Looking Nice for School...Made Easy: Sweaters

So many times I scroll through my newsfeed on Facebook or my timeline on Twitter and I think "That's what you're wearing to school? It looks...painful." 

It seems like every day I'll wake up and check Twitter to find girls tweeted one after another "I was going to look nice today but couldn't find anything to wear. Sweats it is!". Then when I do happen across someone who has decided to dress up, it's always so complicated and dressy that it could be worn to a fancy restaurant or worse...clubbing. I find myself looking at the screen wondering why girls put themselves through the torture of wearing those outfits (because we all know they aren't comfortable) or the equally torturous process of trying to find something to wear and just giving up. The only reason I could come up with is they just haven't been able to find anything that's comfortable and easy, but also fashionable and flattering. So I thought I would put together a few collages of fashionable fall essentials that are easy to mix and match and don't require a ton of effort in the morning. 

sheinside.com - $43 | target - $18 | gap - $36 | h&m - $32 | jcrew - $40 | romwe.com - $48

There are endless sweater possibilities, which really just means there are endless ways to flatter anyone's body type. Tight, loose, oversized, however you want to wear it, there is a sweater out there for you. These really are a girl's best friend in the fall and winter. Oversized fits can be worn over leggings or skinny jeans, and anything too short to cover your bum can be worn with skinny jeans or even disco pants if you are so inclined ;) More fitted sweaters can be worn very chic-ly with a dark wash loose fit trouser or denim if you don't want to have your pants clinging to your bottom half, and all of these different options can be matched up with a scarf and long necklace for extra flare.

Some of my favorite fall/winter colors this year are maroon and mustard yellow, so I included examples of those. However, when it comes to sweaters a great color is cream or oatmeal. Often times we get so bogged down in the colder months with dark heavy colors and a light cream or oatmeal colored thick knit sweater is a great way to incorporate lighter colors into your winter wardrobe.

When I first started to write this, I really thought I would be able to fit all of the stuff I wanted to into one post, but after having started I've realized this is going to have to be a series of posts, haha. I really just want to give quality information and the best way to do that is to spread it out instead of squishing everything into one giant post. So, next time I'll cover the scarves and necklaces I talked about! I'm quite excited about this actually. It'll really give me something to write about when I get stuck :)

BIG FAT DISCLAIMER: I don't want anyone to get offended by this. If you really enjoy wearing those clothes, by all means, continue to rock it and do what makes you happy. I just thought I would offer my advice in case it really was a lack of knowledge keeping people from looking their best. I hope I didn't put a thorn in anyone's side!

"How Much Is Your Face Worth?" Tag

As a general rule I try to keep this blog mostly about fashion because, well, that's what most interests me, and also what I really feel like I know best. However, lately I've been obsessed with watching beauty tutorials on Youtube and reading all of these beauty blogs. I'm not going to stick my neck out there and say this is going to turn into a beauty blog (I don't have the makeup skills for that!) but I really would like to incorporate all aspects that I'm interested in. This is, after all, my blog!

With that said, I've seen so so many people doing the "How Much Is Your Face Worth?" tag. Basically, you add up all of the products that you put on your face for a singular look and then gape at how much your face actually costs to put on. Strange concept, I know, but it sounded fun!

Maybelline Cover Stick Corrector/Concealer - Green - $6.29

Covergirl Invisibile Concealer - Light - $6.49

Neutrogena Skin Clearing Oil Free Foundation - Nude - $14.49

Covergirl Clean Pressed Powder Oil Control - Buff Beige - $7.99

Maybelline Ultra Brow Brush-On Powder Color - Dark Brown - $6.79

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil - Yeyo - $19.00

Wet 'n' Wild Mega Liquid Eyeliner - Black - $2.99

Maybelline Great Last "Lots of Lashes" - Very Black - $5.19

Ulta brand lipstick - Chili Pepper 203 - $8.00

Total: $77.23

Honestly, I was expecting a lot worse. When I've seen them on the YouTubes or on other blogs, some of these girls were getting up into the $300, $400, $500 range! They do have wonderful makeup though...(and it wasn't bought at the local Walgreens).

