Best Dressed: Kerry Washington

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Scandal star Kerry Washington glows in this lovely Christian Dior Pre-Fall 2012 cocktail dress with applique detail at the PaleyFest Fall TV Preview Party in Los Angeles.  We are absolutely sighing over the hem length (just right!), the satin sash (not too precious) and the silhuoette of this dress.  We also love how she brought in a bit of texture with the snakeskin bag, and kept her hair and makeup soft.

Though Ms. Washington accessorized with bare legs and black pumps, you could also wear it with opaque tights as the temperature drops, as seen in the editorial.

Kerry Washington returns to tv as “fixer” Olivia Pope on September 27!

Images via The YB&F and Vogue

You have to try this: Artistry Light Up Lip Gloss

Makeup-free Mondays are not an option when cosmetics products as fabulous as Artistry’s Light Up Lip Gloss are on the market.  I recently had the privilege of trying it.

Artistry is a prestige brand sold exclusively through Amway, and is also worn by contestants in the Miss America pageant during competition (Miss America herself serves as brand ambassador during her reign).  The line, according to independent cosmetics consultant Karri Bentley, “has been around about 35 years and is one of the top five prestige brands in the world; it’s up there with Estee Lauder, Chanel and Clinique.”

I tried the lip gloss in “Passion” (a warm berry hue with a pretty shimmer; the gloss comes in five other shades) and was extremely pleased with the results. The packaging itself is attractive and lightweight, and showcases the product well.  One side has a rectangular mirror, which means no more digging through your purse for your compact.  When you unscrew the wand, two bright LED lights are activated, and when you apply the color, the light beams right over your lips.  No more applying lipstick in the dark, ladies!

The gloss itself is not sticky, but is very moisturizing and has a refreshing, minty effect; it makes your lips tingle but not in an irritating way (however, it’s not a lip “plumper”).  The shade flattered my complexion and was not sparkly to an alarming degree but added a lot of shine.  It’s relatively long-lasting, and there was a great color “pay off”: what you “see” in the translucent tube is what you “get” once you apply the gloss.  The more gloss you apply, the more richly the color is deposited.

Karri shares: “The good thing about Artistry is that [it offers] categories that fit any budget or skincare [need].  With each season we have our trend collection, typically in Spring and Fall, with a guest makeup artist to develop colors for the trend line.  It’s always someone who’s one of the famous makeup artists.  Whatever’s going on on the runways is what we’re putting out, but we also have basic colors. [Artistry has] everything for the person who isn’t into makeup all the way to the person who loves being fashionable and trendy with their makeup.”

What’s also nice is that Artistry offers customers a 180-day money back guarantee, so you have plenty of time to try the product and decide whether it works for you. At $16.05, the gloss is on trend with comparable brands; Artistry claims you will get “an estimated 200 applications” from the tube.

Ready to try it? Be sure to check out their Virtual Makeover!  Artistry can be purchased online or from an independent consultant. Click HERE to go straight to the lip gloss!

Image via Artistry

How much would you reveal?

If you thought the idea of a “no-buy” month was a challenge, how about going out without makeup for a day?  The ladies of The Talk (and guest Jamie Lee Curtis) did just that on their season 3 premiere yesterday, opting to appear in spa attire and bare-faced for the duration of ‘Makeup-free Monday’. 

Business Insider gave readers the big reveal:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

A round of applause to the ladies for taking a stand for authenticity. Could you go out (and not just on a random run to Target) to work or out on the town without makeup?  I don’t think I could; I don’t know who I am without my MAC Studio Fix (and you probably wouldn’t know who I was, either).

In other “big reveal” news, Jennifer Hudson recently revealed her plastic surgery to Oprah, and Jessica Simpson showed off her post-pregnancy weight loss to Katie Couric.

Images via Business Insider and People

Like SCDD’s Facebook page, or follow SCDD via Twitter!

Are you F.A.B.?

“I’ve spent $40,000 on shoes and I have no place to live? I will literally be the old woman who lived in her shoes!” – Carrie Bradshaw

The general consensus seems to be that looking good costs money.  And while I don’t necessarily agree that one must be clad in couture from head to toe in order to knock ’em dead, I hope this blog isn’t encouraging anyone to live outside his or her means.  That new Louis tote may be hot but it’s not worth sitting in the dark (or having to borrow money to cover essentials). And here’s another gem: you can go broke trying to save a dollar.  I can’t tell you what to do with your coins, but I can advise you that smart money management is key (unless you want to be the most fabulously dressed hobo ever).

Rethinking of my own shopping habits (which recently led me to purchase a caftan and yet another sequined cocktail dress although I have no immediate plans to vacation in Capri or hit up a party) has me stopping dead in my stilettos.  I believe one should shop for events ahead of time, but this is getting ridiculous (and pricey).  Several months ago I recommended The Frugalista Files by Natalie McNeal, and I just reread this eye-opening post by my friend (in the head) Demetria L. Lucas.  And the points made in both pieces have me considering trying a “no buy month” in which I only purchase absolute necessities. No auction-hunting on Ebay, no Etsy browsing, no random visits to my favorite haute spots for “It’s Monday/I had a bad day/Oooh! It’s on Sale!” takeout, cupcakes or clothes/shoes. No emergency blow outs at the salon, and no latte drive-bys. Whew.

