Polka dots!

Ready for Court

     I got these tights late last Spring at a time when I didn't feel like wearing tights anymore.  Nonetheless, I've been dying to wear them and finally was able to a few weeks ago.   

Closeup of Tights

Silhouette

The Details:

Cardigan: 

Blazer:  JCPenney

Blouse: The Limited

Skirt: NY&Co.

Belt: Target

Tights: Target

Heels: Aldo

Ruffles and Stuff

 First the Ruffles:

    This outfit is from a few weeks ago.  In fact, its from before I got my hair cut.  I've had this blouse for a little over a year, but am often hesitant to wear it.  While I love the ruffles on it, I'm often afraid that the ruffles add a bit too much va-va-voom to my figure.  That and the elastic bottom of the top just isn't my favorite.  To me it seems like all the extra fabric above the elastic adds volume to my body in an area where I don't want more volume.  In order to counteract this effect, I added a cardigan that hits at exactly the right spot.  The cardigan "hides" the extra volume and keeps the top part of the outfit close to my body.  That and the blue + purple combination just makes me happy.  Double win.

The Details:
Blouse: Target
Cardigan: Target
Pants: Gap
Heels: Nine West

Now on to the stuff:  

    I hope you all had a great Christmas holiday, if that is what you celebrate that is.  We went to The Fiance's parent's house for part of the weekend.  Of course we took Bella and had a very nice time.  I love going to visit them as they have been the nearest family for most of the past few years.  Luckily my sister moved to within 2 hours from us in August, so that's a plus.  But of course, my parents still live in Puerto Rico, a rather long set of flights away, so closeness of family is important to me.  

     Aside from seeing family, we also had snow!  It doesn't snow here a lot, and it definitely didn't snow as much as it did where I went to law school.  Nonetheless, snow is snow, and snow makes me happy.  Its so fun and makes everything, even sad dead trees look pretty and clean.
    On a not so happy note, I've begun to study for the bar again.  At the moment its just plain boring.  But I'm about 10,000% sure that at some point over the next 2 months I'll get really depressed because I'm going over the same thing I did this summer and even with all that studying I failed.  For some this is going to sound whiney, but I've never failed anything in my life.  I've been nothing but a great student my whole life.  And then I failed the most important test I've ever taken.  I've been trying not to throw myself a pity party since I got my results, but some days its really really hard not to.  On days when I'm reminded by how much my bills are or how hard it is to pay off my car or cable bill or anything else, then I feel really awful.  Essentially it goes like this: 

Bad thing (normally a big bill)--> Can't pay it b/c don't have the $ for it --> It's all my fault b/c I failed the bar --> feel like shit.  

When the cycle of feeling like crap begins, I know exactly how it will end, normally me in tears or pissed off at myself or both, AND its all but impossible to stop.  I feel tremendously guilty that The Fiance and I are in this position.  Everything was depending on my passing the bar and becoming a licensed attorney and since that didn't happen in August, well, life has been hard.  For example, even though I want to give him the world, all I could afford to give the Fiance for Christmas was a Fantasia Blu-ray and a SERIOUSLY down-priced iPhone 3GS.  He got me a pair of shoes that were 50% off.  
     I know I should count my blessings and be happy that I'm not alone in this mess and that we're both healthy and have jobs.  But its really hard to feel that way when there have been times the past couple months when I wasn't sure how I would be paying rent or health insurance or much of anything else.  
    Our situation has improved, luckily.  The Fiance started working at the beginning of November so that put an end to the several months where I was the only one working and paying bills.  But because it took so long for him to find a job, we're even more heavily in debt and really in the hole.  

The Mustang

     And on top of it all, his Mustang has decided it doesn't want to run anymore.  We're figuring out how to get him a clunker so he can get to work, but the past week and into the near future we've been sharing my car.  And let me tell you it sucks.  We've had to get up at 6 am, drive him to work (25 mins) then I turn around and drive to my work (1 hour 20 mins in the other direction).  On my way home at 5pm I have to go get him and then we get to go home and arrive around 6:45, 12 hours after we've left the house.  I'm figuring that I've been spending roughly 3 hours a day in my car instead of the usual 2.  ( I work ~60 miles from home).  
      I guess I'm just frustrated.  There's nothing I can really do until I pass the bar, which I retake in February.  I won't find out my results until the end of March either.  I would *love* for the blog to become profitable, but since I'm just a small slice of the internets, I don't think its going to happen anytime soon.  Anyway, to end on a happier note, here's a picture of Bella and Aslan, my sister's dog who we've been taking care of for the past 2 weeks.          

