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.

My Obsession with Markers

So today I was at work (in my boring office) and I suddenly noticed that all my eye makeup was smudged--my liquid liner was chipping off and it looked awful.

Usually I carry a little makeup compact with everything I need for this type of thing (eye shadows, blush, eye liner, mascara, concealer...) but today was the one day I forgot.

I ended up washing my face just because I looked too hideous with big pieces of liner missing (and it was impossible to blend!). So, I searched through my office trying to find something that would work as eye makeup. The end result? A non-toxic marker. I found a great black one and just drew a thick line on my lid. In all actuality, it was way easier to use than any of the liquid eye liners I've tried so far. Plus it is non toxic and as long as you don't actually stick the marker in your eye nothing bad will come from it.

A thick line above the lash line is so in for this Fall. It's dramatic enough for nighttime, but even for the day it looks fab.

That said, I actually stole the marker from work and I might just add it to my routine! So now I have a marker for eye liner AND for a lip stain (as I wrote about in my Sharpie post). Hooray!

For those of you who are too scared to try the whole marker thing (I don't blame you) Covergirl has a great liquid liner that acts almost like a marker. Give it a go, you foxy ladies!

(again, from a post I did for herfablife.com)

Shockingly Red Lips

With Fall coming up, it’s high time we take a gander at some of the trends for the new season. Here’s an article I wrote for HerFabLife.com. Enjoy!:

I'm already starting to feel the brisk weather of Fall approaching, but I'm not too worried. Why? Because the makeup trends for this Fall are ridiculously great. Gone are the days of sheer glosses--Red lipstick is in!

Red lips are so classic, and everyone can pull off the look . Cool skin tones look fab in blue-based reds while warm tones simply glow in tomato reds. Pale gals like me can pull off a bright cherry red, just skimp on the eye makeup to avoid looking overdone.

The one thing that makes me hesitant to wear red lipstick is that it is so high maintenence. It seems like you have to check it every five seconds to make sure it's still there and looking perfect. And most times you have to actually fix it (which requires pulling out a mirror and spending a while making your lips look decent).

Luckily, there are a few steps you can take to avoid having to redo your lips constantly:
1) Apply a bit of foundation to your lips. This gives the lipstick something to hold onto.
2) Dust on a bit of translucent powder (again--something for the color to grab).
3) Line your lips with a color that matches your actual lip color. Matching the red lipstick could potentially leave you with a red rim around your lips if the lipstick begins to fade.
4) Apply the lipstick to your lips using a lip brush and working from the center of your lips out.
5) Blot.
6) Apply a second time.

Once you complete these steps, you'll be left with a lasting pout that flatters you. Enjoy!

Sorry for the Delay!

Sorry my lovlies, I know I've been preoccupied lately. I'm moving (in less than a week! ahh) back up to New Hampshire to be closer to my fam. So between that, working my ass off in Boston to save money, and job hunting in NH, I haven't had any time to breathe! But my guess is that I will be basically unemployed other than a few freelance writing assignments for a while, so I'll probably be blogging a lot more. In the next post I'll post an article I wrote for another website so that there will at least be something to read! But keep on looking fabulous ladies!!

CVS is my Guilty Pleasure

I. Love. CVS.

Near my apartment, there is conveniently a 24-hour CVS that I constantly go to even if I don't need anything just because they have the best beauty section...plus sales on chocolate. But today I made a great discovery: CVS has a clearance section.

I know, I know...most places do and I'm stupid not to have found it. But the section is no where near the regular makeup--it is hidden away by the tampon section!! There was a whole shelf of beauty goods that were 50% off and I almost peed myself with delight. I bought some mascara, eye shadow, and a fun little manicure kit for practically nothing. But still--don't tell my boyfriend. Hahaha. Seriously.

It almost made it better for me that the clearance shelves were hidden because there was still such good makeup to choose from. You know how in other stores there is only crappy dark brown lipstick and neon green nail polish? Well, not in this case. I had to restrain myself, but I know I'm going to go back later this week and check to see if anything new got added. Oh CVS. How I love thee.

