Reader Question/Closet Cleanse

Hey Natalie,

I travel tons and finally have a weekend home. Among other reasons, I'm staying home to purge closets and make trips to goodwill. Do have any tips on how do it effectively, yet quickly?

Thanks! 

Busy Traveler

Hey my traveling and very stylish reader! 

Closet cleaning and organizing is something I love and should be done often. Every six months or so, I get the cleaning bug. And it’s not for a deep cleansing of my house or for my garage – it’s for the great love of mine, my closet (which is high gloss “Flamingo Pink” – in case you didn’t know) It’s important for your closet to be organized and have everything in plain sight – otherwise you don’t see it, so you don’t wear it – and then it’s wasteful & sad. When I clean out my closet, sometimes reorganization happens as well, so here is how I handle it.

The Cleanse & Purge

First while looking at my closet, I pull out anything in which I can’t remember when I wore it last or anything I just don’t like anymore. If I don’t love it, I won’t wear it. So why keep it? Everything then gets placed into a pile in my guest room (or any place you don’t mind it being for a few days). Next, I pull out anything that looks overly worn, is wrinkled, or doesn’t smell super fresh. Those get divided into fix, iron, and (dry) clean piles. If I can’t fix it, it looks too worn, and it’s got some mysterious stain that I can’t remove – it goes into the pile.

Reorganization

The next step, since I’ve cleared out the extra stuff, the extra hangers all go into a corner

And the clothes get filed away. All of my dresses live together and go from work wear, party dresses, going out dresses, to casual day dresses. The rest of my closet is double hung, with sleeveless and short sleeved shirts on top, bottoms and suits the bottom shelves. Coats are now in my coat closet (they used to live in the closet as well, but a few of boyfriend’s things have found their way into my closet as well.) All of my clothes are hung in like groups, (sleeveless and short sleeved together; ¾ length shirts, long sleeved and cardigans; dress pants; on work pants – khakis, twills, and jeans; skirts (non work and then work appropriate). Next all the groups are color coded from White to Black (White, Ivory, Tan, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Purple, Pink, Red, Brown, Gray, Black) – WITYGBIPPRBGB for those of you who like acronyms. But it’s not exactly an easy one, so just think white to black.

Drawers

I generally forget to clean out my drawers, because I don’t see them as regularly as my closet. But as soon as I realize I am getting into a closet cleaning, I remind myself to give them love as well. Socks, undies, casual cotton shirts, tanks, tees, and long sleeved in descending order of drawers. (Since I live in Florida, the heaver stuff gets worn less, thus segregated to the bottom – so I have to bend over less). Everything from here that doesn’t fit my rules (1) haven’t worn 2) don’t like 3) over worn) goes into the pile. My drawers hold my basic cottons as well white and black tees in differing sleeve lengths as well – so when you’re in here, make sure the whites are still bright and the darks aren’t faded. If they are, you can replace – or my favorite: bleach the whites and get two containers of black Rite dye (found in the laundry isle of grocery & big box stores) and follow the directions. Yes two. Always two for dying dark colors. Trust me.

Accessories

I believe for shoes, bags, and necklaces, the same standards apply. I need to see all of my accessories so that they get worn as well. My boots live on the tops of my shelves, so I can see them (they are also in color order, lighter to darker – with flats coming before heels). My shoes and bags are in the same area, where shoes are on bottom shelves and bags are on the upper shelves. My clutches, wallets, and credit card wallets live in clear plastic drawer for sight. On all of those are my bagged bags (ones with dust covers. There are two schools of though for bags with dust covers 1) use your covers, keep for nice bags free of dust and scuffs from other bags or 2) leave them without bags for the leather to breathe except for travel or exotic skins – which need protection.) The next shelf holds my normal purses which get every day wear and tear. On top of that are large bags and totes. Across from there are my necklaces and special bags. I have an accordion hanger with tons of hooks for all of my necklaces and I also hang little bags that are pretty or are underused so they are in plain sight when I’m getting ready.

