Recent Find: Cozy Ann Taylor Knit

Sorry for my lack of updates lately...I guess I need to make it a habit of writing on here more regularly if I want to keep my readers coming back! =P Life just gets busy or I'm too tired after work and I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about. I was in Dallas for 2 days of training towards the end of last week and am still pooped from that. Maybe this is just a sign that I'm turning into an old lady.
 
Speaking of old ladies, I recently made a pit stop to the Ann Taylor outlet and got an item that is a new favorite of mine...I lovingly call it my 'grandma sweater' and it's so cozy. 

Ann Taylor chunky cardigan (similar here and here) -- F21 coral colored tee (similar) -- no name boot cut jeans (similar) -- Payless cheetah patent flats (similar) -- thrifted Gap leather belt (similar)

Back view

I adore the color and print of these flats!

Accessories: Lovisa necklace from Australia (similar) -- no name cluster ring (similar)

  

Here are some belated photos from Ping's birthday dinner at Cha Cha Cha!

Birthday dessert

Make a wish!

Girl photo

Random photo but this is one of the best late night eats in my neighborhood...tacos!

  

What is your take on 'grandma' sweaters and how do you motivate yourself to blog on a daily/weekly basis? 

Emerald Green at Work and Tahoe Trip #2

I find it hard to decide on what to wear to work sometimes since it's a pretty casual environment but I don't want that to deter me from occasionally choosing business-like outfits. I typically put some thought (or as much as I could muster at 7 am in the morning...ha!) into my clothing/accessory choices and my mood also plays a part in what I end up with. I guess my best bet is going with what I feel comfortable in and not worry about others viewing me as "overdressed" on a daily basis. 

  

I have been loving (most shades of) green lately and this cardigan I picked up on a trip to Hong Kong last year just adds to that undeniable fact. I try to shop as much as possible when in Asia because the clothing fits petite bodies much better although their sense of fashion could be questionable in comparison to what we are used to in the US. 

 Papaya white button up (similar) -- emerald green cardigan from HK (similar) -- F21 belted pencil skirt (similar) -- no name tights (similar)
Accessories: F21 green cocktail ring (similar) -- thrifted 'knot' bangle (similar) 

 I borrowed these reddish cognac leather boots from my mom...love the gold trim details! - sz 6.5 (similar)

This is my mom modeling one of her business outfits from the 80s. =P

Finally some fun in the snow when several college buddies and I drove up to Tahoe again a few weeks ago. 

Group pic with the snowfall 

Fresh powder

View coming down the Heavenly ski lift 

Grub at Hard Rock Cafe after a long day of skiing (I shared and only ate half haha)

Lake Tahoe is so beautiful!

I had to take advantage of this photo op.

Hollister faux fur jacket - sz S (current version or similar)

H&M striped sweater dress (similar) -- Old Navy leggings (buy) -- brown riding boots from HK (similar here and here) 

Side view...I did wear a few more layers underneath (top and bottom) since it was freeeeeezing 

Accessories: owl pendant from Sydney (similar) -- F21 woven ring (similar in silver)

I adore my owl necklace and have been wearing it non-stop lately. The sweater dress is also really soft and comfortable to move around in. It's perfect for layering to keep your upper and part of your lower body warm in the winter too! 

  

What is the dress code at your work and how would you style a sweater dress?

Tea Party and UO Dressing Room Review

Ping (from All About Fashion Stuff) and I had a date last weekend at Crown and Crumpet for afternoon tea. We had an assortment of finger sandwiches, scones, and mini desserts paired with a tea of our choice. It was a 2-person tea party and we had a great time catching up! This is definitely an ideal place to have bridal showers or little girl princess parties. Check out Ping's post about our visit here. 

 Interior of the tearoom

 Only a portion of their tea collection

Such an adorable tea strainer!

This didn't look like a lot of food but we were stuffed...

With the lovely Ping 

Does my top look familiar? That's because it's the same as the one from this post but in a different color. Thanks Ping for being my photographer for the day!

Xhilaration sleeveless tank in Mustard (buy) -- H&M skinny pants in cobalt (although they look kinda purple in person (similar) -- Lux ribbed cardigan from UO (similar) -- Payless block heel pumps --> LOVE these shoes (see on Jean from Extra Petite) (similar)

Accessories: Target geometric fringe necklace (similar) -- silver mesh ring from HK (similar) -- you can't really see them but I'm also wearing Claire's yellow flower stud earrings (similar) -- thrifted Ralph Lauren belt - sz S (similar) -- H&M gray crossbody purse (similar)
 

And of course after eating, we did what we do best...SHOP! Urban Outfitters, which is one of my favorite stores, was at the top of our list and I snapped a few dressing room photos after raiding the sale section. =P

 BDG sheer v-neck tee - sz XS (buy) -- Silence and Noise tiered skirt - sz S (buy)

BDG sheer v-neck tee - sz S (buy) --  Staring at Stars chantilly shorts - sz XS (buy)

BDG sheer v-neck printed tee - sz XS (buy) -- Kimchi Blue bow shorts - sz XS (buy)
 

I ended up buying the mustard and printed BDG tees (soooo soft!), the tiered skirt, this Silence and Noise geo cardigan, and this Pins and Needles lace-trimmed babydoll blouse in black. I really liked the chantilly shorts but they didn't fit as nicely as I thought they would. Overall, very thrilled with my purchases! 

Have you had an afternoon tea experience? Do you shop at Urban Outfitters and what would you have gotten? 

Cruisin' Photos and Thrift Shopping Fun

 As I mentioned in my previous post, I had a great time on my first cruise ever! I just wanted to share some photos from the long weekend trip for a friend's bachelorette party. I wish there was more sun while we were there but we made the most of it by dressing up every night and dancing till we dropped!

