Hey pretties! As you’ve most likely noticed, my monthly Pretty Fix has been on hiatus the past few months. My blogging calendar changed up a bit and it fell off the schedule. Fortunately you noticed and called me out on it, so I’m excited to announce today that it’s back!
For those of you who were hoping for a SAHMonday post, sorry to disappoint you. I’ll be back at it next week!
If you’re new around here and wondering what the Pretty Fix is, it’s five pieces I pick for you to stay on trend. You can shop where you want (or shop your closet) to pair up an outfit. The idea for it was born out of your dissatisfaction with the quality and price of some of the box styling services out there.
I give you the outfit idea, you set the budget and do the shopping!
Most of the pieces in this month’s fix were ripped right from the pages of the Style Challenges® Spring 2018 Capsule Wardrobe outfit guide. It features some spring basics paired up in new ways and a little bit of pattern mixing to boot. Because pattern mixing makes me smile. 🙂
1. Navy Trench – April showers bring out trench coats! Navy will always stay in style. Don’t be afraid to invest a little more into this classic basic.
2. Polka Dot Top – If you don’t have a polka dot top yet this spring, run to get you one. I promise you’ll be wearing it into summer.
3. White Jeans – It’s time to bust out this closet staple. Nothing announces spring’s arrival better than a great fitting pair of white jeans. I’ve linked up some of my personal favorites below!
4. Printed Flats– Floral, stripes, leopard, you name it. Printed flats are a fun way to add pattern to your outfit and pair perfectly with polka dots. Pair pictured
It’s Your Turn: What pieces are you adding to your wardrobe this month? Share them with us in the comments!
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When it comes to taking care of ourselves, our families and our homes, cleaning certain items are a no-brainer. Washing our clothes, wiping down the kitchen counters or vacuuming the carpet is a must. But there are some items, beauty items specifically, that may have gone under your cleaning radar. Below are some of the items you may not have thought to clean, but you should.
Lint From the Hairdryer
Did you know that your hair dryer collects lint and if left alone can be a fire hazard? Unfortunately, I know this from experience. All hair dryers have a small screen in the back that air travels through and it’s a prime spot for lint to collect. Typically there is a cover that screws or snaps on the back. Remove that to reveal the screen. Using a DRY cloth or old toothbrush, rub the screen until the lint is gone. Start with checking your hairdryer every month, if it’s not too bad you can go longer between cleanings. Not only will your dryer work more efficiently, but it will last longer because the motor will not have to work as hard. More importantly, you are reducing the possibility of your motor overheating and being a fire hazard.
Razor
Most of us use a disposable razor and we don’t really think twice about how we take care of it, I know I never did. But the more I thought about it, this tool I use so close to my skin and could possibly cut myself with (yes we have all done it), do I really want it to be full of bacteria? Um no, and thankfully there are some ways to clean and store it that will make it last longer and make it less icky.
After shaving always rinse with warm water to clean out any debris. Take cleaning a step further by dipping your razor into some rubbing alcohol to sterilize the blades. This also displaces any water on your razor and the alcohol will quickly and cleanly evaporate away. Finally, store your razor in an upright position and away from any areas where it will continue to get wet in between uses.
Hair Brushes
I know I should clean my hair brushes more often, but I never think about it until I finally pay attention to the bristles and realize I can see more hair then bristle. I have lost count of how many brushes are actually in our house because they seemed to have all disappeared. I know we had at least seven at one point, yet I find myself sharing a single brush with my two daughters which means, yes it’s gross, that the hair builds up even faster. We are all familiar with using a rattail comb or pen to help pull all of the tangled hair out of our brushes but to really get it really clean, fill a small bowl with warm water and mild shampoo and swish your brushes around in the mixture. Pulling the hair out of your brush isn’t enough to properly clean it. By using this mixture, you’ll be removing all of the left behind residue, product buildup and dead skin cells that remain in your brush bristles.
Tip: To disinfect your brushes fill a squirt bottle with one part water and one part barbicide. Spray this on your brushes a few times a week if you want to truly disinfect your brushes and combs.
