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.

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?

And the lipstick shade of the season is........PURPLE!

Violet, Mulberry, Periwinkle, Plum. SO MANY SHADES OF PURPLE. Before we get into each vibrant lip color, let me state the facts. Not all trends work on everybody. Your complexion plays the most vital role in choosing the right shades. For instance, if you have a pale complexion that bright orange will not work on you no matter how exclusive that limited edition Nars lipstick was. Here are a few pointers for picking out the perfect purple. (Say that ten times fast.)

 For the ladies as pale as a ghost, myself included. Darker colors are beautiful but if you go too dark you will look more washed out. Try to pick a shade that is more on the blue side of the spectrum. So less of the burgundy/purple tones. Bonus: Bluish tones make your teeth whiter!

Warmer skin tones, or for those of you that refuse to put down the bronzers. You guys are golden, go ahead and rock that Red-Violet or Mulberry.

Dark skin tones a slightly brighter shade of purple would be beautiful. Try to go for pink undertones. Avoid any pastel lilac-lavender colors.


 If you do decide to wear a vivid shade, tone down the rest of the makeup. No smokey eyes, make your blush neutral, and keep the eyeliner down to MAYBE a cat eye.

 Every outfit is different, so I can't say don't wear purple lipstick with..... Just make sure that if you have a whole lot going on with a billion colors and accessories then pick a more toned down shade.

 

Keeping Clear on a Rainy Day

What is worse than having a beautiful outfit ruined by crappy wet weather? To have it all covered up by some coat that doesn't quite do it justice. Below are a few items to help you stay dry and still show off your lovely #ootd.