Paris.  Chanel.  Haute Couture Autumn/Winter 15/16.  I can’t even put into words what this trip meant to me.  In a short number of days and nights I gained a plethora of knowledge about this industry and enough inspiration to last me a lifetime.

This is the first of my posts about my time in Paris.

 

Two representatives from Chanel met us off the plane and welcomed us into the unusually sweltering Parisian weather.  The City of Light was experiencing the hottest day on record in over 100 years and we were thankful to be in an air conditioned sleek black van heading to our hotel.  But as we watched the beautiful French architecture pass from behind tinted glass we began to ache for long, Parisian walks through the city… Sweating or not.

We met our “Chanel Concierge” posted at the hotel, checked into our hotel rooms, and freshened up.   This breezy little striped dress was a Godsend during our trip.  I paired it with my Hermès Oran flats (similar here) and I could literally walk all day.  With hair in a bun and some wedges or heels it would be perfectly appropriate for a summer evening out.

Waiting on our hotel room table was a shiny gold itinerary for the Chanel events and a beautiful little gift… A tiny replica of a decoration in Gabrielle Chanel’s apartment on the Rue Cambon above her shop.  Coco was a Leo and was fascinated with lions all her life.  She had asked a local jeweler to remove a crystal ball from one of her treasured chandeliers and make a bronze lion base for it; the decoration became a favorite that sits in her apartment still today.

We tucked our treasures away and headed off for some lunch and shopping to shake off any remaining jet lag.  Lunch had to be Angelina – a beautiful little tearoom founded in 1903 on the Rue de Rivoli.  The favorite tea spot of Chanel and many others, it’s a bit of a tourist destination, but its tea and charming pastries aren’t to be missed.

 

Walking through the intense summer heat, we stopped by our favorite Parisian shops… Goyard, Hermès, Chanel.  Paris shopping is like no other and it’s truly worth the spent calories to simply just walk along street after street and window shop, or faire du lèche-vitrines as the Parisians say.

By the time we returned to our hotel after only a few hours outdoors, we were tired and hot.  Mom opted for room service dinner in the air conditioning and allow J and I an early picnic lunch in the park as the sun went down.

The hotel had left us patriotic little cakes and a bag of chocolate goodies in our room, so I packed them away in my Longchamp bag and we walked through the Jardin des Tuileries.  We found some French sandwiches to go, reclined in chairs near a little fountain, and let the evening breeze blow softly past us.  I’m sure I looked a wreck after traveling and sweating through the afternoon, but I could have stayed in that moment forever.  That kind of evening relaxation with stunning architectural feats for a view must be the reason people come to Paris and never leave.

As soon as I started seeing these floaty Victorian style dresses in the Spring issues of Vogue, I knew I had to have one for Summer.  High necks, a little lace, and the occasional sleeve allow these dresses to transition from a slightly bohemian look in summer to edgy Victorian for fall and winter with the simple addition of tights and booties.  I was thrilled to spot these at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale… They’re at a great price point and would look perfect with these dress styles.

This particular dress is sold-out Topshop for Nordstrom, but I’ve linked my current favorites (some I like even more) down below in the slide.  Just scroll through the items and click on a photo when you’d like to shop.

I’m wearing my latest favorite bangles by Sweet Tea Jewels.  I discovered her on Instagram and absolutely love her wide selection of stones and crystals she uses in her bangles.  They’re a similar style to Bourbon and Boweties, but they do take a significant amount of time to be made and shipped… I was stalking my mail for about 4 weeks before mine arrived.  I’m wearing a size M… They’re a little loose for stacking as the size S felt too snug with the big stones and multiple bracelets stacked.

I hope you’ve been enjoying the photos I’ve posted while on-the-go in Paris.  I cannot wait to post in detail about all our adventures there.  This has honestly been the best trip of my life and I feel like the luckiest girl.  I’ve been working on the new website and it is so close to launching… I’m thinking it will be up with some fabulous posts from Paris Haute Couture in a week or less and I could just burst with excitement.

