Don't Say a Peep...Toe

Oh Fall. As much as I love the crisp weather, it's always a gamble for me to find stylish shoes that aren't clunky boots. For some reason, once it begins to get cold, I go right from wearing sandals to wearing my "man shoes" (ridiculous manly boots), and never see a pair of shoes to make me do otherwise until Spring.

Not anymore! This season, peep toe wedges are totally appropriate for Fall. As long as they're in a sturdy fabric and in a darker, jewel toned color, they're good to go!

Wear shoes like this with some black opaque tights (yes, ladies--they're still in this season) and a wrap dress, or throw them on with some jeans for a gal's night out.

This pair is a real bargain. The wedges go for $19.99 (on sale!) at Payless.

Fashion Faux Pas: Doggie Bag

I love purses so much. I collected them all through high school and only recently cut down to about 20 bags. I consider myself to be somewhat of a handbag guru.

That said, there are some pretty hideous purses out there. One ridiculous example is this "Faithful Friend" tote bag from collectiblestoday.com.

I am so against cheesy photo/picture bags, AND people who are overly obsessed with their pets. I actually enjoy cute dogs and know first-hand what it is like to love your pet. Still, I don't feel the need to advertise your love by carrying around a bag that is simply unacceptable to use in public.

The purse is customizable with your choice of dog breed, and even comes with a matching doggie charm. Oh my. But I haven't gotten to the worst part yet. The tote actually sells for $80. The same price for a decent fashionable leather purse.

My advice? Save your money and buy a couple bags from Target or something. Cheesy purses will never be in style.

Drustore Beauty Secrets

In case you didn’t already know, drugstores have some great beauty finds for fairly cheap. When I first became a self-proclaimed makeup-whore, I instantly fell in love with department store cosmetics: Lancome, Clinique, and all the others. What I didn’t know at the time was that many of the high end brands actually own some of the drugstore brands. In fact, many of the products in drugstores are exactly the same formula as their high end companion.

One of my fave makeup brands, Lancome, actually owns L’Oreal. When I found this out, I automatically went to CVS and stocked up on mascara, lipgloss, and eyeshadow. Indeed, I found that most of the products were identical to my fave Lancome buys. The only difference is the packaging and how the lines are marketed.
My best find so far is L'Oreal’s Voluminous mascara –it is the same as Lancome’s Definicil mascara. It plumped my lashes and no clumps were to be found. Another great find is the Line Eraser retinol lotion by L'Oreal. It is so similar to Lancome's Resurface that an actual Lancome employee couldn't even tell them apart! L’Oreal’s Rouge Pulp lip gloss is the same essentially as Lancome’s Lip Brio. Most of the shades even match up.

The one thing that I would suggest still purchasing from Lancome is their skincare products. The line is incredible and I haven’t found a drugstore match yet that can quite compete. Their moisturizers can’t be beat.

Lancome is great and the packaging is usually gorgey—but give me the cheaper version anyday!

(a post I wrote for herfablife.com)

Gorgey Lips for Fall

Okay, so recently I've been obsessing over red lip stains. I only recently discovered how wonderful they are and now I'm basically going crazy and buying bunches of different brands.

My fave so far? Vincent Luongo's Lip and Cheek Gel Stain in Liquid Kiss. For a stain, it's actually pretty blendable until it fully dries, and the color is perfect for Fall (a deep red with a touch of plum)--it flatters all skin tones. One sweep gives a sheer wash of red, and each layer you add intensifies the hue. Perfect for day or night. Plus it really does have staying power; one application lasts all day without drying my normally dry, cracked lips.

So, yes. I'm in love.

The best way to wear the stain is under a clear gloss or balm, and with very little eye makeup to avoid that drag queen look. Go for a simple wash of light brown, or bronze on the lids and a coat of black mascara.

Sit back and relax. Let your lips do the rest.