The moral to the story is this: Don't overpay for beauty goods. I've been known to splurge more than a few times at Sephora and Department stores, which is fine every once in a while, but bargain hunting is the best. Most high end makeup brands (Lancome, Clinique, Estee Lauder) also own drugstore brands. I believe that Lancome owns Loreal and there is a great mascara out there that is the exact same formula as a popular Lancome one, just packaged differently.

Anyway, this lesson is getting rather lengthy. But take the time to look for sales. It can literally be a scavenger hunt sometimes, and today just proved it.

My Love Affair with Lip Gloss

I literally own over 50 lip Glosses. Alright, probably closer to 100. No joke. Whenever I go anywhere that might possible have a funky gloss, I check them out and usually buy one or two, be it a drugstore, the dollar store, Sephora, or even 7eleven!

It is an addiction. And I will continue to feed the addiction forever.

My newest true love is Cover Girl's Wetslicks Fruit Spritzers in Strawberry Splash. In fact, I bought it for $1.99 at a dollar store near me. Seriously,I hunt for bargains. But the rest of you folks can still get a good deal--it goes for a cheap $4.99 on drugstore.com.

I'm always a little bit wary to try Cover Girl stuff just because to me it seems so middle school-esque. I mean, I remember Cover Girl eyeshadow being my first makeup purchase ever. But this gloss is amazing. Not sticky at all, and it adds just a bit of a pink tint to your lips, which is perfect for the hot weather and is easy to apply sans mirror. Plus it smells groovy.

Side Swept Glamour

The side ponytail is huge lately. And I've got to say, I don't hate it. The look is glam, yet low maintenance and is the perfect solution for what I like to call "next day hair".

You know what I mean. It's Sunday morning and your hair is still a little wavy and styled from your Saturday night hair look...Instead of simply pulling it back into a messy bun or regular ponytail, try an updated side version.

The look is a throwback to the 80s (which is still hot right now), but with a little more elegance. To pull it off, leave your hair fairly natural. Mine is a little wavy, but if you have straight hair or super curly hair it still looks great. Run a pea-sized amount of smoothing hair lotion through your locks, give yourself a side part, and sweep your hair to the side (low, at the nape of your neck). Secure with an elastic or a big hair clip. For going out, I love some of the new embellished ones that are coming out with huge crystals or small simple flowers.

Paris Hilton does this well, and lately it seems like all the celebs are embracing this side swept look. It's different and can definitely take your look from day to night. It is just so versatile that it literally works for every occasion. And what's not to love about that?

Vintage Chic

I love lockets. Always have, always will. I just love the idea of being able to keep your fave picture (in mini-size) with you at all times. Not to mention, looking totally fab while doing it.

Kuo Ting’s "Vintage Heart Necklace" (found at CoutureCandy.com) is absolutely gorgeous. It is tiny and delicate, and actually looks like something that could have been passed down for generations.

The piece is $66. Not cheap, but not steep either. You could easily get away with wearing this everyday, so I think it's well worth it.

Lockets are big right now, but they never really go out of style. So, ditch your huge layered necklaces for a while, and throw on a classy locket. I promise, you'll look divine.

Glossy Hair Sans Grease

So getting my hair to do anything decent can take me up to two hours. No joke. as I've said before, my hair is literally a cocktail of wavy frizz grossness when left to it's own devices. I've tried to embrace my waves, but I find I have to put so much product in my hair to get rid of the frizz, and by that point my hair just looks greasy.

So I usually stick to flat ironing it.

Still, that is damaging to the hair (I have breakage galore) and getting all the flyaways and frizzies straight is ridiculously difficult.

So thank god for Frederic Fekkai's Glossing Creme ($19.50-$26.50 at Sephora). Now I can get away with doing a so-so straightening job and smoothing out the rest with this stuff.