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!  

I also want to announce the winner of my is Misikko.com giveaway!  The winner is Claudia!  I'll be emailing you in the next few days so Misikko can send you your goodies.  Thanks to everyone that entered!

CSN Review--Hobo Purse

     Hey y'all!  Remember when I announced that I would be partnering with CSN stores a while ago?  Well I received a $45 gift certificate about a month ago that I used to buy my sister's Christmas present.  Over Thanksgiving she and I went through several of their sites and came up with the Sydney Love New Spa Front Pocket Hobo Bag in Brown.  She's needed a new purse for a while.  Especially one that makes her feel like an adult and not a kid playing one.  So the above purse fit the bill.  It came within a few days and from my cursory inspection, looked exactly like what we wanted.  In fact, its bigger than I thought it would be AND the lining is brown polka dots on a tan background.  I mean, who wouldn't fall in love with something like that?
    So when my sister visited me at work last week to drop off her dog, Aslan, I went ahead and gave her the purse.  I gave it to her early so that she could take it on her trip home and show it off to my mom.  She also loved it.  In fact, she wrote this review for me to share with all of you:

 

Originally submitted at CSN Stores

Exceeded Expectations!

By A-C from NC on 12/19/2010

5out of 5

This is a great bag. I wasn't sure what to expect when I ordered it, but it exceeded any expectations I did have. Sits comfortably on the shoulder and definitely holds everything I need.

(legalese)

Lastly, don't forget to enter my Giveaway with Misikko.com.  Giveaway ends tomorrow night!  

Help for Claudia

     I was on Facebook Chat Saturday afternoon talking to my friend Claudia and she told me she would love my help in packing for an upcoming trip to Connecticut to visit her boyfriend's family.  She was particularly worried about her boyfriend's sisters. In her words:

His sisters are crazy fashionistas, only they are bitchy and condescending and very judgy.  So basically if I'm not tres chic, it's going to get ugly. 

My heart went out to her.  I know how it feels to feel judged and not feel cute enough, skinny enough, pretty enough or just plain not enough.  So with that in mind, I figured I could help her out by asking her a couple questions, putting together a polyvore and talking her through it.  

Claudia for Xmas by lawschoolfashionista featuring knee high leather boots

belted sateen shirtdress, $70
Jewelled Silk Beading Evening Shrug, $825
L'Agence Belted knitted wrap cardigan, $445
Edun Army tank with sequins, 290 GBP
Friend of Mine Black Silk Sonic Tank, 165 GBP
Black jersey shrug, 26 GBP
Let It Be Me Blazer, 140 AUD
Casey Brown Skinny Jegging, $127
Yakem cotton tights, $37
Tights for Every Occasion in Art Opening, $15
Amazon.com: Wine Red Seamless Short Sleeve Turtleneck Top Diamond..., $11
Sigerson Morrison Fully black leather riding boots, $795
Steve Madden Carlsen, $90
Milly Brooch, $150
Jessica Simpson - Holiday Flower Swag Necklace..., $55
Rhinestone and Faux Pearl Cluster Necklace, $18
New Tobia Scarf, $225
Halston Heritage Skinny Sash Belt, $84

     She has a Christmas mass she has to go to that will be dressy as well as a semi-dressy open house the day after Christmas.  In addition, she's working on losing weight and hasn't had the best history with her boyfriend's sisters with respect to her weight.  She has a really cute black and white shirtdress and below knee length boots that she wanted to take with her.  I put my outfits together based around these pieces and that Claudia doesn't want to have to check a bag.  
    In order to conserve room I suggested she remix her dress by wearing it with a sweater or cardigan to make it look like a skirt + sweater combo once and then with just a necklace a second time.  In addition by switching out tights she'll still be warm and keep each look unique.  She is also planning on taking some skinny jeans that tuck in to her boots, so I put together the rest of the outfits around those jeans.  She can dress them up with a sparkly top and wrap, dress them down with a long flowy cardigan, or dress them conservatively with a turtleneck and blazer.  By adding in accessories in the form of belts, necklaces, brooches and scarves, she'll be conserving space in her luggage and have an arsenal to switch up her looks with that will keep her looking chic and put together.
    After giving her my advice and a closet shopping list of sorts, Claudia went on her way to gather the clothes, try them on and pack.  This is what she had to say:

I'm trying your outfit ideas and I am in love!!