I arrived back in Denver, prepared these photos and unpacked, spent the night working, then packed and left for Kansas City to attend an auction with my mom!!  The Cashmere Gypsy is real, folks.  Feeling a little tired, but happy and thankful yours truly doesn’t get jet lag!!

As most of you who have been reading my blog for years know, I tend to be a night owl and bit of an insomniac at times.  For as long as I can remember I’ve found it difficult to get my mind to shut off and sleep. On the contrary, I often feel that I’m more creative at night and throughout my life I’ve used the evening hours to tackle projects, finish work, and write when it’s peaceful and no one else is awake.

I wouldn’t be myself without my late nights, but they do begin to catch up with me.  The first thing I notice when I’ve been pulling a series of all-nighters??  My dark under eye circles.

I assume most of you have seen or heard about the red lipstick trick for dark circles??  In the video below I break down the trick behind this and how it works.  Keep reading to hear my answer to the “red lipstick trick” and find out the foolproof way I hide my dark circles and sleepless nights.

Since this routine does add a bit more time to my makeup application, I generally save it for evening makeup or when I’m feeling really haggard.  Occasionally I will utilize this technique and just add a bit of loose powder all over the face for a day look.  Once you try it you’ll become addicted and find yourself working it into your routine each day!!

As I mentioned in the video above, everyone’s skin tone and dark circles are different so I recommend playing around with a color correction kit first to really discover which colors best camouflage your dark circles.  Try this kit for a bargain value or this one if you’re feeling a bit more spendy.

Step One – Color Correction

Start with a light layer of primer all over the face.  I like this one because it helps blur fine lines and enlarged pores while making my skin look mattified and fresh all day long.

Use the tiny brush attached to the Giorgio Armani Master Corrector in #1 Pink and swipe the corrector over any dark or discolored areas under the eye, on the eyelid, and in the tear duct area.  Look at your eye area like a canvas… And paint the corrector on wherever you see flaws or discoloration.  No need to blend yet… You should see tiny little lines of color all over the eye area, concentrated in the darker parts.

Take a small flat brush and lightly pat the stripes and swatches of the pinky-peach color corrector into your skin.  You aren’t blending so much as patting the color around and making the lines of color less visible.  After this step you should notice your eye area looking much brighter and less tired.

Step Two – Conceal

Run a beautyblender sponge under water, then squeeze out the excess with a clean towel.  The sponge will be big, puffy, and soft.  It will allow you to create a perfect airbrushed effect under the eyes.

Squeeze a bit of a creamy, yellow-toned concealer onto the back of your hand.  This one in #6 is my absolute favorite and I’ve been using it for years.  It has a light yellow tone that brightens while it camouflages any purple colors in the eye area.

Dab your moistened beautyblender into the little swatch of concealer on the back of your hand, then gently apply all around the eye area.  Be careful not to rub too harshly or you’ll remove the color corrector.  Simply dab the concealer all around the eye area, creating a beautiful airbrushed effect.

For extra oomph apply the concealer all over the top lid, inner corner, and under the eye… Then add a little concealer in a triangle shape from the outer corner of the eye, down to the middle of the side of the nose, and back up toward the inner corner.  Be sure not to bring color onto the nose, you just want it coming up to the area directly under your tear duct.  This will give a beautiful brightened effect to the entire eye area.

Step Three – Protect

Many women apply their eye makeup first, then wipe any fallout from eye shadow or mascara and complete the rest of their face.  For some reason, this technique just doesn’t work for me and I prefer to do my corrector, concealer, and foundation first before adding any color products to my eyes and cheeks.

If you’re like me, there’s an easy way to protect all the work you’ve done to hide those dark circles!!  These genius little eye pads can be easily applied under the eye before starting your eye shadow, eye liner, and mascara to ensure no dark products end up under your eyes.  I like to take one out and remove only one adhesive area, then rub my finger over it a bit so it’s not too sticky.  I gently stick it underneath my eye and allow it to catch any fallout from my products.

Don’t forget the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is going on from now until August 3rd.  Find details on how to shop and my favorite sale picks in my post here.  My all-time favorite sale of the year!!

Let me know what you get from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale… And tell me if you try my dark circle trick!!

