Gearing up for Halloween!

This week has been insanely busy and I can't believe Halloween is this weekend. H and I are hosting a Halloween party and after doing tons of research on costumes, we decided to make our own. I like being able to give a costume a personal touch. I made our costumes two years ago and had so much fun doing it! I used leggings and a tshirt from H&M and then yellow foam from the craftstore for the "bat" accessories. The hardest part was probably the bat emblem thingy but that just required some patient tracing. This year's costume was easy to put together but we wasted several hours looking for a major accessory that I need. We ended up finding it today at the dollar store, go figure! I can't wait for the weekend though. Aside from the party, I have a shopping trip planned with my personal shopper. I was so happy with the things she found for me last time, looking forward to more new stuff for the holidays!


Outfit: (please excuse the messy living room) J. Crew toothpick ankle cords in dark aubergine (which are more like an eggplant to me), paisley button down, anton sweater
A closeup of all 3. I kind of wish I had a light lilac colored sweater to pull the colors of the paisley and dark aubergine together.

When I get a moment, I'll post a giveaway which will be open to blog followers only. Bear with me, I should get to it some time next week :) For now, I must get working on our costumes...

Are you dressing up as anything for Halloween?

chasing cars

Sometimes there are items of clothing that might be out of your price range, but make you look and feel good, so the only logical thing to do is splurge. This is what I did when I got this ruffle trench. I don't shop at Anthropologie enough to know the names of the items so I call this the ruffle-trench-with-car-print-lining-coat.

worn with j crew ruffle cardigan [HO '07], matchstick jeans, gold striped tee [also HO '07], steve madden cleverr flats, j crew striped cotton scarf

see what happens when i wear neutrals? washed out!

ruffle cardigan and gold striped tee from HO '07

And whats a Monday without a random rant?

Update: the seller just sent me delivery confirmation. now only if the item could actually be tracked...

I won an auction on Ebay last, last Friday. The seller was kind enough to let me buy it at a negotiated buy it now price. Anyway, the seller has not shipped it out yet! I emailed her saying I'd like it by this Wednesday, so she said she'd ship it on Friday. When I didn't hear back this past Friday, I emailed her on Saturday to follow up. She then said she didn't have time to get to the post office and would have to ship it out today, using 2day priority mail. She has around 50something positive ratings at 100%.

Bloggie friends, place some bets as to whether or not I'll get the item! I hope I won't have to file something with Ebay...that seems like such a pain. Sigh.

Shadows

sharing two new things. the minute i saw this cardigan/blazer i thought, "genius!"


this tiered vintage fleur top reminds me of the shimmy dress...

my hands must have been moving too fast here

trench that i got in LA. desperately needs some tailoring before I wear it out.

outfit: j crew tiered vintage fleur top, merino blazer cardigan, minnie pants, charlie ruffle suede flats, trench is from Varga in LA.

black and white make up the majority of my wardrobe. how about you?

It's Friday and I caved.

Everyday for the past week or so, I'd go to the J. Crew website and double check to see if the arrival date of the Blush Tweed Collier Jacket had changed. It's supposed to ship on 12/28/09 (yup, AFTER Christmas!) Last year when I ordered the argyle dog cardigan, I got it a month and a half before its due date so I'm hoping for the same kind of luck! Anyway, I panicked when I saw that they had sold out in both sizes 0 AND 2, so when I saw the 0 pop back up, I took the plunge. I realized after missing out on way too many things, that when you see it and love it, BUY IT :)

Happy Friday, everyone!

p.s. i'll be adding much more to my shop so click here!

fall favorites and a thank you!

my absolute favorite j crew season is fall of 2007. the colors were so rich and pretty. recently i've been able to purchase two items that i've been looking for, forEVER-- the argyle sweater dress, and the emma peacock dress. i'm still in search of all the library print items so if you want to part with yours, please sell them my way :)

outfit: j crew wool shift dress, striped tissue turtleneck, tights, charlie ruffle suede flats
anthropologie ruffle trench
outfit: j crew emma peacock dress, suede bow flats

also wanted to give a quick thank you to desiree from become.com for inviting me to guestblog about skin products for the winter! click if you want to find out about my winter skin "must haves"

Professor Blazer

I've had this blazer for months now, and have been waiting for the right weather to come along. Today was perfect for wearing the professor blazer. It's lighter than the Lexington (which makes it more comfortable in my opinion). I love how classic it looks. Here's a closeup:


outfit: J. Crew toothpick ankle cords, Frances ruffle blouse (blue), wool herringbone professor blazer

I am a huge fan of all these ankle length pants by J Crew as of late. I scored a pair of the ankle cords in dark aubergine--which was supposed to be online only! It was totally meant to be.

my first pair of Aldo shoes...ever!

