The Cheap Diva

Looking Younger Book Review

Looking younger may be a national obsession, but not all women are so obsessed that they are willing to subject themselves to expensive and painful cosmedic procedures.  For women interested in cheap and easy strategies for looking their best Looking Younger: Makeovers that Make You Look as Young as You Feel by Robert Jones offers plenty of practical advice.

The Looking Younger book lays the foundation for mastering your makeup applications by presenting the reader with a brief explanation of many cosmetic terms that the reader may have heard of before, but might not be clear on the meanings.  Jones discusses the qualities of different types of cosmetic products and tools so you can make an informed decision the next time you update your cosmetics. 

The Looking Younger book offers several simple solutions, such as using concealer for disguising laugh lines and scars, for many common beauty issues.  I will give credit to Jones for including models in their 40's all the way up to their 70's in the book.  The models in the photographs tend to look a bit airburshed, but the makeup is wearable.  The models never look like they are wearing a ton of makeup, they simply look fabulous.

The Secrets to Frugal and Fabulous Living

I have discovered that  mastering the art of frugal and fabulous living has more to do with being  open to the possibilities than the size of your bank account.  If you want to live well you need to focus on opportunities for experiencing the finer things in life instead of simply settling for less until your finances improve. 

 The first thing to let go of is the all or nothing mentality.  It's easy to look at some millionaires home on some TV show and think "I'll never be able to live in a home like that!"  Just because you might not be able to experience the lifestyle of the rich and famous every day doesn't mean you can't experience it at all.  There are historic mansions that have been turned into bed and breakfast businesses and luxury hotels with spa amenities that would be happy to treat you like a V.I.P.  A weekend spent in fabulous luxury is certainly better than a lifetime spent whining about what you can't have.

A little planning can go a long way towards getting what you want.  My family has a bank account that we use as our travel account strictly for family vacations.  To generate money for the account we sell stuff we no longer use through a local consignment store.  This strategy doesn't generate tons of money so we don't do expensive vacations every year.  The years where we don't do a vacation we can still visit local attractions, museums, botanical gardens, etc. acting like a tourist without the expense of distant travel.  When the travel account reaches a certain point we choose a destination and get the best travel deals we can.  By the time we get around to taking a trip, one of my family members has enough frequent flier miles on her credit card to cover the cost of plane tickets so all of us can fly for free.  You will notice none of these strategies involves deprivation or working a second job.

You might have the money to treat yourself to something special without realizing it.  I used to buy a $2.00 celebrity lifestyle magazine every Friday so I would have something entertaining to take my mind off of my mind numbingly boring job during my lunch break.  After weeks of buying this magazine I finally stopped and did the math.  This stupid magazine which I threw in the trash after one reading would end up costing me $100.00 a year if I kept buying it!  For $100.00 I could get a deep cleansing facial from an upscale salon.  Even if I only got one facial a year the pampering benefits of the facial far outweigh some magazine whose entertainment value was easily replaced by watching the TV in the employee break room.  The more you say no to small expenses for things that add little value to your life the more money you will have for the finer things.

Just because something is normally expensive doesn't mean it's always going to be expensive.  Sometimes high ticket items can be had for free or very cheap.  Contests prizes sometimes offer a shot at free trips, cars and even free homes!  It's possible to attend expensive charity galas or theatrical performances for free by simply volunteering for those organizations.  Once expensive merchandise can end up drastically cut in price due to going out of business sales, being last years model, or being property seized by police and sold to the public.  Learning to keep your eyes open for opportunities that brings the cost of what you want within reach allow you to live large even on a small budget. 

            

     

Make Yourself Heard with Shopping Surveys

The Budget Fashionista, an incredibly popular budget fashion blog is conducting a fashion survey.  Click here to take the TBF 2009 Shopping Survey.  Why should you take your precious time to take this survey?  It's simple.  As a major budget friendly fashion blog, The Budget Fashionista is probably read as intensely by fashion retailers as it is by her other readers.  Taking one survey that will most likely be read my many people in a position of influence in the fashion industry is like telling the fashion business as a whole what you want and how to address your needs.  Instead of going online and filling out individual surveys for all the different stores you shop at you can take TBF 2009 Shopping Survey and make yourself heard in less time than it takes to find a decent parking space at the mall.

