{recent.acquisitions.and.wishlists}

I really have to stop shopping! Fortunately, when I do, it is on a budget, and usually for a good reason. There was a major cold snap here and the snowing started, so I had to buy a few more essentials for my winter collection.

Now, I've never been a hater of Ugg boots. And I'll admit, a lot of the time I never fall for trends immediately, and sometimes not until years after they're popular. Once I tried my first pair of Uggs, I was forever hooked. Unfortunately my last pair did not survive Winter 2009, so I had to buy a new pair.

Imitation sheep skin "Classic Ugg" Style Boots
Value Village, $14.99
(buy the real thing here)

Now, I love these boots so much that as soon as I'd paid for these, I wished I'd bought another pair. However, I decided to wait, and that money will eventually go towards these:

Classic Crochet "Cardy Ugg" Style Boots
$25.99, Walmart
(buy the real thing here)

Though to my dismay, both Value Village and Ugg are selling silver and gold sequin boots, and they look awful. Really. They remind me of space boots.

Crocheted Fingerless Sleeved Gloves

Value Village, $4.99

Crocheted Military-Button Fingerless Sleeved Gloves
Value Village, $5.99
(mine are black, and the sleeves extend to the elbow)

I am also loving (gasp!) legwarmers. I can't remember ever being this into knits. First it was the sweaterdress, then gloves and now (and for about the last year) its legwarmers.

Knit Cord "Pom" Legwarmers
Walmart, $4.99

An assortment of legwarmers I found and love.

Black and White Striped Pom Pom Leg Warmers

Rockstar & Tutu, $10.00

Leg Avenue "Spat" Legwarmers With Button Side

Leg Avenue, $10.00

Victoriana Spats

StraightRazorSlasher (Etsy), $34.00

Sequin Winter Knit Beret

Ardene, $9.99

I fell for the knit beret after seeing them for several years of winters on Gossip Girl. These berets have been seen on Jessica Szohr, Taylor Momsen, Fergie, Rihanna, Hilary Duff, Nina Dobrev, Cameron Diaz and Taylor Swift. It is worn best with loose, flowy hair or loosely pulled back hair.

Wet 'N Wild Wildshine Nail Lacquer in "Sparked"
Walmart, $2.47

(tip, this looks great layered over the Sinful Colors "Just You Wait" and worn with Hard Candy's "Roller Derby" eye pencil, both featured in this previous post).

Shiseido Fuschia Lipstick

London Drugs, $20.99

(I am still really loving the look of bright pink lips with black liquid eyeliner and a bare lid. New York Color makes a near-identical shade for a tenth of the price- but it doesn't have the staying power of the Shiseido lipstick.)

M.A.C. Viva Glam Lipstick in "Gaga"

MAC, $14.50

(WANT! This color is nearly identical to the recently released "Pink 4 Friday" lipstick made for M.A.C. by Nicki Minaj, here).

Hard Candy Kaleyedescope Baked Duo Eyeshadow in "Break Up"

Walmart, $5.99

Ardene "Tangerine" Eyeshadow

Ardene, $4.99

Ardene "Rock Star" Eyeshadow

Ardene, $4.99

(pictured is Kat Von D's Eyeshadow Duo, also called 'Rock Star')

{old.favorites.revived}

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am absolutely loving the sweaterdress. I first fell for them in the winter of 2007 when I spotted someone wearing a white v-neck sweaterdress with nude leggings and ugg-styled boots. Sorry- but I am one of the few that actually likes boots- and I've sported a pair of uggs before- black- and I loved them very much! They weren't immediately fashion forward, but they were very comfortable, and the acceptance that, for once, comfort had a solid foothold in the fashion world, made them ever so much more alluring to me. For the record, I wish I was brave enough to wear this Gaga-inspired number, but it is a little too cutting-edge for me.

Anyway, I digress. These are some of my top picks for sweaterdresses this fall/winter.

Boston Proper; $19.99 (Reg. $109, on sale)

John Patrick Organic; Price TBA

Flat Knit Sweaterdress

Banjo & Matilda; $555

For the record, if you can find this style in a nice wool blend, I would definitely fight for it. Affordable fashion is something I truly believe in. Though there is merit to the convenience of "renting" brand clothes and accessories, I'd rather have a person spend that rental money on a lesser brand that is affordable. I love it when big name designers lend their talents to chain labels (i.e. Miley/Max for Wal-Mart).

Argyle Sweaterdress

hipsterchic.com; $69

I love argyle! Especially when it utilizes new shapes and bright colors!

