Fashion Tip Tuesday: Nude Lips AND $30 ULTA Giftcard Winner

I blame J.Lo. 
Seriously.  She is the reason I am obsessed with creating a perfect nude lip. 

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See what I mean?  Gorgeous.

I naturally have a lot of pigmint in my lips, so I tend to want to tone them down.  With my darker features, I have never felt confident sporting eye make-up AND a dark red lipstick.  I end up looking like a poor man's drag queen.  So for years I have been on the hunt for lip products that help to create the perfect nude lip.  Here are my favorites:
 

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MAC VIVA Glam Gaga 2 Amplified

This shade is unbelievable in covering my natural lip color because it is an amplified formula (amplified formulas are thick and creamy with very high levels of pigmentation).  I use this as my first step to create a base.


The good news: Every cent of this purchase goes to charity 
The bad news: It is a limited edition...so when they are gone I'll cry they're gone

 

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MAC Lipglass in "Underage"

Probably the best lip product I've ever discovered.  Moisturizes, provides semi-opaque coverage and the color is lovely.  I do have to re-apply throughout the day, but that has never bothered me.  If you don't like sticky formulas, you might stay away from this one.

MAC Dazzleglass in "Glitter and Ice"

This past weekend I picked up another limited edition color from MAC's latest seasonal line: MAC Dazzleglass in "Glitter and Ice." Applied alone, it just makes my lips look shiny.  But applied on top of my GAGA lipstick, it adds dimension and a little bit of glitter to a nude lip look.

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To avoid looking washed out, be sure to play up your eyes and add a little bit of bronzer.  Otherwise, you could end up looking a little zombie-like.

Maybe it's because she has been in the news all day, but I chose Kim K as someone who personifies the nude lip look paired with lovely eye makeup.  In this photo, she is wearing NARS Turkish Delight...which is on my list of items to buy!


Do you prefer a nude lip or are you all about the color?  What are your favorites?

XO - Marion


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$30 ULTA GIVEAWAY WINNER!
Thank you so so much to everyone for entering my very first contest for a $30 ULTA Giftcard!  I am so excited to announce that Tiffany is the winner!  Tiffany is the brains and beauty behind one of my absolute favorite blogs I Am Style-ish.  She recently launched a beautiful jewelry and accessory line with her sister called t + j Designs.  Thank you for entering Tiffany and I'll be sending you an email soon!

Thanks again to everyone who joined in!  I will be featuring another giveaway from one of my favorite stores VERY soon...so please stay tuned! :-)


XO - Marion

What You Can Learn From Rachel Zoe's Closet

What comes to mind when I say "Rachel Zoe?"

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Personally, I think of the following: inspiring, organized, dramatic, fun, and intense.

Recently, Who What Wear teamed up with The Coveteur to take a sneakpeak backstage at Rachel Zoe Headquarters.  And wouldn't you know it - all those words I would use to describe Rachel, also apply in describing her workspace!

We have all seen "The Rachel Zoe Project"...if you haven't, you are ba-na-nas! (Sorry...I couldn't help myself;-)).  Looking at the photos, I couldn't help but be inspired as I continue to look for ways to improve and organize my own closet. 

Below are the best images of what the discovered behind the style icon's doors.  All photos - The Coveteur.

Umm...is this what heaven looks like?  Seriously.  

RZ's motto is "You can never have too many options."  Word.
Closet Tip: Organize shoes by color and style/ occasion (casual, formal, work, etc.)

Color coordination is a huge part of the way RZ organizes her shoe and clothing options.  A little OCD never hurt anyone.

RZ does so many red carpet looks that she keeps a wide collection of chic clutches on hand to complete each look. Again, items are shelved according to color stories.

Here are shoe samples from RZ's 2012 resort collection...love the 70's influence she is so well known for in the industry.  Her favorite chain-strap Chanel bag anchors the feature in Women's Wear Daily from earlier this year.  Her staff framed the article to be displayed in each of Rachel's four offices.

