Drugstore Junkie

OK, admit it, you’ve all done it. You walk into a drugstore to get some contact solution or pick a prescription and find yourself walking down the makeup aisle, admiring all the pretty colors. For some, this is perfectly normal, as it’s really where they buy all their makeup, anyway. However, for others, it’s a shameful event. Embarrassed to be seen buying something as simple as mascara anywhere else than Sephora, these are the people who wouldn’t dare make a makeup purchase at CVS without donning a fake mustache. Personally, I’d place myself somewhere in the middle of these two types. As a young citizen, the money I make is quite minimal, and therefore it certainly pays to shop the sales, even if it is in the aisle right next to the feminine hygiene products. On the other hand, nothing quite beats scoring the perfect, non-sticky lipgloss from Urban Decay. My advice to you? Shop at drugstores as much as possible. No, they won’t have classic red Lancôme lipsticks or the perfect shade of foundation from Chanel, but they will have something just as valuable. At drugstores, you’ll find the lime green eyeliners, fuchsia lip glosses, and hot pink nail polishes that fill the pages of Vogue one month and are deemed “out” by Marie Claire the next. I’m talking about trends, and you’ll find them all for under a mere $10. So if you’re someone who likes to experiment with color, hop in your car right now, head to your local CVS, and stock up! There’s no need to break the bank when you just might find that that blue mascara you’ve been lusting after doesn’t quite work on you after all.

HAPPY SHOPPING!!!

Coach-Crazy

Don’t wear one designer head-to-toe. Yes, yes, you’ve heard it all before. Of course, it’s true; to stand out and show off your personality, it’s not ideal to wear a straight-off-the-runway look from any given designer. As easy as this unwritten “rule” sounds, it happens to be much more easily said than done for some people. I could sit here and harp at you all day about the dangers of this epidemic, but the truth is, I am just as guilty as everyone else. As I sit here at my computer and look around, I see an overwhelming amount of Coach products. A patchwork purse with a multicolored scarf sits on the bottom step as a simple black clutch rests just a few steps up. But this is only the beginning. It seems that over the years, Coach has become my one-stop shopping place for all things having to do with purses, clutches, wallets, and key chains. Yes, I’ve wrestled with the idea of buying satchels made by other designers and, as I’m not exactly opposed to doing it, I simply don’t feel the same joy that I do when pulling that red tissue paper out of that crisp white bag to undercover my new leather purse. So how do I deal with this, when, as all good fashionistas do, I constantly try to be anything but ordinary and predictable? Well, I’ve decided to make it my staple, another undeniable element of a truly fashionable woman. While their sleek hairstyles, signature fruity scents, or fierce pumps define some people, I, fashionista, am now recognized by my classic-ly American Coach bags.*

*Please do not get me wrong here. Just because I’ve made Coach bags my signature style does NOT mean that I am planning on wearing them with a Coach hat, scarf, gloves, and sneakers. That would be just WRONG! :)

HAPPY SHOPPING!!!

Fur...A Fabulous Thing???

Usually, as yours truly Fashionista, I’m open to any new trend that may come my way. Big necklaces? Tried it! (Really cute.) Tights under shorts? Tried it! (Made my legs look fat.) I’m sure you’ve heard me say before that no matter how out there a trend is, it may just look amazing on you; so don’t hesitate to try anything in the name of fashion. I may just have to go back on that, however, after seeing the newest “big thing”. Fur!!! Now, I’m not a vegetarian by any means (I can eat steak and burgers with the rest of them) but there’s just something that seems wrong about wearing a dead animal on your body. With the all-natural and animal-rights activist trends that have popped up in the past couple of years (ever since the problem of global warming has become well-known) I just can’t believe that the American people are allowing this to happen. Indeed, enough people must be enjoying this deadly trend for it to be surfacing in every fashion magazine from Vogue to Lucky lately. Now, don’t get me wrong, leopard prints and faux fur stoles do look gorgeous on most every girl out there. Just don’t opt for the real thing! Below I’ve included a list of some wonderful faux options that you can find online:

