LOTD: Office Holiday Party

Sweater: J.Crew | Tank: J.Crew | Skirt: J.Crew 

Necklace: Anthropologie | Shoes: Versace

Last week we had our office holiday party, and it started at 5pm, which meant people were leaving straight from work. So despite my apartment's proximity, I would need to go from cube to cocktails, without a full wardrobe change. So I decided to give my new tweed skirt a whirl. While I wished it was a little more fitted in the waist, the hip room kept it work appropriate. And since most of the look was pretty conservative, I decided to jazz it up once I got to the venue, swapping my boots for these little Mary Janes and gave my neck a little sparkle too. Yes, my hot pink soles match my sweater ;) The party was at the Franklin Institute and they gave free tickets to the Titanic Exhibit, which I didn't take advantage of, but I heard was amazing. 

Tis' the season for holiday gatherings, I've got three in the next week. What about you? What festive looks will you be putting together?

xox 

Flexi Rods might be a girl's new best friend!

I think I'll go ahead and call this one a success...

I have tried many a time with these things some people call flexi rods, bendy rods...whatever you'd like to call them, while incredibly uncomfortable to sleep in, if done correctly, you wake up with a head full of curls without frying your hair or fingers around a curling wand (mine came with a glove and I learned precisely why when I opted not to use it).

I used two different sized rollers, just because that's what I had. I used 4-5 rollers per side and tried to keep the rollers on the sides of my head, so if I ended up on my back it was somewhat comfortable. Unrolled them this morning and this was the result. While I'm not a YouTube gal, here are a few links that I watched:

ForeverNatalyn   |    Lover4Fashion   |   Fabulasityisme    |    VanityInsanity119

The rods are very affordable and easy to use. I got them from my local beauty supply store (BSS) for I want to say about ~$5/pk of 4-5 rollers depending on the size. By the end of the day, I had a little frizz, as expected, but I didn't use any product when rolling. They also work well on damp hair. Either way, I'll be putting them to good use this season.

Have you tried them? What do you think of the look? The ease? Would love to know. 

xox

Chicken Tikka Masala & Panang Curry Recipes

Clearly I was feeling Southern/South Eastern Asian inspired by a few Pinterest finds, and the last two kitchen endeavors both came out deliciously! The first was Chicken Tikka Masala, which was my first slow cooker meal and the beau's been raving about it since. And last night I made Panang Curry, which too got the stamp of approval. So I will share recipes and pictures for your kitchen fun and fellow foodie enjoyment!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala (Adapted from Cooking Classy)

Ingredients:
~3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/2 large yellow onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp freshly, finely grated ginger
1 jalapeno, stemmed, sliced in half and seeds removed
1 (29 oz) can tomato puree
1 1/2 cups plain non-fat greek yogurt
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp Garam Masala*
1 Tbsp cumin
1/2 Tbsp paprika
2 tsp salt, or to taste
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1-3 tsp cayenne pepper (to your spice preference)
2 bay leaves
1 can of light coconut milk

Prepared Long Grain White Rice or Basmati Rice
Chopped cilantro, for serving

*I couldn't find Garam Masala so I looked up an easy recipe and found this one. But it called for some other hard to find spices, so I ended up just combining what I had which was cumin, ground black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. And it was sufficient.

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl combine chopped onions, minced garlic, grated ginger, sliced jalapeno, tomato puree, plain yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, Garam Masala, cumin, paprika, salt, cinnamon, pepper and cayenne pepper.

LOTD: A Little Blue in J.Crew

Sweater: J. Crew | Shell: J.Crew | Skirt: J.Crew | Scarf: Burberry

It's been a crazy stressful past few days, but a new J. Crew sweater always seems to make me feel a bit a better. I picked up this bright pink cardigan on sale over the Thanksgiving weekend. And without noticing paired it with pretty much everything else J.Crew too. I really wanted to put on a pair of navy tights with this blue pinstriped pencil skirt, but I don't have any :( So I paired it with a pair of sheers and some Tod's. I also got this super cute multi-color tweed pencil skirt for just $35.

(J.Crew, originally $148)

Go me! (Doing happy dance) So the navy tights will come in handy when it arrives any day now.

As you may have noticed, I've also changed my locks for the winter. I love that hair is an accessory just like everything else, to me at least. And I also love that I've been granted the talent/guts to do it myself. Do we like??

