vegan diaries: day 23

Dear Diary,

Today is the 23rd day of being vegan! We can’t believe we made it! We’ve definitely never cooked so much in our lives, or purchased so much produce. There have been disasters (Lexi’s sister still isn’t speaking to her after that tofu scramble incident. “Not tasty” is a grave understatement) and there have been amazing successes (Hello, curry! Who knew you were so delicious?!).  There have been some haters (“Wait, you’re not eating cheeeeesseee???? what’s wrong with you???) and some awesome friends whose dinner invites have mentioned “a vegan option for those crazy people who are into that”. Essentially, just like anything new, there are ups and downs, you question your choices, feel frustrated when you screw up, then (hopefully) realize that it’s all a learning process and you give yourself a break.

Every week there’s been something new to learn and take away from completely changing our diets. It’s been so interesting to learn so much from food.  At the beginning, the things we learned were specific and physical.  Discovering how to get through the day without feeling too hungry, not accidentally eating junk food constantly, and how in the world to cook black-eyed peas. This week, as those specific things are becoming more second nature, the lesson of the week is a little less tangible. The negative feelings and feelings of “missing out” are waning, and that spot is being replaced with something so positive. Unapologetic is in the name of our blog, right? Okay, so we’re not going to apologize when we say that today, on day 23, we’re feeling the love. Love, as in, we feel like we’re loving our bodies by feeding them things that are healthy. When we look at an avocado,we feel like it’s pretty magical. Kale? Magic central. Giant glass of cold water? Bowl full of ripe tomatoes? We love you. Perhaps we’ve lost our minds. The lack of cheese has driven us mad. We prefer to think that all of this insanely healthy food has shown us that eating vegan isn’t really about going without, but about giving yourself more of the foods that your body loves. It’s like we’re saying “Hey, bod! I really love the hell out of you!” with every bite. For us, eating vegan was about finding this kind of positive feeling, even if we didn’t know specifically how it would happen. For you, it could be something else entirely. The main thing to take away, for us at least, is to do something good for yourself, something that makes you feel beautiful inside and out. You’re pretty special, and we could all use the love.

xo

Lexi & Lo

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a very cute giveaway: classy trash

another giveaway from unapologeticallycute? oh my!

we are super excited to announce February’s giveaway sponsor! Matt Kasin is the Gaudy God.  a stylist and filmmaker that combines his love for fashion and film with iconic moments in pop culture. he sells vintage with an aesthetic he likes to call CLASSY TRASH. “fashion is my religion. i believe in clothing as confidence and a cure for the everyday mundane.”  the brand was founded in 2009, and consists of hand-picked vintage + original designs for cool girls & gay guys.

 we are smitten with GaudyGod’s perfectly curated  and ever growing collection. a plethora of sequin drenched dresses, screen printed tanks,  80’s silhouettes, and Spice Girls throwbacks…what is there not to love!? Matt is offering one lucky reader 25% off any item of their choosing from GaudyGod’s Etsy Store.  leave us a comment below telling us all about your favorite piece from Matt’s store. we will select one reader at random and announce the winner on February 29th!

ps. while you’re taking a peek at Matt’s etsy…pop on over to his website and check out his W2011 lookbook.  so good! <3

xo, lexi & lo.

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summer spiked winter wear

a cold winter’s day is the perfect time for a bff letsneverleavethehouse date, and as we huddle over giant mugs of hot tea,  our minds wander to a warmer time: summer in the city! what better way to give a nod to that special season of sandy, fun-filled days lazing around on the beaches of Lake Michigan than with winter fashion spiked with a splash of summer love!  baby it’s cold outside, but breaking out the nautical stripes and bike-ride-worthy shorts, we’re feeling like some beach blanket babes over here! 

twins! matching your tights to your shoes is a great way to create a neutral base to play up a pattern or splash of color. throw on an extra pair for those bitter cold days- we’re under the impression that this is actually warmer than a pair of jeans…do you agree?

play dress-up with your long forgotten summer wardrobe- you might be surprised with what kinds of interesting combos you’ll come up with. just don’t forget to layer- we don’t want you freezing your cute little booty off out there!

