Shop Small Series

Hello lovelies! Today I'm starting my "Shop Small Series."  I love the idea of supporting shops featuring items created by friends or locals in the community. While there is definitely a place for mass retailers, I love the care and attention given to products sold by small shops.

The shop I will be featuring today is Lilly Noelle jewelry. I've known about Lilly Noelle for years now. My aunt is a friend of the owner, Heidi, and she used to gift me pieces for my birthday. Since then, I've always loved browsing Heidi's fun website.

One of my favorite things Lilly Noelle does is the earring of the month club. This is basically a gorgeous earring subscription, and it makes a great gift for anyone! I've gifted it to both my mom and my mother-in-law, and they loved it! Each month you will get a pair of earrings. It's like the gift that keeps on giving!

For my birthday this past year, my Mom gave me one of Lilly Noelle's leather cuffs for my birthday, and I've worn it SO many times since I've gotten it. All of Heidi's items are such high quality, and you definitely are getting your money's worth. This genuine leather cuff has just the right amount of modern with the mixed prints and textures. I also have found that it is so versatile and can really add a unique touch to an outfit.

Overall, I highly recommend Lilly Noelle, and I hope you check out her shop for great gift ideas or just a little bling for yourself!

Love, Emily

5 Steps to the Perfect Messy Bun

Today we are talking about one of my favorite hair looks, the messy bun. If messy buns are wrong, I don't want to be right. Whoever invented this lazy hairstyle was genius, because I'm pretty sure I'd never survive a late morning without this go-to hairstyle.

Messy buns often get a bad reputation for being a lazy hairstyle that takes no effort and looks sloppy, but I think mastering the messy bun is an art. Just about every day after 6pm, I put my hair up. I really don't like to have my hair in my face, and I find that the bun does does the trick. There are also days when I choose to wear my hair up in a bun as my style for that day, and believe it or not, I get the most complements when I wear my hair in a messy bun. I'm not sure what that has to say about my regular hair-do, but I'll take it.

Today I'm sharing 5 simple steps I take to get a great hairstyle with little time and effort.

1. The first thing I do is spray my hair with dry shampoo and sometimes a little hairspray. I have fine hair, so this gives my locks a little texture and some volume to make sure that my bun has some volume as well. 
2. The type of elastic you use is also very important. I find that the thin black hair ties like these are the best for messy buns. They're much more flexible than the thicker bands. 
3. Next, you want to make sure you place the bun as far back as you can while remaining on top of your head. That might sound a little confusing, but it is important that it not be too high or too low. 
4. Make sure not to get your bun too tight. Unless you're going for a ballerina look, I would suggest only wrapping the hair band 2 or 3 times. It's better to leave it loose than have it too tight. We are going for an easy and effortless look, so once you've got the band tied, use your fingers to loosen up the bun without pulling out too many hairs from the bun. Leave some pieces around your face to soften up the look. 
5. Finally, wear a pair of bold earrings like these. I always wear earrings when my hair is up, because I find that it adds a bit of style and dresses up my look. It also seems to soften my face and draws attention to something other than my ears. Whatever you do, don't skips this step! 

Ultimately, mastering the messy bun is going to take some work, but with a little practice, I'm confident you'll be rocking this style and getting complements left and right. If you'd like to see a tutorial for this look, let me know in the comments!

Love, Emily 

3 Lip Colors You NEED to try!

Nothing makes me feel quite so put together as a good lipstick. I feel as if any outfit can appear more polished just by applying the perfect lip shade.

Finding even just a few go-to lip colors can be so difficult, so I've done the work for you. I of course recommend going to your local Ulta, Sephora, or department store to try on different shades to see what works best with your skin tone. For me, I know that mauves and berries are most flattering, but you may not have fair skin and brown hair, so embrace a little trial and error, my friend.

The 3 lipsticks that I am sharing with you today are ones that I think will be flattering on most skin tones. I selected 3 different shades at 3 different price points. Spoiler alert, my favorite one is only $3.99! Let's dig in, shall we?

First, we have the Too Faced Melted Matte Lipstick in the shade Queen B. This is my favorite liquid lipstick I've tried, and the shade is the most unique shade that I have. I love this product for a couple of reasons: 1. It doesn't make my lips as dry as the Sahara like most liquid lipsticks. 2. The color is this perfect mauve/muted lilac shade. If you look at it on Sephora's website, it definitely shows more red/brown tones, but I will say in person, it's a lilac mauve. With this product pricing at $22, I do think the quality of the formula and the unique shade is definitely worth the spend.

Next we have Loreal's Colour Riche Collection Exclusive Pink Lipcolour in the shade Eva's Pink.  This is a gorgeous matte vibrant pink that isn't too crazy for every day. I will say the scent resembles that of a baby doll's head, so for sure keep that in mind. But it doesn't bother me, and the shade is so flattering on my skin tone. I find that brighter pinks can be tricky with darker hair, but I think this is very flattering. Again, this is a matte finish, but it is very comfortable on the lips. This retails at Ulta for just $9.99, though I'm sure you could get a great deal at the drugstore.

Now, I'm not going to lie. I saved the best for last. Essence Matt Matt Matt lipstick is the absolute perfect "My lips but better" shade and it costs $3.99. At that price, everyone needs this lipstick. The finish is supposedly matte, but I would say it's more of a satin matte. This shade is so flattering. It has mauve tones, but it is the kind of lipstick where you just feel pulled together without screaming "I have lipstick on!"

I hope these tips help you and inspire you to try out some new lipsticks and add a little fancy to your day!

Love, Emily

Wednesday Wishes No. 1

I wouldn't say I've always been a huge fan of Wednesdays, but there's something about this weekly halfway point that brings me so much hope. With only a few work days left on the horizon before the weekend, I'm all sorts of happy. Join me each Wednesday on Everyday Emily for a list of all the things I'm wishing for that week.

With summer on the horizon, I'm feeling the need to spruce up my wardrobe a bit. I've really been looking to add some quality tops that are versatile and effortless. I've had my eye on this shirt for a while now. I absolutely love the blush shade and ruffles for an extra girly look, but I also love that it works for both a business casual work look or would pair great with shorts and a cute pair of sandals. 

Speaking of blush, I'm 99% sure I need this bag. I mean it's a gorgeous color, it has tassels, and it's under $60. That's practically perfection in my book. 

Lastly, I am looking to add a few new accessories to my wardrobe, and I'm dreaming of everything that Baublebar has to offer. My love for pom pom accessories is real, and these earrings are no exception. There are so many outfits I could combine with them, as there are several different colors in the tassels and poms. And these Crispin Drops are just the cutest. I've always favored bold accessories with a simple wardrobe, so these earrings would be great to pair with a basic tee and some jean shorts. 

Now that I've shared a few of my wishes this week, I'd love to hear what you're loving!

Love, Emily