Rate My Look- Casual Friday

I wanted to be comfortable today and it worked out perfectly. The jeans are the same jeans I always wear- Old Navy's "Sweetheart" boot cut in dark blue wash. The top and boots are from the Gap, the scarf is Wet Seal and the arm warmers are H&M. The brooch is by Tina Tarnoff, an Etsy seller. For a closer look at the brooch, check out this post from earlier this week. And you can't see it, but I have bright royal blue socks on under my boots. It's fun to wear something quirky that no one can see, whether it's brightly colored or patterned socks, or a leopard print bra or cami. Try it out!

Yesterday was productive....

I had planned to go to New York City this weekend to visit some friends, but after the snow storm of this past week, so many things were reschedule that I had to cancel my trip. Suddenly, I found myself with a free Saturday. I ended up having a productive day and it was actually quite relaxing to run errands without a time frame. I dressed for comfort because I knew I'd be running around town a bit:

This outfit isn't exactly brand new- I've worn the dress and sweater plenty of times for the blog, but this time I matched it with a pair of dark grey tights with pink over-the-knee-socks from Target and my new Gap boots. Since I always need to have a little sparkle and glam, I threw on my pink and grey Forever 21 beaded necklace and some bright lipstick. The socks are folded down so that they only hit at my knee- the thigh-high look isn't exactly me, but I like the layered tights and socks for warmth and a little bit of quirkiness, not to mention the pop of color in an otherwise all black and white outfit.

While out running errands today, I stopped by Sephora for some of my favorite lip plumper and while I was there I also got to pick up my birthday present from them. If you join the "Beauty Insider" club with Sephora, then every year you'll get a little present from them around your birthday. Last year, I got a trio of lip glosses that I loved. This year was a gift set for the eyes- mascara, liner and shadow. I'm looking forward to trying them out tomorrow. Anyway, the point of this story is to remind you that joining the free "clubs" for your favorite stores will pay off more than you think. I have the club/discount card for SO many stores because I shop so frequently for my job and eventually I learned to start getting them for myself as well. For the stores I personally like, anyway. Yes, I have a Hot Topic "Frequen Shopper Discount Card" for work, but I didn't feel compelled to get one for myself. I  however get one for Wet Seal, Gold Toe, AC Moore, and plenty of others. Not only do I always get extra discounts at the register, but I'm always receiving extra coupons and freebies as a result of the memberships. I got a free scarf from Wet Seal, free socks from Gold Toe, and in addition to my birthday eye make-up gift, my Sephora Beauty Insider card also got me a bottle of hand cream with my lip gloss purchase. So sign up for those free discounts- your bank account will thank you!

Rate My Look- a day behind!

Top: Daffy's $4.99

Jeans: Old Navy, $19

Scarf: Wet Seal, FREE!

Hat: I have NO idea

Shoes: Nine West, $19.99

Ok, first of all, I am really not getting better at the whole self-portrait thing. Maybe my camera stinks. Maybe I need better lighting. I have no idea. If you have suggestions, they are welcome. In a perfect world, I'd be dating a handsome & rugged professional photographer who would snap my photo anytime I wanted. (Suggestions on meeting a handsome & rugged professional photographer are welcome, too!) Unfortunately for everyone involved, I do not have a handsome & rugged professional photographer at my beck and call, so I must make do with my el cheapo Kodak Easy Share camera and software. So tragic.

But enough about my picture problems. I wore this outfit on Wednesday (I'm a couple of days behind posting my outfits). I wanted to put together a fun outfit for the top because I was so excited to wear it. It's not exactly a groundbreaking top, but I got it while in the city on Monday at Daffy's, one of my all-time favorite stores for a mere $4.99! Bargain! I, of course, went on to the garment district and dropped nearly $100 on fabric, thus ruining my plan to be thrifty that day! The best laid plans, right? I guess I was in a colorful mood because I paired the bright teal top with an equally bright pink scarf. The hat I wore mainly because I didn't feel like doing my hair! Shameful, I know.

But all in all, I think it's a fine outfit. I'm sure all of you fashionable ladies out there feel much the same way I do when you get dressed for work. You feel a certain amount of pressure to always deliver a stellar outfit. I find that when I dressed casually at work (which is completely the norm at AMT), I almost got more comments than when I made sure to put together and "outfit." I feel like this "outfit" is less so than what I typically wear, but you can't be totally glamorous every single day of your life, right?

Rate My Look- Black & White (and a little pink)

I was on my way to work when I took this picture, so I didn't spend a lot of time making sure it's fabulous. Forgive me my quick photography. Anyway, I have had this skirt for AGES and I love it. I got it at a thrift store for $1. The top is Old Navy and I got it for $4. The scarf was FREE when I made a purchase at Wet Seal. The shoes were $5 at Deb Shops and the ring is from Etsy and a bargain at $8. It's actually a button ring- I gave you a little sneak peek a few days ago. Here's the picture from ShopKim's Etsy site:

It's actually 2 buttons- the black one frames the green one. I love the metallic detail on the inside of the button holes. The ring and the scarf are my little splashes of color on an otherwise all white and black outfit. What do you think? I like. Do you?