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Happy Sunday Fabulous Ones! Happy Mother's Day!! This is just a drive by post to complete my Bloglovin registration.

And if you'd like to follow me on Bloglovin please do! I'll be following my Style Mavens if they're listed there as well.

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Shoe-gasm

Qupid POP Color Block Pump

How haute is this pump? I found these on Fly Jane and I think I might (most definitely will) make them mine. The camel, navy, and gold perforated toe cap pumps would be so cute with  pair of skinny jeans or a simple but cute dress. Let the shoes make the statement!

I just hope they're comfortable. I'm so over cute shoes that have you begging for mercy because your feet feel as if they're in a medieval torture device.

I'll let you guys know if I order them and whether they're comfy & cute or just cute sitting shoes ;)

Ciao for now!!!!

For more information:
Fly Jane

American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity

The Metropolitan Museum of Art hosted their annual Costume Institute gala on Monday night. The theme was “American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity.

The celebs aka the beautiful people came out in their designer best. A few looks from the night that stood out to me:

The infamous Andre Leon Talley and Whoopi Goldberg. Why?????

Mary J. Blige and her Moe Howard hair showed up. (For the love of God, let the mushroom go Mary!)

Miss Janet looking fabulous in Lanvin

Jennifer Lopez aka Mrs. Marc Anthony always shuts a red carpet down.

Cassie

Joy Bryant

Kerry Washington

Nicole Ritchie

Oprah Winfrey & Oscar De La Renta

 
 
For more information:
 
The Met
 
Style.com
 
 

Budget Fab

Top row: Target romper, Eugenia Kim fedora, & The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell, F21 dress
Bottom row: Target romper on model & a better pic of the fedora

Hello Fab Ones!!!! I wanted to share my recent little haul from Forever 21 and Target. I'm still very much unemployed and I'm very frugal with my purchasing.I have to absolutely LOVE something before I take the plunge and it has to be under $50. The romper was $19.99, the Eugenia Kim fedora was missing a price tag and it was the last one, I figured the cashier would find the price for me. When I tell you guys I lucked up, I lucked up!!!! Thanks to the cashier who was eager to get off work and did not feel like searching for the price, she rang it up for $4.99. Woo-hoo!!! Everyone knows about my Sex and The City obsession so I need to know Carrie Bradshaw from the beginning, plus I just need some lighthearted reading because classes resume next week and the yawn inducing reading begins *sigh*. The Carrie Diaries was $13.82

The Forever 21 dress was love at first sight and $19.80. I love the vibrant print and it has pockets. Dresses with pockets are amazing. I love them.

I have so many ideas on how to accessorize my new romper and dress. I'm taking the romper to a tailor to have the partial fold of the shorts stitched all the way around. I don't like how the stitching is only on the sides and the rest of the fold is left to hang.

I'm glad I was able to add a couple of new pieces to my spring/summer wardrobe and at such great prices. Now if I can just find those Cynthia Vincent for Target wedges all would be right in my fashion life...that is until I see the next cute must have item ;)

Till next time! Stay fabulous!!

LL Bean Signature... Inspired By Our Heritage. Designed For Today.

Uh-oh J. Crew, LL Bean is making a play for your preppy chic reign and at a much lower price point. Let the style wars begin!

I'll admit I only visit LL Bean for my cold weather accessories. When I want fashion, LL Bean does not come to mind, but the signature line just may change that. I found several looks in the collection that I really like.

Perfect for lunch with the girls!

Cape Cod Early Dinner Date

Love the madras plaid top and those wedge sandals.

Very Jackie Kennedy inspired.

Yes, my darling husband Rex (lol) does have a boat. We sail most weekends.

These preppy looks may be a little tame for some, but remember accessories have the power to change the look of an outfit. I like to tap into my preppy side every now and then so these outfits are calling my name.

I'm adding LL Bean Signature to my list of brands to watch. Alex Carleton, Creative Director for LL Bean Signature has created a much needed style upgrade for this classic American brand.

A Life of Style: Hair Care Boot Camp

The picture on the left pretty much sums up how I feel about my hair as of late. I'm such a drama queen at times! Lol!!

I made the mistake of switching hairstylists and getting my hair cut again. The grass isn't always greener on the other side, my new stylist does amazing work, but she's obsessed with cutting a lot of her clients hair short. Super. Short.

In my opinion, short hair is too much work. I don't have the patience to fuss over my hair. I need my hair to be a workable length so that I can quickly style it and go about my day. I may have mentioned in this series how lazy I am when it comes to my hair.

So I've started a new agressive hair growth regimen:

The first step will be returning to my former stylist. He knows my hair and really worked on making my hair healthy.

Step two involves vitamins, vitamins, vitamins. I changed up my vitamins and I'll share them in a separate post.

Step three is my special hair mix:

• Rosemary Oil - 1 oz.


• Grapeseed Oil - 4 tbsp.


