Summer Trends

Cause and Effect

7 Jun By Natalie Davis-Castro Leave a Comment

Nail polish, design, effects and texture doesn’t it sound yummy? Well to someone who thrives on nail art and new color palettes for seasons and trends my heart is jumping with joy. Thrilled that I got the chance to use some of the best nail products in the industry, I mean who doesn’t love Sally Hansen, right?

I got straight to work and started thinking of texture and what its really about, well layers. Surprise Surprise. I wanted to achieve a look that was fun, flirty and a little edgy. Personally I’m going to rock this nail art with some studs and denim. I love magenta and black together and magenta has never gone out of style. I used the Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail strips in “440 Animal Instinct” so easy to apply might I add then completed the look with Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme wear in “120 Hot Magenta” as my first coat of color to give the nail a bold look and then finished off with one coat of Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme wear in “140 Rockstar Pink” A fabulous glitter polish full of magenta, blue and silver glitter. Just a tip, the polish glides on and you really don’t need two coats like the usual polishes you might be using now.

Do you want a chance to win? Well the contest ends each month on the last day of the month and the winner is announced a week later. All the monthly winners will come to NYC to put together a final look and the Grand prize is $2000 and the chance to be the brand ambassador for a year for Sally Hansen! To enter you have to upload a photo to Facebook or Instagram or Tweet a picture with the designated hashtag #iheartnailart

Sally Hansen I 3 Nail Art Contest. To Enter Go To Facebook.com/SallyHansen or Use The Hashtag #iheartnailart on Twitter or Instagram to Share your Looks.

Disclosure:Compensation was provided by Sally Hansen via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indictive of the opinions and positions of Sally Hansen.

Filed Under: Beauty, Style, Stylist Pick, Summer Trends Tagged With: nail art, nail polish, Natalie Davis-Castro, sally hansen

Summer Nail Trends

29 May By Ariana Moshref 2 Comments

nails As we all know, summer is just around the corner. You have your new bathing suit picked out, some new sandals, and maybe some new tank tops for the warmer weather. But what about nail fashion? What’s in? What’s out? I’m here to fill you in!

Plain Colors

Every season, there are certain colors that are “in”, as well as nail patterns and decorations (think, nail bling). For summer 2013, I’ve been seeing a lot of bright colors such as yellow and coral, as well as paletones. Pale nails have been big on the runway lately–think milky white, soft pink, buttery yellow. Both brights and pales look great against tan skin, so your nails will match your sun kissed summer glow!

Design Trends

As far as more advanced nail patterns go, the two tone manicure has been huge lately. I’ve been seeing this mostly in reverse french manicures; this means that the “moon” part of the nail (the crescent shaped part of the bottom of your nail) is painted one color, and the rest of your nail is painted another. This would be a fun look to try mixing brights and pales! For example, I think a milky white moon with coral nails would look great for the upcoming season.

Another design trend is the use of metallics, both in metallic nail polish and silver and gold nail embellishments. I’ve seen fun manicures with stripes of metallic polish and plain coral polish. I’ve also seen gold sparkles being used on top of plain nail polish.

When I got my nails done last week, I got this great orangey coral Shellac color. What I love most about it is how it changes a little in different lighting. Sometimes it looks super neon, other times it looks more like the color of an orangecicle!

I love changing up my nails as often as I can, so I’m excited to try some of these new nail trends over the course of the summer. What nail trends will you try?

Stay Darling!

Filed Under: Summer Trends Tagged With: nail, Summer, trends, Urban Darling

The Suspense Is Terrible…

28 May By Natalie Davis-Castro Leave a Comment

EVERYONE knows that accessories can make or break an outfit, and with summer fast approaching now is the perfect time to get experimental with your look. Whether you’re partial to floral headbands and tasselled earrings, or an arm party of bracelets is more your thing, look no further. These are my best kept secret brands and now I’m sharing them with you. I have had an amazing time collaborating with the lovely ladies behind these brands so trust me, when you order you are in fabulous hands.

