At Home Facials-guest post from Simplistic Chic

I follow some really cool people on twitter and just the other day, I got a link to this really cool blog post about homemade facials. I enjoyed reading it so much that I wanted to share it with you guys. I got it from this super cute blog, Simplistic Chic and I encourage you to check it out further after you read this post.  It’s a great blog about living well naturally, which is something I’m a big fan of.

Honey Facial * (do not use this if you are allergic to eggs!)

Blemished Skin Mask

I think I will try the Blemished Skin Mask first.  In addition to my weekly at-home steam treatments, I plan on getting to my goal of having beautiful skin again! Wish me luck!!

How do I wear that trend-art deco jewelry

This trend is kind of a subcategory to the statement jewelry trend, however, it’s a good one to highlight because art deco jewelry is very pretty and unique looking. Plus it could help some of you move into statement pieces when you have something more specific to look for since “statement jewelry” can be a bit vague at times.

With that said, art deco jewelry is any jewelry with a clear art deco theme to it. For those of you who aren’t familiar with art deco, here’s a definition.

According to dictionary.com, art deco is: A decorative and architectural style of the period 1925-1940, characterized by geometric designs, bold colors, and the use of plastic and glass.
Art deco was really big in the 80’s so it’s kind of a retro trend for those of you who like to participate in trends of yesteryear.  However, here are some pictures of art deco jewelry pieces for you to get a visual.

I hope these pictures give you a good start on a great trend. I would suggest taking a look in your own jewelry box before you go out and buy a new piece. You may be surprised to find that you already own art deco jewelry. If you don’t, you can always visit a budget friendly store like Target (my favorite), Walmart or K-mart. Your art deco jewelry doesn’t have to be made of semi-precious metals or stones. Don’t be afraid to rock costume jewelry!

This is an art deco ring from http://blog.decobelle.com/2008/02/marcasite-jewelry-care.html, which is a great way to slowly move into this trend. Rings are easy to wear and no matter how big, aren’t very overwhelming.

Dry skin help from Clueless Fashionista

It’s been super cold lately (even in those places where cold is anything below 50 degrees) and I had a thought about something that is a part of my daily routine. I realized that it’s a low cost way for ladies (and guys) to stave off those dry skin blues when the weather gets cold.

This is something I do year round because I have dry, sensitive skin. I suffer from all sorts of lovely dry skin conditions, even when it’s warm outside so moisture is something I always have to keep in mind.

When I finish my shower, before I dry off, I put baby oil on my skin. Then I pat my skin dry. After my skin is dry, I put on body lotion.

This one small thing helps to keep my skin moist and soft year round. You don’t have to put on a whole lot of baby oil for it to make a difference. For some reason, putting it on while your skin is still damp allows the oil to seep in more thoroughly than if you do it while your skin is dry.

In the winter time, when the temperatures outside drop and the temperatures inside go up due to the heat being on, I may switch to baby oil gel. The thicker formula helps. Either way, the baby oil keeps my skin soft and cuts down on the dryness.

One thing I’ve learned is that fashion is about more than just wearing the right clothes, makeup and accessories. If your outfit is fly but your skin is flaky, that’s just not fabulous.

I hope my little tip helps.

Style Q&A-How to wear a tiger print skirt?

Happy New Year!!

I hope all of you had a lovely start to 2010 and are looking optimistically towards making this a wonderful year.

I often offer to assist you with any fashion challenges you may encounter.  While I’m not a stylist, I do have an ability to take an objective look at things and offer insight into how you can improve your wardrobe.  I got a wonderful question from a reader and I decided to dedicate a post to it.

Hi,

Taking you up on your kind offer to address readers’ questions, I would like to know if you would have any suggestions on what to wear with a faux-fur tiger print mini-skirt. Yellow is the primary colour, with brown stripes. I was originally thinking of brown tights and shoes with a brown sweater and maybe a brown leather jacket, but that seems like way too much brown. Also, a Google image search reveals that most people seem to pair animal print with black, not brown. Now I’m wondering if I could do some sort of mix-and-match with brown and black. Like maybe a black top and black tights but brown shoes? Or would that look too weird with the skirt?

I absolutely need to find some way to wear this skirt or it will never get worn.

Thanks for your help!

Penny

I’d like to thank Penny for sharing her question.  I think many women have a similar problem wearing animal print.  You don’t want your outfit to clash but you don’t want to look to matchy matchy.  In order to help with visuals, I found a picture of a skirt with a similar print.

http://beautyandthestreet.blogspot.com/2008_05_25_archive.html

Well, this is quite a cute skirt so good choice, Penny, on picking it.  If the dominant dark color is brown, then you could go with a brown pallet for the rest of the outfit.  I would suggest if you do the brown shirt and shoes, you don’t do brown tights, go with bare legs.  However, you could also do something similar to what the model in the picture is doing.  You could do a white or off white shirt and some brown boots or sandals (depending on the time of year you want to wear the skirt).  I wouldn’t do the black shoes and brown tights because it may be hard to pull off confidently.  That doesn’t mean that brown and black won’t go together, because they will, just not in this case.

