Perfect Pink Polish

 Flats: Walmart
Pants: Bergners
Long sleeve stripe top: H&M
Cardigan: Old Navy Clearance
Necklace: NY and Co
Watch: Target...need a similar replacement on the cheap (help?)

Essie: Fiji. 

I think I finally found a light light dusty rose type pink that I love. Fiji by Essie. I think I still need to work on how to not make it streaky...and I did quite the rush job so excuse my sloppy cuticles. Today I'm wearing my new pants. So far so good. Not dragging on the ground...(I bought them in "short" which is still pretty dang long, and I'm not THAT short...5'5...) and they definitely fit snugger through the butt and hips/waist. The thighs are still a tad baggy, but dress pants aren't supposed to be skin tight, right?


Also, I'm getting a haircut in an hour and a half. Totally only trimming off the tiniest amount possible, but I'll be getting some layers reshaped in the front so it's not so lanky.  Can you believe my hair is so long again since this big chop in 2010? I only remember getting a trim once since then. So I think I haven't gotten a haircut in two years? Can that be right? Hmm

June 2010 BEFORE

June 2010 AFTER

Current Length

Although tonight's trim will not be as drastic, stay tuned for haircut photos! Also, I'll be letting the stylist use regular (silicone) filled products, just to see how it is, after having not used them in about 8 months. I hope everything goes ok!

Speaking of ok, it's "It's OK Thursday!"
It's ok to only cut your hair once a year
It's ok to buy yourself things when you can afford them
It's ok to speak up when something isn't right
It's ok to be excited to watch 101 Dalmations with the kids at indoor recess.
It's ok to turn up the heat to 73 and not care how much extra it costs because it's just too dang cold.

Linking up with Its OK Thursday

Put together casual

 

Boots: Bergners
Skinnies: Love Culture
White Button Down: NY and CO
Green Sweater: Forever 21
Necklace: Kohls clearance, about $4!

 This is a situation where I had this shirt in my closet for two years but hadn't worn it. White button down, what a staple, right? Well, not when you teach art to little children, it's not. HAH!  I decided I'd bust it out for the layered sweater look I've been seeing and loving lately. I wore jeans and boots since it was a half day and it's the unspoken rule that it's like casual Friday on shortened days. Woo!

Also, I scored this necklace, originally maybe 25 or 30 bucks, on clearance for about 4 a couple of weeks ago. Amazing! Totally love it.

And, I'm shocked my hair is looking so good. This is day 2 hair, too. That means it's been slept on, misted, re scrunched and all that jazz. Usually its still looking limp and pathetic on day 2, but since it rained for a good 24 hours straight and is still raining/sleeting/snowing out there, I'd say my hair is soakin up that moisture in the air like whoa, and loving every second. And so am I. Gotta love a good hair day!


Linking up with Rolled Up Pretty  The Pleated Poppy and Wardrobe Wednesday

"Go home mother nature, you're drunk"

Shoes: Payless
Tights: ?
Skirt: H&M
Tank: Gap: Similar currently at H&M
Cardigan: Target
Necklace: Etsy

 

Skirt has pockets, just discovered this today. WHAT! Awesome sauce. In other news, it was low 60's today. Late January in IL. And in two days its supposed to be 20 and snowing. My friend posted the forecast on fb and captioned it "Go home, mother nature, u r drunk"  Couldn't be more true.

Also, the 5000% humidity is doing awesome things for my hair. Hello, nice curls, nice to see you again!

Busy Bee

I said I would post about my whole pants situation over the weekend, but I just got much busier than I thought I'd be this weekend. I did run errands and get some laundry done, but sadly the kitchen was left neglected Sunday when I went out to a friends apartment to visit with a couple I know who is moving to China in two weeks for the next two years. Friends trump dishes. And the blog. Sorry! The pants post will come, I promise.