Lady Londyn Jewelry Company (pronounced Lon-don) is an online accessory store based in Monterey, CA. Founded by Nicole and her husband Ken in 2012 with the core belief that accessories are an expression of who you are and will never go out of style. These are my absolute favorite picks from Lady Londyn Jewelry Company.

: Mint Summer Love Stack

: The Natalie Stack

: Pink Passion Fruit Ring

Drumroll please… Dazzle Me Jewelry AKA Dazzlemeus, Jacqueline’s (the gorgeous face behind Dazzlemeus) mission is to deliver cute, trendy, and dazzling products for affordable prices. Dazzlemeus always puts that certain spark into anyone’s wardrobe and does not require you to spend too much money to look trendy and hot all year round. Remember don’t always pick colors that are the same as your clothes, pick something wild and bright that will not blend in. Who wants to blend in anyway?

: Captin Set-Red

: TheTrue Set

: Madonna Teal Set

Ikavee, Ikavee, Ikavee do I need to say anything else? Well Ok, Ikavee is a bespoke statement jewelry service customized for you and your moments of panic! Chunky stones, beads, spikes and studs bring back my favorite haute hippie style. In deliciously eye-popping colors, these cocktail candies take on a casually chic approach to statement style at an affordable price.

: Lydia Necklace in Coral

: Candy Earring w/ Neon Arm Stack

: 50 Shades of Green

Last but not least is ShopJoonista. They are strong supporters of women who want to look and feel their best on a budget founded in 2012. The Joonista Team will take care of you every step of the way and will always go out of their way to make you happy. Joonista has the perfect accessories for summer days and relaxing walks on the beach or shopping at the Farmers Market or dinner with your girlfriends they have it covered.

: Spring Clutches

: Metal Hipster

: Skull and Cross Stack

Filed Under: Accessories, Bracelets, Earrings, Necklaces, Purses, Spring Trends, Style, Stylist Pick, Summer Trends Tagged With: Accessories, Bay Area Personal Stylist, glamour, jewelry, Natalie Davis-Castro, San Jose Wardrobe Stylist

Rave: Gold Detailing for Summer

22 May By Ariana Moshref 2 Comments

golddetails1

I’m a loyal silver girl, but when I noticed more and more gold coming into stores for summer clothing and shoes, I couldn’t help but try it out. Now I’m hooked! In the past week, I’ve gotten my hands on two adorable pair of summer sandals adorned with gold. Flip flops are nice and all, but each summer I make sure to treat myself to a couple pair of nicer sandals to spruce up my outfits and show off my pedicures!

This first pair of sandals by Dolce Vita, I got on sale (!!!) at Nordstrom for $45 a couple days ago. The black leather is buttery soft and super comfortable. I love the gold plating on the toes, because it adds a special element to a pretty basic sandal design. I know a lot of people aren’t crazy for mixing brown and black, but this sandal is very versatile and can work with a ton of different outfits.

These were the sandals that made me fall in love with gold details! They are Steve Madden, and I got them at Nordstrom for $49. They are pretty comfortable, but do require some breaking in, as the strap is slightly stiff at first. The sandals are very simple, but the gold dresses it up a bit, which I love. This specific sandal came in A TON of different colors. I would like to eventually get my hands on a second or third pair. I think these are perfect for summer, and the rosy nude color matches pretty much everything! Since I usually stick to basic colors, I know I’ll be getting a lot of use out of these over the course of the summer.

What do you think of gold detailing? Will you try this trend, or are you too much of a loyal silver fan? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Stay Darling!

Filed Under: Shoes, Summer Trends Tagged With: gold, intern diaries, sandals, shoes, Summer, Urban Darling

Brim It On

18 May By Natalie Davis-Castro 2 Comments

feminine. sophisticated. summery. mysterious. There’s nothing quite like a sun hat to make a girl feel beautiful, every closet should have one, simplistic and easy to style its a definite staple for the warm weather seasons. With intentions to finally tackle the neon trend I ended up grabbing mine from Tropical Trends. Put on your swimsuit grab a towel and flip flops and you’re ready to hit the beach, be mistaken for a southern belle, or meet your best girlfriend for brunch fully protected from those pesky UV rays.

