Goodbye 2011

Skirt: Wet Seal, Shirt: Wet Seal, Sweater: Lauren Conrad, Tights: Target, Shoes: Target, Earrings: JewelMint

 Well, this is the end of 2011. I can't believe it's already New Year's Eve. There is officially 20 minutes left of 2011. 

 Although I didn't go out for New Year's (Garrett and I had a nice dinner at his place, but then he had to work at 11pm), I still pulled out my sparkly skirt for the occasion. I've been waiting for a reason to wear this since I bought it a couple years ago for New Years plans that fell through. 

I hope everyone is having a wonderful night! 

Happy New Year!!

Meet Lola

Pants: Forever 21, Boots: Modcloth, Coat: Candie's, Sweater: Wet Seal, Tank: Decree, Glasses: Ray-Ban, Purse: Epiphanie

 Hello lovely readers of mine. I would like to introduce you to my newest favorite thing in the world: Lola from Epiphanie Bags. I received this "purse" for Christmas from my parents. 

  Now, this might look like an ordinary purse, but it's not. It's a camera bag!! Inside is lined with soft dividers so I can separate my camera from the rest of my stuff, like my wallet and cell phone, etc.  And I don't have to carry my camera bag separate from my purse either. I can store extra batteries, lens cleaners, my camera cord, and it doesn't get mixed in with my keys and chap-stick and other purse necessities. Plus, it doesn't get heavy either! 

You will be seeing a lot of Lola from now on!

Ruched Boutique Review

A while back I saw on an IFB board a posting of an online boutique, Ruched Boutique, looking for bloggers to purchase their clothes at a discounted price and review the products. I looked at the clothing and found a lot of items I really liked! So I decided on these two and this is my review.

Chiffon Dot Dress

Dress: Ruched Boutique, Sweater: Thrifted, Tights: Target, Boots: Vera Wang, Watch and Charm Bracelet: Betsey Johnson, Glasses: Ray-Ban

I love this dress! The waistline is a little high on me, but I have a long torso (and I'm 5'6 for reference). There were two pieces of the chiffon on the sides to tie in the back, like a belt, but I cut them off because of the higher waistline. The dress is a touch on the short side (probably because my legs are 4399484573 miles long), so I have to wear leggings/opaque tights under it, but that's no problem to me. It's a issue I run into a lot. Overall, I have no complaints. It's a flowy dress, without being too crazy. My only recommendation would be to purchase a size up if you're curvy. There's not a whole lot of stretch.

Paisley Dress

Dress: Ruched Boutique, Sweater: Urban Behavior, Jacket: Rue 21, Tights: Hue, Boots: Wet Seal,  Scarf: Wal-Mart

I'm actually wearing this dress backwards! As you can see in the second picture, the back is longer than the front. But because it's on backwards, the real front is actually longer than the back. When I put it on, I thought it looked weird with this hemline. Truthfully, I'm not a fan. I prefer the hemline to be longer in the back or just even throughout. Aside from that, it's a great dress. I love the paisley print and the colors work perfectly together! It's a stretchy dress and really comfortable.

Overall Shopping Experience

Jen, the owner, is great! I emailed her asking about purchasing the items and she got back to me right away the next day. The items were shipped next day and arrived in less than a week (I'm sure that had partially to do with her being in Illinois and me being in Wisconsin). They were individually wrapped in tissue paper and arrived in perfect condition. Jen is a great communicator, businesswoman, and buyer. I highly recommend Ruched Boutique to all!

Casual Christmas-Day 2

Sweater: Wet Seal, Jeans: Wet Seal, Shoes: Payless, Earrings: Betsey Johnson, Glasses: Ray-Ban

 Today was my last Christmas celebration of this season. Since I have 8 nieces and nephews all under the age of 9, comfy is was again. 

 I still have a lot of left over clothes from high school/early college days. Like this sweater and these jeans. But, if they work, they work. No sense in getting rid of perfectly good clothes (minus the rips at the bottom of these jeans). Wet Seal isn't a store I would normally shop at as much now, but I do like to look through the store when I'm at the mall. They have some pieces that are a little more "age-less" and it's certainly cheaper than buying women's clothes.

 I love to wear more neutral or dull clothes and then add a pop of color with the shoes. I actually don't have many bright shoes, and when I got these flats, I didn't really wear them a bunch at first. But now I've been wearing them all the time. Maybe it has something to do with the holidays.

Tomorrow, I am meeting with some old friends and shopping with my gift cards I received for Christmas! I can't wait!

P.S. Can you believe this weather?! It was almost 40 degrees today! I didn't even wear my coat!

Casual Christmas

Tank: Target, Sweater: Lauren Conrad, Scarf: Wal-Mart, Jacket: Banana Republic, Pants: Old Navy, Shoes: Kmart, Hat: From Cassie, Glasses: Ray-Ban

Today was Christmas with my Great-Aunt Char, my Uncle Jon, and my mom and step-dad. Holidays at my great-aunt's are usually a casual affair so I stuck with my comfy black skinnies and a long, cozy sweater. While I'm not into all things Christmas (I really don't dig Christmas music), I do have a habit of going all out on Christmas day. This is by far my most non-Christmasy outfit in a few years, but I still managed the red and green.

 Another thing that's different about this year is the lack of snow. These pictures were taken in Waupan, where there is a little bit of snow, but Madison has none! It's been years since we've had a non-White Christmas!

Tomorrow is the last family get together. It all goes by so quickly!

Merry Christmas!