Ode to 2011 (Black and white and just in time)

 Here is an ode to 2011 in pictures. 

January: The road trips to law schools began. Chicago, Champaign and Nashville.

February: Parents for the week. With Jeff and Allison off in Mexico, we got little Laynie all to ourselves. 

March: After a trip to Lexington and one last trip to Iowa City we made the big decision.

April: Partying, partying yeah! Stacy's bridal shower was simply wonderful.

May: The Look for Less begins!

June: Stacy's chilly but cheery wedding!

July: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Premiere. Need I say more. Epic.

August: Family vacation. Yes please.

September: Settling in to life in Iowa.

October: The first ever party for one. You know you wish you would have been invited.

November: Ridiculously awesome fall weather.

December: Best Christmas gift ever...Baby honey!

 Happy New Years! 

The Look For Less - Cable Knit Sweaters

Cream cable knit cream sweater. Love.

Why does J Crew have to be so stinking expensive. Seriously. Annoying.

This cable knit sweater = $98.00. Yikes.

My find....

Banana Republic Factory Store. 

Cream Cable Knit = $33.97

Wigga what? Yes please.

One Dress

So here is the deal.

I decided to take an item of clothing and turn it into like four or five different outfits...

You know...another option for saving money. 

Using your clothes in creative, new ways can maybe help curb that appetite for shopping...just maybe though.

The problem is that I was too busy (or maybe lazy) to come up with more then two outfits. 

So today there are two looks...but more will come. promise. 

Also, side note...sorry about the blinding white skin...it is getting to be that time of year again. 

Bahaha...ok wait, who am I kidding, I am always this pale.

Look #1...just the dress plan and simple.

 

Look #2....add a pencil skirt, some pearls,  bright lipstick...

and tada... same dress...new look!

 

happy friday. see you all on monday!
Have a spectacular weekend.

The Look For Less Returns

Are you crazy about camel? I know I sure am! Along with Banana Republic, J Crew, Micheal Kors and everyone else!
It is cozy, versatile, fun and sophisticated. Who knew a color could be so many things!

The problem with this camel colored-craze.....those pricy pricetags on the lovely fall jackets.

Is there a solution to this dilemma? Of course!!!! 

My inspiration....

Michael Kors: $450

 

J Crew:  $325

Banana Republic: $198

Solution:

Banana Republic Factory Outlet: $75

What up. That's right! Woot! Woot!

Happy Tuesday! Hope you are enjoying this lovely fall weather. Ah...fall. Sigh.

L.I.P.S.

Here is whats up yo...$3. That's right...$3, for 3 different lip options. Mac lipsticks start at $14.50, Bobbi Brown at $23 and Nars at $24. So I would say that $1 each is a pretty good stinken deal. 

Elf Cosmetics Lipstick (Posh)

oh yeah....

Elf Cosmetics Lipstick (Voodoo)

check it...

Elf Costmetics Lipgloss (Pink Lemonaid)

pucker up...

Stay tuned for Monday's Giveaway!

E.Y.E.S.

Ah...eye makeup... it's fun, fabulous and accentuates one of the best features!

I spent a total of $7 on all these Elf Cosmetic goodies: a shadow palette (drama), an eyelid primer, a cream shadow/liner duo stick (glow and pearl), a shimmering facial whip (lilac petal), and a liquid liner (black). My mascara of choice is L'oreal Double Extend.  It is $8.99 at Target...and it is the best thing that ever happened to my lashes! Love it!

The tools....

 

The Looks....
Look #1 Gray Palette (Eyelid Primer, Drama Shadow, Liquid Liner & Mascara)
 

 

Look #2 Peach Palette (Eyelid Primer, Shimmering Facial Whip, Shadow/Liner Duo & Mascara)

 

Look #3 Just added the Liquid Liner. :-)

None of these looks were to crazy or intense...just simple...what I would wear everyday.
Stay tuned for L.I.P.S. and an Elf Cosmetics Giveaway!

F.A.C.E.

Face - your guise, your apperance, your mug...

At the beginning of the day it is a blank canvas.

A place to express, create and design.

My "canvas" you'll notice, however, is not blank...but rather freckly.

Today we are going to tackle the face.

***none of these pictures will be edited in any way***

 

So this "challenge" really was a challenge.  Makeup seems to come in three price points... expensive, relatively expensive and super cheap. I decided to go with the super cheap option. My look for less experiment cost me a total of $22. For that I bought....eye primer, 2 eye liners, concealer, 2 lip glosses, 2 lipsticks, 3 shadows, bronzer and blush (All Elf Cosmetics). The rest of the makeup I use in this project will be makeup I already owned. So....lets start at the very beginning.

1. Concealers

Mac's coverup starts at $17...I own it and I like it...but it is a little pricy. So I purchased Target's new makeup brand Elf to try...$3.

2. Foundation

This is the one place I recommend sticking with the good stuff. Cheap foundation looks how it sounds...cheap. After researching some different options I decided that although it is pricy ($30 a pop), Mac's tinted moisture is worth the price.

 

3. Powder and Bronzer

Powder and bronzer work together to set your foundation in place and give you that fresh, healthy look. The bronzer I used was Elf's Golden Bronzer ...$3. Just a little less expensive then Mac's ($27...what I own) and Bobbi Browns ($35).

