Uncategorized – Oh So Fancy Francie

10 Makeup Essentials For A Fresher Look

Get out of a makeup rut. That was me. I was comfortable with my routine and didn’t want to bother even though I knew there were things that were not right.

My makeup looked fine when I first put it on in the morning, but an hour later, it was as if I never touched my face. I notice this more and more as I took picture after picture for Instagram I saw more wrinkles and a dark circle under my left eye. Where are my eyelashes? What is going on?

After multiple trips to bluemercury and Nordstrom, I found good products that last. While I can’t stop the aging part, I can look fresher despite the ongoing battle. Below are my tried and true.

ohsofancyfrancie makeup essentials — My Face.

Trish McEvoy Eye Lift. This is my most favorite new item, replacing my concealer. I use it under the eye, inside corner and a touch at the brow line. Game changer!
Chantecaille Eye Pencil. Goes on like butter, smooth and soft. It lasts and lasts. Color is Earth.
MAC Eye Shadow. Matte eye shadow is the best look for the more mature set as it does not attract light to the crevices. I like this collection as it gives me lots of options.
Tweezerman Lash Curler. A MUST! Curling the lashes opens up the eye and shows the mascara better. Otherwise, only the tips really show. A makeup artist highly, highly recommended and she is correct.
Lancome Idole Mascara. LOVE! This is a volumizer and lengthener. This is by far and away my most favorite mascara I have ever used.
Trish McEvoy Eyebrow Pencil. A MUST! Shaping and darkening my brows helps frame my face. The pencil come with a brush to help push the eyebrow up, and more open.
Nars Blush in Orgasm. My favorite color blush of all time. It’s a pinky-peach that brightens up my cheeks and eyes.
Dior Addict Lacquer Stick in Underground. Awesome color for most complexions. Glides on and shines the lips. I get compliments on this lip color all the time.
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation. BEST foundation EVER! Amazing coverage and natural look. It’s written up in beauty magazines year after year.
MAC press powder. Light weight powder to remove shine.

Most stores will take back makeup if the product doesn’t work out. Hopefully I’ve given you enough direction to avoid returns. I love ALL of these items!!!

I do make a small commission off each item at no extra cost to you. It helps support this endeavor to bring you curated products, streamlining your shopping experience.

Yummy Winter Soup!

Soup is the best on a dreary day. It’s comforting to make and eat. I love a recipe that’s both healthy and filling; this potato and kale soup fits the bill.

My friend @suzeverly introduced me to this recipe by halfbalkedharvest.com. It’s packed with flavor and nutrition, with or without the chorizo. It’s even better the next day.

The instructions include multiple cooking methods: I used an Instapot and it was ready in eight minutes. Instapot is my new BFF! If you don’t have one, you can get the one I have here. (It’s currently on sale at the time of this posting. By using this link, I make a small commission at no extra cost to you and it helps support my efforts.)

I tweaked the recipe a little for my tastes. I used 2% milk for a little richness and color. I also added one extra medium Yukon gold potato as some of the potatoes are pureed for richness. Also, you do not need to peel the potatoes.

The recipe link to halfbakedharvest.com is here.

Free Coat From Athleta

Free coat. Free athleisure pants. All of these closet additions came from Athleta.

Now that I got your attention, I’ll tell you how to get the same deal.

By cleaning out my closet and bagging up my items to send to ThredUP, I earned store credit to spend at Athleta. Thredup is a consignment service that resells your items and pays you a commission on those items. You can choose to get a cash payout or, work through one of the Gap affiliates: Athleta, Gap, or Banana Republic. You’ll receive a 15% higher payout in gift cards vs cash, per the website.

Here’s how it works:

Grab a closet-cleanout bag from one of the Gap affiliate stores or request one online.
Fill the bag with unwanted clothing items in clean and good condition.
Register the prepaid postage sticker on the bag through email and drop off at the post office for shipping.

ohsofancyfrancie thredup — Good for a lot of reasons.

That’s it. You will get an email confirmation when the bag is received and a few weeks later, another email with a gift card amount to spend at your chosen store. Any items that can’t be sold are either donated or recycled, zero waste.

I’ve always selected Athleta because I love the Brooklyn pant for travel or running errands. This winter, I invested in two winter coats, one for really cold events like football games or trips to the snow. The other coat, I’ll wear to run errands or to the movies or some casual event.

I actually posted about this opportunity months ago. Since I was just getting started with ohsofancyfrancie, I don’t think it made the impact. In talking with my friends, I could tell they somehow missed the post or it didn’t seem meaningful at the time. One friend was moving out of state. She couldn’t bear the thought of watching her clothes go for a few dollars at a neighborhood garage sale. Since she was moving in a hurry, the ThredUp bags made the move easy and quick.

Another friend was shopping with me when I picked out my free coats.

“Wait! How are you getting those coats for free?” A month later, she earned $60 for her first bag!

When you know you can make money cleaning out your closet, it’s a lot more motivating to do a tedious task. With dreary weather out there, it’s even more motivating to stay indoors and pull out all those things you just aren’t wearing or rarely wear.

For the higher-end items, you can make a little more money at your local consignment stores. It takes a little longer, but it’s a nice surprise when that payout check arrives. My friend Maureen, owner of ReChic, says it’s best to just get rid of things instead of holding on to something for years. The quicker you get it out of your closet, the more money you can make on consignment.

ohsofancyfrancie rechic — A classy consignment store that feels like a first-hand boutique.

Technically, I got the Sam Edelman boots I’m wearing in the photo for free, using the money I earned from reChic. The boots are weatherproof, comfy, and cool. They are hard to get, Nordstrom is sold out. Head to Amazon instead. Link here.

ohsofancyfrancie atheta coat sam edelman boots — Free coat and boots!

