photo credit: sicoactiva	Got a GNO event coming up? Just before stepping out to my own GNO event with an exceptionally savvy gal pal we went over wardrobe options. My girl was a little stressed about what to wear to an all woman function. In fact a number of girls weren’t quite sure the best way to dress for themselves on a night with a bunch of other chicks – many of which hadn’t all met IRL yet.

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photo credit: έŁέ¢τяøиί¢ έγέ

No “Makeup Monday” or “Wearable Wednesday” posts this week? What’s up with that?

Don’t worry, I’ve got some great content coming up for you – I’ve just been busy with extra biz stuff and I don’t have more than one brain or 2 extra hands to type it all out (not that I’d want the extra digits…I mean, how would all my clothes fit?). I’ll get it out for ya soon and share the girly topic love :)

Meanwhile – what are you up to! Tweet me or Comment below!
Also share the blog love by checking out the posts from my fellow awesome bloggers on my Blogroll like Alyson Is Neat or True Queen!

photo credit: dr_vaibhavahuja

Girls let me tell you. It’s pretty damn difficult to copy celebrity style. The trouble usually begins with not having buckets of cash to plop down for whatever your little fashion heart desires. Also most of you aren’t oozing out your pores the fame that compels top designers to throw their most glamorous clothing at you every minute. And look, I know you want to look just as effortlessly gorgeous as Miley Cyrus, Angelina Jolie, Beyonce, or Katie Perry…or whoever you admire. But the fact is well, Angelina is Angelina, Beyonce is Beyonce, and so on. They OWN their style. So should you.

The good news is that you can copy and borrow from “Iconic Styles” that easily fit into your own.

What do I mean by Iconic?
Think easy to recognize characters:
The Rocker Chick
The Cheerleader
The Hot Librarian
The Sexy Secretary
The Goddess

Most celebrities are already doing this and actors get a lot of practice with the movie roles they are cast in. The awesome difference is they don’t just dress up and play one character all the time. They have their own fashionable little group of icons to choose from. And so can you! The additional beauty of it all is you can infuse each iconic look with your own unique flavor each time. Your own “Goddess Style” isn’t the cardboard cutout copy of Angelina’s! Your Rocker Chick won’t be the exact over the top duplicate of Lady Gaga’s.


photo credit: Facubeagle

So stay tuned and I’ll happily blog for you ways that you can pull off your own version of Sexy Secretary, Pop Diva, or Fierce Glamazon. You can pick and choose the elements that make up whatever iconic look you want – I’ll show you how on Wednesdays.

In the meantime, would you indulge me a moment and list some characters you would love to dress up as? From your favorite movies and stories. Share those dress up fantasies! I bet I could help you make them a reality – just let me know!

Happy Styling!

photo credit: najjie

Do you slick on the gloss for a glamorous pout or go for the creamy stick of lipcolor?

Me? On a desert island I totally have lipgloss on hand.

Aside from that…I’m a layer girl and I use both lipstick and lipcolor daily. Why? Well a few beautiful reasons:

Dimensional Color Applying a coat of lipstick, a shimmery lipgloss highlighter, and then full coat of clear or slightly tinted gives lips glamorous dimension. The colors enhance each other and make it more a custom look overall. You can have a lot of fun mixing and matching various lipglosses with lipsticks for different looks too!

Staying Power Pout
Then there’s the fact that you’ve got more than one layer of color making it last longer throughout the day. Just don’t mash your face into a sandwich and those lips will look lush for hours and hours. If you use a lip pencil to start then you can make that color last even longer!

Moisturizing Color
I live in a desert and my skin already has the tendency for dryness so if I want my color to not look scaly after the first half hour the layer of gloss is a must. This could also be the case for you girls in the dry Midwest, or during dry seasons such as winter and summer. I’ve also found lipgloss alone has a tendency to lose it’s own color (if it’s a tint) really quickly so glossing over the thicker color of a lipstick keeps it moist & colorful.

So it’s really not much of a contest if you think about it – Use both and you’ll maximize your beauty!

Got some favorite lip products you can’t live without? Tell me about it :) My current stockpile includes an assortment of Maybelline Lip Polish glosses – cheap, pretty and complimentary. Try them out yourself and let me know what your current favorites are.

If Money Were No Object

Casual Jackets by Topshop
Pumps by Sam Edelman

So I went a little crazy collecting looks from my favorite shopping and fashion site Shop Style. They have just about everything from Arden B to Vivianne Westwood, designer high end to stylishly affordable. You gotta check them out and have fun window shopping and creating your own looks!

Meanwhile in the “real world” I’m preparing to walk my very first fashion show for an amazing artist friend and designer Rachael Domingo. I’m a bit nervous but also excited – and I’ll make sure to tell you all about it in the days to come!

