Welcome to the World

I'm sure you all have been wondering just where I have been over the last week or so. I'm talking losing sleep over it.

Really though, I was taking some time to bring this little gem into the world...

Charlotte Adele. (no, not after the singer...it's a family name). 

After what seemed like an eternity being pregnant, she finally decided to make an appearance! And this little one, ladies, wraps up my beautiful family! We will, from now on, be a family of four with two beautiful girls! Couldn't be more blessed and lucky, that's for sure! 

Oh and big sister Ella is loving life right now. I'm sure that will change, but for now her excitement is just too darn cute.

Anyway, in a couple of days or two I'll be back at it!

Hope you enjoyed this....this is probably the least fashion/beauty post I will ever write!!!

Back to babies and bottles for now......

Rainy Day Wellies

This extremely rainy day made me want.....I mean want another cute pair of wellies. I definitely have a pair (Missoni for Target), but they are at home. And they aren't new. Which makes me want a new pair. That's usually how it goes, right? I want NEW!

Rain boots don't have to be awful. I have seen so many women wear them in the most adorable ways either as a part of their outfit or thrown on while walking to/from work. Every wardrobe needs a pair of wellies!!

Here are a few of my favorite ones....

How beautiful are these?? The pop of color these would add to any outfit is just beautiful!! Love them! You can purchase them right here for $135. Yes, pricey, but the quality? Excellent.

 

Another pair of Hunter's. I am a sucker for snakeskin...they're so edgy. LOVE these ones. You can also get these online for $195.00

 

These are just plain fun. I don't think I need to say more! Purchase at Target online for only $29.99

 

Can't forget about my girl Tory. These are outrageous and super expensive.  A girl can dream, right?

Purchase here

 

 

 

The lesson for today is this: just because its rainy and you want to just throw on sweats doesn't mean you have to. Grab your jeggings or skinnies, and cute top and some fab wellies and you will be a stylish fashionista on an otherwise drab day!!

 

What are some things you like to do to dress up your rainy day look?

Fall Look Book: Part II

If you didn't get a chance to check out my Look Book Part I, no need to worry...you can check it out by clicking right here! Ok....right on to part two. First things first:

1. Mens Oxford Shoes. I feel like this look just carries over another season. In my opinion, they were a must have last fall. I was lucky enough to score a gray and a brown pair from Old Navy last year. I just love the look of them. They give your outfit a little bit of edginess but are still feminine!  Here are a few faves I found online...

2. Tailored vests. Whats great about these is you can wear them to work or not at work. Perfect for running errands or even a date night possibly. Check these out...

Find out the details of my faves right here

 

 I have a vest or two from previous seasons that I love to pair with a basic white T, jeggings, and a pair of biker boots. So easy, but so cute.

 

 

3.  Daytime Clutch. Yep, thats right....the daytime clutch. Nope its not an oxymoron. Clutches aren't just for the evening anymore.

 

There are so many clutches out there there are big enough for just the essentials you need to get you through the day. Plus, with all of the bold colors available, they can totally amp up an otherwise bland outfit.

These are some gorgeous clutches I found from Blair Ritchey, Asos, and BCBG. Check out where to get all of these fab items here

 



4. Statement Necklace. This piece of jewlery can...you guessed it! Make a statement (pun most definitely intended).

One thing you should remember though- if you are wearing a statement necklace, the rest of  your look should be kepy simple. Makeup, clothes, etc.

You don't want an overall busy look, and then add a statement necklace on top of it. Talk about overload. Anyway, how about these beautiful pieces...

Necklace details here

5. Colored jeans/jeggings/cords. I don't really think its any mystery that they are pretty trendy right now. They have been for quite some time, even lasting through the summer months with lighter colors. You really can't go anywhere without seeing a rainbow of colors!

Be a little bold with your color choices, and think outside of just a basic colored shirt to pair them with. Think color blocking and patterns.