Pile Time

At this point you are going to have a few piles. Deal with the cleaning pile immediately. Next you’ve got the fix pile – obviously those can be easy tasks, buttons and such. If there is some sort of reconstruction that needs to be done that you aren’t comfortable enough to deal with (I have a sewing machine and pretend I can fix anything) by all means, take it to a tailor. You’ll be so happy you did, and it’s relatively inexpensive. Last and most important is your pile of clothes that you haven’t worn and/or don’t like, etc. I divide things up into two more piles. The first, things that I really don’t need and won’t wear. The other is stuff that I really love, has some sort of value (sentimental, or otherwise), or something that I may have forgotten about that might get worn again. Pile one, I bag up and get rid of immediately. Whether the items get consigned or donated, they go as soon as possible. Pile number two on the other hand, stays around for about a week or so. Why you ask? Periodically, I find myself thinking about something that was in the pile. So I rescue it. I have only three things I ever regretted getting rid of – so I make absolute certain that it doesn’t happen.

Okay, lot's of details - but I promise, you'll be so happy with your closet and get so much more wear out of your clothes. Happy closet cleaning!

Quick Tip

Just a thought to share with you, my lovely reader... Don't salt your food until you've tried it. Believe me, I like salt as much as the next person (maybe even more) but lately I've seen people salting their food as soon as they receive it.

Stop! If you haven't tried the food yet, how do you know it isn't already salty? Psychic taste buds? I think not. And what's more! You might offend you chef! When I cook, I happily use tons of spices, herbs, garlic, etc. Salting it immediately would suggest you are using the salt to cover the flavors I so painstakingly put in your meal! (but you've read about the way I like to cook... so maybe painstaking isn't the most optimum word. heh.)

Regardless, think (and taste!) before you salt. You might not even need it.

November 10th

Do you know what happens on November 10th? Do you? DO YOU?!?!

Only the greatest announcement in the history of this week! I've been hearing rumors for a few weeks and today I finally got official confirmation...

International Mall in Tampa is getting an H&M! And it's opening on November 10th!!! 

THIS November 10th!

For those of you who don't know about H&M - it's a Swedish company who makes decent quality, extremely on trend clothing at super cheap prices. They have been in the US since 2000, in most major cities. But the only way to find their clothes currently are in stores in the US and abroad. Rumor has it they will be bringing online shopping to the US market, but in the meantime, my fellow fashion lovers - rejoice! H&M is coming to Tampa!

Awkward

I was eating lunch a few weekends ago with some friends and some of my boyfriend's friends. When we were served our food, someone grabbed a piece of food off my plate. And it wasn't a french fry or chip - it was legitimate food that you would eat with a fork. Needless to say I freaked out. 

Here's how that conversation went:
- Food grabbed with fingers
- Shocked look on my face
- Food grabber asks: "Was that rude?"
- Group is suddenly very interested in their food, the table behind us, their phones, their drinks (you get the picture)
- I say: "All you had to do was ask."

- To which F.G. responds: "What if you had said no?"

- I say: "Well... I didn't." and give a smile.

We ate our meal, which was delicious, and I offered more - and F.G. didn't want more. But the question of, "what if you had said no?" has stuck with me since then. What if I had said no? Would we have had to deal with a temper tantrum? Would have had an awkward lunch with one person pouting?

Obviously, I can't control other's actions and feeling - but I can control mine. So here's the plan for the future. Less of a reaction, if someone takes something of mine. But I am still very glad I stood up for myself. As for my desire to take something off of someone's plate (I have been known to beg for a fry or two) - the important thing is to always ask. Never grab from someone's plate. Never take anything from anyone, that isn't yours.

Neutrals

I was at a wedding over the weekend and the subject of neutrals came up. Now granted it was a dark room, so it was harder to see what everyone was wearing – but I realize that it’s something that has been pounded into our heads for so long, we haven’t questioned it. But we need to! So let us. 

