Tested and Loved: Summer Scent

It's almost summer - a season that brings clutter into my beauty cabinet and headache in front of the beauty counters. It seems like the amount of product ads in the magazines grows ten-fold tricking my mind into thinking I have to have it all or else ... uneven tone, freckles, sunburned nose, sun bleached eyelashes, frizzy hair, etc, etc ... NO THANKS! ... and my wallet looses pounds faster than my toned body on a juicing cleanse.

Thus, I decided to start a new rubric Tested and Loved where I would love to share with you the few products that I had a chance to test and fall in love with.

Beautiful

As I was growing up, my mom used to remind over and over that "every person is beautiful". She further elaborated that the appearance doesn't matter much, because as you grow to know a person, his inner beauty finds its way onto the surface. I think it was one of the greatest lessons she taught me that I will make sure to pass onto my children as well.

The pop culture relentlessly emphasizes the importance of looking a certain way.

LOL

Source: attackofthecute.com via Anoush on Pinterest

Dandelion Parachutes

I absolutely love when it rains ... when I can stay at home under my massive comforter.
Since I have to step into the water puddles in five minutes, I'm dreaming of a sunny summer filled with miniature dandelion parachutes.

Why Do I Love Spring?

Because even the stupid building right in front of our windows cannot stop the light and the greenery overflowing from all around.

And when I wake up and open the curtains...

...all I see is this...

LookBook: Highlight and Downplay

When a woman wants to looks her best, one of the most challenging parts of creating her look is highlighting her favorite/most attractive features and camouflaging the ones that make her feel self-conscious.

As Sharon Stone once said: "You cannot look sexy if you are uncomfortable."

I wanted to show you a look transformation from A to B that undergone careful editing. Accessorizing is the key, but all details must speak the same language without competing with each other.

occasion
★ bridal shower guest
to hightlight
★ toned legs and arms (showcase without revealing too much)
to camouflage
★ stomach area (ruching effect)

Click on images to locate each item online.

BEFORE:

look elements
★ AKRIS PUNTO top + skirt
★ IPPOLITA earrings
★ JIMMY CHOO pumps
★ ERIC JAVITS clutch

Pumps
Clutches

AFTER:

look elements
★ AKRIS PUNTO top + skirt
★ IPPOLITA earrings
★ JIMMY CHOO pumps
★ REED KRAKOFF envelope clutch
★ REED KRAKOFF bracelet

Pumps
Mid-length Skirts

LookBook: Colorblocker - Rocker - Chick

occasion
★ event planner day to night look

look elements
★ HELMUT LANG jacket
★ THEYSKEN'S THEORY sleeveless button down blouse
★ J BRAND denim
★ B by BRIAN ANTWOOD sandals

  Click on images to locate each item online.

Sleeveless Tops
Sandals

LookBook: Marine Hues

occasion
★ beach side wedding, mother of the groom

look elements
★ IPPOLITA earrings
★ ELIE TAHARI dress
★ PRADA wedges



 All images are clickable! 

Day Dresses
Wedges

LookBook: Intro

As some of you know, I'm a stylist and personal shopper by work days and an aspiring jeweler by days off. Helping people look their best at different moments in their life and for different occasions is challenging yet rewarding in the long run. It is a humbling experience time and time again when people from various walks of life trust my taste and expertise.

Every aspect of my styling job inspires my jewelry designs directly or indirectly. By introducing a new rubric LOOKBOOK I wanted to share with you the most successful looks my clients and I put together so that you could get inspired in turn to be more creative at whatever you do.

Look details:

occasion
★ a young artist gallery exhibition 


look elements
★ GILES & BROTHER earrings
★ HELNUT LANG dress
★ MANOLO BLAHNIK stilettos

 All images are clickable!

Evening Dresses
Pumps

Someday, Somehow...

Ever since my mom read a famous (in USSR) book "Sakura Branch", she wanted to visit Japan one day. I really hope I will make that wish come true for her.

I created this drawing with that idea in mind. While I'm working to make it happen, I wanted to bring a little piece of Japan to Belarus, where my family still lives. A Japanese girl on a bus stop I "grew up" on. Someday, somehow...

What dreams do you secretly want for you loved ones to come true?

Details

Four months into styling my clients I've learned ....

Spring

Spring has finally stepped foot in Boston. Time to revisit the wardrobe and find new old favorites as well as shop for add-ons. My absolute favorite thing to do when it comes to creating new looks is to mix modern and vintage, prints, textures, feminine and masculine. This way I know for sure noone else will look like me....until tomorrow :-)

I didn't say that aloud, did I?