Closet Tip: Just because it's your closet, doesn't mean you can't hang style artwork or inspiration on the walls.  Consider hanging a small bulletin board in your closet and posting your favorite style and fashion looks you find when flipping through magazines.  

 Rachel stores her nail polish on a display wall according to brand.  

Closet Tip: I love this idea to display fun cocktail rings with the polish.

Here is Rachel's "second closet" full of vintage pieces.  When she is designing new looks, she will often come here for what she says is her "greatest source of inspiration."

Seeing how Rachel organizes her closet provides me with some great ideas and motivation for organizing my own walk-in.  How about you?  Is your closet as organized as RZ's?


And because Rachel inspires me so much, I decided to break out one of my latest fall favorites in her honor - my BB Dakota faux fur vest.  We all know that Rachel rocked a fur vest years ago before they became mainstream...

Rachel's Look:

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My Look:

Ha!  I know.  I take cheesiness to a whole 'nother level!

Thanks so much for reading and leaving your comments.  I appreciate each and every one!

XO - Marion

How to make your summer dresses winter-ready in two easy steps

Reader Question: 

"What is an easy way to change-up my favorite summer dress so that I can wear it in the fall/winter?"

Well...In TWO easy steps, you can continue getting mileage out of your favorite summer staples during the cold season!  

SUMMER:

  Dress: Nordstrom

Belt: Nordstrom

Necklace: Vintage

Heels: Jessica Simpson (who I swear is pregnant right now...am I right?)

FALL-READY:

Step 1:  Add tights or leggings.  

Consider color and texture for a cozy, weather-appropriate look.  

Step 2: Add a comfortable sweater or wrap.  

Here I added a cashmere sweater that is light but very cozy.  Adding the skinny belt keeps it in place and adds a fun element.  Style Tip - the thicker/chunkier the sweater, the wider the belt should be!  

A few other considerations:

- First determine whether the print and color of the dress works for fall/winter.

- Stay away from transitioning dresses with a super light fabric (a true sundress isn't going to look appropriate in the snow!)

- Boots are fun to pair with dresses (see my photo HERE featuring the same dress!) 

- Layering + layering + layering!

The view I woke up to this morning...I got cold just looking outside! :-)  

But seeing this view made me truly realize (and finally accept) that summer is over.  Sigh...!  I guess it's time to fully embrace a new season of clothes.  

So are you transitioning dresses from summer to fall? 

XO - Marion

PS - If you haven't already, please jump in and join the giveaway going on right now for the $30 ULTA Giftcard!  Click HERE to enter today! 

Target's Next Designer Collaboration

Have you recovered from Target's Missoni-gate 2011?  ;-)

This fall, Target has teamed up with New York-based milliner Albertus Swanepoel to create a line of 14 colorful women's hats each priced at a mere $19.99 (or as I like to think of it - about four grande vanilla lattes).  

Swanepoel's regular line of hats can be found at Barneys New York from $200 to $600 each.  A regular presence at Fashion Week, Swanepoel has teamed with nearly every big designer including Jason Wu, Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs and Diane von Furstenberg. 

Here are a few of the featured styles:

This collection will be unveiled THIS SUNDAY, October 30th at most Target stores and on-line.

Just for fun, here are a few fun styles featuring hats:

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The hat really makes this look complete.

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Love the t-shirt, hat and slouchy jeans look here...

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Hat + sunglasses + leather knee-highs = perfection!

After the royal wedding this summer, I'm all about adding a few more fun hats to my closet! How about you?  Do any of these hats look like something you would add to your fall look book?

XO - Marion

PS - There is still time to enter the giveaway for a $30 ULTA Giftcard!!  Please scroll down below or click HERE!!  A BIG thank you to everyone who has already joined! XO

Guest Post Today!

I'm guest posting over at The Joy of Living today!  Please check out the beautiful Savannah's blog by clicking HERE!  Thank you to Savannah for this wonderful opportunity
:-)

Also, please be sure to check-out my first giveaway starting TODAY!  Scroll down below or click HERE

First Giveaway: ULTA Giftcard

 "Hey Bogey"

"Yes Mommy?"

