Cute Outfit of the Day: Breaking the Rules

This is one of my favorite outfits! It is a great transitional outfit for this time of the year. The dress is actually a short sleeve summer dress but when you add the blazer and the boots it warms it up for the cooler fall temperatures. I think the dress works well for this time of the year because the colors are not super summery Not all dresses should be taken into fall! Save your true white dresses for next summer. 

This outfit is also a great representation of how black and brown can look really great together. I love breaking old fashion rules! Today's fashion does not adhere to all those rules you learned from your mom! These days you can wear white after labor day and mix gold and silver jewelry without the wide eyed stares. Back in the 80's my mom taught me that everything had to match like it was made to go together. For example, if you wear a blue top then you wear blue eyeshadow. The best one was the time my mom decided to carry her leopard purse while wearing her leopard scarf AND her leopard dress! (Love you mommy!)

Blazer: Ann Taylor from Goodwill $3.99
Dress: Goodwill in Austin, Texas $4.99
Belt: Goodwill $1.49
Boots: Aldo $189.00 (yes, a very rare splurge for me! I made $200 doing a focus group and I've worn these for 3 years already.)

Isn't breaking the rules fun?! I think I'll do some more posts on this topic in the future! What old rules do you like to break?

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Costumes from a Halloween Past

I am really getting into Halloween this year! I think it's because it is our first year in a house so that means trick or treaters! We have always lived in apartments before so I've never had the opportunity to pass out candy. Beggars Night in our area was Thursday evening and let me tell you I had a blast handing out candy to all the cute little Dorothy's and Pirates! My friend Alicia was over and she said that she thought I was having more fun than the kids!
So, in honor of Halloween, I thought I'd share with you our costumes from 3 years ago- which just happens to be the last time we dressed up for Halloween. I wanted to share it because they were mostly put together from thrift store finds or things I already had in my closet. I think we both spent under $15 each which I think is pretty good!

 me as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and my husband Jason as a hillbilly

(we don't really do the whole couple costume thing)

me as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

 the real Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

My costume:

Already had:

Dress: from H&M $29.99

Pearl necklace and bracelet: from China- gift from a client

Sunglasses: Ohio State Fair 3 for $20

Shoes: Target $12.99 on sale

Purchased for the costume:

Purse: from Volunteers of America on Indianola $1.99

Gloves: Claire's $9.99

Jason's costume

Already had:

Jeans

Bandana

Sunglasses: also Ohio State Fair

Long sleeved thermal

Purchased for the costume:

Mullet wig: Halloween store $9.99

High-top tennis shoes: Volunteers of America $1.99

Flannel shirt: V of A $1.99

We actually got invited to a costume party this year at a friends house! Wait till you see what thrifty costumes we come up with this year! Happy Halloween!

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The Official Insiders Guide to Central Ohio Thrifting

I've had a ton of demand from my readers to disclose what thrift stores I've been getting all my sweet stuff from. I live in the Clintonville area of Columbus, Ohio so I shop mostly in that area but occasionally venture out to other areas when I have more time. Also, whenever we travel I try to use the GPS to find thrift stores in the area. So without further ado, here it is:

Goodwill:
*Morse Rd. between Cleveland Ave. and Karl Rd.
*N. High St. between Weber and Hudson
*S. Hamilton Rd. in Gahanna just north of 270 in the Kroger shopping center
*Sawmill Rd. just south of 270 on the west side of the street
*Powell Rd. on the northwest corner of 23 and Polaris Pkwy
Delaware 1135 S. Columbus Pike (23)
Delaware 171 S. Sandusky St.
sales: nothing regular but they usually have a sale off of seasonal clothes and items they have a lot of

Volunteers of America:
*3620 Indianola Ave. just north of North Broadway
567 W. Broad St.
1776 E. Broad St.
2033 W. Broad St.
sales: half price day on the last Tuesday of the month and everyday 50% and 75% off certain colored tags

Salvation Army:
*Morse Rd. just east of Cleveland Ave.
420 Georgesville Rd.
4242 Macsway Ave.
sales: half off every Wednesday for Family Day

