Shoe Shopping for Everyone!!!

Shoe shopping! Nearly every girl can imagine the first time she walked into the wonderland that is the shoe store. Tugging at her mothers arm, trying on new pairs, checking to see how much her foot had grown since the last time. These are the memories that my mind congers up as i think back to my early days of carefree ,shoe shopping, that is, before the wool was pulled over my eyes and I discovered something rather grim. The shoe store doesnt exactly cater to all ladies. 

They say act your age not your shoe size! Well, by the time I was 11 years old, I was a size 11! While my friends pranced around in cute little shoes- I had to wear the kind you would see on a middle aged woman heading to the office in a beige suit. It was disheartening to say the least. Options didn't improve as i aged. Shopping became a chore. I was isolated to the end of shoe isles where all sense of style goes to die. More often than not, I would shove my feet, painfully, into shoes a size or two, too small and wear them until my feet bleed. The stuggle was certainly real. After years of suffering, I have finally found a shoe store that caters to me!



Shoes of Prey is an online shoe store that has sizes 2-15 with width from narrow to extra wide. Not only do they have shoes for everyone, you can design your own shoes. Heel, boot, flat, sole, trim, leather, satin, lace! You name it, they have it! It is a shoe lovers dream! 



I am a size 11 extra wide width and I had the oppertunity to work with this amazing brand and try their service. I loved being able to design my own shoes. My sense of style is somewhat out of the box and slightly wild. I am, what i like to call, early Cindy Lauper meets modern chic. I am a whild child and i love to make a statment! Even if i didn't hace issues with size, I've always had some issues when it came to stye. So many designs felt boreing, mundane, repetatve. I loved being able to create something uniquly me! If you're in a rush, you can also shop pre-designed shoes. 




When you first navagate the website, you will be asked to take a quiz. This quiz is designed to help you and guide you to the right fit. You are then able to choose a template for your shoe and begin the customization! I created two shoes with very different deisgns.

 

The first pair i created are Savoca 114 . I was so excited when i was creating these! For some, they may appear flashy or gaudy, but for me, they are perfect. I love a bit of flash and I the design elements of the 80's. Lots of details, lots of wow factor, lots of flash. These shoes contain pink silk, black lace, a black glitter heel, black soles, white paten leather bow with black patten leather cetner. I also opted to design these with a soft powder blue lining. These are perfect to pair with a little black dress and nothing more! These shoes steal the show.

 

My second pair, I aimed for a more editoral fall look. These are hunter green leather ballerina flats with yellow snake skin accents! They mix feminen deisgn with edgy textile. They will be perfect for fall and match well with brown, rust, beige, mustard, white, and of course black. I would eve wear these on a casual day with jeans.

If youre looking for something in just your size with a unique flair you absolutly have to check out www.ShoesOfPrey.com 

I recieved these shoes complimentry, all opinons are 100% my own. 

Peter Pan Simply Ground: #SnackwithSimply Review and Snack Ideas

Recently I had the opportunity to try Peter Pan Simply Ground peanut butter, complimentary, through the influenster program. I picked up my complimentary jar and also a spare as there are two flavors and I wanted to try both! 

Upon trying, I noticed this peanut butter was soft, smooth, and creamy but also contained small pieces of peanuts throughout. It was a sweet combination of crunchy and smooth. This product is meant for dipping and snacking so I tried it a few ways. Dipping cookies directly in was one of my favorites, but this product works well with apple slices, celery, carrots, even just having a spoonful to satisfy a craving for something sweet!

A recipe I would recommend is taking two, crunchy, chocolate chip cookies and placing a generous amount of simply ground between them. Freeze for a few hours or overnight in a ziplock bag and you have a chocolate-peanut butter sandwich that will knock your socks off! 

 

If that's not your thing, Simply Ground also works amazing as a bagel spread. My son loved the flavor and texture!

 

 
 Want to pick up some simply ground? save some money with coupons at this link- http://simplygroundsavings.com/ 

   #gotitfree

Hello Flexible Hair, Hello Air Spray from Pantene Review

I love trying new products for my hair. I tend to be a little neglectful when it comes to what I do with my hair and a new product forces me to pay attention. I recently got to try the @pantene #airspray hairspray and there were a few things I imedatly noticed about it.

