Bringing it home, every other week

 

Did you know I Bring it Home every other week on CamilleStyles? If you don’t know, now you know – cue Notorious BIG. If you’re missing me you can always find me there every other Monday. I know things have been quiet, ok silent, on Fuji Files this month, due to the unprecedented amount of travel, work and fun – and a cool combination of the three – I’ve been having off of the blog. (Remember that blogging vs. living post?) I went to Newark to be with family, Dallas and Vegas for work, Washington State to escape the heat, and just in case that wasn’t enough excitement for one month – I also moved. 

As you can imagine I’m looking forward to the long weekend, but the 200mph pace continues. Tonight M arrives for a visit and we have a packed schedule which includes food – so much food – sun, water, and a blast from my giddy pre-teen past: the Backstreet Boys. I also have an exciting post that I’m working on coming very soon, with a brand spanking new contributor who you’ll be seeing more of on the blog. 

Have any fun plans for the holiday weekend? Anyone else seeing BSB?!

Bon week-end!

xo C

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SOURCE: CAMILLESTYLES

In the Details:: OOTD with ONecklace

For today’s outfit post I wanted to focus on the details. The tassels on my (borrowed) boots, the criss crossed back of my summer dress, and my most worn pieces of the summer: my necklaces. The top necklace is of a tiny pave hamsa hand, but I’ve had friends mistake it for a corn on the cob so yunno, eye of the beholder and such. It’s so tiny actually that I lost this necklace for a couple months, and when I found it in a pocket I was beyond thrilled and haven’t taken it off since. The bottom necklace is new this summer, and likewise I haven’t taken it off since I received it. I think we’re all familiar with the Carrie element of this necklace. 

Pieces with a moniker or monogram are a fun way to add personal meaning to your look. It’s kind of like how people say “if I get a tattoo I want it to have meaning.”*  This necklace is kind of like that, except, less permanent. 

Not only is this my last name, it is also my nickname from a special friend of mine, so Cleveland is totally apropos. If you’d like your own version of The Cleveland, but with your name, of course, this one’s 24 karat gold plated and surprisingly good quality. Many thanks to ONecklace for sending this little nugget to be a part of my collection! You know how I love my layered necklaces.

dress American Apparel / shoes vintage / hamsa hand necklace Austin street markets / name necklace ONecklace

xoxo Cristina

*Why do people always utter this phrase in a proud tone? As if all who’ve gone before them had said “I’ll have a tattoo please, no meaning thanks.”

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PHOTOS: By Nikki of CHANELWEARS.COM

NEW Haircut + OOTD

I slipped this little bomb into the last post (did you notice?) but I thought I should probably do a proper post finally. “I got a haircut” feels like an understatement, but there you go. It had reached my belly button, the longest it has ever been in my life… to the shortest it has ever been in my life! I like to live in extremes, clearly.

To sum up this weekend: Friday night storm, Saturday afternoon markets, chasing the light for outfit photos as the sun set (see above), a chips and salsa overdose, Sunday morning run by the lake, followed by an eye-opening mezcal tasting, a quick photo shoot at my abode, and with my last bit of energy I managed to upload these photos.

It’s been a long week and I’m fresh out of words for you, but if you guys have any questions about the cut leave ’em in the comments and I’ll respond to them all when I’m feeling more chipper!

shirt Urban Outfitters / pants Zara / sneakers Zara / bag Zara / necklace Onecklace

I hope you had a superb weekend!
xoxo Cristina

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PHOTOS: By Nikki of CHANELWEARS.COM

Let’s Discuss:: Tips from the dressing room

All Zara

I used to be a buddy shopper. I used to enjoy require the company of a friend on my shopping excursions. I would seek the input of friends, store clerks, and passers-by if need be. I did not enjoy a trip to the stores unless I had a trusty confidant by my side. But things have changed. I am now… dun dun dun…  a solo shopper.

Nothing thrills me more than an impromptu trip to a vintage shop by myself or an after-work dressing room sesh. There are no outsider opinions to influence your personal taste, no coconspirators saying “get it! get it!” And you can spend as long as you well please picking through the sale section with a fine toothed comb or turning from side to side in front of a mirror, while your poor friend/boyfriend/mom waits impatiently.

