Nail Colors for Fall 2015

Fall is finally upon us.

One of the best parts of fall is breaking out the dark, vampy colors to add to your cosmetic routine. 

While this season everyone is focusing on the 90's lips, let's not forget about your "claws."

Playing with color on your nails is one way to get into the fall spirit.

Dark doesn't always equal black.

Many hues can be deepened and still maintain their original color. 

Many nail brands offer sample kits of their fall color line up.

 Morgan Taylor Lacquer (available here) has rolled out their fall kit called Honky Tonk Honeys.

(What a cute name, anyone remember dancing around their room to Honky Tonk Badonka Donk...*hand raise emoji*.)

The four shades in this kit are similar and different enough to help you ease through this fall season.

Tex'as Me Later

Tex'as Me Later is a shimmery mauve pink that will appeal to anyone who might want to be stepping away from their "Ballet Slippers" usual. Adding a clear, high shine topcoat will really help that shimmer pop.

A Touch of Sass

A Touch of Sass is a dark fuchsia with lots of red. This nail polish would be great with a trendy matte topcoat or the traditional shiny topcoat. It's dark without being "too dark" so many girls (or boys) could get a lot of use out of this polish.

Plum Tuckered Out

Plum Tuckered Out is a nice deep purple "plum." Adding a gold, sparkly accent nail to each hand would make a really fun, easy manicure. Purple and gold always look good together (maybe a biased opinion...my high school colors were purple and gold, go eagles!)

Pumps or Cowboy Boots?

Pumps or Cowboy Boots? could easily go with your trendy 90s brown hued lips. This polish is a brown base with slight purple undertones. The purple helps make the polish not a "blah brown."

Mustard from the 60s

Hi guys, still not good at posting regularly butttt...this is actually way better than I have done!

The weather is changing, and I am loving it.

I love fall.

Or "autumn" as the proper people say. 

While it's still not chilly enough to my liking, it's probably for the best.

I've been waiting to bust this mustard (although it leans a little orange) since I got it in August. 

I didn't feel like it was appropriate in the hotter days. The color helps transition into fall.

Mustard has been such a trendy color as well.

And if it's out next year, I won't feel bad because I got this at Forever 21, so cheap cheap cheap.

Similar dress here

Ooo... don't mind those roots. Natural roots are in, I'm writing an article on it! 

I feel like this outfit has such a 60s vibe to it (that's what I was going for anyways).

My boss even said my outfit looked like something from the 60s.

The 60s and 70s have been popping up everywhere in fashion lately.

Suede, fringe...far out man. (that was lame.)

I've been so obsessed with gold chains lately.

This one is a little more "classy" and dressy. 

You can find similar necklaces here and here.

Kind of annoying because I literally just saw this exact necklace on the website this morning and now it's gone... if it ever pops up, i'll let you know.

But basically any long necklace is the same I suppose..

And you all know I love makeup; I don't know if ya'll would want to see makeup specific posts.

Videos, I don't know. 

Makeup look of the day:

In other news, my week is completely crazy.

Four tests, work, class.

Today at my test, my teacher tried to accuse me of cheating on the test before she had given it to me.

And then I was attacked by a bee in lecture. 

Trying to get my life together like...

But I think that's it.

I hope you all have a happy and blessed week!

Live Love Lan

Sharp in Chartreuse

Here in Iowa, we're in that weird period of time of time.

Is it on the brink of fall or are we still in summer?

Trying to decide on the right mix of garments to make a weather appropriate outfit can be tough.

At least in Iowa, I feel like it's completely acceptable to wear a sweater with shorts.

It helps even out the body temperature; you never know what the buildings on college campuses will feel like temperature-wise, so I think it helps play it pretty safe.

I may not be old (20), but I feel past my days of short short shorts.

Although I am by no means fat, I definitely don't still have my high school body.

A bit longer inseam on shorts help hide troublesome upper thighs, and it's also more work-appropriate at our age.
similar here

A lot of people comment on this sweater and ask, "What color is that?" 

It is a bit of an odd color. But I have come to the conclusion that it's chartreuse. 

I think it's a fairly appropriate color for pre-fall.
(I got this sweater at Target eons ago, and it's a size large. I am having trouble finding any dupes to it.  Any color of plain sweater or any style chartreuse top will do!)

It has a warmness to it, that say a lime green doesn't have. I think it's that warmness that helps it act as a fall transitional color. 

The coral and gold add fun accents to the outfit.You can easily tie together things that might not at first glance appear to go together by the metallic accent color of the pieces.
I can't find any close dupes to the necklace, but pieces with similar colors are all you need to look for!
option 1 option 2 option 3 option 4 option 5

I think some people are afraid to mix colors. Don't! Most people honestly won't notice, and the great thing about clothes/accessories is that you can take them off. If you notice something doesn't work, you can tally it up, and not wear it again. 

I added in some print with the leopard print espadrilles. I love these shoes, but got them at JustFab. I've really come to not like JustFab's company structure. They're super cute, but just beware if you buy anything from JustFab...They will rip $39.95 out of your account every month if you don't go in every month and cancel for the month. The shoes help tie in the gold from the necklace and the belt as well.

(Please excuse the bandaids; I was hit by a skateboard.)

