Fashion Fits Everyone || Volume 41

10.30.2014

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"There are days where I completely believe that we are more confident when we are dressed nicer. But at the same time I feel that confidence also comes from dressing how you like, not how the “New York Fashion Week” says you should. If wearing makeup and having your hair done makes you feel better about yourself then go for it! Just make sure you don’t get to the point where if someone saw you without the makeup you’d be crushed. It is so important to have your confidence level be separate from your fashion and beauty world. You need to love yourself without makeup as much as you do with makeup.
I’m a pretty small person. I found the best type of pants for me are cropped, or rolled up right above the ankle, and skinny. I can’t remember the last time I wear boot cut of any type of pant.
When it comes to skirts, the best length for me is no longer then right below the knee, unless of course it’s a maxi. But mid-calf don’t look great, unless I’m wearing heels or wedges. I think this is because I legs on the shorter side.
I’ve tried to pick what my style is but sometimes I’ll wear a cute pencil skirt with a nice top and heels or wedges, and other times you’ll see me in a hoodie, jeans, crazy socks and my vans that are full of holes. The reason I share this is because no one should be confined to one style. I for one dislike it when people point out that I’m wearing heels or lipstick. Everyone should be allowed to have as many different styles as they want, we shouldn’t be confined to one style. I feel this way because it gives us more freedom to really be ourselves, or to dress however we’d like or feel.
Fashion fits everyone because everyone deserves to be fashionable, in their own way. No matter what body type. I have a friend who is a little bigger but she doesn’t let that stop her from wearing the cutest trendy clothes, and she rocks them! Who says you have to look like the model in the magazine to be fashionable."
- Sierra from Enjoy to the End
Interested in being a part of Fashion Fits Everyone? Email deidreemme@gmail.com with the subject Fashion Fits Everyone and we will get you scheduled.

Homeowners

10.27.2014


If you follow me on Instagram you already heard the big news. We bought a HOUSE! And that clues you into why I have been missing in action and lacking on posts lately. We have been busy moving to Idaho, starting new jobs, finalizing everything on our house, and getting all moved in. All that plus a family reunion on my side and Adam's parents coming into town for a few days - we have been SWAMPED. But now we are officially and finally home owners! So you can expect a home tour soon. And more blog posts because we are finally getting settled in this Idaho life. And I cannot wait to share more with you all. Hope you are having the best Monday and that you have a splendid week. Thank you, thank you for all the love and support!

Fashion Fits Everyone || Volume 40

10.23.2014

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"I love everything about fashion. Some fashion is artistic and amazing while other types of fashion are down to earth. Fashion blogs hold a special place in my heart. It is fun to read about other women and their journey through fashion. I particularly enjoy the creative pairings of different pieces. Fashion is a personal, creative expression that makes a person feel beautiful and confident.
I have going through different phases in fashion from young mother to business owner and to my current mature self. Fashion is much more fun ad adventurous for me today than when I was younger.
Today I love to shop and try new pieces. I finally learned to look for the best cuts and colors for my body type. These lessons were learned from experimentation and trying on many styles of clothing. Lately I’ve been obsessed with a great pair of jeans (rolled up boyfriend style) I splurged on, glitzy t-shirts, and Sperry Top-Siders (my favorite pair of shoes at the moment). I throw on a cardigan, lots of jewelry, add a big statement purse and I’m ready for errands, field trips, and grocery shopping.
I think every woman needs to find a great fitting dress with the correct cut and length for their bodies; colors that flatter their skin tone; a great pair of jeans that fit the waist, bottom, and length; fantastic boots and flats; and accessories always!
Fashion is a tool to go beyond just dressing for necessity. It offers the opportunity to express oneself with color, shape, texture, and layers. Fashion builds self-esteem and confidence because when you feel beautiful you are beautiful."
-Tammi from Maison des Jeunes and House of Young
Interested in being a part of Fashion Fits Everyone? Email deidreemme@gmail.com with the subject Fashion Fits Everyone and we will get you scheduled.