When we were getting on the ship

I loved these towel animals that greeted us every evening with chocolates!

My hottie roommates for the weekend

 Group pic in Ensenada

 Colors of the rainbow with the bride-to-be in black

 Wearing our lovely tank tops from the bride

With 2 of my college roommates and they are next to get hitched...miss them!

  

Once again, I am a bit behind with my outfit posts after the unfortunate incident with my laptop and only recently getting my files in order. I am slowly trying to catch up! 

  

When my sister was home from winter break, we decided to go shopping at our local community thrift store to see if we could uncover some gems and we weren't disappointed. Yes, thrift stores smell old and musty but it's nothing we couldn't handle in exchange for some awesome bargains. BUT it is imperative that you have the patience to dig through racks and racks of mismatched clothes to uncover something worthwhile. Luckily for us, we both came back with 5-6 items each...score! Afterwards, we just played dress-up with our new/old items. 

 thrifted boyfriend blazer (with shoulder pads and all) (similar) -- thrifted zebra print oversized sweater (borrowed from sis) (similar here and here) -- sweater tights borrowed from sister (similar) -- thrifted ivory kitten heels (similar)

Better view of the sweater

Candid shot by my sister

Accessories: thrifted silver cuff (similar) -- thrifted costume earrings (similar)

  

Some people may find buying thrifted clothes to be gross or unsanitary but as long as you give your items a good washing, I don't see anything wrong with it. I also make sure to wipe any thrifted jewelry thoroughly with rubbing alcohol before wearing. I think thrifting can be fun and I view it as an opportunity to discover unique pieces that no one else owns.

  

What is your take on thrift shopping and do any of you have tips to share?

Tahoe Weekend Layering

 I'm back! Just my luck that my laptop died on me last week and I haven't been able to access my files until today. Of course the first thing I do is upload blog photos...that's how much I love my readers! =P I still need to shop for a new computer though. Any recommendations? I've been wanting to post about my trip to Tahoe and how I layered up for the chillier weather. These outfits definitely kept me warm though...I'm only mentioning the pieces of clothing you can see but I have extra layers underneath as well!

Hollister faux fur jacket (current version or similar) -- open-front cardigan from Nordstrom (similar) -- checked flannel top from HK (similar) -- sweater tights borrowed from sister (similar) -- no name boots (similar but with a heel) -- H&M crossbody messenger bag (similar) 

 Accessories: black skinny belt from Sportsgirl (similar) -- vintage button earrings (similar) -- H&M orange cocktail ring (was on sale for $3) (similar) 

2nd outfit of the weekend using some of the same pieces and mixing blues/greens.

I loved this giant snowflake!

Admiring the wooden bear sculpture

open-front cardigan from Nordstrom (similar) -- Old Navy perfect V-neck tee (it looks blue but is really green) (current version) -- F21 skinny jeans (similar) -- no name boots (similar but with a heel) -- H&M cross body messenger bag (similar) 

Accessories: sunnies from Bali (similar) -- Nordstrom BP fringed infinity scarf (buy) -- Charlotte Russe earrings (similar) -- F21 green cocktail ring (similar) -- black skinny belt from Sportsgirl (similar) 
    
Tahoe is such a beautiful place especially when it's covered in snow during the wintertime. I went back again recently to go skiing and it was a blast!
     
Also, to provide an update on my use of the Olay Pro X Cleansing System, it has been working surprisingly well on my skin since I bought it. I use it every night before showering with either the Olay Foaming Cleanser or the Pro X exfoliating cleanser that came with the device. For someone who has sensitive skin like myself, I wouldn't recommend using the Pro X cleanser daily because it dried out my skin. I guess it depends on your skin type though! Nowadays, I feel like my skin is more radiant and I don't have to wear as much makeup. I haven't really broken out since using it either so it seems like it really does clean better than just using cleanser and water.
    

Has anyone tried this and have any thoughts? What is your skin regimen like and what are your favorite layering pieces?

Neutral + Black Remix

Boy was my weekend trip well-deserved...didn't realize how much I needed a break from life until I was there and letting loose with my girlfriends! I had an amazing time on my first cruise to Ensenada but was saddened by the news of the Costa Concordia incident in Italy. =/ Makes me a bit nervous to go on a cruise again but I need to remember to bring extra Dramamine next time (if and when) since I got a bit seasick. What did you guys do over the MLK weekend? Anyway, I know I'm behind on my blogging but I've been trying to catch up on sleep and work has been insanely busy.

There are 2 outfits that I wore recently in the same color scheme, one to a holiday party and the other for wandering around the city one Saturday. I just love mixing neutrals/nudes with black since the contrast looks so sharp and is edgy at the same time. 

 

Cotton On chiffon blouse (similar here and here) -- H&M black skinny pants (details and similar) -- Dexter nude wedges from Payless (buy or similar here and here)

Accessories: H&M orange cocktail ring (was on sale for $3) (similar) -- H&M suede/gold bracelet (similar) -- F21 filagree earrings (similar)

 

It started to rain outside so I went indoors to take a few more shots. One is from the side and the other is after I did my make-up and had my sister curl my hair. You can tell how flowy the top is but that's what I love about it!

I finally got a pair of nude shoes...took me long enough! haha

Here is my 2nd outfit in similar colors but a more casual look. 

H&M bomber jacket (see on Ping here) - sz 4 (similar here and here) -- Gap chiffon trim long sleeve striped T- sz XS - (buy) -- F21 dark wash skinny jeans - sz 24 (similar) -- Dexter nude wedges from Payless - sz 6 (buy or similar here and here)

 Accessories: F21 feather necklace (buy) -- Modtoast Arty Oval Ring - sz 5 (buy)

After I washed this tee once, it shrunk a little but now it fits much better than the one in this post.

How do you mix neutrals and black together?