fashion friday

Happy Fashion Friday friends!

We are back with the third trend in this fall’s fashion: ANIMAL PRINT!

In the first installment, I waxed poetic about navy. Last week, we talked about all things plaid.

Today though, we celebrate the bounty of animal print. 

I’m partial to leopard myself, but there is a lot more out there than your basic tan with black leopard spots.  Oh mercy yes.

There’s giraffe and zebra and cheetah and tiger, OH MY!

Today I’m going to feature everything from super affordable to not remotely affordable. Ha! A girl’s gotta dream.

First up, let’s talk giraffe print. It’s utterly underutilized. And in fact, it wouldn’t have made an appearance today except I was just in a meeting with a client who had the most fabulous black and white giraffe print dress.  I couldn’t find one online like it, so we could all go buy it, but I did find this inspiration piece. When I find an inspiration piece, it’s way outside my budget (this is over $500), but it gives me a style to look for at more reasonable shops. Of course, if you regularly frequent Diane von Furstenberg, then by all means pick this number up (or the top in this same fabulous print that is a tiny bit less expensive…)

How about heading to the polar extreme? Target! I love me some Target! And they’ve really been killing it with on trend fashion this fall.  Check out my best friend’s cute leopard print sneakers. Not only are they a cute (and reasonable) add to your fall wardrobe, they’re comfy to boot.  Or throw on this little tee from Old Navy that you can pick up for LESS THAN $10!?!?!

Still working in a more formal work environment where you don a blazer during the week? I am nuts for this tone-on-tone animal print scarf neck shell.  If you work in a casual environment, this would still be great under a blazer with jeans and boots for your Saturday night out.

I have an unhealthy obsession with the long cardigan. I have for years. I love it. It’s my uniform on winter weekends with jeans. And oh to incorporate the animal print trend with the long cardi – um yes please! Y’all are going to need to take my wallet to keep me from picking up this gorgeous tiger print number (and I’ll even forgive her for wearing a denim pantsuit – a trend I can’t get behind).

My very fav pair of work shoes are chunky leopard print shoes (not available at DSW anymore but I adore them).  Shoes are the absolute easiest way to incorporate this trend. Browse DSW now and you can find cow print, snakeskin, cheetah, and more. I recently picked up these printed TOMS wedge booties but now I’m wishing I’d grabbed these Vionic booties instead.

What say you? Do you love an animal print? What’s your favorite trend out there right now? Send me a link to what we should all buy this week!

Welcome back to Fashion Friday and our four part series on fall’s latest fashion trends.

Last week we discussed the glorious resurgence of NAVY!

Today, we discuss the trend there is NO WAY you have missed: PLAID!

Plaid, plaid, everywhere is plaid.

Now I wouldn’t typically fall for this lumberjack look, but it’s being incorporated in interesting ways and interesting colors so it feels less “lumberjack-y.”

If you have bought any fall clothing, you got assaulted with plaid.

I’ve not seen such a universal trend since the attack of the prairie dresses during COVID (and they linger still…). 

How can you incorporate it into your fall look?

Well, if you’re not nuts about the trend, try something small like this cute boot from DSW or a little accessory (and do you see all the plaid incorporating navy?!?!):

If you’re willing to go bolder, I just picked up this wonderfully vibrant plaid wrap for a steal at LOFT (and not only does it incorporate the plaid trend, it also incorporates the navy and wrap trends!).  I’ve got a girls weekend to the wine country in a few weeks and thought this would be a fun addition:

My best friend nabbed this adorable plaid jacket from Target and makes the typical lumberjack ensemble look feminine because of colors and styling.  And also, she’s gorgeous which helps (my daughter announced from the back seat when Kristin was in for the icepocalypse, “sorry mom, but she looks like she’s in her 20s”):

I’m also exercising all my self-restraint not to pick up this Hutton blazer from Ann Taylor – I love this look so much! Making plaid professional and pretty:

Are you wearing plaid? How are you incorporating it into your fall wardrobe (which is super hard in Houston this week at 90 degrees!)?  Any guesses as to next week’s trend?  A hint – roar…

I’ve been mulling over what to do with Fashion Friday. 

It seems like everyone is starting to look the same.  You scroll through social media and there’s a kind of style that catches on and then that’s what women look like. 

I’d love this to be a place where, when we talk about fashion or style or cosmetics, we talk about tips and what works, but it’s not talking points on the “one” thing you have to wear to “fit in” – whatever that is. 

So until I’ve settled on what that looks like, I decided to post on a topic where it utterly does not matter if everyone uses the same product: MASCARA. 

That’s right, let’s talk about our lashes.  Now I don’t go and get fake lashes and I just have average lashes. Not short. Not long. Just perfectly fine lashes.  But I love for them to look darker and full. 

If I leave the house with nothing else on, I have cover up and mascara on.  I guess because I’ve always really liked my eyes, I keep them ‘done.’

For the longest time, over a decade, I wore Voluminous by L’Oreal mascara.  It kept them full but it didn’t flake like some mascaras.  And I usually kept Great Lash mascara by Maybelline in my purse in case I needed evening touch ups.  That was it. 

Periodically, I’d get some tester from MAC or Estee Lauder or Mary Kay or something, but I never liked them better than Voluminous. 

Last year, I decided to branch out.  As any good consumer would do, I asked Dr. Google about the best mascaras on the market.  And that led me to research from Elle and Glamour to Business Insider. 

I did not try any of their super pricey nominees, like Chanel, so I can’t compare those products for you. 

Plus, there were a ton of different makes and models from L’Oreal I didn’t try because Voluminous was already my go to.  I did try one called Voluminous Lash Paradise, not to be confused by L’Oreal Paris Voluminous (the original and one I love). I did not like it nearly as much.  Even though the reviews said such good thing.  Just like a movie remake – the original is always better.  (Let me know if you have another L’Oreal mascara you swear by – totally willing to give it a try.)

Then I decided to go a little higher end.  Not Chanel higher end, but in the $20-$30 price range given how long my mascara lasts. 

I narrowed it down to two mascaras: Better than Sex by Too Faced and Urban Decay’s Perversion.  The pros on them were similar and the price was the exact same so it was basically a coin toss when I walked into Ulta to choose.  I went with Perversion. 

I loved it.  My lashes looked better than they ever did with Voluminous.  Very full and rich looking.  BUT.  And this is a big one.  Almost daily I ended up with black under my eyes.  It hadn’t happened before Perversion and didn’t happen when I stopped wearing it, so clearly it was the mascara.  I loved it so much I tried to compensate by powdering under my eyes at lunchtime.  But given that I’m already battling dark circles, I just can’t have it from my mascara too.  So I took a break.  

Which is how I ended up trying Maybelline Snapscara.  I had low expectations after my L’Oreal change.  I don’t love Great Lash to begin with, though all the movie make up artists swear by it, and that had been my only Maybelline experience.  Well, let me tell you, I was in for a pleasant surprise. 

I love this mascara.  It gives me these lovely long looking upper lashes which are very well defined, and not clumpy, but there’s not a bit of smudging or flaking.  No under eye blackening with this number.  And here’s the best part: it is $5.99.  That’s right, department store results on a dime store budget.  This is now my go to mascara. 

I will always keep Voluminous around (the original).  It’s been good to me and will probably become my purse mascara. 

Also, I’m willing to continue the hunt if you have found the greatest mascara since sliced bread.  Comment so we can all try it out!

But if you’re looking for a new one, I definitely give the nod to Maybelline Snapscara.  An affordable home run.