And this is the last post for beauty week. I hope you all learned a lot and found some new blogs to follow along the way. I want to thank all the ladies that participated in the blog party. You all are amazing and beautiful women!
and now for the final post, by Ashley...
Hey again! Ashley here from The Peanut Gallery! Last time I talked about how to expand your wardrobe by taking spring and summer pieces into the colder weather. This time Im going to expand your wardrobe again but in a different way. Through the use of accessories. Im going to show you how to take one dress and make it into three totally different looks.
Each look was inspired a different piece or accessory.
The Dress if from Francesca's Collections
Inspiration #1
My first look was inspired by this turquoise and brown belt.
I added a turquoise leather braided bracelet and an amber and hazel wood bracelet. I was going for a native American inspired look with natural materials and colors.
A messy low side braid and some turquoise tights added to the look
and I chose some strappy brown heels. They have some faux animal prints and are multiple shades of tan and brown.
I might wear this look to an afternoon party or Dinner with the girls
Hi! Amber from I love you to the moon here! So happy to show you a few of my favorite tips for spicing up an outfit. My favorite thing to add to allllmost any outfit is a belt. Chunky belts, skinny belts, bright belts, belts belts belts! I love them. I’d say probably 90% of my belts are thrifted for about a buck a piece.
Boots also have a special place in my heart. Seriously, just having a few different pairs of boots and a few different belts can make you feel like you have a whole new wardrobe.
Today, I started out with this dress –
Simple and black
Threw on a mint green belt. I’m telling you, Goodwill knows where it’s at in the belt department!
Then knee highs and boots!
And a cardigan to add a lil color and cover up my arms for work. :]
I’ve totally worn this same dress with a chunky gray belt and red boots, orange belt and purple heels, and yellow belt and gray wedges. So many different ways to mix simple lil dresses up!
Thank you for having me over to your adorable corner of the internet, Michelle!
Today is the final day of BEAUTY WEEK. So I thought it would be fitting to talk about the final touches of an outfit/look. Deanna from Delirious Rhapsody is here with the first post of the day. Deanna seriously can accessorize and she does a weekly "what I wore" post that you all should check out.
I love getting dressed up and having somewhere to go. Whether it be a (rare) date night with my husband, a concert, or even church. I love picking out an outfit that fits my personality for the day. But unfortunately, as a stay at home mom of two wild little boys, it's often much easier to go with simple and easy (read: boring) than it is to wear something fun. So I'm here to show you that you can still be spunky while wearing your basics. All you have to do is add an accessory or two.
For this experiment, I picked the most boring items out of my closet. A plain tee shirt and jeans. I'm going to take this same jeans and tee, and pair it with different accessories, and (hopefully) you'll see just how easy it is to add some spice to a really plain outfit.
Here, I am, sporting the boring tee shirt.
::Yawn::
Now let's add just a couple things, and see what happens.
See, it didn't take much at all to add a little bit of personality to this outfit. And it was nothing too crazy that I couldn't take my kids to the park or go on a grocery run in.
Here are a couple tips for wearing accessories: 1. Mix and match. Don't color coordinate from head to toe. You'll end up looking like a 1970s Avon saleslady. It's ok to mix up different patterns and colors. 2. Choose one statement piece. When I wear my hair up, I wear big earrings. When I wear it down, I choose a big necklace instead. 3. Don't wear anything that you don't love. 4. Get creative! Wrap a necklace around a couple times to make a bracelet. Use a scarf for a belt or even a belt for a headband. Just think outside of the box, and your options are limitless!
Thanks for having me Michelle! I hope you enjoyed my post, and feel free to stop by my blog sometime and say hello!
And the last fashion post of the day goes to Ashley from The Peanut Gallery....
Hellooo She Said bloggity readers! Im so SO excited that Michelle asked me to be here for this awesome fashion week! Who doesnt love to get dressed up? Today I thought it would be fun show you how to take some obvious spring/summer dresses and take them into the fall/winter. It's a great way to stretch your wardrobe.
Here are my 4 pointers
1. Add sleeves. Whether its a jacket, long sleeved shirt, or cardi you need to cover up those arms!
2. Cover up those legs! No reason you cant rock a mini in the dead of winter just add some leggings or tights!
3. Close toed shoes. Keep those tooties warm.
4. Add jewel toned and warm colored accessiores. Take a warm color from the dress/outfit even if it's not very noticeable and bring it out through accessories.
Dress # 1
This dress is obviously meant for warmer weather. Its a tube top for goodness sakes. Also the bright pinkyness and floral pattern screams 'wear me when it's warm!' But Im a rebel and so I said, no you know what, Im going to wear you when it's cold! That's right. Rebel.