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday. I'll be back soon with lots of recipes for my first slow cooker meal as well as a holiday cookie exchange I have to prepare for. Wish me luck.

xox

The "Out of Nowhere" Breakup of your 20s

I've heard from guy and girl friends alike the same "it came out of nowhere" break up story over the past few months, maybe even years. The "it's not you, it's me"s. The "I just need to focus on my career" right now. The "I'm not ready to get married, so why be so serious" conversations. And depending on which side of the table my friend happened to land on, my response varied, but in all honesty I get it. It always sucks to be on the receiving end of the breakup news when you claim to have thought things were going just fine, but the truth of the matter is the "out of nowhere" breakup is never really out of nowhere.

The signs are always there. Whether it be the lack of presence while doing things that you used to enjoy together, or something as blatant as claiming to be on a "break" when going stag to a wedding, that weird feeling in the pit of your stomach that you can't quite distinguish between hunger and nausea is called [woman's] intuition. And it doesn't mean that the other person is most certainly in the wrong and you should go snooping through things because the Chinese food you had for lunch didn't sit well and you're confusing that for a sign, it simply means something might be off about the situation and worth addressing. But when you address it and you get the "I need to find myself" excuse I empathize, because that might be one of the hardest pills to swallow.

It's the hardest to swallow because you can't place on the blame on either side, but yet don't know where to direct the angry and confused energy. Because you can't argue with someone about what they perceive as their life journey and what that journey entails, especially because every opinion article or self-help book about the 20s preaches how this is the time to be the "good kind of selfish". What I'd really like to know is when our society became so entitled that the thought of the possibility of other options and opportunities out-valued the tangible things or people currently in ones life. We've become a generation expectant of such immediate gratification, constantly plugged into some device that redirects our attention away from the present into a virtual world of endless possibility and lose sight of the people and things right in front of us. It's like our self-esteem is affirmed by the number of likes a photo gets on Instagram, sexual fantasies can be experienced voyeuristically with a few clicks, and you feel like you know someone because you stalked their social media profiles, but yet you refer to them with their middle name as their last. It's not real, people.

Pinterest Dish Wins!

So there are a number of websites like Pinterest Fail or even worse Epic Pinterest Fail, that display DIY arts & crafts, food dishes, costumes, etc. found on Pinterest that just went very very wrong when tried at home. Like these:

   

(via Pinterest Fail)

Bahahaha! They seriously make me feel so much better about my successes.

Earlier this week, the beau & I hosted some friends over to watch the Election results, so I decided to try a few apps I'd pinned recently, and all three were a hit! And I've got before and after pictures to prove it! :)

I'd call this nibbler spread of Spicy Sriracha Chicken Cheeseballs, Crab Rangoon and Bruschetta a win!

See Recipes after the jump!

LOTD: Pinspired - Black&Yellow

So a while back I stumbled upon this photo on Pinterest and I loved everything about the look.

(via Pinterest)

From the huge bun to the splash of yellow to the otherwise all black ensemble, I simply couldn't wait for Fall to rock the color combo. And then a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon this look over at Pink Peonies...

(via Pink Peonies)

And got super excited because I had just nabbed a neon yellow blouse just like this from Mommy's closet with the tag still on it ;). And I thought, I have some black satin ribbon...(gears churned)...

And voila!

Blouse: J. Crew | Bow: Black Satin Ribbon | Skirt: Tahari

Arm Candy: Michele, David Yurman, Tiffany & Co.

I promised I'm not wrinkled...although silk does do that easily. I think I merged the looks pretty well. Loosened the bow and made it a little more Janelle Monae-esque. Maybe I'll rock a pompadour next time. And yes, this is a very bright color to wear on a gloomy Nor'easter looming day, but you know how I feel about bright colors on grey days, keeps the cloudy blues away! 

xox

LOTD: Patriotic Pennsylvanian

Shirt: Cambridge | Dress: Anne Klein 

Necklace: Long Strand of Pearls (wrapped thrice)

So it normally takes some sorts of patriotic day you know like 4th of July or Election Day for me to realize that I have very little red clothing in my closet. Blues & whites galore, red - one pair of red skinnies recently acquired and clearly not Tuesday cubicle appropriate. Even though the red lip could have been enough of a statement, my red and blue striped scarf from last year's Homecoming at Penn felt like the perfect addition. After speaking on a panel last night for prospective English majors, I was feeling a bit nostalgic. My plaid cape completed the look and was the perfect background for this pretty little sticker I got.

Did you vote today? Because I did. :) 

Just a few hours left before the polls close...Exercise your right to vote, because someone probably fought for it. And even if something shady happens to you while you're there, like having your registration card in hand and them saying they don't see your name in the binder which means you have to cast a "Provisional Ballot" which may count or be rejected if your voter eligibility isn't verified (SIDE EYE!!!)...Recklessness all over the country with stuff like this...see this list by the Washington Post of "Voter Irregularities". My vote will count. I'm speaking it into fruition...hmmph!

