Princess422

Go to Dicks sporting goods, the kayak section, and you will find wear around your neck waterproof boxes that work - various colors, some transparent. I use one of each, depending..... On board I use the see through so I can make sure my cabin key is there. On shore I use the solid because I carry the photo id, credit card and cash. They are on my neck when in the water so no worries. I use the waterproof pouch sometimes.... the baths in virgin gorda as an example. I placed my spare glasses in the pouch to make sure I could navigate the grottos...

Thank you so much. This is a great idea, and I will definitely pick up one or two of them before my trip!

Hi all, I'm going to be traveling to the Caribbean on the NCL Gem in March. It will not be my first solo cruise, but I still have not resolved the issue of how to enjoy the water at the beach without having to worry about someone taking off with my stuff. Assuming I wear my cruise card on a lanyard and don't need my passport with me, there isn't much of value in my beach bag besides my smartphone, which I would not go without if only for safety reasons. But last time I went to Bermuda on my own, I couldn't really enjoy the water because I felt I had to keep an eye on my things. I recently saw on a website a supposedly waterproof pouch that you can wear around your neck (much like a lanyard, but it would fit a smartphone, money, etc.) but I have some doubts about its actual waterproof-ness.

I plan on doing shopping and eating an drinking in San Juan, a snorkeling excursion in St. Thomas and an excursion to the baths in Tortola, but I would really like to just plant my butt on the beach for the day in St. Maarten, possibly at Orient Bay. So ideas would be appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Princess in europe has low solo sups on some cruises.

 

eg Crown Princess 17June 23% 2pax €492pp solo €605.

 

others available. eg 24th May €418pp €511

EU/UK prices include taxes.

Sounds like a great deal... if I wouldn't need to book a last-minute round-trip flight to Europe! That would cost more than the cruise fare itself. I want to do Europe next, so if they have low solo supps on any Princess ships there in 2013, I am in - but I am afraid the good solo deals often don't come until the month or two before.

I don't know if others will consider this a bargain, but I did so I thought I would share - especially since I have generally had a difficult time (until recently, anyway) finding sailings on Princess that have anything less than a 100% solo supplement. I booked a 10-day Caribbean cruise on the Emerald November 7th, interior room for $1398. (Double occupancy is $999 each.) Not sure how steep the discount is for better cabins, it's not worth looking into for me since I'm never in my cabin anyway.

It is still far enough ahead of time that plane tickets are still cheap - you can go RT from any NYC airport for well under $300 depending on times and airlines. (I booked a flight for $258.) I suspect that will go up quite a lot, especially since, as someone on my roll call pointed out, the ship docks and we fly home on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. So if you have to fly, it may not stay a bargain for too long.

I have been wondering too. Dyan, are you out there????

I'm here! Congrats on the new puppy. :) I currently have one of our FOUR little Italian Greyhounds in my lap.

I've been keeping up on reading posts occasionally, but mostly it's just depressing because I'm STILL searching for work (and certainly can't be doing very much shopping - at this point I need to start saving what little I can of my unemployment benefits, in case they run out and I still haven't found a job).

I can't even seem to find a BS job just to make a few dollars, because I am "overqualified" which I think translates to: "we know you'll leave once you find an attorney position so it's not worth it for us to hire you."

I love all the warm violets you guys have been posting, and I want some! I've seen some similar shades labeled as "fuschia" on websites, which I find confusing because I think of fuschia as a cool purplish-blue-pink, but I guess at some point in the color spectrum there's a thin line between purplish-pink (cool) and pinkish-purple (warm, sometimes). Has anyone else encountered this? It happens with other colors too - like that greenish-yellow that I'm guessing is an ice color, and the yellow-green that is fire, but somewhere in the middle of those clearly defined colors is a muddled area where it's hard to tell.

I have been keeping an eye out on eBay, because I swear no matter how broke I am, there are occasionally deals that can't be passed up. Like, for $5 I got a NWT (that's new-with-tags if you're not familiar with eBay speak) J.Crew button down shirt in a bright coral color that I can wear under my many black and grey suits when I get a job (and until then can wear with jeans or whatever). I'm sort of expected to wear the standard black skirt suit at interviews because it's a conservative field, but instead of the "penguin suit" I like to wear a pop of color with it anyway. (I read somewhere that it makes you stand out to interviewers, in a good way as long as you stay otherwise conservative - it can be a scarf or a single piece of jewelry, or in this case, a bright shirt under a nice conservative suit.) Now I just need an interview to wear it to!

I also got a pair of brand new Sam Edelman orange-red flats ($26 with shipping) - I live in skinny jeans/pencil pants and flats all spring so I can justify spending the money - it will (hopefully) be too warm for my riding boots soon!

