Every time I see a photo of Olivia Palermo, I remember the days of turning to MTV at 10:00 on Mondays to eagerly soak up the dramz on The Hills, and then immediately going back to my computer the moment The City came on. I’d always have it on in the background and glance up to catch Whitney Port or Olivia making dramatic, over-the-top expressions at each other. And I think Olivia was supposed to be the villian? I never could give The City a real chance to win me over, but Olivia’s status as a socialite keeps her on red carpets all the time, and she has definitely won me over with her classic-yet-modern, dynamic style.

Orange dress -  $39.000// Gold bracelets – $5.80//Flower clutch - $36.75//Leopard print pumps – $49.00

I used to be a vehement hater of all things orange, but it’s one of this season’s hottest colors, and I’m finally convinced that it does indeed have a place in fashion. An orange shift dress is a great because it is simple, but offers a lot of interesting options for accessorizing, whether you want to go minimal or dramatic. Olivia went for a balance, choosing a pink bag that complements the orange nicely. A set of gold bangles adds some understated glamour, and the leopard print heels add daring ferocity and adds some sexiness. This is an awesome aesthetic that can be tailored for day, night, formal, and casual occasions.

This season is all about brights, but the color that stands out above all the others this spring is orange. In every shade from pastel orange to coral-orange to fiery red-orange, the color is everywhere and on everything — from sweaters and dresses to sandals, bags, jewelry and more!

Orange is great worn on its own or with any of neutrals in your closet, like brown, denim blue, or black — but it looks especially fresh in the warm-weather months paired with lighter colors like khaki and white. If you’re feeling especially bold, try pairing it with other brights, like yellow, turquoise, or hot pink (it’s easier to pull off than you think)!

After spending money on a lot of products that don’t live up to their promise, I can attest that the following four are definitely some of the best products on the market. If you know what’s good for you (and your kisser), get thee to the mall and stock up on these ASAP:

Lip Buffer: C.O. Bigelow’s Soothing Lip Buffer,  made with aloe extract and coco butter, will make your lips perfectly soft and smooth. If you apply the lip buffer onto your lips and take a warm wash cloth and rub the buffer in, you will not only exfoliate your lips, but you will rub in its relaxing peppermint extract. For $4.99 you can pick up a tube that will last you months and months. Although you can buy C.O. Bigelow products through their website, Bath & Body Works also carries them.

Lip Gloss: Nothing gets better than Yves Saint Laurent’s Golden Shimmering Gloss. This YSL lip gloss stays on for hours, and it actually protects the lips with natural oils instead of drying them out like most glosses do. Each tube of lip gloss has real 24-carat-gold flecks (baller!), which cause extra shine and luster on your lips. Although this lip gloss is expensive – $30 a tube – the quality and 31 different shades make it 100% worth every last cent. 

Lipstick: Every girl should find her color and own a fancy tube of lipstick. And if she’s smart, that tube will be one of the many shades of Chanel Hydrabase Creme Lipstick. Chanel is a timeless classic when it comes to lipstick and after trying it just once, it was easy to see why. The product actually makes your lips feel good and look amazing while making your teeth look whiter and your smile look brighter. (Yes, this stuff really does it all!) With a moisturizing finish to it, you are truly getting your $28.50′s worth.

Lip Balm: Lush, known for its handmade and organic products, has one of the best lip balm products around. For $6.95, you should indulge in the Whipstick Lip Balm. This product lasts like nothing else I’ve ever used. If you are looking for a product to put on before bed that will keep your lips moisturized all night long, this lip balm will do the job. Despite a full night of sleep (and drooling) it’s still on my lips when I wake up. And to top it off, the chocolatey-orange scent and taste is to die for.

So there you have it: the best of the best in lip wear.
Your lips are an important part of your life (from smiles to smooches) so give them the love and attention they deserve.

Fashion Week, a sort-of welcome week for the rich and stylish, has come to an end. Come tomorrow, a construction crew will be taking the tents at Bryant Park down, models will hop on planes to London and editors will finally get more than three hours of sleep per night. This week’s had it all: appearances by D-List Celebrities (hello, Kelly Bensimon,) crazy parties (Alexander Wang rented out a gas station) and clothes, clothes, clothes. Ready to stock your closet for spring?

