Summer is fast approaching which often means most of us will get dry skin. In order to wear all those little summer dresses, tank top and shorts without showing of flaky white elbows, hands and knees- you need to lock in moisture. Here are a few tips on how:

-Before heading into the shower, rub some petroleum jelly on your dry spots. Believe it or not, water actually can make your skin dryer. Jelly gives your skin a protective shield.

-At night, lather up with your favorite lotion or oil (make sure it isn’t rubbed in all the way) and wear spa gloves- this will help your hands retain moisture all night long and leave you with fresh soft hands in the morning! **You can also do this trick for your feet by wearing socks.**

-Prior to shaving, lather mineral oil on your legs, this is the best way to avoid razor burn and keep the shave smooth while capturing moisture.

-If you don’t love the feel of petroleum jelly, try using coconut oil or mineral oil. Smooth over dry skin after getting out of the shower. Give it a few minutes to absorb before getting dressed, you don’t want the oils on your clothing.

-Get a night time routine. Have your favorite lotion or oil next to your bed and make it a habit of lathering up!

For my die-hard lotion ladies, here are a few of my personal favorites:

True Blue Spa at Bath and Body Works works wonders. It’s made with paraffin, vitamin E and argon oils. *Black is the New Black favorite*

Naked Body Butter by bliss. It contains coconut oil, soybean oil and vitamin E and A.

Hand Cream by L’Occitane. It’s loaded with shea butter.

Soothing Relief Moisture Cream by Aveeno. It contains natural colloidal oatmeal which is known for is soothing properties.

On a man, nothing looks better than a good fitting suit. These days it’s about a slim cut suit, no matter what your build, this will be flattering. Here are a few tips to make sure you’re buying the right suit:

-Make sure you can cup your hand under the bottom of your blazer. If you can’t, the jacket is too long and will be unflattering.

-When buying a pin stripe, go for a pencil thin or faint stripe. 1920′s gangster is not the most current look!

-Get a tailor. Guaranteed the suit you get at the store will not fit you perfectly. If you’re going to invest in a suit- invest in a tailor. Just make sure you are fitting your shoulders. A tailor can always bring in the waist or bring up the sleeve.

- When in doubt, wear a two button suit with a narrow lapel. It’s a great blazer that can easily be transferred to multiple looks.

-Make sure you are showing some cuff. It’s just the way it’s done.

-Your suit should match the weather. In summer keep it light with cottons and linen and in fall bring out your tweeds.

-Have fun with pocket squares, ties and socks and keep the rest of your suit plain. You can wear the same classic suit many times over by just changing up the accessories.

-Always wear clean polished shoes with your suit.

-If you are choosing to wear a slim ankle length pant, make sure your socks match your suit. (This is not the most flattering look if you are shorter or have thick legs.

-When hemming a pant to the classic length, make sure you have a “break” in your pant a few inches above your shoe. See here.

-ALWAYS ALWAYS leave the bottom button undone on your blazer. This rule also applies for vests too.

Below are some style inspirations. They all have various styling and fits. My personal favorite is the last suit!

The double-breasted suit: If you’re going to wear this make sure you keep the top button done up at all times. However, this style is not flattering if you have a gut. The buttons just draw the attention to your problem area!

The classic business suit: If you aren’t bold enough to go crazy with color or pattern, this is a good choice. I’d also recommend this styling if you only own one or two suits.

The summer suit: This is a great look for weddings but you can easily switch out the suit pants for light jeans to make it business casual. Make sure to keep the shoe light. No black and no socks with your loafers!

The patterned suit: If you’re bold enough, have fun but don’t go crazy. This is a subtle print, and if you notice the rest of the accessories are kept simple.

The Fall Suit: Brown tweed is a great look for fall, and styled with funky socks and a patterned shirt can take this drab color and make it fun!

Which is your favorite suit look?

Ankle crop pants are all the rave these days, but unfortunately they can go terribly wrong if you’re not careful! Here are a few tried and true tips for wearing this season’s hottest pant.