So I think I have it all sorted out.  I feel much better!  You are spot on!

The blazer!  I can't believe I don't wear it every day!  

The coolest thing about this, aside from being able to help a friend, is that we were able to do it all via the internet and text messages.  I've never been inside Claudia's closet, but just from talking a bit and giving her some examples, she has been able to take my ideas, go through her own closet and implement them in ways that work for her.  AND she'll feel confident and put together when she goes and visits her boyfriend's family. All in all, it was a great way to spend my Saturday afternoon.
    Do you have any words of advice for Claudia?  Any great strategies or other ways to deal with less than pleasant relatives? 

And don't forget to enter my Giveaway with Misikko.com, only 3 days left! 

Hair party

     I went to a hair party a week ago and had a really great time.  One of my neighbors stopped the Fiance a few weeks ago while he was walking Bella to invite me to the hair party she was having.  The daughter of a friend of hers does hair and several times a year my neighbor hosts a hair party for her friends.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, lemme explain.  A hair party is where a stylist does hair, cut, color, style, in someone's home and charges WAY less than in a salon.  This is because she's able to pocket everything except for whatever she spends on supplies rather than having to give a cut to the salon.  (lol!)

     Anyway, so I went over to my neighbor's house and met some lovely ladies and had a great time.  We had food and wine and it was great.  Even though I was the youngest one there except for the hair stylist (Hi Bethany!) I really enjoyed the companionship.  I think I've been feeling starved for friendship and company and this really made me feel good.  Since we moved in August, other than work, I haven't had a chance or opportunity to be with people other than family or the Fiance.  I really need to find friends in my area, but with time and monetary constraints, it just hasn't been feasible.  Luckily for me I have a very sweet neighbor and hopefully will be able to go to more hair parties in the future.  I mean, how often do you get your hair washed in someone's kitchen sink and get to drink wine shortly thereafter?  

     I decided not to do anything super different with my hair.  Everything in my life is in limbo right now, so I opted to keep something constant.  I asked Bethany to trim the ends to make everything even and then to give me side swept bangs.  The truth is that she cut almost nothing off the ends so the length has stayed almost the same as before.  The bangs are really the only difference.  That and she added face framing layers to blend the bangs in.  She also blow dried and ironed my hair for me too.  All for $20.  It was quite the deal.  Have you ever been to a hair party?  How was your experience?
     This outfit is also a great example of how I've been dealing with the cold.  Here I layered a tank, a sleeveless top and a cardigan all to keep me warm.  Layering is one of my favorite ways to remix items and keep warm.  It also allows for me to wear a leopard print top to work and not look scandalous. 

The Details:
Tank: Old Navy
Top: Express
Cardigan: Target
Pants: Gap
Heels: Nine West




Don't forget to enter my Giveaway with Misikko.com! 

Giveaway: Misikko.com

As promised, here is my giveaway with Misikko.com.   

In order to enter you have to fill out the form below, please only fill out the form once.  If you would like more than one entry you can earn one entry for each of the following:

1. Follow Misikko on Twitter (@misikko)

2. Blog about the giveaway on a personal website.

3. Join Misikko’s newsletter (www.misikko.com/newsletter-signup.html)

4. “Like” Misikko on Facebook (www.facebook.com/MisikkoBeauty)

5. Interact with Misikko’s Facebook – Comment on a post or picture, or write on our wall (www.facebook.com/MisikkoBeauty)

As per Misikko.com:

For the 5^th extra entry option, please make sure your readers don’t just write “extra entry for ___ blog’s giveaway” or “XYZ Blog sent me!” Our Facebook is one place where our customers can access our beauty experts directly. They can ask questions about products or hair care, or comment on a recent trend or style – anything relevant to beauty!

Rules:

1. Fill out the form once with all of your entries
2. This is only for US or Canadian readers (sorry International readers!) 
3. You're limited to one Misikko.com giveaway winner.  So if you've won a Misikko.com giveaway elsewhere this year, sorry.  But next year is right around the corner!
4. Deadline to enter is Midnight Eastern time December 23, 2010.  Winner will be chosen and posted December 24, 2010.   

