To wear or not to wear? The Vest Question.

Ladies have been trying on men’s fashions for a while now.

 

Usually, the fall is a time where menswear sees a resurgence as a vehicle for ladies clothes. It might be the seasonal introduction of plaids, corduroys, tweeds, and layering that naturally lends itself to menswear inspiration since those materials and styles are kind of the menswear wheel house.

Dressing in menswear inspired ladies fashion has always been tricky for me. I almost always feel like a stand in for Annie Hall.

(Got to love the muppets! Even they get the conundrum)

So for me, when I put on my vest or tie to try to dip my toe into the shallow end of the menswear for ladies pool, I always get a little nervous.

I did some recon and here’s a range of ladies rocking the look doing it right!

Here’s my attempt:

Feeling like a little DIY…

There are just days when I am browsing pinterest and think to myself, I can do that. Inspiration struck today! When I went to put on lipstick for my lunch date, I noticed that my lips were super dry and not all that pretty. I thought, “Girl, you need some lip scrub.” And I was right. 🙂

I went by Target on the way home but they did not sell lip scrub so I pinterested it — googling on Pinterest — and found a million recipes. I clicked on this pin: http://www.brit.co/sugar-lip-scrubs/ and found a large selection of simple scrubs. I went with the coconut oil, sugar, and cinnamon one and it was wonderful. I read up on the steps and learned the following.

First you scrub, then you moisturize, then lip balm. So that’s exactly what I did… Come along on the journey with me and learn how easy it is to be a DIY maven! (Hannah this whole post made me think of you. She’s wickedly clever. The girl makes her own dishwashing detergent! Check out her amazing-ness on her blog: http://eatdrinkandsavemoney.wordpress.com/)
First the scrub:

The ingredients were simple: coconut oil, sugar, cinnamon! The recipe called for 1:1 ratio between oil and sugar so I went with two teaspoons and then added two splashes of cinnamon.

Then I mixed it all together. I had to use a bit of elbow grease to break down the coconut oil. But it smoothed out. Then I applied it to my lips!

But then it occurred to me that if I was going to treat my lips I ought to take care of the rest of my face. My gracious and generous friend Meg gave me these awesome masks from Target.

So I thought I would go full beauty day and do mask and lip scrub. (You are welcome in advance.)

When I was done with the scrub (basically rubbed in and licked it off — it was DELICIOUS!) I moved on to stage two of lip maintenance, moisturize — using Vaseline!

After the 15 minutes was up on my face, I used warm water to wash the whole thing. And then it was time for the final step for the lips: lip balm. I got the new Maybelline “Baby Lips: Dr. Rescue.” I’ll admit I found the commercial compelling and it’s basically the only reason I bought it (so well done Maybelline) but so far I am liking it.

And et voila! I am done.

Hopefully, when I go to put on lipstick tomorrow I won’t have the same dry, scraggly lips! DIY, at least in this case, was fun and easy. Maybe next time I will make my own masks! That sounds like fun, right?

NYE – Time to party in style!

 

Getting ready for New Year’s Eve is always an adventure for me! It’s basically the ultimate for someone like me who loves playful clothes and sequins. I mean it’s appropriate for that one day to have sparkly eye makeup and a sparkly dress! It’s heaven on Earth!

I heard that the trend this year is to pair your party finery with a messy hair look. Well, fashion world, we did that last year! Above you see Mall and me rocking sequins and casual chic (and ADORABLE toppers!).

It’s so easy to dress for New Year’s Eve with confidence. Let me tell you why! First of all, just put on something with sequins. A cardi with sequins over a LBD and BAM you are done. For the sassier amongst us, a sequin dress with tights never fails. Going to a more causal party? Try skinny jeans with an off the shoulder sequin blouse or a black blouse with a statement necklace that sparkles. There is such a range of options out there and you can get great cheap options at places like H&M and Forever 21. If it’s short, wear tights or leggings. You’ll be more comfortable that way. And don’t feel like you have to wear heels — boots or flats are absolutely appropriate. Another fun option is to toss in bright colors, like a neon lip or a bright shoe over tights with black or metallics. Be bold and be brave but most of all have fun. NYE is great fun because it’s a night to play around a little and enjoy a little extra sparkle.

Here’s some looks to inspire you to have fun when getting geared up for NYE!

       

 

 

Last year we had a blast on NYE. Here’s some pics that prove the truth of that statement and also as proof of how fun it can be to get sparkly for NYE!

Gingerbread time!

What gets you more in the Christmas spirit than watching Christmas movies and decorating gingerbread houses!? (Waking up at 6 am to wrap presents?)

My mom surprised her two children (who are 31 and 28) with a gingerbread house kit from IKEA. At the risk of sounding like I am on IKEA’s payroll, I will tell you that my entire family is OBSESSED with IKEA’s gingerbread cookies. My mom has bought FOUR tins in the last couple of weeks and she doesn’t live in a city with IKEA that means she’s making special trips for these cookies. They are legit. I wouldn’t lie to you, people of the blogosphere.

Here’s a link to the regular cookies:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40251732/

And here’s one to the best $3.59 my mom has spent in a while:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90218783/

Aaron and I had a blast putting this gingerbread house together. He did most of the building and I jumped in on the decorating — the roles we’ve been living for the last 30 years.

