Tag Archives: charm & chain

friday finds

Happy Friday, friends! Are you relishing these last few summer weekends? I’ve been woefully neglectful of my barbecue, which I’m hoping to remedy this weekend. Also, we finally have a backyard that’s habitable, and I can hardly wait to bust out our patio set. Here’s hoping we get a few more rain-free weekends to put them to good use.

And, with that, on to this week’s Finds!

First, I have to tell you about the two beauty products that have been saving me this summer. I didn’t quite realize their collective power until I spent a weekend at the beach, and had not even a trace of a sunburn on my alabaster (well, pale, at any rate) skin. Honestly. No sunglasses tan lines, no new freckles…nothing. Considering how much my hair bleached out over those two days, I think that’s pretty impressive. So, first, props to DDF Weightless Defense UV Moisturizer SPF 45 (wow, that’s a mouthful).

Yes, it smells like sunscreen – but only for a second when you first put it on. No, it didn’t make me break out, not even a little. Not even when I first switched over. That, friends, is impressive. If you have sun in your future, switch to this immediately.

Second, Sue Devitt’s SpaComplexion tinted moisturizer with “hydrating marine minerals”. I’ve actually had this on hand to try for a few months, but my skin was still too pasty pale from the winter. (Yes, their lightest shade was still too dark for me. Don’t judge.) But my skin finally colored just enough for me to start using this about a month ago (before I’d switched to the mighty DDF sunscreen, mind you), and I’m completely infatuated. It looks and feels like there’s nothing there at all (so you can claim that “no makeup” look), and does a masterful job of glossing over the bad, and generally evening out my skin tone. And again, no breakouts…unlike the 4 other tinted moisturizers I tested.

But enough about my trip, right? This has been a huge jewelry week for me – possibly because I’ve had samples from some of my favorite designers lying around my house all week. Sadly, they have to go back. But in their place, I’m thinking very seriously about some new little bauble for myself. This stunner of a statement necklace from DANNIJO is unbelievable. Cocktail dress? Sure. But just picture this with a grey tee and cutoff shorts. The design is exclusive to my friends at Charm & Chain, which makes me want it even more! I do love a little exclusivity.

And speaking of jewels, Lulu Frost’s collection for J.Crew just debuted. Isn’t it pretty?

It’s possible I’ve been reading too much of The American Heiress (fantastic guilty summer read, by the way), as I’m clearly craving an awful lot of sparkle these days. Speaking of, have you seen all the gorgeous mirrored and sparkly shoes at Topshop right now? They remind me of a grown-up version of Dorothy’s ruby slippers. I’m envisioning them with jewel-toned tights and a great 1940s-inspired dress…unbelievable!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend in store, friends – as for me, I have a huge pile of SEPTEMBER ISSUES staring me down. Best time of the year! I can’t wait to curl up at Peets with my trusty cappuccino and dig in. What do you have planned?

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our big fall giveaway! fall’s hottest jewelry trends from charm & chain

i’ve been working on this goodie for a while, and am so, so, SO excited to finally share this with you guys!  welcome to our big fall fashion giveaway!  i wanted to offer up something truly extraordinary, something the winner could use as a statement piece all season to really amp up their fall wardrobe.  i think we’ve done it!

my jewelry lust is well documented – i think you’ll all attest to that.  but the truth is that i’m obsessed with good reason – in fashion, especially this year, the jewels really do make the outfit!  for fall, the trends in gems are big, strong, and sometimes hard to navigate.  so, i turned to the experts!

ali galgano owns one of my all-time favorite jewelry shops, charm & chain.  this site is so perfectly curated, it takes virtually all of the guesswork out of my jewelry choices.  she carries everything from fallon and tuleste market to house of harlow and alexis bittar, so there are loads of both splurges and steals – always a good thing.  plus, she’s just the sweetest person ever…which always makes me want to spend more money!

