The Life and Times of a Corporate HR Chick: Dressing Corporate Chic

I'm a corporate chick that desires to be corporate chic! It can be a challenge to dress fashionable when you work in a business casual environment and your fashion style conflicts with professional dress attire. To add more confusion to the situation, spring is here. What is it about spring and summer that cause women to make bad fashion choices at work???? So here are a few tips from a HR chick:

No flip-flops: These just need to be reserved for your personal life. I don't know what outfit someone could put on in the morning and feel that rubber flip flops are the best compliment. If you must wear them, I suggest wearing them on your drive to work, walk to the door, and remove them before you enter the building.

No revealing clothing: This includes midriff tops, spaghetti straps, mini skirts, sheer summer materials such as organza and liquid jersey, plunging necklines, etc. These items are great to wear on a night out with the girls or on the weekend. But when "the girls" at work describe your boss and peers, it's a NO GO.

Avoid being super trendy- Your boss, peers, and colleagues are evaluating your ability to consistently perform your job responsibilities. Not your ability to consistently dress in the newest trends. Know your audience. I LOVE fashion, but I don't work for Conde Nast. So 4 inch heels, studded vest, skinny jeans with otk boots should be saved for after 5 PM. I am in no way suggesting that you take a weekend trip to your mom's house and borrow her work clothes from 1992. Wearing super dated clothing is still a HAM.

There's nothing wrong with wearing fashion trends or making a fashion statement at work. You have to interpret the trend appropriately for the environment. Here are a few of my favorite looks courtesy of First Lady Michelle Obama. She consistently gets her business chic look right:

I know this is for the winter but she has on 3 great trends- textured blazer, color, and a high waisted belt!

Great use of patterns with color. If you like it, buy 2 in different colors!

I'm a J. Crew groupie! The tweed skirt and the outfit at the bottom is J. Crew. I love the mixtures of textures. 3/4 sleeve makes it a bit more casual. 

Could this be the J. Crew tweed skirt she wore before and same peach cardigan? I think it is. Classic pieces that are easy to mix and match are good investments. 

Great Casual Friday look!

The ground rule is business casual still means professional. I would love to wear skinny jeans and my Louboutins everyday, but I can't. While dressing appropriately will not get you a promotion, dressing inappropriately could get you _________ (you can fill it in).....

Makeup Mayhem With Courtney Hughes: Moisturize Your Face

It is shocking to me how many women I meet daily who are afraid of moisturizer. These women have so many excuses as to why..."Oh my skin is way too oily for moisturizer,"  "I don't wanna break out," or "I just use vaseline". Ugggghhhh, not ok! Ladies, ladies, ladies you HAVE to moisturize! Today I want to tell you why and how it will change  your life.

Moisturizers make the skin look younger and smoother, and help balance the ph level of the skin. If they contain SPF, they will help protect the skin from sun exposure. Most facial moisturizers are OIL FREE so they will not make your skin OILY!! You have to realize the difference between moisture and oil. If you mix oil and water in a glass you will see the difference, right? Moisturizers usually contain a water base, so they are adding water based moisture to the skin, which is going to improve the quality of the skin.

Most people notice a nasty oily film on their skin by the end of the day. This is your skin's way of hydrating itself. The more you moisturize, the less your skin will overcompensate by hydrating itself. You really don't want to let your skin get to this point. If this happens, your skin will get oily, and then break down your makeup and basically push it off your face. This is why most people feel the need to re-apply their makeup by the end of the day because it looks old and seems to disappear! I promise the more you moisturize your skin, the better your makeup will look ALL DAY! Trust me on this ladies, if you are not going to moisturize with a good facial moisturizer, you might as well not put on any makeup at all.

Don't be afraid of it... your skin should feel moist before you apply your makeup. In my opinion, it should almost feel wet. Especially if you have dry skin. You can use a lightweight moisturizer during the day and then a heavier cream at night if you prefer. I suggest using a clean brush or sponge to apply all liquids or creams to your face. Touching the face at all during the makeup process (or throughout the day) can cause breakouts. Best of all, moisturizer will also help reduce breakouts.

Chances are, whether your skin is super oily or totally dry, your skin is thirsty. So up the ante on your moisture ladies...just ask J-Lo. Muah!

Some of my favorites include:

MAC Mineralize all over lotion-$29.50

MAC Oil control lotion -$29.50

Stay posted for choosing Good-for-Your-Skin Oils & Moisturizers!

Wellness Wednesday With Lauren: Caffeine Withdrawal

Last week I decided to stop drinking my morning coffee.  Why?  For purely vain reasons - I felt that my teeth were starting to appear less than fabulous, a little stained.  I also wanted to challenge myself to figure out if I was truly a coffee addict.  The verdict: I, Lauren, am a full blown addict! 

The first day wasn't so bad. But days two through four were dreadful.  I had an annoying headache that started conveniently at work, lasted all day and made it incredibly hard to workout.  Then, this past Monday, the headache mother-load landed.  I had such a bad migraine that I had to leave work due to the pain and nausea.  So, I did a little research on caffeine withdrawal to see if this was normal. 

