Culottes

When I first saw the culotte/wide leg pant trend I don't really know how I felt about it. It wasn't until I tried some on that I realized what all the fuss was about. 

Sure they look cute and you can get away with wearing more cropped tops since they come up pretty high on the waist but aside from that they are INCREDIBLY comfortable. 

If you read last week's Friday Five you would've seen me talk about flatforms & espadrilles. I'm going to have such a difficult time wearing anything else this summer. 

Espadrilles really scream spring/summer and platforms or in this case "flatforms" make such a statement on a basic sandal.

& of course I had to pull out my favorite straw hat, this thing doesn't get a rest all summer long. 

OUTFIT DETAILS: Hat: Lack Of Color | Shirt: Urban Outfitters | Culottes: Urban Outfitters (black is currently sold out) | Shoes: Forever 21 (In store, can't find it online. Similar styles below) | Watch: Daniel Wellington | Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

• SHOP SIMILAR STYLES •

JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

Friday Five

1. Ever since I went to Greece last year I fell in love with the whole flatform trend, everyone over there was wearing them but I just never really found any that I loved that weren't too expensive and last year they were no where near as popular as they are now here in the states. Yesterday, I just passed by forever 21 to get to another store, I had no intentions of purchasing anything until I saw these and instantly knew I had to have them. They are so comfortable and I'm currently really loving espadrilles so these are the best of both worlds. At first I wasn't too keen on the buckles but they have really grown on me and the more I wear them the more I love them.

For some reason I can't find them on their site so I have linked some similar styles down below. 

• SHOP SIMILAR STYLES •

JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

2. How pretty is this poster from The poster club? They were nice enough to let me choose a print and I had a lot of trouble picking just one poster because they have such a beautiful collection, I will definitely purchase some in the future. Also, I will most likely change the frame that it's in but for now this is what we're working with.

3. This week I re-learned that being lazy and spraying your toner onto your face doesn't really do anything for your skin, or at least it doesn't for me. I use the Boscia balancing facial tonic and I LOVE this stuff, it clears my stubborn texture so incredibly well. However, lately I had been super lazy with it and I would just spray it on at night after cleansing my face as opposed to using a cotton pad.

My skin has been freaking out and as soon as I started using a cotton pad + the toner I woke up a lot better the next day. Point is, when you wipe your "clean" face with the cotton pad soaked with your toner it actually removes the residue on your skin. (Obviously this is just for those of us who use toners that have a spray.) No matter how clean you think your face is, chances are a good toner will lift some kind of residue off post-cleanse.

JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

4. I'm obsessing over linen lately, these overalls just came in the mail & it fits like a dream. So perfect for summer! Will be styling it soon (:

5. If you're into shrimp creole check out this extremely easy & relatively quick recipe. My first time making this dish myself & you would've thought I was a pro lol. I did make some substitutions though. Instead of white rice I used brown, instead of butter I used a little olive oil & instead of salt I used No-Salt sodium free salt and slightly less of it than the recipe suggests.

Also, wanted to thank you all for the overwhelmingly positive response I got on my kitchen tour video. So many sweet comments, I appreciate all of the kind words. 

See you all next week! xx

Silk

Silk is one of those fabrics that just feels so luxurious when you put it on. I feel as though everyone needs at least one silk piece in their closet. There is a difference between throwing on a basic tank and a basic silk tank. Silk just makes your outfit look and feel more put together with very minimal effort.

Take this jumpsuit for instance, It's very basic but I can easily dress it up or down and it will work either way because it is silk. I love the way it feels, it is not a heavy fabric at all so it is perfect for this time of year. 

It tapers at the leg & has pockets which is seriously always a plus for me. 

Got a couple of pieces from Grana's Chinese Silk collection & I seriously cannot believe the quality of them, they are all composed of 100% silk & are all so ridiculously comfortable.  

You can receive 10% off their entire site + free shipping world wide for new customers by entering "GEMARYXGRANA" at checkout valid through the end of July. 

The back has this beautiful cross detail and the front is a V-cut which is one of my favorite cuts in pretty much any top. 

 It ties at the waist so you have the ability to make them high, mid or low waisted.

Find this jumpsuit HERE. 

Friday Five

In an attempt to blog more often I've decided to incorporate a series on my blog called the Friday Five. In this series I'll mention five random things which could range from things I'm loving lately to something that happened during the week.

I love reading these types of posts on peoples blogs so I decided to start my own.

1. Was recently sent these headphones from Sudio Sweden & I can't get enough of them. They are so convenient and pretty! I use the beats wireless headphones at the gym which usually stay in my gym bag & I was really looking for cuter ones to keep in my purse or to use for editing & these work so well, plus they are so darn good looking.

SudioSweden was nice enough to offer my followers/subscribers a coupon code for 15% off, any of their products. Just enter "gemary" at checkout & you're good to go!

2. On the hunt for some budget friendly woven wood shades like these for my whole house, I'll probably end up doing the kitchen first & then the rest of the house because, well, ... I'm not made out of money. I've gotten one quote so far from a local company which was ridiculously expensive so I think our best option is to order them online and install them ourselves. Wish me luck!

3. Finally stained the kitchen shelves last week! Woohoooo! I can't wait to finish and be able to show you guys the full kitchen reveal! The before and afters are pretty crazy & I can't believe I came up with the entire design myself *pats own back*... with a little help from Pinterest of course.

4.  Throw pillows are going to be the death of me. I'm practicing some hard core self-control by not filling my entire couch up with throw pillows in one shot. I promised myself I would only buy one every 3 to 4 weeks and I'm sticking to it. When you purchase a new house it's so difficult to stop yourself from buying everything you can get your hands on all at once. You have to learn how to manage the crap out of every cent to your name and that means not buying 15 damn pillows for your damn couch, YOU DON'T NEED IT!  (do you?)

Here is the first little guy I bought for my accent chair. I'm obsessed with the whole African mud-cloth trend at the moment.  I've decided to splurge on pillow covers as opposed to committing to pillows that cannot be changed.

5. I'm pretty good at taking care of my skin, I follow a skincare regimen every single day & I have, without fail, for many years... but when it comes to my hands, I just can't be bothered. The back of our hands are one of the most age-determining features of our body & yet we fail to nourish them as often as we do other parts of our skin. Why? They deserve some TLC too! I received this cream recently & I love it so much.

Part of the reason I am so careless when it comes to my hands is because I hate the feeling of lotion on my hands. This cream doesn't leave any weird sticky or slimy residue! I use this stuff everywhere, I keep it in my purse and even apply it to my legs because 9 times out of 10 I forget to put lotion on my legs prior to leaving the house.