If it’s fly, I’m all over it – which is one of the reasons I totally heart my job blogging for Bluefly.com. From the super chic (and sweet!) chicas in my neighboring cubes, to the fashionistas on the curb (our office is just a block away from NYC fashion mecca, Bryant Park!), it’s wall to wall flyness. And did I mention, I style-stalk celebs too?

I’ll be mentioning all that and then some as your very own FlySpy, helping you recreate looks spotted on celebs and the put-together ladies we run into on the street or the subway and envy just a bit. Check me here at The Tastemaker Diaries every Wednesday – and catch me (plus the rest of the Bluefly blog crew) daily on FlyPaper. Stay fly!

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, they’re everywhere this season: summer scarves. This trend can be spotted on celebs and real people of both sexes. From John Mayer…

To Jessica Alba…

…there aren’t many places these lightweight accessories haven’t been spotted. Even Rachael Ray has donned a jaunty scarf, though that didn’t work out so well for her.

You won’t see me sporting a scarf this summer. I get the arguments for: it’s an easy way to add color and pattern to an outfit. (Believe me, I went through a scarf phase about 10 years ago because I thought they were a professional way to add pizzazz to a suit. I had a very elaborate way of tying the fabric, that in retrospect, made me look like I had been decapitated and was trying to keep my head tied to my body through a small square of fabric and sheer force of will.)
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I love summer because I can streamline my shower and beauty routines. Although more leg-shaving is required, I don’t feel like I have to wear as much make-up or do as much to my hair when the weather heats up. Part of that is due to the overall freedom that summer allows in clothing trends and hair styles (hello, waves!) But, another good reason for streamlining is that your hair might not hold up so well in 100% humidity and you certainly don’t want foundation sliding off your face. It doesn’t look good and feels even worse!

I use nearly all these products daily in the summer to keep my beauty and shower routine simple, fun and affordable. You can by all of these things–except for one or two–at your local drugstore, Target or on drugstore.com.

Shower

• Dove Advanced Color Care is a shampoo I tried on a whim and loved. It really softens my very color-treated hair and helps prevent split-ends and frizz. The scent reminds me a bit of Downy fabric softener–in a good way, trust me–and the color of the bottle is about the girliest you can get.
• Aveda Blue Malva conditioner saves my hair. I’m naturally brunette, so when I dye my hair blond, it has a tendency to become quite brassy in the sun. This conditioner zaps those gold tones out and brightens the cool tones in my hair instead.

• I love all Burt’s Bees products, but this Radiance Exfoliating Body Bar takes the cake. It has a sweet–but not overbearing–scent, which is a huge plus. Others soaps can have too timid a scent or one that’s too strong. I like the rich lather of this as well.
• Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Anti-Blemish face scrub is a morning and evening must for my skin. During the summer you sweat more (obviously), so you want to make sure you keep your pores clear of dirt and bacteria to avoid break-outs. This scrub gets my skin clean without irritation and also has anti-wrinkle ingredients in it. Although I’m 21, it’s never too early to prevent early signs of aging.

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A few weeks ago, I was quickly flipping through the Ballard Designs catalog when I saw this piece:

At first, I didn’t think much of this Tole Topiary plaque but as the days passed, it just stuck with me. It’s an interesting piece and one I had not come across before, how refreshing!

Whenever I think of a grand home, I envision a pair of these three-dimensional topiaries flanking the front door. They make such a regal and classy statement.

I don’t have a grand home with a winding drive leading to the front door — yet — but the Faux Topiaries from Ballard could be a great stand in. I love how subtle they are and how flat they seem against the brick. I also love the idea of using them to add a different dimension and texture in the entry way of a home. Imagine at the holidays hanging little white lights on them? Too sweet! They are available in medium and tall. I guess the old saying is true: if you continue to think of a piece for days or weeks than it is one you should purchase, or else one day you will wake up to regret it!

Is there a piece of home decor to this day you wished you had purchased?