Fashion Fits Everyone || Volume 39

10.17.2014

I know, it has been a few weeks since you have seen anything from Fashion Fits Everyone. Blogging took a back burner for a little bit in all aspects. But now I am back. And Fashion Fits Everyone is back on a new day - you can find Fashion Fits Everyone on Thursdays starting next week. I thought I would re-introduce the series for all the new Deidre Emme readers.
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I started my blog as a way to document my life, my marriage, and my fashion... and while I was blogging fashion I started to notice a trend... Every day I would check out my favorite fashion bloggers and pinterest for ideas on outfits. And slowly I became uncomfortable with my body type and I became unimpressed with my closet. I would never be a size 2 like all the famous fashion bloggers and I would never own the beautiful and brand new clothes that they always had. Then one day it hit me... I can fix this. I will never be a size 2 and I will never have a million dollar closet, but that is okay. Because fashion isn't defined by size and style... it is defined by the women who wear it. It is defined by ME! And if I am confident in my body and I am confident in my clothing then I am fashionable. And then I was thinking... I am sure I am not the only woman to ever feel this. Stories need to be shared. People need to remember they aren't defined by the one percent. The rest of us make a much larger group. And then Fashion Fits Everyone was born. It was turned into a full series on my blog where I blog, along with other women who volunteer their thoughts, about fashion, style, body types, confidence, and so on. And it is something that makes me feel independent and strong.
Women need to feel confident. Women need to feel beautiful. And I have been guilty of not feeling both of these things. In fact, I talked a lot about a specific incident in my very first fashion fits everyone post. But what I have learned, is that I cannot let those two things define me. I cannot say "today I have crazy hair" or "today I am not ready to meet people". Because the day will come and go no matter how I feel. What I can do is embrace the flaws and the perfections - because yes we both have both - that I have and I can go out. I can be confident and I can feel beautiful. No one is really looking at what I wear or how I dress. They are looking at how I treat the people around me. When I walk away from people I don't even want to give them a chance to talk about my hair or clothes, because that is what they go to when you aren't showing your personality. I want them to walk away and say, "Deidre was great to meet! Deidre has some good jokes. Deidre really took the time to listen and learn about me." Those are the things that make me beautiful. And those are the things that make me confident.
Last month I was able to meet the lovely Reachel from Cardigan Empire. She is a stylist and on her business card has a "style profile" so everyone she meets, she goes on to give them a profile. At first I was wondering, what is she going to tell me that I need to fix and make work for my coloring. But in fact, she took what I was wearing and gave me a style profile that matched how I dress every day. She defined my body shape - hour glass... I always wondered about that - and she told me I am a "winter" which means I look great in rich, jewel tone colors. And then she defined my style as romantic-trendy. I loved that profile because she was not telling me what I should be, she was helping me enhance what I already was. And it was a great reminder to me... that I can be confident in how I dress because it is me. And why the heck wouldn't I want to be ME!?
So that is why I think fashion fits everyone. Because we all make our own fashion. We all develop our own style. And it doesn't matter if you are a size 0 or a size 20. You make it work with what you have. And at the end of the day, if you are really unhappy with how you look, you are the only one that can change it. So don't be hard on yourself, work hard on yourself. Take those baby steps everyday to get to where you want to be, but enjoy the journey. Because you are still you. You still have to wake up in the morning. You still have to look in the mirror. You still have to get dresses and go out. Don't tear yourself down. Because you are stunning. You are beautiful. And why the heck would you want to be anyone else?
Basically this post is a lot of scattered thoughts. At the end of the day, I want you to know that you are perfect. I want you to know that people enjoy being around you. And I want you to know that no matter what size you are, no matter what color you hair is, or what you wear that you are you and fashion fits you because you fashion comes from your heart. Not your clothing.
Interested in being a part of Fashion Fits Everyone? Email deidreemme@gmail.com with the subject Fashion Fits Everyone and we will get you scheduled.

