Boxing Day Haul 2013

I can't believe how close we are to January.. just days away from 2014, insane! Nevertheless, following Christmas comes Boxing Day.. aka shopping time! This year I just went to a small scale local mall, nothing TOO crazy as I'm trying to put the breaks on my spending tendencies.. 

AERIE

From Aerie I picked up some undergarments which were priced at their usual prices and I had a coupon, so I figured EH while I'm here! I also got these black satin-ish lounge pants at 50% off, which I absolutely adore. They're comparable to Harem pants, but a bit less full on if that makes sense.

ARLIES

I got the cutest "You're a Peach" top for 9.99$ from 14.99$ which isn't too bad! It's just a tshirt but I thought it was too cute to pass up. I also got this jumper with cats on it.. what a surprise.. But the inside of it feels SO nice, the fabric is amazing, it's so soft! It was 29.99$ then 25% off which wasn't bad!

 H&M

H&M's deal was buy one sale item get one free. Not too shabby as I shop their sale section quite frequently! Naturally after spotting the accessories I decided to do two transactions instead of one so that my free items wouldn't be the 10$ in jewellery. That being said, the necklace was originally 14.95$ then I got it for 7$ along with the 3$, reduced from 6.95$, purple belt for free. I then picked up a dress for 15$ which I absolutely adore. It's black.. wow what a surprise.. but the neckline and shape is quite unique to my wardrobe, so that will be fun to play with. I then got 3 jumpers; a shimmery black boatneck for 15$ from 29.95$, a black jumper with a panther on it for 20$ from 34.95$ and a maroon cable knit jumper for 15$ from 29.95$. Then with the 2 15$ jumpers for free, not bad! 

OLD NAVY

I have a confession; I LOVE Old Navy. I think it's very understated, they've definitely stepped up quite a lot the past few years. Also, they are the same company as GAP and Banana Republic, which I love.

Everything at Old Navy was buy 1 item, get the 2nd (or equal or lower price) for 1$. First I got this pair of Pjyama leggings which I'm OBSESSED with. They're so comfortable, I can't seem to take them off.. They were marked as 16.94$, but I got them for 1$. Then I got this really light long sleeve shirt/jumper that says 'Be Amazing' which I thought was adorable. This was originally 27.94$ but I got it for 1$. Finally, I got two of the´pullovers which are so comfortable! The fabric on them is amazing, dare I say a cashmere imitation? I love Old Navy for basics. They were each 27.94$ and I got one pink and one purple. We went quite late on during the day (1:00 or so) so I was kind of disappointed with the colour selection in my size, but totally understandable, or else I'd have also stocked up on cable knit sweaters. But a sale is still running on their website so I'm definitely going to take a look there!

Did you go Boxing Day shopping? Comment and let me know what deals you scored!
xLB

Naked3 - Swatches & Review

Hello hello! I am thrilled to be sharing this post with you all - the much anticipated Naked3. Follow up to the coveted Naked and Naked2. The Naked3 features rose toned hues perfect for everyday neutrals, to more bold looks.

So far I'm loving this palette, however the Naked2 is still my favourite of them all. The colours are all very wearable, but a lot of the ones I'd reach for in the Naked3 aren't super pigmented, and you have to build them up quite a bit. The colours on the 2nd half of the palette are very similar to the ones in the Naked2 palette, with a bit of a twist to them. I really do like this palette however, and it will be a new staple to my collection!

L-R: Strange, Dust, Burnout, Limit, Buzz, Trick, Nooner, Liar, Factory, Mugshot, Darkside, Blackheart

Swatches L-R: Strange, Dust, Burnout, Limit, Buzz, Trick, Nooner, Liar, Factory, Mugshot, Darkside, Blackheart (from black line to black line, as some are sheer)

Look for it in stores 12/16!

xLB

OOTD | 1 December 2013

 GUYS GUYS GUYS IT'S DECEMBER HOLY

I feel like I blinked and November came and left! On that note, with December comes holiday parties. Today was the company I work for's annual Children's Party, which entails breakfast with Santa, crafts and face painting! Now, by no means am I a child nor do I have one, however I have a mother who works in HR for the company and requests my assistance.. So I figured, Outfit of the Day opportunity!

First off, a cheeky little snapchat

Necklace - EXPRESS ~ Ring - Forever 21 ~ Watch - Armani

Blazer - Forever 21 ~ Velvet Skirt - Brandy Melville ~ Boots - Steve Madden 

Hope you all have an amazing start to your December!

xLB

RECIPE: TAC Salad

This is one of my go to favourites, I could eat this everyday, I love it that much. And it's one of the easiest things to make ever.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1-2 Tomatoes 
• 1/4 Cucumber
• 1 Avocado
• Feta Cheese
• Balsamic Vinegar 

DIRECTIONS:

• Cut up all of the vegetables
• Crumble Feta Cheese
• Toss together with Balsamic Vinegar (only a pinch or so, it's a lot stronger than the dressing and there's already loads of liquid.. juice (?) from the tomatoes and feta)

Not the prettiest, but definitely one of the most delicious!