That’s not to say that purchase decisions are any easier. Sometimes it is hard to tell whether you’re a small or a medium. Or whether that drapey top is fiercely edgy or swallowing you whole. Sometimes you can’t tell if it’s the just flattering lights and magic slimming mirrors that make you want that dress. Or whether that seam is poorly positioned (ahem, Anne Hathaway, ahem).

For these scenarios, I enlist the help of a second opinion that never lies: a photograph. I snap a photo of myself in the mirror, and somehow all of the wrinkles, underthings, or bulges come to light. The shortcomings of the clothing seem magnified, and the urgency to buy them melts away. Next time you’re facing a dressing room crisis, I suggest you try a mirror selfie with your phone.

Selfie? Eek. I know. Just the thought sends shivers down my spine, but I never said you had to send them to anyone (although that can help, in a pinch) or post them on your blog (like I, somewhat embarrassingly, have done here). Take a selfie, study it with a discerning eye, and then delete it. Honestly, this has saved me many an ill-advised purchase.

For example, although I liked both of these shirts, neither of them made it home with me. (The black skirt and sandals were what I wore to work that day, but they happen to be Zara too). I couldn’t think of an occasion to rock a kimono shirt, and the white jacquard top, though smart in person, looked unflattering in the photo.

What are your dressing room tips?
How do you decide if a piece will come home with you?
xo Cristina

ps I got a haircut

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DIY FILES:: How to Organize Your Clutch Purses

Clutches: American Apparel, Clare Vivier, Persifor, and K. Slademade.

I often find that the best ideas are the simplest, most why-didn’t-I-think-of-that moments of brilliance. Those but of course lightning bolts that happen when you least expect it – like in the shower, or just as you’re falling asleep. My most compelling thesis arguments always happened mid-shower (quite inconvenient really, when you need to write them down on a piece of paper before you forget). But anyhoo, this is one of those ideas.

This idea comes courtesy of the oh so talented Mackenzie Horan of Design Darling, who decided to start filing her clutches the way she sorts her mail: in an acrylic letter sorter. If you’re thinking “but my clutches don’t stand up by themselves” then Mackenzie’s got you covered, just slip a piece of cardboard into each clutch so that they hold their shape. (This is probably better for them anyway). I actually use this same method to make my tall boots stand up when I display them. 

She found the letter sorter at The Container Store. I think I could actually use one on my desk at work. The best part about this DIY, is that I’m now feeling super inspired to find simple, pretty ways to organize the rest of my home and workspace. What else could you display in a letter sorter? Pretty file folders? Wallets? Lipsticks? I hope this DIY has inspired you to organize one spot in your home or workspace too.

And if y’all haven’t visited Mackenzie’s boutique yet, go now! It’s just darling. 

xo Cristina

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SOURCE: DESIGN DARLING

DIY Sea Salt Spray for Beachy Waves

Oh hey! Are you all super excited for this week’s summer holiday? 3. More. Days. And I’m extra lucky to have Friday off too. I’d say some hot summer lipstick and beachy hair is in order, wouldn’t you? Juuust in case you haven’t mixed yourself up some sea salt spray yet, I thought this tutorial might be appropriate. I can’t actually describe to you how easy this was. Water, (curl-friendly) gel, and sea salt. That’s it! Don’t believe me? Watch this…

In the video I sprayed it in on dry hair, but you could definitely apply this to damp, just-out-of-the-shower hair and it would give you light hold and good wave definition. The bombshell beachy wave thing is all about imperfect, voluminous waves so it’s important to use a product that doesn’t weigh your hair down or give you crunchy curls.

xoxo Cristina

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SOURCE: NATURALLYCURLY

5 Steps to J.Crew Cuffs

 See that little hashtag at the top? #WWJLD. It’s my little mantra for I-don’t-know-what-to-wear days and why-doesn’t-this-look-right moments. What Would Jenna Lyons Do. But thanks to this shirt cuff tutorial from Who What Wear I’ll be one step (ok, one inch) closer to capturing that Jenna Lyons babeness. It just so happens that when I saw this how-to I was wearing a J.Crew chambray shirt (not that much of a coincidence, that’s half the week for me). So I promptly unrolled my sleeves and gave this a try. It really worked! I think the key is in the last two steps, tugging on the corner and then scrunching at the end. It gives that slightly unkempt feel that juxtaposes the polished look of a collared shirt just perfectly.

