Tag: tips

Winter Blues/Simple Survival Tips

Posted on by The Style Cake

As much as I’m not a fan of winter, I am always looking for ways to enjoy it. I think that every girl should have some things to get her through this less than exciting season. I’ve listed a few things below that I think will spice up the rest of the winter until spring!

1. Nail polish

Seems simple right? Well simply put, the sheer pampering of applying nail polish is fun. Do a home pedi and use beautiful pinks, whites and/or nudes for a soft change from dark plums, reds and burgundies. Add rhinestones for more glamour. My favorite nail polish brand? Smith & Cult. These polishes are luxurious and coat the nail evenly and without streaking or multiple coats.

2. Spa Visits 

Surprised that I put an “s” on the end of “spa”? Lol, well these days going to the spa has become pretty inexpensive. There are day spas that offer treatments such as facials, 30 minute massages and beauty treatments. 

3. Stay-cation

By this time, most of us are planning vacations and just getting over break from the holidays (I don’t celebrate them but I enjoy the time off). So what do you do to get away from the winter blues? Take a weekend trip to your closest major city’s downtown and check into a hotel. Wake up late if you want, get room service, enjoy the sights, grab dinner, museum hop and check the night life!

4. Cooking Classes 

I pride myself on being a pretty darn good cook. That being said, I think the idea of going to a cooking class with friends would be a ball! Even if you know how to cook, that’s even better because you can have wine over the experience and create your own masterpiece to add to your roster! Plus, most times the meals to be cooked at the cooking class are simply chef created recipes.

5. Pole Dancing Class

Yep! I said it! I’m a married woman of almost 14 year years and it’s always fun to find new ways to spice up…well, you know lol. So I actually had the pleasure of attending my very first pole/exotic dancing class. It was a blast! The class can bolster your confidence as well as give some exhilarating feelings during this drab and dull season. 

6. Makeup Stash Overhaul 

Nothing makes us feel fresh like a new eyeshadow palette, blush or lashes. Why not get rid of old makeup that’s old and outdated and get some new makeup? Try some brands you never have, experiment with new shades or try lash extensions. Lash extensions are my personal fave. Getting them done is a spa treatment (wink)! 

7. Wine and Painting 

Painting with a twist and places like it have become increasingly popular these days. I personally love being able to get my artistic fun on with a little wine to boot! These can allow you to both add a little decor to a room, be creative and enjoy something different to do on a weeknight! 

8. A Good Book

Lastly, nothing is better than getting lost in a good book! When you finally look up from the pages of a collection of good stories, it could be spring! 

Online Shopping Tips: 4 Ways to Buy What You Want! 

Posted on by The Style Cake

So we all have done a bit of online shopping to find that either our size was sold out, the skirt (or dress) we wanted is too short for our taste or is only sold in certain sizes but we love it so much! Well I have a few remedies.

  1. Make use of a sewing machine or your local cleaners. A lot of times, we may see a dress, short or skirt and it’s only in the plus size section (for example). Get it anyway and get the pieces sized either by a local cleaners or “do-it-yourself” with a sewing tutorial. Don’t be afraid to grab a clothing piece, even from the men’s department, tailoring exists for a reason.

  2. Disregard shopping “rules”. Just because a section is labeled petite or tall doesn’t mean you can’t shop there. I find that I love the way a lot of the mini skirts are designed but I hate the short length. I do my virtual stroll to the tall department and grab the same skirt made for girls over a certain height, usually 5’9″. This secures a longer length on me while also getting the design I love! That goes for pants as well. Love a pair of pants but hate that they’re cropped? Get it in the “tall” sizes! Love a skirt but it’s too long? Grab the petite size instead! Problem solved!

