Fashionista Finds: Brights!

Page through any of this spring’s magazines – Vogue, InStyle and Marie Claire just to name a few – and you will see pops of color everywhere.   Bold, bright and in your face color is climbing off the runways of Diane VonFurstenberg and Prabal Gurung and into more attainable and reasonably priced stores.  While designers are showing head to toe combinations of orange, green and yellow, the everyday women can ease into this “bolder the better” trend with some bright accessories.

And there’s a bonus to this trend…

Not only will you be embracing the hottest looks of the season, but you can also get out of the winter blahs.  From first hand experience, when everybody in the staff room at my internship showed up in black, I can recognize a call for color when I see one.  So say hello to spring!

I’ve found some affordable and fashionable accessories to jump-start your bright spring wardrobe.

This pair of heels is from H&M, and their reddish-orange color will definitely pop.  Orange is one of the biggest colors for spring and if the shoes aren’t your style try orange in a satchel.  You can get this one from Handbag Heaven for less than $40!  Like blues, pinks or yellows?  For a $175 you can get a satin Mary Nichols clutch in any bright you want.

The easiest and most inexpensive way to add some color is with nail polish.  OPI’s new Texas collection has a several orange and pink hues.  And for a little more girly and springy selection, check out Essie.  I recommend Coat Azure (an Easter eggy blue) and Nice is Nice (a super sweet lilac).

In summary: if it comes in pink, orange, deep purple, turquoise, taxi-cab yellow or lime give it a try.  But a little advice, if you do decide to take the color to your clothes, keep shoes, handbags and makeup neutral.

-Nicole

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Kimmie’s Pre-Weekend Pretty-Up: Rules of Concealment

I love a good concealer.  It’s probably the best “fake it” product out there; from late nights to breakouts to battling a cold, the right concealer will cover up flaws so you can get on with your day.  Concealers come in all varieties – powders, creams, sticks – and range from drugstore to boutique in price tags.   Here are my top concealer picks and a few tips on how to use them the right way.

Tip #1: Choosing your color

While the correct foundation will blend completely in with your skin, the right concealer will be about one shade lighter than your actual skin tone.  This probably means you’ll need a few concealers at different times of the year, depending on how much you tan in the summer.  Don’t go too light – this is where that freaky phenomenon, the reverse raccoon look, comes into play.

Cheapies but goodies: These two cheapie concealers live in my makeup bag all year round.  Maybelline’s Cover Stick Corrector comes in three shades for coverage of everything from dark circles to sunburns.  I use the yellow corrector stick for under-eye circles and it hasn’t failed me yet.  Five bucks for a great concealer?  Yes, please!  Neutrogena had a bright idea with its 2-in-1 concealer kit– the concealer hides the imperfection and the loose powder hides the concealer, leaving your skin perfect and natural looking.

Tip #2: Foundation first

Concealer is often the first thing girls go for in their beauty bag.  Resist the urge to conceal first!  Using a concealer first means you end up spreading it around with your foundation, thus defeating the purpose of the product.  By getting your foundation applied and blended first, you can see more clearly how much more coverage your face needs and apply your concealer more precisely.

HD Perfection: Hi-def TV didn’t just make Snooki’s pouf more disastrously lifelike than ever; it also gave us a whole line of HD-inspired beauty products.  MAKE UP FOR EVER created its HD Invisible Cover Concealer to mask any imperfection under the scrutiny of hi-def.  Available in a ridiculously wide range of colors, there’s bound to be one for you!  CARGO’s blu_ray line offers a concealer infused with Visilox (an alternative to Botox) to plump up under-eye circles and improve skin quality over time.  If extreme concealment is what you crave, this is your go-to product.

Tip #3: Fixing a boo-boo

It happens to the best of us: we frantically pick at a pimple before a date or end up with a surprise cold sore the morning of a big job interview.  Jabbing concealer down into open skin may seem like the quickest fix, but it can cause redness, infection, and scarring.  To cover up an open boo-boo, apply liquid bandage over the area, lightly apply concealer, and top off with a loose powder to blend. (Use a Q-tip for these applications to avoid transferring bacteria back into your makeup).

