Three days ago I turned 30. It doesn’t feel much different than any of my 20′s aside from the fact that I know more now than I did then. However, the milestone occasion called for an amazing celebration filled with beaded dresses, bubbles and vintage furs, beautiful people and the Sorrento hotel…

So that night, we said goodbye to my roaring twenties, danced to shout, and counted 2012 away.  2013, I can’t wait to see what you bring.

View the rest of the photos here…

A recent article on ZDNet posited that Google will continue to be the primary search engine of choice for the foreseeable future.  With competitors like Bing clamoring to get a slice of the “search pie”, and Facebook’s experiment in social search, it’s not easy to predict the future of search engines.  The data, however, leads to interesting questions on just what it means to be the top search engine on the new Social Web.

No matter where you are on the web, you’ll hear it eventually: Search and Social are merging.  The introduction of Google+ Local Pages is a prime example of search giants merging social networking with search results – using logged-in user information for better places results.  The challenge to competitor search engines is first convincing people not to use Google, and second, competing with the vast array of product Google offers.   On the whole, most average internet users are just fine with Google’s services, making the search juggernaut a household name – “Just Google it!”  Since that’s where the majority of users are, that’s also where the advertisers are.

Another challenge competitors will face is to offer a search index as extensive as Google.  It would be hard to provide better search results, better user interface, and better integration with all the other applications users use – Gmail, Youtube, Maps, and documents (Google Drive), for example.  Even those who say that mobile apps and vertical portals will weaken Google’s search profits have to consider the iOS6 Maps debacle.  One article claims that the “Giants [are] fighting a war for shrinking territory”, but even mobile apps are distributed via Google Play – which can be found on both Android and Apple devices.

But what if there was an insidious search option that’s used by over 845 million active users– 425 million users on mobile alone, each day?

What if there was an unsung search giant with over 100 billion collective connections – accounting for 1 out of every 5 pageviews on the internet world wide?

What if this search giant already had access to all the data a search engine would need to curate results based on interests, event attendance, app activity and social interaction – that was willingly given by users to the search engine, and updated constantly, making it some of the most in-depth and ACCURATE data available?

What if that Search Engine was Facebook?

Users may not like the idea of a Facebook Search Engine – but Facebook doesn’t strive to be a search engine.  Facebook has the power to develop a social search option, which provides accurate results based on user profile and social data already provided.

The difference between Facebook and Google is the relatively little time it takes Facebook to crawl pages and glean information, versus the time it takes Google crawl lines of code and guess everything about the search user based on a meager amount of information.  Where Google searches are all weighted nearly equally (with the exception of +1 votes for pages), and rely solely on search terms, Facebook likes, in app activities and “action links” help prioritize pages.  Facebook users actively identify the types of content they share, allowing businesses to personalize content and driving engagement.

Of course, Google offers profile personalization, and with Google+ the search giant has taken steps towards becoming more social.  Still Google+ posts on average have less than one +1, less than one reply, and less than one re-share.  Users spend on average 3 minutes a month on Google+, whereas they spend over 400 minutes on Facebook.   Google+ engagement levels are so low that they actually rank BEHIND MySpace.

All these things are changing the current search paradigm, to create new social searches that provide better results with better data.  Since Facebook has tried extremely hard to keep from competing directly with Google, Bing and Facebook have partnered to give Bing’s search results a more social aspect – this may have helped Bing’s Search Market Share, which has been slowly, but steadily increasing.  Of course, where privacy is concerned, Google still has more authority than Facebook.   Google claims that 50 million users make use of Google’s “enhanced” products each day – including Gmail.  Where search is concerned Google still eats up 66.8% of the Search Market Share.  That leaves Google as the reigning king of search… for now.

••••

For bloggers, consider what this would mean for your search results – having a branded Facebook page for your blog, online store, or web presence may make you easier to find in search results.  This is especially true if you have a good-sized FB following.  Encourage your readers and commenters to connect, and then engage them for best results.

While we’re working on the hormones and regimen that will make my skin pretty again, I’ve found a seemingly magical remedy for those big, deep, bad-boys that pop up under your skin.  It’s calming, and soothing, while drying out pimples (but not overly-drying my skin).  What is it??

Lavender Oil. 