Come along and see our adventure! Hope you enjoy and are inspired as well!

Christmas Sweaters DO NOT have to be ugly!

Ugly Christmas sweater parties are all the rage. And I have to say that kind of makes me sad. I love Christmas sweaters. Even ugly ones can be styled playfully. It might be a side effect of my deep love for Christmas meeting my love for fashion but I think it can be done. Here are some examples of people who met the challenge head on and did an awesome job!
Merry Christmas!

Enjoy!

Looking good while working hard, it’s easy!

The folks at my office has really upped their game when it comes to wintry wardrobe! There have been tons of cute outfits with tights and boots (or booties) and lots of fun sweaters and cute dresses. Here’s a fun sampling!

Paula’s adorable floral print tights looked great with her orange sweater!

Cassie rocked purple tights and a chic LBD and don’t forget those booties!

I was going for the 60s flight attendant look with this outfit!

This handsome devil was rocking a tie with reindeer on it with his Christmas red sweater.

Speaking of Christmas red, Nicola looked sensational in her boots and red dress combo.

A Statement Worth Making: Statement Necklaces

Big necklaces aka statement necklaces are where it’s at right now. You can’t spit without hitting a statement necklace. I mean, it’s not like I am walking around spitting, but I am seeing statement necklaces everywhere.

I have had a couple of people inquire as to how to where them and the truth is it’s veeerrryyyy simple. Keep it simple. My absolutely favorite look to really show off a statement necklace in a chic way is black pencil pants, a black t-shirt, and the necklace. EVERYONE will be complimenting you on that necklace… the guy who takes your office recycling, the old lady on the elevator, that boy you’ve been crushing on (if you are 17 or 28 like me), and your co-workers and friends.

Love my co-workers business look with statement necklace!

But if that’s not for you…

Here’s a variety of inspirational outfits that showcase statement necklaces…

My girl Meg rocked different ones all with just a basic crew neck sweater!

If you are looking for ways to style them. There are a couple of approaches:

1. Casual outfit + Super Fancy Necklace

2. Collared Shirt Companion (**Ask and you shall receive, Sara.**)

     

3. The Color on Color OR Multicolor on Pattern

4. The Collar

5. The Neutral

6. The Other Neutral (My FAVORITE! Because it sparkles!)

7. Double Necklace

8. Gold Necklaces

When it comes to statement necklaces, don’t feel overwhelmed but they are for everyone. Even if you don’t like to get wild, you can toss a statement necklace on a T for work and feel very stylish (and look fantastic too). I am talking to you, Aunt Hil. 😉 I am excited to see how all of you rock statement necklaces and make them your own!

Try something new.

If you read my blog (mom, Laura, Hannah), you know I am always encouraging you to try new things . Whether you try a new makeup look, a new way that you use bobby pins, and/or you wear boots with something you never would have thought would work.

The challenge is in expanding your horizons. You never know what might really work for you. I am a bangs wearer. I feel like with my chubby round face I need all the help I can get to frame my face. I recently stepped outside my safe zone and went from…

to…

That’s just a ribbon tied in my hair like a hair band.

And this is just as close to a top knot as I can get.

Here’s just the classic half  back with a little wave…

 

But I got way more compliments on my look both hair and make up when I pulled things away from my face. Someone told me I looked “regal.” And my response: “I’ll take it!”

So it’s easy to see what a difference a change makes… My challenge to you — flip it and reverse it! Try a bold lip or a middle part and see where chips lie. If it’s bad, wipe it off or change it back. If you look at it, and say “Hey this isn’t half bad?” then send me a pic! 🙂

Time to (W)RAP!!!

One of the most onerous and exhausting tasks of the holiday season (besides taking down the decorations) is wrapping all of those presents. (Holiday blues moment over!) Last night, I finally got some done. Actually, I wrapped all the presents that are done. In other words I wrapped all the presents I bought. Everything else I am making. And though I was ambitious in my plans for Christmas, life has gotten the best of me and I am a bit behind on my personal manufacturing. Now, I totally get outsourcing. But I am not worried, like papers in school, I will get these SEVERAL projects done. Even if it’s Christmas eve and I am working on a needlepoint. Been there, done that before.

It’s fun to get creative with all the different ways to wrap presents. I didn’t want to spend any money (mostly because I am broke but let’s call it responsible and green) so I used only ribbons, objects, and paper I already had.

Here’s some ideas I found online…

And here’s what I created…

First the mess of my living room and then…

PS: Hannah, you might recognize some of this wrapping paper because I am pretty sure I inherited when you moved! 🙂 The alternative is that I am buying wrapping paper in my sleep because I don’t remember buying a couple of these rolls.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside! Wintry Weather Outfits

I dressed WAY too warmly today. It was 54 degrees and my long sleeve T and cardi did not cut it today.

I was inspired to spend my lunch time (in between a terrible morning and what is sure to be a lousy afternoon) working on a new post inspired by my own poor choices this morning.

I have a couple of different categories:

Outfits for the Frozen Tundra

Outfits for Maria

Outfits for the Brave Amongst Us

Outfits for Warmer But Still Plenty Cold Areas

 

Be inspired and ENJOY! Send me pics!