Have a Fashionable Christmas!

Life has been so hectic! And with nearly nothing open on Christmas Day, what a better time to relax and take a breather!

Hope everyone's Christmas has been lovely--both in the priceless sense with spending time with loved ones and in the case of presents :o)

This was my first Christmas being single in 5 years so I thought it was logical that I simply buy myself Christmas gifts to compensate for it. I wiped out my wallet that day but I feel like it was well worth it. :o)

My Christmas presents to myself:

Jessica Simpson "Colie" heels in Violet Nubuck.

"We found love in a hopeless place."

I had another one of my monochromatic days...What can I say, black is my favorite color to wear! :o)

"Just love yourself, and you're set."

I want to do mutual guest posts/blog switches for a day with other fashion bloggers!  Anyone interested?  I've seen it on other blogs and think it would be fun!  Let me know if you're up for it!

I'm pretty excited for March.  I'm glad I can look back on February and say that it was a good month for me--at least a productive month, but productivity makes me happy so therefore, a good month!  I started hot yoga which I've been enjoying.  Well, it's kind of torture, but good torture.  It's nice having someone yell at me to push myself harder, and I really enjoy how I feel afterward.  I've also gotten back on the treadmill and bike, so I'm super proud of myself.  And I did a few art pieces and have gotten back into tinkering with jewelry making (pictures to come!).  It makes me happy to be able to get around to doing things that I've been wanting to do for awhile now.  :o)

It's baaaaaaaaaaack. Recognize this jacket? ;) But don't worry, I haven't been wearing it every day! In fact, because I haven't been wearing it lately, I've missed it and just had to revisit it. :o)

C & C California top. Lauren Conrad x Kohls dress. People's Liberation jacket. Aldo heels.
Marc Jacobs necklace. Juicy Couture bracelet. Forever 21 ring. Revlon polish in Temptress.

This Forever 21 ring never fails to draw attention and bring compliments.  I was at the checkout register at Safeway and the cashier guy was totally in awe.  I normally wear rings on my middle finger, but like a nice, large statement ring on my index finger. 

Not so fashion related, but worth your time:

The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano was an international bestseller for a reason; it is an absolutely amazing read.  This novel by Giordano tells the story of two "primes"--lonely things that never fit with another--Alice and Mattia, starting with their childhood tragedies and continuing as their lives and destinies intersect.  Alice and Mattia had never been able to open themselves to anyone, but as they recognize the similarity in their emotional baggage and damaged state, they subconsciously begin to connect. 

However, in a rash moment between Alice and Mattia, Mattia decides to accept a research position abroad leaving them separated by thousands of miles and thousands of unsaid things.  Raw, poignant, The Solitude of Prime Numbers delivers a heart-wrenching story to its readers.  It is hard to finish the book and not be affected.  The stories--the lives--of Alice and Mattia are sad and tragic, but told beautifully by Giordano.  Rating: 4.8/5.

-S

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"Throw some glitter, make it rain."

Boy Meets Girl top. rvca shorts. Abercrombie & Fitch jacket. Tarina Tarantino earrings.
AE Scarf. Steve Madden heels. N.Y.C. nail polishes in Starry Silver and Cashmere Creme.

Boy Meets Girl is one of my favorite brands.  I own 2 hoodies, 2 track jackets, 1 skirt, 2 dresses, and the pictured shirt by them and am still looking to add to my collection.  I love the versatility of the brand; while they have a lot of more casual, low key items (i.e., hoodies and screen tees), they also have dressier items like super cute dresses. 

However, if I were to pinpoint what I love most about the brand, it would be their iconic logo of the boy and girl; I think it's super cute and charming.  Normally, the logo is subtle, such as on buttons or zippers, but with this shirt, it's obviously huge.  I hate wearing a jacket or anything to cover it because then people can't see the cute picture!



I bought these Steve Madden heels for a steal of a deal at Marshall's (hello, $20 well spent!) and am so glad I did.  I snagged them off the shelf as soon as I saw them in my size and knew I had to have them.  I ignored the practical voice inside my head telling me that glittery heels weren't too versatile, but "I am so getting these anyway!" I said out loud and I did. 