• Avocado Oil - 4 tbsp.


• Organic Coconut Oil - 1 heaping tbsp.


• 2-4 drops of Dr. Miracle's Healing Oil & 1 drop of Tea Tree Oil

I mix the above oils and apply to my scalp one to two times a week. This mix works well for my hair. My relaxed hair drinks this up.

And the last part of my regimen which I can't stress enough is water, water, water. I have cut down on the high fructose sugary juices and eliminated pop (soda). My main drinks are water, Nantucket Nectar juices, and GTS Organic Raw Kombucha (YUM!!!).

Soon I'll be able to add eliminating heat to my regimen but with my hair being so short I have to curl it. Luckily I learned that grapeseed oil is not only a strengthening oil but a natural heat protectant that can resist heat up to 425 degrees.

Hopefully I'll have some good growth over the next few months. I'll update my progress in June.

For more information:

Now Foods is a natural product company whose products are in many health food stores.

Organic Coconut Oil

Organic Kombucha

Dr. Miracle's Healing Oil

Effortlessly Fab

When it comes to fashion and style, I believe in an effortless and fabulous look. I don't like over the top fussy. You've seen women with ensembles that cause that confused look to come across your face and you think what is she wearing? There is something to be said about people who can make a few basics look catwalk ready. The following celebs got it right:

Halle Berry in black leggings, an embellished top w/ a black vest. Very rocker chic!

Kimora Lee & baby Kenzo (isn't he a doll?) Airport styling at it's best. This is a very
easy look that anyone can recreate. Well maybe not the Birkin bag, lol!

Carrying a baby in 4.5" sandals? That's the type of mommy I want to be ;)

A muted yet fun print dress and metallic heels plus Kerry Washington's
natural beauty makes this chic simple and a modern classic.

This Weekend

Hello Lovelies!!! I hope all is well and fabulous in your world. It's Sunday and a new week is upon us. How was your weekend? Mine was interesting and I decided to blog about it. Here goes!

A few months ago, I was asked to speak at the first seminar for the newly launched women's empowerment organization, Aspire for Higher. The founder asked that I present on image and style, both of which are my passions. Initially I declined the request because public speaking is the very last thing I ever want to do. I'd rather electric slide over hot coals at gun point than stand in front of a group of people and talk. Pretty extreme, huh? As a child, I was painfully shy and some of that shyness has carried over into my adulthood. There are moments when that shy little girl reappears and I prefer to be in the background...unnoticed.

The founder asked me again to present and I said yes.Why did I say yes??? After talking to my mom (aka my biggest cheerleader who thinks I can do any and everything), I felt a little better. Soon after committing to speak, I began working on my presentation. Creating my PowerPoint and writing out my note cards was the easy part. I probably drove my amazingly supportive bff crazy asking her to proof the drafts of my presentation and telling her how nervous I was about speaking in public.

Between my mom's "You can do this. Stop saying you're shy, you have no reason to be shy." and my bff telling me "Kim you're not talking about the mating rituals of insects, you're talking about image and style. You know this stuff." I started to feel that maybe I could do it and actually do a good job.

It can be hard to shake old thoughts so every time I thought about the actual speaking and presenting, I got queasy. As the date got closer, I was thinking of ways to get out of my presentation and I came up with some pretty outlandish excuses. I was actually contemplating an illness the day of the event,lol!

Fast forward to the big day and I awoke with a tummy full of butterflies. As I picked out my ensemble and chose my makeup, one may have thought I was about to attend a funeral. I said a short prayer and some affirmations before I left the house.

Well not to toot my own horn but toot-toot... I did really well. I'm so proud of myself. My PowerPoint was well received by the ladies. My presentation was entitled Image 101 (title slide pictured above), I spoke about the importance of image, developing your personal style, wardrobe essentials, accessories, and using image to attract people and opportunities into your life.

Initially I was very nervous but the more I talked the more the jitters went away. I remembered all the tips from speech class; I smiled, made eye contact with the crowd, and even tossed in a few funny one-liners. Yay me!!! There were a couple areas that I need to work on. I heard myself say "Um" twice. I think I'll invest in working with a coach.

After my presentation I was on top of the world! I had an amazing boost of confidence and dare I say I can see more speaking engagements in my future. I think I may have conquered a fear this weekend.

What fears have you conquered? Let me know in the comments section.

FTW!!!!!!!!!!!! Sex and the City 2

Pull out your fabulous girly pieces, get your strappiest 4" inch stilettos, pin a flower on, and grab your it bag!!!! The girls are back!!!!

Seeing Aidan really caught me by surprise. I can't wait to see SATC2. Looks like a mad cap romp all dressed up in labels and love ;)

For more information:

http://sexandthecitymovie.com/

The Carrie Diaries

A Life of Style Book of the Month

Since I'm back in school the only books I should be reading are textbooks but I need something fun to read when textbook jargon gives me a headache.

