Local Designer: JLINSNIDER

When you hear South Carolina, you might invision nice country folk that wear camo, drink beer and moonshine, and hunt whenever they get a chance.

When you hear Charleston, you might invision Lilly Pilitzer/Vineyard Vines/Polo/Jack Rogers/Sperry-wearing people with a dash of southern charm. I'm not hating I promise! 

But the beautiful thing, or at least one of the beautiful things, is the ever growing number of local designers; designers you'd never guess came out of Charleston. 

I'm starting a local designer series, starting with JLINSNIDER. 

Designed and created by Jamie Lin Snider, JLINSNIDER features one of a kind modernized vintage clothing, shoes, and accessories. And when I say one of a kind, take it literally. If you buy a something from her, it IS the ONLY one. It's all wearable vintage and very, very unique. A little hidden gem in the Charleston scene.

Jamie Lin Snider grew up in Anderson, South Carolina and went to school in Las Vegas. She moved back to Charleston in 2011 and founded her store on upper King Street. Upper King used to be a area you wouldn't really want to visit, it could be dangerous and sketchy. Now it's a must visit if you're into the fashion scene, or even if you're not. Upper King now is "up and coming", I guess would be the correct term for it. Mostly college kids and all the cool kids. Just kidding, kind of. But really, she started out with her Etsy store and it blew up and now she has all of this! 

That's our girl right there! She is such a sweetheart, I've talked to her twice and both times she was so kind and cheerful and very passionate about what she does.

Here are some images from Charleston Fashion Week runway from years 2011 through 2014

all images from JLS runway portfolio

There are some dresses in there that I cannot for the life of me figure out what kind of fabric she used. You can probably guess which ones, let me know if you figure it out. I'm so curious. 

As far as I know, the only places you can buy her clothes right now is at Holy City Consignment, King Dusko, or her Etsy page. 

Her clothes are pretty expensive, as expected. Somehow, the stars aligned for me perfectly and I was able to get my hands on three shirts I wanted. I was walking down King Street on a Tuesday or some random day like that, full paycheck, and decided to walk in because I had never been in before. This was a year or two ago when she had her own retail store. She happened to be having a huge sale on everything in the store if I remember correctly. I was surprised that there weren't more people in the store, but one of the girls working there said that Jamie Lin would randomly decided to have unannounced sales. 

Outfit posts with said shirts will come later this week. 

Here are some cool photos from her portfolio: 

And last but not least, some awards she's won:

Best of Charleston 2011- Best Risk Taking Designer 

Charleston's 50 Most Progressive People, 2012

Best of Charleston 2012- Best Designer Boutique 

Best of Charleston 2014- Best Place For Leopard Print Suspenders (really random and specific award?)

Best of Charleston 2014- Best Local Designer

I wish there had been some mens clothing on the runway for fashion week. I don't really remember seeing any mens clothing when I went in the store, but that might just be because I was too excited about the sale to look. 

Like I said, I'll do outfit posts later this weekend/week with the shirts that I got. 

Also don't forget- I'm doing a giveaway soon! 

What do you think? Do you like vintage clothing or do you prefer more modern clothes? Would you wear any of these risk taking designs? Let me know what you think! 

Have a good weekend loves! 

Review: Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Gloss

 It was a beautiful day the other day, so I decided to enjoy the outside and paint my nails finally. My nails have been terribly neglected.

Today I'll be reviewing the Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Gloss in the color Mint Mojito.

I'm always drawn to these minty green-blue colors and I have way too many. And disclaimer: it's hard to do a good manicure when you're outside in the wind so apologies in advance for the sloppiness. 

I got this at CVS, it isn't necessarily a unique color but all of my nail polish was at my moms, so I decided to pick this one up. I should've realized this when I was buying it, but the cap is big and chunky and therefore not very easy to handle. 

The formula was very thick and goopy which made it hard to get an even coat. I did 2 coats to even it all out but it came out very opaque; there shouldn't be any need for more than 2 coats.

It took a long time to dry. It was tacky for a long time which is my biggest nail polish pet peeve. Even with the wind it still took a while to dry. 

I'm also an idiot who forgot to take clothes out of the dryer before I started, so I had to pretty much take out one item at a time very carefully. Only my right hand was still wet at that point, and it looks like a wreck. My fault obviously. Who the F does that?

It's been 3 days and I don't have any noticeable chipping, which is surprising to me. There's a little bit of chipping starting to happen at the base of one of my nails, but none at the tips which is actually shocking to me. No top coat was used.

The only other annoyance I encountered was the chunky cap which had to be twisted pretty hard to get it closed all the way. That could've just been my bottle though. 

I probably wouldn't buy this again because of the obnoxiously thick formula and long dry time. Maybe if they go on sale somewhere I'll pick up a few colors. 

In case you're curious, which I'm sure you're not, here is my nail painting spot for the day. Manicure in between dishes and laundry aw yeah :) even if I did completely mess up my right hand.

