So '70s Suede For Spring 2015: Let's All Smell Like Patchouli Oil, Giuliana!

We happen to REALLY like suede. We think it is smart, sexy + boho chic. That's why we are thrilled that 70s SUEDE vibe is back for Spring 2015.

Yes, Giuliana Rancic, er, maybe we can ALL smell like patchouli oil now.  LOL

Seriously though, suede this Spring is a nice touch ---in outerwear like jackets, shift dresses, trench coats, leggings, skirts, vests, pants and bags.

Suede isn't just brown. And it doesn't have to be bulky + rugged. Suede is HOT, along with some long, hippie fringe!

Just look at these gem-colored, rich, suede style samples from the Spring runways of Derek Lam, Gucci + Trussardi.

Now, if you SPILL something on suede, well, you're on your OWN.

Can you say dry clean!

Still, suede has an understated beauty about it. And it can be very expensive. Look at this sexy, black fringe skirt from Valentino The cost---$5,890 and almost SOLD OUT here.

By the way, FAUX suede is alright, too. You can fool people wearing it.

Look at these inexpensive pieces from Forever 21:

Forever 21 Faux Suede Vest  $44.90

Faux Suede Jacket $32.90

Jennifer Lopez Master Of The Nude Lip: Can You Wear It + Look Alive?

Let's face it.....Nude lips are gorgeous if you can find the perfect, nude shade that doesn't allow you to look like you're at death's door.

Beautiful beige lips are HOT for Fall 2015.  The color was ALL over the runways....Burberry, Prada and so on.... 

Jennifer Lopez is one celebrity who has mastered the nude lip flawlessly. Found these on her Instagram page. She wears the nude lip so well.

So, how do you wear the nude lip and still look ALIVE?

We found some beauty help at the NYTimes.com. Seriously.

Yes, under Fashion & Style, they gave advice. Really.

Celeb makeup artist Troy Surratt told the NY Times.com this about nude lipstick success:

......There’s the matte nude, “which reads cadaver,” Mr. Surratt said. Go too pasty, where “the nude doesn’t have enough contrast between the skin surrounding your mouth, and you get mannequin mouth.”

Yikes,

Troy says to buy a creamy lipstick with opacity:

.....“You need the pigment to cover your own natural lip color, which is why most glosses don’t work,” he said. (After trying several brands, I’ve found I like the Nars Audacious formula, which is richly pigmented yet doesn’t settle in fine lip lines.)

NARS Audacious Lipstick seen here in shade Raquel. is NOT cheap at $32 a tube, but the quality is exceptional according to many makeup pros. Check them out here.

Troy Surratt will be launching his OWN nude lip-crayon collection later this March.

Meantime, experiment with NUDES, until you nail the right one.

Naomi Campbell Workin' Wavy, Long Hair: Take Note For Fall 2015

Hair. Hair. Hair.

Platinum. Platinum. Platinum.

Okay, we've been talking plenty about Kim Kardashian's new platinum do, and the HOT trend it has become at Paris Fashion Week.

But what about the other looks we saw, namely on the cat-walk queen herself, Naomi Campbell!

We LOVE how she looked when she walked for Zac Posen's Fall 2015 show.

Plus, this hairstyle does NOT require the super-duper, high maintenance of the perfect peroxide blonde.



 Her blunt bangs and softly waved, long hair showed a controled glamour. So take note for Fall 2015.

You will need this styling tool:

A 1.5 inch barrel curling iron.

Begin on dry hair. Keep hair at the top flat. Section 1-inch pieces of hair and mist with heat protection spray. Then wrap the section around the curling iron, and repeat until the entire head is curled..

Brush out waves for movement; for a variation, part hair to side and tuck behind ears.

Need a good curling iron?

Try this one from Marcel ($54). 

The Hot Tools Ceramic Tourmaline 1.5 Inch Marcel Iron makes it easy to create extra-large curls + waves while keeping hair soft, shiny + frizz-free.

We like this refined glamour.

Bleached Blonde Platinum Beauty: Sexy But Super High Maintenance

Platinum blonde.

It's quite sexy. And it definitely turns every head in the room, but if you're a brunette and you're trying to keep it really light, you're in for an expensive, high-maintenance ride.

Kim Kardashian has stolen the spotlight away from everyone with her blinding,  bleached head. And she admits she had to stop by already for some toner at Paris Fashion Week, so she could get that platinum pizazz even lighter + brighter!

Check out this new photo from People magazine.

We LOVE the dark brows and platinum hair combo. Kim looks gorgeous here.

