My Lip Color Picks for Spring 2018

Nude lips are the supposed lip trend for Spring 2018 from the Runway shows, but it's not my pick. What I will be wearing this Spring 2018 are Coral Lips and Violet Lips. Neither have really made a major splash this upcoming season, but so what. These are my picks. What are yours???

My favorite outfits to pair with these lip colors are crisp white ones. Girly silhouettes for Coral and clean lines for Violet. What do you think and plan to wear for Spring 2018???

Lancome Gift with Purchase Pandemonium!!!

I just treated myself to three Lancome lipsticks on Bloomingdales.com and to my surprise received 4 FREE Gifts with Purchase!!! I knew I would receive one Gift with Purchase, but the three additional ones just put me over the moon!

I expected to receive this one for sure:

Gift with any $39.50 Lancôme purchase ($139 value)! Choose your cosmetics bag

But then I also got these:
 
 

Choose your day & eye cream duo Gift with Purchase 

Choose your face & eye palette duo Gift with Purchase

Plus, spend $75 and choose your second gift!

I can't wait to get all the loot in the mail. It was a nice treat and a very nice surprise!!!

Finally! The Lookbook is Out! Altuzarra for Target

Back in May, I blogged about two collaborations to be excited about in the Fall: Alexander Wang for H&M and Altuzarra for Target.  Fast-forward to now, just a half a month away from the official start of Fall, Target finally released the Altuzarra for Target lookbook.  Released on Thursday, the 14th of August, exactly one month before the release of the collection.  Expect to wake up early on Sunday, September 14th to either line up at the nearest Target store or to madly shop Online.

Oh, I will be up early to line up at my neighborhood Target once again as I did last Fall for the 3.1 Phillip Lim capsule collection for Target. I don't think it will be as crazy as the 3.1 Phillip Lim collab due to the very popular handbags, but I'm gonna go earlier anyway, since there are some tops I really want to get my hands on. And I must have that long black dress with the white flowers! Although the slit on the side goes a little too high, and the largest size might not even fit me, I still must have it. Yes, I know, I'm insane!!!

My Picks/Hottest items from the collection:

To view the entire lookbook, visit Altuzarra for Target Lookbook.

The collection is composed of almost 50 pieces with prices ranging from $17.99 to $89.99 for apparel and lingerie, and $29.99 to $79.99 for shoes and accessories. The collection will be available at most Target stores in the US and Canada, as well as Online (to ship only to the US and Canada.)  Luckily for the rest of the bargainistas outside of the Americas, a curated assortment will be available globally at NET-A-PORTER.COM.

Switching My Daily Moisturizer to EUCERIN Everyday Protection Face Lotion, SPF 30

I am beyond sold on this daily moisturizer.  I've only been using it for two days, but I love how it makes my face look and feel, the good amount of SPF, and most importantly, the price.  It is sold at your nearest drugstore or discount retailer.  Target has it for the cheapest everyday price of $6.99.  I just happened to get it at Walmart yesterday because I had other items to buy there, and as it so happened, it was on Rollback for $6.96.  For 4 fl. oz, this bottle will probably last me 6 or more months, and I apply face moisturizer on my face, neck and upper chest.  The broad spectrum SPF 30 is the highest SPF I've seen on a face moisturizer, which is perfect for Summer.  For me, it's good for year-round face protection and hydration, since I live in sunny Miami.  It's very light-weight, great for people with normal to oily skin.  If you have extra dry skin and live in a dry climate, I would probably recommend a thicker and richer daytime moisturizer.  There is a light fragrance from the sunscreen, typical of what other sunscreens smell like, but it does dissipate after application.  This moisturizer actually lessens the appearance of spots on my skin due to the milkiness of the sunscreen (I think it's from the sunscreen,) but it does not leave streaks or anything like that.  The best part is that my skin feels silky smooth after it dries.