If I'm MIA for the next 9 days or so, it's just because I have to catch up on Game of Thrones before the new season starts. I'll try not to though.

And last but not least, don't forget I will be having a giveaway soon! 

Have you ever used this Covergirl nail polish before? Do you have any other suggestions for a Tiffany blue-ish color that doesn't have such a goopy formula? Get ready for Game of Thrones!

Currently Loving: Bras With Fancy Backs

In general I like clothing with cool/interesting backs, but I saw a bra while I was window shopping that had a gorgeous back. I've shown off some of my bras with a loose tank, once or twice with a lace top in the summer. The trick is to make it look like you did it on purpose. Not an "oops I didn't realize my shirt was this see through" kind of thing. Keep it classy!

So this summer, I'm going for this look

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Instead of this look

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I still like the bra showing in the front, and I'm still going to rock that trend this summer. I think it just makes an outfit more interesting if you are showing off a bra with a pretty back, over the regular bra that hooks in the same place almost every time. I think showing off a pretty back is sexier than showing off a pretty front.

Urban Outfitters

Free People

Amazon (Hanky Panky)

H&M

Victoria's Secret

I keep battling with the correct way to spell "lacy" ("lacey"?). But the almighty Google prefers lacy, so I won't question. Anyway, if you're wearing a bra with a lacy back, keep the rest of the outfit simple, and maybe accessorize with some lacy looking jewelry. A lacy headband would be really cute! 

Another way to show off your bra back is to wear a top with a sheer back (or one that's completely sheer, if you're brave enough). If you have a sheer top, a criss cross bra would look better than a lace one. If you're wearing a lace bra, you want to be able to see all the pretty details :) 

So what do you think about any of the bra trends? Do you bra showing at all? If so, do you prefer front or back? 

Happy Monday!

By the time this post is up, Monday will be almost over! Or at least halfway over. You've gotten this far, good job! 

This post is just a little motivation and a little update from yours truly. 

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I'm in the library right now with the boyfriend in between classes. He's studying for Spanish and I'm blogging/deciding what to write about tomorrow. I need an opinion. Since I've started blogging, I've written with my text starting on the left. Recently (like this post and my other most recent Lilly and Target post), I've written with center text. Any opinions on which looks better? I can't decide! 

I'm in the process of cleaning out my sidebars of places to shop and blogs to read. Some blogs don't exist anymore, same with the shops. Send me any cool blog or shop links and I'll check them out. 

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Be on the lookout for a giveaway soon too. I tweeted about this before but I swear I get more excited about giveaways than ya'll do. I've also realized my southern charm has been coming out and I've been saying "ya'll" way too much. Sorry! 

Have ya'll (see?) seen The Usual Suspects? My boyfriend and I watched it for the first time yesterday because I had never seen it and it was SO GOOD! If you haven't seen it you should really watch it. He, of course, hasn't seen my favorite movie. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas in case I haven't mentioned it before. It's one of those movies I can watch over and over again and not get tired of. I love the book too. I'm in the middle of reading some of Hunter S. Thompson's essays. I'd highly recommend reading some if you haven't already. I really like the way he writes (Gonzo journalism), and nobody else has really been able to capture it as well as he does. Seriously, read the book, then watch the movie. 

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Hmmm...I can't really think of much else to say. I'm going to try to be an actual fashion blogger and post pictures of outfits I'm wearing. The trouble is getting good photos and finding someone to take them. If you have any tips for taking good fashion/outfit photos, please let me know! 

Well, I guess that's all for now. How has your Monday been so far? Have you read or seen Fear and Loathing? Also, pretty pretty please give me any tips on taking good fashion photos. Have a good day! 

Lilly Pulitzer & Target

I'm sure most of you have heard the buzz about Lilly Pulitzer collaborating with Target. I know all of you southern gals have. And I know I'm way late on writing about this. 

Back in the day I used to think Lilly Pulitzer was extremely tacky, way too bright, and way too preppy. But over the years it's kind of grown on me, but some patterns are still too bright and too busy for me to handle. Gives me fashion anxiety. Someone told me that the patterns were meant to hide stains, which is pretty cool. I don't know if that's true or not but still cool. 

I'm pretty stoked about the Lilly + Target line, which will be available April 19th. It will feature women's (including plus size, even though it will only be available online), girl's, toddlers, home, and beauty items.

I like Lilly Pulitzer enough to wear it, but not enough to pay the price for it. I've bought one Lilly dress for a high school graduation party and I used pretty much half of my paycheck to get it.

I cropped the other two out because I was unsure if they would be ok with me putting this picture up. But yes, that's high school me with my long blonde hair, and the one Lilly Pulitzer dress that I own. It wasn't one of their popular prints either; I wouldn't look at it and think "Lilly Pulitzer" which is probably why I chose it. 

