GIVEAWAY: Sole Provisions!

I was super stoked (ew, did I just use that word?) when Michelle over at Sole Provisions emailed me about doing a giveaway for my lovely readers. Sole Provisions is an online shoe retailer that promotes both style and comfort - something that I can't ever get enough of. As someone who has worked jobs where you stand for 11 hours and as someone who walks instead of drives, comfort is of absolute importance to me (but style is as well, of course). So, naturally, Sole Provisions seemed like a perfect fit and hopefully for my readers as well!

 

The winner will be able to choose from any style of either FitFlop or OrthaHeel. I took the liberty of choosing some of my favourite styles for you & am rather jealous that I don't get a pair also - some of them even come in a size 4US which, if you're a tiny-footed gal like me, you'd be overjoyed to hear.

 

 

To enter:

1. Must be a resident of the U.S. Any international entries will not count (unfortunately)

2. Like Urban Tease on Facebook

3. Leave a comment with your name and email

4. The contest closes at midnight on Wednesday, August 7th, at which time the winner will be randomly chosen.

 

Good luck!

Summer Shopping

So I actually don't have any money to be buying myself pretty things, but there's so much out there that I've been admiring. Overalls, jelly sandals, cool jewelry, crop tops...it's making me itch for some new things in my wardrobe! One day...one day I won't be an unpaid intern...

Advertise with Urban Tease!

Starting for August 1st, I will be accepting advertising on Urban Tease! In the past I've only accepted gifts as a way of advertisement, but now I'll be accepting advertising spots. I've been getting offers from several businesses and since I'm now an unpaid intern, I thought it might be a nice way of getting some income as well as hosting giveaways out of my own pocket!

Urban Tease has been active since 2008, securing hundreds of loyal readers (I adore each and every one of you) and constantly expanding to new platforms (have you guys seen the new Twitter? Or Facebook?). The blog consistently draws over 400 views everyday with people clicking in from all types of sites including other blogs, Lookbook, and Chictopia. I have readers all over the world with more coming in every day. Over 600 people follow Urban Tease using Google Connect, and over 350 follow via Bloglovin' Take a look at this stat screenshot from July 21st:

Urban Tease is consistently growing with new content being added all the time. In the past I've featured not only personal style posts, but also DIY projects, makeup tutorials, photography, personal goals, Feminist rants, and book reviews. More than a fashion blog, I prefer to think of Urban Tease as a lifestyle blog promoting kindness and a positive thinking.

In the past, Urban Tease has partnered with great success with many brands and stores including GUESS, yeswalker, Anjolee, Lalamagic, Anastasia of Hollywood, and Misikko. Although I love trying out clothes and products, the posts eventually get filed away and aren't viewed frequently. This is not so good for people looking to draw in customers. So instead, you can now advertise your store, product, brand, or blog and have readers consistently seeing your advertisement for the entire month rather than just a few days.

Since August will be the first month advertising, I'm keeping rates low as an introductory offer. Two sizes are available and your ad will appear for the whole month. I'm also offering a discounted rate for buying two months!

Or two months for $8!

Or two months for $14!

Email me at urban_tease@yahoo.com for more information or to purchase an advertising spot. No button? No problem! I can design your advertisement for you if need be.

That Seventies Look

I know what you're thinking right now - "Chloe, naming this post That Seventies Look is so stupid and cliché!" And yes, it is....but when else am I gonna get to use it? I went to a '70s themed party last night and it was pretty much just a room full of 20-somethings wearing bell bottoms, leisure suits, and floor length lace dresses, dancing to bad disco and creating our own living room version of Soul Train.   It'd been way too long since going to a themed party. Back in middle school, every month someone would throw a themed party of some sort and all of us would fill a room in our best '80s garb or poodle skirts or grunged up jeans and Nirvana tees. I was excited when, a few weeks ago, my friend David told me he was having a '70s themed. I probably wouldn't have bothered even making it out otherwise, but I'll do anything to dress up and dance to clichéd music from that decade. And any excuse to wear my purple bell bottoms is a good excuse.   I got these pants from Up Six Vintage in Saint Paul last spring while they were having an annual sale. I was so excited and have since been wanting to sew myself another pair, especially after seeing this pair over at Esther-fromthesticks.   The halter top is one sent over in a bag of old clothes from my auntie. So cool! That bag was just full of gems from the late '60s, early '70s that she'd been holding onto all these years. Bonus - she was just my size. I'm also wearing a belt I picked up in Guatemala and my favourite old Rocket Dog sneakers. They're absolutely in pieces but I love them and simply cannot part with them.   I kind of adored dressing all '70s-esque and am already excited to do it again! Definitely gonna need to invest in another pair of bell bottoms after how much fun these ones are... Plus I did the whole sparkly-eye-makeup-overdone-blush look. It's been way too long since I've done anything fun with my makeup, despite having a drawer full of it.   This was actually the first party I've gone to this summer (in America) and I forgot how fun they can be! Even if they're not seventies themed, they're always so fun to dress up for and do crazy makeup for, just because it's the one time that you can get away with it without having people question you or judge you. Thumbs up for not judging other people! Unless if you're reading this blog right now, judging me. Then...leave. Please. There's enough hate and anger on the internet as there is, this blog is a place of peace and kindness.     And to finish with a smile! Someone commented about how different it was to see candid photos of me (via Tori's post), so I'll try to post some more of me just having a good time and not trying to be too model-y or pose-y. Ick, no one looks good if they have a stick up their butt all the time!   I have started about a billion craft projects all of a sudden and they're all scattered across my living room. Time to sort out everything and decide what to dive into first! xx

