I love this look of Jessica Biel's from over at The Budget Babe. It's the perfect outfit for shopping...which of course she is doing too (celebs, they're just like us!) except she is doing it in PARIS (in your dreams!).  Isn't the look so parisian chic?  I think part of its appeal is how easy it would be replicate from stuff currently in the closet.  And the yellow tote.  I WANT the yellow tote. 

Here's the breakdown on how to create it at a fraction of the cost, also courtesy of Budget Babe:

Eliza J. Print Dress.  Usually Peacock prints incorporate some shade of blue.  I love that this one is purple and pink!  Peacock print prom dress. I tried to keep all items under $100 but I couldn't resist including this $500 number.  Peacock feather print maxi dress.  The quintessential maxi dress...now in peacock.

Yes, I'm stuck on nail polish, and I'm sorry if you're bored.  BUT..... I happen to have found perhaps the most beautiful neutral shade.  EVER.  Granted, I do think that you need to look around and find the right neutral for YOUR skin type... but this is a darn good place to start.  My new love....

I am a HUGE fan of bright and bold nail colors, especially for toes.  However, for lack of drying time due to a crazy life, I tend to paint my fingernails far less than my feet.  Neutrals tend to work better so I don't have to worry about my bright electric blue clashing with my outfit for work.  But nude colors can sometimes be boring, so here are two of my most recent favorites that I believe qualify as neutrals but are far from ho-hum.  Both are from Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure line, which I love for it's great consistency and short fat brush.  The first is Pedal to the Metal, which is a metallic-y silver with a slight lavender sheen. (It is not as dark as it looks in the image below!) The second is Commander in Chic, which is a peculiar mixture of grey and brown that results in the most wonderful mushroom color.  Pick them up at your local Target for only $6.49 this week!

A few notes: This recipe is SUPER easy. If I can do it; anyone can! Secondly, I'm not sure why it calls for putting the batter in the ziploc bag half at a time. That was annoying. Next time I'll put all of the batter in at once. Lastly, I didn't want to waste money on a quart of buttermilk when I only needed a cup (and my mom insisted that I could make it with milk and vinegar). After googling it to make sure my mom wasn't making it up (why I doubt her I have no idea. She knows everything about homemade cooking.), I followed her advice and added a TBS of vinegar to a cup of milk and let it stand for 5 minutes).