Go Big or Go Home

Many women think they can put on a cute top and jeans and their look is complete. Unfortunately, people notice how put together you are. It doesn't matter if it is someone you are just meeting or one of your best friends, they are going to look you up and down to see what you have on. Most people won't tell you the truth, but I definitely will because I want everyone to look head-to-toe FABULOUS!

First of all, you should always have some sort of makeup on. I am all about the natural look, but there is such a thing as too natural. There are tinted moisturizers (with SPF I might add) and clear mascaras calling out your name. These will actually help your skin and give you a natural glow. I feel as though makeup helps to make your face stand out and compliment your best features. It will add to any outfit and help to complete your look. I don't think I could live without my bronzer or my mascara, but make sure you don't over apply these two. We don't want to look like an orange highliter with spiders on our face. When appropriate, you can rock a dramatic smoky eye, but you don't need it while grocery shopping. A great trick when you don't have too much time to get ready is to wear red lipstick. It pops enough to hide the fact that you don't have any other makeup on.

The next step in completing your look is ACCESSORIES! Jewelry is definitely one of my favorite things to look at and shop for. There are a few personal rules I stick to though. I never wear statement earrings, necklaces, and bracelets all at the same time. Pick one and go with it. I find it mind boggling when people do this and it is just too much to look at. Especially if the outfit is loud as well. Only wear one statement piece with a simple ensemble to really make it stand out. When you wear crazy outfits, keep the accessories to a bare minimum. Wear some studs or a dainty headband. You don't need to wear everything you own all at the same time. Coco Chanel always said to take one thing off before you leave the house and she was the queen of rows and rows of pearls. However, she wore it with a little black dress so it wasn't over the top.

The final touch on an incredible look is your hair. If you have everything else in tip top shape, but your hair is looking drab, you might as well have just worn sweatpants. A lot of women complain about how long it takes to do their hair so they just throw it up in a ponytail. If you got up 5-10 minutes earlier everyday, you would have plenty of time to at least run a brush through it and maybe even throw a braid in the mix. There are plenty of cute hairstyles that only take a few minutes to do and make you look so much more put together. I am the queen of wearing my hair up, but I also wear headbands or other hair accessories to dress it up a bit.

Before y'all go to bed each night, think about what you are going to wear the next day. This way when you are doing your makeup, hair, and picking out accessories you won't be lost and will walk out the door looking crisp and ready to take on the day!

Snap, Crackle, and Pop

It is hitting the salons all across the world. It is currently swept across my twinkle toes. It is crackle nail polish and it is a new epidemic.

A few months ago I was flipping through the pages of my new Seventeen Magazine I got in the mail and I ran across the new OPI Katy Perry Collection. One of the FAHBULOUS colors included was a laquer that had a "shatter" effect. I. Had. To. Have. It.

So I went online as fast as I could to purchase this magnificance and apparently everyone else had to have it too because it was SOLD OUT. I was not a happy camper and I was not going to give up. I got on Amazon.com and found another brand that did the same thing but was also cheaper...WOO! I put on a layer of gold nail polish and it was time for the moment of truth. Will this nail polish actually crackle before my eyes? It did people. Magically, the black polish dried and crackled within seconds. I showed ALL of my friends and they had to have it too.

Now, a few months later, I see crackle EVERYWHERE. There are all different colors and brands and about 85% of my friends have it on at all times. It is a quick way to add a little spice to your mani/pedi and I recommend it highly!

Best Dressed of 2011

It is that time of the year again for my personal favorite superlative of all time. Vanity Fair puts out a "International Best Dressed" list every year of the most fabulous people all over the world with the most fabulous threads. The official list has not been released yet, but they put up a preview on the Vanity Fair website a few days ago. Without further adieu here it is!

INTERNATIONAL BEST-DRESSED LIST: WOMEN

CARLA BRUNI-SARKOZY, singer-songwriter, actress, and First Lady of France

H.H. SHEIKHA MOZA BINT NASSER OF QATAR, wife of H.H. the Emir of Qatar and
UNESCO special envoy for basic and higher education

H.R.H. THE DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE, wife of the future King of England
ANDREA DELLAL, mother of four
CAREY MULLIGAN, actress
CHRISTINE LAGARDE, managing director, International Monetary Fund

TILDA SWINTON, filmmaker and actress
LIZZIE TISCH, entrepreneur

H.S.H. PRINCESS CHARLENE OF MONACO, former Olympic swimmer and wife of Albert
II, Prince of Monaco
JANE LAUDER WARSH, president of Origins and Ojon

INTERNATIONAL BEST-DRESSED LIST: MEN

MARIO D’URSO, chairman of Mittel Capital
ARPAD BUSSON, financier

ALEJANDRO SANTO DOMINGO, financier
COLIN FIRTH, actor
STAVROS NIARCHOS, shipping heir

NICHOLAS FOULKES, historian, writer, and editor

MARCUS SAMUELSSON, chef, restaurant owner, and cookbook author
ARMIE HAMMER, actor

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, actor, producer, singer-songwriter, and designer
JENSON BUTTON, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 driver

My personal favorite fashionita and fashionisto of this year were Emma Watson and David Beckham.

