Closet Staples: The White Collared Shirt (Part 2 of Wardrobe Overhaul Series)

    Recently I blogged about spring cleaning and overhauling my wardrobe.   I had to toss some stuff away because I am so notorious in buying a lot of in the moment clothes that don't last through different seasons.  Now that my closet is empty again,  I promised myself to be wiser when it comes to shopping.  I plan on building the foundation of my closet with staples. With staples, I mean pieces that I can pair with different items from my closet to create different looks.  These staples are the building blocks of my wardrobe.  Through the next few blogs,  I will be discussing one closet staple that a wardrobe should never ever be without.  Today,  I will discuss one of the staples every girl must have in her wardrobe: 
            Closet Staple #1: A crisp white collared shirt

This piece is very versatile, it can be worn for work, casual weekend and vacation looks:

For Work:

                                                                  


Tucked in to a gray work pants, finished with a red belt a zebra pump and a black croc skin
structured purse, this outfit is sure to impress!
(Styled from BestTrendsForever.com StyleMe feature)

For A Casual Weekend Look: 

Tucked into a midi skirt, this button down staple goes from serious to casual
(Styled from BestTrendsForever.com StyleMe feature)



            For that vacation/touristy look:        

And here's Olivia Palermo sporting our closet staple # 1:

And Kim Kardashian:

                      

So there you have it, closet staple #1 for work, play and evening out.  Please don't let your closet be without it my fashionistas!

Pastels and Neons: My mall finds

I rarely go to the mall.  I just don't have the time to do it anymore.  It's just most of the shopping I do,  I do online for convenience.  With my pharmacy job and  house chores, in person shopping is probably the least of my priorities.  Well, last Saturday I had the chance to go to the mall and it was a breath of fresh air seeing all the pastels and neons available everywhere!!!  I didn't realize I'd be so enamored with neons as I feel like neon clothes scream construction uniform for me.  I do, however,  love small hints of neons in the form of shoes, bags and accessories.  Here's a recap at one of my stops:  ALDO

    Before I decide to buy anything,  I always have to see if an item fits in my wardrobe.  So I immediately pulled up my account online with http://www.besttrendsforever.com/ to see if I could create styles using these items from the mall with the stuff I already own:



I love this style! Those shoes go really well with my yellow Miss Selfridge dress.
  I'm definitely getting the shoes and the clutch!





Hmmm.. Which peeptoe shoes do I get the yellow or the hot pink?
I think I'll get both!! These neons go really well with my zebra top
that I got from Singapore:)

I really love the BestTrendsForever.com style me feature.  Saves me some second guessing whenever I go to the mall for a shopping trip.  I could easily check what I have in my closet online using my phone and style a potential item with any of the stuff I already own and, voila! I can decide whether to buy an item or not.  For this shopping trip,  I think I'm gonna get all these neon shoes I took a picture of because they absolutely go well with some of my closet items.  How about you?  Do you BTF? 

Spring Cleaning: The Wardrobe Overhaul Part 1

 

 The weather has not been Spring-y in Chicago the past few weeks, and as a result, my wardrobe still consists of winter clothes just in case mother nature decides to be in a winter mode again.  There were so many times that I decided to wear Spring and regretted it as I froze wearing my Tory Burchesque tunic in the middle of May.  Checking the weather this week though,  I think this week is the week when I can finally, with I all confidence, put away those winter clothes where they need to be for the next five months-the under the bed chest!(evil laugh) lol

  Now I can oficially do my Spring Cleaning! Yay! This year I am planning to do a full wardrobe overhaul as I realized that have a closet full of clothes but can never find anything to wear 95 percent of the time.  So here are the steps I am doing to tackle this big elephant in the room that is the Not -So- Organized Closet:

1. Pull everything out of the closet-  I mean everything tops, bottoms, handbags, shoes
2.  Classify each clothing under the following categories:
   A.  Clothes That Don't Fit (DF)
   B.  Clothes I Don't Like Anymore(DL)
   C.  Clothes For Special Occasions- But the Occasion Never Came(SOBONC)
   D.  Clothes I Forgot Existed(FE)
   E.  Clothes I Still Wear(SW)
3.  Evaluate the items I have and try to find a shopping pattern-  Why do I have so many tops in the same color?  Why do I have all black pants?  Why did I fall for this matronly outfit?  What are the circumstances at the time I got the item? By doing this,  I will be able to figure out my shopping habits and never make the same mistakes again!
4.Put some items back in my closet.  I will also try to figure out what I will do with the clothes I did not put back in my wardrobe.  Do I give them to charity?  Put them up for consignment?
5. Figure out what items I am missing from my closet and buy them-  Do I need a day dress?  Do I need more skirts?

