Sunday, September 6, 2009

Make a Statement this Winter- Statement Jewelry is BIG!


You may have noticed it in catalogues and on websites. This Winter's big trends for women include basic dresses (remember what we said about grey?), big boots, and big jewelry! What does this mean for you? You know those very plain, very basic, boring winter dresses you've had hiding in the back of your closet for the last 5, 10, 15 years? Maybe you won't admit they're that old, but you have 'em. Well, this year, basic dresses are IN! So break them out, take them to the dry cleaner and get yourself to accessorizing so nobody knows that you picked them up in 1994.

One of the most important (and fun) pieces of your Winter wardrobe this year is the statement necklace- a necklace that is big and in your face, but not in a bad way. In some circles, it's called "costume jewelry" (and it's important for you to know that term when shopping because not every clerk is going to know the newer "statement necklace" though they may have TONS).

Statement necklaces are really fun because there are so many options. Just about any store that has jewelry carries them, so you can get them to fit any budget. You can get them made entirely of stones, entirely of chains or a combination of both. You can get any combination of colors, and importantly, there are a ton of handcrafters that not only make one of a kind statement necklaces, but are also willing to make custom ones to your own specifications.

That being said, here are just a very few of FMC's favorites.

If you're looking for something inexpensive and on the smaller side (because sometimes taking the big leap into the world of big, chunky jewelry is scary), this axcess Gold-Tone Bead Y Necklace is a great option! It's versatile enough to work with many of the rich earth tones most women incorporate into their Winter wardrobes and small enough to not feel too bulky to those of us not willing to make the big leap. It originally retails for $24, but this weekend, Kohls has it for just $14!




If you're looking for something a little more elegant and you're willing to make more of an investment, the Cara Couture Multi Strand Chain Necklace is completely worthy of your affection. Available from Nordstrom for $98, the necklace drapes at all lengths between 18 and 36 inches. Chains are in multiple metals and multiple colors, so it literally will match anything (see why we called in an investment?). It's also available in shades of silver and black.





Of course, as always, eBay and etsy have a ton of awesome hand-crafted goodies as well. We particularly like this handmade White Pearl & Black Onyx Necklace by my_dream1960. The onyx rectangles and round white pearls are accented by a small, silver butterfly. Necklace measures 19.5 inches and costs just $5.99- a STEAL!



The last thing you should know is that Statement jewelry is EVERYWHERE! You can find it at big box stores, fine retail stores, jewelry stores or local fashion boutiques. Online, sites like Craigslist, ebay and etsy are all great sources. Also, be sure to check out local estate sales- many estate sales have a ton of "costume jewelry", which is really the same thing and you can pick it up for a bargain and be sure nobody else has the sweet antique piece you find. Lastly, if you can't find exactly what you're looking for, check out your local craft store- most of them offer jewelry-making classes. It's an easy craft to learn and you can pick up most of what you need for a song and get to creating your one of a kind pieces for yourself!
To talk about statement jewlery or winter trends, visit our forum (it's free). And follow fashionmomcafe on Facebook and Twitter and have all our news delivered straight to you!

Happy Shopping!
-The FMC Team

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Thursday, September 3, 2009

Winter's hottest makeup color is black! WHAT?!

Some of you love Twilight and some of you LOVE Twilight. Are you die hard enough for this? The hands-down hottest makeup color this Winter is black. Yes, black. And I don't mean some kind of "paint-your-face-white-we're-going-back-to-1998-to-be-goth-in-high-school-kind-of-black"....I mean..yummy yummy Edward Cullen, gloomy day, let's take a little piece of him with us, dare-you-to-wear-it-kind-of-black.


The choices this season are endless from the relatively demure Dark Room nail polish by OPI for Sephora ($9 exclusively at Sephora) to the frighteningly dark Style Black collection by MAC (released in US September 24th, Internationally in October).

But if you're a true fan (and I know MANY of you reading are), you'll be interested in the Twilight Beauty collection....that's right....Twilight Beauty.....It's actually a bit subtle...Not overly dark. Still some black, but some rose tints too. Nowhere near as dark as the MAC collection and dare I say some of it is......PRETTY! *GASP*


The collection is overwhelmed in cool tones and earth tones- the perfect blends for any skin type as we go into Winter. As for price: Well....It's a bit more than Cover Girl and okay...it's a bit pricier than the ghoulish MAC collection....but what *IF* you happen to run into Robert Pattinson on the street and he sees you wearing something other than official Twilight makeup....and the moment is.....lost!


The choice of course, is yours!
Happy shopping!
-The FMC Team

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