Inspired!

This weekend was inspiring. A fashionable trend setter was spotted sporting a trend that has been admired but not attempted by us, shorts in winter! She did it so wonderfully, sticking to a neutral palette with the right accessories. A loose top to compliment the fitted aspects of the shorts and stockings completed the look. Come to find out she is a new fashion blogger. So pop on over and meet our new friend Helena. You too might be inspired!

Via

Saturday Madness!

 Surprise! We don't normally do a post on the weekends, but we couldn't resist. This weekend you can save up to 90% off on clearance items. In addition there is a printable coupon for $10 off a $50 purchase that is here for your convenience.

Abbey went when it was only an additional 40% off (instead of the current 50%) clearance items and here is what she found.

Sweater for the Mr., Sweaters for me, Pants and Tank-tops galore!

For the little man in our home.

Notice the bottom line of discount on each item?  That is the additional discount using the coupon!

LOVE these pants! They are very of the moment.

We have to thank fellow blogger Thrifty Northwest Mom for the tip. Word to the wise: Clearance items are not promotion items. Watch carefully and feel free to ask if it is on clearance. When Abbey went she did this multiple times and carefully watched at the register, removing items that didn't qualify. In most stores the tag is a different color when it is clearance, but it is wise to double check! Also, the way the coupon works is that the percentages is deducted per item. So if you end up needing to return an item, you don't lose the bulk of the discount. Let us know if you find any great deals! 

Quick Clip: How to Grow Your Hair out in Style

If you are like most of us you have probably been through the sometimes painful process of growing out your hair, and you have probably done it more than once. It just seems that it's in our nature to want what we don't have so if we have long luscious locks we want to cut them off and vice versa. We all know that short hair can be fabulously fun and flirty and long hair can be super sexy but how do we get from short and sassy to long and luscious in style? Here are some of our tips.

The Road From Short and Sassy to Long and Luscious Begins here:

Sienna Miller

Sienna Miller looks FABULOUS is this pixie style but she soon tires of having only a couple of styling options and decides it's time to grow her hair out. This is a process that most of us have gone through many times. The key to growing out your hair from super short to long is to allow time for the front of your hair, especially the part that is around your ears, to catch up with the back. 


Meg Ryan's short shag cut is a stylish option as you begin to work toward a little more length in your hair. As you can see Meg has more length in the front than Sienna.

Meg Ryan

Now that the front of your hair is below your ears its time to start cutting off the mullet you will feel like you have. It is much more stylish to have your hair slightly longer, or even, with the back than to rock a mullet.  So, resist the urge to cut the front of your hair and have your stylist just cut the back and blend in the front.  Within a couple of appointments you should have a fairly even line around the bottom.

Victoria Beckam Made a Major Statement With Her Stacked Bob

Now that you have achieved an even bottom line you are ready for almost anything, and you are past the worst part of growing out your hair.

Nicole Richie Rocks Her Bob With Bangs

Paris Forgoes the Bangs and Adds Some Edge With Super Texturized Ends

And as you continue to grow your hair out you can keep it simple and cool with just a few layers at the bottom like Gwenyth Paltrow or you can embrace a modern, more alternative shag like Taylor Momsen.

Gwenyth Paltrow

Taylor Momsen

At this point the possibilities are endless for you. The main thing to consider is which style will compliment your facial features the most and work the best with your hair texture. We thought we would showcase this process as Abbey has been growing her hair out for the past couple of months and struggled with what to do with it in the in between stages. 

The starting point

So look for follow up pieces with information on styling Dos and Don'ts. And as always, we would LOVE to hear your questions regarding this process. Are you in the process of growing your hair out? Or are you thinking of chopping it all off? Let us know! We love pictures as well if you want to send those to us. Happy styling!

No Pants, A Frightening Trend

Stylelist Experiment

An interesting thing happened while watching the music performances on New Year's Eve. It became frighteningly apparent that something was missing on many women, pants! Throughout the evening it became a joke "oh look, another one decided to forgo the pants as well". The theme of Dick Clark's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest, in case you missed it, was very futuristic. Sharp angles, some very interesting fashion choices, newer artists and the absence of pants, or skirts for that matter.


A few days later while researching upcoming trends an article popped from the pages of Glamour The Best Dos and Don'ts of the Year!. The first section of the article being all about this trend of not wearing pants, where "underwear as outerwear" had evolved into an actual look. This past year had experienced skirts that were almost non-existent, more of an ode to the concept of the skirt. 

Chanel Iman

Reading through the other Don'ts of 2010 made us grateful to have some of that in the past and excited for the abundance of possibilities this coming year brings. While it is apparent that the no pants look might linger, we are confident that it too shall pass and will evolve into something fabulous! 


So tell us, what was your favorite trend of the past year and what are you grateful to see on the Don'ts list?

Makeup Minute-MAC Review

We are the proud new(ish) owners of the holiday MAC mini-pigment sets that we wrote about here. We have been experimenting with the different shades and chatting with others who are new pigment converts. It is really fun to discover new makeup finds! 

