Pants: Old Navy. Top: Banana Republic (similar). Wedges: Dolce Vita (similar). Purse: Kate Spade (similar). Watch: Cartier. Earrings: Target. 

Bohemian is not usually a word I would use to describe my style, so I wouldn't typically be drawn to wide legged pants, but I couldn't pass this pair up. They legitimately feel like PJs and are just so much fun to wear. Old Navy had them in several other colors in store, so I think I may need to go back and snag some for colors for summer! 

These pictures were taken in Scottsdale, where I spent my weekend with my mom and sister. It was so much fun seeing them, and it was honestly the break I needed after a stressful week. We played mini-golf, had ice cream, lounged by the pool, drank piña coladas, and read a ton. It was pretty much perfect. I came back last night to Mark having done a ton of work moving our stuff (he's the best!) so we spent Sunday unpacking and then watching the Oscars (hooray for Leo!). I honestly feel like a need a vacation after my vacation though. I'm so behind on a ton of things! This week will be all about getting settled and playing catch up.

xo Catherine 

Upper Left Image// Upper Right Image// Lower Left Image// Lower Right Image

For as long as I can remember, I've toyed with the idea of dying my hair. I always ultimately chicken out because I'm terrified I won't like it, or because I don't want to pay for it or pay to maintain the color. But now, with the rise of balayage and ombre hair styles, you really only need to dye it once and then it still looks good while it grows out. Much less of a commitment both in terms of longevity and money. 

I've always wanted brown hair, but funnily enough I was thinking I would do a lighter blonde balayage like the pictures above. Like I've said, I've thought about this a million times, and always end up brushing it aside, but this time I can't get the idea out of my head! I've never really loved my hair and always thought that if I just cut it shorter, or grew it out, or learned how to style it better I would like it more, but it just never happens. I've been feeling particularly blah about my hair lately and I think it's time to shake things up. 

So what are your thoughts? Have you dyed your hair? Would you recommend/discourage? I need help!

xo Catherine 

Dress: Lilly Pulitzer. Booties: BC Footwear (similar). Purse: Coach (similar). Necklace: J. Crew (similar). 

I never knew I had a thing for elephants, but it's become pretty apparent now that this is my second article of clothing donning these cute little guys. I was searching for fun new spring/summer things for my AZ trip next week when I stumbled upon this Lilly dress. I had never looked too closely at Lilly items because I always thought they were too preppy for me, but I actually like quite a lot of her pieces. Anyways, I was going to save this dress for Arizona, but it was close to 80 degrees here and so I just couldn't resist pulling it out. I think we've reached that part of the year where California weather really differentiates itself from Midwest and East Coast weather, but I'll do my best not to rub it in ;)

How was your long weekend? We had Mark's sister and her husband staying with us so we were pretty busy showing them around and trying to convince them to move here ;) on Saturday we went up to the city, and we spent Valentine's Day at a winery. The weather was amazing and I actually keep thinking it's April or something. So strange that it's this nice in February!

xo Catherine 

Dress: Ted Baker (similar here and here). Jacket: Ellen Tracey. Shoes: Zara (similar). Clutch: Target (similar). Belt: Target. Earrings: Odette and Ophelia c/o. 

If your plans for Valentine's Day involve going out for a nice dinner, black tights and heels with a fun floral dress is a great route to take! It's a great way to get more mileage out of your spring or summery dresses. We're keeping it pretty low key for V-Day. Mark's sister and her husband are staying with us this weekend, so we'll be making dinner and staying in on Sunday. That's what I prefer anyway! We don't have any firm plans while they're here. We'll just be showing them around the area we live in, and heading up to SF one day. I'm sure there will be lots of good food and wine :) which always makes for a good weekend! 

I have Monday off, so I will be enjoying the long weekend, and you can expect a new post on Wednesday.

Thanks for reading!

xo Catherine 

If you know me, or have read this blog for a while, then you'll know that I'm pretty much an unofficial ambassador for Revlon's ColorStay Ultimate Suede lipstick. I discovered it a few years ago when my sister gave me my first tube for Christmas. Now I have something like ten shades. Well I'm always talking about how great this lipstick is and today I wanted to show you. The thing about this brand is that it gets noticeably more pigmented with each coat that you apply, so it almost looks like a totally different shade. I actually love this because you can decide how dramatic you want to go with the color.  I took pictures to show you what the pigmentation looks like for layers 1-3 for my four favorite colors.

"High Heels"

As you can see the first layer is a nice blush pink, and by layer number three it's more vibrant and cotton candy-like. 

"Supermodel"

This is by far my most worn lipstick. I just got this one this year and am almost out already! You can see that it becomes a really nice, deep mauve by layer 3. I love this one at every stage, but I love it best when it's the most pigmented. 

"Fashionista"

I think this one has the most dramatic difference between coats 1 and 3. It looks almost coral or orange-red on the first coat, but it's a deep red by coat 3. I was so disappointed when I first bought this one because I had hoped it would be a true red. I realized that it can be after you apply multiple layers.

"Finale"

I love this shade for summer. It's the perfect coral, and is a nice deep orange-red by coat number three.

I really hope this was helpful for you! Like I said I was a little disappointed with one of the colors when I first tried it, but I soon realized that you don't get the true color of the lipstick until you apply 2 or 3 coats. If you don't already own this lipstick, well then you should swing by the nearest drug store. It honestly stays on all day, which is my number one ask in a lipstick, and it doesn't dry out my lips.

What's your go-to shade or brand??

xo Catherine 

p.s. this is in no way sponsored, I honestly just love this brand and wanted to spread the love!

p.p.s I stood up against my sliding glass door with a curtain behind me to get this backdrop. Anything for the gram! #yolo

Skirt: J. Crew (unfortunately I couldn't find anything similar). Booties: Calvin Klein (similar). Clutch: Forever 21. Blazer: Nine West (similar). Turtleneck: Ann Taylor. Necklace: Loft (similar). 

When I'm feeling uninspired with putting together an outfit, like I often am in the winter, I have a go-to formula that makes it super easy. Black shoes + black tights + skirt + black top. Adding a jacket or sweater too is a great way to add more visual interest. I think the all black on bottom and the black on top pulls the look together, and makes it seem like you put more thought into it than you actually did. I can't say why exactly, but I only ever wear black shoes with black tights. I think it looks nice and sleek and elongates my legs. Here are some other examples of this formula in action: one//two//three. 

We had a really nice, relaxing weekend. The weather was beautiful so we walked to go get ice cream on Saturday, which felt like such a luxury in February. We saw a couple Oscar movies. And we hosted a little Super Bowl party at our apartment. It honestly wasn't anywhere near as crazy as I thought it would be since we live so close. That's a good thing though! We have more visitors coming this weekend, so it was nice to have a weekend in between to just hang out and do nothing. 

Hope you have a great start to your week!

xo Catherine