My only big splurge was a new peacoat. I have a handful of dressy coats - in NYC, I hardly needed anything casual - and a great suede-and-faux-fur coat in winter white that I love, but can't wear unless it's below 20 degrees or I get too hot! So my one go-to casual coat for most winter days was this old almost-black eggplant-colored peacoat from Victoria's Secret, which (other than making me look terribly washed out) was getting so old and crummy looking that even my super-thrifty mother was like, honey, you've got to replace that thing. I'd had my eye on that Old Navy peacoat in the green shade - "green spire" if I remember correctly - but by the time I was ready to cave in and make the splurge, they were sold out in the store and online. So I found it on eBay in my size (NWT) for $55 with free shipping, which was only $5 less than I would have paid at the store, but all in all pretty cheap for a peacoat. I absolutely LOVE the color of it, and how I look in it, and I've gotten so may compliments - it was definitely worth it.

I think it would look great with a bright orangey tomato red scarf, but then I'm afraid I might look like a Christmas elf. Thoughts? If it's too Christmas-y, I'll look for a scarf in that great violet color you've all been posting, but I think the tomato red looks even better with the lime green. I'm thinking if it's orangey enough, it will take away from the Christmas effect... maybe?

So anyway, that's my update. If and when I get a job, my FIRE shopping list is as follows:

- several bright camis & blouses to wear under my suits (because they're expensive and will take a while to replace)

- a bright lightweight trench to wear to work in warmer weather (my current lightweight trenches are black and ice pink) - my first choice would be warm purple but that might be really hard to find - second choice would be tomato red

- metallic gold flats (for when I'm NOT at work - they go with everything)

I am inspired by Kate Spade, because she does a lot with bright colors, and yet her clothes still look professional. Too expensive for me (and obviously not all the colors are fire tones), but I like to browse through katespade.com just to see how bright colors (and lots of them) can be incorporated into a professional wardrobe - and still look professional. I don't know if any of you have to do business or business casual for work, but if you do and you want to incorporate more brights, I highly recommend her collection for inspiration!

That's all I have for now. Hopefully soon I'll have good news to report, but until then, my shopping will be limited to a handful of under-$10 deals on eBay... lol.

Dyan

I was leafing through the current issue of InStyle magazine. It's the one with Gweneth Paltrow on the cover. If you can, I recommend that you flip through it for two photos.

 

1. Check out Gweneth in the Fire purple color in the picture of her on one of the index pages. Gweneth is a Fire, identified on the collage picture grouping on Curt's blog. All the accessories are gold. She looks fabulous. And you can get a great idea of one Fire purple in that photo.

 

2. Check out the "your look" section, I think it's called. Under the heading "embrace brights" there is an outfit that shows what they call a tangerine colored shirt with a plum colored shirt. Both are Fire colors. They show how it works as an outfit pairing a structured hand bag (in a kind of brown that mimics an orange kind of color brown) and wood accessories (the bracelets and accents on the shoes). Very cool to see an outfit that is ALL FIRE in a big way and not a great Fire colored shirt paired with tan or brown or some other more neutral color.

I happen to have a subscription to InStyle, and I also happen to have a scanner, so here you go!

I LOVE that outfit! I want a sweater that color. Victoria's Secret has a bunch of sweaters in a color called "lingonberry" - some of them look kind of dark, but others look just like the color shown above (especially the ruched cotton sweater collection) so I'm going to give it a shot and order one soon, now that the post-Christmas sales have been starting. :)

Too bad the tangerine skirt is Escada and $500. That will NOT be an easy color to find in a skirt... although we may see one in the spring collections, which will be on the racks quite soon. Even though it will be snowing here through April. I think the merchandisers just want to make us depressed about the weather!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

D

Hey all,

I've recently been admitted to the bar association and along with that I've been able to step up the job search a few notches (mostly through networking), so I've been quite busy lately. Also, I'm very involved with my church, and you can imagine this is an awfully busy time of year! But I have been keeping up silently.

Just wanted to post on a couple of things:

Joby: So sorry about the loss of your pet. I've been through it before and it's just heart-wrenching. Some people say that pets become like people... but I think they're actually much better than most people. I'm not saying that sarcastically, or saying that I don't know any truly wonderful people, but pets are just different. They just don't have any evil in them; they're all love. In that way, people just can't compete. You're in my prayers.

On a less serious note - Anita - thank you so much for posting your mother's pictures, and I have to say, I LOVE that gold brocade jacket/overshirt/whatever it is - it's just gorgeous! I'm assuming it's not still available to purchase anywhere? What brand is it? Maybe I can find a used on on eBay or something... Love it!

No FIRE clothing updates on my end, I've been very frugal lately (by necessity), but hopefully I get some good stuff for Christmas in a few days.

Dyan

Any new Fire purchases lately????

Sorry I haven't been around much lately - there have been more job ads to reply to recently (which is good, although I'm not getting my hopes up, since I haven't gotten a single interview in the past year out of all the jobs I did apply for). No new purchases until I'm employed! I'm really quite broke until then. Which is why my Christmas wish list was so important to put together. Even if I had the money, I'd be saving it for right after Christmas, when everything goes on sale really cheap - Joby, as a bargain shopper, I'm sure you're aware of that. ;-) Old Navy has some good Black Friday sales coming up - sweaters for $15! - but I don't do Black Friday shopping, I think it distracts from the meaning of the season. If I have any money I will most definitely be surfing the Victoria's Secret website in January - they have great deals after Christmas on lots of their winter clothes, especially sweaters, sweaterdresses and coats, not to mention their cozy PJs which are my favorite. They have a different variation of flannel PJs every year which sell for about $40 before Christmas and about half that price after. Lots of their sweaters also dip down below the $20 mark... just a heads-up. Of course, there are sales everywhere after the holidays, but VS is my go-to for that.