Details here

Recap of Part II:

1. Men's Oxford Shoes
2. Tailored Vests
3. Statement Necklace
4. Daytime Clutch
5. Colored Jeans

Loafing in Loafers

I can't wait for cooler weather to wear loafers. Yep. Loafers. I found the perfect pair at the Gap, but of course, they don't have my size. I check back like every day to see if they suddenly have my size, but no such luck yet!!!

Check out how beautiful they are....

Calf Hair Loafers

 

 

I. Want. Them. I will continue to stalk Gap's website until they have them in my size! This is how I picture myself wearing them...

 

Once again, a little something I put together over at the wonderful Polyvore. I can't wait to use the pieces I have in my closet to put this look together!!

 



I Am Addicted...

.....to scarves. I love them. Love. Them. Like I am not exaggerating. I probably have 30 or more. Why? Why do I love them? Why do I have so many? Because they come in all of the colors and prints you can imagine, I am a sucker, and most importantly, they can change the whole look of what you are wearing.

I found some pics of me over the last few months sporting a few scarves. Despite how often I wear them ( and I do wear them often) I really don't have that many pics in them (its ok you don't have to cry)! Probably because I wasn't blogging until a few months ago so I didn't feel the need to document every outfit. I know, so devastating...

This scarf....bought it at Gap and wear it with everything. This was in my in-between-looking-pregnant-and-not-looking-pregnant stage. The solution?? Throw on a scarf to cover my "is she pregnant or is she eating too much?" gut. Reason # 343949324 why they rock.

 

Basic black T and jeans. Tossed on this mustard scarf and leopard print ballet flats and voila: you have a whole look.

 

Airplane ride? Toss one on with a T and you're still comfy but cute! This was on our way back from San Diego (side note: if you've never been...totally go).

 

I loved this outfit. This was after a couple several winery stops in Ithaca (another place to visit if you haven't). Jeggings, riding boots, military jacket, navy and white striped shirt, and the pop of color with the mustard scarf.

 

 

Lastly, this outfit I can't wait to wear after this baby is no longer compromising my figure. Check out the outfit details right here

 

 

Ok so whats the moral of the story? Scarves rock. Why?

1. Add a pop of color to a look..
2. Turn an outfit into an actual look.
3. They are an inexpensive way to enhance your wardrobe.
4. I mean I guess scarves are technically made to keep you warm, if need be. But, whatever. I still go by my motto "fashion before function."
5. Work for all seasons. You can get really lightweight scarves for spring/summer.

Here is a little ditty I found on Pinterest that shows all kinds of ways to tie a scarf. I'm an old fashioned just one swoop around the neck kind of girl, but if you aren't check this out....

There is also another pin that has like 40 ways to tie one....who knew there were so many ways!?! Check that out here

So go. Go and build your scarf wardrobe! But don't blame me if you start to get addicted.

A Peek Into My Closet!

What do you do when you are building a home and there is a ton of empty space above the garage? Well you turn it into a walk in closet, thats what you do!

My husband and I (and by that I mean my husband) built our house. When we chose our floor plan, we decided to move a few minor things around. We were left with, like most houses, a lot of empty space right above the garage.

Sure we could have moved things around a little more and made another room in the house, but what fun is that???? Why not make it an amazing walk in closet?

So began the journey of finding a reputable company that is reasonably priced to install. Not happening. Sooooo....thank goodness my husband, his bro and his dad are so handy! After some hard work and some painting, we got our awesome closet.

We didn't paint the walls (at that point, we wanted to just move in!). There are still a lot of things I want to do to organize, like get rid of my jewelry armoire (circa 1995) and do some cool things  I found on Pinterest! One of these days!!!

Enjoy my ghetto pics.

 

Immediately on the left when you walk in. I love seeing all of my shoes on display!!

 

The other side!

 

My husband's corner. I mean I guess I had to  let him have some space.

