Friday Favorites-Fashion Edition: I've Got a Crush

Today's Friday Favorites comes at just the perfect time because it's almost Valentine's day and I have a major CRUSH on the amazing Boston fashion boutique Crush. Let me explain how I came to be matched with my fashion crush..

A few week's ago, I received an email from the fashion startup company, Boutikey. Boutikey is a new mobile app that launched yesterday!  (Lookout for a Friday Favorite Feature on them soon!) that connects fashion boutiques with their customers. It's sort of like an Instagram for boutiques, where there is a fashion trend page, sales and promo announcements, and you can acquire store credit points for shopping.

 Boutikey asked to feature my favorite looks from a Boston boutique on their mobile app and it was a no brainer that I chose my long-time favorite, Crush.

Crush Boutique is located on Newbury Street and in Boston's Beacon Hill. They specialize in providing customers with a well-edited collection of the best in women's contemporary fashion. From celebrity loved lines like Alex + Olivia, J Brand, and House of Harlow to a variety of up-and-comping designers like Yumi Kim and Rory Beca, Crush offers an unmatched, fashion forward experience. In addition to the two stores, they also offer an expansive online store.

As a result, it is no surprise that Crush has received quite a lot of awards in Boston these past few years. From Best of the New for 2008 by Boston Globe Magazine, Boston's Best for Women's Moderate Clothing in 2011 by The Improper Bostonian, Boston's Best for Party Dresses in 2012 by The Improper Bostonian, Boston's Best for Women's Moderate Clothing in 2013 by The Improper Bostonian, and was nominated for Boston Magazine's Best of Boston 2013 Reader's Choice in the Best Clothing - Women's Casual category, I guess you could say that I'm not the only one with a major fashion crush on Crush.

This past week I got to fulfill my fashion dream. I partnered with Boutikey to do a photo-shoot at Crush wearing my favorite outfits from the store. To top it all off, I got to bring along my best friend, Jackie. Talk about two kids in a candy store!

So without further ado, here are my 5 favorite looks from Crush...

Look #1: the Animal Skirt that Makes me Want to Twirl

 Amanda Uprichard Forever Shirt Skirt in Black Skirt and Purple Leopard skirt

Look #2: The Lace Open Back Stunner

Alice & Olivia Open-Back Stunner

Look #3: Comfy,Warm Sweater & Red Infinity Scarf

Dolta Vita Dorid Sweater with 7 for all Mankind leather-like Skinnies
and Paula Bianco Chunky Knit Infinity Scarf

Look #4: Open Back Sweater & Leather Skinnies

Twelth Street Leather Strap Tank, BB Dakota Sweater, & Joes Jeans, The Skinny in Dorothy

Look #5: The Black Leather Maxi Dress & Chunky Cardigan

Alice & Olivia Black leather Maxi and Olive & Oak NYC Sweater with A Mano Trading Pendant Necklace

*For more on Crush, check out their website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, & Instagram pages.
*Download the Boutikey app here!

Below is your daily dose of inspiration inspired by Crush & Boutikey...

Create a Fashionable Friday!

I also just want to give another big ol' shoutout to my bestie, hairdresser, stylist, and makeup artist Jackie Angelos who did my hair and makeup for the shoot. Below is a closer look at the subtle blonde ombre hair she did.

*If you live in the South-Boston area, I encourage you to visit Jackie at LA Express in Stoughton, MA where she is an incredible hair dresser. You can contact her through Style Seat or via email: jckangelos@yahoo.com.

*Now you can follow Creatively LU on BlogLovin' for a daily email notifying you of that day's topic. 

*To follow the Creatively Lu posts daily,  "like" the FB page .

* Follow @Creatively Lu on Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Friday Favorites-Fashion edition: the Sail Loft

Today's Friday Favorites features the Sail Loft, a clothing boutique that provides a unique blend of technical sailing outerwear, preppy outfitting, and women's boutique fashion. In other words, there is definitely something for everyone to chose from. I have included a few of my favorite looks below. But first, I want to introduce you to Rob Noe and Peter Mugford, the owners of this incredible store.

