Everything Beautiful

Everyday Shimmer

Hopefully you’ve seen my post “Weekend Attire: Shimmer and Glimmer”. I Am adding a little twist to shimmer and glimmer- That is, shimmer that is appropriate for daytime!

I am adoring these looks! I like how she also combined a fall colored sweater with the darker sequin skirt. Just add tights and a thicker heeled shoes and you will look fabulous and stay warm!

For a lighter colored skirt pair it with crèmes and brown instead to give it a warmer look that’s is more suitable for fall. Greys also work too depending on the color of the sequins.

Another fancy fall look, pair a sequin skirt with a tweed jacket.

Instead, add the sequins to a jacket! Paired with jeans or dark pants and voila! So chic.

Low back and glitter and still daylight appropriate, perfect! The structured, pencil skirt keeps the sequins top from looking too ‘clubby.’

I really like this top as well with the subtle glitter embellishment on the the shoulders. It really dresses up a simple top.

This look can go from day to night, just take the jacket off and you are ready to go.

Accessories:

A pair of shimmery shoes would go great with a simple pair of jeans and a shirt. I also love the pretty pink color.

Add some glimmer to your outfit with a statement necklace. For some really pretty necklaces checkout www.renttherunway.com you can rent designer necklaces for a few days and for cheap!

Makeup:

Keep your makeup very simple for this look. You must remember this is a sophisticated and glitzy daytime look, not a club look.

As for nails a pretty beige would look gorgeous!

Beauty and Style in your Home

Many visitors enjoyed my last interior design post “Surround yourself with Beauty.” I decided to write up a sequel with more cute ideas to do around the home!

I love this idea! Take an unwanted dish display closet and turn in into a shoe rack.  If its an old display shelf you can re-paint it black or white, or even better metallic silver!

This is so minimalist lux.  I can see this in a very white and polished room in a loft apartment. The fur gives the basic wire chair a rich, luxurious look.

Fur rug, with the right room accessories and furniture it will look classy and lux rather than cheap. Just concentrate on furniture with clean lines.

The easiest way to transform an ordinary room into a chic and colorful abode, is to add a mixture of fun pillows. Fun prints and colors can really brighten up a dull room. You can go for a more quirky look like above or a more sophisticated look like below.

I love this little do-it-yourself pillow case.

I tried it and it does work! Just make sure the material you decide to use isn’t too thick. For instructions visit Tip Junkie.

This is a great way to add a pop of color in an untraditional manner. You would think all grey would make the room look drab but the bright blue and aquamarine really do add a fun pop to the room.

This is a cute idea – use and old garden rake to hang jewelry in your bedroom! Just mount it up upside-down on the wall. You could also consider spray painting this a silver metallic color to make it more modern.

In the last interior décor post I had a piece on framing a pretty quote and displaying it on your bedside table. This is another cute way to display a quote in your home. This baroque frame is ideal and you can hang it anywhere- your room, living room, heck, even in your bathroom.

This would also make for precious wall art! Frame your old apartment keys and display it in your house right at the front door entrance.

This is cute and funky idea for some people (especially those who are totally apposed to hanging a real dear head in their home.) This would work well in a modern inspired room.

I adore this picture! It makes the bedroom look like a beautiful escape from the real world, so whimsical! Here are some more similar looks

…So whimsical :)

I just love this picture. A great mixture of home-y and lux.

Reddd

You may have noticed in both my leather and leopard style posts that I mentioned hints of red can really glam up an outfit. Red is my favorite color right now. It is a great pop of color for fall that gives you a really bold and stylish look. Red just screams, “Look at me!” You can wear red from head-to-toe if you are one of the daring, or you can incorporate small hints of red into your wardrobe to simply liven up the gloomy colors of fall.

This outfit is a bold statement, so the introverted should probably stay clear. For a subtler look replace either the shirt or the pants with a black colored clothing.

This is another way to pull off red on red, just pair it with jeans and you have a bold, polished look.

A neutral brown is a perfect match to tone done the vibrant red. I especially loved it paired with a caramel brown.

Or pair red with the grey. Just an extra note too, leather pants in a bright red is so fierce!

These jackets are gorgeous! I think we will be seeing a lot more outerwear in red this fall.

Red is edgy as it is, a red leather jacket just takes it up another notch!

 

You can also do a red skirt and play around with the shirts you pair it with. I would normally stick with a simple white or black shirt (like in the first picture) but I really do love this stripe top mixed with it too. It takes red from being sexy to cute and quirky.

This is a great semi-formal outfit and is one of my favorite dresses in my closet. It is from BCBG’s last winter season. Check out Bebe for more red night out dresses.