Neutrals:

Black

Charcoal

Navy

Brown

Tan

Khaki

Heather Gray

Ivory

White

Now, I may have missed a color or two, but you get the idea. Not every color looks good on everyone – I for one can’t wear Ivory – I’m much better with a stark white. But that’s another story. Ours is what goes well together. 

As we know:

Black + White

Ivory + Tan

Navy + Khaki

Charcoal + Heather Gray

Brown + Tan + Khaki

White/Ivory + Any neural

But here are things that you may have not tried:

Charcoal + Tan

Navy + Heather Gray

Navy + Ivory + Khaki

Black + Tan

For the bravest:

Black + Navy

Black + Brown

The point of a neutral is to allow you to wear a basic color, wear them in any combo and accessorize with anything – and it works. We’ve been told for years and years to not match certain things. Once pounded in your head, it generally sticks there. Unstick it please! With the matching things you haven’t tried or even toeing into the “bravest” category – wear it with confidence and be deliberate. If you are wearing black and tan, try an all black outfit with tan leather accessories. I see an Audrey moment: Black turtleneck, black cropped pants, a skinny cognac belt, and cognac driving shoes. Oh. So Chic. Or a little black dress and a navy cardigan. 

Trust me. You might really love the new outfits in your closet. And you’ll look so modern.

Kinooooos!

I feel like I am be the last person on the planet to find out about the famous Key West sandal, Kinos, but just in case I’m not – let me tell you all about them!

Down this mildly sketchy alleyway off of Duval St. and inside this open warehouse room, you’ll find dozens upon dozens of people. These people are holding up shoes, trying things on, and running back and forth across this 20ft by 10ft little area, almost shouting numbers at harassed looking girls who are in their late teens and early 20s. Then you take a closer look – these shoes are cute! And holy crap, they are $12. 12 freaking dollars! 

Then you begin to start picking up sandals and try to politely get the harassed girls attention. But then you realize they do this all day every day, and they don’t care if you get your shoes or not - they are regular apathetic teens. Then you realize that of the color or size or style that you really want (for $12!) is limited. They only make so many pairs of each sandal that day. Then the frenzy begins and you start to understand the back and forth buzzing of the customers in this cramped shopping area. 

I got two pairs, one classic flip flop in gold and the other, strappy, in brown leather with rope accents. Super cute – and I have been wearing them nonstop. I can happily say, they are comfortable too! And WAY more comfortable than what you’d expect for a $12 sandal. My shopping partner, who has been there two days previously and purchased five pairs, bought another three pairs. No wonder they can’t keep shoes in stock!

It’s safe to say, I’ll not only be going back to Key West, but to the Kino Sandal shop. I’ll give a heads up, just in case anyone needs a pair (or five!)

Quick Packing: Island Getaway Addition

I'm leaving for a long weekend getaway in the morning, and I haven't even began to pack. It's very unlike me. Usually I have my entire wardrobe mapped out with corresponding activities, according to weather, season, and company. 

It's intense. I realize this. But this whole week has been so busy with work and house guests (ahem) that I have barely had time to start to let my mind wander. But I've had a little practice with long weekend trips (because I love them so much!) Here is my basic formula for packing for trips:

Days of trip (4) X Outfit Changes - day & night (2) = 8 outfits. 

As we know, 8 outfits would be excessive for a weekend trip. Then I figure out what the major activities are going to be.


Day 1) Morning travel, afternoon beach/boating, Casual Dinner
Day 2) Day activity: beach/boating, Casual Dinner
Day 3) Morning relaxing, Day trip shopping and eating - probably extending into the night
Day 4) Morning breakfast, Boat trip, afternoon/evening travel. 


Travel days I wear my jean alternative (as mentioned in my 9/15 blog post: Basic Closet Needs), a comfy cotton top - will be a tank since this is an island vacation, a cozy cardigan, a giant purse (filled with books, snacks, and always a scarf - you never know when you're going to need a makeshift blankie).


