Merry Christmas!

Wear your ugly sweaters, and wear them with pride!

Bisous,
Irene

Nailed It.

Checkerboard Nails.

I love this design, and I almost consider it my signature!

What you need (from left to right):
Contrast color polish, top coat, base color polish, base coat, dotter (or a toothpick)

Base coat!! Always!!

Then put on a base color. It is best to use a lighter color, since you will be painting on top.

Make a square as the first checker in your checkerboard.

Fill in that square and create/fill in more squares diagonal to the original. I first start with making squares, but honestly after the second one I just blob some nail polish and shape it like a square.

When you do your other fingers, try to alternate where the blocks are on the nails.

Top coat it for a scintillating shine!

Wear it well, my dears.

Bisous,
Irene

Here's a Tip!

Save your nails!

It's no secret that nail polish can damage your nails and nail beds. Even wearing a base coat will not completely shield your nails. So, once you remove your nail polish try one of these treatments:

SOAK.
Soak your nails in olive oil for at least one minute. There are many olive oil treatments available, but the real thing is void of any chemicals!

COAT.
This is my favorite. My nails get really dry and brittle, so I coat my bare nails with petroleum jelly (Vaseline). After leaving it on for a few hours, my nails actually are so dry that they suck up the Vaseline and I am left with healthy nails!

Repeat these as desired and try not to wear nail polish every second of your life. It is gorgeous and admittedly addicting, but your nails need the break! Once in a while, take a few weeks off and let them heal on their own.

Stay healthy!
Bisous,
Irene

You Need...

Graphic Sweaters.

One of the best parts of the Cosby show was Bill Cosby's sweaters, and they're back on runways now!

Try simple geometry

Or an oversize and fair-isle-eque pullover

Flowers can be super Fall/Winter as long as you pay attention to colors and styling

Comic book/pop art sweaters are super high fashion now (especially with a faux hawk!)

Go cozy with metallic hints. Bonus points if there are designs on the arms!

Start your winter warm! Get a graphic sweater.

Bisous,
Irene

Here's a Tip!

Match your accessories by color family, not exact color

Sometimes we love to make sure our belts, shoes, bags and hats are all the exact color, but by keeping them in the same color family instead of the same color will save you time and money, and look even better!

Kelly Patent Leather Belt (ASOS)

Leather Bag (H&M)

An easy way to start is with brown leathers. There are so many different shades that are so readily available.

Hi Boot Brown

Then, move on to different colors!
However, this does not give mean black belts and brown shoes are okay. Please avoid this!

Bisous,
Irene

What's the word?

d'Orsay Pump

These are super flattering shoes with a low front and cut-outs on the side. They show the arch of your foot and are traditionally stilettos. (Note: the side of the shoe is actually called the "vamp" of the shoe!)

Zya d'Orsay Pumps (Anne Klein)

The origin: Count Alfred d'Orsay created these shoes in the 19th century for men. The cut-outs were meant to accommodate wider feet. Fun fact: d'Orsay was a dandy and good friend of Lord Byron!

Ava d'Orsay Pumps (3.1 Phillip Lim)

Logan Glitter d'Orsay Pump (Jimmy Choo)

How fab are these??

Bisous,

Irene

You Need...

Oversize Sweaters

Approximately 90% of all my sweaters are oversize and it feels great! Just remember to wear tight pants or skinny jeans to balance the volume on top.

Try a hand-knit pompom sweater:

Or try a grandma-chic weaved sweater. The chain on the top gives it a bit of edge, no?

Praise the fashion gods for making a trend so comfortable!

Bisous,
Irene

Told you!

Check out those gourds!

Stores like Mustardseed can really catch on to a trend. Those painted pumpkins in the window are lookin' mighty fine. Go out and shop, mes cheris!

Bisous,
Irene

Happy Halloween!

Indubitably one of the best holidays of the year!

I hope you've decked out yourself and your home, but no Halloween House is complete without a pumpkin!

The days of the simple Jack-o-Lantern are long gone; pumpkins are showing up painted, glittered, studded and sequined now! Of course, no one is opposed to the long carving tradition. Check out my fashion pumpkin:

And in the dark:

All it took was a carving knife, glitter, and paint!

Have a spectacular (spooktacular!) Halloween, my darlings. If you want to check out some serious fashion pumpkins, head over to Refinery 29's fashion pumpkin contest. Now those are some rad gourds.

Bisous,
Irene

Did You Hair the News?

Hurricane Sandy is here!

And rain/humidity is not very friendly to our hair. Try these funky and frizz-resistant styles!

Topknot:
Make it fierce like Karlie did

Crown braid:
Scarlett had this look nailed

Conjoined French braid:
Diane went for a more formal look

Please comment if you would like tutorials on these fabulous hairstyles. Stay safe, mes chéris!

Bisous,
Irene

Hello Kittens,

As you may have noticed, I have not been posting anything recently. Due to my current activities and preparation for next school year, I do not have the time and effort for this blog that I wish I could have. Even though, Irene will be continuing this blog and her fashion advice is only the best!

Bisous,
Bethany

Nailed It.

U.S.A.

Both American flag and nail art have been showing up everywhere, so I decided to join the two trends! Here's a patriotic look right in season, even if you aren't from the United States. (Sorry for the terrible photo quality!)

What you'll need (As pictured):
*White polish *Nail dotter *Base coat *Red polish *White striper *Blue polish *Top coat

Always always always use a base coat! It protects your nails and makes the polish stay on longer.

Paint your ring finger blue and all other nails red. These will be the foundations of the flag.

Using your nail dotter, create thick stripes along the red fingernails. Space them out so they match with the other fingers.

With your white striper, make multiple stars on your ring finger. I made five little lines, almost like an asterisk.

Put on a top coat for shine and durability.

You're done! Now go show off your patriotism!

Bisous,

Irene

Here's a Tip!

Need waist belts?

I have trouble finding waist belts, and when I do, they rarely fit me! So I started doing something that saves time and money: buying children's belts. The right size fits the waist and they're far more available than adult waist-belts. Also, you can try them on in the store in either boy's or girl's styles if you don't mind people judging you for being in the children's section. They don't know what they're missing!

Braided Herringbone Belt (Ralph Lauren)

Braided Leather Belt (Oscar de la Renta)

Nocona Brown Belt (A A Callister)

Reversible Calfskin Belt (Joseph Abboud)

Bisous,
Irene

Yes or Mess?

Double Thigh High Slits

This trend has been hitting numerous runways for Spring 2013 and Heidi Klum was seen in a double thigh high slit dress at the Emmys. What do you think? A definite chic win, or a loincloth-esque failure?

Photo Courtesy of Yahoo

Bisous,
Irene

How to...

Print mix

Mixing prints looks amazing, but can be so difficult! Here are some ground rules to help you mix it up!

Courtesy of blog.stylesight

Rule One: Stay in the same color family. 

Print mixing while color clashing can get a little too crazy.

Courtesy of Pinterest

Rule Two: Find a basic pattern.
Simple stripes or polka dots are easy to match with complicated patterns.

Courtesy of stylesaint

Rule Three: Balance it out.
Wearing three different prints on top and a basic bottom is less print mixing and more "these are all the tops I could find to keep me warm today."

Courtesy of BeadsLaceandShoes

Think about...
wearing the same print but in different styles! (like wider stripes, smaller flowers, etc)

Rule Four: Don't be scared!
The best outfits come from fearlessness.













Happy print-mixing!

Bisous,
Irene