Hollywood tag tamers

It’s a universal truth to which all wearers of clothes can attest: Those sewn-in tags can be itchy, irksome and irritating because… They’re scratchy…causing you to over focus on Donna Karan and Calvin Klein rather than the business at hand. They’re always popping out of your dress, blouse, sweater and pants and announcing to the world both your maker and size! They’re hard to cut-out, often making a nice little hole in your favorite piece. 

Often though you can't get rid of them. They’re important for washing…or was it dry clean only? They’re necessary,especially when your favorite consignment store insists on seeing the Chanel label, not just taking your word for it. The simple solution is Hollywood Tag Tamers! Clear, adhesive-backed Hollywood Tag Tamers have a comfortable, cushiony texture that will never itch or irritate sensitive skin.  Hypo-allergenic and fabric friendly, Hollywood Tag Tamers come in two convenient, easy-to-use sizes to ensure your comfort while preserving your Hollywood image. 

What a strange power there is in clothing. ~ Isaac Bashevis Singer

My Spring Awakening

It's that time again... The garden's awakening and so must your style.
This fresh new season is popping up with a little something for everyone. Springs color palette will be infused with an array of blooming colors like spearmint, lilac aqua and coral. Summertime will give us haute bold hues like vivid royal blue, turquoise, orange and fuchsia. Pair both seasons with a collection of workable and interchangeable neutrals like khaki, taupe, nudes and olives. Now you're ready to go!
The youthful flourishes like eyelet, crocheted, floral and lace are everywhere, intermingling with minimal whites, and a hefty dose of 70's sensibility.

The very good news for all of us is there are an array of flattering spring styles for all of our body shapes and sizes and I have a list of OMG styles and Gotta' have it's:

1. Flatforms - part platform, part wedge... Give your toes a break from the painful stiletto and still retain your style! 

 
2. Mix and Match madness - This season is all about creative combinations. Mix mod styles with fresh florals or pencil skirts and punk. It's all about creativity.Stick to one or two colors though to avoid the crazy old lady look!

3.Trench dresses - a fusion of the trench coat and sheath dress make for an impeccably stylish weekday         workhorse.

BCBGMAXAZRIA Alex Trench Coat Dress

4. Neutrals and Nudes - Sand, beige, buff, and nude... These barely there colors will tie your entire closet together.

5.Loose, comfortable fits and styles (I LOVE THIS ONE!) Say goodbye to short shorts, tight dresses and ultra high heels. This season is all about free fitting, unfettered fashions.

6. The Maxi dress is coming back! Floor length flow will be everywhere this summer.

Longing for Lashes

No feature draws attention to a persons face more dramatically then their eyelashes. This has been demonstrated decade after decade with our focus on pumping up and enhancing what the good Lord gave us!

Throughout history women have used many covert and often dangerous methods to enhance their natural beauty. Ingredients like white lead, mercury, nitric acid and coal tar have all been used in cosmetics, often contributing to the detriment or death of the user. Luckily now, we have safe and very effective methods for improving upon what nature gave us.

Eyelashes have three stages of growth: Anagen – the active growth stage, catagen – the point where growth peaks and telogen – the place where lashes fall out and new ones start to grow.

When the anagen stage slows due to your age, genetics or abrasive methods used on the lashes, the succeeding lashes tend to grow thinner and shorter over time.

The first and most obvious solution for thin or thinning lashes is to treat them with tender loving care. Avoid excessively rubbing during the day or scrubbing lashes to remove makeup at night. Always use a gentle, preferably natural makeup remover and follow up with a nightly hydrating serum to strengthen and condition the fringe you already have.

Next, look for a volumizing mascara that will enhance and give the illusion of thickness to your natural lashes.One of the most effective mascaras I've used is called Lash Injection from the cosmetic company Too Faced. This 3D formula has elastic polymers that create tubes around each lash, extending and enhancing the appearance of length and volume. Lash Injection is also infused with jojoba and vitamin E to strengthen and soften and prevent breakage of  the lashes you have.
For an instant fix and a dramatic effect, lash extensions are taking the market by storm. Extensions are meticulously applied lash by lash, by a licensed professional with a medical bonding adhesive. It takes approximately two hours for to apply a full set and can be very costly. You'll also need to have them touched up every two to three weeks. That being said, lash extensions are a big bang for your buck!
So what if you want to extend and fill out the lashes you have without makeup? This is where my favorite option comes in... Lash conditioners, fortifiers and growth enhancers. Without a prescription, there are excellent options like LiLash and Rapidlash. Both have excellent reviews for enhancing, strengthening and thickening your natural lashes. The price for these types of products range between $50.00-140.00.
In my opinion though, the most effective product on the market today is Latisse. It's the first and only prescription eyelash enhancer approved by the FDA. You can usually purchase it directly from your doctor or dermatologist. The results with Latisse are nothing short of astounding.

