Monthly Archives: July 2012

 

I am so excited for Fall to roll around because of all the amazing trends that are popping up on the runways.  One of those trends is Victorian style clothing and accessories. As Harper’s Bazaar put it “your grandmother’s closet will be at the top of your shopping list this Fall.” One of my favorite jewelry trends is the come-back of cameo jewelry. Designers like Mui Mui and Lanvin have included some amazing cameo pieces in their Fall and Pre-Fall collections, and I am obsessed! These are not your ordinary cameos…these are what I like to call “kicked-up-cameos.” I love the nyg Cameos collection (stands for Not Your Grandma’s cameos), because they have really one-of-a kind pieces, but they are affordable! I am wearing their mixed neutral cameo charm necklace, inspired by my favorite fashion icon, Miroslava Duma (picture at bottom). You can find their designs on their Etsy store here.

 

Blouse: Zara/ Pants: Zara/ Necklace: nygCameos/ Bag: Tory Burch (old collection)/ Sunglasses: Nordstrom

What do you think of the look? Do you think you will wear an updated Cameo this season? Check out my other Cameo look here .

Here is a collection of some of my favorite Cameo pieces.

1. Lanvin/ 2. Mui Mui/ 3. nyg Cameos/ 4. 5. Tom Binns

xo

Layla

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As I looked through my bathroom drawers the other day, I realized that I have so many different products, but I only really use a handful of them. So, I decided to put together a collection of my all-time favorite beauty products.

1. St. Tropez Bronzing Mousse: I have tried so many self-tanners, since I don’t like the idea of getting into a tanning bed, and this one is by far the BEST. It goes on easily, with little or no streaking, smells good, and gives you a real bronze color instead of “orange”.

2. Ole Henriksen Total Truth Eye Cream: I didn’t start using an eye cream until this year, and I actually got this as a sample and got hooked. It isn’t too thick, and  my under-eye concealer goes on smoothly over it. This brand also uses natural ingredients.

3. Boscia Blotting Linens: All of my friends know that I am obsessed with looking matte, so I always have blotting papers in my bag. I like these simply because they do a good job of taking away shine, and they smell nice.

4. Josie Maran Argan Oil: I use this with just about everything. You can mix it into your conditioner for some serious shine, or into your moisturizer. It’s a light oil, so it doesn’t weigh down your hair or make it look greasy.

5. Boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel: I have been using this face wash for over 5 years now, and it’s still my favorite. It is made with natural ingredients, smells great, and leaves my skin clean without overdrying it.

6. MyChelle Incredible Pumpkin Peel: I think exfoliating is an important step in skincare, but I don’t like the scrubs because they are a bit harsh for my skin. I love this peel because it exfoliates with all-natural pumkin acids. It is a little pricey, but totally worth it.

7. Eucerin Everyday Protection SPF 30: This is another product I have used forever! I apply it everyday after I wash my face and before makeup. It has an SPF 30 which is great, and it is not greasy.

8. Peter Thomas Roth Instant Mineral SPF 45: I tried this product for the first time last year when I was looking for an easy way to apply SPF while on vacation. This was the perfect solution because it comes with its own brush that contains the SPF mineral powder inside, and you just brush it on. They even have the tinted kind now, so it can give you a little color.

I hope you find this list useful, and if you have any products that you absolutely LOVE, then please share.

xo

Layla

2 Comments

Hi everyone! I have had one amazing weekend, and I wanted to share a few shots from last night with you. My husband and I went to see the Lion King musical here at the Hobby Center in Houston and, it was unbelievable. The costumes, the  dance numbers, and the voices were all spectacular. We managed to snap a few pictures before the show started. I unintentionally wore animal print to the Lion King! I wore a leopard print peplum top with red slightly-flared pants. I accessorized with a pearl necklace to soften the look. I also wore my Valentino rock stud bag, which is still my favorite.

Top: Zara/ Pants: Gap/ Shoes: Gap (similar here)/ Bag: Valentino (similar here)/ Cuffs: Hermes/ Watch: Michael Kors/ Necklace: Stella and Dot

I hope you like the look! And if you get a chance, definitely go check out Lion King the musical.

xo

Layla

10 Comments

I hope you are having a great weekend! Join me on Instagram @ chicchef.

xo

Layla

2 Comments

I have a little problem I call Fashion A.D.D where I get really excited about the upcoming season, but I really wanted to share some of my favorite trends for Fall with you all. One is the black and blue color combination, and the other is Cameo jewelry, especially collars. I love this cameo collar necklace by nygCameos. It looks great under a collared shirt (like I am wearing it), and also on top of a shirt, so that the gunmetal chain shows.  I am also really excited about my new leather skirt and cobalt blue heels. I can’t wait for Fall fashion!  What do you think?

