Fashion Blogger Admission.

I am going to admit it...I usually blog while in my pajamas. Of course to me pajamas consist of cotton track pants, t-shirt, and these slippers:

Above: Cable Knit Pom-Pom Slippers by Avon

Yes, I am into comfort when at home and look forward to slipping out of my everyday wear and into my track pants/tee pajama combo with slippers. I actually own the slippers above in both colours and wear them soon after entering the house when I know I will not be heading out again for the day/evening.

Heck, I am wearing a pair right now.

Above: my slippers looking less pink in colour than they are due to bad room lighting.

I guess when I blog, I like to feel comfortable and to me comfort is pjs and slippers. I am sure I am not the only bloggers who does this, though not many would admit it.

Keeping The Shine Down.

Admission: I am one of those people who has a shiny face soon after applying foundation.

It does not matter how much I powder my face after I apply foundation, within 30 to 45 minutes, my face will be shining in the T-zone. I struggled with this problem for years applying tons of powder, touching it up every time I thought about it with a compact in my purse, and just not having an easy time of it.

I had heard about face primers that go on under foundation that combat this issue but, they were always out of my price range since most were over $20 for a small jar/tube/amount of face primer. So, I just suffered through with the shiny face until about a year ago when I discovered this product:

Above: MagiX Face Perfector SPF 20 by Avon

Yes, you see that right, it is by Avon. I started to use this product under my foundation/ face powder and I end the day with barely a shine to my face. Even if it is hot, I merely get a slight sheen to my nose that powder covers quickly.

It is colourless and you can wear it on it's own if you are going without make-up to keep the shine down as well. The tube is not huge but, a little goes a long way with this product and fact it is only $7.99 (usually $10.00 but, currently on sale), makes it well worth the money spent on it.

So, if you have that shine issue with your face...give this product a try. I did and was so happy with the results.

02.24.10 - Longing For...

Above: St. Bart's Pant in Fawn by Georgie

The pants look so comfortable and the loose fit would be great for warmer days. I also think they would look good with flat sandals or flip flops.

Above: Lindsey in Caledon by Kooba Handbags

I love the honey colour and the style. It looks like a sleek, large enough to hold everything I need, bag.

Above: Johan Halter Top by Billabong

I love the lacy look of the back of this halter top. Perfect for warm spring days and to wear long into summer.

Above: Charli Clogs by Jeffrey Campbell

I love the colour and the classic styling of these clogs. I own a pair of black leather clogs that are a bit beat up from years of use and am looking for a pair of clogs to replace them. Maybe of a similar style to these?

First A Shoe Shopper Rant And Then Shoe Goodness.

I think I will a start this blog post off with a rant. Remember these shoes I mentioned in the last blog post I made?

I was hoping to track them down at the local Payless Shoe Source and try them on to see if they suited me. I turn up at the store and they don't have ANYTHING like them. Just tons of crappy styles like THIS and THIS.

I asked the sales clerk about if they were going to get any and he said, and I quote, "Yeah, we saw those on the website too and we are not getting them because, well, it is Spokane you know."

WTF?!?!?! What kind of lame ass excuse is that? So, because we are Spokane (which has a population of around 540,000 just within the city limits by the way and about another 250,000 within the suburbs) we don't get cool shoes and styles that are openly offered on the Payless website? Yeah, way to be stupid Spokane Payless. I really cannot wait to move away at this point.

Also, yes, I know I can buy them online and save shipping and handling by having them delivered to your store. The problem? How will I know what size is right for me (8 or 81/2) and if they fit me correctly? And if I have them shipped to your store, you KNOW you won't call me when they come in because that is how Spokane works. So, the whole buying them online, most likely, will not work out.

I am so pissed off and reminded yet again why Spokane sucks for anyone who has a progressive mindset.

I was happy yesterday when the UPS man delivered the Pumas I ordered for myself as a Christmas gift (using Christmas money). These ones:

The best thing? They fit!!!!! They fit my feet perfectly and are so comfortable to wear now that they are broken in. They also are not as "dayglo" as the websites made them look.

