Tour Through Blogland: Southern Accents Blog

I was nominated last week by the gorgeous Brittney, author of Pretty Little Pursuits blog.  This is a fun way of not only getting to know the author of blogs you follow, but also seeing who they follow and recommend.  

1) What am I working on?

I am currently in the process of transitioning Southern Accents to a beauty focused blog with a fashion flare.  I feel that the market for fashion blogs is saturated with beautiful girls who can help inspire everything you could ever dream to wear well.  However, there is a serious lack of bloggers who can offer tutorials, reviews, and overall advice on beauty products.  I plan on creating specific days where my readers can expect what type of material will be on the blog on any given day. 

2) How does my work differ from others in it's genre?

I am a huge fan of fashion blogs due to my obvious obsession with all things fashion, but I also love reading about new beauty products.  I plan on merging these two passions into a blog where my readers can really get to know my personal style from my makeup to the clothes and accessories I wear.

3) Why do I write/create what I do?

As a preschool education teacher, my clothes never really come home looking like I came to work in. Between paint, runny noses, and whatever else my kids choose to accessorize my outfit with at work, I usually end up wearing things I don't mind getting dirty.  As a result of this, I look for any excuse to get dressed up!  What better excuse is there an a fashion and beauty blog? Thus was born Southern Accents Blog.  

4) How does my writing/creating process work?

I get inspired all the time looking at other fashion and beauty blogs. I also get inspiration from other places like, magazines, television, shopping, etc.  No matter where I get inspired, I tend to create a post around one specific item or look.  Once I have a complete look, pictures follow and then comes the hardest part - composing the details and inspiration into a comprehensive fluid thought. 

Now for the fun part! Here are some of my favorite blogs I follow on a regular basis...

The gorgeous Megan, author of For All Things Lovely

The lovely and talented Emily, author of The Sweetest Thing

Cozy Cardigan + Graphic Tee

Cardigan: Nordstrom Rack // Graphic Tee: Old Navy // Jeans: Old Navy // Clutch: Saks off 5th // Wedges: Guess // Bracelets: Kate Spade, Bella Jack via TJMaxx // Watch: MK

I have literally worn this cardigan every chance I get since purchasing it from our new Nordstrom Rack in town.  It's perfect to dress up or dress down and warm enough to wear without a jacket on chilly days. I opted to pair it with this graphic tee and booties for an edgy cozy look, perfect for going christmas shopping and running errands on the weekend!

Shop the look below.  Similar styles added for items no longer available! 

Holiday Party Picks

I love any excuse to dress up.  I especially love an excuse to dress up for a holiday occasion! I put together some of my favorite picks for a holiday party this season.  Any one of these pieces is bold and festive enough to be sure to leave a lasting impression!

Holiday Party Eye Makeup Tutorial

It's that time of year where we get the excuse to wear sequins and glam up our beauty routine! In honor of this I decided to do a golden holiday eye makeup look.  This eye is perfectly golden and subtle enough for a bright matte red lip.

I used the items below to complete this look

First, start with the NYX primer and a clean palette.  Confession though, I did start with my Lorac Pro mascara already on, I'll explain why towards the end so stay tuned.

Now apply the 'Naked' color to your crease for definition.

Next, use 'Virgin' on your brow bone to highlight and blend into the crease color.

Now, use 'Smog' and apply to the entire lid below your crease.  I also drew the shadow out beyond the outer corners of my eyes so that I could really accentuate that later with my liner.

This next step is what makes this look so perfect for the holidays - that golden shimmer! The color is 'half baked' and even though a little goes a long way, don't be afraid to glam it up here.  I applied this color to the inner halves of both eyelids making sure to get all the way into the inside corners. This makes all the difference.

To add even more glow to the look I used the same color, 'half baked', and using a thin angled brush applied it directly beneath my bottom lashes.

Since I applied the golden color to highlight beneath my lashes, I applied my eyeliner to the inside of my crease to really create depth and contrast that golden shimmer.

Using the liquid liner I started from the inside corner of my eye and started with a thin precise line.  I gradually thickened the line and drew it out beyond the corner of my eye with a slight flick at the end to create that glam 'cat eye' liner effect.

Lastly, I applied my Younique 3D Fiber Lash Mascara which is why I started with my other mascara already applied.  See the complete Younique 3D Fiber Lash Mascara tutorial here! 

And below is the completed look!

I love reading through holiday makeup tips and tutorials and wanted to share this great article about holiday makeup mistakes via Allure. It's a great point of reference to help us from getting carried away with the glitz and glam of the holiday season!
 Stay tuned for more fun holiday party ideas this week!

Christmas Card Shoot {Part 2}

John Runion Photography

As if I'm not smitten enough over my sweet husband, he actually allowed me to put him behind the camera (even if it was only for a few shots) and talk about his amazing style.  I won't lie and say I didn't have some input on his outfit here, but the main outfit details seen here are his staple pieces he loves to wear during the cold weather season.  Any one of these would make great Christmas presents for the stylish man in your life!

Shop the post below!

Christmas Card Shoot {Part 1}

photos by John Runion Photography

One of my favorite parts of this time of year is getting Christmas cards from all our friends and family! I love getting to catch up on details from the year and see all of the lovely pictures. I'm sure this will come as no shock, but I am rather particular about our Christmas card pictures and most importantly about what to wear! This year I decided on a more neutral palette and had Mitchell dress more festive. I couldn't be happier with how the pictures turned out so I wanted to share all the outfit details with y'all! I thought it may be a lot to take in if I shared everything in one post so I decided it would be best to share my outfit details today and Mitchell's tomorrow - he may want to kill me but he's just too good looking and stylish not to share! For now here are a few pictures and details from my outfit...

lace tunic: lucy&lyla // leggings: forever 21 // boots: nine west-old (similar) // earrings: tory burch // watch: michael kors // bracelet: jamesandjoco {c/o} use code CHEER for 30% off

Stay tuned for details on Mitchell's outfit tomorrow!

Favorite Fur Vest

top: anthropologie (also love) // vest: target // jeans: paige denim // heels: steve madden via piperlime // handbag: louis vuitton // necklace: urbanite // bracelets: jamesandjoco {c/o} use code CHEER for 30% off,  stella & dot // watch: MK // eyeshadow: naked palette // lips: sephora rouge cream lipstick

I've been looking everywhere for the perfect fur vest, and I believe I finally found it! Best part of it is, it was only $34 from Target!  I have ordered probably 10 fur vests total trying to find the perfect one but felt like goldilocks in my pursuit - some were too big or long, some were too short, some were too bulky, but this one was just right! And the price was just the cherry on top! The pattern of the inside lining on the vest was unexpected and fun which led me to pair it with this anthropologie top that matched perfectly. Last outfit detail I have to mention is the gorgeous tortoise bangle from Jamesandjoco. The lovely Jordan who designs all their jewelry sent me this bangle and other fun bracelet i'll be featuring later on this week. Don't miss her holiday sale where you can get 30% off with the code CHEER at checkout!

Also, don't forget to shop my favorite places that are having amazing Cyber Monday deals today!

Nordstrom

Nordstrom Rack

Saks off 5th

Piperlime

Target

ASOS