I Wanna Rent the Runway!

So we all know how it is. You get invited to a wedding or a formal event, you put it on your calendar, and forget about it until a week or two before. Then you realize, "Oh crap! What am I going to wear?" So you head to the usual stores, Cache, Lord and Taylor, Nordstrom, Bloomies, etc. No luck. Nothing fits, everything is hideous, so you head back to your closet to square one. You rummage through your old dresses, try a few on, and ultimately decide that you are desperate for something shiny and new.

This is where I want to shed some light on the above situation and invite you to fall in love with formal events again. Three words......Rent The Runway. Oh yeah. A friend of mine swears by it. When she told me about it, I was excited and pissed at the same time. Why hadn't I thought of this? What a simple idea! Thinking about all of those sorority/fraternity formals I went to in college and swapped dresses with a friend so we wouldn't have to wear the same dress twice. (As if!?). Why didn't this exist when I was in college, when formal events were so frequent, they practically rang in each season?

This website is genius. They break it down into designers and occasions to make searching for the perfect outfit a breeze. The occasions range from different types of weddings, (beach, country club, city, rustic), to sorority formal, to beach vacation, with so many in between. You can also search by your age group, length, color, neckline, body type, etc. If you click on a dress you like, it will pair it with suggested accessories. So you literally do not have to think at all. It is all put together like your own personal stylist.

I can walk you through it. For example, I love this dress: http://www.renttherunway.com/shop/designers/tibi_dresses/blackzepplinminishift
You can rent it for 4 days for only $65 when it actually retails for a nauseating $385.  Once you select your size, it allows you to select a second size for free in case it doesn't fit. One fun feature is the ability for renters to post a photo of them in their dress they rented. So if you click on the above dress, you can see a reviews and photos that renters post of themselves wearing the dress. It is nice to see someone other than a stick thin model in the dress you are considering. Next, you can choose from an assortment of hand picked accessories to complete your look. If you don't want to spend the extra bucks on renting an accessory, I would recommend taking note of them and going to the fashion jewelry counter of a department store/costume jewelry store and duplicating the look.

If you are worried about your dresses not fitting, you may also rent an second style for only $25. What girl doesn't love options?! After you receive your dress and wear it, you can return it in the prepaid, pre-addressed envelope that it came with and slip it into any old USPS blue mailbox. It is exactly like a tuxedo rental. You don't even dry clean it. You can practically take it off, place it in an envelope, and mail it.

We all have so many holiday parties and New Year's Eve coming up. This is the perfect time to try it out! Have you Rented the Runway yet?

Urban Decay Naked2

The Urban Decay Naked2 palette is finally out and guess what?! It is out of stock! Of course it is! Ahhh! I need it! I signed up for the waiting list and as soon as it becomes available, I will order one and be sure to do a review!

In the meantime, I promise I will do a makeup tutorial! I have been dying to do one but with two kids, Thanksgiving, and a hectic few weeks at work for my hubby, there is just never enough time. But I will do one this weekend for sure!

DIY Diaper Cake

When we started the planning process for my sister-in-law's baby shower, I decided that I wanted to make my first diaper cake. I knew I wanted it to be classy, girly, and useful. Not only is it a beautiful decoration, it is a great diaper stash! Most diaper cakes that I have seen have each individual diaper rolled up and fastened with a rubber band. I know from experience, a new mom doesn't have time to sit there and rip off a hundred rubber bands just to make use of the diapers.  This diaper cake requires less supplies, less time spent making, and less time spent taking apart. It's a win-win for everyone involved! Here is how I made Baby Sloan's diaper cake:



Supplies Needed:

I returned 4 of these rolls of ribbon after only needing 1 roll of each

• 1.5L empty wine bottle
• approximately 70 (size 1) diapers
• twine
• double sided tape
• 1 roll of hot pink 2.5 inch ribbon with wire edge
• 1 roll hot pink 1.5 inch ribbon
• 1 roll black/white damask 1.5 inch ribbon
• scissors
• decorative letter stickers
• cake topper of some sort (floral, shoes, knit hat, etc).
• cake base (cake stand, cardboard cut out,  platter, etc). 

Okay, let's get started!

Fold each diaper in half and gather around the base of the wine bottle with twine securing them in place

(another view of step one)

Once you have a nice symmetrical bottom layer, tie the twine into a tight knot

Place folded diapers around the bottle until it is nice and snug

Next, celebrate your first layer with a nice glass of wine!