  3. Cross websites for a particular brand. I love Polyvore for this! If you’re looking for a skirt by a certain brand and went to the actual site (for example Missguided) you can go over to ASOS.com or Nordstrom.com to search for that item. You never know, you may find it! It’s definitely worth the shot! That takes me to my last tip…

  4. Before buying an item, make sure it isn’t on sale elsewhere! When I first started online shopping I definitely made the mistake of buying without double checking. Trust me, it’s a “kicking-yourself” worthy mistake. (Insert eye roll).  Anyhoo, I suggest doing a search for the item you like and looking to see if it exists and may be offered at a discounted price. I recently found a top that was more than $90 elsewhere but only $18 on Bloomingdale’s site!

These tips all sounds pretty easy rigtipsWell, I hope that these tips are helpful to you all. I plan to do more shopping tips in the future (not on any particular time table). Which tip do think will be the most helpful in your next shopping trip?

#beasmartshopper #beacreativeshopper

The Style Cake 💋

Five Online Shopping Tips 

Posted on by The Style Cake

Frequently, I love to shop online. I mean honestly, how could I not? Let’s discuss the pros: you can shop in pajamas, hold a glass a wine while you shop, comparison shop and best of all, you can find the best coupons and deals. Who doesn’t love relaxation, wine and good deals? Lol! I’d like to offer you a few tips to make your online shopping experience not only more fun but more fruitful. 


1. Always Have a Goal

Sometimes this can be a fairly difficult task if you are emotional shopping. Let’s admit it, we’ve all done some shopping when we were in an emotional state of mind. I’ll be brave enough to admit first then lol. Nevertheless, shopping without a goal can promote over spending leading to buyers remorse and regret later. Who wants to feel bad about shopping? Know what you are looking for also eliminates the frustration of missing out on items that end being out of stock. That’s not fun nor productive is it?

  

2. Always Use Discount Codes

No ifs, ands or buts about it, we all love to get a great deal!! Well, shopping online offers exposure to more deals than in store a lot of times. There are tons of websites that offer promotional codes to save money. Also, signing up for email promotion usually offers the benefit of being the first to know of sales as well as getting “secret” promo codes for a percentage or dollar amount off. Shopping is definitely more fun when you can save! If you can’t find a code to reduce the original price, try searching for codes on social media sites. You’ll be surprised how you can find more ways to save by being social with the company. 

  

3. Cross Reference 

Sometimes it can be difficult finding a particular item. Companies that are resellers may change the “name” of an item on their site to try and create a non-generic “feel” to their site and items for sale. This can make it hard to search for the same item on a different site or a search engine. Look for tag information or the item description that may have the manufactured item name so you can use that information for cross referencing. You will be surprised how this technique can lead you to find an otherwise out-of-stock item! 

  

4. Know Your Measurements 

This is something enough of us are not even aware of but this helps when looking to purchase clothing and shoes. It’s easy to want to avoid this aspect of shopping but it’s vital to having a successful online shopping trip. If you know your measurements, you are less likely to have to make exchanges/returns, you can easily cross reference sizing information across international retailers’ sizing charts. I’ll use myself as an example. I wear a U.S. size 8, 29 (or sometimes 30 because of my hips/thighs/butt) and a medium shirt. Because I know my sizes I can find my measurements and also I know what sizes I wear in european sizing. I also know what size to pick when I have to size up or down depending on the manufacturers admonition. The same goes for shoes in which I wear a 7.5 or 8 (U.S.). 

  
5. Create a Wish List 

Like online window shopping or on a tight budget? Create a wish list! Wish lists help you see exactly what you want in the near future in correlation to availability. Wish lists can even be created on the websites in which you are shopping on for your convenience. You can easily add items from your wish list to your shopping cart! Creating a wish list helps with creating a budget, keeping in mind what you’re looking for as well as maximizes time management. If possible, use old fashioned pen and paper  to be sure you always have your wish list at your convenience. 

  

These five tips should help your shopping trip be productive and fun without any regrets! Do you have any tips? Which of these tips do you think would be most helpful to you?

Later Cupcakes! 💋