December Recap

Blogiversary | Cocktail Party | Family Gathering | Casual Get Together | Office Party

Leopard & Leather | Look for Less | Plaid Coat | Fair Isle

I've been on a hiatus from all things blogging, but I wanted to check back in with my December recap and to say Happy New Year! Tonight, I'll be ringing in the new year with friends in my favorite sequin skirt. How will you be celebrating?

Holiday Lookbook: Family Gathering

Shirt- JCPenney, Vest- Sears, Skirt- J.Crew Factory, Tights- Merona, Boots- Chinese Laundry

  

On Christmas day, my family gets together after lunch to open presents and eat lunch together. I like to wear something comfortable but still festive and cute. A plaid button up seemed to be the obvious choice to start my outfit. I paired it with a wool skirt and the most comfortable tights I own (seriously, no muffin top here- the waistband on these things is incredible!). I needed something to top off the look, so my faux fur vest went on top. I don't get to wear this thing enough!

White bib necklace- Mindy Mae's Market, Rhinestone necklace- Shop Lately (sign up with Facebook to get $10 off your first order!)

I wanted to add some sparkle at my collar so I layered two necklaces together. This has been my favorite trick lately to make my statement necklaces even more of a statement! These two are some of my more recent purchases and I love them both! They were affordable but still great quality. Follow Mindy Mae's Market on Instagram as they sometimes post flash sales- that's how I picked up this pretty! And if you are not already shopping for jewelry on Shop Lately, you really need to be! Think eBay for all the Etsy and other small online jewelry sellers out there. You can find tons of J.Crew and Baublebar dupes at great prices.

Sleek eyeshadow palette in Storm, NYX blush in Angel, Revlon Colorstay eye pencil in black, Benefit They're Real! Mascara, NYX lipstick in Eros

For a day of catching up with family, straight hair is the way to go. No need to do anything fancy. This is how I wear my hair most days, but I spent a little extra time blow drying it with a round brush to make sure it was smooth and shiny.

As far as makeup is concerned, I can't think of anything more Christmassy than a red lip. Of course with a lipstick this pigmented, you'll want to start with lipliner. Line and fill in your lips completely. Apply your lipstick on top, then blot with a Kleenex. Another layer of lipstick over that will guarantee that the color will last longer, though I can't promise it'll last through your third trip to the dessert table! Since my lips were so bright, I used a shimmery champagne eyeshadow all over my lids, and a matte brown shade in my crease. A thin line of eyeliner on top and a coat of mascara was all I needed to complete my eye look. I used a rosy pink blush to bring a little color to my cheeks and I was done.

OPI Pirouette My Whistle (silver glitter), Sephora by OPI Indi-go With the Flow (blue glitter), Zoya (snowflakes)

The inspiration for my nails was a white Christmas, which I will most likely not get in Texas! Sparkly nails will have to do. I applied a pearly white polish first, and then started layering silver glitter polish on top. I used the blue glitter polish to create a gradient affect towards to tips of my nails. A few nails got a blue snowflake accent that I created with my Konad stamper and plate m59.

Shop the Look:

Check out my other Holiday Lookbook posts for more outfit inspiration!

Linking up with Three-for Thurdsay: Bethany & Meghan | Spotlight of the Week: Jacqueline & Elle | Tres Chic Thursday |  Mix and Match Fashion | Working Girl With Style

Celebrity Look For Less: Olivia Palermo

My Outfit Details: Jacket- H&M (old, similar here), Sweater- Gap (sold out, similar), Skirt- Nasty Gal, Scarf- J.Crew Factory (check in stores, similar), 

Tights- Merona, Boots- Calvin Klein (on sale plus extra 30% off at checkout), Clutch- Nasty Gal, Earrings- Fossil (gift), 
Gemstone Rings- c/o Waffles and Honey (15% off with code STYLE15), Love Ring- Boutique to You (20% off with code XMASRACE)

I fell in love with this Olivia Palermo look as soon as I saw it. And I can't even remember where I first saw it because it was EVERYWHERE- in multiple fashion magazines and all over the internet. I pinned it on Pinterest and it got a whopping 280 repins. I think its safe to say that is the most repins I have ever gotten, and I know it's because her outfit is amazing.

Over the past few months, I've made it my mission to get Olivia's look for less. The most important pieces of the look are the skirt, boots, and bag. Seeing that I had nothing remotely similar to the ones she's wearing, I went on the hunt for the best affordable dupes I could find. First came the skirt. It was the first purchase I made after my September shopping ban. I was so paranoid it was going to go out of stock, and now I'm kicking myself for not waiting for a promo code seeing that it's still in stock months later.

I found the boots next, but at $150, I decided to wait for a sale. As soon as they were 30% off, I put them in my cart and clicked purchase with no questions asked. They were more than I would normally spend on boots, but I have been wearing these things nonstop so I don't feel bad about it. They are now an extra 30% off- making them only $70! These boots are oh-so-comfy and probably one of the items I own that gets the most compliments.

Lastly, the bag. This was the hardest to find. I searched every online site I could think of for orange clutches. I actually bought one before I found this one, but when it came in the mail it just didn't have the same effect as Olivia's boxy clutch. I sent it back and continued my search. Finally, lo and behold, I found this baby at Nasty Gal as well! I did wait for a coupon code for this one, and completed my look with this Cyber Monday purchase.