It started when we took a little trip out to the San Juans – specifically, Friday Harbor. On the island there’s a little place called the Pelindaba Lavender Farm. I’d been recommended a trip there by a friend and since I love the smell of lavender, I picked up a little roller bottle of lavender oil (to be used as perfume, or whatever), and a spray bottle of lavender body mist (AKA: Floral water or hydrosol; basically just the oil mixed with a binder and water).

Lavender Body Mist from Pelindaba Lavender Farm

There was a little card attached to the body mist that said, “Use as a general body fragrance, as well as to rehydrate dry skin, cool sunburn, and soothe minor irritations.  For a special summertime treat, keep cold and use as a facial refresher.”

Of course, it had been hot and sticky, so as I was going to bed, I sprayed some of this mist on my face – hoping it would a) be refreshing and b) would have magical powers.  I patted it in, after my moisturizer and went to bed.

In the morning I woke up and the giant pimple on my chin, that had been there for the last week had dramatically subsided.  In the interest of science (kinda) I decided to continue this same remedy the next night.  By the morning of day 2, the blemish was almost gone – and with none of the ill effects of slathering crazy chemicals on my face, trying to beat it down.

I’ve tried this again since then.  Once a big ol’ zit pops up on my face (usually just a large red lump), I squirt a little of the lavender water on a cotton pad, swish it all over the area, and wait  (after cleansing of course).  By the next morning the lump is almost gone and doesn’t hurt anymore.  If it’s a really bad blemish, I’ll put a little of the full strength oil on my fingertip and pat it into the bump.

I did a little research on the stuff and found out that the reviewers at Makeup Alley LOVE lavender oil for this same reason – giving it a 4.6 out of 5 for facial treatments.  The research I found noted that lavender is one of the gentlest essential oils – one of the only oils that can be put on the skin, undiluted, with very few negative side effects.  It’s both antiseptic and anti-inflammatory. It can be applied neat on acne or bug bites – which works really well if you’re like me, and are super allergic to bug bites. For spot treatment, just dab a little bit on with a finger, or q-tip.  For larger areas, mix a drop or two of lavender oil with a little bit of lotion, and rub that shit in!

I’m not doing anything different in my routine than I have been doing – the other products I like to use are Lush’s Aquamarina (cleanser), Dermalogica Microfoliant (exfoliant), and DDF’s Moisturizing Dew (moisturizer).  I generally use tinted moisturizer by Smashbox during the day, although sometimes my skin calls for something a little heavier – like a powder foundation.  We’ll see how well this remedy continues to work.

Have you ever tried lavender as a facial treatment?  Did it work?  Did it give you hives?  Let us know in the comments!

I’m pretty sure blogging helped me get the job I have now. Of course, by that, I mean: all the things I learned while learning to be a blogger helped me into my current position. I freelance – it’s a long-term contract position with a fantastic Social, Marketing, and Web company.  I work from home, so the premise is much the same. I have assignments – long term.  I pay my own self-employment taxes.  It’s adult.

The IFB tips are great, and they are just the tip – of the freelancing iceberg, that is.  Freelancing is tough, but it’s totally worth it.  Here are 3 things to remember:

1. Get up in the AM like everyone else, get ready for, and go to work.  AKA: Why I Won’t Work in My Pajamas. 

It took me a WHILE to figure this one out.  “Really?  I have to get up and go to work like everyone else?  But I work from home!”

That didn’t work for me.  I’d wake up at 9:30, sometimes even 10.  It would take forever to get moving.  I would schlep around in my pajamas… And I didn’t feel nearly as productive as if I would have gotten up at a set time, got dressed (or really, brush my hair + teeth, and put on NOT-pajamas), had breakfast, and started work at a set time.

Now I do this.  It’s important.   I do make a point to get up at a set time each day.  I make sure that I eat something, and that I put on real clothes instead of sitting around in my underwear and a sleep shirt.  Sometimes I’ll even put on tinted moisturizer (nothing crazy here) because it makes me feel like a real human being.  And when I feel like a real human being, I’m more productive.

Side note:  Some people can’t freelance because they’re at home.  There are a million things you need to do at home – like clean your bathroom – and it can be hard to prioritize your work.   Alternately, you might be tempted to slough off – like eating bonbons and reading trashy novels – instead of working, because you ARE at home.  If you struggle working from home, do the cafe thing, until you get into a set rhythm in your routine.   Alternately, look into something like Loosecubes where you can find co-working spaces.  Set yourself up for success from the start.