Downsizing Your Home With Style Book Review

Downsizing to a smaller space is something that everyone from empty nesters to people moving out of their home for financial or other reasons experience.  In the book Downsizing Your Home With Style, Living Well in a Smaller Space author Lauri Ward addresses many of the common issues related to moving from a larger space to a smaller one.  

She starts out by identifying common mistakes, like not defining priorities, and moves on to other issues like furniture placement.  Some of her advice on preparing for a move is designed to make the moving process go a lot more smoothly.  

After offering advice on what to get rid of and how to get rid of it before you move, she delves into advice about setting up storage in your new place for all the stuff you still have.

Overall the book has lots of great ideas, including some on how to make your small space look bigger.  The one glaring weakness of the book is a lack of pictures.  The lack of pictures may actually be a good thing since the photographs that are included don't have much to offer in terms of design inspiration.  If you looking for design inspiration then this isn't the book for you.  If you are looking for lots of practical advice about downsizing, then Downsizing Your Home With Style is worth checking out. 

Spring Skirts to Suit Your Style

In uncertain economic times, skirts are a smart buy.  These versatile fashion pieces can transcend different looks and seasons depending on what they are matched with. 

Pair this Jones Wear Studio Skirt for $35.00 from JC Penney with a solid black blouse or sweater and you have an office proper look.  When you are feeling bold you can top the classic zebra print off with a brightly colored top.  Not only is black and white is a big trend for spring, it's really a look that never goes out of style.

When you're feeling flirty slip on a swinging floral printed skirt, like this Floral Print Swing Skirt for $49.00 from Newport News.  Perfect for a twirl or two around the dance floor or just hanging out at your favorite cafe.  One of the advantages of a print is that there are so many colors in the print that it's fairly easy to find a top that coordinates with the print.

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With the arrival of spring comes the arrival of invitations to weddings and other celebrations worth dressing up for.  A Metallic Knee Length Lace Skirt for $39.00 from Newport News.  By pairing this elegant lace skirt with a plain knit top or blouse and adding a few dressy accessories, you have elevated your entire outfit into something worthy of special occassions.  Wearing the same dress over and over again to different events can get old.  A dressy skirt lets you mix things up more by allowing you to pair it with everythng from satin camisoles to knit cardigan sets in just about any color.

Watch Today Show Style Videos Online

Talk shows, entertainment news shows or any show that does a fashion segment usually save the fashion feature for one of the last segments of the show.  These segments are often so short that viewers have to sit through a bunch of other segments and commercials just to be sure they don't miss the one piece on fashion and style and beauty they were really interested in. 

Thanks to iVillage.com you can watch beauty and style related videosfrom the Today show.  The Today Show videos cover everything from hair styles to make up to fashion.  Some of the fashion videos are rather dated but there are lots of timeless videos worth watching.  My personal picks include Secrets of a Makeup Master Video, DIY Fashion Tricks and Focus on Your Best Feature.  To find a specific video just type in the title in the search box on the right of the page.  Videos typically take less than five minutes so you can get your beauty and fashion fix in less time than it takes to get dressed in the morning.

How to Dress for Shopping Success

A lifetime ago when I (barely) made a living selling women's clothing in retail stores I became pretty good at judging which customers were the most likely to return the clothes they bought.  A good indicator of whether or not the customer would keep the clothes she bought was how she dressed for her shopping excursion.  Dressing for shopping success can save time in the dressing room and prevent you from having to return fashion pieces that don't work.  

One of the keys to dressing for shopping success is to think about the types of clothing you are shopping for and dress accordingly.  Wearing the right undergarments is crucial to judging the fit of a garment.  If you are shopping for an evening dress for example, then you need to wear the same strapless, padded or plunging bra that you are going to wear with that evening dress.  If you aren't sure what kind of evening dress you are going to end up with you can buy a convertible bra that allows you to arrange the bra straps in different ways or a bra with removable straps that can convert into a strapless bra if needed.  If you intend to wear shapers to slim you down and smooth things over in your new outfit, be sure to bring the shaper with you or simply wear it while shopping. 

