the simplicity of flowers

I would say that my garden is nearing its peak for the entire year.  Which is exciting and kinda sad at the same time. I'm always torn between cutting the flowers and leaving them on the plant.  But I know that cutting them encourages more blooms - so cutting wins.

My allergies are also right there.  This bouquet will not be able to stay in the house for long. The scent is overwhelming and I start sneezing.

It always amazes me what a vase of flowers can do for a room, so chic.  And don't even get me started on the classic but simple power of blue and white.

The Hawthorne is going strong too.  My goodness these branches last a long time indoors. What's blooming in your neighborhood?  It seems like everywhere I go everything is going crazy.  It's all so beautiful and sweet.  x

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how to stop your lipstick from bleeding

Ugh, the dreaded lipstick bleed and what to do about it. Aging can be so fun.  Elizabeth aka The Vintage Contessa brought up the subject the other day on her blog and so I thought I'd address it here too. Is there nothing worse than putting on some pretty lippy and then an hour later you take a glance in the mirror and that pretty color is now migrating up and out to every line around your lips? The darker the color and deeper the lines the worse the situation can be. You can wipe the color away but the color still lingers.  So what to do? Luckily I work with 3 professional makeup artists and they all shared their #1 tip with me!

Step 1.  Start with a clean face and lips.  Apply a lip conditioner such as Sothys Universal Smoothing Lip Filler.  At $18, this product is amazing guys.  We have several of these types of product for sale in the store but this one is THE best.  It is formulated with silicones and texturing agents that smooth and fill the lips.  It's transparent so you apply the pencil to your lips and also apply it beyond the lip creating a barrier that stops the bleed. .

Step 2.  Apply your favorite lip color.  Here we are using Sothys Lip Rouge 241.  

Step 3.  Blot the color with your fingers or a tissue.

The blotting creates more of a stain look which I think is perfect for daytime.

Without blotting leaves a classic lipstick look which I really love too.  So what do you think?  Do you have any tricks up your sleeve?  Do share because we are all in this together.  x

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