I would have to say I really do recommend all of these products, except for the liquid concealer. It's cakey, does not last very long, and on my skin tone it is very hard to make the right color with the rest of my foundation. It's almost gone thankfully, and I'm really just trying to use it up. I'll be making a different purchase next time. Maybe I'll actually buy some luxury makeup this time after watching all of the wonderful YouTube girls use their fancy-pants makeup. That's all for now! I have the week from hell coming up in school with two exams and two papers, so I've meticulously planned my next week and a half. Cross your fingers that I can find time to update!

#2 Lust List - Fall 2012

1. Nordic print leggings | 2. Mustard yellow skirt | 3. Maroon beanie | 4. Essie "Lilacism" | 5. Madden Girl "Zoiie" boots

Hello there, everyone, I'm home! I actually came home on Monday evening, but it was quite an ordeal. It seemed to take forever and a day, but I'm finally back into my normal routine. I've been sleeping like crazy (Wednesday I slept 18 hours!) but other than that, the antibiotics they have me on now are certainly doing the trick and I'm on the fast track to recovery. The worst part about this is that I am no longer allowed to have caffeine :( It's the price I have to pay for non-damaged kidneys, I suppose.

Now on to the real point! "The Lust List" Fall 2012 edition is here, and I am literally drooling over the items I have on here. The first is a pair of nordic print leggings. How adorable are the little deer floating around on them?! I've not actually found them in stores around me yet, they've just been floating around the internet. I'm a little afraid I won't like how the look once I order them, so I'm hoping they crop up somewhere soon... The second item is a mustard yellow skirt. I adore the mustard yellow color for fall (I'm also on the lookout for a pair of tights this color!), and this skirt is actually from Target. I think I'll make my way over there some time soon to try and snatch one up.

Item three is this super soft, super rich colored beanie from Topshop. I am so envious of people who have enough money to shop their on a regular basis, and for now I'm stuck looking for a knock off version of this or swooning after this one. Speaking of swooning, this grey-lilac Essie polish is at the top of the list. We all know I have a serious addition to polish, and a new season just means a new reason to buy new colors...right?

Last, but certainly not least, are the "Zoiie" Madden Girl boots. Last winter I saw them everywhere, but I had no idea they were Madden Girl brand, and I certainly wasn't forward enough to walk up to the owners and ask where they bought them. But this winter I am determined to find myself a perfect pair of brown equestrian style boots, even if they aren't this exact pair. My birthday is coming up in a few months, people, in case you're looking for ideas early ;) 

Uh Oh Spaghetti-O's....

Hey there everyone! As you can see, this isn't going to be a regular type of post for The Style Duckling. As you can also see, I haven't posted for quite a while, and I'm here to fill you in on everything that's gotten in the way of that so you don't feel as though I've abandoned you all!

Since my last post on Thursday, August 30th, I went and visited my boyfriend for his first home football game and to spend the weekend with him and his fantastic family. Here a few little snippets from that wonderful weekend trip :)

headed to the game | his very large cat named cucumber | classic couple photo :)

However, during such trip, I started to feel a little poorly. I didn't think much of it at the time, but now I know that I should have (hindsight is always 20/20...). When I came home Monday afternoon, I spoke with my doctor and he wrote a prescription for an antibiotic I have needed before, and I went along my merry way thinking I would all find and well in just a few days. How very wrong I was... By Thursday I was so ill that I bombed a math quiz because I was running such a high fever (at one point it was at 103.6!) I was practically falling over and I missed the rest of my classes the rest of the day. By Friday morning, I had to be admitted into the hospital. And here are some lovely snaps of my stay here! (Proceed with caution if you're squeamish at all of needles!)

whats keeping me alive | whats actually keeping me alive | he wanted to be in charge of the remote...

Hopefully I'll be able to go home tomorrow afternoon, but they really need to make sure a few more things are in order before they can let me leave. This is all connected to a childhood illness that I was born with that is really just a bunch of complicated terms to describe that my kidneys didn't function as they should have, and though they have grown stronger as I've grown older, I am still quite susceptible to kidney and other related infections and diseases. It's all my own fault that I'm stuck here really, since I didn't respond quite as fast as I should have. So now I'm being punished by karma to be stuck in this place all weekend! This is the first time that I've really had the strength and right state of mind to let you all know what's going on. Hopefully I'll be out of here soon and better than ever, because after my constant reading of Vogue all weekend, I'm just bursting at the seems with trends and pieces I've fallen in love with to share with you all. Off to eat a terrible lunch of hospital cafeteria food, ta-ta for now!