Be a Woman, not a Girl.

It's her 30-something birthday. [sigh]



Unicorns, skin-tight, boob-baring mini skirt and an eyebrow ring.

Seriously?

For the Love of Contrast

Some people are just naturally drawn to contradictions...

The good girl to the bad boy.

The health nut to the McDonalds fries.

The bold to the meek.


I for one LOVE neutrals with bold, bright colors. There is something so fresh about a pop of color, especially when paired with gray or brown or taupe. Man, I love me some beige. It's not boring if it's serving to temper the rest of your ensemble.

Pairing with black or white also have their place. Relying on white makes you look like a cruise traveler, and too much black is just too much for summer sometimes.

I can't believe I found all these items at Old Navy. Old Navy! The land of yoga pants and endless t-shirt styles (whatever happened to their business casual line?? those were the only trousers that fit my hips!).

Lounging around your backyard on the weekend does not seem as lazy as when you're doing it in style, am I right?

Coral top - something I would never look at any other time... somehow now looks perfectly girly. And these shorts? Come on!



With necklace worn as wraparound bracelet. If I had a first date to go on, this is what I would be wearing on it.



Probably the most random-looking, but would be great for walking around the farmer's market shopping for fresh strawberries and rainbow swiss chard.

Two necklaces are better than one for a lunch, brunch, play date, trip to the zoo, or even for church. You're casual, but not so much so that you can't wear jewelry!



And the other tops I couldn't find suitable bottoms for. Their navy/off white stripey skirt was out of stock, otherwise it would be perfect with any of these!

[sigh] I so wish I had some money stored up for the shopping itch. It's so long until my birthday...

Chanel Eye Wear debuts!

Oh. My. Goodness.

If you're a classics junky like me, you already love Chanel. The boxy suit, the gold details, the chains.. oh, the chains.

I am more than psyched about their new eye wear! No idea how much anything costs.. who cares.. a girl can dream. It's so difficult to find a great pair of shades to last you through the years.

Never been a fan of the "bigger is better" fad in sunglass chic until now.

My birthday is not until October. But I will happily wear these every day if they find their way to me!

Feast your eyes on my favorite pair:

Pretty Hair In Five Minutes or Less

I've mentioned before how much I dislike spending a lot of time on getting dressed and done up. My hair is an especially sharp point of contention. I don't have much control over it, so the easier the hairstyle the better!

I "borrowed" these styles from a major website. They can all be accomplished in five minutes or less. Really! I tried several of them just as a test. The key is to twist or braid or pin everything loosely. That way you have some spare hairs that escape and do that really pretty "I'm not trying too hard" thing.

I am attending a wedding this weekend and hate to have bangs flopping in my face on a hot day. I might just have to go with a braided bang, a la style #3. Or the last style, if it's just too hot...

The Audrey. I tried this.. it's waaaay simple. Divide hair in two sections horizontally. Twist up the bottom and pin in place. Tease out the top 1/2 a little and tuck loosely into the bottom portion. Spray swoopy bangs and pin loosely behind ear. Done!


Double Twist. Divide hair into two sections vertically. Twist each side individually and add an elastic at each end. Then twist both sections together loosely. Tuck ends underneath and pin down any strays so they don't show.


Beachy Braid. Gather bangs and french braid along hairline. Secure ends with a bobby pin. Could that be any simpler??


High Point Ponytail. Tease up hair along the top, spraying with hairspray. Push hair up and secure with an elastic. Place headband just before bump starts on top. It's less Snooki than Holly Go Lightly, trust me.


Not Quite a Braid. Divide hair into three sections, horizontally. Secure the front-most portion on the top of your head, loosely. Twist the middle section and turn under, pinning underneath. Twist up the bottom section, letting the ends fall over the top of the twist and hang down a little. Secure with pins and scrunch hair all over with curl spray. Or, slightly curl small portions.