60’s Beachside Blouse

Posted on July 7, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

As some of you may know I was featured on Willow & Clay’s clothing site on their quirky “I spy” series. I wrote about the city of Orlando and styled some pieces from their site. They were kind and gracious enough to send me a beachside blouse and I am in love with the boho feel of it! The bell shaped sleeves and empire waist gave off a 60’s vibe perfect for the summer. I wanted to pair this feminine piece with edgier items to mix up the look. I went with my favorite faux leather shorts, and my cutout booties (both old season Forever 21). This shirt can be cinched in at the waist for a more polished look or worn as is for a boho vibe. This shirt is breezy and fun for everyday casual wear or can be spruced up for a festival look paired with the right accessories (i.e floral head crowns and boots). Thanks to Willow and Clay for their awesome opportunity to collaborate and Im in love with my new shirt! Links below for the top and similar items.

Willow & Clay Beachside Blouse

Faux Leather Shorts- Here & Here

Cut out Booties- Here & Here

Peace & Love

Ari

July 4th Outfit Inspo

Posted on July 4, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Happy Independance day to all of my fellow Americans! I am so excited to be able to share some outfit inspiration for this awesome day, but mainly happy for the day off from work. Who wouldnt be looking forward to gorging oneself on barbeque food, watching fire works and wearing fun patriotic themed items? This year I decided to tone down my previous enthusiam (ie tattoo american flag lips) and went for a more subtle approach in showing my support. My camo skinnies serve as a “neutral” base while also representing for our troops, American flag canvas flats are old season target and my crisp white button up finish off the look. Links to similar items below.

Untitled #2 by ari-pena featuring canvas shoes

Happy fourth everyone!

Ari

4th of July nails

Posted on July 3, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

What better way to spruce up your 4th of July look than by adding a touch of fun to your nails. Below are some fun and easy ways to decorate them for this upcoming weekend.

4th of July nails by gwendolyn-pena featuring nail care

A simple red, white and blue nail polish can go a long way, all you need is some scotch tape and you can create all sorts of designs with it. Touches of gold, silver and glitter nail polish can also add a festive pop to your look. If painting your own nails isn’t your thing another alternative is nail stickers, they are super easy to apply onto your nails and the best part is there is no need for drying!

The most important part is to have fun with your creations and enjoy the fun filled weekend!

Happy 4th of July Everyone!
-Gwen

Chiquita Banana

Posted on June 28, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

What a long over due post from me! After coming back from Puerto Rico my sister Gwen has been putting in so much work and has posted so many amazing things. Keeping with that momentum here is an outfit of … Continue reading →

Modcloth: Day and Night

Posted on June 27, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Modcloth is one of my absolute favorite websites, not only do they have a great selection of clothing, accessories and shoes they also offer a wide range of sizes making it a super easy one stop shop for just about everything you need.
I believe I have mentioned before that I absolutely love striped clothing! Modcloth’s Coach Tour Dress in navy stripes is definitely right up my alley. Check out 2 looks I’ve created down below, the left side is more day time appropriate while the right side can lead you to a fun night out on the town.

Modcloth Day & Night by gwendolyn-pena featuring a leather charm

The Coach Tour Dress has a fold-over collar along with gold buttons on the side which gives the dress a polished look. It also has a cinched waist, perfect for those of us who need a little extra help in that department.
Day look: I think this dress is super casual and perfect for some vacation fun. I added a bright yellow flat sandal and a turquoise crossbody bag to give the outfit a little pop! (who doesn’t love a little color!) I decided to keep everything else a bit more neutral by adding some all black sunglasses, a tan leather strapped watch and some small yellow flower earrings.
Night look: Although this dress has a casual feeling to it changing up a few key accessories can make a beautiful transition into an evening look. I still kept some bright colors in mind but I switched the yellow flat sandals for a yellow peep toed wedge, more evening appropriate yet, still comfortable. For the bag I went with a smaller neutral colored clutch, I feel this gives the look a very soft and feminine touch. Accessories are also key in making an outfit, I opted for a rose gold watch and super cute anchor stud earrings, making the dress appear a bit more nautical. Last but not least, a nice red lip really adds a touch of sophistication to this look.