One of the worst undergarments for shopping include sports bras which flatten your chest and give an inaccurate idea of how a garment will fit and hang from the chest area.  Brightly colored or patterned lingerie that shows through garments is distracting.  A T-shirt bra that blends in with your skin tone and seamless panties that give the illusion of not wearing any panties are more discreet and versatile.    

What you wear shopping should never distract from the things you are shopping for.  If you are shopping for a cute top, then wear bottoms in a neutral color.  Trying on patterned or brightly colored tops with pants in a clashing color or pattern creates looks chaotic and makes it harder to judge if the top is working or not. 

Shopping for clothes generally involves a lot of dressing and undressing.  It sounds fun and sexy but the wrong clothes and accessories can make shopping a real hassle.  Long necklaces that have to be removed every time you try on a top or dress, bracelets too big to allow narrow sleeved shirts to be tried on and big earrings that threaten to get caught in any garment you have to pull over your head, and rings and bracelets with prongs that snag just about anything in sight make trying on clothes more complicated than it needs to be.  Try smaller earrings, avoid jewelry with prongs, wear shorter necklaces and limit the amount of jewelry overall.  If you want to make a dramatic statement with accessories you can do it with shoes, handbags and a bold ring or watch.

Shopping for clothes is often a race against the clock.  I remember panicked customers practically flinging themselves at the salespeople in one womens' clothing store I used to work for with the announcement that they needed an evening dress for an event they were attending in two hours!  Um, good luck with that.  Even under less time pressed circumstances the clothes you wear shopping should be easy to remove and put back on.  A jacket that easily zips off or a cardigan sweater left open over a lightweight fitted top like a tank top, or fitted T-shirt in a neutral color allows you to remove your outer layer easily and keep your top on if you are trying on something with sleeves.  Pants should be loose enough to remove easily and slip on shoes are a real time saver. 

Socks are another consideration when shopping.  A pair of thin socks in a tan or dark brown color that blends in with your skin tone serves you well when trying on new shoes or just about anything else.  I once saw a customer wearing white athletic socks look at herself in the mirror while trying on a super glamorous evening dress.  The customer joked that she didn 't think the socks quite worked with the outfit.  The truth is that it's hard to visualize how an outfit will look when you are wearing the wrong socks.  A nude colored pair of socks virtually disappear instead of distracting from the outfit you are trying on.  

As a courtesy to other customers you don't want to leave anything on the clothes that doesn't belong there.  Using clear antiperspirant won't leave white marks on armholes the way white antiperspirant does.  Wearing enough makeup to prevent unflattering fluorescent store lighting from making you look like a walking corpse is a good idea, but apply makeup with a light touch.  The more makeup you wear the more likely some of it will end up on any garment you have to pull over your head to try on. 

Don't wear perfume when shopping, going perfume free gives you the opportunity to try different perfumes while you are out shopping.  Perfume is the one thing you can try on while shopping that doesn't require a dressing room, so spritz away!   

The Right Words Help You Save Cash by Avoiding Scams

As the unemployment rate rises so does the number of financial scams aimed at people who really can't afford to be scammed.  Scams reaching such epidemic proportions that walletpop.com has a feature article on the dozen most common scams.  While the scams are numerous, there are common warning signs that you are being scammed. 

The scammer initiates contact.  You didn't sign up or request information, you were simply contacted out of the blue by someone presenting you with a supposedly great opportunity or they offer to solve a problem for you like helping you get out of debt by negotiating lower payments on credit cards and mortgages.  What happens is that you pay the scammer a fee, give them enough personal information to steal your identity and they pocket the fee without every contacting your credit card companies or mortgage lender.   

Sure you could do extensive research to separate the scammer from the legitimate companies but asking the right questions is so much faster and effective.  If you think you are being scammed and it involves a mortgage for example, say something to the effect of "Well Jane Doe at (your mortgage lender) is the person who helped me with my mortgage.  I want you deal directly with her since she's more familiar with my mortage terms than anybody.  As a professional curtesy, why don't I just go ahead and send her a copy of the contract you sent before I sign it so she knows exactly what kind of changes to expect in my payment terms?"   If the company that contacted you about "helping" you reduce your debt freaks out over the idea of you talking to a financial representative who is involved in your finances, don't sign a contract with them.  Scammers don't want you talking to anyone who can recognize them as a fraud. 