And here is how I did it.
(ps sorry for the mediocur quality photos)
I added a plain black longsleved shirt under the dress. I love adding shirts underneath tubtop dresses. It sort of makes it a whole new dress
**tip try adding a tank or short sleeved shirt in warmer weather for the same effect.
Here comes my jewel tone tip. I added some deep turquoise leggings (that I dyed myself DIY here!) to cover up my legs and bring out the darker colors of the dress.
lastly I wore some suade booties to keep my toes nice and warm!
Again another obvious warm weather dress. This one has more muted colors which transfer easily to the fall but the cut and style are so summer.
I took the oranges and browns from the dress and added accessories that enhanced those warmer colors.
An orange cardi covers up my arms and the belt added to the outside gives it form fitting look.
The orange and brown bow was made by yours truly :)
and some tall boots and brown leggings keeps my lower half bundled.
Dress- Mod Cloth
Leggings- Nordstrom
Cardi- Target
Belt- Azura
Headband- homemade
Boots- REI
So there you have it some basic pointers to get the most out of your wardrobe! I hope this can inspire you to try same new looks with some old clothes! Happy wearing!
Hi everyone! I am Heather from heatherlydee. A big thank you
to Michelle for having me on her blog! I am so excited to share with you all
today!
I think it is common to get tired of what’s in your closet.
Too often I stand in front of my closet complaining that I have nothing to
wear. I have a tendency to think purchasing new clothes will fix all my
problems-not just my problems with what to wear, but life in general.
Unfortunately, a new dress won’t fix a broken heart, nor will new shoes stop me
from missing my friends.
In fact many of my troubles can be traced back to spending
too much on clothes. Living on a budget has been a struggle, but it also forces
me to be creative in my clothes choices. Participating in Kendi’s 30x30
challenge earlier this year (see here) was a great chance to experiment with my clothes
and put together new looks that I never would have thought of before.
So today I will be sharing with you seven outfits that I
made with seven pieces of clothing from my closet.
The second guest blogger today Jennifer from The Blair Affairs. I love her fashion too and I love her "wear what I already own" project. You should definitely check out her blog!
Hello guys! My name is Jennifer and I write at The Blair Affairs. I am so happy to be here today and share a few fashion tips I've picked up through the years. I am by no means a fashion blogger or anything of the sort, but I do love to be creative with what I wear. For the past 7 months I've been doing a little project that requires that I don't buy any clothes, shoes or accessories. I've learned to make the best out of a few good pieces and what I already have. You definitely don't have to go buy new clothes every season to be fashionable. So without further ado, here are a few tips:
Layer, layer and layer
Layering is the single most useful fashion tip that I've ever picked up. I've had the jeans and t-shirt I'm wearing the the first photo for years. All I added was a mustard cardigan and a waist belt and it went from boring to cute! It is also helpful when layering to think about the colors. Like colors look good together, just like this striped brown and white shirt and mustard cardigan. Patterns are good when layering too, especially when the pattern is the bottom layer. The floral shirt in the second photo is a little too much by itself, but you see just enough of it underneath the cream sweater.
Wear jeans with dresses
I have a lot of dresses compared to everything else in my closet. A good way to make a more casual outfit with all your dresses is to wear them with jeans. In the first photo, I was able to make the floral dress look less like a beach outfit. Adding boot and jeans in the second photo gave my outfit more of a fall-ish look.
Add contrast with accessories
You can make a simple outfit pop by adding a fun piece. I do this a lot with scarves, even in the summer. They add texture and interest to just about any outfit. It's hard to go wrong by adding a scarf. I also like to mix boyish looks with super girly accessories, like in the second photo. Adding the chunky pearl necklace really made that outfit.
Well, I hope I was able to pass along a few helpful tips!
Today's topic is FASHION. This seems to be everyone's favorite. I see tons of fashion blogs around here in blogger world. One of my favorite is Sarah from Frills for Thrills. I love her fashion post daily and I feel like like Sarah's look is fashion forward, but not too forward where many ladies wouldn't be able pull it off. She definitely inspires me to try new things.
Hi everyone! I'm Sarah, from the fashion and lifestyle blog Frills for Thrills.