And thank God for an end to these awful ads, tonight the real work begins...and fun for those having Election Night shindigs! A Pinterest Success or Fail post to come after tonight's try at a few tasty appetizers.

xox

First Impression: Bella Rocket Blender vs. Magic Bullet

So part of the whole clean(er) eating thing included incorporating multiples of fruits & veggies the easiest way ever - juices & smoothies. So getting a juicer/blender/food processor of sorts has been on my to-do list for some time now. But ever since some fancy friends got a Vitamix as a wedding present, I've been turning my nose up at the standard blenders. I'm a one extreme or the other kind of gal. All in or not at all. Top notch or super chill, no big deal. So when I stumbled upon the Bella Rocket Blender 12-piece set on sale for $19.99 at Macy's, it kind of piqued my super chill, no big deal interest...

For those of you who use or own the "Magic Bullet", you know that it retails for anywhere between $50-$80, depending on if you get the 17-piece express or the Deluxe with like 80 some odd pieces. I personally don't really see the need for a bajillion pieces that I have to hand wash if I want them to last, cluttering up my limited cabinet space, so the 12 pieces the Bella offered were just enough for me. 

           

There are 3 jars, two different sized blades, then a few lids, strainers and rims to convert the blending jars to cups. Just enough pieces for me to feel like there's variety, but not an overwhelming amount tumbling on my head when I open the cabinet. 

I took it for it's first whirl last night. Feeling hungry with a plethora of random fruits & veggies in my refrigerator  I decided to make a simple green machine with about 1 cup spinach, one granny smith apple sliced and a whole banana sliced.

                      

 

At this point, I realized the jar might actually be a little smaller/narrower than those of the Magic Bullet, because I really didn't anticipate getting to the top so quickly. So I blended a little before adding some ice and splash of water. Then blended again and voila! A yummy simple healthy Green Machine smoothie.

                       

 

Yum! Now that I've broken the seal, I'll see what other concoctions of smoothies, sauces and salsas I can make with this thing since clean up is such a cinch! 

But seriously for $19.99, this was quite the steal, and definitely gives the Magic Bullet a run for it's money. I think it was much quieter, and I personally think it's much prettier too :)

Oh I also used my new Martha Stewart knives, but cutting fruit doesn't give an accurate evaluation of sharpness. I'll wait until I'm cutting up some meat to give the run down.

xox

It's Halloween! Terror Behind the Walls...to go or no??

So in the wake of Super Storm/Hurricane/Post-Tropical Cyclone Sandy, not too many people are thinking about celebrating Halloween. You're probably more likely to be wondering when your power is coming back on, or when you can possibly get to and from if your public transportation system is down. Luckily, we weren't hit too badly here in Philadelphia, and I had the bright idea of maybe, just maybe going to Eastern State Penitentiary for their annual Terror Behind the Walls haunted tour. Yep, the girl who doesn't even watch scary movies is thinking of spending Halloween night in a prison being scared by crazy actors in gory ghoulish makeup.

(Google Image)

The Yelp reviews are mixed. I'm nervous the line will be atrocious since it's actually Halloween and it's the best way to spend a Wednesday night of course. Any one ever been? Is it worth the $30 ticket?

Maybe I'll just do a daytime tour...for $12...lol

Happy Halloween!

xox

My Kitchenware Goodies have arrived!!

So, I was quite the excited little camper when I got home for lunch last week and this big box from Macy's with my name on it was waiting in the lobby!!

Yes, I had a little trouble getting it into the elevator and down the hall, but I mustered the strength some way some how because 3 of the 4 things I've been pining for were inside...

A Slow Cooker/Crock Pot..a set of decent knives...and a multi-faceted, but compact blender..!!

I'm still waiting on this super cute Martha Stewart Collection mixing bowl set to arrive.

(macys.com, Reg $29.99, Sale $24.99 (plus the 10% off that day!))

I'm slightly nervous it will soon make me want a hand mixer...the stand one can wait until I've got a real home/gourmet kitchen lol.

I'm so excited to make my first slow cooker meal! I've been pinning them since Fall tried to sneak up on us. I think today is the last day we'll see the 70 degree mark for the rest of the year. Any recommendations? I've got one for Chicken Tikka Masala...

or maybe a Lamb Tagine...

or a hearty Texas Chili!

There's just so many options! Very glad I recently learned about the Reynolds slow cooker liners that make cleaning up a cinch. Especially because I'm not sure how well the pot would have fit in my baby kitchen sink.