Ohio Thrift:
*Cleveland Ave. in the Columbus Square Shopping Center just north of 161
4340 West Broad St.
*1580 Alum Creek Dr.
3060 Southwest Blvd. in Grove City
67 Great Southern Blvd.
4618 W. Broad St. in Whitehall
647 Harrisburg Pike in the Central Point Shopping Center
3551 Cleveland Ave. in the Northern Lights Shopping Center
sales: half off on the last Wednesday of the month

* locations I visit the most

Hope this is helpful! Pin It

H&M comes to Columbus

Last night my husband and I and several of our friends attended the Grand Opening of the new H&M store in Columbus, Ohio's Easton Towne Center. It was a was an exciting and well run event complete with red carpet entry, DJ, full bar service, and h'orderves. The place was packed and everyone seemed to be stocking up as if they just lost everything in a house fire. The thing that impressed me most about the event though was the staff. I was asked several times if I needed help and I saw many staff members assisting customers as if they were personal shoppers. Also the store never looked like a mess which is amazing considering the masses of people tearing through it. So bravo to you H&M!

The men's entrance upstairs and the woman's downstairs

the men's front window

 The woman's front window and entrance

 the DJ's pumping out their sweet tunes

 my husband paying our bill and my very strong vodka and cranberry

my husband with our purchases

For women the main trend was most definitely sweaters! They had so many different ones it was hard to choose. I saw lots of oversized sweaters, sweater dresses, cowl neck sweaters, button up or tied cardigans, and sweaters with puffed shoulders. Some were thin and some were thick and everywhere in between. They definitely had a sweater for everyone! I purchased a cream colored cowl neck sweater dress. It is a nice classic piece for my wardrobe that I intend on belting and wearing with tights or leggins and boots. The color choices seemed to be mostly neutral- blacks, grays, browns, tans, pale pinks, but with a splash of cobalt blue. The selection of evening wear was really impressive but unfortunately I didn't have a reason to buy anything that fancy. The evening wear consisted of mostly short body conscious dresses many with ornate bead work. Definitely worth checking out if you have a formal event to attend. The selection of tights was also really strong. I actually bought several pairs including sheer black tights with polka dots and a thick wooly gray pair. They had every color from basic black to ravishing red and every thickness from sheer to sweater weight. If you are in the market for a new winter coat H&M is the place! They had a huge selection of coats which were mostly under $100. I spotted many different styles- military, pea coats, fur hooded parkas, and some more feminine designs in lots of fun colors.They also had some great pieces for work. I really liked the soft, drappy suit jackets- not as stiff and boxy as a traditional suit jacket but just as professional. I also saw some very nicely cut slim leg dress pants, and an impeccably structured camel colored pencil skirt with a thin brown belt. As always H&M continues to be leader in the denim world. They have great fits and washes at price points like $19.99 and $29.99- incredible! I actually picked up a pair of stiff dark wash skinny jeans that were on special for only $10! Large necklaces and patterned scarves were the hottest accessories for fall. I purchased a ruched leopard print scarf considering that leopard print is huge for fall!

For men the selection was equally as impressive if not better. Lets just say my very fashion savvy better half was in heaven! As exciting as it is for us women to have an H&M in town it is ten times more exciting for the metro males of Columbus. Women have plenty of cool places to stock our closets but our poor men are so limited in their shopping choices. One of the trends we saw was pattern. Lots of plaids, and stripes. Mixing prints also seems like a major trend for men right now- wearing a pattered tie over a plaid shirt or a plaid shirt under a striped sweater. I am excited about how H&M seems to be pushing guys out of their comfort zones to try new ways of mixing up their favorite pieces. Even the basic black and gray pieces were handsomely accented by pops of bright color. Other points of mention are the size selection and the accessory choices. H&M is one of the few if not the only store around that carries XS for men. Fitted clothes on a man are very fashionable right now and now smaller guys can have that look too. They also had a vast accessory selection with everything from leather cuffs, to suspenders, to winter gear, and even underwear. Like in the women's section the men's outerwear was definitely noteworthy. They had an abundance of great on trend styles including military, pea coats, fur hooded parkas, as well as classic suit jackets, and heavy button up V-neck sweaters. Many of the looks we saw were accessorized with scarves and not just thick winter scarves but also thinner cotton styles too. Scarves can really put that finishing touch on a man's outfit. 