To clear up some confusion: if you put your email address with your name that's already one entry.  If you only want one entry, that's all you've got to do.

Christmas Decorating!

     This past week I finished putting up our Christmas Tree and I absolutely love it.  With the stand its a full 11 feet tall.  And of course it makes the house smell like Christmas.  Getting a Christmas tree is probably my favorite part of the holidays.  I get to decorate it and look at it lovingly for a good month or so.  
     Of course, with such a big tree, we had to move our living room furniture around a bunch.  As you can see, we put the tree right up against the wall which puts the tree right in your line of sight when you walk in to the living room from the front door and from the kitchen.  The only problem we had with this is that the TV stand we have makes it tough for us to turn on the cable box from most of the couch.  If it were up to me we would switch our cabinet TV stand to a corner TV stand which I think would give us more places from which to change the channel.  Anyway, here are some pictures of our house all dolled up for the Holidays.  

The link in this post was sponsored by CSN.com 

Product Review: Chi Silk Infusion

    Remember this post where I said I would be back to review another product sent to me via Misikko.com, home of the "Professional Blow Dryer"?  Well here it is.  It's taken me so long to post it because I wasn't 10000% impressed with the product.  Let me explain.

    The product I was asked to review is the Chi Silk Infusion.  Now, I have heard about Chi straighteners for years and wondered if their hair products would live up to that hype.  For me at least, the Silk Infusion did not.  I used the product for a few weeks by doing my normal thing: wash my hair, put product in, go to sleep with it wet, wake up with pretty hair.  And while the Chi Silk Infusion did exactly that, my second day hair was less than impressive.  
     You see, I don't wash my hair every day so I rely on whatever leave-in I use to keep my hair curly and bouncy even after I've worn it down a whole day and slept on it.  Inevitably this means that about a third of the time my hair goes up about halfway through day 2.  The thing is that with some products my hair looks great even on day 2, even on the night of day 2!  The Chi Silk Infusion just didn't do that for me.  This doesn't mean that my first day hair was dreadful, it wasn't.  It was beautiful: nice and soft, curly and bouncy.  It's just that second day hair fell pretty flat from the second I woke up.
     My conclusion is that if you need to wash your hair everyday or you want to keep your hair straight, then this product is probably for you.  It has a nice light smell that is not at all noticeable once hair is dry and its easy to apply.  However, if you rely on your products to keep your hair looking curly and bouncy for more than a day, then I would recommend you try the Hana Shine Shield that I reviewed from Misikko.com that is still working beautifully for me.

Lastly, I will be hosting a giveaway later this week in which Misikko.com will provide one of my lucky readers with BOTH the Hana Shine Shiled and the Chi Silk Infusion.  So keep a look out!  


*This is a requested review.  I did not receive compensation for the review other than the products to be reviewed.  Nonetheless, all opinions are my own and are shaped by my experiences testing the product.*

Serendipity!

     Do you believe in shopping serendipity?  I do.  This coat is one of the reasons I believe in it.  Every once in a while I'll stumble upon something absolutely fabulous that fits perfectly and is placed nicely within my price range.  This coat is one of those things.  Several months ago, just after I graduated from law school, I went to my local consignment store to look around.  Just randomly I pulled this coat out and almost died.  It fit perfectly so I checked the price tag.  It was originally $40, but was on sale for $25 or something.  My sister had $15 worth of store credit and in conjunction with my student discount, all I paid for this coat was $5.  Yup, $5!  

     The price alone is fabulous, but the fit and silhouette is what really makes it.  Thinking on these pictures, I was trying to figure out why I loved this coat so much.  I wouldn't normally think that a coat that was fitted to my waist and flared out would be so flattering.  In theory it should make my hips look HUGE.  But it doesn't.  It makes me look super duper tall.  And the reason is an optical illusion.  By making the waist as high as it is, it makes it look like my legs start at my waist and keep on going until forever.  Add to that illusion that it also nips me in at the waist and presto we've got shopping serendipity!

     Seriously though, this coat made me re-examine a few of the things that I thought were off-limits.  These being different silhouettes, winter white, and long winter coats for my short frame.  And a major reason for my going out of my safe zone is the wonderful fashion bloggers out there that showcase how they go out on limb and even though they may not always look their best, they still try their best.  Thank you to all of you for providing an example for me to follow in trying new things.  

