Take A Peek Inside My Purse + The Free People AUG 2011 Lookbook + MY NEW OMBRE HAIR!!!

At the current moment, these would be the contents of my purse:

As you can see there's nothing too spiffy going on. I have my M*A*C essentials for retouching my makeup when I'm out and about (I like to keep things natural for the most part), my clutch, which contains my ID, license, cards, etc., for when I want to switch from a big, bulky side-bag to something a bit sleeker; my sunglasses to fight off this blazing Sacramento sunshine and of course my copy of the new Free People "in Venice" August 2011 Lookbook that arrived in the mail for me! I really love the look of 70s inspired separates for this Fall and definitely plan on taking a page (no pun intended) from FP's book for style inspiration this season.

Here were a few of my favorite looks:

I wish I could just walk into my closet and walk back out wearing all of these ensembles! I especially love the maxi dresses and the shaggy coats, both of which I plan to buy and wear many, many more of! You all know that I love my Summer and that I tend to be a summer and springtime girl, but I have to say that FP's August Look book has me itching for Fall. I seriously can't wait to try some of these layered looks for myself. I also realized that I am in dire need of a really big, really floppy hat! So if you guys have any suggestions as to where I can shop the perfect one, let me know! I'm all ears!

In other news... (Drum roll please...)

I played with my hair!

I know, I know... AGAIN, COCO?! (Or "you're killin' me, girl" as Katie put it! Lol!)

But you guys know me. I get bored easily and I just could not resist the calling of the Ombre. (Plus things have been so hectic as of late that I just felt like I needed some sort of change or overhaul or something.) I've been a little obsessed with the relaxed and messy, laid-back, over-grown hair trend recently, which is not surprisingly still going strong - there's something grungy, but still very glamorous about it. I kept flipping back to Drew Barrymore's take on Ombre (or "Balayage" which is the formal name) hairstyle last year, which I personally think she rocked the heck out of. Other honorable mentions definitely have to go to Hillary Duff, Rachel Bilson, and of course miss Rumi Neely of Fashion Toast, who was actually one of the first people I saw to sport the style.

Its not for everyone, but I really, really love it. I feel free in a strange way. I don't know why. Possibly because the whole idea of it; is to look like you've skipped months and months of salon appointments to let your roots grow in wild and free. That being said, Ombre is pretty much the perfect style for any girl who wants something low-maintenance and its easy to do at home with a highlight/lifting or bleach kit. All you do is paint from the tips of your hair upward in graduation, let it set for a bit, then rinse, and repeat the process until you're happy with the lift/how light it is. There are several great DIYs online if you feel like being adventurous too! Be sure to check out these awesome step-by-step tutorials by Zoella and Brittnee Caan of L'ing the L :}


What do you guys think of Ombre hair? Think its still hot or just a hot mess?

xoxo Coco