Ever since the beginning of Gossip Girl (pre and post threesome) and the sensational style of Blair Waldorf, hair flair has rocked the fashion world. What is hair flair, you ask? Um…only the most vital/amazing/and necessary accessory any woman can own, obvi.

Hair flair can transform an entire outfit and conceal your unwashed hair on days when you just don’t have time to shower (i.e. after a particularly long Tiki Tuesday). More importantly, unlike those expensive skinny jeans you picked up at the Nordstrom half-yearly sale, hair flair will always fit regardless of those holiday pounds, the freshmen fifteen, or the beer belly you’ve been sporting since football season (curse you keg stands and beer pong).

Well, if you want the same accessories as the Upper East Siders but don’t have the same cash monay, don’t worry.  Here is a thrifty way to get the fabulous look without paying the big bucks. And if this particular style isn’t for you, something is wrong with you we’ve got another awesome DIY hair flair project you can do instead.

What You’ll Need:

Stretchy headbands/headwraps: You probably have one of these lying around, but if not, these are super cheap and you can pick them up at drug stores like CVS, Long’s, Duane Read or at any beauty store. My favorite brand to use is Scunci No Slip-Hair Grips because they come in packs of 4, are comfortable, and easy to decorate. Use a black headwrap to keep it classy or a bolder color to add some extra pop.

Fabric: A foot or two of any type of cloth fabric in any color/design you want! Most craft stores sell fabric squares meant for quilting, which are perfect for creating your hair flair, as your fabric needs to be cut in a square shape before you begin. Bonus: Many craft stores (Michael’s or JoAnn’s) have tons of leftover fabric scraps that you can get for super cheap. Just ask one of those ladies with the scissors! Read More »

No, this photo is not of the 3some. Apparently the CW didn't think it appropriate to post those...

It was like any Monday night around here. I came back from the gym, had a little dinner, did a little reading and gathered with the roomies to watch some Gossip Girl. There was the usual Jenny drama (homegirl is such a bitch!), some witty banter, a funny ploy by Chuck to get Serena and Blair to make up (he just keeps getting dreamier)…and makeout, and ho-humness over at NYU.

But then, 35 minutes later, Olivia downed her shot of mysterious clear liquid and everything changed. (Including Hilary Duff’s clean-girl image!) First Olivia’s kissing Dan. Then Olivia’s kissing Vanessa. Then Dan is KISSING VANESSA!

Yes, this is the threesome we’ve been hearing about for a week now. Read More »

Just when you think everything is fine on the Upper East Side those Archibalds toss some dude in the water and really throw you for a loop. And, of course, Vanessa is there to capture the entire thing on tape.

Scandalous!

Last night’s Gossip Girl was full of all sorts of scandal. From the twisted, convoluted and sorta hard to follow situation behind Tripp Vanderbilt’s campaign (really? His wife somehow orchestrated that whole thing??) to Blair’s new super-old-looking-call-girl of a BFF, it was a roller coaster of an episode.

But let’s start at the core of it all: Blair and Serena’s waning friendship. While these two are far hotter/richer/better dressers than I could ever be, I really connected to their situation. I’ve been there and I know what it’s like to be on the outs with a very old friend. On the one hand, you wanna make up and move on out of respect for your long history together. But on the other, who you are at 18-years-old is not who you were at 12 and maybe the new people you’ve both become weren’t meant to be friends.

So what do you do? Read More »

Remember when Jenny Humphrey was just a cool, normal chick from Brooklyn? You know, before she dropped out of school to become a punk rock fashion designer and well before she became the biggest bitch on the UES?

She’s come a long way since those days. And even though she’s sporting over-sized t-shirts and men’s ties instead of bedazzled headbands, Jenny Humphrey is quickly surpassing Blair Waldorf as the meanest Queen in school. Yeah, we all thought she could live in both worlds – sweet Jenny at home and big, scary Jenny on the steps – but she proved us all wrong. First she demands almonds without the skin and then she dumps a perfectly good yogurt on her brother?

WTF, Jenny? There are starving children in Africa! You get twelve shopping bags from Bergdorf’s and suddenly you have no respect for the people who care about you most?  Seriously, girl, get a clue. And a hairbrush. Those extensions are lookin’ a little, well, nappy. Read More »

That shapeless "dress" is what you get for lying to Dan!

I think we can all agree that it’s not nearly as fun watching Vanessa Abrams be a bitch as it is watching Blair Waldorf.  Mostly because Blair doesn’t normally get bogged down by remorse…at least not right away.

In an episode all about playing games, some people just didn’t know when to stop.  Take Vanessa being even more of a home-wrecker than usual.  As I watched her almost mess up the blossoming love between Dan and Olivia, all I could think about was how the dress that the wardrobe people put her in at the end of the episode was obviously punishment for her being selfish.  And my next thought: when did giving a speech at a Parents’ Weekend dinner become so damn important?

But as Vanessa, Blair, (and Olivia, though unbeknownst to her) battled it out for the right to stand atop the flowery podium at Parents’ Weekend, we saw too many claws come out. Perfectly manicured claws, mind you, but sharp claws nonetheless. Yeah, Vanessa can get off the hook quickly for what she almost did to Dan and Olivia – those Humphrey’s are incredibly forgiving people – but I can’t say the same for Blair and Chuck. Make him kiss a guy (which, by the way, was incredibly hot)? Fine. But lie to him and manipulate him to get what you want?

No one manipulates Chuck Bass. Not even Blair.