I owe my Mom for introducing this daytime moisturizer to me.  She saw it on Dr. Oz this week, and they even had a giveaway Online, which we both missed out on.  Oh well, but it doesn't matter.  At about $7, it is incredibly affordable.

I was using Meaningful Beauty by Cindy Crawford for about a year now and cancelled my membership because something in the formulation was giving me rough patches on my face.  Although not visible, I hated how my face felt.  I think everyone wants their face to feel smooth, right?  For about $30 a month, Meaningful Beauty ships products every 3 months for a 90-day supply.  Their daily moisturizer is only 1 fl. oz. and that lasts me a little over 90 days.  Before Meaningful Beauty, I was using the Mary Kay Timewise (Normal to Oily formula) skin care regimen for years, almost a decade.

I believe in keeping your face-care the same brand to ensure product compatibility, but I am going to go rogue for a bit and see how mixing and matching my skincare products work out for me.  Since I will soon be running out of my Meaningful Beauty supply, I went ahead and bought my skincare products:  Clean and Clear day and night face wash combo pack, L'oreal night cream and eye cream, and the EUCERIN Everyday Protection Face Lotion, SPF 30 as my day moisturizer.  All of these cost me about $40 and will probably last for at least 3 or so months, which beats the $90+ to $120+ I was paying for before for a 90 day supply.  I'll see how it goes...

How to Make the Art Print Work for Everyday Wear

Yesterday I posted some inspiration for a big trend this season in Artful Fashion for Spring/Summer 2014.  You may be wondering, "how can I make it work for me?"  You probably don't want to be walking around looking like a big canvas, ready to be hung on a wall somewhere.  The best thing to do is tone it down with neutral colors such as white, black, nude or beige.  Follow these ladies' lead by wearing it with black.  It really tones it down and makes this trend very wearable for almost any size.  Even I can attempt this look on my plus-size frame -- black clothing is my best friend after all.

Matching your art print finds with a black T-shirt, cardigan, turtleneck, pencil or full skirt will give your outfit just the right amount of a statement and not the "Hey look at my loud, very loud outfit!"  Also keep in mind that minimal accessories work best for this trend. 

Buying just one key piece is all that is needed for this trend, since you can work it with basic, neutral items already in your closet.

Artful Fashion for Spring/Summer 2014

Jeune Fille Endormie by Pablo Picasso

Paris, Milan, London and New York all splashed the runway with art.  This Spring and Summer is a time to be bright and bold with your clothes.  Go beyond color-blocking by choosing prints inspired by art.  Go abstract, go cubist, go pop, but whatever you do, choose pieces that will paint pizazz to your wardrobe.

You may have seen the editorials in the magazines, but here is some inspiration as it appeared on the runway:

Paris

Milan

London

   

New York

Runway photos from Style.com .

2 Collaborations to Get Exited About for Fall 2014: ALEXANDER WANG for H&M and ALTUZARRA for TARGET

As I obsess about kaftans for this Summer, I am also drooling over two collaborations that will surely drain my wallet this coming Fall.  Yikes!  Luckily for me, these collections are set for the Fall/Winter season, and I really have no need for cold-weather clothing in hot-as-Hades Miami, Florida. 

It was announced earlier in April that Alexander Wang is set to collaborate with H&M this year.  The lookbook is not out yet for the capsule collection to be released on November 6, 2014.  Expect urban-cool outfits with this collaboration where garments will be available for men and women.

Last week, it was announced that Altuzarra will collaborate with TARGET for Fall 2014.  This collab is set to come out earlier on September 14, 2014.  There are close to 50 items for this capsule collection that includes apparel and lingerie priced at $17.99 to $89.99 and shoes and accessories priced at $29.99 to $79.99.  Target.com states that "The collection features a mix of iconic Altuzarra silhouettes with designs created specifically for Target."  Also, no lookbook yet, but there is this sketch and video that gives us a hint of what to expect.  One thing is for sure, expect sexiness and to show a little leg ;-)