Soundgirl and Mortimer Sweaterdress; $59

I love the delicate v detail on the neckline and the cinching waist. The detail at the neck gives the illusion of a plunging neckline with a more demure and feminine cut, and the cinched waist gives the skirt a nice pleated detail.

Marled Sweaterdress

Victoria's Secret; $59 (Reg $78, on sale)



JimmyJazz; $39.99 (Reg. $128.00 on sale)

Lucky Sweater

Banjo & Matilda; $504.00

Proceeds from the sale of this dress go towards the End Fistula Campaign.



Buckle-Wrap Sweaterdress

Victoria's Secret; $79 (Reg. $88 on sale)

I used to have a buckle-wrap sweater like this, though it was not dress-length, it was one of my favorite pieces. I eventually parted with it because I felt it was too bulky at the top and was unflattering because of its shape. But this dress is made of a much thinner fabric blend that is sleek, and the length pulls any bulk out of the garment, cinching at the waist and giving a flattering shape.

Drop-Waist Cotton Rib Dress with Pleats

Victoria's Secret; $49 (Reg. $68 on sale)

This dress was featured on our sister site, Odds, Ends and Adornments last year. But I am still as in love with this piece as I was last year, and felt it deserved to be revisited. This is a very flirty, extremely sexy, but completely classic dress that will never go out of style.

Another trend I'm falling for is the shift dress. It's classy, it's dead sexy, but with a demure twist that is a definite tease.

Long-sleeve Shift-Style Sweaterdress

Victoria's Secret; $79 (Reg. $88, on sale)

Lace Shift Dress

Boston Proper; $179

This piece has a peekaboo back with keyhole button detail.

Lurex Sweaterdress with Ruffle Hem

Victoria's Secret; $78

I've fallen out of love with the cleavage obsession (side cleavage is the new decolletage) and in love with the bare back. The lower the back on a dress (without showing any bum) the better. Thank Kate Hudson and Hilary Swank for it.

Nordstrom Diamond Floral Tights

Nordstrom; $8.98

These were spotted on Taylor Swift, also. But what I love about these is not just the lacy pattern, which is really popular, but that the pattern changes on the thigh, giving an impression of sexy thigh-highs and garters, without all the fuss!



Keep checking back for updates! Our next post? Peekaboo back details. I love 'em!

{winter.trends}

Hey everyone! As you may know, I am a big fan of window shopping. It keeps your eyes current, you get a good idea of what the trends are (but not the ones that are like wildfire and will get old, boring and cliche too soon) and where the good deals are. Today at the mall, they were putting out all the new clothes for the winter season and putting last season's clothes into clearance. I love clearance shopping- even if you are a season behind, a lot of the time last season yielded some unpopular styles that will likely be in fashion next year- finding classic pieces that are always popular are a surefire way to get great deals for next year. Also, I like to decide for myself what I like and what I don't- some trends last for years in slow growing popularity.

Anyhow- I was in Winners, and found some fabulous loot!

Steve Madden Wool Military Jacket

Winners; $79.99



I've been loving the military jacket trend for quite some time now. I think it may have been the use of military button style coats (a la Sgt Pepper) used by Coldplay and Britney Spears in recent years; though I like them less embellished than that. And I have had a growing love of pea coats since last winter, but ones that fell about mid-thigh, just above the knee and were fitted at the waist. My first had a cinching belt there, but I disliked the bisecting aspect of the belt and often didn't use it. Military pea coats look more tailored and sleek.

Statement eyes. Eyes are always my favorite thing to highlight, and I prefer the look of a nude lip most of the time- it has the allure of the morning after. However, one of the great things about a light lid and eyeliner is that it looks really great with a nude lip, or with a statement color. I'm still sort-of trapped in my matte pink phase (I'm using a great purple-pink shade from Shiseido- a huge splurge on my part, though NYC sells a similar shade for a tenth of the price). Deep to dark reds are very popular this fall, though I would reserve them for evening use- they're a little much for daytime wear.

Maybelline Eye Studio 24hr Liquid Eyeliner
Walmart; $9.99

Now, not to seem biased, but sleek hair has been in for quite some time, and while I am a huge fan of that trend (it eliminates so much of the work and somehow always looks fabulous) my fondness is waning. This is the one time I actually like sleek hair. On longer hair, lately it feels too artificial, and really is more time consuming. At the moment, I have shoulder length curly hair, though I usually keep my hair about chin length- because it is so much work. However, I am really loving curly hair right now! Here are my top picks for fall:

A la Phantom of the Opera, I have always loved Emmy Rossum's sculpted curls, especially when they were not pulled into a 'do of any kind. Sculpted, but left free and wild to roam where they may. The sculpted curls look sophisticated, while leaving them to free movement lets them look more natural and sexy.