There you go guys!  I hope you will also do your closet cleaning like me and even use my classification system.  As it is said, only 20% of the clothes in a wardrobe are actually worn by the person!  That means you probably have items in your closet that you have completely forgotten about or ones that you need to get rid of -to make room for more!More in- fashion and even more valuable outfits!  Remember, the more closet room you have,  the more room you have for more clothes and shoes and most of all, the more reason you have to go shopping!!!

Body Shapes: Styling Tips for the Apple Shaped

   If you have broad shoulders and a torso that's much wider than your lower body,  then you are probably an apple.  Think inverted triangle:

 If you are apple shaped your goals are: To accentuate slim arms and decolletage, create waist, slim the torso and accentuate the legs and balance the heaviness of the torso by wearing the appropriate bottoms.

Ideal tops for an Apple Shaped are:

A waist cinched V- shaped top

A waist cinched V- shaped top




 A belted v neck jacket

A dark v-shaped ruched t-shirt


  


Bottoms ideal for an apple shaped                         

 



Mini skirts with or without pleats.  If pleats are chosen, the details must start below the waist so as not to add bulk to the belly area



flared or bootcut pants balances out the heaviness of the torso

                                                    

Met Gala 2012: My Worst Dressed List

While the whole world is trying hard to find the fountain of youth,  Mary Kate is going the other direction





The dress is too bulky and unflattering to Naomi's figure

If Red Riding Hood and Marilyn Manson had an offspring

If she looked in the mirror in this attire and "Worst Dressed List" didn't cross her mind,
something is very wrong with her fashion sense or her mirror



That's a lot of hair!



I feel bad that 3 out of 5 are Alexander Mcqueen's.  But the thing is, 

Sarah Burton, the line's designer is a genius but her work was just not interpreted or justified properly here.  They're breath-taking runway pieces but red carpet?  I am not sure about that.  My ultimate litmus test is, if I was Cinderella, would Prince Charming have picked me up with this dress on? if the answer is no, I move on to the next gown:)

Four Seasons of Florals

  With the current economic instability,  I try to find creative ways to stretch the wearability of a clothing item i bought from one season to all throughout the entire year.  The floral dress is one example of a seemingly exclusively for summer item that actually is very versatile you can wear it all year long no matter what the season is.  With a little tweaking in styling,  this very flexible closet staple is guaranteed to be season-proof:

SPRING:






Styled from http://www.besttrendsforever.com/ StyleMe Feature

   

SUMMER:








Styled from http://www.besttrendsforever.com/ StyleMe Feature

   

FALL:






Styled from http://www.besttrendsforever.com/ StyleMe Feature

   

WINTER(DAY):






Styled from http://www.besttrendsforever.com/ StyleMe Feature

   

WINTER(NIGHT):






Styled from http://www.besttrendsforever.com/ StyleMe Feature

   

"Green" in the Face: Mineral Foundations

 
    I have to admit,  I'm one of those people who have not totally yielded to the "Organic" or
"All-natural"hype.  I get scared away when there's an "organic" attached to anything especially food because I imagine it to be tasteless and on top of that, expensive. 
    When it comes to makeup though,  I am the biggest fan of  natural or organic because it gives me the confidence that the product I'm using is chemical-free.  See, my skin is very sensitive and my face breaks out immediately after trying on a makeup that my skin is not used to.  So to take the second guessing off of my face makeup,  I usually like to use natural or organic products especially with foundation.
    My favorite makeup foundation in the world is Jane Iredale mineral makeup.  An aesthetician once recommended it to me when I was having breakouts and I've never switched since.  Not only is it natural, it also has spf and it stays on virtually all day without having to retouch half way through the day.  It gives awesome coverage for those imperfections without being too thick on the skin. Their website states that their product is inert that it does not allow bacterial growth!  So there you go acne sufferers out there! Those acne bacteria are banned from your skin with this amazing product.  I just can't rave enough about it so why don't you try it for yourself?  It is a little more expensive than your regular makeup and only some specialty and online stores carry this line,  but trust me, once you go Jane Iredale,  you will never go back. 

Jane Iredale Amazing Base Loose Minerals SPF 20 - Golden Glow

 
    If you can't find Jane Iredale in your area and you can't absolutely wait to get a hold of a natural powder makeup from an online store,  below are other alternatives that are readily available both online and in most department stores and drugstores near you:

bareMinerals Customizable 8-pc. Get Started Kit - Matte

Elizabeth Arden Pure Finish Mineral Powder Foundation SPF 20 Finish 2 with Brushes

Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Talc Free Mineral Loose Powder Translucent Light - 0.49 Oz

    So please, do your skin a favor by going green on your foundation.  You will not only protect your skin from harmful chemicals,  you will also help nurture your skin, keep it young and reduce acne breakouts by keeping bacteria at bay and keeping pores unclogged.