King of the kits: I was going to rave about Benefit Cosmetics’ amazing line of cover-up products, but this kit covers all the bases.  Confessions of a Concealaholic comes with everything you’ll ever need to perfect your complexion: a brightening face primer, industrial strength concealer, eye brightening paste, under eye corrector, light pink eye brightener, and two concealer brushes.  I already own the primer, concealer, and eye brightener – they’re all winners.

Are you a concealaholic?  Share your fave cover-up products with us!

Cheers,

Kimmie (Twitter: @KimmieTrubiro)

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Not Just Another Pretty Face: Jessica Kiefer

This lovely gal came highly recommended as someone we should feature as our Pretty Face (did you know you can nominate people?) and we’re so glad to meet her.  We also couldn’t agree more with the trend she’d like to pull off – we’re in the same boat!

1. Describe yourself in 140 characters or less:

Publicist at BohlsenPR, proud Butler grad from Bloomington, Ind. Love writing, food, fitness, photography and travel. Passionate about the media.

2. If we peeked in your handbag, we would find:

In my handbag, you’ll find the essentials: My iPhone and a variety of lip balm.

3. What are your top 3 beauty must-haves?

Mascara, my CHI hair straightener, and green tea.

4. The trend/look I wish I could pull off is:

Red lipstick.

5. On any given day, you can find me shopping at:

Express or The Limited.

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Spotlight: Painted Lady Dresses

Who doesn’t love an original?  Although Ally Chomer, the designer behind Painted Lady, lives and works out of NYC – we have an Indy connection to her.  She is related to the fabulous Jennifer Rubenstein, founder of the Simply Well Book (which you need to check out if you haven’t prior to now).  We know you gals love to get your fashion on, and these dresses will help you do just that.  They are one of a kind, fun, flirty and feminine – perfect to wear to your next big event.  Check out Painted Lady’s looks for Spring 2011 and let us know what you think!

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Fahionista Friday: Chanel Inspired

We all know Coco Chanel, the fashion icon…well this week for my post, I’m going to show an awesome (and inexpensive) Chanel inspired find.

I was at the mall with a friend and not planning on buying anything because of my limited monetary funds of late, until I walked into Charlotte Russe.  I was digging through the clearance rack and I found a “tweed” cropped jacket, with some very Chanel inspired details.  The ruffle trim, militaresque buttons and the magenta lining make this jacket something extra special.  I’ve worn the jacket twice since I bought it: once to work with a white, collarless button down, black pants and the teal heels that I also ended up buying that day (which are also FABULOUS).  Then later that night, I went out for some drinks and I swapped my trousers for dark skinny jeans and put on a little red lipstick.  I received so many compliments on my outfit that night, that I’m thinking I need a little more ‘Chanel’ in my wardrobe.

The best part about the jacket…it was only $5!!  And the heels were also on sale for $15, a great find in the Von Maur clearance show room.  Moral of the story, dig through the clearance racks because you never know what you may find at an awesome price.

~ Nicole

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Kimmie’s Pre-Weekend Pretty-Up: Inside My Travel Bag

Greetings from the road!  I’ve spent this past week road-tripping around the Southeast visiting my cousin at college for her 21^st birthday.  Aside from having a total blast and feeling way too old to be hanging around a college campus, I also remembered why I love the beauty products I’d brought along with me.  While I’ll borrow a shampoo or shaving cream here and there, I have a few travel essentials that I won’t leave home without.  For this week’s pretty-up I’m sharing my travel bag must-haves, so you can hit the road this weekend with your most beautiful foot forward.

A do-it-all moisturizer: I’m a sucker for multi-taskers, so my obsession with Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion is pretty unsurprising.  The reason I love it for travel is simple: it can be used on virtually anything.  I use the fragrance-free variety on my face, skin, cuticles, and even my hair to tame the winter frizzies.

A classic lip balm: As much as I love my fully-stocked arsenal of lip glosses – there are at least ten floating around the bottom of my purse at the moment – there’s only one I really need while traveling.  Carmex is a basic lip balm; its tingly feeling and slight glossy sheen feel and look great on lips.  Contrary to urban beauty myth, this plain balm is not addictive.  I slather it on before bed every night (on the road and at home) for super-soft lips in the morning.  Note: The Carmex pot lacks a sunscreen, but fear not: the balm now comes in SPF 15 and a variety of flavors.