1. Your height is a factor

If you are under 5’3″ this is quite an unfortunate trend for you. All these pants are going to do is make you look shorter. Sorry to my petite readers, please pass on this one. Now for my average height readers who are approximately 5’4″-5’7″ you can rock this look, but make sure you are wearing heels! For my tall ladies 5’8″ and up, this is a dream come true- a hemline you don’t have to worry about, they are meant to be short! Yay!

2. Think about proportions

When wearing a cropped pant, you always want to keep in mind proportions. They cut off at your ankle, which will give the appearance of shortening your leg so make sure you are not wearing a tunic or a top that is longer than your natural waist. These pants often look best with a shirt tucked in and a cute belt!

Here is a photo with bad proportions:

Had she been wearing a heeled sandal and pulled them a little longer these would have looked stunning!

Perfect proportions:

Kate moss looks great with a little cuff on her pant, heels and a tucked in blouse!

3. Your shape matters

When hunting for that perfect ankle crop think about your shape. If you are curvy or pear-shaped, it is best to wear a pant that either has a slight flare or falls straight from the thigh. If you have a slim or athletic build, get a pant that hugs and tapers all the way down. This will give you more curves! When in doubt, the best shape for all body types is a straight leg.

Straight leg, which looks best on all body types.

Narrow cut, which works best on a slim physique.

1. When you tan, do you turn golden/yellow or reddish?

If you turn reddish you are most likely a cool skin tone.

2. What color are your eyes?

A general rule, if you have green, light brown or hazel eyes you probably have a warm skin tone. Chocolate brown and icy blue eyed people usually have a cool skin tone.

3. What color was your hair for most of your child hood?

If your hair turned a golden blonde or had any red tones in it, you have a warm skin tone.

4. Which color is better on you- forest green or hot pink?

If you answered hot pink you have a cool skin tone.

5. Could you be both?

Some people are blessed to have a neutral skin tone. This person can change their hair color from copper red to platinum blonde and have both look great. You can get away with wearing cool colors such as blue, purple and cotton candy pink as well warm colors like brown, green and gold. Drew Barrymore (see below) has a neutral skin tone.

Tips for warm skin tones:

Look for clothes that remind you of fall or summer. Think a wheat field or autumn leaves…Avoid any colors that are too unsaturated, like pastel green or light grey.

Ladies when purchasing make-up look for blush that has a peachy tone, eye shadow that is golden and coral lipstick.

Tips for cool skin tones:

Look for clothes that remind you of winter or spring. Think icy trees or Easter eggs…Avoid any colors that are too yellow or orange.

Ladies when purchasing make-up look for a blush that has a pink tone, eye shadow that is silver and pink or cherry red lipstick.

Still need help figuring out what your skin tone is? Here are a few celebrities that show the different skin tones.

Warm:

Cool:

Neutral: (Drew can wear a cool blonde and also a warm red hair color)

1. Listen to soundtracks

Right now I am listening to The Hunger Games Soundtrack, and there are four artists who I hadn’t heard of before and I plan on listening to each of them further! It’s one of my favorite ways to discover music, because you never know what you’re going to get! (For those who enjoy folk-country-indie you too, will enjoy The Hunger Games Soundtrack)

2. iTunes lists/charts

This is one of the best ways to find out if an artist has released something new. Now, you can now listen to 1 min and 30 seconds of each song per album, so this is a great tool if you haven’t heard of someone and you just want to check them out. Also, if you click to listen to an album and you enjoy it, look at the list underneath saying “Listeners Also Bought” because someone else may have the same taste as you! I’d also recommend taking advantage of the iTunes genius recommendations they’re usually pretty accurate.

3. Last FM

If I am listening to an artist I love, I will Google “similar artist to…” and Last FM is usually the top link with an extensive list of artists. They start from the most similar to least similar and its a great place to find more indie artists.

5. Keep up with your favorite local bands

Follow your local band on Twitter and Facebook and read their updates. They will often do shows with other artist you may love, or post about some of their favorite bands. ***Shameless plug time: check out my band Steel Audrey and follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Every Monday we do a music post!

