A Dream Come True: A "Match Service" For Shoppers

The newest phenomenon to hit the web since social networking (OK, of course it's not that big) is the online personal shopping sites. Now anyone can have their very own virtual personal shopper without the price tag. The way it works is the website asks a series of questions to build you a fashion profile. This gives the site an idea of your own personal style and what kind of look you're going for. The site then builds a showcase of products it believes may appeal to you. Even better, many of these sites offer all their products for one price and even sometimes free shipping. Here are just a few of these wonderful sites:


1. Jewelmint.com


This site was developed by actress Kate Bosworth and celebrity stylist and designer Cher Coulter. They design and sell fabulous pieces of jewelry for $29.99 each. After becoming a member of the site (which is free) you are provided with a personalized showcase of jewelry pieces each month. On top of that, the site frequently will email you special discounts and coupon offers. Watch this video to give yourself a better idea of how Jewelmint works.




 

2. ShoeDazzle.com

Do you love shopping for accessories, but get tired of the tediousness of sifting through page after page of styles that just aren't for you? If that is the case, this site is perfect for you. It works the same way as the previous site. You simply provide a few basic pieces of information and then take a short survey to determine your personal style tastes. You are then provided with your very own showroom of pieces chosen just for you. And every piece is extremely affordable at $39.95, with the added bonus of free shipping.

An added perk to this site is that you can earn credits that you can redeem for products. For every piece you buy from the site you earn 100 points. In addition you can invite your friends to join the site through Facebook and for every friend that joins and makes a purchase you receive 200 points. Once you reach 1,000 points you get a credit good for a product from the site.

You also can shop with the assistance of stylists and celebrities. Kim Kardashian is just one stylist who lends her suggestions on the best accessories of the season.

3. Boutiques.com

Of course Google had to get in on the action of this exploding trends and is in the Beta stages of Boutiques.com, where you can shop your favorite designers and styles. The filters on this site are better than any other, offering the shopper to narrow their search to a specific style, silhouette, pattern and designer.
Read more about this site at this address:

Google Rocks Fashion, Personalized Shopping, And Like's Visual Search With Boutiques.com


And, as usual, happy shopping, ladies! <3

Halloween Barbie on a Budget

Happy Halloween, lovely readers!!

Today I'm going to share some secrets with you on how to put together an inexpensive and creative Halloween costume. No more black cat costumes for you!

For those who don't know, I have been doing a little modeling on the side to help my husband get his freelance photography career going. Recently we did a photo shoot inspired by the Miley Cyrus video "Can't Be Tamed". The photos turned out better than I had hoped and the best part was, I made the costume myself. Here are some of the highlights:

Craft stores are an amazing resource to create original and inexpensive costumes. All I did was buy a feather boa that was on sale, some shoulder pads and a few highlight feathers to create the "wing look". I cut up a pair of black tights and used some cheap black shiny fabric to make the armbands. Then I got some black lace fingerless gloves and a feathered hair clip from Claire's to create the feathers on my left hand.

For Halloween my plan was to go as Mia Wallace from Tarantino's cult classic Pulp Fiction. This costume is a lot easier to create than the Miley costume. All you need is a black bob wig with bangs, a white button-down shirt, black capri pants, and black flats. What girl doesn't have everything but the wig in her closet right now? To add that little extra edge drip some fake blood from your nose and use any medium sized feeding syringe and glue it to the left side of your chest using any theatrical makeup kit. Do NOT use Super Glue or anything that is not meant to be bonded to skin.

Goodwill is an excellent resource as well. You can find a lot of costumey pieces that can inspire you to design a costume around. It's also a good place to get cheap clothes that you can destroy. Zombies are huge these days. Two years ago my husband and I had a friend do our make up (cost: $0), tore up some old clothes (cost: $0), and jumped on the zombie bandwagon. Check it out:

Pop culture has always been a huge influence of mine when I'm planning my Halloween costumes. In 2006 my husband (who I was only dating at the time) dressed as Britney Spears and Kevin Federline. It was a huge hit and not much effort went into putting the costume together. This year I was considering a clash of the two genres and going as a zombie Amy Winehouse...

Well done, guys!

I found this picture online which probably wins the award of cheapest and most creative Halloween costume. Now this is thinking outside the Spirit Halloween store!

Have a fun and safe Halloween, dear readers. <3

Be a Steal-Seeking Missile

 The first trick in any fashonista-on-a-budget's book should be the ability to sniff out the best quality fashions at the lowest possible price. This takes a little practice, patience and sometimes just plain luck. Every once and a while I will post my latest and greatest find along with the retail price and the price I actually paid for it. Let's start with these boots. They're Naughty Monkey charcoal gray suede ankle boots. The small heel is covered by the slouchy fold over look. Ordinarily I don't care much for studs but I found that these were tastefully done and I've been jonsing for a pair of fashion-forward ankle boots for the fall.

These boots retail for around $90. I found myself cruising Amazon.com one day (as I do most days, it is one of my favorite places for awesome deals) and I was able to purchase these fabulous shoes for... wait for it... $35! Brand new, never worn, original packaging; the whole nine. I jumped on them with only two pairs left in stock. And let me tell you, I am beyond satisfied! I look for any excuse to wear them. 