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blog love!

we are so super excited to share some very cool news with you today. unapologeticallycute has been nominated for a Liebster Award.  its like Christmas has come (just a few days) early!

the Liebster Blog Award is given to up-coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.  what a fantastic way for us little bloggers just getting on our feet to get to know each other and show support! we feel so honored to be nominated by the wonderful Ashley over at a cute little blog called Lifevesting. we cannot thank you enough for picking us!

to accept the Liebster Blog Award nomination one must:

~ thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog.

~ link back to the blogger who awarded you.

~ copy & paste the blog award on your blog

~ reveal your 5 blog picks.

~ let them know you choose them by leaving a comment on their blog.

liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kindly, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.  we’ve picked 5 blogs from our (many) daily reads that we feel most encompass this sentiment! we are so happy to be nominating the following:

http://wearelivediamonds.blogspot.com/– julia has a really beautiful soul. and her blog is overflowing with so much feel good-ness that we can’t help but fall a little more in love with life every time we read it!

http://srslyfancy.blogspot.com/– ali’s blog is a little of this, a little of that, and a lot of clever and hilarious.  she makes some pretty amazing music mixes and has truly perfected the art of photoshopping her head on to JCrew models’ bodies!

http://thehomemadegoodness.com/– calley shares really great recipes on her blog (not to mention gorgeous pictures of everything she bakes). and we are pretty in awe of her knitting skills!

http://archiveofdesire.com/– this is a really unique blog that we’ve recently come across. amy’s vision is really inspiring and we love her creative and refreshing take on making the world a better place!

http://www.thekittchen.com/– kit’s blog makes us hungry, all the time. we’ve tried a few of her recipes, and you really can’t go wrong with any of them!

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a musical monday: le french edition

this week’s mix tape is inspired by the oh so darling Jane Birkin.  last week we had the extreme pleasure of going to see her preform at a beautiful old theater in Portage Park.  it was an absolutely magical night.  Jane is every bit as lovely now as she was in the sixties.  and her voice is still as shy and sweet and pretty as ever.

sixties girl pop is just so right on.  and oh, the fashion!

jane birkin

francoise hardy

brigitte bardot

nancy sinatra

what era of music and fashion inspires you?

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all they want for christmas

so you still have a few names on your holiday gift list that have yet to be crossed off and you’re starting to feel a little panicked. time may be ticking but put down the gift cards and back away. we’re here to save the day with a “something for everyone” list of the cutest gift ideas around!  ♥

penguin publishing gave the classics a makeover. and how! the linen hardcovers are stamped with pretty patterns. enough to make any bookworm feel extra fancy. the best part? when the story is over, the novels look oh so lovely on display. we’re dying to get our hands on the entire jane austen collection.

it doesn’t get much sweeter than a night light that says “i love you”. don’t you agree?  lexi thinks this is the perfect gift for someone who may live alone and is petrified of the dark….ahem….

our obsession with charles and ray eames doesn’t just end with their furniture. they made movies too! what an awesome gift for that design nerd on your list. and much more affordable than the classic lounge chair and ottoman.

these olive shades by toms are pretty adorable. and knowing that with every purchase toms gives the gift of sight to someone in need makes us want to give a pair to everyone we know.  their one for one program is doing amazing things!

we never claimed to have green thumbs, so we can appreciate the simplicity of care air plants require (run under water once a week and  give ’em some light, even florescents will do!) and they’re pretty as can be. you can’t go wrong giving a little nature.

run of the mill bobby pins are boring. thank goodness for these hair pins from our friend at so hung up. adorned with repurposed buttons, these pins are perfect for long and short haired vintage-loving ladies alike! (click here to enter in this month’s giveaway sponsored by so hung up!)

this luxury shave kit will make the the dude in your life, be it the boyf, dear old dad, or grandpa, feel very pampered (in a very manly way, of course!) he will appreciate how soft the organic milk and benoite clay soap leaves his skin. you will appreciate that he finally got rid of that (not so ironic anymore) ‘stache!

how cozy is this scarf!? our friend at risamade is putting your grandma to shame with her chic (and so warm!) crocheted cowls, scarves, and blankets. we’ll take 2, please!

for the kiddos (including the full grown kind) on your list: steffbomb makes the cutest and silliest little plush toys known to man. period.

and lastly, don’t forget about your friend with four legs! wags and wiggles has stylish puppy and kitty toys covered. while you’re animal pal may be blissfully unaware of just how cute her new chew toy is, we are in love with the fun prints, patterns, and fabrics!

happy gifting!