The purple is satin-y in material, the pink wave is patent leather and not as bright as the "dayglo" shoelaces which is fine with me. The best thing about the colours? They go well with all my dark wardrobe pieces as well as my blue jeans. So, they were an excellent buy for me and I will be switching them off with my older green and yellow coloured tennis shoes.

I also wore the shoes that were gifted to me at Valentine's Day by my mum for the first time today.

I wore them with socks, yes I know I know, socks with sandals, ick! It is still winter though the sun is shining outside and so socks were worn. I am not one who suffers for the sake of fashion.

They are pretty comfortable but, I could tell that if I did a huge amount of walking in them the balls of my feet would feel a bit pained. The heel is a bit extreme in angle without a lot of padding in the balls of the feet so, I will not be using these as "walking sandals".I do like them and will enter them into my "shoe's I wear" rotation.

So, today was filled with shoe shopper angst and shoe owner love. A bit of the ying and yang so that it balanced out.

Gaultier @ Target, Drool-Worthy Shoes, and Bright Star's Soundtrack.

First, I am a bit excited that Jean Paul Gaultier is collaborating with Target and that the clothing actually looks quite cool. Hopefully, the clothing will not look as cheap in real life as past designers collaborations with the store since there are a few pieces I would like to own from the line. Namely, the brown, leather/suede looking, jacket near the end of the video. So, when these clothes hit the store I am so there.

And then I saw these in an advert for Payless Shoe Source:

Above: Downtown Girl Open-Toe Boot by Alice + Olivia

And I really need to own them! I need to get my butt to Payless Shoe Source and see if they have them locally...and order them online if they are not. They simply much be a part of my wardrobe.

I was looking at the Vogue for Spring 2010 and love love love these Miu Miu shoes:

Above: Bird Satin Platforms by Miu Miu on model. (Click photo for larger view)

I think they would look great with some of the dark blue jeans in my wardrobe and curse the cost of them which will keep them from joining my wardrobe. A girl can dream though and this girl will.

And, I have been listening to the unique soundtrack to the movie Bright Star a lot these days. It actually has dialog intermixed with the music, which is beautiful in it's own right. My favorite "song" from the soundtrack is the reading of John Keats' Ode To A Nightingale poem which played over the credits of the film. I cannot recommend this film enough and really enjoy the soundtrack. So, I will let my favorite from the soundtrack play out this blog post.

Inspired By The Ancients.

I love jewelry and clothing that nods to the ancients. It makes it fun to incorporate the updated, ancient, fashion item into my everyday wardrobe. I have been really lucky the past year since there seems to be a lot of ancient themed fashion items to choose from. I have even written about this topic before but, am deciding to revisit it because I found some cool, ancient inspired, fashion items to share.

Above: Stride Beaded Toe Ring Sandals by Jeffrey Campbell

I love the sandal!They are very ancient Egyptian in feel and I would love to own them. It is a great update to a style that is thousands of years old and perfect for a woman who is into classics or likes things a little funky in style. They are only $90.00 but, that is a bit too much for me right now. I guess they will remain shoes I will drool over and never own. *sigh*

This ring:

Above: Aztec Ring by Low Lux x Erin Wasson

The history lover in me tells me that the Aztec hieroglyphs do not belong in an Egyptian cartouche but, the ring really is cool in my eyes. I love the ancient feel to it and would definitely wear it no matter how historically incorrect it is.

This cuff bracelet:

Above: Snake Hinged Cuff by Low Luv x Erin Wasson

Is very ancient in style and modern at the same time. I love how it looks almost skeletal in design until you look at it closer and see the snakes. It would be a very bold piece to wear and would really bring a bit of pop to an outfit.

Above: Crescent City Earrings in Silver at Lulus.com

A little known thing, I do not have my ears pierced, but if I did, I would wear the above earrings. They just have a beautiful, classic, style to them. I could see them on a person walking this earth thousands of years ago and that just seems so exciting to me. The braided design on them is beautiful and timeless.