It looks like I'll have 3 beach/boating days, so that calls for 4 bathing suits (2 fuller coverage and two with less coverage - and always an extra just in case.) As well as cover ups for each day. I'll grab two day dresses and a pair a shorts.


Next will be clothes for dinner (3 nights)... it's super casual, so I'll bring a pair of ankle jeans (in case it's cold at night) and two different tanks to wear for different nights (and generally layer with my scarf I bring in my giant purse). Also a nicer dress, not really fancy, but can be dressed up or down. 

Then comes the afternoon/evening trip for shopping, exploring, and dinner. I'll wear another day dress and bring a cardigan in my bag.

That leaves me with: 
1 pair of non jeans
1 pair of ankle jeans
3 day dresses
1 nice-ish dress
4 tank tops
1 pair of shorts
4 bathing suits
1 scarf
1 cardigan


I always bring an extra t-shirt or two, depending on space. And with this trip, I'll only need to bring flip flops. And I always have a bathroom bag that is packed. 


Easy as that. No need to stress out about weekend packing. Now I know what to bring... So, I'm off to pack.

How To: Layer Bracelets

About a year ago I got to the point where I had too many bracelets I loved and I wouldn’t couldn’t choose which to one to wear. So I wore them all, and thus began my love of layering bracelets.  I get comments on them all the time, sometimes good and sometimes with a bit of an eye roll – “Do you have enough bracelets on?” The answer, my fashion challenged, snarky friend is, No. Never. I always want to add more bracelets. But I am a disciple of Coco Chanel and I try to remove at least one piece of jewelry, and in this case it’s generally an extra bracelet.

With most fashion concepts, the idea can be done for either night or day. And with this look the transition from day to night is so easy (Just add more bracelets!) The key to remember when stacking your arm is to have some nicer bracelets mixed with lower end bracelets. 

For Day Time:

I generally stick with metals and more delicate bracelets and always, always, always only on one side. (My left is my favored side, because I work on a computer for 9+ hours a day and no one, especially me, wants to hear bracelets whacking against a mouse for hours on end.) Back to it… I try to mix gold and silver as much as possible, though I am a huge fan of mixing turquoise and silver, as well.  I try to stack the bracelets in odd numbers, and generally the layer doesn’t go more than an inch thick. A favorite daytime mix includes a David Yurman (5mm cable buckle), pearls, a silver double stand loop bracelet with a large gold button clasp (from Banana), and a full gem stone with matte gold settings (from a street vendor in Manhattan).

For Night Time:

I use chunkier, larger, brighter bracelets. Dangling charms, wooden bangles, spikes, you name it – I’ve worn it. (Probably just this past weekend). Depending on what I have to layer, I’m happy to move to both wrists. On average, it will be about an inch to inch in a half thick on each wrist (mostly sparkling, shiny, and with more than a few gemstones). Though, my favorite for night time is piles of bracelets on one side that cover half my forearm. This can go two ways. Option number one: with a mix of all my favorite bracelets, (all the daytime bracelets, wooden prayer beads (Buddhist & Catholic), matte golden spikes, a golden charm bracelet with Parisian subway tokens, etc. Just whatever is in my cigar box that is pretending to be a jewelry box. Option number two: it’s a bit of a show stopper. I stack as many sets of tiny silver bracelets (all about 3mm) on my arm that will fit. It ends up looking like a giant silver cuff. These bracelets can be found at most street vendors or in stores like Forever 21 (my favorite for cheap jewelry) in packs of 6 or 8 for $3 or $4 a piece. A lot of fabulous look for not a lot of money!

The best thing, day or night, you can make it your own. Whether you add a watch (or two!) or use only charm bracelets – if you love it, wear it! Everything goes together, just throw them on and go!