xLB

September Favourites

Hey all, so as you may or may not know, about a year ago my blog/youtube/gmail etc were all hacked and deleted so I've been trying to start from scratch. I've been at the blog for awhile, but I've only just started to put more focus into my youtube. That being said, I have a new youtube video up and it would mean the world to me if you checked it out :) bonus points if you give it a thumbs, a comment and give the subscribe button a cheeky little click ;)

thanksssss x




♡ I'M WEARING ♡
Top - VS Pink
Scarf - EXPRESS
Lips - Rimmel Kate Moss 107

♡ FIND ME ♡
twitter: @lbechkos17
instagram: @lbechkos17
keek/vine/snapchat: @lbechkos17
blog: glalamorous.blogspot.com
tumblr: corazon--gitano.tumblr.com / glalamorous.tumblr.com

♡ PRODUCTS MENTIONED ♡
BEAUTY
Nars - The Multiple, in Orgasm
Nars - Nail Polish in Adelita
Maybelline - Neon Baby Lips in Oh Orange & Pink Shock
Jesse's Girl - Liquid Eyeliner Pen
YSL - Le Teint Touche Eclat Foundation
Ren - Clear Calm 3 Replenishing Night Serum for Blemish Prone Skin
Revlon - Lip Butter in Wild Watermelon
Tangle Teaser
FASHION
Brandy Melville - Moselle Sweater
Steve Madden - Troopa Boots
Topshop - Cat Socks
Tie Dye shirt
FOOD
Cashews
Quaker - Harvest Crunch Quinoa Granola Bar in Chocolate Nut Medley
Nestle - "Scaries" Smarties candy
Starbucks Fall Drinks - Pumpkin Spice Latte, Salted Caramel anything..
Starbucks - Reusable cup
Purple Halloween Fairy Lights
NEST - Elton John White Peach Mango candle
Bath & Body Works - Sea to Santorini candle
TECHNOLOGY
iOS 7
Winners - Cat phone case
New Girl
Tumblr (rediscovered)
MUSIC
Stay the Night - Zedd ft. Hayley Williams (of Paramore)*
Hold On (cover) - Pia Mia*
I Wish - Cher Lloyd ft. TI*
ALBUM
Pure Heroine - Lorde*

* I do not own any of he music listed above. All rights to the artists and their respected labels :)

100th POST!! - Overcoming Insecurities

I've finally reached 100 posts! For the longest time it seemed as if I'd hit that ages ago, but due to a turn in events and a lack of posts, I'm reaching it now. But overjoyed nonetheless! Can't believe I've committed to something for this long.. LOL.

For my 100th post, I figured I'd write about something a little more personal. Insecurities.

In case you haven't noticed already, my eyebrows are quite large. Growing up, that was the furthest thing from cool. There was no Cara Delevingne or no January Jones, just lil old me. Needless to say, I was mocked relentlessly and became ridiculously insecure about them. I tried everything to have the small eyebrows everyone else had that I lusted over, which resulted in multiple mishaps and plenty of waxing faux-pas. 

After many bad experiences in trying to rid myself of the fury creatures above my eyes I realised

1. How weird I looked without them

2. I was stuck with them

Instead of working on getting rid of them, I channeled my eyebrow energy into grooming them, and by high school I really got the hang of it. In primary school I got bullied quite a bit, then as I moved to a new school for middle school it lessened, then lessened again when I went to a new school for high school. Either people were getting nicer, or I was getting more skilled. I like to think latter. 

An eyebrow moment that really stuck out to me was in 9th grade during science class. I was in a classroom of people I'd never met before, which was quite the scary experience. A few weeks into the year, one of the more popular guys spoke to me from across the classroom, "Woah, Latisha, you have the coolest eyebrows, I love them!" completely out of the blue, and completely genuinely. 

I guess hearing someone who was almost a stranger giving such positive feedback on something I'd been so worried about all my life really struck a chord with me. I'm not saying I needed someones approval in order to feel okay, but it was more of a reassurance. I was getting the hang of things, and feeling more confident and someone noticed, and it made all the difference. Since then, I've never looked back.

Now, I constantly get compliments. The other day at work, an older lady, who is a regular, commented on how Elizabeth Taylor-esque they are circa the late 1950s, and made note of how "in" and beautiful they are.

Moral of the story, you were made the way you were for a reason. Don't try to change yourself, especially the things that make you unique. I got a bit lucky as thick eyebrows are now quite trendy, so who is to say your insecurity won't be the hottest thing in a few months?

Stay gorgeous!

xLB

Film Review - In Vogue: The Editor's Eye

In Vogue: The Editor's Eye takes a glimpse at Vogue through the ages, in celebration of Vogue's 120th anniversary. Through Vogue's immaculate archives dating back to its launch in 1892, we see some of the most influential fashion images and their cultural impact, as recalled by the iconic women behind them.

With these images, we see some of fashion's most brilliant editors through the ages; Babs Simpson Polly Mellen, Phyllis Posnick, Carlyne Cerf, Grace Coddington, Camilla Nickerson, Jade Hobson, Tonne Goodman, and current editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. We also see celebrities, Nicole Kidman and Sarah Jessica Parker, as well as designers like Nicolas Ghesquiere, Vera Wang (also a former editor) and Marc Jacobs, recalling their memories spent collaborating with the magazine and the brilliant people behind it.