And I also wanted to post today just to say: Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

-Dyan

I don't use mineral makeup, but I thought the whole marketing deal about mineral products was that they're all you need? That essentially the base coat you put on IS the primer?

NOOOOO... you NEED primer with mineral makeup, it might be optional with liquid makeup, but the mineral makeup will look cakey (especially in fine lines) if you don't use primer first (and allow it a couple minutes to set before applying the makeup).

I haven't tried the Monistat cream as primer but if it's the same as Smashbox like everyone says, it should be fine. I've tried Smasbox (and I don't like it, personally, but it's very popular so to each his own) and it was fine - didn't do a great job of smoothing out my complexion, but definitely didn't get cakey at all either. FYI, I definitely prefer Laura Geller's Spackle, $25 for a pretty big container of it, available at drugstore.com, fills in large pores & fine lines better than anything else I've tried, and is cheaper per ounce than almost any other primer (including the L'Oreal stuff you can now find at drugstores).

Welcome back, Dyan. Did you do lots of fun things in NYC?

I did a lot of touristy things, which is funny, because I lived there for five years and never did them (except for the museums - I love the Met). When you're living in NYC, you avoid those things, and any areas where there will be a lot of tourists, whenever possible. But my friend from the cruise ship wanted to do the touristy stuff, and I figured it was about time I did all that anyway. We got CityPasses which are great, for $79 you get admission to 6 things: Museum of Natural History, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Empire State Building Observatory, choice of Guggenheim Museum or Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center) observatory, and choice of Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island ferry or harbor cruise. Even if you only do four of the six, you save money by getting the city pass, because all of them are $20 are more and some are more than $30. We did all six (with Top of the Rock and harbor cruise, which we did at night - it was beautiful with all the lights, and it does go out to pass by the Statue of Liberty). Also saw the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall, which I go to every year!

Sorry that was really OT, but I do want to recommend the CityPasses to anyone who ever visits NYC and wants to see & do a lot.

Back on topic: I still don't have much fire clothing, but we were outdoors quite a lot so I opted to take my winter white coat (with a peach scarf) instead of my red (bright, but COOL red) or black one.... big mistake! Now I know why people (including my former self) wear so much black in NYC - anything else gets filthy after a few hours! If I ever move back to the city I'll have to get a navy coat, I think it would be the only fire color dark enough to handle the filth of that place! (I guess dark chocolate brown would work too, but I don't see too many coats that color, except leather.)

At one point we were on the subway with about two dozen people in the car, and I looked around and noticed that there was my DJ friend in his brown leather coat, and me in my winter white wool, and EVERY SINGLE other person on the train was wearing black.

My mom (whom I mentioned has the same natural coloring as me, although she dyes her hair blonde) has started to show some interest in the color thing ever since I showed her my test photos and she saw the difference. Yay! We are trying to figure out my father too, we think he is a winter, but I'm not really good at this, and we can't do test photos because he couldn't care less. :rolleyes:

Pam: I'm with Kim - I'd love to see photos of your fire outfits from the cruise! Especially the apple green formal dress. :D

I just got back from a few days in NYC (with the DJ from my last cruise, who drove down from Canada ;)) and I guess I missed a lot! Now that I am caught up on this thread, I wanted to say:

I would have posted my name sooner, but I thought I did that early on! It must have been on another thread. It's still pronounced like "Diane," just spelled weird, which usually leads to a dozen questions, so I hate the spelling. But that's the source of the nickname - family members jokingly called me "Princess Dy" for years and then it evolved to just "Princess." Of course, I AM a princess - in my head...

Curt: Thank you so much for all the very helpful posts! The photos are great, that always helps me a lot.

Terri: Do you post pictures on the web? I'd love to see them too!

Dyan:rolleyes:

First off, thanks for the newest lesson.

 

Now, I do see that Borealis seems warm but, why doesn't it look as bright as the Bluebird? And, are the jeans warm because they are very blue and not faded at all? I wondered how jeans could be called warm. So, I should look for the bright blue jeans?

 

The Bright Purple looks very purple/blue to me. More blue than purple. How is that not blended? I do see that gold might look very nice with that blue or purple or whatever color it is :) Why is purple not on the color card- just the reddish-violet?

 

Cobalt--how do you tell the difference between Ice cobalt and Fire Cobalt? Especially if it's a dress and the model doesn't have on other colors to compare?

