Country Chic

 Boots: Bergners
Skinnies (came with belt) Love Culture
Plaid Top: Gordmans maybe?
Earrings: Charming Charlie
Red Lipcolor: E.L.F. Matte lipcolor

So I gave the red lips another whirl today, and wore it in public. To the grocery store. Because why not, right? Not that I was subconscious the whole time or anything. Is that weird though? I don't know, not wearing lip color ever, then wearing RED is so, bam, in your face, it makes me feel like people must be staring at me like I'm crazy. Haha. Anyways, I'm kinda diggin it! It's still a bit brighter than I'd like, but I've gotten several rec's for darker red that I'll be checking out soon. Cuz I think I kinda like the red lips.

I love this outfit with the reds and brown, and the belt and the boots and all that jazz. However, I realized the cut of the upper part of the sleeves is a little big, and it made me feel like my shoulders/top half was huge and weird. So, I just put my big hair over it and problem solved.

 

Simple Saturday

Jeans: SO via Kohls
Tank: Forever 21
Plaid Shirt: Kohls
Necklace: Venice, Italy

This is totally unrelated to today's outfit, but, -why are dress pants such a nightmare! Ugh. So, my pants have been a little on the baggy side, especially my grey dress pants. I thought I found some awesome ones, until I washed them and they shrank to my ankles! They were touching the floor before people. Ridiculous. Luckily, the store gave me a full refund, but now I'm back to square one. Phooey.

It's all about the fit

I stumbled across this gem on pinterest. We all know that trying to find a great fitting pair of jeans is a little like trying to find a needle in a haystack, but daaaang. Before and after butt pictures say it all!

This blogger posts tips and advice for finding the best fitting pair of jeans, and basically warn that Gap and Old Navy are gateway "mom jeans" in one of her other posts.  I thought before I clicked, surely they can't be THAT bad, but I was wrong. And when I think about it, The Old Navy jeans I have are the worst fitting pair of them all. Go figure.

She even goes on to show the thigh/flare proportion, and how skinny, vs boot vs flare can change the appearance of your overall figure, and about coloring, and the details of those faded lines and everything. Color me shocked impressed and informed.

http://www.graspingforobjectivity.com/2012/02/jeans.html

One example below, a 29 year old who wears a size 5. The proof is in the pictures people!

Playing with Layering

Thought process on how I picked todays outfit:

I decided on the last outfit because I think they grey is a nice contrast and helps the scarf pop more, no?

Jeans: SO via Kohls
Navy shirt: Target
Scarf: Platos Closet
Cardian (both colors actually): Old Navy
Shoes: Old Navy

Also, as you can see, I'm wearing my scarf two different ways in the photos, I finally figured out how to properly do the whole "drape" thing. Woo! I think they key to some of the ways you can wear it really depend on the type of scarf it is.

Also, last night I did my nails. I decided I have another New Years Goal: use all my nail polish at least once this year. That's saying alot, because I have over 50 bottles. heh.heh. yeahh....  But, in order to help do this goal, I will separate the colors I've already worn from my regular stash. And I'm going to try to document all my manicures. (lucky you!)

 Revlon: 640 Fearless (coral)
Wet N Wild Glitter: 460D

I really like this Revlon polish I got as a gift. it's a nice one coat polish.

A little disappointed with the amount of glitter with one coat. I've read for chunky
glitter you should dab it on not swipe, which I tried at first, but the glitter isn't chunky enough
to work for that..sad. 

Sorry I'm the most rambly person ever. Are you still reading this?

Random sidenote about people (not) reading this. While at first I didn't care because I just wanted to do this for me, it makes me sad that I don't have any feedback. I suppose I could share my blog with my friends via facebook, but I feel a little weird about it. I already shared my other blog, my etsy site, have a business page on facebook...I don't want to be a website pusher. Haha. Maybe one day I'll be brave and do it.

However, it's hard because I wish I could get feedback and bounce ideas off people!

Also, I have subscribed to a few other fashion bloggers using google reader, but I hate the text only format and I have them bookmarked and just click my bookmarks, but then they don't know that I'm "following" them if I only do this. What is your method for following/reading other blogs? Am I just subscription stupid?



In order to put myself out there a little more....