To use correctly, I take a tiny bit (really, just barely enough to feel on my hands) and work it through my hair from the tips up--the tips are often the most prone to breakage and frizz. Then I blow dry. Then out comes the flat iron and I do my thang for a bit. Immediately, my hair looks shiny and all hairs are in place. Simply amazing.

For particularly humid days, I'll take another very small squirt and run it through (again from ends up) to avoid frizziness later.

I'm in love with this stuff. If you aren't sure you're ready to spend the big bucks, a small trial size is available from Sephora as well for around $9. The best part is that this stuff lasts forever since you only use the smallest amount at a time.

Woohoo! I love hair miracles!

Lip Smackin' Good

No matter what expensive lip gloss I find, I keep on coming back to Lip Smacker Dr. Pepper lip gloss.

It's the perfect color for us fair-skinned mavens. When I put it on, my lips immediately have just a tint of light red to them, which looks natural and simply gorgeous. I love wearing this particularly in the summer, because who wants to look overdone with bright red lipstick while beachin' it? Not me.

You can pick up this fabulous beauty find at most drugstores for under $2. Not bad for a natural lip look. An added bonus? The flavor is divine and smells just like that classic soda that we all know and love. Yum.

Tweeze Please!!

If you've been reading this blog for a bit, you must know how I feel about unruly eyebrows--I hate them.

My brows are fairly decent, and I usually only need to pluck a few stray hairs every couple of weeks.

That said, I'm in love with Tweezerman's animal print tweezers. I mean, come on! They're adorable. Personally, I really dig the zebra print, but they all rock in their own unique ways.

And for $25 at Sephora, how can you go wrong?

Have a friend who is tweezer-wary? Show her these gorgeous pluckers and let the magic happen. They're too awesome to resist.

Sorry, Guys!

It's been a while since my last post. My grandpa died on June 26th and I've been an emotional wreck, and just simply haven't felt like writing or even had the time.

But I'm starting to get back into the swing of things and figured I'd start off with a blog about my gramps.

He was really like a second dad to me, and really was the most hilarious guy in the world. He was really special to me.

Fashion-wise, he was always dressed for success. Even while he was in the hospital (battling lung cancer) he looked pretty suave.

My grandpa has really helped me become who I am today and I miss him greatly. I have so many great memories of our time together and I know that he is in a better place now.

Love you always, gramps!!

Fashion Faux Pas: Full Camo Print Outfits

A while back, I wrote an article about chic camouflage frocks (like a nice mini skirt). While I still do think that a camo print can be hot (my mom has a bitchin' pair of camo ballet flats), there is a time and a place to wear it. And if you're going to wear it, stick with one great piece and leave it at that. There is little worse than camo overload.

There is a guy who comes into my place of employment (suffice it to say I work in a doctor's office. ish). More often than not, this fool of a man waltzes in wearing baggy camo print pants, a matching fitted tank, flat ironed hair (though he did fancy the cornrow look for a while) and, to top it all off, I've been informed that he also wears bright orange glasses.

The most amusing part is that he thinks he looks fabulous. I hate to single this guy out. He is nice, if a little eccentric, and he is flamboyantly gay (which I actually am a fan of). And while, I do admire his gusto, his style simply does not cut it.

I really do pity him and I want to take him under my wing. He has such great potential. Alas, approaching the situation is difficult. So I pass on this information to my readers: with prints like camo, wear only one amazing item. Otherwise, you may just get recruited into the army by accident.

Lesson learned? I hope so.

Ode to the Ballet Flat

Ever since I broke my pinkie toe (ouch!) a few weeks ago, I've only been able to wear flat shoes. My doctor recommended sneakers. No thanks. I'm simply not a sneaker type of gal unless they happen to be encrusted in gems and are fuchsia. Even then, I'd probably only wear them once and then throw them in the back of my closet.

I found my own solution: my coveted black ballet flats from Target ($15!).

