Monday, May 14, 2012

GET THE LOOK: Rachel Bilson

GET THE LOOK: Rachel Bilson
Hi everyone! So, I don't know if you knew this or not, but I am pretty much obsessed with Rachel Bilson's style. She's got this really modern, creative look, with lots of blazers, oxford heels, and silk tops. I notice she wears a lot of a fancy shorts, which are a favorite of mine, and she always starts her outfits from the shoes up, which is SO the way to go! I fell in love with three different outfits of hers and I thought I'd show you guys how to get her look, because I promise you - it is totally achievable. All you need is a little creativity and love for fashion. :)

1. I love the totally effortless look she put together here. It's so perfect for just a nice day out to lunch or even a girls afternoon at the mall. The top, which being simple, is still stylish looking, and goes really well with the lighter wash jeans. My heart literally skips a beat when I see these shoes! They are a total jaw-dropper, and she has a lot of these in her outfits. I found some similar jeans at Abercrombie and Fitch, but honestly, you can find these medium wash jeans pretty much anywhere. I also found an almost identical top at H&M, which I happen to own, and the only difference is that Rachel's seems a little more baggy and this one is very form-fitting. I wouldn't try getting it in a bigger size, because it's meant to be tight, so it might not look right. :( I found two shoes that look similar: this one and this one. One is lighter and one is darker, so whichever one you think looks better! I personally favor the lighter brown :)

2. This outfit isn't actually being worn by her - it's been worn by Zoe Hart, her character on Hart of Dixie, which I'm so obsessed with! The season finale is on tonight and I'm kind of freaking out about it. Will she choose George, Wade - Lavon?- but I'll just have to wait and see. :) I would recommend watching it if you haven't already. Anyway, I absolutely adore this look, especially the shoes - and the high waisted shorts - oh, and the shirt, who am I kidding? :) I found shorts at Ann Taylor that looked almost alike. I also found oxford heels at Urban Outfitters which were kind of pricy, but these kind of shoes aren't going to be cheap. Rachel actually has her own shoe company called ShoeMint (I'm a total stalker, I know) and I found some really cute, not similar at all, but really cute shoes that I thought would go well with the outfit anyway. They come in black, light tan, and cheetah, so it really depends on if you want to go safe, classic, or dramatic, but they all work pretty well, I think. Her belt was pretty easy - Anthropologie's the best, right? - and I actually found the exact shirt she is wearing in the picture, but it is sold out :( It's so easy to find a striped shirt pretty much anywhere, though.

3.This last look is totally classic. I believe this was in spring, but it could work for fall too, with the orange color and all. I just feel like the blazer could work for the "leaves of fall" but also add a pop of color for spring. It also pairs nicely with the rest of the all-nude pieces. I found a similar blazer at Forever 21 for less then the actual jacket, which I believe is close to $700. I also found the original shoes, but they were close to $900 :( So, I thought you could pair this with a pair of nude heels, which every girl has in her closet! :) A similar necklace is at Urban Outfitters, and I did find a look-a-like dress at H&M.


I hope you enjoyed this "episode" of Get the Look! I do have to say, Rachel Bilson is probably one of my top 5 favorite celebrity fashion inspirations, so I hope everyone found a little something they liked about her too! :) Defiantly check out Shoe Mint if you like her shoes as much as I do!

XOXO,


Stephanie 





Sunday, May 13, 2012

GET CREATIVE: How to Dress up a White T

GET CREATIVE: How to Dress up a White T
Good Morning, beauties! We're all friends here, right? Don't be ashamed, don't hide it! We all have that plain white T that's shoved in the back of our closet drawers, and we all have no idea why we still have it. Think again, ladies, because the white T can actually come in handy. Unlike mini dresses or ripped jeans, the white T can work at pretty much any venue and with pretty much any style. All you have to do is get a little creative and you could come up with millions of different ideas! I'm going to give you the top 5 ways that I dress up my plain white T, and hopefully, one of them works for you! :)

1.  THE JACKET: Whether it be a leather bomber, a trench coat, or a classic blazer, Vanessa Hudgens knows how to dress up her white T! In the wintertime, throwing a cute jacket on with a pair of jeans and boots would be the way to go, but now that it's almost summer, we can't be thinking coats. Lots of celebs have been sporting lightweight blazers. They're perfect for hot weather, and the best part is, they're super easy. Just pick your favorite pair of shorts and white T, then throw a blazer over top. You'll look like you spent forever picking out an outfit, when it only took you less then five minutes.