While browsing around Borders this weekend with my 40% off coupon burning a hole in my bag, none of the titles appealed to me. I was about to leave the store but realized I hadn’t checked the table of trade paperbacks.

Balancing Acts by Zoe Fishman caught my eye. Here's the synopsis from the back cover:

Charlie seemed to have it all—beauty, brains and a high-paying Wall Street job far away from her simple Midwest upbringing. Then, in the middle of her “quarter life crisis,” she decides that the banker’s life isn’t what she wanted after all, quits her job and opens her own yoga studio in Brooklyn. But like any new business, finding customers is an uphill battle. When she hears about her college’s alumni night, she straps on her best salesman smile and invades midtown -determined to drum up some business.
Unexpectedly, she reconnects with three college classmates—women who, like Charlie, haven’t ended u quite where they wanted to in life. Sabine, a romance book editor, still longs to write the novel brewing inside of her. Naomi, a child of the Upper East Side, was an up-and-coming photographer and social darling, but now is a single mom who hasn’t picked up her camera in years. Bess, a California girl trying to make it in New York dreams of being the next Christiane Amanpour, but instead finds herself writing snarky captions for a gossip mag, which is neither satisfying nor rewarding. When Charlie, who has her own past to contend with, signs them up for a weekly beginner’s yoga class, they become all too aware of the lack of balance in their lives. Each has to dig deep and fight their inner demons to reconnect with what they truly want out of life.

I was very intrigued so I pulled up the Amazon app on my BlackBerry and checked the reviews. I tend to trust Amazon reviews and honestly haven't been steered wrong yet. Balancing Acts is Zoe Fishman's first novel. She has five star reviews on Amazon as well as very positive reviews from various literary sites.

Balancing Acts is a real page turner and I can hardly put it down, but I have to because homework and papers are calling. This is my commuter and weekend book. I'm balancing it around my other committments, get it? Balancing...LOL!

What are you reading? If you're looking for something new to read, I highly recommend Balancing Acts. If you have read it or decide to read it, let me know!

For more information:
http://zoefishman.typepad.com/

http://www.zoefishman.net/

HarperCollins

Haute Bag Lady Bag of the Week

Yet another throwback for this week's Haute Bag of the week:

The infamous Dooney & Bourke Duck Bag.

Somewhere at my mom's house, among some of my old junk the duck bag resides. I'll have to dig it up and bring it home with me.

This bag was quite popular back in the day and I thought I was oh so fly whenever I carried it.

I haven't been on Dooney & Bourke's site in a very long time. They have some new styles and their price point seems to have dropped considerably. There are quite a few stylish leather bags I'd like to add to my collection.

Are you a Dooney & Bourke bag lady? Tell me about your D&B bag.

Check them out:
http://www.dooney.com/

Shoe-gasm: Fuschia Glitter Cuteness by Romantic Soles

How cute are these? The bold pink sparklers deserve to be the center of attention and are just begging to go dancing.

I want to slip these on and do the cha-cha (no, not the cha-cha slide (ugh!) the real cha-cha.) Lol!

These are by Romantic Soles. Find them online at Zappos.

Click here for more information.

 

Drugstore Gems: Maybelline Eye Studio™ Gel Eyeliner

Hello Lovelies!

I took advantage of the Maybelline makeup sale at CVS two weeks ago. The Eye Studio™ products have been on my radar for awhile but I was waiting for a BOGO free deal or at least a BOGO half price. I had a few Maybelline coupons to use as well.

I purchased the gel eyeliner in Charcoal and I am  loving it! The first drugstore gel eyeliner is a winner. It goes on smooth, the color is intense, it does not run - I applied it at 7 a.m. and it still looked fresh and intact at 5 p.m. Kudos to Maybelline for including the brush ;)  My only criticism is that the brush should be retractable.

Amazing! I love this eyeliner and I want to share the love so I'm giving one away!!!!

Just leave a comment with your favorite beauty or fashion quote by Monday, March 29th. Winner will be chosen at random.

Here's a few of my favorite beauty and fashion quotes:

“The best thing is to look natural, but it takes makeup to look natural.”  ~ Calvin Klein

"A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous." ~ Coco Chanel 

"Elegance does not consist in putting on a new dress." ~ Coco Chanel 


For more information:
Maybelline.com

Janet Jackson: Why Did I Get Married Too NYC Premiere

I am ALL over Why Did I Get Married Too. The premiere took place on Monday in New York and the always fabulous, Miss Janet Jackson worked the red carpet in a very chic look, big sister Reebie was her plus one. These sisters are gorgeous. Reebie is 59 years old but doesn't look a day over 40.

You all know I am the biggest Janet Jackson fan so I support her in all she does. One day I'll fulfill my dream of getting to meet her. Dream big!!!!

Are you going to see Why Did I Get Married Too?

http://www.whydidigetmarriedtoomovie.com/

http://www.janetjackson.com/