I'm even prouder of the fact that I got all four of these items for less than $130! Between sale items and free shipping. And because I had a few gift cards, I came out of pocket a mere $40 for these life changing gadgets.

Had I been a little more prepared, I would have given everything a whirl during Super Storm Sandy's showdown, but I quickly packed a few things and got a little further out of the city to the beau's bigger apartment, since we'd be stuck inside for a few days.

Can't wait to try them out this week though! Recipes to come.

LOTD: Shades of Grey

Sweater: J.Crew | Skirt: Banana Republic Shoes: Me Too | Necklace: Henri Bendel

A boring (read: bad) hair day doesn't have to rain on the chic parade. But the morning overcast did inspire my shades of grey. Whenever I wear my hair in a bun during the fall, I tend to reach for turtlenecks like this classic one from J.Crew. Comfy, warm, and with just the right bit of stretch, paired with a fitted wool pencil skirt (another fall staple) and some grey patent pumps. This monochromatic look is a go-to, add a little bling and the look is complete.

Happy Monday!

xox

Princess Syndrome: How Disney Sets Us Up for Disappointment

"Post-Happily Ever After"

I stumbled upon this picture on Pinterest yesterday. I aptly pinned it to my "Reality Check" board, and then remembered an idea for a post I had months ago when I first revived the blog. Having a younger sister who is obsessed with all things "Princess" has really revealed to me how much of an impact these movies have on our psyche at such a crucial age in development. Through these images and story lines, she is learning perceptions of beauty, of good and evil, expectations of others, and most prevalent in all of these films is the emphasis on gender roles. I could literally probably write a dissertation on this, but for the sake of this post, I will focus on the three biggest problems these films create as it pertains to male and female relationships later down the road:

#1) "I'm a princess and should be treated as such."

#2) "I'm waiting for my Prince Charming to come and save me."

#3) "And we will live happily ever after."

"I'm a princess and should be treated as such."

This mentality is ingrained so early in a young girl's mind, and while some have trouble believing it and self-esteem issues also created by Disney imagery and the like can overshadow it, many others wear this proclamation across their chest in "Daddy's Little Princess" labeled t-shirts and when they outgrow those, they wear it across their forehead as they enter adulthood, especially if Daddy is still paying their rent. 

My sister sometimes affectionately calls my dad "Prince Naveen" (re: Princess & The Frog). There is much truth to the idea that a father is a little girl's first love. He is the first man she sees in real life.  He is the first man to tell her that he loves her, that provides for her, that protects and comforts her, that reminds her that she is his little princess, deserving of all there is to have in this world - money, jewels, unconditional love. And if it's not her father telling her this, it's often her mother doing so, and overcompensating for his lack of presence, his lack of love, with material things. So the Princess mentality becomes even more compounded. It becomes, "If I find my Prince Charming, I will have found happiness. But having lots of pretty things can also make me happy. So until I've found him, I'll make myself happy with things." Retail therapy, anyone?

Fitness, Fun & Fall Festivals in the illadelph

Happppyyyy Frrriiiiddaaayyyy!!! Can you tell I'm excited for the weekend? In all seriousness, the week kind of flew by, but every Friday I'm ready to sing "Cheers to the freakin' weekend!" (Cue RihRih). I think the week flew by in part because I finally made my way over to The Sporting Club at the Bellevue, for which I purchased a LivingSocial deal for $30 for a month pass, which includes all access to the 93,000 sq ft facility as well as unlimited classes, and my gosh is the list extensive. Apparently, a monthly membership would normally cost ~$100/mo + a hefty initiation fee of $450. o_O...Insert happy dance here for getting quite the steal!

On Monday, I was hyped and posted this picture of my new running shoes and post-workout healthy meal.

After "The Boxer's Workout" with Clif, I was feeling good and wanted to keep it going with healthy eats, so I made a nice spinach salad with a corn/red pepper/tomato/red onion/goat cheese salad I'd made over the weekend. Because I was still hungry and kind of craving something sweet, I decided to have a brown rice cake with peanut butter for dessert. Go me!

I made it to the gym twice more this week for Vinyasa Yoga on Tuesday & Thursday. I'm excited to try all the new classes. It keeps my routine changing, so my muscles don't get used to anything, which is what I used to love about dance. There's a Zumba class tonight, but might not make it because my social life is just jumping these days. I kid I kid lol, but for real there's been a lot going on lately.

Clean Eating - A Daily Struggle

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, it's probably quite apparent that I love food. Always have and always will. But I also realize the importance of eating well for the sake of feeling well.