Have fun with the Shop Style goodness!

photo credit: filtran
Whether you are an elegant bronzed goddess or a freckled little pixie this is the season for some skin and body skimming silhouettes. How do ya work your style without breaking into a huge sweat with options and trends? Fret ye not! I Got some tips for you to work your own summer style this year!

Choosing Color
Now is the season where your color choices can brighten into bolder hues like aqua, tangerine, tomato red, etc. Though the colors are truer and more saturated there is a lot to choose from (a relief to hear for those of us who have a damnable time wearing summer colors such as orange and yellow). This is also a time when warm neutrals really shine such as tan, bronze, creamy beige, or soft sandstone. Neutrals can be your ticket to summer sophistication, trust me! Bright colors are fun and flirty but neutrals really smolder. Feel free to mix and match bold color with neutral hues such as dressy brown shorts with a turquoise (the “color of the year” for 2010) tank top.

*Speaking of neutrals you might want to get your hands on your own version of the “Little White Dress” and pair it with stylish accessories such as a black jacket like Zoe Saldana wears here, funky beaded necklaces, or even denim. It’s a great fashion staple that transitions beautifully from Spring to Summer.

I’m a fan of getting inspiration from the surrounding environment when I choose color. Choosing from warm sunny scenes is what you’re looking for with this method. Desert palettes can include shades of orange, bright blue, light green, & stony beige. Colors like sky blue and soft gold evoke an easy breezy day at the beach. You can even go all out with tropical colors – bright pink, emerald green, white, purple, yellow, etc. Or perhaps you can take your que from the romance of a summer sunset with a sensual mix of blushing pinks, purples, and gold.

Classic, Funky, Sweet, or Elegant?
Trends abound during this time so it’s not all short shorts and tees. How you want to play out your style is entirely up to you. You could go classic and crisp like Jackie O. You could get your beach goddess on with flowing strappy gowns in golden earth tones. Or pile on the chunky beads and bangles for a funky exotic look.

One of the trends I’m liking this year is Western Wear – giving me an excuse to put my cowboy hat on every other day! I’ll pair it with items such as a flowing white skirt, to glittery chandelier earrings, to jeans and a well loved and form fitting graphic tee. You could go sweet with this look by wearing prairie skirts & blouses, or try going rugged and a little rock & roll with sand blasted jeans and suede.

Hair, Makeup, and All the Lovely Details
Around this time beach babes all over are gettin their highlight on. Which is just fine – the lighter days treat lighter locks much easier than dark shades. If you happen to color your hair red consider using a spray in conditioner with a sun screen to protect it during times you’re out in the sun. Otherwise the rays will suck out the color in no time. Also consider incorporating some fashionable hats to keep your color fresh for as long as possible.

I’m going to rave about mineral makeup again – I can’t help myself. This is a time where I really really appreciate the qualities of a good mineral foundation. This stuff is less likely to ooze off your face during sweaty moments. And it feels so wonderfully weightless! An added benefit (god, I could totally go on and on actually) is its water resistance so take note you water babies.

This is a great time to pile on your favorite bling & bangles. Wear dripping pendants and chains with camisoles and shorts. Stack up those bracelets! Whatever you do with your jewels mix it up and don’t get too matchy matchy (that looks a bit old and frumpy).

So what are you excited to wear this Summer? Let me know! And feel free to share your own style tips in the comments below.

Happy Styling!

photo credit: Andy Houghton
As I mentioned in my latest Fashion Friday post Style is how you respond to Fashion. It’s YOUR voice and how you have a conversation with the goings on in Fashion.

But how do you get that Stylish “silver tongue” anyway? Especially when Fashion seems to be constantly running at the mouth about hot trends, fierce looks, celebrity handbags, ultra designer shoes, hundred dollar t-shirts, and “look at this!” “grab that!” or “get this color NOW!”.

Find Your Inner Style Spot
First…chill out and center yourself. Find that nice, cozy, feel good spot in your Soul where your Style resides.
Ahhh…feels great huh? This is where you know whatcha like wearing and what looks fabulous on you. It’s that singular and lovely voice that is totally familiar and totally your own. The voice that says “yes” to the colors that add sparkle to your eyes and “no, thanks!” to the colors that suck all the life out of your face & hair. It’s there, trust me, though it might be deep down. Just get comfortable and listen to that stylish core.
Once you listen to that inner voice you can better speak with it’s wisdom – through your wardrobe and dressing choices.
Also pay close attention to the way the people around you respond to what you are wearing. Catalog those compliments of the real folks that actually interact with you. That says volumes about your style and how well you are at communicating it. Give that more precedence than what the critics are cooing on & on so-and-so starface at the Oscars or Grammy’s. Get real when you get centered by sticking to your own self and your own circle or community.