Obviously Anita is the expert here, but I might be able to provide a little feedback... which is helpful for me too because Anita can correct me if I'm wrong. ;)

I think the jeans are warm because of the temperature, not the fade. Whether they are faded versus bright would seem to have more do with clear versus muted or powdery, not so much whether they are warm or cool. A lot of faded jeans look like they have a shade of yellowish brown mixed in with the blue, at least when you compare them to true blue jeans; those make me think earth. The ones that look like they have grey, cool beige or greyish brown mixed in look like air to me. I do have a harder time with the brights and distinguishing between ice and fire in practice, even though the difference between the blues on the two color cards is clear. (BTW, I did print out all four pallettes with the highest quality setting on my printer, on glossy photo paper, and I think it really is helpful.) Usually at that point the jewelry test is most helpful to me; but if that doesn't work, then I'm lost! LOL So I still have a ways to go. But I do see the jeans with the Borealis shirt as being warm. They just seem more like the yellowish "light true blue" of fire than the purplish "bright clear blue" of ice.

As for the bright purple shirt, I think it is ALMOST on the cards - it is similar to the "deep periwinkle blue" - it's darker, but still very bright and clear. I think you are seeing it as a bluish purple rather than a purplish blue which makes a difference to me, because I see the former as a cool shade and the latter as a warm one, although I'm not quite sure why. Maybe Anita can provide some clarification there. But what really does it for me with that shade is the jewelry test, and I would say the same regarding your cobalt question - does it look better with silver or gold? Sometimes that still doesn't help me (at least until someone points it out - I'm with you on that one) - but sometimes it sheds a lot of light.

I have a question: Can colors be neutral? I mean, at least in theory, there has to be some sort of middle ground where the temperature of the color is stradding the line. I have a beige suit that doesn't look particularly warm to me, but doesn't look really cool, either, and I'm just wondering. Obviously that already means it's not the best color, but is it possible to have shades that are do-able for more than one season? Thanks in advance.

Dyan

I know. I know. When I was being "diagnosed" by Curt, he really wanted to see me in Fire blue. He used the Express site to show me what Fire blue was. And Fire purple. My conclusions are based largely on my Curt education from the Express site. I am pretty confident in what I am seeing though.

 

At some point, muted and clear become difficult. When you start to have those colors that aren't clearly on one side of the coin or the other. But Borealis is definitely too bright to be worn by someone that needs muted coloring. WAY too bright really, so by default, it works for either fire or ice. It's definitely reading warm on my screen. Please note that they have matched it with warm jeans and not the gray colored jeans that a lot of other colors are matched with.

 

Bright purple does not look good with the silver of the belt buckle. It just doesn't. And when I see the "golden" color of the Amber on the screen, I can just totally picture GOLD accessories with that purple so much more than the silver. Thus, FIRE.

 

Cobalt. There's no doubt in my mind. It doesn't go with those gray jeans at all. AT ALL on my screen. Again, I'm actually liking it in theory with gold accessories (using the Amber square as a guide).

This is so instructive. I was definitely certain of the cobalt (yay!) and I also immediately thought that the bright purple was fire, even though it doesn't really come close to matching any of the colors on the cards - I guess that is a good example of looking for colors that go WITH the palette instead of matching them. When I'm confused between fire and ice (I generally have a much easier time discerning between clear and muted) I also do the jewelry test in my head, it is becoming sort of like reflex now. It helps SO much! Some colors are hard to tell when I first look at them, but if I try to picture it with silver versus gold jewelry, some of them just become obvious. That bright purple was one of them - definitely much better with gold, I think.

Joby, I was also not too sure about Borealis. I think it may be my monitor. It's definitely bright, but I'm having a hard time with warm and cool on that one. Concord also looks like more of a dark maroon-red on my screen, so maybe I need to have my monitor fixed, but I don't even have any clue how to do that.

Thanks for all the info! Now if only Express made women's button-down shirts in so many colors. :rolleyes:

Anita, I should have realized that about the Talbot's website. But I'm just crossing my fingers on the twinset, because I love that purple. If not, my mom always keeps receipts.

Has anyone found something to get rid of brown age spots on face??

 

No one has said what blush they use and if it looks natural.

 

Has anyone tried the foundations that are clear and change color to skin tone..Almay?

 

Can someone post some great looking natural lipstick colors that last??

 

Has anyone had great success with teeth whiteners??

 

Thanks for help in advance. S

I don't have age spots quite yet, so I can't help you there, but as for the rest...

I use Bare Escentuals blush, so not drugstore brand, but it's very blendable and natural and not expensive, especially considering how little you need & how long it lasts. I think it's about $13 and lasts me at LEAST twice as long as pressed-powder blushes from the drugstore, because you don't need very much of it.

I have tried the Almay foundation that is supposed to change color to match your skin tone. I don't think it really does - I just think it's SO sheer that it will go with a wide range of skin tones! Hardly any coverage, and it also sat on my skin like a layer of oil. Huge waste of money.

Different lip colors are going to look natural on different people! Most of my natural-looking lip colors are Clinique, but as far as drugstore brands go, I live L'Oreal HIP liquid lipcolor in Zealous - it's like my natural lipcolor with a little oomph. But it will not be right for everyone; my lips are naturally pretty dark.