House Guests

I have piles of subjects to expound upon for you, my little friends, but today, it just isn't going to happen. I have finally gotten home after a day of errands and a not so relaxing three day weekend (Thank you Mr. Columbus for discovering America... sort of.) Why wasn't it relaxing, you ask? Well my dears, my lovely boyfriend's lovely parents came to my house for an overnight stay. They are on their way to the Keys for a vacation (where my boyfriend and I will be joining them in a few days time) and opted to break their long trip up and stay at my house for a night. 

Obviously, I lost my freaking mind and any sort of sanity I was hoping to have was a little nervous. This was the first time they have been to my town since my boyfriend and I started dating, but not only that, it was my first time ever having significant other's parents in my home. I spent two days freaking out, then the following three days cleaning my house and buying random trinkets, returning them, buying more, returning those, and then buying the original trinkets (and let's be honest, a few pieces of furniture). All in all, I'd say it was a great visit and completely painless (minus the mini panic attack I had yesterday afternoon). 

With that in mind, here are a few tips for how to treat house guests when they come to visit.

- Clean your house.
- Wash the sheets on the bed your guests will be staying on.
- Remove any clutter from the room your guests will be staying in. My guest room doubles as my office and craft room - so crafts go into their homes and office papers are filed or moved into a different room.
- Make sure there are fresh towels, as well as soaps, multiple rolls of toilet papers, and any other bathroom accoutrement that might be needed.
- Have an alarm clock as well as a place for your guests to hang their clothes.
- Make sure to have a few breakfast items available (coffee, tea, pasties, fruit, etc.) in case you have an early risers or in my case if you have gone to work before everyone else was awake.
- Leave notes on anything that needs an explanation that you might not be around for - Example, how to use the TV in your guest room if you have more than one remote.

If all else fails, think of what a hotel has and emulate that with your own personal style. The key, as I learned, don't freak out. It's important to make your guests feel welcome and comfortable. Sometimes going overboard can be uncomfortable for everyone, just be yourself and a gracious, lovely host/ess.  

Eating Bravely

I’ve always been a picky eater. I’m one of the lucky many with a life full of allergies (nuts, mustard seed, eggs or any overly eggy product). And anyone who has allergies knows the joy of hives, trouble to breathing, etc. So I’ve always been hesitant to try foods that I don’t know, strange sauces, & exotic flavors. On the other hand, I adore cooking shows. I love the way food works and blends together to create interesting flavors & don’t even get me started on my love of baking. So about a year ago, I had a little “light bulb”. Okay it was a really big light bulb. It effected pretty much every aspect of my life, though I will say, the most major one is my eating habits. And three freaking big cheers for that. Anyway, with this light bulb I thought to myself, if I’m not allergic to it – I’m going to try it. If I don’t have an issue with it (I won’t eat beef, veil, foie gras) I’m going to eat it or at least try a bite. Which lead me to a breakfast of Kir Royale & Snail Brioche on morning at a food & wine festival. Pretty happy moment in my life when I realized I just opened the door to a world of epicurean delights. 

So now my rule is: If it doesn't kill me or make me sick, I'll try it. 

The Secret To My Success... for good hair days.

I have average hair. Not thick, but not really thin. It's not straight, but it doesn't curl. It has a limp wave that looks at home on the head of a seven year-old who has just awoken from a nap. And not only that, it gets oily quickly and gets very frizzy from our Floridian Humidity. Like I said, it's average. I remember struggling for years to try to get my hair to not frizz or to just do something. Anything. Most days, a pony tail was my style of choice. And! It would go into a pony tail lumpy. It was disaster hair (as seen through the eyes of a teenage girl).

