Do It Yourself
Clairol Natural Instincts
What: Angela changes it up with Natural Instincts
The Lowdown: There was a time when coloring your hair at home was a real risk—not only were the results not guaranteed to be great, they were permanent. Natural Instincts was one of the first non-permanent haircolors (lasts through twenty-some shampoos) we can remember on the market, and has managed to stick around for a reason.
If you’ve never colored your hair before, Natural Instincts is super easy to use. Mix it in the applicator bottle, and apply to damp hair. Leave on for somewhere between 10-20 minutes, and rinse and condition. The result? Consistently good color, super soft shiny hair, and a little body boost for good measure.
The downside of Natural Instincts is that for the best result, you need to stay within a range of your own haircolor—so for dramatic transformations, you’ll have to go another route (we’d recommend the salon for anything drastic, natch). And, as someone who has used this product for long stretches, I’ve found that when used repeatedly over long periods of time, it doesn’t completely wash out anymore. But in general, if you’re of a mind to make more subtle haircolor changes (add a little red, tone down the brass) on a regular basis, Natural Instincts is a reliable option.
The Verdict: Yea. The color is in fact natural-looking, lasting, and cheap—even if you use it EVERY month, it’s less than $10 per application.
Buy It: Wal-Mart, Target, Drugstore
After the Wedding: Five Quick Uses for Your Wedding Dress
1. Make a Quilt. If you have a family member or friend who is into quilting, you can have them turn your wedding dress into a quilt. This is a great option for those who don’t have children or only have sons (it makes a great gift to them when they’re getting married)
2. Dye it. Depending on the fabric, you may be able to have your dress professionally dyed, so you can wear it again as an evening gown.
3. Shorten it. Have the dress shorten and wear it as a cocktail dress
4. Sell it. Hopefully, you will only get married once, so if you’re not the sentimental type, sell your wedding dress on eBay or craigslist. Often, you can recoup up to 75% of the price of the dress.
5. Save it. You may have a family member who would be interested in using the dress.
Do you have other great tips for reusing a wedding dress? Post them below…
Transform and Re-purpose
The Budget Fashionista gets crafty, and wants to inspire you to mend, transform and re-purpose your old blah and broken clothes.
Invest in a glue gun: for less than $5, this handy tool helped us make floral hair pins, pasties, brooches, and fix anything from shoes, hems, missing sequins, and mugs. (This Stanley HotMelt Glue Gun is only $3.99, and this low-temp glue gun with 3 sticks of glue is only $4.99.)
Floral pins, eh? Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to make a surprisingly trendy flower pins for your hair.
Change your shoes: We all have old shoes that’re getting way too boring to keep wearing. All you need are old clip on earrings, or a hunt through the bargain bin at your craft store.
Get some ideas on what to do with an old table cloth.
For a slightly more complicated project, consider updating your old winter coat. Check out the awesome reader suggestions, such as adding a belt, replacing buttons, and sewing or cutting shoulder pads.
Make Jewelry Travel Friendly, Nordstrom Sale, $20 Spring Sandal, DYI Earrings, TopShop Necklace
Tangled jewelry, lost earrings, stolen goodies… oh my! FabSugar has tips on how to keep your jewelry travel friendly, and a little safer.
Many of Nordstrom’s Spring Dress, Shoes and Handbags are now on sale! Second City Style gives us heads up on saving up to 40%.
Omiru’s got the right idea on how to step into Spring: a gorgeous faux-snakeskin sandal for less than $20 - oooh, nice.
We love DYI projects, and this one’s simple, cheap, and matchy-matchy. Get instructions on how to make your own covered-button earrings from the clever BlissTree blog.
Fashion Pulse Daily hows us that the TopShop for US online store has some great finds; check out the totally tight chain-link mesh ring necklace, for only $30!
Be Your Own Beautician
Skip your trip to the salon, and save yourself a little bit of cash, by learning how to do these salon services yourself.
Here’s some tips for saving money by doing your own beauty services:
Wax your own legs: youch! Get step-by-step instructions via our links below.
Do your own pedicure: don’t stress! Relax and follow all our steps, which includes a shopping list of exactly what you’ll need.
Preserve your manicure: a manicure might be harder to do yourself, but when you’ve got it, check out our tips on how to make it last.
Shape your own eyebrows: we’ve got the 101 on the perfect tools, the perfect shape, and best of all, perfect results.