The Details:
Coat: Tahari (Consignment) 
Pants: Gap
Sweater: Forever 21
Scarf: Target
Heels: Aldo 

Two Belts

     I'm pretty sure I've worn this exact same outfit or something REALLY close to it before.  It's not really surprising since I love this sweater and to me, Red, White and Gray just work really well for me.  Throw in a black blazer and I was able to hang out in court. 
     Wondering about the post title?  I had to wear a second belt to keep my pants up.  I'm afraid it bunched up the pants some, but such is life.  There's only so much I can do with my existing wardrobe while I lose weight.  Once I reach a good place (and am able to) I'm going to treat myself to a shopping spree.  In particular, I hope to focus on my work wardrobe and build up a small collection of suits and work blouses.  

     I feel like I have a pretty good casual wardrobe.  In fact, a lot of my wear to work wardrobe at this point is stuff that should stay or be a part of my casual wardrobe, but for lack of other options, I have to wear them to work too.  This means I'm wearing things out faster than I would like.  And probably not dressing as nicely as I would like either.  Such is life I suppose. 

The Details:
Sweater: Old Navy
Red Belt: Target
Pants: Gap
Heels: Aldo
Blazer:
Earrings: Blue Nile
 

Wrapped in a Blanket

     Guys, so a few weeks ago eShakti.com approached me offering an item to review.  I've been drooling over their clothes since I first heard of them, so I said yes.  It took a while to figure out what I wanted. There are so many beautiful items to choose from that I had a really hard time to trying to decide.  I knew that whatever I got I wound want to wear to work, so it would have to be work appropriate and would need to work under a jacket.  Below are a few of my  favorite options.

Choices! by lawschoolfashionista featuring a shirt dress

Houndstooth print fleece knit dress - eShakti.com, $65
Surplice front knit shirtdress - eShakti.com, $50
Sash waist fleece knit dress - eShakti.com, $55
Belted cotton poplin dress - eShakti.com, $55
Cotton rosette trim dress - eShakti.com, $50
Surplice shirtdress - eShakti.com, $50

     

     I ended up choosing the Surplice Front Knit Shirtdress in Charcoal.  I wore it to work yesterday and from the very beginning I felt like I was wrapped in a blanket.  I was comfortable and warm all day long, it was great!  
     I knew from the second I chose this dress that I would want to pair it with burgundy tights.  So I chose to do that immediately.  Even though you can't tell the color, I promise those are burgundy tights.  To match the tights and incorporate the color elsewhere, I went with my burgundy/pink necklace as well.  To keep things from getting TOO matchy matchy, I went with a light blue tank.

     This tank is actually really important.  I am grateful that I had the foresight to wear a tank under this dress.  I didn't realize when I ordered it that there wouldn't be a snap or button closure where the tank is.  I'm going to have to add that myself.  So to keep from flashing anyone, I wore the tank under the dress and had the surplice front open a bit more so it looked purposeful.  In the future I hope that a snap will keep things under control so that I won't always have to wear a tank, but will keep the option of the tank still viable.  

     And to be honest, that is my only complaint with this dress.  I wish that it had a snap and pockets, but neither is necessary and I'm pretty sure I can add one if not both on my own.  The fit is a dream as I gave my measurements when ordering.  If you're hard to fit or simply want something tailor made to you, I definitely recommend giving your measurements when you order.  And for $7.50 (free the first time you do it!), it really is worth it.  My order shipped quickly and got to me a good 5 days before I expected it.  So yea, I recommend eShakti.com, and I promise its because I love this dress and the service and not just because I got a free dress out of it.

The Details:
Dress: courtesy of eShakti.com
Tank: Old Navy
Tights: Hanes Outlet
Heels: Bandolino
Necklace: Banana Republic Outlet    




P.S. If you would like an awesome coupon code, let me know in the comments and I'll email it to you.  


* I received this dress as a gift, however, all opinions expressed are my own.*

Choices!

Choices! by lawschoolfashionista featuring a shirt dress

More Mimicry!

SUPER windy day!