I hope this insight is helpful for you, Penny, and for any of you other Clueless Fashionistas out there struggling with an animal print piece of clothing.  Don’t put it in the back of your closet never to see the light of day. Pull it out and experiment with it.  Try it with several different pieces and see what works best.  Pull our your full length mirror and give yourself a mini fashion show!

If you have any other questions about fashion and style, please ask away. Let’s make 2010 the year we step outside of our fashion comfort zones and broaden our style horizons!

How do I wear that trend…statement necklaces

I’ve been noticing this term, statement jewelry, being said a lot lately when it comes to fashion trends and great ways to add some spice to your wardrobe.

I realize that many of you may not really know what a piece of statement jewelry is.  Well, I’m here to shed some light on the subject.

Statement necklaces are really large, eye catching necklaces.  Here is a picture of a necklace that would be considered a statement necklace:

Large Earrings, Necklace and Bracelet from http://www.bradbarwick.com/projects.asp

There is also other statement jewelry in the picture, but let’s focus on the necklace.  In essence, the statement necklace is any really large.  I know those can be intimidating to those of you who wear no jewelry or very little jewelry, but don’t be afraid.  Here are some ways you can ease into statement jewelry a bit.

1.  Start light.  Get a long necklace that can be looped more than once around your neck.  You will be doing the statement trend but in a way that may be easier to digest.  Once you realize how fabulous this looks, you should be able to get a larger necklace.

2.  Wear two necklaces at once.  This is another way to ease into the trend without feeling overwhelmed.  You can get two inexpensive necklaces of varying sizes and just wear them together.

3.  Wear a shirt with an attached necklace.  I’ve noticed a trend in stores where they are selling shirts that come with necklaces attached.  Oftentimes the attached necklace is a nice size and with it being attached to the shirt, you may not feel like you’re wearing statement jewelry.

Good luck jumping into the statement necklace trend.  Please send me questions if you need help diving in.

How do I wear that trend…Hardware on bags/purses

I was at the mall yesterday and since I am a big fan of all things shoes and purses, I was browsing around a few stores that sell both. The big trend of more hardware on bags/purses is still going strong.

For those of you who may not know what I mean by hardware, in a nutshell, it’s any metal embellishment that is added to a purse.

If you look at the pictures, you will see that you can easily involve yourself in this trend in more than one way.  There are bags out there that are very decorative with many embellishments and ones that are more understated with only a few.  For you adventurous ladies who enjoy wearing accessories that stand out and draw attention, go pick up a great bag with lots of hardware.  For you ladies who prefer a more understated look, you have options as well.  If you want to treat yourself to this trend without spending hundreds of dollars on the bag, visit some of my favorite stores:

Target

Aldo

Baker’s

All three of these stores carry bags under $50 that are very cute, stylish and give you the opportunity to increase your accessory wardrobe without breaking the bank.  Click on the names and check out their websites and to find a store in your area.

The Chanel purse is from www.dreamhandbags.blogspot.com and has quite a few embellishments on it, however, I want you to pay close attention to the silver embellishments. Those are considered hardware.

The small black bag is a Jimmy Choo hand bag from www.handbagcom.com. It is a lot simpler than the Chanel one above it, but the gold metal embellishments on the bag are considered hardware.

Happy Black Friday!!

Hello all you Clueless Fashionistas out there! I hope everyone who’s in the US had a lovely Thanksgiving and everyone else in other countries is having a lovely November.

Today is the all too famous, sometimes infamous, Black Friday. Some of you may already be out shopping, but for those of you who haven’t ventured out yet, I wanted to share some twitter accounts of people that you should check out before you head out.

If you’re not on twitter, it’s fine. I’m sending the entire address so you can visit their page directly but if you are on twitter, I suggest you give these people a follow.

Black Friday Ads- http://twitter.com/BFAds
TGI- http://twitter.com/tgiblackfriday
Black Friday FM- http://twitter.com/blackfriday_fm

I hope you find some great deals out there today.

Happy Shopping!!

Wearing animal prints…rawr!

Since I talked about what not to do when you’re wearing animal prints, I thought it was only fair for me to discuss some ways you can go about incorporating animal prints into your wardrobe.  I don’t want any of you going out looking like a fashion don’t.  If you didn’t get a chance to check out that article, take a moment and give it a read.  Animal Prints…Rawr.

I’ll still be here.  Go ahead and read on. The don’ts are just as important as the dos. Ready? Ok, here we go.

If you’re unsure about how to wear animal print and still look cute and maybe even a little edgy, here are some ways that animal prints can pop.