Sweater.  Blouse.  Heels.  Dress.  Earrings.  Bag.  Tweed Coat.

From July 9th – 16th Nordstrom cardholders can get early access to the annual Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, a fantastic sale on new Fall items that allows you to get your favorite Fall items at a major discount before they ever even hit the store racks.  After the sale on Monday August 3rd, items will return to their full price.

You can wait until July 17th and chance your favorite item or preferred size being sold out, or you can sign up for a Nordstrom credit or debit card online here.  I have the Nordstrom debit card and it easily pulls from my checking account.  Either card allows you to build points on your purchases, redeemable by “Nordstrom Notes” for future Nordstrom shopping.

To see my favorites, click on any item in the photo below.  At the bottom of this post you’ll find a slide with a complete selection of my clothing and accessory picks from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.  Click on any item in the slide to shop.

 

When I saw this dress it immediately made me think of Duchess Catherine (am I the only one who still thinks of her as ‘Kate Middleton’?) with its delicate floral pattern, wrap style, and flattering v-neck.  I’ve been enjoying the versatility of this dress – it’s perfect for bridal showers, luncheons, dinner dates, or weddings.

I paired it with simple drop earrings, a straw clutch, and nude wedges.  I wore this look again last evening for a night out in San Diego in celebration of a friend’s wedding and paired it with heels.  It’s such a versatile, comfortable look.  Click on a link above to shop or click on one of the photos in the slide down below to shop similar looks.

 

 

After leaving the bridal luncheon and photos on the beach with the girls, I started to get a little nervous for the upcoming 24 hours.  Picture yours truly carrying a giant gorgeous vase of flowers – a gift from my wedding planner for my bridal luncheon – through hallway after hallway in the Breakers, water sloshing down my arms and dress.  Thankfully, J had moved me into my new room with the help of some Breakers staff during bridesmaid mani-pedis Friday morning, but… I had no idea where I was going.

Finally I found the bridal suite – a completely stunning set of rooms overlooking the crashing ocean surf and the glowing blue Breakers pools.  It was perfect.  I had stayed at The Breakers many times but never did I have a room so large and elegant.  There were two bathrooms and a mahogany walk-in closet.  A coral chandelier hung above the table in the dining area.

The problem?  My things were everywhere.  And I had no idea where any of my things to get ready were.  Boxes of gifts for our wedding party… Boxes with things like our guest book and toasting flutes… Our honeymoon luggage.  Shower things?  Makeup?  It was like searching for a needle in a (very chic, very beachy) haystack.

By the time I found everything I had exactly 30 minutes to shower, get ready, and get dressed for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.  It wasn’t enough time to wash and blow dry my hair that had been tossed around and sprayed with salt water from the ocean that day.  But sometimes you have to cut corners and paint your face as best you can (you just hope it’s not on your wedding weekend).  Eeeeek.

J joined me in the suite just before we left because I had forgotten about the long row of tiny buttons on my dress.  As scatterbrained as I felt (Where were the wedding party gifts?! Do I have my phone?!) J always knows how to relax me.  He is the most calming person I’ve ever met.

Remember those trips to Chicago we made throughout this year??  We went to Mira Couture; the design studio of an incredibly talented woman who actually started out as an engineer before she decided her true passion was fashion and has been designing couture clothing ever since. We also worked with her designer Julie who has a fantastic eye and was so helpful.  When you’re on display, half-naked in a dressing room you can only hope for some kind words and positivity… These women not only understand female bodies, they celebrate them and will make you feel radiant in the pieces they create.We can’t say enough positive things about Mira and Julie… They were a joy to work with and Mom and I looked forward to each time we were able to meet with them!

Mom’s rehearsal dress was a floor-length navy number with delicate embellishments and beading in a gorgeous array of blue shades.  I wish we had more photos of the back of the dress… The inside bodice came down a bit lower in the back and there was this feminine beading scattered across her back on the mesh; it was stunning.  I loved the blue color on her and I think she looked so beautiful – it was her weekend to shine as well!

