Eastside Career Chic in Office A La Mode

On a daily basis how many negative thoughts about your body go through your mind? Are there any types of clothes you are afraid to wear?
See my curvy girl confession in Office A La Mode:
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What's Your Style Formula? Mine is CBGT!

I love that Spring is in the air in LA this week! Of course it got me thinking of Spring Shopping. Here's what i'm crushing on this week. I searched far and wide for the Eastside Career Chic version of this Spring's Must Haves. 

My wardrobe consists of a specific formula:

Classic+Bold+Girly+Trendy= Eastside Career Chic Style

Now that I have been tracking my outfits more closely I have narrowed down my style to these key items. You can usually find me sporting a bold piece, with a classic piece, followed by something girly and something trendy. Here are some of the things i'm loving know. All these styles can be found for under 100 dollars!  Links are listed below. 

          1)Classic 

  I have been needing a pair of nude heels and these are so interesting and will last for many seasons

 2) Bold 

I love a jewerly that makes a statement! 

3) Girly 

Color Block Top with a Faux Collar- Love it! 

4) The Trendy Item

Pastel Jeans keep drawing my attention I think it's a sign I need to get some! 

And the cherry on top! This Jaded nail polish. by REVLON. 

Dolce Vita Shoes, HRH Collection Necklace & OiaJules Bracelet., Ark & Co. Shirt, Asos Pastel Denim, 

What's your style formula? 

xoxo, Betsy 

We All Need to Find Our Place in the Universe

According to Wikipedia the term niche is used to describe the role an organism or population plays within its community or ecosystem. Niche marketing often refers to advertising that is tailored to appeal to a specific group of people. Niche Audience is the people that fit within that said group of people.

It’s like those ads on the side bar of your Facebook that seem made just for you and say creepy things like , “Are you a 26 year old woman living in Los Angeles?” and you think, “Well actually I am! “ This is the most obvious example of advertisers targeting to a niche audience. Some things are marketed to the “mainstream niche” and are meant to appeal to all consumers but increasingly ads are developed for specific groups of people. This is why Facebook and Google will one day inevitably rule the world as they have so much data on everyone that they are the perfect venue for advertisers to create very specific ads based on all of the data we put on the internet.

Advertisers know that in order to sell they have to tailor to who they want to sell to. This got me thinking about my niche and who my target audience is, who am I appealing to, and who would be interested in what I have to say on this blog.

Taking it one step further I asked myself why I continue visiting certain Fashion, and Career sites, what is it about who they are marketing to that keeps me coming back? For example, when a blogger or a site features only high end designer gear I find myself not visiting that site as often. If the clothes I see don’t seem accessible to me it makes it less likely I want to visit in that case I’m not part of the niche audience of that blogger.

Now some bloggers who are a bit more savvy understand this and so they frequently post, less expensive options so that people like me don’t get turned off this is why I always read, “The Chloe Conspiracy.  This is an example of trying to appeal to a “mainstream” niche.

Now neither of these options are bad and perhaps bloggers are not always aware that they are carving a niche for themselves but it’s essential for their success that they establish an audience, figure out what it wants and then blog accordingly.

The same rule can apply to our careers, we need to find out what we like, who would like the service/product that we can provide and then tailor accordingly. Mold your career to who you are and then surround yourself with people who will appreciate it.

I’m still searching for my blog’s niche audience, but for this week my niche is finding cute nail polish!


It’s important for all of us to know who our target audience is, at work and in life and message accordingly. If you’re reading this it’s likely that you are a member of my niche audience so please do remember to subscribe, comment and follow me on Twitter!

Invest in Yourself, Just Make Sure There's a Return on Your Investment

Everyday we are confronted with a myriad of financial decisions...
"Should I stop for coffee?"
"Should I eat the lunch I made at home or hit the nearest burger joint?" Guess how I usually answer  that question, :)
"Does the dog really need a new outfit?" Rational Answer: No!
"Should I shop around for gas or just go to the nearest place when I run out of gas?"
"Should I agree to loan (insert name of friend/relative) money?"

In case you're wondering these are actual decisions I have been confronted with recently.

In this era of consumerism and where people are always looking for the next best gadget- Ipad 2/Iphone 101 anybody? - to keep up their image, it is very difficult to make decisions about how to spend money that can be truly unique and independent as we are constantly being subjected to targeted marketing that was designed specifically for us based on age, race etc.

And then there's the stuff we search for late at night....

Exhibit A- I have been obsessing over You Tube make up tutorial and beauty videos. They are inmensely addicting to someone like me. I have loved Make-Up ever since I was old enough to dig through my mother and older sister's make up. Now that I have emerged from the valley of the shadow of Depression I have re-discovered my love for face painting.

These videos are the budget shoppers guilty pleasures.  It's great to learn about beauty products and they prevent you from having to buy products that are overpriced, inadequate or who do not keep their marketing promises.
Yes of course, these videos help me save money!!
I think they could if I didn't have a compulsive need to buy things.

See below here is my newest nail polish purchased on a late night binge at my local drugstore. After all glitter polish will continue to be a top trend in 2012.

If we could graph the incidence of cosmetic product purchases after I watch these videos we would see a direct cause and effect relationship. I wont tell you what I have purchased in the past few weeks for fear of judgment (but I did post a picture of everything above) and also because I havent completely abandoned the idea of starting my own You Tube channel to share my "hauls" in the hope that I will soon become the next You Tube sensation.

I am fascinated by this phenomenon as these You Tube beauty experts are gaining momentum and cosmetic companies are definitely taking notice. In this video, one of the gals I enjoy shows off the drawer of the stuff that gets sent to her by cosmetic companies. I would lie if I said I wasnt jealous

I wouldnt publicly admit to following her but there's this young gal who has over 100 million hits and has recently hired a PR firm to represent her and is clearly trying to capitalize on her You Tube fame by coining herself the "Fashion Icon of the Social Media Generation."  Her readers sometimes  argue about her credentials as a fashionist/beauty guru in their comments section but she's clearly making a living this way. 

But there's more to this a few years ago it would have seemed outlandish but these young gals are actually good career role models because they are doing what they love and turning it into a profession and incorporating into their lives.  They are also following Penelope Trunk's advice and branding themselves as experts. in their fields by using social media and creating a following.

 This is something that all of us could learn from to advance our careers and the importance of investing time to pursue what we love. Investing in ourselves is key to getting ahead whether that means buying cosmetics and uploading videos, seeing a career coach, or my favorite investing in a killer wardrobe that will help make you more confident at work. 

Where does that leave me and my potential You Tube Channel idea. I have a lot on my plate and I look fat on camera but I will definitely keep considering the Yout Tube venture. Mostly because then my cosmetic obsession can be considered an investment in my future! Doing something you love is never a waste of time because it contributes to your personal happiness an that is of course the best investment money and You Tube can buy.  For the time being please keep reading this blog. I promise to share the goodies as soon as they start coming in....