The Good Girl Gone Blog

PBteen Ultimate Beauty Organizer

I like keeping my things accessible, I like functional decor and I have a lot of stuff. With PBteen's Ultimate Beauty Organizer, it's easy to find my everyday beauty essentials. With a small drawer (for nail polish, in my case) and lots of compartments for bottles and tools, I no longer need to search through piles of stuff just to get ready in the morning. It's sort of fantastic!

With a variety of compartment heights, it can store large bottles, styling tools, brushes and smaller containers. Plus, the organizer is great for women of all ages and can be used to store all sorts of different items! 

It's funny, the only thing I don't like about it is the big "Alana". It's cute, but definitely makes the piece more childish.It reminds me of all of ther personalized items I had as a child- the rocking chair, the plastic toy boxes, etc that all had my name in pretty script. I honestly had no idea they were going to include my name, but I'm sure you can order it sans-name. 

In Boston? Check out the PBteen popup shop in the Natick Mall!

The Ultimate Beauty Organizer was provided to me by PBteen, but opinions are my own.

Photo Diary: Yum! by Becky

My mom (Becky) recently started selling her baked goods to friends and family in the Baltimore area. She makes all kinds of cookies, brownies and cakes that people go crazy for.

I volunteered to help with her marketing efforts and took these pictures over Thanksgiving to include in her December email blast. Don't they look yummy? All of the desserts above (except for the Snickers Cookie Pops) come on pretty plates, so they make great hostess gifts!

If you're in the Baltimore area and are interested in ordering something for the holidays, I'd be happy to add you to the email list- just let me know!

Pictured above: Tres Leches Cake with bananas, Tres Leches Cake with raspberries, Honey Peanut Butter Brownies, Fat Raisin Cookies, Cranberry Orange Cookies, Snickers Pop.

Photo Diary: Give Colorfully with Kate Spade

Ever since Lauren and I indulged in the Kate Spade sample sale a few months ago (I got this gold bag that I rarely put down), I haven't been able to stop obsessing over the brand.

...So when I heard about the Kate Spade + Paper Fashion holiday event, I immediately RSVPed and started daydreaming about the fun things I'd find.

The event was PACKED, making it hard to get through the throngs of people, let alone take photos and adjust settings with a DSLR, though I did my best. One girl even came up to me and asked if I was a blogger, based solely on the fact that I had a big camera!

I didn't end up buying anything, but I really enjoyed scoping out the merchandise, sipping champagne, noshing on mini potpies/grilled cheese and tomato soup and catching up with friends.

Thanks to Miriam for pointing out that I should flip over my napkin to include the Kate Spade logo!

Unfortunately, most of the Kate Spade items were out of my budget, which is why I'm so looking forward to the next sample sale. (Honestly though, I think I can DIY some of them, like these cute gloves.) 

Though most prices seemed "reasonable" for high-end merchandise, I was shocked that this prize ball cost $45! I believe it was Stew who compared them to overpriced crackerjack boxes.

My favorite part of the evening was grabbing dinner at Cafeteria with Stew and Amy, where we chatted about everything from the controversial Benetton ads, to travel, to brunch. Love those two!

For more pictures, check out my Kate Spade Holiday Party set on Flickr!

The Pop Culture Hoarder, Vol. I

Hey G3B readers, I've got a fun new series for you, brought to you by my dear friend, Rachel. Rachel and I have gotten into a routine where we share funny links over IM to keep ourselves smiling during the work day. While I find some good ones (have you seen this puppy app?), Rachel always knows what's going on.

Hope you like- this is the first of what I hope will be a recurring Friday series. Thanks again Rachel for your funny links and stellar commentary!

