Knit Dresses

By Amra B. 

How to style knits in the fall and winter season:

With the cold winter days, I find that I often look for warm and practical fashions that I can easily incorporate into my existing wardrobe. Knit dresses have been one of my favorite winter staples; they are incredibly easy to wear and look equally amazing when worn with a flat boot or a high heel. The current trend of oversized knits has made the Row designers Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen pair up their knit “dresses” with wide legged pants for an effortless and chic office attire. 

Below are some suggestions on how to wear knit dresses this season: 

Knit inspiration: the Row fall 2020

1. Wear it as a dress: the easiest way to wear a knit dress is to add a pair of tights and knee-high boots. I love dressing my knit dress by pairing it up with flats during the day, and adding a high heel bootie/boots during the night.  I also love combining a knit dresses with trendy sneakers for an ultimate cool (yet relaxed) vibe. 

A knit dress with tights and knee high boots

A knit dress with sneakers 

A knit dress with oxford shoes and knee high socks

Add a pair of pumps to your knit dress for a feminine and polished look 

2. Wear it as a shirt: The seasons oversized fashions have inspired me to wear my knit dresses as a sweater. Fashion icons like Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen have combined their oversized knits with wide legged trousers for a ultimate fresh take on knit wear. If knit on knit seems like a bit much, I suggest pairing your knit dresses with wide legged jean bell-bottoms or dress pants. 

Knit dress with a flowy skirt 

Add a pencil skirt to your knit dress for amazing office attire 

A knit dress over a loose black pant

Add (p)leather pants and pumps to your knits for a "très" chic look 

For a perfect weekend style, add loose jeans and a pair of pumps

3. Don’t forget to accessories: chunky knit looks best when worn with chunky jewelry; simple jewelry tends to get “lost” in the thickness of the material. I also love adding a belt to emphasize the waist and a hat or a head-piece for a touch of boho vibe (see mine below). 

A knit dress with a chunky necklace

A knit dress with a chunky knit hat 

4. Size matters: chunky knit dresses are meant to be worn loose; if in doubt, go for one size bigger. The roomier the knit, the more it gives off the slimming-effect. 

Oversized knit dress with a multicolored detail 

Loose black knit dress 

Oversized knit dress with a pair of nude pumps gives an extra slimming effect 

Oversized knit dress with chunky platform boots 

Wishing you a great day!

Outfit: H&M knit dress, Brian Atwood boots, Zara socks and a headpiece, Gucci purse

Delicious and Healthy Holiday Food Recipes

By Avery C.

Hello my lovely fashionistas!

I don'y know about you, but I cannot believe how quickly Thanksgiving is approaching! Before long, Christmas Eve will arrive and Santa will be delivering gifts to all of the good boys and girls. Hopefully you have been nice this year! ;)

As much as we all love the cheerful holiday season, I know that a few of us worry about that extra turkey weight. I get it- we should be able to enjoy the food we have been lucky enough to receive! Sadly, it can come at a price. Therefore, I am here, fashionistas, to provide a few of my personal favorite healthy (and delicious) food recipes you can make at home and bring to your friend's annual Christmas party...

Top 3 Nutritious But Delicious Holiday Food Recipes:

Apple Cider

1.) Bold Winter Green Salad 

This delicious and easy green salad recipe only requires a few simple ingredients, including lemon juice, radicchio and escarole greens, and garlic! It is a healthy and fun holiday hit!

Ingredients 

2-3 cloves garlic 

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 

2 tablespoons lemon juice 

1 tablespoon vinegar 

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 

12 cups chopped salad greens, such as radicchio and escarole

Directions

Place garlic to taste in a large salad bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add lemon juice and vinegar; let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in anchovies to taste. Whisk in oil in a slow steady stream until well combined. Add salad greens and toss.

2.) Red and White Salad 

Bitter sweet peppery flavors go well in this confetti-like salad of wintery fruits and vegetables.

Ingredients 

4 cups thinly sliced hearts of romaine 

2 heads Belgian endive, cored and thinly sliced 

1 bulb fennel, trimmed, cored, quartered and thinly sliced 

1 15-ounce can hearts of palm, drained, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced 

1/2 head radicchio, cored, quartered and thinly sliced 

1 red apple, cored and cut into matchsticks 

1 cup thinly sliced radishes 

Champagne Vinaigrette 

Freshly ground pepper, to taste 

Directions

Toss romaine, endive, fennel, hearts of palm, radicchio, apple and radishes together in a large bowl. Add vinaigrette and toss to coat. Season with pepper.

3.) Spiced Apple Cider

Apple cider is one of my absolute favorite holiday drinks. This easy drink recipe will help you find a healthy alternative to a seasonal hit.

