Fashion Fridays

We’re baaaaack!

Oh y’all – I have MISSED Fashion Fridays!

My daughter asked me last week if I was going to write any more fashion posts.  I said, well there really hasn’t been a lot to write about.

With a global pandemic and office attire consisting of yoga pants with cute accessories on a Zoom call, and then a return to “fashion” last year with all the designers phoning it in, I haven’t had much fodder.

I’m sorry if you are loving your new wardrobe of Little House on the Prairie dresses, but it is my fervent hope they make their ways off the shelves in the not to distant future.

I’m not bashing maxi dresses, in fact I’m a new convert, but all the flowers everywhere. And some really bad fabric.

Mercy.

But that is not what brings us back together again!

Good fashion is making an appearance. And we are going to talk about it. 

The next four weeks I’m going to talk about what’s out there that’s worth wearing, IMHO.

I couldn’t be more excited to talk about NAVY on today’s Fashion Friday.

A color? You’re talking about a color, you ask?

Yes. Because this color does not get its fair due.  It’s one of my absolute favorite staples but can be impossible to find many seasons.

Navy looks amazing with anything. Navy and kelly green (or pink) for spring, yes please.  Navy with oranges/rusts for fall, um I’ll go back for seconds.  Navy on navy or navy with ivory or navy with basically anything.

Yes.

How does black get all the play when navy is such a sophisticated alternative?

Well it’s everywhere this fall. 

I’ll be featuring some of my favorite new acquisitions and some of my wish list items.  One of which I can’t show you today because it’s in next week’s fall trend (hint hint, it’s both perpendicular and parallel). 

Navy is THE easiest trend to incorporate because it automatically goes with everything in your closet. 

So the cheapest way to pick up a little navy is to add one of these cute tops.

This gorgeous wrap solid navy number from Banana Republic would look gorgeous with some bright plum or rust pants for fall.

Or, if it’s still warm where you are for fall, try one of these lighter numbers with navy in the print.  I picked up the striped one with orange from LOFT and my daughter heartily endorsed (she does that now that she’s in 6^th grade) and the popover from Gap is versatile enough to dress down for soccer or up for work:

For fall weekends, throw this navy ombre ponco on with your jeans and booties.  Not only does it capitalize on the navy trend, but ponchos and ombre coloring is on the rise everywhere.  Think you’ll look too much like Clint Eastwood? Throw caution to the wind, and a little extra make up on, and embrace your inner spaghetti western cowboy:

If you’ve actually been loving all the long floral prairie dresses from Target to Nordstrom, then don’t let me stop you. Let’s just tailor it a bit more and throw in navy as the base color to make it fresh for fall.  I love how Ann Taylor is styling this midi dress with boots:

Or even go simpler, a shoe, a handbag, a trouser or jeans (and if you throw in high waisted, you are REALLY on trend, I just can’t pull them off).  Solid navy. Simple. Sophisticated.  Find them anywhere – Ann Taylor, DSW, Nordstrom’s, pic your fav. 

Alright, next week is the BIGGEST trend for the fall and I’m here for it.  What are you seeing in stores that you love? Is it fun to think about fashion after nearly TWO YEARS of abdication?

A few weeks ago, I looked at my face and it wasn’t pretty. I come from a nice long line of women with good skin. We’re lucky. But the events of late have AGED me.

I use a mix of drugstore skin care products. As you know from your time with me on Fashion Fridays, periodically I would delve into skin care. I’d incorporate a new product but it was definitely a hodge podge.

As of February, I had a mix of Olay, CeraVe, and Beauty Counter face creams. I had a mix of Origins, Cetaphil and Olay cleansers. And I was using Laura Mercier, La Roche-Posay, and CeraVe as my daily moisturizers under my powder.

Things had to change. I needed to start making more of an effort.

Who ya gonna call?

Well I called my friend that has the most gorgeous skin of anyone I know. (And I know a ton of people with gorgeous skin.)

I texted: Okay-the last year has aged me TEN! Lay your skin care regime on me – I’m willing to spend some $$ to try and stave off the aging.

I knew she would have answers but I also knew her products were pricey. Now was the time to finally get past my price point issues.

She laid it on me. So I promptly got on Sephora and put everything in my cart (except for one product which really was outside my budget). Then I texted her pictures of my eyes to illustrate the sad state of affairs.

Now that I’m almost a month in, I can share my new regime and what I like. I had to text it all to her so she could walk me through it.

In the morning, after washing off my face, I put on the Clarins Double Serum, the Sunday Riley Auto Correct Eyes, and a daily moisturizer. That is the only every day product I didn’t purchase because she is trying some out for me. She also sent me home with TWO BAGS of her high end samples to try out.

Currently, I am loving the Ren daily moisturizer sample but would prefer a tinted SPF one that does double duty. For example, I LOVED the AmorePacific super hydrating tinted moisturizer in her sample bags but when I went to buy it IT HAD BEEN DISCONTINUED. Why do they discontinue the best stuff? I just tried a Shiseido one that was light and creamy, but again no SPF which is key.

At night, I wash my skin with the Clarins Hydrating Gentle Foaming Cleanser. I love this product so much. Historically, I haven’t been able to find a cleanser that really cleans and doesn’t dry out my face. This solves that problem.

After the cleanser, I put the Clarins Double Serum and Sunday Riley Auto Correct Eye Contour cream on again because I was instructed to do so! (I usually would never put all that on in the morning.) Then I put on the Ren Revitalising Night Cream which I really love too. My night regime is my favorite. Twice a week I mix the Sunday Riley Good Genes Lactic Acid Treatment in with my Ren night cream and it is utterly decadent.

She has also advised me that she’s trying “facial sheets” which she recommends because you do not wash off the product. I had no earthly idea what she was talking about, but if she finds one that works and doesn’t cost as much as a plane ticket, I’ll let you know.

What say you? Do you have skin care products you swear by??