We hope you’ve gotten everything your heart desires. If you were not able to afford to get your loved ones the gifts you wanted to get for them, remember that there is no better gift that you can give than your time, attention, support and unconditional love, not just on special holiday days, but 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days of the year. Just be there for your loved ones because people matter more than things. And if you didn’t get the things your heart desires, keep that in mind as well. Things are nice; but the best part of the holidays isn’t what you get in the boxes under the tree. It’s the time you spend with the people you love.
The Day Begins...
How did you start your day?
We are starting our morning with a little exercise to help us get off to a more awake start.
It’s a bit early still so we won’t start the day officially for another hour or two (closer to 2). Once we do get started for the day we’ll mostly be in the kitchen baking. This year we’re going to try baking some Christmas cookies. Hopefully we’ll be able to resist any temptation to eat them all.
How to enjoy your holiday meals without guilt…
We’re not going to be worrying too much about what we eat today. We have 300+ other days on which to do that. 1 day of indulgence can’t do irrecoverable damage.
But, while we won’t be worrying too much about what we eat , we’ll try not to go overboard, and we’ll try to do short workout sessions throughout the day, like squats and burpees and push-ups here, sets of jumping jacks there, weighted lunges with 15 pound dumbbells, lunging walk with 15 pound dumbbells. Doing enough of these throughout the day should ensure that we don’t wake up tomorrow needing to go up a size in our clothing.
The food is best part of the holidays…
We were discussing the holidays a couple of days ago and we agreed that today specifically, the actual day of celebration (December 25th), is more about having something good to eat for breakfast and dinner, and maybe lunch as well. In some places where people are too poor to exchange gifts, even to give gifts to their children, the holidays are still magical and wonderful, and it’s in large part because you get so many delicious things to eat. Of course there are people who don’t even get the nice things to eat. So we should all try to be grateful even if what we have amounts to very little because there are people who have nothing at all.
Dear friends and family, we would have liked to buy you the world, but as you know, we did not fulfill our dreams in 2015. We’re hopeful that in 2016 our hard work over the last several years will result in the achievement of the goals that we have set for ourselves. And maybe next year we will be able to make up for not giving any gifts this year.
In the meantime, we offer our pledge of love and support in the form of a song written and composed by our editor-in-chief and performed by husband and wife team Anna and Jared Cattoor. It doesn’t have an energetic holiday beat so if you’re only in the mood upbeat holiday songs you might want to postpone giving it a listen until after the holidays.
We hope your day is wonderful and we wish you a happy and properous New Year.
I’ll Hold You Through – Lyrics and music by Adela Lewis
Lead and Background Vocals Anna Yanova-Cattoor Guitars, Bass, Drums Jared Cattoor Musical Arrangement, Recording and Production Anna Yanova-Cattoor & Jared Cattoor
Tip for after dinner clean-up:Do the dishes as you go along so that you’ll have fewer dishes to clean after dinner. And if you have a willing family have everyone wash what they use throughout the day and wash what they used for dinner.
I’ve been wanting to try a red suit jacket and pants outfit for a while…
So the other day I decided to purchase some fabric and a pattern to try a DIY red suit jacket and pants project.
Today is the eve before the December 25th holiday celebration. I really should be finishing up my cleaning and preparing; but I thought I’d try to fit in this post while I take a break from clearing away furniture so I can vacuum and shampoo the carpet. I hate carpeting, but when you’re renting you have no control over what kind of floor you get. Anyway, the fabric I ordered to make my red suit jacket and pants arrived yesterday, so I have no excuse for not getting some sewing done over the next few days. If you’ve read any of my past posts then you know I bought myself a sewing machine last year and used it to make all sorts of ridiculous things like these red dresses:
And these salmon-colored crepe de chine dresses…
And this green floral dress…
I was just experimenting with things I was making straight out of my head while gaining practice with the sewing machine. By now you’d imagine I should be a pro at using the sewing machine; but you’d be wrong. Maybe if I had kept on sewing I’d have picked up a few tricks by now, but I haven’t used the sewing machine in months so it’s kind of like I’m going to be starting over again. But this time I’m going to try to make something from a pattern.
I’ve never made anything from a pattern before and I have no idea how to use a pattern; but I’m hoping it’s not going to prove to be too complicated.
This is the pattern I’ll be using to make the red suit jacket and pants…
I will also be making the top shown. So I’ll be making (or attempting to make) the jacket, and the pants out of red fabric, and the top out of black fabric. I have quite a bit more fabric than I will need I think, so maybe I’ll even get some skirts out of it. We’ll see how it all works out.
The red fabric that I bought is a polyester crepe fabric. I bought 4.5 yards of it. I’m sure I’ll get the hang of things eventually and have a better idea of how much fabric I need for what. But extra fabric can’t hurt. The black fabric is a polyester duchess satin fabric.
I’m not sure if the fabric I bought for the top was the best choice. It feels a bit coarse and hard; but the description on the fabric.com website says it’s perfect for making blouses, dresses and skirts so I’m going to have to take their word for it. We’ll see how it all turns out.
I probably won’t get started on this until Sunday or Monday. I’m actually looking forward to it and can’t wait to start.
Happy Holidays to all.
Would you wear knee high boots with this Hervé Léger Tayler bandage dress?
The dress is a lipstick red Hervé Léger Tayler bandage dress. It is, of course, not a dress designed for every body. Just ask Patrick Couderc, of MJH Fashion, an independent distributor of Herve Leger in London.
Back in August 2015, Mr. Couderc made some comments that basically boiled down to his saying that Herve Leger dresses aren’t for fat gals, busty gals, hippy gals, gals with boobs that hang 2 or more inches lower than normal due to their advanced age, lesbians, and girls who lack class.
Basically it seems as if he has an image of a Herve Leger girl that probably most of the ladies who own Herve Leger dresses don’t fit into; but we have a feeling he doesn’t object too much when the unworthy girls come with their $2,000 to buy a dress.
But let’s get back to the question at hand…
We were playing in photoshop creating a photographic composite of a model wearing the Hervé Léger Tayler bandage dress with knee high boots. Our model looks a little off scale, we know; but here’s what we came up with for an outfit that pairs the Hervé Léger Tayler bandage dress with knee high boots
We think knee high boots with a Hervé Léger dress might not be such a crazy idea. It’s not something you see very often. And when you first hear it suggested it seems like it would look ridiculous; but we’re thinking some ladies might be able to pull it off.
Our photoshop model is wearing her Hervé Léger Tayler bandage dress with a pair of Jimmy Choo Giselle leather over-the-knee boots. She’s carrying a black Saint Laurent Classic Monogram suede shoulder bag.
For fun we added a Balenciaga leather jacket to the look and popped our model inside the lobby of the Sheraton Palace hotel (Sheraton Palace Hotel image courtesy of Pixabay.com)
So what do you think? Can a Herve Leger bandage dress be worn with knee high boots? If you owned a Hervé Léger Tayler bandage dress would you ever wear it with knee high boots?
What do you think of the outfit we’ve put together? Do you think the Jimmy Choo boots and the Balenciaga jacket work with the Hervé Léger dress? We’d love to know your thoughts. Please share in the comments below.
We’ll soon be ringing in another New Year; and just like the last New Year and the one before that, and the one before that and etc., we didn’t receive any NYE party invites. Sure, we could throw our own #nyeparty but we wouldn’t have anybody to invite but ourselves. So it’s going to be the same as always.
