the price of beauty.

Dear Animal Lovers,
This one’s for you. As I sat down to write this blog post, I had in my mind to write about a certain celebrity and her style, but as I began my research further into her personal style choices, I realized she was a strong believer in fur... Not only did she wear it on the regular basis but she also used it in her own clothing line. And as I still look to this person as a style icon, I don’t believe I want to promote her ways.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge animal lover, and I choose not to wear real fur. I don’t judge anyone for wearing real fur, I think it’s a very personal choice and to each his own, but I decided to make this post about awareness on the matter. If you choose to live a more animal friendly life, here are some of my favorite brands that are fur-free!

You can find a fur-free list of retailers approved by the American Humane Society here:
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/fur_fashion/tips/fur-free_shopping.html



Peace & Love,
Jess

Free People 

 

Stella McCartney

Betsey Johnson

American Apparel

winter trends, the sequel.

Dear Lovely's, 

Can we just talk about my obsession with burgundy for a second. At the beginning of the season I had done a post about my favorite trends for the fall\winter, and well let's just say my small obsession with burgundy, has now grown into a good 5 pieces in my wardrobe (scarf, pants, leggings, shirts) you name it, I got it!

I just think it's a universally flattering color! I haven't found one person yet who can't pull it off? That's right peeps, I'm challenging you to find one person this color doesn't look good on. 

Well that concludes my 30 second rant. Make sure to check out my Facebook Page! And click on that pretty little Like button!

Love your favorite nerd,
Jess

All picture's can be found on my Pinterest page.

join, like, share, whatever the kids are doing now.

Dear lovers of all things fashion, 
I've now got a Facebook Page for the blog! Make sure to check it out, like and share it. 

Lots of love,
Jess

 

 

http://www.facebook.com/jessica.auffrey.burrowed

the mom jean effect.

Dear Mommy’s,

Now I hesitantly write this blog post expecting to get defensive feedback, because woman as a breed tend to get defensive easily when it comes to there kids. But I’m writing it anyways because frankly I don’t care. But here it is... just because you’re a mom does NOT mean you need to stop taking care of yourself! It’s hard work, I know. However it’s not an excuse to put yourself on the back burner.

 

I believe that in the long haul, your kids will look up to you even more because they’ll see that besides being a super mom all the time, you took time to stay at your best, and will ultimately make you feel your best. Kids know when you’re not feeling happy, even if you cover it up with a smile. So to all you Mommy’s out there, go find a babysitter, grab your girlfriends and go shopping! Get a haircut and your nails done while you’re at it, heck go grab a drink. You deserve it.

Now let’s take a minute to admire the always fashionable celebrity mom’s out there! 

freakem dress-ing.

Dear Sexy Ladies, 

That's right, you! Now after having written my last post "the magic of layers.", I feel I should express how important it is not too loose your sexiness or more importantly mixing it up. Beyonce knows what she was talking about, you all have a freakem dress hanging in your closet, go get it girl.

 























To a lot of women the idea of integrating sexiness into your wardrobe is frighting as all hell! I am here to tell you that it's fully okay to be afraid, we don't all have the "Victoria Secret Angels" gene. However I would like for woman not to think of sexy outfits as objectifying yourself, cause it's not! Women have come a long way since wearing corset's, gowns and ultimately anything that would cover their body's. Use your sexuality to your advantage, it can be a powerful thing. 

Being sexy doesn't need to be thought of as being skanky, or looking whore-ish. There's perfectly good way's of doing it the classy way, which should be the only way. For example, when creating a sexy outfit try to focus on one body part to emphasize. Or play it up simply with your hair and makeup, add a deep lip color, or a smokey eye or even tousled hair. Another little trick, just add heals! You can be wearing a big baggy sweater with skinny jeans and barely any makeup, but when you add heals it's instant sex appeal. 

"Your clothes should be tight enough to show you're a woman, but loose enough to show your a lady." -Marilyn Monroe

If it's showing a little skin, or even just putting on red lipstick. There's a way to make yourself feel a little more confident and make you shine. 

Love, 
Jess

the magic of layers.

Dear bears,

You hibernating yet? I know I am! I hate this time of year when it's none stop storm galore... After Christmas I'm done, I don't need snow anymore. But I have a few tricks to help you threw it.

The first thing you all should know is that layers are your friends this time of year. Don't be scared, there quite cozy and warm. It can be overwhelming trying to match layers sometimes, one of my main tricks is, if your working with more then one color of basic then throw in a pattern to break it up. So let's say you have burgundy leggings on, with a black cardigan and dark brown boots. To break it up either button up the cardigan and throw on a printed scarf, or leave it open with a print shirt. This will make it easier to match up, make sure the print is smaller and corresponding to at least one of the colors you have on, so it's not too overwhelming.

The funnest thing about layers is that you can literally turn your outfit from casual to dressy just by switching up your accessories! It's a much smaller bag to bring if your going out right after work, and don't have time to go home. All you need is different accessories, extra makeup and maybe a change of shoes. And voila!

 

 Day                                                                                                           Night

new year, new beginnings.

Dear darlings,
 
I've decided to kick off the New Year's celebrations early with little tweeks to my blog and a fist full of positive thoughts and inspiration. Let's begin with New Years Eve, nothing but the best parties of the year! Have you found an outfit yet? Don't panic too much you still have two more days. And let's face it, no matter how intense you choose to go with your outfit, on New Years Eve nobody really cares, it's the one night a year to have fun and be fancy! Look up "New Years Eve Outfits" on pinterest and all that pops up is sparkle! 

Sparkle, Sparkle, Sparkle!! I think it's the only time of year that it's socially acceptable to wear a high volume of it. Your three key pieces for your outfit is sparkle, a deep fun lip color and amazing shoes! And your all set.

Now for my fist full of inspiration, it began when I moved back home from Toronto. Now don't get me wrong it didn't hit right away, because when I first came back home I was so shaken up by my experience in the big city that everything involving fashion just seemed evil to me. This industry that I worked in and that I loved so truly had broken my heart, and I was like a teenage girl again trying to find her way out of heartbreak. And in the midst of my resentment I felt lost and confused about what I wanted to pursue in life. 

After a lot of soul searching I realized that leaving fashion behind just seemed foolish. There's a reason I loved it so much and that I always found myself coming back to it. Whether it be with modeling, styling or working retail, I love every aspect of it and I feel at my best when surrounded by it.  And though the big city wasn't meant for me, fashion can follow you wherever you go and wherever you choose to put down roots.

I'm slowly learning to separate the good from the bad in the fashion industry. And that not all of it is fake, and not everyone in it is artificial or cruel either. Theirs a fare few of warmhearted people out there that work there amazing magic to make fashion what it is today, and without them I think it'd be lost. The industry represents beauty for a reason, if you look close enough you can see the raw magnificence that lies behind it... the love for the art and the creation that comes out of it.