Another common tactic in various scams is to send you a check and request some of the money back.  The scammer instructs you to deposit a check into your bank account and then take a portion of the check and send it back to them.  What happens is that you end up sending the scammer money and the check they sent you bounces.  An easy way to screen out the scammers is to contact them and let them know that because of your busy schedule you won't be able to send them money until at least 6 days after you deposit their check and ask them if this is OK with them.  The scammer probably knows that after 5 days you can easily verify that their check has bounced and they won't want to work with you.

One of the easist ways to avoid being scammed is to refuse to give out personal information, like account numbers and your social security number, to people who initiate contact with you.  For example, if someone requests an account number for direct deposit for a home based job simply say you have some issues with you bank and you aren't going to sign up for a direct deposit until those issues are resolved.  You don't have to tell the scammer that the "issues" you have with your bank is that they don't have enough security measures in place to prevent someone with your account information from ripping you off. 

Some of these suggestions involve deception but lets face it, dealing honestly with a scammer is a waste of time and money, YOUR money.

Magnetic Attraction

Whether using tacky plastic magnets to turn your refrigerator into a giant chilly memo pad or trying to create some sort of order out of chaos on a home office bulletin board, magnets make an attractive organizing tool.   

MOMA Jewel Magnets for $28.00 for a set of 8, add a touch of glam to even the most mundane memos.  Seriously, if your refrigerator is covered with cheap plastic magnets in crayola colors in the shapes cartoon characters it's time for an upgrade.

You multitask all the time, why not have office accessories that do the same?  This magnetic Magazine Pocket for $17.95 from See Jane Work gets files off your desk while the magnetic surface provide a place to display memos, business cards and personal pictures.  Wow, an organizing pocket that gets paperwork off my desk.  If I cover my walls with about 20 of these pockets I could completely clean off my desk!  (Papers tend to mysteriously accumulate on my desk.)

 

I'm all for anything that frees up drawer and counter space.  This Extra Large Magnetic Kitchen Timer for $13.95 can be easily stuck on the side of a refrigerator ready to go at a moments notice.  I love the bold easy to read numbers that leave no doubt as to exactly when your culinary creations will be ready.  Ding, soup's on! 

Free Shipping on Cute Shoes

The only thing better than cute shoes is getting free shipping on those shoes.  Cutesygirl.com has a terrific selection of cute shoes that are affordably priced to begin with.  When you type in the promo code SHIP you can get free shipping on your purchase over $50.00.  This offer is only good through the weekend so start shopping now!

Strap happy Classified Delma flats for $19.99 offer an extra dose of comfort with their heel cover that prevents the strap from rubbing against the back of the foot. 

These Classified Buena Flats for $18.99 offer a stylish alternative to the over designed overly strapped gladiator sandals we are seeing this season.  Thong sandals are a classic that always look effortlessly chic.

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Shoes may be what Cutesy Girl excels at, but they do sell other types of clothing.  Much of what they sell is too trashy to be featured here but there are a few wearable pieces mixed in with the Fredericks of Hollywood style garments.  This GIOLL Safari Knee Length skirt for $11.89 is both fun and wearable. 

A Busy Mom gets a Real Life Makeover

As much as I love a great makeover,  I do wonder what happens when the hairstylist who curled, sprayed and manipulated the woman's hair into the perfect do and the makeup artist who spent who knows how long on the transformation are no longer in the picture.  After the big reveal to the TV, internet or magazine audience, do women still look like they did during their big "after" reveal or does the reality that they don't have two hours to put themselves together every day make them revert back to how they looked before the makeover?  Why doesn't someone do a makeover that works for real life?

Well someone finally did.  Totalbeauty.com did a makeover on an average looking working mom that she can easily duplicate in 10 minutes.  The haircut she received actually shortened her beauty routine.  The makeup tricks used address such common concerns as  concealing under eye circles.  The after picture shows a simple to maintain hairstyle and natural looking low key makeup.  Sure I love super glamourous hair and dramatic makeup, but it's nice to know it's possible to looking good on a daily basis without a team of stylists present.  

