More Chambray: Music City Style

I don't watch a lot of TV in real time. With Netflix, Hulu and all the streaming video websites, I can't remember the last time I actually watched a TV show on an actual TV. The great thing about most of those websites is that you can catch up on an entire season in a matter of weeks (or days, if you're home with the flu or just plain lazy).

One of my guilty pleasures last year was the show "Smash" about the mounting of an original Broadway musical. The acting was terrible, the writing was worse, but the production numbers were spectacular. One of my coworkers and I used to secretly re-hash each episode, because we didn't want anyone to know that we were obsessed with such a terrible show. I guess the cat's out of the bag for me, now that I'm posting it here on my blog, but I'll keep her identity a secret. This season, the show is even worse- the new characters are just irritating and the plot lines couldn't interest me less. And those plot lines that I hate so much? Well, they've pretty much put a stop to all those glorious production numbers that are basically the sole reason I watch the show.

I complained about that to my coworker and she recommended I check out another show- "Nashville." She was right that I would love it. It's right up my alley- the songs aren't production numbers, but there is a lot of singing, a lot of musical performances. I love country music, too, so that's a bonus. And even though I'm born & bred Yankee girl, there is something so alluring about western wear. I love cowboy boots. I love denim and chambray. I love that casual, country vibe that comes from western wear. I even like the cheesy "fancy" western wear- the embroidered shirts and jackets and the "dressy"cowboy hats.

I was intrigued by the idea of a chambray shirt in my wardrobe before I started watching this show, but now that I keep seeing all these gorgeous TV stars in perfect little country-western outfits, I think I'll be dreaming about chambray until it's officially a part of my wardrobe.

There was the one from yesterday that looked pretty great, but I walked away from it. Now, I'm really starting to think that might have been a mistake. If I go back to get it and it's no longer there, I'll need a back-up plan. I think one of these may make due:

Shibori Chambray One-Pocket Shirt, Levi's, $64

Western Shirt, Levi's $68

1969 Western Shirt, Gap, $49.95

Women's Short Sleeve Chambray Camp Shirt, Carhartt, $36.99

None of these are as appealing as the shirt from yesterday AND that one is the least expensive! The more I shop around, the more I think I may have made a big mistake! Aaaahhh!!! Well, if it doesn't work out that I find the perfect chambray shirt, I guess I could find something else to obsess over.

A Trip to Le Marshalls Boutique

Today is my day off and I had a few errands to run, but once I was done, I stopped in to one of my favorite bargain stores- Marshalls. I thought it might be fun to show you what I tried on because there were a lot of really awesome pieces.

I've been obsessed with chambray lately. I can't explain why. I know that it's all wrong for my wardrobe, but I'm so drawn to it lately. I find it irresistible. Maybe I've been watching a little too much "Nashville" on Hulu. Anyway, when I saw this chambray top with the super cute little white polka-dots, the mother-of-pearl-esque snap closures, the little hook that holds the rolled sleeve up and the flattering seams that nip it in so well, I could hardly resist. But resist I did. It was $30 and I just didn't see spending that much on something I'm not sure I'll even wear. Looking at that photo, now, though... I'm wondering if I made a mistake leaving it behind... 

I know it was NOT a mistake leaving this particular chambray shirt behind, though. It's not nearly as cute and feminine as the first one. Also, it's a little too long and a little too big all around. But I love the faded denim look. 

I thought this top would be great for work. I could tuck it into a high-waisted pencil skirt or even layer it under a cute blazer. I had a whole outfit in my head- my blue J. Crew pencil skirt, with this top and a mint cropped blazer that I was about to try on. Cue the blazer... 

Ummm... that is bad. Nothing about that works. With my hopes for a fabulous outfit dashed, I tossed both pieces to the "reject" pile and moved on to some dresses. 

This adorable party dress just brings a huge smile to my face. It's so whimsical and fun! The full skirt, the tailored bodice, the little black belt that comes with it- it's all adorable! It even has covered buttons up the back instead of a zipper! Unfortunately, I don't have any parties coming up anytime soon, so this was yet another item that I sent packing. 

I always love the girls who can pull off a blouse-y dress like this. I am just not one of them. (P.S. What happened to my waist? This dress stole it! Reject!)

This dress was a bargain at $24.99, and admittedly, it looks pretty fabulous. It has that magical slimming effect. But for some reason, I just wasn't feeling it today. This one landed in the reject pile, too. 

Finally, I decided to try on a few pair of jeans. You know how that goes, right? When giving women advice about shopping for jeans, I always tell them to plan on trying on what feels like a million different pair before you find a single pair you like. That's what I was prepared for today, but then something magical happened! The first pair I put on fit perfectly, looked amazing, were completely comfortable and were on sale for $17! 

 Just look at those fabulous skinnies! I love everything about them! I probably should have thrown my boots back on to snap the photo, but oh, well. You can still appreciate a good pair of jeans, even without the proper footwear. I can picture these bad boys with some tall wedges and a flowy top come springtime. 

