How to Style Culottes

Culottes are the new must-have pant for the summer. A cross between trousers and skirts, culottes have a voluminous cropped legs that are designed to resemble the ease and flow of skirts.

I love the laidback feel that culottes have. Not to mention it’s one of the trendiest silhouettes to sport this season. The other thing to love about culottes? It is so versatile.  You can jazz it up with bolder pieces or keep it simple and breezy with basic tees or tanks. You can even opt to wear it for work by adding more structure into your culottes look. The cherry on top of this trend is that culottes are a chic and more comfortable alternative to your regular pant.

Don’t get intimidated by culottes. It can be tricky to navigate and style this piece, but not to worry, I’m here to guide you. Here are some of the interesting and stylish ways you can style culottes:

Pantone‘s Color of 2015 is Marsala. Pick Marsala hued culottes or opt to style your culottes with rich Marsala hues, and you’ll be as good as gold on the fashion trend scene.

Birkenstocks staged a major comeback last year, and its reign hasn’t yet ended. Play up the comfy chic and polished lounge feel of culottes by pairing it with these sandals. Keep it sleek by throwing on a lightweight blazer.

Olivia Palermo is really the master at making trends work for her. Culottes + a fringe clutch + graphic stripes = trend perfection. By keeping the accessories to a minimum, the trendy pieces shine.

If you have a minimalist aesthetic, culottes add a dash of flair to your neutral ensemble of choice.

Coordinated two-pieces are all the rage this season. Deviate from the crop top and skirt combo and try on this culotte and blazer duo for size. This one-two style punch will be great for the office as it is both fashion forward yet work appropriate.

A pair of navy culottes is an investment worth looking into. Camel leather pumps, significant arm candy, and an animal print envelope clutch elevates this navy pant.

Do like fashion maven Jenna Lyons and be a trail blazer. An ankle length pair of culottes with dramatic and maximalist volume is a great alternative to a maxi skirt or cocktail dress.

Instead of doing white denim for your all-white summer look, why not opt for culottes? It feels more current and is definitely cooler than your standard white ripped denim.

A pair of linen culottes feels positively Parisian with a simple tee and pumps. Tie a matching cardigan over your shoulder and some tousled waves for the perfect undone casual chic look.

Look out for culottes that have interesting details, just like this pleated pair. The pleats give any look much needed texture.

Get inspired by the masculine fashion history of culottes, and give your look a tomboy chic spin. Brogues plus a Peter Pan collar are just the ticket.

Culottes are the perfect piece to show off your statement shoes. Since these pants are always cropped, it is ideal for letting your heels do the talking (and walking too!).

Vanessa Hudgens nails the culotte trend by pairing it with modern classics like a camel trench, barely there ankle strap heels, and a striped tee.

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Which look did you love? I hope that this post inspired you to slip into the hottest silhouette of the season. 

Beauty How To: Smoky Eyes

Smoky eyes are a quintessential beauty look that every woman should master. Intimidating and highly technical as this makeup look may seem, in reality it is actually pretty easy to execute and perfect. Granted there will be some mishaps during your initial attempts (hello raccoon eyes), it’ll be no time till you’re rocking this smoky eye and applying it with confidence and expertise.

Don’t fret, because I’m here to guide you as you navigate through the numerous smoky eye how-to tutorials. I’ve personally picked out two of the simplest tutorials that yield the best results. First things first, let’s go through the basic tools you’ll need:

• Mascara
• Eyeshadow (at least 3 similar shades to blend together)
• Eyeshadow Brush
• Angled Brush
• Eyeliner

It’s important to remember that the smoky eye look is all about blending. If you’re more comfortable with blending with a sponge or even your fingers, feel free to do so.

The infographic below takes you through the step-by-step process in achieving the glamourous smoky-eye look.

 

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Straight-forward and easy right? The great thing about the tutorial above is that you can use it for any type of smoky eye you want. It is important to note that smoky eye is not just about dark eyeshadow, you can use the same technique and process outlined above to achieve the metallic smoky eye or even the daytime smoky eye. All you need to do is simply switch up your eyeshadow of choice, from a dark black/brown palette to lighter shades for the daytime. If you’re feeling bold, you can even do a bright-colored smoky eye like purple or blue.

If you’re looking for an even quicker and easier way to achieve a classic dark smoky eye, this how-to from The Beauty Department has you covered. Using only a black kohl pencil, blending brush, eyeliner, and mascara, you can achieve the dark smoky eye in a snap.

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Now that you’ve pretty much gotten the gist of what makes the smoky eye look work, here are some products that’ll make your smoky eye look even more glam. You may want to invest in these beauty products down the road, it’ll make a difference with your smoky eye look for sure.

This new They’re Real push-up eyeliner from Benefit boasts of a no-brainer application and a smudgeproof finish.

Priming your lids before applying shadow will make your application smoother and will make your smoky eye last longer. This Too Faced Shadow Insurance Primer is anti-crease too!

You probably have an eyeshadow brush and angled brush in your kit already, but a blending brush is an addition worth looking into. You can use this Bobbi Brown blending brush for face contouring as well.

Every makeup fanatic owns or dreams of owning an Urban Decay Naked Palette. Its cult following is well deserved since you can do a wide range of looks just from this one palette.

A quick pat of Nars Translucent Setting Powder will set your look for an entire night.

Are you excited to flex those makeup artist skills yet? Race you to the mirror ladies! Have a great and beauty-filled week ahead!