----
Bear with me as I familiarize myself with blogging more. I'm working on the layout of my blog, etc. It's a work in process, and with school, it can be put on the back burner. I know i could improve my photography; I'm figuring out how to use my little tripod. I never realized how curious people would be if you go in to buy a tripod. This is not what you think it's for, sicko.
Anyways, as I always say, "I hope to post more on here."
I hope my first fashion post is okay!
Lots of Love,
Lan.

A Day of Adventure: Reiman Gardens

The first summer living away from home...I'd lie if I said it hasn't been tough but just trucking along.

Today my loving mother came to visit me.

I got a big girl backpack, I'm a real college student now.

Then we went to Reiman Gardens. 

If any of ya'll go to Iowa State, I would highly suggest you check it out!

It's a nice, free (for ISU students) way to unwind, relax a little bit.

Going to the Butterfly room would definitely be a good way to take a break during finals week.

I love this picture. The delicate being of the butterflies. 

The butterfly room is just really special. Butterflies are the one bug I won't run and dodge from. 

Look how vibrant that is!

Now for some self portraits:

Mom's...isn't she so precious? (:

#overlyattachedtomymom

And then she turned into my photographer for the day

"Mom, I want it to be artsy."

Outfit deets:
Dress: Target here
Sandals: Target here
Hat: Forever 21similar
Bag: Betsey Johnson/TJ Maxx

"How does one become a butterfly? You must want to fly so much
you are willing to give up being a caterpillar."- Trina Paulus

Moving on from the butterfly room, we went to the conservatory (? that might not be right) room. 

They had it set up like a cute little garden (gahhhden) party

 And of course, Reiman Gardens, the grounds were beautiful. We didn't actually make it to everything. It was very warm outside, but we made the most of it.

More artsy self portraits follow:

After we left Reiman Gardens, we did some odds and ends. 

And then we went to one of my favorite places in Ames.

It has become that quickly because I've only been there twice. But both within a week.

 A mix between a shop in Diagon Alley, a flee market turned on its head... I don't know, I don't know how to describe it.

But it is the most eclectic greenhouse I have ever encountered.

I wish I had taken more pictures, but someday.

Where I bought two more succulents

One pictured here:

So today was great. A little different post than I used to do.

But I just genuinely feel so lucky to have a mom who accepts me and loves me unconditionally. 

I sometimes question if people are really as much best friends as I am with my mom...

I just don't think it's possible.

Much love to you all.

-Live Love Lan

Greetings From Planet Young and Foolish

Woah...I still know how to write on this thing...

it's been a minute or two.

Life has been in full swing with school, work, work, sleep, recently an occasional workout.

Da blog took da back seat. 

I don't know how people do so many activities in college...I do none besides work, and sometimes it feels like a one way ticket to Haitis. 

I've been wanting to focus a lot more on my beauty blog, but like everything else I want to do, it's a very long process to completion. Right now, it's in the preparation stages in my head. To be honest, it'll probably be there the rest of my life. 

Lately, after I hit that 20 year mark, I am already started to feel that 20s slump.

People say, "Your twenties are the best years of your life."

Other people say, it's a time to realize you have absolutely nothing put together in your life.

I'm sitting pretty at option B. 

You see people settling down, getting serious, getting engaged, having babies. 

I guess I haven't reached that point (also haven't had any prospects to get me to that point).

But to be honest, it terrifies me. Next stop commitment? I'll just keep riding the bus. 

Avoid at all costs. 

This weekend, I visited my sister, and we went to Zombie Burger in Des Moines.

The wait was over an hour, and while we were standing there, a girl walked by.

By "girl", I mean she was maybe 3 years old. 

The look she gave me intimidated me.

Her eyes said, "I have my life more put together than you."

And she's probably right. 

I feel like I make a string of bad choices that all very much resemble each other.

I'm stuck in a repeating cycle that I can't get out of. 

I know what I'm doing will catch up to hurt me, but I can't stop myself in the moment. 

And then six weeks later when I realize, ehhh not such a good idea, it's too late.

One way ticket to an emotional breakdown.

And it's not just that I make bad decisions in the present. It's the fact that people think I can make good decisions for the future. 

"What's your major?"

"What's that?"

"What are you going to do with that?"

"When are you graduating?"

"Are you going to the career fair, interview, presentation...?"

Are you going to shut up? Because I can't even make a logical decision for breakfast.

Your words need to cease.

And yet, I'm not worried about it. 

I'm not worried about my future husband. 

I guess I'm a firm believer in not getting too serious, too young.

We grow and evolve, and I don't know if it's possible with one person.

We live in a completely different world than our grandparents. Our grandmas didn't have to worry about our grandpas having a Tinder profile, Snapchat best friends, texting.

(excuse the profanity.)

Is it possible in this day and age? I don't know yet. 

I make bad decisions when it comes to boys.

Shun me to hell, but I've had my share of taken boys, going back to exes, a combination of the two.

And obviously if I make decisions like that, I wouldn't make the right pick of the "forever one."

People will have their opinions of that, but I just don't care.

I know that life will work out.

I know I don't want to be sitting in Iowa for the rest of my life.

We can only predict and control what happens to a certain extent.

All these actions will make sense someday. Mostly it'll probably me saying, "I thought I was an idiot in the moment, and look, I really was."

I have to sign off on this post though. I haven't typed anything of such massive proportions for a lengthy period of time, and it's literally giving me carpal tunnel. 

I hope you all are making terrible, young life decisions as well.

Later Haters. <3

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Hopefully no more writing droughts of approximately 6 months.

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Twitter: @Alannajean2013

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