And finally, this bangle set:

Above: Building Block Bangles in Silver at Lulus.com

I love the style of the bangles in this set and how you can wear them all together like in the above photo.

Or you can break the set up and wear them separately. Either way, definitely a great set with a nod to the ancients.

So, walk those museums, search those stores, check out those art fairs in your area, or wander online. There are many beautiful fashion items out there inspired by ancient designs begging to be worn by you. Give in to the ancients, they are a great reference for fashion ideas.

Two-Ringer Ring From Urban Outfitters!

I was excited to see the package from Urban Outfitters arrived in my mailbox yesterday! Yes, I got my two-finger ring...and I love it!

Above: Double Finger Ring in Silver from Urban Outfitters on my hand.

The ring has just enough heft to it and it not overly big or too thin, two things I was seriously worried about. Also, it is not cheap looking which was another things i worried about.

It fits pretty true to size (I wear size 6) and the second hole is slightly bigger than the fitted one so no worries about the ring being too small for the second finger. It feels a bit weird at first since it limits the space between the two fingers but, I quickly got used to that.

My mum even suggested I gift her the ring in brass for her birthday this year because she liked how it looked.

I would definitely recommend the ring to others who want the two-finger ring look without the hefty price tag since this version is only $14.00 before tax. It is definitely worth the money spent.

Building The Outfit For The Bag

I haven't done a "put together and outfit" post in a while and was inspired by this bag:

Above: Altair Suede Bag by Horse + Nail

Which I pronounced my love for a few days back. I started to think about what I would wear with it as an outfit and got a nude/gold vibe so, started building the outfit to go with the purse.

I saw these pants:

Above: Olivia Wide Waist Band Pants by Alice + Olivia

The were the perfect base for my outfit and it looks like other people loved them too since they quickly sold out at the website. They are the perfect gold/nude colour and have a slight shimmer to them.

I then thought, "I need a solid top and white is the perfect shade to offset all the nude and gold." And I found this top which is perfect:

Above: Tripoli Tunic in White at Lulus.com

It just clings to the right curves and is slightly over-sized which goes great with the pants and the bag.

Then I thought about the shoes and decided to go reptile print with these sandals:

Above: Utopia Tan Python And Rope Me Up Platform Wedges by Soda

The tan of the python print and the rope on the wedge heels really tie in to the rest of the outfit. They also look comfortable and would just peek out of the flares of the pants.

That left me with accessories since jewelry and sunglasses are needed to complete the outfit. I am thinking forward to spring so not bothering with a coat.

I loved this necklace:

Above: Brass Feather and Skull Pendant by Alexander McQueen

The feather design of the pendant ties in with the "Native America" feel of the bag. It also would go well with the tunic since it would not get lost in the draping.

I also think this ring would be cool to wear without any bracelet drawing attention away from it:

Above: Wire Ring in Gold by Citrine by the Stones

It may bit a tad bit too gold in tone but it really is simple, yet modern and would not attract too much attention, only just enough to meld with the rest of the outfit.

And, finally, the sunglasses to keep the sun from causing squinty eyes when out and about:

Above: Beige Round-frame Acetate Sunglasses by Balenciaga

I love the frames so much on these sunglasses and it looks like they were popular as well since they are sold out at the website.

All of these things make up an outfit I would definitely wear and that would go with the bag while not clashing with it. I like doing these "putting together an outfit" posts...I should do them more often.

Giving My Ordering Of Puma Shoes Another Go.

So, I still have that money for shoes sitting in the bank account from the Christmas gift. I haven't seen the ones I tried to order and received in the wrong size restocked. I was a bit bummed by that but, I saw a flashy new style/colour combo that caught my eye.

Above: Lanai XT in Violet/Plum/Fluo Pink by Puma

I ordered them from Zapatos to take advantage of the free shipping and slightly cheaper price tag. I am hoping that they work out for me and they come in the correct size unlike the shoes sent to me via Puma.com a month back. 

*crosses fingers*

Valentine's Day Sandals.

