Catherine has been the blazer queen as long as I can remember! I took a trip down our archives and found some of my favorite blazer looks from her that I liked at the end of this post. It was so fun to see the fun looks over the years and see how some of her style has changed and some has remained true!

A blazer is a perfect piece for layering in the Spring and Fall. It can be the icing on the cake of a fabulous outfit and take a simple outfit from *blah* to *ta-da* !! I added a white blazer to my closet when my friend Nena did a collaboration with Petal & Pup and I have to say it has become one of my most worn pieces.

Everyone talks about having the perfect black blazer, but I honestly think a white blazer is just as much a wardrobe staple! The white adds extra dimension and we think you can wear the white blazer year round. I have rounded up some of my favorite white blazer outfits on us and you’ll find a bunch of white blazers linked below!

here are a few ways we like to style white blazers>>

The perfect “third piece” to a spring or fall outfit! With jeans and a tee. With heels or boots. We love this combo.

Have a black tie event or gala to go to in the winter time? Ditch your coat and wear a chic white blazer over it instead.

Another recent Cathclaire favorite is the long denim skirt! I love how shes rocking this look.

I’m more of a mini dress gal myself, and love the contrast of the oversized white blazer with the black dress.

(yes, we both showed up to a recent event wearing white blazers, hehe)

CATH’S PREVIOUS BLAZER LOOKS

Red Blazers for Valentine’s Day

A Cathclaire Favorite: The Statement Blazer

3 Ways to Dress Up Denim

PIN FOR LATER

The post Wardrobe Staple: The White Blazer appeared first on the crystal press fashion blog.

the one where rebecca and cathclaire layer up to look like fashion icons mary-kate and ashley olsen

*this post was originally written in October 2020, but has been updated with current costume piece picks.

The leaves are falling here in Richmond but it is rare we get a true, crisp fall day. Regardless of the lack of fall weather, spooky season is here and you know what that means? HALLOWEEN!

After some long walks and brainstorming, we are so excited to show you are Halloween Costume for 2020 : The Olsen Twins.

When we first started The Crystal Press years and years ago, we would get all dressed up for outfit pictures. Back then, getting dressed up involved putting on just about every cool thing we owned – at one time – in a very Olsen way. We were reminded of this fact when we were brainstorming our looks for this Halloween Costume, perusing endless photos of our favorite fashion icons, and trying to decide which look to replicate.

We decided to go for a look of Mary Kate and Ashley in the airport, coffee in tow, in matching socks and sandals. Is there anything more Olsen than socks and sandals? Okay, maybe a big Starbucks coffee cup but you get my drift. To get the full look: think chic bag lady. Throw on several billowy layers of black clothing, dramatic sunglasses, your socks and sandals combo, and a Starbucks cup and YOU ARE AN OLSEN! Luckily for us, we already had a closet full of Olsen-esque clothes so these outfits were oh, so easy to replicate. If you want to get super extra, carry a fake, unlit, or real cigarette – whatever tickles your fancy.

We are mega-fashions of what the Olsen twins have done in the fashion world with The Row and Elizabeth and James. Our dream closet would be full of their pieces, for SURE. All of the classic closet staples made of dreamy, luxe fabrics….. We could actually go on about this for days, but for now, here’s some more photos from the Halloween inspired shoot.

The Olsen twins have been an inspiration to us since the 90s with their *killer* fashion in movies like Billboard Dad and It Takes Two. Mary Kate’s backwards hat was iconic, right? And did anyone else watch Holiday in the Sun approximately a million times?

Olsen fans, leave your favorite move in the comments!

What are you dressing up for this Halloween? XO Cath + Reb

~ PIN FOR LATER ~

The post The Crystal Press As Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen appeared first on the crystal press fashion blog.

the newest brand you need to try: NEIWAI  for activewear, loungewear and intimates. 

We recently hit the court at Keswick Hall with Dr. Scholls and for the shoot, Catherine and I wanted to get some new stuff. Like, new new new. Something we hadn’t tried before! So we reached out to some friends who introduced us to NEIWAI. And wow, what a great brand. I loooooove discovering new brands. It feels like I am breathing new life into my wardrobe and adding new options to get dressed each day makes the days a little more exciting.  Let’s be real, getting dressed isn’t always fun when you are rushing around with a one year old in the morning! 

So new things are just that much more exciting!

ANYWAYS,  a little more about NEIWAI.  Think comfortable, quality pieces you want to LIVE IN that are aesthetic to boot. Basically the dream right? They have fantastic activewear, loungewear and intimates. And when I say their underwear is amazing, that is an understatement. It’s called Barely Zero for a reason. And the activewear is buttery soft.  Yep, I said buttery soft.  It is comparable in price to lululemon, athleta etc and I think fits even better and is more comfortable.  SHOP the MOUSSE ACTIVE COLLECTION here.