Credit Card Customers Exceed Credit Limit Without Spending a Dime

Instead of enticing credit card customers with generous credit limits so they could collect higher fees from unpaid balances, credit card companies are now doing to opposite and drastically slashing credit limits for existing customers.  The article in Yahoo Finance reveals how credit card companies are drastically slashing credit card limits without warning their credit card customers.  In some cases the credit limit is reduced so much that the credit limits are going below what customers have on their credit cards.  What this means is that someone who used to have a credit card limit of $10,000.00 who has $5,000.00 on their credit card can suddenly find themselves over their credit limit when the credit card company reduces their credit card limit to $3,000.00 and tries to stick the customer with expensive fees for going over their credit limit. 

As the article points out, having less credit available to you can also negatively affect your credit score.  The credit card companies using these kinds of tactics blame the economy for having to reduce credit limits.  To me the fact that these drastic reduction in credit limits comes without warning to customers who pay their bills and results in the credit card companies profiting from the unexpected penalties looks more like greed on the part of the credit card company than a sign of the economic times.  To avoid problems keep purchases way below your credit limit and spread purchases over different credit cards if you have to.  If you do get hit with a surprise fee due to a drastic cut in your credit card limit, call the company and complain and insist on talking to the supervisor or person above who you are talking to until someone removes that fee from your card.  After the fee is removed and the card is paid off, cancel the card and give your business only to credit companies who don't engage in these kinds of questionable tactics.         

Smart Bargains for Smart Shoppers

Smartbargains.com is like a massive virtual clearance section of an online department store.  They carry everything from clothing to housewares at deeply discounted prices.  One  problem with shopping clearance clothing is that often when you spot something fabulous it's only available in supermodel size zero.  Smartbargains spares you this heartache by allowing you to shop by size and by price.  I strongly suggest you shop lowest to the highest price for clothing because even at 60% off a $400.00 handbag isn't cheap.  

Ann Marino Primrose Thong w/Pearlized Beads for $39.99.

Cooper Classics Varo Round Mirror for $129.99

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Turkish Egyptian Cotton Towel Set for $39.98

A Gem of a Deal at Kohls

I read somewhere that March is the best time to shop for jewelry because merchants have sales to move the merchandise between Valentine's Day and Mother's Day.  I say anytime is a great time to shop for lovely baubles.  Kohls for example has sales so frequently it makes me wonder if the stuff was ever sold for a regular retail price.

Good jewelry attracts attention without being so attention getting it distracts from your overall look.  The twisted design and dangling bead gives these Croft & Barrow Gold-Tone Twist Drop Earrings for $7.00 (also available in silver) provide a sense of movement and the scale of the earrings are obvious enough to have some sort of presence but not big enough to blind people passing by with their shiny reflection.

Hoop earrings are a timeless classic, sometimes a little too classic.  These Trifari Silver-Tone Teardrop Earrings for $11.20 expand on the simple hoop idea with simple teardrop rings.  The look is still classic enough to wear with everything from jeans to business suits to a nice dress, it's just not as plain as the traditional hoop earring.

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I love festive spring colors as much as the next fashion addict, but all those candy colors can lead to a kind of visual sugar shock after a while.  The cure for too much Crayola colors is to add something deep in color and rich in design like this Axcess Gold-Tone Bead Y Necklace for $16.80.  I see this working as part of a sophisticated safari look or as a neutral counterpart to a solid brightly colored top.

Sweet Deals from Sephora

Sephora is known more for their fun girly makeup with clever packaging than for their bargain beauty buys, but amid their pricey offerings their are deals to be found.

This Hershey Sweet Milk Chocolate Lip Balm SPF 15 is a thrifty $5.00 on sale.  By checking out the Sale page on Sephora I was able to avoid sticker shock on lots of pretty offerings including this tasty little gem. 

Sephora sweetens the shopping experience by offering free shipping on orders over $50.00, and offering three free samples on selected products with every order.  To sweeten the deal even more, Sephora is throwing in an extra sample, like the Bare Minerals 10 day trial sample  for a limited time while supplies last

You're Fired! Covering Your A$$ets in tough times

I have either been fired or quit so many jobs over the years that at this point in my life getting fired is pretty anticlimactic.  It's almost to the point where when friends or family ask me what's new I will say "Let's see, I got a great deal on a cute sweater, I wrote a few new posts for my blog and ...oh yeah, I got fired from my full time job on Friday".  One of the advantages of not staying at one job forever is that I have gotten pretty smart about my finances and how to make a graceful exit.

