Style Guide: Audrey Horne

Audrey Horne is one part Lolita, one part Nancy Drew, and a whole lot of trouble.  She uses her cunning and beauty to get what she wants but finds herself over her head.  Her style is classic school girl but develops into young biz casual toward the end of the series.  Since Twin peaks came out in the early 90's, the best place to find duds like Audrey's is by thrifting.  If you're looking for something new, go to J.Crew, or any other classic store and you'll find some more modern, but still Audrey-worthy items.

Audrey Horne by emilypeck on Polyvore

Style Tip #1- Get Cozy

Audrey Horne- Sweaters by emilypeck featuring a houndstooth sweater

J.Crew cashmere sweater / Altuzarra wool shirt / Cable knit cardigan / The Row silk sweater, $1,325 / Cable knit sweater / Houndstooth sweater / BCBG Max Azria long sweater / TOPSHOP Knitted Fluffy Neck Jumper

It's cold in Twin Peaks, so layering is a must.  Sweaters are Audrey's signature look, especially ones with high necks, chunky knits, and 3/4 sleeves.




Style Tip #2- Suit up!

Audrey Horne- skirts and blazers by emilypeck featuring a plaid wool skirt

Faux leather jacket / Tweed jacket, $365 / Julien David houndstooth blazer, $845 / American Apparel pleated skirt / J.Crew pencil skirt / Steven Alan plaid wool skirt

As a future business woman, Audrey completes her look with professional blazers in navy and tweed paired with pencil skirts.  Her other skirts of choice are long, plaid, pleated, and are usually worn with a sweater or blouse.



 Style Tip #3- Finishing touches

Audrey Horne- shoes and accessories by emilypeck featuring clear bags

Nordstrom sheer stocking / Wolford merino wool tight / Pinup Couture lace up shoes / Jon Josef stacked heel / Semilla round toe pumps, $145 / Latico clear bag / Peugeot leather strap watch

Audrey is usually seen wearing tights, her brown watch, and classic shoes (most notably her adorable saddle shoes).  Top it off with some twin peaks style like a plaid purse, chevron headband, or log friend, and you're a shoe-in for the Miss Twin Peaks pageant!

Urban Decay Super-Saturated Lip Gloss

These are kind of a mix between a creamy lipstick and a gloss and go on very smoothly and feel moisturizing. I absolutely love these lip colors because they have intense color pigments and are glossy without being sticky. There is no scent or flavor like other lipsticks and the packaging is shiny and cute.   The only downside to these is that you loose some of the product when you sharpen the stick since it is not a twist-up.  I am a big fan of the colors and would suggest buying these if you don't mind standing out- in a good way of course :)

from L-R: Fbomb- a bright true red, Punch Drunk- super bright orange-red, Crush- hot barbie pink with purple undertones, Apocalypse- dark plum,, Adrenaline- bright red sparkle, Big Bang- magenta sparkle, Love child- medium pink

Milani photo flash in Flashy is a dupe for Big Bang and Photo Flash is a dupe for Adrenaline

these pencils have really similar packaging and sell for around $7

 I bought Love Child which is a nice glossy medium pink

you can buy these colors for $19 at sephora or urban decay

Style Guide: Aria from Pretty Little Liars

If you have ever watched the super-addictive show Pretty Little Liars, you've probably noticed the eclectic style of the character Aria Montgomery, played by the gorgeous Lucy Hale. Aria is very artistic and cultured and happens to be dating her super hot former teacher Ezra.  Her style  reflects her personality- bohemian with a punk edge and lots of accessories and layers.  Aria's wardrobe contains a lot of black and earth tones with fun patterns and pops of color.  She likes to experiment with her look and makes crazy pieces work together, you'll want to keep watching the show just to see what she'll wear next!

Aria wears mainly dark earth colors and jewel tones like these colors, but isn't afraid to mix it up and throw in a pink dress or neon wedges.