Repeat the folded diaper/twine method for the next two layers, making each layer smaller to scale

 Once you have completed the three layers, you may begin to decorate. I believe less is more with diaper cakes so I kept it simple. I trimmed the bottom two layers with the 2.5 inch ribbon, securing it in place with double sided tape. To add some detail, I layered that with the black/white damask 1.5 inch ribbon. For the top layer, I doubled up on the black/white damask ribbon to make it appear thicker. I layered that with the 1.5 inch hot pink ribbon and then spelled out Sloan with the decorative letter stickers. Finally, I stuck a few coordinating hot pink flowers and called it a night!

She's Crafty!

We moved into our new home 4 months ago and I STILL didn't know what to put on the wall of our "dining room/living room." We live in a 1960s split level home so there is a lot of awkward wall space to fill. If you know me at all, you know that I am obsessed with decorating. In my eyes, the job is never done. There is always something that can be tweaked or rearranged. I can't tell you how many times my husband has come home from work to sit on a couch that whoops-- isn't there anymore. As newlyweds, he actually came home one night only to find me with a paint roller in my right hand and a fresh coat of paint on the walls. I was like a little kid caught with a hand in the cookie jar. I just can't help myself. I love the thrill of changing things up around the house. Even better, I love the thrill of a cheap change around the house. Which brings me to one of my latest projects.

I have tons of patterned paper from years of scrapbooking. After striking out at Home Goods a few times, I decided to make my own artwork. I could make use of the million sheets of scrapbook paper that I have in our office downstairs. I spent about $15 total on three adorable white picture frames from Ikea and paired them up with some frames I had collected from Home Goods and Target over the years. I made a quick trip to Michael's Craft Store and bought a few 4x6 mat boards for my older frames that were lacking. These were about a buck each.  Next, I went to the basement and grabbed a can of white spray paint (a staple in my house) and went to town on the older frames. This project is so great because it barely costs anything and it is very temporary (if you want it to be.) For me, I am a commitment-phobe when it comes to artwork on the walls. For this exact reason, I created a black frame gallery wall in our family room (I will post another day). I need to be able to change the photos, or in this case, artwork if I get the urge.

To create inexpensive yet interesting artwork, see my simple steps below:

Gather similar frames

decide on paper in the same color family

measure each sheet to the size of it's frame

cut to size

place in the frame 

Here is my finished product! *Please note* I NEED TO PAINT THIS WALL ASAP! The paint color we are thinking is something like Benjamin Moore's Arctic Gray. This would work since our color scheme in this room is white, gray, and black. We want to have a cottage feel that is open and airy with pops of color here and there. 

I love frames that go together but don't match! They each have a character of their own that flow nicely together . 

I will be sure to update with photos once we paint this room so you can get a better look!

Urban Decay Naked Palette

I can't believe I waited this long to get my hands on the Urban Decay Naked Palette. This is by far the most versatile palette I have ever laid my eyes on. If you don't have it yet, make a beeline to your nearest Sephora and buy it. You need it.

I was in search of some darker blue grey shadows and I had heard such amazing reviews on this particular palette. So out of sheer curiosity, I decided to stop in Sephora to check it out.  As soon as I saw it, I knew I wasn't leaving the store without it. The packaging itself is drool worthy. The palette is wrapped in a rich chocolate velvet cover which made me want to whip my makeup brushes out right then and there. Usually when I buy makeup, I play with it, analyze it, and then debate whether or not I actually need it. But not this time. I knew it was a necessity. I love being able to do a day time look in the morning with the ability to transform myself into a glam goddess that same night without having to start over from scratch. This is the perfect blend of neutral colors for every makeup bag.

The lighter half 

The darker half

So many possibilities....

                       

It has 12 neutral shades that allow for endless color combinations. Each color is highly pigmented that blends smoothly. The color textures range from matte, shimmer, to glitter. The colors do have a little fall out but I find that as a small compromise since the colors all have a great payoff. I just use my fan brush to sweep excess product away when I am finished.

My particular package came with an eye shadow brush and the Original Eye Shadow Primer Potion. The brush is okay. I wish it came with their best selling eyeliner instead. But I'll take it. It is good for applying eye shadow underneath the eye since it is flat. The Eye Shadow Primer Potion is awesome. It is simple to use and not messy.

Overall, I highly recommend this palette to everyone, of every age, of every skill level.  No longer will I have to pack 10 different shades of eye shadow whenever I go away. I can just throw this bad boy in my bag and go! 

A Few of My Favorite Things......

Welcome to TheStyleMama! I can't tell you how excited I am to share my love of makeup and style with you. I will be doing makeup tutorials, product reviews, and sharing my budget friendly style finds.

I wanted to kick everything off by first talking about my favorite beauty products. These are just some items that I use almost every single day. It was pretty difficult to narrow my list down but I did the best I could. What products can you not live without?