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make it up : an interview

After my interview with make-up artist Sarah Balhibi, I felt like I’d really learned something; not just about makeup but also about the desire to succeed at what you love. I also felt like I wanted her to move to Chicago so that she could do my makeup/hang out with me all the time. A girl can dream.

Check out my interview with LA’s finest, Sarah Bahlibi for some solid beauty advice that we could all use. Sarah’s story on making it in such a competitive industry will make any working girl feel more confident in her goals, whatever they may be. Read on!

If you had to narrow it down, what would your top 5 beauty must-haves be?

For my own makeup must haves I like to look natural and like I have good skin, and I like to do that as quickly as possible. These are my top 5 must haves to look good, quickly.

• Concealer – I use Stila Perfecting Concealer shade E. I prefer to conceal what i want hidden instead of covering my whole face in foundation. Also  you can mix a bit of moisturizer w/your concealer and use it as a tinted moisturizer if you need all over coverage. Concealers can be confusing, they come in all kinds of shades and there are so many diff opinions on what color you should be using. When in doubt, forget everything you’ve ever heard about using a lighter shade or going green. Go get a shade the same color as your skin. Test it out on your jaw line and neck, these two areas are where you will notice a difference in color the most. Go outside and have a look in natural light and get a friend to double check for you before you buy. It should disappear –  that’s how you know it’s the right color. Looking to spend less? Try the true match line by L’Oreal.
  
• Highlight – I love a subtle glow on my cheekbones and under my brow. I hate looking like a disco ball in the sun so I use a small amount. This is especially important when the weather is gloomy and/or dry. It keeps me looking like I drink more than enough water everyday and little to no coffee. I use Girl Meets Pearl from Benefit. It’s a slightly rose-gold color. On the days when I’m going for a matte look, I use Anastasia Beverly Hills Matte Highlighter in Camille. It will bring light into your face without sparkle. I like to think of highlight as professional lighting. Everyone looks better in the proper lighting and that’s what highlighting your face will do as well as bring out your best features.
• Blush – I like to add some color to my cheeks. I love Nars blush in Orgasm. It looks fantastic on most people, especially if you have a olive undertone.
• Eye lid primer – Probably one of my most major must-haves. Whether I’m wearing ‘no makeup’ or a full face of makeup, I’m always wearing Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer. It’s a fantastic base for eyeshadow. Shadows really stick well to it, and it prevents creasing and smearing of your eye makeup. I’m addicted to this primer because it’s a flesh tone that brightens my eyes and looks 100% natural. It evens out the color of my eye lid so if I wear no makeup, I still look awake and alert. I think of it almost as a concealer and highlighter in one for my eyes. It also has hyaluronic acid in it which retains moisture in your skin. The skin around your eyes is very delicate and thin, so keeping it moisturized is crucial in looking youthful. Anything I can do to add moisture to the eye area, I do!
• Lip Stain – For me, my makeup needs are evening out my skin tone and brightening it up as well. After I’ve evened the color in my face so I have no redness, splotchy-ness, etc, I need some color. I usually do this with a lip stain. I love LOVE Tarte LipSurgence Natural Lip Stain. I love every color they make. They come in sheer, shimmery or matte, they stay on all day and they moisturize like crazy. I love that they are like a big crayon and I can just throw it on as I’m going out the door. Makes my day very easy!