 

                                                     

4. Blush

Seriously people, Elf's All Over Color Stick = $1.  The cream blush stick I own from Nars cost me $39. Yes I really did pay $39 for a cream blush stick... I am embarrassed.

So, with the exception of the foundation and the mascara...we will talk about that later this week...this look cost me $7. Just a healthy glow...nothing more...nothing less..

 

The Trench Coat

This look for less is quite simple...but quite darling.

A classic trench coat. Perfect for a brisk fall morning or cool fall night. I can just picture myself wearing one of these jackets with an adorable scarf, reading a novel on a park bench... perhaps drinking a starbucks.

Or wearing it with trouser jeans and wedges as I window shop downtown (ok lets be honest...I don't really window shop...I go into any store that looks cute...but the thought was nice).

But which jacket would I be wearing? Surely not the one with a $298 price tag...

Jacket 1: $298 J Crew (sorry to always be hating on J Crew...I just want their "look"... but for "less")

  

Jacket 2: $49.95 H&M (now doesn't she look happy)

TLFL SHOES!

So...this week is a week of "firsts". 

Nick's first day of school.

My first day of school.

My first day of work at Banana Republic.

My first day of work at A'deva Salon.

And.....a new first for The Look For Less.

Due to my tight (and by tight I mean really serious...no messing around...don't spend anything) budget...I have been unable to put new clothes into my closet on a regular basis. I know some I you find this very hard to believe, but honestly...I have been trying. So for now....The Look For Less is not going to include items I have recently purchased. But it will still provide a cheaper option for something sweet. 

Example....love these shoes...hate the price.

$198 J Crew

Similar shoe....not so similar price. 

$36.94 Old Navy

Happy shoe shopping.

The Look For Less - White Cropped Pants

Lets face it...finding a good pair of white pants is challenging. They are frustrating and hard to find. When you do find a good pair ...you know the kind that don't cling to your rear and show your under garments...you just want to bite the bullet and pull the trigger...no matter what the price. Right? 

WRONG! Patience my dear penny-wise friends. If I would have purchased the pair on the left...two words for you....dead meat. Thankfully my life was saved when I came across the pair on the right on the clearance rack at the Loft. Six dollars...that's right....six dollars. Remember end of the season purchases (when staple pieces) are still good for next season. 

Unless of course you get carried away during the holiday season and find that come May... your once perfect white pants now do indeed...cling to your rear. But lets be honest...that has never happened to any of us. :-)

The Look For Less - Maxi Dress

Oh the ever popular maxi dress. You can dress it up...you can dress it down. Wear it to dinner or to the beach. So many options. 

When shopping for the perfect maxi dress...you have to be picky. Too long and you find yourself tripping over your clothes. Too short...well you just look like a dork. Too baggy you look like a tent. Too tight....nobody wants to see that. Too colorful and you look like you should be vacationing in the the tropics. Too drab and you look like a frump. What is a girl to do?

Well, me...I tend to stick to black. It is my go-to color...always. 

Nine times out of ten my outfit is made up of primarily black. And frankly, I am ok with that. 

It is slenderizing....right?

Anyways, with the maxi dress, stick with simple and flattering. 

oh...and of course...try and find yourself a good deal.

The Look For Less - Maxi Skirt

I have official decided that the maxi skirt is really just a somewhat dressier substitute for sweatpants. It is comfy, goes perfect with a tank top or t-shirt, and looks good with flip flops. What is not to love about that?

Next time you really just want to throw on sweatpants to run an errand (or in my case, go to work or on a date) try a maxi skirt instead. You will achieve the same level of comfort, but look a whole lot better... more put together. 

The Look For Less - Pencil Skirt

The past few months, the search has been on for the perfect pencil skirt.

However, after many failed trips to the dressing room, I began to get discouraged.

I decided that in order to successfully wear a pencil skirt you must meet these

requirements: at least 5'10 and a size 00. Every skirt I tried on was either too tight,

too bunchy, or too long. The only decent skirts I found came with hefty price tags.

Refusing to pay over $40, I continued my search. Finally last week it happened....

Gap clearance...right color, right size, right price.

Oh yeah.

The Look For Less - Flip Flops

Look for Less - J Crew Flip Flops

I was hankering a new pair of flip flops and I found this adorable pair at J Crew. However the sweet, bedazzled flip flops were $26.50. While that price was not horrendous, I still could not justify spending nearly $30 on glitzy flip flops when Old Navy sells plain flip flops for $2.00.

So I decided to add some sparkle myself.

                                                                  

My flip flops came to a grand total of $3.17! I purchased the flip flops from Old Navy for $2.12. I spent $1.05 on black satin fabric. I then found 6 black beads and glued them in the middle of the flowers.

To make your own flip flops simply purchase some shoes,  follow the flower tutorial and hot glue your flowers to your sandals!

Have fun!

The Look For Less - BCBG Max Azria

I recently read in a magazine...Live within your means, dress beyond them.

I decided that was the new motto of The Look for Less.

I certainly don't have the means to fill my wardrobe with pieces from BCBG,

but that doesn't mean I can't be a BCBG poser.     

                

                         BCBG Blouse - $248                                                             Gap Blouse - $21.97

                         BCBG Shorts - $118                                                              Francesca's Shorts - $9.95

                         Total - $366                                                                           Total - $31.92