 

 

Now I am not one to organize by color or anything like that, but here are a few tips to organizing (they aren't mysteries):

 

1. Keep similar items together (I hang all of my cardigans together for example)

2. Use the right hangers: Get pant hangers for pants, etc.

3. Don't skimp on hangers. You can get decent plastic hangers or other types of hangers anywhere for a relatively inexpensive price. You don't want your hangers to jack up your clothes and leave things like hanger nipples on the shoulders.

4. Organize by season (not just by type of clothes).

5. Go through your closet every few months. I try to go by this- If I haven't worn it in a year, get rid of it.

 

Any other cool organizational tips...share them!

 

Current Crush: The Gray Sweatshirt

Linking up today for Current Crush Thursday....grab the button on my sidebar to link up too!

So I scored the coolest gray crew sweatshirt the other day at none other than Target for only $17.99. I bought it to add to my post baby inspiration wardrobe.

I sit down last night to do some of my reading, aka the latest edition of Star magazine (don't even judge) and I found this....

What perfect timing!! I love how versatile it can be, which is one of the main reasons I snagged it while I was at Target. I have the perfect pair of leather leggings (Lauren Conrad, Kohls, 2011), but you better believe I will be wearing it with a comfy pair of boyfriend jeans and my Chuck Taylors, just like this....

Get the deets of my outfit here

Can't wait to rock my sweatshirt...bring on the cold temps!

Makeup Primer Saves the Day!!!!

 How many of  us skip this simple step of applying primer when we are putting our makeup on in the morning? I confess I do sometimes...

So whats the main reason for makeup primer? What is it? Its good for you for several reasons...

First things first and I think most importantly, it serves as the liason between your face and your makeup. Its kind of like the glue that holds your makeup in place all day! It serves the purpose of allowing your makeup to last longer which means you don't need to reapply as often or at all!

Secondly, the cool thing about primer is that it works with any skin tone. It helps cover minor imperfections like redness or fine lines. For me, I think it helps minimize dark spots on my face. I am lucky in that I have never really had bad acne, but when I get a pimple, I get a freakin pimple. I never pick...I think thats so gross so I just let it run its course, but it always leaves a dark spot. Primer helps minimize the darkness of those random spots.

Lastly, Since primer sort of gets a head start with covering up your imperfections, you won't need as much coverage from your foundation! If you think about it, that can make your makeup last longer, because you dont need to use as much!

From my research, I have seen all kinds of primers that come with an added bonus of things like:

1.Redness reducing

2. Spot reducing

3. Anti-aging

4. Pore-minimizing

Like all things for my makeup regime, I use Bare Minerals:

You can purchase this for $23.00 here

 

Although by now you know I am a die-hard Bare Minerals user, there are other primers out there that are just as great as BM and even less expensive. Give these a try if you like:

 

1. Revlon PhotoReady Primer, $12.99. I have heard good things about this. It does a great job of smoothing!

 

2.  MAC Prep and Prime Natural Radiance Primer, $48.00. Contains Vitamins E and C and gives  a glow. If this particular one isn't for you, don't worry. MAC has a TON of different primers to choose from.

 

3. Boots No. 7 Color Calming Primer, $9.99. This is supposed to help brighten any complexion. You can find this steal at Target. Be careful with this one though- if you tend to have an oily complexion this might not be the one for you.

 

 

So if you haven't thought of trying a primer, or you have always been looking for a way to make you make up last longer and look better throughout the day, try a primer. Not sure if you want to invest the money? Head to Target or Wal Mart and try a less expensive brand first and then go from there!!

 

Happy priming!!

Fall Look Book: Part I

I have been researching the internet, magazines, people on the street (in a totally non creepy way) to see what is in, and what is a must have for this fall.

There are probably some things that I know I will have in my fall wardrobe but may not be on the "it" list in the fashion world. Who cares. Make your wardrobe y our own!

Ok...here goes. First things first:

1. Ikat. I am in love with ikat. I think its such an authentic print that can add to any outfit. You can get an ikat print skirt, shirt, or something as simple as a scarf. My fave is a scarf...check it out...

