This Winter's Must-Haves: Vaseline

I've always had one sitting alone on the top shelf of my bathroom cabinet alone and forlorn-I just never ever used it. I thought it was sticky, greasy, smelled weird...and prone to having dust/unidentified objects stuck to it. So I just left it there to mould and ferment in its little plastic tub.

Until I read online that applying it onto your eyelashes each night before bedtime makes them grow LONGER.

Now, being a short-lashed girl (who am I kidding, I barely have any), I jumped at this opportunity to lengthen my lashes (ANYTHING, I'd do ANYTHING!) so that I'd actually have something to put my mascara on. Of course, before I took to dumping a gob of petroleum jelly (seriously, petroleum jelly? Sounds a tad sketch) on my lashes, I decided to take precautions and read up on vaseline.

And guess what I found.

A whole PLETHORA of things you can do with Vaseline! 

Apparently people use it to remove their make up, tame their flyaways, subdue their brittle cuticles, get rid of ashy elbows, and MORE. 

So it's a perfect companion for the winter months, when the dryness rolls in and the ashiness along with it!

Get a tub this winter people, it'll save you from a LOT of angst.

ps: if you were wondering about my lashes, they did not grow, not an inch, zilch. The vaseline DID sting my eyes though, so I advise against it.

I guess long lashes + I were just not meant to be.

Here are more spiffy vaseline related reads:

• StyleDash gives all kinds of different things you can do with it
  
• Does Vaseline thickens eyelashes?--BeautyBrains tells all
• Find out why Vaseline is TheBudgetFashionista's favorite beauty product
• Tyra's biggest beauty secret...

Capri-Length Leggings? So Last Year.

Remember two summers ago when those black capri-length leggings first reared its ugly head? Remember when every single picture of Lindsay Lohan or Nicole Richie also served as a "how to wear leggings with everything" manual? They were frowned upon by all initially, but then they slowly crept their way up to popularity....until everyone started wearing them, everywhere. 

Now, they're ready to retire.

Don't get me wrong, though, capri-length leggings are still comfortable to wear when you just throw on a t-shirt and flipflops and you don't know what else to put on, but they are no longer considered something of fashionistic value. In fact, the way I see it, these type of leggings are the new sweatpants. They look good with large t-shirts or sweatshirts and flipflops (or rather, when your outfit screams "this is my comfy gear"), but don't look good when you're trying to amp it up for a stylish day out. 

For those of you looking for something to wear underneath long shirts or mini dresses for modesty's sake, try opaque (and please, make sure they are opaque) tights. 

If you've really developed an attachment to leggings...don't fret, ankle-length leggings (everybody look to your right) are still all the rage, and really, look good inside boots and underneath knitted sweaters (or any kind of sweater, actually).

But let's say farewell to those capri-lengths. Euch.

"bye bye, capri-lengths!! "

This Winter's Must-Haves: A Moleskine Notebook

With the chilly weather rolling around the corner for all of us who live in the northern hemisphere, it's time to once again put on our winter frumpiness. It's always sad trading in our tanks and shorts for layers and layers, but winter does not always have to be dull and solely characterized by your red and runny nose. Here are some must-haves for winter this season--because a girl's gotta have fun all year round.

2. A Moleskine Notebook: I know, I know, it's not exactly wintery...but there's just something about the black sleek covers and the leather bound exteriors that go so well with suede boots and pea jackets.  

All-that's-spiffy is all about making you look good, right? And the Moleskine Notebook CERTAINLY does. Nothing says "chic" and "sophisticated" as loud as a Moleskine notebook, even if it's just for carrying around and looking artsy fartsy. 

Marketed as the "legendary notebook of Van Gogh, Chatwin, Hemingway, Matisse and Celine" (okay, it's not really the legendary notebook of Van Gogh, Chatwin, Hemingway, Matisse, or Celine...but who really cares?), carrying and owning one would give you that art-student/budding-fashion-designer/soulful-thinker/aspiring-broke-poet/undiscovered-writer that's all the rage this season (and any season, for that matter). They come in many variations: notebooks, city notebooks (lost in Union Square, anyone? If you have to be clueless and touristy, at least be stylish while at it), diaries, sketchbooks, etcetc.

What I love so much about them is that they're hardcover, not tackily spiral-bounded, but yet still lie open when you lie them flat. Ahh, c'est parfait! 

Also, you can do some pretty amazing things with these notebooks. 

Check out these Moleskine artworks:

for more ridiculously spiffy artwork by Moleskiners, go to moleskinerie

This Winter's Must-Haves: Opaque Tights

With the chilly weather rolling around the corner for all of us who live in the northern hemisphere, it's time to once again put on our winter frumpiness. It's always sad trading in our tanks and shorts for layers and layers, but winter does not always have to be dull and solely characterized by your red and runny nose. Here are some must-haves for winter this season--because a girl's gotta have fun all year round.

1. Opaque tights:  Opaque tights are amazing. They're the PERFECT companion for almost every winter outfit, and so versatile too. Wear them under a dress to look sophisticated, with a shirtdress/tunic to look adorable, or under an oversized sweater for that boho-chic look. They go supremely well with flats, boots, booties, and heels. What is there not to love about opaque tights? 

They are great for keeping your legs warm and toasty in the winter, awesome for hiding blemishes like leg stubble (admit it, no girl shaves in the winter months), and magic for making your legs look thinner (if you go with a dark color, that is).

If you're feeling 

extra daring, try them in bright colors like blue or green. 

They're great for spicing up a boring ensemble. It's out with the leggings and in with the tights. Be wary of fishnet variations or wearing them with shorts- the former I always find rather "hoochie" (in the words of Tyra Banks) and the latter is just hard to pull off. But otherwise, opaque tights are just so totally tight (sorry, I couldn't resist).