Skirt: Free People/ Shirt: Zara/ Shoes: Boutique 9/ Bag: ASOS (old collection)/ Cameo Necklace: nygCameos

I hope you like the look! Also, you can follow me on my Facebook page here.

xo

Layla

15 Comments

I tend to wear a lot of separates, like skirts and tops, or shorts and tops, but I also love to wear dresses every now and then. I really like the aztec print on this dress because it almost looks pixilated and digital. The colors are really vibrant which I hope shows in some of the pictures. The other thing I love about this dress is that the back is almost more interesting than the front! I kept my accessories simple, but I had to wear my color-block heels because the orange just pops with the dress. I hope you like the look!

Dress: Esther/ Shoes: Zara/ Bag: Rebecca Minkoff/ Necklace: Darya Designs

I hope you are all having a fabulous weekend! Also, I will be back to posting more often now that I am finished with some other projects which I am excited to share with you.

xo

Layla

16 Comments

I have seen so many floral prints this season, but none of the floral print blazers really caught my attention except this little number I got on sale a couple of weeks ago. I like that it has flowers that are actually the color of real flowers rather than neon or black flowers (don’t get me wrong, those can look really cool too). I love to dress up shorts with a fun blazer like this, for a casual dinner night. I wore a bright coral top with jean cut-offs and my floral print blazer. I accessorized with cobalt blue beads, a couple of fun bracelets, and my Zara color-block heels in orange and black. What do you of the look?

 

Top: Nordstrom/ Blazer: Zara (I love this one)/ Shorts: Zara (similar here)/ Heels: Zara/ Bag: Rebecca Minkoff/ Beads: J.Crew/ Sunglasses: Halogen/ Bracelets: J.Crew and Hermes

On another note, my husband and I went to the restaurant Roost for the first time last night, and I have to say that it was some of the best food I have had in a while. The setting is really intimate and cozy, so you have to go early if you don’t want to wait. If you live in Houston or are planning on visiting, check them out.

I hope you have a great week!

Happy pinning with my “Pin It” button!

xo

Layla

13 Comments

My solution to beating the summer heat without always having to wear denim shorts or a skirt: silk shorts. You can dress them up or down, depending on the shoes you wear. I love all of the different prints I have been finding them in, and these from BCBG have a great black and blue digital print. Last week on July 4th, my husband and I stopped on the way to dinner to snap a few photos on a bridge.  I was wearing my BGBG printed silk shorts, a black knit  top, and my Valentino rock-stud wedge sandals. I accessorized with a two-tone chain necklace and bracelet. What do you think?

Top: BCBG/ Shorts: BCBG/ Shoes: Valentino/ Chain necklace and bracelet: Darya Designs

I hope you like the look! Also, you can follow me on Facebook at my Chic Chef page here.

xo

Layla

 

5 Comments

I think that sometimes the best outfits happen by accident. That’s is exactly what happened with this look. I bought both the striped top and the polka dot skirt on sale, and when they were sitting on my bed next to each other I thought, hmmm, that looks pretty cute! I love mixing different patterns, and stripes and dots go really well together as long as they have one common element (in this case the white dots and white stripes).What do you think of pattern mixing?

Blouse: J.Crew/ Skirt: J.Crew (sold out, cute one here)/ Shoes: Zara/ Cuffs: Hermes/ Sunglasses: Karen Walker

Have a great week! Don’t forget to Pin what you like using my “Pin It” button on each picture.

xo

Layla

24 Comments

One of my favorite color combinations for the summer has to be cobalt blue and white. It reminds me of a summer escape to the Greek islands, and the contrast looks so refreshing. Normally white pencil skirts are not that interesting, but this one from ASOS has the most amazing crochet hem, that makes it a real statement piece (and it’s on sale!). I paired it with a cobalt blue top and white pointed heels for a chic summer look.

Also, I have received many emails asking where I get my chain necklaces I wear in my posts. They are made by Darya Design. They have really reasonable prices, awesome designs that are always on trend (or ahead of trend), and their chains are not too heavy. I am wearing their “Island Hopper” necklace which is perfect for this look since it has a gold chain layered with cobalt blue lapis lazuli beads. What do you think?

Skirt: ASOS (on sale here!)/ Top: Nordstrom/ Shoes: Enzo/ Ring: YSL/ Necklace: Darya Designs

I hope you like the look! And you can “Pin” your favorite pictures using the “Pin It” button on each picture.

xo

Layla

10 Comments