Party In Your Parka 2015: Event Coverage

Lots of ice skaters were out on the maintained ice trails Saturday afternoon!

Party in Your Parka 2015 was a total blast this year!

There was a great turn out, and we really enjoyed walking around, drinking local beer and wine, and partaking in all of the wintery goodness that was all around, from ice-skating to snowman building!

The artisan tent was a nice break from the cold (though the weather was great and generally mild for a Michigan January!), and we had fun tasting gourmet jerky and checking out local handmade products, like the incredible beard conditioner we picked up from Wilder Beard Company. It smells EXACTLY like a mellow, vanilla-cherry pipe tobacco, and it feels amazing on the skin...I can't tell you how much I love the smell of this product! It's amazing. ;)

One of the tastiest aspects of the Winter Sports Complex...the yummy soft pretzels!

The Luge!

 

All in all, it was a great time, and I'm totally looking forward to next year! 

See you then!

 

Cold Weather Beauty: 5 Ways to be Pretty in your Parka

Click the picture above to visit its source at Marie Claire's Top 7 Winter Beauty Tricks!

COLD WEATHER BEAUTY:
5 WAYS TO BE PRETTY IN YOUR PARKA

(Because if you live in West Michigan, you are headed to Party In Your Parka this weekend, right?)

1. Start with moisture... Begin your beauty regimen by giving your hair and skin the extra conditioning it needs to be in the elements. For your skin, exfoliate and use a moisturizer all over that contains vitamin C if possible. Even if your skin tends to be on the oily side in winter months or indoors, being out in the winter elements will dry out skin and you might want to beef up your formula. The same goes for hair--the night before an event where you may be exposed to the extreme cold, apply a conditioning hair mask or leave in conditioner to your locks and get them prepped for sub zero submersion!

2. Forget the foundation!Normal foundation and powder can do strange things in super cold weather, adhering to patchy parts of skin and becoming thick and pasty. Super cold temperatures don't allow products to blend as easily with your skin, so you may want to consider switching to a BB cream or tinted moisturizer. Don't have one? No big deal...make your own! Try blending your liquid foundation with a moisturizer like the ones listed above. You can even add your own nutrients by throwing in a vitamin E gelcap and maybe even a touch of bronzer!

3. Get your glow on, but maybe skip the blush. Winter weather is definitely the perfect time to add a little shimmer to your look with a touch of bronzing cream, or a dusting of iridescence once you are done applying your makeup. Because your cheeks might already be flushed from the temperatures, you can probably skip your normal blush, or instead try a little rouge cream for some added moisture to skin that may already be slightly flaky or dried out!

4. Go waterproof and go bold. Definitely bust out the water proof mascara and eyeliner for an outdoor even to avoid the Tammy Fay Baker runs and stand up to random snowflakes and moisture that will try to infiltrate your look. Winter is a perfect time for bold, smoky eyes. Try adding iridescent and light shades like white, pearl and gold to the inner creases of your eyes to add light and "awake" factor, and finish a bold eye look with a more neutral lip.

5. Use these hairstyle tips (plus styling ideas!) Cold weather can actually "set" curls and keep them longer than hot and humid weather, provided there isn't a ton of precipitation to ruin the show. However, exposure to the elements can really dry out hair and make it frizzy. Run a dryer sheet (really!) over strands to eliminate frizz, and if possible, wear your hair in a braid, chignon or bun! If you prefer to have your hair down, control the fly-a-ways and moisture falling on you with a warm cap (but you probably already planned on that already if you're heading to Party in Your Parka...it's Michigan after all, right? BRR!) Need some hat hair inspiration? Check out my blog from last year's Party In Your Parka prep..."Hat Hair: It's a good thing!"

Click the image below or here for a flip book of some winter hair style ideas from Daily Candy!

WINTER COAT STYLE: 6 Ways to Party in your Parka!

Image from "They Call Me Redhead"

WINTER COAT STYLE:

6 Ways to Party in your Parka!

I'm thrilled to be participating in this year's annual Party In Your Parka (see last year's coverage here--it was a total blast!!) as the resident stylist, and creating stylish warmth couldn't possibly come at a better time, as Michigan has been experiencing some of the coldest temps in DECADES due to the recent "polar vortex"! 

While we here in the mitten state are hoping to the frigid heavens that these arctic conditions subside, the question remains:

How do we balance warmth with fashion?

