Dear Friend,

On A Personal Note...

A big thank you to all of the wonderful ladies who came out to see me last week at the Springfield Women's Show and the Farm Credit Council's Convention in Palm Springs, CA. I had a blast sharing my own brand of thrifty chic know-how with all of you!

As usual, most ladies seemed to get the biggest kick out of my bra workshop... Let's face it, we all want better boobies and I love the way we all seem to unite behind that mission!... It's certainly a rather comical common denominator! In three days I believe I measured over four hundred ladies for new bras.

I hope you have all gone out and found better foundation garments that work for your body and your boobies! If you need additional measurement or fit help, you can find my advice for getting the Perfect Fitting Bra under my Ask Andy page .

Remember, the easiest way to improve the look of the clothes you already have hanging in your closet, is to improve your foundation garments! A great foundation will give everything a boost!

Be happy! Be beautiful! Be thrifty!

Tips

Ugghhh, as I sit here in New York City watching the first snow fall outside my window, I hate to even bring this up, but... now is the time to start thinking about how we are going to look in our swimsuits this spring/summer.

One of the easiest and least expensive ways to break up CELLULITE (the most frustrating harmless condition EVER!!) is to brush your skin with a 100% boar bristle hair brush.

By brushing your skin with strokes towards your heart, which by the way feels tingly-good, you are stimulating the blood flow and helping break down the "cottage cheese" on your thighs and upper arms! So, if we all start brushing now, we can have better looking bods by spring! (Yippee!)

Sale Rack

Oh good golly... the sales! January is one of the best months of the year to shop; the others are August and September of coarse, but this January has been especially great for bagging bargains. The season's crazy weather has retailers in a bind.

The folks that usually need cold weather gear have been partying in shorts and last week it SNOWED in Malibu! Wacky stuff... that equates overstocked, deeper than usual discounts for you! (WooHoo!)

Yep, end of the year clearances are everywhere and if you received a gift card for the Holidays, now is the perfect time to use it. Be sure to check and see if your gift card has an expiration date! Many of them now do. This is the perfect time to shop for:

• Boots! – Every style imaginable is on sale, so buy the best leather pair you can afford. You will ultimately get years more wear out of leather boots because you can have them resoled and polished when they start to look worn. This isn't always the case with faux leather.
• Outerwear of every variety – If you have wanted a new coat, parka or even a suede blazer, you are sure to find amazing deals in the coming weeks.
• Winter wraps, scarves, hats and gloves – These will perk up your winter cloak either this season or next.
• Colorful, soft, light-weight sweaters, shrugs and wraps – These are not to be overlooked as they can be worn with sundresses on cool nights this spring and summer.
• Anchor garments (i.e. trousers and skirts) – Well made garments of tropical wool, gabardine and light weight poly-blends in basic tones like black, brown and gray should be on your bargain shopping brain. These are the "go-to" garments of your wardrobe that offer structure and shape. They can also be worn all year long!
• Unique, feminine, fitted camis and tops in lace, satin or silk – These will work as great day to evening pieces for the rest of the year.
• Denim – Our daily uniform, offering modern casual ease, always goes on sale when the kids go back to school.
• Special Occasion Dresses – The sale racks are full of party dresses that didn't see a New Year's Rockin' Eve. If you have an upcoming prom, gala or wedding to attend this spring, run don't walk to the special occasion sale rack of your local department store.
• And if you're the bride-to-be, check out the sale rack for possible deep discounts on dresses that could double as bride's maid dresses. If there is something that you like, the department store can always do a national search for the sizes needed and have them shipped to the ladies. You never know unless you look!

 

This Month's Cents Of Style™ Accessory Suite

This month's jam-packed Accessory Suite is literally inspired by a stunning woman I saw holiday shopping in SoHo, here in New York City. She looked so fresh and chic with her beautiful beret, her COACH patchwork hobo bag and locket necklace. She seemed very confident, strong and unique... Just how I want you to look! So, while I was out gathering this month's suite, I found this fabulous replica of the COACH patchwork hobo bag (retails for almost $300) and I could not resist putting together a Suite in honor of the stylish stranger. That's what I love about living in the City... you never have to look far for creative inspiration... and no matter where you live, you never have to spend a fortune to look like a million! SoHo Chic, includes a mod patchwork hobo bag, that's much smaller than many of the bags I have featured in the past; a classic, stylish chocolate beret, a layered brass chain necklace with both charms and heart locket, matching earrings and an elegant brass mirrored compact for your purse. This Suite is so cool... I just know you are going to love it! JUST $49.50 BUY IT NOW

Latest Poll

What is your favorite thing to shop for?

Well a surprising 10% of you hate shopping completely, finding it frustrating and annoying (insert my sad face here, though I understand your pain!). But, 27% of you love shopping for all things girl-tastic, going about it with gusto and a thrifty diva spirit, no doubt (smile returns). The rest of you fall somewhere in between, reveling in the hunt for specific things such as jeans, shoes, dresses, cosmetics and accessories.

The lesson to be learned here is that shopping for what you like and staying true to your creative fashion spirit helps you develop your own personal style. Quite simply, gather and wear what you love! And if you do not love it, don't buy it! That sounds so simple but we all buy things we really don't like all the time.

If you love shoes, then by all means make them your style statement. Become known as the girl with the cutest shoes on the block. If dresses float your boat, find more ways to incorporate them into your weekly wardrobe; don't just save them for special occasions. If you dig being in casual clothes, opt for an upscale casual look that blends both business and casual attire, like fitted hoodies with pencil skirts, casual tees under business suits or jeans and classic blazers.

Take stock of what fashion items put a spring in your step and ignite conversations with both friends and strangers. The items you love are the things that herald your spirit, so don't make wimpy choices. Go bold! By showcasing one schweet fashion gem you are sending a confident message that will overshadow the fact that you're not quite as happy with the rest of your outfit!

And just so you know, when someone casually mentions that they were out shopping and saw something that totally reminded them of you... guess what? You have your own personal style! Just remember, developing your own style is all about skylarking in your loves and making a unique fashion statement with them. You can do it!

Have You Tried...

Boudreaux's Butt Paste?

This little miracle ointment was originally created by a Louisiana pharmacist to help aching baby bottoms; but it has quickly become a leading dry skin ointment for babies of all sizes! (hehe) If you are suffering from winter's dry itch, this butt paste will soothe and heal lickedy-split!

I use it on my hubby’s chaffed elbows and it works like a charm without being greasy or smelling medicinal! I just love it! And from what I hear... it's the best diaper rash demulcent ever created! Just $6.49 at drugstore.com.