If stripes aren’t your cup of tea Modcloth has so many other styles and patterns to offer. Check some of these out:

Polka Dot Dress
Solid Print Dress
Floral Plus Size Dress
Maxi Plus Size Dress

Xo,
-Gwen

Summer Stash

Posted on June 23, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Our vacation is officially over! Ari and I are super sad that we are no longer laying on a beautiful beach in Puerto Rico, alas reality has kicked in.
I wanted to talk more in detail about one of my recent purchases at Sephora, by the title of this post I am sure you all know I am referring to the Summer Stash makeup kit. This is the absolute perfect little set you can take along for travel or if your purse is small and you aren’t able to fit your normal sized products. Below are swatches and detailed explanations of each item’s function, lets get started!

Summer Stash $45 (worth $123)

The makeup bag included a Urban Decay all nighter makeup setting spray, Make up forever aqua eyes waterproof eyeliner, Stila foil finish eyeshadow in Kitten, Deborah Lippmann nail lacquer in Mermaid’s dream, Josie Maran coconut watercolor cheek gelee, Nars travel size bronzing powder in the color Laguna, Buxom divine goddess luminizer in the color venus, O.C.C stained gloss in the color new wave and lastly a Marc Jacobs mini lash lifter mascara.

From left to right: Buxom Luminizer, O.C.C lip stain, Stila foil eyeshadow, Nars laguna bronzer (which doesn't show u on my hand now that I have a tan) and Makeup forever's aqua eyeliner

From left to right: Buxom Luminizer, O.C.C lip stain, Stila foil eyeshadow, Nars laguna bronzer (which doesn’t show up on my hand now that I have a tan) and Makeup forever’s aqua eyeliner

The products above were either hard to swatch, in liquid form or I haven’t had the chance to try them out. I will say that I was not a fan of the Josie Maran cheek gelee, not sure if my skin is too pigmented for it but there was hardly any color payoff when I tried it. Also the Marc Jacobs Mascara was a bit flaky on me, it is a gel form so I am guessing that’s what caused it not to stick to my lashes. The Urban Decay all nighter spray is a product I have used before and loved and lastly I have not tried the Deborah Lippmann polish but I am sure I will love to use it as an accent nail color.

The essentials for my trip were the Urban Decay all night setting spray which worked great for those hot and sweaty days, the Nars laguna bronzer which I only used the first few days before my tan, the Buxom luminizer for a quick cheek bone highlight and lastly the O.C.C lip stain which was a perfect bright pink.

Even though there were two products I wasn’t a huge fan of I still believe the kit was a good deal and would definitely purchase something like this again.

Hope this mini review helped any of you thinking of purchasing this kit or any of the full-sized products.

I’ll leave you with this quick shot of the beach we were able to capture, because it’s the beach and who doesn’t love the beach.

Isla Verde, Puerto Rico

Until next time,
-Gwen

Sephora Summer Stash

Gwen packs for Puerto Rico

Posted on June 13, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Hey Everyone! So as you previously read my sister and I are going on a very much needed trip. We are so excited to see each other and will hopefully be able to snap a few photos of us together.
Although my packing technique is not as organized as Ari’s I’d like to believe that it is also a good method when trying to figure out what to bring along with you on a trip. So what I generally do is look at all of my products (hair, skin, makeup) and say to myself “will I really use this?” if my answer is no I obviously keep looking, if my answer is yes I place that item aside. Now another thing to consider when traveling is the climate of your destination as well as the duration of your stay. I snapped a few photos of what I will be taking for this trip (Sorry they are not tucked in neatly in my suitcase, I still haven’t officially packed Yikes!)

Suncare

First order of business is of course suncare! Sunscreen/Sunblock is very much needed when out and about in the sun all day.

Personal Hygiene

I know that most hotels and resorts provide lotion, shampoo conditioner and all that good stuff, but I personally like to bring my own things. I normally just buy small clear bottles and pour the product in.