Give it a try, and let me know if this (or #wwjld) works for you!

xoxo Cristina

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SOURCE: WhoWhatWear

LET’S DISCUSS:: Blogging vs. Living

 

Check out all those flower crowns!

Hi friends. This is a topic I’ve been rolling over in my mind for quite some time, settling on one side of this battle before flipping it over and trying out the other. If you read the title then you know I’m referring to blogging vs. living, or in a broader sense documenting the moment or living it. If you know me in real life then I’ve probably had this conversation with you at least once, coaxed an opinion out of you and shared mine with you.

The thing is, for me personally, I have a faulty memory. I find it very difficult to remember childhood details, and at this point high school is a blur to me, even college is beginning to fade. It always helps when you have someone else’s mind to corroborate your memories with, together you can piece the  puzzle of what it was like to be a 6th grader together. But the best memory aide has always been photos, and even more accurate (and less forgiving) videos. 

So this places me quite squarely on the documenting side of the argument, but I can see the value of experiencing moments without a camera (or now, an iPhone) in your hand. When viewing the world through a small digital viewfinder, there are jokes, nuances, and stories that are sure to be missed. 

I’ve pretty much come to terms with the fact that my photos will be my memories in a few years’ time, but recording and photographing moments has never been my problem. It is taking the time to comb through the 200 photos I took on a given day, and choosing the best 10. Or editing 5 days worth of vacation video into a digestible 2-minute clip. Then comes re-sizing, uploading, and publishing them to the appropriate online platform (blog, Facebook, my blog’s Facebook, and don’t even get me started with Instagram).

Maybe you’ve noticed, maybe you haven’t, but I have been posting with less frequency on Fuji Files (though you can still find me regularly on CamilleStyles and  coco+kelley). You could say I’ve been trying out a little more living in exchange for less blogging. As with all things I think we can all agree that balance is ideal. But balance takes work, for such an unassuming, two-syllable word it takes considerably more work than I think anyone gives it credit for. But that is for another day. For now, I just wanted to let you know that I’m working on it. See photos above.

This was Eeyore’s Birthday Party, “it was named for Eeyore, a chronically depressed donkey in A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh stories who, in one story, believes his friends have forgotten his birthday only to discover they have planned a surprise party for him.“Sound weird? Well it is, I probably should have mentioned that I live in Austin, and the birthday party is an annual tradition in Austin’s hippie sub-culture. Think drum circles, costumes, glitter and birthday cake. 

As a demonstration of everything I have just written, I thought it would be appropriate to share these photos of me, living, taking pictures, and not editing the photos until 3 months later.

I’d also love to know if any of you deal with blogging vs. living, and if you have any advice for a fellow blogger.

xoxo Cristina

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SOURCE: PERSONAL

Kendra Scott Giveaway!

 

Nothing brightens up a Monday like a giveaway, am I right? So as I’ve mentioned before, I’m the Editor of a beauty website based here in Austin, and the fabulous jewelry designer Kendra Scott is an Austin local as well. So me and my friends Evelyn and Nikki put this wedding video together,  along with a giveaway from our friends at Kendra Scott. We’re giving away four pairs of Kendra Scott earrings, if you’re interested simply watch the video and vote for your favorite hairstyle in the video comments 🙂

xoxo Cristina

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BEAUTY FILES:: Side Braid Hair Tutorial

So this is kind of exciting, it’s my very first hair tutorial on YouTube! Let’s be clear I don’t presume to be as unhumanly perfect as Miranda Kerr, just that I really liked her side braid (which gives the appearance of a half shaved head) at the punk Met Gala.

Pssst I’ll let you in on a little behind-the-scenes (as if there were actually scenes) secret: I totally don’t know how to French braid. I had to muddle my way through it while filming this and I’m really quite proud of the outcome!

Could you tell?

xoxo Cristina

WANT MORE VIDEOS?
My DIY crystal magnets
My DIY flower crown
Cooking bacon & egg scones

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