April Favorites: Beauty & Body

1. Revlon Colorstay Foundation. I know that everyone already has this in their make up bag and has had it for years. When I first bought it, I HATED it. The smell was revolting. It reminded me of house paint. After watching a million videos on YouTube, I've decided to give this another try and so glad I did. This foundation is amazing. It covers up, but does not clog your pores and most importantly, it no longer smells horridly. 

2. Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder. Once again, everyone's favorite. I bought this at the beginning of April and let me tell you. It has literally changed my life. I have oily skin, meaning I have to use those little blot sheets all day every few hours. This powder lasts all day and I mean ALL day. My face is not shiny, even in 80 degree weather. Another benefit? It is only 3-4$!

3. Physician's Formula Organic Mascara. I'll admit it. I only bought this because of the packaging. Seriously, look at it! It's vivid green! Who wouldn't want to try this during summer? This little mascara is amazing. It make my lashes so long and doesn't clump at all. The only bad side is that it is not waterproof and tends to end up right below my eyes. *cringe* I wonder if there is a waterproof version of this product cause I would love to buy it!

4. Maybelline Fit Me Blush in Deep Rose. I found this little beauty on clearance at our Target. I decided to purchase it because I liked the color. I'm really pale so I need to add color to my face to not look sickly. This does the job well. It is a pretty slightly berry toned shade. 

5. Neutrogena Color Stick in Sweet Watermelon. I love products like these. It is sort of a tinted lip balm, but lasts a lot longer. It is light and smells like a real watermelon! It's a must for spring and summer for me! 

6. Nivea Lip Butter in Vanilla and Macadamia Nut. You've seen this in so many pictures on our instagram. This little tin of balm is always with me and smells so yummy! The texture of reminds me somewhat of Vaseline. It is soft to the touch and moisturizes well. The only downfall is that it is in a tin and not a tube, and I use a lot of public transportation -meaning I touch a lot of germy things and I definitely do not want to stick my fingers in this during a commute.

1. Everlasting Love Shower Gel. It's not sickly sweet like most of the Victoria's Secret body washes. Too bad it's discontinued. Doesn't moisturize- just smells nice. 

2. John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Shampoo and Conditioner. I liked these a lot. I feel like it really does bring out some highlights in my hair. And of course it smells divine, like a high end product, even though I snagged it for around 3$. 

3. Jessica Simpson Fancy Love perfume. Somehow I found this at a major discount at Kohl's a couple weeks ago and I have been loving it. In my opinion it's the perfect scent for my age. It's not super sophisticated like an adult who has everything figured, but at the same time it is not overly sweet like all my high school perfumes used to be.

4. Bath & Body Works Paris Amour. Another lovely smelling lotion from Bath & Body Works. This one smells like roses and apples and flowers. It's just a nice springy scent. 

What are your favorite products of April? Let us know in the comments. :) 

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Project Runway Season 11 Winner

Was everyone watching Project Runway last night? If not, SPOILER ALERT, Michelle Lesniak Franklin received the winning title! And guess what? She's from Portland and so are we. We are thrilled to know that a Portland native was crowned the winner of the show, because the Northwest really has an amazing fashion scene that not everyone is aware of. Hopefully, with Michelle's title there will be more attention to this area of US.

Here are some of our favorite pieces of hers during the show: 

[All images are from Google]

Michelle likes to call her designs "Pacific Northwest Geek Chic", which frankly is a very suitable name to everyone who lives in the North West. She specializes in  designing rain jackets, which must be her biggest seller due to the amount of rain Portland gets. Read our post on what makes a good rain jacket here.

Here is a link to her website, A u Clothing,  where you can buy some of her amazing pieces.  


Do you watch Project Runway? What did you think of Michelle's designs? 
Let us know in the comments.

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Spring & Summer: Accessories

It's time for another edition of the Spring & Summer series! This time we'll focus on accessories.

[1]Peach Lolita  [2] Rhinestone Owl  [3]Rhinestone Ribbon Drops [4]2 Rows with Drops   [5]Metal Stick Duo Tone  [6] Coral Beady Bib

Necklaces are such an easy way to dress up an outfit in my opinion. You could literally be wearing jeans, blouse and  flats, feeling ordinary, then you throw on (not literally ;)) one of these necklaces and bam! you're a fashionista!

[1] Multilayer Triangle  [2] Gold Tone Ladybug  [3] Rose Studs  [4] Gem Drops 

Aren't spring and summer earrings so fun? You can get away with wearing flowers or lady bugs on your ears when the sun is out. We included some 'special occasion' earrings too, because I don't know about you gals, but I have a few weddings in the next few months to attend, and these are great choices to dress up an outfit.