How the Sail Loft Set Sail...

"Like" the Sail Loft on Facebook

"Follow" on Instagram

Highschool friends, Robert Noe and Peter (PJ) Mugford began selling a variety of novelty t-shirts to college students in 2007. PJ and I went to Union College together, where he was synonymous for selling t-shirts out of his backpack. Whether by offering "Rack Em" tees to nearby students in the cafe, or pacing on the phone with a client outside the library, PJ was always quite the entrepreneur. Quickly, he and Robert, who had also been actively selling tshirts as a freshman at UMass Lowell, had received so much recognition for their tshirts that they launched "Rack 'Em Tees", an online store in order to their orders across the nation. Soon Rob and PJ's business began to pick up serious momentum and by the following year, PJ and Rob received an offer to buy out their "Rack Em" online business. Rather than sell the company and live comfortably like many sophomores in college may have done, PJ and Rob accepted the offer and instantly moved on to their next project, Custom Universe. Custom Universe began as an online store that offered high-end, Patagonia jackets and sweatshirts, embroidered with college logos.  The school apparel became a huge hit in college bookstores across the nation.

With the success of Custom U, PJ and Rob allocated the funds necessary to open an apparel store for men called the Sail Loft in 2011 in the heart of Nantucket. Two summers later, they opened Her Sail Loft, a women's apparel store, next-door.

Sail Loft Nantucket
4 Southwater St.
Nantucket, MA
508-228-4491

Anchoring on the Main Land

In December 2013, Rob and PJ took the Sail Loft to the mainlands, opening a third location in Chestnut Hill Square.  The new boutique combines the best of the two Nantucket originals  (The Sail Loft and Her Sail Loft).  Sail Loft  Chestnut Hill features timeless, nautical and contemporary styles with a true New England twist. Designers featured in the store include Tory Burch, Trina Turk, Rory, Beca, Ellie Kai, Joie, Mara Hoffman, DVF, Ted Baker, VInce, Rebecca Taylor, and Persol among others. For the men, Sail Loft Chestnut Hill offers traditional Sail Loft original apparel, as well as the popular men brands Harding Lane, Collared Greens, Kiel James Patrick, among others. 

Sail Loft Chestnut Hill
200 Boylston Street
Chestnut Hill, MA
617-487-8608

Shopping Spree

Last Monday, Jackie and I went over to the new Sail Loft location in Chestnut Hill Square. As someone who is not a huge fan of preppy clothing, I was delightfully surprised to find many, many options that I fell in love with. Each time I made my way back to the dressing room, I found yet another option that I just had to grab. Below are just a few of my favorite looks, as well as a pretty big deal the boys are currently running...

 Special Promo!

For every $500 spent, receive a FREE pair of Tory Burch Sunglasses.
Redeem promo code at counter: promoSLTB14.

'

Those are just a few of the outfits that I loved while browsing the Sail Loft racks but I highly, highly encourage you all to head on over and see the store for yourself. Chestnut Hill Square is a great location with lots to do. You can stop in for a spin class at Soul Cycle, grab a latte at Starbucks, dine at Seasons 52, shop at Sail Loft, and end with some Red Mango ice cream. 

Thanks PJ and Rob for letting me raid your store! I also want to thank their manager Calista who is the sweetest person in the world and was so helpful with putting together outfits and accessorizing. 

And now for your daily dose of inspiration, inspired by PJ and Rob...

Owners Rob Noe & PJ Mugford
Hummock Pond, Nantucket MA
September 2013

Finally, its important to me to give a huge shoutout to my bestie, hairdresser, stylist, and makeup artist Jackie Angelos who took the photos and helped me to stay focused, despite wanting to try on the entire store. On this particular day, we actually did another photoshoot for the mobile app Boutiquey so Jackie had to endure a very long day of shooting. If you live in the South-Boston area, I encourage you to visit her at LA Express in Stoughton, where she is an incredible hair dresser. 