Last Sunday, I made what looked like a huge greasy Southern meal of fried fish, collard greens, mac & cheese and sweet potato cornbread and called it "The Last Supper" before embarking upon a "veggie-centric" lifestyle. In all honesty, the only thing that wasn't the "healthiest" was the fish. I used no oil or butter in the collards, the mac & cheese wasn't baked with eggs & butter, but a stovetop version made with a simple roux of grueyere and fontina cheeses, and the sweet potato cornbread was without the egg & half the milk, using the potato puree for moistness. All of that is to say, that if I had actually measured the calories of that meal, it'd be a FRACTION of what it had been if I'd followed the recipe exactly, or dared order it at a restaurant.

I don't believe that you have to eat like a rabbit to eat, look or feel "well". I do believe that you should know exactly what you're putting into your body and exert as much control over the sourcing of your products and minimizing the unknown and hidden ones in sauces and seasonings especially as you can. Thus, I try to buy organic fresh produce, farm raised & grass fed meats, and season with lots of fresh herbs. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with flash frozen foods or dried herbs. I just have a tendency to want to use ingredients before they go bad, so it keeps me on my toes to eat the fresh stuff I have, as opposed to boxed and preserved.

Two days after posting my last supper, I posted a picture of this great sandwich I made for lunch, an avocado BLT.

I touted that I didn't use any cheese or condiments, thinking it was a healthy & delicious choice. But, I was challenged about my "veggie-centric lifestyle" comment on the last supper. To which I will clarify that I could never be a vegetarian, or maybe I could with everything except giving up bacon. I cannot live without it. And my beloved bacon was precisely the victim of the next criticism, "Would have been great without the fatty bacon..." she said. And I thought to myself, did you notice that I subbed out "lettuce" for for a healthier, greener pile of spinach? That it's on two small slices of multi-grain bread instead of a big fluffy white or sourdough roll? Oh..ok... Let it be clear that I will never go on a diet, because I don't believe in them. Everyone I've ever known to try one was back to their old ways and weight in just a matter of time. What I do believe in is daily lifestyle choices.

9to5 Chic

I had a moment yesterday in the mirror checking out how my body was changing, you know with 25 fast approaching, and I turned around and thought "oOot! I am indeed my mother's child."  She's got an effortlessly great physique and a few enviable assets in particular, I just didn't see it coming, but I digress. As I was examining, I noticed that my cute little black dress purchased from F21 a few months ago was legit falling apart, like on my body. o_O... I thought to myself "Did I bust my dress open??" But then decided, no, it's just was just poorly made. Keep any thoughts to the contrary to yourself.

Nonetheless, I again appreciated the time my personal-Mommy-stylist helped me to find a few work appropriate, grown up sized/fabrics and budget friendly pieces. So I thought I'd share a few of my finds, and a few tips for business casual work environments for the stylish gal.

LtoR - Dress: London Times | Top: Vince Camuto, Skirt: H&M (old) | Dress: Anne Klein | Sweater: Monteau, Dress: Vintage

1.) You can be trendy without looking inappropriate for work - I love the peplum trend and am elated that it's sticking around for another season. I think it does wonders creating a feminine shape, especially for us athletic builds. I normally don't like investing substantially in trendy pieces and try to find them at affordable places, but would typically leave me in need of about 5 more inches of fabric above the knee. Marshall's/TJ Maxx are great places to find on trend pieces in real women sizes at friendly prices. I ushered Autumn in with this rich blue dress for just $39.99

2.) Keep separates simple - If you can tell, the arms of the polka dot blouse are a tad sheer, and the overall shape is quite flowy. Thus, the top alone made enough of a statement, so I paired it with a plain black pencil skirt and clean leather pumps. I could have accessorized a bit more, but instead went with a fun red lip color. Just me and my cube anyway lol. I nabbed this super cute blouse for $29.99.

3.) Fit is key - Even though you might be trying to catch a man walking to and from, maybe even in the office, form fitting clothing is just not appropriate. Save the freakum dress, skirts, and pants for the club, on the real. You want to be noticed for your merit, not for being ill clad. As you can tell with both dresses, but particularly the navy one, I could possibly have gone a size smaller, as there's room in both the waist and hip areas. But it fits properly for work, and I could wear a sexier or higher heel to accentuate my legs, because nothing else was being highlighted. This Anne Klein shift dress was $49.99

4.) Cardigans are an office girl's best friend - I tend to take my sweaters off for pictures, but I am never in the office without a sweater. I know people have mixed feelings about exposing armpits in certain environments, but it's mostly just because I'm usually cold and it provides structure to any simple attire. I almost squealed in excitement when I found this Chanel-esque tweed looking but super soft stretchy cardigan for just $19.99. 

