Thursday, November 28, 2013

Fashion Icon: Fran Fine

Long before I even became a nanny myself, I had seen every episode of The Nanny starring the irreplaceable Fran Drescher. Big hair, tiny skirts, kick ass graphics, Fran knew how to put it together. In every episode the unbelievable wardrobe and hair team would create a masterpiece to match Fran's personality. She went through all the trials of womanhood that we all can relate to. You need a bigger shoe size, aging, single over thirty, fixing your mistakes. Fran made the ultra-90's fashions look amazing. Shoulder pads were encouraged. Leopard print, a must. Velvet? You better believe it. The best part is that she would occasionally be in charge of dressing the kids. Accompanied by great characters like Niles and my favorite Yetta, there was always a joke lined up. The Nanny was a show that could make you smile, laugh, and want every damn fluffy robe and slipper combination Fran had. Even though the show came to an end in 1999, we still honor every beautiful ensemble worn by Miss Fine.









Wednesday, November 27, 2013

The Fashion Do's and Don'ts of Thanksgiving

A few days ago I posted a sample selection of how to dress for thanksgiving.
Here are a few do's and don'ts for getting yourself together.

Do - Make sure your hair is pulled back when in the kitchen.
Don't - Paint your nails before the festivities.
Do - Wear layers, depending on the household, amount of people, weather etc. Layers are your friend.
Don't - Wear tight fitting tops or dresses. NO BODYCONS. Food babies are not pretty.
Do - Wear neutral or darker colors to avoid embarrassing stains.
Don't - Use easily fading lipstick.
Do - Embrace the elastic waist.
Don't - Put on a jersey for a team you have no interest in.
Do - Rock that eye makeup.
Don't - Worry about a fancy updo, save that for the next holiday.
Do - Stack up the rings, necklaces, and bracelets.
Don't - Forget a sweater.
Do - Wear a great pair of closed toe flats.
Don't - Put on an outfit completing hat, are you really going to wear that to dinner. Manners.
Do- Wear a scarf, the thinner cotton kind, not the fluffy knitted ones.
Don't - Feel the need to explain every article of clothing to your grandma.



Monday, November 25, 2013

Thanks for Listening.

As a general rule of thumb, I never like to wear a graphic tee that means nothing to me. Sure you have those free t shirts you got at your company picnic, family reunion, craft fair, whatever, but save those for your bedtime. So many products have trendy words and jokes that you find absolutely hilarious. Just make sure you can relate. 

This means:
1. Never ever wear a merch tee with an artist you do not listen to.
2. No meaningless jerseys either. Especially on a non-game day. 
3. The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones. You love it but is flaunting it necessary? 
4. Stay away from anything that says Bebe, Apple Bottoms, or Ecko on it. Seriously. 
5. And for the love of all things good, do not wear pants with a word going across your ass. 


Sunday, November 24, 2013

Gray Stripes || Gray Stripes

Forever Matchy Matchy.
I love this J. Crew sweater (a la thrift shop) It's an alpaca wool blend, which is great as I live on an alpaca farm. Paired with tie dye black and gray shorts and leather accented Chuck Taylors and Ray Ban Clubmasters, I'm good to go on this partially cloudy day.



Saturday, November 23, 2013

Wanelo will be my undoing.



Wanelo. You are an evil genius. Getting young consumers to view trending products that look like they came straight from a 18 year old's Pinterest board. Everything is cute, sparkly, and sometimes laced with sarcasm. How could I resist? When searching products, you aren't just using a keyword, but a hashtag. A FREAKING HASHTAG. This is where fashion and products meet social media. You can of course like a product, share etc. The usual trending items are usually 1. Disney related. 2. Floral anything. 3. Pillows or shirts with a quote on it. Not everything you may be in need of is on here, it's not Amazon and paper towels aren't trendy. If you are in need of buying everything you could ever need to shove into a few stockings this year, I definitely recommend the brilliant shopping tool known as Wanelo.com.






Thursday, November 21, 2013

Thanksgiving Countdowns

Thanksgiving is a week away, better get working on that menu, dusting off the china, and prepping your ensemble. (Who am I kidding... I do all of that so last second I usually debate whether I should even bother changing out of my PJ's every year.)

There are three kinds of Thanksgivings.

1. The kind where it's just you and your closest family members.

2. The kind where either you have to leave the house or your subtly insulting and judgmental family comes to you.

3. The kind where you are the non-family member and want to make a great impression and not look like Julia Roberts before her makeover in Pretty Woman.

1.


Going to the Grocery Store and Coming Home.






2. 
Dealing with Relatives






3.
She's Got Herself Together


Wednesday, November 20, 2013

November Mix

I hate this month, it's bitter cold, everything is brownish, it gets dark at like 4PM, and what's worse is that whole NoShaveNovember thing people have begun to embrace. Ugh. Just feed me on the 28th and skip to Christmas.

Here's a fun playlist to get us both through the hairy frigid hell that is November.