My only disappointment was in the number of really stand out pieces available for women. Much of the store consisted of pretty basic pieces in solid colors. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it did leave me a bit underwhelmed. There were some patterned pieces but I guess I just didn't see much that I hadn't seen before. That was my only criticism though. There were plenty of solid fashionable clothes at super reasonable prices! Overall, H&M is a great new addition for the Columbus, Ohio shopper! 

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Makeup Lesson from a Pro

I had the amazing opportunity today to attend a makeup class taught by world renowned makeup artist for Jane Iredale, Kevin Mendelson!  He has done makeup for television, celebrities, and even at fashion week! Kevin currently travels all over the globe as Jane Iredale's International Educator and Makeup Artist. I am so lucky to be a part of a company who brings in such a high level of talent and expertise to make me even better at my job!

Kevin Mendelson in action

In my six+ years as an Esthetician, Jane Iredale is by far the best makeup line I have ever worked with! There is definitely a reason it is refered to as "the skin care makeup"! I haven't talked about it much on Thrift and Shout thus far because I was worried about featuring something that could not really be defined as "thrifty". I was talking to my boss about this dilemma today and she reminded me of a really good point. In skin care and makeup in most cases you really get what you pay for. Like I said before, I've been an Esthetician for over six years now and I have worked with and studied many, many different product lines and I have seen this proven time and time again. Actually, this is exactly why we thrift! We save money where we can so we can spend it on things that are more important like taking care of our skin! So bear with me, this post is going to be more "shout" than "thrift" but I feel that it is important enough to bend my own rules just a bit.

There is so much to love about this makeup line. I want to share with you what you are missing out on by not using Jane Iredale.

-It is Dermatologist, Safety, Allergy, and clinically tested and Hypoallergenic

-It is non-irritating so it's great for even the most sensitive skin types

-It is inert which means it does not harbor bacteria

-It contains no perfume, dyes, talc, or synthetic preservatives such as parabens

-the products with SPF are the only FDA certified waterproof products on the market today

-It is highly pigmented so you don't need much product (which kind of does make it thrifty!)

-It feels really light on the skin but provides amazing coverage (goodbye redness and hyper-pigmentation!)

-since the product is sold in 49 countries, they provide an extensive range of foundation colors

-all of the products contain ingredients that actually improve the skin with continued use

-all of the foundations and sunscreens are anti-inflammatory which makes them great at calming the skin after facial procedures such as waxing, facials, microdermabrasion, and chemical peels

-Jane Iredale uses only the highest grade minerals in all of their products which most mineral lines do not- and it does make a difference in how it preforms and looks on the skin

-their brushes are all of the highest quality natural fibers and are specifically made to go with each product in the Jane Iredale line

I wanted to share with you some of the things that Kevin talked about today:

First he talked about the benefits of one of my favorite products the Magic Mitt:

This is simply a little mit that you wet with water and it removes all makeup, dirt, and oil from the skin- no cleanser needed! Magic! He talked about how it can be especially important for oily/ acne skin types because one of the major causes of oily and acne skin is due to disrupting the PH levels of the skin which can happen when you wash your face with some cleansers. the Magic Mitt will cleanse the face without disrupting the PH level of the skin. I like to use it to remove my eye makeup before I wash my face with my cleanser.

Next he talked about the benefits of a product called Absence Oil Controlling Primer:

This product controls oil and conceals large pores. It works great for skin that gets shinny throughout the day. He said to apply it very sparingly and in criss-crossing strokes mostly through the T-zone.

Another product that Kevin talked about that I love is the foundation. There are 4 equally amazing choices:

Amazing Base Loose Mineral Powder SPF20

best for normal to dry skin types

 Pure Pressed Mineral Powder SPF20

best for normal to oily skin types

Liquid Minerals

more like a anti-aging skin serum than a makeup but still provides nice light coverage

Dream Tint SPF 15

a nice light tinted moisturizer that works great as a makeup primer to help makeup stay on all day

Last but not least; there are the exciting new products which I can't wait to purchase!:

 Lip Fixation

These are lip stains on one end and a gloss on the other. I have tested these and they really do stay on all day! They offer six beautiful, wearable shades. Lip stains are really a big trend right now! Love them!

