Fall Fashion: Take 1

Well, folks, there’s no more denying it for this girl. As of a few days ago, it is officially fall (did you know that September 1st was technically meteorological fall? —> total weather nerd). I can’t say I totally hate it, but I’m definitely NOT your basic white girl. I’m NOT obsessed with fall for one major reason…it means winter is on it’s way. And as  Colorado semi-native who spent 19 winters there, I’m so over the snow and cold. It can be in the 80s and 90s and sunny year-round, kthanks.

But because it is fall (P.S. I’m liking the 80 degree, non-humid weather we’ve been having here this month…it can stay all fall long) I am embracing the fall fashion. It’s the one thing that keeps me from flipping out that winter is now less than 3 months away. I love riding boots, infinity scarves, anoraks, tights, ankle booties, kimonosand cardigans. I’m still holding out on the whole pants thing. Sorry, but I want to wear skirts and dresses all the time and tights usually make that possible.

So in honor of Fashion Friday, I’m laying out the deets of some of my late summer/early fall outfits. I have it in mind that I want to post again in a month-ish with my mid-fall picks and then in late November/early December with my late-fall OOTDs. In this edition, expect a lot of kimono action (I just bought 2 that I’m obsessed with), bare-legged outfits (woo for warm weather) and booties. Of the shoe kind, obvs.

From top left: cream lace kimono (Lucca+Lily), olive jumpsuit (American Eagle), necklace (H&M); navy printed kimono/cardigan (Forever 21), burgundy skater dress with keyhole cutout (F21), fish necklace (AE); cream lace kimono, salmon halter dress (AE), fish necklace); navy/white striped cardigan (Gap), black bralette (Victoria’s Secret), orange textured skirt (F21), orange/navy statement necklace (ALDO); black lace kimono (F21), leopard sheer tank (Charlotte Russe), black belt (F21), royal blue high-waisted shorts (F21)

From top left: red/blue/gold/black bracelet set (Call It Spring); gold mid-finger rings (ALDO); gold watch (ALDO); pearl/jewel stud chain necklace (H&M); Franco Sarto nude suede desert booties (DSW)

How are you embracing early fall? Is it still summer-like where you are?

Fashion Friday: Budget Buys

Instead of focusing my FF post this week on an outfit I wore, I wanted to talk about shopping on a budget. Because let’s be real…A) I’m a girl who LOVES to shop (I’m even down for just window shopping) and B) I definitely don’t have the money to blow $100 on an outfit.

So how do I keep my closet updated while keeping my wallet happy?

Shop sales. Get to know when your favorite stores have sales. Some do these weekly, others have big semi-annual events where you can score everything in the store for a fraction of the price. Sign up for emails (yes, they can be annoying, but they’re really informative) so you know when the best days to shop are. And consider shopping online sometimes. I personally prefer buying all my stuff in person when I can, but sometimes stores offer online exclusive items or special sales.

I bought these over Memorial Day weekend, when I knew big sales were going on.

Stick with the clearance section. I don’t know the last time I bought something full price. I live for the clearance section! It’s tempting to want to buy the latest and greatest new items, but it makes a lot more financial sense to hold off and wait for them to go on clearance. This sometimes means shopping out of season. For example, I just scored a striped cardigan from the Gap for $15 (originally priced at $50). Can I wear it now? Probably not with the 90+ degree weather we’ve been having (it’ll be good for my air-conditioned office though). But I’ll be happy to have it come fall, when sweaters are full price again.

Double up on deals. American Eagle is a store that offers this perk a lot. They’ll often have 50-70% off already clearance-priced items. That’s how I got a jumpsuit for $13 and a dress for $12! Go shopping when stores are marking down their clearance section and you’ll make out big.

I love this jumpsuit even more, knowing I bought it for a fraction of the original price.