Here are the top trends for Spring 2010:

ASYMMETRICAL

Malandrino, Rebecca Taylor, BCBG Max Azria

Work out those triceps, ladies, because the one-shoulder dress is back in for spring. This trend seems tough to pull off, but a dress like this can literally be worn anywhere. Pair it with flats and a cardigan and you’re perfect for class; add a pair of heels and statement earrings and you’re set for a party. Too lazy to make a toga for that Grecian party? I can tell you from personal experience that these sorts of dresses look much classier than an XL-twin sheet wrapped around you. If only getting that Adonis was this easy…

ORANGE

Yigal Azrouel, Jason Wu, Vena Cava

We’ve all heard it: White is the new pink, pink is the new black, and black is the new Kelly green. In 2010, thought, we’ll all be wearing… orange. Although wearing this color head-to-toe might be a little extreme, wearing an orange tank-top with jeans would look great as a daytime look, while an orange mini-dress will make everyone look at you twice (in a good way!) at a bar. Just make sure your dress doesn’t match your tan…

BELTED

Rag & Bone, Alexander Wang, Proenza Schouler

There’s been some crazy-ugly trends going on lately: harem pants, muumuus, massive shoulder pads… But that’s (mostly) over. Almost every single designer sent looks down the runway that were accessorized with belts. Not only is this the easiest trend to re-create (find a belt, loop it around the smallest part of your waist and BAM!), but it’s also super-flattering on every single body type. Seriously, if there is one trend to go for this spring, it’s this one. After all, who doesn’t want Kim Kardashian curves?

SHEER

Ruffian, Badgley Mischka, 3.1 Phillip Lim

Obviously, this is a tougher trend to follow. Wearing that Ruffian look in 8 AM psychology will probably have some classmates wondering exactly what you do when you “study” off-campus. A more appropriate way to work this trend is a la Badgley Mischka. Shorter dresses instantly look classier with a layer of sheer fabric on top. If you’re extra-daring and want to try the 3.1 Phillip Lim version… take it from me and just don’t go with the white bra underneath. Your older self will thank you.

PRINTS

Charlotte Ronson, Diane Von Furstenberg, Nanette Lepore.

Come spring, all you’ll be seeing in stores are prints, prints and more prints. These aren’t your average polka dots and stripes either; this year, geometric patterns rule. To avoid looking like a fashion wannabe, stick to one print per outfit. Again, you can style this as casual or as fancy as you want. I’d pair a patterned skirt with a solid-colored tee shirt or a printed tank with a pair of jeans. A dress with a pattern will command attention when you walk in the room. By the end of the night, I promise you’ll be so sick of saying “yeah, I got it from Forever 21” to the girls who ask where you got such an adoooooooooooorable top.

Spring fashion is lookin’ good and I can’t wait to load up on all of these trends. Too bad there’s a whole lot of fall and winter to get through first. (But on the flip side, this gives Target/Forever 21 plenty of time to create more wallet-friendly options for all of us.)

[All photos via style.com]

Love it: I love the idea of being bronzed all over without having to deal with sun damage and future wrinkles, or even worse, cancer. It’s awesome that cosmetic companies have come up with so many different ways to fake a tan without harming your skin in the sun, or even worse, in a tanning bed. It’s so easy to just slather on your favorite sunless tanning lotion after a shower. Plus, most of them have a delicious summer-y smell. Mmmmmmm!

Loathe it: I remember back in high school, my friend Jamie’s skin started turning yellow. None of my friends could figure out why. We assumed it had to do with her eating habits, or that she just had a weird rash– we even called her “Jaundice Jamie!” When we finally realized her sunless tanning cream was causing her yellow tinted “glow,” we couldn’t help but laugh. While it was sort of hysterical to laugh at someone else’s sunless tanning disaster, no one really wants to live that on their own. Why is it so difficult to get an even tan? I read article after article in fashion magazine about how to apply the stuff, yet my tan still comes out streaky! There has to be a better way.

So ladies- what do you think? Should I go the sunless tanning route and risk the streak factor, or embrace my perfect porcelain skin? Help – I’m totally torn!

Along with the spring fashion trends, it’s (almost) time to break out the new shoe styles and this spring shoe styles are all about fun, fun, fun. Here’s what to be on the look out for…

Details:

This season it’s all about details: embellishments, beads, fringe, ruffles, flowers, buckles, zippers, snaps, studs…Think of your shoes as a piece of art and go with something new and interesting.

Gladiators:

Gladiators are back and this season with a twist. We’re seeing more heeled gladiators and fun & interesting takes on this popular style: metallics, bright colors, and wedges.