One day in college, my mother (who consequently does hair for a living) gave me a little bottle of oil to try on my hair to see if that would tame the frizz. Mind you, at this point I was using three different products for straight hair (straightening lotion, shine serum, and spray gel) and four products for curly hair (volume mousse, curl enhancer, shine serum, and super hold hairspray). While bottle in hand, she told me to use a dime size amount on my hair and don't use anything else and style it however I want. I couldn't understand why I needed to put oil on my already oily hair and how this goo, as good as it smelled, would do anything at all. But I tried it. And my hair dried really fast. I usually do makeup and pick out my clothes and then finally get to the painstaking task of drying. But by the time I got to the blow dry, my hair was pretty much dry and had soft waves in it. I was impressed. So the next day I used a little bit, but blew my hair dry immediately. I barely used my straightening iron, it was already straight. I was officially hooked. 

The more I used it, the more my hair behaved. And! It got shiny. Like glare from the sun shiny. Then, something amazing happened. I was in college at a house party in line for the bathroom and the girl next to me said, "You're the girl with the good hair! I see you around campus, what do you use?" So I told her the same thing I'm going to tell you...

Moroccanoil. One word. It comes in a brown glass bottle and smells like heaven. You can get it at almost any salon (or online, if you must). And I don't use anything else, except a tiny bit of hairspray since I'm growing out my beloved winter bangs. It's a little pricey, but if you look at the crazy amounts of products I WAS using (most from a salon) it is cheap. And let's be honest here, the amount of time and frustration that is saved, I would pay double.

Try it. You'll love it. Just keep in mind, less is more... when it comes to hair oil.

The Magic Word

You know, I was really hoping that I would get to cover new subjects of etiquette under "Form", but I have noticed in the past few weeks that the world around me needs a bit of a refresher course. Etiquette is used to make others around you feel more comfortable and at ease. It's not about rules, it's about people. I know we've all heard the story of Queen Victoria drinking from a fingerbowl, because one of her guests did. That, in my opinion, is the ultimate etiquette. So, we are going to start with basic etiquette and work our way up.

Today's lesson is all about the magic word. Words, really. Please and thank you. Say it with me now. Pleeeeeeease and thaaaaank you. Feels nice, doesn't it?


It drives me bonkers when someone asks me for something and doesn't say please. But, thenI figure they can finished up with a thank you, and all will be forgiven. But they don't.


Actual happening at my office today:


Person: "Can I borrow your stapler?" As they lean across my desk to grab it. 
Me: "Sure, no problem."
Person staples papers together and sits my stapler on my desk at the very edge, pretty much as far away from the original spot from where it was picked up. Then walks away.No please, no thank you, no returning the item where they found it. I don't mind people borrowing things, not even slightly, I just want someone to ask!


To combat this issue, I overly use "please" and "thank you". And I do it very sincerely, rather than my somethings apparent sarcastic bite. It seems to catch on pretty quickly. 


Trust me, you never know how much someone appreciated common courtesy - until you don't use it.

The Perfect Smokey Eye:

I’m a huge fan of a smokey eye. For day or night, it accentuates the shape of my eye (and let’s be honest – gives my eyes a bit of depth & a WAY better shape). But what’s so great, it’s unbelievably easy. You can do it with a classic gray smoke, but any shade that you like works well. Actually, any combo of colors will work (as long as they aren’t crazy fugly).  So I’ll explain how to do both a daytime and nighttime smokey eye.

Daytime Smokey Eye:

All you need are two shades of eye shadow, one darker and one lighter and an eye shadow brush for each color. My daily colors are a matte dark plum and a honey color with a tiny bit of shimmer. First I tap my brush in a the plum, ever so lightly from the outside corner of my eye brush the color into the crease of my lid and then work the color into a sideways V along the lash line. The whole time brushing and blending to make sure there are no blotchy spots and everything is evenly blended, covering roughly a third of my eye lid. Adding a little more of the plum if needed, little swipes at a time. Then I take the honey color and its coordinating brush. I go a little heavy on the lighter color and swipe from the inside of my eye, covering the other two thirds of my lid. Then, obviously, repeating on the other eye. 