6. Grooveshark

This site is the best. It’s changed the way I listen to music. It is a great place to “test drive” an album before purchasing, plus you can create and save playlists. An awesome new feature to Grooveshark: when you search they will recommend similar artists. So, take advantage of this, when creating your playlists! Feel free to follow me on Grooveshark!

Hope this helps you on your journey discovering new music! If you have any other tips and tricks feel free to comment! Happy Listening!

November/Movember brought us boys with mustaches and December/Decem-beard brings us boys with beards. Ladies could be fans of either; so for my manly readers out there, I have a few tips on how to maintain a good-looking beard without looking like a hobo.

1. Long beards looks best with short hair:

2. Maintain the neck beard!

If you have a serious case of neck hair, front and back, PLEASE shape your beard. Just because you are growing one, doesn’t mean your chest hair can attach to your face hair. Ewe.

3. Short beards can have longer hair:

4. Keep your fashion in check:

If you’re thinking of wearing that giant oversized hoodie and ripped up jeans you’ve had since high school, think again. Lets be honest, no girl will give you a second look with OR without a beard. Good hair, good beard AND good fashion equals swarms of chicks!

 Vs.  

5. Comb your beard:

This is for all my men with curly beards! Take 5 min in the morning and comb it out. Even add a little wax to help tame those curly strands. If you are blessed with straight facial hair, then feel free to run wild and grow a long beard! Curly beards are best kept short.

Conclusion

Whatever you do, don’t EVER, I mean EVER let your beard be the only thing people notice about your face. No girl wants to dive in for a kiss if she can’t even find your lips! If this is the case, that means it’s BAD. So don’t let that sexy face be hidden behind horrible facial hair.  Example:

Gross Vs. Handsome

Have you been worried you cannot hop onto the skinny jean band wagon? Do you think as a curvy girl you can’t do it?  Well I’m here to surprise you- EVERYONE can wear them- you just need to know how. Here are a few tips:

For my lovely curvy girls:

- Make sure you wear them with the right length top. Look for a loose-fitting longer style shirt, something that hits just below the widest part on your hip.

- If you want to wear a more fitted style top, it should still cover at least half of your bum. Also layer it up- work a boyfriend blazer or a cardigan.

- Always wear a darker wash- it’s universally more flattering.

- Look for a rise that is mid to high, you may have to search a little longer, but they are out there! Trust me, the lower you go, the more uncomfortable you will be!

- Still think you’re too curvy? Wear some heals girl! They will make your legs look longer, you’ll walk taller, and you will just feel 100% hotter!

Look at how the sexy and curvy Alicia Keys rocks skinny jeans:

Unfortunately, even celebrities still make mistakes- this is how NOT to wear your skinnies:

The length of her top isn’t doing her any favours and cutting her off at her widest part. She looks bout 10 lbs lighter in the photo above- just by changing her shirt!

Due to the recent flood of great weather, I feel the urge to guide men in the area of buying shorts. Similar to my ladies shorts post, there are quite a few nice styles at Urban Outfitters. First, here’s a few tips when buying shorts:

-If you are under 5’9″ the length of the shorts must be 1″-3″ above the knee. Anything longer will end up making you look shorter.

-If you are over 5’9″ you can wear a longer short. No capri’s please!

-Think about the footwear you are wearing- it must be a sandal or a casual city shoe, NO chunky white gym shoes or dressy loafers.

-Do NOT wear socks. If you must due to a foot issue, make sure they are ankle socks!

-Trunks/board shorts are NOT meant to be worn anywhere else but the beach!!!!!!

$49

$34

$98

$68

$49

Footwear from Urban Outfitters that is appropriate to wear with shorts:

$50

$84

$45

$55

$18

If you are wearing a flip flop, just make sure its at the beach!

Lately friends have been seeking my advice about must have wardrobe basics. They are downsizing their closet and need to know what to toss and what to keep.

Tip 1:

A good way to test how often you wear something, is turn all your hangers the opposite way, but every time you pull something out, turn them back. Then after a few weeks you will see what you don’t wear anymore. THOSE are toss-able items!

