks like one solid line my lid.

The other products used:

• The blush I used is in the shadow blush combo above. It's the reddish one on the bottom left.
• I use Benefit Dandelion all over my cheeks. It's a really subtle color but I really love how it brightens up my face.
  
• On my lips is MAC Viva Glam II which is the best nude lipstick I've found. On top of that is Smashbox lipgloss in Glamour.

I think that's it! I hope this has helped some of you, let me know if you have any questions and I'll try to help!

Oh and this is the outfit I wore that day.
Top & Leggings: Forever 21/ Shoes: L.A.M.B

p.s. thanks for your feedback on what you'd like to see more of. Looks like the majority wants more lookbooks so I will be trying to add at least one more every week!

I am Style-ish on EAD Living!

I've had to keep a secret for awhile now, but I'm so excited to finally announce it! I am Elizabeth Anne Designs Living's newest weekly contributor! My introductory post went up today so please come visit and say hi!

And don't worry, I am Style-ish is still here to stay. I usually like to write at least 5 posts a week here (Monday - Friday) and I'm unsure how my new schedule might work, I'm thinking 4 posts here and 1 post there with the occasional 5 post week here. Either way, you can still get your daily dose of style-ish it's just that once a week you'll have to click over to EAD Living.

I'll be keeping all my "personal" style posts here like lookbooks, shoe collection posts and such but will have more general fashion tips and advice over there.

Which leads me to my next question... what would you like to see more of from me? More lookbooks? More shoes from my collection? General fashion tips and trends? Books? Beauty? My dogs? Career advice? I would love to hear your suggestions, so please leave me a comment or email me!

And seriously, I am so grateful for all the support I get from my readers. You all inspire me so much. I swear I never go a day without thinking "this would be good for my blog" or "would my readers like this?" so thank you, thank you, thank you!

okay, now go visit me here! :)

It's (almost) the weekend!

Don't you wish you had a beautiful ball gown to hang out in, with a palace as your backdrop?

And that you were as cool and gorgeous as Alexa Chung?

I do.

Have a lovely weekend! If you are in the US have a fabulous memorial day weekend! I'm off to find my ballgown + palace to shoot in! :)

photos from Harper's Bazaar UK via foto_decadent

Lookbook: Brown & Gold

I have a shelf in my closet just dedicated to cardigans. I am addicted to them, I have SO many. Once I find ones I like, I tend to buy them in multiple colors. This one that I'm wearing below, I have it in black and blue as well. They are just so versatile and since I'm always cold, I always have an extra one stashed somewhere.

What I'm Wearing:
Cardigan: Banana Republic
Shirt: Banana Republic
Jeans: rag & bone
Shoes: Gucci
Belt: Nordstrom

I wanted to be work appropriate but I also just felt like wearing jeans that day so started with the button down and then added the cardigan to make it more interesting. I find button downs to be a great layering piece and I love wearing them under blazers, sweaters and cardigans. I like the additional little pop at the sleeve when you can see the cuff of the shirt. I added the belt to add shape, it's the gold version of the belt from this lookbook. The little bow on my shoes matched the belt perfectly. I can hardly resist shoes that have bows on them!

p.s. A wedding teaser went up on style.ish! Go here to check it out!

Style-ish Superhero

Thanks for all the great feedback on my hair tutorial! I forgot to mention one thing about my T3 hair dryer...

it actually doubles as a weapon!

style-ish superhero saves the day!

I'd like to think that if I was a superhero my secret weapon would be giving everyone fabulous hair, in addition to saving the world of course. :)

Just a little funny to brighten up the day! Hope you all are having a great week!

Big Hair

The hair and makeup on this shoot is awesome. I love how "big" the hair is without being overwhelming. Totally inspired.

photography by Justin Cooper

Lookbook: Photographer

Before I left for Jamaica, I had a lot of stuff on my mind regarding my photography equipment and then realized later on (like two days before we left) that I needed an outfit to wear! So what does one wear to photograph her first wedding in a tropical locale? I wanted something comfy so I could move around really easily but also pretty enough to wear to a wedding and something that would keep me cool because I knew that I would be on my feet all day long in the hot weather. I have a ton of sundresses but decided on a maxi dress for the coverage so that when I was taking pictures, I could sit/crouch/lean/whatever crazy position without flashing anyone.