Our typical New Years eve: We fall asleep well before midnight. Shortly after midnight Eastern Standard Time, some one of our family members might call from their party to tell us “Happy New Year” (if they remember), forgetting that they ring in the New Year a whole hour before we do. And we’ll be like, “thanks, same to you,” in our sleepy mumble. Then we’ll hang up and go back to sleep. Then we’ll wake up in the morning and it will be January 1st 2016, and the cycle will continue. But we’re not about to sit around feeling sorry for ourselves. There’s always hope that the next year will be our party year.
In the meantime we’ve put together an outfit that we think would be NYE Party appropriate for the sophisticated lady who prefers a less sexed up style of dress.
Note: If you’re lacking in the confidence department and you’re attending a party with your significant other where there’s likely to be a lot of hotter younger chicks in attendance, you might want to go for a more sexed up look if you hope to compete. Yeah, we agree, ladies need to band together and stop competing with each other; but that’s probably not going to happen before the next several centuries. So don’t attend a party dressed all boring and unsexy and then get upset with your boyfriend or husband for noticing the women with their tatas and bumbums hanging out.
The outfit pieces:
Derek Lam 10 Crosby fringed detail tank top ($570)
Dolce & Gabbana side slit trousers ($970)
Maison Margiela lacquer effect trench coat ($3,260)
Jimmy Choo Lilyth Sandals ($775)
Chloé Drew Shoulder Bag ($2,207)
Chanel Vintage logo button earrings ($1,280)
If you happen to have a life and you’re still looking for outfit ideas for the New Year’s Eve party or parties you have plans to attend, you should definitely check out the “Farfetch NYE Party Edit” for recommendations from stylists who know what’s hot and what’s not.
Fictional blog entry: I’ve just received the obligatory invite to my famous sister’s New Year’s Eve party. She’s trying so hard to be “with it” sending out her invites via social media and using hashtags. #NYEparty. Whatever. She’s lucky I still have a decent bone in my body and haven’t resorted to updating her wikipedia page with the truth. But despite everything, she’s my only living flesh and blood. Despite what she did to me, I won’t reveal her big secret. But I’ll tell you privately, she was born in 1968. Bitch is taking a whole 16 years off her age, claiming she was born in 1984. It is too funny. At least she actually looks the age she’s claiming to be, thanks to momma’s and daddy’s genes. Anyway, I have already replied that I won’t be able to make it. She was banking on that of course. I wonder what she’d do if I actually showed up to one of her parties one of these days and didn’t remember to lie about my age.
Me to one of her guests: Oh I’m her younger sister by 2 years.
Guest: So you’re what, 29?
Me: 29? Ha. I just turned 45. (thinking to myself: Oops. I forgot she’s telling these people she’s 31. If I’m 45 and she’s two years older than me, then how can she be 31?)
Guest: (looking flabbergasted and horrified) 45?
Me: (Fake laughing) Come on, surely you didn’t think I was serious! Do I look 45 to you? Yes, of course I’m 29. I’m 2 years younger than my big sis.
The mytheresa.com Cruise 2016 Editorial has us excited for the arrival of the new season.
According to what the editors at Mytheresa.com have written in their Cruise 2016 editorial, “the new season is an eclectic mix of details and accents” that include “charming chevron stripes, throwback silhouettes and graphic prints”.
To find out what they’re talking about, check out the editorial featuring a gorgeous orange silk maxi dress from Stella McCartney, a blue Valentino cashmere sweater that pairs perfectly with a geometric print Valentino suede skirt, and these two gorgeous Sonia Rykiel dresses.
We are completely in love with almost everything featured in the editorial, in particular the orange Stella McCartney silk dress and the Sonia Rykiel dresses. We love the blue Valentino sweater with the geometric print Valentino suede skirt, and the Gucci metallic pleated skirt
Featured items from the Mytheresa Cruise 2016 editorial
What we’d wear with what…
The Valentino vintage inspired multi-color earth-toned silk dress with the tan Valentino Rockstud pumps and the Valentino Rockstud small leather shoulder bag, or maybe the Bottega Veneta Intrecciato shoulder bag, and the Victoria Beckham Supra round sunglasses.
The Proenza Schouler printed silk straps dress with the Gianvito Rossi Janis suede sandals and the Chloe Marcie leather shoulder bag
The See By Chloe silk dress with the Aquazzura Alexa 115 suede wedge espadrilles and the Chloé Marcie leather shoulder bag
The top 5 items we’d buy if we could…
The Stella McCartney orange silk dress
The Valentino Rockstud leather pumps
The Gucci Metallic silk-blend pleated midi skirt
The Chloé Marcie leather shoulder bag
The Valentino Lock mini leather shoulder bag
The items we’re not really feeling all that much and so probably wouldn’t buy…
The Balenciaga Classic Pouch Metallic Edge leather clutch
The gold metallic Gucci sandals
The Gucci leather clogs
The green metallic Gucci silk blend shirt
What are the top 5 items that you would purchase of the items featured in the mytheresa.com Cruise 2016 editorial? Which items are your least favorite?
Here’s another honey hair mask demonstrated on curly hair
Yesterday we shared a video demo of a honey hair mask treatment. That treatment was applied to straight hair. Today we are sharing a demo of the same treatment as applied on curly hair.
We have to admit, all the things that go into having great hair, whether your hair is bone straight or the most extreme opposite of that, are just a bit much for us. We can’t see ourselves becoming as dedicated to our hair as some of these girls on youtube. They all have great hair and it’s tempting to want to try to get hair like theirs, but there’s so much work involved. We saw one girl put like about a million things on her hair; and it’s like you have to be concerned with your hair in some way shape or form 24 hours per day 7 days per week. That’s just too much. Maybe there’s a reason there aren’t many over 30 women making youtube videos dedicated to their haircare routine? What woman over 30 has time to be that preoccupied with her hair?
But we’re all for finding easy ways to manage our hair. After all, even if you’re 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100–you engage in some form of daily hair care and hair styling. So anything that can make your life easier and potentially give you a little boost in confidence is a good thing right?
And let’s be honest with ourselves and each other — hair makes a difference. It’s not really about the length though, because some women look way more stunning with short hair than they do with long hair. But if you’re not one of those women who can rock a short style, you want a length of hair that you can do something with.
So even if you’re not one to let your hair take over your life, giving your hair a little extra loving attention a few times per week can’t hurt. It may not result in you growing hair the length of Rapunzel’s, but it might just give you stronger, healthier hair that easier to manage. We know ladies in their sixties and beyond who are still messing with their hair every day trying to keep it up. So, for as long as you have hair on your head, even if it’s a full head of gray hair, you’re going to be fussing with it in one way or another. Might as well commit to trying to make it as strong and healthy as it can possibly be.
Here is the recipe for the honey hair mask treatment
Ingredients
Honey
Oilive Oil
Egg
Procedure
In a small bow, mix together 2 tablespoons of honey with a raw egg (including yolk) and 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. For thicker hair you might need to double the amounts.
First shampoo your hair, then add the treatment (it’s going to take the place of your conditioner). Cover your head with a shower cap and leave on the treatment for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes rinse treatment out and proceed with your usual steps that you take after you have shampooed and conditioned your hair.
Remember to check at Puritan.com before you run to the grocery store to get your honey. You might be able to score a 2-for-1 or 3-for-1 deal that gives you 2 or 3 bottles of raw organic honey for the price of 1 bottle.
This is a video demo of a honey hair treatment or honey hair mask that mixes honey with olive oil and an egg to nourish and strengthen all types of hair.
They say honey has great benefits when used in skin and hair treatment packs. We came across a honey hair treatment recipe that seemed easy and affordable enough to try. So we got some ladies with different hair types to try the recipe out on video for us. You can see the other videos on our youtube channel.