Style Tip #1- Embrace your dark side

aria- purple and black screencaps by emilypeck

Aria's signature colors are purple and black, which gives her a style and personality a dramatic feel. She wore three different purple dresses with dark jackets in the pilot and has been incorporating dark colors into nearly every episode since.

aria- purple and black by emilypeck

Cutout dress / Oversized tee / Free People floral top / Free People crop tank top / Embellished tank top / Free People sleeveless tunic / Cut out top / Cutout legging / MOTHER DENIM mid rise jeans / Free people

Style Tip #2- Invest in leather

aria- leather screencaps by emilypeck

Aria owns like five leather jackets and even more leather boots because she likes to let people know she's a badass and they shouldn't mess with her.  Now, I would go with vegan leather since I don't like like wondering about my jacket's former life as a cow, but i've included some examples of both leather and pleather that you can buy.

aria- leather by emilypeck

Asymmetrical jacket / BDG bomber jacket / Sleeveless Biker Jacket / High waisted leather skirt / Kurt Geiger shoes, $155 / Mid heels / Boots

Style Tip #3- Get inspired by nature

aria- leopard screen shots by emilypeck

Another way aria incorporates badassery into her wardrobe is by embracing her inner wild cat and buying everything she sees with a leopard print. Animal prints go great with solid colors and are very trendy right now with many options available in natural leopard or colored leopard prints. Or change it up with a snake skin or zebra print.

aria- leopard print by emilypeck

Animal print dress / Reverse drape cardigan, $71 / Leo Zip Pants / Leopard print skirt / Current/Elliott cropped jeans, $320 / Forever 21 platform wedge / Leopard scarf

Style Tip #4- Go bold or go home

aria- bright colors and pattern screencaps by emilypeck


Aria is a bit of a wildcard in the way she dresses and sometimes will throw in a pop of color or a bold pattern in with her dark earth tones.  If you want to recreate her look stick with jewel tones of purples, reds, blues, and greens and sometimes throw in a yellow accessory or a shirt with bright embellishments.

aria- bright colors and patterns by emilypeck

Tee shirt dress / Free People scoop back dress / Free People oversized top / Denim skinny jeans / Sheer You Go Top / Reed Krakoff shoulder bag / Wool shawl

Style Tip #5- Accessorize like your life depends on it

aria- jewelry screencaps by emilypeck on Polyvore

Lastly, you'll want to buy some giant earrings and chain necklaces.  Aria likes to be prepared for an attack by wearing her weapon on her face, which is a good idea with A lurking around every corner. Try some feathered earrings and heavy metal necklaces if you want to wear this bold look.

aria- jewelry by emilypeck

Venessa Arizaga chain jewelry / Marc by Marc Jacobs marc jacobs jewelry / Cross earrings / Miso spike jewelry, $7.86 / Jeffrey Campbell bohemian jewelry / Jules Smith fringe earrings / Sorrelli oval ring / Charlotte Russe spike earrings / Corey Lynn Calter rock jewelry

brands we love: LUSH

Walking into lush is kind of like entering a candy store for bath enthusiasts.  The rainbow colored soaps and glittery bath bombs line the walls next to brightly wrapped gift boxes on display. Their products smell good enough to eat, and since they're made with fresh produce they are super good for your skin.  While the company originated in the UK, Lush stores are popping up all over North America and are usually packed with shoppers that are lured in by the bright colors and yummy smells.  You can rest assured that the company is super ethical and stands for the environment and all the little animals too, since they are very upfront with their planet-friendly and cruelty-free beliefs and practices.

All of their products are handmade using fresh organic fruits and vegetables and earth-friendly essential oils. They work with their suppliers to reduce their environmental impact and make sure that their ingredients are harvested in an ethical way.  You can watch videos about how their products were made on their website and learn more about the ingredients in the Lushopedia

 Lush products are one of the best brands to support if you are an animal lover.  Most of their products are vegan and they are very upfront about being a cruelty-free brand and not buying ingredients from suppliers that do animal testing. They are taking measures to eliminate unnecessary animal testing and have already convinced two companies to go cruelty free. Lush launched the fighting animal testing campaign earlier this year and is giving away 250,000 pounds (nearly $400,000) in prize money to people who are working towards ending animal testing, which is the biggest prize to end animal testing ever.  Just about any company can claim to be "green" and "cruelty-free", but you can feel good about what you're purchasing at Lush because they are the real deal.

Lush offers just about every bath product you can think of; bath bombs, shampoo, shower jelly, massage bars, bath melts, moisturizer, bar soap, face masks, shaving cream, styling gel, perfumes, lip scrubs, you name it.  They have some unconventional products like body butter bars, fizzing toner, toothpaste tabs, and solid shampoos that don't have the wasteful packaging of regular shampoos.  You can benefit from their recycling mojo by trading in 5 empty black pots (which are made out of 100% recycled plastic by the way) and get a free face mask. Bam! you just saved the planet and 10 bucks.  Want some body lotion? all of the proceeds of their charity pot lotion goes to charities around the world. Yep, every penny.  How awesome is that?