What I'm wearing:
Dress: Doki Geki
Shoes: Franco Sarto

My hunt for maxi dresses turned out to be pretty unsuccessful as they don't account for those of us that are vertically challenged. I did not have time to take it to my tailor so had to find one that did not need to be hemmed. Out of all the places I went to this dress from Nordstrom was the only one that fit so I wasn't given much choice but I was happy with it. It ended up working out great as I was able to maneuver how I wanted throughout the day and it really went with the location we were in.

I also had a major freakout about shoes before we left so scrambled to find sandals that would stay on my feet while standing on rocks and cliffs and other various natural elements. I went to Nordstrom and had the salesman pull every single sandal with a back strap in a size 5. Luckily I was able to find two pairs (at really great prices) so was super happy. The day of the wedding I wore these Franco Sarto's and they were fantastic. My feet definetly hurt at the end of the day but that was because I was standing and walking or running all day long. The shoes were great, I think I may have to buy more pairs in other colors!

via Nordstrom

My husband made good use of his wedding suit and wore it again. He wore a different shirt and tie but the vest and pants were what he wore to our wedding.

Although we weren't guests of the wedding, it was still important to us to dress as we were. We knew that nobody would be paying attention to what we wore but we also knew that if we both showed up in shorts and tees, it would look badly upon us. Of course if I was a wedding guest I would be dressed differently (especially in heels!) but I needed to be able to move around to do my job, so I did my best to try to look nice but functional at the same time. Both J and I share the feeling that presentation is very important in all aspects especially as photographers. I do have to say that guys do not have it easy in that warm weather though! I was not jealous of him in his pants and button down shirt!

Oh and did I also mention that my dress happened to match the sunset as well? ;) This was the gorgeous view at their reception. I've never seen the sky turn this shade of purple before, it was truly captivating.

We have pictures!

We seriously took a few thousand pictures while we were in Jamaica so we are sorting through them all now. Thanks so much for your support, it truly means a lot to me that so many of you are excited to see our pictures and we are super excited to share them with you!

We got to spend the entire week with the bride and groom, Leah and Daivin and while we were there to mainly shoot the wedding, we managed to slip in quite a few fun photo shoots throughout the week. We had an amazing time there and feel so lucky to have met them and to be part of their wedding.

Now for some pictures! Go check out the post over at style.ish for their "engagement session" at the Negril Lighthouse.

Would love it if you left us a comment over there to let us know what you think! :)

Line I Love: Lily and Jae

I recently got an email to check out a clothing line I hadn't heard of called lily + jae. She attached pictures of a few of the outfits and I was hooked by the adorable jeans and the flowery prints so I had to check them out. I went to the website and fell in love with their "Life Style Shots". Check out the pretty clothes along with the great photography! This is so my kind of clothing line.

When I think of camping I certainly don't think of cute fashion so I love how they combined the two in these shots.

Here are a few of my picks. Such cute and relaxed looks, perfect for a summer day!

Lookbook: Back from Jamaica

After spending an entire week in the sun wearing cute little dresses, bikinis and sandals, I arrived at home and was actually excited to put on jeans and a jacket!

What I'm Wearing:
Blazer: Forever 21
Shirt: Halogen
Jeans: rag & bone
Shoes: Jimmy Choo

I got a comment awhile back from one of my readers to do a lookbook on blazers so annchen, I thought of you today when I put on my blazer! As you can see from my Prepster lookbook, there are so many looks that you can put together with blazers.

You can probably tell, but I didn't put too much thought into my outfit. I actually got home from the airport at about 12:30AM the night before and by the time I showered and did a bit of unpacking it was about 2AM. So you can say after traveling for 12+ hours, I was TIRED. I woke up in the morning and didn't want to wear anything too complicated and so reached for one of my many blazers.

Whenever I wear this blazer, I always get compliments and people who ask me where I got it. There is always a moment of disbelief after I tell them it's Forever 21. I get so many emails from readers about how to choose clothing at places like Forever 21. As I mentioned before, fit is a really big factor but another key thing is to always look at the details. It can either make it look extremely cheap or extremely nice. The piping on this jacket is the detail that makes this jacket look more expensive than it really is.