And the same goes for Serena, which Nate Archibald may find out the hard way. Before I get into this little Rounders-meets-Gossip-Girl storyline, I’d like to take a moment to welcome Nate back to the show. For the past 5 episodes he’s taken a backseat with Bree Buckley and we haven’t seen much of his cuteness. I know he wasn’t pregenant/post pregnant like Lily Bass, so I wonder what was keeping him from the screen? Meh, it doesn’t matter; he’s back….and falling in line with the family once again. Read More »

I have a confession to make:

I LOVE HILARY DUFF! Ever since the days of Lizzie McGuire I’ve been a fan. And when I say “fan” I mean “I cried at the Lizzie McGuire movie when she finally kissed Gordo.” Sigh. I also love her music, her style and her sister (but only in Napolean Dynamite). Anyways, it was obviously another week in Gossip Girl heaven for me when she finally showed up at NYU to buy Dan some gross street coffee. (I once heard there is lots of rat poop in those carts…but I digress.)

Duff stars as Olivia Burke, a young movie star trying to live a normal college life. Of course, the first person she meets is Dan Humphrey.  While it may have been slightly predictable, giving Dan another dramatic blonde girl to go after, I couldn’t help but smile as I watched the two of them have coffee. They were so cute, so happy. She’s Dan but with boobs and a great wardrobe…and a successful career as a movie star with a bitchy publicist….

If only we all didn’t know that Georgina is waiting in the wings to mess it up, Single White Female style.

Speaking of Satan Georgina, while she’s gone being all shady in Boston, Blair uses the alone time to wallow in self-pity, pining away for her days as Queen Bee. And I have to say – this was hard to watch. That’s our Blair - the strongest, most confident girl we all know – and she’s acting a fool. She reminded me of those kids from my high school who still wear their letterman jackets now, 3 years later. She looked pathetic heading back to Constance now that she’s a college girl. Read More »

Yesterday was the best day ever.

First, my Communications teacher decided to show Gossip Girl in our class and then the CW broadcast a fabulous new episode and finally developed the “Rufus Humphrey’s kid is hiding out in New York” plot line.  Oh, and I got to see Dan Humphrey do a Walk of Shame.

Yay, life.

Ok, so yeah, I was jumping up and down when Scott was finally ready to admit who he was. And then the moment actually happened – or didn’t. Turns out that Scott kid is more Humphrey than I thought – he didn’t have the balls to come out and tell the Humphrey-clan his true identity. The only one who knows right now is Vanessa, and, let’s be real, that girl can’t keep her mouth shut for an entire subway ride to Brooklyn. (Disclaimer: I really don’t like Vanessa and will take every excuse to bash her.)  As soon as she learns the smallest of details, she has to go spilling it to everyone and poor Scott’s life is going to be turned up-side-down.

Does that mean that hottie will be back for more episodes? We can only hope. Read More »

I don’t watch Gossip Girl (gasp, shock, horror – I know.)

But I do follow GG fashion. It’s cute, it’s fashion forward… and it’s so expensive I think my entire college tuition could be paid off in one of Blair’s Chanel ensembles. But regardless of price tag, I want it.

So imagine how happy I was to see that kick-ass designer Anna Sui made a “Gossip Girl” look for Target. (Sure, some people aren’t sure about it, but I am. 100% sure, in fact.) From great fall dresses paired with opaque tights and riding boots, to perfect over-size cardigans, Gossip Girl Fashion + Target = one “damn I look goooood” me (and you).

From dresses to tops, Anna has some great and, most importantly, affordable looks for fall.

So shop happily, ladies!

XOXO,
BS
(That’s Budget Stylista not bullsh*t. Just wanted to clarify.) Read More »

Thank you, television Gods.

For a week there, I thought that my beloved Gossip Girl was destined to go the way of The O.C., becoming a drama where the only superior things were wardrobe choices. But after watching episode two of the season, it seems that the drama and romance we cannot live without is here to stay and growing better by the week.

And the guys are looking so. much. hotter. College did those boys gooood.

Well, for some. For Chuck Bass it was that businessman/entrepreneurial drive that turned up his sexy factor. That boy looks good when he’s holding meetings with rich old guys to get his restaurant/sex club off the ground. Too bad dear old stepsister Serena seems to thwart him at every turn. Poor Chuck finally has a vision and a plan to do something great in the future and Serena goes and ruins it for him.

If she didn’t have such an amazing wardrobe (that orange romper? I die) I’d totally hate her. She’s become the annoying little sister and has a knack for messing everything up. I’m pretty sure the same will be said (in 4 episodes, max) of her new relationship with super hottie, Carter Basin. Read More »

Who's Queen B now!?

Like some of my fellow College Candies, I was not smitten with the season 3 premiere of Gossip Girl. In fact, I felt lost, upset and alone after the show ended. All I wanted was the simplicity of Season 1, which got me thinking about just curling up on the couch, diving into a box of Godivas and rewatching my box set of that first glorious season.

For the 4th time.

Luckily, before I reached that point of desperation, our friends at On Location tours gave me a far better option to rekindle my love affair with GG. In the form of a bus tour of Manhattan, showing off the hot spots of the show. So. much. better. and only slightly less caloric than my original plan. Mostly because I brought some Godiva for the road(iva).

OK, so the tour was pretty touristy. So touristy that me and my friend were two of the five Americans on the bus. Pretty much everyone else was a visitor from another country. But I guess Gossip Girl and a love for all things WASPy and UES are the only things people around the globe can agree on. And despite the mix of languages and accents, we all came together to see the sites and scenes of our favorite TV show.

The tour kicked off at the Palace hotel, home of the Van Der Woodsens (and now Chuck Bass), in addition to being the office of the former Bart Bass (RIP, BB boy). As we moved on to each of the famed GG locales, our bubbly redheaded guide explained the significance of each location and spiced things up by showing us clips of the show featuring the very site we were visiting. (So I got to enjoy my Season 1 marathon afterall!) Read More »