'From head to toe' - Sarah Belle's birthday

Celebrating 7,302 days of life.

 20 is a funny age. No longer a teenager, a survivor of two decades,  and a legal adult- yet still not legally old enough to drink or be regarded as a 'grown up'. I guess I have a long way to go! 

To celebrate my family and I went to Yoshi's at Jack London Square in Oakland and had a wonderful dinner. Besides the delicious sushi, another benefit is that Yoshi's is located right on the water. How could I not do a cheeky little photoshoot for the blog? Many thanks to my beautiful Mother for not only being my photographer but also my wisest friend. Your love and support means so much to me, I cant believe I deserve it after putting you through 'the most painful day of your life' 20 years ago. Its a good thing I was a cute baby. XO

Makeup look:

Base: Laura Mercier Oil Free foundation primer (Nordstrom- $33)

Foundation: Makeup Forever HD foundation in Ivory (Sephora -$42)

Concealer: Covergirl (Target- $5.99)

Bronzer: Hoola by Benefit Cosmetics- (Ulta- $28.00)

Blush: Pretty Coral by Bobbi Brown (Nordstrom- $27)

Brows: Maybelline Master Shape Brow Pencil (Target- $7.99)

Eyeshadow: MAC- Grain and MAC- Girlie all over my lid. Lazy me actually used my 'Pretty coral' blush in my crease as a pop of summer color. I added some darker definition with the Bobbi Brown 'Fog' eyeshadow on my top and bottom lash line, and a splash of gold in my crease with the Bobbi Brown Candlelight Gold (both limited edition) 

Liner: Stay All Day Waterproof liner in Intense Black by Stila (Sephora- $20) 

Mascara: They're Real Mascara by Benefit Cosmetics (Ulta- $23)

Lips: MAC Cranberry lipliner (no longer sold) & MAC Nymphette Lipgloss (Nordstrom - $15)

 Rings: 2 silver are from a street faire, the gold one is from Urban Outfitters (not sold online but was $14)

Jeans: Stevie Cuff by AG (Anthropologie $99 on sale!)

Blazer: Nordstrom (old but similar here)

Top: Free People (old but similar here)

Shoes: Dolce Vita 'Nolita' Wedges (Nordstrom- $40 on sale!)

Nailpolish: Lucky Lucky Lavender by OPI

Thank you to everyone who made me feel so special and celebrated!! 

With love and two decades of life,

Sarah Belle

August Favorites- Beauty, body, and blemishes!

Ah, August. 

Your passing is bittersweet. For while you mark summer coming to an end, you leaving also means school begins and my birthday arrives! This month gave me a lot to think about, and many items to review for your reading pleasure. 

Rave- Pretty Coral Blush ($27- Bobbi Brown)
I held out on buying this because I thought 'who needs more than your basic pink blush?'... I clearly was suffering from an illness because I was SO wrong. First off, if you wear makeup you need to have at least two blushes in your arsenal. One with shimmer and one matte. I usually wear Nars Deep Throat, but now that I own Pretty Coral I have worn it every day since. It is perfect for summer, and will transition well into fall. It can even be blended with other colors to match the season, it is all around such a flattering color for my pale pinky toned complexion. 
If you want to see the blush in action, it is featured in my 'summer nights' outfit/makeup look here!



Read- The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion- $8.99 on the Kindle
I ate this book up, it is the perfect summer read. Simsion puts an entertaining spin on romance as you read about the life and love of the "oddly charming, socially challenged genetics professor, Don"

The art of love is never a science: Meet Don Tillman, a brilliant yet socially inept professor of genetics, who’s decided it’s time he found a wife. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which Don approaches all things, he designs the Wife Project to find his perfect partner: a sixteen-page, scientifically valid survey to filter out the drinkers, the smokers, the late arrivers. 

This book is valid to everyone seeking 'true love'. Hence, valid to everyone. This book was not only funny but thought provoking and well written. Looking into the mind of someone so painfully logical (and probably diagnosable) was really interesting and entertaining, I loved it more with every page. 


