My Nails: Mad About Magenta!
November 30, 2011
Good evening dolls! How is your week going?! My weeks are flying by, hard to believe it’s time for another nail blog! When I was in Ulta the last time picking up a few of the Muppets for OPI shades (read about it in my last nail blog post here), there was a really pretty shade by Essie that caught my eye. I know, I know, I am slowly becoming a big Essie fan. But honestly, I love discovering any shade that is beautiful and suits my mood no matter the brand!
So anyway, the shade that caught my eye is part of Essie’s New Year’s Eve Metallics collection. These colors embody everything I envision for New Years Eve: fun, vibrant, and bold…see what I mean?
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| New Year's Eve Metallics Collection |
The shade that REALLY stood out to me was “Jamaica Me Crazy” (how cute is that name?!). It’s described on Essie’s website as being a “spirited magenta with shimmer.” 2 of my favorite things in life...magenta and shimmer...combined in 1 lovely little bottle!? How exciting! And another selling point on this color was that I thought it would be perfect for my upcoming trip to the most magical place on Earth (Disney World…leaving Sunday!). Can’t you see a Disney Princess totally wearing some magenta polish on her nails?!
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| Jamaica Me Crazy |
So when I arrived at my nail salon today, I found out that they had actually received a shipment of the entire Muppets for OPI collection (including many shades that weren't included in my mini-set). As I blogged about before, this collection has SO many pretty glitter colors and I thought, why not add a top coat of the purple glitter Miss Piggy color “Divine Swine" on top of my new magenta polish!?
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| Muppets for OPI Collection display in my nail salon |
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| Divine Swine |
So here is the final look that has convinced me that Essie + OPI = a nail polish combination to love....
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| Base: 2 coats of Essie's Jamaica Me Crazy Top: 1 coat of OPI's Divine Swine |
I think this would be such a fun look for a holiday party and especially New Year’s Eve!
Buy “Jamaica Me Crazy” here: Essie's Jamaica Me Crazy
Buy “Divine Swine” here: OPI's Divine Swine
So what do you think!? Have you tried any shades from the Essie New Year’s Eve Metallics Collection or from the Muppet for OPI collection? Leave me a comment and let me know. Also if you enjoy my blog don’t forget to follow!
Thank you as always for reading!!
Xoxo,
Ashley
Remixing Your Wardrobe
November 21, 2011
Today is a very exciting day for “Ashley’s Passion for Fashion”! My very first guest blog post “The Must-Have Winter Coat” is now on Go Girl Energy’s blog at http://gogirlenergy.tumblr.com/. Please be sure to check it out & enter for the chance to win some energy drinks!!!
(Of course maybe it wasn’t the coat that convinced me to buy the dress but rather the way this outfit looked with my goofy faces/sunglasses I’m wearing in these pictures! ::wink wink:: LOL.)
I hope everyone is having a great start to your week! I had yet again another amazing time in Knoxville this weekend. Tonight I wanted to share with you my OOTN for the UT vs. Vanderbilt game & for that night…and take you through my thought-process when I’m shopping & picking out outfits to wear!
The more games I go to I start having a hard time of thinking of new things to wear, but sometimes adding just one piece to your wardrobe can help inspire you and “remix” your wardrobe! Enter a dress I bought at Forever 21 a few weeks ago for $12.80…yes you heard right, $12.80!!! (also enter cheesy pictures of me in the dressing room…) So I want to take you through my thought-process when trying on this dress!
1) I always think it’s so hard to try clothes on in the dressing room: the light can be unflattering and sometimes it’s hard to decide how often/what you will wear with the clothes you’re trying on. That’s how it was for me when I tried on the following dress. When I first put it on I thought it may be a little bit too tight & I wasn’t sure where I would wear it:
So I actually put it in my “put it back on the rack” pile and moved on to try on the other clothes I had picked up.
(PS: I usually take pictures in the dressing room to send to my Mom for her advice if she’s not with me…so that’s always a great idea if you have a camera on your phone: send a picture to your friend/family & ask for their advice!)