*Some honorable mentions must be given, if I had the time I would add Mascara and Eyeliner to this list. I love FairyDrops Scandal Queen Mascara. This stuff has little fibers that grab onto each other and add length to your lashes. Essentially fake lashes in a tube. Eyeliners I love:  Urban Decay (all vegan and waterproof!); Smashbox Limitless Liquid Liner, (comes in a felt tip pen style, very easy to apply, waterproof as well) and, last but not least Smashbox Soft Effects Powder Liner, which looks like a liquid liner in the package, actually is a powder that is very very user friendly, is easy to apply, and comes in some fantastic colors and helps create a smoky smudged look in seconds. Anyone that isn’t very comfortable applying eyeliner should try out the Soft Effects Powder Liner, it’s a life changer.

Mayer Hawthorne and dancers- Makeup by Sarah Bahlibi

You moved across the country and started out in a crazy competitive field. Scary! How did you do that and what have you learned from it?

In 2007 my boyfriend and I packed everything we could fit (including Rocko, our dog) into my Honda Civic and moved to Los Angeles. At the time I didn’t think it was crazy or anything. I wanted to pursue my makeup. I think that my first lesson learned was that if I wanted this, I had to go get it. Nobody was going to hand it to me. I went out and about LA and told everyone I was a makeup artist. That was my second lesson, I had to believe in me! I had never done a makeup job before, I had no makeup kit and there I was, telling everyone I could do it. That’s how I got my first job. It was for a very famous company, I had to go to a very famous place, I had to work withvery famous people! I was scared but I did it and somehow managed to convince them that I was a successful, working makeup artist. After that I just kept it up. Since then I’ve learned that in this industry your personality matters as much as your skill. If you have a bad attitude nobody will want you around. Besides that I learned that nothing worth doing is ever easy. In this industry you may be booked for three months straight and then go a month with nothing! You have to keep hustling to get work. I don’t have an agent so I book everything myself and it can be really hard, I think of it as a treadmill that you can never get off of. I have to work really hard just to work really hard and to me, it’s worth it. I always wanted to work a job that I love, and I feel really lucky to be able to say that I do love my job. Against all odds I tell myself I can do it. Keeping a positive attitude is crucial to being a freelance makeup artist.

Jhene Aiko, Makeup by Sarah Bahlibi

Being a make-up artist in Hollywood must offer tons of bizarre/amazing experiences. Tell us more!

Being a makeup artist can be really surreal. Booking a job at the Playboy Mansion for instance. That was pretty mind blowing. I had driven by it a few times while showing people around my new city, but nothing prepared me for those gates opening FOR ME! That was really neat. There is a hotel here in LA, the Chateau Marmont. I’ve always wanted to go in there but been intimidated by how ‘Hollywood’ it seems. You hear crazy stories of celebrity parties and overdoses and power meetings happening there and it sounds like you need  VIP pass to get in. The other day I booked a job for a famous actress and she wanted me to meet her in her room at the Chateau! I was freaking out. I think that’s one of the craziest things about this industry, you have to walk into these famous Hollywood places and act like it’s no big deal when you’re actually freaking out, sweaty palmed and trying not to steal the ash tray for a souvenir. When it comes down to it, working with celebrities is just like working with anyone else, you just have to make sure you don’t trash talk anyone they may befriends with when you’re having makeup time gossip. I learned that lesson the hard way recently while I was working with a very high powered individual. I said ‘You know who seems like a handful? ___ ____!” She turned to me and said “He is a really lovely young man, he always treats me with respect and is a total professional” …. I had to back track FAST! “Yeah, it’s a shame the media really doesn’t get him. He really does seem nice” … Awkward.

Mayer Hawthorne,  Makeup by Sarah Bahlibi

#1 Make-up or beauty rule to remember. Lay it on us, please :)

My number one rule to live by is to moisturize your skin. It is CRUCIAL. It doesn’t matter if you have oily skin, you still have to moisturize. Make sure to use a moisturizer that says it’s non-comedogenic (That means it won’t clog your pores) and use one with SPF.  Besides that everyone needs a different level of moisture but you can never go wrong with Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer w/ SPF 50. I like to think of my skin as a rubber band. Everyone has seen that dried out, old rubber band in the bottom of a desk, all cracked and gross. That is what your face will look when you’re 50 if you don’t moisturize when you’re young.