From first spray, I could smell a soft, feminine sent. I liked that it didn't smell like some heavier products I remember from when I was younger. This added just a little something and it was, in no way, overpowering. My hair itself felt like there was added control and volume without feeling heavy, I was able to brush my hair without feeling like it was the 80s again. My hair was flexible and manageable. Very impressed. #pantenexinfluenster #helloairspray
I received this product complimentary of influsenster for reviewing and testing purposes all opinions are my own.

Maybelline The Loaded Bolds Review and Swatches

Swatches of all 18 shades currently available from the @maybelline #maybelline new #loadedbolds collection.

I pretty much loved all the shades from this collection but a shade or two did give me an issue. Nude Thrill settled into the fine lines of my lips and was way too light on my skin tone. Blackest Berry was streaky to apply at first and I still feel the final application was a tad patchy (maybe use a lip liner under this one). I had some issues with the shades themes Grey like gone Griege and grey over it because they were unmistakably brown and I didn't feel they leaned Griege or grey at all. Many of the darker Browns were also very similar with reddish undertones. This collection being called the loaded bolds also struck me as odd, while I saw this collection was coming from the lovely @nouveaucheap #nouveaucheap , And was super excited. I somewhat expected more in person. I felt like most of these shades are shades we've saw before from maybelline in the nude buffs collection, the vivids collection, and even the mattes. It's 2016 - we've seen pink, orange, and even bright purple before. And brown hasn't really been a bold shade since the 90's. I think the biggest and most different shades from this collection were the two blues - sapphire siren and midnight blue (also anticipating the black and the white that are part of the permanent collection) other than that- this collection wasn't terribly "bold". That being said, I loved the louder pink, purple, blue, and deep brown shades. I would have loved to see other funky shades though (true Griege and even grey, green, yellow, light purple, etc). I believe they are a matte formula but they apply like a satin and have quite a shine on the lips. Lightweight and comfortable wear 3-5 hours.

Watch my video review:

LaSplash Lip Couture Liquid Lipstick Review Swatches

Semi Charmed Kind of Life: Velvet Fashion for the Plus Size Woman

If you were born in the 1980's or even the early 90's and you owned a radio, you were probably surrounded by the sweet sounds of Third Eye Blind. Alternative hits were quite big at the time so were fashions made of luxe fabrics. The ongoing researgence of 90's fashion revival has brought us an array of fashions from hip neons to grungy flannel.  For some time the market has lacked soft, velvet fabrics especially in the plus size sector. This fall/winter season the options available to the plus size woman for velvet is pretty expansive even in the more affordable stores. 

So why the reference to Third Eye Blind? Well I bought my first velvet dress recently and I couldn't stop singing "When the plane came in she was crashing the velvet it rips in the city we tripped on the urge to feel alive, but now I'm struggling to survive the days you were wearing that velvet dress..". When fashion is in music you know it's big!

 Even when velvet was big in the 90's the options for plus size women (and teens) was not. I recall only ever owning two velvet peices. Two cropped tops with stripes. One in purple and the other in mustard. It wasn't exactly hip and the horizontal strips and short nature of the tops did little for my pulse size pre-teen body. With all that being said, I feel this is a wonderful time to try this trend if you didn't have access to it the first time around. If you're younger than the above mentioned age range please don't fear velvet! There are so many ways to wear it and it's such a pretty fabric. Due to limited ability you may not know how to style it. If you fall into this category I hope my following tips help you. 

The Velvet Dress

The velvet dress is probably the easiest to pull off. Whether it's a body hugging body con or flirty skater dress you can work it like any other fabric. Velvet tends to be a little stretchy (though check the composition) so it is often a comfortable material. The way light hits velvet, especially crushed velvet can hide many imperfections that other dresses may excentuate. Keep your accessories minimal or go big glam with a statement necklace. Pair with shimmery nylons for a party look or knee highs for the ultimate 90s pairing. Velvet dresses can be casual paired with a scarf or classic paired with a blazer. 

Velvet dress from www.forever21.com

Knee highs from www.torrid.com

Shoes from www.target.com

Hat is also from forever 21

http://www.torrid.com/torrid/Dresses/OnlineExclusives/Velvet+Skater+Tank+Dress-10225837.jsp

Velvet pants/leggings

Velvet leggings, depending on the shade, can be a little tricky. Black velvet can be worn much in the same way you would wear any leggings. Pair with tunic, oversized band tee shirt, pair with plaid for a grunge look, or pair with leather for a rocker look. You can also go glam with a metallic top or girly with some lace. I recently tried red crushed velvet leggings and found them a little bit tricker to style. I found they paired well with animal print, leather accented peices, tunics and band tee shirts just like the black but color played a more important role. You don't want to outshine the pants. Let the pants make the statement. 