What is fact and what is fiction when it comes to the benefits of honey for skin and hair?
We’re not going to pretend we’re scientists who conducted lab experiments to isolate fact from fiction when it comes to all the claims surrounding honey and the benefits of using honey as a beauty treatment for skin and hair. We’ve used honey in our cinnamon face mask. We swear by that face mask; but whether or not the honey contributed any amazing benefits to our skin, well, we don’t really have a way to know. But from everything we’ve read, honey has great benefits for the skin and the hair.
The above video demonstrates the honey hair mask treatment on straight hair.
The honey hair mask treatment recipe
Ingredients
Honey
Oilive Oil
Egg
Procedure
In a small bow, mix together 2 tablespoons of honey with a raw egg (including yolk) and 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. For thicker hair you might need to double the amounts.
First shampoo your hair, then add the treatment (it’s going to take the place of your conditioner). Cover your head with a shower cap and leave on the treatment for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes rinse treatment out and proceed with your usual steps that you take after you have shampooed and conditioned your hair.
No honey in your pantry?
Before you run out to the grocery store to pick up honey and olive oil, we suggest you check on the Puritan’s Pride website to see if they are holding any 2-for-1 or 3-for-1 sales. You might be able to get more honey for your money.
This treatment is said to soften hair and make it shinier, nourish hair and make it stronger by providing many nutrients that are great for hair health. Remember to check out our youtube channel for the other honey hair treatment demos showing the treatment on curly hair types.
And by big designer sale we mean BIG. You can score items from top designer brands at a discount up to 84%. Check out some of the items available for sale.
The gray Rochas wool alpaca oversized turtleneck cableknit sweater (original price: $730/sale price: $307) with the red Delpozo pleated double faced wool crepe miniskirt (original price $1100/sale price $550).
The Equipment black silk blend Reese striped shirt (original price: $300/sale price: $210) with the red Delpozo pleasted double faced wool crepe miniskirt, or with the R13 Relaxed skinny jeans (original price: $495/sale price: $228), or with the Oscar de la Renta black wool blend skinny pants (original price: $1090/sale price: $458).
The Ellery Ivory Milieu Crop Raglan Tee with Handkerchief Hem (original price: $490/sale price: $280) with the Isabel Marant High Waisted Nella Printed Jeans (original price: $585/sale price: $246)
The Equipment Silk Check Print Reese Button Down Blouse (original price: $270/sale price: $135) with the R13 Relaxed skinny jeans
The Carven Camouflage jacquard sweater (original price: $650/sale price: $371) with the Oscar de la Renta black wool blend skinny pants.
The navy Isabel Marant Retra pleated bi-color dress (original price: $960/sale price: $557) with the Isabel Marant silver goat suede Grover Ankle Boots (original price: $1035/sale price: $518).
Cushnie Et Ochs/Laurence Dacade/Dolce & Gabbana/Giambattista Valli/Nicholas Kirkwood…
What we’d wear with what…
The Simone Rocha wool silk cashmere knit sweater with coated black skinny jeans and the Laurence Dacade black leather Bettina over the knee boots
The Prabal Gurung wool cotton blend turtleneck sleeveless sweater with the Giambattista Valli black virgin wool slim fit pants and the Dolce & Gabbana lace ankle boots
The Marni white cotton ruffled sleeveless blouse with the black Marni crepe pants and the Nicholas Kirkwood black houndstooth prism lace pumps
Derek Lam/Marni/Tibi/Ellery/Tome/MSGM…
More details about the big designer sale…
The Big sale starts 12/14/2015 and runs until 12/24/2015. There are over 1000 items for you to choose from.
To claim your extra discount on top of already discounted merchandise use code N20EXTRA
If you’re lucky to get there on time, you might be able to find items that are under $105 from brands including Clover Canyon, Frame Denim, Opening Ceremony, Equipment, Marni.
What are you waiting for?
Some of the other big names include
Dolce & Gabbana
Prabal Gurung
Thakoon
Mary Katrantzou
Simone Rocha
Rick Owens
Derek Lam
Cushnie et Ochs
Nina Ricci
Proenza Schouler
Oscar de la Renta
Tabitha Simmons
Peter Pilotto
MSGM
Nicholas Kirkwood
Paul Andrew
Martin Grant
Giambattista Valli
Pierre Hardy
If you’ve been waiting for a big designer sale featuring items from the biggest name in high end fashion, we don’t think you can get much bigger than up to 84% off. You know it’s a bit sale when there are things that even we can afford.
We’re assuming this is one of those clear out sales to get rid of the left over merchandise from last season. So quantities will likely be limited and only some sizes available.
The sale includes numerous gorgeous dresses, skirts, tops, jeans, pants, coats, and jackets in a wide variety of styles. It also includes boots, heels, sandals, flats, bags, sunglasses, jewelry and other accessories. You should definitely check it out. And drop us a comment to let us know what you purchased.
Episode 1 of The Wish List brought to you by My Fashion Wants
,In ‘The Wish List’ episode 1, we feature a $150,000 Buccellati pearl and diamond necklace, a Valentino bag, a Saint Laurent bag, Christian Louboutin pumps and an Emilio Pucci blouse.
The Transcript:
Hello and welcome to The Wish List
Here are today’s top 5 wished for items
First we have this absolutely gorgeous Buccellati Pearl and Diamond Necklace.
This necklace comes with a $150,000 price tag so it is not going to be making it’s way into our jewelry collection anytime in the near future. But we’ve gone ahead and added it to our wishlist anyway.
Buccellati pearl and diamond necklace
Next we have these Christian Louboutin peep toe pumps which you can add to your designer heels collection for just $1445. These pumps feature a cork upper with all over spiked studs. They are 4 inch stilletto heels with leather lining and sole. And they also have a padded insole for cushioning and comfort.
Christian Louboutin peep toe pumps
Next up is this blue Saint Laurent textured-leather crossbody bag. This bag comes with a $1550 price tag. It features the iconic Saint Laurent logo along with a chain strap so you can carry it over the shoulder or across the body as desired.
And next we have this light orange Valentino bag. The mini-Lock shoulder-bag will cost you $1435. It features the Valentino iconic studs, push-lock fastening, leather lining, and internal zipped and slot pockets.
And lastly this Fluid and floaty silk blouse from Emilio Pucci. This lovely blue silk blouse comes with a $1193 price tag. It is sheer and it has a detachable frill scarf for those who require a little modesty.
And that is it for our wish list top 5.
For information about the items featured and where to buy them visit My Fashion Wants at myfashionwants.com
Women’s designer handbags are like dolls and playthings were to us as little girls growing up in poverty. They are things that we put on our wishlist hoping we’ll one day be able to get our hands on. But year after year it’s the same thing. No money. No designer handbags. Back in our childhood days, no new dolls and teacup/saucer sets. But we managed to survive not getting the dolls and playthings we wanted as children and we know if we never own a designer handbag it won’t amount to a hill of beans. But even so, we’ll keep on compiling those high end wish lists and werkin’ our bums off trying to get to the point where we can say, “hell no, I won’t spend $5000 on a bag”, and no one would be able to reply, “you couldn’t do that anyway. Your net worth is below zero.”
Charlotte Olympia, Alexander Wang, Kenzo, Valentino, Marc Jacobs — these are some of the names attached to Forzieri’s ‘Seasons IT-Bags’ showcase of women’s designer handbags.
We’ve taken a look at their IT-Bags selections and picked out the designer handbags we wouldn’t mind adding to our handbag collection.