Reptile Skins:

Reptile skins (especially snakeskin), real or faux, are being seen on shoes all over the place. Flats, stilettos and wedges; you name it, you can find it. The most important part of this trend is to go for quality – you don’t want faux skins that look cheap. Payless is not the place to go for these shoes.

Cut-Out Booties:

This spin on the popular bootie of fall and winter will make them translate to warm weather and will give you a more fun and updated look.

Ties, Laces and Straps:

Ties, laces and straps were all over the runways for this season in all different forms, from hippie-tree hugger to glamazon.  They’re not only a fun and new trend, they’re functional as well (you will never lose a shoe!).

Unique Heels:

With interesting details being such a focus this year, heels did not get overlooked. Keep your eye open for brightly colored, uniquely shaped or architectural heels.

Color:

Just like this season’s clothes, bright colors are all the rage for shoes, especially pinks and oranges.

And of course, keep your eyes open for all the styles we’ve seen season after season; wedges, slingbacks, peep toes, sky-high heels and platforms.

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You know what blows about winter – aside from the fact that it’s freezing out and we all put on about 15 pounds from eating stew and sitting on our couches in sweatshirts and sweatpants? The fact that it’s grey and miserable for months on end.

Well, we’re here to put a stop to that – because even if it’s ugly outside, there’s no reason we can’t brighten things up with some pops of color. And the trend seen all over the Spring 2009 runways was orange, orange, orange.

The shade showed up in all versions, from bright and rich at Lanvin and Louis Vuitton to muted at Chloe. A jumpsuit at Akris was a lovely shade of persimmon, while John Galliano sent out at least 10 outfits the color of orange Popsicles! Check out the pics of these looks below…

Cutesy and kicky with black tulle trim at Louis Vuitton

Another one-shoulder stunner at Chloe

Jumpsuits are back in full force at Akris

One of the many orange looks coming down the runway at John Galliano

Now, don’t feel threatened by such a bright hue. You don’t have to dress head to toe in it if that’s too scary for you! There are tons of ways to introduce this color to your wardrobe, whether it’s a cute scarf or amazing new bag. We’re here to bring you all the fabulous options guaranteed to turn your closet from drab to fab.

See the rest over at StyleBakery!

It might seem a little bit early to be thinking about spring shopping, but for those of you who want to get a head start (or who just can’t wait for summer vacation already), here are the top ten looks I want to steal from fashion week this year (from top left to right in the above picture).

1. Philip Lim’s long, white cardigan was crisp and cool coming down the runway. In the real world, it is a perfect way to stay warm without looking too wintery and bundled up. Buy one at Victoria’s Secret. Yes, it may not be white in the picture below, but it does come that way!

2. The polka dot dress at the Michael Kors show was a total head turner. And he proved that you can wear polta dots without look too cutesy/Minnie Mouse-y. If you can’t afford a Michael Kors original, this dress from American Eagle is classy and totally in for the spring.

3. The Miss Sixty crew took plaid to a new length level with their longer plaid skirt. Plaid is really in right now for fall and this trend will continue through the spring. I love the longer look because short plaid skirts are really too Catholic school girl-esque. Buy one at Victoria’s Secret.

4. Elise Overland incorporated lots of bright colors into her collection, but my favorite was her orange dress. Orange is going to be a huge color this spring, so make sure you find a way to incorporate it into your wardrobe. Spring is all about the dress, so I recommend rocking a bright orange one like this frock from Forever 21.

5. Nicole Miller, one of the best dress designers around, sent a “Look at me” brightly colored and patterned dress down the runway at her show. And it just screamed spring! If you aren’t afraid of pattern, this dress from Urban Outfitters should definitely make an appearance in your wardrobe.

6. Ralph Lauren’s collection was classic, as usual. It was also super easy to mimic on a college girl’s budget! His short and fitted white coat is the perfect spring accessory to wear with jeans, skirts or even a cute pair of shorts. And you can steal the look at Delia’s.

7. Bright colors made their way into the DKNY collection in the form of a bright blue skirt. It is totally crisp and eye catching, no matter what you pair with it. Get your own at Topshop.

8. Rag & Bone mixed classy and cool with a high waisted short adorned with multiple zippers. The look is flattering on all bodies and totally revamps the usually casual look of shorts. I love these Plenty by Tracy Reese shorts from Nordstrom (which are on sale!).