Here is today's outfit:

Pants: Kohls
Sweater: Kohls
Necklace: Charming Charlie

I really like the combo of this necklace and this sweater, they really look perfect together. Very beachy- seaglass-y, no? In other news, my hair is a hot mess, and my pants are, yes...too big, and I didn't wear a belt today.I kept tugging them up all day long. Annoying. I couldn't take a full length photo due to the poor lighting and I just did laundry and it's still air drying all over my bedroom on sweater racks.

Also, don't you just love terrible weather, and taking photos inside with lamps on, causing the color of your shirt to look different in every single picture? Sigh. I'm so OVER winter!

Linking up today with Molly.

Casual Friday

Shoes: Sketchers
Jeans: SO via Kohls
Sweater: Love Culture
Scarf: TJMaxx

The problem with this sweater is the v cut on the neckline is in both the front and back, and wearing the scarf made the front of my neck toasty, but that little spot on my back feelin a little cool and drafty. Hmm. I'm really liking this bright red scarf though. I was a little hesitant when I bought it, but I love it now.

Also, I feel like I'm always so squinty eyed in these photos, but it's because the camera is at a bit of a low angle. Maybe I need a new set up...

This weekend I'm hoping to do a pants comparison post and a red lipstick comparison post....stay tuned!

Linking up with FromMyGreyDesk  TwoThirtyFive

The No Good, Very Bad Day

Among other things that went wrong yesterday, my computer decided it wanted to make some very important system file(s) corrupt or missing. The end result was 4 hours worth of fixing it. =/ SO thankful to have a patient smart computer savvy bf to help me through that whole mess. I was up till 1230am, and let my hair air dry that night while I fixed it.  My hair dried all limp and was sticking out all crazy. I guess my attempt to tame it with a headband was pretty futile.

Here is yesterday and today.

 Flats: Target online
Pants: Kohls
Brown top: Gap
Sweater: Forever 21 via Platos Closet

Necklace via Etsy

 Flats: Payless
Pants: Kohls
Tank: Forever 21
Cardigan: Old Navy (on clearance now!)
Necklace: Love Culture
Earrings: Charming Charlies
Medusa Hair: Compliments of no styling

So yesterday I had to yell over a Kindergarten class who was being loud and crazy.  Their teacher made them all write a note saying they were sorry for their behavior. I cracked up at the fact that this particular student gave me "angry eyebrows". Nice, right?

Linking up with  Rolled Up Pretty  The Pleated Poppy and Wardrobe Wednesday

Hello again

 

Shoes: Payless
Pants: Kohls
Sweater: Kohls (old)
Necklace: Love Culture

Teal and Teal Glitter: Sinful Colors

Well, I kind of disappeared this weekend. Normally I'm really excited to do outfit posts on the weekend because I can put together cute casual (not work) outfits, and take photos in better daylight (aka not florescent lighting or after work when it's all dark out).


Yesterday I sat down to figure out my taxes for my small business, and the more I researched and tried to figure out what goes where on the form (expenses, inventory, etc) the MORE confusing it got. Conveniently, the gov't decided that the most unclear and confusing part of the form was the part that needed to be skipped over on their set of directions. Seriously? Ugh. After about 7 hours, I think I finally got it all straightened out. Some people suggested I just give it to an accountant or have someone do it for me, but honestly I do not want to pay someone for something like that. My personal taxes are no problemo for me. And if I have one, or a few frustrating days of figuring out my business taxes, to me it's worth it to be able to do it myself in the future years (for Free!) and not have to pay anyone. Besides which, I've heard some horror stories about people taking their taxes to a professional and then they STILL get messed up. I'd rather figure it out and be responsible for it myself. You know what I mean?

ANYWHO. I scheduled a haircut for the 31st. Super excited. Super paranoid. Questioning if I should bring in my own products and risk looking like a weirdo or just letting them use whatever and then washing it out with some regular old shampoo I still have stashed in the back of my cabinet. If you're totally confused about the hairproducts thing, keep reading...yesterdays post was all about me and my crazy haircare ways.