Learn how to apply false eyelashes: this is a tricky one, but we have a $6 at-home kit, and tips on how to make it easy.
TLC’s Mark Montano on Today’s Shoptalk Lifestyle Podcast
Click on the player below to listen:
Today I chat with celebrity designer Mark Montano of TLC’s “While You Were Out” and STYLE Network’s “My Celebrity Home” about how to make some easy fashion and décor pieces at a fraction of what you’d pay in a store. s.
Three Things You’ll Learn From our Interview with Mark
- Mark’s Book,The Big ### Book of Crafts, really is a big ### book of crafts. Like hundreds of them. Read it and you’ll be overcome with the urge to jump in your car and head to your nearest Michael’s (make sure to bring a coupon).
- It’s amazing what you can do with a bottle of glitter, some tree leaves, and elmer’s glue. Listen to the interview to learn more.
- Having a craft night with friends and family is an excellent (and cheap… really cheap) way to get together. Rather than take your kids to a movie- which can run you up to $40 (when all they really want is to watch Wall-E for the 15th time), stay at home and make something together. Then watch Wall-E cause it really is a good movie.
Click on the above audio player to listen and don’t forget to call us with your advice related questions at 201-984-5633
Dress With Youthful Sophistication, Simply Vera Wang for Kohl’s, Etsy Finds, Review Kiehl’s Mascar
A mascara with conditioning benefits? We’re all ears - check out the full length review of Kiehl’s new Marvelous Mineral Mascara at Second City Style.
Omiru’s outfits are always bang on trend; learn how to experiment with yummy new sophisticated details, while remaining true to your wardrobe.
Photos for the new Simply Vera Wang for Kohl’s have hit the web, and they’re pretty dang enticing. FabSugar has pictures of everything, and reviews the line.
Build a Knit-tastic Wardrobe
Attention, all knitters and crocheters. Quamut.com (a ginormous how-to site created by Barnes & Noble) is offering up its knit and crochet patterns for free! They normally cost $2.95 each. Do-it-yourself arts and craft type people are good at saving money, and this is a great way to save even more of it. Knit a sweater for your chihuahua, a scarf for your upcoming ski trip, or even a clutch for your upcoming date. Only problem is much of Quamut.com’s patterns are geared toward winter (fuzzy sweaters and whatnot).
But if you’re a knitter/crafster, start downloading Quamut’s how-to PDFs now, because they’re only free for the month of February.
Anthropologie Introduces Craft Workshops
What: Anthropologie recently launched free in store “reinvention” (aka craft) workshops in select stores nationwide, with the goal of helping customers get the most out of their clothing.
From Anthropologie: “We wanted to share something really personal, which is our creative side, on a one-on-one level,” said Anthropologie’s chief merchandising officer, Wendy Wurtzburger. From an earlier press release: Just in time for the holidays, Anthropologie will debut a special series of craft workshops that will tug at customers’ heartstrings, as well as those of their family and friends. Given the current state of the economy, customers will be thrilled to discover how extraordinary and meaningful a hand-crafted, remade gift can be. They will find that their work possesses more of their true self and sentiment and helps to convey crucial messages regarding the needs for reinvention and reuse from economic to environmental.
Check out your local Anthropologie stores for workshops
Make Your Own Barack Obama T-Shirt!
The girls at Compai have a new YouTube account, and are breaking it in with a totally fun fashion DIY with a political conscience . . . How to Make Your Own Barack Obama T-Shirt. If you are ready to rock the vote for Obama, AND aren’t afraid of laying down a few stitches, this is the project for you.
For more, check out www.compai.com
What to Do With an Old Tablecloth
So I’m reading my issue of House Beautiful (which I got for free because Budget Living Magazine tanked) and I found these great tips on how to make your own duvet cover and shower curtain using a old table cloths.
Here’s how to do it:
Duvet Cover: Find an oversize old tablecloth. Measure a queen duvet cover. Take a white linen (or any white sheet) and mark it off with the measurements. Pin the tablecloth to it. Cut off excess fabric. Sew them together to make a pocket.
Shower Curtain: Stitch together a different colored fabric onto the back of a tablecloth. Use a sewing machine to make buttonholes on top of the curtain. You can also use a kit to install grommets, making sure they’re evenly spaced. Hang with decorative hooks and a hotel or plastic liner.
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