 

Velvet leggings: www.torrid.com

Plum peplum top: www.torrid.com

Suede vest: www.forever21.com

Faux leather boots: www.torrid.com

 

http://www.torrid.com/torrid/Bottoms/Leggings/Crushed+Velvet+Leggings-10214976.jsp

Crushed velvet leggings: www.torrid.com

Animal print chiffon top: www.torrid.com

Leather accent blazer: www.torrid.com

Necklace: www.rainbowshops.com

http://www.torrid.com/torrid/Bottoms/Leggings/Crushed+Velvet+Leggings-10214983.jsp

Velvet shrug/kimono

If you want to go I a completely different direction you can get a little Stevie Nicks circa 1977 with a velvet and fringe Kimono. You can pair this with the most casual pair of jeans and t-shirt to wearing it over a simple body con dress for an effortless coverup that adds just an extra level of style. 

http://www.torrid.com/torrid/Outerwear/Jackets/Velvet+Floral+Open-Front+Fringe+Kimono-10250271.jsp

Velvet Shoes

If you find yourself still unsure of this trend maybe try a pair of velvet combat boots. Still channeling the 90's in both style and fabric you don't have to step too far out of your comfort zone. 

http://www.wetseal.com/velvet-combat-boots-50596713.html

Have you tried the velvet trend? What are your thoughts?

Do You Mix Patterns?

Lets be honest, patterns have made a huge impact on fashion trends as of late. The summer saw florals and stripes while the fall has brought us plaid, animal print, and houndstooth. Is it really completely faux-pas if we combine these patterns? No! 

While it may not be everyone's cup of tea it's surely a fun way to spice up your woredrobe. 

Some of my favorite uncommon pattern pairings:

Plaid and houndstooth- I love this pairing for a few reasons. Black and white plus red go very well together (though other forms of plaid/tartan should work equally well). While it may look a bit too busy the straight lines of the plaid compliment the geometric print of the houndstooth. Still a little worried its not for you? Try a houndstooth pattern that's also in a plaid pattern. 

For this outfit I opted for a houndstooth plaid style shirt and a black and red plaid midi skirt. The black undershirt helps to seperate the patterns slightly as to not allow them to clash. The boxy pattern for both the top and skirt also help the patterns mesh well. 

Top: Liz claibourne 

Skirt: www.torrid.com

Undershirt: www.torrid.com

Animal print and plaid: with the right color combinations this is an easy to work pattern clash. Brown and red tend to work very well together especially for the autumn season. Paring red plaid with brown or tan animal print with minimal accessories help to pull the look together. You could also pull a color from the look and use that in your accessories as well. Animal print in brown, tan, black, taupe work well with red, burgundy, and wine shades of plaid but don't stray from experimenting with other shades such as black and white animal print with purple or blue plaid. 

I paired a lepoard print peplum top with a plaid midi skirt. I kept my accessories to a golden tone and let my shoes match both the nude shades in the top and the black of the skirt. 

Animal print and stripes: When wearing patterns with patterns sometimes accessories can come into play. A striped shirt can pair well with an animal print or even plaid scarf.  I also like pairing a stripped sweater with patterned dresses. 

Aside from the typical patterns here polka dots, floral, and even whimsical patterns can come into play this season (or any season) and clash quite well. I recently picked up a thought bubble print dress from www.forever21.com. 

http://www.forever21.com/Product/Product.aspx?BR=plus&Category=plus_size-dresses&ProductID=2000119844&VariantID=

The grey and teal make it easy to match with stripe tights or scarf and even houndstooth. In the spring you can probably make a subtle floral pattern work with this. 

 The best part of pattern clashing is to have fun with it. If you're having a hard time picking peices, start by matching peices with similar shades.  Keep it safe with black and white. If you love taking a risk and trying new things maybe clash patterns and shades. If you wear it with confidence there isn't anything you can't pull off. If you try this tend please share with me your pictures. Either comment here or hashtag #hirecycledstardust on Instagram so I can see your style!