If you’ve been following this blog, you know we don’t own a single designer bag (yet); but we do have many designer handbags on wish lists that are filled with things we hope we’ll be able to afford to purchase before we’re little old ladies with walking canes.
If you’re looking for designer handbags to purchase, you can find a wide selection at Forzieri.com. And during their Pre-Winter sale, you might even be able to score your favorite bag at a 50% discount.
If we were able to purchase any 5 bags from the Forzieri IT-Bags showcase, these would be the 5 designer handbags that we would purchase.
Alexander Wang Light Blue Mini Emilie Atlas Soft Pebbled Leather Tote
Dual top zip closure
Tubular top handles
Signature prisma corners
Adjustable shoulder strap with signature dog clips
Suede interior
Internal zip pocket
Slip pocket
Rhodium hardware detail
We just think this bag is cute. We love the color and the shape and the texture of the light blue leather. It’s a lot smaller than the bags we ordinarily carry; but that’s a problem easily solved by not using the bag for occasions when toting around the kitchen skin will be necessary. Bag comes with a $795 price tag.
Marc Jacobs Scarlet Red Textured Mini Incognito Satchel
Double top zip closure
Gusseted sides
Exterior zip pocket
Reinforced rolled handles with belt
Detachable nickle locket and leather tag with snap closure
Nickle hardware detail
This is another mini bag that probably won’t hold a whole lot, but it’s just so cute we would love to get our hands on it. We love the richness of the scarlet red. The bag reminds us of our days playing dollhouse. Comes with a $1,450.00 price tag.
Moschino Quilted Nappa Leather Golden Logo Shoulder Bag w/Chain
Quilted Nappa Leather
Flap top twist lock closure
Large gold logo detail
Chain and leather shoulder strap
This is by no means an every day bag. It’s bright pink with bold gold accents. We don’t have bright pink with bold gold personalities but nonetheless we’d buy this bag just to play Barbie dress-up. The bag comes with a $1,260 price tag.
Alexander Wang light blue Rockie Atlas Pebbled Leather Satchel
Double handles
Double top zip tab opening
Studded bottom
Two hidden pockets on exterior gusset
Detachable shoulder strap with signature dog clips and patch
Interior zip and slip pockets
Rhodium hardware detail
We’re totally in love with all the Alexander Wang Rockie bags. We love the light blue color and the texture. This bag comes with a $795 price tag which is like totally reasonable. We’ve gotten to the point where we see a price like $795 attached to a bag and we realize you don’t have to be filthy stinking rich to be able to afford it. Of course if you’re filthy stinking poor a $795 bag is still well out of your reach, but you don’t have to get rich to be able to afford it. You just have to get to maybe the middle income bracket.
Alexander Wang Red Mini Rockie Coral Pebbled Leather Satchel
Double handles
Double top zip tab opening
Studded bottom
Two hidden pockets on exterior gusset
Detachable shoulder strap with signature dog clips and patch
Interior zip and slip pockets
Rhodum hardware detail
Another Alexander Wang Rockie – a red mini that comes with a $595 price tag. It looks so tiny, like it’s more a toy than it’s a bag; but it’s so cute it’s going on the wishlist.
So there you have it–the 5 bags we’d buy right now off the Forzieri IT-bag list if we could afford to buy them.
I recently had an opportunity to try a Puritan’s Pride Argan oil product. Specifically, I had a chance to try a 2 oz bottle of their Perfectly Pure Moroccan Argan Oil. Since it was my first time using argan oil, I can’t speak to the quality of Puritan’s Pride argan oil by comparison to other argan oil brands. So when reading my argan oil review, keep in mind that it is based on my trial of just the Puritan’s Pride brand of argan oil.
My argan oil review
I keep reading that argan oil is amazing. And for sure, amazing would be the word to describe any product that can do everything argan oil is said to be able to do. I’ve only been using it for two months now. And I haven’t been religious in my use of it. So I’m going to suggest that I am still not qualified to speak with any authority on the subject of whether or not argan oil is as amazing as it is claimed to be. My argan oil review is based on having not used the product for a significant length of time and having not used it daily during the trial.
A bottle of Puritan’s Pride argan oil
As you can see on the bottle it says that argan oil provides nourishment for skin and hair.
Like I said I’ve only been using argan oil for two months as of today’s date. I’ve mostly been using it for my hair; and I have to say, it does have some benefits that make it a product worth adding to your arsenal of beauty products that you use daily. But for me personally, not all the claims of argan oil’s benefits for hair are true.
Argan oil review – hair benefits
Moisturizing hair
I should note that I have very thirsty hair. What I mean by that is that my hair tends to quickly zap up whatever moisturizer I feed it. So it could just be my special hair; but I don’t find that argan oil does anything particularly amazing when it comes to moisturizing my hair. It does help enough to make a difference, but for me, a product has to do more than just help for me to consider it amazing. It has to make it possible for me to wear my hair out every day without my hair turning into a tangled, knotted mass that defies my will when I try to comb it.
To be fair, argan oil has helped to make my hair a lot more manageable. And my hair does stay moisturized longer than usual; but it doesn’t make it possible for me to keep my hair out for any significant length of time. And that’s the real test of amazing for me. The product has to eliminate the need for me to twist or braid my hair in order to prevent it from breaking off in clumps.
Softening hair
I would have to say that my hair has indeed been softer since I started using argan oil. But again, I have stubborn hair that wants to keep to its old ways. So if I don’t braid it and keep it braided, it’s torture trying to comb it after a little while. For me, the goal is to not have to keep my hair braided all the time to avoid it getting so tangled and knotted and fused together that by the time I manage to comb it out, I’ve broken off much of it. Since argan oil does seem to help with softening I am hoping that after a few more months of use I will see results that I can call amazing.
Scalp dryness and flakiness
Scalp dryness and flakiness is one of the biggest problems I have with my hair. And nothing has helped to fix this problem after years of searching for a fix. One of the things argan oil is said to do is fix scalp dryness and flakiness. But I have to say, so far I’m not seeing any evidence that argan oil solves your dry scalp problems. But it should be noted that I haven’t been using the argan oil by itself in my hair. I have been mixing it with other oils that are said to be good for hair and skin. So maybe the reason argan oil isn’t providing relief for my dry itchy flaky scalp is that I’m not using it the way it needs to be used in order for it to work for that purpose..
Hair growth and thickness
My hair is definitely in a growing stage. I started to lose hair in two spots of the front of my head a couple of years ago and I thought I might have to live with the spots for the rest of my life, because nothing I tried would grow the hair back; but the hair is growing back now and I’ll have to attribute that to argan oil. Like I said above, I don’t use argan oil by itself, but it is the only new ingredient I’ve added to the hair food I make with various oils and butters. I’ve been using my hair food in various configurations for a number of years, and while it has grown my hair without argan oil before, the stubborn spots in the front of my head remained as they were. So I’ll have to assume it’s the argan oil that’s working now.
As for thickness, I do think my hair is thicker. So I’ll venture to say that argan oil can grow your hair and make it thicker. I say ‘can’ because, nothing is always going to work the same way for everybody. It can grow and thicken hair, but whether it will do that for you or not is something you’ll have to use it and find out.
Eyelash and eyebrow growth
I was applying argan oil to my eyelashes with a clean mascara brush. I was excited at the prospect of growing longer eyelashes. Who doesn’t want longer eyelashes? But I must have gone overboard one day because my eyesight became so blurry I though I was going blind. I flew into a panic because I couldn’t see myself in the mirror. One minute there I was putting the argan oil on my lashes then finishing it with fresh aloe vera gel. The next minute it was like I was in a thick fog. I could not see my reflection. I turned from the mirror thinking maybe it was the mirror, but everything around me was so severely blurred I couldn’t see anything.
