Copycat: Sequins for NYE!

You've probably seen this outfit before... on Jean from Extra Petite! I've been looking for the perfect, classy sequin skirt and after she posted this outfit, I knew this was the one! I'm so glad she provided the style number, because I don't have a J. Crew factory store nearby and had to call around. No one in Arizona or California carried it, and I eventually found the last size 0 in Las Vegas to get shipped to me! After calling so many J. Crew factory stores around the country... I felt like I won the jackpot. :-)

I don't usually have the same pieces to exactly replicate an outfit I see, but I actually have the Ann Taylor cardigan in vintage wine, just like Jean! I love the way she styled it with the sequin skirt, so I had to try it myself...





Cardigan: Ann Taylor, sz XS in Vintage Wine (50% off w/ code WINTER50)
Tee: Gap (old)
Skirt: J. Crew Factory, sz 0
Tights: Target
Shoes: Gap (old)

Since I wore this for casual Friday at work, I just slipped on some brown flats to match my tights so I didn't distract. I actually have heels in the same jewel-tone red that Jean wore with her outfit, but those would be more appropriate for a party, which I am not going to this year. :( I also wanted to make this outfit as casual as possible, so I wore a simple white tee underneath. I love how versatile this skirt is!

Thank you, Jean, for the outfit inspiration! :)
I hope you all have a wonderful New Year, as I finish my last post of 2011. Here's to a classy 2012!

Wear it 4 ways: Sequin mini skirt

To celebrate this upcoming New Years Eve, I'd figured I'd do a post on how to wear a sequin skirt four different ways. I bought this skirt a year ago for NYE, but I never knew how to style it. After some research and of course being more "fashionably inclined" than last year, I've figured out a few ways to wear it! It seems sequin skirts are most popular at this time of year, and I'm sure if you own one, it's probably in a basic color like silver, black, or even gold. (I have black and gold.) To make it easy to style for anyone, I've put outfits together that include just the basics: A cami, cardigan, blazer, white tee, and a white button up. It's so simple! :) I'd recommend wearing black tights under a sequin mini-- it just makes the outfit a bit more modest and classy.

As for the skirt, this was an old find from Dillard's last year. It's such a simple skirt though, that black sequin minis are so easy to find! It's important to remember that when wearing such a statement piece, to keep the rest of the outfit as simple and muted as possible. This will maintain a classy, elegant look!



Of course, the simplest way to style a sequin skirt is with a cami and a cardigan. Button one or two buttons at your waist to give you more shape. Adding a simple skinny belt to your waist would look nice as well!
Cardigan: Ann Taylor, SZ XS


Next, is with a white tee (crew neck or v-neck works) and a black blazer. Keeping everything black and white is so classic and chic, even with such a trendy piece!
Blazer: Dillard's (old)
Tee: Gap (old)



A crisp white button up looks great as well. I'd suggest a button up shirt made of a softer, silkier fabric. The one I'm wearing here is almost like a stiff, oxford type material, which bunches and doesn't fit right tucked in.
Shirt: Lands' End Canvas Heritage Oxford shirt, sz (Similar)



Lastly (and my favorite of them all), is the button up and a cardigan layered together. I love the preppy vibe of this outfit and it's definitely warm with all the layers. I could see this being worn for daytime as well, but maybe with a different colored skirt and no tights. Hmm.

Does anyone else have other suggestions as to dressing up a sequin skirt with your closet basics?
I hope you all have a wonderful New Year's Eve and are dressing up for it! :)

Christmas Recap and Sparkle Sweater

I hope everyone enjoyed their three day weekend (hopefully you had one!) and took the time to relax with friends and family. I surprisingly didn't even leave the house until yesterday... and hardly did any shopping, in store or online! But, that also means no use for cute outfits. I did, however, break out my new H&M sparkle sweater and wore it to work today! Here's a few pics from this amazing Christmas weekend!


Here's our Christmas tree on Christmas morning... Complete with priority mail gift wrap! (My parents didn't take the time to wrap their gifts for everyone! :-] )


Nick and I on Christmas night!


My grandma with her new Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses. :)


And lastly, my back-to-work outfit for today!
Sweater: H&M sz S. (Recent)
Dress: Dillard's. (Old)
Belt: J. Crew, sz S. (Similar)
Tights: Target

Enjoy the rest of the week (the last week of 2011!)... and I wish you all a wonderful New Year!

Christmas wishes and ugly sweaters...

A very Merry Christmas to all my readers out there! Today we had ugly sweater day at work, so Nick and I went all out. His is more ugly than mine for sure.


The sheath dress underneath the sweater is a recent find from H&M.

I hope you all enjoy your Christmas weekend and spend it well with your loved ones!

Daily outfit: Cable Knits and minis

I love the look of warm cable knit sweaters with short skirts and tights. I tried to recreate it here, but I fear my cable knit is much too chunky to look flattering.