I've been busy pinning images today for you (all images below are courtesy of Pinterest and the pinboard links to their respective sources) with some ideas on how to do just that! All of the looks shown here could be easily thrifted--at least in part! Read on for some ideas on how to work some "wow" into your "winter wardrobe"--and don't forget to put Party In Your Parka on your schedule (all day on Saturday, January 25th) for an awesome amount of winter fun, craft beer, and entertainment all in the beautiful outdoors at North Muskegon's Winter Sports Complex!

1. Create a unique color theme with your scarfs, hat, mittens and coat. I LOVE the combo of red and salmon.  A bright matching knitted set can breathe a lot of life even into a basic pea coat! Try unlikely color combos for even more attitude, such as the above culmination or perhaps teal with blue, hot pink with yellow, plum with pink, or anything else you can think of that pops. You won't know until you try... 

2. Go all black. I feel that all black somehow seems so sleek and fresh in winter. It has a streamlined feel to it--even in a puffer jacket like the one shown above! The eye is drawn to the face--a perfect opportunity to play up your eyes and lips if you like dramatic makeup!

3. Salt and Pepper it. It's fun to layer salt and pepper, hounds-tooth, grey wool, stripes and chevron together. Try a mono-chromatic look that pulls together different elements of your wardrobe, and consider tossing in a few camel or nude accents (like the backpack above).

3. A dramatic hat and fur. 'Nuff said. But I can't end this paragraph without mentioning how much I adore this look, even though the look was created for a tween gal. I absolutely LOVE the hat with long hair and fur elements, and I'm thinking of putting together my PIYP outfit with similar inspiration!



4. Do a dress coat with black tights! Preferably some very thick and warm ones, if you live in Michigan--and don't forget the boots! I'm particularly fond of the ivory and black combo. Earmuffs and a nice knitted infinity scarf (maybe fur!) would top the outfit off well!

5. Rock and Roll in a Vintage Snowsuit! I couldn't leave out this option after one of my friends and also a PIYP organizer, Sara Sass, mentioned that she had bought awesome retro snowsuits for her and her boyfriend to don at the Party in Your Parka event. So much fun, and for anyone who loves kitsch and vintage items, probably a little nostalgic, too! Glam sunglasses and a fur hat really take it to the next level on this one.



6. ...Or an awesome vintage parka! I love the unexpected brightness and retro appeal of the goofy neon parka shown above. So much, in fact, that I did a little searching of my own! Anyone looking for a rad snowsuit or vintage parka might also want to sift through some of the awesome retro goodness below:

Vintage Rainbow Snowsuit and Jacket Ebay Results Here! 
(Don't forget to look at your local thrift store!)

SEE MORE LOOKS BY CLICKING THE PINTEREST BUTTON BELOW!

Party In Your Parka Recap

What I wore (shown above): A vintage shift dress that I've worn before here, vintage black wool beret with vintage brooch and (not pictured) some super fun hot pink tights and high heel booties! (Very impractical footwear, yes, haha!). Naturally I layered that outfit with a warm vintage winter dress coat, scarf and gloves.

With the exception of my shoes, my entire outfit was thrifted!

PARTY IN YOUR PARKA RECAP!

Wow, am I ever impressed with the skills of local Muskegon event gurus Watermark 920 and many other amazing folks that made the Muskegon Winter Sports Complex into a snowy oasis of fun, music and winter sports last Saturday!

It was SUCH an awesome turnout! I saw many fashionable winter folk enjoying coffees, beers, Michigan-made music and so much more around fire pits and winter sports activities (like the luge!). It was a blast to see people randomly ice skating, cross country skiing and sledding around. What an amazing idea this whole event was!

I know I had a great time and enjoyed bringing my son, who walked around with me sipping hot chocolate. We capped off the night with a soft pretzel inside! It turned out fantastically!

Check out my Pinterest board to see some more fun iPhone shots of guests here and also see

BlinkPhoto's fantastic shots from the day. Stop by the Official Fan Page, too, so that you can stay updated for next year's dates! You won't want to miss it. :)

Happy statehood birthday to the glorious mitten--my favorite place to be!

This colorful group of friends had the highest number of likes on my Pinterest board! Lots of fun colors and I'm diggin' this dude's hair! :)

My son eats (and really enjoys!) his first warm and soft pretzel! (It was a hit!!!)

Looking forward to seeing everyone next year! Stay warm for the rest of the season. I'll be posting more thrifted winter fashion soon!

