Overcoat Overload

Winter is certainly chilling my bones some days. As a Bay Area commuter, part of my journey to work every day consists of walking a couple miles in bustling downtown SF and along tranquil Lake Merritt in Oakland. The early morning breeze and evening chill makes me shiver with goosebumps.

To keep me warm and brave the icy wind, my coats have gotten longer and longer. Peep a couple of my favorite overcoats below:

Overcoat Overload by pumps-and-lipstick featured in lauren conrad style

Haider Ackermann white wool coat
farfetch.com

Purple wool coat
$155 - modekungen.se

Pink coat
euro.dorothyperkins.com

Betsey Johnson lip earrings
amazon.com

Green gemstone ring
$8.71 - target.com.au

Loving Everything Lucite

Whenever I think or see anything lucite, I start to sing Jimmy Cliff's "I Can See Clearly Now". This trend has popped up several season's ago, but didn't really take off as anticipated. No, no, no, I'm not talking about tacky stripper platforms or glittery jelly sandals we all rocked proudly when we were six years old. This time around, it's an updated and modern take using plexiglass and materials of the like. With Spring here, you can clearly see more and more lucite clutches, cuffs, heels, bangles and jewelry.

Check below to see what the hell I'm talking about:

Loving Lucite by pumps-and-lipstick featuring a leopard necklace

Beauty Trend I'm Tempted to Try: Matte Lipstick

I remember first dabbling into makeup. At age 11, sneaking into my mom's makeup bags in the morning when she wasn't looking and snatching a tube of lip gloss. Riding shotgun in the car on the way to school, the stolen gloss burned a hole in my jacket pocket. Was it worth stealing borrowing? Absolutely! As soon as she pulled up to the school, I bolted out of her car and dashed over to the girls' bathroom to layer on the pinky sheer gloss. Oooh I thought I was bad!

Many years have passed since my borrowing days and I ventured on to lipsticks. I never strayed too far away from a super moist and glossy look that had captured my heart before my tween years. With the matte lipstick trend on the rise from the Spring 2013 runways of Michael Kors, Burberry, Missoni, Donna Karen and more, I may-- just may-- give matte lips a try. 

The key for this look is for your lips to appear dry, but not chapped, crackly dry. To get it right, apply a matte lipstick in your favorite shade, to avoid cracked lip lines, apply a lip liner, and lastly, gently apply lip balm to keep your pout a tiny bit moist.

Scroll down for matte lip looks:

Images via shefinds.com, hudabeauty.com and fashion-ation.blogspot.com

Feeling Blue...Cobalt Blue That Is

Lately, I've been going crazy for bright colored pants. At first, I was a bit apprehensive and thought, "Will these pants make my butt look big?" And to be honest, EVERYTHING is going to make my butt look big because it just is and I like it that way, OK?

My 'happy pants' are what my mother calls them and truly, they do put me in a happier mood! Casual, dressy, somewhere in between— there's always an occasion for happy pants ;)