Random- Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo- $22.54 for paperback on Amazon
Eating clean and healthy can be hard, but also so rewarding and fun. I LOVE this cookbook/ paleo lifestyle guide. She explains every ingredient, the benefits of being paleo, and how each food can affect your body. I really understand what I'm making and how each change can be more clean and healthy for my body. I'm definitely not a paleo diet model... but it can be fun to try something new. 

Lettuce wraps with quinoa and chicken

Cobbler with blueberries and peaches

Repurchase- Neutrogena rainbath shower gel- $10 on Amazon
This is an oldie but a goodie. It is refreshing, clean, not to girly or sugary and lathers amazingly well. My grandma of all people always has this, and it reminds me of her. It is a perfect body wash to switch out to when you want something different or new! I even use it for my face as a cleanser/makeup remover, its that great. 

Reject- Dolce Vita 'Fray' Sandals - purchased for $130. These sandals are now on sale for $64, and I can tell why. They look cute at first glance, but after I wore them a few times I started noticing problems. They stretched in odd places, the color faded, and after only having them for a few months, a strap frayed and a button broke- causing the gladiator straps to totally unravel. They were able to be returned in full to Anthropologie, but it wasn't even worth getting them replaced. Boo. 

Instead I got the this Topshop sandal! Oooo so trendy.

Recent- The Power Peel- Ole Henrickson - $16 for two treatments
This ish is bananas. I love it. Sephora describes this treatment as a 'microdermabrasion and acid peel system' that is supposed to do all kinds of lovely things to your skin from reducing fine lines, minimize pores, and lessen discoloration. That is what I am after. I have fairly sensitive and pale skin, and any cut, zit, or bruise leaves a pretty dramatic mark on my skin and almost always scars. I have only done two treatments (one week apart) but I am already hooked. My skin not only felt amazing right after, but also was brightener and softer for a few days after. It is a bit pricey, but I feel more confident that this will get the job done, and that is what counts. 

Step 1: Scrub a dub 

Almond scrub smells amazing and has just the right amount of grit and cleanser to get all your pores open and clean. 

Step 2: Burn baby burn

Now that your face is clean and ready, this lemon acid peel does burn (avoid your lips and eye area!!) but it is nothing you can't handle for 2 minutes. The pain means it's working?

Step 3: Sweet relief

The last step with chamomile and primrose oil goes right over the lemon peel, and calms and soothes the skin. It will set and harden for about 15 minutes, and then you wash off like any other traditional face mask. I'm hooked!

Saying goodbye to August, and hello to September! 

With love and the letter 'R',

Sarah Belle

What's in my bag? Working girl edition

Well, I have officially grown up. 

Sort of. I at least can say with confidence that I officially commute to work each day and sit in a cubicle from 8-5pm, Monday through Friday. Such excitement...
My internship is in the Financial District in San Francisco. I take BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) each day and get off at the Embarcadero station. Having timed this, my travel time door to door is 45 minutes each way (and costs $8.80 plus $2.50 for parking...) But I love it. You see all kinds of folks on BART, and being a local in my business casual attire gives me a feeling of confidence and power. I love giving tourists directions. 
Part of this routine is also getting the perfect items together in my bag- it is everything I need to have a successful work day, and I would like to share it with you! Read on if you want to creep in my purse!

The bag is from the land of my dreams- Target. I got it on sale for $17 which is basically a dream itself.

Group 1: Electronics

I have to have my phone (le duh) and the Kindle is so much more convenient and great than I could have ever expected. I just finished Paper Towns by John Green, a funny and heartfelt read that I devoured in a week!

Group 2: Grown up essentials

BART card/map: I pretty much have the BART system down pat, but I always keep a picture of the map on my phone when in doubt. 

Wallet: Also Target! Also on sale! $3! Just call me bargain queen. 

Group 3: Bottom of the purse dwellers

These poor guys get tossed in last minute and always end up swimming in the depths of my bag. Yet, I couldn't live without them. You never know when you will need a bandaid! #mamabrovelli

Group 4: Small but mighty

This Tory Burch zip up pouch was probably intended to be a makeup bag, but it is now the home of all my miscellaneous small items that I need on a day to day basis. Even when I change purses, Tory travels with me. Best friends forever.

