Needing Some Sparkle

With a few exceptions (down trees, limbs, debris, power outages and a little flooding), most of us in the DC area weathered Sandy pretty well.  My thoughts are with my friends and family in the New York and New Jersey areas hardest hit by the storm.  I know this is a difficult time for all of you. Our pre-storm prep of tying down our deck furniture and bringing things into the garage gave me some peace of mind. Due to my job, I didn't even get a day off to do fun crafts or projects. On Monday night I took some Me time and did a mani and read a fashion magazine. Sparkle was in order due to the dreary weather.

I decided on a sparkly french mani.  I used one coat of essie ballet slippers as my base and then added essie luxeffects in a cut above for the tips and accent nail. I finished with two coats of top coat.  I used Revlon Colorstay base coat and top coat.

I love the sheer pink, almost bare nails with the sparkly pink tips.  The accent nail is just an added bonus. This mani definitely brightened my day and it was so easy to do.  No taping required. The jagged edge of the glitter gives it a pretty randomness.

If you were affected by Sandy, what did you do to make yourself smile?

Frugal Fashion Friday - Casual Sparkles

Fridays always make me think of versatile outfits that I can wear while I'm out doing errands and then go out to dinner and drinks later.  This outfit is just that. It combines casual day time elements with night time sparkle. You don't have to limit your sparkly pieces to evening.  My favorite way to wear sequins during the day is by dressing them down with tough and casual pieces.  Today I'm also doing another link up with Friday's Fancies on {long distance loving}. The challenge today was chambray and it fits perfectly with the casual sparkle of today's outfit.

The tunic style and roll up sleeves on this chambray shirt from Target, give it versatility.

I love the rose gold color of this sequin skirt by Lela Rose for HSN. 

Frye 8R Engineer boots are a classic. I love how they lend a casual rocker vibe to the sparkly skirt. They are a bit on the pricey side but these boots will last for many years and you know I value quality and cost per wear.

Mixing metals, sparkles, and adding tough spikes and a snake are a compliment to the boots.

Stella & Dot Renegade Cluster Necklace

Stella & Dot Sidewinder Ring

Stella & Dot Revival Bracelet

A lady like bag with motorcycle boots is fun and this Twist Lock Crossbody bag from Forever 21 will make running errands or standing at the bar easier.

I'm loving Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter. Sweet Tart is my favorite color.

With temps in the mid 70's lately in DC, this outfit will be perfect from day to night. I can't wait to wear it!   How do you wear chambray?

I'm sure you noticed that all of the jewelry I picked for this outfit is from Stella & Dot.  They have great jewelry and the quality is fantastic. I've just partnered with stylist Kristin Biggs of Stella & Dot to bring you some great new jewelry and some surprises.  I can't wait to share them with you.  Check out my instagram feed followgram to see the Femme Fatale necklace and Nouvelle ring I was sporting yesterday.  I'll be featuring them in an outfit post soon.

Happy Friday Real Girls!

I'm Obsessed Thank You Very Much - Glitter Shoes

I'm so obsessed with wearing a pair of glitter shoes or boots that I'm working on a DIY.  I've been seeing them everywhere.  Here are some of the different styles that are grabbing my attention.

Miu Miu Glitter Bootie

Giuseppe Zanotti Glitter Boots

Top Shop Jamaica Curve Heel

MIA Jem

Steve Madden Hastt

Top Shop Maddie Glitter Brogues

ASOS Dune Luckie Loafers

Converse Black Sparkle Lo Tops

Changing the World, One Sequin at a Time

When I read this quote by Lady Gaga it was the perfect inspiration for the title of this post.  So appropriate!

"And now I'm just tying to change the world, one sequin at a time." - Lady Gaga

It's kind of a running joke with my friends and family that I'm hopelessly attracted to almost anything with sparkle or sequins.  My friends, I have to admit, it's almost impossible for me to pass anything by that sparkles.  I have to think twice and look three times.  They just make me happy.  On my birthday this year it was cold and rainy.  I decided that didn't matter. I put on my sequin skirt, added tights and moto boots and I was ready to go.  My Honey asked me why I was so dressed up. I said, "Well I'm not really that dressed up." I was wearing a white button down with the skirt and moto boots.  No silk or heels in sight.  That kind of sums up my philosophy. I think that sequins and sparkles shouldn't just be for special occasions.  They can make you feel great every day.

I spied this skirt on a fellow blogger and when I found it on sale, it had to be mine. I've worn it often in the past year, to events, daytime, and my birthday dinner. 

Clockwise from top left:  Sequin skirt - Avenue (no longer available), DIY necklace with glitter safety pins,
same sequin skirt and thrifted Goodwill top, DIY bracelet, Sequin top - Macy's (no longer available), Birthday oufit , same sequin skirt and Moto Boots - Nine West

This post is for this month's Everybody Everywear item, Sequins and Sparkles.  Click on the link to check out all of the other blogger outfits.

Do you love sequins and sparkle as much as I do?

Frugal Fashion (Beauty) Friday - Gold Sparkle Nails

A while back I saw Deborah Lippman nail polish in Boom Boom Pow popping up on websites and blogs all over.  It appeals to my love of sparkles and I could see it as a fun layering option, like I saw on The Looks for Less.  Jennifer has great manicures and I love the look of nude polish under the sparkly gold.

photo credit: The Looks for Less

Here's the catch. Deborah Lippman polish is $20 per bottle!  That is crazy. I am a nail polish junky and I refuse to pay $20 for any polish. I knew there had to be a less expensive alternative.




$20 per bottle


I found it!  Milani Jewel FX in Gold is a much better deal! At only $4.99 a bottle it is a better alternative for me and gives the same effect.

$4.99 per bottle!

Here is my result...

Total cost for polish (Wet n Wild and Milani) $6.98.  Savings of  $13.02. What do you think?