2. Get up periodically throughout the day and do something COMPLETELY different.

Sometimes when the Mr gets home from a long day at the office, I feel a little manic.  He’s the first person I’ve seen all day!  It’s exciting!  Sure I’m talking to people from work online, or I’m blogging, or I’m communicating in general, but the truth is that when I’m parked at my desk for 8 hours, nonstop, I start to feel a little crazy.  You know what helps?  Taking a damn break.

Wanna hear some science on that?   Taking regular breaks from mental tasks improves productivity and creativity, while skipping them can lead to stress and exhaustion.

I make sure to take a lunch break – where I’m not at my computer.  For my sanity (and for J’s sanity when he gets home from work) it really helps if I get up, get away from my PC, and do SOMETHING.  Walk the dog.  Eat a sandwich and read a book in the sun on my porch.  Hit the gym.  Do a load of laundry.  Ultra glamour – I know – but I have realized that I need to make time to pause throughout the day.  Not just lunch breaks either: I have to write in those breaks that would be normally scheduled if I worked for anyone but me.  And it works.  I feel better about my work, and I feel like I get more done.

It also helps your brain reboot.  Working on a frustrating project?  Take a time out, do a 3 minute dance party in your office where you dance around like a damn fool to whatever floats your boat.  When you sit back down to tackle that thing that was bugging you, you’ll be able to look at it with a fresh set of eyes.

3.  Make to-do lists.  Make to-do lists of to-do lists.  I like lists. 

When I’m done in the afternoon, I like to write myself a list of “shit I need to do tomorrow”.  These are usually prioritized, so the big big tasks (or sometimes the repetitive stuff, depending on what it is) get written down first, and then lesser tasks.

Lists are perfect for freelancers because a) crossing stuff off  gives you a sense of accomplishment in a medium where your end result isn’t necessarily tangible and where there’s not really anyone to congratulate you on – you know, transferring 1100 products from one site to another or whatever it is you’re working on, and b) lists help me stay organized in what I need to do and what I’ve been able to do.  They help me for billing purposes later – so that when I’m invoicing, I can type all the stuff I’ve crossed out into my time sheet.  Bravo!

Bonus: Get better at managing your own time. 

Yeah, lists will help.  And being productive because you know when to get up and dance out your frustration will help.  But the best thing you can do for yourself as a freelancer is to get into the habit of documenting and estimating how long it’ll take you to do things.  Your boss wants 3 blog posts done for this client in an hour – do you know how long it ACTUALLY takes to do that?

As a freelancer, time management is CRUCIAL.  My friend David SWEARS by the Harvest app, saying that it’s great for tracking time, adding notes, and estimating time. If you’re not ready to schill out the $50 to get it, use Excel and a stopwatch.  Note the time you started, how long it took you, and what you did.  Start this now.  Do it for your blog posts (I’ve been working on this post for exactly half an hour – which is pretty good for a 1000 word post).  Do it for your laundry.  Do it for your morning routine (didn’t Fabulously Broke write about that?).

Just don’t beat yourself up when you go over your estimate.  Adjust your estimate, and maybe find ways to shave off a little bit of time here or there, until you can become accurate.  Really REALLY accurate.

So that’s that.  Tips for freelancers.  Do you have any super great tips for freelancers that I didn’t write about?  Put ‘em in the comments!

Pineapple + Hicks – Brooklyn Heights

One thing I loved was people watching – either while wandering around, or while riding the Subway.  There are a lot of super super chic ladies who ride the subway – which means a lot of outfit inspiration (and also some Vice-worthy “Don’t's”.  Would it have been super creepy to snap photos?  We’re talking denim vest, no bra, hot pants + a garter belt, with sparkly high tops and a teeeeeeeeny backpack.  David will totally agree on the weirdness factor.) .

I felt like there was some truth in saying that in New York, you can really work a “look” – style is on display and if you ever want to try a look, NYC is the place to do it.  That said, I saw a lot of “Fashion for the rest of us”.  Easy, go-to outfits for when you’re sipping an iced Americano at Vineapple in Brooklyn.  In fact, Brooklyn is where I saw this look – a look I liked so much I had to go out and find the most colorful farmer shirt I could to recreate it.  Brooklyn girls are babes.

The recipe: one super colorful checked shirt (Old Navy. Not my usual, but this shirt was perfect), one pair of slim (black) trousers (Vivienne Tam), one pair of little white flats (Vintage from Sustalux), add jewelry and accessories as needed.

I’ve been lazy and my hair is long enough now to toss it up in a messy… something.