I love the rich lather and exfoliating properties that a bath pouf provides, but they can also be a breeding ground for bacteria. If not cleaned and stored properly, they can do more harm than good, especially on freshly shaven skin. I used to wash my poufs in the washer but they would end up falling apart rendering them useless. Now I’ve discovered a better way to clean them. First, be sure to rinse them out completely after use ensuring that you are removing any debris that may be stuck in the mesh after bathing. After doing this, squeeze out as much water as you can without destroying the tight weave. Now, this is an important step, storage. Make sure to store your pouf outside of the bath or shower. Keeping it away from the lingering moisture will help it dry quicker. Lastly, about two times a week I take my pouf and dip it in a 50/50 water and vinegar mix. This will disinfect your pouf without using harsh chemicals. While you should still replace your pouf monthly, this will help make it last longer and keep it germ-free.
Your makeup bag is another one of those items you don’t really think about cleaning, but it collects its fair share of bacteria too. There are a few different ways to clean your makeup bag depending on the type you have. First, take everything out and give it a good shake, this is also a good time to toss any old products. Then, if your makeup bag is machine washable flip it inside out and toss it in the washer. If it’s not machine washable, use makeup removing wipes to remove any makeup residue. If you don’t have them, a little soap and water will work too. Next, you can take a cotton pad with some rubbing alcohol and wipe down the inside of the bag to sanitize it. If your makeup bag is too far gone it might be time to invest in a new one. Opt for a plastic lined one for easier cleanup.
I use this beauty tool almost daily but it never occurred to me that I needed to clean it more than just wiping it with my fingers. I’m careful about everything else I put near my eyes so why not this. Much like your razor your eyelash curler can be cleaned with warm water and rubbing alcohol. Start by removing the rubber pad. Using some rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball or cotton pad, rub it all over the rubber removing any makeup residue. Next, take the eyelash curler and dip it into a small bowl of rubbing alcohol for a few seconds. Wipe off any makeup residue and then dip again for a few more seconds to clean. Wait until both pieces are completely dry before putting back together. This should be done every few weeks or so depending on how fast the makeup residue builds up on yours.
Tip: If you are having a really hard time getting off some of the makeup residue, after removing the rubber pad, use a hairdryer on your eyelash curler to help soften the residue. This will make it easier to wipe off.
About Jessica
Jessica is a military wife, married to her husband Nate of 14 years, and stay at home mother to three energetic and fearless children, Sophia, Brandon and Rachel. Originally from Greensburg, Pennsylvania, the military life has given her a chance to live all over the United States and meet many amazing people along the way.
I’ve got a really big announcement today and loads of fun giveaways planned this coming week, so let’s just jump right in!
For the past few years, my 19 year old daughter Aubrey and I have wanted to collaborate in a meaningful way over our mutual love of style. Like many mothers and daughters, shopping together has been one of our favorite bonding experiences over the years. We’ve even done a few mother/daughter style posts here on GYPO.
Although we do borrow clothes from each other occasionally, more often we’re swapping jewelry and accessories because they so easily cross the generation gap. That’s how the idea for our mother/daughter jewelry line was born.
Alison + Aubrey is our newly launched jewelry line that encourages mothers and daughters to “borrow + bond”!
Aubrey is a freshman math major and is learning the basics of running a business while earning money for college. All of the profits from our new venture are going toward funding her education. This makes mama happy because she wants to transfer to a private university this fall. Every item is packed and shipped by her!
ON TREND. AFFORDABLE. QUALITY.
We’re proud to sell great quality pieces to help you stay on trend at an awesome price point. This line continues the GYPO philosophy that you shouldn’t have to break the bank to stay in style. Our pieces are outfit makers that dress up even a simple t-shirt and jeans.
We’ve curated a collection where every piece works for BOTH mothers and daughters. You’ll be able to borrow and bond over the entire line.
Even though we’re just launching, we’ve already been getting rave reviews from our customers!
Thank you for this affordable, high quality line of jewelry! I’m not shopping Baublebar anymore, you have the same trends for so much less! I’m seriously ordering one of each. – Carrie M.
Congrats on your new jewelry line! It’s my new go-to source for trends. The quality is awesome! – Theresa M.
I have super sensitive ears, and am very allergic to nickel and these don’t irritate at all! Love love love! – Sarah R.
Our best seller so far is the Vivie Fringe Fan Earrings in blush. We named it our very first Alison + Aubrey Must Have! We’ve gotten so much great feedback on these earrings. They’re lightweight and go with everything. These also come in black, which is perfect for date night.
Many of our pieces have semi-precious stones like druzy, mother of pearl, turquoise and opal.
Each counts as an entry into the giveaway so do all of them to increase your odds of winning! Winner will be drawn and notified on Wednesday, April 11th.
Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook because we’ll also be doing five days of spring giveaways starting tomorrow!