When Michelle asked me do make a list of classic must-haves, I kind of had a brain fart. The first thing that came to mind was a white camisole—boring, I know! My ideas kept running in that direction, but I wasn’t feeling that excited about any of them. I came to the realization that I don’t really like boring things and that my must-haves are not as traditional as most. Michelle’s whole idea with hosting a “Week of Beauty” was to inspire women to be bold and take risks, which is just a dramatic way of saying “try new things”. So, here is my list of not-so-basic items that I believe every women should own:
Colored Pencil Skirt: No, not a skirt with colored pencils on it, but a pencil skirt that is a bold color. You can tuck your shirt in and belt your waist, or you can wear a looser fitting cropped top without showing any tummy!
Statement Necklace: wear one big necklace or a bunch of little ones tied together for the finishing touch (like the bow on a present).
Chunky Gold Watch: because every girl likes her bling-bling aaand wearing something that looks like it came from her [in some cases, non-existent] boyfriend’s closet.
Structured Jacket (i.e. leather or blazer): They’re kind of like each other’s alter ego and I totally choose which black jacket I’m going to wear based on my mood. Sophisticated? Blazer. Edgy? Leather.
Boots: a more wintery version of flats.
Wedges: A comfortable (and sometimes safer) alternative to stilettos, a wedge heel adds height without making you feel (or look) like you’re walking in stilts.
Oversized something: A tunic top in the Summer or a baggy sweater in the Winter, an oversized top with skinny jeans (or leggings if you’re like me) and boots = effortless chic! Plus, it’s that whole “boyfriend’s closet” thing again.
Animal print something: because, let’s be honest, we feel sexier wearing leopard print.
Red/Pink Lipstick/Nail Polish: These two colors are classics and can be used in place of an accessory.
Striped or dotted top: because it’s a step up from a plain tee, trending up a basic jeans + boots ensemble.
Two-tone satchel: because with how often I change my outfit, I don’t have time to change my bag!
Skinny Jeans: Or any fitted jean that you can wear with a variety of tops and shoes.
Belt: wear it on your waist or wear it on your hips. There’s always use for a good belt. And I find mine for $2 at the thrift store, which makes it that much better!
The fifteenth item every woman should own is confidence. When in doubt, just wear something that makes you feel good about yourself. Not the I-just-rolled-out-of-bed sweats kind of feel good, but the I'm-a-beautiful-powerful-confident-woman kind of feel good.
Thank you so much for listening to me ramble! I hope these are all suggestions that make getting dressed in the morning easier.
I would like to introduce you to Lisa from This Little Life of Mine. This is her very first guest blog post and I am so honored its on my blog! I love reading about her fun adventures and her little ones are adorable! Make sure to stop by her blog and say Hello! She also has my dream career, lucky girl. So, here is Lisa!
I've been a hairdresser for almost 12yrs ( yes, I started when I was 19 ) and as a mom and I'd say 70% of my clients are moms too.
The best thing to do for your hair is find a talented stylist you really connect with. It's so hard to find a good one that really gets the fact that you want amazing hair but don't really have the time to put into styling it every day. Some days I'm lucky I get my hair shampooed before 4:00pm on days I'm not working.
The best thing you can honestly do is find the right one for you. Whether you spend 25 dollars or 200 dollars for a haircut the price really doesn't guarantee you will get a good or bad haircut.
Here are a few of my tips on finding a great stylist: 1. If you like someone's hair, find out who their stylist is. 2. Before you schedule an appointment, have a consultation. 3. Just because its the "it" salon of the moment doesn't mean its the best. It probably just means the have a great PR person or have spent a ton on advertising. 4. Take photos of haircuts and colors you love and ones you don't. You can not only express what you want but let them know what you want to stay away from.
Having time for yourself and taking and hour out for yourself can almost be like a mini vacation. Yeah, leave the short people at home so you can relax.
Hey guys! Betsy here, from the three.twenty blog :)
I am so honored and excited to be part of this amazing beauty week. I'm totally looking forward to reading all the beauty secrets behind the plethora of great (and beautiful!) bloggers that Michelle has invited to this fun feature.
My Hairy Story
Lemme first give you a little background story about my locks.
Growing up, I've had a collection of pretty embarrassing, odd, and downright terrible hairstyles. As a kid, I remember rocking the 80's power bangs, getting a bowl cut in third grade, and dousing myself in AquaNet before going to school. After swearing to never cut my hair again because of the endlessly mocked bowl cut, I think I went through all of junior high with my hair twisted up into a tight bun. High school was no different. My very, very curly hair was now very, very long but I still had no clue as to what to do with it. Most of the time it was tied up, slicked back, or overwhelmingly puffy. During the college years, I shed most of my teenage insecurities and decided to take a huge leap by cutting my hair into a really short pixie cut!
