A dress in winter?

Fall transitioning into winter is a great time to mix up your wardrobe, try something different, maybe even a little bit outside of your comfort zone. But cold weather does somewhat limit you from certain pieces of clothing... if you let it.
One of my favorite outfit trends during cold weather is pairing dresses and skirts with tights. This makes a summer piece available to wear during the colder months, plus is super stylish and playful. Wearing tights is a great way to spice up your style during winter, but you don't want to over due it and you don't want to look ridiculous. There are a few things you should keep in mind when wearing tights, especially to school or the work place.
Sheer tights are great, but shouldn't be paired with a short skirt or dress because it creates a look that is generally too racy or inappropriate. They also aren't flattering on larger legs. Try a more opaque pair of tights or ones made out of a knit material for a more sophisticated look. You can get packs of two cheep at stores like Forever21 (generally around $10).
One thing I have always struggled with is finding a pair of shoes to go with my tights and dress that doesn't make me look like I tried to put too many pieces together at once. While a little variety is key to a great fashion sense, you don't want to mix too many colors and patterns together in one outfit. A general rule of thumb is to have two pieces of your outfit matching in color. If you are wearing a navy blue dress, wear navy tights with black shoes. If you are wearing grey shoes, grey tights will look best. You can't always use the "all neutrals go together rule" in this situation. If you try to mix browns, greys, and blacks, you will often look silly so try to use same-color tights to minimize the opportunity for outfit fails. And you don't want to match your shoes and dress but wear a funky color of tights. The most sophisticated look comes when the pieces that match are touching. This isn't full proof, but it's a good start for a beginner when deciding if an outfit will look good together.
As far as what type of shoes should be worn, I always find that a pair of flats that match your tights look best. If you feel like wearing your short brown boots from fall, match your tights and dress in color and rock your boots!

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How to win at the game of travel

As the holiday season is approaching, it almost vacation time! Time to get out of the house, out of the work place, and out of school to relax and take some much needed time off. What you don't want to do is spend your entire trip hauling around a suitcase that weighs as much as a car, or that's bigger than your closet itself. Its important to save space, whether that means leaving a few items behind that you don't really need, or getting creative when it comes to packing the things you can't live without.
One thing you can try is rolling your clothes instead of folding them to take up less space. This trick it super easy and will allow you to pack more clothes, without wrinkling them or shoving them into your suitcase or bag. For an added plus, throw in a dryer sheet to keep them smelling fresh.
Pack your dirty shoes in a shower cap so dirt doesn't get on your clothes and thread your necklaces through a straw to stop tangling along the journey.
Next, don't worry about saving space for your iHome. You can turn any cup into a speaker for your phone by dropping it in and letting it echo on the sides of the cup. Dance party, anywhere.
If you are traveling to a different time zone, chances are your sleep schedule will take a toll on you. If you want to avoid jet lag, try exercising a lot the day before you travel. Then, once you land, get lots of fresh air, especially if you are in high altitudes. This wears your body out if its not used to it naturally. I like to go for a long run a few days before hand, and if I do a lot of walking, try to get extra sleep during my trip.
If you tend to get chilly on the plane ride, try packing a light weight scarf in your carry on. Use it as a little blanket or pillow on the ride and once you arrive at your destination, you have the perfect accessory to add to any outfit.
When it comes to bringing makeup and face products, this tends to be my biggest hassle. Most of them are too big to fit in my bag and if I'm flying its not even regulation to have anything over 3 ounces. Contact cases make great storage for on the go. Just squirt some of your favorite foundation in the case, a little goes a long way, and screw the cap on. Good to go.
If your are going to a place where pick pockets are a problem, you want to put your extra cash somewhere safer than a wallet. Empty out an old chap stick container and roll up the bills to fit inside. Perfect hiding place. I mean you've probably already filled your contact case with lip balm, so keeping money in the empty lip balm only makes sense.
Happy traveling!

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Are you ruining your hair?

Our hair is a mysterious thing and some days it even seems to have a mind of its own. But even on the days when you and your hair aren't on the best terms, its important to take care of it and prevent it from future damage. Sometimes you accidentally do things that may be causing damage, without even knowing it.

If you don't use protection when you turn on the hot helpers (flat iron, curling iron, etc.) then you are only hurting yourself. Its ridiculously easy to apply a heat protectant spray, spraying it on just like hair spray and letting it dry, to help with split ends and permanent damage. It creates a protective barrier between the hair cuticle and the heat of your beauty tools.

Another way you may be accidentally hurting your follicles is by OD-ing on moisture. This is fairly common because it is usually stressed to moisturize as much as possible, but that's not necessarily the case. Silicons are the ingredients in many smoothing, moisturizing products that leave your hair looking especially shiny, but they can build up over time and lead to dull, stringy strands. One solution? Using a silicone-free conditioner, like Living Proof’s Leave-In Conditioner ($24)

Next, your hair is made up of protein, so make sure you’re eating enough of it. Think: fish, chicken, lentils, and other beans. Other foods that contain an amino acid will also help your hair stay healthy—reach for pork, broccoli, and red peppers.