"The people who are responsible for the fashion images are the fashion editors. They have always been our secret weapon, so it seemed to me that we could celebrate Vogue, and also, at the same time, celebrate these great editors." Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, on celebrating not only the magazine, but the super talented editors behind it.

I loved how this film really shined a light towards the editors, and not just the magazine. There are so many brilliant women who Vogue would be nothing without, so it was so nice to see them being appreciated, and recounting their times with Vogue. This film furthermore made me want to work at Vogue (sigh), it's just such a brilliant magazine, and it's cultural impact is one of the things that fascinated me most. I also loved seeing how each editor had their own impact on the magazine, and seeing what different EiC's brought to the magazine.

Wonderful behind the scenes look at an exceptional magazine. A must watch for any fashion lover, or just anyone into the publication business.

Plus, this furthered my love for Grace Coddington since the The September Issue and her memoir. I think I might be obssesssed.. 

xLB

♡ HAUL - Sephora, Topshop, Zara & Brandy Melville

HI :) okay so I'm trying to get back into making YouTube videos.. bare with me and my awkwardness. I present to you... MY FIRST TALKING VIDEO :) I did a haul of Sephora, Topshop, Zara and Brandy Melville.

If you could comment, thumbs up and subscribe that would be amazing :) thank you so much!

xLB

STYLE WATCH: Teen Choice Awards 2013

This past Sunday, the Teen Choice Awards were held in California. Mind you I wasn't exactly a fan of the award show, but I obviously was a fan of the fashion. For me, that's always the best part of awards shows. That being said, I present to you some of my favourite looks from the night.

Alexandra Daddario

My celeb crush, Avan Jogia, looking perf

Carly Chaikin

Cher Lloyd

Kevin Jonas joined by wife Danielle Jonas sporting a baby bump!

Holland Roden

Shay Mitchell

Nina Dobrev

Another awkwardly adorable crush, Logan Lerman

Finally, my future husband, Nick Jonas with brothers Joe Jonas and Kevin Jonas

And I think that sums up my favourites! Didn't want to bash anyone, but some hints to my worst dressed list: palm trees, cankles and pleather. Always looking forward to more awards shows!

xLB

STYLE WATCH: Zendaya Coleman

I've recently become obsessed with Zendaya Coleman's style after recently following her instagram and seeing her all over style blogs and in magazines. Zendaya is 16 years old and currently starring in the Disney show "Shake it Up", with her debut album due this fall.

This Alice + Olivia dress paired with a sweater is definitely something I would wear

She always manages to make casual look so chic!

Some of many stylish red carpet looks

xLB

Recipe: Chipotle Kale Chips

Kale has been all the rage for awhile now, and I wanted to wait until I perfected a recipe before sharing it with you all. That being said, I present to you my recipe for Kale chips!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bunch of Kale, washed
• 1 tbsp of Olive Oil
• 1 tsp of Chipotle Seasoning
• Sea Salt to tast

DIRECTIONS:

• After the kale is washed, you want to rip all of the leafy parts off, with minimal/no stems. The curlier the crunchier. So the little curly bits are your best friends.
• As you're going, put all of the bite-sized pieces into a large bowl.
• Pre-heat the oven to 350F.
• Add the Olive Oil (approx. 1tbsp depending on how large your bunch is), Chipotle Seasoning and Sea Salt. Toss everything together.
• Once the kale is evenly coated, transfer onto a baking sheet and evenly distribute.
• Sprinkle on more Chipotle seasoning and Sea Salt to your liking once everything is on the baking sheet.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes, keeping a very close eye on them, as they burn very easily.
• Once they're cooked to your liking, let them cool completely before eating.

I forgot about mine and burnt some of them a little bit, EEP! Still pretty good though, it adds more of a smoky flavour.

TIP: try swapping out the Chipotle seasoning for other flavours like Peri-Peri, Cheese (Cheddar, Parmesan, Nacho), Lime, Garlic, Sea Salt and Vinegar, Soy, Sesame, Jalepeno.. endless possibilities. 

xLB

Pineapple Tea

Normally I like to do this recipe with white tea, however being in the midst of moving (yes, again, the second time in 4 months..) majority of my tea is packed and white tea isn't the easiest thing to find in a small town. This still tastes delicious, and I would definitely make it again!

INGREDIENTS:

• Tea
• Pineapple
• Water

It's hard to give specific amounts on this as it's really up to preference.

DIRECTIONS:

• Boil a large pot of hot water
• Grab a large pitcher, and prepare for the tea
• I used 10 tea bags; they were green tea with passionfruit and jasmine flavour
• If you like your tea sweetened a bit, now is the time to add sugar or sweetener
• Pour the boiled water in 1/3 of the way of the pitcher
• Let this steep overnight
• Puree/liquify 1 pineapple until it is in juice formation; helps to blend them with a bit of water in order to thin it out a bit
• Add the fresh pineapple juice to the pitcher
• Top the pitcher off with cool water and ice, and enjoy!

Love summery drinks!

xLB