Getting inspired
With short, and lemme remind you- VERY curly, hair came a new set of challenges. Here is what my hair looks like now, on a daily basis.
Since my hair is so fine, I can easily straighten it out, but to be honest- sometimes I just get too lazy. Plus there's the added fact that I get enough heat on my hair by living next to beach to have to add even more damaging heat from blowdriers and flat irons! Most days, especially weekends, I just let my curls take control and lead the way for the rest of the day. However, when I wanna give myself a major self esteem boost by making my hair look extra cute, I turn to two inspiration powerhouses: Pinterest and Youtube.
Pinterest is like having a super trendy best friend with really great style secrets. It's got hair tutorials, cuts, and styles from all over the web. There's something for just about every type of hair. From afros, to pixie cuts, to shoulder length, to wavy, to crazy, to repunzel-esque long hair. I keep a running file of some styles I love in my "Hairy Pins" folder.
Youtube and Vimeo also have endless amounts of videos that offer tutorials and tips for different types of hair.
Like this video from my favorite youtube channel AskSash 88
VIDEO:
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And of course, bloggers often have picture or video tutorials of great styles. Look to people the stylish Keiko Lynn , Katie from Skunkboy Creatures and her vintage inspired styles, and the fun ladies behind The Beauty Department (including Lauren Conrad, my major lady crush!)
I often find myself searching for styles on Pinterest before a date night or when planning for a special event. Be sure to check out those sites and save your favorites. They'll be great help on days when your brain is just too burned out to think of what to do with your hair!
Lessons learned
Now, in my mid twenties, I'm finally come to peace with my hair. I actually like letting it get a little crazy and rockin' what I like to call the mini fro'. Here are three tips about hair styling that I've learned along the way:
1. Don't be a scardy cat.
As a woman, I understand that sometimes trying new things with your hair can make you nervous, so you stick to the usual year after year. When I first took a picture of a super short pixie cut to my hairstylist the first thing she said to me was "Are you sure? This is really short!" But oh man, was I sure. I was ready for change. I kept reminding myself that hair grows back, that I could cover it up if it was absolutely terrible, and that I would hate to look back in life and say I never did it because I was too scared. A few snips later, and I was in love!
Be adventurous! Try experimenting with different cuts and colors. The ombre style is a hit right now and seems to look great on everyone. Try going a few shades lighter in hair color, or switching up to become a blond, brunette or red head. You can also go colorful by adding some pastel colored tips, or even going all out like Kaylah or even Elsie who dyed her hair pink for a while! Don't be scared to try something new or step out of your comfort zone. You might just end up loving it! And remember, hair grows back, color fades or can be changed, and at least you wont regret not doing it!
all pictures via my pinterest page
2. Think outside of the box.
Living off of a teacher's salary isn't always a walk in the park. There are a billion cute clothes and hair pieces I've had to leave behind because they would create too much of a strain on our budget. So, I've had to force myself to get creative. Last year, I got a really cute hand me down dress from my younger sister that included a rope belt. One day, while looking for a hair piece to tame my wild curls, the rope belt caught my eye. I folded it in half, made a knot at the end, and created a brand new headband. Voila! It's now my go-to piece for days I've got to rush out the door and don't have time to put any extra effort into my hair.
I''ve also fashioned headbands out of skinny belts by wrapping it twice around my hair and using bobby pins to hold it up in the back. I'm pretty sure you could style vintage brooches, buttons, and pretty fabric into hair pieces easily with a little creativity. Take a look around your wardrobe and accessories and experiment to find out what you can use and what you like. My favorite creative hair pieces though are scarves! There are so many different things you can do with a scarf, all of which add a unique touch to any outfit.
3. You are more than hair.
Too often I struggle with putting all of my self worth into how I look. There are days when I feel amazing because I look pretty, and days were I wanna hide under a rock and don't want anyone to look at my frizzy hair, my under eye circles, or my muffin top. I listen to the messages that the world sends me about how my jean size isn't low enough, or my how my clothes aren't trendy enough, or how my hair isn't pretty enough. Truth is, this world will one day fade away, as will everything that it has said about me. And my hair is so fine that one day I'll probably even have bald spots as an old woman, or wont have enough hair to hold up my makeshift headbands. But one thing that will never, ever fade are the what my Creator has said about me:
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.
1 Peter 3:3-4
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Proverbs 31:30
and this is what I choose to believe beyond everything else.
Where do you get your hair-spiration from? I hope this post moved you to try something new or exciting with your hair this week! If you do, pretty please share so in the comments section right here or come on over and lemme know on my blog!