Can I do it?  Would you do it? Hmmm.

Image via Google

Like SCDD’s Facebook page, or follow SCDD via Twitter!

Wow.

Last year this time, I was on pens and needles (get it?)…I wasn’t sure where clicking “publish” on SCDD’s  first post would lead, but what a fabulous journey it has been.  From the bottom of my stiletto-loving heart, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for reading, inspiring, sharing and supporting Same Chic Different Day.  The friendships I’ve made and experiences I’ve had during this first year are beyond my wildest dreams or expectations (considering I thought only my mother and sister-in-law would be reading this!).  Doing what you love may seem like a cliché or even impossible, but amazing things happen when you step out on faith (in the baddest ensemble you own, of course!). 

There are seriously way too many people to thank by name, but I want to thank my family and friends (old and new) for their encouragement, expertise and for talking me off the ledge (trying to make it as a writer is not always as glamorous as I might make it seem). Thank you to EVERYONE who participated in some way with the posts, and to the students in the yearbook class at Hayden High School, who made me feel like a Pulitzer Prize winner.   

This year concludes with SCDD finding itself a finalist for one of Birmingham’s Best blogs. Where will the next year take us? Stay tuned, darlings…the best is yet to come!  (See Mother and Daddy? That liberal arts education is working out!)  

XOXO Alexis

P.S.  Of course I’m wearing sequins today.

Like SCDD’s Facebook page, or follow SCDD via Twitter!

Images via Google and Lynsey Weatherspoon Photography

Straight from the A: Fall Fashion Do’s and Don’ts

Lela Rochon gives fashion advice in ‘Waiting to Exhale’

Hello darlings!  As many of you are celebrating fall weather, with football season and back-to-school, I thought we should chat about two of my deepest fashion pet peeves this time of year: the question of wearing white and/or leather (hopefully you aren’t wearing them together!).

Should one wear white after Labor Day? This is a hotly contested issue in the South.  Yes, it’s time to put away the seersucker and linen, but by all means chic ones: please don’t be afraid to wear white.  Wear your white  year-round, but bring your look into autumn with the warmer colors of the season (plum, teal, sapphire) as accents.  Or keep it basic: one of my favorite ways to wear white is to pair white jeans with a black turtle neck and leopard flats or smoking slippers. 

Now as for leather pants and jackets and winter boots, please don’t break them out when the temperature is sweltering (unless you want to get talked about for “leather-wearing in the summertime.” ).Two possible exceptions? Leather skirts and sheaths. This Banana Republic dress ($298) is EVERYTHING, but even though it’s sleeveless, it may not be a good look until the weather cools off.  If you’re going to rock a skirt, keep the length classy (!) and balance the strength of the skirt with a lighter top (unless you’re going for “biker chick”).

I don’t care if these boots are Givenchy.  Please don’t try this look at home.

  

Like SCDD’s Facebook page, or follow SCDD via Twitter!

Images via Tumblr and YB&F

Fashion faceoff: RNC vs. DNC edition

Who wore it best?

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Ann Romney in a crisp red silk, belted taffeta shirtdress from Oscar de la Renta ‘s pre-Fall 2012 collection  (which may have cost close to $2490, from the looks of a similar dress sold on Net-a-Porter) with black low-heeled open-toed pumps…or First Lady Michelle Obama in Tracy Reese’s arm-baring custom rosy pink and bluish gray toile dress with J. Crew’s suede “Everly” pumps in rhubarb ($245)?  Mrs. Romney chose a bright red nail polish and gold accessories while Mrs. Obama chose a soft taupe-grey (very similar to Sally Hansen’s ‘Commander in Chic’) and almost no jewelry. Both women had flawless hair and makeup (no stiff hair “don’ts” here). 

Mrs. Obama’s ensemble seemed to be more of a bold risk with its keyhole back, tonal fabric, seaming, scallop detail  and cutaway silhuoette, which also showed off her toned arms.  Mrs. Romney’s sartorial choice was a twist on the traditional 1950s shirtdress, with its demure neckline and sleeves and full skirt. 

So, darlings, which look gets your vote?

Images via Huffington Post, US Magazine and the Daily Beast

So much for being ‘born this way’…

#Labor Day

I’m catching up on my sewing project (which means first I’m learning to use my new sewing machine) today. And no, the Sewing for Dummies book is NOT a prop!  I missed out on home economics in school, and knowing the fundamentals is essential. Don’t judge me.

And what is the project, you ask?  Well, during my trip to Panama City Beach this summer, I found a haute vintage LBD for $7!  The 1960s-era silk dress with applique accents  at the shoulder and hip has languished in my closet because it was too roomy in one place and too tight in another (further helping me understand what an actual “wiggle” dress is!).  Plus, the sleeves bothered me.  But after reading P.S. I Made This’ recent post “Black Dress Refresh,” I have summoned the courage and the scissors to “make it work.”

Here we go…

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.