paris fashion: The Beloved Maxi Skirt and more...

Beauty Is Within Header

Dear Black Maxi Skirt,

I bought you in the summer of '99 knowing that you were going to be a classic. I could dress you up or down, wear you to work, and wear you on the weekends. Regardless of what season it was, I could find some way to create an outfit to include you.

You've been there for me as I moved from place to place, outlasting every other piece of clothing in my closet...and even though you are black, you never faded in the wash like my other black skirts did. For that, I do love you.

Today I pay homage to you for being there for me through thick and thin. I share you with the world and fellow fashion bloggers who also posted their beloved maxi skirts in the Bloggers Do It Better Series.

Love,
Maria

P.S. I love that I can lay in the grass with you...

Skirt: Prophecy by Sag Harbor
Shirt: Gap
Sandals: Steve Madden
Hair Accessory: (My own design)

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Can a 30-Something Pull Off the Neon Trend?

It was a bright spring morning, and my mom watched me at the front door as I headed out for my first day of 6th grade. A dark blue polo shirt with popped collar, blue jeans, brand new dark brown Sperry Top-Siders (similar to the ones pictured here), and bright pink neon-colored socks was the outfit for the day. (Yes, I was a tomboy back then.) I'm sure my mom was wondering what the heck I was thinking when I put that outfit together. She was always very supportive of my sense of style, so all she did was smile and wave goodbye.

Pink neon socks with brown Top-Siders?!? I'm so glad none of my school mates took a picture of me with that outfit on.

I did love those pink neon socks, though, and decided to wear them with everything. Then I got a pair of yellow neon socks and wore them out.

For whatever reason I really did not want to see this neon trend come back. But how could I deny something that I loved so much back in the 80's? I was close to buying a really cute neon pink striped shirt I saw in this store the other day, but I just kept wondering if a woman my age could actually pull it off.

Instead, I decided to have a little fun with neon orange nail polish. I'm going to attempt to wear this polish by POP Beauty (~$10) all weekend. They have some vibrant colors for the summer.

I'm actually having fun watching my fingers as I type up this post...

Here's an article over at Refinery 29 that offers some tips on how to wear neon...

Shop for neon clothes below...

neon

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New Beauty Resource: YouBeauty.com

Do you radiate beauty?

Need tips and advice to live a healthier, more beautiful life?

Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Michael Roizen have joined forces to create YouBeauty.com, a new beauty resource with a mission to help women improve their inner and outer beauty.

Here's how it works: At YouBeauty, you can take various quizzes that examine all the factors that affect your beauty. There are quizzes on happiness, stress, sleep quality, physical activity levels, skin and hair health, along with tools that find your face shape, facial symmetry and body shape, among others.

Your score on each quiz will be compiled to measure your YouQ™. Through an ongoing series of personalized action steps based on your quiz results, you'll be encouraged to improve your YouQ™ to reach your full beauty potential, while learning about yourself in new and important ways.

I took the brief Happiness Quiz where I learned that I'm generally a very happy person. I was also given the suggestion to meditate at least 5 minutes a day and show gratitude to maintain my happiness.

Unlike other beauty-related resources that offer tips and advice, I like YouBeauty because it helps you with the emotional and psychological aspects of beauty. For me, that's more important than learning what the best lipsticks are. Don't get me wrong though, I still like reading regular beauty magazines, but in my opinion, the best beauty tips and advice are those that help bring out who you truly are on the inside.

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The Best Travel Accessory

If you're jet setting around the country or across continents this summer, there's one travel accessory that I highly recommend packing in your purse or carry-on: a light-weight scarf.

Between airplanes and airports, temperatures can change dramatically. Sometimes it can get a tad bit cold on an airplane, so I always make sure to have a scarf and a light sweater handy.

During my vacation last month, I took my scarf from The Shawl Shop everywhere I went. It's lightweight and a great stylish travel accessory even in warm weather. I'm wearing the "Paige" style in lime green...