CLASSICS FOR FALL

While San Francisco is pretty chilly, it's not often that I need a heavy winter coat. I've been adding more and more light jackets to my wardrobe, and I love the Choies option below. The draped shape and 3/4 sleeves are pretty ideal for the Fall.

Hat, The Iconic $34 - Shirt, Uniqlo $15 - Jacket, Choies $35
Jeans, H&M $21 - Flats, B.P. $50
Bag, Black Five $42 - Bangle, Jeweliq $25

FRIDAY LINKS

• 22 Celebs Riding The Subway
• This KLM Airlines dog returns your lost items. If I ever fly that airline, you can bet I'm leaving something behind on purpose just to meet this little pooch.
• I really want to go Apple Picking this fall, and I really want this dress to wear while I do it!
• I am always on the hunt for affordable beauty products, particularly skincare. Refinery29 put together a list of 58 products for under $25
• Um, so I REALLY want to visit The Surf Lodge in Montauk after seeing this post on Design Darling. 

ANKLE BOOTS FOR RAINY SEASON

We don't get too much rain here in San Francisco, but when we do I have to bust out my knee high Hunters. Unfortunately, they aren't the best choice for city life because I walk so much. Especially when the weather can't make up it's mind and the mornings are rainy and afternoons are sunny. I really want a pair of ankle rain boots (or rain ankle boots?) for this winter. My number one choice is duck boots, because they look a bit more comfortable. Luckily, shorter rain boots are gaining popularity so there are a lot of choices!

Joules $61

Henry Ferrera $35

L.L. Bean $100

H&M FALL ARRIVALS

Have you scoped H&M's new arrivals? While I generally like H&M in theory, I hardly find anything when I go into the store. It's a little overwhelming for me because there is just so much product. However, after seeing the new arrivals for Fall, I'll definitely be stopping in there this week. I am also impressed that they added more luxury goods, like a leather skirt and cashmere sweaters.

Grey Tee $13 - Oxfords $70 - Sweatshirt $40 - Grey Sweater $25
Leopard Pants $21 - Floral Dress $20 - Tuxedo Jacket $40 - Ruffle Crop Top $40
Leather Skirt $129 - Camisole $13

POSTGRAD BEAUTY: POPPY & PINK LIPS

This weekend I am headed to one of my best friend's wedding. My first friend to get married! The only other weddings I have been to so far have been family, but I guess I am starting to get to that age. I found a very pretty pale blue chiffon dress for the occasion, and have been trying to decide on a lipstick color that would go well with it. I scoured Pinterest for ideas and unfortunately came up with a lot of nude lips, which I am not a fan of. After a lot of searching, I did find some pretty pops of color, and I think a medium pink or a poppy color will be my best bet. 

Poppy Lipstick:

NYX Matte Lipstick 'Indie Flick'  $6

NARS Velvet Matte Pencil 'Red Square' $25

Bite Cashmere Lip Cream 'Vibrant Reddish Orange' $28

Maybelline Color Sensationals 'Vibrant Mandarin' $6

Bobbi Brown Lipcolor 'Neon Pink' $26 

Clinique Chubby Stick  'Curvy Candy'  $17

Stila Lip & Cheek Stain ' Raspberry Crush' $24

Top Shop Lipstick 'Fast Lane'  $13

GET THE LOOK: ECLECTIC LIVING ROOM

As I sort of mentioned in my last 'Get The Look' post, all the white walled Scandinavian rooms on Pinterest photograph beautifully, they seem like they would be a bit boring in real life.  It's almost hard to find home tours or pins that feature a different aesthetic. I saw a home tour on Domaine Home that really struck me, because the design was very bold and eclectic. I am definitely, definitely getting a velvet couch in a fun color for my next apartment.

Image via Domaine Home

Get The Look:

Grey Sofa, Overstock $409 - Ottoman, Wayfair $298 - Pink Couch, Made $1300

Side Table, Lamps Plus $180 - Chandelier, Modcloth $70 - Rug, Zinc Decor $351

Ikat Pillow, Etsy $20 - White Pillows, H&M $5 each - Polka Dot Pillow, Casa $50

Art, Etsy $125 - Plant, Kirklands $4 - Frames, Kirklands $5

I had a lot of fun doing the 'Get The Look' post last week, so I think I may make these a regular occurrence. I would love some feedback from readers!

FRIDAY LINKS

• Oh my god, I love J.J. Watt, especially after this interview! 
• I am literally falling out of my chair right now. Jimmy Kimmel is the best.
• If I had a studio, these curtains would definitely happen. Honestly though? I'm far too messy for that!
• I find it very hard to keep up with all the shows online at NYFW, but one that really caught my eye was Del Pozo. Wow wow wow wow wow.
• This article came at a great time for me and gave a great perspective.
• Seems like you could do a cool, affordable DIY of this planter.

ALL BLACK EVERYTHING

Top, Seed Heritage $50 - Jeans, Boohoo $40 

Bra, Eberjay $50 - Lipstick, Topshop 'Depth' $12 - Nail Polish, Butter 'Union Jack Black' $15

Ring, House of Harlow $38 - Bag, Nasty Gal $45 - Shoes, 2020Ave $33

STRIPES

Image via The Design FilesThis whole home is amazing! 