Add a couple funny faces, and light, summertime makeup (tinted moisturizer, a little eyeliner, a little lipgloss, mascara, and a peachy bronzer).

Voila!  I like the vintagey look of this top tucked into slim pants (it feels very mid-century to me).   I also love the white-white-white accessories.  White flats, white bag, white watch, white sunnies.  High contrast, low effort.

I know someone’s wondering “How the EFF  are you wearing that in the middle of summer?!”  Lucky us, it’s 65 degrees right now.  Our little secret is that Seattle summers mean temperatures anywhere from 65-93 on any given day.  Most of the time it’s between 75-80.   Of course, we only get sun for 3 months out of the year.  Hooray!  (I love it, but I know sun-lovers don’t.)

What do you think of this Brooklyn-inspired outfit?  I say, “Thank you random subway girl for showin’ me how it’s done.”

Smell is a potent sense, especially when it comes to memory.  Memories can be tied to a particular smell, whether it’s pecan pie and Thanksgiving dinner at your grandmother’s, or the smell of your father’s favorite cologne. Whatever the smell and memory, these two together can elicit some of your fondest times year after year.

Incorporating particular smells into your wedding celebration can form brand new scent associations for your friends and family. Just think about it. Whenever you smell thyme or lavender, you can remember sitting at the head table next to your new life partner or dancing with your father.

If you have a favorite herb, like mint or basil, you can make that the focus of your wedding. Otherwise, you can create an herb smorgasbord and relish the rich, fresh scent of the garden as you and your guests celebrate and remember the happiest day of your life. Here are a few ideas on how to make your wedding smell absolutely delicious:

In the Bouquet

Image Source:  Teemiesblooms.com

 Herbs are beautiful living plants and they work well in a bouquet, as an accent to the flowers, or as the main event. Consider incorporating a few tall lavender sprigs or some baby’s breath to add some color to the ensemble. The best part? After the wedding, your bouquet will bring its delicious fragrance to your home for weeks. You can even save the dried herbs to use in your favorite recipes

As Favors

Image Source: Eventstoatdc.com

 Give your guests potted herbs as favors that they can take home and plant, or use right away, straight from the pot. Include an instruction card if the herbs you choose are choosy (i.e. they need a specific amount of light, extra water, etc.). Many farms will sell sprouted herbs in bulk so you don’t have to start your seeds from scratch. 

In the Cocktails

Image source: Onereputation.com

 Unify your theme by using the same herbs in your cocktails that you give as favors. Mint is particularly delicious in alcoholic beverages. Mojitos are refreshing rum-based drinks with sugar, lime, and fresh muddled mint. These are perfect for a hot summer wedding!

In the Food

Image source: 3.bp.blogspot.com

 Incorporating your favorite herbs into your cuisine is easy—think rosemary chicken or pesto pasta. Ask your caterer about getting herbs from a local garden and make sure they’re organic.

 ♠

About the Author: Kate Harrison

GBG’s CEO, Kate L. Harrison, has a JD in Environmental Law and a Master’s from Yale in Environmental Policy. She planned her own green wedding in 2007 and wrote the bestselling green wedding book The Green Bride Guide: How to Plan an Earth-Friendly Wedding on Any Budget (Sourcebooks, 2008). In 2009, she founded www.greenbrideguide.com to help couples use their weddings to promote social and environmental change and supports the local green economy.

This outfit is still super current, even though the photo was taken about a year ago.  In New York, I saw a ton of printed maxi dresses – the print is key -and for summer, they can be the easiest option to slip into when the temperature rises.  To make it a little less boob-a-licious, I tossed a little silk vest over the top – it added structure, without adding extra weight or layers.  It would also be great with a denim or chambray shirt.   I like to pair with flat sandals or wedges, and big statement jewelry like this Tarina Tarantino necklace.  To layer, I throw sweaters, little jackets, cardigans, and vests over this dress, as the weather dictates.

Looking back in time... A year ago, this was what I was wearing.

Details:

• Print maxi dress - Moda International
• Black silk vest – Amanda Uprichard
• Tarina Tarantino heart necklace
• Blue Lela Rose wedges from Payless

So, what were you wearing a year ago?  How do you wear it now?  Is it still current?

