Some More Red

Blazer: Ann Taylor ($65-gifted from Mom of course!), Shirt: Ann Taylor Loft($24), Skirt: JCrew Outlet ($19- with student discount), tights($5), Shoes: Zigi Soho c/o Karmaloop ($50 w twitter code discount), hair extensions ($60 something got them so long ago, I can't remember!).

For some reason, I can't get enough red in my wardrobe lately including lipsticks.  I think it has something to do with the holidays, but maybe just  because it is one of those colors that looks good on all different people.  My friend Amy who is tan and really blonde looks really good in red, and I am fair, with dark hair (okay Dr. Seus) and like wearing it too.  Here is what I put together on Christmas day with some pops of red and my hair extensions that I picked up from Sally Beauty of Course- my new addiction. Even though sparkles are a normal occurrence in my wardrobe, mixing them with a bright color like red, was even a bit bold for me. So, I toned it down a bit with a black blazer:

Also, running around  making food, preparing drinks and standing for the majority of the day calls for fun, yet practical shoes.  These shoes give me height and are super comfortable walking around- check them out- they are pacifically flat, but have a huge wedge platform type deal in the front:

I also got a red hat from Jim's parents for Christmas, which looked like it was made for my outfit, so fun!  Below is me and the ladies in Jim's family with 60's style hats, which is a very fun style right now, well always because I love vintage inspired things and try at all times to channel Jackie O:

Jim's sister got a matching one in a brownish color, with a small line of animal print- also fun!  I can't believe January is tomorrow- My New Year's Resolution is to become more thrifty than before....what's yours??

Christmas

The holidays have been crazy and so much fun.  Santa was so good to me.  My parents got me a macbook and Jim got me an iPhone!!!  I am so grateful and it has been so nice hanging out with friends and family.   I also received the north face boots from my prior blog from Jim's parents, which was such a nice surprise! Anywho, I am so tired and we are on our way to New York City, which is the gift I got Jim.  For now, here are some photos of the red dress I wore last weekend.  It was purchased at BCBGMax a couple of years ago at a super sale for $30.  It was really fun to finally put it to use.  I have worn it a couple of times and I never wore it just the dress.  Sometimes keeping it simple and not adding sweaters and belts are the way to go.  

I wore this with plain black tights and booties.  I also had this nice clutch with finger holes that Jim's parents gave me to wear to at a wedding this summer to bling it up a bit.  Let's get a close up- I threw in some hair extensions to make my hair longer.  Sometimes all you need is to make things look different is to make one simple switch and these guys are so easy by popping them in:

Now that we can see the clutch at a somewhat better view, it caused somewhat of a ruckus at the airport on our way home from DC.  The metal detector came up as showing brass knuckles and I almost lost this unique looking clutch to TSA.  This lady was screaming for back up, and the questions were flying in one after another as in what kind of weapon I have in there.  Finally, I had to slowly open my suitcase in front of a handful of security and I pull out a cute delicate clutch with attached knuckles.  They let me keep the clutch thankfully- and I will never try to travel with the clutch on a plane again. It is too much of a gem to lose!

Pop it like its hot with Red

Okay, so the moment you have been waiting for - a look into someone who I talk about in a lot of my blogs - my friend Nuge!  She is absolutely fabulously gorgeous- which is why I don't mind when people sometimes think I look like her little sister, slash I tell people that : ). She is an amazing friend who is available by phone all the time and lives right in Boston only a walk away.  Drum roll for el Nuge.....pallleasseee:

She looks absolutely fabulous and polished and this outfit is so affordable.  It is made up of Forever 21 top and bottom and madden girl red pumps that I have been wanting to borrow forever ever.  Nuge has cute feet that are two sizes to small (just like the grinch's heart- can you now sense my jealousy? : )) for me.  I LOVE sparkles and this outfit is perfect because it is balances with a very nice skinny jean and an perfect pop of red for the holiday season with the pump at the bottom.  As I have said before, Nuge knows how to pull together an outfit and is always so well put together.  She is really good at finding deals to and is a really good shopping partner!