     So about a week and a half ago Elena of Caffeinerd posted this outfit.  I (incorrectly) thought that I had the very same dress.  It's not exactly the same, but its pretty damn close.  Anyway, seeing her wear it, I realized that I hadn't worn my dress in a while.  So that day, I decided to wear it to the Latino Festival that was going on in town.
    You see those tights?  They're actually gold.  In my head, this outfit was going to be really cool.  The gold tights would really stand out against the brown of the dress and the black of the boots.  They were supposed to be eye catching and unique and ultra awesome.  Instead, the tights just look like they're my skin tone.  Granted, I'm not quite that gold in tone, but they just didn't live up to my expectations.  I guess this means that I can probably wear them to work without causing too much trouble in court.

    I was actually really excited to go to the Latino Festival.  I may not have mentioned it, but I'm an interesting mix of cultures and ethnicities.    I was born in Miami, Florida to a Colombian born mom and a Puerto Rican born dad.  In addition, growing up we traveled to Mexico on a regular basis.  On top of that, we lived in Barcelona, Spain for two years, from July 1998 to August 2000.  My parents stressed the ability to read, write and speak Spanish to my younger sister and I, so we're both fluent and have used our language abilities extensively.  Let's just sum it up by saying I'm rather Latin, k?  Anyway, so I was really excited because I was hoping to expose the Fiance to some awesome food.  They did have a Colombian booth, but they weren't serving a whole bunch of Colombian food.  Nonetheless, he got to enjoy an empanada.

Isn't he cute?

    Speaking of the Fiance, he agreed to pose for a picture just for all of you!  I had to talk him into it, but he allowed me to take a quick pic of us for the blog.

Just had to share this pic!

The Details:
Dress: Banana Republic Outlet
Sweater: Ann Taylor Loft
Tights: DKNY via Hanes Outlet
Boots: Target
Necklace: gift

Baubles & Ruffles

Sorry this is so late today.  Normally I try to post by 8:30 am on MWF, but we had a deposition yesterday (my first) and I got home late.  I did not want to stare at a computer screen, so this post is going up late.  Sorry!

     About 2 weeks ago I was scanning slickdeals.net because the Fiance had shown me a great tupperware set and I was considering buying it.  Cute, right?  So as I scanned the site, I saw that there was a red wrap from Coldwater Creek for about $8 with free shipping.  Of course I went straight to their website to see what else they had on sale.  Well,  I found this jacket and a couple others.  I fell in love with the tweed.The ruffles just had me.  And the paisley!  As you can see, I bought the jacket.  With all the little specials it cost me $29.09 including shipping.  Pretty great deal if I so say so myself.  

My go to court outfit

     When it got here, I was a bit hesitant.  As it had been squished in transit, the ruffles just didn't ruffle.  And I wasn't sure that it fit well.  I tried it one with a skirt to wear on Monday, and it just wasn't working for me.  So I left the tags on it hoping I could find a way to wear it.  Tuesday rolled around and I tried the jacket on again, but this time with pants.  And that was apparently all I needed in order to decide to keep the jacket.  I'm actually wearing the jacket again today (Friday) but this time with jeans which work equally well with the jacket.  I'm going to have to try the jacket + skirt combo again to see if it was just that one skirt that didn't work or if all of my skirts won't work with the jacket.  By the way, am I the only one that does the whole "let's try the piece on with different outfits" when deciding to keep or return an item?

Notice my super pretty hair? <3 Hana Shine Shield!

    As the title of this post suggests, this isn't just about my brand new ruffle-y jacket.  Its also about this necklace.  It might surprise you, but my uncle made this necklace.  And I love it.  Part of me doesn't want to put it on etsy, but I know my aunt and uncle need the money so I'll be putting it up this weekend, hopefully.  This necklace has a distinctly different look to it than the other ones my uncle has sent me.  It feels as timeless and classic as pearls, but a bit quirky because of the color of the clay beads and the stones.  Also, way less expensive than pearls (it'll be priced about $24).  

My around the office comfy outfit

Ruffles! Paisley! Tweed!

The Details: 

Jacket: Coldwater Creek

Pants: Old Navy

Heels: Aldo

Cardigan: Target

T-shirt: Old Navy

Necklace: Tio Gordo

Rocker Chic(k)

The Details:
Dress: Loft
Tank: Old Navy
Cardigan: Target
Boots: Target
Tights: Hue

Red Skirt!