I'm not usually a risk taker when it comes to footwear but when I saw (and tried on) these boots I knew I had to have them! They're over the knee boots but because they're flat, I think they look less risque. To me they're a rocker-trendier version of regular riding boots. These are in fact my first pair of Aldo shoes and because they were sold out in the store, I had to order them online. Aldo was offering free shipping and because I had just joined their email list, they gave me 10% off! I ordered them on Saturday and received them today, Tuesday. Not too shabby! I can't wait for the weekend so I can wear these out!

dreamy

hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. i did some shopping with my amazing personal shopper on friday. she knows my style so well and had a bunch of new things ready for me. i got the silk ruffle cascade jacket, tiered vintage fleur top, and some other things. hoping to wear them this week since the weather will be decent! (what was up with the frost this morning?!)

remember this post where i mentioned room for another pair of boots? well, they're on their way! i ordered these from aldo. if you join their email list, you get 10% off your first purchase, and free shipping!

btw i'm so excited that my list of followers is growing. i try to respond to every email--in fact i am about to get to that right now. also, stay tuned for some giveaways. i think i'll wait for a feeew more people to follow my blog. i'll give you a hint for one of the giveaways though: MARC JACOBS :)






outfit: j crew dream lycee turtleneck dress in dark charcoal, j crew black opaque tights, charlie ruffle suede flats

it's my friday!

it's my friday! i'm so glad to have a short week (i was probably the only person working this past monday, right?). i'm going back homehome (as opposed to new home, which is just called "home") and meeting with my personal shopper tomorrow too! H and i also need to get thinking on our halloween costumes. we're hosting a halloween party and need to think of something creative. are you guys dressing up for halloween?

btw this will be the last of the blurry photos. my new camera arrived yesterday so i just have to read the instruction manual tonight. you know what i realized? these manuals are NOT reader friendly, at all. even though i have a master degree, i can hardly understand the instructions. they should make camera/electronic manuals simple, like ikea instructions. you know, with fun pictures and no big words.

hoping to blog through the weekend to share my new arrival finds but if not, hope everyone has a great weekend. stay warm! fall is finally here!

today's outfit: j crew marled sweater (new arrival), pixie pants, beckett boots

FYI the jcrew marled sweater is COZY!!! it is super soft, not itchy at all, and i love that it's long. love love love.

yesterday's outfit: j crew cashmere argyle sweater (from the sample sale), matchstick cords, ruffle front button down, leather driving mocs (fall 2007 my favorite season, sigh)

me in my carrie coat. totally thinking, "um is this how you tie this thing?"

thinking...

this is super blurry (my camera is expected to arrive tomorrow woohoo!)
H caught me making this silly thinking pose. this is the first time i've worn my j crew anton sweater and i love it! it's extremely comfortable. i only bought this to go over the j crew silk sirrah dress but it goes with almost everything. i think this is also the first time i've worn my frances blouse too. i have to admit though, i am all ruffled out. no more ruffles for this girl...(that's what all the ruffle-holics say).

happy hump day tomorrow! this is actually a short week for me as my work week ends on thursday. i absolutely can't wait to go back home (homehome) this weekend. i miss my family, friends, and my jcrew lol.


outfit: j crew anton sweater, frances ruffle blouse, minnie pants, suede bow ballet flats

gingham, argyle, and ruffles!

these were all part of my outfit for today. the shirt is a new arrival from j. crew. H said it looks like a shirt he'd wear and i joked that perhaps he should get himself one so we can match lol. the cardigan is another one of my favorites. unfortunately, an evil moth liked it too because i found a tiny hole it in this morning. luckily i stocked up on different types of moth repellent from the container store (all natural, i am not a fan of chemicals). hopefully this will do the trick!

outfit: j crew gingham shirt, dog print argyle cardigan, toothpick ankle cords, suede driving mocs

it's officially fall! i got to wear my j crew ruffle front coat. i love the ruffles on this, and the fit is perfect.

i'm taking my own advice and continuing to clean out my closet. click here to see what's for sale!

hope everyone is having a good monday...i had work today and kind of had a blah day. hoping tomorrow will be more productive and better!

shoe room and a how-to

on saturday H took me to 2 jcrews and an anthropologie. saturdays are "my day" where we usually go out and shop, while sundays are his day, where we usually stay in and watch football lol. so on saturday i went to jcrew to check out a larger selection of new arrivals. i ended up getting the much talked about marled black and white long sweater (SO cozy and definitely doesn't resemble anything i already own), and the women's version of the blue and white gingham button down. today, while H was watching football, I reorganized my library-turned-shoe room into a library with shoes :)

two of my guilty pleasures: uggs and twilight

i love how there is still room for another pair of new boots here

I also spent some time going through all of my clothes and came up with three basic rules to help decide what to sell/donate, or keep in one's wardrobe:

