Holidays = parties + food + cute fashion + presents = need for cute low priced party outfits

It's true. The holidays are officially around the cor... no wait! They've already rounded the corner and are now in a head on sprint toward my wallet and my waistband! Oh no! Well, I can't do much for you in terms of fending off the holiday food bonanza (you are on your own. I am powerless against all things pumpkin or peppermint. Damn them all. And the soy nog! The soy nog!!) but let's see what we can do about some party pretties that won't break the bank. Okey dokey?

Oh, and I know I am biased toward a love for dresses, sometimes to the point of ignoring the wonderful world of trousers, but if EVER there was a time for a cute dress or two, its the holiday season. Easy, inexpensive, fun and flirty. Perfect, no?

From the mainstay that is Forever 21:

Extend Pleat Dress $24.80


Embroidered Satin Dress $27.80

Peacock Maxi Halter Dress $32.80

Pleated Satin Tube Dress $24.80

Queen Fringed Satin Dress $22.80

Sequin Sash One Shoulder Top $19.80

AND NOW A FEW OFFERINGS FROM HEAVENLY COUTURE (they are truly the masters of the extra long descriptive title)

Black and Ivory Floral and Circles Sheer Dress $17.95

Bursts of Color Racer Back Dress $17.95

Short Sleeve Scoop Neck Brown Sweater Neck with Silver Sparkle $17.95

Loopy Placket Silver Dress $17.95

Now go grab some satin or sequins or taffeta and paint the town red!

Coming soon, cruelty free and awesome gifts for the holidays!

FOREVER 21 vs. AGE ANGST

Hello my lovelies! I have been a bad bad bad non-poster, I know. :-( What can I say? I'm sorry. But I know actions speak louder than words, so I figured a good long fashion post would tell you all how much I love you more than words ever could. Shall we get started?

Now, whenever I have been particularily lazy about fashion stuff for a while, one of the first places I always check is the Forever 21 site. It's huge, they have cute stuff, it is a good representation of the current trends in most stores, etc. I've never felt the slightest bit bad about shopping at Forever 21. Heck, I'm still a (relatively) young woman, not a teenager, no, but it's cool. I have issues, don't we all? I was ok with my F21 love.

Until I started thinking about the new Forever 21 sister store that opened up at the Beverly Center here in LA this month - Heritage 1981. This was supposed to skew more toward my age demographic, a little older, a little more professional I guess? I hadn't had a chance to get to the store, but I figured I would check out some offerings online. Hmmm...I thought. There is some cute stuff here, some nice sweaters and tops. What I really liked on the site was the vast array of cute sweater vests:






All of these are cute, reasonably priced (between 20-25 bucks) and perfect for winter. Cool. But was I captivated? Was I plotting my trip immediately, and imagining all the wonderful places I could wear these? Not really... they WERE nice sweater vests, but is this what age appropriate means? No more fashion passion? Sensible sweater vests? I began to feel a bit uneasy...

Next, I thought I would check out Forever 21's other sister store, Twelve by Twelve, which also has a store in LA that I haven't been to yet (although, unlike Heritage 1981, I'm not sure exactly what Twelve by Twelve's "niche market" is supposed to be, besides female). So I went over to their website, and... it was weird. Some of the stuff was ok, but (like Heritage) the selection was MUCH smaller than F21, and the weirdest thing was, the clothing looked cheap. I think it might just be that their photo stylist or whatever wasn't doing a very good job, but the clothes just seemed to be hanging off this white mannequin, alone, sad and uninteresting. I thought these pieces were ok:






Cute enough, right? But these were, imo, the best offerings on the whole site, and I wasn't in love with any of them either (that jacket is pretty close to awesome, though). AND these were pricier than F21's similar items ($35-55, approx). What is going on, I thought? Have I lost my taste for fashion? Is this what is supposed to excite me? I only had one option - I would now go to Forever 21's website and see what this forbidden teenage fashion was that was previously so superior and age appropriate in my mind. So I did.

And you know what? I found TONS of cute stuff. For the late 20's gal, like me. I didn't have to search too hard, in fact, I had to weed out my list a bit. Look at all this stuff:












SO MUCH CUTER, and most of it would be great at the office, while the two short, swingy dresses would be totally great at a holiday party! All reasonably priced, and FINALLY my heart went pitter pat in the excited way that I remember! I was scheming as to how many of these wonderful pieces I could actually afford this month! I was imagining myself in them in various places, laughing or reading or some such activity and looking so chic. Ahhhh..... that is what I'm talking about people!

Oh, and I saw this:

THE CUTEST winter vest I've ever seen, and something I would most likely accost a group of blind, mute, orphans for. Ok, maybe not, but I REALLY love this vest! And $33? YES!!!!!

So, in conclusion, I say this to you. I shop at Forever 21. I will continue to shop at Forever 21. Perhaps I am delusional, but I don't feel the least bit inappropriate about it. So there. HA! I will go shop and be victorious in gorgeous new duds.

IT'S FALL FASHION TIME (I THOUGHT IT WOULD NEVER GET HERE)

Hello lovely people! As I sit here on a surprisingly uncharacteristic but welcome cloudly September day, I could not be more excited about the coming fall weather and the corresponding fall fashion. After all my endless talk of being impatient for summer so I could flounce in wafting and full skirted dresses, one would think I am a bit fickle. Well, to you I say, the best thing about the seasons is that they change. I tire of them quickly. I suppose I am quite fickle. But I'm ok with that :-)

Therefore, read on to find some of my favorite fall fashion picks this week. Imagine the crisp air, the smell of apple cider, the foliage people! The foliage! But what do I know about foliage, I live in LA...