Drew Barrymore's short do, with ringlets is exactly the kind of hair I love. Though the hair itself is sort-of big, it reminds me of the kind of style you'd see on Mad Men- cute but sexy- and I love it.

For wavy hair, I really like the tousled rocker look. I've never been a fan of bangs, but I'm really starting to fall in love with them, used right. I think it started with my Bettie Paige obsession- but the more textured and choppy the look, with more layers, the better. When you wake up in the morning, throw in a little styling mousse, and nobody will be the wiser.

The french braid! This look is almost always reserved for summer, especially with hair that is left down. But I love it in updos for fall, especially when they are used in new and interesting ways, that still look natural.

Until next time!

{lastest.swag}

Sorry for the late update, guys! I got married in June and started working again shortly thereafter, so I've had a lot less time. Anyhow, now I have some money (some), so here are my latest purchases, that I absolutely love. My favorites come from the new line from Hard Candy, now exclusively available at Wal-Mart. This is an amazing thing, because Hard Candy has only ever been available from Sephora since it's launch in 1995, and was quite a bit more expensive before they moved out of Sephora and revamped their cosmetic line. Their cosmetics are nicely packaged, and high quality- up there with Too Faced cosmetics at a fraction of the cost.

Revlon Top Speed Nail Enamel in "Jaded"

Wal-Mart; $4.95

Sinful Colors Professional in "Just You Wait"

London Drugs; $2.99 (on sale)

Sinful Colors Professional in "Cream Pink"
London Drugs; $2.99

Sinful Colors Professional in "Hottie"
London Drugs; $2.99

Hard Candy Meteor-Eyes Baked Glitter Eyeshadow in "Supernova"

Wal-Mart; $5.95

Hard Candy Take Me Out Eyeliner in "Chop Suey"

Wal-Mart; $5.00

Hard Candy Take Me Out Glitter Eyeliner in "Roller Derby" (far right)

Wal-Mart; $5.95

All of Hard Candy's 'Take Me Out' Eyeliners are shaped like chop sticks, and most of them have oriental food names, like Bamboo, Saki, Rice and Soy. One was a lime green color and named Hay. I would have named it Wasabi. They also have a metallics line called Molten Metal.

Hard Candy Painted Lady Lipstick in "Flirt"

Wal-Mart; $6.00

Hard Candy Moonglow Illuminating Powder in "Luminescence"

Wal-Mart; $7.95

George Women's Double-Breasted Peacoat

Wal-Mart; $40

What I really loved about this coat was that the hem fell just above the knee, so it had a mid-leg trench coat feel to it. It cinches in at the waist without a belt, and though wide belts look fabulous with this coat, it was more comfortable without it. The buttons stop just at the hips, so the bottom of the coat hangs open and flares nicely at the leg. The neck is open just enough to allow for a peek at a nice scarf paired with the jacket. Though thin, this jacket is actually quite warm.

Other things I'm currently loving:

1. As much as I hate to admit it, the new Miley Cyrus clothing line at Wal-Mart. I shop there a lot, because they have competitive products at competitive prices that I can afford- and affordable fashion is deep and dear to me. Miley's line is sized more for ladies on the petite size, but I can fit most of the clothes she has made. I really love her rocker tees and tanks, especially with the rips up the back. She has a sensational military jacket, available in black and olive, that I was panting over.

2. The Ed Hardy fragrance collection. It all smells fantastic. All of it.

3. La Senza's double push-up line. The bras are scary expensive. They are around $50 each- but for women with modestly sized breasts, it's thousands of dollars for an upgrade surgery, or a new confidence-boosting, non-invasive bra that takes you up two full cup-sizes. My husband loves them- I have two!

4. Sweater dresses. Yes, I am late to this fashion event. They've been popular for several years, and have gradually become shorter and shorter- now they're just long sweaters that you absolutely must wear pants under. But I am completely in love with sweater dresses, ones you can wear free of pants or leggings, that fall just below the knee at pencil skirt length, or just above the knee. I like ones with long and short sleeves, as long as the neck is interesting, not too high-cut or bulky. That tends to look boxy and less feminine.

5. While I am still loving the bright, vibrant nail enamel trend (thanks, Rihanna!), I am deeply loving soft pastel colors that are usually reserved for spring. While trends seem to be leading back towards the classic french tip, classically manicured or nude nails, and fall leaf-inspired reds, berries, oranges and golds, I am deeply loving the idea of a cooler, softer color pallette that will play really nicely as it stands out and contrasts against the colors of fall, and into snowy days.