So there you have it- an afternoon shopping excursion with me. I'm sure you agree with most of my purchasing decisions- if you don't love it or need it, or you don't think you'll wear it, then reject it. The only rejection I'm questioning is the first chambray shirt. Leave a comment and tell me if you think I messed up on that one. Maybe on my next day off I can swing back down there and snatch it up if it's still there. Or not. You be the judge! 

Shoesday Tuesday: Simple Beauty

I am a huge fan of over-the-top, stand-out things. Clothes, accessories, shoes- you name it. If it's bold a a little out-there, then I love it. But despite my love for all things borderline garish, it all stems from an initial love of simple beauty. Clean lines in neutral colors can stand out for their simple beauty even more than a busy pattern or bold color. And the proof is in the pudding:

Jimmy Choo "Vikki" Platform Pump, Nordstrom, $575

Kate Spade NY "Licorice Too" Pump, Nordstrom, $298

Prada Round-toe Platform Pump, Nordstrom $750

There are so many simple. but beautiful shoes out there, but I think I'm going to spend the day drooling over these. I hope they make you drool as much as I do. Have a great day, everyone! Thanks for reading! 

Beauty Product Review: Stila Smudge Pot

My eyes are hands-down my best feature. They're a pretty unique shade of super pale blue that never fail to garner compliments on a very regular basis. (And it never gets old, trust me.) You can see why with eyes like mine I might be a little more interested in eye make-up than any other aspect of make-up. I'll admit it's why I started wearing falsies more regularly.

Stila Smudge Pot, Sephora, $20

Anyway, all of this is simply to say that I love trying out new make-up products. I always ask people- friends, family, even strangers- what product they're wearing. That's how I learned about Stila's Smudge Pot eye liner. Eye liner is something I've only been using for about 2 years now. Prior to that, I just didn't understand how to apply it on my face and have it look good. Once I got the knack, I was immediately addicted and now I wear it daily. Part of the learning process involved figuring out which type of liner product was the easiest for me to use. Some people swear by pencils, others love liquid and of course there are the gel people. I have always hated pencils unless I'm going for a very (and I mean very) smudged-up look. For about a year and a half I wore liquid liner with a great deal of success. Juhree actually introduced me to Stila's Smudge Pot a few months before I decided to try it myself. There's a special smudge-pot brush that they try to get you to buy in addition to the liner itself, but I didn't want to spend the extra $34. Instead, I found an identical brush in the brush section at Sephora for just $11 and it's suited me just fine.

Sephora Collection Eye Liner Brush, Sephora, $11

Anyway, back to the product. As a long-time eye-liner wearer, Juhree swears by the Smudge Pot for its creamy texture, easy application and rich color. (She wears the chocolate brown just about every day.) When I finally gave it a try, I was an immediate fan as well. I purchased it in black to start and soon discovered that the color is amazing- it's rich and creamy and definitely the best black eye liner I've ever used. I wear it daily and it has completely replaced all my other favorite liquid liners. It took me a month or so to really get the hang of putting it on, since it's a little different from liquid. But once I got some practice in, I was fine. The key (for me, anyway) is small quick strokes to outline the shape and then I go back with one even stroke on top to make sure it's a smooth, crisp, clean line. I only use it on the top unless I'm going for a very dramatic look. Here's my typical daily make-up look using the Smudge Pot eye liner:

As you can see, I'm a fan of the "winged" look. And no, I'm not wearing my falsies in this photo. Also, I completely FORGOT to put on lipstick! AAAHHH!!!

After using the product successfully for a few months, I decided to branch out and try some other colors. That was when my love affair with this product met a bit of a bumpy road. I purchased both "Kitten" and "Bronze" colors with a few ideas in mind. I hoped to use the "Kitten" as a high-lighter on both upper and lower water lines and I planned for the "Bronze" to be used just like I currently use the black, but for looks that I wanted to be a little softer and subtler.

While the black is perfectly creamy and just glides on like a dream, neither the kitten nor the bronze have the same effect. Perhaps it's due to the shimmer element within the color, but they tended to clump and flake and just refuse to cooperate. I gave each one several attempts with several different types of brushes before returning them to Sephora. At $20 each, I just couldn't see myself using them at all and $40 is a lot of money to toss down the drain. Back to the store they went and I drowned my sorrows at Starbucks afterwards.

In summary, I whole-heartedly stand behind the original black smudge pot as an amazing gel eye liner that I recommend to literally everyone whether they are liner lovers or not. As for the other colors, I cannot recommend the kitten or bronze colors at all due to their clumpy texture.

Do you have a beauty product you absolutely love? I am always on the lookout for great new products, so please leave a comment or send me an email or tweet me or whatever and tell me what you love! Thanks so much for reading and have an awesome day!

Rate My Look: Elevating on the Cheap!

I'm no stranger to second-hand shops. Consignment shops are my favorite because the items tend to be carefully curated, or at least more so than your typical thrift shop. However, quality pieces can be found at thrift shops if you're willing to do a little digging. Lucky for me, I didn't even have to do the digging this time. My mom was at our local Salvation Army on Wednesday and she found an adorable (designer) outfit for me for just about five bucks!