First of all you should never build a shrine to your personal life at your cubicle because it makes your exit longer if you get fired.  A coworker in an adjoining cubicle recently got fired and she was pretty upset about it.  She cried openly while angrily ripping personal paperwork and photo's off her cubicle wall and packing up her toy figurines and snacks.  As a cubicle dweller sitting less than four feet from her the situation was beyond awkward and seemed to last an eternity.  When I was fired from the same company due to cutbacks, all I had to do was grab my sweater off the back of the chair and my snack bag of mixed nuts and I was gone faster than you can say filing for unemployment.

I have never invested in the company I worked for and I have never regretted it.  The only time I participated in a company retirement plan was when the money was invested in a variety of companies and other savings vehicles with none of the money being invested in the company I work for.  When I left the company I had more to show for my time than a stupid employee appreciation plaque.

One of the best ways to handle the stress of lack of job stability is to give yourself a raise.  There are many ways of giving yourself a sort of raise outside of your regular job.  You can raise your income by reducing expenses, starting with wasteful habits such as wasting electricity,  spending money on things or services you don't really need or want etc.  Other ways to give yourself a raise include shopping around for a higher interest bank account, selling stuff online or through consignment stores, or sending in helpful tips to magazines that pay for tips etc.  None of these measures will replace the income from a full time job, but they do act as an important reminder that no matter what happens with your regular job, you still have some control and power  over your finances.      

Browse Online then Shop Local

Just because I can buy just about anything online doesn't mean I always want to.  If I can enjoy the instant gratification of buying something in a store without paying more money for it than I would online, I will happily hit the stores.  Shoplocal.com is all about, you guessed it, shopping local.  This easy to navigate web site consists of advertisements for local stores like Target and Best Buy.  Simply select your city, the store or type of product you want to check out and shoplocal.com brings up advertisements based on your preferences.  It's like having a bunch of weekly store fliers in your computer instead of sitting on your kitchen table.  The one drawback of shoplocal.com is that the list of store promotions is rather limited.  There were only 26 stores for my area listed and there are a lot more than 26 different chain stores around here.  Overall, if you want to check out local store fliers at a glance shoplocal.com is the way to go.

Experience Kimora's Life in the Fab Lane

She's a former supermodel and super successful fashion mogul with an over the top personality and lifestyle to go with it.  Kimora Lee Simmons believes in herself, the power of fabulousity and the importance of going after what you want no matter how unrealistic those goals may seem.   Between her lifestyle and her personality it was only a matter of time before she got her own reality show.

For less than the cost of one of her perfumes you can take an inside peek into the super glamorous world of Kimora Lee Simmons, and not all of it is pretty.  The Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane for $9.49 DVD has only 7 rather short episodes but that's enough to give you an idea of who Kimora is and what it takes to maintain the level of success she has.  

One of the keys to her success is her unwillingness to compromise.  She repeatedly demands the impossible from her staff and her business associates creating lots of drama but ultimately coming out victorious in the end.  When it comes to staff she is relentless, unforgiving of weakness and blunt in her willingness to fire them if they fall down on the job.   After just a few episodes my less than glamorous office job started to look like a dream job compared to working for her.

While Kimora won't win any world's greatest boss awards she reveals a much softer side when it comes to her children.  She is a doting mom who seems to have infinite patience when it comes to her kids.  If you love kids you will enjoy all the screen time they get, and they do get there share.  If cute kids aren't your idea of entertainment you might be hitting the fast forward button a lot.

On the other hand, Kimora lives eats and breathes glamour.  From her houses, to the fashion she creates to the blinding amount of diamond jewelry she wears, Kimora knows how to do glam.  Each episode seems to focus on  some glamourous aspect of her work and life, fabulous parties, launching faboulous fashions in Paris, starring in her own glamorous ad campaign etc.  The bottom line is that Kimora has a larger than life personality that is far more entertaining than most of the scripted shows out there.

