It's a DIY Fourth of July!

It's a DIY Fourth of July here at RLS! Kyle, my right-hand woman, found this awesome DIY guide to making your own "designer" sport slides without the designer price tag on the Love Aesthetics blog. Intern Teta then did an awesome job making a pair for herself as well as one for Kyle. Wait, where are mine?! 

Keep reading to see Kyle's latest DIY nail polish job and Olivia Palermo's DIY wedding outfit. Well ok, DIY with the help of Carolina Herrera. Happy Fourth of July everyone!

"Designer" Sports Slides

Sandals inspired by this blog post

What you need:

a pair of slides
leather
scissors
measuring tape or ruler
pencil

hot glue

Instructions: 

1. Measure the sandal top and cut it out. 

2. Once you have one side done, you can trace it onto the leather but make sure it's mirrored so that you have a right and left side.

3. Test it and make sure they cover the tops of the sandals. Cut off excess leather if needed.

4. Using a hot glue gun, glue the ends of the strip. Try not to glue the top to avoid lumps unless you can do it smoothly.

5. Voila! Now do the next sandal!

6. And you're done! Simple!

Olivia Palermo's Wedding

Olivia Palermo wore Carolina Herrera separates on her wedding day! What do you think of the look?

Read about the wedding day and the outfit. Check out the blue shoes too!

© by Johannes Huebl

© by Johannes Huebl

Fourth of July Nails

Kye is infamous among clients for her always creative, always classy nail designs. Check out the look she created for the Fourth of July!

A Fab New Store and Beauty Galore

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to attend the re-opening of Saks Off Fifth Outlet at Potomac Mills in a brand new space with other area fashion bloggers. Full disclosure: I've styled some great events at Potomac Mills.  As much of a fan as I have always been of the mall, especially the Last Call by Neiman Marcus (they get direct shipments from Bergdorf Goodman!), I was never that enthused about the mall's Saks Off Fifth store.   After receiving a tour of the new store and being treated to an incredible beauty box of goodies (see below!), I have a whole new outlook and will be taking clients to shop the store ASAP.

Lip Gloss Set in Gold Dune, Plum Kisses, and Starlight Snow, $18.89

Body Wash in Spring Grass & Lotus, $10.49

Cologne in Spring Grass & Lotus, $27.99

Nail Polish Set in Pure Mercury, Mauve Intense, and Fairy, $17.49

Now light, bright and with INCREDIBLE deals on major designers (can we say Derek Lam and Ralph Lauren Collection?) the store is irresistible. I picked up a black fur collar to mix into my fall wardrobe and my husband (can we say furlough shopping?) scored an incredibly well-fitting suit from one of the store's new private labels. See me below with the dream Derek Lam outfit I put together during the event. In case you are interested, that outfit was 70% off! Really good thing I am pregnant and can't buy any real clothes...

New Barneys Beauty Floor

In other exciting store news, I happened to be in New York for the recent opening of Barneys' newly renovated beauty floor. Barneys made big news when they first moved their beauty floor to the lower level (i.e. the basement) years ago. On October 4th, the Barneys flagship store in New York, as well as the store in Beverly Hills, unveiled the new format, meant to emphasize the Barneys environment over the individual brands. In short, it is a stunning presentation and a total retail game changer. And just in case you mess up your hair while trying on clothes upstairs, there is now a Valery Joseph-helmed blow dry bar: Barneys Blow Bar.

Fall Beauty Trends

Orange and purple. Seriously, keep reading! If you happen to be near the Henri Bendel store in New York City, I highly suggest you stop by the Giella beauty counter. I've written before about my favorite all-in-one bronzer/highlighter/blush in the world, EYE M GLAM. This season Giella sent me some new updates for my fall beauty routine, a few of which mix fabulously with my favorite beauty product.

EYE M GLAM Sheer Highlighting Powder, $35

I love the in-between pink and orange hue of Giella's latest blush color: Bashful. It is so new that it isn't even on the website yet! It is soft and pretty on its own and a great addition to your usual bronzer for a more impactful look.

Bashful Blush by Giella, $38

Can one be in love with a lipstick? Actually, Glum Plum is too good to be called just lipstick. It has a lightweight, but somehow long-lasting, gel texture. I was a little freaked out at how dark and well, plum, it was when I initially opened the tube. Imagine my surprise when it went on as a gorgeous stain. I've been seeing the strong dark lipstick look on the runway and thinking I could never pull it off. Well now we all can! This color is also hot off the makeup presses for fall.

Plum Lipstick as seen at Vera Wang Fall 2013

Glum Plum Lipstick by Giella, $28

The copper eyelid is a twist on the orange color story for fall. I would NEVER have tried this if Giella hadn't sent it to me personally. It is sooo fun!!! She shows it with a beautiful matching copper lipstick, Manic, but I liked it on my skin tone best with a more true, sheer orange like Candy Apple Revlon Lip Butter.

