I don’t know much about beauty pageants, but I do know that I liked Miss Congeniality. I didn't really like Miss Congeniality 2—I blame Benjamin Bratt— but I’m going to say I loved it just to support Sandra B. Whether or not you’re into pageants, you should be excited to know that ShoeDazzle Stylist, Toni Ferrara, made an appearance at the first press event for the Miss California and Miss Teen California USA pageants helping women who are already obnoxiously attractive look their very best! All joking aside, Toni met a bunch of ShoeDazzle members and even handed out free shoes this past Saturday at Shade Hotel in Manhattan Beach (it’s in LA and it’s gorgeous). She asked me to pass along her sincere gratitude to everyone who showed up and everyone who wishes they could’ve. Congratulations to Matilda, Natalie, Melody, Mariah, and DeAnna who all got a pair of Shoedazzle shoes! I’d suggest you don any tiara you might have handy and live vicariously through these lucky young ladies!

From left to right: Vanessa, Yulonda, Elizabeth, Emily

Welcome back to the weekly Wrap Up! This week, we received a lot more submissions; and after checking out each and every one, we’re excited to give these four ladies a little recognition for their ShoeDazzle style!

This week, we love your dresses! Vanessa and Emily showed us two great LBD looks. Combined with Villa, Vanessa’s lace yoke dress makes for a seductive, monochromatic date look. Emily is more than a Little Bit Dazzling in her Anyas and perfectly matched turquoise accessories. Organic-looking, dyed prints, like those worn by Yulonda and Emily, are oh-so trendy for spring. Yulonda did a great job preserving the flow and movement of her dress with Roma; and Elizabeth showed us how a loose dress with a straight-edged shoe like Adina can be just as fashionable!

Another great week of style Ladies! Thanks for sharing your outfits and making the Wrap Up so exciting; keep them coming!

Congratulations to this week’s Wrap Up stars. If you haven’t seen your picture featured yet, there’s always next week!

I don’t know about you, but I’m always most concerned about being fit and healthy when suffering from '5th slice of pizza’ guilt or ‘whole can of frosting’ guilt or ‘2am taco fest’ guilt. Yep. That next morning I am rededicated to eating right and going to the gym. So I peel the taco wrappers off my bed sheets, try not to trip on the empty can of frosting or the pizza box, and search for my gym pass, which may or may not be covered in hot sauce. What? I had a good night.

Pizza, tacos, and frosting happen to all of us—or am I alone on this one? Either way. When they happen (and they will happen), here’s some tips to get you back on the diet train. I was going to say 'back on track' but then I thought 'diet train' was funnier.

1- Eat breakfast. What? Why? Because you need to keep your metabolism going. If you don’t eat breakfast, the calories you inhaled last night will stick with you. Breakfast will also help reduce the amount you’ll eat throughout the day. Note: Stack of pancakes; not a good choice.

2- Just add water. Cold water. Your body will have to work harder to warm it up, and water will get your body back to burning fat. Note: Nowhere does it say you can’t put the water in a margarita glass, so drink up!

3- Do the walk of shame into the gym. Yes: Everybody is looking at you because you hooked up with the value menu last night. That should motivate you to do a few extra reps, a few more minutes on the elliptical, or at least spend less time pretending you’re trying to find a good song on your iPod. Just play your favorite and throw in a little dance move as you’re running. Note: Don’t fall—that’s way more embarrassing than the walk of shame.

Well, there you have it. It’s like I always say, “When life gives you pizza, tacos, and frosting, make sugar-free, diet lemonade.”

Happy Friday, ladies.

See you next week,

Richy T.—I'll be getting my own, cool Dazzle icon any day now. You're excited; I can tell.

Not only do these ladies look stunning in their ShoeDazzle shoes, but now they get to tell everyone that they were the first to be featured on The Corner's weekly Wrap Up!

From left to right: France-Marie gave us a great transitional outfit that melds fall favs like tweed, layers, and ankle cut Cocos with shorts and sheers that clearly reference warmer weather. Stephanie rocked some 'bohemian sleek' with a printed top, Trudy boots, and yellow-washed skinny jeans to tie it all together. Ivie showed us her talent for coordination with the perfect pair of earrings to echo her cheetah-print Stephanies; and Calandra revved up her casual look with some Monas and an over-sized beaded necklace.

Nice job, ladies! We're sure there are a lot more pics out there, and we're more than excited to see them! Mail your pics to TheCorner@shoedazzle.com for a chance to be in next week's Wrap Up and share your style with your fellow dazzlers! Don't forget that you can also submit your pic to the ELLEgirl Model Search for your chance to win some amazing prizes!

Irregardless … yes that’s a word, it’s in the dictionary. Anyway, starting over:

Irregardless of any holy status, the egg is a quintessential symbol of spring and life and rebirth and a bunch of other things that mean ‘it’s sunny’. So, before you begin hunting for sunny-side-ups, here’s some fitness-friendly advice on the ‘incredible, edible’ egg, minus the chicanery—sorry I was trying to reference chickens. Get it? No? Ok. What about a far-reaching allusion to being ‘chic’? Moving on.

13 essential nutrients – Yay. Thirteen is the coolest number ever! Have you ever tried booking a flight for Friday the 13th? Cheap! Plus, it’s the number of floors in a thirteen-story building; it’s the number of rolls in a baker’s dozen; and it’s the smallest, two-digit integer with the fewest letters in its name; but we’re focused on benefits so let’s think of it as big (like really big) in terms of nutrients.

6 grams of protein – Being a ‘Pro’ is the ultimate accolade. You’re a pro! See: It feels good! But PRO-tein will help you feel fuller longer (don’t ask ‘who’s Fuller?’) Eggs in the morning will accidentally reduce calorie intake throughout the day; you won’t feel hungry and you’ll end up eating less.

Eggs get a bad wrap – You can’t judge a book by its cover—unless the cover is really compelling. Shell out some sympathy for the falsely accused. According to this site, eggs aren’t connected to heart disease in healthy adults and may actually reduce blood pressure!

Looking ‘buff’ may not be your priority, but looking good ‘in the buff’ is always good. Eggs promote muscle development and prevent muscle decay. Isn’t the word ‘decay’ really gross? Yes.

I’m not sure if this applies, but if you’re rockin’ your ShoeDazzle shoes AND a baby bump, eating eggs will contribute to the brain development of your kid. It’ll also help boost your brain activity. So, you AND your 5th grader will definitely be smart! Check out incredibleegg.org for all the hard-boiled details.

Eggs have eye-healthy antioxidants. With healthy eyes, you’ll never have to ask whether that dress makes you look fat; you’ll just know you look good because you’ll see it in the mirror…with your healthy eyes. Good job!

Generally I like to give an odd number of tips, but I’ve decided to be ‘good’ this Friday. I hope these six tips help! Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,
Richy T.
a.k.a. The New Ali—how many times do I have to mention that she left?