Formspring and Spring Alike

So the last few days I've been under the weather. I've been lying in bed in my pajamas, attempting to get some reading done, listening to the same three records on repeat, and stinking up my room with jasmine incense. I figured I'd do something productive though, so alas, here is a blog update.

In my last post I mentioned that I'd joined Formspring. I've been really surprised with the amount of questions I've gotten and I've been trying my best to answer them all. Here are a select few. If you want to read the rest or ask me a question, you can check out my profile here.

How long have you been blogging?

I started in the late Summer of 2008 ... so about a year and a half, I guess?

How old are you?

I am 20 years old.

What are your top 3 favourite perfumes?

Dior's Pure Poison in the Spring/Summer, Chanel Coco Mademoiselle in the Winter, and I like Marc Jacob's Basil for everyday.

Do you think you could do a tutorial for your blog of how you cut your hair yourself?

I could try! The haircut I have right now though is just 3-4 years of my hair growing out from a pixie cut with the occasional trim to the ends and bangs. But I'll see what I can do. I've been cutting my own hair since I was 12 but surprisingly never put much thought into the process ...

You said you don't really "do" anything to your hair other than straighten your bangs, but what kind of products (Shampoo, Conditioner, Hairspray, Gel, Heat Protectant, Gloss, etc.) do you use?

I rotate my shampoos/conditioner. I like Kiehl's Amino Acid line, Redken's All Soft, and Lush's solid shampoos like Squeaky Green and Godiva. Occasionally I'll use the Alberto v05 hot oil treatment for frizzy hair as an added treat.

I spray Philip B.'s apple cider vinegar detangler in my hair when it's wet because it gets ridiculously tangled and I find this stuff gets out any leftover conditioner I may have missed. Redken has a few smoothing creams I like that I'll use before blow-drying if I have to go somewhere but most of the time I just let my hair air dry while I'm sleeping!

And for updos and what not L'Oreal's Ellnett hairspray is what I'll use.Oh and Batiste Dry Shampoo when I'm too lazy to wash my hair!

Your skin is gorgeous! What kind of cleanser/moisturizer/treatments do you use?

Thank you! Too sweet. I try to keep it as natural and gentle as possible when it comes to my skin. I spent years trying a million different products and regimes that were so strong and full of chemicals and when I went gentle, my (very dry, very sensitive) skin finally behaved.

At night I usually use Lush's Ultra Bland cleanser, which takes off all my make-up and really gets into my pores. It's super greasy so I wouldn't recommend it for people with oily skin.Then I take that off with a cotton ball and Lush's Eau Roma toner which is lavender and rose water.

I like Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Repair after that. It's a splurge but it's great for evening out your skin tone and making everything look a lot nicer when you wake up.

After that I'll moisturize with Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturizer. It's one of the few creams that actually makes my skin feel moisturized.

That's about it. If I'm too tired for all of that (it happens) I'll use a sensitive skin unscented baby wipe to take everything off. They're probably the best things you can use because they're so gentle and going to bed with make-up on is never a good idea.

And lastly I always always always wear sunscreen. At least spf 30 everyday. EVERYDAY. I don't want skin cancer or wrinkles. I am proud to be pale!

So, the best advice I can offer is be gentle, and really take care of your skin. It's worth splurging on. It's the one thing you can never take off, and you have it for your entire life!

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Then someone had asked,

"Just wanted to know what spring trends in fashion you think you are going to embrace this year?"

... and it got me thinking. I don't really follow trends. I know what I like to wear in certain seasons and I do look to what's going on in fashion for ideas but I definitely don't let it dictate what I wear. However, there are looks and ideas I'm thinking about for those warmer months so I put together a little inspiration board to give you guys an idea.

Center: Ruth St. Denis on the beach.
Clockwise from top left: Anna Paquin as a "band-aid", dancing with Jason Lee in Almost Famous, Leigh Taylor-Young as the hippie/dress shop salesgirl 'Nancy' in I Love You, Alice B. Toklas, a DAY Birger et Mikkelsen dress, a black and white photo of robed girls found on Tumblr, some of Lover's Spring 2010 collection, Anna Karina on the beach in Pierrot le Fou, the Sailor's Knot bracelet by the Vamoose on Etsy, vintage anchor fabric, and a gold brocade tunic by Michael Kors.

In short, I'm digging the breezy nautical thing combined with effortlessly glamorous slapdash hippie girls. The band-aids of Almost Famous meets Anna Karina in Pierrot le Fou. Dreamy-eyed in light fabrics. Seersucker and braided leather belts with short white shorts, gauzy blouses, braided hair, lots of gold jewelry, freckled noses, smelling like incense and pure perfume oils, being barefoot whenever possible ... I think you catch my drift. The first bit of Spring brings out a more carefree side in everyone and I like seeing that reflected in whatever I wear.

What are your plans for Spring dressing? I know I'm getting sick of Winter. Lacy sheer blouses and crop tops for me now, please. Maybe it's the records I've been listening to ...

xo Hannah