Create a fashionable Friday everyone!

*To Contact Jackie Angelos: Message her on Style Seat or Facebook

*Now you can follow me on BlogLovin' for a daily email notifying you of that day's topic. 

*To follow the Creatively Lu posts daily,  "like" the FB page .

* Follow @Creatively Lu on Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Friday Favorites: the Clothes Make the Girl

I'm pretty flipping excited to feature one of my favorite bloggers, cookbook authors, and Paleo expert Melissa "Melicious" Joulwan, who writes the blog "The Clothes Make the Girl".

Melissa is on a mission to be a "super fit, well-fed, dressed-to-kill, glossy-haired, Rock-n-Roll, tart-tongued detective", and she is definitely fulfilling all such things.

She has committed to practicing a healthy lifestyle by eating clean and incorporating yoga, meditation, CrossFit, running, and strength training into her daily routine.

Melissa's candid account of her struggle with weight loss (featured in her blog) is very relatable and inspiring. She is the first to admit that she didn't always eat clean:

"My parents were both exceptionally good cooks — my dad owned a restaurant and my mom won almost every cooking contest she entered. I was a chubby kid because I really liked food. And after broken ankles and playground taunts — at a bus stop, I was once unfavorably compared to a whale by one of the neighbor kids — I stuck with reading and practicing the piano and roller skating to the library. I don’t know how many gym classes I missed because I was “sick” or “forgot” my gym clothes. I do know that my P.E. attendance put my otherwise stellar grade point average in jeopardy."

"Even though I avoided sports, I secretly admired the athletic kids. They walked taller than the rest of us. When I was in 10th grade, my dad took me to Annapolis to see the Navy band play a concert, and for about three weeks, I was determined to get in shape so I could apply to the Naval Academy. I abandoned that dream because I was incapable of doing pushups and situps — and I was too embarrassed and overwhelmed to ask for help.)"

However, Melissa did not give up on her mission to get in shape. One healthy hobby she enjoyed practicing was roller-blading. In 2001, Melissa moved to Austin, TX where she met a bunch of other woman who shared her passion for rollerblading. Together they formed the Texas Rollergirls, the original Flat Track Roller Derby that started in Austin and spread across the world! 

Appearing on the Today Show and Good Morning America, Melissa began to create a name for herself in the Roller Derby world. As a result, the publishing company Simon & Schuster published her book she had written about her Roller Derby experiences, titled "Roller Girl Totally True Tales from the Track".

Left: "Roller Girl: Totally True Tales from the Track" by Melissa Joulwan

Right: Melissa (Middle) during her professional Roller Derby days.

In 2007, Melissa began adding Cross Fit classes to her active lifestyle. In 2009, she switched to a Paelo lifestyle. By gaining strength, finally sleeping 8 hours a night, and eliminating dairy and gluten from her diet, Melissa finally "made friends" with food and her body. And while I could go on and on about Melissa and her amazing blog & paleo cookbooks, I will let you all learn a little more about Melissa for yourselves. Below is a Q+A with Melissa: 

Lu: How was the title "the Clothes make the girl” created?

Melicious: I started my blog while I was working at my full-time job for a web development agency. I was bored at work and was a little obsessed with fashion blogs, so I decided to start my own, just as a fun outlet for writing. At the same time, I was also changing my eating habits and training to get really fit. After a while, I realized I wanted to write about those things more than my outfits. Little by little, the "real" blog — where I talk about nutrition, recipes, training, meditation, and how to have an awesome life — emerged. That was in 2008, and I had about five readers. Now about 400,000 people read it every month.

Lu:  What are some of the more notable/ “happier” changes you’ve experienced since switching to a Paleo lifestyle?