So let's compare. My Nasty Gal skirt was $48.00, while Olivia's Zara skirt was $60. Not too much of a difference there. I can't quite find the price of her Altuzarra boots, but similar styles from the brand go for around $1195! Mine were $104.99. On to the clutch. My Nasty Gal clutch was $47; Olivia's was $78 from Olivia & Joy. I'm sure if I included the rest of our outfit details, the total difference in price would be huge.

It took some digging to find Olivia's look for less, but overall I'm really happy with my outfit recreation!

What do you think of this Look for Less post? Would you like to see more of these? Let me know!

Linking up with I Feel Pretty | Wardrobe Wednesday | Wednesday Style Connection | Random Wednesday

Holiday Lookbook: Cocktail Party

Dress- Lulu's, Coat- Asos, Heels- GoJane

  

When I shop for fancy dresses, my eyes always gravitate toward the full sequin sheaths that are, of course, made of spandex and skintight. Sequins+spandex does not work for my body type and I always end up looking bigger than I am. With this LDB, I still get the effect of sequins on the fun criss-cross straps, and the thicker black fabric is actually slimming. I feel much more confident in this dress than in those full sequin numbers! The beauty of wearing a black and gold dress is that you can have fun with your outerwear, which is why I chose to wear my leopard faux fur coat on top. Faux fur is really in for party wear this season! (See here, here, and here.) I finished off the look with glittery gold heeled sandals.

Bracelets- J.Crew Factory. Francesca's

   

No need for a necklace with this dress, and when attempting to wear dangly earrings, it was just too much. Instead, I focused on sparkly arm candy. I couldn't do without earrings completely, so I wore my favorite little gold hammered studs that I got on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence this spring.

Clutch- Francesca's

  
A little gold clutch went perfectly with my outfit. The embellishments on the front flap make it feel a little special. It also has a gold chain strap, so I don't have to carry in in my hands all night.

I see a lot of updos and think, "I'd like to recreate that." But when I try, it's a major fail! Enter this 

super easy look that only requires a curling iron, a few bobby pins, and hairspray. All I had to do was curl my hair as usual, then pull all the hair to one side. I pinned it to the side with the guidance of this youtube video (she has AMAZING hair tutorials) to make sure I got it right. The spray and you're done!

Sleek eyeshadow palette in Original, NYX blush in Spice, Benefit They're Real Mascara, Revlon lipstick in Wine with Everything, 
Revlon Fantasy Lengths Lashes in Flirty

I wanted to stick with something easy but impactful for my makeup as well. I started with a highly-pigmented teal shimmery shadow and applied it all over my lid. I created a rounded shape along the top edge just above my crease with a stiff brush. I skipped eyeliner so the teal shadow would really pop, and I applied some false lashes after clipping of the last 1/4 inch so they didn't completely overwhelm my eyes. I also popped a light gold shimmery shadow in my inner tear duct. Next I applied my favorite cinnamon colored blush to the apples of my cheeks. I finished with a wine colored lipstick.

Covergirl polish in Constant Caribbean

For fancier occasions, I like to skip nail art and go with a solid polish color. I loved that this metallic teal polish matched my eyeshadow.

Shop the Look:

Don't forget to check out last week's casual get together and office party holiday looks! My last look will go live Thursday featuring a look perfect for for family Christmas gathering.

Linking up with  Style Sessions | Love It Link It | Trend Spin | Holiday Style

Best Party Dresses Under $50

Forever 21 Glamorous Sequined Combo Dress | Forever 21 Festive Sequined Mesh Dress | Old Navy Velveteen Shift Dress

Forever 21 Glamorous Combo Dress | Forever 21 Glam Hour Shift Dress | Old Navy Printed Wrap Front Dress

Aerospostale Long Sleeve Sheer Drape Dress | Lulu's Hot Off the Precious Burgundy Dress | Forever 21 Sequined Statement Shift Dress

JCPenney Love Reigns Iridescent-Lace Dress | ASOS Midi Dress in Oversized Animal Print

Lulu's Hostess Gift Grey Velvet Midi Dress | Asos Motel Dress With Contrast Lace Bodice | Lulu's Tour de Allure Red Lace Dress

Lulu's In Hot Dot-ter Long Sleeve Black Dress | Lulu's Final Stretch Royal Blue Dress | Dilliard's GB Strapless Sequin Dress

3 New Years Eve Looks Under $100

Look 1: Sweater | Skirt | Necklace | Flats | Clutch

Look 2: Blazer | Tee | Denim | Heels

Look 3: Dress | Earrings | Heels | Clutch

When I think about the perfect New Year's Eve look, I think of metallics, embellishment, and shine. Since I don't know of many other occasions besides NYE where I would wear this much glitz and sparkle, I wanted to keep each look under $100. Depending on how you are spending your holiday, choose the right amount of glitter for the occasion. (Or, you can be like me, and rock a sparkly embellished dress at a Duck Dynasty themed New Year's party-that's how I rung in 2013!)

Linking up with Favorite Fashion Friday: Tara & Bonnie | Friday's Fab Favorites