Hat Hair: It's a good thing!

HAT HAIR: It's a good thing!

I really ADORE hats of all kinds. And winter hats (knit, fur, etc) are all great options, even OFF season, if you ask me. Instead of worrying how your hair will look once you REMOVE your winter hat, why not plan your hairstyle around it? I wanted to share some inspirational images of "hat hair" today in my blog and also share one of my fun little signatures: the singular pin curl! I love wearing this off to the side, particularly with hats. How's about throwing a little extra "snazz" on it?

Here are my super simple steps to the hairstyle shown above!

 

Supplies? Well, my very worn Helen of Troy curling iron (moderately priced pro iron that STILL heats up in 60 seconds to friggin' outrageously hot and keeps my curls ALL day long...best iron I've ever had for the price), cheap hairspray, bobby pins and of course, a knit hat! Also not pictured, an elastic hair tie.

I started with clean dry hair and tied the back section of my hair up into a wound bun secured with an elastic. 

I pulled some random sections of hair up to be curled and worn out of the hat! I like to leave the sides a little different...so I don't end up looking like an Orthodox Jewish man. Unless, of course, that is your goal! Which there is nothing wrong with. Especially if you are an Orthodox Jew! Let's move on.

WHOAH, octopus curls!

I barrel wrap my curls. Check out this tutorial on how!

When doing "peicey" hairstyles like this, I try to include as much hair in the wrap as possible, so all pieces left lose are curled in 2-3 batches rather than individually. This way they fall nicely together and don't look too individual, which I don't care for . I like the look of maybe 2-3 seperated strands.

The final step was to separate a small strand of curl from the side part to be wound into a little pincurl! I pinned this curl off to the side with my part (on one side only) with bobbypins, pinning underneath so as to hide the pins themselves).

And that was it!

When I take my hair OUT of this hairstyle, because I've had the remaining uncurled portion wound into a bun all day, it will fall into nice loose waves altogether. Good stuff!

I've collected some images from google search results for "women's hairstyles in winter hats" below that I found inspiring. Give it a shot! (Working your hat hair into your outfit!)

This might come in handy particularly well if you are planning on attending the AWESOME Party in Your Parka event on January 26th in Muskegon, a mega monster of activities including outdoor sports at the North Muskegon winter sports complex, live bands, vendor tents, and three great locations for entertaining (Winter sports complex, Watermark 920 and the Lake House). PLUS you'll want to party down in honor of Michigan's 176th birthday in style and ride safely on the party shuttle! Best of all, admission is FREE!  I'll be there hosting a best dressed contest live on my Pinterest (follow me here)...so you'll want to make sure you dress up with your snazziest outfit and great hat hair!

Check out my Party In Your Parka winter style board for ideas here!

_______________________________________________________________________

Here are some inspiring pictures for more ideas on winter hats and hairstyles...

      

   


   

Snow for a Minute: Layers and Print

SNOW FOR A MINUTE: Layers and Print

It really was a gorgeous morning here in West Michigan. I must admit--even though I usually curse the snow each year, it's nice to see a little of it piling up! Even though it was quickly melting away as I was snapping my pictures this morning, it was nice to get a little sparkly dusting and a few snow photos.

When it comes to winter fashion, I've never been one to throw on a huge puffy Northface coat. I love layering not only for its functionality but also its style, so while downy parkas might be more practical for frigid weather, you'll usually find me in crazy getups like this vintage Pleather crop jacket (from Hope's Outlet) with multiple layered pieces underneath.

Everything with the exception of boots was thrifted in the pictures shown. The jeans I am wearing were originally wide leg and I altered them to taper with my sewing machine--a very easy project. Gloves, hat and accessories are all thrifted. 

What do you think about rolling your jeans and showing a touch of ankle with your boots during winter time? I love it. Winter hat plus aviators = instant style!

Looking for more layering ideas? 

Don't forget to check out my new "Party In Your Parka" winter style pinboard!

I'll be pinning fun winter fashion there for the next month while I prepare for the SUPER FUN Party In Your Parka event...Michigan's OFFICIAL 176th birthday! If you're not sure what to wear to stay warm AND be stylish, check it out.

Are you a vendor interested in bringing your products or business name to the Party In Your Parka event? Booths start at the affordable price of $50! Make sure to get your space before availability becomes  limited!  
Please contact Chantal Johnson madeinthemitten.donor.sponsor@gmail.com