In Spades

Style... in abundance

Fashcap

FashCap1When In Spades first started I began a series called Fashcap as a way to share new, noteworthy and inspiring stories in the fashion world. As I celebrate my second year of blogging, I’m feeling a sense of renewed energy and inspiration for things I want to tackle in my third year, so each Friday I’ll be resurrecting Fashcap as a way to share the things I’m currently swooning over.

1) I’ve had these Zara mules on the brain for months now and keep awaiting the day they come back in stock in my size. At $119 they’re stylish, comfortable and the perfect staple to have in your spring/summer wardrobe.

2) If you follow me on Instagram, you know I attended Create + Cultivate Los Angeles last weekend. Besides being a super inspiring day of fresh, educational content, it was an amazing networking opportunity. Pictured here with my dear friend Kara of Kara Loves Coco, we discovered a new beauty line called H20+ Beauty.  Stay tuned for a review of their products coming to the blog!

3) A lover of elegant staples, I was thrilled to find Dresshirt, a company that creates silk button-ups with a customized message on the back. Now the question is, what message should I choose?

4) I’ve been a huge fan of Alber Elbaz for an eternity and now that he’s on Instagram, I’m more enamored than ever of his creative and kooky spirit.

5) Quirky accessories are totally up my alley.  These translucent TikTak clutches from Urania Gazelli are whimical and oh-so-fun.  What’s not to love?!

Photos courtesy of Zara, Create + Cultivate, Dresshirt, Alber Elbaz and Moda Operandi/Urania Gazelli.

Acai Body Oil by Rudolph Skin Care

If you follow me on Instagram you know I’ve been hinting at bringing makeup and beauty reviews to the blog. Like many women, I’m always on the lookout for new, game changing products and enjoy experimenting with up-and-coming lines, so why not share the love!

My first challenge was to find a new body lotion. After years of using Lubriderm and never bothering to look at the label, I found out it contains parabens. I had recently read about a paraben-free body oil that Helena Christensen used while pregnant. If a supermodel sweared by it, I knew it had to be good.

Rudolph Skin Care is a line out of Denmark committed to creating luxury beauty products free of toxins and harmful chemicals. Similar to Jessica Alba starting The Honest Company, Andrea Elisabeth Rudolph created the line while pregnant after recognizing a void in the market for safe, effective products.

Rudolph Açai Body Oil
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The Details
Made with pure vitamin E, açai, almond, jojoba and olive oils, its primary aim is to strengthen your skin’s elasticity and prevent the signs of aging. It won the Danish Beauty Award in 2011 for “Body Care Product of the Year”.

While I originally searched for a lotion, I am now a total body oil convert. I apply this right after showering and unlike lotion (which is super easy to overuse) a little goes a long way. I use about 6 pumps for my legs and 4 for my arms, chest and stomach. With a faint smell of berries, it’s warm to the touch and I immediately feel like I’m covering myself in velvet.
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Oil vs. Lotion
At first I was concerned an oil wouldn’t absorb quickly and I’d be left waiting 20 minutes before I could get dressed. Not at all the case here. The product absorbs quickly and deeply so I’m able to get dressed right away. If you’ve ever had a HydraFacial, you know what it feels like to get moisturize to the deepest layers of your skin. It’s akin to moisturizing from the inside out – this leaves my skin feeling supple and quenched. I have never felt this level of hydration from lotion or body butter.

Cost and Shipping
Rudolph Açai Body Oil is only available on their website. I’ll admit I wasn’t sure how much I was spending on this until I did the conversation rate. A product of Denmark, you can pay in Danish krone or euros and it comes to about $60 plus $15 for shipping (mine arrived in 3 days!). Definitely a higher price point, but I strongly believe it’s worth it. Our skin is our largest organ and as my mother used to say “you only get one body, so take care of it”.

Final Verdict – Highly Recommend
– Great for women who are trying to prevent the signs of aging, pregnant women, or total skin freaks     like me
– Free of parabens, synthetic colors, synthetic perfumes and essential oils
– Faint berry smell is not overpowering
– Warm to the touch (I can’t wait to use it in winter)
– Absorbs quickly
– Results in exceptionally supple, deeply hydrated skin
– Higher price point
– Limited availability but fast shipping
– Glass bottle is beautiful, but not practical for travel

I hope you find this review helpful. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Macbook Air + Canon Rebel Kit Giveaway

Happy Wednesday! To get you through the middle of the week, I’ve teamed up with a group of bloggers to bring you an amazing giveaway. Two lucky people will win! The grand prize winner will receive a brand new 13.3″ Macbook Air and the second prize winner will receive a Canon camera kit which includes camera body, 2 lenses, camera bag, strap, tutorial DVD, and many more! This is open to international contestants and you must be 18+. Please review the full Terms & Conditions prior to entering. To enter the giveaway, simply follow the instructions in the widget below. The more accounts you follow, the more chances you have of winning! We will pick the winners who are following all accounts. Good luck! Macbook Air + Canon Rebel Kit

Pop Art

Yigal2a Yigal6a Yigal8 Yigal5 Yigal7 Yigal10 Yigal1 Yigal4b Yigal3a Yigal11 Back in March, I had the rare and wonderful opportunity to meet Yigal Azrouel at a trunk show benefitting Miracle Babies. He is as charming and passionate about fashion as you would imagine, and I had a blast playing dress-up in his SS16 and resort collections (not to mention the sample pieces he brought from New York from his yet-to-be released FW16 collection).

I immediately gravitated towards this pop art print dress. I’m quite picky when it comes to prints, but this presented the perfect balance between understated elegance and whimsy. The scuba material is super flattering and kind of irreverent at the same time, which made me fall in love even more.

As with most of the items in my wardrobe, this dress carries with it a special story. I’m a firm believer in wearing pieces that not only make you feel good on the outside, but also spark something magical on the inside. I love that Yigal himself helped me pick it out. One day when I can no longer wear it and have to pass it on to someone else, the story of its origin will continue.

Yigal Azrouel dress // Maje leather jacket (sold out, similar here) // 
Prada sandals (sold out, similar here)

Year Two

YearTwo2 I’m feeling super excited and nostalgic because today is the 2 year anniversary of In Spades!
I remember reflecting on my first blog anniversary and feeling so bright eyed and appreciative of every opportunity and new friendship that had come my way because of the blog. In year two, that same appreciation only runs deeper. The difference is the lens in which I see my world. While I am by no means a veteran, there is a special confidence that comes from another year of experience. The comfortable feeling of knowing that this is what I’m supposed to be doing and the future is open for me to mold.
When you find your tribe, everything changes. I treasure this feeling of community. The encouragement of my blogger friends from across the country. Becoming a regular at New York Fashion Week; witnessing the culmination of 50 years of fashion and discovering new designers that immediately stole my heart. The relationships I’ve built with brands I love and am inspired by. Being featured as a stylist, art director and influencer on dynamic projects.
As our creativity grows and transforms I think it’s important to remember we all start from scratch. I remember starting my blog in the fall of 2013 and telling no one about it because I felt embarrassed. And look at all of the wonderful things that have come out of something I was initially ashamed of! If there’s one message I can impart on anyone thinking of starting a creative project, it’s just do it. It’s really that simple. Begin. Take a note from Ira. He always fires me up.
Here’s to Year Two!
A big thank you to all my readers, peers, friends and family for your continued love and support. It means more to me than you’ll ever know.

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”
– Ira Glass