I woke up this morning to find that my mum had Valentine's day gifted me with these sandals:

Above: Huarache Wedges by Avon

My mum obviously knows what a shoegirl I am and that I would consider sandals a great gift, even on Valentine's Day.

I snapped some photos of them to give you an idea of what they look like in real life:

I am loving the warm tan colour of the shoes, the cork wedges heels, and the criss-cross style of the leather.

Look at how the criss-cross leather is woven! Love that!

I haven't gotten to try them out on my feet yet due to it being February and very rainy/cold. I did slip them on to try them out for size and the angle of the heel is a bit steep. I will have to give them a trial run before wearing them for an extended period of time. I have learned my lesson as a shoegirl that some shoes are just not made for walking around a lot or long periods of standing in one place. Best to try out the shoes before I do any of that.

Still, I am happy to get these shoes as a Valentine's gift. Shoes are just the perfect gift for me...followed closely by handbags. *smile*

Snatched From The Museum.

I have fallen in love with this bag:

Above: Altair Suede Bag by Horse + Nail

It looks like it was taken form a museum exhibit on the Native Americans. It looks soft, is a great tan colour, and the fringe...I have much love for the fringe. The saddle looking hardware on the strap really is melded well into the design.

And the bag is VERY roomy as you can see by the sites digram to show size:

It's too bad that I would be paying museum prices for the bag to own it since it is $1,350.00!

It makes me wish I were in southern California right now so I could find something similar in the Old Town of San Diego for a cheaper price.

Still, it is a gorgeous bag and I will drool over it.

Found! Two-Finger Ring!

I grew tired of not finding a two-finger ring in stores locally. I really want one and made a post about this here. I have spent a few days looking around online for one that fit my very meager budget. Not an easy task since most the two-finger rings are over $100.

Today, I surfed onto Urban Outfitters' website after getting a "Spring Must-Haves" email in my inbox featuring a two-finger ring. I was excited because they had this two-finger ring style I had been looking for...and it was only $14!

I, of course, jumped at this offer and quickly purchased one in silver. I almost bought two for stacking but, reminded myself I had to see if I liked the ring first (and that it fit properly) before buying two.

I simply cannot wait to get it and try it out! I am so excited!

Alexander McQueen: R.I.P.

Alexander McQueen, one of my favorite desingers has died. I am in shock because I did not expect this. I really don't know what to say because I have just logged online for the day and was greeted with this news:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1250249/Alexander-McQueen-commits-suicide.html

At his website: http://default.pprgroup.net/amq/

Just whoa.

R.I.P. Alexander McQueen

The Zipper Ruined It For Me.

I was admiring the beauty of this black, corseted, evening, dress:

Above: Corseted Crepe Gown by Victoria Beckham

"Victoria Beckham actually made a gown I like", I thought. "Usually I find her designs very tacky."

Then I saw the back of the gown:

What a hideous zipper! It ruins the whole beauty of the gown by looking incredibly garnish! It is just tacky no matter what angle you view the back at.

Who puts a silver zipper all the way up the back of a black evening gown and passes it off as a great design element? It's so tacky but, I guess I should expect that from Mrs. Beckham since most her designs are tacky.

I would never spend $4,575 dollars on a dress that looked that badly made in the back. The zipper ruins the whole dress for me.

Silver, Shiny, I Want It.

I really need a date for Valentine's Day so I can order this clutch purse:

Above: Blind Date Purse by Francesca's Collections

I would really like to buy the purse and it is only $34.00 but, I have no where to carry it to. I cannot think of anywhere to carry it at night here. I think it would have to be carried to a nice date but, that isn't happening to my life right now.

I cannot justify buying yet another nice purse when I hardly ever have anywhere to carry them. So, I will just drool over this purse and force myself to not click "buy".

I feel a bit like a raven attracted to shiny things. It amuses me greatly.

I Cannot Get Over The Ugly Ruffle.

I am a shoes girl, I openly have admitted this over and over again in my blog. I like wacky or edgy shoes that most people would find "weird". Despite this, I cannot get over how ugly these shoes are:

Above: Armona Black Suede Ruffle Slingback Wedge by Classified

They just look, horrid no matter what colour they are in.