A fantastic facial cleanser: I always travel with my own face wash; the last thing I need when I’m visiting people is a nasty breakout caused by unfamiliar facial cleansers.  I stick with Neutrogena’s classic Transparent Facial Bar.  It’s the gold standard in old-school skincare, and for good reason.  This bar is easy to pack in your overnight bag and cuts through oil and makeup residue for remarkably clean – but not overly dry – skin.

A really good soap: No matter where you are, you want to be clean.  I’m not of the body wash persuasion, so I stick with a classic bar soap on the road.  My favorite is Summer Hill Triple-Milled Soap by Crabtree and Evelyn.  The light fragrance makes you think you’re using a body wash, and the high quality cleansers get you squeaky-clean every time.  Bonus: the super-luxe soap is gentle enough for your face, too.

A practical shampoo: Packing shampoo and conditioner can take up lots of space in your travel bag, and those little containers just don’t hold enough for more than a few days’ use.  For travel, I turn to Head and Shoulders 2-in-one Classic Clean.  I don’t have dandruff or a dry scalp, but this shampoo/conditioner combo works great on normal hair, too!  Travel sizes are available at most drugstores.

A hair product with options: One of my favorite styling products is Benniefactor’s B Bold Texturizing Spray.  Wearing your hair scrunchy and beachy?  This will bring out your waves.  Using a flatiron or giving yourself a blowout?  This will protect your hair from heat damage and lightly hold it in place.  Benniefactor products are available at more than 20 salons in the Indy area – check the company’s “where to buy” map for one near you!

A grab-and-go dry shampoo: On days when you really can’t be bothered to wash and re-blowout your hair, a good quality dry shampoo is a must-have for a girl on the go.  Ojon Rub Out Dry Cleanser is my pick for the best dry shampoo; it has a nice scent and doesn’t have the white powdery residue lower-budget options can leave behind.  When I ran out of Ojon this week (oops!) I also discovered Oscar Blandi’s Pronto works just as well.  Just steer clear of the drugstore brands on this one – their lower price tag comes with residue and moisture-sucking alcohol.

What products do you take when you travel?  Is there anything you can’t leave home without?

Here’s wishing you a very pretty weekend!

@KimmieTrubiro

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Not Just Another Pretty Face: Leah Beatty

This week’s Pretty Face is none other than the incomparable Leah Beatty.  This is a gal you want – no, need – to follow on Twitter; not only is she super entertaining (seriously – her amazing personality literally jumps off her Twitter feed), she offers a wealth of helpful information relating to social media.  You can find her working hard at Slingshot SEO – and if you’re not the techy type, don’t be scurred…she’s really good at explaining things in layman’s terms.  Trust me.  I know.

1.  Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.

Indy woman with a slight Wisconsin twang. I’m a Twitter junkie, geek, dog mom, and collector of useless facts. I’m a disaster in the kitchen but a force to be reckoned with when it comes to Britney Spears trivia. I’m sassy, I’m sarcastic, and I love the color green. I also have an animated gif for every occasion.

2.  If we peeked in your handbag, we would find:

Receipts that are months old, three different kinds of lip balm, mints, photos of my friends from middle school, perfume, an iPod, wallet, cell phone, and a Tide To-Go stick.

3.  What are your top 3 beauty must-haves?

1.       Clinique’s Moisture Surge
2.       Cocoa Butter lotion
3.       Benniefactor B Smooth Straightening Gel

4.  The trend/look I wish I could pull off is:

Long shirts with a belt, leggings and heels. My hips don’t lie and neither does my height. I’m too tall and curvy for that!

5.  On any given day, you can find me shopping at:

Target and local thrift stores. I like to have accessories that no one else does. I also like drooling over Dyson vacuums and dreaming about owning one.