I FEEL PRETTY
It’s the day of the week at GYPO where we celebrate what makes us feel pretty. Whether it’s a new outfit, hairstyle, or makeup, the I Feel Pretty link up is about anything and everything that makes your life prettier. Even if you’re not a blogger, you can still play along. Just tell me what made you feel pretty this week in the comments.
Welcome to another edition of SAHMonday – outfit inspiration just for the stay at home and work from home moms of the world (like me!) who aren’t heading out of the house on Monday morning. You can check out the other outfits in this series here.
These outfits are perfect for when you want to feel comfortable, yet put together, so that you can face the day and any errands you may need to run. Plus, most of these outfit formulas can be pulled straight from your closet!
Striped Top and Some Little Pops (of color)
This past week we started styling our first week of outfits for the Style Challenges Spring 2018 Capsule Wardrobe. I vowed to mostly shop my closet for this challenge since I already had most of the pieces on the shopping list.
As you might remember from this sneak peek I shared, today’s SAHMonday outfit is based on our Day 2 outfit prompt – a striped top, jeans, colorful flats and a printed scarf.
This is such a simple look and quite honestly one of my favorite ways to dress for real life. Start with a top with some fun details, like ruffled sleeves, add some comfy jeans and a few pops of color. It just doesn’t get much easier than this! Although I mostly followed the day’s outfit prompt, I did take one liberty and subbed my colorful tassel earrings for the printed scarf.
Spring challenger Karen completely nailed this look!
Remember – you can try out this outfit formula using pieces from your closet. Be creative and substitute where you need to! Because I shop my closet a lot, sometimes my pieces are no longer available but I link up similar items.
My striped top and flats are both old but I’ve linked up similar items below. These Miranda Raffia Tassel Earrings were just made for a striped shirt! They’re lightweight and also come in lavender.
If statement earrings aren’t your thing you can still add a pop of color to your outfit with a printed neck scarf or a pendant necklace like this Brie Clover Tassel Necklace.
Get the Look
Alison + Aubrey Launch Party
Join us this Wednesday, April 4th for an online launch party of our new accessories brand Alison + Aubrey! This is a collaboration between my daughter Aubrey and I to bring you affordable, quality on trend accessories that you can borrow and bond over. We have LOTS of fun giveaways planned so be sure to come back on Wednesday!
Vera Wang said, “I want people to see the dress, but focus on the woman.” When you utilize the colors that are inherent in you, people are focused on you and not just your clothing. Value and color contrast are two important elements of your personal color harmony that make a huge difference in whether people first notice your face, or your clothes.
Take me for instance, having a personal color palette gives me my best colors, but how Iwear my colors is equally important when I want to shine more than my clothes. In the pictures below, I am wearing a printed navy shirt, which is in my color palette. but given how dark it is and how light I am, I have to be careful how I wear it. In the first picture, your eyes are drawn to my outfit because there is too much contrast for my coloring – I’m not that dark nor that light. The second picture, however, is more harmonious with my coloring because the pink sweater creates an overall medium effect.
Value and Color Contrast
Your value contrast is the difference in the value (lightness vs darkness) of your hair and skin and to some extent your eyes. In the picture below, you can see that my hair and skin are a fairly similar medium light value (about an 8), which would make me low contrast, but my darker eyes are medium (about a 5) making me a medium-low contrast. This means I look best wearing medium and light colors together or creating an overall medium look.
The other important aspect of personal color harmony is your color contrast, which is basically the number of colors you have on the color wheel. You’ll notice that brown, black, gray and beige are not on the color wheel because they are considered neutral. Hair is “colored” if it is yellow blonde, strawberry blonde, or red. Colored eyes include green, blue, and super bright tiger eyes.
I naturally have three colors – yellow, blue and red as my skin has a bit of redness, I have blonde hair, and blue eyes. However, I often cover my redness with foundation and my hair is going more neutral as it’s graying, so depending on the day, I have one to three colors. The first thing people generally notice about me is my blue eyes versus how light I am; therefore, I am color dominant and look best wearing at least one color.
Your Best Color Scheme
Your best color scheme is based on whether you are value or color dominant. Dominance is what people notice about you first.
If you are value dominant, people first notice your value – your light skin and dark hair or your overall lightness or darkness even if you have colored eyes. Examples of value dominant celebrities are Naomi Campbell (all dark), Gwyneth Paltrow (all light), Gisele Bündchen (all medium), and Courteney Cox (light/dark contrast).
