Even though I’m a self-proclaimed beauty product junkie, when I find something I like, I stick with it; I’m brand-loyal.  In the past I have tried several brands of mascara but when I found Christian Dior’s DiorShow the hunt was over.  I love this mascara and won’t use anything else.  However, I was talking to my cousin the other day and she said that she loves Maybelline Falsies.  My cousin is more of a junkie than I am and is well-versed in the latest make-up trends and products.  I was running low on DiorShow and since Target is much closer than the mall (and Maybelline is much cheaper than Christian Dior), I decided to give it a try.

I liked Falsies well enough.  For sure it was the best drugstore mascara that I have ever used.  But I didn’t find it as “rich” as DiorShow.  I felt that DiorShow gave me thicker and longer lashes with just one coat while my lashes with Falsies looked thin and spindly.

Here’s a comparison.  Both mascaras are waterproof and I applied just one coat to each eye, on the upper lashes only.

In photographs the difference is slight, but I think you can see in the second photo that my lashes are thicker with DiorShow.  For my money, DiorShow is the better mascara.  Sorry cousin!

I’m linking up on 

© 2011, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

The weather here in Georgia was wacky last week–both cold and hot–every day was a drastically different temperature than the next.  On the day that I wore this poncho it was actually very cool and windy, but I didn’t want to wear a coat.  I knew that I would be in the car most of the day and I didn’t want to carry a coat while shopping.  The poncho kept me warm enough moving from car to store.  This is the first time that I wore this necklace with the poncho and I like it.

doctor appointment and shopping

poncho – Project e Vintage, local boutique

long-sleeved tee – Gap

jeans- Gap Always Skinny

boots – Nordstrom

necklace – Anthropologie

Wednesday was a marathon afternoon.  First the kids had violin lessons.  Normally I wouldn’t wear a dress and boots (tier #3 dressing) to violin lessons, but I knew that I would be going straight to my writing class after a quick dinner and a fundraising shopping event at Bloomingdale’s right after writing class.  I wanted to be comfortable, but look nicer than my normal #2 level of dressing.  These boots are extremely comfortable and although they are rather plain in style, the color makes them interesting.   My husband bought this dress for me as a Christmas present last year; it’s one of my favorites.   I don’t carry this Marc by Marc Jacobs bag everyday, but it’s nice when I want to be hands-free, like when shopping or traveling.

kids’  violin lessons, writing class, fundraising shopping event at Bloomingdale’s

dress – Free People, gift from husband

boots – Nordstrom

necklace – Anthropologie

purse – Marc by Marc Jacobs, Bloomingdale’s

I’m linking up with What I Wore Wednesday  and  Real Momma, Real Style.
     

© 2011, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

I’m not one to make pop decisions when it comes to fashion purchases; I like to look at all the options and weigh my choices.  Often times I take a photo of the item in question and ponder it for a few days before actually buying it (or not).   But sometimes I come across an item that is just so right, so me, that I don’t need to think at all.  That happened recently.

My family and I were on vacation in NYC.  We were walking through the East Village on our way to Nicky’s Vietnamese Sandwiches….except we didn’t quite know where it was.   In true form my husband kept saying “it’s not far, just around the corner” as he held his iPhone straight-armed in front, Google Maps leading the way.   Meanwhile, my daughter and I were losing steam.  We had been walking all day in the rain and we were tired.  And hungry.  And wet.   “Not far, just around the corner” had been 15 minutes already!    All the village boutiques were closed, so I couldn’t even pop in and out of shops to keep my spirits up.     Just when I was about to share some *ahem* choice words with my husband, I saw them in the boutique window.   I love Converse and other alternative sneaker-wear, but these were about the coolest sneakers that I had ever seen.   They are made of the softest leather and while the buckles are functional, you don’t use them to fasten the shoes on your feet (because that would be a pain); there is a zipper on the side.

I stopped walking and said, “I want those.”  I don’t remember saying that, but my daughter told me later that I had.  She said I splayed my fingers on the window, pressed my nose against the glass and said, “I want those.”  She’s probably right.   All I remember is momentary heartache because all the shops were closed, then soaring hope as I saw two people inside the shop,  and finally elation as I turned the door handle and yes, the shop was open!    I asked for them, tried them on and was at the cash register paying before my husband even realized that I was missing from the street.    The entire transaction took about 2 minutes.   Sometimes I know what I want and I get it, just like that.   I love these shoes and wear them all the time.  They are perfect for my #2 tier of dressing (see what I mean on What I Wore: No schlubs Allowed ).

Have you made a recent purchase like that?  Something you fell in love with and bought right away?

I’m linking up on Monday Mingle over at BonBon Rose Girls.

© 2011, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

I’ve been missing, I know.  It’s not personal, really it’s not.  I want to be on here writing about the big and little things in my life in order to entertain and inform you, but I tell you, I am the busiest that I have ever been in my 16 years of being a mother.   Did I say busiest?  I meant overwhelmed.   Completely and utterly overwhelmed.   So please forgive me if I dip in and out of this blog as my time (and sanity) allows.  I hope that you continue to read, comment and share.