Don’t just buy something because it’s cheap. Forever 21 is a great store for deals, don’t get me wrong. But it can also be tempting to buy something just because it’s a steal. Who wouldn’t want a jacket for just $20 or a dress for under $10? You still need to think about if the item is something you truly need for your closet, or if it’s just an impulse buy. Make sure you have something in mind to wear it with, and that you don’t already own something very similar.

Consider the rest of your closet. Like I just mentioned, think through your purchase. I always do this when I’m about to buy something. I take a mental tour through my closet and think about what I already own to pair with the new item. It’s okay to sometimes plan on buying something else to wear with said item, but you shouldn’t justify it every time. It’s a good idea to have at least one or two pieces you know you can already wear with it, so it won’t sit in your closet for months.

Some fun new finds that I know I can wear now AND later.

What are your smart shopping tips? 

Fashion Friday: Tickled Pink

Aside from a very brief tomboy phase in late elementary school, when I professed my hatred for anything even a little girly, my favorite color has always been pink. I have pink shoes and purses, pink office supplies, a pink hair dryer and I was thisclose to getting a pink Kia Soul when I was getting a car for college. You could say I’m a little obsessed with the color pink. 

I also have a decent amount of pink in my closet, but much of it is brighter pink, like more of a magenta shade. I’ve never been really into baby pink but when I got a sheer button-down in that shade from American Eagle for Valentine’s Day (from my mom, what a sweet Valentine!) I fell in love. Light pink is perfect for spring, and it pairs especially well with black, which is one of my favorite pink pairings.

Look at my thigh gap haha but seriously excuse my weird pose. I always have problems trying to show my full outfit in this mirror. 

This outfit works for casual things, like running errands or hanging out but it can easily be dressed up by exchanging the black leggings for skinny black pants and strappy heels. I love the shirt because it’s sheer and see-through (I was wearing a matching pink cami underneath) so it’s great for warmer spring days but you also won’t freeze in it if you wear it to the office. And it’s the perfect fit, just a little loose without being sloppy.

Left: jeweled friendship bracelet (American Eagle), white watch (American Eagle). Right: pink heart pendant (Forever 21).

Jewelry is a must-have for me. I went very girly with a jeweled woven bracelet, white-and-pink watch (which BTW doesn’t work but I still wear it anyway haha I keep forgetting to get the battery changed) and a pink heart pendant necklace. My coral pink nails went great with the whole ensemble, and I dressed it up a little more with black wedge booties.

Pink sheer button-down (American Eagle), pink cami (Target), black zippered leggings (American Eagle), unpictured black wedge booties (Target).

Some days just call for a LOT of selfies.

What are your thoughts on the color pink? Girly, fun, perfect for pairing with edgier colors, etc.?

 

What’s In My Bag?

I have an obsession. With purses. Specifically large, designer bags. I got my first, a multicolor Coach shoulder bag for Christmas when I was 16 and since then, I’ve been hooked and have added 5 more designer bags to my collection.

My current go-to is a navy blue bird-printed Fossil tote I got for my 21st birthday and I’ve been loving it ever since. It’s the perfect size, shape and it goes with almost everything. I love that it has an interior zippered pocket and a few pouches so I can attempt to organize my stuff, but let’s be honest, I mostly just throw things in there. That’s what a purse is for, right?

I was inspired by Emily’s recent posts about the things in her bag and I wanted to share what’s currently in mine!

Makeup bag (Forever 21)…March 2014 People StyleWatch magazine…White Citrus mini lotion (Bath & Body Works)…hairbrush (Clinique)…Bandaid box (hey, I’m accident prone!)…Lemon Vanilla lip gloss (Bath & Body Works)…earphones…mango butter chapstick (Burt’s Bees)…compact mirror (Gilly Hicks)…wallet (Fossil)…vanilla berry sorbet hand sanitizer (Bath & Body Works)…keys…Advil…multicolored pens…Lipslicks lipstick in princess (Covergirl)…cinnamon xylitol mints…sunglasses (Target). 

What’s in your purse?