Life Hacks

10.14.2014

I am a sucker for life hacks. Anything to make my day to day easier, to make things more enjoyable, or to help make my life a little less stressful, I will TAKE it. I have teamed up with Jane to bring you a few of my favorite life hacks - and you can catch more on Instagram by looking up the hashtag #JaneLifeHacks to see what other ladies love doing to make their life a little simpler. But let's just get started with my list of life hacks. I tried to seperate them into four categories, so if it doesn't completely make sense... bare with me! It is close enough.
Life HacksMakeup Hacks:
  • Out of oil blotters? Use a toilet seat cover from the public restroom.
  • Turn a pencil eyeliner into a gel formula with the help of a match or lighter.
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  • Cover your eyelid with white liner to make any eyeshadow shade pop.
  • Conceal dark circles and puffy eyes the right way by creating a triangle with your cover-up.
  • Add saline solution to a dried out mascara to make it last.
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  • Hit your eyelash curler with a hair dryer to heat it up, so your lashes curl easier.
  • Dust baby powder on your lashes in between mascara coats to plump up your lashes.
  • Make your own lip plump by adding a drop of peppermint oil to your favorite gloss.
Lifestyle Hacks:
  • Put colored tape or ribbon around your suitcase handle so you can spot it easily in a crowd of luggage.
  • Clear out unwanted mail quickly by filtering your inbox with the world unsubscribe.
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  • Need your collar or shirt edges ironed in a hurry? Use a hair straightener.
  • When you are looking for your car in a parking lot put the key fob to your chin or throat to increase it's range.
Home Hacks:
  • Keep a magnetic white board on an outside freezer. Write what you put in it to remember what you have and erase it when you take it out.
  • Rub baby oil or wax paper on faucets and handles to keep them from getting water spots.
  • Grab a few dollar store baskets to keep your pantry organized.
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  • A shoe organizer is perfect to sort out anything from snacks to cleaning supplies.
  • Break off the ends of a short clip hanger for a chip clip.
Food Hacks:
  • Put a cupcake wrapper on the bottom of your Popsicle to catch the drips.
  • Pull of the bottom half of your cupcake and put it on the top to make a cupcake sandwich with frosting in every bite.
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  • Put pancake mix in a ketchup bottle for cleaner cooking.
  • Turn on your seat heater to keep pizzas warm from the store to your house.
  • Put paper towels in with your vegetables to absorb moisture and make your veggies last longer.
life hacks
  • Stick a fork through the Oreo cream and dip into milk, hold it until all the air bubbles stop and you have a perfect milk Oreo with no messy fingers.
  • When popping microwave popcorn crack the top open a little and shake out all the uncooked kernels.
  • Another microwave popcorn trick. Once your bag is popped, lay the bag on it's side and cut off the top for an insta-bowl.
So there is my list of life hacks that I love for my makeup, home, life in general, and food. There are a lot more tips and tricks around my house so I will keep you posted on the ones that I am loving and learning. What are your hacks? I am always on the lookout for a trick to try. Send them my way! Tell me... How do you hack?