2) Then I tried on this ADORABLE black coat (find it here: Ruffled Collar Jacket). I was trying it on with different things I had in the dressing room like my jeans when I decided to see how it looked with the black & white striped dress (that was in my “put it back on the rack” pile)….and THEN I decided I kind of loved the dress (which looked like a skirt paired with the jacket!):
(Of course maybe it wasn’t the coat that convinced me to buy the dress but rather the way this outfit looked with my goofy faces/sunglasses I’m wearing in these pictures! ::wink wink:: LOL.)
But see what I mean about how sometimes it’s all in what you pair with the items you’re trying on? I really thought I would pass on buying the dress before I paired it with this coat. While I know it’s not always possible, it’s so nice to go shopping when you have some time to do what I did: think about it and even mix & match the article of clothing with other things you’re trying on! The coat confirmed to me that at $12.80 the dress was worth the price because I knew I would get a LOT of wear out of it by mixing & matching it with different pieces I already own!
So the story of this dress continues when I was trying to decide what to wear to the UT game.
The 2 things I knew when I was picking out my gameday outfit were:
1) I wanted to wear my orange H&M sweater again (check out how I wore it to a previous game here: Weekend Recap) but “remix it” and wear it with something new.
2) I wanted to wear it layered over something else because I knew it would be chilly Saturday night.
With these two things in mind, I first paired the orange sweater with my black & white polka dot blouse from F21 & jeans…but then fashion inspiration struck!!! One of the most exciting moments to me is when I have inspiration for creating a new outfit! Oftentimes my inspiration comes from a fashion magazine but the best moment is when it comes from my own closet. So enter my black and white striped dress…I decided it may look good worn underneath my orange sweater. I tried it on & that’s what I went with! Of course I added my favorite black belt to give the outfit more shape and my black sequin UGG boots for a punch of fun!
Sweater: H&M
Dress: F21
Belt: NY & Company
Leggings: l8er Clothing
Boots: Black Sequined UGGs (featured in my post on sequins here: Fur, Sequins & Capes Oh My!)
After the game we went out dancing so I decided to take the sweater off and wear the dress by itself! This is a perfect way to wear one outfit two different ways without having to do a complete wardrobe change and take a casual outfit into the evening. To make it dressier I could have even changed into heels but I thought the sequined UGGs did the trick!
So here are a few tips on how to “remix” your wardrobe and wear a dress as a skirt to create many different outfits:
1. The dresses that look best worn as skirts are usually bandage style dresses that are form-fitting and not too long or baggy. (Check out how I wore another bandage dress as a skirt in this post here: Wekend OOTN).
2. Adding a sweater to a dress is my favorite look for colder weather and can even be a great way to transition a summer dress into the fall.
3. When pairing a sweater with your dress, adding a belt (as you all know: one of my favorite fashion accessories) over the sweater adds shape to your figure and accentuates the shape of the top. Also adding a belt that is the same color as the dress makes your outfit more complete by creating a united color scheme.
4. Create many different outfits by:
· adding tights/leggings
· trying different styles of shoes (flats, boots, or heels)
· adding another layer by wearing a coat or even a fur vest!
And finally, since many have asked where I got my “skirt” here is the link: F21 Striped Dress. For some reason the dress is in navy/white online but the store definitely carries the black & white version so be sure to check it out!
So what do you think of wearing a dress as a skirt? What are some of your favorite ways to “remix” your wardrobe by creating different outfits from one piece?! Leave me a comment & tell me what you think. Thank you SO much for reading and don't forget to check out my guest blog post!!!!
Xoxo,
Ashley
My Nails: Miss Piggy Style
November 17, 2011
My obsession with a blonde-headed pig began when I was four years old and has continued to present day. Of course you have to know I’m talking about the one and only Miss Piggy! Miss Piggy has a lot of qualities I find hilarious but at the same time endearing: she’s sassy to everyone except for her one and only love Kermit, she’s a bit full of herself yet it comes across as a confidence that I’m envious of, and she has more clothes than she knows what to do with! Oh how I LOVE Miss Piggy! She was one of my original style icons when I was little (along with Barbie & all the Disney princesses of course) and honestly she still is…I mean, did you SEE her fashion spread in the November issue of InStyle magazine (pictured below)?