Glittery heels are one of those hello-look-at-me items that you have to careful with.  In reality, it's like a super bright colored shirt.  It is both great and very attention-grabbing; therefore, you have to make sure you're not wearing other items that will compete with it.  A general rule of thumb I like to have is to keep my general outfit simple, but then choose one item to be in the main attraction (and if my whole outfit is simple, accessorize, accessorize, accessorize!).



Remember when I excitedly posted about these Tarina Tarantino earrings?  Well, they were everything I had hoped for!  :o)



I had debated whether to paint my nails light blue or glittery so I just compromised and painted them glittery light blue!  I give the NYC polishes a 3/5.

It took me about 4 coats (2 of each color) to get my nails to stay polished for about a week.  Overall, I do like the NYC polishes because they are super cheap and if you get bored of having the same colored nails for more than a few days, the polishes are perfect.  I do recommend avoiding dark colored polishes by the brand because I've found that they stain your nails.




I've seen some bloggers do guest posting and I think it's a great idea.  If anyone is interested in doing a blog "swap"/mutual guest post for a day, let me know!

:o)



-S

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"Memories of the light in your eyes."

C  & C California top. Romeo & Juliet Couture vest. Joe's Jeans. Zigi Soho boots.
Marc Jacobs necklace. American Eagle and Nordstrom rings. Revlon nail polish in Minted.

I'm currently going through one of my nail polish phases (where I normally buy and use nail polish religiously for a couple of months and then get lazy and go sans nail polish for the rest of the year), and I'm currently in love with Revlon Nail Enamel in Minted.  I absolutely love the color.  I actually bought the polish because I thought it was the same shade as the Tiffany blue; unfortunately, when I painted my nails and compared them to my Tiffany bags and boxes, the nail polish has too much green in them so the shade is off.  Still, I find the color refreshing.  :o)

As for the nail polish itself, I give it a 3.5/5 rating.  I like Revlon for the fact that their polishes are DBP, toluene and formaldehyde free, but I don't like how runny it was, the slight bubbles, and how it takes at least a couple of hours for 2 coats of the nail polish to fully dry.  The polish is lasted me about 9 days before noticeable chipping. 

On a side note, I've been getting back in touch with my arty side.  Here is a picture I painted for a friend (it's Peter the Panda from Phineas and Ferb).  It's pretty simple but was rather fun to create.  :o)




I've made February my month to focus on art so hopefully I'll be posting more pictures of art pieces later.



-S

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"When the sun starts sinking on your beautiful soul."

C & C California top. C & C California cardigan. People's Liberation jacket.
Aerie dress [worn as skirt]. Hot Sox tights. Sperry rain boots. 

Being able to incorporate rain boots into fashion comes in quite handy when you live in the Pacific Northwest.  On days when I really want to avoid puddles, I throw on my Sperry rain boots (find similar ones here).  Not only are they black--making them really versatile, warm (they're lined on the inside), they are also wedges--making them more fashionable than the average pair of rain boots.  On the downside, they are not as comfortable as they are versatile, warm, and fashionable; I couldn't wear them all day unfortunately.  However, if you're only going out for a few hours and don't want to risk puddles and splashage (no, that's not a real word), I completely recommend these.  They are perfect for being stylish and practical.  I give them a 4/5.

I finally got around to watching Eat, Pray, Love and really liked it.  I'm going to point out the obvious here and say that Julia Roberts is an amazing actress in this memoir-turned-book.  She did a good job depicting Liz, a woman struggling through her life, trying to find both meaning and balance.  The movie was both relatable and inspiring to me.  The scenery is also astounding and makes you want to follow in Liz's footsteps and travel to those places.  It's amazing the amount of courage Liz Gilbert had to drop everything and leave in search of change.  I give the movie a 4/5 contrary to most other reviews I read.  I think most people were dissatisfied with how the movie depicted Liz's journey in comparison to the book, and I am definitely inspired to go read the book--which might change my rating, but we'll see!


Don 't forget to enter my giveaway!! 

The giveaway will be closed 11:59PM (PST) Monday, January 31st!  Follow me on here (via Google Friend Connect), Twitter, Bloglovin', or Facebook and just let me know where you're following me.  Each place is worth one entry--follow me on all places for 4 chances to win!



-S


P.S. Have you hugged a tree today?  :o)

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"And there's many shades of black."

Gap top. Whitney Eve skirt. Tulle jacket. BCBG wedges. Tarina Tarantino earrings. Marc Jacobs headband.