I HAVE had great success with teeth whiteners - Rembrandt's 2-hour whitening kit, which I use once every few months. $25 at the drugstore (and last time there was a $5 coupon attached to it!) and last time I used it, I went to the dentist a couple days later, and he could not believe how white my teeth were from a home kit. I had to have a cap redone (I chipped a tooth on a beer bottle back in my college days... LOL) and when the dental assistant had to find a white that matched my teeth, she said she'd never used a shade that white before. The results from this stuff are truly amazing, but you do have to put up with increased sensitivity for at least a few days afterwards - but I use extra strength Sensodyne for a week or so following the treatment and that helps a lot, and it's well worth it.

I also use Crest Whitestrips occasionally in between the Rembrandt kit just for maintenance, and they do help keep it up, but the results there are definitely more subtle.

please share away. I'm not possessive of this thread! I'm just glad that you are all so helpful in answering the many questions and giving opinions :)

I wanted to apologize for posting so much on this thread too! I could just start my own... on the exact same topic... LOL. But I am learning a lot by just reading. My Christmas list is done, so if anything on there is not right, oh well. I'm pretty confident about most of my choices, but I had to stay away from blues and purples, except for a couple of items at Express in a blue color called "hollyhock." Since your Old Navy top in the Bluest Eye color was a hit, I bookmarked that as a reference - this blue looks exactly the same on the screen so hopefully both are true to life. So this thread has definitely been helpful!

I did take one big risk, I asked for a twinset from Talbot's in a shade called Plum Plush which is definitely clear and bright but may or may not be warm. It doesn't exactly match any of the colors on my cards but it looks warm to me:

http://www.talbots.com/online/browse/product_details.jsp?id=prdi25039&rootCategory=cat90030&catId=cat80002&sortKey=Default&section=Sale&conceptIdUnderSale=cat90030

And if I am wrong, then oh well, I guess I will just be slow to make progress. But most of the rest of the items were shades of ivory, bright orangey red (love that color anyway), rich chocolate brown and peach or coral that I was pretty certain about - I think those are much easier to identify. Largely thanks to you guys!

Anita: I am so jealous of your mother. I also just adore Tim Gunn... not only is he THE fashion expert, but he's just a wonderful person. And Mondo was my favorite this season on PR! I love the way he mixes prints, which I've never been able to do, so congrats to you on that as well as the weight loss!

I am painfully jealous of your mom. ;)

RCCL Enchantment of the Seas (again) to the Bahamas Jan. 8 - nine nights out of Baltimore - only $569 total for a solo in an interior cabin. (Double rate is $399 per person, don't ask me to do math!) That is nothing!

Cruise Pup: I LOVE San Juan! What are you talking about? Still, 12 nights is always better than nine.

Actually, so many of the rates on just about all the mass market lines to the Bahamas, Caribbean & Mexico from now through February are so low that I wouldn't even mind paying double. 11 nights to the Caribbean out of New York on Cunard (yes, CUNARD) on Nov. 27th is down to $802pp for inside & $1002pp for a balcony. I don't think Cunard really ever has lower than 200% rates for solos, but that's a really good deal for a line of that level regardless. I would definitely pay $1600 for 11 nights on Cunard... if I had it right now!

So I stick with what works best for me, mostly Clinique or Philosphy brand skin care, I use it to the last drop. Clinique is moderately priced so I don't consider it to be an expensive department store brand. Lancome mascara...

I agree, I love Clinique and use a lot of their products, and most of it is not much more expensive than the good drugstore brands. I find their lipsticks to be more moisturizing than L'Oreal but not as long-wearing, so that's sort of a toss-up (and depends on whether I'm just going out for a few hours or spending a whole day out). I wish Clinique eyeshadows were more highly pigmented and I stick to L'Oreal for those, but other than that, Clinique is great, and very reasonably priced. I love their All About Eyes cream - it's the ONLY eye cream I've found that really makes a difference.

I also do like Lancome Mascara, and their Hypnose is my favorite of high-end mascaras, but I don't see much of a difference between that and L'Oreal Voluminous - except for price.

I use several Philosphy bath & body products - I LOVE the scent of Amazing Grace! Their Purity Made Simple face wash wasn't enough for my skin when I tried it, but that was several years ago when it was oily. I read in a magazine that it's a great product for hand-washing very delicate items like hosiery and lingerie, so I used up the rest of it that way. ;)

I get most of my cosmetics from Sephora, but I am constantly trying different drugstore brands in search of ways to cut back on my makeup spending, so I have a lot of feedback to give here... I will try to keep it short!

I use Bare Escentuals makeup & don't think I'll ever find anything I like as much. My second favorite makeup is L'Oreal True Match, which looks REALLY natural on the skin, blends well, provides medium coverage, and doesn't get cakey. I still use it on days I'm not going anywhere really important (to save money), since it's cheaper than BE but almost as good (as long as I still wear the BE Mineral Veil over it).

After trying a whole slew of various designer mascaras, I haven't found anything that gives more oomph (without flaking) than L'Oreal Voluminous.