I was looking for new items to add to my stylefeed and saw these shoes:

I have always loved Christian Louboutin shoes but am not a huge fan of pink. But there is just something about these shoes that pop out at me, maybe it’s the HOT pink colour or the big bow on the toe. Whatever it is, I wish I had the cash in my bank account for them.

Then I thought, “Even if I had the cash what would I wear them with?”

Then I happened across this photo on the same site:

It answered my question. How genius of the site, Browns, to pair up the hot pink silk shoes with the green, floral print, silk, Marc Jacobs dress! I love the way the 1940s cut still manages to look modern.

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As a continuation of my previous post, I present more of my favorite online shopping destinations.

• Etsy.com

Etsy.com is addictive. With hundreds of thousands of items, you are literally guaranteed to find multiple things you absolutely musthave. Luckily, almost everything on etsy.com is quite affordable.

My favorite things to buy on Etsy include jewelry, vintage clothing and paper-related products. Most of these things are either re-worked new pieces (like American Apparel shirts with appliques) or created from scratch/by hand.

When buying jewelry from Etsy, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. If you are buying a genuine pearl necklace for around $20, contact the seller for a guarantee. Although it may be vintage and being re-sold for a steal, you want to make sure you aren’t buying something cheap or poorly made. There are so many quality sellers on Etsy that there’s no excuse for something that may fall apart or not live up to your expectations.

Keep an eye out for really unique items. One of my favorite things I’ve found on Etsy were bracelets with letters all over them made with different fonts…sort of an jewelry-themed ode to typography, if you will. The seller is taking a hiatus right now, but keep an eye on her shop space. You’ll want to pick one of these up when she starts producing them again!

Vintage clothing/items are another good thing to look for. There are plenty of home items and trinkets to be found at a steal of a price, and there is some very good vintage clothing. Just keep digging until you find a seller you like and then bookmark it!

The great thing about Etsy is that you are dealing with real people, not a large corporation. If you become a regular buyer, you can start a dialogue with the seller and maybe get alerts to new items before anyone else.

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Every once in awhile, a product comes across our desks that makes us smile. So we had to share this box of goodies sent to StyleFeeder by the nice folks at Tshirtbordello.com.

Yeah, there’s nothing new about t-shirts with clever designs, but Tshirtbordello.com has some we haven’t seen before. If your man is a fan of cult movies like The Big Lebowski, Old School or Tommy Boy, here’s a way you can subtly support his obsession without wearing an “I’m With Stupid” t-shirt yourself…and win big girlfriend/wife points. My husband is currently livening up his Office Space with a new Initech mug, courtesy of moi, and lately he’s been looking at me like the new chick from Logistics.

A lot of people ask me where I get the clothes I’m wearing and they’re always surprised when I say where I got them and how much the item cost. Typical reactions include disbelief and jealousy, especially when I’ve spent less than $20 on a pair of shoes identical to an $80 pair someone else owns.

How do you find your own sweet deals and which online shopping destinations will give you the most bang for your buck?

Here are a few of my favorite sites and a few of the best items from them that I’ve added to my StyleFeed over time.

• Forever 21

Forever 21 has incredible selection and style and the prices are outrageous, especially if you do a bit of digging. I’ve unearthed fabulous dresses for less than $20 and great costume jewelry pieces for around $5. The shipping from the site is painless and quick and they have easy return policies should something not fit.

Here are my tips for shopping online at Forever 21:

Visit the store before you shop the website so you know what fits you and what you’re looking for. Often, the actual clothing looks different in person than it does on their website, especially in the dress length area. Some “dresses” Forever 21 sells are more tunic-lengthed, meaning you’d have to wear them as shirts or with leggings in order to make them street-appropriate.

Don’t expect pristine quality. Forever 21 keeps their prices low by mass-producing huge quantities of clothing that aren’t meticulously made. Don’t expect your clothing to hold up for years-or sometimes weeks-on end.

Beware of dresses or shirts you need to zip. Forever 21 has fairly cheap zippers that often break.

If in doubt, go up a size. Their clothing runs tiny–truly tiny. If you have a wide rib-cage, like I do, you may need to go up two sizes if something is really fitted around that area.

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