The Cheap Girl

‘Tis getting warm again! The weather has been beautiful here in Toronto. Warm, mild and sunny. I am very happy that summer is coming. I am keeping my fingers crossed and I hope that we don’t receive a last minute present from winter in the form of a blizzard!

So now that the spring/summer styles are out, I am sure that we are all excited to show off our new frocks for this season. Flirty summer dresses, sexy open-toed shoes, pretty tanks and skirts might be a tad too bare to wear in this transitional weather.

I found this video from WhoWhatWear that talks about how to incorporate your current wardrobe with the upcoming season’s trends.

Here are 2 basic looks that they talk about:

It’s all about the layers

Wear the summer dress in the spring with a blazer, cardigan, or jacket along with tights.

Wear tights with open-toed summer heels.

COLOURS

Instead of choosing basic black accessories, go for the colours of the season.

See the video below:

Make-up for spring is always fresh and clean. It is all about showcasing the skin and perfecting the I am-not-wearing-any-make-up look.  I personally prefer this look all year with slight tweaks here and there to match the current season.

To get the barely there look:

Take care of your skin and keep it moisturized.

Create the illusion of perfect skin by finding make-up that matches your skin tone as close as possible and cover any skin imperfections with a concealer.

Groom brows and lightly fill in if needed.

Curl lashes and apply one coat of clear or basic black or brown mascara. Make sure that there are no clumps.

Use lipstick or fill your entire mouth with lip liner. Use a shade that is a close match to your natural lip colour. Add a tiny bit of gloss if desired.

Lightly add blush to the apples of your cheeks, again choosing a colour that mimics the natural colour that you have when you are flushed.

{via style.com}

Give an old pair of jeans a second chance and get the the look of distressed jeans on a budget. This project is quite simple but needs a lot of patience and frequent re-washing until you get the look that is desired.

You will need:

An old pair of jeans
Sandpaper
Cardboard Knife
A cheese grater
Nail File
Blade
A piece of wood to go under
Q-tips or an eye shadow applicator
Bleach

See the video below for instructions:

As much as I love the look of suits it is always nice to have other stylish options for office wear/interviews.

The options presented below are stylish, professional and modern. I love how they added a corporate feel to a  simple dress by just adding a blazer.

Some style tips from the video:

Clothes that are perfectly tailored to your body (regardless of the price) look expensive.
Flats and open-toed shoes are a big faux pas for interviews.
Accessorize and give life to an old dress by adding a belt.
If you don’t own a blazer, a cardigan can be used in its place.
Keep jewelry subtle and tasteful.

Watch the video below:

I pulled this from one of my favourite blogs (Cupcakes and Cashmere). I think that this look is super easy to do and is very chic. I think that this works best with day old hair that is of longer length. My hair is just a bit past my shoulders and I ended up looking like Lady Gaga with a hair bow. Cute but far from the desired results.

I love the milk maid look that was popular last season. It is simple, elegant and super easy to do. Just a couple of pins and tucks here and there.  I found it easier to work with a smaller section of hair because it turned out neater. It helps if you have super thick hair especially if you want to create a thick braided band.

See the video below for further instructions.

My experience with buying clothes online has been pretty good but from time to time I do have doubts on the sizing especially if I’ve never purchased from the store before. I think that the size charts online are pretty accurate but nothing can beat trying the clothes in-store to get the perfect fit.

Here are some tips:

I think that it is really important to know the accurate measurement of your bust, chest and hips. It’s always easy to make slight alterations if you’re in between 2 sizes. For example I am between an xs – s (petite) at Banana Republic and I am comfortable with buying both online because I know that the items will fit.

I would suggest sticking to silhouttes that you are comfortable with and look good on your body type. I always have problems with pants so I  almost NEVER buy pants online unless I know that the cut is for petites and has a stretchy material because I always have an issue with how the bum and the thighs fit.

Also it is easier to buy from online stores (that have store fronts) that you’ve shopped from in the past because you’ll have an idea of how the clothes fit. If you know a store that has amazing online sales, drop by the physical store to try the clothes on so that you’ll have a better idea when you purchase the items online. I do this when I buy clothes on Ebay. I go to the store first to try it on then buy it online for a cheaper price.

If you’re not 100% sure about the item but want to buy it anyway, check the return policy. A lot of stores (like Forever 21) allows in-store exchanges (or refunds) for online orders.

Hope that this helps

From Seventeen Magazine. More ways on how to wear a scarf. I love collecting scarves. Especially long thin ones. There are so many ways to wear them. I like to use scarves as hair, neck, waist and bag accessories.

Enjoy the video!

I am looking to add belts in my wardrobe. I have a couple of skinny belts but that’s about it. My concern with belts from a petite fashion perspective is that they tend to break up the silhouette. That being said I am thinking of getting a basic black belt (I’ll probably take it from T’s closet) and a wider belt with embellishments.

The video below shows a few options on how to wear belts. It basically explains how to take a basic shift dress to a new level by giving it a fresh look with a belt. I really like the leather and chain belt that they used and the cardigan/thin belt look is so cute!

Fashion tip: It is not always necessary to match your belt with your shoes.

I like really like this trio of blush colours by celebrity make up artist Scott Barnes (he worked with JLO when she was really big star). I am a big fan of contouring. I love how it changes, adds drama to the face along with instant modelesque cheek bones. I like to reserve heavy contouring at night because during the day it is too obvious. During the day a swipe of bronzer or blush is suffice.

To learn how to contour see the video below.

Scot Barnes Chic Palette $45 SALE $18 (free shipping worldwide on all purchases)

Click here to view the chic palette + more sale items

The video below shows how to contour with cream and powder blushes.  I like both methods but the powder version works better for me because my skin is a bit more on the oily side. Cream options does wonders for drier skin types.