• if you didn't remember that you had it (closet amnesia, anyone?), it should go
  
• if you don't wear it because it doesn't flatter your figure (but you are secretly hoping that one day it miraculously will), it should go
• if you haven't worn it in over a year, it should definitely go (stop being greedy!)
  

these three rules have helped me get rid of things shouldn't be in my wardrobe, and allow me to make room so that i can shop for things that have better quality and fit. i also found it to be a therapeutic process and once i emotionally let go of some of my clothes, it was much easier to eliminate other pieces. hope this helps!

happy friday!

I'm so glad it's Friday even though this week went by really fast! I stopped by my local J. Crew last night and was so disappointed. In the three times I've gone to that store, no one has ever greeted me or even bothered to help me with the fitting room so I always end up deciding that I don't want to spend my money there. It's a shame considering the store is so closeby!



outfit: Anthropologie pocketed corduroy dress, j crew tights and ballet flats
ran out to pick up dinner and threw on my moccasins. i know these are controversial (just like uggs) but i don't care. they are seriously so comfortable and mold to your feet perfectly. love love love them.

again, sorry for the blurry photos! an iphone can only do so much, you know? but my camera is expected to arrive early next week and i can't wait to get it.

hope everyone has a good weekend! i plan to do some shopping and will share my finds. also stay tuned, a giveaway is coming up in the next week or so :)

a few of my favorite things

what I use on a daily basis
L-->R:

Stila tinted moisturizer applied w/ makeup sponge - feels light on your skin and gives you a great glow

Good skin moisturizer - affordable lotion for your face without leaving that icky feeling on your hands and skin! can be purchased at kohl's

Shu Uemura eyelash curler - I swear by this, really gives you perfectly curled lashes in an instant

Jack Black lip balm - I'm pretty sure this lip balm wasn't purposely named after my favorite actor of all time...but if it is, then that's just another reason to love it. Best lip balm hands down, never get chapped lips, comes in yummy lemon chamomile.

Tweezerman tweezers - cutest tweezers on the market and can get any stray eyebrow hair. love it.



today's outfit (chilly morning!) : j crew shawl sweater, kelsey ruffle top, minnie pants (thank god I have multiple pairs of these lol), charlie ruffle suede flats, polka dot scarf

i've been wearing a lot of black lately. no matter how much color I try to incorporate into my wardrobe, it just isn't me, so i am sticking to my greys and blacks thankyouverymuch :)

i am addicted to ruffles

i never noticed it until recently, when my coworker said to me, "you really like ruffles, don't you?" umm guilty!

i absolutely love this trench that i got from anthropologie. i'll take pictures of the interior lining another time but it's super cute and has a car print all over.

please ignore the mess in the background and the fact that i am laughing my face off in this photo.

happy monday!

www: what i wore this weekend

i love lazy sundays although lately, mine have been not been lazy at all. so many errands to run!
on friday we went out for sushi and then had delicious greek food on saturday. today, i got to do some shopping at anthropologie so i'll be sharing those details soon :)

outfit: j. crew matchstick jeans, cableknit sweater, dotted victoria blouse, scarf
burberry jacket, longchamp pliage tote (small), bensimon sneakers

here's a closeup (sorry for the quality, still in need of a good camera) of the victoria paired with a cableknit sweater

mango blazer, dress from LF, j crew charlie ruffle suede flats, chanel bag

closeup of the bracelet my mom got me from italy

first time eating ice cream out of a takeout box

dress from mimski in LA

love the back detail. looks better without the tank but it was a tad too chilly to pull that look today

i'm going through my clothes again and am posting a bunch of stuff here

enjoy the rest of your sunday!

it's not me, it's you: Charlie ruffle suede flats

this post is dedicated to my Charlie ruffle suede flats. The first two times I wore these, they were super cute and easy on my feet. Today, they decided to revolt and suddenly the left foot has stretched or my left foot has shrunk. the left shoe kept slipping off. time to get those inner soles...

outfit: J. Crew dream shawl cardigan, frances ruffle blouse, minnie pants, charlie ruffle suede flats.

Ok, and just so you all get an idea of how bad I am with buying in multiples...I own 2 of each item I'm wearing in this outfit in two different colors :X

soo it's almost friday! what is everyone up to this weekend? i am hoping to check out the j. crews in my new area :)