Fashion Friday: B+W

I remember when I used to hate black. No good reason for it, I just thought it was blah and goth and weird. I owned literally nothing black other than nice dress pants for band concerts.

But then I started shopping at Forever 21, and that’s when my world changed. See, before that I was a Hollister/Abercrombie/American Eagle girl, and while I still like those stores, they’re a lot less affordable than F21. It didn’t help that those stores (other than American Eagle) don’t make anything in black. I loved (and still love) bright colors, but I finally opened up to having black in my closet. It started with a pair of black+white patterned harem pants, and expanded to a few key pieces, including a few dresses. tanks, jackets and pants.

Now when I wear black, it’s almost always paired with white. I love the graphic look of B+W prints and I can always add in a pop of color with a necklace or shoes.

Black+white graphic drapey career jacket (Forever 21), black studded tank (F21), black stretchy pencil skirt (Charlotte Russe), black tights (Target), black wedge ankle booties (Target).

This would be an outfit I would definitely wear to work (ahem, still job searching!) and it works for all seasons–just skip the tights for spring and summer. It’s a bold look because of the graphic-patterned jacket without being overdone because of the simple palette.

Obligatory selfie.

I kept the makeup look polished and simple. Liquid & powder foundation, blush, grey eyeshadow, dark brown eyeliner, volumizing mascara (I use Maybelline Colossal Volum’ Express) and a little pink lip stain. I don’t use fancy makeup, mostly Covergirl and Maybelline, the kind of stuff you can get at Target and drug stores. I wish I could afford Sephora…a girl can dream!

Triangles necklace (Forever 21), white rose ring (F21). Coach Poppy backpack purse in the background.

Accessories are always a must in my world. I kept this look simple with a small pendant necklace and white rose-adorned ring, both from Forever 21.Yes, their jewelry is cheap, but it holds together fairly well and it’s great for someone like me who loves to have a wide variety of jewelry. Oh, and I paired this outfit with my Coach Poppy black+white+red backpack purse I got for my 19th birthday. Love this bag, it’s like a fancy backpack!

What colors do you like to pair with black? 

What I Ate (and wore) Wednesday

I haven’t participated in WIAW in awhile! This week’s post is not all about the food, because let’s be real, I forgot to take a lot of food pics recently, but I also wanted to share some of my outfits as well.

I usually make protein banana softserve for breakfast, but who doesn’t like to switch things up sometimes? Now that I have more time in the mornings, I made some almond flour-based pancakes the other morning. They were cookie-dough inspired, filled with stevia chocolate chips, and topped with warmed frozen cherries and a side of about a teaspoon of maple syrup. I’ve been subconsciously avoiding most added sugars lately and it’s changed my tastebuds. Now even a little maple syrup is too sweet!

I like to play the part of a broadcast journalist, even if I’m not one quite yet! I’ve been really into blazers lately and I kinda want one in every color…

I finally ordered some more peanut flour and I’ve missed it a ton! I’m glad I took a break though because I know you can develop allergic reactions to things you eat too ofen…and I definitely used to OD on peanut flour. It was good to have it back in my life, though, in this shirataki noodle stir fry topped with spinach, pineapple, homemade roasted chickpeas and the most addicting spicy raw sunflower seeds from the bulk section at Whole Foods.

As much as I love some booty-hugging yoga shorts (especially these from VS Pink), I don’t wear them unless I’m working out. I actually was able to wear this outfit outside on Sunday to play tennis with my dad! It was a glorious 60 degrees, sunny and my definition of a perfect winter day 😉 And getting in almost an hour of tennis with my dad was even better.

