You are never too old to look stylish.  These senior fashionistas are great examples that fashion evolves with age, like a fine wine.  Life is too short not to look & feel great!

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Here are our favorite Mother’s Day gift picks for you working mothers (or not!).

Triple-stripe bracelet
Give your wrist some attention with this fun colorblock bracelet.  Crystals just add that extra shine.

Ivory soft waterfall jacket
Jacket that feels as light and airy as a blouse!

Pour La Victoire Mai Wedge Pumps
Simple, sophisticated suede wedges – always a do at the office!  Up the summery feel with the cobalt pair.  Take your pick from five colors.

Trish McEvoy Even Skin Glycolic Wash
Smooth operator.  Just the right cleanser to exfoliate and deep pore cleanse.  Works great as a makeup remover.

Riviera Large Shopper Denim (30% off sale!)
We love casual elegance.  The bag will look chic with maxis as well as with trousers.

Tory Burch Brigitte Cosmetic Case
Store your makeup and travel essentials in style!  The floral print vinyl is not only pretty to look at but it’s so easy to wipe clean.

Kenneth Cole New York Croc-Embossed Watch
A slender, rectangular face adds modern appeal with croco leather strap makes it the perfect everyday watch.

Eddie Bauer Jute Flats
These jute flats are perfect for summer.  Wear them with khakis on Fridays and with shorts at the beach on weekends.

There are moments in life where you instantly reminisce whether it’s music from your youth, certain places or seeing an old friend.  Nothing quite holds as much nostalgia as your very first car.  Here is a brief video illustration of my first car story, titled Bluebird.

My first car was a blue 4-door sedan.  The very first memory I have of this car was that I failed my driving test in it.  I was a nervous wreck!  Some of the fun times were when I backed up into my husband’s (back then my boyfriend) car while backing up in the driveway.  He was understandably livid!  Another great memory is a wonderful road trip to California with friends.  I went everywhere from work to school…like my BFF, always with me!

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As the saying goes, “make the first impression a lasting impression” and it can’t be more true when it comes to job interviews.  The right makeup can help you look more put together and polished, like a sleek blazer does for an outfit.  One thing to remember, don’t over do it.  Instead, think smart yet natural makeup – your face but better.  Here are some of my favorite beauty essentials to help you put your best face forward for interviews and beyond.  Get that “no-makeup” makeup look without much effort with these fail-safe items!

Laura Mercier’s Oil Free Tinted Moisturizer is hands down the best tinted moisturizer I’ve ever used – natural looking coverage to even out your skin tone plus a healthy glow to go with.  Another must-have from Laura Mercier is the Invisible Loose Setting Powder.  Its translucent, matte finish is ultra flattering on all skin tones from light to deep.  Got pore problems?  Don’t skip out on the Porefessional!  It’s also like a blotting tissue in a liquid form – zaps the shine in an instant.

Time for colors.  When it comes to lips, I’m obsessed with the Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil.  A sleek matte finish.  You can use it as a lip liner or lip color (in an array of gorgeous shades).  With a convenient stick form, Bobbi Brown Sheer Color Cheek Tint is really a simple way to add cheek color.  Enjoy the sheer application that you can build & blend.

Go for subtle eye makeup.  Neutral eyeshadows with a slight sheen are pretty while elegant.  I recommend the Smashbox Be Discovered Eyeshadow Palette which contains eight blendable shades in both shimmery and matte finishes.

Last not but least, a good waterproof eyeliner is a must (say no to raccoon eyes).  Again, I prefer the pencil type for the ease of use and one of the best all-around eye pencils available is this Aqua Eyes by Makeup For Ever.  I prefer in a brown shade that is not as dramatic as in black.

Do you have any makeup tips for interviews or for work in general that you want to share?

Every now and then a working gal needs to live a little and let her hair down.  I want to share with you a fun opportunity where you can win a trip to NYC – the Kohl’s Rock & Republic Fashion Week Sweepstakes!  Kohl’s is sending one winner and guest to NYC to see the runway debut of the new Rock & Republic collection, available only at Kohl’s.

For the sweepstakes, bloggers were asked to create a Total Rock Star Look.  Here is my Rock Star outfit for the sweepstakes.  Coming up with this look was a delightful good time as I love playing dress up especially for something like an edgy, rock-chic look.

My first and foremost must-have item for a Rock Star look is a biker jacket.  This particular black bomber has an all-over quilted pattern that yields a wonderful luxe appeal.

The next key item has to be the shoes, and what is better than a pair of sexy heeled-booties?  These black ruched booties play well against the pale gray trousers.  The trouser pants soften the biker jacket.

And the accessories.  I’m not a pile-up-on-jewelry kind of girl so I’m sticking with one bold necklace.  Last but not least, you can’t go wrong with a simple clutch.

Now I’ve picked out my outift, enter for YOUR chance to win a trip out to the Rock & Republic Fashion Show in NY.  What a fantastic experience that would be?  It will be an ultimate girls night out!  All you have to do is enter here (No purchase necessary.  Ends 1/28 11:59 pm EST).  The winning package is impressive to say the least.  Good luck to both you & I!