The next tip comes right after your shower and is something most people are surprised by. 

Drying your hair with a towel isn’t cutting it. A plain cotton tee is a much better option. The texture of an ordinary bath towel actually roughs up your cuticle and leaves it frizzy, while a t-shirt can combat that. Just squeeze excess moisture out gently, pull your hair through the neck of the t-shirt, and wrap it in a turban style.

Lastly, a simple one. And it's aggressive brushing. This one is terrible because it happens most likely every day after you shower, which is when your hair is the most venerable. Its soft because of the conditioner from the shower and its wet, a deadly combination. A tactic that I've been using for years that makes brushing easier on me and my hair is bringing a hairbrush into the shower and combing through my hair, gently, while I have conditioner in. This removes the tangles without stressing out the hair as much.

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8 money savers every girl should know

You may be tempted to blow your budget on unnecessary products you think you need, or throw away an item you think is used up. Don't.
There are a ton of inexpensive alternatives to name brand pricey high end products, and many tricks you can use to get the most of out the ones you already have.



1. One of my favorite dupes for makeup brush cleanser is Johnson's Baby Shampoo, you can buy this almost anywhere, it works just as well, and it costs almost nothing. A large bottle will last you months.

2. Get the last of any liquid makeup out of a tube using hot water and a small container, like a contact case.

3. The hot water trick also works for getting the clumps out of dried mascara. You can also add a few drops of saline to old mascara to make it good as new. 

Reuse old brushes from more expensive brands in new bottles of cheaper mascara. Just rinse your brush in hot water to get rid of 

clumps and you’re ready to go.

4. Makeup remover wipes are great. Problem is…those makeup remover cloths are EXPEN$IVE! Especially the big brand name ones. So for quite awhile now I’ve been buying the cheapest, store brand ones. But ANOTHER problem is…the cheap ones are CHEAP for a reason. They aren’t as soft and/or moist as their more expensive rivals.

You can make your own:

Just take some paper towels, 4 cups of warm water, 1-2 tablespoons Coconut Oil. (1-2 squirts of baby wash or your favorite face wash if you want, but it’s not necessary)

5. If your perfume is running low, pour the last drops into a bottle of (unscented!) lotion to make it last longer.

6. Cut open bottles to get all the product you might be missing otherwise. ***This is a huge one***

You never know how much is left that you cant see.

7. Fix broken eye shadows and pressed powders with a little rubbing alcohol. Or, turn broken eye shadow into a custom nail color by mixing the pigment with clear polish.

8. Beauty tools are a huge expense and add up quickly. Cut your makeup sponges and cotton rounds in half to get more uses out of them, you'll quickly realise how much you've been wasting that you don't even use.

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Can wearing bright colors improve your mood?

Do you ever have those days where getting out of bed seems like the most impossible task on the planet earth? We all do. And when it comes to dressing myself on these days, it always seems easier to throw on a pair of dark jeans and a grey sweater. Something simple, something.. boring.
I mean the last thing I want to do is attempt a trendy outfit when I can hardly stand to shower in the morning.

Liana Satenstein, a writer for vogue magazine, posted an article on this yesterday where she tells of her wardrobe "transformation" from a boring black and grey color scheme to mixing wide array of colors and textures to add personality to her outfits.

The article deserves a read, if you are interested I have it linked here.

Her experiences are not only motivational for other girls to start expressing themselves through their clothing, but raise an interesting question... Does changing your day to day wardrobe really have an effect on your mood?
I found this to be an entertaining research project,
here is what I came up with:

While it isn't directly proven that clothing we wear can effect the outcome of our emotions, what we do know is that there has been a long history of the use of color for therapy in ancient civilizations, this is known as chromotherapy. Red being used to stimulate the body and increase blood circulation, orange to increase energy levels, and so forth.
However, that being said, most modern psychologists are skeptical of the idea, especially of its lasting effects over long periods of time. But even if it is all "just in your head", does it really matter?
Even if you are skeptical of the idea, its worth a try.
As far as my personal experience goes, the difference is minimal, but not to be dismissed as irrelevant. I would say however, that my mood reflects not only in the colors of the pieces I'm wearing, but more in the cut, shape, and style of the pieces themselves. If I feel confident in a particular outfit, I don't think it would make a difference what color it is.
If you do tend to lean towards the side of a neutral color palette, its not hard to work bright pieces in with accessories. Your clothing choices should represent who you are, and you should be proud to wake up in the morning, open up your closet, and flaunt whatever it is you may choose to wear that day.

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