Here are some samples from the look book that was recently released. { This is not the whole collection }

The usual Lilly shift dresses, some maxis, and a couple of other cute dresses. Some jumpsuits and rompers will also be in the collection. I've always sort of liked the Lilly shift dresses so maybe I'll try one of those. The maxi dresses are really cute too actually. I'm in LOVE with maxi dresses and skirts at the moment. 

Not a huge fan. I don't dislike them, I just don't see myself buying them. I might end up changing my mind when I see them though (assuming everything isn't sold out by the time I get to Target).

I really like that navy eyelet coverup. Long coverups don't work too well for us short ladies but if you're tall enough, rock it!

Ok, I REALLY like that blue and gold bag. I've always liked the scarf tied onto a handbag trend; I'm curious to see if the scarf comes on the bag or if you have to buy it separately. The little gold clutch is quite pretty as well. Overall I'm pleased with the bags.

Eh, nothing too special here. I like the starfish sandals and maybe the gold wedges. Other than that nothing jumps out at me, which is good because I need new shoes and I'm sure these are going to be more expensive than Target's usual shoes.

THE SCARVES! Ok, I'd probably buy all of the scarves. Headscarves too. The phone cases are cute, as well as the hat. I'm impressed with the accessories. Thumbs up on those Lilly + Target! Seriously, I'm going to buy some scarves. If they're sold out, it'll be because of me. I freaking love scarves in case I haven't made that clear.

I'm a little surprised they didn't have any skirts. I do want the scarves though. Have I mentioned that I like scarves? That handbag is up on my list too. From what I could tell from the the look book, the plus size women clothing are most of the same items just in bigger sizes. 

These are just a few items from the girls collection. I think the girls items are adorable. For some reason, I think it's easier for younger girls to pull off loud Lilly Pulitzer prints; everyone will think they are absolutely adorable. And they'd be right! They also have some cute little hats! As with the women's plus size, the toddler items were again most of the same items as the girl's.

Yeah, I like the home collection. It's kind of big so this is just a little taste. I like the flask a lot. You probably can't tell from the picture but there is a little giraffe imprint on it. I really like the candle holders too. I'm so glad they don't come with candles in them because I'm so picky about my scents. For the most part the home collection gets a thumbs up from me.

And last but not least, beauty. There are a lot of makeup bags that I might go after because I DESPERATELY need one. Seriously, when I get a new makeup bag I'm going to do a whole post on makeup organization and all that fun stuff. The bobby pins and nail files are cute but I'd rather just get a bulk pack for a lot cheaper. I don't really care how cute my nail file is but that's just me. The nail polishes are Essie, just in colors chosen for the collection. And the lipsticks are L'Oreal Colour Riche Designer Extraordinare Lipstick. I've used Essie and I've liked most of the colors I've tried so far, but I've never tried the L'Oreal lipsticks. I'll probably try one or two of them. Again, if they aren't sold out. 

I was expecting the huge reaction to the Lilly-Target line, but I was definitely not expecting some that were so negative. Like, extremely blown out of proportion negative. I'm stealing these Twitter posts from Refinery29. I won't post Twitter names or anything, just the posts.

"Sorry but @LillyPulitzer should not be sold at Target. Sucks if you can't afford it but that's life."

"Tbh I'm not happy about Lilly for Target. What's the point of investing in their clothes if you can just buy it for cheap at Target now? ?"

"if people say they got something from Lilly at Target...the name will lose its prestige. The brand was kinda built on class"

"Not happy about Lilly being in target! If you weren't classy enough to have it before, you sure as hell aren't classy enough now."

"lilly pulitzer collaborating with target is probably the worst news I will get in all of 2015"

"If Lily starts selling through Target I will stop buying. You are making a high class brand into white trash."

I could go on but I'll stop here. There are more on the Refinery29 page. 

Like, really? The world might actually be ending for these girls. I WISH this would be the worst news I'm going to get in 2015. I may have missed it, but I don't remember this big of a reaction when Target collaborated with Neiman Marcus, Jason Wu, or Missoni. Please let me know if I'm wrong though. The big overreaction might just be in my face because I live in Charleston. Maybe they'll change their minds once they see it all in person? Unless they're too "classy" to step foot into Target. 

Overall, I like the collection. I won't be standing outside Target at 8 am or whenever they open to get everything before it sells out. But I'll go take a gander and pick up a few things (and all of the scarves). I like that they are doing plus sizes, which they haven't done in some previous collections. And the girls/toddler clothes are adorable. This post turned out to be a lot longer than I intended it to be, sorry! 

What do you think about Lilly Pulitzer teaming up with Target? Do you agree with the negative reactions? What do you think of Lilly Pulitzer in general, especially if you don't live in the south? Oh, and let me know if I missed some dramatic reactions when Target teamed up with other designers. I'm intrigued now.

Have a good day loves :)