Tip #2

If you KNOW you have not warn something for over 6 months, throw it out! (well, I’d say bag it and give it to charity) Why are you holding onto items that you never wear? Cause you think you might one day? Well I hate to break it to you- you wont!

Tip #3

Want to keep those sentimental clothes? Pack them up in clear plastic containers, that way you can see whats inside and they will never get any water or mold damage. Another great space saver tip is the space saver vacuum seal bags. THEY WORK! You can pack those bags full and the will shrink up like crazy!

Here are my 15 wardrobe basics I think everyone should have to get started:

1. A white button up shirt.

2. At least 2 pairs of jeans with 2 different fits and 2 different washes. (I recommend a straight leg and a skinny leg)

3. A pencil skirt.

The Gap, $38

4. A black (or brown, depending if you wear more earth tones) cardigan.

5. A turtle neck.

6. A v-neck layering sweater.

Old Navy, $35

7. BLACK dress pants.

8. A white camisole.

9. A black blazer.

10. Black dress shoes .(I recommend pumps, I doubt they will ever go out of style)

11. A casual shoe.

12. A leather purse.

Urban Outfitters, $245

13. Hoop earrings. ( Again, they wont go out of style for a long time!)

14. A simple black belt.

15. A comfortable nude colored bra.

These are the items to spend a little bit extra on. They will never go out of style, so get something made with good quality and something that fits! If you’re looking to update your wardrobe with trendy pieces, add color with scarves, and invest in some jewelery. Accessories are the best and least expensive way to update any outfit!

Hope these tips help! Happy donating!

Fall’s hottest trend is opaque, colored, or printed tights. Do you own a pair yet? If you’re shy about color start of with texture. Black textured tights are a great replacement for leggings.

Tights can make or break an outfit. Here are a few tips on how to wear them:

- Tights are a statement, so try and keep the rest of your outfit a bit more minimal

- You can accent the color of your tights with jewelery or a handbag, don’t overdo it and wear all the same color from head to toe!

- Pale colors or shiny tights can make even the smallest legs look larger, so opt for darker or more saturated hues

- Don’t put your open toed shoes into storage just yet, you can wear them with your tights for a high fashion look

- If you are not blessed with the slimmest of legs, avoid patterned tights- they’ll just accentuate your shape

You can find great tights at American Apparel, H&M, Target, The Bay, Le Chateau and Urban Outfitters. (Just to name a few) Have fun with this look and wear it with confidence!

Skinny or wide leg jeans? Both are in style but what is right for you? If you are tall and slim your are blessed and can wear both with great ease…but if not, here’s a few tips:

Skinny jeans:

-They look best on someone with a slimmer leg, who is not too curvy and they are great on shorter girls!!

-If you are curvy there is still hope for you! You must pick your top carefully! Pick a longer tunic style top, that sits just below your hip, and make sure to emphasize your waist! Its also easier on the eye if you pair your jeans with a boot, instead of a ballet flat- it will help balance out your hip.

- If your under 5’4 you might want to think about investing in a good pair of heels. Skinny jeans with a cute pair of pumps will make your legs look a mile long! Also, you should NOT be pairig them with a tunic style top, it will make you look even shorter. Pair them with a top that cuts off at the waist line- or at the longest it can be 2inches below, but NO dresses with skinny jeans! It will just make you look shorter!

- ALWAYS keep skinny jeans in a dark indigo wash!! Make sure there is no fading in the bum or on the thigh. That isn’t flattering even on the best of bodies!

Wide Leg Jeans:

- Unfortunately for all you shorter girls out there, this is not a look for you. (unless you’re pairing them with a wedge HIGHER then 3″)

- Girls who were blessed with a bum- these are the jeans for you! You want to pair them with a fitted top, to still be flattering in your body. A great look is high waisted wide leg jeans with a fitted t-shirt or blouse tucked in. Think the original Charlie’s Angels!

-These jeans MUST be paired with a great pair of wedge shoes, or a cute flat summer shoe.