Melicious: Eating Paleo has changed my life in many ways, but these are my two favorites: (1) I was a lifelong terrible sleeper. Now that I eat high-quality carbs, sufficient fat and protein, and no junk, I sleep like a champ for 7-9 hours every night. (2) I used to need to eat every 2-3 hours or I'd get cranky and droopy. Now I can go for 4-6 hours between meals, and when I'm hungry, it's simply hunger — not moodiness that makes me feel like I'm going to stab someone.

Lu: If you had to describe a Paleo diet to a newcomer, how would you describe it?

Melicious: The version of the paleo template I follow is based on eating nutrient-dense foods that make me healthier: high-quality protein like grassfed beef and pastured chicken, tons of vegetables and fruits, some starches like sweet potatoes and plantains, and natural fats like coconut oil, extra-virgin olive oil, and nuts for a little treat. It's real food and it's delicious.

Lu: What is one major thing you miss about being a Rollergirl?

Melicious: Oh, definitely bashing into people and making them fall down! And putting on my uniform — it was really fun to pretend to be a glamour girl then beat up on people.

Lu: What inspired you to write the cookbooks, Well Fed + Well Fed 2?

Melicious: Eating paleo made me fall in love with playing in the kitchen, and I wanted to share that with other people. I think cooking can be intimidating for people and I wanted to show that it can be like play time that also provides nourishment. I love cooking because I get to be creative and then I get to eat — two of my favorite things!

Thanks Melissa for taking the time to speak with me and to share your story with the Creatively Lu community! 

 And now for your dose of inspiration, inspired by Melissa.

Melissa during a Cross-Fit workout,
rocking her "Well Fed" socks.
Quote by: Henry Ford

Create a healthy & happy Friday everyone!

*To learn more about Melissa "Melicious" Joulwan and her blog "the Clothes Make the Girl"

Check out her website, Facebook, & Twitter.

*Now you can follow me on BlogLovin' for a daily email notifying you of that day's topic. 

*To follow the Creatively Lu posts daily,  "like" the FB page .

* Follow @Creatively Lu on Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Weekend Adventures: 6 Essential Steps to Get Ready for New Year's Eve- Part Two

Now that you have your outfit planned, accessories laid out, and an incline-treadmill workout complete, you're ready to actually "get ready" for the big night. And in case you need something to listen to while getting ready, here is my music playlist featuring the best of the best of 2013.

4. Renew your Skin

It seems as though blemishes always magically appear around the worst times. From prom back in the day to the morning of a big event today, I'm sure that you have experienced waking up with a surprise "friend" on your face. Lucky for you though, there are few tips/tricks to have your skin feeling renewed for the New Year. Better yet, they can all be done with products already in the house or found at the grocery store.

1.Many toothpastes are filled with chemicals that can harm your skin. For instance, when brushing with a toothpaste that contains peppermint, menthol or flouride, the paste can make contact with your skin and cause itchiness, inflammation, and breakouts. When brushing your teeth, opt for a chemical-free toothpaste such as Tom's of Maine. Pictures: Crest, Tom's

2. Pour boiling water into a mixing bowl. Add 4-6 drops of lavendar oil into the bowl. Place a towel over your head and breathe in the vapor, keeping your eyes closed. Continue to breathe deeply for a few minutes, occasionally removing the towel and moving your face away from the bowl. Pictures: Bowl, Kettle, Lavendar Oil. 

3. Pour 8 teaspoons of baking soda into a cup. Add in 4 teaspoons of water, creating a paste. Apply the paste onto the pimple. Leave the paste on until it dries over the pimple (roughly 15 minutes). Rinse the paste off. You can use the paste twice a week until the pimple fades. Pictures: Water, Baking Soda

4. Apply primer under makeup as a way to protect your face from the harsh winter months. Primer prevents that flakey look that can occur when you "cake on" your makeup over dried and cracked skin. The primer will allow your makeup to go on smooth, as well as serves as a moisturizer. Look for a primer with SPF for even further protection. My two favorite primers are from Nars and Smashbox. Picture: Nars primer  