When I made my way over to Ulta yesterday to pick up one of the Miss Piggy shades I may have pulled out her phrase and said “excuse moi!” when I saw that they were unfortunately sold out of basically every color. HOWEVER, they DID have this mini set of 4 of shades that included one of Miss Piggy’s shades:
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| So glamorous!
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So….you can imagine my excitement when OPI announced their newest collection in honor of the new Muppets movie (coming to theaters November 23)!! Miss Piggy has 3 colors in the collection: Excuse Moi!, Gettin’ Miss Piggy With It! and Divine Swine.
When I made my way over to Ulta yesterday to pick up one of the Miss Piggy shades I may have pulled out her phrase and said “excuse moi!” when I saw that they were unfortunately sold out of basically every color. HOWEVER, they DID have this mini set of 4 of shades that included one of Miss Piggy’s shades:
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| How cute are these mini nail polishes?! I actually love buying these mini sets when a new collection comes out so I can try as many as possible. |
While I love all four of these shades, my favorites were definitely the reds. I haven’t had red nails in so long and I always think dark red is a great look for this time of year! So I used Excuse Moi! as a top coat and Wocka Wocka! as the base coat. Excuse Moi! is a beautiful red/pinkish glitter and Wocka Wocka! is a deep, dark red. These colors look really pretty together and are great shades for the holidays!!!!
I’m definitely going to have to try her other two colors in the collection and even some of the other shades! I think they are all so pretty!!!
So what do you think of the Muppets OPI collection!? Which shades are your favorites? I would love to hear what you think so leave me a comment below!
And finally, a Miss Piggy post would not be complete without leaving you with a couple of her style commandments (from the November issue of InStyle): “Being stylish means constantly maintaining your image, updating your look, and destroying old photos that show you with big hair and wearing spandex.” and also "Beauty is all about loving who you are. And if you have problems with that, may I suggest that you try loving who I am?" lol she's quite funny!!!
Thank you dolls for reading!
Xoxo,
Ashley
Lady-Like Lace
November 15, 2011
Good evening loves! Can’t believe it’s already Tuesday. I had the absolute BEST weekend in Knoxville with some fantastic company! Unfortunately I was having so much fun that I didn’t take a single picture of my outfits. So instead of a weekend recap I’m going to blog about another fall/winter trend that I LOVE: lace!
Another fabulous way to incorporate lace into your wardrobe is in a dress. This lace dress from Forever 21 (in stores now) will be perfect for parties this holiday season:
Love the look of lace on the back:
Today I saw this beautiful picture of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen on the cover of "Vogue Best Dressed"!
See how glamourous lace can be?
And of course I had to include a Polyvore of how I would wear lace. Keep one thing in mind when wearing lace: Stick with black, white, or neutral colors for a more classic look.
Lace is so very feminine, timeless and classy. It can add a touch of romance to any outfit and there are so many endless possibilities on how to wear it. I recently bought the following lace top from my go-to store Forever 21 for only $11.80. A lace top is one of my favorite ways to wear lace. I love the look of this shirt because the front is solid black but the sleeves and the back is cut-out in lace which adds just the right amount of lace to an outfit. This weekend I wore it with black jeans but I thought I would spice it up a little with my bright pants in an OOTD this week (check out how I wore the bright pants last month here: OOTD Bright Pants).
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| Top: Forever 21 (w/ tube top underneath) Jeans: F21 Ballet flats: Wanted from Stein Mart |
Buy here: Forever 21 Sweetheart Lace Dress
One of my favorite things about lace is that it is so versatile: it is totally appropriate for a dressy event or it can be made more casual by pairing it with jeans as I did in my OOTD above (and in my Polyvore below!).
And just to show you how big lace is, here are some of my favorite lace looks from fashion magazines, celebrities, and the runway:
First, some beautiful lace dresses:
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| Lace is appropriate even for the red carpet! Country singer Kimberly Perry looked glamours in this Ralph Lauren white lace dress she wore to the CMA Awards last week.   |
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| From the November 2011 issue of InStyle magazine, model is wearing an Emilio Pucci jumpsuit. |
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| A model wearing a lace design by Emilio Pucci from the September 2011 issue of InStyle magazine. |
Today I saw this beautiful picture of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen on the cover of "Vogue Best Dressed"!
See how glamourous lace can be?
