A Pastel Dream: Let Them Eat Lace!

It's no secret that pastels are having their day in the sun thanks to designers like Louis Vuitton's pastel carousel and Prada's retro-riffic video. This photo shoot called "Let Them Eat Lace!" embodies all the trends of the season with a strong dose of rococo flavor thrown in. Here are a few of my favorites by photographer Nicole Patricia Malina but you can see the full photo set HERE!

Margarita Bloom's: Retro Vintage Beauty & Skincare

I've been on a virtual shopping spree for hours, delighting in the website design and hundreds of beauty combinations offered by Margarita Bloom's. The site is comprised of classic paintings, inspiring quotes, and delightful illustrations. Angelfood cake scrub, french milled soap, raspberry lime pinktini soak, and rich drizzle body oil have all made it into my imaginary cart. I'll be imagining opening my parcel and delighting in the scents and packaging that is Margarita Bloom's until my next payday. Has anyone else tried this lovely brand?

Inspiring Parisian Design!

I find campy Parisian design so cute and inspiring! This suite is absolutely adorable with it's mix of old-Hollywood, Louis XVI, and a heaping dose of teen spirit. Is there anything more luxe than upholstered furniture in the bathroom, especially paired with opalescent tiles and glitter grout!? Also love the nod to a Hayworth furniture line I love so much...

Design: Angelfish Studio's Tracy Rivers
Photography: Nancy Nolan
Source: At Home in Arkansas

Too Faced Holiday 2011

I love beautiful cosmetics more than the average girl, perfectly posh packaging is a bigger seller than the product inside sometimes. Too Faced is one of those brands that combines great products and lovely packaging. Regretfully I do not own as much of the brand as I would like but the Holiday collection will soon change that. I'm in love with the rococo frames and dream-like illustrations, I might have to buy every palette. The products inside promise to be as gorgeous as the fanciful casings.

Viva La Juicy Ad Campaign

I love pretentious perfume ads--there's nothing quite like getting dressed in 19th century lingerie and making love to a giant perfume bottle while a French woman whispers to the camera.



There are a lot of things I do like about the ad. I like seeing women in their beauty routine, there is something about the transformation process that speaks to me. I love the unkempt French-girl aesthetic. That bottle with its perfect pink bow. Lastly I love the fantasy of the ad, after all isn't that what pretentious perfume ads are all about?

Turquoise + Pink = LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Choosing colors for your flat sets the tone for your entire life, nothing energizes you quite like color. The turquoise and pink combination is so cheerful you'll approach your day as if you just ran a marathon and had five cups of coffee.





As an apartment dweller I believe in the power of black + white spaces with sharp jolts of color like the living room above: you can easily change the color scheme with the seasons or your mood (imagine the room above with yellow slip-covered chairs and a few accessory changes for example!) While the living room is serene notice how the color palette is amped for the workspace above? An office should be inspiring and energizing so kill it with color. Also remember to mix your periods like the combination of modern, classic, and retro elements above! For the rest of the house hop on over to House of Turquoise.com!





More wildly inspiring turquoise and pink combos. I adore the French provincial feel of the first one, the wallpaper and antique settee are perfect for the rococo lover. The second one is so 1960's mod that I can't get enough of those turquoise chairs. The transition from the turquoise bedroom to the pink bathroom in the third one demonstrates inspired color-cross-pollination (notice the pink pictures and pink dish on the desk that brings the bathroom's colors into the bedroom?) As for the last one, let's just say that if I had to choose to spend the rest of my life with Mr. Anachronistic Style or the pink striped rococo couch above I would choose the couch.

See more inspiring pink + turquoise combos here!

Daily Dose of Pretty: Christian Louboutin Fall 2011 Lookbook

I've always been a bit of an art buff so I flipped when I saw Louboutin's Fall Lookbook! I love the juxtaposition of his iconic shoe with classic portraiture, a perfect marriage of fashion and high art! The inspiration for these advertisements was pure genius. Sit back, contemplate each image, and enjoy the pretty.

Daily dose of pretty!

Enjoy this 1950's Dior couture dress. Contemplate the rococo styling mixed with mid-century sensibilities. Take a deep breath. Feel the pretty.

Weekly Expense Report - Shoes

Slow week for me on the shopping front. I picked these beauties up on Ideeli but Zappos has the black ones on sale ($81). I've been wanting to try Seychelles for awhile, their shoes are so retrofabulous and seem to be made so well! The soles are cushy and the shoes are leather so I can't wait to receive these!

Can't miss site: Quaintrelle Life!

I've long considered myself a fringe member of the quaintrelle movement whose style and philosophy I've lived by for years. Quaintrelle Life epitomizes this movement through fashion, do-it-yourself projects and enough information and pretty pictures to keep a girl busy for hours. Don't miss the fashion plates especially! See samples below featuring the lovely Vivien, the one woman fashion army and webmistress of the site. Many of her dresses are available for purchase or commission at Candy Violet.