So be careful using argan oil on your eyelashes. I haven’t used it on my eyelashes since so I don’t know if it grows your eyelashes. And my eyebrows are already thick and wild and impossible to groom. I don’t need more mayhem going on there.
Argan oil review – skin benefits
I haven’t really been using argan oil for my skin, mostly because I’m still hooked on those Ole Henriksen products. They are still doing wonders for my skin. But one thing I did notice is that argan oil helped to prevent a blemish. I saw a half inch long scratch on my forehead and I applied argan oil to it daily. After it healed up it didn’t leave a mark behind. Usually any scratch on any part of my body leaves behind a mark. But there is no trace of a blemish left behind to remind me of that scratch. So argan oil might be useful in preventing dark spots and other blemishes.
This is it for my argan oil review after 2 months of use
The conclusion: I intend to continue to use the product, and I will write another follow up argan oil review after I have put in another few of months of use. If by that point I’m still finding it useful, even while it might not yield amazing results, the results are positive enough and plentiful enough to justify adding it as a product used in my regular beauty routine.
Puritan’s Pride was kind enough to donate the trial bottle of argan oil, along with a handful for My Fashion Wants to giveaway. in or MFWFanBox. The price of their argan oil seems about average, and they frequently run 2 for 1 specials which is always a welcome deal. I think sometimes they even hold 3 for 1 specials. So you can get up to three 2oz bottles of argan oil for $30. That seems like a bargain based on the price of the leading argan oil brands. So if you’re looking to purchase your first bottle of argan oil I’d definitely recommend checking Puritan’s Pride to see if they are running any 2-for-1 or 3-for-1 specials.
This is a big list of items that Moda Operandi says are so hot they can barely keep them in stock.
How awesome would it be to have the means to buy one of each. We love everything; but we can afford nothing on this page. For fun and sport we added the first 15 available items to our shopping cart and they came to a total of $17,440.00. So yeah, a Moda Operandi shopping spree is not in the cards for us. It’s interesting to note that in our lifetime we haven’t come close to spending $17,740 on clothing; but some people spend more than that in a single purchase. The average Hermes bag for example costs more than that.
If we could afford to buy a few things the items we would purchase would be the Adeam Cotton Silk Blend Fringed panel top and the wide-leg fringe pants to go with it. That would cost us $2,690.00
For an additional $375 we would add the TIBI Navy luxe brushed cotton twill pants.
Pants Details
Self tie front embellishment
Concealed front zip
Composition: 97% cotton, 3% elastane
That would bring our new total to $3,065.00.
And maybe we would add the Equipment Green Silk Archive Luis Tie Front Shirt for an additional $360, bringing our total to $3,425.00
Shirt details
Tie bottom front
Pointed collar
Button up placket
Chest pocket
Composition: 100% Silk
And just for the heck of buying expensive sunglasses, we might add the Prism Calvi Ombre Angular Cateye Sunglasses for $410 more dollars, bringing our new total to $3835.00
What do you think of this MANGO Leopard faux fur coat?
Leopard print and fur. By themselves these are looks we don’t typically wear. But we would definitely buy this Mango Leopard faux fur coat if frivolous purchases were in the budget right now. It looks so soft and fluffy and warm. And the price tag is only $189.99
This would be something we would buy just to take pictures of ourselves wearing for the sheer fun of it. We definitely would not have the courage to go outdoors wearing leopard print by itself, or fur by itself. So a leopard faux fur coat isn’t something you’re likely to see us wearing outside.
But we wouldn’t hesitate to wrap ourselves in the warmth of this coat and sit at our dining room table pretending we’re having lunch at a semi posh eatery in Manhattan during an impromptu mid-winter visit to New York.
Why wouldn’t we wear this MANGO leopard faux fur coat outside? For one thing we don’t want to upset anybody by wearing fur (even faux fur). Although, no one would imagine it was real fur if we did wear it out. They’d take one look at us and know we didn’t have money to afford real fur. But even so, wearing faux fur could be seen as a sign that we support the fur industry. And we don’t want to take that risk. The other reason is that a fur coat, whether real or fake, is kind of ostentatious. And we’re not the type to seek to draw attention to ourselves. People in fur coats always stand out. We prefer not to stand out. So we wouldn’t wear fur outdoors.
So we received an offer in our mailbox from Puritan’s Pride today. It’s an offer for a bottle of FREE Hydrolyzed Collagen 1000 mg with ANY $10 Order + Free Shipping!
Being ladies of a certain age, loss of skin elasticity due to depletion of collagen is a major concern for us. Frankly, even if you’re in your 20s you need to start bolstering your skin so that when you get to your mid thirties and beyond your skin won’t begin to slacken and loosen and sag and make you look older than you would like to look.
But what exactly is hydrolyzed collagen?
And what benefit will it be to us to try Puritan’s Pride’s hydrolyzed collagen supplements? Will it make us look like we’re 20 again?
Product indications as stated on seller’s website
Restore Strength and Flexibility to Hair, Skin and Nails
This 100% pure collagen protein supplement provides the major building materials for growth and maintenance of nails, hair and skin. Collagen is also an essential component of muscles, tendons, cartilage and teeth.**
No Artificial Color, Flavor or Sweetener, No Preservatives, No Sugar, No Starch, No Milk, No Lactose, No Soy, No Gluten, No Wheat, No Yeast, No Fish
On the subject of Hydrolyzed collagen
Our search of Google took us to a wikipedia page for hydrolyzed collagen. According to the information on that page, Hydrolyzed collagen is a form of collagen that is also called:
Collagen hydrolysate
Collagen peptide
Gelatine
Gelatine hydrolysate
Hydrolyzed gelatine
What it says on Wikipedia (keep in mind that Wikipedia can be edited by anyone just for the fun of getting people to quote things that aren’t accurate. We recommend you seek out other sources to validate the wikipedia information)
Hydrolyzed collagen is produced from collagen found in the bones, skin, and connective tissue of animals such as cattle, fish, horses, pigs, and rabbits. The process of hydrolysis involves breaking down the molecular bonds between individual collagen strands using combinations of heat, acids, alkalis, or enzymes. Typically, with skin-sourced collagen, hides are put in a lime slurry pit for up to 3 months, loosening collagen bonds; the hides are then washed to remove lime, and the collagen extracted in boiling water. The extracted collagen is evaporator concentrated, desiccated with drum driers, and pulverized.
The process by which hydrolyzed collagen is produced hardly sounds glamorous but the product is supposed to help you maintain tight, supple youthful skin, strong healthy hair and strong healthy nails. All the good things we want.
So are we going to take Puritan’s Pride up on their offer of a free bottle of their hydrolyzed collagen? We’re not sure yet. We’re thinking about it; but we’re not big on taking supplements, and even though these are claimed to have none of the things we usually try to avoid, such as dairy, soy, gluten, sugar etc., we still have to be careful about what we put in our body. We’ll have to do some more reading on hydrolyzed collagen and find some more reviews of hydrolyzed collagen products. If we find enough raving reviews that hydrolyzed collagen will give us back the skin we had at 25 (or at least make our face look a little firmer even if it can’t take us all the way back to 25) we’ll go on over and buy something from Puritan’s Pride so we can claim our free bottle of their hydrolyzed collagen.
Here are a handful of the reviews we came across on the Puritan’s Pride website
Note that the reviews are from 2012. All comments mention that the pills are too big. We don’t know if Puritan’s Pride has since made them smaller.
