In Support Of: The Monochromatic Movement

It's not often one finds themselves surrounded by raw talent, authentic souls, and the yearn to push their boundaries to a more creative place. Somewhere undiscovered and uncharted.

That place, to me, is In Support Of and their curated selection of new and emerging designers. Those authentic souls are Lynn and Tina Maria. And Erika supplied the raw talent. Collaboratively, we bring you part one of our editorial -- the Monochromatic Movement.

I'm going to be honest, it's been a really really long time since I went local and experienced innovative designs that made you want to explore a piece and the textures bound to it. That made you strut, swish, or sashay just to see how it fell - movement. I found all that and more at In Support Of.

In fact, they encouraged us to check out the racks, to try on the bold coats and dive into their designer's cohesive collection until we found something that was truly us. At first, it was a bit daunting - everything was (and still is) so gorgeous. (If you ever find yourself in the Meatpacking District I highly encourage you to sneak away into this store to get inspired.) For the first part of our editorial I pulled crisp winter whites from two of their designers, layered it on and went bold.

I'm excited to share the next part later this week but until then stop by Lynn and Tina Maria's blogs to read & see their monochromatic movement.

Photos by Erika Dickstein.
Blogger Babes: Lynn Kim Do, neckbreakinstyle.com & Tina Maria, jeanrex.com
Wearing: In Support Of

Gift Giving Made Easy

Today's shop has been sponsored by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible! 
#GiftingAMemory #CollectiveBias

And just like that we're on the cusp of the holidays. How insane right? It honestly feels like we were celebrating Labor Day yesterday!

Knowing how busy I was all summer, I actually crafted up my gifting budget along with the lucky giftees back in September. But I still have not started my shopping. With all the rushing and spending that will inevitably happen, I came up with an affordable Plan B.

Now if we're talking numbers I try to spend between $20-$30 per person. If I want to make it out of the season with my savings intact, sticking to these numbers is a must. I also want to try and get the majority of my gifts in one place to minimize the hassle of traveling all over the city.

Year after year I'm gifted fragrance sets and personally - I love it. You can never go wrong with something that smells heavenly. Coty does have holiday gift sets that are not only affordable but can be found at your local Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS. And in case you didn't know COTY is the company behind a few mega-brands like Marc Jacobs & Calvin Klein. So, these guys definitely know how to whip up some smell-good delights.

One of the many advantages about picking up one of their gift sets at my local Walgreens is that Walgreens is one those one-stop shops. I'm able to pick up stocking stuffers or additions to my gift, gift bags and holiday cards.

For one girlfriend in particular, I did a little research before hand. I know she's a huge Katy Perry fan but I needed to pick the right scent that suits her spunky attitude but very feminine style. From Katy Perry's line, Mad Potion was just released, smells delish, and has great reveiws. It's a heavenly scent of Tahitian vanilla orchid, sweet peony, jasmine petals and apple musk. I also think the Mad Potion gift box looks fancy.

I absolutely know that she'll love this overall. I added in a new loofah too so she gets the full experience haha.

See easy peasy! And now every time she spritzes it on she'll think about me. Oh, and don't forget the card.

What do you think of think of Coty's Holiday Gift Sets? Do you think it's a no-fail gift idea? Find more ways to gift a memory this holiday season.

From Studio to Street

I'm not an early bird and treasure what little sleep I get - they're like golden bits of deliciousness. But, when winter hits and night falls at 4 pm it's time for me to start making sacrifices in the name of stress-relief, and first on the block is the snooze button.

Although I'll miss that extra hour of snoozing through an alarm, I know I'll feel better in the long run.

When it comes to me and my winter habits it's important to play to your body's strengths, not weaknesses: I'm more energetic in the morning, running in the dark gives me the heebie-jeebies, and after a long work day I'd rather eat than sweat (must be the hibernation tings).

All signs point to rise and grind morning Classpass classes - the early sweat sessions also put me in better spirits too.

A few recos on AM class faves: Y7, Mile High Club, & Peleton.

I do have a few gripes - finding studios with showers, and lugging toiletries & clothes for the rest of your day. But, with a few months of classpassing behind me here are a few tips and tricks I've learned along the way to make the whole process easy peasy.

1. Wear sneakers/shoes that are great for working out and presentable for the office. These all white Theas from Nike (size up!) are so crisp and so perfect for the athleisure trend and my life. Another great option, go for classes that are sans shoes: yoga, pilates, and cycling classes (rent them there). That way you'll only have to worry about one pair.

2. Wear clothing that can take you from studio to street. This is essential if you're trying to minimize the bag-lady look. Lucy Activewear does such a great job of designing clothes for this exact reason. Their team always has us in mind and constantly creates versatile and high-performance pieces. Their winter collection fits seamlessly into my life and the luxe layers are perfect for the busiest time of the year.

For this look, I couldn't head into the office with leggings but Lucy does have some amazing pants sans prints. Or, you can follow my lead and pack a midi skirt. The quilted long sleeve from Lucy is super soft, warm, and appropriate for my office - which I love.

3. Beauty products that can multi-task and come in travel size are a godsend. I've shared my beauty travel bag before here, but my everyday beauty bag carries the true heavy hitters. This might be a post for another day, but my top three products that currently make getting ready a breeze are: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer, Benefit's Gimme Brow (obsessed!), and PUR's Chateau Cheek Stain. I also spray on Avène Thermal Spring Water pre-glam sesh to rid my face of any exercise-induced redness.

4. When it comes to hair, I just un-bun it and go. If it's one those super sweaty sessions then I'll make sure to spray on this dry shampoo from Carol's Daughter. Honestly, though, my curls and I lucked out - the heat & sweat just gives me a better hair day.

Eyeglasses: Warby Parker  Long Sleeve Top: Lucy  Top: Lucy  Leggings: Lucy  Skirt: Ann Taylor  Sneakers: Nike  Necklace: Marc Jacobs (similar style)  Bracelet: Vintage  Purse: Marc Jacobs  Lipgloss: Grace via Buxom

As we enter the mad rush of the holidays, remember to treat your body right - it's the only one we got.

P.s. I created a "Current Sales" tab at the top of my blog. It'll be updated daily with new sales to help you (and me) as we navigate the stores & web during the holidays. I'm almost positive Lucy Activewear will have one so check back on Black Friday!

Photos by Lydia Hudgens.

Shop the look: