STYLE SKINNY

Weekend Gauguin

Here are a few works from Post-Impressionist artist Paul Gauguin, to get your weekend going.  Hope you're inspired by the bright colors. :) -SBG

 

Yoga Weekend @ Kirkridge

This past weekend was filled with hiking, yoga, meditation, family and friend time, and a lot of Scrabble... :)  My sister, who happens to be a Yoga Instructor, invited my mom and I to spend a few days at a Christian retreat center named Kirkridge for an annual Yoga retreat.  Kirkridge is placed on Kittatinny Ridge in the beautiful Pocono Mountain region.  We spent our time in daily yoga classes, meditation sessions, and hiking through the woods.  I would say that, "in our down time" we read, relaxed, and played board games, but all time was "down time."  This was a weekend of stillness....centering ourselves, and enjoying time together. :) -SBG

photos via @GerraeLove and Penny Brunson

 

At the Moment, Things I Love

Im not as organized as some bloggers... They have fancy names for these types of posts, and exact days when they're posted.... something I'm definitely working on developing.  Yet, for now, I'll just call this...."At the Moment, Things I Love".  And it goes a little something like this... -SBG

 

1. YSL "SHOCKING" Mascara: Now, if you follow my blog you know that I'm no 'make-up maven'.  My regimen generally consists of Laura Mercier's Tinted Moisturizer, Rosewater, and sometimes a brush of NARS Blush in "Torrid".  But, over the past few months my makeup bag has expanded, and the below has been added.  This stuff is amazing. period. It separates. It lengthens. It thickens. ...and barely any clumps or mess!

 

2. Best I Ever Had Remix, Drake and Nicki Minaj:  ...and before all ya'll go up in arms, I KNOW ITS OLD.  I DONT CARE! I still cant help singing along...and LOUDLY!! I love it, especially Nicki's verse :)

 

 

3. the Stole: My new love is the Stole!  Its an older accessory thats getting a lot of shine this fall, and for good reason! ...you can pair this fur (faux if you choose) piece to nearly any outfit or coat to add a chic touch. In my opinion, Theory makes some of the best ones this season...

                  
                           

 

4. Mellow Massage Therapy Center, East Falls: My sister owns this little spot snuggled into East Falls's Sherman Mills....but Im not just saying I love it because I love her.  This place is amazing! Its just starting to get cold, so schedule yourself a Hot Stone Massage today!  They just expanded, so call your friends and make it a party! 

 

5. Fall Fun! Boiling Cinnamon Sticks: I love the scents of Fall...and Boiling Cinnamon Sticks creates one of the greatest smells in the world!  (well, to me anyway.)  Purchase a pack from your local Farmers Market or Grocery Store... Follow the simple instructions at this link --->HERE... and enjoy!

5 Life Lessons Learned from Nanny Fine

For years the t.v. sitcom, The Nanny has been a staple in my go to rerun shows to watch on any random morning as I prepare for work or early evening as I unwind from it.  I've laughed at Nanny Fine's crazy life occurrences and fought on both sides in my brain's debate on whether her outfits were beautiful or just down right kitschy.  To me, the Nanny AND The Nanny are both pretty awesome, so I've listed 5 real life lessons I've learned from Fran over the years.  You'd be surprised as to what a big haired, loud mouth, wacky Queens native can teach you in a little under 30 minutes. ;) -SBG

1. Got Quirks? Make 'em Work! 

Listen to Fran's high pitched nasally voice, and watch her flutter precariously across the Sheffield living room... its clear, this chick has a ton of quirks.  Yet, these weird ways make Fran who she is, and who her fans love.  Fran has interesting and peculiar traits about her, and yet she owns them to the fullest.  So whether you have a loud obnoxious laugh (like me), find yourself singing or talking to yourself aloud (uh...me again), or HAVE to put your right shoe on before your left shoe, just proudly do it!  We all have differences that make us interesting...so own them! They make you, YOU! 

2.You Can Always Start Over...

There have been times in my life when I've made mistakes.  Who hasn't?  Fran got mixed up in a relationship that ended up getting her kicked out of her job at a bridal shop in Flushing Queens by her boyfriend, in one of those crushing scenes... (I couldn't resist).  Either way, she cried a bit...even wallowed in self pity for a length of time.  But then she picked herself up and got back to her life.  She started working hard on another career and ended up in a situation ten times better than before.  No matter what negative situation you're in, it is not the end! Give yourself a positive push... you can always start over!

3.Big Hair, Dont Care!

Lets face it.  Big hair never goes out of style...well, that is if you're from NY or Jersey, (woop woop!).  Fran's hair had a mind of its own.  It was always teased and sprayed to the max, adding several extra inches of height, (and fun!) to her personality.  Check out my big hair below, done from a Fusions of Cultures Youtube tutorial! Find out how to do it HERE.