I posted about these on Instagram the other day, but you didn’t get to see the actual boots! I was in need of some black riding boots, and these sale-priced ones from ALDO fit the bill perfectly. Plus they were 50% off, what’s not to love? I’ve been doing some really smart shopping lately and I love that I’ve learned to be budget conscious, at least with clothes…

Banana softserve is still consumed at least once per day. FYI, frozen bananas taste incredible blended with PlantFusion cookies ‘n cream protein powder, dark cocoa powder, spinach (gotta get those greens in!) and topped with PB+coconut oil and stevia chocolate chips. It’s like a decadent dessert, but healthy enough for breakfast!

Sometimes, you gotta throw on the leggings and the chambray shirt. I like my girly clothes, so even my casual wear is cutened up a bit. I’m obsessed with this shirt…and the scarf! Love those infinity scarves.

And then of course, the girly side of me wins out most of the time. I wore this outfit (from Christmas) out to see Frozen with my mom (a really good movie) and then some outlet shopping. I think I could probably live in tights/dresses+skirts!

As an aside, I weighed myself the other day. NEVER a good idea, and it certainly wasn’t this time. I just knew I had gained some weight, but I wasn’t expecting to be so close to 100 pounds. That number scares me so much, because I’ve never been in the triple digit club. I know something is off with my body, though–no period in almost 9 months, not-so-great skin and some digestive issues have been plaguing me for awhile and I’m anxious for my doctor’s appointment next month to (hopefully) clear things up. Honestly, though, if I hadn’t weighed myself, I wouldn’t have guessed I weighed that much. I still look about the same, I fit in all my clothes, so I’m hoping some of the weight is muscle (I think some of it is, because I can feel the hardness of my abs, arms and legs) and hopefully, if my body is out of whack, I can get back to the right weight for me. Right now, I’m just trying hard not to let this derail my progress…

What have you been eating/wearing this week?

All I Want for Christmas…

‘Tis the season for wishlist posts, amiright? I don’t care if it’s uncool or what, because finals week/graduation is this week so I’m slacking on blogging motivation! So here’s what I’m wishing for this Christmas…

• Some really cute booties, like these from ALDO (and for only $50!)

My weakness is booties.

• My first ‘big girl’ job–hopefully as a reporter/anchor/weather at a TV station somewhere in the West, and preferably somewhere warm (like California…)

• A winter-ready dress I can wear with tights

I love this color and style. From American Eagle.

• Some pink sparkly Sperrys

Yeah, I’m super girly but I don’t care.

• For my sister to get into the college she wants to attend for musical theatre–she puts so much work into her auditions and she really deserves a shot to prove herself
• A capelet coat of some kind…this one from Forever 21 is inexpensive and really versatile

This would go with anything!

• For my grandpa to get well. He’s been in assisted living since this summer and unfortunately, his health is failing.

• This cookbook. I have her original Practically Raw one, but I have a crazy sweet tooth and I’m obsessed with raw desserts!

I want to make ALL the desserts!

• For a Trader Joes to finally open in Colorado. I’m seriously deprived out here, and I want to experience the amazingness that is TJs.

What’s on your wishlist?

WIAW: Photo Dump

Wow, it’s been sooooo long since I’ve done a WIAW! I’ve really missed it, but I had to do what was right for me and for a while, I was trying to get away from focusing on food so much. Now that I’ve found a way of eating that’s working for me, I want to start participating in the best party of the week more often.

Basically, I have a LOT of food/random photos to share so let’s get to it!

One of the newest Larabar flavors.

I can’t remember where I first saw the latest additions to the Larabar family, but I knew I had to find them. Luckily, Natural Grocers seems to always have bar flavors other stores don’t have, so when I spotted a few of their new Uber varieties, I had to snag one. I got baklava since it sounded the tastiest, and it was pretty good, with the signature spices of baklava. I still like the bananas foster Uber the best out of that line!

Pumpkin chocolate chip buckwheat+almond flour protein pancakes. Topped with coconut butter, homemade apple chia jam, side of local honey.

Breakfast for dinner! These pancakes incorporated a few new products, namely stevia-sweetened chocolate chips (um, yes PLEASE!) and sacha inchi powder. The powder has great stats (40 calories and 6 grams protein per tablespoon) but I don’t love the flavor on its own. It worked great in these pancakes with the flavors of pumpkin and buckwheat!