L'Oreal eyeshadows (which someone already mentioned) are also wonderful. Blendable, silky, and very good pigmentation, no creasing (I do use my foundation as primer). And their HIP line has some great colors for going out (or dressing up on a cruise!) at night.

Also L'Oreal Color Riche Lipstick - as good as anything I've bought from Sephora and a lot cheaper. For glosses, my favorite is Clinique Glosswear (and at $14, not much more expensive than a lot of drugstore brands) - but L'Oreal's HIP collection has good quality ones too, I just wish they made more colors, because most of them are quite bright.

The basics: Face cleanser will depend on your skin type - there are a lot of great drugstore products out there but you have to find something that works for your skin. I am 30, I used to use formulas for oily skin, but my skin has gotten much drier in the past year so I very recently switched to Olay Gentle Foaming Face Wash which is a GODSEND (and still very cheap) - my skin cleared right up, and also brightened up, to the point that I can almost go without makeup now! Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer is the ONLY daytime moisturizer I've found (including at least a dozen designer brands) that provides enough moisture without causing breakouts. ROC Deep Wrinkle Serum is awesome - at $30 it's expensive by drugstore standards but far cheaper than luxury brand wrinkle treatments, and it really works on fine lines. It contains retinol, which can cause irritation if you go in the sun without sunscreen, but I also use Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Liquid Daily Sunblock (for face) SPF 55 - this is a relatively new product that I fell in love with just in time for my Caribbean cruise in May, it is great sun protection without any oiliness - it just absorbs right into your skin - and doesn't make me break out.

Hair: I don't know if this is included under the umbrella of "cosmetics" but I just wanted to mention that out of literally dozens of brands, my favorite hairspray is one of the cheapest ones out there, Tresemme Ultra Fine Mist. It's so lightweight that you can't even tell it's in your hair, yet it works. Love it.

Hope all this helps.

Note: I tried Rimmel eyeshadows once and wasn't happy with the pigmentation (okay for the cheap price, but not nearly as good as L'Oreal) and that discouraged me from trying any of their other products... but based on some of the great reviews here, I'm going to give the brand another shot. Thanks ladies! I love this forum, so much great info for free!

It just makes me a little nervous that it's a final sale dress and I can't return it for any reason. I did talk to the alteration lady that we use sometimes and she said to order it larger and she could then take it up. Soooo....

 

Don't forget girls--I'm not a young hot chick like you guys are. I'm almost 53 and not 120 lbs. like I used to be :eek:

JCrew runs slightly big compared to other brands - that is, in all areas except the chest. I don't know why they think everyone is flat-chested, but I have to order TWO sizes bigger in their tops than what I wear in their bottoms - and I'm only a very modest B cup. So with suits I have to order 2 different sizes, which is fine - with dresses, I order the larger size and get the waist (and hips, if it's a narrow cut) taken in. (The last dress I ordered from there was a loose-fitting flapper-style dress, so I didn't have to worry about alterations.)

The cotton cady dresses should be very easy to have altered, and the taffeta shouldn't be a problem either. I don't remember if you're looking at any of the silk chiffon dresses, but if you are, you might want to talk to your seamstress first, because the delicate layered fabric can be difficult (and thus far more expensive) to take in.

Another thing to note: "final sale" and "no exchanges" are not absolute terms. Always know your measurments (I know, it's a pain in the butt, but very useful when ordering online) and look at the size chart on their website. If the garment you order is smaller than it should be according to their size chart, you can still return it despite the no-return policy, because it's their screw-up (i.e. the size chart is inaccurate as applied to the item). Hint: take your bust measurement while wearing whatever bra you plan to wear under the dress. Not only the fabric, but also the lift of the bra, can significantly alter your bust measurement.

I may still be a novice at this whole color thing, but I do have the online shopping thing down pat. ;-)

Oh, one more thing: it's really easy to sell on eBay, and that's another option for unreturnable items. There is a VERY high demand on eBay for unworn J.Crew items, and when you get something at a final sale price, you can almost ALWAYS get even more money for it on eBay - usually much more - just wait until J.Crew sells out of it first. There are people who make their entire living buying final sale items and doing just that!

Another question on the green dresses--

 

I want to get a LBD that's a Fire color and I don't mind being a little different either but, would I look like a big Christmas tree in any of the clover green dresses?????

 

If you saw a woman on a cruise in any of those dresses, would you think WOW, she looks great in that color and dress OR would you say, what in God's name was that woman thinking about when she picked out that Little GREEN dress?

Honesty and opinions greatly appreciated:D

Go for it! I LOVE the green dresses you posted (especially the wrap-style cotton cady one - I'm actually thinking of getting it myself) - you will NOT look like a Christmas tree - just stay away from red accessories with it. ;) It would look great with metallic gold. Or satin shoes in a complimentary color like yellow or blue. JCrew also has a big selection of colored strappy formal shoes in satin and suede, they get new colors every season so keep your eye out... they are very expensive (for me, at least) at full price, but as you've seen, JCrew's sale prices can be really good. (And for the record, their shoes are REALLY good quality - I have several pairs from there... all bought on sale, or secondhand from eBay, where you can also find lots of colored formal shoes.) I'd probably go with metallic gold, though, because that would go with any other formal dresses you might buy in the future.