I know ballet flats have been in for a while, but I have a feeling that this trend will last for a bit. Ballet flats are chic, comfy, dressy, casual, and all-around gorgeous. I own the ones in the picture and a pair in patent leather. Fine...I've also good them in a bunch of other colors, too.

Every gal should own a pair, in my opinion. To have a classic, chic look, all you need is a pair of ballet flats and some red lipstick. Am I right, ladies?

Bang Cutting Mishap--and the Solution!

As I browsed the pages from my fave glossy mags a few weeks ago, I was amazed by all of the blunt-cut bangs that all the stars are sporting. So, being my crazy self, I grabbed a pair of shears and ran to the bathroom to cut my own.

Mistake? Yes. My hair, of course, is concoction of wavy frizz grossness and cannot handle the aforementioned bangs. I looked like I had a mullet.

After days of wanting to shave my head ala Britney Spears, I found a solution: headbands.

I immediately ran out to CVS and bought three, and stole a few from my mom. Currently, I am wearing one daily until my "bangs" (if you can even call them that) grow out.

Lucky for me, headbands are HUGE right now. I particularly am a fan of the simple thick black satin ones out there. They match everything and can go from day to night with ease. And they look so posh!

The one in the picture is from Delia's and goes for $3.99 (on sale!), but everywhere has got 'em.

Thank you headbands for saving my life and keeping me out of the Mullet Club.

THIS IS BIG: Sharpies as Makeup?

This is BIG. Bigger than big. I have actually found a new way to use Sharpies. I'm not sure if this has been done before, or if I am a genius. I am leaning towards the genius side. Let's get on with it, shall we?

Lately, I've been big into lip stains. They're great because I work all day, or run around doing stuff, and much as I love lip gloss, I hate applying it in public. So, rather than run off to the bathroom every ten minutes to slather some on, I've been going the stain route. I've found some beauties, but I had a brainstorm late night when I saw my pink marker: Why not use a Sharpie?

Sharpies are permanent makers and I remember trying to"tattoo"myself in middle school. Usually the marking would wash off completely in a couple of days, and that was with black, the most potent of the Sharpies.

I have this great fuchsia shade marker that I knew would look simply fab on my lips. So I went to it. I literally drew on my lips. And it looked great. It lasted for the whole night!

Sharpies are totally nontoxic (I checked, I'm not a fool) and I cannot think of any sort of disease that would come from this use.

The best part? Sharpies are super cheap, and there are about five pink shades, a few reds, and even PEACH. The most interesting part is that the marker didn't even dry out my lips (which most stains tend to do for me. Also the color was even a little sheer-ish--not like some sort of full-on fuchsia paint. Simply amazing.

Have I found some sort of new beauty miracle?

Sexy Eyes for the Bedroom...or Anywhere Really...

I have found a new love.

Today I took a trip to CVS to pick up a new mag (don't tell my boyfriend) and I stumbled upon the makeup section. Or maybe I purposefully went there to buy lip gloss (again, don't tell my boyfriend).

While browsing through the store, I saw Revlon's "Bedroom Eyes". Now, I had seen ads for it, and was slightly interested, but I just forgot about it. I decided to give in today because there was only 1 dark blue liner left and lately I've been obsessed with the whole blue smokey eye look.

The shade I got is called "Sultry Sapphire" and I think that describes it pretty well. Unlike many blue liners, this blue is VERY dark--almost black. No neon blue hues here. This liner is actually a powder, so I was worried about coverage. Somehow though, it managed to line my eyes with the precision of a liquid liner, but the blendability (is that a word?) of a powder. It went on really thick, coverage-wise, but blended soooo easily. It is impossible to make a mistake with this stuff.

I can't wait to wear it to work tomorrow! I am already mentally planning out an outfit full of rich blue and black shades...Hmm...

"Bedroom Eyes" comes in oodles of colors (well, about 6 but really, how many more dark shades are there?) and they each cost around $10. Huzzah!