2. THE SCARF: I absolutely love the way Hilary Duff dressed up her T in this picture. Scarfs are so easy, they go with anything, and most of them are pretty thin, so work really well with warm weather. You can wear a scarf with a white T and skinnies, or, if you want to go really casual, with a pair of shorts.

3. THE STATEMENT NECKLACE: Statement necklaces look amazing with anything, especially a plain white T. I love Jessica Alba's colorful beaded necklace, because it draws attention to the colors rather then the plain T shirt. Add some sunglasses and maybe a bracelet, like she did, and no one will notice your white shirt!

4. THE BELT: I love belts with plain white shirts. Jennifer Lopez's belt looks really nice with her dark wash jeans, but if it were me, I would have worn a dramatic patterned belt, like cheetah, or a bright neon, like pink. It makes the contrast between the neutral blue and white, and also brings a pop of color into the outfit. You can also make the belt high waisted to define your waist line, or add a pencil skirt to look more professional. 

5. FASHION-FORWARD PANTS: Rihanna's style is completely unpredictable and dramatic. I love how she takes her simple white shirt and dresses it up with unexpected, baggy trousers. I've also seen people wear bright neon skinny jeans with white tops, or even patterned pants. The other way this outfit might be looked at is classic. Her white and black ensemble will always be in style. 

I hope you found a way to wear your old white T! Don't throw it away, don't sell it - I promise you, there are so many ways to dress it up and put your own twist on it. 

XOXO,

Stephanie

HAUL: American Eagle, Bath & Body Works, and More!

HAUL: American Eagle, Bath & Body Works, Urban Outfitters, and Francesca's
Hello, my lovelies! A couple of my girlfriends and I took a road trip to Santa Monica the other day. We hit up the beaches, got some yummy lunch, and - of course - went shopping! So I decided that rather then hiding my obsession with shopping from the world, I'd make a haul post! :) I didn't buy a lot of things, but I got some cute deals at these stores above, and I thought I'd share with you guys what I got. I tried taking pictures with my phone, but I can't get them onto this post, so I'll just put the link somewhere in my descriptions.



Urban Outfitters


I've been kind of obsessed with this store lately, because I'm getting hooked on the vintage style feel for summer! Anyway, now that it's spring, I figured I'd stock up on some dresses. I got this dress in the sale section, and I know it says it was $40, but I actually only purchased it for $20. I also got this candle for about $14, since I'm totally obsessed with candles. I literally have about 8 candles right now in my room, and the sad part is that I barely ever light them! I just love the whole earthy feel, and they smell so 
yummy. :) I also figured I'd get some nail polish, since they had a 2 for $8 deal. I believe I purchased this brand in the shades lavender and maroon, but they don't seem to have those colors up. :( 


American Eagle


Next, we went to American Eagle which, I've got to say, is one of my favorite spring/summer stores. Their clothes are so laidback and casual, and I feel like most of the tanks I usually get there go well with the most of the shorts I have in my closet. Anyway, I couldn't find it on the website, but the scarf I got kind of looks like this one, except mine was dark blue with lace detailing. I absolutely loved it when I saw it, because I thought it would really dress up a plain T when I'm feeling lazy in the summer. They were having a Buy 1 get One 50% deal for jewelry (which I couldn't pass up), so I ended up getting these earrings and this necklace

Bath & Body Works


Are you guys as OBSESSED with this store as I am? Every time I go to the mall, I always have to go here, and luckily, I had my $10 off your next $30 purchase coupon with me, so I absolutely had to go in. I ended up getting another candle (shocker), but lemon is one of my top 3 favorite candle scents, so there really was no argument. I was also running out of my coconut soap in my bathroom, so I got this hand soap. I would totally recommend the peach scent, by the way! I've never really been a peach scent girl, but the Bath & Body Works verison smells so good. I've been literally washing my hands for no reason at all! :) The last thing I got was this self-tanning True Blue lotion. I looked online before buying it, and it got pretty good reviews, so I thought I'd try it out. I'll let you guys know if it works in a review post, or maybe in my May Favorites if I really like it!