I have been particularly in to graphic black and white stripes in interior decor, especially when incorporated in unexpected aesthetics. I think of bold stripes as a very preppy decor, but when placed correctly I think they can add a good interest point. I don't think I quite have the eye to figure stripes in to my room, but one place I can definitely add them is in my closet! I may have a few too many stripes already, but they are timeless and I can't turn down a good Breton.

Top Row: Sole Society $40 - Abercrombie & Fitch $18 - Kate Spade $30 - Chic Nova $35
Middle Row: Uniqlo $15 - Monki $19 - H&M $13 - All Modern $51
Bottom Row: Society 6 $20 each (stripe/geo) - Freyrs $10 - Hansel From Basel $25 - Keds $50

POSTGRAD EATS: EASY AND HEALTHY TURKEY-SPINACH MEATBALLS

In the interest of being healthy, I have been trying hard to make more food myself instead of buying pre-made frozen food from Trader Joe's. I don't have a lot of space or time to make complicated recipes, so I am always looking for easy, healthy recipes. I know that I had seen turkey and spinach meatball recipes floating around, but for whatever reason I couldn't find one when I decided to make them. Instead, I combined this recipe from Slimsanity and this recipe from Skinny Taste to make my own version of the meatballs. By no means am I an expert in the kitchen, or a food blogger, but I wanted to share the recipe because it is easy, cheap, and delicious! 

Excellent quality photos, I know. Ha!

• 1/3 Cup Reggiano Parmigiano Cheese
• 1/4 Cup Breadcrumbs 
• 3 Cubes Frozen Garlic (I use Dorot)
• A few stems chopped Parsley
• 2 Tbsp Garlic Salt
• 2 Tbsp Pepper 
• 1 Cup Frozen Chopped Spinach
• 1 Egg
• 1 Package Trader Joe's Ground Turkey Breast

Makes 15 meatballs

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Thaw Frozen Spinach
• Combine all ingridients in a big bowl and mix well
• Roll into golf ball size meatballs and place on baking sheet
• Bake in the oven for ~20 minutes, until the tops start to brown

Serve meatballs over zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash, or No Oodles with tomato sauce. Refrigerate any extra meatballs and eat within a few days. I also toss the cold meatballs on top of my salad when packing lunch, and they are really good with salad too!

POSTGRAD LOVES: DARK LIPS FOR FALL

As I mentioned before, I am not on board with the 'YAY FALL!' train. I am still grasping at Summer, and lucky for me, our summer in San Francisco is just getting started. One aspect of Fall that I am looking forward to is dark lip color. Lipstick has quickly become my favorite beauty product, and I love experimenting with all sorts of colors. I have dark hair and medium tone skin, so I feel like brights and darks look best on me. Good thing, because they are my favorite shades! Last Fall and Winter I frequently wore a really, really dark red that was almost maroon in color. This year, I really want to get as close to a black lipstick as possible, without looking like a costume.

1. Maybelline Color Sensational in 'Deepest Cherry' $6
2. MAC Mineralize Rich Lipstick in 'Lush Life' $22
3. Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balm in 'Enticing' $7
4. NARS Lipstick in 'Liv' $32
5. Make Up Forever Rouge Artist Intense in 'Satin Black' $20
6. TOPSHOP Lip Bullit in 'Bewitched' $10



Image Via

GET THE LOOK: JEWEL TONE BEDROOM

I came across this bedroom on Pinterest in the sea of all white, minimal, swedish-chich bedrooms. I immediately loved the jewel tone, teal headboard with the eggplant colored pillows and all the quirky accents around the room. I pulled look-a-likes for my favorite pieces in the room and I think they all could fit with several styles of room. With a different duvet and wall color, the decor could easily take on a feminine and glamorous or bohemian and luxurious aesthetic.

Image via The Handmade Home

Headboard, Joss and Main $250

Alarm Clock, Casa $13

Rug, Zinc Decor $349

Agate Drawer Pulls, Anthropologie $18

Velvet Pillow, H&M $13

Bolster, Wamsutta $40

Nightstand, Prepac $150

Lamp, Kirklands $40

Ampersand Print, Etsy $20

POSTGRAD LOVES: ZARA BAGS

As silly as this may sound, I don't really like to wear my work clothes outside of work because they feel boring and un-special (is un-special a word? Probably not). I've always been like this, even when I worked retail and had to dress pretty trendy. Lately, I've been on the hunt for a new work bag, but I was having trouble finding a bag that was professional, affordable, and nicer than a store like F21 or H&M. Bags are one part of my wardrobe that I like to invest in, but since I don't picture myself using this bag much outside of work, I don't want to make a huge investment. Enter Zara. I was casually browsing the Zara site and came across their handbag section. I was floored by the collection of work appropriate bags that had nice shapes and cute details. And all of them are so affordable! Now which to choose...

Also worth noting, they have so many cute bags right now aside from the ones shown here. Some beautiful light pinks, bright reds, and fun shapes!

1. Shopper Bag $60 - 2. Leather Shopper Bag $159
3. Shopper Tote Bag $70 - 4. Two-Tone Mini City Bag $80
5. Office City Bag $100 - 6. City Bag with Front Pocket $119

(I just realized that Zara has many different bags all named 'Shopper', strange!)