Tune In & Tune Out
Next thing you gotta realize that you can’t follow every thing that Fashion is talking about. That would teleport you straight to crazy town and drain the style right out of you. You don’t want to have play catch up all day do ya? So tune in to the stuff that really interests you AND that you can actually participate in. Everything else can go straight to the bargain bin in your head.
Take me for example – I never remember when fashion week is, or who won the last Project Runway series, or the name of the designer handbag that dangles on Beyonce or Rhianna’s arm. Sex & the City 2? Don’t even get me started. That stuff may be kind of interesting at one time but not enough for me to actually relate to.
What does get me excited and what do I love to talk about and shop for? Things like how the Twilight movies inspire a new take on vampire chic. Or how gothic fashion has given way to Steampunk couture. Or that I can now get cage style stiletto sandals for under $50 at Target where our First Lady of Style Michelle Obama proudly shops on occasion. I will happily chat about those things with my girlfriends and listen in for advice and interesting points. Save yourself some brain space by tuning out the chatter and tuning in to your key points of interest.

Understand Trend Patterns…Easily
After you’ve practiced tuning in to what matters to you and tuning out all the babble you will discover something a bit surprising. Fashion trends are not as bamboozling and exhaustive to keep up with as you think! This is because trends follow patterns. Of season, of media, and even the economy. Season is by far the strongest influence of trend. Since most of us still get hot Summers and cold Winters you can confidently prepare for bright colors by the end of April and layer on the warm and dark tones around November. It’s really not that big of a deal. Designers bring out the all the soft & fresh floral patterns in Spring and get all moody and darkly romantic in Fall…it’s like clockwork really.
What you want to keep your eye out for is what movies, or characters you like in box office hits and what themes, patterns, and designs they are displaying that really struck you. Or what the celebrities you admire are wearing in the latest magazines to get inspiration from. This also goes for popular television series as well as the retail explosion Gossip Girl inspired in shops like Forever 21 for example.
*Word to the wise stylista. A lot of trends are just fluff and nonsense actually – flaming hot for mere seconds and then obnoxiously “not” once everyone wipes the dazzle from their eyes and sees how ridiculous it looks on everyone EXCEPT the hot new screen starlet or reality show glamazon. Keep a healthy dose of fashion skepticism with you.

So start practicing these 3 things and you’ll do beautifully and keep Fashion from talking circles around you.

Keep checking in to the blog – later on I’ll tell you about being a Fashion badass and be well on your way to becoming a Zen Master of Style.

Leave a comment below about what your Style Soul tells ya :) or tweet me! Always love to hear about it.

photo credit: tim_d

Before we get into how to create signature style – let me give you some food for thought and ask the question: “What is Style?”

Which begs another question: “What is Fashion?”

And: “Is there a difference between Style and Fashion?”

I certainly think so – but first, I’d love to hear your thoughts :)

So answer by commenting below – also feel free to tweet me about it too!

This my lovelies is the t-shirt appropriately titled “Lady Umbrella is away with the birds” which I thought was a perfectly “tweetable” fashion piece to purchase online at www.ladyumbrella.com. It was a snap to buy and a breeze to wear. For those of you who would also like to make fashionable online purchases here’s a few tips:

Fashion Tip 1: T-shirts are a low-risk, easy way to start purchasing clothes online. T-shirts are effortless to wear and usually found at an affordable price. Just make sure to get a color that compliments your skin tone & features. *I’m a brunette with pale skin so this bold true blue looks wonderful on me. Blondes would look stunning in the peachy pink “Lady Umbrella likes to strut” while dark and olive skinned girls would rock the cheeky yellow “What came first the chicken or the umbrella?”.

Fashion Tip 2: Check out the unique accessory options either from the same store or from another online store to add to the look. Scarves, bangles, & earrings can all be easily paired with your t-shirt and won’t cost a lot either. If you are really bold look at some hats or shoes! Or if you are really on a budget just look in your own closet for some fun accessories that can freshen up your look. *I choose pink instead of blue to add some punch as you’ll see below!

Fashion Tip 3: If available before you check out and put down payment information look at any reviews that are listed by other shoppers who have purchased the garment. You might save yourself some heartache or a wrong size choice. At Lady Umbrella though you can trust you’ll get a great garment since Rob & Elena have given all their shirts rigorous testing.

So are you ready to make your own awesome purchases online! Let me hear about it by commenting below. Also feel free to share your own tips for shopping online & off. And stay tuned for more fashion awesomeness next week ;)

Happy shopping!

photo credit: malla_mi

Sorry sorry, I’ve been so busy in the real world: socializing, shopping, reviewing, etc. But the awesome news is I’ve got some great fashion goodness for you coming up very soon! Including:

An encore of the awesome t-shirt company Lady Umbrella.

Guidelines (Rules) for making the best online purchases for your style.

My hot new purchase from The Full Spectrum.

And creating your best & easiest outfits in 1…2…3!

so stay tuned!