Via

They were packaged in these adorable tins, with even more adorable drawstring bags if you said they were a gift. The above set is the Smokey Thrillseekers set and Abbey purchased this one, very dramatic colors!

Via

Steph purchased this set (above), the Warm Thrillseekers Set. This set is great for everyday wear that really makes your eyes pop. At about $33 these were a great deal. With five pigments in each set these were less than $7 each! 

Initially Abbey was exceedingly frustrated that the pigments wore off quickly. Having purchased a set as an early Christmas gift for her sister-in-law and watching that they stayed put and beautiful on her eyes all day long, she thought application might be the issue. Fortunately this had happened to Steph last year and she remedied this problem by purchasing the eye primer from MAC. Problem solved! It is easy to forget that each powder or pigment is a different formula that will interact with your skin in a completely different way. There are many eye shadows that stay put on Abbey no problem, but for some reason MAC pigments needed a little help. Our recommendation to you, try it first and you can always go back for the primer. Who knows, you might get lucky and not need it at all!

What is your favorite eye shadow? We would love to hear your recommendations!

Stylish Blogger Award!

We are thrilled to be honored with the "Stylish Blogger Award" from Alison of alisonandjustin. We have truly enjoyed following her blog lately.

The Rules are:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Award to recently discovered bloggers.

4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about this award.

It is always fun to come up with things to share about yourself that might be interesting to other people.  We really enjoyed putting this list together!

1.  We were friends almost instantly and both remember the moment we met, 
and hope we never forget that interaction.

2. We love to hear about peoples meals. As in, when we talk to you on the phone and hear you went to lunch, we truly would love to hear all about your meal. What did you have, was it delicious, how was the dressing?  It allows us to visualize it and as foodies we almost enjoy the meal without consuming a bite!

3. We have a major popcorn obsession. Stephanie's family makes it every Sunday and growing up we would always take it to her grandparents house. And yes, there is a secret recipe and it is DELICIOUS! Ask any of our friends, they will attest to its magical properties. It has become a regular at many gatherings.

Almost gone!

4. Our parents had a pact and it resulted in no PG-13 movies until we were almost in college. The result was that we watched many black and white movies. 

5. Our favorite treat for movie night was a very large jar of pickles. We would eat them until our tongues peeled off in pieces. Only then did we consider switch snacks.

6. Our most upsetting car accident happened together, while initiating the next group of incoming cheerleaders, at 4:00 O'Dark in the morning. Traumatizing. We were picked up by Stephanie's dad who proceeded to wear a banana nose the entire ride home, to lift the mood and remind us that things like this just happen in life sometimes. When they do, don a banana nose and wave at everyone you pass by.

7. Our friendship has been tested and we know that regardless of the distance between us that when we come to the end of our lives, we will still be friends. 

Some of our favorite new bloggers that we would like to give this award to are:
Tiny Happy Things
Elizabeth Perry Blog
Young and Fabulous


We would love to hear what blogs you are following. 
So pass on their information so we can pop in and take a peek!

Fashion Show Review

So yours truly, Abbey, was invited to a holiday fashion show for a local boutique in Portland, OR and they know how to throw a party. There was so much that was done well that it was incredibly disappointing to have the actual line they were premiering feel like it fell flat on its face.


Fabulous space, check. Great drinks, check. Attention to detail, check. Feeling like the press wants to be there and you are privileged to have a seat for the show, CHECK! The boutique created a wonderful holiday atmosphere that encompassed you the moment you walked in the door. Great lighting and decorations, a champagne bar with lovely little gummies (Bachelor style) to put in your glass. Friendly staff and servers, photographers circulating taking notes and pictures galore. All of it made you feel festive and exclusive. For a boutique with a small space this is a fabulous coup.  Taking my seat I felt chic and excited, which is what made the following so disappointing.


The line that was premiered was from Heidi Merrick, a designer from California that they had been hyping for awhile. The advertised concept for the look was "Tinsletown Glitz", which conjures images of fabulous holiday party dresses. These more closely resembled something you would wear to a holiday party with a client or your boss. A lot of coverage and very business. My girlfriend and I just kept saying, "cute, for a work event". There was very little that could be considered a party dress. 


The second glaring issue was a major kuffufle of styling error after styling error. A sheer top that had a twisted maternal bra underneath. Numerous instances of jewelry not pulled out correctly, sometimes half in or completely hidden inside the shirt. Dresses not zipped up all the way. Twisted skirts and tops. With almost every new look we would look at each other and nod, both seeing the same thing simultaneously. Sad and distracting. 


The boutique knows how to throw a party and I will be at the next one, guaranteed. And there were a few dresses that we can appreciate. At this price point though we aren't motivated to buy. Good inspiration for future shopping endeavours and the party was a warm spot in a cold winter!

Cunning little detail in an off center and partial bow. LOVE!

My gorgeous friend Shannon modeling for me. The same dress in the front. One of our few picks.

Me modeling our other pick. This fit like a dream and had a great back. It gives you a good
idea of the buttoned up nature of the line. Such a darling dress, but not really a party frock.

This motif was on EVERYTHING! Shirts, off shoulder, strapped, pants and skirts. 

