Makeup

Makeup. A girls best friend. A chance to express your daily mood or artistic genius. Sephora is our Heaven.

There is absolutely no reason to be scared of makeup. It enhances our best features and hides our worst. Experimentation is key. Spend some quality face time in the mirror. My first foray into makeup started with my moms 80's wild makeup and from trial and error and the willingness to go out of my color box I fell in love with all things makeup.

The key to quality makeup is moisture and exfoliation. The easiest way to ruin your makeup is dry skin.

Next step is to understand your color palette. (Take notice of your eye and hair color here). Woman with blue eyes should stick to the warm tones of navy, smoky gray, chocolate, apricot, and copper. The colder tones can at times be to harsh for your hair, eye, skin, color combination.
Green eyes stick from the color range between mauve and plum. Red-based hues will add some spark to your eyes. Grey eyes are one of the easier to work worth; because of their neutral color you can trick your eyes to appear different colors. Gray's and coppers will create a blue eyed beauty affect. Lavender and aquamarine will give you a green eyed goddess look. Brown and Hazel eyes have the ability to experiment with just about any colors, but warm tones such as plum, purple, and green-bronze color will bring out your inner fierceness. Black eyes again has the ability to experiment, but stay away from pearly, light colors. Dark blue, gray, brown, and nude tones will give you even more mystery.

Lips. I know we are not all blessed with Angelina Jolie lips, but thankfully we have the knowledge to fake it.
Two great beauty tricks I know have to do with lips. One; do your lips before you start your makeup. This will give you a finished look and help you not to go overboard on your makeup. Two; put on lip balm before you apply your lipstick or gloss. The balm will help you apply your gloss or stick easier and helps it stay a bit better. Gloss is my number one choice by far. I have a very large makeup bag that is full of all the glosses of the rainbow. Lipstick; to me, can seem to formal. A bit of gloss adds shine and a bit of freshness to your whole look.
Luckily lip plumper's are no longer limited to expensive products found in specialty stores. Go to the drug store today and just about every brand now has there own lip plumper.

Makeup is just another reason to enjoy being a girl. So remember less is always more, step outside your color box, experiment, experiment, experiment, and the cheap places are the best places to find color trend of the moment.

Prints and Patterns

As I lazily gaze out my window I see snow continuously piling up and as I stare at my closet a long teal, yellow, and blue print dress that I purchased at the beginning of the winter for three dollars is calling my name.
As I flip through my fashion magazines I notice a new trend; long, print, dresses. My anticipation to float through a summer day in the dress increases.
Many of us at the moment are feeling the pull to summer. The winter blues are taking over and spring and summer seem to be nowhere insight.
A trend this season again is bright bold exotic prints and patterns. This trend can be found in bags dresses, and spring scarves.
The dresses these upcoming seasons are flowy and long. The beauty of a long dress is the ability to alter it. If you love the pattern, but do not want to be taken over by it you can hem it to about mid calve or to your knees. The excess fabric could be used for a headscarf or printed bag.
Another place to find the bright bold trend is in the spring scarf. Long, light, fabric that can be twisted around your neck is what you are looking for. If you cannot find the pattern you desire or the price you desire try going to a fabric store. They carry all the current patterns and colors and you can make your own one of a kind spring scarf.
Chunky accessories are what we need to pair with our flowy dresses. Large wooden bangles, wooden rings, chunky bright colored necklaces, and chunky metallic platforms are what are hot. If platforms are not your style try a metallic sandal. Grecian inspired wrap sandals are what are hot this season.
An over sized woven clutch or woven shoulder bag will neutralize the outfit and also bring in the safari trend.

Rainboots

Rain boots to many are a thing of the past. We all had them as little kids. We remember jumping around in big puddles of mud with our red, yellow, or green rain boots with funny faces on them. Rain boots no longer just for kids and fisherman.
Rain boots are a great alternative to our winter boots. Unlike our winter the slush and the salt will not stain our boots.
Rain boots come in many different shapes and styles. Target came out with a wedge rain boot this season. Rain boots with umbrellas, whales, skulls, monkeys, polka dots, swirls, and flowers.
They come in so many bright and wonderful colorful patterns you will not want to hide them under your pants. I suggest a skinny jean since rain boots are not as pliable as our winter boots and therefore harder to tuck jeans into.
The price of rain boots range from about $50-$15.

Let us no longer fear the puddles, slush, and mud. We should embrace our childhood and gleefully jump in puddles with our new rain boots.

Fashion Essentials

Fashion can be challenging for some. The best way to create your true fashionista self is to start with the basics. The basics are what your wardrobe is built around. The basics are constants in the fashion world; something that never goes out of style. These basics were worn by your grandmothers and mother and will be worn by you and future generations.