Another exciting thing in the lushosphere is their new makeup line called emotional brilliance.  They now sell mascara, powder, skin tints, liquid lipstick, eyeliner and eyeshadow in super bright colors. 

If you don't have a lush near you, you can order online.  Lush has websites for over 40 countries and ships to every state in the us except territories. (sorry Guam.)

I really cannot say enough good things about Lush, so I'll do a review of their super popular ocean salt scrub soon and hopefully some more of their products too!

How to: leopard print nails

This is one of my favorite ways to do my nails, and is a lot easier to do than you would think!

You will first start off with a matte base color. I really like light pink leopard print so I chose MAVALA's Nicosia. I had to do three coats because it is so opaque, but it becomes a really nice pearly champagne color.

After those coats dry, dip a small paintbrush or nail brush into a your second polish and add two to four little dots to each nail, filling out the space evenly. I like to put my polish onto a palette or piece of paper so I don't get my brush messy dipping it into the bottle. I used SpaRitual's Solstice which is a gold that gives the nails a really nice effect in the light. You can also use a dotting tool or nail pen instead of a brush, depending on what you have on hand.

  Dip your brush in nail polish remover and wipe it on a paper towel to clean it. (do not use cotton balls- the brush will stick to the cotton) and kind of outline the gold dots in a dark color. You don't need to outline the gold perfectly, it helps to look up leopard print photos as a guide.  I used O.P.I.'s Lincoln Park After Dark, but a black would work too.  You can also use a black nail pen, which may be easier for some people. The good thing about doing a leopard/cheetah print is that it doesn't have to look perfect. you can mess up and it will still look good. which is helpful for us non-ambidextrous folk.

Add some extra dark purple lines to fill in the nails, apply your topcoat and you're done! go get em' tiger!... er, leopard...

here are some of my favorite variations on this pattern

ombre nude and neon

multi-color

orange ombre

 and some reference photos

What's the difference between cheetahs and leopards? we don't know. we can't stop looking at cute pictures of them to find out.

you know, for reference

WE LOVE BUNNIES!

Before I looked into cruelty-free makeup I did not realize how many make up brands still use animal testing. Thousands of rabbits and other small animals are being tortured just for the sake of beauty and greed.  Many companies are not cruelty-free because they have expanded to China where animal testing in makeup in required by law.  Using animals to test these products is outdated and unnecessary because most of the ingredients in makeup have already been deemed safe for public use.  Any new ingredients can be tested using alternative methods to insure the safety of the consumers.  More and more people have decided to go cruelty free after becoming aware of the unnecessary torture that so many animals go through.  You may be thinking "it's just makeup, I put it on myself and I'm fine." think again. most animal testing occurs at the ingredient level resulting in chemical burns, blindness, and eventually death of innocent animals.

now for the good news!

I spent hours researching and creating this list of my favorite cruelty free makeup brands and their statements on animal testing so you don't have to.  There are tons of sites and blogs that have lists of cruelty-free makeup that is just copied and pasted from unreliable and outdated sources, but I researched each one of these brands to find out which are really cruelty-free.  While many makeup brands claim to not support animal testing, they still buy their ingredients from suppliers who still test on animals and it can be very difficult to find out how much animal testing your money is supporting if the company does not address these third party sources on their website.  A good rule of thumb is if their statement says that they do not use animals in test except when required by law, then you know that they support animal testing.  There are no laws in the US that regulate a company's use of the term "cruelty-free" so we have to trust the brand's statement on animal testing, knowing that if they were exposed to be lying, their company would suffer (ahem, avon) While some brands that have been cruelty free for years have expanded to China (Revlon, MAC, Bare Essentials) there is hope that animal testing will end soon. By spreading the word and boycotting the "bad" brands, you can make an impact on the future of animal testing.

Not only are these brands some of the best out there (cruelty-free or not) but they sell alternatives for nearly every product from the brands that test.

KEY

v = vegan options

p= PETA approved*

LB= Leaping Bunny certified

Ecco Bella- v p

"We never use animal testing or any ingredients created from animals, such as stearic acid, tallow, lanolin, dairy or collagen. We've been eagerly searching for alternatives to carmine, our only remaining animal ingredient. Carmine is derived from the cochineal beetle, and used in some pink colors."