[1]Floral Ring  [2] 'Dream' double finger  [3]Heart stacker   [4] Crystal Leaf Bypass 

 

Rings! How fabulous are these?! I used to have a cool one that said 'hope' on it but I lost it so I'm pretty happy to find one that says 'dream', because sometimes I need a little reminder to dream a little.

[1] Colorful [2] Colored Bead [3] Hinged Rhinestone

 Arm Candy. I'll admit it. I'm not much of an arm candy person, but I would like to be. I would love to stack a few on my wrist and make it look chic. My favorite one of these three is the gold beaded one. Best thing about it? It's super affordable and it looks so classy! 
I would wear the colorful one with shorts all summer because it would go well with solid colored shirts as well as fun patterned ones. 

Which ones are your favorite? Let us know in the comments.

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Blog Makeover

Hello there!

In case you are confused, this is the Between Friends Fashion blog. Our design has changed quite dramatically, so we feel inclined to tell you what happened while you were reading other blogs ;)

One day... one beautiful sunny Wednesday morning to be quite specific, we were browsing through blogs and admiring how beautiful they are and getting ideas about how we could change our blog. We created our own header and other little details, but we were not completely happy with the finished product.

Magic led us to Alexa's blog, she was looking for bloggers in need of a blog design so that she could build her own portfolio. We frantically wrote a comment hoping that we were one of the few that she would choose to work with. Luckily, we were chosen! 

She was able to put our ideas together into this beauty of a design. Alexa worked super fast, we had the design all done within the next few days.

If you are looking to change the look of your blog, we'd advise you to go to her page and see what kind of magic she has in store for you!

Once again, thank you SO SO much Alexa for making our blog so pretty!

- Clara & Natalia

P.S - Feel free to let Alexa know in the comments what a FAB job she did :)

Earth Day: Is Your Clothing Eco Friendly?

Monday is Earth Day, an annual day of action meant to bring awareness to issues that affect our environment. With this topic in mind we wondered about how the clothes we wear make an impact on our planet. Two questioned stood out: What is eco friendly fashion? and Where can I find more eco friendly and sustainable fashion?

What is eco friendly fashion?

Eco friendly (sometimes also called sustainable fashion) is any piece of clothing that has been made in an environmentally sound way.

Sustainable fashion usually encompasses a broader aspect, strategically trying to maintain order and quality of resources through collective and individuals environmental practices.

photo credit: Kathryn Denman via photopin cc

So for example, a t-shirt made using natural fibers (think "organic") like cotton in a local factory that reuses materials would be eco friendly and sustainable. On the other hand, a t-shirt made using synthetic fibers, like nylon, and dyes would not be eco friendly.

Where can I find eco friendly fashion?

There are many companies who have recently begun using more sustainable and eco friendly methods to produce their clothing.

For example, H&M launched a sustainable line of evening wear made from recycled polyester just this year. Other companies like TOMS have always had a reputation for producing eco friendly products. But your best bet for finding eco friendly fashion is checking out Eco Fashion World's guide to eco clothing and accessories.

We've only skimmed the surface of what 

eco friendly and sustainability means to the fashion industry, but it definitely is something to think about. How are clothing is produced and what resources are used can really have an impact on our environment.

Do you think about sustainability when shopping? What are some of your favorite eco friendly brands? Let us know in the comments.

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Fashion Icon: Selena

Hello Friends,

I (Clara, the Latina half of BFF) am writing this special post today in honor of one of my earliest fashion icons, Selena Quintanilla-Perez.

Selena was a tejano, Mexican-American singer in the 90's. During her short time on this earth, she had huge success among the Latino community,  and she became known not only for her music, but for her humble down-to-earth personality and her amazing fashion sense. Tragically her life was cut short, but before, she had begun working on starting her own line and opening her own fashion house.

Nonetheless, today I celebrate with you what would have been her 42nd birthday and share some of my favorite outfits worn by her. 

The now iconic bodysuit she wore when she sold out the Astrodome

This has got to be my favorite, the beading on the bustier top is fab.

and I chose this outfit because it's so 90's.
It is from her music video Bidi Bidi Bom Bom 

This gold dress she wore to the Grammy's where she won!

What are some of your favorite Selena outfits? Let us know in the comments.

 

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Spring & Summer Fashion: Shoes

Spring & Summer Fashion series continues this week with our favorite shoes for the warmer weather. 

Let's just pretend that it did not rain for the last few days here. Imagine waking up with the sun shining, a warm breeze entering the bedroom and an aromatic smell of coffee being made wafting in the air. With that in mind, I'd like to introduce you to your new fabulous friends that are just dying to explore the world with you.

