Black & white wedding

In honor of the release of "The Great Gatsby", I wanted to come up with a 1920's-inspired black and white wedding theme.

Let's start at the top and work our way down.
The Royal Wedding brought the fascinator to the forefront of fashion. I love the idea of a fascinator in place of a veil. You still get the veiled effect without looking like a snow beast. Black piping on the edges of a white fascinator ties into my theme perfectly.


ModCloth
Next, we want to add just a hint of sparkle by adding some sparkly, black button earrings. You want to keep the the earrings very simple so as to not detract from the dress and fascinator.


ModCloth
Then, we have the dress. I absolutely adore the idea of a tea-length dress for a wedding. A tea-length dress has such a fairy-tale feel to it and anytime something makes a woman feel like a princess, she should take full advantage. Especially on her special day.


ModCloth
And last but certainly not least, a simple pair of shiny black and white spectator pumps. Again, the shoe should be somewhat simple so as to not detract from the dress and fascinator.


ModCloth
For the hair with this ensemble, I think a simple, low chignon would work best. For the makeup, I suggest a clean eye with just a clean sweep of black eyeliner on the top lid only and a light coating of black waterproof mascara. Follow that with a light berry cheek and a long-lasting crimson lip.

As for a bouquet, I would suggest a simple, round arrangement of creamy white roses accented with black sheer ribbon and a little bit of black sparkle.

This theme is perfect for the non-traditional bride who may be planning a black and white evening wedding.

Another magical jar

Anyone who has made a purchase from Sephora knows that they offer 3 free samples online and in-store. I received a small sample of Ole Henriksen Sheer Transformation with 1 of my recent orders. One word . . . A-H-M-A-Z-I-N-G ! ! !I have discoloration similar to melasma on my face so I used the sample just on the discolored areas for about 10 days and it faded the discoloration by at least half. I wish I had taken before and after pics for comparison.


Sephora
This product is so impressive that I went ahead and forked out the $48 to buy the entire Ole Henriksen Enlighten Me Kit at my local Sephora store. I can't wait to see what a longer period of use is going to do for me!

Beach wedding

Lulus
Summer is drawing near and 1 or more of you may be considering a summer beach wedding and I have put together a great look for you! First off, I suggest going barefoot, as long as you can do so safely. If you cannot do so safely, a cute flower-trimmed sandal would be perfect. (I do not suggest flip-flops as they would just flick sand everywhere.)

If you're planning a daytime service, this dress would be perfect because it has a slightly more casual feel to it. If you're planning an evening or sunset ceremony, replace the shorter dress with a tea-length dress. A full-length dress may not work on a beach nearly as well.

In place of a veil, soft, beachy waves (as shown in either picture) interwoven with flowers or butterflies would make a gorgeous and appropriate topper. You could use different types and colors of ribbon to suit your look. But I do suggest that you use some sort of ribbon or a specialty band when you're making your hair trellis.

For a bouquet, you could carry light-colored gerbera daisies in a small round arrangement accented with the same ribbon you used in your hair.

As far as your makeup, keep it very soft and ethereal for day - soft pink blush and gloss, light mauve eye shadow and light mascara. For evening, you can go slightly heavier with your makeup but you still want to keep it very natural - berry blush, medium mauve lipstick, wine eye shadow and 2 coats of mascara.

Complete this look with no jewelry for the day or simple, dainty, sparkly jewelry for the evening.