Must Have Outrageous Outfit

Call me crazy, but there is something about these sequin pants that is outrageously appealing.  Actually the whole outfit is calling my name.  I love the mix of sequins and chambray and cashmere – even the camel coat looks like it would go a thousand fashion miles.  (Camel coats usually do go a thousand miles, but this one is a long way from the one my mother wore into the ground…)

I’d love to recreate this look and take it for a spin.  I’m just wondering how many “she must be off her meds today” looks I’d get at the grocery store or in carpool line.  This is why I have to move to Paris.  People dress like this every day in the City of Lights.

Did I mention that the pants are on sale at Shopbop

Image courtesy of Shopbop.com

 

Get More out of Your Beauty Products with Beauty Spoons

Doesn’t it make you NUTS when you’re trying to get the last valuable drops of your favorite (and super expensive) lotion or potion out of the container but it just won’t budge?  I feel like the way packaging is designed these days it is meant to frustrate the consumer and make us wasteful, because there always seems to be at least 4 or 5 days worth of product trapped in the bottle that you just can’t reach.

Well now, thanks to Beauty Spoon you can get every last drop out of your bottle.

Image courtesy of beautyspoon.com

The patent-pending Beauty Spoon® is designed with an ergonomic handle and
flexible stem making it easy to retrieve every ounce of liquid and cream located
at the bottom of your product bottles and containers.  The Beauty Spoon® also comes equipped with a contoured spoon for retaining and scooping out as much liquid as possible.  When finished, simply wash the Beauty Spoon® with soap and water and start bragging to your friends about all the money you saved!It’s the essential beauty tool that maximizes the use of all your beauty products!

Image courtesy of Beautyspoon.com

I was given a bottle of La Mer Concentrate that clocks in at a whopping $375 for 1.7 oz (yes, you read that right…) and thanks to Beauty Spoon, I have extended the life of the Concentrate by at least a week, maybe more, because this handy tool always seems to find just a tiny bit more product tucked in the deep recesses of the bottle!  If you are frustrated by tossing bottles and jars that still have days worth of beauty in them, I highly recommend the Beauty Spoon.

Beauty Spoons cost $9.99 for a set of two, and are available for purchase on line at BeautySpoon.com

Great Deals on Spa Services at Spadia.com

Who doesn’t love a good facial or massage?    Sometimes when the urge to splurge strikes you want instant gratification, but it can be frustrating if all the salons are booked up weeks in advance.  Not to mention the lingering guilt of spending tons of money to pamper yourself!  Well, to the rescue is Spadia.com, a new web site that launched just last week.  Like Groupon, it offers fantastic deals on a wide variety of spa services, and allows you last minute access to appointments at spas all over the country.

Image courtesy of Spadia.com

With Spadia.com’s easy-to-use platform, you can book appointments anywhere at any time.  The sign up process is easy and free.  Consumers looking for spa deals can log on to Spadia.com, enter their email addresses, zip codes, and passwords, and the platform will provide exclusive access to the most sought-after spas and wellness centers in that area.  Upon signing up, you will also receive 20% off your first booked appointment.

Image courtesy of Spadia.com

Spadia.com collaborates with local spas and salons in major cities to offer great deals that you can’t get anywhere else.  With this website, you can save up to 60% off the retail prices.   Spadia.com is now available in the following cities: Austin, Chicago, Houston, New York, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Scottsdale, and Tampa.

To sign up for incredible deals in your city, visit Spadia.com.

 

Copyright 2012 The Fashionable Housewife

Shoes to Inspire a Transition to Spring

Here we are in the middle of the winter that isn’t, and all I can think about is my spring wardrobe.  I’m having visions of flowers and and bright prints and Missoni style zig zags.  I think I’m getting inspired by all the green things than keep popping up in my yard as we alternate sub freezing days with balmy ones with temps in the 50s.  Well, at least some things are consistent, like seasonal style transitions.  So if you want to get a jump start on your spring style, because it will officially be spring before we know it, here are some of my favorite shoes, available at DSW.com.

Steve Madden Kia Sandal $69.95 at DSW

I love the bright print on this platform sandal.  The red and beige colors would work with a lot of different neutrals, and would look really cute with a bright circle skirt.

Madden Girl Crafty Wedge $44.95 at DSW

I love the tropical theme of this shoe, which is just begging to be paired with a pair of white skinny jeans and a sheer black top.

Madden Girl Mellony Zig Zag $44.95 at DSW

These pumps remind me of Missoni without the designer price tag.  I’d wear these with a pair of cuffed boyfriend jeans and a grey T with an orange or navy cardigan.

All of these styles and more are available at DSW.com, or head to your local DSW for a huge selection of trendy spring footwear.