     This is the skirt that I told you about here.  I was so excited to get it and even though I love the color and the sheen and the shape, the fit isn't 100%.  I should have gone a size down from the one that I got, but because I didn't want to be *too* optimistic about my weight loss, decided to go with a size 14P instead of a 12P.  I chatted with a customer representative that told me the measurements of both sizes, and based on that I went with a 14.  The 14 fits fine, but I think that the skirt is supposed to be more fitted than it is on me, hence why I probably should have gone with the 12.  It would probably be more high waisted in a 12 too.  Nonetheless, I love the skirt and just have to make sure that my tops don't make the skirt bunch up around my hips so that it looks like the skirt is too big.  If I end up losing more weight so that it becomes noticeably big, I suppose I would just get it tailored down to fit me better.  

Notice the bunching?  Also, no idea why Bella is checking out my shoes!

    Speaking of tailoring, I've got a question for you all.  So, as I've mentioned, I'm on a quest to lose weight and get healthier.  The only downside is that some of my clothes just don't fit anymore.  My bottoms and pants in particular.  Now, I'm able to wear my pants if I use a belt or wear my skirts lower towards my hips rather than my waist.  My question is, at what point does this "making do" start to look sloppy?  I guess my fear is that while I lose weight and am not in a financial position to buy clothes for the intermediate sizes I'll pass through, I won't look as polished as I would prefer.  Am I worrying over nothing or is there a legitimate concern?

    Speaking of not being able to replace items in my closet.  This will be the last time you'll see these, my favorite heels, for a while.  I have worn the heels down to the nail, and sadly, I don't know of a cobbler nearby nor how much it might cost to get my super awesome shoes repaired.  :(  Anybody have an idea of what kind of price range I should expect to for my heels to be replaced?
    Lastly, I *loved* how my legs looked in these tights.  That the skirt hit me mid-knee works perfectly with my height.  It allows my legs not to look stumpy, but I'm still conservative and professional enough to hang out in court all day if need be.  And of course the tights keep my legs warm and make them look amazing.  Isn't this cooler weather just amazing?

The Details: 
Skirt: Talbots
Top: Loft (via consignment store)
Heels: Nine West
Tights: Hue (?)

Product Review: Hana Shine Shield

    A few weeks ago, the lovely people at Misikko.com approached me about doing a product review and giveaway. After checking out the site and seeing that they're the home of the "Best Flat Iron" and being the great big fan of hair products that I am, I jumped at the chance.   A few days later a box filled with a whole bunch of goodies was waiting for me on the counter when I got home from work (The Fiancé brought it in for me).  I went eeny meeny miney mo and decided to try the Hana Shine Shield first. 
     After washing my hair I poured about a quarter sized dollop of Shine Shield in my palm, rubbed it between my hands and finger combed it into my hair from roots to tips.   I brushed through my damp hair to make sure it got spread evenly, then threw my hair up in a towel turban (as per my routine).  A short time later I went to sleep with my hair wet and woke up with fluffy, full of body and soft curls.  It only got better as second day hair was equally gorgeous.   Having seen what Shine Shield did in my hair as normal, I decided to throw it a curveball by ironing my hair. 

     If you've followed this blog for a while, you'll know that I don't iron my hair all that often.  It tends to take a bit of time and actually requires effort, 2 things I don't have a lot of.   But to test this product I wanted to make sure I threw everything at it.  So I ironed my hair and the Shine Shield performed spectacularly. My hair was soft, nongreasy, and beautifully straight even after having slept on it. Some products have a tendency to get my hair really greasy after a few hours after I've ironed it, but the Hana Shine Shield did not at all.  My hair stayed straight without any creases and didn't grease up at all, even into the second day.  Yup, that means that there were no creases or random curls after sleeping on it, TWICE! (Ironed my hair Sunday night and wore it straight Monday and Tuesday). 

     I very much recommend this product. It handled my hair very nicely and has a very light and pleasant scent. AND it doubles as a body lotion. The directions say you can apply it to skin, and being the curious blogger that I am, I applied it to my legs post-shave and they felt silky smooth.  At the current price of $29.99 or the reduced price of $18.99, the 2 oz bottle is a bit steep, however the 6 oz bottle that normally goes for $49.99 and is currently at $29.99 seems more reasonable.  I'm not 100% sure I would buy either size as they are rather pricey and currently out of my league, but I would at least seriously consider the 6 oz bottle for $29.99 as this product has worked really well with my hair. 
    Just an FYI, I will also be hosting a giveaway, but will do that when I review the second product Misikko.com sent me. 