Linking up late with Molly for YOLO Mondays

Curly Girl Update

If you've been following along you know all about how I gave up on regular shampoo, started (pretty much) washing my hair with conditioner, and cut sulphates (regular shampoo) and silicones (in most conditioner and styling products) out of my life. If you need a recap of my last updates, click here.

Basically, silicones (anything ending in cone, conal, or xane, in a product) are plastic. They smother your hair, although its plastic so it makes it feel soft) Not actually moisturizing. You can't get the plastic out of your hair without sulphates. Sulphates are really harsh and drying. It's a vicious cycle.BUT Conditioner can wash/clean your hair if there are no silicones in it.

Curly hair is already more dry in general, so this is why the whole "no silicones no sulphates" is called the Curly Girl Method. There is a book. And a website. (If you're interested) Low sulphate is becoming more popular in general though, because it's better for your hair. (but beware cutting out/reducing sulphates and still using yucky silicones in your other products. You'll look like a greaseball)

Aaaanywho.

I use:
Conditioner wash: Suave Mango Mandarin
For Clarifying every so often: L'oreal EverSleek? Low sulphate shampoo
Conditioner condition: Tresseme NATURALS
Gel: LA Looks Sport (blue stuff) Mega huge bottle, mega cheap.
Hairspray (first time using it was in these photos): From the L'oreal "Ever" line, it's alcohol free.

Anyways, my hair has been driving me nuts lately! (lately, who am I kidding? my whole adult life, really) My theory is though, that the dry winter air is sucking the moisture back out of my hair and it's getting a bit more blah and not getting a nice defined held curl. So recently I straightened it again, just to show it who's boss. When I went back to letting it do it's thing, it actually looked pretty darn good. Then it kinda got droopy again, so I straightened it again. Sigh.

I swear, I just can't figure it out. Anyways, here are some photos for ya. I started this last May Here is my scraggly before:

 

And now (8 months in)

 I guess to the untrained eye, it doesn't seem all THAT different, just longer, but I can tell. My hair looks and feels less fried and more moisturized. The curls (though still wild) are much more consistent than before and have gotten WAY tighter. For months I was convinced my hair was not growing at all, but it's just because in the beginning the curls were tightening up faster than my hair was growing. I also notice how springy my curls have gotten because now when I wear it straight, it is significantly longer by several inches.

So fellow curly haired ladies, how do you do your hair?  Do you scrunch it? Or try not to anger the beast?

Everybody's workin for the weekend

Boots: Bergners
Skinnies: Target jeggings
Turtleneck: Target clearance, recent ($3!)
Sweater Dress: Italy

 Jeans: SO via Kohls
Green Shirt: Kohls
Blazer/Jacket: Gap
Scarf: London
Earrings: Claires

 

Thurday night I popped into Target and I bought a black turtleneck, which I'm wearing under this very itchy wool sweater. I LOVE the sweater but the neck was so dang itchy, now problem solved. WOO!


Bri Marie inspired me to break out my blazer again and take it for a spin.I love the look of blazers on OTHER people, but I'm starting to think maybe they're just not my thing.This one is kind of heavy, almost like a denim. Maybe I just need a different kind. Hmmm. Also, I realize now how much I love this scarf, because I wear it alot. I'm always drawn to it in my closet. I just love all the colors on it!

Anywho. Today I had brunch and did more shopping. Shopping in all these layers was not exactly smart. Oh well. I picked up a couple of clearance cardigans (yeah, MORE cardians.) and some dress pants. Cross your fingers about the pants washing well. I must have tried on 30 pairs, and kept debating between two sizes. I ended up getting the slightly larger one since they still seemed to fit well and were a slightly more relaxed fit (no super tight butt) while still being a much better fit through the leg than my old pants. Also, I bought them in "short" and they were still dragging slightly on the ground with my flats (which I wear mostly, at work...no heels for me!) And I'm 5'5, and usually short pants are like floods. Who knows. Pants are stupid. I hope these aren't though. I'm getting sick of shopping for pants!

Linking up with Bri Marie