I have a RED LBD now... a warm orangey bright red Jessica McClintock party dress that I got on eBay for $10. Nowhere to wear it yet, but at that price, I couldn't resist! I do truly love that green one, though.

Those were not shorts in Gretchen's collection, but underpants. I would not be seen in most of her fashion week designs.

 

My favorite of Gretchen's outfits was the black dress in the first challenge. I would definitely wear that.

 

However, I would have aufed Gretchen after the "Heidie Collection" challenge. Her attitude was nasty, and her asymetrical skirt with the biker shorts reminded me of my mother's girdles.

 

I felt badly that Michael C did not get to show at fashion week. His gowns were lovely, and I thought that he could have produced a worthy collection.

 

Michael was criticized for being monochromatic---all one color scheme. But didn't Andy do the same?

 

I hope that Michael will continue in his career. I want to see more from him.

 

Next season, the show should return to it's earlier formats, with more inputs from the models.

Agreed, agreed, agreed. The only difference between Michael and Andy is that Andy used two colors instead of one. That being said, Michael had used a range of bronzes and browns whereas Andy literally used the two same exact shades over and over again. In that sense, Michael actually had more of a color range. I like Michael's collection slightly better than Andy's, and MUCH better than Gretchen's. His evening gowns are so elegant, the draping is lovely, and the slits that show off some leg are just enough sexy and still classy. (I would KILL to have one of those gowns for formal night on a cruise!) And his cocktail dress with the feathered skirt was right on trend this season. And - and this is a big plus - not a granny panty in sight! I hope to see more from him as well. I would buy tons from both him and Mondo. There are things in Andy's collection I'd love to have as well - I don't think his was as bad as the judges seemed to think - loved the green dress, adored the overlooked green bolero, and a few other items.

Hi Princess422,

 

your brown DOES NOT look like mine on my cards. My dark brown is very chocolate looking.

 

Maybe you got a bad chip on that color. You might send Curt an email and see what he has to say.

 

I wouldn't even begin to give an opinion on the blue sweater :eek: Lord knows how I'm struggling on the blue front.

 

I think this looks SO wrong. That brown should not look so dark. I don't think that my Mom's cards look like this. When I look at this picture:

 

 

It doesn't seem the same at all. It's like your cards are oversaturated? Or something? IDK.

 

The hard thing about guessing about the blue sweater is really dealing with the whole internet, picture taking issue...when I look at the sweater, I think it could be too muted to be FIRE. When I compare the picture of the sweater to the picture of the dress that Terri posted...the sweater is much easier on the eyes...the dress almost hurts mine and sends me running for sunglasses when I really focus on it. I don't know if this is because of the texture of the sweater, throwing me off, or what, but I'm guessing no on the sweater. But this is the difficulty of internet shopping...it's all a guess until you see it IRL...Terri has ordered plenty of things that I know she has returned because they didn't deliver quite as pictured online...

 

Joby...those dresses are really nice...I concur with Terri's comments. Do you happen to live near an H&M store? I just read something about that in a Tim Gunn book. I tried looking online but they don't seem to offer much online shopping. Tim Gunn made them sound like a somewhat trendy store with great prices. I don't know if they have evening wear dresses or not...

 

Also, I wanted to point out Victoria's Secret as a potential place to get some FIRE bottoms. Sounds bizarre, I know, but I got their recent catalog (the previous residents received the catalog so now I get it...) and I saw that they have a great yellow color, called Raffia, YES, it is slightly muted...BUT I think that it could be a fabulous match for many FIRE shirts...and also they have a lovely lighter colored brown, Chocolate, and Camel. These are all in a casual pant...just wanted to share...very affordably priced...

 

Anita: I cut the photos of the VS pants to save space, but I do a LOT of shopping from their website - they carry my size and are affordably priced (and also have affordable suits, though none in any fire colors at the moment, but they have new colors every season so we'll see what's next). I am more concerned about tops at the moment becuase they are closer to my face, and I will also need them to wear under the suits I already own. I am very disappointed about the blue sweater. :( But thank you for answering my question. I am finding it very difficult to find sweaters in fire colors, other than ivory and coral - J.Crew has a lot of coral sweaters at the moment but they won't be on sale until at least after the holidays. This is hard work!

As for the color cards, your mom's cards do look very different, and not just the browns - I think all of the colors on my cards look darker or more saturated or something. See how the ivory on your mom's card almost blends with the background, whereas mine stands out as being very yellow-y? It looks much more yellow than white IRL. And the corals look less yellowish on your mom's card, the yellows look less orangey, and the blues look lighter. The navy looks lighter and brighter.

This is the full spread (minus the hair colors):

The sunlight is reflecting on the first card here, but you've seen that one already anyway. I LOVE how the coral/pinks look on your mom's cards! Mine are much more orangey and dark. And the orange-red colors on mine look almost like a russet orange, shades that I associate with the autumn palette. And see how dark my navy is?

