FRIDAY FANCIES

I hope all of you had a fabulous week.  Lets look at a few things that will inspire us:

I KNOW...its only mid October but it makes me happy to know the holidays are coming and that soon stores will have decorations out and Christmas music playing:

I do not treat myself to Starbucks very often (too expensive and too many calories) but...I had my first  Salted Carmel Hot Chocolate of the season.  The only thing that could make it even better is being in a red cup:

I just made a batch of pumpkin muffins, some with chocolate chips and some with vanilla sugar on top.  Love the smell of baked goods in the oven.  If you would like the recipe, please make a comment below and I will be happy to share:

Have you ever purchased anything from Boden?  I am considering this sweater coat.  Should I get the pretty pink (which is distinctive and thus cannot be worn too often) or the navy which will be a practical addition to my wardrobe?

Boden also has sold beautiful velvet coats forever.  I have always admired them.  This past summer while browsing in an antique store I lucked out and found a wonderful black velvet coat with a yellow lining and the most interesting collar that is made for a BIG SPARKLY broach:

Enjoy your weekend.  Our family will be cheering on Notre Dame and the Cubs.

LINK LOVE

The case for expensive clothing:http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/10/the-case-for-expensive-clothes/408652/

Liz Jones, a former editor of Marie Claire shares her thoughts on the fashion worlds perceptions of women: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-38390/What-I-think-fashion-world.html

Our book club just read The Nightingale.  We thought is was extremely well written and a fascinating story : 

Inspiration on how to tie fall scarves, hopefully a few are new to you: http://hellonatural.co/how-to-tie-a-scarf/

23 things an author wished she had known at age 23 (I think many of us echo her thoughts)

http://www.mydomaine.com/life-lessons-hillary-kerr-2015/

Early Fall Looks

Last week I had a few hours to browse in stores and see what "looks" retailers are showing:  

1.  Ponchos- YES THEY ARE BACK...plain colors, small plaids, large buffalo plaids, buttons on the shoulder, buttons on the side, belted and unbelted, fringed,etc etc.  I am not a fan of ponchos..oh yes I had my moment in them, 10 plus years ago but found them (for me) to not be flattering at all.  If one is 5'10, 25 years old and size 6, of course they look good but what doesn't?  That said if you have that look going for you, why would you ever hide it under a poncho????  Another complicaiton one might face is handbags...do they go under or over a poncho...I think the only real solution is an oversized clutch (shout out to my friend Katie who always loves a large oversized clutch).

2.  Culottes- you may know them as gauchos... call them whatever you like, I just call them unflattering for most of us. However I have to say I have seen some women wear them well, especially with great boots, tights and a long vest.

3.  Vests- long, short, wool, cashmere, boucle, with a faux fur collar, with a scarf, these are also EVERYWHERE.  I think some styles can be flattering and certainly update one's outfit for Fall 2015.  The problem for many of us is trying to decide what to wear under a vest ...a blouse, a turtleneck (definitely not for me and my chin/neck area), a tee????  Its enough for me to choose my skirt or pants and a top and accessorize as well as choosing  footwear...I really do not need any more decisions to make when I get dressed.

4. Boots-  Boots and booties are everywhere in every color and fabric.  One somewhat new (for this year) is the amount of over the knee options being offered; fabulous look for some woman ( I wish I was one of those women).

5.  Faux Fur-  detachable collars/stoles, scarves, vests, jackets, coats, all can be yours in faux fur.

6. Blanket Scarves -So so many oversized scarves.  One can wear them wrapped and wrapped and....wrapped around your neck ( they are BIG) as well as a poncho or any other way your creative mind can think of.

What is on your fall wish list? 

Skin Care Class at Sephora

Did you know that Sephora offers free makeup and skin care classes?   I recently attended a class on skin care and learned a few things that I will be sharing with you.  You must pre-register for the class on line, in person or via a phone call.  It was recommended we come to the class with a clean, make up free face.


When I arrived at the class at 9AM on Sunday morning, it was set up to accommodate 18 participants.  Each "station" had a large make up mirror, make up brushes, a hair band to hold your hair away from your face as well as a disposable cotton cloth.  A staff member spent time with each of us individually to discuss our skin issues and concerns, type of skin we feel we have and what we hope to gain from the class.  She or he then picked out a makeup remover, cleanser, mask, eye cream, serum and moisturizer.

As the instructor explained each step of skin care, she demonstrated on a member of the store's staff while also explaining why each product was important and the correct way to use it.  One example that  surprisingly made sense to me is that we need a 2 step cleansing ritual.  The first product is to remove makeup.  I was a bit skeptical when they suggested a Clinique Cleansing Balm  ( I

stopped using Clinique products long ago thinking they were mainly for teens) yet I have to admit it did exactly as promised.  My makeup melted off.  The second step is to cleanse your face once the makeup is off.  We next tried various masks depending on our skin care concerns.  I tried Glam Glow and liked it quite a bit.  This mask can be applied 1-2 times per week to both add and maintain moisture.  On to a serum (Coop Row Sauce), then a toner (Fresh Black Tea Instant Infusion Treatment Toner) and finishing with eye cream (Algenist Eye Cream Renewal Balm)  and face moisturizer (Philosphy Ultimate Miracle Worker). The final product was an SPF 45 balm (Dr. Jart)

2 items new to me were the Foreo which is an electric  silicone facial brush that is much like a Clarsonic.                         

  :











and the Clasonic Opal used to apply eye treatments and creams:

The final piece of information I found helpful was the amount of product we should be using:

Cleanser and moisturizer- Pearl size

Eye cream - Rice grain

Serum-Nickle

I hope you enjoyed this post and found it informative.  Do you have any skin care recommendations or questions?  Please share either or both in the comments section below.

FRIDAY FANCIES

One would think I would have a million faves stored up to share with you but that is not the case, my new persona will be one of careful selection, thoughtful decisions...ok who am I kidding????  I could do 100 Friday Fancies and not even touch the list I have accumulated.  So here we go.........

Fall 2015 is fringe and fringe is Fall 2015; these will never grace my feet for so so many reasons which I will not bore you with, just feast your eyes :

Jenny Packman makes the most beautiful dresses and for the small sum of $4800.00 it could be hanging in your closet:

Who doesn't love sequins? Who loves them more than anyone else you know ????  Yes ...ME... this blog isn't called Fancy Nancy without reason and I just may have treated myself to this fabulous jacket from Anthropologie:

Most things in life change but you can count on the fact that my love of tulle and pink and shimmer will never change and when those loves are all combined in one item...I have NO WORDS:

I promise lots more posts to come and leave you with this thought:


you know when someone asks "why are you so dressed up?" and you have to literally explain to them that this is who you are