So those are just a few tips I thought to share, after seeing a few too many divas on my morning commute and wondering just where they thought they were going/what kind of office they worked in. 

Stay fly, but more importantly stay classy.

xox

Please Stop Lying About "The 20s"...Wait - is this a quarter-life crisis?

I'm getting a little tired of all these articles about not wasting your 20s, about throwing caution to the wind and doing all the things you always wished because with age comes responsibilities, blah blah..bills now anyone? I'm tired of everyone asking me about my job, my graduate school plans, my relationship, my future. I'm tired of going into trendy stores, grabbing what I think is my size and needing Crisco to get the ill-fitting garment off of my no longer pre-pubescent body. I'm tired of probing rhetorical questions that send me off into an abyss of my own mind as if I don't do that on my own enough.

It's in few sobering moments that your 30+ friends will really admit to you that the early 20s actually kind of sucked. That what they thought was the time of their lives galavanting from bar to bar, hooking up with randos secretly wishing that each new toad would be their frog prince, sitting in jobs they hated because student loans and credit card bills from those same bars and boozy brunches in the City wouldn't pay themselves was really just a rite of passage. Don't get me wrong, those bar crawls and eye-canoodling with a new sexy stranger each weekend have their places in your life and the 20s are it. But let's quit not acknowledging that each of us is really searching and wishing to find all the answers about ourselves, to truly know what makes us happy and what we want out of life so we can stop falling on our faces chasing what we've been conditioned to want. Wait, I think...Is this a quarter-life crisis happening?

I've been conditioned, some way some how, to go to an ivy-league college, go to a top 5 professional graduate school, pursue a career as an executive of some sort, meet and marry a peer along the way, climb the corporate ladder until I decide to take maternity leave, which may or may not be 3 months or 6 years until "the kids" are in school, then to pursue my true passion of writing, with the cushion that my stint in the professional world or my equally/more successful husband's wealth will provide, since they don't call them starving artists for no reason... Oh and all of this is to be done by 35. o_O...That ish cray.

The reality is that there's no room along that type of path for the stumbles that will inevitably occur to teach you the life's lessons that you are unable to teach yourself for lack of experience. I'm not really sure if I want to be a professional, not even positive I want to have kids I just think as a woman I should experience the miracle of carrying life inside me even though that's a really creepy thought, and marriage - when I sit down and really think about it...it scares the crap out of me. Weddings and marriage are NOT the same thing, every girl wants the bling and to plan the party of a lifetime where she's the belle of the ball, but realize that after it, you've joined your eat, sleep, breathe, poop, every single day moments with another human being. HUGE DEAL...HUGE!!!

LOTD: Red Lips & Polka Dots aren't just for Minnie Mouse

When I woke up this morning and checked the weather I realized that Fall was attempting to make it's presence known, and in this attempt just confusing the heck out of everyone trying to get dressed this morning. With a high of 77 and a low of 61 and a 60% precipitation rate, I didn't know if I would swelter in my raincoat or be sad and cold that I didn't have one at some point in the day.

Either way when I start with my raincoat, then my color scheme is kind of set - black, white, red, tan. Can you guess what my raincoat looks like? :) Lol. I tried flexi rods for the 3rd time and was substantially more successful than the first two resulting in these pretty loose waves. And I even had a little time to play in my makeup, yes I'm embracing my Russian Red.

I scanned through my newly refreshed with fall staples closet and nabbed this super cute polka dot blouse. While I would have loved to pair this top with the red skinnies I also found over the weekend, I instead remembered where I was going and kept it simple with this black pencil skirt and black pump.

What's Your Design Style?? Take the Quiz!

So I was poking around on Apartment Therapy like I do almost every other day, and I stumbled upon this fun post about online design quizzes. Of course I took all 3 (don't worry they each took between 2-5 mins). I thought two were pretty spot on, the third not so much.

According to HomeGoods' Stylescope, I'm "Sassy" with a touch of "Urban Funk" which looks like...

To style my home they suggested starting with a crisp fresh white room - which I have and often refer to as my 'blank canvas' - and add bright colors and bold patterns. Besides the bright pink sheets and standing bunch of sunflowers on my window sill, I haven't yet added much color. I originally thought I wanted to do the whole "Spa Serenity Chic" thing, but at this point it feels boring and gets visibly dirty too quickly. Meh.

Over at Sproost, my style was decidedly a mix of "Hollywood Couture" (60%), "French Eclectic" (20%) and Modern Elegance (20%) based on a flurry of rooms I rated on a 5 point, love it to hate it, scale. Hollywood Couture, taking the lead, also seemed more aligned with the look I've been going for with my new place.