Hair Care

Because we are going to be in the pool or beach most of the time, curly hair will be the way to go.

Skincare

My skin hasn’t been behaving lately so I am taking a small bottle of acne cleanser and of course can’t forget my dirt, oil and makeup removing wipes.

Makeup

This may seem like a lot of products but I did add a few items for the nights when we get all dolled up for a night on the town. My daytime essentials will most likely be my cc cream (which has spf), mascara, my brow wiz, a peachy blush and a lip butter or stain. Also check out a great travel piece for storing small items (like makeup) that Ive mentioned in a previous post from Sonia Kashuk. It is affordable and available at any target near you in varying prints and styles.

Hopefully this helped all of you traveling this summer to get an idea of what you should or shouldn’t bring with you.

Puerto Rico here we come!
Hasta Luego
-Gwen

*If you are curious about any product I posted or would like a review please comment down below. Thanks a bunch!
Xo

Pack w/ Ari for Puerto Rico!

Posted on June 11, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

So as some of you may already know my sister/co blogger and I live in two different states and don’t get to physically see each other that often (except for holidays and such). We have decided to take a “sisters” trip this weekend for some fun and relaxation in Puerto Rico! I am so excited to get away for a little bit and thought it would be awesome to share some packing tips for our 4 day, 3 night extravaganza. I will be going over some ways to best utilize your clothing and Gwen will go in further on another post on your makeup and hygiene products.

First things first, assess how many days you will be gone and what type of climate you will be in. Google is your best friend on this matter.
If you don’t already have a set itinerary, have a general idea of what type of events/ outings you will be attending ie. mostly casual, conservative historical sites, festive night outs, or mostly beach bum days etc
Write down your basic clothing essentials so that you wont forget them and can easily check mark them once they are packed away (undies, bras, socks etc – Here is a List I like using for myself.
Start with each day and run down the list of pre planned (or made up) activities that you will go through. For instance mine looks something like this.

I am repeating many items for sake of saving room in my carry on (my sandals, purses, makeup, pjs just to name a few). I then take photos of everything laid out on my phone for reference. This process helps me not over pack and bring exactly what I need for each day keeping in account all different types of scenarios that may occur. I am so excited for my trip and I hope this helped anyone who struggles packing a bag (I still do sometimes). Stay tuned for detailed outfits of the day from this trip!

Love

Ari
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We Picked Two Giveaway Winners!!!!

Posted on June 10, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Darlene Rodriguez & Josmery from http://jomified.wordpress.com are the official winners of our giveaway! We surpassed our goal of 150 followers and decided to share the love with two people instead of just one! We have some great stuff coming up this summer and will be doing many more giveaways and contest in the future. Make sure to follow us on all social media platforms, we love feedback and comments and the goal is to be more interactive with our fellow bloggers and followers.

Winners Info- Go check them out!

Darlene Rodriguez, @poor_salieri

Josmery, http://jomified.wordpress.com, @jomified

Our Info: Itsapplesandorangesblog.com
Ari- Ig & Twitter _Ari_Pena
Gwen- Ig- Gwenzilla Twitter-Gwendi3
facebook.com/gwendi3
Pinterest- Gwendolyn Pena, Ariadna Pena

Thanks for entering, until the next one!

Ari & Gwen

Gap Boyfriend Denim Shorts

Posted on June 8, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

On my last post I shared my outfit from the grand opening of the Gap at Millenia Mall and getting to meet Melanie Pace. I was actually on the hunt for some boyfriend jeans but when I arrived I was distracted by the sale on all shorts! Naturally I gravitated towards the “boyfriend” section and fell in love with this light wash pair. They are super comfortable, 100% durable cotton and feature slight distressing/fringe and rolled up cuffs. I am still going back for the original long pair but these are a perfect addition to any summer wardrobe. I paired them with my studded Target sandals, a plain black button up from The Limited and my black crochet Old Navy purse that I’ve had for ages. For a different aesthetic throw on an actual white tee from your boyfriend (was going to be my second option). Check these bad boys out in all the different washes they have to offer. Links at the bottom as always!