Eye Steppes

There are three different palettes one each for blue eyes, brown eyes, and hazel eyes. This makes it so easy if you 're not sure what colors look best on you! Each palette gives you five flattering eye shades that you can wear alone or in combination with one another. Play around with them. You can't go wrong since they are all made for your specific eye color!

I feel very inspired by this class today and I hope my excitement inspires you as well! I encourage you to try Jane Iredale. Even if you are already using a mineral line that you like I feel confident that you will like Jane Iredale even better. I've been using it for two years now and I love it and NO Jane Iredale is not paying me to say this! 

*Jane Iredale is available for purchase at Kenneth's Hair Salons and Day Spas in Central Ohio or contact Kenneth's at www.kenneths.com

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Come On Baby; Light My Way

I'm sure you've noticed that it has been getting darker outside earlier and earlier. Don't you hate that when you go to work in the dark then come home in the dark too?! The only thing I hate more than that is coming home to a dark house. You can't see where you are walking. You can't see where to put your key in the lock. Not to mention it can be dangerous!
This is part of the reason why I decided to install solar powered lights around our house. The other reason is that I happen to think they look really nice! We purchased them at Lowe's where they were only $3.88 each!


Here they are during the day:

 And here they are at night:

 our cute little casa!

So... What do you guys think? And the best part is that since they are solar powered they don't cost us a dime to use!

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The Bamboo Window Shades Have Arrived!

I'm so excited! Our new bamboo shades came in the mail today! We ordered them for most of the main level of our house- the kitchen, bathroom, master bedroom, and the living room! I can't wait to put them up! Here's a sneak peek at the blinds I ordered:

The Tuscan Bamboo Roman Shade from Overstock.com

I decided on these because not only were they the color I wanted but they come in like a million different sizes. I was having a hard time finding ones to fit our oddly sized front window. I also liked them because they were really reasonably priced! You know I would never buy anything that I didn't feel like I was getting a good deal! 

I will post pictures of them up considering they fit and look good as soon as I can!

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A Delightful Display

I just wanted to share a simple table display I created with a bamboo tray, a soy candle from the Candle Lab, and my white glass collection. I love the texture and the neutral color palate especially with the dark blue gray walls in our dining room. It is currently on our dining room table but it would also look nice on a coffee table or a bedroom dresser.

Bamboo tray: Goodwill $1.99
the candle Lab candle: birthday gift $0
White glassware: 3 of them were a gift and the other 2 are from Goodwill $1.49 each

This is a great example of what you can do with stuff you already have around your house. I made this display with items I already owned but wasn't using anywhere. Take a look around your house and see what you can come up with to create your own table display! Pin It

Beautifying the Basement: Part 1

Well, I think we are finally ready to start decorating the basement! We've been working so hard on the upstairs that the basement has had to wait but now it is time! Here's a little tour of our basement as it was when we moved in:

 This is the view standing at one end and looking toward the other end. It is kind of long and skinny. You can see the big closet on the right where I keep some of my clothes and there is a half bath on the left which is really nice to have! Ideally, I would love to tear the ugly black baseboards off and replace them with something nicer and more subtle but I think that project might have to wait.

 Here is my adorable friend Alicia coming in the doorway. This picture was taking at the opposite end.

 This is the tight stairwell that we have to work with. When you get to the bottom you can go left into the unfinished area of the basement where we have our laundry room and storage or you can go right into the finished area of the basement.

We are still in the planning stage right now but I wanted to share with you what we've been thinking about. We know we want the basement to be a fun, less serious room to just lounge and hang out. It should be a place where we relax and have fun with friends. We know we want to have lots of comfortable seating but we have also learned that not just any couch will fit down our narrow basement stairs. So we are looking at sectionals that are in several pieces. We actually found one we like that is in our low price range at Value City Furniture. It is hard to tell by the picture but it is a chocolate brown and the two decorative pillows would have to go!

We are thinking about doing a fun color on the walls. Bright but not too bright! There are a lot of walls that bump out in places so we are even thinking of using two different colors to kind of accentuate the architecture of the room. We started looking at greens but then we found a really gorgeous turquoise color that we both love. We decided to buy 4 samples and try them out at home:

there are the 4 colors we got; 2 greens and 2 blue

 there is my cutie husband putting the colors up on the wall while I stand back and try 

to decide what I like best

 there are the 4 choices- I think we both like the top blue one the best but are not sure if we want it on all the walls or if we want to do it on a couple of walls and one of the greens or another color on the other walls.