Gwen Stefani does platinum blonde the BEST way we  know, because she NEVER allows one tiny, dark root to show, that's because her bleached blonde beauty requires  extreme maintenance.

We've used these Gwen quotes before, and here we share, again from an interview the mega-star gave to Harper's Bazaar:

 "Do you think Marilyn Monroe had to talk about this?" she asks smiling. "Well, I heard she did hers with a Q-tip every 10 days, so I try to follow Marilyn's rule." I mention that she's never been photographed with dark roots, and she points to the houndstooth fedora she is wearing. "And you'll never see me with roots either."

We love what this girly-girl says about discovering the beauty of bleach and those sexy red lips:

Gwen recalls how she felt when, age of 25, she spent eight hours in a hair salon in Long Beach getting her coveted white-blonde locks. "It was like I'd unlocked the key. I remember feeling like, 'I have arrived. This is me. Finally.'" The red lip came when her grandmother gave her a crimson lipstick when she was in high school. "I remember sitting in my ghetto, beat-up Honda Prelude and putting on that lipstick in the rearview mirror and being like, 'Uh-huh, I like that. That's the shit right there.' I never stopped after that."

More sexy platinum blondes:

Would you go this route (root), so to speak, to turn platinum, and ride the HOT trend?

Happy Spring Thoughts: Fabulous Floral Crowns Like Haylie Duff's

Look...here on the east coast we have been blanketed with mounds + mounds of SNOW for the last 2 months.

Enough already! Plus---we have a snow shower coming down right as we type this beauty post.

Sooooooooo....Time to escape!

We just checked out mama-to-be Haylie Duff's baby shower on Saturday afternoon. Found it here at People mag.

Of course, out in sunny California, the weather looked lovely + warm for the celeb-attended outdoor party.

What caught our eye were the absolutely gorgeous, floral crowns the ladies were all wearing.

LOVE it!

It's so boho chic, care-free, and just darn feminine.

You DON'T have to be experiencing warm, summer temps to put on a beautiful, floral crown. This hot trend is perfect for all kinds of memorable events, and we're not talking about just weddings, baby showers + Coachella music festivals.

A floral crown can celebrate girl-time, bon voyage, reunion, anniversary, birthday, Mom's Day, etc. etc.

You can make your own floral crown, too. In fact, we found this great tutorial by Carolyn Brown, the LA-based crown designer of TheCrownCollective.

Carolyn's company made the lovely crowns for Haylie Duff's baby shower.

Here's the D.I.Y. for fab floral crowns.

We're so tired of winter. Bring on SPRING and let's celebrate some girl time!

Hey, Girlfriend: Time To Rock Some Girlfriend Jeans Just Like Gwen

It's the year of the girlfriend, girlfriend.

We're talking about girlfriend jeans. And they ain't like your boyfriend jeans, either. There is a difference.

We've all hung out in boyfriend jeans. So loose + baggy. So comfortable for sure. But the girlfriend style is a bit more feminine + fitted. Think skinny jeans with a subtle slouch.

And take a look at Gwen Stefani in her girlfriend pair. Gwen ALWAYS works the trends so elegantly. She's wearing Dsquared2 Cool Girl Jeans...about $450.

The girlfriend features more of a mid-rise style. And you can COPY the look for much less!

ASOS sells a sexy pair of girlfriend jeans called the Thea ($69.70). Look below.

Express is also launchng their girlfriend jeans right now. For $88, you can put on the Mid Rise Girlfriend Jean. As Express calls it, "the perfect companion for a day of shopping or checking out some live music."

Available online at Express.com

Hey, Spring is trying to get here fast. It's been a long, hard, nasty winter for most of us, so a new style of jeans is ALWAYS welcome.

Sophisticated Solange Knowles At Paris Fashion Week 2015: Pretty In Matte Pink Lipstick

We are lovin' Solange Knowles' sophisticated style as she attends Paris Fashion Week.

How exciting for the fashionable beauty and her effortless chic, as she sits front row at the Balmain, Carven and H&M shows thus far.

We've been noticing the sister of Beyonce looking glam in pretty pink lipstick. Almost fuchsia, just about Barbie Doll pink. And we love the hair, so very Diana Ross.

The matte, pink lipstick look is nice as we head into Spring, finally.

You can copy Solange's pretty in pink pout by picking up Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Sweetheart ($9.49, at ULTA).

Yes, Just Bitten has been around for 2 years now, and it's good stuff, because it wears down to a lovely, matte stain.

So pretty, and we think this pink stain looks amazing on all skin tones.

If Solange has it on, then you know it's on-trend.