Ingredients

Lemon rind strips (from 1 lemon) 

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 

1 gallon apple cider 

2 tablespoons light brown sugar 

20 whole cloves 

5 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks, halved 

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice 

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

1/2 cup Calvados (apple brandy) or applejack (such as Laird's) 

Additional cinnamon sticks (optional)

Directions

Bring first 8 ingredients to a boil in a large in an oven. Then pour mixture through a sieve over a large bowl, reserving liquid. Sir in brandy and serve in mugs.

For more on healthy guilt free holiday food recipes, click here. There you have it loves! These are a few of my favorite healthy and YUMMY holiday dishes/drinks! Have a happy happy Thanksgiving (gobble gobble) and a Merry Christmas!

Dark chocholate molten lava cake with strawberries 

Simple Makeup Ideas to Try for Holiday Parties

By Katya Bychkova

Party-Ready Makeup Ideas

With so many parties coming up in November and December, it is important to keep in mind a couple of makeup looks that you could create in just a couple of minutes without purchasing any extra makeup products. In this inspirational post I propose you two holiday looks that you can try while getting ready for the family gathering and a party with friends. Here are my ideas for different holiday makeup looks...

Me

Look #1: Good Girl

Most fall and winter holidays are family-oriented. It means that you need to know how to create a beautiful but not too provocative makeup look which make your mom happy but still highlight your best features. Personally, I’ve noticed that my family members make me the biggest amount of compliments when I am using the shades of pink in my makeup. I bet you will receive many positive comments too if you try this easy makeup a la naturelle.

Step #1: Preparation

First and the most important step while creating a makeup that you will be wearing during the day is a primer. Thanks to this miracle product, your liquid foundation stays longer and your skin tone looks smoother. For me, the best primer is Luminous Foundation Primer by Sephora Collection because it contains light reflecting pigments that makes your skin glow.

Step #2: Foundation and Concealer

The next step is to correct your under eye shadows with the concealer. I prefer L’Oreal’s Instant Age Rewind in Light Pale for its incredible applicator that evenly distributes the product on your skin. Usually I apply concealer and do not blend it until my liquid foundation is on; in that way, the under eye area absorbs more product. I like to use L’Oreal Magic Nude Liquid Powder because it has a very pleasant consistency that doesn’t clog pores. This, for me, the best drugstore foundation reminds me Armani Maestro Foundation (which is spectacular!), but it is three times less expensive than Armani’s product.

Supermodel Sara Sampaio

Step #3: Eyes

My favorite trick for the natural makeup look is to use luminizer under the eyebrows so the eyes look bigger and brighter. In my opinion, the best product for the natural look is MicroSmooth Baked Luminizer by Sephora Collection in #01-Stardust. It has a very neutral glowing pigment that looks great on most skin shades. After the luminizer is applied, take a small amount of Maybelline Color Tattoo in Leather Cuir eyeshadows on your finger and apply it on your eyelid. Then, take a soft eye pencil and line your eyes; make sure that the line you are creating is very narrow -- there is no need for a dramatic eyeliner during the day. Finally, take a little amount of a silver eyeshadow from Almay Intense i-Color Smoky-i Eyeshadow palette and apply it on the inner corners of your eyes. Then, use your favorite mascara to complete the eye makeup.

Step #4: Cheeks

Use the same illuminator that you applied under the eyebrows, MicroSmooth Baked Luminizer by Sephora Collection in #01-Stardust, to highlight the cheekbone area. Then, pick up Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté Shine lipstick, apply in below the area where you applied an illuminator, and blend evenly.

Step #5: Lips 

I love lipsticks that not only look and taste good, but also hydrate lips, and Rouge Volupté Shine by Yves Saint Laurent is one of these rare products. Skip lip pencil, and apply just the lipstick, so lip makeup looks even more natural.

Look #2: Scarlet Red 

When it comes to going out, I always prefer those makeup looks that incorporate red lipstick. In my opinion, bright lipstick makes every girl look prettier and allows her to feel more confident. Thus, why not wear the red lipstick to the holiday party? Also, I think that red lipstick looks the best if combined with dark eyebrows and not very intense but colorful and perfect eye makeup. In this tutorial I propose to combine purple and green eyeshadows with scarlet red lipstick.

Step #1: Foundation and Concealer 

For the evening makeup, I usually use two-in-one foundation such as Yves Saint Laurent Teint Majeur in #01 Ivory. This top rated liquid foundation is created for mature skin (read: the product contains a primer) and provides a medium coverage. Don’t forget to mask those under eye shadows with the Yves Saint Laurent Touché Éclat that you can put either on top or underneath the foundation.