Value dominant people look best when wearing fewer colors – all neutrals, monochromatic, and neutral plus a color. Too many colors tend to overwhelm them. They shine when wearing the value contrast that harmonizes with their own coloring (light, dark, or medium).
When value dominant people wear too many colors or wear a look that is more contrasted than they are, one notices the clothes before the person. Value dominant people look beautiful in a monochromatic color, like the green dress, but in the case pictured, the red bow and colored purse overwhelm her, so we notice the bow before the lady.
Color dominant people have two or three colors on the color wheel – blue or green eyes, red or yellow hair, and freckled, rosy, or golden skin (think Reese Witherspoon or Julianne Moore). When you see them, you first notice color – their hair and/or eyes – versus their value.
Since they are color dominant people, they look best in color. They seriously fade in all neutrals, so they need to add a pop of color to come alive. If they are going to wear a monochromatic outfit, it should be in a color, for instance, an all red outfit versus beige. Color dominant people are the only ones who can get away with lots of color at the same time and still look natural.
When color dominant people wear all neutrals and/or all dark colors, they tend to look more drawn and their eyes look less bright, like pictured below.
So what if you are a mix? You are equally dominant – people either first notice your value or your color. Equally dominant people tend to have one color and two neutrals, so they look best with a bit of color, but not too much. Their best color scheme is neutral plus a color. Jennifer Aniston is an example of an equal dominant person with her all medium appearance, but blue eyes. Kate Middleton is another example. Even though she has dark hair and light skin, she isn’t quite as contrasted as Courteney Cox. You can also be “equally” dominant with brown eyes and brown hair if your skin is noticeably red or freckled. If you have colored skin, it’s really important to add color to offset that and not let it be the only thing people notice about you.
Now that you know a bit about value and color contrast, you will notice it every time you open a catalogue. Retailers want you to see the clothes before the model, so you will often see value dominant models in multi-color clothing and color or equal dominant models in neutral clothing like the two pictured below from the Talbots catalogue.
So which category do you fall into, color dominant, value dominant or both?
About Shannon
I’m Shannon Manion, a color and style consultant, military spouse, and recovering shopaholic – always buying, but never having anything to wear. Color Curate is all about helping you become effortlessly confident – comfortable with how you look and what you’re wearing each and every day. Visit my website to learn more about Color Curate and my passion for helping others curate their best image through personal color analysis.
Do you struggle to put outfits together? Are you stuck in a yoga pants rut? Not sure if you can make the latest trends work for you? You’re in the right place!
I’m Alison, a mom of three and recovering yoga pants addict on a mission to make getting dressed and feeling pretty the easiest thing you do all day! Learn more about my story HERE.
I am so glad I was part of the Fall 2019 Style Challenge. It gave me confidence and so many great outfitt ideas. The ladies in the group were very supportive and I will defintetly be doing another challenge in the future.
Betty Weyandt December 20, 2019
I’ve been participating in the GYPO Style Challenges for three years now and I’ve loved it. I’ve always loved clothes, but I didn’t know how to put outfits together. My closet is now full of mix-and-match outfits, I have learned how to dress myself, and there is no more stress in figuring out to wear. The private FB group is full of wonderful ladies that build each other up. It’s so fun and is seriously the best group on FB.
Kirstin Rasmussen November 20, 2019
Get Your Pretty On has changed my life, seriously. I have always chased what is trendy but found from season to season, that things go out of style and I was wasting money on items that I would only end up wearing a few times. GYPO has enabled me to simplify my closet, helps me make smarter purchasing decisions, and I feel so put together and confident using the outfit formulas that are provided. This program is a GAME CHANGER. I've been following GYPO for a few years now and my only regret is not jumping on board sooner.
Michelle Kline November 20, 2019
Great community of ladies, helping each other look stylish, without breaking the bank, and using much of what you already own.
Chosen Faith November 19, 2019
GYPO challenges have been one of the best things I have done! It had taught me so much more than just creating a closet of clothes that I love but also to have confidence in myself, how to pick and choose colors that work for me instead of against, and had given a wonderful community of Pretties who are so special.
Maraline Freeman October 16, 2019
I love GYPO!!! I finally feel put together and stylish! The shopping lists and outfit combinations make shopping and getting dressed effortless.
Krista Probst October 16, 2019
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1. Navy Trench – April showers bring out trench coats! Navy will always stay in style. Don’t be afraid to invest a little more into this classic basic.
