Fa(t)shion Friday: Work Appropriate Week

The Clothes: Michel Anton Pintuck Dress, Sz 16W
The Store: AdditiionElle
The Price: $20 CAD (Originally $150 CAD)

Pros: Pintuck detailing, Neutral color, Flattering length, Sturdy construction.
For a work-safe dress, this is about as good as they come. This neutral grey dress hits just above the knee, which is neither too short as to look "sexy", nor too long making you look frumpy and outdated. It has a very sturdy construction, and some eye-catching pintuck detailing at the bust. The neutral color leaves for plenty of opportunity to pair with a dash of color to keep the look fresh and in tune with the season's current fashions.

Cons: Heavy weight fabric, Short sleeves.
In the middle of winter, having a heavy-weight fabric seems like a good idea, but even for winter it does tend to be a bit warm. Inversely, it has very short sleeves, which leave you both overheating AND freezing in the cold weather months.

The Verdict:
At the original price, I probably would have passed this dress by, but I caught the right sale at the right time, and I am willing to spend $20 on a nice work-appropriate dress. Overall, I would probably pass this store by - unless, as stated before, I find the right sale.

Shop Online at AdditionElle

The Shoe Review: Lower East Side Kimberly Pumps

Okay, so by no fault of my own, blogger was having issues yesterday, and wouldn't let me post. I had everything ready for you guys,and made sure to do my post extra early before I had to leave.....aaaaand blogger ate my post. Poof, gone. So here is my second attempt at this post, and it better work this time *shakefist*



The Shoe: Lower East Side Kimberly Pumps, Black, Sz. 9W
The Store: Payless
The Price: $20 CAD

Pros: Comfortable heel, Straight and wide-width, Common colors.
As previously mentioned, I suck at trying to walk in heels, one because I am just too unsteady, but also because the height tends to hurt my feet. These pumps are a wonderful marriage between wearing heels, and still being able to walk without breaking my ankle. The round toe leaves plenty of space which means no squashed toes, and miraculously, it comes in wide-widths too! The color selection is limited to Brown and Black, but as far as leather shoes go, they are the staples of a wardrobe.

Cons: Wide-width, certain colors not always available.
When I first got these pumps (9W black) I immediately wore them the next day, and after discovering I could wear them for an entire day without my feet killing me, I immediately went back to get a pair in brown. How surprised I was to learn that they dont carry wide width for the brown shoes (which makes no sense at all to me). In fact, Payless is a bit weird - in store they sell these heels in both brown and black, and wide widths (even sizes only, I believe), but they dont even offer brown as an option at all on their website. Usually its the opposite for most sites (carrying a larger selection online).

The Verdict:
I love these shoes, I'd recommend them to anyone, and even though they didnt have wide-width sizes in brown, I bought them anyway in a half size up.

Buy Online or In-store at Payless

My Favorite Things (Tips & Tricks)

I have to warn you, shopping on the cheap isn't for the faint of heart, its time intensive, and a lot of work (and thats *before* trying to put an outfit together). But, I do what I can to help out, so here are some tips, tricks, and a few of my favorite resources (not all are "cheap/discount" but have good sales).

General clothing tips:
-The general rule for dressing is that you want to mimic an hourglass figure, so that your top and bottom half are in proportion.
-Dark wash jeans are flattering to curvaceous girls, especially pear and hourglass shaped ladies.
-Wear light/bright colors on what you want to emphasize, and dark colors on what you want to de-emphasize.
-If it doesnt have darts/seaming, dont buy it. 9/10 it will end up looking like a muumuu on you because the clothing won't fit your shape.

Tips for buying/acquiring clothing:
-Does your friend own a item of clothing you absolutely love? Try bartering for it. Offer a trade they may like from your own closet, or buy it at a discount (especially if they've worn it a few times, or its now out of season).
-Always check sales racks. If they don't have your size, try the size above, and a size below. Because of vanity sizing, the store's clothing sizes may not be the same as your true size.
-Most stores offer (FREE) discount cards, or if you sign up for their newsletters, they give you advance notice of sales, or sometimes members only sales (not too mention the discount you'll already be getting from the member's oard!).
-Thrift stores and bag sales are excellent places to shop for classic or vintage items. Dont spend a fortune on dress pants, when you may be able to find some in thrift (dress pants rarely come in colors other than a classic black, brown, grey, or navy).
-For buying new clothing, if it isn't a store brand, take down the product info, and search for it online. You can often find it much cheaper, but be wary of shipping, and factor it in to the price, otherwise you'll be in for a surprise!!
-Online, if a normal price seems too good to be true, it usually is. If you get stuck in a situation where the company isn't compliant after you've ordered, contact your local, and the company's local Better Business Bureau. They will often begin to comply just so the BBB doesn't get involved.



My favorite overall clothing store:
Fashion Bug / Lane Bryant

Other clothing stores:
Additionelle / Penningtons
Torrid
Forever 21+
ASOS Curve
City Chic
eShakti Clothing

My favorite corset/lingerie store:
Wedding Checklist
(highly recommended, I have bought from them a few times, excellent service)

Other corset/lingerie shops:
Bravissimo
Hips and Curves
Corset Wholesale
Big Gals Lingerie

Other clothing:
We Love Color
Plus Sized Qipao/Chengosam (check ALL, not just plus sized category)

Makeup Monday: Covergirl Eye Enhancers 4KT

The Makeup: Covergirl Eye Enhancers 4KT, Sheerly Nude (265)
The Store: Walmart (available in most beauty stores)
The Price: $7 CAD



This collection of great shades is hand-picked by our make-up pros and designed to help make your eye look go from day to night. They blend effortlessly to bring your eyes out beautifully, without overshadowing. Experiment using them together or as single shades.

Pros: Neutral tone works for almost everyone, Blends well, Multiple uses.
I picked this palette to review for you because it is my absolute favorite out of all the makeup I own for daily wear. The neutral colors work for almost every skin tone, and it applies beautifully for a nice work-appropriate/natural beauty look. I cant say this about *all* of the Covergirl palettes, but the colors chosen for this are well picked to blend beautifully. There are two "matte" shades, and two "shimmer" shades included. Aside from the obvious use for the eyeshadow, I find the darkest brown color works well as a brow filler for light colored or sparse eyebrows as well.

Cons: Sparkles EVERYWHERE.
I know this is a shimmer eyeshadow, but I have never seen one that gets little sparkles everywhere as much as this one. I use clean brushes, I try not to get any excess shadow where it shouldn't be, and I still manage to get sparkles everywhere. I usually take a small fan brush and sweep it away afterwards, but some of the sparkle remains (as you can see from the picture).

The Verdict:
For how often I use this, how well it works, and how little it costs, I would recommend this to anyone. If the color doesn't fit your skin tone exactly, Covergirl carries a few similar palettes in slightly different neutral colors.

Covergirl Eye Enhancers 4KT (Color Chart)