E.L.F. Cosmetics- v p
"We do NOT test on animals or endorse such practices. Our products do not contain animal derived ingredients… We currently support HSUS and are partners with PETA in the Caring Consumer Project."

Hard Candy- p
"We do not, have not and will NEVER test on animals!"

Jane- p
"Jane Cosmetics is on the PETA’s cruelty free shopping guide and none of the products or ingredients have been tested on animals. Jane adheres to a very strict no animal testing policy."

Lush- v p

"LUSH is firmly committed to a policy that not only inhibits testing our products and ingredients on animals, or engaging with third-party suppliers to do so on our behalf, but that also prohibits buying any ingredient from any supplier that tests any materials on any animals for any purpose."

Manic Panic- v p

"All of our products are cruelty-free, not tested on animals!"

Nars- (owned by Shisheido)

"NARS does not test on animals, nor do we have any other parties, such as suppliers, conduct any animal testing on our behalf...We are continually evaluating alternatives to animal-derived ingredients and have replaced many ingredients with vegetable derived substitutes. However, certain NARS products may contain animal derivatives, such as lanolin "

Physician's Formula- v p
"Physicians Formula Inc. does not conduct tests, or commission any outside facility to conduct tests that involve the use of animals.  The safety of our products is determined using such alternate methods as "in-vitro" testing, human clinical evaluations and human use-trials under the supervision of a Board Certified Dermatologist."

Sonia Kashuk

"all of our products are cruelty-free and we are completely against harming any animals in any way for the production of our products. This stance on animal cruelty applies to our cosmetic products as well as our brushes. We also ensure our manufacturers and suppliers do not test on animals as we are extremely against it!" source

Stila-p 
"Stila cares about animals… our products are cruelty free. stila never tests their products on animals."

Tarte- v p

"tart cosmetics is a cruelty-free cosmetics line. tarte makeup and skincare is never tested on animals."

"We are a cruelty free brand and do not test our products on animals nor do we work with companies that do. Also, our products are not sold in China." source

The Body Shop- LB p
"WE HAVE NEVER TESTED OUR PRODUCTS ON ANIMALS. SIMILARLY, WE INSIST THAT ALL OUR SUPPLIERS HAVE NOT TESTED THEIR INGREDIENTS ON ANIMALS FOR COSMETIC PURPOSES.

Too-Faced- v p

"Too Faced loves animals! Our products are totally cruelty-free. In fact, our brushes are made with the softest and gentlest teddy-bear hair."

Urban Decay- LB v p

"Urban Decay is a cruelty-free brand and is committed to ending animal testing. We do not test our finished products on animals, nor do we allow others to test on our behalf. Additionally, we require our suppliers to certify that the raw materials used in the manufacture of our products are not tested on animals. Our practices are certified by both PETA and The Leaping Bunny Program (CCIC) as cruelty-free."

* I usually do not trust PETA because of all the sketchy/crazy things they do, but I have looked into some of these companies and this list seems pretty accurate.

The bad list

Bobbi Brown

Rimmel London

M.A.C.

Dior

Sally Hansen

Makeup Forever

Estee Lauder

Avon

Kiehls

Maybelline

Lancome

Max factor

Neutrogena

Olay

Revlon

Shishiedo

Shu Uemura

Cover Girl

L'Oreal

owns Maybelline, Kiehls, Lancome, YSL Beaute, Essie, and Shu Uemura

(L'Oreal has given $1.2 million to the Environmental Protection Agency to help develop chemical tests which do not involve using animals. L'oreal also claims that it be cruelty-free in 2013 in order to comply with the EU animal testing mandate.) source

Many personal care brands such as shampoo, lotion, and face cleanser still test on animals.  Big names to avoid are Johnson&Johnson, Proctor and Gamble (P&G), and Unilever.

want more information?

Fighting Animal Testing (Lush)- link

Say No to Cruel Cosmetics UK- link

Cruelty-Free International- link

Peta's list of "do test" and "don't test" companies- link

Blogger veggie beauty's in-depth list of non animal tested brands and also non-makeup products- link

Cosmetic Testing Facts-link

Pledge to be cruelty-free with the humane society- link

European Animal Testing facts- link

RSPA information- link