Life is good.   And I have some great news and fun stuff to share with you!  First of all, for those of you who took the “Clinique Laser Focus Challenge” with me a few months ago, it’s time to let us know how it worked for you—and whether or not the rest of our readers should go out and buy the stuff!  I promised to send a bottle of the Laser Focus to one of you who helped in this little experiment…so leave a comment today to let us know how it worked (or didn’t work) for you…and one of you will get a bottle sent to you pronto!

Secondly, I want to thank you for the many emails, phone calls and comments you’ve given us since we started the Just You, Only Better blog in March.  I’m sure there are many topics that aren’t of particular interest to you, but it thrills me when a particular one moves you.  And when you send it to a friend or share the link on your Facebook page, it’s the highest compliment possible.  Thank you!

Our mission at Just You, Only better is to improve health, happiness and confidence…one woman at a time.   We strive to accomplish this by offering one day workshops and personalized 30 day programs for women who want to look and feel their very best.  Our next workshop is Friday, February 4th at The Pyramid Club here in Philly.  We have an amazing line-up of speakers ready to help you transform your life and learn easy ways to finally reach your goals.  Take a look at the following agenda:

If you can make it (or know anyone who would love this day) please join us!

We also try to empower women with articles about healthy attitudes and lifestyles, exercise routines, preventative health solutions and more.  As you know, we recently added a weekly article on fashion, written by Biana DeMarco, because when you look “put-together” on the outside, you definitely feel more confident on the inside.

While you won’t be receiving your weekly fashion article directly from this blog anymore, you’ll be getting them from our new site, www.PhillyFashionistas.com (which is not live yet but will be soon).  This is a unique, interactive blog site for fashion.  You’ll still get great advice from Biana every week, but now you can upload pictures of your clothes and ask specific questions about how to put an outfit together.  I can’t tell you how many times I have purchased an outfit, only to see it hang in my closet because I didn’t know what shoes to wear with it.  That won’t happen anymore!  Biana, THE Philly Fashionista will be our very own personal fashion consultant!

Plus, as a member of Philly Fashionistas, you’ll get VIP invitations to special shopping and social events and insider tips on great local and on-line deals.   So stay tuned!

And finally, I’m happy to report that I’ll be giving away one of my Just You, Only Better 30 Day Programs to a lucky lady before the holidays!  Anyone who signs up to receive our weekly articles by December 20^th becomes eligible to win.  And of course, all of our loyal subscribers (YOU) are already eligible.  So please tell 5 (or 10) friends to sign up—and good luck to all of you.

Thanks for joining us.  We hope you enjoy!

Molly

For anyone out there not familiar with a snood just imagine a scarf and hood getting together and having offspring. My gut tells me that once you have seen how fashionable and sexy it is, it will surely become your winter must-have. Funny thing happens to women when temperatures drop – we start layering our clothes, dust off our UGGS, and our sense of style suddenly gets buried under 20 inches of snow.  But who said we cannot remain fabulous during the winter months?

If you are like me, you probably own a number of scarves, hats, gloves, and earmuffs – anything to get you through the blistering cold. For the city folk, staying warm seems to be the name of the game, since we do not have the luxury of driving everywhere. We do what we can to get by.
In the past, to endure the frigid months and in the spirit of not giving up my fashion fixes, I invested in a number of Burberry scarves.  Their ever so recognizable signature print was hard to resist, especially since the designers knew exactly what to tweak to make them enticing season after season.  Owning just one was never an option.

As luck would have it, there is a new kid on the block.  Well, maybe not new at all, more like reinvented – the coveted snood. In the past few years we have seen the infinity scarf dominating storefronts and for those of us who actually invested in one, all is not lost since it is still quite fashionable. But a snood is something a bit different and for those of us itching to buy something new this season, it is the perfect investment. If the novelty of it is not appealing enough, think of a snood as providing the coziness of a regular scarf without the messy ends that you don’t have to figure out what to do with. It is so prominent this season that Burberry dedicated an entire section to snoods on their website.

Burberry Giant Check Cashmere Snood $325

A snood is neither a scarf, or a hood but a little bit of both. There is no easier way to look fashion forward than beating the chill with this trendy accessory. Tuck it into a leather jacket or a sleek trench to create an instant chic look.  Snoods are as diverse as the people who wear them so discover the many fabrics that they come in.  Look for the thick knitted wool ones, the chunky and soft mohair ones, or try on the military inspired shearling snood. Faux fur and cashmere snoods are also everywhere.

Faux Fur Snoods

Because this trend is so popular, you do not have to search for long before one catches your eye. Of course the prices vary too, depending on the designer and material it is made out of. You can decide which snood was made for you, but whichever one you choose, get one that compliments your personal style.

 Bird by Juicy Couture Mohair Snood $178

Grand Froid Wool Snood by Louis Vuitton Comes in 2 Colors $450

When I decided to purchase my first pair of rain boots three years ago, there were two viable options, Hunter and Burberry. By default I associated Burberry with Great Britain, so they became my natural choice. After all, who knows more about rain attire than the nation that invented the saying, “it’s raining cats and dogs?”  

Let me preempt this by saying that these boots were not an instant hit. In fact, people found them a bit odd. I guess I can’t blame them. Rain boots were not as commercialized as they are today. When it rained, people wore galoshes or resorted to a limited number of brands that actually designed rain boots. 

 This phenomenon reminded me of the immersion of the UGGS. Coincidentally, rain boots started gaining popularity around the same time that people finally learned to live with the “unattractiveness” of their UGG boots and began to enjoy the unparalleled warmth and comfort they provided. When UGGS first came out, people did take to them immediately and I saw the same thing happening with the rain boots. But, I loved looking different in my rain boots – turning heads everywhere I went. In fact, my second pair was on their way. 

The new boots were dazzling - adorned with fancy gold buckles and beautifully studded details. They became my go-to accessory. No occasion was off limits for my new wardrobe staple. On rainy nights, while others’ toes sunk into the muddied sidewalks of Philadelphia, my rain boots accompanied me to the most upscale of places. The saying beauty requires sacrifice simply did not apply to me, at least not in a fashion sense. Comfort trumped conformity and little did I know this trend was quickly catching on. 

Today, you are in major luck because rain boots have hit their tipping point and can be found absolutely everywhere. Fashion has finally caught up with a woman’s everyday needs. You no longer have to sacrifice style for comfort or break the bank.
 

Bellow, I have put together some of my Fall favorites for this trend. I have to admit, some are a bit outlandish. But the great thing is, that you can now own a rain boot for every occasion. One tip I will offer is buying rain boots one size smaller.  Oftentimes, rain boots come in whole sizes, so buy a size down. Of course, all designers are different so do try them on.  But if you are shopping online the rule-of-thumb is that they run big. 

The Rain Bootie – (Vivienne Westwood Bootie with Studs $140) 

<- The Rain Boot Wedge – left (Clarks Rain boot Shower $75), right (Hunter Wedge Rain Boot  $175)-> 

The High-Heeled Rain Boot (DKNY Bop Rubberized Boots $135) 

The Lace Imprinted Rain Boot <- left (Valentino $295), right (Chooka Signature “Lacy Lace” Rain Boot $59.95) 

Cowboy Rain Boot (Roper Western Rubber Rain Boots $34.99) 

Exotic Print Rain Boot – Jimmy Choo + Hunter $395 

I can honestly go on and on about rain boots, but I wouldn’t want to take the fun out of letting you find your perfect pair. 

Happy Shopping Ladies,
 

Biana