Yuppers. You read that right. Wednesdays at the Salvation Army are half-price days. They use color-coded price tags and every Wednesday, certain color tags will be half price. So, as if $6 for a skirt wasn't cheap enough, my mom scored it for just $3! And the top was originally $4, so after knocking the price in half, my adorable new outfit was a whopping total of $5! But wait! It gets better!

The top is a brand-new Ann Taylor light-weight fitted sweater and the skirt is Michael by Michael Kors! The average price for a comparable sweater at Ann Taylor is about $60-$70 and similar skirts by Michael Kors retail for around $120. The point I'm trying to make is that you can elevate your wardrobe without dramatically lessening your bank account.

The skirt was about 2 inches too big all around, but fortunately I have skilled seamstresses at my disposal pretty much every day. But even if I didn't, taking in a skirt like this is a simple project that takes just a few minutes and any tailor could do it for a minimal price. Even investing $20 in the tailoring would have been worthwhile for such a great piece.

As for the rest of my outfit, I kept the accessories minimal to highlight the bold pattern of the skirt. You can't really tell in the photo, but the white pattern on the skirt is covered in clear sequins, so that the skirt actually sparkles a great deal without looking super bling-y.

Have you found other inexpensive ways to elevate your wardrobe? I'm always a fan of a bargain shopping trip, but shopping isn't the only way. Leave a comment with your ideas! And as always, thank you so much for reading my blog!

Accessories Anonymous: Statement Studs

It used to be that to wear a large earring, you had to pick a chandelier, or some type of drop earring. These days, there is an abundance of amazing statement stud earrings and I just can't get enough! I'm in love with every single one of these. In fact, if any of you lovely readers out there want to express your gratitude for my ongoing commitment to quality style blogging with a small gift, may I suggest something below? Of course I'm kidding. I'm not giving any of you crazy stalkers my address! As if!

Anyway, back to the fashion. These are all amazing:

Stone Boutique Stud Earrings, ASOS, $20.35

The color combination is perfect for spring! Love! 

Never Too Jaded Earrings, Modcloth, $12.99

Mad Men, anyone? I can so see these on Betty Draper. 

Cobalt Talon Studs, Bauble Bar, $24

These remind me of something Phylicia Rashad might have worn in her Claire Huxtable days. 

Mixed Gemstone Studs, ASOS, $25.43

Stone Bouquet Studs, ASOS, $20.35

(Exactly the same as the first pair, but in a different color. So glamorous!)

So, whether you're more inclined to wear dainty studs or bold chandeliers, why not give the statement stud a try? It might be a fun departure for you- you never know!

Avocado Ombre Inspiration

You might think that as a style blogger, I read a lot of style blogs. You would be wrong. I hardly ever read style blogs, or even fashion magazines. What I do read all the time are food blogs and magazines. Baking, cooking, recipes, cheap eats, high-end restaurants, cooking for one, kid-friendly cooking, etc. I don't use Pinterest for fashion. I use it for recipes. And don't even get me started on Food Gawker. I love the pictures more than anything else. I often find myself eating dinner and feeling tempted to snap some photos and write a blog about it. I never do. At most I might put a photo up on Facebook, but I try to suppress my urge to do that since I hate looking at other people's food on Facebook. Also, my photos would usually be of a poorly lit, half-eaten meal. Not exactly the kind of visual delight that is typically found on most food publications.

Since my aspirations to become a great food blogger will likely never come to fruition, I've decided to stick to what I know: style and fashion. Tonight, I had a delicious grilled sandwich that would have made a great food blog. I used Ezekiel bread (my fave!), cheddar cheese, sliced avocado, jalapeno peppers and tomato. It was AWESOME. McKenzie made a similar sandwich at work the other day and I decided to try to recreate it. I was pretty successful, truth be told. It was a gorgeous sandwich- crispy, toasted bread; gooey, melted cheese; bright, juicy tomato and of course the gorgeous creamy ombre green of the avocado:

Isn't amazing how frequently we find beautiful inspiration from the most common, every day objects? Ombre existed in nature long before it was a fabric textile trend. And it's been an incredibly popular trend for several seasons now. It's not one that I've worn very much of, but that's not to say I don't think it can be beautiful. I like it in subtle touches, but the right garment on the right body in an ombre effect can be stunning. 

Stuart Weitzman Stringon, Zappos, $285

Ombre Skinny Jeans, Nordstrom, $78

Asymmetrical Ombre Top, 2b, $24.95

Ombre Scarf, Target, $14.99

Obviously, there are plenty of other places in nature to find ombre inspiration- the rising and setting of the sun for one. Lots of flowers and other foliage for another. For anyone who knows me, it should be surprising that I've found it in food. 

Can you think of any other ombre-inspiration within nature? What about other trends? Leave a comment if you like! Thanks for reading!