"I think it's time we do a giveaway...what do you think?"

"That sounds like fun Mommy!  Let's do it!"

Bogey sees something more interesting than his mommy. :-)

I am excited to announce my very first giveaway: a $30 ULTA giftcard!  

I've had the pleasure of blogging for almost 1 month now...and I just want to do something to celebrate :-)  Plus I love giving stuff away, so hopefully this is the first of many to come.  THANK YOU to everyone for stopping by and leaving all your sweet comments and wonderful ideas.  It means more to me than you know.

Here are the rules to enter:

1. Be a Public follower of Marionberry Style using Google Friends

2. For an extra entry to win, join Marionberry Style using Blog Lovin' OR follow on Twitter

3. Leave a comment below telling me how you are following Marionberry Style and be sure to leave your email address (so I can contact you if you win!)

The contest will end once we have 50 Google Friends.  This giveaway is open to all countries!

 

I just gotta add - your chances for winning are quite good considering this is a newer blog!!

Bogey says "Good luck!"

XO - Marion

Challenge of the Week: Combining Hot Pink and Neon Yellow

Every week, I put forth one challenge that will force me to try something different...something outside my basic comfort zone of fashion. 

 

This week's challenge: Combine Hot Pink and Neon Yellow

Jeans - Hudson

Sweater - Guess

Yellow Scarf - J.Crew

Grey Scarf - Nordstrom

Heels - Chinese Laundry

Bag - BCBG

This week's challenge was a necessity for me!  I needed to inject a little visual sunshine in my day...and how better to do it then combining one of the season's big colors (hot pink) with a daring dose of neon yellow?!

Tips for marrying two neon colors:

- Unless you are super daring and want to get noticed (a la Lady Gaga), you'll want to pick one color to be your neon base and then use the other color as an accent.

- Anchor the look with a neutral base.  I used gray here...but you could easily use white (very fun for a summer look!)

Do you weave neon into your everyday style? 

Thanks so much for reading!  Please let me know if you have any ideas for the next challenge!

XO - Marion

PS - Be sure to check back tomorrow for a special announcement!

Save or Splurge Sunday: 70's Inspired Platforms

Have you welcomed the 70's into your closet yet?  It's everywhere this season in handbags, knit-wear, and wide-flared jeans!  One easy way to incorporate the look into your style is through a great pair of shoes.  


So it's time for another Save or Splurge Sunday!  


Your dilemma: 
You are shopping and find two fantastic options for 70's inspired chunky-heeled loafers which would work well for both work and play.  But which one is the better purchase?

Save:

$59

Nolen by Mia

Color - Luggage (also available in black)

Buy it here

Splurge:

$247.95

Frye "Naiya Kiltie Moc" Pump

Color - Dark Brown (also available in navy and black)

Buy it here

Things to consider before purchasing:

- Do you consider the style to be versatile with your current wardrobe?

- How comfortable do you find each shoe?  Because leather often stretches, you'll want to make sure that you have a perfect fit (tip: try them on with the exact sock/hosiery that you will wear them with most often).  BOTH shoe options above are noted to be about a 1/2 size large...so take note when ordering.

- Platforms can be difficult to walk in depending on the style, so you'll want to make sure to take them for a little test-drive before purchasing.

My verdict: 

Splurge!  Now perhaps this is due to my unhealthy obsession love for shoes, but I have always believed that you can tell a lot about someone by the shoes they wear.  In fact, when I would interview potential employees back in my event planning days, I would always take note of the shoes they were wearing (and their nails...but maybe I'll save that for another post!) 

These Frye pumps have a classic, Perry Mason feel about them that I just adore.  The dark, rich brown just looks expensive...as though you should be reading a leather bound book and sipping a fine scotch while you wear them!  

But that is just me...which would you choose?!

XO - Marion

Four easy ways to look refreshed in the morning

It's Friday.  It's been a long week and you are ready for a break (or a margarita!).  And although you are sooo ready for the weekend, you don't really want your face to reflect this fact.   Every woman wants that "I've been up since 5am, worked out for 2 hours, went grocery shopping and read the paper already" kind of look when they walk into the office!