Boatneck Dress $39.50 from Alloy
This dress is mighty nice. It feels like you could rock it in transitional weather then break it out again for winter holiday parties.

Cable Knit Tunic $34.50 from Alloy
I am a sucker for white sweaters. I don't know why. The simplicity of white just works for me with a big chunky knit. This one is a bit boho and I love it.

Shawl Cardigan $29.50 from Alloy
Love the bright blue. Love the snug fit. Love the double breasted button front. Yes, that will do nicely.

Melissa Oxford $34.50 from Alloy
This is one fall footwear trend I am hopping right on. The high heeled oxford. Its totally chic and interesting, and wont just jet out of style in about two seconds.

Ludlow Boot $39.50 from Alloy
These boots + bright leggings + anything on top = fall happy fun time

Cindy Crochet Tunic $34.50 from Delia's
This is perfect to throw on over jeans then grab a chunky sweater for later. Good transitional weather top

Printed Satin Dress $34.50 from Old Navy
I love this dress so much. So easy and forgiving, but totally put together. Plus the color combo is really sending me today.

So...... basically what I think I'm saying is, bring it on, Fall. Bring it on.

What's black and blue and Coenzyme Q10ed all over?

ME!! Sorry for the scant amount of posts folks. Soon after my last post, I took a softball to the face (yes, really) and although nothing broke, it did quite a number on me and I haven't been feeling quite so in the mood for beauty when every time I look in the mirror I have mistaken myself for a) a boxer b) an alien or c) a zombie. This week finds me more on the mend (finally!), no more swelling, cuts healing, and only a scant amount of black and blue left under my eyes :-) So I am finally in the mood to beautify a bit! Because doing any sort of facial anything is still sort of a moot point for another week, I turn my attention to the other areas of the physical self...

For sparkling white teeth
Nature's Gate Peppermint Whitening Toothpaste with Flouride $6.99

For feeling transported to some exotic locale whilst simply sudsing in your shower
Nature's Gate Asian Pear and Red Tea Body Wash $9.99

For the best smelling all day deep condition (I love this product and am picking up some more after work today)
Freeman Papaya and Sea Kelp Massive Moisture 3 Minute Conditioner $3.99

Just a few cheap and awesome products that make me smile thinking about them... More updates next week, as I am finally starting to feel like my old self again :-)

In the meantime, steer clear of flying softballs and load up on the CO Q10!!

BREEZY OFFICE FASHION

Working in an office during the day, I am always on the lookout for an outfit that is cute, current, and workplace appropriate (and that won't break the bank). With that in mind, check out some of the great finds I came across this morning on some of the old standby online fashion stores (Alloy, Delia's, and Old Navy):

Alloy 3/4 Sleeve Shirtdress ($39.50)

Alloy Menswear Mixed Media Dress ($42.50)

Alloy Striped Ruffle Yoke Dress ($39.50)
obviously would need to be worn with leggings of some sort in a non-casual office, since it is pretty short, but so cute!

Delia's Pamela Check Dress ($39.50)

Old Navy Belted Satin Dress ($34.50)
I debated as to how office appropriate this dress was since the satin makes it a little bit slinky/festive. But how awesome would it look with some black leggings and boots in the fall? Very office approriate.

Old Navy Floral Shirt Dress ($29.50)
Casual Fridays? Am I reaching? I had to include this dress, it's so cute, and despite being short, it's otherwise very modest.

Old Navy Stretch Ponte Pleated Tank Dress ($29.50)

Old Navy Voile Cinch Tie-Dress ($29.50)

Dresses are just so perfect for everything (except yardwork. Ok, maybe some yardwork? Special yardwork, like trimming flowers from your garden for a lovely impromtu bouquet. Yes, because I do this ALL the time in my imaginary yard. But, IF I DID, I would do it in a dress). My point is, you just throw one on and go, and you can buy a whole new ensemble for a lot less money if you just go for a good dress.

AVON SALE and SMASHBOX LIP HEAVEN

Hey all -

Sorry I've been out of the blogging game lately again... sheesh. The truth of the matter is I've been trying to save some extra cash lately, so I haven't been able to buy much stuff. Bummer. The truth ain't pretty, people. :-) But I've decided that shouldn't stand in the way of me pointing out what YOU can still enjoy!! So, without further ado, I wanted to tell you about a fantastic AVON sale that they are having TODAY:


Free shipping and tons of discounted items!! Avon has been around forever, and many women I know SWEAR by it. I have tried several of their products, and have always found them to be of good quality at a good price. Plus, they've been cruelty free for quite a while too, so support one of the OG cruelty free cosmetics companies! Yes, I did just say OG. Wow, did I just make myself sound REALLY dated? Wait, don't answer that....

Also, just wanted to let you know that I recently got to try some of the Smashbox Wicked Lovely collection I blogged about in a previous post, and although it was all great, I am totally obsessed with the 3 lipglosses offered as part of the collection! The nude shades are luscious, there is simply no other word to describe them. Wearing these makes me want to throw all of my other nude glosses away. And the container has a little miniature cat-o-nine-tails on the top! I LOVE IT! So awesome, I just thought it was a tassle and when I realized what it was supposed to be I about died - FANTASTIC!