*This is a requested review.  I did not receive compensation for the review other than the products to be reviewed.  Nonetheless, all opinions are my own and are shaped by my experiences testing the product.*

Black & Gold

    Turns out that my law school colors are black and gold as are the two main (only) colors in this outfit.  I got this dress about 2 weeks ago from Talbots.com.  I am a dividends member, so after spending a certain amount of money, they sent me two $25 dividend payments.  These are essentially gift certificates that can be used in store, online or by catalog.  I also had a coupon for $5 off shipping and an extra 30% off sales items, so I went online shopping.  Since I had  $50 in dividends, I decided I would not spend more than $20 out of pocket for whatever I would order.  Let me tell you, it was incredibly difficult to decide what to order.  

    There were four skirts to choose from: the Sateen pencil skirt (in red), the pique A-line skirt (in green), the cotton pique pencil skirt (in turquoise), among others.  There were also several dresses to choose from including the one I eventually bought (no longer online), the loop trim dress, and the cotton pique split-neck sheath.   In the end I went with the sateen pencil skirt and this dress as I figured I would get more use out of them in classic colors and shapes than the others.

    I first wore this dress last Wednesday.  For the first wearing I wanted to keep things simple and focused on the awesomeness of the dress.  All I added was a pair of heels, my obligatory blazer (not shown) and this awesome necklace.  I didn't realize when I got the dress that it would have gold and black buttons.  I don't often wear gold accessories, but I did happen to have this necklace which matches the dress and its buttons perfectly.  (Sorry for the weird color on my face, the camera and the lights on my porch were not getting along that night).  

Fierce, eh?

    Lastly, I just wanted to let you all know that I really enjoyed shopping on Talbots.com.  I did not know what size to order so I did their sales chat and it was incredibly helpful.  The sales associate was able to give me the measurements of the pieces so that I could figure out what size to buy.  As you can see of this dress, their help was exactly what I needed to find and buy this gorgeous well-fitting dress.  I definitely recommend utilizing their shopping chat support as well as signing up for their dividends rewards.  


The Details:
Dress: Talbots
Necklace: Banana Republic Outlet
Heels: Nine West


*This post was not asked for nor compensated for.*

Mimics

    When I saw Sally rock this outfit, I just *knew* I had to find a way to copy her outfit from my own closet.  It just looks so cute on Sally and maybe, just maybe, I could harness the cute for myself.  So I went and looked in my closet for the first piece of my copycat outfit, the vest.  It just so happens that I have a vest that I've worn a total of maybe 2 times and don't ever know how to really style it.  From there I looked for a suitable button down shirt.  Unfortunately, mine isn't as tunic-y as Sally's, but because its so damn difficult for me to find a button down that fits, my go-to pinstripe button worked fine.  Its nowhere near fitted and long enough that it would still hang out from the bottom of the vest.  Lastly came the pants.  Since this outfit was to wear to work which includes going to court, I couldn't wear leggings.  Instead, I grabbed these black pants and voila!  I mimicked Sally's outfit.

      Now, I'll be the first to admit that Sally's look was way cuter, but that's not the point of my taking inspiration from her look and interpreting it through my closet.  I think that one of the coolest things about this blogging thing is that we give each other so many ideas.  I can't even begin to count the ways I've taken aspects or whole outfits from other bloggers and made them work for my closet and my body.  And it is just so cool to have such a diverse group of women as inspiration.  So, thank you ladies for being my inspiration, you rock!

P.S. So those black pants?  I bought them during the spring of 2007.  I think I wore them, washed them and didn't wear them again because they shrunk a bit and just didn't fit.  UNTIL I tried them on last week and they fit perfectly!!!  As hard as it is to watch what I eat and exercise regularly, it is so worth it knowing that I'm fitting into pants that I haven't worn in years.  The downside of course is that most of my blazers all now fit too big as do most of my pants, but such is life.  I'm thrilled with my progress and know that I'm on my way to a healthier me.    

The Details:
Shirt: Old Navy
Vest: NY&Co
Pants: Express
Boots: Nine West