I am not the kind of person who usually complains or returns things... if my steak is overcooked at a restaurant, I eat it anyway, etc. So I'd hate to contact Curt about this as Joby recommended, but it looks like a fairly significant difference in the cards. I wonder if that's part of why I'm having so much trouble with the blues. (ONLY part, of course - I'm still stuck in the gradeschool art class mindset of all blues being cool!) My darker blues look more purplish than your mom's, and the turquoise in the corner looks lighter & greener & warmer on your mom's card, and I think mine looks cooler. Not sure what to do here.

Edit: Sorry, I kept saying "your mom's cards" (Anita) - just realized it was the photo of the cards from the website. Which I am assuming is an accurate representation of what your mother has anyway.

Can anyone please answer my question about the sweater I posted? I currently have no fire blues and I really want to get one!

Joby, I love all those dresses from J.Crew, and those are great discounts! I got one of my formal dresses for my last cruise from there - discounted to $49, then they had a sale on top of that for 30% off all final sale items. They do that about once every six weeks or so, so you might want to sign up for their email notifications if you haven't already.

I took a picture of my color cards to show what I'm talking about with the dark brown shade. I placed the black strap over it for comparison:

The photo was taken outdoors in sunlight and is an accurate representation of what the dark brown looks like IRL. To my eye, it looks black, but maybe my perception is skewed. Is that not what everyone else's cards look like?

That being said, that is the only color I am having trouble with on the cards. I thought the gray looked silver and not warm at all, until I held it up to the grays in my closet - then I see the difference. The whole thing is still sort of mind-blowing to me.

I was wondering what shades you other fire girls like to wear in regard to makeup? I used to wear plum-brown lipsticks and taupe or gray eyeshadow most of the time; now my "everyday" routine includes golden beige & aqua shadow and peachy-coral lipstick - and less makeup overall, and I think I look so much better (and younger!) - but I am wondering what my other options are. The eye makeup colors that are supposed to bring out my green eyes are green and plum, which I have in earthy tones - fire greens and purples seem like they would be WAY too bright for eye makeup. Anyone have any tips?

Cheapest room on the boat and perfect for a solo not to mention hard to come by on most cruises. One would think they are small but they are quite spacious.

I just got back last night on Victory and had a 1A (2221 starboard, Main deck). For me, it was huge! Had two porthole windows, large windowsill capable of being sat in depending on bottom girth...lol.:D I had a big leather sofa (not sure if it was pullout or not, but there were extra blankets in the closet so it may have been). It had 3 large drawers, very long mirrored wall with chair. Lots of closet space. Two outlets on the long wall. Safe. Two very warm robes. Nice sized shower with gel and shampoo. Bowlful of freebies including razors, Pepcid, lotion, etc. Large mirrored medicine cabinet to the left, glassed shelves. Lots of room to move around the comfortable queensized bed with great comforter. Well worth the money.:D Only thing going against it was some noise from above at night (back stage I presumed) and anchor raising and lowering. Great wakeup call by the way.

Thanks for all the info! I've never cruised Carnival before but I'm looking at them for my next cruise because they seem to be the cheapest way to go... but most of the info I've seen from solo cruisers is about the luxury lines (low solo supps, but still too expensive for me!) or NCL or HAL. Carnival & RCCL seem to have the best deals so I will probably be taking one of those two next. I can't book another cruise until I get a job, but you'd better bet the DAY I get hired, I'll be looking to book something! I hate not having a cruise to look forward to.

So if I book Carnival and simply opt for the cheapest room, will I end up with a 1A (assuming there is one available) or do I have to specifically request that category?

Also, if anyone has similar advice regarding RCCL's cabins, I'd appreciate it!

Speaking of RCCL, I wish I had the money now - this one is especially good for those of us in the northeast because it's one of the rare winter Caribbean trips that goes out of a northeastern port, so no flying down south: 12 nights on the Enchantment of the Seas RT from Baltimore, going to Haiti, DR, San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Maarten & Tortola, interior room for $839 (before taxes & fees). For 12 nights! (The double occupancy rate is $569.) If there was any way I could pull it off, I'd book it in a second... but maybe someone else can take advantage of it!

OMG Terri I LOVE that dress... so I looked it up and it's only $62... but only left in sizes 12 & 14! You're killing me!

Joby, I'm still having major trouble with the blues as well. I want to ask for this sweater for Christmas, but before I put it on my list, can someone please confirm that it's a fire blue?

Terri, where are you going? What cruise line? I'm so jealous! I can't book another cruise now until I find a job, and that's not going great so far.

As for formal night dresses, I have a whole slew of LBDs... sigh. I am now looking for a little RED dress for a new wardrobe staple... bright warm red, of course. I'd like to find a simple shift dress that could be worn with a blazer for work or dressed up for evening. Easy to find in black, not as easy in red, so you fire ladies, please let me know if you come across anything! I'm going to check out the rest of the Asos site - Terri, I read about it in a fashion magazine, apparently it's only recently marketing to the US. Looks like they have a big selection & a wide array of colors. Thanks!