Ooh La Lavanila

I am constantly using this body butter from Lavanila to keep my hands from drying out this Winter. It's free from any nasty chemicals, which I love. But it also actually works! It's nice and thick, but also fast absorbing. And you can see an instantaneous improvement in your skin after you put it on, as well as long-term benefits. My favorite is vanilla coconut, but vanilla grapefruit is also a great scent. Sephora has a smaller 2.75oz size for $12, if you're unsure about spending $25 for 8oz. Or better yet, try the 3 x 2.75oz sample pack for $30, and get the 3 best-selling fragrances!

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Glossy Goodness

I think I'm in love. With a lip gloss. I've been having an affair with Tarte lip gloss for nearly two years now. And why would I ever want to stay away from something this good? Free from parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, petrochemicals, phthalates. Your lip gloss does end up in your mouth eventually, and I don't know of anyone who likes to snack on petroleum products. It comes in three pretty colours, as well as a set of 15 mini-glosses, which you can give as gifts or keep all to yourself (I'm very possessive of my lip gloss lovers, so naturally chose to keep them all). They all have subtle, pretty scents, are very moisterizing, and long-wearing. They are also great to layer - a little for a sheer look, a lot for bombshell. While each full-sized gloss is $21 at Sephora, they are always having site-wide sales, and it ends up being a good bargain, as the tubes last quite a long time. Plus, if you sign up with a site like ebates, you get 4% back from your purchases. Oh l'amore. Read more

My worst nightmare...

Today I spilled red nail polish on my brand new denim pencil skirt. You can probably imagine how pissed off I was, considering that it was the first time I wore the skirt, and the skirt is irreplaceable since it was the last one in the store. Knowing that nail polish remover would most likely lighten my dark denim I scoured the internet and found a few discussion boards recommending bug spray. Skeptical, but desperate, I tried it, and it actually worked! I then immediately washed the skirt and am pleased to say that all traces of nail polish are gone, with no denim lightening. I've heard this also works on light-coloured fabrics. Thank you, internet, for coming to my rescue, yet again!

Note: Don't throw clothes in the drier until you're sure that the stain has been successfully removed - the heat will set the stain! Incidentally, I never put my dark denim in the drier, because it wears it out faster and fades the colour. Read more

Can Rain Boots be Fashionable?

They may come close this year, with all the fantastic new designs I've seen. From simple polka dots, to tattoo-inspired art, rain boots have taken on a new life! These are a few of my favorites, pulled from Amazon.com. The unpredictable and crazy weather I've seen while visiting Vancouver has prompted me to consider getting a pair myself. But if I catch anyone wearing these when there is no rain or mud or snow they will get a talking to from me ;-) (OK, maybe I won't go up to a complete stranger and lecture them, but my friends will be sure to hear about it!)

Here are some of my favorites: 

This bad-ass, whimsical print is sure to bring out your inner rocker-chick

A fun new twist on traditional polka dots is sure to liven up the dreariest day

A beautiful pair of classic red boots is spot on with the new dye-dipped trend

These french-inspired designs are sure to illicit envy

Click on the pictures to follow the links, and get them while you can!

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Long, unexplained absence

Hello all! I have literally dropped off the face of the earth, I know, so I feel an explanation is in order. First, I finished my Master's degree in August, which needless to say meant no life for a good 6 months. Second, I have moved to the other side of North America (to Virginia no less!) to start a new PhD program. Crazy? Absolutely. So you may understand when I say I've not had much time or energy to devote to my poor blog. But I have hope that there will be more posts to come, especially since I have a new blogger app on my iphone, so I can post on the go!

Stay tuned,

The reluctant fashionista Read more

Starting Your Style from Scratch: Cull Your Closet

Hello again my lovely fashion mavens! As the weather starts to warm and a new fashion season is upon us many of you are probably considering a major style overhaul. Nervous about taking creating your new look? Have no clue where to begin? Have no fear, the reluctant fashionista is here to help with four easy steps to a new you!

1) Cull Your Closet
Out with the old, in with the new style! But not so fast...you may have some worthy pieces of clothing hiding in your closet. Set aside an afternoon, and start making four piles of clothes (and accessories): give away/donate, trash, keep, keep but needs repair/tailoring.

Find the Clothes that Flatter
Take all of the clothes that are ill-fitting, sloppy, just don't flatter your body type, or you plain just don't feel good in. Do any of these items require minimal tailoring to obtain the perfect fit? By all means, take them to a tailor, but: don't bother altering clothes that are well-worn and have seen better days, and check with the tailor first to see what the cost will be before they begin. No use in tailoring a pair of pants when you can get an identical item off the rack that fits great and costs the same or less than the tailoring. OK, so maybe this is not as easy as it sounds...it can be hard to let go of your standard wardrobe go-tos, or that shirt that cost you a fortune. But are you willing to give up valuable closet-real-estate to items that make you look any less fabulous than you are? Enlist a close friend or relative for help in exorcising your closet-demons if need be :-)