1. Effective but the pills are really too big! (August 16, 2012)
Puritan should consider selling collagen powder instead of pills! But overall this product is effective. I can notice my neck becoming firmer after only one week.
2. They work well. Good value (July 7, 2012)
Yes the pills are large, but unless you have dental issues you can chew on them, though they might not be to everyone’s taste. My personal tastes likes chalky things so I’ll chew on them like a snack while working or watching a show. In the end the price is great and they work well, so I’ll keep taking them no matter the size. However if they could come out with a smaller version that would be great.
3. WAY too big! (July 5, 2012)
I love all of the Puritan products EXCEPT these chalky rock-like horse pills! They are impossible to swallow, and when I attempt to break them up, they feel like they will crack my teeth. I have cut my throat swallowing the broken up chunks. They also have a nauseating taste, like you are trying to swallow fish bones! I feel that I have wasted my money, especially since I bought on the buy one get two free! Maybe my kids can use them to write on the side walk!
We’re loving the look of this Pure Collection true blue cashmere blend peacoat.
The color of this coat looks so gorgeously vibrant. It lifted our spirits a couple of degrees when we came across it while browsing on the purecollection.com website. On our screen it looks like a shade somewhere on the turquoise to teal line. It’s listed in the product description page as a true blue cashmere blend coat.
We’re loving the look of the true blue cashmere blend coat on the model.
Her outfit: Pure Collection gray wool tailored ankle length trouser with a black long-sleeved roll neck jersey top.
We’re assuming she’s wearing black stiletto-heeled pumps as that would seem to be the perfect choice of footwear to go with this look. A pair of stylish black leather ankle boots can work as well. And of course a black leather shoulder bag to accessorize the look.
The Pure Collection blue cashmere blend peacoat comes with a $348 price tag. It’s a blend of wool, polyamide and cashmere (75% Wool / 20% Polyamide / 5% Cashmere) with a 100% viscose twill lining.
The seller description
Style never sleeps in the city so sleek tailoring and hard-working smart pieces are key. This neat pea coat looks as good with well-cut trousers and heels as it does with off-duty jeans and boots. Choose from grey or this stunning standout blue (which looks great with all skin tones and colouring).
The List of features
Italian Cashmere Blend Fabric
Contrast Colour Melton Undercollar
Double Breasted With Contrast Colour Buttons
Feature Jet Pockets With Topstitch Detail And Back Vent
Fully Lined
This coat also comes in the color “soft grey”. It’s perfect for the grown up working girl who prefers a casually sophisticated style. We love how the true blue color of the coat brightens and enlivens the complete look. Even on a gray late fall morning or afternoon you can have a bit of a “spring” in your step thanks to this gorgeous Pure Collection blue cashmere blend peacoat.
Featured: model wearing yellow in the form of a yellow cashmere blend coat. The coat is available for purchase via PureCollection.com.
We’ve compiled a list of questions about wearing yellow.
Our wearing yellow questions and answers list is by no means a comprehensive list. These are questions people have asked around the Internet and questions our editorial team put together. We’re venturing to answer 15 questions about wearing yellow. Keep in mind that our answers are just our opinions.
What color shoes goes with a red top and yellow skirt?
We would go with black shoes. Why? Because red and yellow are both very bright and very bold colors. When you combine the two you’ll need something to tone down the brightness and theh boldness, and black is a strong commanding color that has the ability to balance other colors.
Will I look ridiculous wearing yellow thigh high boots?
We think if it’s Halloween, or if you’re attending a costume party, then you can probably get away with wearing yellow thigh high boots without looking ridiculous. But we can’t envision a scenario where someone is wearing yellow thigh high boots as part of their outfit for the day and they don’t look like they’re dressed up for Halloween. Matter of fact we browsed on Polyvore to find yellow thigh high boots and it seems designers don’t think yellow is a good color for thigh high boots. The only yellow boots we could find (that weren’t ankle boots) were a pair of rain boots. If you’re feeling like wearing yellow boots you’ll have to stick with yellow ankle boots. Those seem to be okay to wear (if you style them right of course). But yellow thigh highs? You might want to think twice about that.
Can yellow work for Fall season bridesmaids dresses?
We looked through a collection of Autumn bridesmaids dresses on Pinterest. Yellow didn’t seem to be a very common color. There were a couple of pictures featuring bridesmaids wearing yellow dresses; but for the most part the colors were in the maroon, burgundy, lilac, lavender, cream, rust brown family. The ones that were yellow were a more mustard yellow shade and a shade that mustard yellow might look like if it had been diluted with milk. Of course, it’s your wedding and if you want your bridesmaids wearing canary yellow that’s up to you. It really shouldn’t matter if there’s a general rule that bridesmaids dresses should not be yellow if the wedding takes place in the fall/autumn season.
Can I wear yellow and brown together?
Sure you can. Why not? Brown is a great color to pair with yellow (depending of course on the shade of yellow and the shade of brown. A yellow top works nicely with a brown skirt or brown pants. You can wear a brown jacket with a yellow dress or a yellow jacket with a brown dress. Brown shoes are a great choice for a yellow dress. it even works when you wear yellow shoes with a brown dress. Wearing yellow and brown together is perfectly doable.
Can I wear yellow to an interview?
We don’t see why not; but we’d suggest that you don’t wear something that could be distracting to the person conducting the interview. Yellow can be tastefully worn to a job interview, but you probably don’t want to put together a head to toe yellow ensemble. You would risk giving the impression that you don’t take the job opportunity or yourself seriously. If you don’t have to wear yellow maybe you shouldn’t; but if, for example, yellow is your lucky color and you always wear yellow when you’re hoping for some good luck to come your way, then by all means incorporate the color into your look. Just don’t let it dominate and demand that people take notice of what you’re wearing. You want if your interviewer takes notice of what you’re wearing, that he/she thinks something favorable.
Can I wear yellow to a funeral?
If you’re attending a funeral where it has been specifically stated that you can wear any color clothing you wish to wear then certainly you can wear yellow. But if you’re attending a traditional funeral where everyone will be wearing black, you will probably stand out if you wear something that is yellow. And people will probably think that you’re being disrespectful. A funeral is not the place to test the waters and challenge societal norms.
Can blondes wear yellow?
We’re not blondes and we don’t know much about the rules for what blondes can and cannot wear. But going by what we see, yellow looks perfectly fine on blondes. We see no evidence that their hair color makes any difference in how yellow looks on them. Do a quick google image search on “can blondes wear yellow” and you will come across pictures of famous blondes including Reese Witherspoon, Blake Lively, Gwyneth Paltrow, Naomi Watts and Kate Hudson wearing yellow in shades from pastel light to canary bright. They clearly don’t agree that yellow is off limits to blondes.
Can I wear yellow with pale skin?
From what we’ve read, certain shades of yellow apparently make people with pale skin look washed out. We’re going to take a risk and suggest that this is just an opinion, like the opinion that blonde hair clashes with yellow. Some of the ladies we mentioned above under “Can blondes wear yellow” have pretty pale skin from what we can see, and they look perfectly fine in all the shades of yellow represented. No one looks particularly washed out. Although we do think that brighter and darker shades of yellow would contrast better with pale skin than pastel and lighter shades.
Can I wear yellow with dark brown skin?
We have never questioned whether a color looked right on us or didn’t look right on us based on our skin tone. We read a lot of material on the internet written by people who insist that the colors that look good on you are based on your skin tone. They talk about color analysis and color palette and all this headache-inducing nonsense about choosing the right colors for your skin. The question that always comes up in our minds is, who gets to decide what color looks good on a person and what color does not? Shouldn’t we wear what color we want to wear? Shouldn’t we wear the colors we like?
