Weekend in Indy

Man BFF and I are headed south this weekend to the home of this year’s Superbowl, Indianapolis. We’re visiting my fam and I’m also going to one of my former co-worker’s baby shower! Additionally, Man BFF and I are hoping to head over to the Superbowl Village in Indianapolis to check out all the action. Side note, I’m so proud to be a Hoosier and can’t wait for my motherland to shine on February 5th!

In order to fit our weekend belongings in one suitcase, I tried to pack lightly and strategically. Here’s what I’m wearing this weekend!

Baby Shower

Even though this baby shower is in celebration of a baby girl (yay!), I do plan on wearing blue. Don’t worry,  I’m keeping it totes fem with the ruffled collar, lace tank, mega heels, and don’t forget the Jack and Jill necklace.

Lazy Sunday

As I mentioned, I’m a proud Hoosier. Every time I go home, I feel a particular sense of pride for my high school (yeah Center Grove!) since my lil bro is a senior. I decided to pack my alma mater’s sweatshirt for the weekend and dress it up a bit with a chambray button-up and my fave cowboys. Gotta love a cozy weekend at home!

I hope you have a great weekend! If you don’t have anything to do, may I suggest watching The Ides of March? Man BFF and I watched it last weekend and I lurved it. Oh, and Ryan Gosling is a nice addition.

Belated Company Christmas Party

Tonight’s my holiday Christmas party. Yes, it’s January 26th. I guess our post-holiday party is being justified because people are too busy in December, but whatever, any reason to leave work early is a plus in my book. Unlike Man BFF’s company Christmas party, mine is completely casual. The only thing that threw a wrench in my outfit plans is that we’re having a company meeting before the party and I’m speaking. In order to look equally professional and party-ready I kept a casual base (Texas tuxedo) and accented with a wool blazer, statement necklace, and chunky Missoni for Target heels. Plus, I’m working my fave trend of the year, cuffed jeans! Work those ankles!

 

All Hail Melissa McCarthy

Oh, Melissa McCarthy, I’m so proud of you. From her humble beginnings in Gilmore Girls to her Oscar nomination for Bridesmaids, Melissa has earned a special place in my heart. It’s hard to truly explain how much I love Gilmore Girls. I would venture to say I’ve seen every episode of Gilmore Girls at least 20 times, so you know, me and Melissa go way back.

In honor of Melissa’s rise to the top, I’m wearing an outfit today inspired by her Bridesmaids character Megan. Megan’s wardrobe has all the makings of a true lady (pearls), but ultimately thrives in her masculine energy (bowling shirts).

In order to capture the essence of Megan, I borrowed one of Man BFF’s shirts, threw on some pearls, and made Tobias my ultimate accessory.

Don’t quite understand the “Tobias in a beret” picture? Let me remind you.

 

 

Tags: Bridesmaids, Gilmore Girls, Melissa MccCarthy, Oscar Nomination

Classic Pieces

Yesterday I wasn’t lovin my look, so today I took special care to not make the same mistakes. Today I’m wearing color, jewelry, and age-appropriate footwear.

My favorite part of this outfit? Each piece on its own is a classic piece in my wardrobe. Maybe cowboy booties aren’t a must for you, but learn your style and fill your closet with pieces that enhance your personality. Then, the next time you’re in a wardrobe pickle it’ll be easier to throw an outfit together because everything is so you!

Not Brandi Glanville

Man BFF started a new job today (yay!), so I thought I would try to look a bit more profesh today than I usually do. Hello Kitty shirt, full skirt, and black tights, what could go wrong?

Mmm not lovin’ it. I spent all day wearing this outfit and wondering what went wrong. Here’ s what I deduced:

1. Too many neutral colors.

2. Too much flowiness.

3. Too “mature” looking. (As in Margaret Thatcher, not Brandi Glanville.)

Boo to my outfit, but hooray for Man BFF’s first day! He, of course,  looked awesome!

Beauty Product Happiness

Tonight my sister and I were talking on the phone about our usual topics (kittehs, family gossip, and debating whether one should completely close the toilet after using it). We began talking about the little things in life that we love (we are both unashamed TV lovas) and how sometimes you just have little things to perk you up every so often. One of those little things in my life that will always perk me up is shopping for beauty products.

