Mixed Feelings

Believe it or not this is the final blog entry for my English class! Although I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time, I also feel sad (well at least a little) that I probably will not write so much about my opinion ever again.

Doing about 30 entries for the last few months had its own ups and downs. I had absolutely hated the fact that I had to do 1000 words every single week on a specific topic in fashion. But by doing this I also learned so much about what’s out there in the fashion world while voicing out my opinions to you guys. I had looked at more store catalogs and bargains than I have in my entire life. Because of this I could see why the mannequins in the stores had a particular dress on.

Enough about my opinion on these blog entries…it’s now time for some fashion tips (like always)! As this is the last blog entry, I don’t want to go into a specific topic; instead we are going to go over some random tips that can make a difference in getting hired at a top notch company or being dumped by a hot girl/boy!

Fashion for Nerds has some valuable tips that are ideally directed for men, but these tips are useful for the women too (in case you don’t already know them!)

1. Ask advice from the right source: most women are experts when concerned about fashion; therefore you ought to go to them first. These women can be your girlfriends, best buddies or even sisters (not evil ones who will give you bad advice deliberately!), but definitely not your mom as she will agree with whatever you like.

2. Get rid of worn out clothes: these include your lovely pair of blue jean that has a small hole near the butt (from personal experience I know it can be hard but hey you can always get a new one!). Also clothes that have discolored after many washes/uses need to be thrown into the trash. If you really want to preserve some good dress then you should try out the new Tide.

3. Don’t reveal sweat: doing this after a heavy workout is totally fine but not at other times. Although you can get away with it by telling your friends that you just came from a long swim (not my advice but Zach’s (aka – Shirley!) from The Suite Life of Zach and Cody – Season 2 episode 45). This is probably not going to work always so the best bet is that you layer up with t-shits or undershirt so that your sweat is absorbed. Using a nice scent/cologne is always a good idea.

4. Electronic gadgets have better places: do you think that your new i-phone is really cool? Well you can show off that but not by wearing it on the belt. No matter how cool something is, don’t ever wear it on an outfit; it can only dress you down. Instead go for nice handbags/totes/office bags that can be used for different things.

5. Posture: all the above tips are good but a bad posture makes people not notice how well you are dressed. Standing/sitting up straight conveys the message that you smart, attentive and ready to get down to business. Well I don’t know about you but I you prefer being thought of as a smart person instead of a dull person.

Hopefully these tips help shape your lives for the better.

Have a merry Christmas and a wonderful year ahead!

Salon Style

I hate it when I get my hair styled at the salon and then try to do it myself back at home but it never turns out the same. Why can’t I do it just like they did it? This just isn’t fair. There’s got to be a special way they do it that no one else is allowed to figure out. Ha, no there isn’t. I found the secrets… They can’t hide them for forever. Nice try beauticians. But I’ve got it all figured out now. Ladies, hope these tips I found actually work for you!

How is it that the beautician can straighten my hair and give it volume at the same time? And why in the world can’t I do this myself? Well I found out just how to give my hair volume and be straight all at the same time. It all starts with the drying of your hair. Volume comes from the roots of your hair. So to receive this volume at your roots; start by blow drying your hair in the opposite direction in which it typically sits. After your roots are dry, use a brush to continue drying your hair. Finish straightening your hair with a flatiron. Keep in mind that you want straight hair not flat hair so don’t go overboard with the flatiron.

Want to have curly hair just like the salon stylists do it? It’s easy. The first step is to apply a curl defining smooth cream to your wet or damp hair. Next, use a diffuser to dry your hair. Start by drying your roots first. After your roots are dry, flip your head over and dry from underneath. This will allow natural curls to form. After your hair is completely dry, use a curling iron to add spiral curls randomly throughout your hair. Try to use a curling iron closest to the size of your natural curls. Once you are all finished adding curls, finish with hairspray so your curls do not drop throughout the day.

Everyone wants volume in their hair right? Can’t figure out how the stylist does it? Try this. The first step is movement. Separate your hair into 2-inch sections and blow dry them using a round brush. Make sure this brush is large for volume. Once your hair is completely dry, add just a little bit of hairspray all over. Next, fluff your hair with your fingers and then add those old fashion Velcro rollers to the crown of your head. Remove the rollers after a while and backcomb the rest of your hair. This will bring maximum volume to your hair! Try and stay away from extra firm hold hairspray.

