The Art of Accessories: style is an art.

Hmm…I love buttercream frosting. It’s like the best thing ever, except for my butt and hips. I don’t want to estimate how many points on Weight Watchers a chocolate cupcake with buttercream frosting is, instead I’ll just indulge in Jaqua Pink Buttercream Frosting Lip Whip.

This lipgloss is super light, not an ounce of stickiness and it smells of decadent buttercream frosting. My husband had to take a second whiff after he walked by me when I was wearing it. I was afraid he might bite me! The color was also just as delightful as the scent. It’s a sheer pink gloss with a little bit of gold shimmer mixed in.

Okay, I definitely need some birthday cake!
dwj

As my 30th birthday is getting nearer I’m realizing I don’t really have any goals in life and everyone keeps saying, “when you turn 30 you really start to think about the future.” Not I. I’ve been looking for goals and then all of a sudden they slapped me in the face…

Recently, my very stylish and cute cousin had the opportunity to interview Nina Garcia about her latest book The One Hundred: A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own. I didn’t pick up the first book, because I like pictures and she only has illustrations in the book, but my cuz (that is short for cousin) convinced me that I should pick up both of the books because the illustrations were fabulous (and timeless) and the books were really good.

So I listened, but what I’ve discovered is that I can now use Nina Garcia and her book The 100 as part of my goals!! Are you confused? I know, it’s random, but somehow I got to this point.

My latest goal for 30 is going to be to see if I can own all 100 of the 100 stylish pieces every woman should own as described in Nina’s book. I may not get all 100 because I doubt I will agree with or love all of them, but hey, it’s something to try.

Lofty idea? Yes.

Tangible? For a shopaholic like myself, I again say yes.

I’m going to read the book this weekend on my flight to Boston (YAY for Rebecca’s wedding and my 30th birthday!) and I’ll keep you guys up to date on how much progress I make on my 100. I may even make my own list of 100 along the way.

I mean a girl’s gotta have goals, right? Did you create any goals for a significant birthday?
dwj

I ran out of my favorite body scrub and went straight to Bath and Body Works to restock. When I got there I remembered that there was a line that caught my eye. 100% Pure was what I was looking for and they had a myriad of fruity scented scrubs to choose from. After smelling at least 6 wonderfully fragrant scents, I settled on 100% Pure Strawberry Lemonade Juicy Body Scrub.

I think I picked this one because Bath and Body Works used to carry a Strawberry Lemonade line in store and I’ve secretly held onto one last bottle of body wash that I only use when I need a pick me up (and then I found they brought it back online! Horray!). So I had my weekly ritual of hair washing, full body exfoliation and shaving and I tested out the scrub. Oh it was absolutely heavenly. The scent wasn’t too syrupy sweet and it filled my bathroom with such a fragrant scent (and lingered for a while afterwards). My upstairs bedroom smelled heavenly for about an hour and my legs were smooth and moisturized too.

100% Pure is just what their name says, and they’re 100% pure and organic. No synthetic chemicals, fragrances or additives that other company put into their bath products. It smelled so good and they had so many great scent I think I may have to buy the body wash and lotion next time too.

dwj

I’m not one of those people that tracks Miley Cyrus’s every move, I’m also not 13 years old. The only thing I know about Miley is that she’s a Disney star and my husband sings that song every time it comes on the radio. What I did notice is that lately whenever I’ve seen a photo of her she’s been wearing a cute cobalt blue pair of fringe boots. I’m not a huge fringe fan, but these bright blue boots looked young, fresh and fun on Ms. Cyrus, so I had to find out who they were made by.

As cute as they are, I should have known they were the Sam Edelman Utah Boot. They come in several different colors, but I think the most fun color is the blue. Wear them with dark jeans or black jeans/skirt and they’re a fun pop of color and a very fun edition to your weekend wardrobe.

dwj

Lately I’ve been jammin to Fergie’s ‘Labels or Love’ single from the Sex & The City Soundtrack (I’ll have to update my mp3 player on the site soon!) and it must be because I knew the Sex & The City Special Edition DVD was going to be on pre-order through Amazon.com!

Now, if you just enjoyed the movie, you can go ahead and order the Full Screen edition…aka no bonus features disc. I need the special edition so that I can relish all of the fabulousness that was the Sex & The City film. While I’m pre-ordering, I might as well add the Sex & The City The Movie book to my cart. I still haven’t picked that one up yet, but I definitely have to have it while I watch the dvd.

And Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte will live on forever on my flatscreen!
dwj

Last week I popped into the Douglas Cosmetics and Fragrance stores on Connecticut Avenue in DC. I think of it as a small scale Sephora and it’s one of the few places that always carries Chanel Glossimers and I needed the new Delight shade. A quick in and out trip during your lunch break, right? Wrong.