Colours Come in More than Black
Next, think about the colours that flatter your skin tone. Two general rules here: 1) Jewel tones look good on any (yes any!) skin tone, and are particularly flattering for mature complexions 2) Colours that are too close to your skin tone will wash you out (example: dusty rose on pale skin) - if you insist on wearing these colours try to wear them along with a more saturated (darker, more pigmented) colour to make your complexion look radiant. A special note on black: the colour black should not be used as a safety net, go-to-colour. For your own good (I'm begging you now) add some colours to your wardrobe, and try mixing up the neutral-scene with colours like grey, chocolate brown, olive green, and navy (yes, navy is back in full force, although I'm not sure why or when it was ever out). Black has a tendency to wash out pale complexions, and too much black in your wardrobe is just plain boring and funeral-ish. There. I've vented. I feel a lot better now. Still having trouble with what colours flatter you? Try visiting a makeup counter at a local pharmacy or department store. They ofter offer free make-overs, and can tell you what 'your colours' are. Next, check out my blog entries on colour theory for tips on matching and coordinating colours!

Survival of the Fittest
Finally, get rid of the clothes that you will never wear again: uber-trendy clothes, now out of style, tapered pants (don't even get me started on this one - please just get rid of them), clothes that no longer fit with your lifestyle or age. To really dig out those old dinosaurs I recommend drastic measures. If you have a spare closet (or a spare plastic bin or box), move all of your remaining clothes there. After you pull out an item of clothing and wear it, return it to it's home back in your bedroom closet. If you are lacking space to do this, dividing your closet into half clothes to keep, half maybe clothes will work too. Just move clothes to the 'keeper' side of the closet as you wear them. Give yourself about a year with this system (6 months if you are impatient like me) and at the end of that time donate or give away all of the clothes that don't make the cut.

My strategy for culling your closet may seem strict and a little time-consuming, but this all-important first step in gaining a revitalized style is definitely worth the time and effort you put in.

Next up: Closet Organization! Read more

Top 5 Reasons to Wear Dark Denim

1) Dark jeans are easy to dress up or down, unlike lighter washes which are a more casual look
2) Dark uniform washes make your legs look long and lean! Fading, whiskering, and other paraphernalia draw attention to these lighter areas - lighter areas on the hips and thighs make you look bigger than you are.
3) If you are a fan of faded jeans, naturally faded jeans always look better than factory-faded jeans.
4) Dark denim will always be in style, unlike the current trendy light washes, so you can wear them for years!
5) The chemical treatments used for fading in the factory is hard on denim, making it likely that your trendy jeans won't last half as long as your classic dark denim. Read more

Tummy Troubles

Hasn't everyone wanted a flat, model-thin tummy area at one time or another? I am happy to say though that I have finally conquered by tummy anxieties, and I think you can too! The first step is to work on your mental demons - you know, the ones that keep telling you that you look like some kind of large mammal and that your life won't be complete until you lose those extra 10 pounds. It's time we embrace our curves, ladies! None of us have perfectly flat stomachs, that's just the way we were built (and that includes models and work-out gurus). If you find yourself constantly battling with insecurities then try focusing your mental efforts on how beautiful the other parts of your body are. We are all beautiful in our own unique way.

The next step is to find the clothes that flatter. The real trick is actually where your pants or skirt hit your stomach. To minimize your tummy (no nip or tuck required) find pants/skirts that sit across the widest part of you. "But won't that just put emphasis on the widest part of me?" No, in fact, it divides your widest part in half, which minimizes the trouble area. It also allows your pants to sit flush (flat against) your stomach, so there are no roles or bulges. Go with high-rise pants and you get the unfortunate "tummy bulge", go low-rise and you get the unflattering "tummy roll". This is not because of the way your body is shaped! Your clothing is working against you and creating flaws where there are none. By wearing the correct rise, you may be pleasantly surprised at how good you can look in the clingy sweaters that you used to stay away from like the plague.

Still not merry about your middle-section? Three words: camis and blouses and belts.

1)A simple cami under a sweater or T-shirt helps iron-out those figure flaws, and allows clothing to sit flatter (read flatter stomach). You'll be amazed - definitely try this one.

2)If you have a small tummy bulge, try wearing a medium-width belt loosely over that area. A belt is to the tummy as foundation is to the face!

3)Make sure to try this sure-fire figure flatterer: the blouse. Blouses have more structure than T-shirts and sweaters - your clothes do the work so your body doesn't have to. Look for fitted blouses, which can be identified by "C"-shaped seaming, darting, or pin-tucking. These types of seams work to give you an hour-glass shape, and stand slightly away from the body so you get a nice flat appearance across the tummy. Remember, think fitted, not tight. Many women have trouble finding blouses that fit perfectly off the rack, so make friends with a tailor, and $10-$20 later you'll have a blouse custom-fitted to you!



Other noteworthy tips: Larger mid-sections or chests are de-emphasized by wearing bottoms with some volume: think straight-leg trousers, flared skirts, and slim-fit straight-legged jeans (inside of the super skinny or tapered variety). Read more