Organize your Style

The foundation to extraordinary budget style is organization:

The key to successfully navigating any fashion season is planning. Just as the designers and department stores plan their purchases and select their collections for upcoming seasons, so should you.

We should all know the feeling of being able to step into our closet for any last minute event and pull out a tried and true basic that makes us look trendy, polished and at the same time comfortable. You should never be digging through drawers and rummaging through hangers to figure out if you have something appropriate to wear. Inevitably this ends up being the cause of last minute purchases, needless expenditures of money and finally purchasing another one time use piece of clothing, obstructing future true success in your closet.

Culling the closet:

We’ve all had the thought… “I wish I could just throw out everything in my closet and have ten basic pieces that I looked great in”. In actuality, this is what we should be doing on a season to season basis.

Look at your wardrobe carefully. Set aside foundation, or layering pieces that can transition to your upcoming season and save you a little money.

Next, pull out the trendy, one season items we all end up with and pack them off to your local consignment store. Consignment is a great way to ensure your closet stays streamlined, pertinent and might even make you a little cash to invest in pieces that you’ll wear weekly instead of once a awhile. If you don’t have a consignment store in your local area, find a local donation site or women’s shelter to send your unused items to. They key here is to not collect old clothing items in your home for a future yard sale, goal body weight or that just in case moment. Those items always get shuffled back into your closet and eventually destroy the improvements you’ve made.

Finally, look at your jackets, jeans, dresses and T-shirts. Remove everything that’s faded, ill fitting or in need of repairs that will never happen. If you have two, keep the one that would make you look good on a bad hair day and get rid of the other one.

You must be brutal with yourself and your emotions in this culling process. The future freedom and daily confidence that accompanies your final product is worth the momentary fear that comes with releasing an ineffective security blanket.

Plan, Project and Plot your upcoming season:

Now that you’ve cleared your space of distracting and unused pieces, evaluate what items you have left. Next, think through your upcoming season for occasions and events that you know you’ll be attending. Finally, take stock of what styles you already have and won’t need to repeat purchase, then pick up one or two of your favorite fashion mags, a cup of coffee and settle in for some study time. Peruse the periodicals for specific looks that repeatedly stand out to you. Is it knee high leather boots and over sized sweaters or short cropped jackets paired with both dresses and tees? These are the items to remember. The main idea is to look through the designer labels for ideas that you can take with you and recreate on a budget.

Make a shopping list divided into three sections: Foundation basics, wardrobe workhorses and trendy style items to give you a fashionable pop for the season. Now set your seasons budget and stick to it! The general clothing budget rule of thumb is 50% on your primary day to day wardrobe pieces, 30% on staples and layering items and 20% on trendy or one season items that add pizzazz but don’t usually carry over to the next year. Compare your wish list to your culled closet. If you have all skinny jeans and would like to see some straight legs, add a pair to your shopping list.

Make sure every choice can double with something else to serve more than one purpose. Could that perfect LBD (little black dress) be layered with a floral blouse, tights and boots then later emphasized with chunky jewelry and heels for a whole different look?

Power in the planned purchase:

Throughout the year always be looking for creative ways you can save money in style. Always, look and sign up for email coupons and newsletters announcing sales at your favorite stores. Some department (Nordstrom for example) and boutique stores offer fashion rewards programs that pay you money back from current purchases to apply towards future purchases in their store. These are great because they require little or no effort on your part to reap the benefits.

Don’t overlook the many consignment, vintage and thrift store options around you too. Many pieces found there turn out to be our one of a kind, coveted by your friends, pieces that you’ll never give up. Recently, I have found great online sites like www.rehashclothes.com. These are online trade communities that highlight hundreds of people wanting to trade current, fashionable clothing pieces from their closet for something they need out of yours. Not only are these websites fun to browse, they’re eco-friendly and the ultimate in cost conscience buying. 

Finally, each season, plan to stock up on wardrobe staples when they go on clearance. One rule of thumb to follow for clearance items though, is if you wouldn’t pay full price for that item, walk away from it on sale. These are the items that end up being the useless clutter in our closets. The money you save by making planned, impulse free shopping purchases will allow you to eventually buy those drool-worthy pieces you’ll keep for a lifetime. 

ORIGINAL ~ An Authentic work of Art as opposed to an Immitation or Reproduction...