1. Marcel the Shell with Shoes on, Two - he was so cute the first time, and he's back!
2. Fashion-Themed Ben & Jerry's Flavors - because we all do want to try Diane von Fudgesickle, don't even lie about it.
3. Engaged to Prince William? - I've always fancied myself a princess. Take that, Kate.
4. Ryan Gosling goes Pancake - I'd rather see Ryan Gosling in a pancake than Jesus in a grilled cheese any day.
5. Hipster Girl Dress Up -paper dolls for the Internet age. Not quite Halloween or Williamsburg, but use your creativity.
6. Tigger Got Swag - the only thing that would make this better is if all three of them came together for some Soulja Boy at the end.
7. Only in Ohio - I guess it's better than a burglar who wants to steal the tree?
8. Sad Etsy Boyfriends - just because.
9. 63 Reasons Bradley Cooper Definitely isn't the Sexiest Man Alive - 63 of the most convincing reasons I could possibly think of.
10. The Muppets Pretty Little Liars Promo- What two things do I love that don't mesh at all? Right, The Muppets and Pretty Little Liars. Excellent.

Image via Refinery29

How To: Dress like a Celebrity on her Day Off

You know how celebrities try to go all incognito (see: Kate's celebrity sighting)  by hiding behind baggy sweaters, big sunglasses and a bulky hat? 

I wasn't actually going for that look. Yeah, I was really just trying to get away with not wearing a coat by piling on the layers. I was hoping my gettup would fall into the "boho chic" category, but now I'm not so sure.

After further thought, I'll take what I can get. In terms of the whole celebrity thing, I do sometimes like to tell people that I'm a popstar in Asia. You know, whatever. If a fictional character can have a fictional song about baked goods that makes her a popstar in Israel, then I'm taking Japan.

On a more serious note, this hat is very special to me. It was hand made by a friend's late great grandmother who used to live next door to my Gigi, z"l. I'm pretty sure I'd only met Doris a few times, yet she still took the time to knit me a gorgeous, non-itchy, turquoise hat, complete with a pearly button on top and a little tag with her name on the inside. I've had it for years and it manages to look good with practically everything. 

Outfit Details:  Hat- handmade gift; Sweater- Banana Republic; Jeans- Salt Works; Boots- Loft; Earrings- I'm not sure if they're mine or Sophie's; Sunglasses- gift from Armani; Bag- Kate Spade.

Spreading Holiday Cheer with Shutterfly

I don't think I've ever sent out a cute, photo holiday card. Ever. I've definitely gotten a bunch in the mail from family and friends, but have yet to make one of my own. I've always dreamt of doing a card with a significant other and a pet, maybe we'd be playing in the snow or throwing leaves around. Unfortunately, I don't have a pet (in Boston), but I do have a significant other.

Eric and I had a lot of fun posing for pictures today. We used my tripod, Nikon and remote so we could be in pictures together. We probably took 50 pictures, so I'm  really looking forward to picking the best ones and including them in a holiday card. I'm not ready to show you the finished product yet- I'd rather wait til the actual card goes out- but I promise to show it to you after!

Shutterfly has tons of fabulous templates to work with, whether you're looking for Christmas Cards, Greeting Cards, or other customizable photo gifts.

I'm going to look around for something non-denominational for our card...I'm thinking puprle is pretty nutral, but a dark red would look really nice, as long as it's not too Christmasy. They have a bunch of non-holiday options, so I think I'll go that way. Can't wait to show you the final product!  

Note: I received 25 complimentary cards in exchange for this post, although opinions are my own.

Sunday Confessional: I Miss 2008 Alana

I was searching for a photo in my blog archives for a post I wrote for Yahoo! when I decided to look at the first ever G3B post. After reading it, giggling to myself and feeling nostalgic, I decided to go through the archives.

It's almost midnight and I've only gotten through October, but in the process, I realized something: though my old blog posts don't have the prettiest pictures, sponsored reviews or even a fashion focus, man, I was funny!

Now that I've been blogging for over 3 years, I've gotten more professional, but somehow less honest. I miss the Alana who had a song written about her short stature, the Alana who wrote a post about her roommate's plant committing suicide and the Alana who shared her strange Sarah Pailin Dream.