Let's take a closer look at the shoes, which brings us to our how-to today.  Notice that her feet have a nice natural looking bronze?  Do you ever have that issue where you pop bronzer on your face, but when you wear flats or pumps with pants your feetsies look  a little vitamin d deprived if ya know what I mean?  Well, I love going up to Ogunquit in the summer with my family and I came across this fabulous man on one trip out one night who was a make up artist.  He somehow got to talking about how to make a one night bronzing moisturizer that he uses for the models he does up.  Here we go- soooo easy and its nice because it keeps your skin moisturized why making this faux tanner.

Step 1, get white moisturizer, like Aveeno, some old bronzer that you don't like for your face or the leftovers from the one you don't use anymore because there are only scraps left behind and some form of a credit card- I used my sephora insider card:

Step 2: Then pour some of the lotion into the bowl (try to to have the buffalo bill reference here- it puts the lotion in the bowl and puts it in the basket haha) Below:

Now take whatever card you have and scrape it over the bowl to create a powder, and add a little at a time and start stirring to get the color of tan you desire.  Keep going from just a shade darker, all the way to SNookified: 

Keep stirring and then repeat:

This is the final product next to my hand right now, yes because I was too lazy to take my shoes off to show on my feet.  It is a nice subtle shade darker, but again- you can keep scraping away with your card to get a nice dark bronze- and the best part is you can just wash it off if its too much unlike other bronzers that take a while to scrub off over a couple of days:

Obviously, because we are at my hands, this is my mani I got for the holidays with the new muppet colors Getting Miss Piggy With It- sparkle overlay on my ring fingers and jingle and me as for the rest of my fingers.  I went all red and miss piggy for the toes because that is where I like to go craziest!

Close up of the Miss Piggy finger : )  Jim loves the muppets, so this is the only time our worlds are colliding seinfeld style- Muppets and Nail Polish?? WHoaaa

I will put up my dress I wore to a holiday-esque dinner last weekend for a last minute idea for Christmas.  As for now have fun bronzing up for the holiday!

Some More Holiday Ideas

I have been busier than usual this week with the holidays around the corner, learning how to pinterest and just travelling in general to and fro Suburbia.  I am also kitten sitting a beautiful kitty named Cupcake.  She is a young  profashional at heart and has a lot of personality (the best thing you can wear nowadays).  Here she is:

She has been such a treat to hang out with and so entertaining.  She is also wearing my favorite neutral colors, and to get weird, reminds me of one of my favorite winter white dresses.  I will show at another time to get real cat ladylike and wearing matching outfits as my friend Kate's cat.

Anyways, for meow (yes I did just replace now with meow), I wanted to show you some pictures of my beautiful friends and outfits that they wear out on the weekends, but can also make a good outfit for the holidays.  I am going to show a couple more from the same night tomorrow, and a really cook trick that I learned from a faboo man at the Front Porch in Ogunquit, ME with my friend Nuge as a model, so stay tuned!!

Let's start with these three chicas, Lauren, Erin and Christine (who you have met before):

Lauren: Lady in Black.  She is wearing a velvet little black dress from Forever 21 and some military style boots she picked up there as well.  This was the beginning of her birthday celebration so this made for a great outfit for the lady of honor.  It is nice because she is wearing all black, but there are a lot of different textures to add just enough pizazz! This would definitely be an amazing dress for New Years.
Erin: A pop of red and purple.  Erin was my roommate in Fenway and I miss seeing her so much.  It is nice to have a friend to talk to all the time and someone to wake up and force to go to Starbucks at 9am on a Sunday to catch up on life (still sorry about forcing you to wake up with me, Erin!)  She is wearing a very pretty dress and I love the colors mixed in, and balancing the delicate, cute dress with some flat booties from Madewell adds for a cool look.  This is a great outfit for Christmas/Christmas Eve.
Christine: Wearing green in a subtle, fashionable way.  This is one of my favorite outfits of Christine's- well until I see her next, because she always looks so cool.  She is wearing green suede peep toe booties from Matisse (on Ruelala) H&M layered skirt to keep it o so classy and a green madewell tank with polka dots.  The necklace adds a cute touch and some pastels that mix really nicely.
Let's get a closer look below.  Now, you can't see, but she is wearing polka dot tights- to bring out the dots on her shirt:

