A couple of weeks ago my awesome bloggy friend who is now my awesome in-real-life friend, Amy in OHio, was freaking out about what to wear to the upcoming BlogHer conference.  Amy is the organizer an Hostess with the Mostess of the Pre-BlogHer welcome lunch at Dick’s Last Resort on Thursday July 22nd, and she wants to look fab-U-lous!  All the talk on blogs and twitter of shopping trips and stilettos in preparation for BlogHer had left Amy feeling a bit frantic. She didn’t feel like she knew what looked good on her or what was exactly in style, and she was stuck in a rut of always choosing the same khaki pants and plain-colored tops for herself.

Being the great friend and fashion lover that I am, I thought, “this sounds like a great idea for a post!”  Amy needed a Blissful Style fashion intervention! Fortunately I was able to enlist my friends at Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, and Mary Kay to help me give Amy a fashion and beauty makeover and find her the perfect outfit to host the pre-BlogHer luncheon.  Here are some highlights from our trip:

After finding some GREAT wardrobe pieces and accessories at Marshall’s, (where I thought the selection in Women’s sizes was really great!) we moved on to TJ Maxx. Here Amy found the perfect elegant black wrap cardigan to top off her outfit for the luncheon, and adorable handbag as well as several other things.  We had to shop quickly but we got out the door of both stores with two tops, two pairs of capris, two scarves, a shrug sweater, a cardigan, a handbag, and some Burt’s Bee’s (moisturized lips are ALWAYS in!) for under $150.  Thanks so much to Marshall’s and TJ Maxx for providing Amy with gift cards to shop with!

Next, we went to our friend Erin’s house so I could do Amy’s makeup and she could give us a fashion show.  The great women at Mary Kay let me pick out colors for Amy and sent her full-size concealer, foundation, eye shadows,  blush, eyeliner, lipliner, lipstick and mascara.  I applied Amy’s makeup and we got in on video so she can watch it and do it herself when the time comes!

So now, it’s time for “the big reveal” Here are Amy’s “before” pictures.

And here are her “after” pictures, with her new outfit from Marshall’s and makeup from Mary Kay:

Here’s what I love about the outfit Amy let me help her choose: the black band at the neck of the top really draws the eye up, bringing the focus away from the lower body. The blue & aqua colors in the top are great for Amy’s coloring and the fabric is nice and flowing without being BAGGY.  The black cropped pants are a great staple piece for any wardrobe. They hit right below the knee which is great if you are 5’4″ like Amy (and myself!) If cropped pants hit too low on a more vertically challenged person, they can just make them look shorter.  The pants also have a cute button detail at the cuff – it’s hard to see in the picture but very flattering in person!

For Amy’s makeup, I used mineral powder foundation, and a little concealer, then I went with some neutral browns and beige-y pinks for her color.  I used a lighter color on her browbone and a chocolate color in the crease of her eye.  Because Amy’s eyes, brows, and lashes are all very pale in color, I went with brown eyeliner and mascara rather than black. A chocolate brown brings out her beautiful eye color without overpowering them.  For her lips, I did a neutral liner with an apricot-beigey shimmery lipstick and just a hint of gold lip gloss to complete the look.   You can find all the great products I used on Amy at MaryKay.com.

So that’s our first Blissful Style Fashion Intervention and Makeover!  Be sure to tell me what you think in the comments!  Thanks to Amy in OHio, Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, and Mary Kay for making this happen!