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How to Wear Lace by ashleyspassionforfashion featuring a full skirt
Calvin Klein St Mortiz Satchel - Belk.com
$198 - belk.com
$198 - belk.com
So will you be wearing lace this fall/winter? I love hearing from you so please leave me a comment below this post! Thank you so much as always for reading! I'm getting my nails done tomorrow so don't forget to check back for a new nail post!!
Xoxo,
Ashley
SPOTlight on Polka DOTS for Fall/Winter 2011
November 10, 2011
Good afternoon dolls! Today I wanted to write about a trend that I am SO excited is HUGE this fall/winter: POLKA DOTS! Of all patterns, this is my absolute favorite because it is so fun but at the same time very classy.
Finally, my absolute FAVORITE polka dot runway looks are from the Stella McCartney Fall 2011 RTW Collection:
versus a very similar blouse I found at F21 for only $14.80:
Polka dots dominated the fall runways. One of my favorite color combinations for polka dots is black & white, but colored polka dots were also big. Here are some of my fave looks:
Polka dots were ALL OVER the Marc Jacobs runway...
And next, a couple of my favorite looks from the Diane von Furstenberg Fall 2011 RTW Collection:
Polka dots were ALL OVER the Marc Jacobs runway...
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| While I would normally just wear just one polka dotted piece, the coordinating colors of this navy blazer & black skirt look GREAT together. Also the polka dot hose are AMAZING...would be a great way to add polka dots to your outfit! Source: Marc Jacobs Fall 2011 Ready-to-Wear (RTW) Collection |
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| Also love this look from Marc Jacobs. Color-blocking was big this summer but is also carrying into the fall, and I like the look of the maroon and blue dress. Source: Marc Jacobs Fall 2011 RTW Collection |
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| I love that this look combines another huge trend with polka dots: LACE! It doesn't get more feminine than polka dots & lace. Source: Marc Jacobs Fall 2011 RTW Collection |
And next, a couple of my favorite looks from the Diane von Furstenberg Fall 2011 RTW Collection:
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| This is a look with high drama! I've always loved red with b&w polka dots (and not to mention the matching red lipstick!). Source: DVF Fall 2011 RTW Collection  Source: DVF Fall 2011 RTW Collection |
Finally, my absolute FAVORITE polka dot runway looks are from the Stella McCartney Fall 2011 RTW Collection:
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| Sigh...I am OBSESSED with this outfit! I love how the sheer sleeves subtly add a touch of polka dots. So lady-like! Source: Stella McCartney Fall 2011 RTW Collection  Source: Stella McCartney Fall 2011 RTW Collection  Source: Stella McCartney Fall 2011 RTW Collection |
As you can see, polka dot dresses & skirts are HUGE! However you can incorporate the runway into your every day look by wearing polka dotted blouses, shoes, purses and even tights. Polka dotted ANYTHING is the way to go this fall/winter!!!
Forever 21 is a GREAT place to look right now for polka dot items and their prices are very reasonable. Just compare this J. Crew blouse with one I bought at F21. The following J.Crew blouse costs $88.00 (online here: J. Crew Polka Dot Blouse).
versus a very similar blouse I found at F21 for only $14.80:
I know I’m going to wear this shirt with SO many things…tucked into skirts, belted with black skinny jeans and heels/boots, under a blazer or sweater, or even belted over a dress. I couldn't find this shirt online but I literally bought it last weekend so you should check your local F21! Such a steal!
And finally, I thought I would create a Polyvore to show you how I would wear polka dots (note: replace the J.Crew blouse with my F21 one):
And finally, I thought I would create a Polyvore to show you how I would wear polka dots (note: replace the J.Crew blouse with my F21 one):
Target:Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick - True Red
target.com
Are you planning on wearing polka dots this fall/winter season?! I would love to hear what you think about this trend; leave me a comment below & let me know!!! Also don't forget to follow my blog! Thank you very much for reading! Have a very stylish day!!!
Xoxo,
Ashley
target.com
Are you planning on wearing polka dots this fall/winter season?! I would love to hear what you think about this trend; leave me a comment below & let me know!!! Also don't forget to follow my blog! Thank you very much for reading! Have a very stylish day!!!
Xoxo,
Ashley
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