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Paige & Jill’s Beauty On A Budget: Yoga Pants For Any Budget

As much as we as twenty-something girls want to embrace the real world of living on our own and attempting to channel Mary-Tyler Moore, there are times when we long to go back to our college days when it was appropriate to wear baggy sweatpants and sweatshirts in public.  Now that those days are behind us, and looking like a slob is not an option, we have to find a budget-friendly way of being both comfy and fashionable.  The answer: yoga pants.

Yoga pants are your new wardrobe essential. They can be dressed up and dressed down for almost any occasion.  Running weekend errands means a great pair of yoga pants with a cute tank and cardigan, while cheering on your favorite team is the perfect chance to sport a pair with that college hoodie you love so much.  Whatever the event may be, yoga pants are the perfect solution for casual and comfortable wear.  But as we know, not all things are created equal, so we are here with your guide to finding the perfect pair of yoga pants for your budget.

SPLURGE
Lululemon — This clothing store makes yoga inspired clothing for both men and women.  The quality of these pants are totally worth the higher price tag.  And ladies, these yoga pants come in inseam lengths, fun waistband designs, and various styles.  They even do hemming!  Personal faves: Groove Pant and Still Pant.

SENSIBLE
Victoria’s Secret — They have recently broadened their yoga pants horizons and offer an array of pants styles in some fantastic colors. With prices starting at $29.50 it’s no secret these yoga pants are a great buy.  Personal fave: Yoga Foldover Pants.

STEAL
Target — Yep, that’s right, we said Target.  We both own multiple pairs of these pants because they are great for a workout and at $19.99, they’re the best budget-friendly buy.  Target’s line also offers inseam lengths in many different styles.  Personal fave: C9 by Champion® Women’s Semi Fitted Pants.

Whether you’re looking for something cheap to wear to the gym, or a cute pair to rock when you’re out and about on the weekend, be sure to check out all of these different styles, suitable for any budget.  Happy shopping!

xoxo –

Paige & Jill

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Meg’s Valentine’s Day Must-Haves: Spring Trends

Survive the ice storm? Melt away the ice ice baby with some colorful beauty looks for Valentine’s Day. Wherever your night may take you, I urge you put away the reds and fall in love with some of spring’s latest trends for your Valentine’s Day looks:

Face

A strongly pigmented blush can transform your look in seconds. With Too Faced Snow Bunny, a 4 color shimmery bronzer/blush, your cheeks will not only shimmer but they will stand out. Two Faced Bronzers have lasting power, allowing you to forget touch ups throughout your evening or weekend plans.

Nails

Demure yet romantic, lavender nails are a beautiful alternative to red this Valentine’s Day. Essie, my low-priced substitute for O.P.I., has a plethora of lavender colors. After testing out several of the lavender shades, I recommend Essie’s Lilacism– a creamy and light grayish lavender that would look great on most skintones. Make sure to utilize a base coat underneath this color so it doesn’t chip.

Lips

Feeling groovy? The 70s are back in this Spring with oranges, corals and dusty reds. Implement this trend into your Valentine’s Day plans with a coral shade lip. Without looking too bold, try some coral, apricot or orange tinted lipglosss. Smashbox’s Boundless is the perfect combination of romantic, trendy and pretty.

Eyes

While a lot of us rely on the smoky eye for an evening out, bright and bold eyeliners are in for the Spring. Bright violet eyeliner offers a romantic and stylish touch to your eye makeup. Try Almay intense i-color Play Up Liquid Liner in Purple Amethyst – inexpensively priced and intensely pigmented. The best way to keep from looking like you’re dressing up for a costume party, tone down the purple by apply a beige cream eyeshadow on the lid of your eye before applying.

For a romantic, playful and fun Valentine’s Day — stay colorful and pretty!

- Megan  (@megflyn)

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Kimmie’s Pre-Weekend Pretty-Up: Get Your Bronze On

Tanning beds should be scratched from everyone’s beauty repertoire, but how’s a gal to get some color this time of year?  Bronzers are a great alternative – safe, makeup enhancing, and without the upkeep and cost of spray tanning.  However, finding the right bronzer can be a beauty battle.  From loose powders to compacts to gels, looking effortlessly radiant can take, well, some real effort.  I darken easily in the summer, but around this time of year my Anglo heritage catches up with me and my coloring begins to resemble that of a milk carton; the wrong bronzer can ruin my otherwise complete (but pale) makeup look.  Fortunately, there is some gear to fight the bronzer battle and win the winter skin war – these are my picks for the best and worst bronzers: the fabulous, the well-liked, and the downright pumpkin-colored.