You can find a scarf similar to that at American Eagle, only $24.95! Purchase it here. Pair this scarf with a basic t shirt, skinnies and flats or throw it on with a T and cardi and you've got a great look!

2. Although this really isn't anything new, you MUST have a basic blazer. I have several in different colors, from black, tan, navy blue, to  striped. Its something that can be casual AND dressy. I love to throw it over a dress for a work meeting, but then wear it with a pair of jeggings and heels or flats over a print top or fitted T for a quick weekend outfit.

Seriously, I wear the shit out of them and love every minute of it. Its sort of my go-to outfit when all else fails!

This is also something that you may want to invest in. It can be worn so much and so many different ways (and for several seasons), you will get your money's worth. I always think you should have a few expensive pieces in your closet that you know you will wear and wear and wear. They will last that much longer.

Express Blazer $98.00

You might be thinking this is too business like or too dressy. Don't worry. Take away the button up and the dress pants and you have a diverse piece! Here is another look of an outfit that I put together at Polyvore. See how casual but cute it can be? I know I paired flats with it (pregnancy mind/brain) but throw on a pair of heels and the whole look is changed!





3. Brown riding boots. A must. I know, like the blazer, this is something that is a must every fall. But seriously, brown riding boots are timeless. They are comfortably chic. The ones I wear just about all the time are from Target. They don't have them anymore but the pair below are similar...

Target Mossimo Karie Flat Boot, $34.99

Chinese Laundy New Capture, $119.00 at Zappos

My absolute dream pair...Tory Birch Amanda Riding Boot

$495.00

4. Leather. Yes, leather. Don't  freak out though because leather can come in all different forms. I'll give you a few options just in case your aren't the type of person that would want to go all out.

1. Emily D Vegan Leather Leggings, Urban Outfitters, $68.00

2. This shirt.....oh this shirt! I. Want. Now. Nicole Richie for Macy's. Not available yet, but coming soon! Its perfect for those of you that don't want leather overload. Its a basic lace tee with leather sleeves. Amazeballs.

Want to keep it basic? Classic leather pump. Purchase this Aldo Wagaman Pump here for $80.00

This is a less expensive option for your leather fix. Payless, on sale for $24.99

This last item is just my own personal lust. I guess you could say its on my wish list. Can't wait to call one my very own....ladies and gents. ladies.....the leather peplum. I found a gorgeous one at Urban Outfitters.  



I am excited for this top for many reasons. Mainly, to pair it with a pencil skirt or some skinnies. Yes, please!!

 

5. Oxblood. Or, burgundy. But for some reason I like saying oxblood way better :) I mean, who wouldn't want a little oxblood in their wardrobe, right? I think it makes me sound tough...."Yeah thats right I wear oxblood.." Ok maybe not, but anyway....it is an "it" color this fall.

 

When you reach for your standard beige or navy in your closet- rethink your outfit. Try the burgundy.

 

I am loving this top...its so casual AND it has the perfect leather pocket detail. Two must haves in one!

 

Cords are another thing I have been seeing a lot of. I love how fall-ish they look. Like the color but not too, too much? Try shoes or an accessory. It is such a dark, saturated shade that maybe it isn't for everyone!

 

Lastly.....

Just purchased this color at Target for the fall. Essie, Skirting the Issue. Again, not ready to wear a lot of burgundy? Try something as simple as painting your nails.

 

 

How to Wear Fall Must Haves





Check out the pieces here

Outfit details here

Check out the details here

Check out where to purchase these items here

 

Now I am bringing out the former teacher in me...let's review, students!! This fall...you gotta get:

 

1. Ikat

2. Blazer

3. Brown riding boots

4. Leather

5. Oxblood/Burgundy

Don't be afraid to use your creativity and use what you already have in your closet to add to these five suggestions. Plus, these items are pretty basic and universal so you should be able to find them at all price points.

 

Stay tuned for my Fall Look Book Part II. Lots of more must haves for the upcoming season!!