My second deal of the week I came across at a DSW store. I was just taking an evening walk with my late afternoon latte and I decided I would just take a peek inside. I try to avoid DSW because I will get myself and my credit card into a lot of trouble if I made it a regular habit. After cruising the aisles a little I wandered over to the clearance bin.

Ah, the clearance section- the ultimate hit or miss situation. This time it didn't take too much digging for me to come across this buttery-soft black leather tote by Marc Ecko.

Again, I am not really one for studs but these were just enough to make the bag edgy, yet classy. And trust me when I say softest leather I currently own!

Retail price: $100 (not bad in and of itself for a mid-level designer bag) 

However, the price paid: $40

I couldn't resist. I need another purse like I need a huge gaping hole in my head, but my little shopping devil that's always sitting on my shoulder rationalized the purchase by whispering softly in my ear: "You will so regret not buying this bag."

So, ladies, always be on the look-out. These deals are everywhere. You can step out in a $500 outfit that you paid $150 for, I swear!

The lesson today:

1. The clearance section is not the enemy. It may take patience and a LOT of failed attempts but eventually you will find that perfect piece that you could never afford for a price lower than you could hope for.
2. Be an Amazon, eBay, Groupon Stalker! They are constantly practically giving fabulous expensive things away.

As always- good luck, ladies, and have fun! 

The Secret to the $3 Manicure That Looks Like a $50 Manicure

Not to me immodest here, but I get complemented constantly on my nails. They are forever changing and it seems like every time I change my nails at least one person comments and how amazing they are.

"Your nails look so cool!"

"Where did you get those done?"

"Who did your nails?!"

The answer, ladies... I did. First I'll show you some pictures of my latest digit decoration and then I'll tell you how I did it for $3... that's right, do not adjust your computer screens... $3!

 Are you ready for the secret?

No, I don't know anyone at a salon that likes to practice on me on her off time. And I absolutely don't have the skills to create that kind of design myself. I am saying loud and proud that here is my secret to fun and funky nails without the salon price:

Drug Store Press-On's!!!

This particular box cost my, like I said $3 at a wonderful place called Five Below, however, if you frequent establishments such as Target, Walgreens etc it will run you about five or six dollars. I have found the best selection at Rite Aid and Wal Mart if you're looking for something a little more unique and funky. But if a tried and true french mani is what you're about, any multi-purpose store with a beauty section will have a great selection of traditional designs. I have also found that Claire's has some really great designs, and they charge about five dollars a box as well. 

Now, you may be thinking: Sure they're cheap, but you get what you pay for. Those things pop right off!

Think of it this way, I'm a writer and a bartender; I beat up my hands worse than most people going about their day-to-day routines. Yeah, I'll have the occasional break, but everyone breaks a nail once in a while regardless of how much you pay for it. The only problem I have run into is that the polish on certain brands has a tendency to start chipping after a few days of wear and tear.

So, now that you know where to get them, I'll share with you the secret to getting them on so they look like they were done by a pro.

1. Clip your natural nail all the way down.
2. Go over your natural nails with a nail file to rough up the nail beds just a bit.
3. Use a cuticle tool to push your cuticles as far back as you can and get rid of any hang nails or dead skin around the cuticle.
4. Use the glue provided or you can purchase a professional strength nail glue and spread a thin layer all over the nail bed, making sure you reach the cuticle and the edges of your natural nail. This is where you want the nail to bond the most because any lifting in these areas can cause the nail to pop off. *Be careful not to use too much glue because I promise you, you'll end up gluing your fingers together!*
5. Take the best fitting nail and place the bottom edge as far down into the cuticle as you can at about a 30 degree angle from the nail bed.
6. Press down on the center of the nail for about five seconds and massage the nail to work out any bubbles that may have formed.
7. Repeat steps 4-6 nine more times!

Not to worry if you have a glued finger situation. Once the glue dries it is fairly easy to use a rough nail file to get most of it off your finger and regular washing of your hands will take care of the rest.

Voila! A $50 manicure that only costs $3-$6!! Now just sit back and wait for the compliments to come rolling in.

Bonus tip: Always carry a small tube of nail clue in your purse in case you feel a nail start to lift, just glue that sucker right back on!

Good luck, ladies, and have fun! Because that's what fashion is truly about.

Being a Barbie Girl in This Economy

Let's face it, it's hard to keep up with bills these days let alone splurge on that Michael Kors tote you've been eyeing for the last six weeks. Yet the Cosmos keep piling up in our mailboxes, taunting us with Dior, Chanel, Oscar de la Renta and countless other fashion icons we can only drool over. And to go with it are the gorgeous models with perfect hair, makeup and nails. Ugh! What's an average girl on an average income to do?!


Well, ladies, I'm here to save the day... sort of. There are some secrets I've discovered in my travels that can make you Cover Girl worthy without the pricey stylist.


From the three dollar manicure to the cheap secret to maintaining a summer glow all year without the cost or the cancer that comes with those icky tanning beds.


Stick with me, girls, and I'll have you looking like you stepped off the pages of Glamour and you'll still have money left over for a good Cosmo! Because, really, what's the use in looking fabulous if you can't show it off?

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4