shoes!
 

Careful of shoedazzle! The shoes are adorable, but cheap and made of synthetic material. In my experience, they don't fit right and are very uncomfortable. Same with JustFabulous.

For $40, you can go to TJMaxx, Marshalls, DSW, or Ross and get a pair of real leather, proper fitting, last-season Steve Maddens or Nine West or BCBG or Guess shoes, among other nicer brands.

Your feet will only last you so long in heels, as many old ladies in the doctor's office waiting rooms keep reminding me, so treat them right and get them good shoes (but at a good price)!

I love, love, LOVE Hot Tools! I get it at Ulta. They have flat irons and curling irons. You can adjust the temp on it to be just warm or blazing hot, and they heat up in like 60 seconds. They're not cheap, but they'll last you forever. (I've had my first hot tools iron for 13 years.) Oh, and spend the extra money and get a ceramic iron. Helps with the frizz (I have the same kind of hair).

I definitely agree to use heat products on your hair even before you blow dry. Don't forget to post pics of your new do's!

One more thing, if your ends are getting dry, try using a Hair Masque to deep condition once a week. I recommend H2O's seaweed masque. You can get it at Ulta too (or whatever the equivalent of Ulta is near you).

thanks! i had no idea. i appreciate the info.

unfortunately i can't buy cute shoes in stores...i wear an 11w and my feet are deformed. i'm lucky if i can find tennis shoes in an 11 (it does happen), but cute shoes are impossible. i have been eyeing zappo's a lot lately (i got my snow boots there) so i might try order heels there when i have the money.

edited add...re: hair dryness...

i LOVE coconut oil. i put some in after i get out of the shower and before i brush my hair out, and let it dry naturally (you could also blow dry). you only need a little. it also works well as a body moisturizer and lube. you can do a more intensive treatment by wetting your hair, putting it in, leaving it in for an hour or so, then washing your hair. henna is a great hair treatment, too - i use it to dye my hair and it's very good for hair. but sometimes it can cause extra dryness.

OK, I have to stop reading this thread now.
 

I NEED THIS!

http://cache1.bigcartel.com/product_...209443/300.jpg

Zappos is great. It's hard when you have wide feet. You definitely don't want to use ShoeDazzle then, their shoes are skinny as hell!

Steve Madden typically has a rounded toe and more room in that area, and the leather that Nine West uses is AMAZING at conforming to your feet (no one else will be able to borrow your Nine West shoes, they will literally have your toes molded into them). So if you're just a little wide, those may be good to try. Of course LB and Torrid both sell wide shoes. I haven't tried any of them, but they are priced very reasonably.

Happy shoe shopping!

It has been my experience that henna is NOT safe for your hair as it contains metal. I have seen woman lose all of their hair from using henna. As far as using coconut oil to recondition your hair, don't shampoo it out. You are defeating the purpose, also don't put it directly on the scalp. If you feel you have applied too much use a good absorbent paper towel and gently blot your hair.
Hot tools rock and are well worth the price. The really nice thing, which has been mentioned, is that you can adjust the temp. Which I would totally recommend keeping on a medium setting. Always remember to apply a heat protectant to your hair, this helps to protect the hair from a percent of damage that can happen when using curling irons, flat irons, ect. As a licensed Cosmetologist we use hot tools in the salon and the best part is if they should have a problem you can return them, just be sure to keep your receipt.

Happy styling!

thanks! do you know if this was body art quality henna they were using? i've used baq henna (it comes in a plain powder that you have to mix and prepare yourself, as it's just the powdered plant) on my hair and body for several years, and i know women who have used it their whole lives with no problems. in some cultures people have been using it for thousands of years with no problems. i know that the kind that comes pre-mixed in a box tends to have really dangerous chemicals in it, though, and i warn people away from that.

Does anyone here know anything about hairspray? The guy I'm dating is super sensitive to smelly, chemical filled hairsprays, and it would be nice if my hair could look cute while not making him allergic to my head. Any suggestions for non-smelly, naturalish hairsprays? Even the "Unscented" Dove hairspray I tried at the drugstore smelled awful.

http://eastbaymeditation.org/accessi...scentfree.html has a list of good products. i've also been able to find some great unscented products that are actually unscented at health food/natural food stores (versus mainstream drugstores, where a lot of "unscented" stuff still smells). hope this helps!

edited to add: also, a friend recommends magick botanicals and/or alba botanicals' unscented hair spray. if you're looking for other kinds of hair care products (like pomade or oil) i have a few other recs :)

This is awesome, thank you! I'll mark down some of those names and try to head over to one of the health food/natural food stores this weekend. :)

It costs more, but Aveda is all-natural, no chemicals, and it smells delicious! IMO, it doesn't hold as well, but it's worth it not to make your guy sneeze!

most aveda products make me sick because they have fragrance and neurotoxic chemicals, but i've never tried their hairspray.

http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ is a great database for researching beauty products also :) they have a list of non-toxic beauty products.

Hey Leigh,

See if you have a Lane Bryant store by your house. Before I lost my weight, I would buy their tops. They also have some very cute jeans.:)

As for hair products, I use Tresemme or Redken's Smooth Down shampoo and conditioner. If you are looking for a good treatment to use after * flat ironing* your hair, I recommend Biosilk. It's expensive but it really hydrates your hair. My mom who is a hairstylist told me about it and I love it.

I bought my first dress back in January from New York and Company and I love it! I am wearing more flats to heels, due to a childhood back injury. To me, they are just as cute and sexy as heels :)

Zimmeh

Ooh, that's true. We stayed at a hotel recently that had complimentary Aveda bath products like the rosemary mint shampoo and conditioner, and he kept calling the front desk to get more to take home lol. Aveda hairspray might be an option as well.

Oooo, I just found the "Retro Chic" section of Torrid. I don't remember it being there before. Check out this adorable wiggle dress they offer!

http://cn1.kaboodle.com/img/b/0/0/1c...=1330744051000

I'm thinking they'd go well with these cute Manolos

http://www.christianlouboutinsreplic...ots%20Pink.jpg

Here's the website for Torrid Retro:

http://www.torrid.com/torrid/RetroChic.jsp

terrible webcam quality image and my room is a mess, but i decided to dress up a little today...

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...0120504_10.jpg

black elbow-length sleeve top (t.j. maxx? or maybe goodwill. can't remember.), green skirt (old navy), black leggings (wal-mart), orange bracelet and orange and green tree of life pendant (from a friend who makes wire and stone jewelry). going to go with brown sporty-looking mary janes (merrill) since they're the most comfy non-sneaker shoes i have and i have to walk a lot today.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...20120509_8.jpg

black long-sleeved top (target), rainbow color block maxi dress (eshakti.com), blue dragonfly necklace (crazy insanity creations on etsy), blue headband (claire's), black mary janes (clark's).

this is probably my favorite dress that i own but it absolutely swallows me whole. there's so much fabric, it's ridiculous. hehehe :)

This is a great thread! Thanks!

i hate taking pictures but i've been trying to document reunion fashion! with my phone because i forgot to bring my digital camera, lol :) this is the most i've dressed up in years so i figured i gotta have pics for posterity.

last night's outfit:
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...45628981_n.jpg

today's outfit:
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...69455391_n.jpg