Thursday, May 19, 2011

Guest Post: How to Look Haute in a Hurry

Good Morning, Beautiful! The fiancé and I are headed down to Indiana for the weekend to attend a wedding and see my family! Although I'll be away, I've arranged a couple guest posts so you won't have to go without your Haute Lunch! :) Today I am super excited to have Alyson from The Average Girl's Guide as the very first guest on my blog! She is smart, sweet, and chic, and can do it all while maintaining a balance of work, family, and blogging (of course)! Since she is a super busy gal who always looks fabulous, I thought she'd be the perfect person to give us some tips on how to look haute in a hurry!

Hi fabulous Haute Lunch readers! Alyson from The Average Girl’s Guide here... so honored and thrilled to be guest posting because I just adore Tara’s blog.

As a mom of an 18-month old, a blogger and full-time new biz owner (wheh!), I don’t have hours each day to get ready. Since most women juggle multiple responsibilities, I wanted to share with you a few tips and tricks that I’ve found helpful to get ready fast while still being fashionable. Would love if you comment with any others you have so we can all help each other get ready super-fast while looking totally smokin’!

Don’t wash your hair every day
Now I know there are some women whose hair gets so oily that this is not an option but for most of us, we can do it. Promise. Two years ago I thought this was the grossest thing on earth but slowly started skipping a wash because it seemed like it would be helpful once I had my little girl. Yes, it takes a little while to get your hair used to this so I avoided having the ‘skip day’ on a date night or big work event, however give it a month or two and you’ll be so glad you did. As a Florida gal dealing with brutal humidity, I now think my hair looks so much better on day two. It’s much smoother and doesn’t ‘fro the way it used to!
Tara's Tip: If your hair looks a little oily on the second day, try some dry shampoo (or even baby powder if you have light hair) to help freshen your roots!

Rid yourself of “I have nothing to wear” syndrome
I recently wrote a post about this because one of the biggest challenges to getting ready fast is finding a cute outfit you feel good in. Don’t just throw on jeans and a baggy tee or sweatshirt because you’re too frustrated to look. If your closet ONLY includes items you feel good in, getting ready will be a cinch.  Clean out the clutter (here are some tips) and then ONLY buy what you need. Make a list and stick to it. You’ll be happy you did, and save money at the same time. For example, I’m on the hunt for blouses with special detailing that can transition from a work meeting to happy hour to cas’ on the weekend. Even this top (love the pink or blue) from Old Navy for just $12.50 is way cuter than your basic top.


Accessorize!
Don’t be shy when it comes to adding pops of color or interesting details to your look through jewelry, headbands, shoes, belts and watches (here's an example). Any look can be transformed when you start playing with accessories. Mix and match every day or find a few and call them your “signature look!” For example, my Michael Kors tortoise shell watch is now with me daily, be it at the gym, meeting or glammed night out! Just don’t think you need to spend a lot of money to make the most of each look. I love testing out new trends or something you’ve been considering for a while (hello, statement necklace) by hitting up Target, Forever 21, H&M or another affordable spot. Usually it’s less than $15 for me to see if I like the look. Right now that means I’m searching for the perfect fedora and maybe a cute little elephant on a long gold chain. Sound absurd? Maybe, but it’s all about having fun with it and remembering… tomorrow’s another opportunity! 



-Thanks to Alyson for putting together this fabulous post! I know I learned a thing or two about looking good when I'm short on time!

14 comments:

  1. Great tips Alyson!! I agree on all points, especially the hair! I usually skip to Day 3 hair, and use some Oscar Blandi dry shampoo if my roots get too oily. It also helps give a little volume to the roots too by massaging it in. I'm still working on the I have nothing to wear syndrome....
    xoxoxox
    Lia

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  2. THanks so much for having me, Tara! So, so much fun to participate, and LIA: totally! Love Blandi's dry shampoo... was actually thinking this morning I should have included so thank you for doing so.
    xoxo,
    Alyson

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  3. Love these tips and I LOVE dry shampoo!

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  4. Those are such a great tips and I totally agree about the hair-washing! Wish you both a lovely day, kisses

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  5. I love the point about ridding yourself of the I have nothing to wear syndrome. If you really like all of your clothes, it shouldn't be a problem! This was a really great post!

    P.S. Have a great trip Tara!

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  6. I am such a big fan of dry shampoo - it's totally changed my life. I have light hair that gets oily so fast. But ever since I bought the little bottle of Fekkai powder - my hair has been 100x better! I love not having to shower every day and my hair is showing me its appreciation :)

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  7. I wash my hair every other day, and it works really well. You really can't tell a difference. Especially when you ponytail it. Which is what I do a lot. Hey, I'm an active person! I have never had good luck with dry shampoo, though, which is totally lame. Maybe I just need to find the right one.

    http://www.glamkittenslitterbox.com/
    Twitter: @GlamKitten88

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  8. Oooo, Alyson. You are so right! Dry Shampoo is a must for every girl and I know that I personally have to banish the words "I have nothing to wear from my vocabulary"...definitely working on that

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  9. Great tips, darling! Accessories are so immportant!!! Love your blog and now following! Maybe you'll have time to visit my blog:)

    Kisses,
    Annabelle
    http://vivaluxury.blogspot.com

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  10. I agree, accessories can definitely help completely change a look of an outfit!

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  12. Great tips! Accessorizing is definitely key! Loving that Michael Kors watch too. His watches are my favorite!

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  13. yeah i use oscar blandi dry shampoo and i love the tip on the nothing to wear syndome! that makes so much sense.

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