Another one of my monochromatic days.  I love wearing black; it's my favorite color (if we ignore the fact that it's really a shade...) and it goes with everything--including itself.  I've been working to branch out on my color palettes, but there are days like these where I'm in black almost head to toe.  I swear my closet is full of color, but I just have a strong attachment to black.  Besides, shades and neutrals are very "in" this season.  :o)

I just finished The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.  I had been planning on watching the movie and wanted to read the book first.  I really liked the book; it was a great read.  I was up until almost 7am because I wanted to finish the book.  I think the last time I was so engrossed in a book that I was willing to sacrifice my sleep was with Harry Potter (any of them).  That's not to say the books are similar because The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo with Harry Potter are on practically opposite ends of the spectrum.  However, as J.K. Rowling writes an amazing fantasy book, Larsson is an enthralling thriller novelist.  I recommend The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo to anyone looking for a good mystery/thriller.  The story is pretty intense and definitely not for the faint of heart.  I give it a 4/5.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

It is for a sampler set of Lancome Juicy Tubes!  Hurry, there's only a few more days to enter!  The giveaway will close at the end of the month.  Entering is easy, just follow me on here (via Google Friend Connect), Twitter, Bloglovin', or Facebook and just let me know where you're following me.  Each place is worth one entry--follow me on all places for 4 chances to win!




-S

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:o)

"Gorgeous ladies, there is no need to be actin' shady."

Lucca Couture dress [worn as a skirt]. C & C California top. People's Liberation jacket. Steve Madden heels.

This is my quasi-grunge-meets-girly look.  You're probably getting sick of seeing this jacket, but I'm sorry, it's my favorite!  I love its asymmetrical front, versatility, and its ability to add edginess to essentially any outfit.  Plus, considering how often I wear this jacket, it was totally worth the money.  Be proud that I didn't splurge and then simply stash!  

I finally got around to watching Eclipse and really liked it.  I'm not one of those die hard Twilight fan, but I really enjoy the movies.  I'm normally on top of reading books before they come out as movies, but I never got around to reading the series.  I normally like books better than their movie counterparts; and because I like the Twilight movies [so far], I don't want to ruin it by reading the books.  Otherwise, there will be the potential that I'll get agitated because they didn't do something right or cut parts out.  But if you haven't watched Eclipse yet or are simply looking for a good movie, I would definitely recommend it--it's really not that vampire-y either.  I give it a 4.5/5.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway in the previous post!!  Follow me on here (via Google Friend Connect), Twitter, Bloglovin', or Facebook and just let me know where you're following me.  Each place is worth one entry--follow me on all places for 4 chances to win!



-S

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:o)

"I'll give a little bit of my love to you."

Lucca Couture dress. American Eagle scarf. People's Liberation jacket. Zigi Soho boots. Target mittens.

I absolutely love to read, but have a thing about not buying books.  I always go to the library to check out books, and if I absolutely love a book and am willing to read it more than once, then I'll buy it.  I'm at the library in these pictures returning my copy of Lauren Conrad's Sweet Little Lies.  I give it a 3.5/5.  It was a pretty good read, but I wouldn't buy it.  I was also a little disappointed that it wasn't as good as the first book.  It irked me how Jane turned out (rather naive) and since she's the main character, it brought my rating down.  Overall, if you're looking for a nice teen drama book that's an easy read, give Sweet Little Lies a try.

I recently won a giveaway on Michaela's blog and thought I would pay it forward and do a giveaway of my own. 

I absolutely love Lancome's Juicy Tube lipglosses!  If you're ever looking for a nice, sheer lipgloss that glides on easily, Juicy Tubes are your answer!  This giveaway is for 5 sample size [0.28--it's actually a generous size; a sample size will last me at least a few weeks!] that is a combination of the Jelly glosses and the Smoothie glosses.




[Jelly] Bolole, [Jelly] Daiquiri, [Smoothie] Fruity Pop, [Smoothie] Pink Horizon, & [Smoothie] Beach Plum.

How to enter:
1. Follow me on here (via Google Friend Connect), Twitter, Bloglovin', or Facebook.
2. Comment this post and let me know where you're following me; each place is worth one entry.


Simple and easy!  :o)  Last day to enter is January 31st.  Good luck!





 
--S

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:o)