Wedding Weekend Wears

Ah! So if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you already know how crazy (in a good way) the past two weeks have been. Ever since Labor Day & Made in America, it's been a sprint to the finish line, which in this case was two really good friends' wedding this past weekend. We hit the road on Friday afternoon and booked it a good 4.5 hours to Albany, NY. We made it just in the nick of time to join the first course at the rehearsal dinner.

Thanks to pre-planned and packed outfits in my suitcase, I was able to freshen up quickly and pull this entire ensemble out of my suitcase in the 15 minutes I was given to get ready.

Dress: H&M | Shoes: Zara | Necklace: ILY Couture

I decided to take advantage of one of the last summer nights and had a little color blocking moment with three of my favorite summer purchases. It was comfy, chic, yet family friendly - three crucial things when sitting for hours dining to celebrate someone else's big day amongst their family and friends. While I was bright as a highlighter and showed a little leg, but I reserved the bling and the glowing skin for the bride, and of course made sure my dress was roomy enough for my potential post dessert bulge. 

For the actual wedding the next day, I took advantage of their evening wedding to don a floor length pink silk gown. Like seriously, how often in our post-prom and fraternity-formal lives to we get to wear evening dresses, right?

Dress: Jill Stuart (pictured here) | Ring: F21

Week(end) Roundup: Red Lips, Boozy Brunches & MadeInAmerica

I think I'm just now at this very moment recovering from a whirlwind of the past week basically. Labor Day weekend truly took on a mind of it's own, prep starting Friday, festivities Sat - Mon, and back to work on Tuesday?? Asking way too much of me. Nonetheless, I'll share a few highlights...

On Friday, I was feeling a bit patriotic and having finally reached my six empty container quota for the M.A.C. recycling program, I was excited to pick out a new lip shade. To my surprise, my choice was not just between lipstick shades, but lip glosses and eyeshadow were part of the deal as well. And thank the Lord for that. After trying on many a shade of red lipstick that all looked like I'd been eating red chalk - no like seriously, matte lipstick on me drains the moisture from my nose to chin Tyrone Biggums style, so not cute...I switched gears and moved to glosses. First pick was "Ruby Red" and I was sold.

Much to my surprise, I loved it. She did warn me that it wouldn't last as long as lipstick, which I thought I was totally fine with, until I got some yogurt from Scoop Deville (aka sweets heaven on earth) and it was all over my spoon. Had a moment, but such is life. Loved my red lip so much went and got my nails painted in this orangey-red color by O.P.I. called "Ole' Caliente" 

LOTD: Little Miss Sunshine - Lunch Date Attire

Top: Urban Outfitters | Skirt: F21 | Shoes: Dolce & Gabanna

Necklace: Henri Bendel | Ring: Vintage | Arm Candy: Michele, David Yurman

Call me dorky if you'd like, but whenever I have a set date with my boo piece, I get excited and dolled up as if he's never met me before. Idk there's just something about being asked to go somewhere at a set date and time, doesn't matter where, but it's a date. Nonetheless, when I woke up this morning, it was all dreary and rainy, and I have this thing when it's gross outside I decide to brighten up the day with my attire. Strange, I know. But it brightens moods, I tell ya!

I've wanted to play with the trend of mixing prints and monochromatic looks for a while, and this stripes and pleats yellow look gives me a tad of both worlds. Whenever I wear yellow I always pine over silver or gold accessories, but today rose gold and brushed silver took the lead, so I thought I'd show off my baubles. The grey patent slingbacks I nabbed from Mommy's closet perfectly complimented my grey stripes and the rain :).

I hoped to brighten the gloomy day when he saw me, but the Sun wasn't having my competition and came out just in time for our lunch date in Chinatown. Great food and greater company.

Happy Tuesday! 

xox

Cooking The Way to Your Own Heart (Recipes Included!)

Years ago, women sat their daughters in the kitchen and told them things like "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach." That little tidbit of advice was enough to have young girls watching wistfully in the wings, taking mental notes of the secret recipes Mommy and Gram never wrote down. The promise of possessing a culinary prowess that no man could deny and all desired such a characteristic of his wife-to-be was tantalizing. But somewhere along the way, maybe with less of such a focus on "love and marriage" and an overt presence of ready-made meals, the power of such a skill lost its luster to many, but not all.

I'd be lying to say that the thought of being able to cook well, keep a nice home, and embodying the hostess with mostess might make me a stand out amid the swarm of other girls that don't know how to turn the oven on, serve meats atop paper plates and without cutlery at that, hadn't crossed my mind. But even more prevelant than that, I was simply bred with the taste for fresh and finely prepared foods. Some call it spoiled, I call it exposed, but it's unlikely you'll know the correct pronunciation of filet mignon without it being announced and served nearby, or on a screen these days, I guess.