Withdrawal symptoms can include:
-  Headache (check)
-  Fatigue (check)
-  Anxiety
-  Irritability (check)
-  Depressed mood
-  Difficulty concentrating (check)

Steps to avoiding withdrawal:
Back off gradually - Begin by mixing caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, over time increase the decaffeinated portion.  I did not do this, and I believe it would have helped me greatly reduce my risk of headaches.  I am now drinking tea in the morning to still "feel" like I have a coffee-like drink with me.

Use Excedrin to help ease the headache.  It has some caffeine in it, so it can take the edge off. 

All in all, after reading more about coffee for this post, there really are not that many negative impacts to your health.  Although, for me, a less than white smile was just not worth it!

XOXO,
Lauren

Paint the Streets Red

I don't care what brand your shoes are, they need to be maintained. There is nothing worse than hearing the sound of a women walking with heels that need to be repaired...clickety clack, clickety clack. You might as well hand her a cane, a hat, and ask her to tap dance.

For 48 hours, I sent my Louboutins to the shoe doctor, aka Man Mur Shoe Shop, for some much needed TLC. These shoes are investments, kinda like a car (think Benz or even a Honda. Just not a Toyota with a bad gas pedal). And I plan on clocking 200K miles!!!

So,  I got red half soles placed on all of them. Why add the half soles? To extend the life of the shoe, add durability, and most importantly, keep the entire sole red!!  The half soles are not that expensive, $20 a pair.

This is how a pair looked after just one wear:

Here is how they looked after the red rubber sole was placed on the top.

My Privatita's were in the worst shape- worn sole, needed a heel, and scuffed leather. The cobbler asked me if these were my running shoes!

“I would hate for someone to look at my shoe and say, ‘Oh my God! That looks so comfortable!’ That’s not what I want to project. But I’m not a sadist. I don’t believe suffering makes you beautiful. But comfort is not part of my creative process.” -Christian Louboutin

Hollywood's Prom: Oscar Fashion Recap

Some of our favorite ladies hit the red carpet last night at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards.

Zoe Saldana- in Givenchy fresh from the Paris 2010 Couture Show. I love that it's so bold!

Nicole Richie- in Reem Acra. I think this gown is so her; very goth/hippie/chic.

Jennifer Lopez- in Armani. Looks amazing.

Mo'Nique-in Tom and Linda Platt. Her dress was dedicated to Hattie McDaniel, the first African American to win an Oscar.

Mariah Carey- in Valentino. It reminds me of a prom dress from '89.

Tina Fey-in Micheal Kors. She looks amazing! She gets the Most Improved Award.

Miley Cyrus- in Jenny Packham. I like the corset top and the color.

Penelope Cruz- in Donna Karen Couture. She normally wears black, so this bordeaux color is a nice change.

Sarah Jessica Parker- in Chanel. This dress had a lot of fabric. Reminded me of something Jackie Kennedy would wear to a White House dinner.

Sandra Bullock-in Marchesa. She followed the trend of other leading ladies and wore a statement lip.

Gabourey Sidibe-looked beautiful in Marchesa. I love the color.

Charlize Theron- in John Galliano for Dior. Bjork is jealous. I don't like the two circles on the chest.

Anna Kendrick- in Elie Saab Haute Couture. She mentioned this was her plan B. I want to know what happened to plan A?

Anika Noni Rose- in ?. I couldn't find the designer. I feel like the top is telling a different story than the bottom of the dress.

Amanda Seyfried- in Armani Prive. Beautiful dress, but I think it ages her a bit.

Maggie Gyllenhaa- in Dries van Noten. Reminds me of a Hawaiian shirt, but it's so her!!

Queen Latifah- in Badgley Mischka. This dress is a great fit for her body and the color is lovely.

Cameron Diaz- in Oscar de la Renta. Similar to Sandra Bullock, she wore a bold lip and was dipped in gold.

RHONYC: This Season Is Bumped UP

I'm sure fans of The Real Housewives of New York City are aware, Bethenny Frankel is engaged, pregnant, and rocking a 6 ½-carat pear-shaped center stone.

Take that, take that, take that...(in P. Diddy's voice).....

SweetHoneyDipChocolate... BrownSugah Scrub

 Available at Sephora $34

Last night, I tried SweetHoneyDipChocolate...BrownSugah Scrub by Carol's Daughter. Let me tell you, you need this in your life! It smells so freaking good that I could have taken a spoonful and put it in my mouth instead of on my body! The brown sugar crystals help polish away dead skin cells, and it's full of natural oils that aid in moisturizing the skin.

The scrub is also paraben-free. Paraben is a synthetic preservative commonly used in cosmetics and personal care products like shampoos, skin creams and deodorants. Many people have allergic reactions to these preservatives causing skin rashes and irritation. Paraben is suspected to cause problems like weight gain, skin aging and certain types of cancer. Needless to say, there is a great ongoing debate as to the safety of products containing parabens.

It also is free of petroleum, mineral oil, and artificial color. Petroleum products coat the skin like plastics, clogging the pores, which interferes with the skins ability to eliminate toxins. This promotes acne and slows down cell development in skin, resulting in premature aging.

Carol's Daughter has a lot of amazing products that I look forward to trying!