Make a closet-cleanout one of your goals for 2022. In fact, put down a closet clean-out in your calendar with each new season, or at least spring and fall.

Looking Into 2022

Happy New Year!

Over the last six months, I’ve learned a lot about fashion-over-fifty posting. It’s not as easy as it looks, that’s for sure. It takes a lot of planning, as much in advance as possible. It’s not just the outfits, but where to take the photos and from which angle? When it all comes together, it’s really magical and it makes me so happy when followers tell me they scored on something I suggested!

That was my plan, to inspire the over-fifty, and really the over-forty, because we can all wear the same things and look age-appropriate and not grandma. When I described my mission to a friend that recently retired, she lit up!

“I don’t want to look like a grandma! First of all, because I’m not a grandma!”

That’s my goal, to keep us looking current, whether we are grandmas or not! I’ll share what I know about fashion, fitness and, nutrition, because who doesn’t need a fresh take.

Thanks for supporting me while I try to figure out what being an influencer is all about. One of the things I learned is how to make catchy videos on TikTok and IG. Below is a year in review, the top ten looks in 2021 as selected by followers on IG.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Francie (@ohsofancyfrancie)

Three Classic Fall Pieces To Die For

As I plan outfits for posts, I realize I need something to make the look perfect. And when I find it, I feel as if I hit the jackpot when I love it so much. There’s no debating. I found three classic pieces to last for years.

The Boots. As the weather grew chillier, I wanted tall boots to go with the floral wrap dress I found to get from summer to fall when it was 90 degrees. Now I can wear it in 50 degrees, lower with tights. LOL.

Sam Edelman Boots from Nordstrom. Link here.

ohsofancyfrancie sam edelman tall boots — Oh the places these boots will go..

ohsofancyfrancie sam edelman riding boots wine country — First Stop: Wine Country!

The Phenom Top: Nordstrom is jumping on the sustainability wagon and creating a label to support their mission. Open Edit is cute and affordable. Not all items are sustainable, but they are trying. I wasn’t so sure the colors would work with my pale complexion, but this worked out perfectly. It goes with a zillion things in my closet! The best part, it’s only $30.

Open Edit Top from Nordstrom, link here. (Only small sizes left, but the mesh fabric is stretchy. XS worked for me and I’m never an XS.) I paired it with my Mother Denim Tom Cat wide-leg jeans and the killer boots, also from Nordstrom by Silent D.

ohsofancyfrancie open edit top nordstrom — Goes with everything!

ohsofancyfrancie open edit top with leather jacket — Voilat! Instant outfit makeover.

The third most amazing classic fall piece and probably into spring, is this incredible cream knit cardigan from Aritizia, my new favorite store. The company is Canadian with just a few stores in the states. You’ll be seeing more from this place.

The Alps Cardigan shown with Sam Edelman boots and the Phenom top:

ohsofancyfrancie popcorn sweater — Feeling fall-ish!

ohsofancyfrancie popcorn sweater and open edit top — Oh-so-very-fall.;-)

Blazin’ Blazers the Double-Breasted Way

The quickest way to elevate any look is to throw on a blazer. No matter the base layer: tank, tee or blousy top. Treat it like an extra layer instead of a sweater or jean jacket. You can wear one just about anywhere and look stylish.

Double-breasted blazers, to me, are more interesting, especially given a military style: The buttons make the jacket.

I scored on two styles for fall, both on sale. The black is more versatile as the buttons are simple, lending the top to be the pop.

Which do you like best?

Rocker Tee Look

Black blazer by 1state from Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale. Ruched sleeves and double breasted features step up the look without overdoing. Paired here with a rocker tee–a huge trend and mostly all from the 70s and 80s.

Jeans are Frame Pixie Flare and boots by Vionic, also purchased at the Nordstrom sale.

ohsofancyfrancie Blondie Blazer — Feeling nostalgic.

Dressy Top

The second look in the black 1State blazer is paired with a floral top that will work for a dinner out or drinks with friends when paired with jeans. Dress pants will work, but since the jacket is a separate, the blacks will be hard to match. Pair with heather gray, khaki or olive.

Top is by GenerationLove.

ohsofancyfrancie floral blazer — Feminine but cool.

Classic Blue Blazer

The last look is a very cute and very cool blazer from Express. I haven’t shopped there since my twenties! A friend ordered two sizes and passed one on to me for a steal! All sizes still available for just $99!

Keep it simple with a plain white tee, this one a sleeveless crew by MichaelStars. Jeans, Moussy Vintage and the boots, Vionic with lug sole.

ohsofancyfrancie blue blazer — Blue Blazer from a True Blue Friend.

Three Ways to Style Fall Floral Midi

The passing of Labor Day signals the end of summer, unofficially. There’s no better way to feel like fall without burning up than flirty wrap dresses in fall colors. I love, love, love the shades of green for fall 2021. I found both pieces at TJMaxx and they were oh-so-affordable so I got both!

Max Studio (@leonmaxofficial) wrap dresses are flattering to most figures and come in a flurry of colors. The dresses are a great transition piece from the warmer temps of summer into the cooler air of fall.

Two fun looks! Which is your favorite?

MaxStudio midi wrap from TJMaxx. You can pair it with any shoe: bootie, sneaker, wedge, sandal.

ohsofancyfrancie maxstudio wrap — The Canvas

Sadie and Sage Faux Shearling cropped shacket (shirt plus jacket) with AllSaints Docita combat boots. I like to balance edge with feminine.

ohsofancyfrancie faux shearling crop shacket — A little country.

BlankNYC faux leather moto jacket and Vionic Wilma waterproof booties.