It's that time of year where our Instagram, Twitter & Facebook feeds fill up with holiday gift guides! So of course I had to join in on the fun and bring you some great gift guides that feature items under $100 so you won't break the bank this year.  Oh and I'm also having a giveaway, but that's at the bottom of this post.  Keep reading and you'll get there!

With everyone showing you what to buy for your family or your significant other, I'm bringing you the single ladies edition, so why not start with what to buy for your BFF?  She's probably one of the most important persons in any single ladies life, so why not get her the best.  And not to mention, something you could also borrow from her at any point.  Hey ladies, I will take any item, but mostly the Country Music t-shirt.

Now on to the best part of this post. It's a holiday giveaway courtesy of the fabulous 9th & Elm. What is 9th & Elm you ask?  Its an amazing fashion site dedicated to handmade & independent fashions and accessories at affordable prices. In fact, see that gift guide up there? Yeah, most of those items can be found at 9th & Elm! Follow the links under the guide or click the 9th & Elm banners to take a look yourself.  Now for the details: 9th & Elm is giving away 2, yes 2 site credits to be used exclusively on the 9th & Elm website! First name drawn will receive a $100 Site Credit & the second name drawn will receive a $50 Site Credit.






a Rafflecopter giveaway

With the weather finally transitioning from summer to fall (more like winter) here in Dallas, I have been trying to revamp my wardrobe to fit the changing season as quickly as my bank account will let me.  I've been able to add a few pieces, but am still looking for those key transition pieces to round out the wardrobe. Luckily I have found two new online stores, 9th & Elm and RiffRaff to help me in my quest.  Both have amazing pieces for all shapes & sizes.  Oh and did I mention, those of us in Dallas are super lucky because Riff Raff is located in Preston Plaza.  Check them both out online or if you're in the area, make sure to stop by Riff Raff to pick up some of these pieces to add to your closet.

Lately, I've been obsessing over strong brows.  I know I know, I'm late to the party.  Been there done that, but my sudden post about eyebrows, is like every blogger wearing a THAT plaid blanket scarf from Zara.  May have been a scarf from last winter, but it's everywhere... still.   Just search through Instagram for blanket scarf.  It's insane.  But I digress.  Back to the brows, the real topic for today.

I am obsessed with trying to emulate the master of brows, Cara Delevingne.  This generations Brooke Shields.  My generation was all about pencil thin, almost drawn on brows, and with the resurgence of the 90's, I am so glad the brows were not one of them.  It's time we embraced thick and natural, yet groomed eyebrows.  (Remember, there should be 2!)  I've even begun filling in my brows everyday.  Even if I wear no eye makeup,  I'm still filling in my dirty blonde brows with my favorite pencil from Milani in Natural Taupe.

Are your eyebrows not thick and luscious like any of the ladies above, there's a few helpful links below on how to groom & rock these strong brows.
Allure- How to Groom Your Brows
The Beauty Department- Drawing a Retro Brow
Harper's Bazaar- How-To: Cara Delevingne Brows For the Rest of Us

Hello? Anyone still there?  I hope y'all are still there, or at least checking back once in a while to see if I'm still breathing.  And I am! I've been a bad blogger. I wish I had some fabulous excuse for why I've been away for so long.  Something as good as I met the man of my dreams,  or I flew off to some exotic country with no wifi or I took a job with a lux fashion house that has me traveling cross country like a crazy person.  But alas, nothing exciting, just that we had lay offs at my current company which means, I am doing the job of 3 people and any extra curricular activities went on the back burner.  

During my absence I had a epiphany.  Why did I give up something I love, for something that's there to pay the bills?  Clearly something had to change and today I make that change.  Moving forward into the fashion future, I promise to dedicate my time to my love, my passion, my creative outlet.  This will be tough, so bear with me while I gain balance between blogging & working.

I'm so glad to be back! Stay tuned......

XOXO-
Shannon B.

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Instagram-- @_shannon__b_
Twitter-- @nowerys81
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Summer time for me means, putting up the sky high closed toed heels for the winter and wearing a comfortable sandal.  However, finding a sandal that's fashionable and still gives me some lift, is hard to come by.  Enter the city sandal.  A sandal with a shorter heel, that's comfortable and amazingly stylish.  I've bought a 2 pairs last summer from Shoemint, and I have about worn them into the ground.  I've found that Neiman Marcus & J Crew have a great supply of city heels this year.  If you're like me and want to allow your feet to breath, stay cool, feel supported & look amazing, city sandals are your new best friend.

Let us rewind to almost 20 years ago to when I started high school.  I wore the standard uniform of every 14 year old girl or boot cut jeans (with the tiny slit on the inside hem), Dr. Martens, t-shirt & a flannel.  Now if it was summer, sub jean shorts & Dr. Marten sandals.  Now fast forward to 2014 and imagine my surprise to see that my youth is for sale in almost every store!  Some trends I pray never come back (I'm looking at you scrunchies) and some I'm almost too excited to wear again.  But being in my 30's, some of those looks I loved back then, need to be more subdued.

For the adult trying to partake in the 90's revival, I've chosen some of my favorite looks that can look great and not like you're trying to hard.  Take overalls for example.  The more fitted the better.  The baggy ones from Old Navy we all wore will make you look like you're on your way to a theme party. An updated baby doll dress in a solid color, like the red one above from Mango, is a perfect summer dress that can easily be worn casually with converse or for a night out with sandals or wedges. And lets not forgot your accessories.  Gold chains, braided friendship bracelets,  round sunnies & fringe covered purses are the perfect touch to any outfit.

Just remember to not take the 90's trend back to the 90's.  If you lived it once to it's fullest, remember to pick only a few key trends to wear.  It's never cute for a 30 something woman to look like she did in her yearbook photos.

I impersonally on the converse, baby doll & higher waisted shorts trends.  How about you?

With summer just a few weeks away, I'm already preparing my closet for the ridiculous heat that's about to hit Texas.  I'm not normally a big fan of shorts, especially the tiny ones that resemble underwear more than shorts, but capri's a bermuda shorts are just way too long on my short stature.  But I have found that Boyfriend Shorts are just perfect.  They should sit low on your hip bones and right above the knees.  You can dress them up with a loose fitting t-shirt, blazer & pointy toe heels. Or dress them down with a good pair of sandals and a v-neck t-shirt.

Boyfriend shorts and the most versatile type of shorts on the market these days.  And they aren't budget busters either! Above are some of my favorite boyfriend jeans on the mark these days.  I picked up a great pair of Joe's Jeans Vintage Reserve shorts from Nordstrom Rack this past weekend.

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