Above: Armona Red Suede Ruffle Slingback Wedge by Classified

I truly understand the concept of the shoe. That the ruffle is an embellishment to give the shoe a bit of "catch the eye" when they would otherwise be very plain. It just does not look quite right to me and when you see the embellishment on a flat sandal:

Above: Darling 48 Grey Suede Ruffle T-strap Sandal by Bamboo

It just looks even worse. It looks like you have ruffled hobbit feet. Just say no to ruffled hobbit feet.

I understand this style is very popular at the moment, especially in the wedge style. I am just not understanding why since they will quickly become dated in look and are not the best looking shoes, or the most interesting, out there. If you want to be daring with shoes, go full out daring and not "watered down ruffle" daring.

I just cannot get behind this style at all. It just screams "Walmart Chic". Yes, I will be passing on this footwear trend and drooling over shoes like these instead:

Above: Sassyfras Luggage Leather Big Buckle Platform by Chinese Laundry

A Touch Of The Ancients.

My birthday was last week and my mum, who sells Avon, gifted me with the most beautiful, ancient style, jewelry.

The Necklace:

Above: Interlocking Pendant Necklace by Avon.

Which looks great and has a very comfortable chain.

The Bracelet:

Above: Interlocking Cuff Bracelet by Avon.

Which fits my thin wrist just right, something I always worry about because it is no run to have a cuff bracelet that is too big.

The Ring:

Above: Interlocking Adjustable Ring by Avon.

The ring is adjustable which is a good thing since my fingers are rather small.

My mum gifted the three in silver to me because that is the metal I wear most often. They look great but, I have to admit, I would have loved them a touch more in gold. The style just lends itself to the gold a little more than the silver.

I wore them out to a lunch date with a friend while wearing one of my deep v-neck black tees and people asked me about where I got the jewelry. This lets me know it is eye-catching in a good way.

So, if you love ancient style jewelry (these remind me of Vikings or Ancient Greeks) and like to be a bit flashy with your jewelry while not spending too much on it, check out Avon.com.

Double Finger Rings I Covet Thee.

I am feeling the need to have one after seeing many featured on the fingers of photo subjects at The SF Style. The thing is finding them at an affordable price online since I have never seen any sold in stores here in Spokane. I have even tried Forever 21 to no avail.

I want a two finger ring like this:

Above: Geometric Two Finger Ring in Silver by Sunday's Best

Which is sleek and will not catch in clothing when I wear it.

Or like this:

Above: Knuckle Lover Stackable Ring In Silver by Jules Smith

Which is slim and looks like it may catch in clothing when I wear it because of the bar shape it has but, looks pretty cool on the hand.

Above: Knuckle Lover Ring on hand.

Or even something like this ring:

Above: Pyramid Double Knuckle Ring by Noir Jewelry

Which i like the style of and the way the stone is incorporated into the ring.

The problems is I see these sorts of rings NO WHERE in Spokane. They are not in stores, they are not on hands of people living here, they are just no where to be found. The ones online are pricey and even more so when you add tax & shipping to them.

I so want a two finger ring but, it is just impossible to find any here! Talk about frustration in fashion!

Attack Of The Inner Shoe Girl: Part 2

My love for shoes has been stoked by my travels around  the Internet this week. Everywhere I travel online, I see shoes I would love to own. The most recent?

Above: Canvas and Leather Sandals by Chloe

I love the mixture of the canvas and leather in these sandals. The tan leather and the natural colour canvas just go together so well. And the cut out and heels:

Above: Back of Chloe sandals.

I love the darker brown heel on the shoe because it goes with the whole look while not being the same colour. I love the straps and how they can be tightened which solved my, "But how would they look on the foot?"" question.

Above: Chloe Sandals on model.

I would not wear the sandals with the outfit the model has on. They just stand out too much and I think this is one styling fail example. I am only using the photo to show that the sandals look great on the foot.

Oh, to have $650 dollars to spend on them at this moment.