 

 4. Be the Lady (or Man) in Red!

You know the theme song... "Shes the lady in red while everybody else is wearing tannnn, the flashy girl from Flushing, the Nanny name Fran!"  Now, while I LIVE for nudes and neutrals, there are times when I need a little pick me up or want to stand out from the crowd.  Fran teaches us that its perfectly normal to be the stand out...the one that isn't like everyone else. The lesson here is to Be YOU, whether its flashy or reserved.  If you stay true to yourself, you'll always stand out to those who matter. :) (Be seen in this little red dress from BCBG!)

5. Family Comes First!

Fran may have a crazy life, but she takes her job as the Sheffield Nanny very seriously.  Even over the years as she finally marries Maxwell and becomes a step mother, you can see her love for her family grow as she doesn't want to leave her mother in NY to move to California for one of Maxwell's new theatre ventures..(remember that episode? When she thinks "Ma" is having an affair with her Dr.? lol) Fran teaches us all that having family and close friends is super important and we should always try to treat them as such.  

         

So, finish reading this sentence and go call your mother, father, or best friend!  They would love to hear from you...oh, and send them this post too. ;) 

 

Kim Kardashian: InStyle Australia Cover

You know I'll be watching the first part of the Big K wedding tonight @ 8/7c only on E!  I'll be making my comments on Twitter the whole way through so join the convo!  @StyleSkinny.  xoxo-SBG

 

photos via http://kimkardashian.celebuzz.com/ and http://www.instylemag.com.au/

Gym Hair = Bad Hair?

Exercising and Hair in general just don't seem to mix very well.  Whether you have coily natural hair (not chemically processed) or bone straight...theres something about the mixture of excessive movement, sweat, and a possible ponytail holder that may work well for a moment or two, but leaves an after nastiness that I personally am getting tired of dealing with.

And get this... I've only just recently joined a gym and may have worked out a good 3.5 times, and I already feel like shaving my head...   (the .5 was a result of me not finishing completely and racing home to catch the season premier of Brad Meltzer's DECODED.)

Sigh. What are your best practices for having amazing hair at the gym and directly after? ... and what do you do if you're like me, and wouldn't shower at the gym even if the faucet spit out vintage Chanel bags. Share your favorite gels, dry shampoos, super special ponytail styles, ultimate braid-outs, or even weaves...HELP! hehe.

xoxo SBG

Tracee, from KeepItSimpleSista.blogspot.com, shows off her gym hair look

 

Lace/Neutrals

Photos from Droptokyo.com [street style]

10 Words I Try to Avoid (Remembering Your First Love)

I started off this post about to type what many bloggers write at least once in their lives,

"I know I haven't posted in a long time but... "  

We generally like to say this on the start of a post, when we haven't blogged in a while.  Its sort of like an explanation of sorts. A way of saying we're sorry we left our readers without anything for X amount of time, but now "we're back and at it again!"...and we "promise we wont have too many more long moments between posts!..."

Anyway, I wrote this infamous line...and then I deleted it.  Then I typed it again, and deleted it again. And while I do pride myself in being a super duper fast typer, to save myself from having to type it any additional times, I just Command C'd it, prepping for a possible Command V.  

It clearly never came... so instead of explaining my whereabouts, I became frustrated.   Why do I... well, people in general, blog in clumps... and then leave there readers waiting for those ten words. Do we just get tired of writing, or tired of our subject? ...Do our personal lives intervene leaving us little time to blog? ...Could be it all of the above?

While speaking with my favorite aunt, former UCONN English Professor and all around knower of all things, on the topic of "What makes a good novel"...or a "blog post" even, she shared something so simple but so fitting.  A novel tends to be a good read when the author has a deep love or interest in the topic he or she is writing about.  ...Whether it be a personal experience or the migration of sea otters due to global warming...if the writer is completely enthralled in the topic, the outcome has a high chance of success to some market.

As I thought about this concept I realized how we as bloggers blog, because its fun. Plain and simple.  We are in love with our topics and we like to talk about them, write about them, and share them with others in hopes that they will enjoy them too.  

I once read an article detailing the top 10 'Blogging Don'ts" of which number one read, "Never Blog about your Cat."  It was there, written in bold, and underlined none-the-less... and needless to say I was already about a year into StyleSkinny, where I created a tiny cartoon version of my lovely cat Amani, who made a monthly Wheres Waldo appearance in my header, amongst other sections. I absolutely love blogging about my cat. Had I broken the cardinal blogging rule?  Such a ridiculous thought.  But I was reminded again that although there may be blogging "tips", no one should listen to someones rigid set of blogging rules.  We should be blogging about and in the style that bests suits us whether 100 people use the same format, or just two.  We should be expressing our love for our topics in our own creative way! 

If you are a writer or blogger, I challenge you today to remember why you began writing in the first place.  Think about your interest and love for the subject you blog about.  Know that someone is just as interested in your topic as you are and would love to read what you have to say.  Remember that blogging is fun, adhere to your own rules, and you'll rarely, if ever, be forced to apologize for leaving your readers empty for so long!

 xoxo-SBG