Arizona Blogger Meetup

10.09.2014

While I was in Arizona, I made the most of it. Did you know that Arizona has the most incredible blogging community? It always surprises me that no matter where I am I can find a group of women that blog and just get all that goes on behind the scenes. And moving to Phoenix was no different. They might be a little more spread out there, but I was so grateful to find them all. I was able to go to two different meetups while living there. They are a little more selective of their meetups and put lots of planning - it isn't like the blogger meetups in Utah where you can find one almost every week with a variety of size and style. These ones are spectacular. I went to my first one way back in March and it was a a fun networking, get to know you party. And for the second one I was able to join the planning team. We hosted a blogging round table at The Shine Project Headquarters with some of the most lovely speakers. Drink it all in and then I will tell you more about the Arizona Blogger Meetup.
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Alright. A quick break. These are the lovely ladies that I coordinated it all with. They are seriously stellar. We have Chrissy from Let Me See You Sparkle. She is a photographer and probably the friendliest person you will ever meet, in your life. She was one of the VERY first Arizona bloggers I met way back when she took my photos for a few posts. I adore her. And if you read her blog she will make you feel all sorts of good, like you can change the world good. Then we have me. You know me. Then next is Kayla from Freckles in April but more commonly known over at Babble. She is a babe. Beyond all babes. And she is a smart lady. She is basically a complete package of all things right in the world. She has got it all together and I have loved getting to know her. And then last, but not least, is Camille from Friday We're in Love. She is what I like to consider the glue. She is driven beyond driven, a planner, always on her A game, and a serious doll. She took me in right from the start - inviting me to dinner, making me come to a blog conference, and just always checking on me in between it all.
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So once everyone arrived - all 50 women.. ps, did I mention our tickets sold out in less than 3 hours? I feel pretty legit about that - we just mingled and snacked on delicious snacks and heated the place up. It was SO hot in the Shine Headquarters. You will notice throughout the photos that everyone is glistening - and let me tell ya, that isn't a glow from the sheer enjoyment... that is sweat. Just embrace it. Camille did the intros to get us going and then sent everyone to round one of classes. Then Camille and I sat in the hall and timed the class length while sitting under the fan. We are so smart, right? But the fan was right in between all the classes so I was able to grab snippets here and there from the ladies running the roundtables. There were some FAB classes. We had four different options. First was a SWOT Analysis class by Reachel from Cardigan Empire which I LOVED. If you don't know Reachel, you should. She is a stylist and an all around brilliant woman. I was like a little fan girl when I met her, and she gave me my very own style analysis. I am a hourglass shaped, winter, with a little romance and trend. Next was Ashley from The Shine Project - the kind soul that let us take over her space - and she talked about collaborating with other bloggers. The Shine Project is seriously brilliant and has the best items. Next up was Photo Styling by Stephanie Studer from Life Created. Her Instagram account is like a view of heaven. She styles with sheer perfection. This was actually my second time hearing her present and as always I walked away with learning something. I will never tire of listening to her. And then last was a Working with Sponsors class with Emily from The Banner Shop and Summer from Girls with Glasses. I loved their class because they gave you a little bit from both angles. Summer talked about working with companies as a blogger and how to really build relationships. Emily talked about being a company that worked with bloggers and what she looked for in the women she collaborated with. Every single option was a grand slam, so no one felt short changed for missing out on a speaker - we really lucked out with amazing ladies at every corner.
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And of course, what is a meetup without a photobooth? The Shine Project HQ had an entire room dedicated to photo backdrops, so we snagged out the simplest and set it up for everyone to take photos together. Here are a few of my faves. First with a group of stunning ladies that I had the honor of meeting that day - including another Deidre, imagine that - and then with Tausha because she is a babe. I had a few more floating around but I decided not to overwhelm you with photbooth photos. Then of course, I cannot leave out our AMAZING AMAZING sponsors. Every lady walked out with a swag bag full of goodies. We got a pumpkin spice brownie + pen from Fairytale Brownies, patterned leggings from Agnes & Dora, some awesome fleece lined leggings from Pink Blush that I am absolutely OBSESSED with, a darling custom designed notebook from Tiny Prints, a printable from Yellow Bungalow Shop , and it was all tucked into a canvas tote from Lawless Denim.
Now I would like to show you a series called "Jen + Deidre Being Themselves". I should be embarrassed but I am not. Actions like these are what solidified our friendship, and I will not apologize for that. And then of course you can see all the ladies right before the end of the event in our sweaty, sweaty glory.
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You can read some more posts from lovely bloggers like CathyKaylaMindy, and Erin to hear more about the event and what they loved about the day. So there you have it - a successful event. And this, my friends, is why I love the blogging community. Meeting women like this, having opportunities to network and grow, and most of all building relationships that will last from state to state. I am so lucky to have met these women and they will stay part of my blogging story. Do you have any networks that help you learn and grow? What is your favorite part about being in a community like blogging?

Deer Costume Makeup Tutorial

10.07.2014

Last Halloween Adam and I debated a ton about what to dress up as. I have always loved dressing up in "group" costumes - Three Blind Mice, Banana Split, Ghosts, and I could keep going, but I will let you use your imagination. Now that I have a permanent group with Adam, I am fully prepared to take advantage of the opportunities to dress up in a couple costume. Especially since the year before we didn't dress up and I had to use my go-to costume of dead ballerina. I was over being dead things all on my own - it was time to dress up with my husband because obviously, that is one of the perks of getting married. It is serious business... and after a ton of options (which shall remain secret so we can use them in the future) that were thrown around, we landed on the deer and the hunter. Mostly because I was obsessed with the deer costume I found on Pinterest and we had easy access to camo from one of Adam's teammates. The only tricky part? Learning how to recreate the deer costume makeup. No matter where I looked... there was NO tutorial. So I spent a few night trying out different products to create something perfect. And this year, I am sharing the wealth with a deer costume makeup tutorial.


