With Valentine's Day just around the corner, it might be a good idea to find yourself the perfect red dress. While I'm not one to gush over the cliche Valentine's Day clothes, decorations, etc., I can get behind a nice red dress mostly because it can extend far beyond February 14th. I'm obsessed with this Emilio De La Morena sweetheart, off-the-shoulder dress. The neckline is incredibly flattering and the velvet fabric is extremely opulent. All of these adorable details added with the A-line silhouette, make this red dress the absolute perfect outfit for any date night, whether it's this weekend or not. The River Island dress is very similar in both neckline and silhouette making the vibe nearly identical. I would definitely pair this look with nude heels to ensure that the red of the dress is the bold pop of color. Which would you wear?

Splurge:
Emilio De La Morena Velvet Mini Dress $542

Save:
River Island Bardot Skater Dress $80

I'm literally obsessed with Self Portrait and their dresses - just browse their Instagram feed and you'll see all the fashion bloggers and celebs who are equally enamored. With their cut-outs and lace, they are the perfect combination of sweet and sexy. Self Portrait's silhouettes seem modest, but are actually quite fun and youthful. This Self Portrait Cutwork Layered Dress is a perfect example of their vision and style. It has a great underlayer of what would appear to be a bodycon dress, with the top layer being an intricate, sleeved lace. I could see myself wearing this absolutely beautiful dress with a really fabulous red lip and sleeked-back, middle-parted hair. The even greater part about this dress is that I found a very similar one for significantly less. The major difference being the silhouette of the skirt. The Self Portrait skirt has more of an A-line look, while the Rule One London Dress appears to be more bodycon. For the most part, however, the intricate lace overlay seems to be very very similar. What do you think...would you splurge or save on this style?

SPLURGE:
Self Portrait Cutwork Layered Dress, $335

SAVE:
Venice Black Netted Midi Dress, $65

For more Self Portrait knockoff dupes, search "mesh lace dress" on SheInside.com to find dresses like this one. Thanks to alert reader Heidi (@Wishes_Reality) for the tip!

Despite not being entirely weather appropriate (especially following a blizzard), these black strappy lace-up flats are all I've been thinking about right now. Every time I wear them, I can't help but feel like North West at a ballet lesson. They certainly aren't practical for every occasion (I'm looking at you, airport security lines), but these feminine shoes certainly go with so many outfits, from cuffed jeans (like this) to flirty dresses (like this). While these Stuart Weitzman 'Gilligan' flats are enviable, there are plenty of other options that won't cost you $400!

I love my coffee black and my wine very red (I tell myself it’s good for me). With favorite drinks like those, my teeth take a beating. I do my best to brush them as recommended, but definitely do not floss or rinse as much as I should. When I was in high school, I tried whitening strips. I liked them but they hurt my teeth a lot. They made my teeth super sensitive and my mouth tasted super metallic for days. After high school, I went through an “at-home” phase. Instead of buying products to take care of my ailments, I would find stuff around the house. I would make lemon juice and honey face masks. I put mayonnaise on my hair. For my teeth, I did a hydrogen peroxide, baking soda rinse and brush combo that really did great things. I stopped that eventually and I’m not sure why. Now, with age, countless glasses of red wine, and far too much Starbucks, my teeth are not as pearly white as they used to be. That’s why I was so happy to try out the Luster Pro Light Dental Whitening System, Power White Deep Stain Eraser toothpaste, and Smile Illuminator Instant Whitening Kit.

There’s an old motto that I heard when I was in school. “Dress well, test well.” It basically asserts that if you are dressed for success, you will achieve it. I believe that this strategy spans far beyond the realms of one isolated event. Meaning that if you constantly dress well and thusly feel good about yourself, your whole outlook on life will be altered positively. So how does that apply to New Year’s Eve? Well, if you are dressed to the nines to start your year, who’s stopping you from continuing that throughout the year and thus having the best year of your life! That’s why I think it’s so important to feel stylish and beautiful, on the inside and out, when the ball drops.

Recently, I went to Kohl’s on a mission. My mission was to find an outfit that could appropriately resemble a fabulous new year for under $100 (one of my revolving resolutions is always to save money. Girl’s got to pay rent!) Like any good journalist, I did some research before heading out to my local Kohl’s. I read some articles online about how great Kohl’s coupons were, so I decided to follow suit and look for some great deals. I found an amazing coupon taking 15% off of any total less than $100, and 20% off of any total over $100 (use code HAPPY2016 online at kohls.com). I filed those savings in my mind bank and made my way to the store.