Color Scheme: Complementary Colors and Why They Work

    I always refer back to the color wheel whenever I'm in doubt if two colors go together.  Of course my eye readily tells me if a color combination is an eye sore but the color wheel always reconfirms what I see:

    Complementary colors are those colors that are directly opposite each other on the color wheel.  Complementary colors are usually made of one cool color and one warm color.   These colors when put together intensify each other.   The purple becomes cooler and the yellow becomes warmer.  Also the combination brings harmony and balance to the eye as the pair is complete, having all three primary colors(Red, Yellow, Blue) together.  The eye is smart because it readily catches on completeness.  The eyes are uneasy if it detects "subconsciously" that a primary color is missing! It's like a mom being so antsy when one of her triplets is out of sight, lol just a cute analogy;)  Anyway, take a look at the diagram below:

Blue+ Yellow= Green which is complementary to Red  (All three  primary colors are present) that's why Christmas colors are pleasing to look at-  Just don't wear them together  so obviously Mrs. Claus!
Red + Blue = Purple  which is complementary to Yellow
Red + Yellow= Orange which is complementary to Blue

  Okay I don't mean to be too algebra professor-y on you but, just saying, these are just one of the many basic color schemes to start your color quest with.  Of course there are variations to this theory.  This is not an all inclusive rule, trust me.  This is just one of the many guidelines to go by when it comes to colors.

  Purple and Yellow Style:



Styled by http://www.besttrendsforever.com/ StyleMe Feature



Blue and Orange Style:



Styled by http://www.besttrendsforever.com/ StyleMe Feature





                                   

 



BB Creams to Better Beauty? ( A Review)

I love Korean soap operas!  Not only are they entertaining (  if you're watching something without understanding what in the world the characters are saying and you still keep watching,now that's entertaining!),  it's also interesting to see how those actors and actresses seem to have flawless complexions like that of a porcelain!  So I did my googling, "Porcelain Face Korean Actress"  and, voila!  I discovered that the secret to this remarkably perfect complexion is this product called BB cream.

  I did more research and apparently, BB cream originated in Germany as a "Blemish Balm" cream as a post laser treatment to soothe the skin.  It became primarily a hit in Asia where it is said that in Korea 13% of its annual sales on cosmetics consists of BB creams!

    As my curiosity of the product got stronger and I could not wait to try the product out for myself if I ordered it online,  I hurried to this huge Korean supermarket where they sell beauty products, and of course, BB creams in what seemed like endless varieties!  So i zeroed in on this one and here's what I think:

                                
    When I first squeezed the product on to my fingertip,  I noticed that the consistency of the cream was rather thick.  On top of that,  it also  came pre-tinted(  apparently,  there aren't many choices in colors but this weird whitish tan hue) so I didn't really have much choice but to purchase it as the sales lady said the color may look a bit scary at first but once you put it on the tint will go away.  So I took her word for it and tried it out for myself.
    The product, as it was very thick, was a bit challenging to spread all over the face.  It also looked like I had a mud mask on at first.  So I waited for about five minutes and the mud mask look was gone but the product still made my skin look a little paler that normal.  I put my foundation on over it and after a while I noticed that my skin was glowing like a Korean actress!!
    For the entire day I kept looking at myself in the mirror and I really had a glowing skin and the glow continued until I finally washed my face at night !  I also got a lot of complements and some people asked what I did with my skin 'cause it's "glowy".  Of course,  I didn't tell them what it was.  They can just think I'm just naturally born that way;)
  Overall,  I think that the Asian BB cream really delivered the glowiness that I was expecting from it.  But if you are white skinned and don't really care for a pale Korean soap opera look,  then stay away because your skin will look glowy but pale.  It is a very great product but if you're in a country where tan is in,  then this defeats the purpose of your tanning yourself all day at the beach.   BB creams, however have reached the Western cosmetics world and companies like Estee Lauder have joined the BB cream bandwagon but to make the product more appealing to its customers, they have to take out the "whitening effect" factor.  I think next time I go to Sephora,  I will try the American version to achieve the glow without the pale look:).







Here is the link where you can actually buy one version of the BB cream on Ulta's website for  Camera Ready BB Cream SPF 35









And for those of you who are into anti-aging products, here is the anti-aging BB cream I found on HSN's website for
  Hydroxatone Anti-Aging BB Cream with Broad Spectrum SPF 40









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