Black Leather & Yellow Gold

I love love love black and gold. Somehow it always comes together in this effortlessly chic way.
Kmart Black Gold Button Down
h&m Gold Cuff Earring
Forever 21 Leather Legging w/ Gold Zip
Dots Black Chain Flats
Marshall's Bustier Cami
Simply Vera Embellished Cross-body Bag


Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Quick Fix: Beauty

Our grandmothers always have those ridiculous rituals and remedies that can fix anything from frizzy hair to broken nails. Sometimes, it's good to tune in when they give us that tried and true advice. Here's a few ways to quick fix and resolve your classic beauty ailments. These are my favorites, which I have used countless times.

1. Out of shaving cream? Reach for any old conditioner. It even softens the hairs making shaving a breeze. I like v05 because it's usually a dollar and it's only for shaving.

2. Out of make-up remover? Vaseline, baby soap, baby oil, olive oil, coconut oil, and even shortening can remove that makeup without irritating your eyes. That said, being oil based, wash your face extremely well as these items will be hell on pores.

3. Yellowish nails? Fight yellow with yellow. Cut a lemon in half and scrub away.

4. Want ridiculously awesome eyelashes even without mascara? Heat up your eyelash curler for a few seconds with a blow dryer. WARNING: Test it with your hand first, if it's too hot then WAIT FOR TWO SECONDS. Gawd, so impatient.

5. Trying to get that professional manicure look? Well, good luck with that. When I paint my nails it looks like a four year old painted them blindfolded. What I have picked up is, if you carefully put Vaseline on the skin surrounding your nails, the excess will just wipe away while nourishing your cuticles.
      Also, if you are not going anywhere for a while, then you can seal your nails with a clear coat on your skin (all the way around the edges.) After washing your hands a few times, it will just wear off the skin but stay on your nails giving it that extra deep seal.

6. Want sparkly chompers? Mix one part peroxide and one part water in place of mouthwash, unless you want that mintyness, then by all means, in fact I encourage using both.

7. Looking a little red from a blemish? Freeze that baby with a cold spoon, and cover it up with a green based concealer, if you happen to have a matte green eyeshadow, mix it into your concealer. Apply the greenish one first, let it set, then apply more plain concealer until blended.

8. Want to immediately rid your lips of dead skin? Ew grossss. You put on your lipstick but the flakes from your lips made it all uneven! PANIC. Really, pull it together by removing that lipstick, moisturizing with a product that is alcohol free, and rub your lips gently with an exfoliater or just a q-tip. The key to great lips is hydration. Just make sure you've blotted excess balm off before apply the lipstick.

9. Want non greasy hair without washing it? It happens, you don't have time to shower. I get it. I personally love dry shampoo but should you be in a bind and not have it on hand, put your head over a sink or bathtub and rub in cornstarch or baby powder into your scalp. Then take a blow dryer and remove any traces. It works better on light hair of course.

10. Don't want to overdo your eyeliner? There is a trick called "tightlining" Tightlining is a made-up term for when you take a sharp black or brown eyeliner and line your upper waterline from underneath your eyelashes rather than above.Basically what you want to do is just draw directly onto the base of your eyelashes. This trick hides your eyeliner while creating the illusion of thicker lases. I do not recommend you do this daily as your eyelashes could break if they are brittle.

There you have it, my top ten beauty related fixes. What tricks have been passed onto you?

Sunday, November 17, 2013

8 Reasons S Club 7 is a million times better than Glee


8. Crop tops. So many crop tops.



















7. They stuck together no matter what.





















6. They're well-traveled.
Spain, Miami, Hollywood, accidentally on a slow boat to Egypt, and even had a global tour.Each member had their own encounters in various locations for S Club 7 Go Wild. 






5. They teamed up with WWF, Barnardo'sChildren in NeedChildLineThe Children's Society,Comic ReliefNCH and the NSPCC, and donated the proceeds from "Never Had A Dream Come True" to BBC's Children in Need campaign.  




4. Their songs were all original and inspiring. Perfect for your Hit Clips. 














3. They had dolls made in their likeness. How many Glee characters can say that?

















2. Their British-ness exceeds them.



My favourite poster amongst all of my posters. So much so, I still have it up on my wall.
Got this one as a birthday present for my 19th.




















1. It was always a party.

THERE AIN'T NO PARTY LIKE AN S CLUB PARTY









Glee never stood a chance.



Saturday, November 16, 2013

Get Inspired: Fuzzy Sweaters

Oh winter, you are upon us. Time to break out the peacoats, infinity scarves, and oh so convenient touch screen friendly gloves. Although we can't all migrate down to warmer weather we can take a cue from mother nature and copy the warm and fuzzy texture of babies of all sorts. Wool, feathers, faux fur, that weird fabric that does in fact make you look like a newly hatched duckling (see my new Nasty Gal Ladakh sweater below.) Next time you're hitting up your favorite thrift store don't shy away from the muppet-esque textures of the fuzzy sweaters from past eras. They make a great addition when trying to mix up an outfit.