AND THE PAJAMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We had a sleepover at Keswick and got to snap a few photos in our pajamas and I am purely obsessed with the photos. And the pajamas! I am wearing the Cafe Print Pajamas Shirt & Shorts and I have actually also been wearing the set out of the house, too. It is so chic. Catherine is wearing the Flower Print Classic Embroidered Pajama Top & Pants (selling fast!) and I love how the two sets look together!

SO, if you are looking to try something new and want to invest in some new pieces you’ll wear often, for a while, I urge you to give NEIWAI a shot! They gifted us these pieces, but this post was not sponsored! I just fell in love with them.

The post brand spotlight: NEIWAI appeared first on the crystal press fashion blog.

If you are a busy women who enjoys the glamorous process of getting ready but don’t always have the time you need for FULL glam, this product review of Color Wow’s Dreamcoat Supernatural Spray is for you.

Color Wow Dreamcoat Supernatural Spray is a haircare product that I have been eyeing for weeks. I was hesitant to purchase because of the price point and because I tend to be a sucker for products involved in the oh-so-fun process of getting ready and have been duped by this category’s advertising more times than I can count. (Hence why I have a blog basically about shopping L O L)

OK – if you want the cliff notes of cathclaire’s review of the Color Wow Dreamcoat, I effing love it (click here for more beauty faves.) If you want to read further to discover the 5 Reasons I love it- let’s get into it.

First and foremost, I am all about optimizing my life.

When it comes to my glam routine (makeup and hair), I value products and rituals that save me time and make getting ready for the day or an event easier. This usually looks like a product that can do double-duty and Color WOW Supernatural Spray fits the bill – it works as a heat protectant AND a dreamcoat for your hair.

PS I also post a lot of product reviews and whatnot on my Instagram stories. Follow along on @cathclaire.

Secondly, its frizz fighting properties makes your at-home-blowout look salon worthy.

IDK about you but I am not great at blowing my own hair out and this product made me feel (and look) otherwise. My hair was frizz free after I activated the product with a blow dryer and tension on towel dried hair.

Before you start thinking that ‘this product is too much of a hassle for your strenuous duty of washing and doing your hair’, let’s move onto the third reason I love this Color Wow product: it last 3-4 washes.

YES. After your first tension filled blow out where you liberally applied this product to your sections of hair, you can potentially not have to use it again for another few washes. Of course this depends on your hair type and what not, but what a selling point. This benefit of the Color Wow product alone sold me and continues to sell me on it’s efficiency and the price point.

The fourth reason I love this product is that it makes your hair feel weightless and feathery so that you can preserve volume at the root.

I am a big fan of volume in my hair.

Last but not least, the fifth reason I love this product is that it is humidity proofing and glossifying.

Is there anything else we could ask for in a product that you only have to use every few washes? Talk about glam routine optimization AND building confidence in your very own blow out skills. There is also a version of this product for curly hair.

I hope the 5 reasons why I love Color Wow’s Dreamcoat helps you in making your decision about this hair product and has the potential to possibly simplify your own haircare routine. For more of my Amazon beauty finds (like I said, I tend to shop and review ALOT), shop my faves here. I also post a lot of product reviews and whatnot on my Instagram stories. Follow along on @cathclaire.

The post Cathclaire Pick: Color Wow Supernatural Spray appeared first on the crystal press fashion blog.

Lake Pajamas became an instant favorite of ours this year!

TIS THE SEASON! PAJAMA SEASON.

We have been highlighting gift ideas that we will be gifting / would love to give this year. Like the things we actually have and love. LAKE PAJAMAS are DEFINITELY on that list. We fell in love with LAKE’s Pima Cotton pajamas earlier this year and haven’t looked back. They are BEYOND soft.

I wore them throughout my pregnancy, they have nursing friendly options now, they carried us through the summer and now we are loving their holiday collection! They have pajamas for the whole family. Phoenix and Olive have little matching sets and we are gonna grab a couple of pairs for our husbands this year.

~ for the ladies ~

HAPPY GIFTING!

~ for the littles ~

( olive is wearing baby nutcracker & phoenix is wearing kids ornaments )

The post TCP Favorite: Lake Pajamas appeared first on the crystal press fashion blog.

3 Styling Tips That Will Take Your Family Photos from Bland to Glam

With the limitless options for shopping at any given moment thanks to the internet, it is easy to experience indecisiveness when choosing an outfit for any occasion: especially outfits for family photos…when you are responsible for styling more than ONE outfit. I think experts call this “decision fatigue.” Kevin, Phoenix, and I hadn’t had professional family photos since baby Phoenix was 1 day old in St. Francis Hospital (wanna shift gears from styling family photos to my birth story? Here ya go!) and I wore my fave Sleeper Pajamas with feathers because duh. **

Fast forward 2 years and we finally made it a priority. (Phew! These things weigh on you, am I right? Why do we put things off when the results are so rewarding?)