What's a girl to do?


Well here are four easy things you can do in the morning that will make everyone think you got your full 8 hours of beauty sleep:

1.  Throw on some bling!  
Interesting and sparkly necklaces and earrings will make others think that you are pulled together, stylish and a little more lively. 

2. Take 2 minutes for an ice-cube cocktail.  
Dancing with the Stars beauty Karina Smirnoff follows her mother's special recipe for morning revival: 

- Fill an ice cube tray with water
- Add a couple drops of lemon juice to each square
- Add a couple drops of olive oil to each square
- Freeze
- Pat ice cube on face
Her Russian mother swears that the lemon juice tightens the skins while the olive oil adds moisture. 

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3.  Fake a warm, refreshed face with bronzer
One of my style favorites, Audrina Patridge, swears by bronzer to warm up a pale, tired face.  I honestly would say that a good bronzer is a miracle must-have to any make-up bag.  My favorite is NARS Laguna Bronzer.  

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4.  Do. Not.  Skip. The. Mascara.
I get it.  You woke up late and are racing to get out the door.  Plus you're tired...so naturally you are lazy.  But if you can only do one thing...take the 1 minute and quickly apply mascara.  Your eyes will thank you.


And there you have it...


Oh gosh...I can't help it!  I have ONE more A.M. trick that I need to share to help you look GOR-TO-THE-GEOUS when all you want to do is crawl back in bed:  

Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask

Buy it here!

This little bottle is not cheap at $52, however it packs a big punch.  It delivers a dose of oxygen, Vitamin C, and antioxidants that brightens your skin and evens your tone.  It smells like oranges (yummy!), which makes me even feel a little more awake!  


Fun tidbit: Rihanna swears by oxygen-loaded masks to recover after a night out on the town.


Okay, so I know I didn't include everything you can do to look a little more awake...so tell me what YOU do that works!


Thank you so much for reading!


XO - Marion

One way to wear shorts in the fall...

What do you wear when it is 58 degrees in the morning and then 78 degrees in the afternoon?  My answer to this crazy Colorado weather? Shorts, loose sweater, and close-toed heels (I think I was inspired by my post the other day featuring fall shorts!)

Sweater - Banana Republic (a find on the sale rack for $30!)

Shorts - Trouve from Nordstrom Rack

Shoes - Jessica Simpson

Necklace - Vintage

Sunglasses - Gucci

Cheezy smile - all me

Tips for wearing shorts in the fall:

- For daytime wear, balance with close-toed shoes.  

- Long sleeve and three-quarter sleeves add coverage and balance.

- Chunky sweaters are great and add structure up top.  The juxtaposition with shorts is trendy and fun.

- Experiment with leggings...there are so many great options out there right now!  

How are you wearing shorts in the fall?

XO - Marion

How to Make the Most of your Closet: 1 dress 3 different ways

This post is all about making the most out of what you already own.  In the words of the great Tim Gunn, we will "make it work" for different seasons and occasions.  Each week, I will show how to take one piece from you closet and use it 3 different ways.  

This week's piece: 

Xhilaration dress from Target ($24.99)

Style #1 - Gold and Blue (I would wear this to church or a baby shower):

Shoes - Jessica Simpson (DSW)

Belt - Nordstrom

Tights - Merona (Target)

Necklace - Vintage

Earrings - Vintage

Bracelets - Nordstrom

Style #2 - Fall Leather (I would wear this for lunch or coffee with friends):

Leather Jacket - Vintage

Scarf - J.Crew

Belt - Nordstrom

Bag - Vera Bradley

Boots - Frye

Style #3 - Gray & Blue (I would wear this for casual work):

Bag - BCBG

Shoes - AL by Launday (Nordstrom)

Blazer - Gibson (Nordstrom Rack)

Necklace - Ann Taylor

So let me know - which look do you like the best?  

XO - Marion