An essential for any classic woman is a; crisp, white, shirt. Audrey had one, Marilyn wore one, and you should have one. Go for a fitted fit to keep it stylish, but not bulky.
Another essential is a great pair of fitting jeans. The jeans that no matter what will fit you and you will look good in. The best jeans are transitional. They can be dressed up with a pair of heals and hot top, or paired with a crisp shirt, blazer, and flats and worn casually at work.
The Little Black Dress; enough said.

A large handbag is another essential. The large bag for the day that carries all your lives essentials than some. There are so many totes, shoulder bags, and hobos out there that an ugly bag is no excuse. Another essential is an evening bag is both black and brown. Its a drag to carry a large bag to dinner or out to the club. A cute little shoulder bag is perfect for the club and a gorgeous clutch is great for dinners or drinks out.
A dress coat is a dark color is a must. Like the little black dress it’s another go to piece. This coat can be worn for holidays, events, and to work.
Knee high boots in both brown and black are another must. These boots can be worn out on the town, or worn with a skirt or dress to add that chic touch. Especially in the winter they provide more coverage compared to a pair heels.
A light cardigan is another fashion staple. Whether this sweater is button down or has a hood and a zipper it is a must all the same. It can be worn over a dress or paired with a t shirt.
Flats are another fashion must. They are dressier than flip flops and flats and add spice to your daily jeans.
A long sleeved tee both with a graphic print and plain tee is another fashion must. It is the winter alternative to the t shirt.
Finally my last fashion essential is jewelry. A pair of diamond studs and a silver bracelet is two classics.
So whether you are just forming your fashion wardrobe, adding to your already expansive collection, or are starting over from scratch this list should get you started onto the right path.

Fashion Statement

With an ever changing world and politics and current events hitting closer to home fashion has become our soap box to express our opinions.

Urban Outfitters is the front runner in political expression. Your love for a democrat or republican can be expressed in “I Only Date Democrats”, or “I Only Date Republicans.” The other two party sides tees are; “Republicans know how to Party” and Democrats know how to Party.”
The love of your favorite candidate is expressed through such tees; “Obama for your Mama” or “Hillary is my Homegirl.” Oddly enough there are no mamas for Romney or McCain is my homeboy t shirts; coincidence you decide.
Urban Outfitters also carries a range of t shirts promoting peace. “Make Art not War”, “anything War can do Peace can do better,” War what is it Good For”, and “Screw the War Lets Dance.” Other shirts that promote the use of marijuana and vegetarianism are also available.
Though these shirts range from the mid to high twenty dollars their political statement and vintage value are well worth the price.

Any of these tees plus many more can be found at urbanoutfitters.com in the womans tee section or at Urban Outfitters

Fashion Do's and Don'ts

We have all seen blatantly obvious fashion don’ts on the street, in the halls, or at the mall. The ladies with the ridiculous mullets, the lady who wore every shade of purple in her closet, and the woman who decided to wear boots made of yeti fur.
A key tip to avoiding fashion catastrophe is to dress for your shape and size. Know your shape whether you are pear-shaped, curvy, boy shaped, petite, or busty. Figuring out your size will help you from either busting out of your clothes or drowning in them.
Something we all want to avoid in life is the muffin top; it’s almost as worst V.P.L. Avoiding the muffin top can be difficult considering the downhill evolution of our once favorite jeans. Some designers have decided that woman no longer have hips, butts, or thighs causing the trend of the super low rise jeans with no stretch. The stretch in the jeans is a savior to many. Go for the jean that sits on the hip or a little above the hip and that has some stretch in it; it will save you the hassle and embarrassment of having to deal with the unfortunate muffin top.
While on the subject of jeans please remember that if your jeans are ripped and expose half your thigh it is best to keep them at home. A distressed pair of jeans with a tiny rip or fray is fine but if half your leg or backside is exposed than its best to leave them at home.
Color is key in fashion, but overloading on color is another fashion don’t. When working with color never overload on that color. Just because every piece you are wearing is purple does not mean it matches. Colors have many shades, undertones, and warmth’s to it. Focus on a key color preferably one that compliments your skin tone, hair, and eye color. Pick a color and match it with neutrals to make it stand out. Accessories are a great way to add colors into your outfit you would normally shy away from like a scarf, handbag, or coat.
Designer handbags are a wonderful fashion statement, but not all of us can afford them. When buying a knock off the key to making it look authentic is to keep to the original concept and design of the creator. Try not to go outside the box with colors. When buying a Chanel stick to black and white lets. Remember just because it has a designer label on it does not make it fashionable; head to toe label is a fashion don't.