Prizes:

• Roundtrip airfare for two to New York City
• 3 nights’ hotel accommodations at the W New York-Times Square
• Ground transportation to/from the airport & to/from fashion shows
• Two tickets to the Rock & Republic fashion show
• Rock & Republic makeovers for you and your guest: clothes, hair & makeup
• $300 spending money

Wishing you a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!

bhscutlass.com

Three hours of lost time I can’t get back.  Completely wasted.  Never again will I put myself in that predicament – the day after Christmas shopping at the mall.  I have gradually lost interest in visiting local shops or malls while online shopping has become a integral part of my life.  I haven’t gone holiday shopping at the mall for the last couple years as I have became an avid online shopper so I thought, why not this year, just for one day.  I missed out on Black Friday so let’s go out to find some good deals the day after Christmas.  Big mistake!

Me & my hubby (poor him!) helplessly stuck in the mall parking garage for a good 45 minutes.  Talking about claustrophobic.  I couldn’t bare wasting more time, we attempted to find a parking spot outside.  Again with no success then to finally give up after wasting another 30 minutes.  We came home exhausted without stepping a single foot inside the mall.  Waste of gas, energy, and mostly, our precious time.  I couldn’t even imagine the wait times in line just to check out.  It’s all about waiting, waiting, and more waiting.  No thanks!  I’ve got better things to do.

What chaos that was.  Would you rather fight the traffic and the crowds or browse and buy in a split second all on your own terms?

newstimes.com

cellularwindowshades.wordpress.com

As technology continues to advance there are more and more reasons every year as to why one would prefer online shopping over actual brick and mortar stores.  Whether it be price comparison, lack of time to actually drive to your local mall or any other reason the conveniences online shopping provides will make even some of the hardcore in-store shoppers consider making the switch.

I woke up to a “today’s special value” from QVC on TV this morning that I simply couldn’t miss out on – Keurig Platinum Plus Series Brewer w/ 62 K-Cups& My K-Cup for $149.95 $181.50.  Just in time for a new coffee maker that I so desperately needed!  What I really like about this latest Keurig brewer is the hot water on demand and the new hot water rinse features.  Along with a quite brewing technology, made to fit a 12 oz travel mug, etc.

Also, this special set includes a My K-Cup to use any coffee grounds (a big bonus!) plus 62 K-Cups for you to enjoy.  If you need a new, better coffee machine and want each and every cup to be fresh, try this on sale which is good for only today – one more reason to get it now!  Available in Cinnamon, Platinum, and Black.  I chose the platinum to go with our kitchen appliances.  QVC also offers easy payment options.

We all have or have had laundry dilemmas.  In my early years of college all I knew to do was shove a big pile into the washing machine.  Washing instructions?  What’s that?  Who knows just how many tops and dresses I ruined in those years.  One bad wash can completely ruin clothes, and believe me I’ve learned my lessons.

A wardrobe is a sizable investment for many of us especially working women in professional careers where suits and/or suit separates are required.  Proper laundering plays a crucial part in lengthening the life of garments.  Just remember back to a time where you bought a new top or several for that matter only to see the material breakdown after only a few washes?

When it comes to laundry, I treat all my clothes as delicate items including more durable cotton tops and jeans.  By washing these items according to the instruction labels in “hot water & regular cycle” I noticed that the end result was speeding up the wear and fade compared to washing them using a gentle cycle in cold water.  Since then I’ve stopped using hot water all together and only use gentle or hand wash cycles for all of my clothes.

Thanks to Tide Free for Coldwater in HE – my top choice for laundry detergent.  It makes cold washing that much better and more effective.  I occasionally use all-natural detergent from other brands but none compare to the cleaning power of Tide.  So my Tide never runs out!

Specially formulated for cold water conditions in your high efficiency washer, Tide Free for Coldwater HE provides a brilliant clean, smart savings on energy and money, and is free of dyes and perfumes.

I’ve successfully washed countless delicate items (most of my wardrobe) with this detergent from little black dresses to sheer blouses, and much much more.  It has helped to prolong my wardrobe and stretch my clothing budget, not to mention saving on energy costs.

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Leather garments occasionally get wrinkles no matter how well we take care of them.  Wrinkles are unsightly and take the beauty away from leather.  The best way to restore a wrinkled leather garment is to have it professionally cleaned and pressed.  If you want to save time & money, there are a few ways to get rid of wrinkles yourself.  Some methods include using a steamer, hair dryer, or an iron.

Here are some quick tips on removing wrinkles using an iron & steamer.  Irons seem to be the quickest way to smooth out the leather when compared to other methods.  It is safe to iron leather as long as it’s done correctly.  Always use extra caution working with leather garments.

Do you have any tricks to remove wrinkles on leather or tough wrinkles in general?  You can watch ShopNBC on their Youtube Channel for more tips like this, hot finds and even shopping deals!