It's funny, I think some of the things that helped me succeed as a blogger also hurt me, for example:

1. I used to have a plain old point and shoot camera that I carried everywhere. Therefore, I was more likely to take pictures of random occurences and share them on the blog. Now that I have a nice DSLR, I've sort of decided that iPhone photos just aren't blog worthy
2. I focus more of my energy on editing photos than on my actual writing.
3. I do sponsored posts- yes, I love getting free stuff, but it doesn't really lend to good writing, just an anxious feeling about posting on time.
4. I'm just not in college anymore and life just isn't as funny.
5. Le sigh, I have some thinking to do. 

 

Has anyone else gone throuh something similar with their blog?

Midlength Hair Crisis + a Solution

My hair is so close to being out of that awkward, in between phase where I actually like the length. You see, a while ago I decided to get myself a bob, and then hated it and decided I needed to grow it back out. For the past month at least, my hair has been so horrible that I only wear it down when I'm sleeping. It falls a tiny bit below my shoulders and is a complete mess. I've been forced to wear it in a ponytail or a messy bun and it's gotten rather...boring!

A few weeks ago I remembered a hair tutorial I had tried on my much longer hair from Orchid Grey. I crossed my fingers and hoped it would work with my awkward 'do- and it kind of did! 

Instead of doing a french braid starting from the front of my head, I just did a "faux french braid" and actually twisted the hair, grabbing more and more hair as I went. I then twisted the remaining parts of my hair into a bun and pinned it like crazy.

Unfortunately, the bun didn't stay very well, but I'm hoping that hairspray and my new Goody Spin Pins (thanks for writing about them, Kileen!) will help.

What are your solutions for when your hair falls into that "in between" length?

The Multitasking Fashionista: DIY Skirt

Ever have one of those days where you've picked out a solid 2/3 of your outfit, but can't seem to figure out that other 1/3? That's what happened with this outfit. I was very pleased with the chambray top, orange tank and fair isle tights, but none of my skirts seemed to match the ensemble.

The orange tank was almost long enough to cover my butt, the key word there being *almost*. Let me explain: you know the top section of patterned tights, the part where the pattern stops (i.e. the part you're not supposed to see) ? Yeah, that part was showing. I tried on a few different skirts and realized that between the shape of the chambray top and the color of the tights, none of my skirts would work.

And then I decided to get creative, which is only really dangerous when I'm holding scissors. I wasn't this time.

See that brown "skirt" above? It's actually a cleverly placed super stretchy tank top! Because of the chambray blouse's thick material, I was able to conceal the upper section of the tank, including the straps, without creating a bulge. Pretty clever, right?

Outfit Details: Chambray blouse, orange tank- Target; Belt- Forever 21; Brown Tank (worn as skirt)- Nordstrom Rack; Tights- c/o Hue; Boots- Frye via DSW.

Sunday Confessional: That One Scary Kitchen Appliance

Admit it, you're afraid of at least one kitchen appliance and you know it! I think my phobia of the garbage disposal stems from having a small sliver of my finger sliced off in a snowball machine (it looked a little like this). I still remember the pain, the dizziness and watching my dog lick my blood off the floor. (Gross, sorry, I know.) The emergency room wasn't too fun either, as a sliced finger isn't nearly as important in the triage hierarchy. You wouldn't notice it if I didn't point it out to you, but the tip of my left index finger is crooked due to the "accident" and will never be the same.

Ever since then (and probably before, now that I think of that), I've been terrified of most sharp, spinning blades. In terms of the garbage disposal, I can't put my fingers in it, even if it's off, as I'm afraid someone might accidentally turn it on. Seriously, the fact that it's powered by an ordinary looking light switch makes it even scarier- it should be bright blue, or honestly, bright red, to scare you from turning it on.

I don't even like it when other people put their hands in the disposal. 

When I mentioned my fear to Eric, he wasn't shocked at all. Apparently, at least according to him, all girls are afraid of garbage disposals. And I thought I was special, hmmm...

Ok, your turn: what kitchen appliance are you afraid of?

Photo via Amazon.