Nine West Jacket-$199

Wonderful Faux Fur Website

Forever 21 Belted Faux Fur Jacket-$34.80

Mad for Plaid

I’m sure most of you can remember back to the 90s (or maybe it was even in the 80s) when oversize plaid button downs were commonly paired with Dr. Martens and worn as the uniform of the everyday teenager. This era in fashion was known as “grunge”. Just as with virtually every trend, plaid is back hot and heavy this season, but in a whole new way. How, over the course of just 20 years, has this iconic checkered print gone from sloppy to neat and pulled-together? To be completely honest with you, for a long time I was actually a bit frightened of plaid. “It will make me look fat,” and “I hate seeming sloppy,” I reasoned with myself. However, as I began to see more and more of this particular trend popping up everywhere from Teen Vogue to American Eagle to kids at my school, I felt myself being strangely drawn to it. Once I stopped coming up with reasons NOT to like it, I decided to try on my first plaid piece. It was a button-down, nipped-waist, ruffled-neck shirt from American Eagle…and I instantly loved it! Over the years, plaid has made its way from the streets to fashion houses, and can now take on almost any identity, from preppy to even (gasp!) high-fashion. For me, this transformation symbolizes something greater; a “never say never” attitude when it comes to fashion. Just because there’s a look out there that you absolutely hate, don’t just look past it. In a few years it may have evolved into something that looks absolutely stunning on you. Who knows? Soon we all may be wearing harem pants to school.

A Colorful World

Remember the good old days back in preschool when your mom would dress you in the morning? You’d always have on a pretty dress, bow in your hair, Mary Janes, and, of course, tights. Then you grew up a little bit and got to about 5th grade. By that time, everyone wearing tights was just a baby. Jeans were the “cool” thing to wear, but if you absolutely had to wear a dress, you most definitely did not put tights with it. This is how I was, anyway, which was why I was surprised when I began to, well…like the new trend of tights. As a dancer, it’s definitely an understatement to say that I feel comfortable in tights. In fact, I feel quite at home in them. However, it was always a bit of a strange concept to me; wearing them without a leotard and ballet shoes. As it happens, my newfound love for tights in everyday life began when I attended my uncle’s funeral. I’ve been very lucky in my life, and this was only the third funeral I’d ever been to. However, that caused quite a quandary when choosing what to wear. After trying on outfit after outfit in my room for hours, I finally decided upon a black-and-white skirt, basic black tee, black kitten heel pumps, and black Capezio tights. I actually thought I looked quite chic. Keeping my legs covered was new to me, though, and I swore I’d stick to black. None of those crazy colors for me. I truly believed this would work…that is, until I came upon a pair of argyle (yes, argyle) tights in a recent issue of Lucky magazine. Somehow, they managed to be chic and playful at the same time. I am now on a search to find the best argyle, lace, colored, and any other kind of tights I can. Needless to say, I don’t think this is only a love affair. It seems to be for life.

Blogging Experiment

Ok, so...hello, everybody! This is my first time blogging so just bear with me. As an aspiring fashion journalist I thought it would be a fun and productive activity to blog about my favorite thing in the world: fashion! As I have quite a busy scheduele, this will not be an everyday thing. However, I will try to get on at least once a week to update this and inform you of new trends, fashion events, and things that inspire me. My goal is simply to install in you the same passion for style that I have. And, since this blog is all about fashion, I thought it might be helpful to let you know some of my style prefrences.
-Favorite brands=Juicy Couture, Bestey Johnson, Lucky Brand Jeans
-Favorite stores for cheap, everyday style=American Eagle, Forever 21, H&M, Charlotte Russe
-Favorite department stores=Macy's, Target (hey, who doesn't love a good bargain?), Barney's
If anybody has anything they would like to see me write about, just comment! ;)