If someone likes how she looks in green, is she supposed to not wear green because other people who know their color palettes and know (based on what the color charts say) what colors are okay to wear on what skin tone, think green is not a color she should wear based on her skin tone? One of the more ridiculous comments we came across was from someone who made it out as if women have a responsibility to know what colors suit them and to avoid colors that are not considered suitable for their skin tone. She made it seem like such a majorly important matter, as if wearing yellow when that’s not a shade in your color palette is something for which you should be mercilessly condemned and rejected from society.
Frankly, whether your skin is fair or your skin is dark brown, whether or not to wear yellow should come down to how you personally feel about it. It should not come down to a question of whether or not some color chart created by some so-called expert agrees or disagrees that yellow is a color you can wear.
Do pink and yellow match?
We’re going to have to say that pink and yellow don’t really match per se; but that doesn’t mean that wearing yellow and pink together isn’t doable. Color blocking has shown us that you can pair colors that don’t necessarily match. You just have to work all your other items into the look well enough to balance the non-matching colors.
Can I wear a yellow top with gray pants or skirt?
Based on the pictures we’ve seen of ladies wearing yellow tops with gray pants or gray skirts, we’d have to say that you can definitely wear a yellow top with gray pants or a gray skirt. This is a pretty subdued look so it won’t be a combination you’d want for a New Year’s eve party for example, unless you’re wearing bright colors with sparkly sequins.
Can I wear a yellow top with green pants or skirt?
We’ve seen pictures of ladies wearing a yellow top with green pants and pictures of ladies wearing a yellow top with a green skirt. Based on the pictures we’ve seen, we’d say this is a look that can work; but you have to match the right shade of yellow with the right shade of green. Some of the looks we saw didn’t really work that well. Not because of anything to do with the skin tone of the person wearing the combination. It was because the shades of yellow and green weren’t the best match. Yes, we know we just said that color-blocking allows us to put colors together that don’t necessarily match; but some combinations work better than others. Even so, we still maintain that if it looks good to you and you want to wear it, you shouldn’t concern yourself with what anybody else thinks.
Will I look ridiculous wearing yellow with red and green?
It would really depend on what you’re wearing. We typed “yellow red green outfit” into google and found some pictures that were actually interesting. An outfit combining yellow red and green probably isn’t something most people would try; but if you like to experiment and take chances with your style and you have the confidence to wear bright color combinations that most people wouldn’t dare try, we think there are interesting ways you can wear yellow red and green together. You could, for example wear a yellow cardigan with a green dress and red ballerina flats. Or like one lady we saw, a yellow top with red pants and green pumps. Or a red top with green pants and a yellow belt. There are any number of possible fun ways to wear these three colors. And you don’t have to look like you’re channeling a Christmas tree.
Can I wear yellow pumps with a black dress?
Well, you can, and if you accessorize effectively the combination can look pretty striking; but it can also look a little out of place and like someone is trying too hard to be bold with their fashion choices. You want to get people going hmm, that looks pretty good, instead of why in the world is she wearing yellow pumps with that black dress? But then again, like we always say, people’s opinions really don’t matter. As long as you like the way you look it doesn’t matter what the rest of us think.
Should adult women wear yellow tights?
This question was inspired by seeing an adult woman wearing yellow tights. She was wearing her yellow tights with a black skirt, white blouse, black cardigan and black pumps. When we googled “yellow tights outfits” we found mostly pictures of young adult teenage girls wearing quirky outfit styles. It’s probably not all that common to see adult women wearing yellow tights. Some of the looks we saw were cute and incorporated the yellow tights well. Others weren’t looks we would recommend. As for the question of whether or not adult women should wear yellow tights, by all means if an adult women is able to work yellow tights into her outfit in a way that is flattering, why shouldn’t she wear the yellow tights? But we definitely think yellow tights are difficult to pull off regardless of your age.
Missed out on 2015 Black Friday deals? Not to worry, here are some cyber monday deals in which you might be interested.
Black Friday is over but you can still update your closet by taking advantage of Cyber Monday deals. If you’re looking for sales on designer bags, you can save up to 30% on designer bags at Forzieri.com. To save 30% you would have to make a purchase of at least $750. That means if you purchase a $750 bag between today and midnight Tuesday, you’ll get the bag for $525. A $200 bag purchase comes with a 20% discount. So you can get your hands on a $200 bag for $160. Of course you won’t get the ultimate high end brands; but they do have some cute bags in the $200 price range from brands like Michael Kors, Rebecca Minkoff, Moschino, Marc by Marc Jacobs etc. You can also save on designer shoes during the Forzieri Cyber Monday sale.
At saksfifthavenue.com you can get up to $150 off designer denim. So if you’ve been wanting to try a pair of designer jeans you might want to check out the Cyber Monday deals at SAKS. We got excited and swung by their website, but it turns out you have to buy a pair of jeans that costs at least $500 to get that $150 savings. We were hoping for something like $150 off a pair of $200 jeans. Ha Ha. But you can take $50 off a pair of $250 jeans. So if those savings work for you, hurry on over to saksfifthavenue.com before their sale period ends.
If we could afford them we’d happily purchase these 7 For All Mankind black Coated High-Rise Ankle Skinny Jeans. But even $198 is too steep right now.
For the Ella Moss type of girl you can save 40% off everything at Ellamoss.com
Or swing by dkny.com to check out their 20% off everything Cyber Monday deals.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday – do you really get good deals?
It is our opinion that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are over-hyped. Unless you’re a big spender, you don’t really get savings worthy of all the dredged up excitement. Someone saving $225 on a $750 purchase can call that a deal, assuming the $750 item was really worth $750 to begin with. Someone saving $40 on a $200 purchase, not quite as impressive we don’t think.
We did not do any Black Friday shopping on Friday. The primary reason wasn’t even lack of funds. We didn’t have any money, yeah, but seriously, the sales were so boring. Black Friday was a huge disappointment we have to say. Thumbs down to the retailers–pretty much all of them. There’s nothing exciting about saving $50 off $500.
For all the hype they make over Black Friday you’d expect to be able to make out like a bandit.
One of our best Black Friday experiences was when we were able to purchase almost $600 worth of merchandise (decent quality) for just under $200. That’s the kind of sale that gets us spending.– being able to purchase things we otherwise could not afford. Spending $550 instead of $600, that’s not a sale worthy of all the hype they build up around Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
So we did not buy anything on Black Friday. We wanted to; and we spent a good few hours trying to find great deals; but we just didn’t find any. And to be frankly honest, we’re seriously disappointed.
As for Cyber Monday, we’re not even going to bother trying to look around for deals. We’re near to giving up on trying to find nice things that don’t come with exorbitant price tags. Either we’re going to have to make our own stuff or find a blind 90 year old billionaire who will take us at our word that we’re 20 and look like a Victoria’s Secret model. Of course there’s also the option of working for our money, but we’ve been doing that for years and we still don’t have the money to show. Apparently, the gods still don’t think we’re working hard enough to deserve high end rewards.
We came across a cute V Neck Cashmere Sweater while browsing the PureCollection.com website.
The Pure Collection V Neck Cashmere Sweater (with product code LK-T47) is described as being a sweater that “epitomises pared back style”. It’s a 100% cashmere sweater that comes in the colors Blue Sapphire, black, Classic Grey, Grey Camel and red berry.
We love the way the sweater is styled in these pics from Pure Collection. These for sure reflect a nice casual “pared back” style.