Cathclaire: Lack of Color Hat / Earrings / Saint Laurent Sunglasses (here or Amazon version here) / AGOLDE Jeans

Phoenix: Zara Kids

Kevin: Shirt / Pants / Shoes

First things first, start with YOUR outfit.

Yes, I said it. Plan the other outfits for the members of your family in the photos around what you choose to style for yourself to wear. (Don’t make me go on one of my famous rants about the importance of self-love and putting yourself first so that you can care for the people around you BETTER! )

Don’t get too matchy-matchy.

Unless you are doing a dramatic matchy-matchy (like this), I would strive to keep your family photo outfits more dynamic. Use a range of different colors and various textures when styling each person’s outfit. Remember, we live in the age of photography filters and a filters job is to make the colors in the photo look more uniform so that you don’t have to wear a uniform.

Basic isn’t Bad

Basic isn’t bad if that is true to your personal style. Just because a style is your go-to, doesn’t mean it’s basic. Love to wear an all black outfit? You do you!

My only styling advice would be to add something a little extra to this outfit than what you would normally wear because after all, getting family photos done IS a special occasion.

Ways to make your favorite outfit more interesting for family photos without straying too far out of your comfort zone:

• add shoes with a pop of color (if you don’t think you will wear them often, try shopping here for a fun pair that won’t break the bank. if you want to invest in a pair of shoes, I would recommend shopping here.)
• statement earrings, or jewelry of any kind (my favorite place to shop for statement earrings is here and my favorite jewelry designer for this is Deepa Gurnani.)
• add layers that have a decent amount of movement (chiffon is great for this!) or with striking tailoring (a blazer with clean and flattering lines is a great option . I recommend shopping here or here)

And my last tip has nothing to do with styling of clothes and everything to do with the styling of your children’s faces (aka SMILES): don’t forget to bring a treat, toy, or person that can help keep your little ones happy during your family photo session!

Here is to fabulous family outfit styling and even better family photos! XO, Cathclaire

~ PIN FOR LATER ~

PS – Do you have great taste (of course you do, that’s why you are apart of our TCP community!) and/or a story you want to tell online? We mentor people just like you to help them launch an online career that works for YOU. Check it out here.

The post Styling Tips for Family Photos appeared first on the crystal press fashion blog.

T3 IS CURRENTLY HAVING THEIR SUMMER SALE!

t3 micro is a high tech hairstyling tool company that makes styling your hair not only fun but easy and the whirl trio is what I use everyday.

I never knew how to curl my hair in a way that I felt proud of growing up. I tried sleeping in curlers, using hot curlers, and a wide range of different curling irons and I just couldn’t make it work! I am convinced that is because T3 Micro didn’t come out until 2003 and the curling irons I used were not user friendly. I swear, before t3 micro, every time I curled my hair myself or asked for curls in the salon, I came out looking – as Rebecca would say – “like a poodle!”

Since I have started using this t3 micro Twirl Trio, you will rarely see me without curls or waves in my hair. I guess you could say it is now my “lewk.” The twirl trio comes with an interchangeable base and 3 different size wands for a variety of different styles. While I have other wands, I usually stick to the 1 inch barrel for my hairstyling. You can watch me do my hair on my Reels on Instagram here but what I usually do is curl my hair away from my face (yes on both sides and no I don’t alternate, I do them all one way) and leave the ends straight. On the off chance that my ends are looking a little bent, I get out my straightener and straighten those puppies right out. I am a big fan of the wavy bend with a straight end.

T3 has other cool product features that I enjoy. First of all, it heats up super fast and has 5 heat settings that will curl your hair in seconds. For all of those forgetful ladies who torment themselves after doing their hair, wondering if they unplugged all of their styling tools before they left the house (IT ME!) – fear not. This t3 styling tool has a one hour shut off safety feature. What a relief, right? Like I mentioned earlier, the interchangeable barrel is awesome because whether your style changes or your hair grows, you can purchase a different kind of barrel without having to replace your entire wand!

NOTE FROM REB:

I am hopeless with a curling wand, but I do love a few of T3’s other products!! I am currently loving the AIREBRUSH DUO && LUCEA ID straightener! If you aren’t one for curling your hair or beachy waves, these two will have you SET with salon-style blowout at home or straight, glossy locks. The Cura Luxe hair dyer is a favorite as well. If you’re a “do your hair everyday” kinda gal, these are the tools for you.

