It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Awards Season!

Award season is officially among us!  That means red carpet after red carpet.  While the SAGs are tonight, here's my list of the best and worst dressed from last weekend's Golden Globes.

WORST:

Tina Fey

I'm not exactly sure what's going on in with this dress.  Are those flamingos?  Maybe jellyfish?  Either way, this Carolina Herrera dress is a miss.

Kaley Cuoco

The newlywed failed to impress in this Rani Zakhem dress.  The color blends in with with her skin tone and it looks like the dress is going to slide off her at any moment.

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer, you've let me down!  I always look forward to seeing that J.Law is going to wear.  She's (almost) always spot on.  This Dior dress though?  Not so much.  The dress does nothing for her figure and she needs a necklace or something if she's going to be showing that much collar bone! 

Paula Patton

I was worried Paula was going to tip over while wearing this Stephanie Rolland Couture dress.  I will admit, not many people can pull off white, but she can!  However, Mrs. Robin Thicke could barely walk and the ruffles are way too much.

Berenice Bejo

The top of the dress looks wrinkled and doesn't seem to fit her correctly.  The ruffles/flowers on this Giambattista Valli gown look too heavy and hit at an unflattering spot on the hips.

BEST:

Tina Fey

Tina made up for her mess of a red carpet dress with this gorgeous burgundy dress also by Carolina Herrera.  Out of all of her changes, this was by far my favorite look of hers.

Reese Witherspoon

I absolutely love Reese Witherspoon and love Calvin Klein so putting them together is the best possible combination.  Reese kept the look simple with some understated, yet gorgeous, Harry Winston jewels.  Plus, how gorgeous is this color?!?  I'm obsessed.

Kate Beckinsale

Kate was to-die-for in this Zuhair Murad dress.  Kate is known to wear a lot of strapless mermaid dresses and she didn't fail to disappoint.  When it works so well for her, why mess with perfection?

Margot Robbie

Margot looked gorgeous in this Gucci dress.  The green gems on the dress are stunning and the pop of her green shoes to match are stunning!

Lupita Nyong'o

No best dressed list is complete with Lupita Nyong'o in Ralph Lauren.  The dress is simple and shows off her figure beautifully.  I can't wait to see what else she has in store for us this awards season.

BATTLE OF THE BUMP:

We saw several baby bumps on the red carpet.  Kerry Washington put everyone to shame in her Balenciaga gown.  Olivia Wilde came in a close second in this form fitting Gucci dress.  Drew Barrymore could use a lesson or two from her fellow moms-to-be.  This Monique Lhuillier dress is a miss on every level, especially for a pregnant woman.  Kerry takes the award for best bump.

What are your opinions on the fashion we saw at the Golden Globes?  Who topped your best dressed list?  What about your worst dressed?  Who are you most looking forward to seeing on upcoming red carpets?

DIY Glitter Shoes

I saw this idea on Pintrest and had to try it out for myself.  I love sparkles and wanted to add some to my shoes. They are really fast and easy to make.  All you need is mod podge, glitter, a paintbrush and your shoes.  You will also want some newspaper to do this over and I used a cup to mix the mod podge and glitter.

First, mix mod podge with whatever color glitter you would like to use.  Then, paint a layer of the mixture on the sole of your shoe, doing a small section at a time.

While the glue is still wet, sprinkle glitter over top of it and spread it out until you get the desired amount of coverage.

After the first coat is dry, do another coat of the glitter glue and sprinkle more glitter if you want.  Once you're happy with the look of the shoe, paint a coat of just the mod podge over top to make sure all the glitter is sealed in.  Enjoy!

Who do you dress for?

I recently wrote an article for the Daily Kent Stater, my campus magazine, about who and how girls dress when it comes going to class.  You can read the article here.  I also made a short video that goes with it; here it is!

Beer Bread

I have been on a baking kick and have a great beer bread recipe to share!  It's super easy as well as yummy!

Ingredients:
12 oz beer of any kind (for a stronger beer taste, I recommend using a darker beer)
1/3 cup sugar
3 cups self rising flour (if you don't have self rising flour, you can make your own by adding 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt for every one cup of flour)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a 9 by 5 loaf pan.
3. In a large bowl, mix together flour and sugar.
4. Add beer and mix using a wooden spoon, then your hands.  The batter will become sticky.
5. Pour into pan and bake for 50-60 minutes.

Pumpkin Bread

I love fall time, not just for the fashion, but for the food...especially pumpkin!  I made my first ever pumpkin bread just last week and thought it was pretty good.  I've included the recipe to share with you guys!  I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 sugar
1 cup applesauce
4 eggs, lightly beaten
16 ounces canned pumpkin
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
2/3 cup water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray two 9 by 5 loaf pans with cooking spray.