5. Mastering your Makeup

1. Clean your brushes with a brush shampoo once a week. Allow brushes to dry completely before re-using. I bought my Elf brush shampoo at Target for $3. My makeup brushes were bought at the Body Shop years ago but have remained  in good condition thanks to weekly washes. (The disinfectant in the shampoo will prevent breakouts from occurring).
 Pictures: Make Up Brushes, Elf Shampoo

2. Try out different makeup looks on YouTube. I am a huge fan of Tanya Burr. Her makeup tutorials are easy to follow and all of the makeup products that she uses are basic items that can be found in any makeup bag. My go to tutorial by her, that I follow for a night out is her Birthday MakeUp Tutorial  
Picture: YouTube Pin, Tanya Burr Pin

3. When you apply dark eyeliner to both the top and bottom lid lines, it will give you that raccoon/ dark eye look. On New Year's especially, you want to look wide-awake and refreshed. By applying white eyeliner to the bottom eyeline,  your eyes will look bigger. Apply a little in the inner crease to really make your eyes pop.
Picture: White Eyeliner, Tanya Burr

4. If your lips are chapped, try to hold off on the lipstick until the big night, applying chapstick on the regular until then. When its time to go out, mix the chapstick with your lipstick and apply onto lips with your fingers. My favorite chapstick is by EOS, which can be found at Target for $2.99. I find that it stays on and the balm never runs out. I keep an EOS balm in my car console,  purse, and on top my nightstand. As far as lipstick goes, my favorite is NYX, which was actually suggested by Tanya Burr. I ordered it off Amazon and I absolutely love it.
 Picture: Eos Lip Balm, NYX

6. Mastering the Bombshell Curls

One of my favorite sayings is "your hair is your best accessory" and I believe this to be incredibly true. New Year's Eve is the perfect time for bombshell waves. This simple bobby-pin tutorial is easy and requires no hot styling tools that can be very damaging to the hair. When finished unraveling the curls, just spray liberally with hairspray to get the curl to hold.

I hope you all have found these 6 tips (the first 3 tips can be found in Part 1) helpful for mastering the perfect New Year's Eve look. I would love to see your finished looks! Upload a photo of your mastered New Year's Eve look to Instagram, Twitter, or the Creatively Lu FB page, and tag @Creatively Lu. 

Create a great weekend everyone! Below is your weekend dose of inspiration.

Glitter Gold Chevron pattern: Pinterest
Quote by: Neil Gaiman

*To follow the Creatively Lu posts daily,  "like" the FB page .

* Follow @Creatively Lu on Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Weekend Adventures: Unwind Edition

Weekends during December  are often reserved for stressful holiday shopping, but it is even more  important during all this chaos to reserve a little "me" time. 

Sometimes unwinding can mean reserving a Sunday night to do nothing. Finding the time to slowly relish your mug of hot cocoa by sipping it slowly and lazily flipping through a magazine, enjoying your favorite novel, or maybe even just "pinning" on Pinterest like a BOSS.

 Pinterest

By "reserving" a spot in your house, or even at the local coffee shop or yoga class, where you know you can go to relax, you can consciously make an effort to take time out for you. Recently, I have begun taking baths for my me-time. And by lighting a special candle reserved for bath time, putting 10 drops of lavendar into the tub, and having a "go to" Pandora playlist, I can consciously create a little nest specific to relaxing.

Pinterest

So find an hour or so out of your weekend to do something that is relaxing for you, create your little relaxing nest, and get on with doing nothing. I have aso made you a Spotify "Unwind" playlist that you can access by "following" it on my Spotify account Lindsay Opper (1244030766).

Candle picture: courtesy of the Wellness Warrior. 

. Below is your weekend dose of inspiration. Create a great weekend everyone!

Photo Courtesy of the beautiful Tory Stone

*To follow the Creatively Lu posts daily,  "like" the FB page 
 Follow @Creatively Lu on Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.