I always hate it when I try and style my hair like the salon stylist does. Finding these tips will definitely help me when styling my hair. Though it may take me a couple tries, I think I will eventually be able to figure it out. We’ll see though. I’ll keep everyone updated on my hair styling trials. And any extras tips and/or hints I figure out I’ll be sure to let everyone know. Same goes for the rest of you. Good luck styling your hair! Have fun ladies!

It's not all about the red and green!

With thanksgiving out of the way it’s now time to think about Christmas festivities! Most of us focus on decorating the house, running errands and buying gifts. By doing all these we forget that this is the best time of the year to dress up pretty for the thousands of parties. The word “dress up” doesn’t mean that you have to wear only reds and greens in order to blend in with the crowd. It is true that reds and greens are colors associated with Christmas, but people forget to realize that anything looking rich or expensive will go well for the season.

The site Christmas Carnival gives detail descriptions on what can be worn for specific types of parties and events. Today we are going to discuss ways to dress for four of the many themed party or occasion.

- Dance Christmas Dress...these do not look like the ones that you wore to your high school prom. Christmas dance dresses should look like ones wore for arctic type weather is give the feeling of winter wonderland. These dresses work best if they are made up of velvet or pure silk fabric. Adding golden or silver embroidery will make the dress fabulous even if it is pink in color! The expensive looking fabric and workmanship make you look gorgeous even if you are not wearing any jewelry. Check out the lovely La Belle dress. By adding both the velvet and satin fabrics, this dress is perfect for a wedding or for a winter wonderland dance!


- Formal Christmas Dress...yes there are too many out there for this category but certain things just don't fit with regard to Christmas. I'm not asking you to go all red and green. Instead choose your dress carefully. Baby pink or lime green will not suit any holiday occasion like jewel tones (like purple, dark blue) which make you look bright against all the holiday decorations. For this type you can either go for lovely beading on the dress or you can just accessorize a plain blue dress with a long and sparkly earning. JC Penny has some pretty dresses that can be worn to just about any occasion!


- Christmas Eve Dress...going to church with family and friends? Then go for elegant looking not so revealing dresses or suits. These are things that are found at great prices at JC Penny. These dresses can work even if you are having a Christmas Eve party at a home. Or if you are one of those people who wear open presents soon after midnight, then go for lovely pajamas like the ones from Pajamagram. And keep in mind that this does not have to be only red and green...other colors like white, blue and even lime green can work.


- Fancy Christmas Dress...if you like dressing up crazy for Halloween then it would work during this of the year too! While men have different characters to choose from, women need to do creative things to make your dress unique. The regular options for fancy Christmas dresses are Mrs. Claus, and Mr. Claus helpers. But you can also dress up like Lou-Lou Who, Cindy-Lou Who, or as Martha May Whovier from How the Grinch Stole the Christmas. If you already have a character in mind but you are not able to locate the costume the check out Frank Bee Costume or Disguises to make your dream come true!

To read more about these tips click here.

Hopefully these tips will help to worry less about one more thing!

Have a fantastic and a memorable Christmas!

Coming soon...last entry from me (and probably from this blog!)…you wouldn't want to miss it!

Slim any extras

With Thanksgiving over and Christmas on the way, many of you may want to shed a few extra pounds before the Holidays roll around. Especially with that Christmas party invitation hanging on your refrigerator and that cute dress hanging in your closet. Does it still fit? Well I hope so, but if not I am going to let you in on 10 ways to lose weight fast just for this reason.

1. Make your own meals:
Counting calories is one way to lighten up but preparing your own meal will help you control portion sizes. Avoid salt and those bloating carbs. The meal is on you, everything is your choice. Try steaming instead of frying or sautéing.

2. Slim the portions:
An average restaurant plate may contain several servings of an item. This can easily add up to a day’s amount of calories. That’s a lot. Instead, limit yourself to one serving of those carb-heavy foods such as bread or pasta. A typical serving of pasta is about the size of a tennis ball and a serving of meat is the size of a deck of cards.

3. Eat Healthy Salads:
Avoid adding a lot of dressing to your salad. Instead add a small amount of a low-fat salad dressing. Try to avoid croutons, bacon bits, and salads served in a taco shell.

