Poor & Pretty » summer

Today’s Threads: I’m Sailin’ Away…

Sami — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 22:10:52 +0000

…I wish! School starts next week, and I’m sad to see this summer go. I’ve only been to the beach once, and we didn’t visit our family in Cape Cod like we normally do, and take a trip out on my uncle’s barge. So, today I wore a sea-inspired sailor-esque outfit:

Red wedges: Merona, Target, $6. Bermada shorts: Old Navy, $6. Red ribbon belt: gift. Navy striped shirt: Hollister, $8. Headband: DIY Braided Fabric Headband. Everything that I purchased for this outfit was on sale. Pretty awesome. I wish I had an anchor necklace to really tie the whole thing together. Speaking of anchors, remember this quote? I’m still living it, keeping a positive outlook on my future {like graduating in the fall!!!!!}

So, I may not have done any sailing this summer, but I did do a lot of other fun things like the NY Renaissance Faire, my crazy murder mystery birthday, made vegan cupcakes, nerded out for the final installment of Harry Potter, did a crazy fun Bohemian-inspired photo shoot with Jillian Farrell, blew up a watermelon on the 4th of July, read lots of books, made some awesome new summer-themed cupcake soaps… okay, you get it.

What about you? What are the highlights of your summer? xo

Friday Faves 7.1.11: Book Love

Sami — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:09:59 +0000

Happy July!

…It just occurred to me that I haven’t done a Friday Faves post in three months! Yikes! Today, I’m going to focus on literature. I’d say that summer is a time for me to read fun fictional novels {which is true}, but I also have this need to constantly be learning something new, so I always end up reading a few nonfiction books as well. Here are a few of the books I’ve been loving lately:

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen — I’m not even a third of the way through this book, but I had to include it because it’s already becoming a favorite. I like the way Sarah Addison Allen writes sort of mysteriously, like she’s keeping things from the readers. I’m not always a fan of narrators that divulge everything about themselves within the first few pages. I also love that she blurs the lines between fantasy and reality. Another author that does this amazingly well is Francesca Lia Block {loooove her Weetzie Bat series}. Oh, and, in case you’re wondering about the “Advance Reading Copy” thing — we used to get these when I worked at Borders.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky — I read this in high school and just started re-reading it {I often read several books at a time, and read really great books several times}. I’ve been reading it to Stan because he’s too impatient to read a book himself, but I want him to experience Charlie like I did. You can’t help but immerse yourself in the pages of his fictional letters and want to give this naïve and intensely caring and generous boy lots of hugs. It’s really the best way I can describe the feeling I get from Stephen Chbosky’s book. I think there’s a little bit of Charlie in all of us. I’m slightly nervous about the upcoming movie though.

Green Beauty Recipes by Julie Gabriel — I love that Julie Gabriel, Founder of Petite Marie Organics, provides a resource for beginners who just want to make some simple one-ingredient beauty fixes and also tips for those of us who may ultimately sell our natural cosmetics. Unlike many of the other natural beauty recipe books out there, Gabriel discusses which ingredients to avoid and which preservatives are best for keeping cosmetics fresh without adding toxic chemicals to them. Overall, a really great DIY cosmetics book with lots of great recipes and information.

Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger — Hard Love is one of my favorite books of all time. I have recommended this book to — and sometimes even bought it for — so many people. I’m re-reading this one again, too. I usually re-read this every summer. It’s fiction, but it’s one of the truest, most heartbreaking young love stories I’ve ever read. I don’t want to give anything away, so I won’t say more than that.

What are you reading this summer?

Summer Skin

Sami — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:58:22 +0000

When I put the words Summer and skin together, the first thing I think of {okay, after the Death Cab for Cutie song} is tanning. It’s always my goal to work up a nice tan in the summer, even though that never happens. I blame my Danish, Swedish, and Irish heritage. It’s okay to spend some time out in the sun as long as you’re taking care of your skin. Here are a few tips for healthy summer skin:

1. Wear sunscreen every day! Yeah, yeah, you’ve heard this one, I know, but it’s really important. Why? Because repeated sun exposure without protection can lead to premature aging {wrinkles and age spots}, rough skin, and freckles. Even worse, you could get skin cancer. So please, for the sake of your skin, always wear sunscreen on your face, and wear sunscreen on your body when you’re going to spend a good amount of time outside. If you’re heading to the beach or a pool, lotion up before you go, but also lotion up again a few hours later.

2. Drink lots of water. Approximately 60% of your body is water, and you lose some of that through sweat, especially in the summer time. It’s important to keep your body hydrated not only to keep you from getting sick but also to keep your skin healthy and supple. You’ve probably heard that you should be drinking 8 glasses of water a day, but that’s not necessarily true — it actually depends on your weight, the climate you live in, and your activity level. The best way to determine your recommended water intake is to divide your weight {in pounds} by two. This gives you the number {in ounces} of water you should be drinking. So, a person who ways 130lbs should be drinking 65 oz of water each day.

3. Wash your face twice a day. Whether I’m inside working or outside playing, my face will feel sweaty and grimy after only few hours of waking up and showering. Again, because we sweat a lot in the summer, it’s important to to extra special care of our faces. By washing your face twice a day {I sometimes wash mine 3 times; once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once right before bed}, we keep all of that dirt and grime away that our skin collects from sweat and dust/dirt in the air.

4. Eat healthy. We’ve all heard that eating greasy pizza and junk food will make us break out. Well, that’s not exactly true, but it’s important to eat healthy to maintain healthy skin. WebMD has a great article called Foods for Healthy Skin, which says that we should eat more:

Vitamin A: especially in the form of low-fat dairy products because the vitamin is already in a form that everyone’s body can digest.
Fruits with high levels of antioxidants: such as blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and plums. Antioxidants help fight off free radicals. I like to think of free radicals as super villains that seek to destroy cells and make people age faster and antioxidants are the super heroes that fight off these villains and save our skin. {This is how I remembered things for my Nutrition and Biology exams}.
Essential fatty acids: this doesn’t sound that great, but actually essential fatty acids are, well, essential for healthy skin. They’re responsible for healthy cell membranes, which keep the bad guys out and the good guys in.

I highly suggest reading the whole article, which isn’t very long, but is a great resource for troubled skin. Check it out here.

5. Don’t take hot showers or baths. Let’s face it. In the summer time, there really is no need to take a super hot shower or bath when it’s averaging 85-90 degrees outside. Take lukewarm showers and try to keep them short because showers and baths strip natural oils from our skin — oils that work to keep our skin soft and moisturized.

Have a happy and healthy summer, readers! :)