Emma has sure come a long way since the beginning of the Harry Potter movie series. She has grown into her style and got the CUTEST pixie haircut. She isn't afraid to try new things and that is what stood out most to me.

Becks knows how to look good on the field as well as off. With a wife with the nickname "Posh Spice" he has an obligation to always look dapper. And he does! He makes a sweatshirt and cargo shorts look like formal attire. He knows how to pull himself together before he walks out of the house, therefore he goes home with the gold.

http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2011/08/revealed-vfs-2011-international-best-dressed-list.html





Is It Fall Already?

I know the last thing on everyone's minds right now is what to wear in the fall. It is WAY too hot to be thinking about cardigans and cute boots, but summer is flying by people. Before you know it we are going to be curled up by a fire drinking hot chocolate. With that being said, I have just what you need to slowly transition from summer to fall...TIGHTS!

This trend has been around since the stone age and I definitely think this one is here for the long haul. I believe that a pair of black tights is essential for every woman's closet. Recently, the trend has expanded and amped up the volume. They have come out with differents patterns, textures, and every color in the rainbow. I have a red and fuschia pair that I adore wearing when my outfit needs a little extra oomph. So why is this a good transition piece you ask? Oh that's an easy one. You can wear your favorite summer dresses, skirts, and shorts with a pair of tights and a light jacket or heavier top and BOOM, you have a new fall outfit.

You want to know what my favorite thing about tights are? How cheap they are of course! I usually get mine from Target because they have so many to choose from at such a great price. Although, you can find them at pretty much every retail shop you can think of. So save up some extra cash and go out and buy all you can get.

After you have bought out Target, make sure to treat your tights right. One wrong move and you can get a run in your hose and ruin the look of your outfit. The point of tights are to make your legs look 10 miles long, add a pop of color, and to add class to every look in your closet. When you have a hole on your left calf, the eye will instantly be drawn to that instead of how FABULOUS you look. 

Dakota Fanning looking no bueno in her ripped tights

For the upcoming season, I have a saying that I am going to live by. When in doubt, wear tights.

http://www.chictopia.com/

http://www.whowhatwear.com/website/home.php

Style Me Nashville: What I Love Now

Style Me Nashville: What I Love Now

What I Love Now

I recently watched the independent film, "Marie Antoinette" featuring Kirsten Dunst and Jason Shwartzman. Not only was it a great history lesson, but I was drooling with every wardrobe change. I am obsessed with the colors, bows, and femininity of every single detail. And the food looked fantastic too. Everyone might have hated her, but Marie looked fabulous through it all. I highly suggest hitting up Netflix to be inspired as much as I am by this flick. (I have bought so many pink and floral things it's ridiculous.)

Diane von Fabulous!

Wall Street Journal in her design

Meet Diane von Furstenberg. She has been designing gorgeous clothes for women for over 40 years now. If anyone knows the most about the fashion industry, I would have to say it would be her. Most known for her waist accentuation wrap dresses, Diane has been awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award, holds the position of president of the CFDA, and even wrote an autobiography. 

As you can see in the picture above, she can get women to line up around the block at her New York location. She knows how to make a dress fit a woman's body, and the wrap dress is a staple for every stylish woman because of it. It became popular in the early 70s and then again in 1996. It hasn't left since then and I don't think it ever will. It flatters most every body type, can be worn to the workplace, and can be found in any type of pattern. She used bright and crazy colors and made them out of various knits, therefore it was SO comfy! This is why she sold over 5 million in the first 4 years of its existence.

Part of the S/S 2011 Collection. LOVE IT!

DVF has an eye for what women want and has continued to bring timeless masterpieces to the runway. She can create a mean dress, but that isn't all that she can do. I always love her color choices and apparently so does everyone else. A-list celebrities attend her runway shows and also wear her pieces out and about. Nicole Richie, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Courtney Cox were all spotted in maxi dresses and leg-baring numbers. Whitney Port even worked for her for a short period of time while she was on the hit MTV show, "The City."

Whitney in a DVF jacket, pictured here with fellow employee Olivia Palermo

If I ever met her, I would kiss her feet because of her slimming fits and down-to-earth collections. Her clothes are very wearable and "street-chic" but still classy and luxurious.

S/S 2008 Advertisement

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5336554_history-wrap-dress.html

http://www.squidoo.com/Diane-von-Furstenberg?utm_source=google&utm_medium=imgres&utm_campaign=framebuster