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with fall coming, i asked ali to share her favorite jewelry trends for the season.  i also asked if we could spread a little love and give one of her picks away to a shoppingsmycardio reader.  yep, always thinking of you guys!  so, i’m excited to tell you that that gorgeous tuleste market necklace you see above is up for grabs! (details at the end of this post!!)

now, without further ado, ali’s picks:

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“The Bigger, the Better”: necklaces and earrings keep getting bigger and bigger, as people are pushing the limits of what’s wearable.  any one of these pieces makes a serious statement! (from left: fringe necklace by lulu frost, $375; hammered squares necklace by tuleste market, $170; leather sunburst ring by house of harlow, $45)

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“American West”: we’ve seen a lot of designers turn to the american west for inspiration this season. fringe, turquoise, raw stones–a lot of the new jewelry we’re seeing reminds us of the gold rush.  (from left: bronze seedbead necklace by lee angel, $450; turquoise seedbead necklace by lee angel, $213; dina pyrite earrings by gemma redux, $245; red rock necklace by lizzie fortunato, $557)

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“Neon Pop”: it seems this season that we’ve completely flashed back to the 80s, with big shoulders, sequins, etc on the runway, along with as much neon as possible. we love the futuristic, tough feel the neon pieces have this year—a lot of the florescent pieces we’re seeing this year are paired with gunmetal hardware. (from left: fallon necklace by marlaina stone, $1500; innocence earrings by erickson beamon, $227; siena necklace by dannijo, $238)

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“Chains, Chains, Chains”: from what we’ve seen designers showing this season, the more chains you can cram on your neck and layer with shorter pieces, the more stylish you’ll be. best of all, chain looks can range from punk rock to deliciously girly.  (from left: long crystal and cross necklace by fallon, $250; layered ball and chain necklace by tuleste market, $150 (and our giveaway item!); jac necklace by gemma redux, $369)

i don’t know about you, but i’m crazy excited to add all of these hot fall trends to my wardrobe.  the great thing about most of these pieces is that a little goes a long way.  add a fringed necklace to a tee, mini and boots, and you’ve got a perfect american west look.  pair that tee with distressed jeans and flats, add a little neon pop, and presto, you’re back in the ’80s!

so, about that giveaway! that gorgeous tuleste market necklace that’s up for grabs?  it retails for $150, and is one of my absolute favorites from ali’s picks. i’m dying to pair it with everything from a simple tee to a cocktail dress…it’s sure to add instant glam to any and all ensembles! to win, just leave a comment at the end of this post (as always, if you share on facebook, twitter or any other internet-y place, leave a second comment telling me where you shared to score a bonus entry)!  since this prize is so amazing, we’ll run this contest through sunday night, and announce the winner on monday (9/21). you’ll have to email me within 24 hours to claim your prize, or we’ll find someone else to give it to, so make sure you check back monday!

thanks so much to charm & chain for offering up this truly fabulous prize.  now get those entries in!

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designer 101: amanda rudey

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i just love finding new designers…and i love it even more when their designs are actually attainable by mere mortals.  alas, the planets rarely align that well.  so when i fell in love with amanda rudey’s jewelry designs, i braced myself for a hefty pricetag.  but, wonder of wonders, they’re gorgeous and actually affordable!  after graduating from harvard with a degree in sociology (almost as useless as my BA in english), amanda realized she needed a way to earn a living.  she wandered into a bead store one day, and the results were fortuitous…for her and for us.

i think my favorite design is her iolite “circus hoop” ring (above).  it’s a gorgeous everyday piece that’s sure to win you compliments at every turn – and it retails for $125.  for a dressier look, the iolite-and-chain cornelia earrings (also available with other stones) would be absolutely perfect with your LBD, and just the thing to dress up a more casual sundress for evening – quite a feat, especially for $150!  the necklace is a bit pricier ($318), but it’s exactly the piece i look for to soften a conservative office look – i’d put this with a button-down shirt and blazer, or use it to dress up a v-neck top and jeans.

to check out the entire line, you can go to amanda’s website – and to buy, head to charm and chain.  what do you think…are you as smitten as i am?

ooh, and the lovely owner of charm & chain just alerted me that you can get 15% amanda’s collection (and the entire site) with code aprilflowers.  in case you needed a little more incentive!

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