I had a specific idea of what I wanted my rehearsal dinner dress to look like, but I was having difficulty finding it anywhere.  I wanted something a little Kate Middleton inspired on top with lace sleeves and a v-neck, but a fitted pencil skirt on bottom.  I spotted a bolt of lace on one of Mira’s shelves and I knew I wanted my dress to be made from it!  We sat down at her table and we brainstormed a design.  I was so incredibly happy with it and I felt like a princess.

For accessories, Julie at Mira’s created this fun hairpiece with bits of my lace tucked into it.  I found these pearl earrings at Francesca’s and I thought they went with the timeless look I was going for.  I kept it simple with no bracelets and only my engagement ring since the lace sleeves were so detailed and designed to extend just past my wrists.  I carried a white beaded Saks Fifth Avenue clutch from the 50’s I picked up at a little antique shop for $15… It’s one of my favorites!  For shoes, I wore my “Carrie shoes” – the blue Manolo Blahniks I wore to my first bridal shower.

For hair I relied on dry shampoo to try and balance out the salt water/humidity from earlier in the day.  As annoying as the dry Denver air can be, I was seriously missing it each time I styled my hair in Florida!  I kept my makeup fairly simple since I had to hurry and relied on my Chanel mascara and super-girly Creme De La Femme lipstick.

After rehearsal, J and I gave our wedding party their gifts before the kids returned to the hotel with sitters.  I had already given my bridesmaids, mom, MIL, aunt, and sisters their gifts at the bridal luncheon.

We gave our three ushers and one teen junior usher these monogrammed leather key fobs.  I personally think they look better than the online photo and were the perfect masculine gift.

For the two younger junior ushers, the two page boys, and the ring bearer I found these adorable personalized activity bags and added in more activity books, coloring books, and Legos to keep the kids busy that evening and on the flight home.

For the two flower girls, I found embroidered handkerchiefs like I gave my bridesmaids, MOG, and MOB.  We also gifted them tiny little pearl necklace and bracelet sets that tied closed with an adorable blush pink ribbon and coordinated with our wedding colors.

The groomsmen gifts were unfortunately backordered… I’m telling you, it doesn’t matter how far in advance you plan for a wedding, things will happen!!  We sent their monogrammed leather catchall trays to them post-wedding.

J’s parents gave us the prettiest rehearsal dinner following rehearsal at the church.  It was held at the Palm Beach staple Bice on Worth Avenue.  Bice is an Italian restaurant located down one of the charming vias off Worth where J and I took our engagement photos.

We passed out the “Advice for the Newlyweds” coasters from Bhldn to each table at the dinner; guests were invited to write relationship, love, life advice for J and I.  They have provided much laughter reading them since and I can assure you we’ll keep them always to break out when we need a smile or two.

 

Everything was delicious and the conversation reached a fever-pitch; Dad mentioned room volume being a great barometer of an evening’s success when he thanked my MIL and FIL for the evening.  It was so much fun to be there with our family and wedding party.

After the rehearsal dinner I gave J a personal little gift, we practiced our first dance in his room, then I stayed up most of the night feeling panicked and nervous.  My skin was having some sort of allergic reaction or breaking out from stress, I’m not sure which… And a few hours before I needed to start wedding hair and makeup was the least opportune time for this to happen.  I even called J in the middle of the night I was so nervous about the next day.  J has such a calm demeanor and knows precisely what to say to relax me… I am so lucky to have him in my life to talk me off all the ledges!

 

I am so excited to be able to show you a little sneak peek into our wedding day!!

VHVIDEO.COM were our videographers for our wedding weekend and they also visited us to film our couple’s story on one of Colorado’s beautiful fall days before the wedding.  It was a way for us to tell our love story to people who might only know John or only know me at our wedding.  The video was beautiful, even showcased our dogs, and was shown on giant video monitors after guests entered the reception from the cocktail party.

VHVIDEO.COM was so incredible to work with we had no doubts they would make our wedding day enjoyable and capture all the moments that were near and dear to our hearts for us to look back on and remember always.  Any of you who are married know that after the wedding you can feel a little sad it’s all over, and photo and video can help you relive that special day for years to come.

I wanted to give you this little sneak peek into our special day before I begin sharing all our moments event by event next week.  Enjoy!!