When it comes down to expressing your view on the internet, you’re preaching to a choir who already has an opinion, doesn’t care about much else, and has a list of mean-spirited reasons at-ready to tear you down with – including that set of outfit pictures you meticulously posed for.   I know you’re shaking your head in disbelief, but this Slate article hit the nail right on top of its pretty little head:

It’s a prime example of the feminist blogosphere’s tendency to tap into the market force of what I’ve come to think of as “outrage world”—the regularly occurring firestorms stirred up on mainstream, for-profit, woman-targeted blogs … They’re ignited by writers who are pushing readers to feel what the writers claim is righteously indignant rage but which is actually just petty jealousy, cleverly marketed as feminism. These firestorms are great for page-view-pimping bloggy business. But they promote the exact opposite of progressive thought and rational discourse, and the comment wars they elicit almost inevitably devolve into didactic one-upsmanship and faux-feminist cliché. The vibe is less sisterhood-is-powerful than middle-school clique in-fight, with anyone who dares to step outside of chalk-drawn lines delimiting what’s “empowering” and “anti-feminist” inevitably getting flamed and shamed to bits. Paradoxically, in the midst of all the deeply felt concern about women’s sexual and professional freedom to look and be however they want, it’s considered de rigueur to criticize anyone… who dares to seem to want to sexually attract men.

I sit, reading that and recall several posts where, for example, fashion bloggers are torn down for choices, for outfits, and for the ever-increasing hot topics cropping up in the fashion world. (A good post on that?  Check out Fashion Blogger Bashing on Grechen Blogs).  Example: I’ve seen multiple comments about one certain blog – a prime example of jealous rage (for a great read on that – click here), stemming from insecurity and a sense of self righteousness.  And no offense to Sister Wolf, here – who is often poignant or funny, this post just exemplifies my point about that one blog that often comes under fire.

… Instead of mimicking the old directly anxiety-making model—for example, by posting weight-loss tips and photos of impossibly thin models like a traditional women’s magazine—Jezebel and the Slate and Salon “lady-blogs” [among others - Birdie's emphasis...] post a critique of a rail-thin model’s physique, explaining how her attractiveness hurts women. The end result is the same as the old formula—women’s insecurities sell ads. The only difference is the level of doublespeak and manipulation that it takes to produce that result…

Oh yeah – being a small person, I get to read all those articles on how even naturally well-proportioned, beautiful models’ “attractiveness  hurts other women” or that “Curves are In” and my body type isn’t.  I happen to have been built small.  I realize that real-life women are not necessarily angry at me because of my size, and that many women in reality could care less about the contents of my closet – but many “feminist” blogs play on this faux-outrage and women (including yours truly) sometimes fall for it.  What’s worse are the bands of trolls who hop into the fray, with slurs of eating disorders, anorexia, illness, pretentiousness, selfishness, show-off; all vile words of hatred.

Evil words pontificate outrage on how an author is the bad guy for everything from being small, to wearing interesting looks others can’t afford, or liking ultra-high robo-geisha shoes.  I’m supposed to be outraged at how people hate me.  Readers are supposed to be outraged at how I don’t want to be hated – how I want to be me.  The cycle begins, and pageviews soar.

It’s certainly important to have honest, open conversations about the issues that reliably rake in comments and page views—rape, underage sexuality, and the cruel tyranny of the impossible beauty standards promoted by most advertisers and magazines (except the ones canny enough to use gently lit, slightly rounder, older, or more ethnic examples of “true beauty”). But it may just be that it’s not possible to have these conversations online. On the Web, writers tend to play up the most jealousy- and insecurity-evoking aspects of controversy, and then anonymous commenters—who bear no responsibility for the effects of their statements—take the writers’ hints to any possible extreme. It’s just how the Internet works.

At the same time, many posts on these sites aren’t consciously written with the twisted mess of intentions I just described. Probably many of the writers feel that their work is helping women by exposing sexism and getting important women’s issues onto their radar. But especially for Jezebel writers, whose page-view-generating skills are a matter of public record, and whose careers are dependent on maintaining their stats, the pressure to continuously hit “outrage world” topics must be intense…

It makes me think about every time I’ve scrolled through comments on Slate, Jezebel, or any other “outrage inducing” blog post, reading the legions of comments ripping both the writer and each other to shreds.  It’s like any decency one may have goes to hell as soon as they hit the next hot-button topic on the net.  Of course, nameless and faceless makes all the more reason to speak out, right?  And each outrage-inducing post plays into our dire need for self validation.

“It’s easier to fight online, because you feel more brave and in control”.