Here is Lauren and our friend Karen.  Karen looks amazing and has legs that go on forever- absolutely gorgeous!  She is wearing a black mini, a white top with some nice silver stars and tall black boots.  Hullow awesome outfit for any night and a new years house party too:

Our friend Jen, below, had a really cool color pop of blue, which looked really good with her dark hair and black top.  She got these jeans from Express, so keep your eyes peeled for them- they look amazing and worth the money:

Please spot the nude shoes- my new obsession- I need to find a pair because I have been on a search for way too long.  Tomorrow I am going to have my friend Nuge and me up for some other ideas with some pops of red.  Almost Christmas and it will be January before we know it!

And Best Dressed goes to...

Faye and Seltz!  Seriously, as much as I love holiday glam and glitter, I love other looks that lead to looking fabulously festive.  How cool and fashion forward do red pants look? The business on the top and party on the bottom look, might be genius.  I really like this look and it is very polished for in and out of the office.  If you look close, Faye has an animal print belt, which is one of my favorite personal touches.  Also, Seltz has the green tie, but it is separated enough from the pants, that it is subtle but finishes the holiday look(can we also just spot the pocket square matching the dress shirt perfectly? Ooo lala!)  These two are extremely fashionable year round and if JCrew knew what was good from them, they would sponsor these two to be walking advertisements.  They are both babes and great people and hopefully they will let me put them up more than this time (yea, they kinda don't know I am posting this : ) )
This week, I will try to post things that would be good to wear around the holidays, especially with Christmas and New Years around the corner.  Things are getting hectic, but I will try to post shorter ones like this the whole week so we can all start planning what we are wearing this weekend!

Keri Berry

Allow me to introduce to you one of my bests, and an absolute babe, Keri.  You know that whole saying, you can take the girl out of Mass, but you can't the the Mass out of the girl(or whatever people say about their specific areas)- Let's just say, that the saying is not true when it comes to Keri- Keri has always been destined to at least live in Hawaii for a year because she has the most laid back personality I know.  You can take the girl out of Mass if she is a Hawaiian at heart.  She and I were together day and night throughout college.  Even though we were not roommates, I seriously crack up laughing thinking back to being 18 and doing everything together.  From shopping and buying the same shirt, just to pretend we didn't know we really picked it out together when we showed up to a party, to playing field-hockey for four years together.... to getting up extra early for brunches to just watch all the suckers stroll in to hear about their stories from the night before.  As you can see, she is absolutely gorgeous and her personality shows through in whatever she wears.  Her style is laid back, bright colors, the coolest jeans you could find and an occasional fanny pack.  She is grounded and it is so much fun to hang out with her because you know she is always ready for anything.  And by anything, I mean one time I may have left my keys to my car on the Vineyard, took the ferry over to the mainland and realized it.  She invited me to sleep at her house and in the morning, she took the ferry back with me to get the keys.  We got the keys and turned right back around.  The best part about Keri, is she and I were dying laughing the entire way- some people could have been like really angry, but not Keri, and I love her for it. 
Below is Keri on our trip to Loon this fall.  It was a perfect weekend and we surprised her for her birthday.  Her boyfriend John planned the entire thing- it was so much fun for Oktoberfest hanging at a mountain out of season.

I love this flannel shirt, it is perfect for just chilling on the weekend.

Below is Keri, when she was living in Hawaii, and shows her in some brighter colors.  She is also known for her fanny packs, which are awesome and popular in Hawaii. It is funny when we try each other clothes (and I really try to tell people this, don't try to dress like someone else when it is not your style, because it just doesn't look good when you are wearing something that you feel awkward in).  I don't look good in a flannel and Keri does not rock a running skirt, because it looks unnatural and feels awkward for both of us, so we just stick to our own thing and that is why personal style is so important.