The popular motif on a skirt, the way we liked it best.

My lovely friend and model showing off the crazy
and very fun hair for the event. 

Pretty and Prego

This is exactly how a woman should feel. Unfortunately this isn't always the case and a large part of that is the frustration over how to dress an ever changing shape. We want to help and fortunately are able to give you some first hand tips and tricks as our own lovely, Abbey, is pregnant. So join us as we explore adapting the trends for a prego who wants to feel oh so pretty! You will be able to find all of these pieces in the tab at the top that says "Pretty and Prego", so click over and follow along.

The start of the 2nd Trimester and feeling very pretty!

Quick Clip: Bright Chunks of Color

We really love the fabulous chunks of bright color that are quite popular right now. The purple, pink, blue and green are like a rainbow against a dark gray sky. They brighten up our day whenever we see them. Unfortunately those bright beautiful colors are semi permanent and fade to dull icky colors in only a couple of weeks. If you are thinking of trying this cool new trend we recommend that you ask your stylist to send you home with a maintenance kit so that you can touch up the color at home in between visits. And in ALL cases have the first application done by a stylist, this is a must. In case your stylist isn't able to supply you with such a kit we have a few recommendations that are available to the public. Our favorite is Beyond the Zone color by Jamz at Sally's Beauty Supply.


Recently we decided to take the plunge and put purple in Abbey's hair. After a couple of weeks it was time to touch up the color at home. Doing so gave us additional insight that we wanted to pass onto you. Hopefully this will give you the confidence to also take the leap and try the trend out for yourself. If you do, please send us pictures! We would love to see how it turns out.

Home Application:

* Have someone available to help you apply the color. 

It can be difficult to see the sections just using a mirror. A second set of eyes will ensure you don't miss any stray strands.

* Wear gloves!

If you don't you will have colored hands. We found a two pack of rubber gloves at the dollar store. They worked perfectly.

* The container might be ambiguous about the time frame for leaving it on when doing a reapplication. 

The directions address initial application. Don't be deterred! Leaving it on longer makes the color darker. Some kits say to leave it on for about 15 minutes. Don't be nervous about leaving it on longer  have achieved your desired shade. If not, reapply.

* Don't panic if the dye gets on your sink or ceramic surface.
Abbey's home had all ceramic surfaces in the bathroom and when the dye hit the surface it looked to leave permanent damage. Don't fear, use nail polish remover and gentle rub the surface, it will come right out.
* Take your time rinsing the color out.
Make sure that the water is running clear before applying conditioner. To keep your hands from being dyed while washing your hair out take the gloves into the shower with you.
* Have a body scrub/exfoliant at the ready.
After it was set and ready to be rinsed Abbey jumped in the shower. In a few seconds her whole body was a tinge of purple. A quick scrub with an exfoliant brought the natural color right back.

Notice the chunks to the far right side. They really add dimension.

Straight on and the chunk on the left is slightly noticeable in this picture.

The color early on, before it has lightened. A much darker shade.

Leggings

We Love Love Love Leggings this season! Whether you are in your 20's or your 50's they are a great addition to your wardrobe. Some brands that do leggings really well are Paige Premium Denim, Citizens of Humanity, Seven for all Mankind, Hudson, Rock and Republic, Alice + Olivia, J Brand, Donna Karen New York and Nordstroms new brand Leith. The main thing to consider when purchasing leggings is how they work with your body type. Many people can pull them off but part of being fabulous is knowing when not to rock a style. Leggings are not for everyone. Here are some examples of leggings we love and how to rock them.

20's and 30's

 



Rock & Republic

Leith





 

J Brand



For all ages



Paige





 

7 For All Mankind



How To Wear 

 For curvy women make sure your shirt falls right below your fabulous assets.
Wear heels or boots to elongate your legs.
Compliment your leggings with a flowy top.



Jennifer Lopez



Kelly Ripa

Blake Lively

New Year, New Surprises!

Welcome to 2011! We are so excited you are joining us for all of the excitement we have planned. While we don't want to spoil all of the surprises we will give you a sneak peak. Many brainstorming moments have gone into planning the next few months and we can't wait to see what you think! 


For starters we are almost to our goal of 35 readers and our first private giveaway. So tell your friends and have them follow us to be entered. There are some exciting guest blogs coming up from a fashion insiders perspective, reviews of local designers and recent fashion shows to launch new lines, the launch of a new spotlight on YOU, our loyal readers, and so much more! So continue to send us your questions and comments, they fuel some of our sessions and you never know when you might be featured. 2011 is going to be a great year!

The Rule of Three

Accessorizing is a great way to make a good outfit GREAT. Try to remember the rule of three when accessorizing. Always wear three accessories each time you put an outfit together.  This will complete your look and give it a little extra pizazz.  You could, for example wear earrings, a necklace and a belt.  Or maybe you want to put a cuff, earrings and a headband.  You can choose to implement this however you would like, which is what makes it fun! Below are a couple of examples of accessories done right.

 

Blake Lively




Jennifer Lopez

 


Gwen Stefani