[1][2][3][4][5][6]

1. Our first pick is the gorgeous exotic Route 66 sandal. It has all the qualities a good friend has. A wild side as well as the calm and collected one. While the tribal print of the strap invites you for a walk in the rainforest, the indigo blue detail bring you back to reality of marching through busy streets of downtown. 

2. Our second pick is the elegant bow strapped sandal in creamy coral pink from LC Lauren Conrad's line. Paired with a light sundress they may quite possibly attract the sun rays. They can also be added to a casual outfit of denim short and a white top. This shoe brings an instant chicness to any ensemble. This is the type of a friend that will make you feel good about yourself no matter what color of hair you're trying out this week or how little sleep you've gotten the previous night.

3. The next shoe is a staple item of any wardrobe- white Keds- with a twist. The polka dot and the pink detail gives them a feminine and delicate look. The shoe is quite versatile. Wear it with a dress, shorts or a romper and you will achieve that light and  breezy look of summer. This is your friend from school, who at first look seemed plain and uninteresting, but after getting to know them you realize how fun they are. 

4. The fourth pick is the Miz Mooz 'Kenya' wedge. This friend will support you through thick and thin, whether you want to pursue a journalism degree or move to Australia and start a kangaroo farm. You can not possibly go wrong with a wedge, especially this one. It is a beautiful blood orange color that will make your tan stand out. If you have not quite achieved the glowing perfection as promised by the Jergens lotion this color will make you seem a little less pale by warming up your skin tone. 

5. We simply can't not feature one of our favorite stores, which is where this beauty was found. This is a Prabal Garang for Target lime green pump. If you're looking to add a pop of color to your outfit I'd suggest this shoe. While the color may seem overwhelming at first, as long as you pair it with neutrals or solid colors it will make you look like you just got home from a long European vacation. All of us have that friend that makes us feel a little bit braver, funnier, or more outrageous than we really are. We need this person to make our life a little more colorful, to escape the reality of grayness.  

6. The final pair of shoe chosen for the series is a brown wedge from Jessica Simpson's line. While initially it may not seem like a summer shoe to most of you, I dare you to take a closer look. The peep toe detail will enable you to show off your fun colored pedicure. It'll bring a balance to wearing colorful prints of spring & summer. This is the person you would call if you're looking for advice. This friend brings a certain stability into your hectic life. You always look forward to chatting with them and you feel most comfortable with them around.

Which shoe is your favorite? Let us know in the comments.

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Event Recap: Portland Poshmark Meetup

Last week we had the fabulous opportunity to attend a Poshmark Meetup in Portland at aloft hotel’s W xyz bar. We were honored to have met Manish Chandra, the founder and CEO of Poshmark (how exciting is that?!) and LyAnn Chhay, the director of Community at Poshmark, and  of course had so much fun meeting some wonderful PDX poshers. The night consisted of sipping wine, munching on macaroons, and of course -FASHION.

Us with Manish (right) and LyAnn (left)

The idea for a PDX meetup originally came from GordoMom (check out her closet), but when she couldn’t find enough PDX poshers LyAnn offered to help and sent out a mass email to all PDX poshers. Furthermore, LyAnn and Manish decided to fly out and spend the evening at our meetup. Because we had the founder in attendance we were able to ask him many questions about the app, like how to deal with remorseful buyers (those who buy and don’t want to pay up!) or when the android app is going to be available (in the fall most likely).


The hope from GordoMom, the other poshers and us is to continue to meet once a month. So if you are in the Portland/Vancouver area, let us know in the comments we'd love to meet you and shop your closets!

The group and LyAnn (middle polka dot dress)

If you aren't familiar with Poshmark check out this post by the Bliss List

 

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Spring & Summer Fashion: Shorts

Who is excited for the warmer temperatures? I know that most of the us are not getting any spring/summer weather at the moment. As I said in my previous post, shopping cheers me up. All the clothing stores that I have been to recently are displaying beautiful dresses and pastels. 

[1] [2] [3]

Here are my top picks for shorts for the upcoming seasons. All of these are affordable and I don't feel bad about purchasing these, even though I won't be able to wear them for at least few months. I'll just look at them in my closet and instantly uplift my mood. I definitely recommend retail therapy, even just window shopping, to get you out of the post-winter depression.  

Anyone else like looking at cute clothes for an instant mood lift? 
Vote in our poll in the sidebar and let us know what your favorite item of spring fashion is!

and also check out the rest of our summer and spring series.