While I know you can't just go out and buy a bunch of makeup - I wanted to share everything with you including the exact makeup I used to create my look. Here are the makeup products you will need. Feel free to substitute products in and out:


Foundation. Use what you have. This just makes a clean canvas to start with to apply the rest of the look. My favorite foundation is the BareMinerals liquid foundation.

NYC Bronzer in Sunny. You could really use any bronzer that you have in your house. I prefer this one because of its matte shade, but it is also my daily bronzer.

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk. I tried the white Halloween face paint and I tried smaller pencils. This one is by far the easiest to use for this look. It applies easily and stays on all day, plus it covers a lot of surface space at one time so it doesn't take forever to apply the white.

NYX Slim Eye Pencil in Black. I like this pencil for the exact opposite reason I liked the jumbo pencil. The word slim isn't in there for fun - it really lets you apply the thinest of lines which is helpful when outlining and drawing on lashes.

Nude Lipstick. I went with nude lips for this look so I didn't distract from the rest of the makeup. I have a few different shades but my favorites come from The Buffs collection by Maybelline.


Now let's get to the nitty gritty of applying to get your deer look.

Step 1: Start off your makeup like you always do. For me it goes like this. Wash face. Apply primer. Apply foundation. Add concealer where needed. Do whatever you need to do for a base coat. Then fill in your eyebrows as you normally would. If you don't fill in your eyebrows normally , no big deal - but if you want to start I would recommend this little tool - you can skip the "eyebrow fill in" and just proceed with the tutorial.


Step 2: Use your bronzer to get some deer like color. My best advice is to contour like you normally would and then apply bronzer in place of the blush you normally apply. Make sure the bronze color on your cheek is a little darker to really give you a good color. If you arent much for contouring follow the image below - start with a light layer of bronzer around your hairline and down to your cheek bones. On your cheek from the op of your cheek bone to about your lip line double or triple up on the bronzer to get a deep color. I did mine on a slight engle from the inside of my nose to the middle of my cheek for the inside portion of the bronzer.


Step 3: Add white accents. Pull out whatever you are using to add your white color. Start with coloring in the top of your nose from the bridge down to point, only in the center. Then color up in between your eyebrows and using your finger lightly spread it up onto your forehead right above the eyebrows in a sunrise shape. Next, line your lower lash line with the white on under the lash line and on the water line. Last, add the white freckles to your cheek and lower part of our forward. I did about 5 dots on each cheek and 4 on my forehead.


Step 4: Now comes all the black coloring. Start by lining you eyelid with a thick line, right along the lash line. Extend 3-5 "eyelashes" by drawing a straight line from you lash line up towards your eyebrow. Next line your "lower lid" below the white you just added. This makes your eyes appear larger like a deer. Then add some lashes to the bottom by drawing a handful of little whisps. After that move to your nose. Line from your eyebrow to the tip of your nose with a thin black line, along the sides of the white you colored on the top of your nose earlier. Where your eyebrow meets the black "nose line" thicken the line to match the thickness of your eyebrow. To make sure the black matches your eyebrow feather black into the thick part of your eyebrow by blending thin lines. Last, color the bottom of your nose around your nostrils black to give it a deer nose look. Make sure not to itch your nose that night - it becomes a serious problem.


Step 5: Apply mascara to your top eyelashes for a little extra pop. Apple nude lipstick.


And there you have it! It is as simple as that. The real trick, besides finding the right makeup, was figuring out the order to put it on. Sometimes when I was first trying things out my white and black would make a nice muddled grey color, which is why I separate the two colors and put the white first. Because black will cover white but white over grey - no good. So there you have it. A deer costume makeup tutorial. I wore brown leggings, brown boots, a tan undershirt, and a tan sweater with a tail sewed on for my outfit. For my ears I cut out and glued felt around a headband and put twiggy things in for antlers. Done and done. I feel like I am going to have a hard time trumping that this year. Do you know what you are dressing up as this year? What is your favorite costume of Halloweens past?


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