Stunning Sasha Pivovarova

Step #2: Eyes 

Use an eyebrow pencil or powder to emphasize your brows. Then, apply the lightest tone of the eyeshadows from NYC New York Color HD Trio Eye Shadow Palette in #789 West Vintage under the eyebrow and on the eyelid. Use the darker shade of green on the outer lower lash line. Use purple color on the outer lid and contour. Use Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eyeshadow in #15 Bella Purple for the lid. Finally, apply a couple of layers of your favorite mascara.

Step #3: Cheeks 

Select a blush color that highlights your best facial features. Stick to pink shades if you have pale skin like me (I used Chanel Joues Contraste powder blush in #64 Pink Explosion) or shades of gold if you have a bronzed skin tone. 

Step #4: Lips

As discussed, I recommend using red tones of the lipstick for your holiday look, and there is no better brand for that kind of products than Chanel. One of my favorite shades of Chanel lipstick is #104 Passion. If you would like to stick to more affordable option, try Maybelline Color Sensational Lipcolor (I like #645 Red Revival) which is a great inexpensive drugstore lipstick.

Beautifully lined red lips on Miranda Kerr 

Step #5: Perfume and accessories 

Finally, don’t forget to wear your favorite perfume and earrings. My favorite brand of perfume is J’Adore by Christian Dior that I’ve been wearing for years; it is a classic floral fragrance by Dior that I recommend to try. By the way, I’ve picked one great perfume trick from the book How to Look Expensive by Andrea Pomerantz Lustig. If you want to apply a proper amount of perfume, spray it on your hairbrush first and then brush your hair with it.

Photos by: Vital Agibalow

I hope you find these makeup tips helpful and wish you to have tons of fun during the holiday season. See more of my makeup DIY & tips on my blog. 

How to Dress Like a Hipster

By Seema Kukadia

Hipster Diaries

As a young fashionista experiencing the different influences across the world, I believe my personal style niche falls within the hipster domain. Beginning my journey as a blogger on Tumblr, I admired the artsy laid back hipster ambiance. The style genre has been influenced heavily by music festivals such as Coachella, music videos by Gwen Stefani and style icons Kylie Jenner and Vanessa Hudgens were great inspiration into creating the ultimate chic hipster look. I will now share with you the secret looks which will help you to dress like a hipster and attain the fountain of youth...

Me

Style Guide

Essential ingredients for a chic hipster:

1. A pair of leather leggings

2. 5-10 choker necklaces

3. 3 pairs of different boot heels

4. 5 beanie hats of different colours

5. Baggy sweatshirts & t-shirts w/ printed logos and quotes

6. 1 Leather hipster backpack

L-R: (Top: Brandy Melville, Leggings: Zara, Backpack: Primark, Boots: H&M , Sweatshirt: DKNY, Hat: Forever21, Jumper: Mystique Boutique)

I had a habit of waking up and being indecisive over what to wear each day. The battle between comfort and stylish was a struggle it was inevitable I could never find the right balance. I slowly started to follow a bunch of hipster girl fashion bloggers and celebrities that were adopting these fashion trends such as: Kavita, Kylie Jenner and Vanessa Hudgens. 

From gathering how the fashion trend setters wear the hipster style, I created my own alternative version where comfort meets stylish. I have now officially found the right balance for my own fashion closet. My day-to-day wardrobe consists mainly of: leather leggings, jumpers, beanies and jewellery. I can forever mix and match different colours and styles as I know sometimes when you purchase products it’s more of a “one time” use as it goes with nothing else. Here are some pros to my hipster fashion essentials:

A) Beanies are great for when you have a bad hair day

B) Leather leggings are an ongoing trend and can be played down or dressed up. Here is our complete guide on how to wear leather leggings.

C) Jumpers (prints, quotes and logos) are great now that it’s hitting winter; you can remain stylish and warm (Jackpot!)

Accessories

I heavily rely on hipster jewellery to enhance a trendy fashion look; as my attire consists mainly of the black colour spectrum (with an occasional splash of colour). I invest in choker necklaces as I believe they are such simple statement pieces that can be adapted to any style to create a hipster vibe. You can experiment with different choker necklaces by purchasing different types of fabrics such as leather, string or metal – this gives a “gypsy hipster” style to any look. You can even personalise your chokers with 90’s amulets: ying yang and hamsa hand symbols are quite popular. My personal favourite accessories are hand pieces, as I am Indian I like to incorporate a bit of culture into my every day wear.

I hope you guys enjoyed my first post for Club Fashionistas and have gained some inspiration into creating your own hipster fashion looks.

See more of my hipster looks on my blog here. 

NYC Style Inspiration: Brooklyn Artists