So as of now we have decided that we want a color scheme of brown, turquoise, a grassy green, and some pops of plum. I found this pillow cover still in the package at Goodwill the other day that perfectly displays all of the colors we want in our basement decor:

Here is the inspiration board I created:

some fun colored lamps and pillows, love the purple flowers at the bottom, and a mixture of white and dark wood furniture.

So what do you think of our ideas so far? Does all the color scare you or do you love lots of color in your decor? Hopefully I will have some after pictures for you soon!

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Cute Outfit of the Day: Fall Florals

I love my floral summer dresses! So when cold weather hits I am never ready to give them up! Who says we have too?! Instead of packing those summer clothes away; I layer them up!

jacket: Ann Taylor from Goodwill $3.49

floral dress: vintage from Goodwill $4.99

blue suede shoes: vintage from Goodwill $3.49

The key to pulling it off:

add dark or neutral pieces to the outfit

-dark tights

-heavy brown belt

-chunky knit sweater

-suit jacket

-boots

-leather, military, or denim jackets

-hendley's and long sleeve t-shirts for layering under dresses

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Cute Outfit of the Day: Parisian Dreams

Some days I just want to be a classic Parisian woman. She is timeless, she is sophisticated, she is effortlessly chic. She is not a slave to the trends and is not interested in the "it" items of each season. She only wears black and white and always looks like a lady..... am I crazy? Maybe I'm not from Paris but I can still dress like I am! I was definitely having Parisian dreams the day I wore this:

sweater dress: Goodwill $4.99

zig-zag texured tights: Old Navy $3.99

vintage Ferragamo flats: Goodwill $3.49

headband: Forever21 $2.80

And since I only spent about $15 on the whole outfit I might still have enough for that plane ticket!

Au revoir et salut!

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Things I'm Loving Right Now: Old Navy

I have a real love/hate relationship with Old Navy. Just when I think I hate that store and it's boring khakis they come out with some great piece that I have to have!

 I am buying these army green skinny cargo pants ASAP! $34.90

 Love these black feather earrings $7.50

 

 Love this feather necklace even more $8.50

 

 I think I'm also going to buy this army green long kimono sleeve sweater. Can you tell that I'm really into army green this fall?! I want to belt it and wear it with black leggins and boots for a cozy winter combo! $34.50

Isn't this coat just stunning?  The last thing I need is another coat but this one is truly tempting! Love the color, the fur, the belt tie, and the double breasted buttons. $99.50

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Trend Alert: Jorts with Black Tights

I'm trying out a new look today and by new I mean new to me. This is a look that has been out there for quite a while now. I consider myself to be pretty fashion forward but sometimes it even takes me a while before I decide to try a fashion trend. Also, I haven't seen many people in my town of Columbus, Ohio rocking this look but I hear this look is huge in Japan. The Japanese know all about fashion! 

The look is a combination of cut off jean shorts (which I call "jorts") and black tights. Here are some examples of celebs wearing this look:

  

picture courtesy of: thefashioncents.com

picture courtesy of: thefashionstop.com

picture courtesy of: flights-of-fab-fashion-fancy.com

 And here is me with my own mostly thrift store version of the look:

leather jacket: T.J. Maxx $29.99

gray hooded sweatshirt: Express $9.99

black v-neck t-shirt: Goodwill $1.99

denim jorts: made myself from jeans from Goodwill $3.99

black tights: Forever21 $4.80

lace up boots: goodwill $3.49

multi strand chain necklace: Forever21 $7.80

This was a fun look! I thought it turned out pretty good! What do you think? I usually don't feel very comfortable in shorts but with tights I felt much more confident!

I like how the look can go from really casual like my version to red carpet ready like some of the celebs are wearing. There are really a lot of ways you could tweak this look! Try swaping out the leather jacket and the hooded sweatshirt for a menswear blazer or instead of the lace up boots you could try some feminine black pumps or a taller leather boot. I would just keep all the colors to black, gray, white, or brown. If you want a little color then do it with a scarf but let the blue denim be the focal point.

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