1. Wear it with a monotone outfit. First of all, wearing all of one color is very slimming and lengthening. Well, wait, let me clarify. By monotone, I mean muted colors like gray, tan, black, burnt orange etc. You can wear an all red outfit but you do run the risk of standing out in a very not so subtle way which could possibly be unflattering. Wear bright colors with caution. Make full use of your full length mirror in all cases, but especially this one. But if you wear a muted color, animal print jewelry, scarves and shoes will definitely give you an added touch of fabulous to make your outfit pop!

2. With the warning in the first tip in mind, animal print can look great when combined with bright colors. I don’t actively support wearing one bright color head to toe, however if you’re wearing a bright colored shirt or a bright colored pair of pants (you know those colored jeans are still in for the fall!), if you pick up an animal print purse or throw on an animal print scarf, it will look fabulous. Now if you have a great, bright colored dress, I definitely support throwing on some animal print shoes.

3. Now there is one very important thing you should keep in mind when rocking animal prints of any kind, confidence. You should wear all of your clothes with confidence but animal prints require a tad more. Mainly because animal prints tend to draw more attention for some reason. It can be either good attention or bad attention. I’m here to help you draw good attention!

So now that you are armed with both the dos and don’ts of wearing animal prints, venture out and get on board. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on a print you’re unsure about, check out stores like Forever 21, Dots, Target and Walmart for some accessories. I am a big fan of all four of those places for great, chic accessories that are very budget friendly. Just because we’re in a recession doesn’t mean we can’t look great.

Animal Prints…Rawr!!

While this is on my fall fashion accessory trend list, I wanted to do a separate post on animal prints in general.  I will be addressing animal print shoes in an upcoming How do I wear that trend post so stay tuned for that, but this information is important as well.

I have noticed that animal prints are big this fall.  I think animal prints are a great thing to incorporate into your wardrobe but it should be done with caution.  With that in mind, I wanted to discuss some important things to keep in mind when you decide to delve into animal prints.

1.  Don’t wear animal print from head to toe.  If you are an animal print newbie, doing this can definitely be intimidating.  However, if you’re an animal print veteran, you may like it.  I caution against it because more often than not you could end up looking like a piece of furniture or a bed spread and that’s never flattering.  Now for you ladies that do things in an over the top fashion on a regular basis, go for it! But for you ladies that don’t and just want to spice things up, I would suggest staying away from the head to toe animal print.

2.  Don’t over accessorize animal print.  If you decide to use your accessories as a way to wear animal print, great! You’re definitely going to add some great depth to your outfits.  However, I would suggest only wearing one or two pieces in the print.  Do not go all out with animal print earrings, stockings, a bracelet, a headband and a purse all at the same time.  While I understand that the jewelry you wear should compliment each other, you will look way too matchy, matchy.  I know you may like the idea of matching but it can sometimes work against you, especially when wearing a print.  If you want to do accessories, wear no more than two with the same print at the same time.

3.  Don’t wear two different animal prints at the same time. As with any print, mixing is not advised.  If you want to wear leopard print, zebra print and tiger print, that’s wonderful.  However, don’t wear all three at the same time!  Mixing and matching is great when you’re dealing with solid colors but doing it with prints can be dicey.

4.  Don’t wear animal print with a lack of confidence.  Animal print tends to stand out, no matter how you wear it.  You should wear your clothes, they should not wear you.  When you decide to put on animal print (and I strongly encourage you to), you should do it confidently.  Don’t be afraid to put a little extra strut in your stuff.  Enjoy the attention you will receive by wearing animal print the right way.

Stay tuned for more insight on this subject.  I’ve seen so many people wearing animal print wrong that I felt it important to address it head on.  Please, ask questions and seek clarification if you’re unsure about anything. Don’t step out looking less than your best but don’t be afraid to try something new, either.

How do I wear that trend…Clutches

Hi there Cluelessfashionistas!! Here’s another lovely “How do I wear that trend” series focusing on fall accessories. So here goes…

One great trend for the fall is clutch purses. This is a great trend because clutches come in so many different forms and shapes. In the past, clutch purses were typically small. Now, designers are creating clutches that are much larger and more elaborate. There are also clutches that come with wrist bands for you ladies like me that don’t carry clutches because of the lack of a strap. I don’t know about you, but it’s always been my fear that I would be out somewhere rockin my cute little clutch, look around and realize that I’ve left it somewhere. That alone was enough to keep me from enjoying clutches, until I found a cute little sliver toned clutch with a wrist band attached. Here are some pictures of different types of clutches including the wristlet one. I got mine from New York and Company for less than $20. I don’t remember the exact price because I’ve had it for years, but it’s definitely a timeless piece.  Enjoy the pictures and don’t be afraid to add a clutch to your accessory wardrobe.

http://www.globalcraftsb2b.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=807&osCsid=s9pte2f9tdsnvkv44npvrkos17

http://www.retrodesignerdeals.com/catalog/item/4321499/4769737.htm

Silver Clutch from New York & Company

My purse is the bottom one. Happy Clutching!