Honestly it’s a bit tough to jump back into blogging when I’ve been absent for a bit, so I was inspired to learn of a blogging link-up that prompts me to take photos of what I’m wearing and post them here on my blog.   I love to blog about fashion and beauty, so this should be fun!

I’m no frump.  I always look nice if I am going to an event , but at home it’s easy to fall into “I’m at home and no one will see me, so why wear anything but yoga pants”–if I let myself.  But I don’t.  I will only wear yoga pants to do yoga and if you ever come by my house and see me in a pair of sweatpants in the afternoon, wear a mask because it means that I am sick.    Just because I’m at home most of the time, doesn’t mean that I should look like schlub.  My husband sees me , my kids see me, I see me and I never want to see me looking like a schlub.

Here’s the key to staying schlub-less:  have a uniform.  Find a look that works for you and stick with it.  Also, get rid of any tired clothes–anything that is worn out or just doesn’t look good on you.  If it’s in your closet, you will be tempted to throw it on “because no one will see me” and that’s exactly when you will run into someone you know, looking like a schulb.  I like to get dressed (shower, make-up and all) in under 30 minutes, so I have perfected my uniform.  Or rather, uniformS since I have tiers of dressing:

#1  I’m at home all day and no one will see me.  In this case comfort is key, but I still want to look nice just in case….the nurse calls and I have quickly get a kid from school.   Just in case….I am taking the dog out to poop and a neighbor stops to chat.  Just in case….I need something from the grocery store.  Whatever.    Life happens and I don’t want to look like a schlub when it does.   For these days I will wear a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved tee and Converse or Uggs.

#2  I am mostly at home, but may run a few errands.    I will still wear my basic uniform of jeans and a long-sleeved tee, but the tee will be a little more fashionable.  I might add one of my Allsaints sweaters.  I still may wear Uggs or Converse, but maybe a pair of boots instead.  A necklace or bracelet adds some interest.   This is the level that I dress at most of the time and I realize that I don’t have enough “cute, but comfortable casual” shirts.  When I shop I tend to buy really nice clothes that I can’t wear in my everyday life.   I need to buy more shirts.

#3  I know that I will be around people–perhaps meeting friends for lunch, going to a school function or to church.   Now I will kick it up a notch and wear one of my AllSaints sweaters and boots with jeans or leggings.   Or maybe a Free People dress and boots.  I’m not one to wear a scarf unless I’m in Europe, but I think I want to try; I like when other people wear them.

#4  I am going to a party or a night on the town.  Ha!  This rarely happens, but I do have the clothes to wear whenever that blue moon appears.

Most of my daily wear falls into the #2 tier.  Here are two outfits that I wore this week–comfortable and casual, but no schlubbling allowed.

french class, grocery shopping, school meeting

shirt -Anthropologie

jeans – Gap Always Skinny

shoes – Ash Italia

necklace – H. Bendel

shoes – Ash Italia

taking The Boy to the doctor, taking Girly to dance class, Target

shirt – AllSaints

sweater – AllSaints

jeans – Gap legging jeans

moccasins – J. Crew

bracelet – Uno de 50, Paris

moccasins – J. Crew

Do you have a uniform to maintain schlub-free?

I’m linking up with What I Wore Wednesday on The Pleated Poppy.

I’m linking up with Real Momma, Real Style on Momma Go Round

© 2011, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

My poor husband, he really can’t wear hats.  See this photo that I posted several months ago?  Yes, that’s a hat for an adult male, not a child’s hat.

It’s like this wherever we go: he tries on a hat, he looks ridiculous, and puts it back on the shelf.  Our summer spent in California was particularly hard because everyone wears summer hats.  I wore my hat every day.  Besides keeping the sun off your face, a hat really gives a person a certain panache.   They are not for the meek of fashion; you must be bold to walk about with something perched atop your head.   My husband wanted to be one of these hat-wearing renegades, but we really thought it was a lost cause until we found the most wonderful hat store in San Diego this summer, Goorin Bros.

photo: Gorrin Bros.

As you can see, it’s a gorgeous store and the hats are beautiful.   Goorin Brothers has been a family owned business since 1895 and their dedication to the craft shows; the hats are simply exquisite.  But before he could get excited only to be let down again, my husband walked in and cut right to the chase: “Do you have a hat to fit my head?”  The salespeople accepted the challenge and went to work.  They were confident that they could find a hat for him and to our surprise they did.   My husband was still tentative, as he was used to hat-wearing ridicule  (from us, his loving family), but he looked good and I told him so.  I also told him that you can’t wear a hat tentatively, if you wear a hat, you wear that hat!

Doesn’t he look dashing?  He’s wearing that hat!

© 2011, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.