 

 

“What’s Your Nude?”

The following is a great article that appeared today on Fashionista.com.  It was written by the lovely Hayley Phalen, and brings to light an important aspect of our culture and society.  A close friend of mine is a teacher in an inner city school, and has told me many stories of children frustrated and confused because band aids only come in tones that match the skin of white people.  This article is yet another chapter in a book that needs to be updated.  We welcome your comments and insights…

 

“Nude” bras and underwear usually come in colors like beige, blush and ivory. Except, as we all know, there’s a huge portion of the population whose birthday suits don’t come anywhere close to those colors. So what gives?

Psychologist (and African-American consumer) Tara Raines says it’s been a problem for years and she–along with hundreds of other consumers–have finally had enough. Enter the “What’s Your Nude” campaign–a movement, launched today, that asks women and men of all different colors to reach out to bra manufacturers or bra retailers, become a fan of the “What’s Your Nude” Facebook page, and follow the campaign on Twitter in an effort to promote greater diversity in bra colors.

Raines says the last straw came while shopping–where else–at lingerie behemothVictoria’s Secret. “I decided to enjoy some of the fruit of the Victoria’s Secret semiannual sale. I realized the ‘every day’ bras I wanted were only in black, white, and ‘nude’ and I wanted one in BROWN!” she wrote to us in an email. “They only had very few styles in brown but innumerable styles in ‘nude.’ I got pissed.” After discussing her experience with family members and friends and finding out that for more than 30 years, many of them had been dying their bras brown, Raines decided the industry needed to change. The “What’s Your Nude” campaign was born.

“Women of color have tremendous spending power in the U.S. and it’s absurd to think that in 2012 we are essentially disenfranchised when they shop for lingerie,” Raines added. “It’s my hope that this campaign will drive not only awareness, but swift action by bra makers.”

But why make all this fuss over a bra, you ask? Because, as Raines makes clear, it goes a lot deeper than just being able to find suitable undergarments. “As a group, [women of color] are still fighting to have our beauty recognized,” she said. “Part of feeling beautiful is looking like ourselves.” And that means being able to find brown bras that suitably match their skin color–something that many white women probably take for granted.

“I feel it is imperative that women of color be represented in bras, panties, and lingerie. We shouldn’t have to go to a specialty store, on a goose chase, or spend a fortune to get a bra that looks more like us,” Raines wrote. “Being ignored is a slight. Every time I shop for bras, I am subjected to a micro-aggression.”

And it’s not just the undergarment industry that’s the problem–Raines says that products from SPANX to high-heeled shoes need to start reflecting the diverse skin colors that exist in this country. “Since starting this [campaign] a NUMBER of people have emailed me about bandaids!” Raines added.

She added that hundreds of women had reached out to her and to the “What’s Your Nude” campaign to “share their struggles and their ‘secrets’ for tackling the hurdles of not having brown bras available.” So far the campaign has 1,959 fans on Facebook–and counting.

“I hope that through this campaign people will become mindful of women of color both in lingerie and fashion in general,” Raines told us. “I would like to walk into the store of my choice and find multiple sizes, styles, and options of brown bras. I would like to for young girls to be able to buy brown training bras. I would like to be the color brown to be as common to lingerie as ‘nude.’”

 

Uggs: The Forbidden Footwear

The following article made its way around the newswires yesterday.   This is awesome…what will school administrations AND students think of next…!

“Effective today, a middle school in Pottstown, Pennsylvania has banned students from wearing Uggs and other furry boots to class. The reason? Students were smuggling cell phones in the fuzzy recesses of their footwear and then texting at their desks, which is against the rules. The school does allow students to wear boots and bring phones to school, but they have to leave both items in their lockers during the day.  Fashion-conscious students may wear their Uggs to campus, but they’ll have to change shoes before entering class.  Parents have already complained about the new rule to local newspaper the Pottstown Mercury, but it seems like the school district probably has bigger problems at stake, like the prospect of banning pockets.”

Image courtesy of Styleite.com

Crazy Dinner Idea to Make You Smile

Every once in a while you  need something totally ridiculous and frivolous in your life.  Sometimes it’s a dress or a pair of shoes, sometimes it’s an inside joke, but whatever it is, it makes you smile and hopefully makes others around you smile as well.

Tonight, try this one on your kids:

I’ll bet they’ve never seen anything like it, and I also bet that it becomes a new dinner staple at your house! The picture appeared on a friend’s Facebook page this morning.  I’d give credit to the creator but I can’t follow the link back far enough.  Whoever you are – you made me laugh today!

 

Copyright 2012 The Fashionable Housewife