My bangs are growing to that awkward long-ish stage where I can't decide to go back for a trim or to just let it grow out. I put a bobby pin to hold it back but of course the awkwardness came back to bite me as some of the bangs still slipped out and managed to give me a weird looking bald spot. So I promise I'm not going bald, just got some weird bangs! :)

We're Back! and Happy Mother's Day!

Yay! I'm back home and I missed the blogging world so much! I was very good and stayed away from the internet the entire week so I have so much catching up to do. We had an amazing time and took some beautiful pictures. The bride and groom were an amazing couple who completely made us feel like family even though the first time we had met was that week! More on that later and pictures to come soon!

Since we were still flying on Mother's Day I missed saying Happy Mother's Day to my mom so wanted to dedicate this post to her. My mom is my biggest inspiration and everything that you see on this blog related to fashion and creativity, I attribute to her. She will always be my style icon.

This was taken awhile ago when it was still a bit cold out, and don't you love the bright colors that my parents are wearing? They are so adorable.

no, I did not match my dog's sweater to my mom on purpose ;)

My parents have always been my biggest supporters and I just love them so much. My mom was telling me that my dad figured out how to translate my blog into Chinese for her to read which I think is so cute. (and even though she says the translation doesn't always make sense she still reads it.) Love you mom and dad!

Happy Mother's Day to my mom and to mom-Ish*!

*to my reader's: that is J's mom. If you all didn't know, I really am an "Ish" (my married last name) so that's where style-ish comes from. =)

(photo taken by my brother. thanks Billy!)

Lookbook: Prepster

It's the debut of my white blazer that I mentioned in this post! I love white blazers for the summer, they are the best to just slip on over dresses or jeans and I really liked this one since it's a bit longer than my other white blazer (seen here)

What I'm Wearing:
Blazer: Eryn Brinie
Shirt: Gap
Jeans: Levi's
Shoes: Bally

I felt very preppy in my blazer and button down so decided to add a little pink headband to make it even more preppy. Although I love blazers, I have a hard time finding ones that fit me because I have small shoulders and short arms so I am always very excited to find blazers that fit. Blazers are one thing that is always okay to splurge on because you can wear them in so many different ways for years and years.

Oh and the ring I'm wearing is this fabulous one from Etsy seller Hollywood and Vine. I got it in pink and grey and I love them! The little crystal in the middle is very sparkly too which makes me happy, I love sparkly stuff!

Everything she makes is so pretty. I think this headband will be my next purchase! Go to her shop here.

And speaking of preppy, I am in love with this Rugby wrap dress!
too cute right?

via Nordstrom

Lookbook: French Connection

J and I are currently in Jamaica shooting our very first destination wedding! It totally snuck up on me and I've been so busy preparing for this that I didn't have time to write many posts for the week, so posting will be very light until I return. We are so excited to be shooting this wedding and can't wait to share all the pictures when we get back! See you all next week!

The first time I went to Harrods in London, I knew I had to buy something. It's like going to New York and you just have to buy something from Bergdorf's. The only thing was, at the time, the GBP was about double the value of the dollar and I didn't want to be silly and buy things that would cost twice as much. Luckily I stumbled onto the sale section and found this dress and a little Marc Jacobs wristlet that I went home with.

What I'm Wearing:
Dress: French Connection
Tights: DKNY
Shoes: Jimmy Choo

This dress is hard to get yourself zippered in and out of as the zipper goes all along the back, all the way up to my neck so J always helps me. I wore it to work one day and then we went straight to the gym after and I was in the locker room seriously struggling to get myself out of the dress. There wasn't anyone close by to help and I thought I would have to go out to the weight room to ask J to unzip me! Luckily I have crazy flexible arms so I was able to manage but it wasn't easy!

The purple is totally my color this season, but I'm not a big pattern kind of person. Most of the time big patterns tend to overwhelm me but I think this one works okay on me. And of course, I love black tights with black heels which help elongate my little legs when I wear dresses like this. The little rhinestone headband added to the fanciness of the dress. I was probably a little too overdressed as we weren't going anywhere too special but sometimes I like being fancy!