4. Add an extra workout:
Extend your workout by ten minutes or add an extra workout or two each week. This will help boost your metabolism. This can also help you shed water and obtain more energy.

5. Shake the salt:
Get rid of a bloated stomach by decreasing your salt intake. Keep in mind that many processed foods contain a lot of salt.

6. Lighten up your liquids:
Many drinks such as coffee drinks, soda, and sports drinks are just calorie-wasters. Avoid drinking those empty calories. Drink plenty of water… NO CALORIES!

7. Can the Carbs:
Beat the bulk by easing up of those foods loaded with carbs. Carbs indeed give you energy but in return they make you retain water. Instead, eat plenty of low-carb foods.

8. Skip the Spirits:
Avoid drinking calories. Hold off on the alcohol until you are in your party dress.

9. Try a Diuretic Drink:
Try a cranberry-based diet drink to help you shed some of that unwanted water weight.

10. Dine out lighter:
Making just a few substitutions to your order can easily cut calories. Hold the mayo and cheese on your sandwich or order thin crust pizza.

Try these diet tips and see if your party dress fits just in time for that party. I can’t say if any of these work or not. They wouldn’t be posted on the internet if some doctor didn’t have a clue what they were talking about. Hope they work for you though.

Beauty Trends

Need some different beauty suggestions? I do. I swear I do my make-up the exact same every single day. How boring? And how embarrassing? You all know me; I did some research once again. I found a couple ideas that, I myself, Miss boring, might just have to try.

Let’s start with the eyes. This season girls aren’t going completely out of control with their eye shadows. Just more towards the metallic side maybe. Gold eye shadow is a perfect color of this fall and winter. This color will give any girl instant glamour. Try a soft golden color on your whole eyelid and into the corner of your eye. Then work that metallic up to your eyebrow, getting softer as you go up. Gorgeous!! Now for your next date, work that metallic gold with a bronze metal eye shadow. Top it off with black eye liner and dark black mascara. Need to lighten up your eyes a little? Put a gold shimmer on the inside corner of your eye lid. It adds a beautiful touch and lightens up those glamorous eyes. Who has blue eyes? Lucky you, wearing gold eye shadow will make your eyes glisten in the light.

Now set aside your everyday black or brown eyeliner and whip out that fascinating blue. Don’t think you have to wear it dramatically. Maybe just wear the blue eyeliner on the bottom lid of your eye. This will be a perfect touch to a great outfit. Compliment that royal blue dress you have with royal blue eyeliner. Adding blue eyeliner to your smoky eyes will give your eyes mysterious depth. Give it a try. Don’t worry you brown-eyed beauties out there, you can wear blue eyeliner too!

I’ll let you in on a little secret. I know this spring's hot beauty trend. Red Lips!! Don’t be scared of the bright red lipstick girls are going to start wearing. I personally like it. I hate when you see a girl from a distance and her lips have faded into her face. Put some lipstick or lip gloss on, but make it red! You can easily pair your smoky eyes with red lips. That trend is always in style.

Another trend in style this season is rosy cheeks. Get out the blush ladies and apply. But of course you don’t want to make yourself look like a clown. So keep things like when it comes to blush. Adding just a little blush to your daily make-up routine will give your face some extra color. Making you not look so completely pale during these winter months.

Mod make-up is also in style surprisingly. Well, one thing I’d like to say, don’t overdo it. Cat eyes look good one some ladies. Add just a slight wing on the end of your eye. Try it, maybe it looks good on you. Charcoal eyes will look good on a lot of girls. This is one of my favorite looks. Another thing I really like is thick, dark eyelashes. Mascara is my favorite. Just make sure it’s not clumpy. That is not attractive at all.

I never thought fingernails could have their own beauty trend, well they do. This season’s nail art is wild and crazy. Step out of your comfort zone and get crazy girl! Apply that hot pink or deep purple. Add a little sparkle. Glue on those rhinestones. Give yourself a French manicure, but not with the traditional colors. How about hot pink and orange? Beautiful!

Now to be completely honest with you all, I will most likely not try all of these new beauty trends. I have gold eye shadow and blue eyeliner and even a red lip gloss. But I will personally stay away from the nail art. Not my thing. I want to hear your opinion on some of these new beauty trends!