Beautiful pink flowers at the trial gardens on campus.

Pretty yellow-ish orange flowers.

My family visited me a couple of weekends ago and we took a little walk around the trial gardens on a nice, sunny day. Flowers always make me happy and it was great to see them one last time–probably the last time I’ll see them before I graduate!

Lots o’ produce!

I made my weekly grocery trip on Sunday. Unfortunately for my wallet, it was one of those stock-up trips…meaning I spent a lot more than I wanted to. But I got a lot of things I needed, like produce to refill my fridge, coconut oil and protein powder that will both last awhile and some other pantry staples.

Random buys and pantry staples.

That chocolate bar in the front is perfect for true chocolate lovers–it’s literally just made of cacao beans! It’s a bit too bitter for me so I drizzle a little local honey on it and it’s perfection.

In the Forever 21 dressing room.

Trying on dress number 2.

Aaaand dress 3, the one I bought. It has little colorful triangles all over!

My mom and I did a little shopping while I was home this past weekend. I’ve been looking for a professional-looking dress I can wear to school, for doing the weather for the campus TV station and hopefully to wear at my first big girl job. It’s a lot harder than it seems! I can’t buy anything blue or green (because of the green/blue screen I have to stand in front of), I can’t get dresses that are sleeveless unless I want to wear a blazer over them and of course, they have to fit and look right. I can’t even tell you how many stores we went to and left empty-handed. Finally, we went to Forever 21 and hit the jackpot. I only got one of these dresses (the last one pictured) but I actually loved them all. The top one was a bit too big in the chest area (#ACupProblems) and my mom didn’t like the cutouts on the second one but the third one we both agreed was cute and professional. I can’t wait to wear it on TV this week! Oh, and I’m for sure putting the other two dresses on my Christmas wishlist 😉

I love seasonal food items!

If I had a vice, it would be seasonal food products. Seriously. I have a big problem. I immediately want to buy them, even if I don’t really need them. Luckily, this week I did need to stock up on protein powder (and this one was on a 3 day sale at Whole Foods, score!) and I wanted to buy some sprouted tortilla chips to make nachos. I want to do some kind of review post soon on the products I’ve tried recently but for now, I have to say I love and recommend both of these. The Amazing Meal has the perfect mix of chocolate and peppermint, and I love the vitamins and minerals in all their products. And the chips are a little sweet and a little salty and great for dipping.

Return of the Whole Foods salad bar box.

The last thing my wallet needs right now is the Whole Foods salad bar, but I haven’t had it in at least 2 months, so I was desperate for my favorite takeout. I got some usuals and tried a few of their Indian dishes. It was SO much food, but it was worth the price for sure. At least it’s a rare indulgence, amiright?

Local matcha ‘frappuccino’ from Nourish Organic Juice.

Noochy kale salad, cashew ranch dressing and grain free PB chocolate chip blondie from Nourish.

While I was at home, my dad and I saw some short films at a film festival downtown. The movies were fun, but the best part was trying out a newish vegan place nearby for lunch. My dad is definitely NOT a vegan but he’s so accepting of my lifestyle (as is my mom) and he’s always willing to try vegan restaurants and food, plus he’s really into eating foods without artificial ingredients, so that’s a plus. The restaurant we went to is mostly a smoothie and cold-pressed juice place but they had some tasty food options as well. My salad was small but really delicious, especially with their homemade dressing. The frappuccino was perfect–a lot less sweet than frapps from Starbucks, and made with matcha tea, almond milk and a bit of agave. And the PB blondie was incredible–I had it for dessert that night and it was even better warmed in the microwave. I love that they are completely gluten free and vegan (with a lot of grain free options) and that they make all their stuff in-store or buy it locally. Definitely my kind of place!

What have you been eating and doing lately?