If your feeling daring, rock a red dress in the morning rather than just at night. You are bound to stand out from the rest.

How about for a formal occasion like a gala downtown? I would suggest a vibrant, long, red dress! Absolutely GORGEOUS! The last one is actually a dress I wore to an ultra glam wedding in Saudi Arabia. I love the flowy red, this dress was a dream to wear to such a lovely event.

Even for those lazy, not so glam days a red sweater can draw eyes to you on the street. The second sweater is perfect too because its long enough to wear with leggings, and boy do I love my leggings!

Accessories:

Add a red belt to an all black outfit, or add red shoes! Red makes any outfit livelier. Just a little red clutch and it is a great extra pop of color!

Makeup:

Maybe all red isn’t your thing, you’d rather have all black. You can still incorporate red…with your makeup. That’s right! Red lips, they are a great finishing touch to a bold look!

Leopard Print

I noticed today walking through Macy’s that leopard was all over the place. Leopard shirts, shorts, skirts, pants, shoes, bags. Literally all over the place and currently I am OBSESSED with the print!

You will find leopard print blouses all over right now. H&M, Zara, or Bebe. Pair it with a flowy skirt like above or a structured high waisted short.

So chic! I’m pretty sure the first skirt was from Zara’s last winter collection.  I recently purchased a leopard skirt from TopShop that’s similar to the skirt on the bottom. The blazer makes it look more polished, take it off, and you’re ready for a night out.

The crisp white shirt and blazer really makes the shorts pop.

This is a fun look for the daring. The white blouse and jacket works great or you can pair it with a black top and a blazer instead so its not so out there. (Shorts are understandable but leopard leggings need to be toned down a bit with tops and accessories.)

This season you will also see leopard print making a statement in outerwear.

Accessories:

The easiest way to incorporate at least a tid-bit of leopard print into your wardrobe is by adding a leopard print scarf.

Leopard headscarf- more boho or more edgy? I cant decide, but its still stylish either way.

These leopard print ballet flats from J.Crew are super cute. This palate is also a good example of what you can pair the print with. If you were sticking to a neutral, like brown, then gold bracelets and brown clutches would flatter it well. Silver and leopard should be avoided. Silver and lots of shimmer and glitter should also be avoided.

A bag is also an easy transition to using leopard print. There is a bag similar to this at ShopNastyGal. 

To go along with my last post on leather, a combo of a leather jacket and a leopard print bag would make for a trendy and edgy outfit.

What shoes to wear with a leopard print outfit? Sure, you could go for a black or beige, but if you really want to play it up choose a hot red pair instead!

Try to tie in red to any leopard print outfit you have, and if you can find a precious red hat like this one, it is a must have for sure!

If you need more proof that red and leopard are an ideal combination check out the picture below. LOVE!

Leather!

The basic black leather jacket- a must have staple in every girls closet. I actually have two. I have a hooded girlie one and a simple straight-lined one, but still I am in search for one more similar to the ones above with the edgier symmetrical cuts.

We cannot forget about different colored leather though! One of my favorite leather jackets is my camel colored one from bcbg. I also have the grey jacket from BCBG, which has leather paneling and then cotton sleeves. The brown and red leather jackets above are great style pieces. 

Tired of just blacks, grays, and white for the fall? Throw your leather jacket over a bright colored dress instead for a little more life.

Need a new going out dress? Then you need to find yourself a leather dress ASAP! I purchased a strapless leather dress from Zara a while back, and I must say, since then they have truly perfected leather dresses that won’t break the bank. I would suggest starting your search there rather than splurging on overpriced designer dresses.

Something I love about the picture above is how she pairs the leather dress with a pretty sweater. It is a nice mix of tough and sweet. Very unexpected but very much welcomed.

You have seen this picture before in the “blazers” post. This is just so simple but so modern and chic. Leather pants, a white tank or t-shirt, a basic blazer and the look is complete

This is going to be my next purchase! Its pants from Zara with a waxed effect to look more like leather pants. The zippers at the top are also a great extra detail to the pants.

I’m not sure how comfortable faux leather leggings would be, but at least they look super good! And those red flats look great with the whole outfit!

Quick, while its still warm! Rock a pair of leather shorts!  The first look is another great combo of tough and feminine. The leather shorts have a great structure to them and the flouncy print blouse softens it up perfectly. Leather pants also look great with polished blazers, the second picture proves that.

 Leather shorts for day and leather skirts for night!

Why not put leather on top too? This is simple and would look great with a pair of skinny jeans and heels.