Linking up today with Lauren at My Grey Desk and Two Thirty Five

=)

The four strand braid

Jeans: Levis via TJMaxx, aka, the floods
Shirt: H&M
Cardi: Old Navy
Watch: Target
Ring: Made by moi
Necklace: Love Culture
4 strand braid: Saw on Pinterest, tutorials on Youtube

So today was the perfect opportunity to braid my hair all cool because I have nowhere to go and will be doing house chores like sealing my windows (with that plastic stuff) and laundry. Haha! I've done my hair, pulled together an outfit, and done my makeup, even though I probably won't leave the house all day, but I feel SO.MUCH. BETTER. Maybe another resolution will be to "get dressed" even when I have nowhere to go. I called the jeans the floods because they are the ones that shrunk up sooo much after their first wash. really disappointing. Good for wearing around the house with no shoes though.

 Anywho, since my hair is still nice and straight I decided to try this braid. I first saw it on Pinterest and also found a great FIVE strand braid tutorial video, so I watched her four stand since I knew she was good at explaining doing it on your own hair.

 I did a combo of the two examples I watched. Here's a cheaters version, because there are four hands. Here's a girl doing it on herself with an explanation. The first helps you see  more easily how the pattern works, but there is no talking to explain it. The second is more practical for understanding how to do it on yourself, and she talks you through it. Watch both like I did and it should make more sense.

First I tried it exactly how she (luxyhair) explained, and my finger got quite fumbled up. If you think about it more of doing the "outsides" over/under, and then the two insides crossing over/under, like they show in the video with four hands, your fingers don't get so jumbled up. (At least I don't think so) My first one looked quite wonky. The second time worked out much better. ALSO, it's important to get your sections as even as possible, or the braid won't look as nice.


If you try a four (or five!) strand braid, leave a comment with a link, I'd love to see!!

(Pretty) Casual

Skinnies: Love Culture
Top: American Eagle via Platos Closet
Red Lips: E.L.F. matte red lip color
Earrings: Claires hoops

Still on break over in these parts. I went to the eye doctor at 745am and I was in sweats with a messy bun. I decided to make an effort to get out of my state of feeling like a blob when I got home though by doing my hair-and by doing I meant straightening/curling it with an iron. I have no plans whatsoever to go anywhere else today, but I put on makeup anyways. In the first photo, you can see I also tested out a new red lipstick. It's a bit brighter IRL, the photo made it come out a little darker. I like it darker though. Maybe if I layered it over another red lipstick I have, it might be magic? Hmm

Despite the outfit not being very styled or put together, I wanted to give this shirt a chance to be casual but cute (with my nice hair) I like it! I think this is definitely a cute casual with jeans shirt, but not so much a casual with khakis work shirt. Don't you think?

P.S. Anyone know where I can get a DARK red lipstick? Hmmm Red. Such a tricky color.

2013

Happy New Year seems to be the phrase of the day. I never really was a resolution kind of person, but I guess I'll list a few things that I'd like to work on,do or accomplish this year.

• Stay on top of my office organization. It's currently a hot mess. I'm going to try to get it back up to par and keep it organized.
• Keep donating/getting rid of things I don't need or use, including clothes that don't fit. 
• Continue to work on my style, be adventurous and not so simplistic and boring, and keep evolving into clothes that are styled, fashionable, AND "me"
• Be consistent with blogging. 
• Take a break this summer. No working a summer job.
• Go on a vacation.

There are a few other things that I would like to happen, but sometimes there is only so much you can do, and it's out of your hands. (New job, moving, continue to grow my personal art side business/etsy shop)

Anyways, I've been absent from the blog for a while due to traveling for the holidays all over, seeing family and such. Here are a few random outfits and manicures from over the break. Also, I'm ashamed to say that although it's harder to photograph and outfit while traveling, I wasn't much to look at most days. I've been feeling pretty schlubby the past few days in particular. But time to get back into the swing of things and put away the sweatpants!

Sinful Colors- several days old and chipping.

Maybelline Color Show Nail Print Stickers

I got these as a gift, and as much as I wanted to like them, they didn't fit the width of my nails correctly, the filing the extra off was really weird and unpleasant feeling/sounding, and the little gems on them made my nails all bumpy feeling which I also couldn't get over. They kind of peeled up on the tips after just one night, so I'm not sure how long they'd last, as I couldnt' stand them and longer and had to peel them off. On the plus side, the little kit comes with a manicure stick and file, no drying time, easy removal. Sorry, but two thumbs down otherwise.

Top: Forever 21? Old
Necklace: Kohls

I always have a hard time deciding if I should wear this shirt, because of the color of blue it is, and how it's a little more flowy like. It doesn't seem to "go" with blue jeans, yet the style doesn't seem to work right with a skirt either. My new necklace (on super duper clearance for 3 dollars!) from Kohls seemed like it would be perfect in color and for the neckline though, so I threw this together for my small New Years get together I hosted. I used to be really anti gold in my jewelry, but it's starting to grow on me a bit now.