Mix together sugar and applesauce then stir in eggs and pumpkin.

Combine all the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.

Alternate adding dry ingredients and water into the wet mixture, mix well.

Divide batter between the two loaf pans and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

NOTE: Can also be divided up into muffin tins, cook for 25-30 minutes.

Celebrity Chic for Cheap: Kim Kardashian

In this new section of the blog, I will be featuring outfits worn by some of our favorite celebrities and showing how you can get the look cheaper.  For the first one, we will be taking inspiration from an outfit worn by Kim Kardashian.

Photo Credit

Caslon racer back tank
$28 - nordstrom.com

Forever21 lightweight jacket
$28 - forever21.com

ASOS skinny pants
$26 - asos.com

Belle Noel by Kim Kardashian hoop earrings
$49 - shopthetrendboutique.com

Necklace
€6,90 - forever21.com

White after Labor Day: a do or don't?

I always grew up being told you don't wear white after Labor Day.  The origin of the rule is unknown.  People guess it may have to do with white being a light weight color and keeps people cool so they felt it only needed to be worn during summer months.  As we've moved into the 21st century, does Grandma's rule still pertain?

I vote no.  Rules were made to be broken and I believe this one needs broken.  Winter whites are white-hot and I see absolutely nothing wrong with it and neither do celebrities.  Kim Kardashian even took to Twitter saying how much she loves winter whites.

I can't wait for this upcoming season and making winter white a complete do!

Fashions Night Out

New York City along with CFDA and Mayor Bloomberg host the third annual Fashions Night Out Thursday, September 8th from 6-11 pm.

FNO was created by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour to inspire people to spend money again in hopes of helping kick start the economy.  The earnings from sales go to different charities.  New York City is not the only city hosting FNO.  It is being hosted in 27 cities in the United States as well as 15 different countries.  Some retailers are opening up their online stores as part of the event.

The event starts off New York's Fashion Week.  While Fashions Night Out is open to the public, there's a chance you could run into models, designers, fashion editors and celebrities.  During the event, many retailers are offering exclusive discounts and special promotions including free gifts, h'ordeuvres, champagne and more.

Some of the retailers and designers participating in FNO include:
Forever 21
3.1 Phillip Lim
Alexander Wang
Anna Sui
Betsey Johnson
Bloomingdale's
Macy's
DVF
Marc Jacobs
Elie Tahari
Michael Kors
Proenza Schoeler
Scoop
Rag and Bone
...and many more!

For a full list of events and to see where there are special deals and promotions, be sure to check out the FNO website here.

How To: Extend the Life of Your Bathing Suit

Between sunscreen, salt water and chlorine, it's hard to keep your bathing suit looking its best.  These tips will not only keep your bathing suit in top condition, they'll also help extend the life of it.

1. Rinse your suit
        It's extremely important that after every dip in the pool or ocean that you rinse your bathing suit off in cold water.  This will help remove the salt and chlorine that can damage the fabric.

2. Gently squeeze your suit
        If you wring or twist your suit to get rid of the excess water, you run the chance of causing the suit to lose its shape.  It's best to gently squeeze instead.

3. Hand wash with cool water
        The chemicals in detergents and the roughness of the washer can break down the fibers in your bathing suit.  Opt for hand washing in cool water instead.  If you must use a machine, put it on a gentle cycle and use an all-natural detergent, such as Seventh Generation.

4. Lay flat to dry
        Instead of tossing your suit in the dryer which can destroy the elastic fibers because of the heat, lay your suit somewhere to air dry instead.

What makes clothes pill?

Now that it's summer, it's time to pull out those bathing suits!  One thing with bathing suits is that they tend to pill easily.  Pilling is when little balls form on your clothing.  This is because the fibers in synthetic materials, such as nylon and polyester, are long and strong so instead of breaking off, they tangle and form the little annoying balls known as pills.  While this doesn't do anything to the durability of the clothes, it can be annoying.

While there is no absolute way to keep clothes from peeling, there are some ways to slow down the process.  Washing clothes that are prone to pilling in delicate cycles may reduce rubbing that causes the pills; before putting clothes in the washer, turn them inside out  Also, when wearing bathing suits, don't sit on any rough surfaces as that may aggravate the fibers.

If the pills really annoy you, there are ways to remove them once they form.  There are blocks of pumice or foamed glass that you can rub over clothing and it removes them.  I love the brand Hollywood Fashion Secrets and they sell pumice stones here for $5.99.  There are also several different types of pill shavers that are similar to electric razors that gently cut the pills off.  They range in price with some starting as low as $4!