For anyone who isn’t a devoted Ulta shopper, let me tell you that you’re missing out. It’s basically like Sephora in that it has higher quality products,  but it also has regular ol’ drugstore products. And the best part? They have a great rewards program. Sign up for free and you can get tons of coupons. I’ve been waiting to shop until today because I had a 20% off coupon that started today. Score! Here’s what I bought:

Olay Pore Minimizer Cleanser/Scrub

I’m such a product junkie that when I’m reading a magazine and find a product that I want, I rip the page out and save it in my purse until the next time I go shopping. I was already feeling a little eh about my pores when I read an article in Lucky about minimizing them, so of course I was all about getting this Olay Cleanser/Scrub ($6.99) they recommended. I also bought the foundation they suggested…

Revlon Age Defying with DNA Advantage

Do I think I need age defying foundation at 25? No. Do I understand what is “DNA” about this product? No. Do I like the squiggly thing? Yes. Lucky magazine recommended this Revlon foundation ($12.99) to minimize pores and I’m already lovin it. I haven’t exactly used it yet, but another good thing about Ulta is that they have testers out for all foundations, thus making it easier to determine the color and weight of the product. So far I’m happy!

L’Oreal Studio Secrets Professional Magic Base

Primer is tres important for a pore-less looking face. Of course Lucky magazine had a few recommendations, but I already know what works for me. I finally ran out of the cheapo Rimmel primer that I bought a few months ago, even though I already knew how good L’Oreal’s primer was. When something works for you, it’s better to shell out the extra cash (in this case $11.99) for a good product you like.

L’Oreal Sulfate Free Shampoo

Anyone who’s a fan of QVC, late night TV infomercials, or the Bravo show Flipping Out knows Chaz Dean and his product line of sulfate free (aka no suds) hair products, Wen. While I love me some Chaz, I want to give the world of budget sulfate free shamp/cond a whirl before committing to Wen. Enter L’Oreal Everstrong ($6.99/each).

Eos Hand Lotion

I’m already a big fan of Eos lip gloss, so Eos hand lotion ($3.29) was a no brainer. With the frigid Chicago temps, hand lotion is a must in your purse at all times. Cant argue with that logic!

So, there you have it. I’m product crazy. I’m always looking for products that will stand the test of time, so hopefully I found a few. I’ll keep you posted.

 

Tags: Chaz Dean, Eos Hand Lotion, L'Oreal Studio Secrets Professional Magic Base, L'Oreal Sulfate Free Shampoo, Lucky Magazine, Olay Pore Minimizing Cleanser and Scrub, Revlon Age Defying with DNA Advantage, Ulta, Wen

Blue Collar Worker

Since moving to Chicago I feel like my style has become a little more hipster-y. When we were in Indianapolis, I would have defined my style as more girly (almost in a young way) with lots of dresses, bright colors, and 1950s silhouettes. Now that I work for a company that is all jeans all the time and our office shares office space with some major ad agencies (a.k.a. a mecca of hipsters), I’m finding a lot of inspiration from what I see around me (messy hair, chunky glasses, mayjah accessories, but all super casual).

Today I went for an almost factory worker base (all denim), but added some hipster touches with my glasses, infinity scarf, and leopard booties. My little brother, the ultimate hipster, would be proud.

 

The Iron Lady

In honor of the opening of my girl Meryl’s latest flick, The Iron Lady, I played up the use of “iron” in my outfit yesterday. We even saw the movie last night, too! Admittedly, most of my British Prime Minister knowledge comes from Hugh Grant’s role in Love Actually, but now that Kate Middleton’s made the UK very “in,” I’m all about brushing up on a little Brit history. Truth be told, the movie was not what I expected/wanted. While Meryl was amazing as ever, the movie itself didn’t exactly present Margaret Thatcher as the “iron lady” the title promised. While there were a few good yelling at men moments, the majority of the movie was an elderly Margaret battling hallucinations of her dead husband and finding comfort in him still being around. Super sad/not iron lady-y. All in all, see it to learn more about Maggie T. while watching Meryl tear it up.

Tags: Margaret Thatcher, Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

Snow in the City

It finally snowed in Chicago yesterday! Hooray! It’s gorgeous outside. Since I knew it was going to start snowing, I, of course, had to make my outfit snow themed. I decided that I was going to get inspiration from my favorite snow covered locale, Whistler, Bristish Columbia. Man BFF and I went to Whistler for our honeymoon and it was amaze. Check us out with our honeymoon glow!

 

To relive the cozy, lovey, wintery feeling of Whistler, I wore my Uggs and one of Man BFF’s sweaters (cozy oversized sweater? yes, please). So coze. So snow ready.

 

Laundry Day

Our dirty laundry pile is now probably larger than if we emptied out our dressers and stacked up our clean clothes. In other words, I’ve been having to get a little more creative with my outfits this week while I put off the laundry until the weekend. Pairing new shirts with skirts you haven’t yet is always a good “laundry day look.” Check out my outfit and the close-up collage Man BFF created.