Edge up you leather get up with leopard accessories. A leopard scarf or a clutch like above. Zara, again, would be where you could nail a gorgeous leopard print scarf.

Back to the Basics

I know we all have those lazy days where the last thing we want to do is put extra effort into figuring out our outfits, especially when its just a quick run to the market or to grab some coffee.

There are also those times when we are running extremely late and the leather pants just don’t seem like the most realistic thing to throw on. So for those days, lets not forget the basics. As much as I would love to just throw on a sweatshirt and leggings, that’s just really not an appropriate look for downtown Chicago, especially with everyone else always looking so chic.

So here is a list of the basics every woman needs in her wardrobe.

Skinny jeans (blue or black)

Basic T-shirt (black, white, grey)

Blazer (black)

Basic black dress

Black skirt

Sweaters (black, white, grey, blue, beige)

Trench coat

Black ballet flats.

A simple black skirt (or jeans) and a sweater with ballet flats and voila! Much more presentable than sweats.

How easy is this outfit? Black jeans, white t-shirt, and a simple jacket thrown on top to tie it all together. Simple, yet crisp.

What is the easiest way to dress up your jeans and shirt? Fun pumps! They are easy to throw on and they instantly play up your outfit. Just stick to solid colors to avoid rushed fashion blunders. For a more “chill” look a pair of wedges would also substitute in very well.

I’ve already shown this picture before, but this defines my go-to lazy outfit. Leggings, simple tee, and a long blazer, the outcome is modern and polished.

Pair your basic black dress with fall boots and stumble out the door still looking dashing (while you literally are dashing because you’re so late!)

Cold out? A classic trench is always the easiest thing to throw on in the fall. The outfit instantly goes from bland to chic.

ACCESSORIES:

For lazy and rushed days, simple accessories are best. Diamond or pearl stud earrings, a small necklace, and your go-to watch are all you need. You can play up your outfit with fun shoes or a colorful purse.

Weekend Attire: Shimmer and Glimmer

Usually when people think of sequin dresses they think of New Years Eve attire, but the truth is, this should be a must for most weekends throughout the entire year. It’s bold, it’s fun, and it’s eye catching – perfect for a night out and getting noticed!

Sequins, studs, and shimmer can be found evveryyywhere these days! Hit up Zara, Top Shop, French Connection they all are adding the extra detailing to their clothes.

The most basic way to add shimmer to your night out is by wearing a sequin skirt. It bold, without being all over bold. The top black one was from Zara last year. This year they have a silver sequins skirt out. For cheaper options Forever 21 always has some great hidden gems.

For complete attention a sparkly dress will get you just that.

If that’s too much sparkle for you, there are also simpler sequins dresses.

Lets not forget I said glimmer and shimmer, not just sequins. This metallic silver dress is definitely an attention-grabber. The sheen of the material makes the dress very weekend appropriate.

I love this outfit because she paired her shiny top with a chiffon skirt instead of a basic black skirt that most people would choose. This adds a soft, feminine touch to the bold shirt.

To spice up a simple dress/outfit go for a blinged out jacket. This one was from Bebe a while back.

Makeup:

You need to keep your makeup pretty natural with so much shimmer. Light bronzer, neutral eye shadow, soft lipstick, dark eyeliner is ok, but not too much. Instead of playing up your makeup, you should play up your nails.

I love the silver nails! That would go well with silver sequins.

 Sparkle nail polish (find cheap, nice ones at CVS) would also help compliment the rest of your attire.

Accessories:

This look needs minimal accessories. You don’t want to go for overkill here. Simple stud earrings, little ring, or a petite necklace would be plenty. As for shoes, stick with solid colors – black or beige would most likely be your best bet.

If your outfit is mostly white or black though you can play up a fun color for heels. Keep it a solid color though!

You don’t have to dress up in tons of shimmer and glitter though if that’s not your thing. The simplest way to dress up a basic dress, other than heels, is a sequins clutch. Love!

Need to know about Websites

1. Makeup Alley comes with millions of reviews on different makeup, skincare, and hair treatment brands. Before purchasing a new expensive foundation for Yves Saint Laurent, look up what other users have had to say about it

2. HauteLook and Rue La La: online style boutiques with up to 50%-75% discounts on designer items.

3. Rent The Runway, one of the web’s best kept secrets, allows you to rent designer dresses for a much cheaper cost. 

4. For stylish home interior decor discounts, hit up One King’s Lane.

These are just a few websites that I am addicted too and wanted to share with you all. They either offer great sales or a handful of helpful reviews. They are websites that aid a fashionista to always look her best without destroying her new Tory Burch wallet and its contents.