The Best Neutral Coat and How to Fake a Timely Hair Blow-Out

If you find me out of my bathrobe in January or February I’m probably in a Winter coat.  I’m always cold!   I’m sharing a chic military-style trench coat (currently on sale!!) for Winter that is the PERFECT neutral.  It’s taupe, otherwise known as greige (between grey and beige) so it goes with just about any outfit.   I’m also sharing my trick to get the look of a sleek blow out in under 5 minutes.

HOW ABOUT THOSE LAUGH LINES????  I earned them!

This wool blend trench coat is apart of a great sale right now at Nordstrom that includes so many great women’s coats.  My other favorite neutral Winter coat also happens to be on sale right now too!     Both of my favorites are belted which is very slimming ( and for reference I have both in size Small).   Since I’m usually laying over chunky knits (as seen above) and the coats themselves are thick I love that a belt cinches the waist.   I find taupe to be my go-to color (after white, if you consider that a “color”) because I can pair it with white, black, tan, and gray which are the predominate shades of clothes in my closet.

I paired my coat with some of my favorite Baublebar jewelry (30% off 12/12/16 and 12/13/16) and suede over the knee boots.  Again – the boots are TAUPE – so they match most any outfit.  I also find that black over the knee boots make me feel like a street walker unless I am very dressed up, so since I am dressed casually 95% of the time I wear my taupe boots most often.   I’m wearing my chunky knit off the shoulder sweater as more of a cowl neck here and I love that it has such long sleeves that they peek out below the jacket cuff.  This sweater is long enough to wear with leggings.   I wanted it oversized so I ordered a medium.  My Gigi New York chain crossbody bag is monogrammed with my initials and would be such a great holiday gift.

I’ve talked about this before but since I have so few beauty tips and tricks to share I’m bringing it back because I use this “trick” all the time.   I found this blow dry brush on clearance years ago.  At the time it was just under $20, now it’s $25, but figured it was worth a shot at that price.   I’m telling you – it’s a GAME CHANGER!   I use this thing instead of a hairdryer with amazing results.   I have a friend with tight spirally curls who uses this to straighten her hair.   The air is not as strong as a normal blow dryer so I let me hair mostly air dry before I use this.  I admitted in this point that I actually shower before work, let my hair dry while I cook my kids breakfast and get ready, and then use this blow-dry tool to smooth my hair dry at my desk when I arrive to work.   If I let your hair mostly air dry it takes me under 5 minutes to finish the look (and I have a lot of hair) and I don’t get the random kinks and waves that have made their way into my mostly straight hair.  I do not generally use any products in my hair but I have heard amazing things about “My Amazing Blow-Dry Secret” (under $10) from a friend who really does have the most amazing blow-outs.

I’d love to hear from you what some of your beauty hacks are!   As a toddler mom, time and gravity are not on my side.  I’m always looking for a new trick to stick in my back pocket.