The ladies in Douglas were super friendly and while I was waiting in line one of them decided she wanted to show me how wonderful Clarins Brightening Body Veil lotion is. I willingly gave her my arm (why?) and she proceeded to squeeze waaay too much lotion on me and the floor. So she gave both of my arms a nice rub a dub, dub and I thought oh this is a nice lotion, now I can pay for my gloss. And then to my surprise…wait. for. it…she dropped down on the floor and started to lotion my legs with the rest of the excess lotion! And yes, I had on a flowy babydoll dress that day. I didn’t know what to say. I felt very exposed.

Fortunately for her, the lotion was pretty dreamy. It gave my arms and legs this wonderful glowing effect without a single drop of glitter in it. And it has SPF 20 in it (or so the woman told me from the floor while she rubbed my legs). I do feel like sometimes I want my skin to have a more even glowing tone, especially my legs, but I don’t want to rub a glitter filled lotion on me. This may have to be my next purchase…but perhaps next time I’ll just order it online.

dwj

This week’s manicure color is China Glaze’s ‘For Audrey’ nail polish. You may remember me writing about this polish a while back. I didn’t really like it on me, but preferred it on those with a light complexion. Well…I gave it a second chance this week and I don’t hate it on me.

This Tiffany & Co inspired blue is a cream polish without any shimmer. It applies very nicely and evenly. It’s a strong statement polish though. I think I might like it more if it was on my toes and not my fingers. When it’s on my feet, I don’t think about it as much, but this is definitely a departure from my standard pink polish for the week.

Enjoy!
dwj

I figure I’ve talked about purple so much this week I really should’ve made this purple week like I had green week a few months back. So today’s Friday’s Fabulousness is putting purple on your pout!

Chanel’s Fall 2008 collection is all about gold and then they threw in a gorgeous lavender Glossimer in Delight into the mix.

Lavenderfor your lips? I know you’re thinking that I’m leading you astray, but I promise you I’m not. Lavendar is like clear gloss vamped up a bit. The tint is very subtle and slight, but with the Chanel Glossimer, the shimmer/sparkle factor is absolutely gorgeous. You can wear this color alone for a soft tint to your lips instead of just plain old clear gloss or you can layer it over ANY lipstick color and see what wonderful color it takes on.

I told you guys a while ago that lavendar is one of my favorite lipgloss colors and clearly the makeup industry is bringing back a great color. I’ve also told you before that Chanel is by far one of the best lipglosses in the industry. So listen to me now…trust me! Glossimers in Delight will absolutely fill you with joy.

Have a great weekend. I should also mention that August 30th is my 30th birthday, so all next week I think I’ll feature fabulous things that I adore!

Have a great weekend ladies!
dwj

I think I might be wearing purple into the ground, but I’m so excited that it’s THE color for fall. Why? It’s so flattering on everyone…I swear. It’s a great contrast for green eyes, gorgeous on brown or hazel eyes and it’s subtle in lavendar for blue eyes. It’s a very versatile color and you’ll see it everywhere and on this blog.

Vincent Longo has fabulous liquid eyeshadows, but the color I’m swooning over and must buy is Midnight Mauve. I’m confused by the name because it doesn’t look mauve at all to me, instead it’s a wonderfully rich shade of purple.

The waterproof formula does have great lasting power, and if you apply it after using your favorite eyeshadow primer then you can guarantee that you’ll still have this on when it’s time to go to bed!

Is it fall yet?! I can’t wait!
dwj

Keds is trying to reinvent themselves I see. I remember when my sister and I used to be obsessed with having white keds (and later white Esprit platform sneakers) and how to keep them white all summer long. Of course now Keds has washable leather, but I’ve moved beyond the basic white summer sneaker.

I’m really into the Nanette Lepore for Keds wedges for fall! I love the pattern (it also comes in a version without the pattern and subtle touches of purple) and that it incorporates fall’s hotest hue: PURPLE! The wedges have a 3 inch wedge heel with a 1 inch platform, but they’re also sneakers, so they’re pretty comfy.

My other favorite Keds are the Ked’s Kedette Midnight Wedge. I think these are so playful and cute and would be absolutely adorable with a dress or a denim skirt. I’d probably throw these on with a great tailored pair of shorts too. I think I can make anything office appropriate.

Keds, you may have just won back an old customer.
dwj

Dear Dana,

I love the idea of “belting” a cute outfit-especially because my waist is the smallest part of my body. But I’m short waisted and I have a big bust, I feel like wearing super wide belts cuts me into the most unflattering of proportions. Any ideas on how to “belt” it without looked like I’m chopped into stumpy halves?

Thanks so much!
Jaci

Jaci -
If you have a bigger bust, play with the proportions of the belt. Try a medium or skinny belt (not to skinny or your boobs might overwhelm the belt). Also try a monochromatic look. I matched the middle sized belt to the cardigan. That way the belt doesn’t stand out as much, but you’re still focusing on pulling in the waist. The more decorative the belt, the more attention it will get, so try to keep it subtle and sleek when “belting” for work.

Thanks for the email!
dwj

To see the full outfit and find out where the pieces are from, go to the Pikkee Post page.

Urban Decay Friends & Family sale: August 18th - 28th get 30% off! Use code FFL30 at checkout!

I didn’t think you knew…and that’s why I told you.
dwj