In the meantime, drawing No. 3

The Slings and Arrows of a Day Off

No day is better than the one when you do not feel obligated to do anything...

I love my days off, because

Drawing No.2

My project A Drawing A Day has taken a pretty expected turn to A Drawing A Day Off. One of my favorite things to do is leafing through J.Crew catalogs and studying the looks their stylists came up with. I draw endless inspiration from the way they juxtapose colors and prints. The drawing No.2 was inspired by one of the pages of J.Crew Spring 2012 catalog. Enjoy!

Follow Your Heart

I loved to draw when I was a kid, though my parents never supported my humble attempts. They made me take dance lessons instead. They meant well, but dancing only made me doubt my artistic talent. I was really bad at it! I never believed that artistry can be taught. People are either born with an easel in their hand or they are not, right? Wrong! 

I follow Garance Dore blog religiously. Apart from showing how to live life to the fullest, she has inspired me to learn how to draw.

Inspired by Nature and the Elements

 

Beach-combing

It's amazing what you can find while walking on the beach: 

lost shoes

algae

lost children

shells

skeletons (hopefully, not human)

drift wood

sea glass

 - you name it!

 This little collection came together last night when I emptied my tote upon coming back home. 

I think it looks totally organic and makes one remember about simple life pleasures like cold waves caressing tired feet after a long-day walk in Central Park...

Yay! My second Etsy Front Page!

Thank you The Mystery Drawer for including my a u s tr a l i a :: earrings into your amazing Treasury that is on the Etsy Front Page right now!! 2 sets of earrings have found appreciative ears today. So excited :-)

~ whyzee ~

Here's to Now

Today my husband and I watched an amazing documentary180° SOUTH. 

"Inspired by pioneering outdoorsman Yvon Chouinard's freewheeling 1968 van trip to Patagonia, South America, a band of bliss-seeking surfer-mountaineers sets out -- in 2007, by boat -- to remake the journey in this adventure documentary. Jeff Johnson and his buddies hug the coast, stopping at the Galapagos Islands and Easter Island before arriving in Patagonia -- a region that's still breathtaking but is now besieged by environmental threats."
                                          ~ Netflix

One of the films most beautiful parts was background music by Ugly Casanova. Thinking about getting the soundtrack. Meanwhile, I hope you'd enjoy this song as much as I did :-)

 

Peacocks and Paisley

I have been going through some "Blast from the Past" pictures recently and came across this picture of a peacock. I took in during one of many trips I made with my friend while I lived in Germany.

Schwetzingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

 We went to the Schwetzingen Castle and after cruising for some time amidst the luscious English style gardens, we took a peek at the backyard. Aren't the most fascinating things happening there? We saw two gorgeous peacocks. I have no idea what business they had roaming around in the autumnal cold, but I was lucky enough to capture one of them on film. I'm sure you know the familiar paisley-eye pattern, which this picture reminded me of.

Ivan Ellis has graciously allowed me to use this gorgeous photo.

So much creative inspiration could be drawn from the peacock image, but I decided to focus on the form this time, rather than color. I made these peacock earrings from oxidized sterling silver and 14K gold-filled wire. Hours of experimentation and meticulous work and here are the results. I hope you like them!

LACE earrings

Here is a new design - Lace earrings!

 Lace, to my mind, is a web made of dreams. We all have dreams and different ways to materialize them. You know how a psychiatrist can tell a lot about your inner machine by just looking at a drawing. So does a handmade lace tell about it's creator. There are no rules. The fingers just move rhythmically to the tune of your soul.

These gorgeous chandelier earrings are ethereal. They aren't heavy, but have a weight of quality. They also dance to their own tune. The combination of opaque pink opal, semi-translucent rose quartz and the subtle shine of freshwater pearls is magical! 

Loops of silver look like eyelets suspended in the air. I oxidized sterling silver to the gunmetal shade, because there's nothing more gorgeous and classy than the marriage of gunmetal and pink.

Yours,

~ whyzee ~

Room for Improvement

This necklace was inspired by the famous quote:
"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars."
To achieve success, all you need is to strive to be the best you could be and never rest on your laurels. This delicate charm necklace is a silent reminder of your individual potential.

Front Page, Baby!

So, here we go! The dream came true again. The treasury list "Just Breathe..." I curated on Etsy made it to the Front/Home Page. My Front Page # 3. The fact that a few of my Etsy friends were in it made it that much sweeter :) Friendly congrats to Claudia of NangijalaJewelry and Yuliya of YuliyaArt.  

Yours,

~ whyzee ~