9. The Lacoste vertical striped dress was sporty and flattering (vertical stripes make you look looooong and lean). But Lacoste also happens to be horribly overpriced. It’s pretty tough to find a cheap version of this piece right now, but if you’re willing to splurge, this dress from Bloomingdale’s is adorable. If not, there will be plenty of options as the season gets closer.

10. The Rock & Republic little white dress was HOT. Like, really hot. And although we saw mini white dresses in almost every runway show this week, the Rock & Republic one was my fav. The little white dress is a total classic that everyone needs to have. You can find this one at Urban Outfitters.

Makeup is fun. With makeup I can make myself look like anything I want. I can glam myself up, or play out a more natural look. I can turn myself into a sex kitten, or an innocent girl next door.

But it has taken years and years of trial and error to know what looks good on my face and what makes me look like Mimi from the Drew Carey Show. Looking back I’ve had some pretty disastrous makeup moments that I have comprised into my top 5 makeup regrets.

1. Sweat + black eyeliner = scary raccoon eyes. Now I love me some black eyeliner, especially when I’m putting on a cute little dress and going out to a club, but there are certain places where it’s probably not a good idea to pile on the black and, unfortunately, I’ve learned this the hard way.

One night my friends and I dressed ourselves up to go out dancing and I had put on a ton of dark eyeshadow and eyeliner. The dance floor was completely packed and after about half an hour we were all sweaty and gross. My friend and I went to the bathroom to cool down and when I looked in the mirror, I found that the makeup I had so meticulously applied was now all over my face! Seriously, it looked as if I had rubbed a huge piece of charcoal all around my eye and down my cheeks. My black eyeshadow had literally melted from me sweating and was now sitting in clumps on my eyelids. Needless to say I had to scrub it all off before anyone (besides all those people I saw pre-bathroom trip) saw my disaster of a face.

2. White eye shadow is for vampires, not people. When I was in middle school, the latest makeup trend was wearing white eyeshadow…and just white eyeshadow. For some reason my little awkward pre-teen mind thought that walking around looking like a corpse with all that white around my eyes was actually a good idea. And what made this look even worse is that I am naturally very pale, so I was basically applying white on white to create a sexy pastiness on my face. Luckily, I ditched this makeup trend when I entered high school, but I still can’t help but shudder when I see pictures of my middle school self looking like the freakin’ dead.

3. Always get the right bronzer for your skin tone or you will look like an Oompa-Loompa. We’ve all seen those girls; the ones whose faces look a bright orange color while their neck remains considerably paler. Or maybe their orange necks even match their orange faces, but you can tell the tan is fake because you can literally see all the bronzer particles on their face. As attractive as this sounds, I have been one of those girls.

As I’ve mentioned before, I am a very pale gal who will try just about anything to get a little color on me. I’ve done the tanning beds, but I’m afraid of skin cancer. I’ve tried the gradual tanner lotions, but I don’t see that noticeable of results. Bronzer – with its instant tanning abilities – became my go-to product. And boy did I go to it. A lot.

4. Bright eyeliner with bright lips is a huge no-no.

I have always liked experimenting with different makeup looks. Some of these looks work (I look cute with brown eyeshadow on) and some don’t (I look bad with neon pink eyeliner and bright pink lip gloss). On the plus side, I have used the latter makeup look only once, which was definitely one time too many.

My roommate is the type of girl who can pull off crazy makeup. A few months back, she had just bought pink eyeliner from Sephora and had neatly lined the top lids of her eyes keeping the rest of her face fresh of makeup. I too tried this eyeliner and slathered on a coat of lip gloss before leaving with the rest of my friends. As it turns out, the pink eyeliner spread along my lids until it looked like thick neon eyeshadow blazing out from above my eyes and,what I thought had been clear lip gloss turned out to be an obnoxious colored pink. My friends would not stop making fun of me for the whole night and when we arrived at the restaurant I proceeded to rush to the bathroom to wipe off the eyeliner goo. Never again will I pair neon anything to bright lips (matching eyeshadow and lipstick is never a good idea either), unless I’m actually going for the clown look.

5. Blue glitter eyeshadow makes me look like a tranny. Blue glitter eyeshadow is pretty self explanatory on why it would be on my list of regrets. This makeup regret was something I did in my middle school and early high school years for god only knows what reason. My friends and I would pack on the blue eyeshadow and sprinkle our lids with glitter before heading out to the movie theater. As ridiculous as this sounds, we thought we looked hot. Now that I look back, I realized that we looked like a herd of trannies.

Do you ladies have any makeup regrets?