Settling in

Making a space of my own

As part of my new, post-divorce life I am focusing my creative efforts on making a space of my own where I feel comfortable, safe and happy -- someplace I like to be. Living in the apartment I shared with my ex after he left was miserable. After he took his things and his furniture it was pretty empty except for the mattress and box spring on the floor in the bedroom, a loveseat and coffee table in the living room, and my dresser and TV. It felt like the remnants of someone else's life. Someone who had died.

Depressing. Uncomfortable. Not safe or happy. I definitely didn't like to be there.

At the end of July, I moved into an apartment in Seattle with a roommate. The fresh start is exactly what I needed.

The first piece of furniture I purchased for myself was this awesome antique writing desk I use as a vanity. I found it on Craigslist along with the seat, which I re-covered. The lamp, which cost an obscene amount of money, is from Z Gallerie and was an impulse purchase. I just had to have it.

It's funny how unpacking little things like jewelry and scarves can make a space feel that much more like home. I'll admit, once I put my hands on these colorful scarves again I got really excited for fall. :-)

My bed is my favorite place. I found the frame (by IKEA) on Craigslist, the bedding at Marshall's and the mirror at Target. I love the soft mint color mixed into the regal design of the comforter and pillows.

The only unfinished item I have in my room right now is this very neat vintage rack hanging on the wall next to my vanity area.

I love it but don't know what to put on it! So far I have a crocheted dog made by my grandmother's friend in the 1950's, an old flour sifter, and a candle.

Any ideas what else could go on this?

Introducing: Inglot Cosmetics

My new favorite makeup product



Inglot Cosmetics AMC Multicolor System Bronzing Powder and Face and Body Illuminator

A few months ago, in Macy's at Westfield Southcenter Mall, I was introduced to an exciting new line of makeup available in less than two dozen U.S. cities. Inglot Cosmetics is special in a couple ways. First, the quality of color in their products is amazing. The eye shadows are highly-concentrated (almost 90 percent pure pigment) and can be combined with their silicone polymer product, Duraline, to turn the powder into a liquid perfect for lining your eyes. Another special thing about Inglot is their Freedom System, which allows you to create your own color palette. I don't know about you, but I tend to use just a few colors in the palettes I buy from other brands and ignore the rest. What a waste!

My favorite product is the Illuminator. I received a sample size and use it almost every day on my face and sometimes collarbone. The Illuminator subtly draws attention with a shimmer that catches the light and gives definition to the contours of your face. Some illuminating products, on cosmetics shelves everywhere because of the popularity of contouring, are too weak or -- worse -- too strong and glittery. The Inglot Illuminator is a perfect balance between looking like you are wearing nothing on your face to looking like a circus performer or Ke$ha. (No offense to Ke$ha. I just don't like wearing face glitter on the daily.) It is also oil free so don't worry about breakouts! The product is smooth, silky and feels great on my face.

The Multicolor System Bronzing Powder sample was not such a winner. Maybe it is because the product is so concentrated; but I couldn't seem to get it to really show up on my face. It was like it didn't transfer from the tray to my makeup brush. For now, I'm sticking with my current bronzing powder from Physician's Formula.

Inglot Cosmetics are available in the Seattle area at Macy's Southcenter Mall and Macy's Alderwood Mall. For more locations go here.

Note: All product reviews, whether products are provided free of charge or paid for with my own money, represent my personal opinion and are based on my own personal use and the results I observed. I do not receive monetary compensation to write reviews.

I gave in to giveaways

Because who doesn't love free stuff?

One thing bloggers like to do is host giveaways where they can share cool products with readers and also encourage participation on their various social media outlets. For a while, I didn't enter the giveaways because: A) I didn't think I'd win. B) They usually make you tweet semi-annoying things. And C) The big-time bloggers don't follow back.

After discovering smaller, local bloggers who gave away some awesome things, I decided to go for it. In one month I won three giveaways! The most recent arrived this week.

Lip products from Confessions of a Makeup Hoarder

Marissa at Confessions of a Makeup Hoarder hosted this giveaway for her birthday. Can you believe it? For her birthday she gave away: A MAC lipstick in Girl About Town, NYX lip gloss in Beige, Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie, and EOS lip balm in strawberry sorbet. I love it!

I also won a gorgeous silver necklace and gold arrow bracelet by Stella & Dot via Avec Amber and a super cool cork pendant by Snoozer Loser via Jump Into Puddles.

Thank you ladies for these awesome gifts and the opportunity to collect! Someday when I'm not moving, getting divorced or otherwise uprooting my life I hope I can host a giveaway as well. :-)

Have a great weekend!

Blue

When your pants match the trees

Because I now live in the city and don't want to pay for gas and bridge tolls every time I go to work, I am putting my Orca pass to good use and taking the bus! I'll admit, being downtown by myself makes me a little nervous. I'm not used to all the people (some of whom are a little scary to me) and cars and super tall buildings. But sometimes when I'm walking from my first stop to the Westlake transfer center I look up and think, I can't believe this is my life. I'm out of my comfort zone and it's absolutely thrilling.

You know what else I find thrilling? These awesome blue trees at the Westlake transfer center. They pretty much matched my pants the other day.

Blue trees!

 On that particular day I was wearing this:

The watch is Akribos via Gilt, pants and shirts from Macy's

Blue pants!

This top, by LoveFire, is one of my favorites right now!

The colored pants trend is still going strong in Seattle. I'm loving it because denim jeans day after day is dull. Also, growing up where I did, fun trends like colored pants don't really fly with the locals. When I moved to the Seattle area last October, a lot of people back home were all about those reflective-striped construction shirts, even though they weren't in the construction business. Carhartts and Romeos are always in. The flannel trend? Yeah, that's been a thing in Clallam County for the last 150 years.

I'm not hating on their style. If it makes them feel good and comfortable that is awesome! But I like to wear things that are fun and interesting and sometimes sparkly or patterned. 

Living in a place that looks like this, how can I not want to shine like it does?

Sparkling Seattle

Gilty.

Have you heard about Gilt?

If you haven't, hold on to your wallet! Or maybe just pull out your credit card and get ready to shop.

Gilt.com is a website with great flash sales on designer clothes, jewelry, accessories, household items and more! I joined about a year ago and keep my eyes out for good deals so I can strike while it's hot!

As I get farther into adulthood, I want to spend my money on quality things and not just buy what is cheap or convenient. That is the approach I took when looking for my first "big girl" watch. I wanted something that came from a good company, was high quality and -- of course -- looked fabulous.

Ta-da!

This rose gold watch by Akribos has all the special touches I wanted. The chain is a nice twist (get it???) on the traditional watch band and the crystal accents make it a great dress-up piece. While it retails for $475, it was listed on Gilt for $75 and I used a special 20 percent off promo code for an even bigger discount. Score!

I styled the watch with a gold arrow bracelet from Stella & Dot and a pink-and-gold bangle.

In my opinion, the biggest downside to ordering online is waiting for your purchase to arrive. While the sunglasses I ordered arrived promptly, the watch took about a month to get here. (Note: I actually bought these a couple months ago and am just now getting around to sharing them with you!)

Check out the Diane von Furstenberg I bought on Gilt for $30!

They have a cute vintage look

Both the watch and the sunglasses have done a tour of summer weddings over the last few weeks and I've gotten lots of compliments on them.

If you haven't checked out Gilt yet, here is an invitation just for you: http://www.gilt.com/invite/amandacwinters

Happy shopping!