I found that cream colored sweaters look great with dark chambray skirts in the winter. Just add tights and flats!
Sweater: Hollister Co., sz S (Use code 35399 for 40% off everything!)
Skirt: Merona for Target (old)
Tights: Target
Shoes: Lands' End Cap toe ballet flats, sz 8 (on sale right now!)
Belt: J. Crew, sz S

These pics were taken late after my little brother's birthday party, and I look so tired! I felt that the chunky sweater made my top half look disproportional, so I cinched my waist with a belt, hoping it'll give off a more feminine shape! And as you can see, my brand new tights already have a run in the knee. :-( I go through black tights so often these days!

I hope you all are enjoying your week. :)

Classy Weekend: AE Fair Isle Sweater + 40% off!

I love American Eagle for preppy, casual clothing at a decent price. I've noticed they're not as preppy and classic as they used to be, as they seem to be following the new "bohemian" trend which I'm not a big fan of. If you look carefully though, you can score some great finds! Here I'm wearing what's apparently one of their popular new arrivals, an off the shoulder fair isle sweater.




Sweater: American Eagle Outfitters off the shoulder fair isle sweater, sz S
Jeans: Gap Real Straight jeans, sz 2 Ankle
It's not exactly a traditional fair isle pattern and I'm horrible at styling off-the-shoulder tops, but I love the softness and warmth of this sweater. It's prefect for lazy casual days (I still like to look presentable even for super casual occasions :] )
I'm wearing it with a navy camisole underneath, which helps with the itchiness, even though it hardly itches in the first place!

For a really limited time, American Eagle is offering a 40% off everything code. Use code 39427841 for 40% off your purchase!

Does anyone have any suggestions as to styling this sweater differently? I can't imagine wearing this sweater with anything other than jeans, so I'm open to suggestions!
Happy Monday and enjoy the rest of your week!

Latest finds: Sephora

I'm not a makeup junkie and I've never been an expert at applying makeup, but I always use the quality stuff from Sephora for my daily makeup routine. I used to use drugstore brands and makeup from Avon years ago, until my first purchase from Sephora (and the free samples it came with!) paved the way to a whole new world of makeup! These days, I use a lot of Benefit Cosmetics products as well a few other brands like Smashbox and Tarte. I made a recent purchase at Sephora with a $15 off $50 coupon and decided to stock up on my Benefit products!



I like to try before I buy since these products are pricey, and Benefit is really good with value sets. I purchased the limited edition Tan about town set, which includes deluxe sample sizes of Some Kind-a-Gorgeous (What they call the "foundation faker"), Hoola brozer, and BADgal lash mascara. I haven't tried any of these except for the mascara, which I LOVE and already use in my daily routine. As you can see above, the BADgal lash has a huge brush which is great for thickening lashes. The formula dries fast and doesn't clump at all.



Also from Benefit, I bought another set of One Prime Day, which includes deluxe samples of "That Gal" brightening face primer, The POREfessional pore minimizing balm, and Stay Don't Stray eye primer. I had purchased one of these sets a few weeks ago and loved the products, but I didn't want to pay full price for all three of them yet. Luckily, these little sizes last a good amount of time before they run out. As for the products, I like to mix in "That Gal" with tinted moisturizer to brighten my face a little more. I use the POREfessional daily around my nose and on my cheeks to cover up the prominent pores around there, and I also use Stay Don't Stray on my eyelids and under my eyes to cover up my dark circles (which I have a huge problem with!).


Lastly, here's a snapshot of the sample set I got with my order as well. It's the "smoky eye kit" which includes six very generous samples of eye products. Enter code PREPKIT at checkout to get it (hopefully it's still in stock!)

I also bought Smashbox limitless eyeliner in Onyx, which is an amazing creamy eyeliner, and Sephora by OPI nail polish in 'Leotard Optional'.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Daily outfit: "Ice skater"

Admittedly, I'm not very creative when it comes to work outfits, especially in the winter time. I just began dressing up for work a few months ago, so professional style is fairly new to me. When it's so cold outside, all I want to do is put on a simple dress, a cardigan, a belt, some tights, and flats. I haven't even worn my pumps lately because I've just been lazy with my outfits! Anyway, I styled my new jersey knit H&M dress today like I do with almost all of my simple dresses.




Dress: H&M (Review here)
Cardigan: Ann Taylor, sz XS in vintage wine
Tights: Target
Belt: J. Crew, sz S (in silver and gold here)
Watch: Fossil Stella watch


The flouncy-ness of the skirt reminds me of an ice skating outfit. I think it's cute for more casual occasions, and I'll have to try styling it for that.
Honestly, I loved this dress when I tried it on in the store, but now that I wear it out I'm beginning to feel a bit childish in such a flouncy, jersey-knit dress. My workplace isn't all too formal anyway, but I guess I just have higher standards for myself. I'm going to try my best to add more variety to my work clothes!

These photos showcase the debut of my new DSLR! I can definitely see a difference in the quality of my photos as compared to my Canon point-and-shoot I've been using. I can't wait to use this new camera for all my blog photos!