If you’re a lady over 35 trying to find a style that won’t get you accused of not being age appropriately dressed but on the other hand won’t make you look like a dowdy frump who has given up all vanity because you’re no longer 25, we think the Pure Collection style is something to look at.
In the first look the model is wearing the redberry version of the Pure Collection V Neck Cashmere Sweater with casual gray tweed pants. If we were wearing this combination we would probably wear a pair of black leather ankle boots with at least a 3-inch heel. To keep the look pared back we’d go for block heels on the ankle boots. To make it a little sleeker and sexier we’d choose stiletto heels of at least 4 inches in height. We love the featured models over-sized sunglasses. A shoulder bag is the perfect choice to keep the look casually laid back.
Suggested Shoulder Bag
Emilio Pucci Mini Janis Black & Ivory Leather Shoulder Bag
In the second look the model wears the black version of the Pure Collection V Neck Cashmere Sweater with beige jeans. We’d go with oxford style flats or canvas style leather sneakers for this look. Or maybe a pair of Timbalands or similar styled lace-up rubber-soled boots?
This V Neck Cashmere Sweater comes with a $148 price tag.
The seller’s description:
Polished and sophistcated in cosy cashmere this V-Neck sweater epitomises pared back style. Team with jeans for a casual off duty look or dress up with a smart pencil skirt and heels.
One of the brands we were lucky enough to try thanks to Rakuten Marketing and the #RANBonusBox was Monica Vinader.
The Bonus Box we received earlier in the month contained a Monica Vinader Fiji Friendship Bracelet.
The folks at MonicaVinader.com call the Fiji friendship bracelet the “ultimate and iconic friendship bracelet”. The bracelet comes in “a mix of colours and finishes including cord, chain and diamonds”.
The one we received was the 18ct Rose Gold Plated Vermeil on Sterling SilverFiji bracelet with black cord. It’s a cute little bracelet that brings out our spirit of girlhood.
We have to confess, we were total outcasts in our elementary/junior high school days. No one ever gave us a friendship bracelet. Then again we never gave anyone a friendship bracelet either. But that was because we couldn’t find anybody who wanted to be friends we us.
Now that we’re all grown up the girlish friendship bracelets (the ones made out of string) are a no-no to wear. But friendship bracelets like the Monica Vinader Fiji friendship bracelet are perfectly appropriate to buy for yourself or to give as gifts to your adult girlfriends.
Most of the reviews we found for this bracelet are raves. It seems to be mostly something people buy to give as gifts to their friends, which makes perfect sense. But if you don’t have anyone in your life who would buy you a friendship bracelet (or anyone for whom to buy a friendship bracelet), buy a friendship bracelet or two for your inner little girl. Show her how much she means to you.
Other cord colors for the Monica Vinader Fiji friendship bracelet include plum, coral, green, royal blue, nude and navy. And available finishes include yellow gold and sterling silver.An example of the sterling silver Monica Vinader Fiji Friendship bracelet. Like the yellow gold and the rose gold corded versions of the Fiji bracelet, the sterling silver comes in the same variety of cord colors.
An example of the yellow gold Monica Vinader Fiji Friendship bracelet. This features the 18ct yellow Gold Plated Vermeil on Sterling Silver with racing green cord.
We wouldn’t mind getting our hands on a few more of the Fiji bracelet. We really like the girlishness of it. Sometimes you need to let inner little girl out to play. It can get pretty tiresome and boring having to take life so seriously all the time just because you’re an adult. It’s important to be able to lighten up and be childlike sometimes even if you’re 35, 45, 55, 65, 75, 85, 95 or 105. The other day we saw an 85 year old woman wearing her hair Pocahontas style and swing dancing like she was seventeen. We’re willing to bet the reason she looked happier and more filled with life than women 30/40 years younger is because she never allowed the spirit of her inner little girl to die. She kept her youthful spirit alive by allowing herself to lighten up and have fun through all the decades of her life.
An outfit idea for styling your Monica Vinader Fiji friendship bracelet
This might be a little over the top but we like the idea of the look for a photo shoot. Maybe not as an outfit for real world wear. It’s a look we’d love to test drive, but the Balmain dress comes with a $4,440 price tag. The Tibi fur coat comes with a $3,200 price tag. (We are not advocating wearing fur. Were we so lucky to try this look we would opt for a faux fur coat). The Saint Laurent bag comes with a $2,750 price tag. The Stella McCartney boots are $870. And let’s not talk about the price of the other pieces of jewelry.
About the Monica Vinader brand:
Monica Vinader is a British luxury jewelry brand. They create “instantly wearable, contemporary pieces to style, stack and personalise with engraving”. They list among the famous names who love the brand: Emma Watson, Olivia Palermo and the Duchess of Cambridge.
Today we came across a picture of this multi-color printed Fausto Puglisi skirt from the Fausto Puglisi Fall/Winter 2014 collection (via Moda Operandi).
Although the Fausto Puglisi skirt is out of season we were immediately inspired to try to style it. Of course it would have been more exciting to style the real thing, but the $2,050 price tag would have made that an unlikely prospect even if the skirt was still available for purchase.
The Skirt…
We love how the colorful geometric patterns on one side of the skirt contrast with the textured black pattern on the other side.
We also love…
The sexy short length
The asymmetric hemline
The flared style
This skirt is versatile in the way it allows you to wear a top in a wide variety of colors and styles.
3 ways to style your multicolor printed Fausto Puglisi skirt
Look #1 – with a Martin Grant Black Wool Classic Turtleneck and an Antonio Berardi emerald silk scuba short jacket
Who would wear this look? A girl with a lot of confidence who likes to look sexy in a colorful and quirky way. It will take a lot of confidence to pull off these Giambattista Valli Open Toe Lace Up Boot and this Antonio Berardi Emerald Silk Scuba Short Jacket.
Look #2 – with a red Prabal Gurung Crimson Needle Rib Turtleneck and a black Elie Saab Black Peplum Leather Jacket
Look #2 pairs the Fausto Puglisi skirt with a Prabal Gurung red turtleneck sweater, a black Elie Saab leather jacket, and Nicholas Kirkwood Stretch Suede Thigh High Boots.
Look #3 – with a black Martin Grant Black Wool Classic Turtleneck Sweater and a yellow Jonathan Saunders Seymour Double Breasted Wool Jacket In Pea Green
Look #3 pairs the Fausto Puglisi skirt with a black Martin Grant wool turtleneck sweater, a mustard yellow Jonathan Saunders Seymour Double Breasted Wool Jacket, and a pair of Charlotte Olympia Lucinda Booties.
Jewelry and accessories…
We think either of these two bags work with our 3 looks:
Valentino Mini Lock with Laquered Studs
Edie Parker M’O Exclusive : Customizable Name Velvet Clutch
And for jewelry any of the following bracelets:
Eddie Borgo Expansion Joint Bangle
Eddie Borgo Aerator Bracelet
Eddie Borgo Large Axis Cuff
Vionnet Plexiglass Abstract Ribbon Cuff
Any of these earrings:
Jennifer Alfano 18K Gold Baby Bullseye Emerald Studs
Jennifer Alfano 18K Gold Baby Bullseye Ruby Studs
Eddie Borgo Aerator Stud
Any of these necklaces:
Daniela Villegas Bespoke Fufluns Locket Necklace
Eddie Borgo Helix Link Necklace
What do you think of our 3 outfit ideas for styling the multicolor printed Fausto Puglisi skirt? Would you wear any of these looks? How would you style the skirt yourself if none of these looks would work for you?