So, when I was out shopping, (you guys are like, wait, you go shopping? sarcastically of course) I saw the best watch for Keri because it reminded me of her as soon as I saw it.  It is a snap bracelet, neon green watch.  It is awesome and I really wish it looked half as cool on me as it does on her.  It was like $7 after all of the Filene's Basement sales and remember they are going out of business, so keep your eyes peeled for deals!
Here is the watch you should get for your laid, back Hawaiian friends that appreciate anything you do even its it something small like this:

When it is slapped into place, it looks like this:

Happy Friday!

Sweater Dresses

The cold weather has finally arrived!  Sweater dresses are a great way to celebrate.  Above is my favorite sweater dress.  It is Marc by Marc Jacobs, and you can fold the top half down to become a skirt. I hope you can kind of visualize just the skirt with the picture below.  I will wear it like a skirt and put it up soon! 

Per usual, I am loaded up with Alex and Ani bracelets, colored spice colored tights and dv booties.  I wore this on Thanksgiving this year.  Spent four and half hours in the car on the way to New York to see my family, and it was extremely comfortable.  Can you guess where my mom took this photograph?  Yes, the rest stop right near New York City- classy, I know.  Again, this would probably fall into confessions of a Young Profashional : )

Women's Christmas GIfts

So, I mean let's be honest here, I could go on and on and on about what to get the ladies in your life, but sometimes its picking the right gift for them is most important. 

Let's start with bags in general.  If you get your girlfriend has a handful of designer purses already, don't add to the collection, grab a longchamp water resistant work bag for $150 that she doesn't have.  (If I wasn't diagnosed with slight hipster-like tendencies and feel the need to steer clear of the one thing that everyone else has, I would totally want a Longchamp- they are a great bag and you can practically swim in a puddle on your way to work and be totally fine with keeping your laptop dry!)
They come in all different colors- check them out! (here)  They have a lot of really funky bags that I am definitely interested in outside of the waterproof totes.

For the profashional reader- get the kindle and a cute vera bradley case to go with it $149 (here):

Vera Bradley Kindle Case in many different prints $38 (here):

Uggs to keep warm $180 (here):

For the lady that has everything, get her a new set up makeup brushes- those are the things that woman crave, but I personally find it hard to justify spending that much money on a brush set, when in reality it is the best investment $125 at sephora (here):

For the runner that craves a little Lululemon once in a while(or doesn't because I am an underarmour person from all my years of field-hockey and I am in love with this pullover).  This pullover, is expensive, but it is a coldgear piece- with arm sleeves that fold over into running mittens, a hood with a pony tail opening, and a really cool collar that can be zipped up or buttoned down.  Seriously check out the video- it seems like a really nice gift for that year-round runner $118 (here):

Skagen Watches-they are completely waterproof, lightweight in the mesh version and have a lifetime guarentee $110-$120- but I got one for my mom this year for her xmas gift more than half off through ruelala(again she needs a new watch and she works with children, so this is the perfect thing for her because it is very durable-voila! (here):

I also got my brother a skagen watch with a blue face not in mesh- it looks really cool- and it is something he wanted because his watch broke this past year.

For the girl who craves a unique piece of jewelry, the Tory Burch leather wrap $95 (here):

Small cosmetic bag by what else than Marc by Marc Jacobs, in one of my favorite colors, red $68 (here):

For the traveler that reminds you of Princess Vespa in Space Balls, with the oversized hair dryer, a luggage scale from Neimans might be the best idea, $35 (here):

In case you forgot:

For the lady that already reads all the InStyle Magazines, Rise of Fashion Book from Neimans, $33 (here)

A fun metallic wallet.  It is fun for everyone because it is easy to find in an oversized purse and really cute $32 from top shop.  I wish I added this to my wish list, it is seriously so cute! (yes I just described it as seriously cute)( here):

For a fun little ring- Urban Outfitters have stackable initial rings for $8 each or $12 for two in the store (here): 

Good Idea for stocking stuffers:

1. Chloe travel perfume, $17: (here)
2. Fresh, lip treatment (scrub and lip treatment) $22 (here)
3. Sephora Mini Gloss Set $22 (here)
4. Nail Polish- Essie or Opi you can't go wrong, $8 but my current favorite is (here)  It looks awesome with bling jewelry!
5. I would also advise a mani-pedi, a massage, whatever your special someone really likes to do but doesn't like to spend the money on- even hair products or a hair cut!