~ PIN FOR INSPIRATION LATER ~

The post Cathclaire Favorite: t3 Micro Curling Wand appeared first on the crystal press fashion blog.

Catherine has been on the hot pink train for months now and it is time I got on board! 

HOT PINK IS IN.  Like, on the runway in.  Valentino did a monochromatic hot pink collection for Fall 2022 Ready to Wear and everyone on instagram went wild.  Now that we are getting out and about again, it feels much more fun to get dressed up with fun and funky colors and to take some risky risks. Be EXTRA, ya know?

We both decided to bring our pink pants to our latest shoot and we had such fun with these photos! And of course, Cath came out w the hot pink in our photos last August and they are some of my favorites of all time.  It just POPS. And it definitely looks good with a tan, so it is time to buy into the trend and do some shopping.  We are I have rounded up some pieces from some of our favorite retailers at a variety of price points so there is something for everyone!

~ ASOS ~

You know the drill. Our favorite spot for quick shipping and affordable price points. Here are some hot pink pieces that are sure to make a splash this spring and summer

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~ REVOLVE ~

THE place for the trendiest, hippest, most Gen Z stuff.  And we can try to make it work too My pants for the studio shoot, that I also wore in New York are these brilliant pants from Camila Coelho collection on REVOLVE and they are on sale! SO GOOD.

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See my full round up of hot pink on REVOLVE here.

~ NASTY GAL ~

Since hot pink could be a here today and gone tomorrow trend, you might want to invest in some more affordable pieces, which is when we turn to Nasty Gal.

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Are you going to get in on the hot pink trend?

~ Pin for Inspo Later ~

The post Hot Pink: Spring’s “IT” Color appeared first on the crystal press fashion blog.

I have been thinking about what decor to put above my bed in my bedroom since we moved into our house and was stuck in indecision. We have been in our house for TWO YEARS and I am happy to finally share what I decided to put to decorate the space above our bed in collaboration with Desenio.

There is no shortage of art options on Desenio, their selection is out of this world, so narrowing it down for the space above my bed was quite the process. I found their gallery wall creator on their website to be super helpful in helping me choose what art suited my personal style best. Usually when I am shopping for art, I have a million tabs open and hence, my indecision. With Desenio, and their gallery wall creator, I was able to narrow down what I loved in a rather short process!

I wanted the vibe of our room to be zen glamour and in my mind, that was a mix of textures (velvet, linen), hotel like bedding, and the beach meets metallic moments. As you can see, the main picture above our bed brings the zen vibe and the two surrounding it (here & here) – bring the glam vibe. I am so happy with how these pictures turned out from Desenio and highly recommend getting some art from Desenio if you are in the mood for a home decor refresh in your personal space!

I hope you guys enjoyed this post with Desenio and got some helpful tips on how you can bring your decor vibes to life too!

XO, Cath

The post Bedroom Refresh with Desenio appeared first on the crystal press fashion blog.

When Catherine and I were planning for this shoot, for once we were super organized. We planned out at least four looks as we wanted to maximize our time in the studio space! Cath had the idea of us each choosing a stand out piece and building two different looks with it. She chose the sequin top and I chose the velvet dress as both felt super festive for the holidays!!

While both of these pieces are sold out, we wanted to encourage you guys to create some interesting looks this holiday season by layering and pairing unlikely items together to make fun ‘fits.

For Cath’s first look she paired her sequin top with layered jean shorts and tights, which is a truth Cathclaire classic. I never think to do this but its a great look on her! or my first look. I layered a mesh turtleneck and the Spanx faux leather leggings under my velvet swing dress and topped it off with some chunky boots. This was the last look to come together the morning of the shoot for me and ended up being my favorite! For her second, she paired the sequin top with a black denim skirt with fringe. We got a little carried away with the lights in the photos for the second look so our outfits kinda got lost in the shuffle, but it was worth it!

For Catherine’s second look, she paired the sequin top with a black denim skirt with fringe. We got a little carried away with the lights in the photos for the second look so our outfits kinda got lost in the shuffle, but it was worth it! My second look was simply the dress with a blazer dress over it and heels. Not everyyyy look with a statement piece has to be funky. We love being able to show you guys who to style different pieces in both an EXTRA way and a “normal” way.

SO, let’s help you build a look!

~ START WITH A STATEMENT ~

velvet, sequins, embellishment, faux leather

~ ADD THE BASICS ~

Denim, leggings, blazers, skirts etc…

Be sure to tag us in your holiday outfits so we can see what you come up with!!

~ PIN FOR INSPO LATER ~

The post Mixing Textures For The Perfect Holiday Looks appeared first on the crystal press fashion blog.