And while we’re crying outrage at a system that lets these hot-button topics and transgressions happen, while we’re out tearing each other apart instead of fostering intelligent discussion, we’ve become victims of a system that is subversively wielding our clicks and cash-flow, making money off our outrage.  We’ve become part of a system that – instead of unifying – is slowly tearing itself apart, limb-from-limb in an attempt at feeble self-validation and monetary gain.  (I have the feeling there’s going to be one person who says “This post is exactly what you’re complaining about.”  The difference?  I think pageviews are an unreliable measure of my success.)

How do we break this cycle of unintelligent criticism?  Is it as simple as not judging and just accepting, and how do you teach an entire internet movement to be so civil?  Is it worth putting our positive vibes and discussions out there?  Do we refrain from participating in “outrage-world” and it’s inherent discontent – disengage from the wash of negative media offered by authors and trolls alike?  Or is that simply “the way the Internet is” – a conscious problem to be considered, but ultimately ignored?

First things first – packing for NYC in June.

It’s been hot as hell here.  For real.

Best idea?  Collared Slouchy Tunic from Bellatrix (Nordstrom) -  It hit like 97 the second day I was really *here*. And it was awful. But I felt cuter than I would have with just a cotton tank on – I layered this over one of my Spun tanks for instant cool.  It was kind of nice because you couldn’t tell that I felt like swamp-thing underneath (read:  did your antiperspirant give up? Don’t say anything and nobody will ever know!).

My first mistake was this:  I looked at the same style top in natural fabric – silk.  I chose this top for the style, but I wished I had gotten the natural fabric for how hot it was.  I’m not sure it would have made a difference, though.

My second mistake was: TOO MUCH VOLUME!  Not really thinking, I paired it with a black cotton maxi skirt, but I bought the top in a larger size than I probably needed – for volume – and I didn’t belt it.  Not accessorizing it turned the entire outfit into a giant black/white column.

I’m sure it looked fine in person, but it didn’t photograph well.  Oops.  Note to self.

My third outfit mistake:  The pavement here gets hot.  And I wore sandals.  I found out what happens when your thin-soled, gladiator style sandals hit the hot pavement – the heat seeps through.  Cute?  Yes.  Practical?  No.  I ended up with hot spots on the bottoms of my feet (nothing a good sit, a drink, and some AC couldn’t fix).

I rate this outfit – cute, but needs improvement.  But what do I know?  What do you think?

Detail - Collared Slouchy Tunic from Bellatrix (Nordstrom), Black cotton maxi skirt (Nordstrom), White Sandals (AE).  Cleves Ring (Wendy Brandes), Black and white geometric wood + resin bracelet (Paloma Picasso for Tiffany’s), Oversized sunglasses (Michael Kors), Bombata classic laptop case, Straw boater hat with chiffon flower (Brooklyn souvenir!).

Recently, I had a note from the reps for Tiffany’s saying that the company has launched a new style in an alloy called “Rubedo”.  I’ve been seeing this line all over the place – especially on campus (where I should be documenting all the fun style I’m seeing…)

But the thing that intrigued me about Rubedo wasn’t the new styles (though… OH WOW.  I love some of the larger pieces) or the color (it’s really pretty) but the makers marks they’ve included on all the pieces.  I’m a sucker for detail – especially vintage detail – and this year, for their 175th anniversary they’ve included Tiffany’s signature on their 1837 designs.  How cool, right?!

The bangles are beautiful… and they have the locks that have been super popular in the last couple years.  The piece I’ve been seeing the most is this 1837 ring – both in this large width and in a standard width.  And I don’t know what it is about this rosy colored metal, but I like it (and I’m usually such a silver/platinum girl).

But this piece – the large cluster necklace was a showstopper!

And of course – I tried them on.  The rep that I talked to mentioned that generally, bangles don’t fit every girl.  However, if you’re like me, and your hands are pretty slim, you’ll probably be able to wear the Tiffany’s bangles, since they come in Small, Medium and Large.  As a girl with slimmer hands, I found that these bangles don’t slide down over your hand (which can really hurt!).  I like that they stay mostly on my wrist instead of creeping down my arm…

I really love the amazing detail – especially with the signature, since makers marks have always been fascinating to me.

Find out more about Rubedo at Tiffanys.com.

Disclosure: Nope!  No gifts from Tiffany’s here – but I did get to go try on fancy jewelry, and I DO really like this collection.