I tried two new beauty products this week. The first was IGK’s Mixed Feelings Leave-In Blonde Drops. It’s a bottle of purple drops that can be mixed with any shampoo, conditioner, or cream styling product to tone and reduce brass. They are also have a version for brunettes. I double cleanse, which means I shampoo with Olaplex shampoo and then use a purple shampoo to tone my blonde and prevent brassiness. I thought I could add this to my styling products in between washes. I’ve only used it a few times, but I do notice a difference. I will be repurchasing it.

The other product is Anastasia Dipbrow Gel. I just recently bought Glossier’s Glossier Brow Flick and I love it but I wanted to try this during Sephora’s VIB sale to see if I liked it. You need to have a light hand with this. It’s highly pigmented and you need to wipe the wand against the side to take some of the product off because while It may be a gel, it almost looks like a powder. I do like it but it doesn’t look as natural as the Brow Flick, so I think it depends on the look you want. Maybe there’s room for both and you don’t have to choose. I think I would use Brow Flick on the weekends when I wear less makeup and Dipbrow during the week.

Two transitional jackets for early fall that I tried and are still stuck in my head are double-breasted peacoat in Italian boiled wool and teddy sherpa bomber jacket. Rather than reaching for your leather jacket, these would be a fresh alternative. They are too light for winter but perfect for fall and great for the weekend when your coat can be a bit more casual. The sherpa comes in two other colors — white and black and the peacoat is available in three other colors — navy, black and white. I’m leaning towards the caramel color in each because I don’t have a lot of this color in my wardrobe and I love it with navy and black, which make up the majority of my wardrobe.

I’m obsessed with pampas grass. I saw it this weekend at the Ulla Johnson downtown and I’ve seen it in the past at Glossier and other chic and modern boutiques (Photo below: NY Magazine). I just never knew the name of the feathery stalks. Now I know and you do too. You can find it all over Etsy and Amazon but I’m hesitant to buy from these outlets. I did find some at West Elm as you can see below, which is an outlet I trust. I need to do a bit more research before I pull the trigger. Anyone have experience with pampas grass?

Speaking of Ulla Johnson, I’ve always wanted something from the designer but her things are pricey and I never let myself buy anything because I’m on a budget. I checked on the Real Real but I never saw anything I liked. I have my high school reunion coming up in October, so I now had a reason or an excuse. I saw a dress from the designer on one of my favorite personalities on Instagram that has a similar body type and aesthetic. Then I saw the same dress in an ad for Rent the Runway. A sign?

I knew I wanted to wear a dress to the event (I hate how most pants look on me) and I didn’t want to buy something I would never wear again. I also knew I wanted to buy something new because I wanted to be excited and confident. I have two dresses that I haven’t worn out yet but they are a little too formal for the venue, which is fairly casual.

I took a trip to the Ulla Johnson boutique on my last summer Friday. I had passed by the location many times but I had never gone inside because I wouldn’t let myself Yes, It was as gorgeous as expected and the staff was lovely. I wanted one of everything. I loved many of the blouses too but some of them were as expensive as a dress, which didn’t make sense to me and dresses are my thing. Yes, you could wear blouses with skirts and pants, so they are versatile, but when I posed the question to the staff when I was questioning my decision, they said go for the dress. I splurged and bought the dress. I’m glad I tried it on because I bought a size smaller than I would have ordered. The dress is very me and I knew I’d have it and love it forever. I love a print and puffy sleeves and while it doesn’t reveal a lot of skin, it shows off my shape. I’ve never been one to show skin, but I do like showing my collarbone or my waist as I have an hourglass figure, which is why I love a good wrap dress.

Here are my other Ulla Johnson favorites from Net -a -Porter:

and some more from Moda Operandi

Thanks for visiting. I really appreciate it. Let me know what you’re loving.

XO

Lacey