monkey in my pocket

Sun hats. I found this hat, with tags still on, at the secondhand shop right before leaving for Paris. Now, you curly haired chicas know that wearing hats when you have curly hair can be a total catastrophe. Either they make your curls stick out stupid or you take the hat off and your hair is plastered to the top of your head, thus making your curls stick out and look stupid. People with straight hair or that wavy at the bottom hair probably don't encounter these issues, but for people with curly all over hair? Hats probably have a bright, flashing red warning light attached to them. That being said, I saw this big, floppy straw one and something just made me feel like a major part of my summer experience would be missing if I didn't buy a floppy sunhat. So I bought it. And it makes my curls look stupid. But life is life and we all must keep on going, so I've compromised and changed my hair to better accommodate the hat. The things we do for fashion...   Minnesota is well known for having the type of hot summers where it's so humid that you feel as if you're just swimming through the air. Everything is sticky and muggy and miserable. So far this summer hasn't disappointed on this expectation/reality. I've decided to just suck it up, beat the heat, and spend most of my time in shorts and tanks and crop tops. This isn't too bad, however I was out the other day, feeling sorry for myself because I don't have any sandals and have to wear tennis shoes or loafers all the time. In addition, I also have to wear socks with them so that I don't destroy the shoe with sweat and stink. So, as I was saying, I was feeling sorry for myself because of all of this and decided to make a change. So, I went and bought myself some sandals. Two pairs. These brown ones with the wedge being one pair.   It's not as if I don't like sandals. There are tons of cool sandal styles out there that I love (such as THESE by JuJu Jellies) but I have this condition called I-Wear-Kids-Sized-Shoes. A side effect of this condition is that most sandals are sparkly pink and have Dora the Explorer on them. I always find this discouraging and so, for the past couple of years, I had given up full stop on ever finding a pair of sandals. But I was at JCP to buy a tea kettle and I had a $10 off coupon - and I had pretty much sweated through the socks I was wearing - so I decided that it would be worth my time (and humiliation of trying to find mature footwear with a bunch of 6 year olds) to just suck it up and head to the kid's section. And I made off with two pairs of decently mature sandals and a pair of flats for the fall! Flats are another big thing absent from my wardrobe. My feet are so narrow that they tend not to work for me, but a size two kids? Perf.     All photos today were taken by this boy right here! (p.s. Remember when I wore that shirt? He looks so much better in it.) I told him that he could have a few day break from being photographed (except this shot, but I had the excuse of using it as a test shot) and in exchange, he could turn the camera on me. As a result of being photographed by my best friend, we have photos like this one below:   But seriously, that brim is a bit of a pain!   I found this monkey tank top in Camden when I was in London in June. Hilarious! I saw the booth and just burst out in giggles over how great these were. All sorts of animals in clothes popping out of pockets. I also got a sweatshirt with a giraffe wearing a Hawaiian shirt. So funny. And also really nice, soft fabric. The girl told me that the designer was from California, so I guess it's 'Murican. I always end up buying American designs when I'm in a foreign country. Hard, fast, true American girl right here, yupp. But LOOK AT THAT MONKEY. IN MY POCKET.   I was in a great mood when taking these photos. I was nearly finished with homework, it was cooling off outside, I'd been developing a friendship with a chipmunk in the backyard, and I was talking about plans for my next semester. Life is always good when I'm dreaming about my future. But before yesterday, I'd been struggling a lot, which is why I haven't been updating. Things have been pretty bad for me and I've been stuck in this loop of feeling like nothing. I was hoping to break free of it this summer but so far, not so lucky. What do you guys do when you need to feel strong and love yourself? I'm thinking of putting together a collage, even though I've scoffed at the idea in the past. Doing something crafty to remind myself of who I am seems like a good idea. But I'm curious what other people do to get out of that loop which I'm sure we've all found ourselves stuck in before...   That's all I have for you today! I thought I'd end on this great photo... I have no idea how I made that face! Winking is absolutely NOT my thing and I usually look stupid and gregarious. I'm a conspicuous winker. But somehow my boyfriend got this shot and it just makes me laugh!   Anyways, I'm off to either make that collage I was talking about...or play Nancy Drew. Steam is having their summer sale and all Nancy Drew is $3.50 each OMG. Stay cool, friends! xx

life lately.

Some things in my life lately. I've been working hard on catching up in my class and falling in place at my internship. Even if I haven't been focusing on what I'm wearing, my camera has always been in tow and I've been looking through the lens everywhere I go. Since I got home, this summer has been all about Dairy Queen, a baby named Iris, laughing over my fat cat Gogo, and dinners out on the deck. I've been lucky to be surrounded by my family and my friends and have been enjoying every second of it immensely. Life is beautiful, especially when enjoyed with people you love.