Lip products:

Yes, I know it looks excessive. I love them all equally <3

MAC Lipstick in Hug Me ($16)

Bobbi Brown Lipgloss in Pink Beige ($25)

Revlon Colorburst balm/stain in Honey ($7)

Blistex Chapstick

Burt's Bees chapstick with pomegranate

Abreva (just in case of a cold sore attack) 

These are two well loved products- and they love each other! As you can see by the nub of lipstick and empty tube of lipgloss, I wear these all the time. Hug Me is a classic basic color, a brown & pink that compliments my natural lip color while giving it more definition, and the lipgloss is the perfect touch of pinky gloss to dramatize the look. 

The clip. Worn every day. A faithful companion.

Bobbie pins (duh)

Excedrin (migraines, duh)

Benadryl (#mamabrovelli, duh)

Lotion: Dry skin is a real struggle (duh)

Jo Malone already had my heart with the amazing scents, but this baby bottle took me over the edge. It is the perfect size for travel, and the English Pear & Freesia is great to spritz on halfway through the day to freshen up. 

I have to listen to music while I work, usually from Spotify. Somedays I can listen to Bon Iver or Jack Johnson and be totally satisfied, but other days call for more motivation. Ex: Disney's greatest hits, or One Direction, or the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. No shame. 

Group 5: The good stuff

Be kind to one another and to your body! Fuel it wisely! I try and eat well and maintain a balanced life, but some days making a salad or preparing a meal just cant happen. That is when easy to grab foods become my best friend. I am really loving Kind bars at the moment, and I haven't found a flavor I don't like. 

Bananas, I will always love you. 

With love and organization,

Sarah Belle

'From head to toe'- Summer nights

Simple & Soft

Makeup look:

This makeup look is light and warm, perfect for a casual summer evening. I think loosing the eyeliner gives it a much more laid back look, and avoid the chance it will smudge in the heat.

Foundation: Rimmel London Stay Matte Mouse Foundation (Target- $4.99)

Concealer: Covergirl (Target- $5.99)

Bronzer: Hoola by Benefit Cosmetics- (Ulta- $28.00)

Blush: Pretty Coral by Bobbi Brown (Nordstrom- $27)

Brows: Maybelline Master Shape Brow Pencil (Target- $7.99)

Eyeshadow: Top: MAC- Grain, MAC- Girlie, Naked 3 Pallette- ('Trick' on lower lash line)

Mascara: They're Real Mascara by Benefit Cosmetics (Ulta- $23)

Lips: Estee Lauder Gloss 

Hair: Honest to goodness, I was lazy and this was luck. I kept my hair in a french braid for basically 24 hours straight and when I took it out the waves were almost perfect on their own. I sprayed in some dry shampoo, Pureology Glossing Mist and finished with hairspray and called it good. The headband ($15) is a long time love from Cost Plus World Market. 

Rings: Silver and gold twist stacking rings are a new purchase from an art faire in SF- $14 for both! The turquoise ring I bought in Arizona 5 years ago for $15

Top: Free People (very old)

Pants: TJ Maxx $20 (Similar here)

Shoes: Target $30 (Similar here)

Toe polish: Serial Shopper by Essie

 I hope you enjoyed this 'head to toe' look post!

With love and summer,

Sarah Belle

A celebration, explanation, and apology for #100happydays

The 100 Happy Days foundation is a group of people dedicated to making the world happier. Simple as that. They have reached out to the world by creating a social media challenge, daring you to share a picture to Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram every day for 100 days. Again, a simple plan with a simple goal- proving to yourself and the world that we each have something to be happy about and grateful for everyday. I love the theory behind this, and wholeheartedly believe that doing this each day can make you a more positive, optimistic, grateful and happy person. With that attitude in mind, I signed myself up and started the challenge on March 24th on my way to New York.

Here are some of my reflections and thoughts now that my days of happiness are up:
1. 100 days is a long time. Most definitely 100 days was a long time for me, but must have seemed even longer for my poor Instagram followers who had to tolerate my daily posts for months on end. Mind you, some didn't tolerate them and unfollowed me (tisk tisk). Posting each day created an added stress to my plate at times, and therefor defeated the purpose of celebrating my daily happiness. 