Orange Eyeshadow as seen at J.Mendel Fall 2013

Copper Loose Eyeshadow, $28

How are you having fun with your beauty routine this fall?

Black Friday Special

Black Friday: you either love it or hate it. If you're in the "love it" party, this post is for you. A lot of the deals haven't been announced yet... but I'm all for spreading the word on a great deal, so here's what I've found so far (and if you know about more, feel free to mention them in the comments!).

Bloomingdale's is opening at 7am on Black Friday and will have steal-deals, like 25% off women's denim. However, they've started their deals already--including the designer handbag sale--in-store and online, so get shopping!

 

Shopbop.com also started their sales earlier this week--forget Cyber Monday, they're celebrating Cyber Week! Shop online and use the code BIGEVENT12 to save until 11:59pm on Monday. 

 

Remember my ode to C.Wonder? They win again, this time by doing a half-off sale between midnight and 8am on Black Friday, and 25% off purchases $100+ from Saturday to Monday. Now there's really no excuse to check out this amazing store!

Target is giving shoppers a head start by opening at 9pm on Thanksgiving. Here's a preview of their great deals: 

Banana Republic already has a lot on sale for 40% off, and that sale will continue until Black Friday is over. Need a new coat? This might be your best bet!

 

If beauty is your focus, check out Nordstrom. Bobbi Brown is holding the Pretty Powerful Event, where you can get a make-up lesson and a Pretty Powerful tote bag with purchases $50+. There will also be discounts on Chanel, MAC, L'Occitane, and other great beauty brands. 

 

For more Black Friday beauty finds, check out MAC. They'll be previewing their new Taste Temptation collection at Macy's MAC counters, and from 12pm to 4am at the Times Square location and online, you can find this exclusive nail polish and lipstick duo. 

 

H&M will have sweaters and dresses starting at $5, outerwear, kid's jackets, and pants starting at $10. Street locations will open at midnight. 

 

Were you inspired by my post on JCP (JC Penney) to find those inexpensive, on-trend items we all need? On Black Friday, JCP will open at 6am and you can find stylish boots starting at $25 and coats starting at $40. 

 

And if you're looking to tackle BlackFriday with some digital help, use mobile apps to shop instead. To buy shoes, use the Zappos mobile app: 

 

 

 

Get Your 15 Minutes of Fame with the NARS Andy Warhol Collection

You know how I promote trends in fashion because they are a great tool to get one excited to get dressed every day? Well, an eyeshadow palette is what is getting me excited to put on makeup these days! Beauty is literally art with the Andy Warhol-inspired collection from NARS Cosmetics. This collaboration was a natural match for Francois Nars, who said that he has been very influenced by Warhol's sense of rebellion and playfulness with color even before this collaboration.

The collection includes eye shadow palettes, lip gloss, nail polish, and beauty sets--and they sell for no more than regular NARS products! Each item is named after Warhol's factory, quotations, or creations, which makes them extra glamorous. So really, the only problem is that the products are so beautiful that I don't want to use them! Last month, Sephora and narscosmetics.com launched part of the line, and now the full line will be carried in department stores until January 15. Each department store carries exclusive products from the line... as if we needed another reason to keep shopping around! Check out some of the amazing pop-art make-up and channel your inner Superstar:

Warhol in the photobooth: classic. This set of nail polishes would make a great holiday gift for any glamour girl. 

Photo Booth Nail Set $35



 

NARS perfected this self-portrait eye shadow palette (which comes in three colors) by making sure that the design goes all the way to the bottom--can we call that "art preservation"?

Eyeshadow Palette $55


This amazing beauty set is one of Saks' exclusive products. No, the case isn't big enough for your iPad... I already checked!

Silver Factory Set $200

The flower palette is exclusive to Sephora. It comes in three colors, like the self-portrait, and each color set has its own awesome Warhol quote etched in the mirror! This one is my favorite...

Flowers Eyeshadow Palette $55

Debbie Harry's silkscreen portrait is one of Warhol's most iconic works, so it makes sense that it gets an entire eye and cheek palette. This is also one of Sephora's exclusive sets.

Debbie Harry Eye and Cheek Palette $65

Warhol worshipped Marilyn Monroe's lips. With these lip glosses, everyone will envy your lips!

Kiss Mini Larger Than Life, Lip Gloss Coffret $55

Be a "Superstar" with this on-trend teal polish. 

Superstar Opaque Nail Polish $18

The line wouldn't be complete without the Factory Girl herself. This beauty set mixes thin & dark, shimmery & light, and flirty & innocent--just like Edie!

Edie Set $75

And if you want the whole "Factory Look," check out these Get The Look videos on narscosmestics.com!

Get The Look Video