Brighten Up Your Wardrobe with a New Spring Dress

The bevy of fun bright colors for spring fashions is as predictable as the changing of the seasons themselves.  Come springtime women always want sunny, bright, fun clothes that lighten their spirits without emptying their wallets and this spring there are plenty of fun and fashionable styles to choose from. 

This trendy looking Go International Zip Dress w/Mesh Uniform Blue for $34.99 offers a stylish alternative to all the bright floral prints that inevitably bloom around spring time.  The look is very modern, geometric, and yet super wearable.

If your stature is less than that of a supermodel you are going to want to stock up on high heels or find a tailor willing to shorten hems cheap because the maxi dress is one of the strongest fashion trends for spring.  This Juniors Xhilaration Floral Maxi Dress-Dark Floral Print for $24.99 is just one of the many versions of the maxi dress available.  The long flowing style perfectly captures the easy breezy attitude of spring.

For women with a small to medium sized bust this Victorias Secret Smocked tank Bra Top Dress for $58.00 makes the most of what you have.  The shirrring on top adds fullness while the built in bra eliminates concerns about bra straps showing.  Because the bra included is a simple shelf bra I seriously doubt it would properly support women whose bra size is a C cup or larger.  

Get Help with Your Hair Care Needs at Folica.com

Is that curling iron in the glossy advertisements going to deliver fabulous curls or fry your hair to a crisp?  For the answer to that question and more check out Folica.com.  Folica.com is a web site that sells a huge selection of the latest and greatest hair care products on the market.  Curling irons, hair dryers, shampoo, hair growth products, hair loss products, hair removal products, you name it Folica.com sells it.  What impressed me most about the web site is not so much the massive selection but the amount of feedback they get from customers.  

Like amazon.com, folica.com allows customers to rate products on a one to five star basis.  Unlike amazon.com, where hair care tools like curling irons don't get much customer feedback, there is plenty of feedback from customers on all types of hair care products at folica.com. 

To find out what's hot in hairstyling products you simply click on the Most Popular button.  If you are brand loyal you can easily look products up by brand.  There is a Clearance section but it's mostly shampoos and body products.  Don't expect to find professional quality hairstyling tools in the clearance area, but do read reviews of products that interest you, then shop around for the best price on the ones that are the most promising.

 

Don't Do It Yourself!

Years ago I snatched up a wood buffet, sometimes referred to as a side table, for a mere $20.00 at a local thrift store.  The old buffet was covered in a layer of horrid light blue paint that could have been cheap house paint for all I knew.  I was confident that once I removed that  layer of cheap looking blue paint an elegant buffet that would add personality and style to my living space would emerge and I was right.  All it took to bring out the beauty in this bargain treasure was some paint stripping materials, a nice deep wood stain and over $200.00 to pay someone far more skilled in woodworking than I am to do the job!

With so many web sights and style magazines featuring pieces of furniture or other objects that were transformed through paint, fabric or other materials by resourceful do it yourselfers it was easy to get caught up in the idea of turning trash into treasure.  When I purchased the buffet I had visions of simply skipping down to the local hardware store, picking up a few supplies and then stripping it and slapping on some wood stain some lazy afternoon.  When I found out what would be involved in turning this light blue eye sore onto brag worthy home decor it was clear I needed professional help.  I've had the buffet for years an it still looks great with the rich wood stain and decorative drawer pulls I added, but that was the last time I bought a piece of furniture with the intention of turning it into a do it yourself project. 

Before buying what appears to be a bargain in need of a makeover ask yourself a few questions.  Do you have the skills needed to repair, refinish or reupholster the item?  If the answer is no then are you interested enough in learning the neccessary skills in order to transform the object?  Whether you are giving it a makeover yourself or hiring someone else to do it, does the quality of the basic materials justify and investment of your time and money?  My buffet was made up of solid wood.  I wouldn't have snatched up a piece of furniture made out of cheap particle board with the intention of giving it a makeover any more that I would pay to reupholster a chair with a cheap quality frame.  If you're not a do it yourself type and you don't want to spend hundreds turning trash into treasure then simply focus your attention on finding objects that are right for you right now, no makeover needed.