Francesca's 


The last place I purchased from was Francesca's Collections, and I don't know if any of you have this store at your local mall, because it's more of a boutique. If you don't have it, you should definitely look for it on vacation or online, because it is so cute. I sort of splurged there, honestly. I couldn't find the top I got, but it was the same price as this one and it looks almost exactly like it, except mine had a yellowish orange pattern that was super pretty for the springtime. I don't think they put all of their jewelry online, because there are only two pages of earrings and bracelets, but the store is basically stuffed with jewelry. I tried to find what I got, but I couldn't, so I basically purchased gold twisty hoops for $9 and then a really pretty turquoise and silver bracelet for around $17. The last item I purchased was this top, which I thought would go really well with dark skinnies and flats, and maybe a gold cuff like the one the model is wearing. I might do a post about sheer tops later today, so let me know if you're interested!



So that was everything I bought yesterday! I hope you enjoyed this post, and please let me know if you'd like me to do more hauls.

XOXO,


Steph


*I am in no way bragging about what I got. Everything I purchased was purchased with my own money. This post was made for inspiration purposes only.



Saturday, May 12, 2012

FINGER FASHION: Border Nails

FINGER FASHION: Border Nails

Hey fashionistas! I don't know if most of you know already, but bright nail polish is TOTALLY in
this spring and summer, and so is this new nail trend: border nails! I was a little iffy about trying this new trend out at first, just because it isn't that popular and looks kind of difficult, but it's actually super fun and easy. This literally takes ten minutes at most, minus the drying time, and turns out looking really cute! And while I love detailed nail designs, they are really hard to pair with most outfits. That's why I love these simple border nails, and if you pick neutral colors, it can look good with almost anything!

MATERIALS:

-2 contrasting nail polishes
-a nail art brush

STEPS:

1. First off, make sure your nails are trimmed and clean.
2. Paint your nails like normal. Make sure you choose the color that you want in the middle. For example, if I was doing my nails like in the picture above, I would use a pretty aqua color, like this one from Urban Outfitters. 
3. Next, choose a bright, contrasting nail polish color. If I were doing the colors in the picture above, I would use black. Dip your nail art brush into the polish and make a thin outline around your nail. If you get any polish on your cuticles, you can just soak a q-tip in remover, and it will come right off.
4. Let the nails dry for 10-15 minutes, and you're good to go, gorgeous! 

I hope you guys enjoyed this super easy and fun nail tutorial. Make sure to send me a picture of your nails, if you decide to try this out, at mizbeautybarbie@gmail.com. 

XOXO,

Stephanie






NEW TREND: Polka Dots



NEW TREND: POLKA DOTS

Hello beauties! I know what most of you are thinking right now - polka dots? Really? But they have actually been getting a LOT of attention lately. Celebs all over have been seen wearing them in mini dresses, sweaters, skirts, gowns, tops, and even pants. I have to say that personally, I've never been a huge fan of this pattern, but as of recently, I've been obsessed with this new trend. I love the fact that in the winter, you can rock the black and white version, but now that it's springtime and nearly summer, the colored version will start making an appearance! I actually bought a black and white polka dot sheer top from Urban Outfitters a couple of months ago, and I'm totally loving it. The best part about this new fad is that it can work for any style!

 Gwen Stefani's signature edgy style comes in handy with this new trend. She pairs a grey-and-white polka dot sweater with an all black ensemble: a scarf, pencil skirt, tights, sunglasses, and boots. If you want to try out this look for spring/summer, I would recommend trading the scarf for a statement necklace, or going for a sheer polka dot tank and saving the sweater for fall.

 Selena Gomez defiantly rocked the red carpet in this killer outfit. I love how she modernizes the look with a sweetheart neckline. It's almost like a subtle, dramatic sexy, that takes everyone back a couple of decades. I almost wonder if you could take a LBD, wear a sheer polka dot top overtop, and then tie a bow or belt around the waistline to achieve this look. It's all about creativity, right? :)

 I've got to say, I'm in love with Kristen Bell's outfit in this picture. While her blazer and high-neckline tunic give an older, sophisticated feel, she makes the outfit more fun with sky-high nude pumps, a statement necklace, and colored polka dot skinnies! I don't know about you guys, but I absolutely adore the random pop of color. If you don't want your look to be so dramatic, you could always go for a a colored polka dot top over jeans, or if you're not liking the pants, try throwing a neon leather jacket over a white-and-black polka dot outfit! It will totally glam up your look.

I hope I gave you guys a new, fresh outlook on this new polka-dot trend! Even if you aren't a big fan of this pattern, I would defiantly try it out. There are so many different ways to get the style you want! 

XOXO,

Steph