Nighttime Smokey Eye:

Feel free to use as many colors as you’d like. I generally use three or four, but have been known to use seven or eight shades. (Yeah… I get a little excited.) So, really it’s the same concept as above, darker to lighter shades, in the far corner of your eye and working your way in. I make the same little Vs until I get to the last quarter or tenth of my eye (depending on the number of shades) and then with my lightest shade spread inward. (sometimes my beloved honey and sometimes something else completely). The inward swipe seems to blend all the colors pretty seamlessly. 

It’s so easy and adding variations is pretty easy, say with a cat eye or a solid liquid line (eye lines goes on last!)

Common Work Spaces

Today’s Topic: The Work Microwave.

Whomp whomp whommmmmp!

Okay, just kidding. It isn’t that bad, but it’s commonly used, so a little bit of etiquette is needed.

To begin: wait your turn. Don’t ever take someone’s item out of the microwave and make sure to wait on them if they are still cooking their food. Some food has to be turned while being cooked. Be conscientious and ask if the person before you is done with the microwave, if there is any question in your mind. 

When your food is done, take it out of the microwave. Not only could there be people waiting on you to use the microwave next, but most microwaves have a function on them, in which they continue to beep until they are opened. Some of them beep every 60 seconds until they get opened. Every 60 seconds. And it’s annoying. Really really REALLY annoying!

Sorry. Little moment there. 

Back to it. Once you are done using the microwave, please check it for any film, crumbs, or explosions. Clean them up if there are any. Actually, just take a napkin or paper towel and wipe out the microwave anyway. Because it’s polite. And no one likes a dirty microwave. 

Pretty easy, huh? I thought so.

Something Good to Try

I’m not a fan of having to get my nails done every 2 to 3 weeks (and I totally don’t want to pay for it! $35 every few weeks is much better spent on cupcakes, sweet forever 21 dresses, or chunky costume jewelry.)  Don’t get me wrong, I love to get my nails done, they look so nice and my feet get so smooth.  But I don’t always have the time or desire to get my butt into a salon (but that could be because I haven’t found a salon I love.) 

I was at my parents’ house today and my mother commented on my toes.  She asked if I had just received a pedicure, with a smirk, knowing my thoughts on getting pedicures. I looked down, because it’s been at least a 6 weeks. Then I realized it’s my nail polish! I love O-P-I & Essie… they are practically all I wear. The colors I want, they go on well, don’t really chip – what’s not to love. Welllllll, I have picked up, from time to time, a bottle of cheap nail polish because it was a cute color or I wanted a little treat for myself while running errands. One day I came across Sally Hansen’s Complete Salon Manicure, and my nails have never been the same. 

When I’m not able to get to a salon, or just flat out refuse, I reach for a bottle and my nails always look great! And I get more compliments on the colors than I do almost any other shade I wear. The polish is thick, but goes on smoothly. It has a base and top coat and is very pigmented. And it doesn’t chip for weeks, it does the fade and smooth away that most higher end nail polishes do. And what’s more, it can be picked up at most corner drug stores in any city or small town in America. So really, you never have to be without a good salon. Trust me on this one, you’ll be glad you did.

Matchy-Matchy

Generally if something rhymes or is cutened up – ala “Matchy-Matchy” it’s generally meant for children. Seriously, think about it. Kids look so cute in solid colored cotton outfits. Adults tend to look a little dowdy or even crazy. Rather than having an overly planned look, aim for “it goes together”. 

As we’ve all seen, a younger generation of stylish ladies who don’t match their handbags to their shoes to their belts. Really, it goes further. If you are shopping and come across pants and a blouse that are on the same rack or attached, there is a good chance they are “matchy-matchy”. If you love both pieces and cannot live without them, then by all means, go for the purchase, but understand that the clothing probably shouldn’t be worn together. Find other pieces in your already existing wardrobe. No only will you not be “matchy-matchy”, but you’ll be thrilled with the way your wardrobe seems to multiply! 

Going together is what it’s all about.