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5 Figure Flattering Rain Jackets

Spring is here meaning lots of rain! Rain jackets are a must, especially if you live in the Northwest, because you can't carry your umbrella everywhere. So a cute rain jacket or trench provides a good alternative for staying dry and warm. The problem is that many rain jackets are blocky and don't do justice to anyone's figure. 

Here at BFF we've compiled 5 beautiful rain jackets with a figure flattering fit that are perfect for those spring showers.

1. From Target - Merona® Women's Anorak Jacket - $39.99 
This jacket is from Target and comes in a variety of colors.It's lightweight and the polka dots give it a fun and girly feel. Best of all it's under $50.

2. From REI - Kyoto Trench Rain Jacket - $149 
I love the color of this trench rain jacket from REI. but if you'd like it comes in 3 other colors (red, blue, and black). Another awesome thing about this jacket is the side belts, which allow for adjusting and fitting around the waist giving the illusion of a waistline.

3. From Eddie Bauer - WeatherEdge® Long Trench Coat - $199 
For a dressier way to stay dry, check out this trench rain jacket from Eddie Bauer. Made from nylon fabric this jacket is lightweight and not bulky like some other trench, it's perfect for spring. Available also in black.

4. From North Face - Sereyna Hooded Rain Jacket - $149 
Anything purple always catches my eye, but this jacket not only caught my eye because of the color, but because of the brand. North Face is a quality brand, and has proven time and time again that it is one of the leaders in all things outerwear. Not only is this jacket sleek, but it is also light and perfect for someone on the go.

5. From Columbia - Auroras Wake™ II Rain Jacket - $50 
Columbia Sportswear is always one of my go to places for outerwear (and it's a northwest staple). Like the previous jackets, this rain jacket has an adjustable waist for a figure flattering fit. It also comes in 4 other colors, including the classics - black and white.


What are your favorite spring rain jackets? Do you have a preference, or do you only carry an umbrella? Let us know below in the comments.

 

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Are You a Shopaholic?

THE QUESTIONS!

1. Would you consider yourself a shopaholic?

Nooooooooooo..... (I'm still in the denial stage) I go through phases where I shop almost everyday, and then some months when I don't shop at all. (Most likely due to school taking up so much time.... My credit card will most definitely be maxed out once I graduate and have all this free time.) 

2. How would you classify your style?

I don't think I fit into any one single category completely. I like to mix it up a lot, but I lean towards feminine and classy.

3. What store can you not leave without buying at least one thing?

I will have to say Kohl's. They have THE best deals on amazing clothes and great collaborations with designers. Oh and Target. Target is THE worst, but I think everyone has a Target addiction.Who doesn't need 4 different lipsticks in their bag?

4. Where do you find the best deals?

Look above. :) And also online stores as well as eBay. 

5. What designer are you willing to splurge for?

One day I will splurge on a Chanel item, but until then I'll keep scrolling through the beautiful images.

6. What is your most treasured item, something that you would grab if you had 5 minutes to pack before leaving on a spontaneous vacation to Europe ?

A gold ring that looks like a four leaf clover with a little diamond in the middle.I like to pretend that it brings me luck.

7. What is your guilty pleasure? (Not including makeup)

I love buying jewelry, especially earrings. And shoes. And bags. And scarfs. Oh Gosh. I can't limit myself. Buying any type of clothing makes me happy. I'm not a fan of buying pants though. Any type of pants. Jeans, dressy pants or black pants. They're always too long, or fit perfectly at the waist but are too big in the thighs etc.

8. What is one staple clothing piece you cannot live without?

I live in Portland-the land of books (New Girl reference) and hipsters- thus a staple item in my closet is a plaid shirt. I like men's plaid shirts. I like my plaid shirts to be quite loose and comfortable so I can just throw it on when I'm either in a hurry or when I'm having "I have nothing to wear" moment. I usually add a necklace or some accessories to make the outfit look more chic. 

9. What is a trend you hope never goes out of style?

I really like the neon trend. I LOVE seeing color on people. In my opinion people wear too much grey and black. Colored items are just so fun and cheery. 

10. What trend did you love that passed way to quickly?

Not sure if it is gone, but I did like the tribal/Aztec print trend. It was very interesting to me to see how such diverse and unique prints were styled. 

11. Who is your fashion icon?

I don't have one person in mind. My inspiration comes mostly from the people around me, (Portland has a great fashion scene), as well as Pinterest. 

Yes. I think I realized something by doing this tag.  I will be looking up the next  Shopaholics Anonymous meeting in my area now. And cutting up my credit cards.

I tag ALL of you if you would like to do this tag as well!I found this tag on YouTube and modified a few questions. Let us know if you do decide to do this tag!

 

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