 But seriously, the key is first to figure out what the person likes (and no matter what you budget is brainstorm on what they like- and then you will be able to think of things in all different price ranges).  I search around stores like I am looking for something that I really want.  I try to get something that the person I am buying for wants or I think I would like. Hence the watches for my mom and bro. 

One example: I found this DVF dress for a gift this year for Jim's sister who needs dresses for evening events for work.  It is a nice cocktail dress and I found it at the outlets, which can have really good deals.  Putting the extra effort is what xmas is all about( I am attempting to give some homemade gifts this year- we will see if these work out)  The dress is found (here): 

Another example- we purchased the January coffee mugs for $19.99 each at starbucks for our bosses.  This is a lower price set, but we know how much our two bosses like a cup of coffee, so it is perfect for them!  It is free coffee every day for the entire month of January and you get to keep the coffee mug.  I think a lot of stores are sold out, but keep checking your local stores- the story on this mug is found (here):

So get thinking and brainstorming on what the people in your life would really like in every price range- and again- even if you can't afford that huge gift, you can definitely find something that everyone will like.  Good Luck!

Men's Xmas Ideas

This past weekend I went to the outlet malls, Newbury Street, the Prudential on top of visiting so many websites for Christmas ideas for men as possible.  But per usual, have such a hard time finding anything that I think would make a good present for men.  Thankfully, I brought my friend Seltzy on board to basically do this post for me.  He is the most fashionable man I know- seriously- always so polished and knows how to dress up a suit and just rock a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.  I hope I can get some pictures of him for the blog soon, to show you just what I mean, so we will work on that!  But for now, we can enjoy what he picked out as ideas for men's gifts and they all are really good ideas I will start with more expensive and go down in price-great taste for all budgets:

The Complete Set of the Wire(here) $139- I haven't seen this show yet,but I am slightly addicted to Breaking Bad, so I might start watching these next.  But any complete set of his favorite tv show is the best:

Second, Ray Ban Aviators(here): $139-  Get these- almost every guy likes them and wouldn't buy expensive sunnies alone:

Bean Boots- (here)$108: These are great winter boots, and are the classic duck boots-some form of winter boot is a necessity in New England.  North Face has some cool men's versions that resemble sneakers as well:

Breaking Bad Box Set,(here) $88: seriously the best show! 

Vintage Poker Chips, (here). For those nights of bromance, or guys night out- check these out from Restoration Hardware, $89:

Scarf( here): As much as they pretend they don't get cold, get them a really nice scarf, they look really nice, and are really good quality(from JPress $73):

For the guy that has too many ties, get a tie clip from JCrew (Seltz's favorite store), $68:

Face kit, by Kiehl's (here), $50- yeah this is a perfect kit to see what he likes and doesn't like-

Vintage Domino Set,(here) $34.  Even if he doesn't play, they look so cool for a bookshelf display:

For the true Bostonian, mbta cufflinks,$25 (here).  These are amazing-Etsy is a cool site for all handmade things:

iPhone Gloves(here), ($20-68 for North Face ones) This is the best gift for a techy

 Personalized, Monogram Beer Mug (here), $20

Whiskey Stones (here), $20- for those profashional fancy drinks:

For the marathon runner, or running enthusiast- Nike Running Stand alone sensor, (here), $19

For the reader, the complete short story set of Ernest Hemingway (here) $15

Stocking stuffers could be anything that includes an inside joke, razors to go with the Kiehl's set, and more.  Othere ideas below:

I hope that gets everyone's ideas flowing and helps you with ideas for any man in your life. Thank you so much for your help Seltz!!!!!!!!!!