2. It is called a challenge for a reason. I got inspired to do 100 Happy Days by seeing 6 other people on my own Instagram feed start the challenge, but only one of those people actually completed it. Snaps for that, hooray for social media. Sure there were times when I wanted to quit, but the fear of giving up and being humiliated because of it trumped all other concerns. I did not want to be a failure.

3. True friends. These are the ones who text you when 11pm rolls around to remind you that you haven't annoyed Instagram yet today. These are the artists who pick countless filters, add saturation to your pale face, and step in when a light leak simply isn't necessary. These are the journalists who determine the perfect caption, location and hashtag when my thumbs gave out. Thank you for taking pictures, being in pictures, stopping me from posting a desperate TBT, and still liking my photo even in the worst of times. I would have given up on #day25 without you. Much love

4. I am happier. There were days when my post of happiness added a smile to my face, or made someone else feel happy- and that is all I wanted to achieve. Some pictures would have never been taken, some memories never captured, and some nights not remembered without being prompted by the necessity of a post. I love that I can look back and have timeline of my life in the past 100 days, each day documented and celebrated no matter the weather.

5. I probably annoyed you. I did this challenge for me, not for you. If my 100 pictures were annoying to you, made you judge me, or clogged up your feed- I apologize. But I really hope at least one day made you smile, laugh, or think. Thanks for 'liking' my pictures anyways and I promise to never post that much again. 

A highlight reel of #100happydays

 Day 2: New York

This trip made me so happy, and this specific day was filled with 3 of my favorite museums and 2 of my favorite people. It was a good way to kick off the next 98 days of happiness. 

Day 14: SOS

I got to know some of the most incredible people on this retreat, and on that day I could have never known how much each of them would mean to me as the year went on. Love y'all #friendship

Day 38: Mean Girls

I distinctly remember having so much fun taking this little photo shoot to celebrate Mean Girls and #pinkformarsha. I never stop having fun with you Noodle, and you have always been my biggest fan and advocate even when I don't deserve it. I love you more than Harry 

Day 56: All smiles for 13.1 miles

Just when it seemed like everything was going wrong, something went right. I finished my first half marathon!! Such a happy day, and it would not have been possible without my amazing Mama. Thanks for being more fit than me and making me run the whole way- you're a rockstar. 

Day 100: The longest day

The last happy day was also the biggest adventure. I had never felt so much pressure to post a magnificent picture and coincidentally I had never felt so tired in my life. But good friends pulled through and at a slightly sketchy rest stop between Portland and Eugene #day100 was documented. 

Check out the website that sparked this journey: 100happydays.com

With love and happiness,

Sarah Belle

'The Gap' Fear of beginnings, future, and failure

THE GAP- by Ira Glass

https://vimeo.com/85040589

(Even if you don't read the following blog about this video, WATCH IT. It is very deserving of the next 2 minutes and 18 seconds of your life.)

Hello fellow person, I hope you enjoyed the video.

I come from a world of high expectations. 
I am expected to be happy.
I am expected to work hard.
I am expected to achieve my dreams. 

I am expected to be beautiful

I am expected to be successful.

Obviously 'success' can only be defined by yourself, but I was always told that you will find success if you do what you are passionate about. If only it was that easy.... What are you passionate about? Can you describe it in one word, sentence, major, or career path? Nope, me either. My future is filled with many options, many opportunities for success or failure. But who defines failure? I believe that a fear of failure is born at the beginning of any experience; somewhat ironically unavoidable. I love what Ira Glass says about this dilemma. Glass identifies 'the Gap' as the difference between what you know your potential is and the quality of the content you are actually producing. As a creator, a student, and as a person I believe in my own potential but also see the quality gap between where I am and could be. This is disappointing for sure, but also enlightening. Every person starts their journey at the beginning, so the only way is up. 
I am a beginner. The only thing to do is to try and try again- keep creating until my work is something to be proud of. 

What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail? 

-Robert Schuller

With love and expectations,

Sarah Belle