I do love my Tropical Trends floppy style with a 4-inch brim. It has a self sizing tie to adjust to your head size and is offered in four color variations….all natural with different trim tipping the brim, including black, tea, turquoise and fuchsia. Each trim will be easy to incorporate into your summer closet. On top of all its fashion benefits, it carries the UPF Sun protection factor of 50 plus which is just what today’s savvy women want as added protection to their daily summer outdoor routine! Another great advantage is its pack ability and recovery. It is light weight and bounces back into shape 1-2-3, therefore it can be easily stored in a beach bag or taken away on vacation.

Filed Under: Accessories, Beauty, Spring Trends, Style, Stylist Pick, Summer Trends Tagged With: Natalie Davis-Castro, San Jose Personal Stylist, Summer, Sun Protection, Sunhat, Tropical Trends

Fashion is turning Feline-tastic!

17 May By Ariana Moshref Leave a Comment

felineblogpost Love it, hate it, but you can’t deny it–felines are taking over fashion. You may or may not have noticed the cat craze that is entering the fashion world, but I can guarantee you will soon. Designers have been churning out cat inspired clothing, and stores are taking notice and following suit. Nordstrom, for example, has been featuring feline-centered clothing items. In my quest for cute, affordable clothing at “teenage” stores, I have noticed the cat obsession in full swing. Popular women’s store Brandy Melville has come out with a few cat items, but Urban Outfitters takes the cake. I have noticed cat clothing for both men and women, as well as multiple accessories such as phone cases and head pieces.

So why the feline fixation? Think about it…cats are sleek, sly, dainty, and they do what they please. Sounds a lot like the typical woman, right? Dogs are a man’s best friend, they’re not all that physically consistent. Cats, for example, all are roughly the same size and shape. This makes it easy for designers tomake products such as cat ear headbands. This is why you don’t really see too many dog headbands–because how is a designer supposed to know what shape dog ears the public wants? Additionally, cats are easily distinguishable from their shape, even if they don’t have a face to identify them by. On the other hand, not too many people would be able to differentiate between a husky and a wolf if all they saw was a shape. This is why women are attracted to cats, because they so closely replicate themselves.

Being a bona fide cat lover and person since before I can remember, I can say I think I will be following the feline fashion fad. It’s fun and playful for the summertime. Now let’s just hope my cat doesn’t develop any jealously when he sees me wearing a shirt with a different cat’s face on it!

What are your thoughts on the feline craze? Are you going to sport it, or let this one pass?

Stay Darling!

Filed Under: Accessories, Clothing, Summer Trends Tagged With: cats, Fashion, felines, trends, Urban Darling

Friday Casual Booties

3 May By Fanny Woo 4 Comments

Booties are a great transition between spring, summer, and fall! Here’s an easy look for a casual friday.

friday casual by stylelittle featuring butter london

Happy Friday!

booties by stylelittle featuring lacer boots

Filed Under: Accessories, Beauty, Boots, Clothing, make-up, Outerwear, Shoes, Spring Trends, Style, Stylist Pick, Summer Trends, Wardrobe Stylist Tagged With: booties, casual friday, fanny woo, polyvore

Coral: THE Color for This Spring

3 May By Amelia Marckworth Leave a Comment

I am loving coral this spring- and designers are too {I am seeing it everywhere}! Whether you opt for a peachy-pastel hue or a deeply saturated orange tone, adding an item in this trendy color is a great way to spruce up your spring wardrobe with just one or two items.

Will you be trying this trend? How will you incorporate coral into your current wardrobe?

See this image on Polyvore or Pinterest.

Urban Darling’s personal wardrobe stylists bring style to anyone, anywhere. Our mission is to help REAL PEOPLE find their personal style, using their own clothing or adding a few new pieces to update their look. It’s what we’ve been doing since 2006.