Enjoy the rest of your week :)

Latest finds: H&M

I rarely get a chance to go out of town and get to an H&M, but I was lucky enough to go two weeks in a row! Here's what I found....


H&M sparkle sweater, sz S. They offer this is white, black, grey, and this oatmeal color. I loved the white, but it was too sheer. The oatmeal color is just perfect though. H&M's sizing runs very small. I'm usually an XXS-XS or 0-2 in other brands, but with H&M I run about a size S-M and for dresses and blazers, a whopping size 6! Verdict on this piece: Purchased. It's a bit pricey at $35, but apparently it's part of H&M's UNICEF program, and the quality is more than decent with a soft fabric.


H&M Basic thin cable knit sweater, sz S. For being a size small, this ran really big on me. I've been looking for a cable knit sweater like this for a while, so I switched it out for an XS and it fits perfectly now! For about $20, it's not bad at all! Verdict: Purchased sz XS


H&M Basic T-Shirt dress, sz S. Since summer time, I've been desperately searching for a navy blue jersey knit T-shirt dress. I got so excited when I stumbled upon this while browsing the racks, because it's exactly what I was looking for and was only about $12. Here I'm trying on the size small, which was too snug for my taste. I sized up to a medium and now it fits the way I want it to. Verdict: Purchased sz M.


H&M striped drop waist dress, sz S. Another thing I've been after-- The perfect nautical striped dress. I love the slouchy fit and adjustable tie, but the stripes were just too distracting. I'd prefer one with bigger stripes, so I don't make others dizzy! ;) Verdict: Pass.


H&M jersey knit dress, sz S. Lastly, I saw this cotton-jersey material dress for about $17. I imagined it dressed up and down in so many ways, for any season! Right now, it kind of reminds me of an ice-skating dress. I'd probably wear this with tights, a belted sweater, and either flats or boots in the winter. I can see it in the spring time with a light cardigan and wedges or sandals. With something this versatile... it's a must. Verdict: Purchased.


I've realized that H&M's sizing can be tricky sometimes, and it's always best to try everything on in store before you buy! This is especially important for people who don't have a local H&M they can easily make returns to. :)
All of this was purchased today, so a lot of it should be available now.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!

Outfit Inspiration: Lauren Conrad

For casual styles, Lauren Conrad has to be one of my style inspirations. While she does have a lot of trendy, "out there" outfits, from what I've seen she tends to keep it on the minimal/classic side. Lately I've been out of ideas for casual outfits, since my closet is now full of more professional pieces. So I've been turning to the internet for ideas... and this one especially caught my eye!


I wish I had a blue scarf like this (another thing to add to my never-ending wishlist), but I was able to manage with my AE grey scarf. It's so simple, yet I never thought of it: A crisp white button up, dark straight leg jeans, a scarf, and flats. Maybe add a jacket or blazer as well! Here's my version:

Shirt: Lands' End Canvas Heritage oxford, sz 0
Jeans: Gap Real Straight jeans, sz 2 ankle
Scarf: American Eagle Outfitters
Flats: Lands' End Captoe ballet flat, sz 8 (very true to size)

While I do have pewter flats, I wanted to try out the latest addition to my flats collection. These are the navy plaid version of my cap toe ballet flats from Lands' End that I've worn in a few previous posts. I've said this before but I want to say it again: These are the best flats I've ever owned! They come in so many colors, run from size 5.5 to 11, and are now on sale for a little under $30.

Enjoy the rest of the week! :)

Daily Outfit: Sweater Dress

Just a quick post about my new sweater dress from Lands' End Canvas. I'm starting to prefer dresses over skirts and blouses these days, just because they're easier to put on and go when rushing in the morning. It's also easy to dress them up and accessorize them differently!




I've been wearing my Fossil rose gold watch with absolutely everything! It just makes any outfit look more put together. I wore this dress with my wool pea coat today as well.

Dress: Lands' End Canvas, sz XXS
Belt: Gap
Tights: Target
Shoes: Gap
Coat: Delia's Military pea coat, sz S


Happy Monday! :)

Classy weekend: Cable knit

This past week has been so busy! I had no time for outfit pics or reviews or anything, so sadly I had no content to post. :( Well, happy December everyone! I'm excited to start wearing my cable knit sweaters and moccasins more often!




I've been wearing my rose gold watch every single day with everything... I didn't think I could ever love a watch this much!

Sweater: Land's End Canvas, sz XXS
Top: J. Crew Perfect Fit tee, sz XS
Scarf: American Eagle Outfitters
Jeans: Truck jeans, sz 5, hemmed (bought through Alloy).
Belt: American Eagle Outfitters
Shoes: American Eagle Outfitters moccasins (very old, similar style sold out online, but available in AE stores).
Watch: Fossil

Today I finally got a chance to go out of town and do some shopping. I finally got to an H&M after lusting upon everyone else's great finds from there! Our local shopping mall doesn't offer much at all, so a quick one-hour drive to the bigger malls is definitely worth it. Pictures will be up soon with what I bought today! :)