Thanks Sarah! We’re so excited for you and can’t wait to see where this amazing path takes you!

Sarah with  Anastasia of  Anastasia Beverly Hills

xoxoxo

lexi & lo

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a musical monday

over the weekend, our very best friend, jessie, celebrated her 30th birthday with an all out dance party.  she asked party goers to create a mix tape of their favorite songs to boogie to and bring it with to the party. the result was an eclectic choice of music and an epic dance-a-thon.  there was something for everyone: 60’s soul, straight up rock n roll, a little booty rap, a tiny bit of funk, 80’s pop, garage rock, some disco, some grunge, some punk…our legs are still a little sore from getting down so hard!

here is my mix tape i created just especially for the birthday girl and her special evening. enjoy!

xo.

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we want to give you presents!

hi! we are crazy excited this morning to bring you our very first giveaway! we can’t think of a more adorable gift to give you than these shoe clips made by our friend jessica at so hung up.  aren’t they adorable!? and we think the little burst of mustardy-yellow on your toes is perfect for putting some pep in your step.

so hung up‘s focus is on “cute, one-of-a-kind accessories to add style and dress up even the most basic outfits… winter coats, scarves, plain t-shirts, etc.” she sells brooches and purses as well…perfect gift ideas if you’re trying to buy local/handmade this holiday season. and so hung up will be adding tons of new stuff for the holiday, so keep an eye out for that!

i couldn’t help myself- i had to get my own pair in green to match my favorite fall coat.

pretty darn cute, no? so how do you get your hands on a pretty pair of shoe flair? leave us a comment below telling us how you plan on wearing these adorable clips.  we will select one reader at random and announce the winner on Christmas morning! and don’t forget to sign up to receive email notifications so you’ll be the first to know about giveaways in the future.

xo

lo & lexi

 

please note ~this giveaway is now closed. ~

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define dinner party

looking at pictures (like the one above) of a dinner party i went to last week, i started thinking about the definition of a dinner party. i was also thinking that you should have one and invite me.

when you hear “throw a dinner party” do you envision a gorgeous loft apartment dripping with lights, appetizers that look like still- life, and lots of graceful people who can somehow laugh and sip champagne at the same time without spraying it at the cute guy next to them? i do not. i mean, i used to. then i started throwing and attending real dinner parties. turns out, everyone’s spraying champagne on the cute guy next to them, and sometimes it’s cheap red wine mixed with Squirt instead of champagne, and sometimes there are no cute guys because there are no guys there at all.

what i’m saying is that dinner parties are just dinner with people you want to be around. and they’re so much fun! and i think you should have one!

dinner parties can mean different things, depending on who you ask. i have a friend that loves to create the entire meal herself. impressive. at the dinner party i went to last week, the hostess had everyone bring a different dish. we told stories about our creations while we ate them-  “you should have seen me trying to figure out how to cut up bok choy” or “it turns out I’ve been cooking with lavender bath salts for like 4 months now“- and talked about what we might do differently next time.

trying new recipes is so much fun, but if you and your friends need a cheap and easy night in, have someone grab the bread and cheese and have someone else grab the veggies. or whip up a giant pasta dish yourself. make sure you have something tasty to sip on, be it giant glasses of wine or cozy mugs of cocoa. or water, because i don’t think any of us drink enough of that stuff. if you’re like me, and you just moved, you may be saying things like “please bring your own fork, and a chair please”. due to lack of cutlery and seating, i am currently limited to dinner parties of two. i’m working on that.

you can throw impromptu dinner parties for your roommates, your pet, or “the person you hold hands with”, to quote my friend rosamund. this really just involves providing food with the addition of something special. hell, last week I threw a bunch of kale in a vase and called it a centerpiece! the point is, dinner parties are a gift you give yourself and your friends. you need to eat, so put a bow tie on your cat, throw some votives in some mason jars, and find some hungry people you fancy!  i’ll be patiently awaiting my invitation.

xo

lexi

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