Nonetheless, not sure my parents meant to, but all their fine dining, reared a foodie. A foodie who went to college in and decided to make one of the best food cities in the US her semi-permanent home. And what does a foodie on a recent grad budget have to do? Learn to make the masterpieces herself. 3 times the meal, for a 1/3 of the menu price, that's quite the deal. Say yes to leftovers!

LOTW: I did it! 5 Work Days w/o Black!

               Weds             |               Thursday          |             Casual Friday

Monday                  |                 Tuesday 

Casual Friday Shirt: Ralph Lauren (Men's) | Pants: Banana Republic | Shoes: Tod's
Thursday Shirt: Poof | Skirt: F21 | Shoes: Boutique 9
Wednesday Blazer: Talbot's | Tank: J. Crew | Skirt: T.J. Maxx | Shoes: Zara
Tuesday Shirt: J. Crew | Pants: H&M | Shoes: Zara | Necklace: ILY Couture (J. Crew inspired)
Monday Sweater: J. Crew | Top: Zara | Skirt: Laundry | Shoes: Steve Madden | Necklace: J. Crew 


Clearly this was a personal challenge, as my morning routine is usually consists of grabbing a black skirt or pant and pairing it with a white tank, J. Crew cardigan, and a Tory Burch flat. Makeup - psh, now you're really pushing it. Obviously earlier in the week (post bachelorette party raging) were glasses days (aka sans M.A.C. help), but I think I did well trying to incorporate a little more color and effort into my attire. I will admit that I did feel better when I liked my outfit.  Did I struggle not to put on my black skinny pants this morning for Casual Friday? Hecks yeah, but went for my khaki ones instead. ;)

And the desire to be comfy but cute this Friday morning led to my menswear moment with my Men's Pink & White striped Oxford and Tod's driving shoes. But when I saw this oldie but goodie sitting in my jewelry box, decided to add just a little bling. :)

Happy Friday!! Hope you've got something fun and/or relaxing planned for the weekend.

xox

21st Century Communication Etiquette...Is there such a thing?

I've been going back and forth over writing this post for a while now. Mostly because I realize the dichotomy of this situation and subsequently can relate to both sides. With the dawn of the multi-(read:ALL)purpose smartphones, we are essentially plugged into these communication devices at all times. Some times for leisure, other times for business, but there exists the common assumption that all refined participants of society rarely leave home without said device. And with that assumption comes an entire host of other assumptions...mostly surrounding response time and mode.

At my previous place of employment, they were very clear about the possession of a Blackberry device. In fact, instead of it coming with my nicely wrapped technology bundle upon hire, I was given a choice to have to have not, because with it came the expectation that I would be accessible outside of standard working hours. There was an expectation that I would respond in a timely fashion...because they're paying for the phone and for me to do so. 

So where does the line get drawn when it comes to personal lives? I personally, am one of those people that's almost constantly connected to the rest of the world via my iPhone. It annoys those I'm closest to, and I'm working on giving my undivided attention to them when necessary, but I'm also known in a positive way by other friends and family for my responsiveness. I simply think of it as common courtesy to respond to a phone call or text message in a timely fashion, and most times that means within the hour, if not immediately. This is probably because I hate WITH a passion when I send a message or call a person, that whenever I'm with them they seem to have their smartphone in their hands fiddling away, but yet there's a delay in response. Not to mention if I called you, I kind of expect the same mode of response, unless your text message is explaining why you aren't calling me back...But I think I'm old school in that regard, I savor hand-written letters and phone calls at decent hours and honestly almost abhor text messages. Yes I said it, I really don't like texting, I think it's obnoxious the way a sleuth of them send my phone buzzing in a frenzy and its quite impersonal because inferring tone is incredibly difficult. But I digress...

On the real, where does the problem actually lie? Are our expectations so skewed by developing technologies that we've lost patience completely? Or has the etiquette of 21st century communication simply yet to be updated and widely accepted?

LOTD: Blue Hues

Top: J. Crew | Necklace: J.Crew/ILY Couture | Pants: H&M | Shoes: Zara

Woot woot! So far this week I'm 2 for 2 on the non-drab corporate colored attires! I'm clearly really milking the last few weeks of summer and being able to get away with cropped pants and cute sandals. And yes, I know navy was one of the colors in my go-to palette, but blue + neon green = turquoise! And who can resist smiling at such a pretty color??

Happy Tuesday!!

xox