Best in Bronze:

Barely There:  Bare Escentuals has been selling dearly-loved beauty products for years, so it’s no surprise that their bronzer ranks in my top picks.  Faux Tan is a gorgeous cocoa colored powder that doesn’t make skin look orange and only has the teensiest hint of shimmer, so it brings out your natural skin tone.  A natural glow without globbing up your makeup?  Now that’s stunning!

Bronze Benefits:  For the best matte fake tan out there, Benefit’s Hoola reigns supreme.  This product, from the brand’s “Box ‘O Powders” line, has been my go-to bronzer for years.  It blends extremely well over existing makeup, mattifies oily spots and never looks orange, making it the perfect bronzer for keeping winter skin healthy looking and summer skin even more radiant.  I really can’t say enough great things about Hoola – this cute little box packs a seriously multi-tasking punch.

The Consumer Picks:

Golden Oldie: CARGO’s original Bronzing Powder has been in my makeup arsenal since I discovered it in 2004.  The product is now offered in several colors and also offers matte and hi-def styles.  It comes in a generously-sized tin, and the new colors work with virtually any skin tone.

Half-Baked: I received LORAC TANtalizer Baked Bronzer in a bronzing bestsellers kit from Sephora last summer.  Although I wasn’t completely sold on the sparkles this baked bronzer left behind, I still use the product for accentuating cheekbones, collarbones, and just under the eyebrows.  It leaves a nice golden glimmer behind – beautiful for accents, not so great for all-over color.

Bronze Bombs:

Sparkles Galore: Too Faced does so many things right when it comes to makeup.  Unfortunately, Pink Leopard Bronzing Powder isn’t one of their blockbuster products.  Beautiful in the box, Pink Leopard has a shimmery jungle-print design in light pink, nude, and brown.  Sounds pretty beautiful, no?  Not once you’re wearing it.  Upon trying this product, I kept getting told I had “a speck of glitter” on my cheeks or “something sparkly” on my nose.  If you dig sparkles you might love this product, but when I wear a bronzer I want people to see my enhanced makeup, not pink disco glitter.

Jersey-rific: Korres has come up with some seriously incredible beauty breakthroughs, but they took a wrong turn with Korres Monoi Oil Bronzing Powder .  The powder compact, infused with tropical monoi oils, made the color sink into my skin and blend unevenly.  Not pretty.  Also, the color is very, very orange when compared with my other beloved bronzers.  On the upside, I used this bronzer to complete my Snooki costume on Halloween and was extremely pleased with the results!  So girls, unless you’re headed to the boardwalk for some airbrushed t-shirts, this one’s a no-go.

Best in Body: These bronzing solutions will have your body matching your pretty face in no time!

Quick Fix: Benefit’s Jiffy Tan is my favorite fix to baring not-so-sunkissed winter skin.  This body lotion has an instant tanning effect and won’t rub off on clothes once it’s dry (about 10 minutes).  I recommend mixing the product with your favorite plan body lotion – the pigment is quite dark.

Faux Hose: A PI reader recommended I try Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs, saying it covers legs like a pair of panty hose would.  After running out and trying it, I’m super pleased to report that this spray-on leg bronzing makeup really did work like invisible hosiery!  It evens out skin tone and stays put on you legs.  This will be a must-buy for me in the future.  Thanks for the tip, Gabrielle!

Super Glow: Josie Maran built her eco-friendly beauty brand around Argan oil, organic vitamin-rich oil from Morocco.  While I’m not a huge fan of the slightly greasy original version, I do love the bronzing argan oil .  It gives a healthy, sunny glow to skin and has a summery citrus scent.  Priced at $52 for a teensy jar it’s one of the more expensive, but gorgeous, body bronzing options.

Do you have a favorite (or least favorite) bronzer that didn’t make the list?  Tell us all about it!  Have a beautifully bronzy weekend!

Cheers,

@KimmieTrubiro

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