eyes wide shut

I spent 3 hours doing my hair on Saturday and by night time I was too exhausted to care what I put on or to take pictures. So I threw camo over a white tee, added a chunky necklace, some strappy heels and voila! O, and because I am a dedicated blogger ;) I recreated the look on Sunday just to take pics :)

wearing: OLD NAVY JACKET, j crew tee, AMERICAN APPAREL VELVET STIRRUPS, dolce vita heels, nordstrom necklace, kenneth cole men's watch

worn to: LIEGE SPIRITS LOUNGE & AIR LOUNGE

ETA: Lucky coincidence that I post this look and 3 days later I find out that the next BLOGGERS DO IT BETTER challenge is MILITARY CHIC!

throwback thursday: thrifted sparkles

I wore this way back in June when I was cruising around the Caribbean and I never posted it because, well who really knows. Luckily, it's never too late and because I have a folder full of looks I've never posted, Throwback Thursday may make an appearance from time to time. And, if you haven't connected with me on FACEBOOK you should :) I do CelebrTuesday where I post my fav celeb looks of the week and Wishful Wednesday where I share what I'd be buying if I had all the money in the world (or a full time job).

wearing: thrifted dress & belt, f21 ring and clutch, nordstrom earrings, christian louboutin heels

worn to: elegant dinner night on the carnival valor

grandfathered in

As soon as I put this on, I thought of my grandfather. The brown cable sweater and the necklace pocket watch remind me of something he would have owned and the whole look makes me smile, because it makes me think of him :)

wearing: j crew sweater, ann taylor loft skirt, thrifted belt, F21 NECKLACE, steve madden luxe heels, revlon lipstick in black cherry, sephora polish in money maker

worn to: church & brunch at PICAN (catfish, grits & eggs o my!)

detailed oriented

Elbow patch

Leopard pony hair & gold hardware

Tribal print

And a pop of orange

It's all about the details...

wearing: h&m blazer, thrifted blouse, joes jeans, CALVIN KLEIN HEELS, mom's coach bag, michael kors watch

worn to: lunch at nordstrom cafe

trashy treasures

I got this skirt many moons ago at Goodwill back in Georgia and I actually don't think I've worn it since my VERY FIRST POST more than 2 years ago. I had completely forgotten about it until I was at Goodwill in California over the weekend, looking for some vintage trousers, and there was my same skirt looking back at me. Perhaps the same skirt at two different thrift stores should be a sign that I need to let it go, but instead I choose to believe that one woman's trash is another woman's treasure.

wearing: h&m tank, gap shirt, thrifted skirt, matiko wedges, clutch unknown, f21 necklace, mom's earrings, michael kors watch, gifted bracelet from italy, opi polish in suzi takes the wheel

worn to: church

purple maxi

I can't believe I almost returned this dress. I went all summer and didn't wear it and I thought what's the point now?

Luckily Urban was only going to give me a $.97 store credit for it, which pretty much sealed the deal that I was keeping it.

Thanks Urban, and thanks Susan for my curls ;)

O, and thanks California for Indian summers that allow me to dress like this in October :)

wearing: urban outfitters dress, thrifted belt & necklace, ring c/o chicshop

worn to: PARADISO & MUA

j crew take two

As promised, I wore my J Crew skirt again (last seen

HERE)

and shot it from the comfort of my sundeck!

I tried to wear it completely different this time, and that gave me the chance to test out one of my new fav looks for fall that I actually saw in a J Crew catalog...the denim button down underneath the cardi.

It's much more interesting than the button down alone.

There's something really special about lace, especially in a non traditional color like this sage green.

wearing: j crew cardigan and SKIRT, gap button down, h&m belt, aldo booties, michael kors watch

worn to: lunch at LITTLE SHIN SHIN

Inspiration. Next time I'm going to pop my collar :)

hunter grey

When it's raining outside, I love to curl up with a good book, or some good reality television and a cup of tea and just relax. But, now that I have these fabulous Boa (a.k.a snake embossed) Hunters, I also love to get up, get dressed, and get out in the rain. I got them over the summer at a super duper discounted rate, and I've been waiting with bated breath for even just a sprinkle to put them on :) My wish for a sprinkle came in the form of California's version of a severe storm last week, and did I ever enjoy it!

I leave you with this beautiful shot of fog and rain.

wearing: old navy sweater,GAP SKIRT, HUNTER BOA boots, necklace from macy's

worn: out & about

hair story: the hana titanium flat iron

It was perfect timing when the people over at MISIKKO asked me to review a HANA flat iron because I was in the market for a new one and I've gotten many, many requests for a hair post recently so let's get to it with part I...

MISIKKO sent me this 1.5" TITANUM HANA FLAT IRON. I am accustom to using a rounded flat iron so this was a change, but I loved it. The flat shape allowed me to get close to my roots which was very important because I am almost 6 weeks post relaxer.

Here are before and after shots of my hair and you can see how silky and straight it turned out. Remember, I am in need of a relaxer, and I am not even close to a professional but I was still able to achieve great results. I'm guessing it's because HANA flat irons are deemed salon grade, and I know the titanium plates really helped me achieve great shine!

Next to the flat iron, my favorite thing is the cute packaging and all the goodies that came with it! I got everything from heat protectant to a heat proof pouch, and even some gloss for my lips :) I highly recommend the 1.5" TITANUM HANA FLAT IRON but MISIKKO does offer several brands including CHI IRONS. And if you are in the market for other products, they also have a wide selection of HAIR DRYERS, including a brand new HANA HAIR DRYER.

Stay tuned for part II. I will post my regimen and some of my other favorite products.

public places

I am a personal style blogger who hates shooting in uber public places like Bryant Park where these were taken. Ewww! I'm uncomfortable just thinking about it. Anyway these pictures don't do this cute little skirt justice at all. I was rushing to just get the shots over with, and haste makes waste. But that's ok...all the more reason to wear it and shoot it again (from the comfort of my sundeck) ASAP.

wearing: necklace from macy's, zara top (last seen HERE, HERE & HERE), j crew skirt, american eagle flats, louis vuitton speedy

worn to: lunch in bryant park

orange + fall white

Winter white, spring white, summer white, fall white...I wear white year round. There's different shades and different ways to wear it, but I definitely don't believe in no white after Labor Day. Clearly, because I wore this dress last night :) Something about the orange makes it right for October...

P.S. When I bought this dress it was A-line. A-line skirts and dresses are not for me, but I loved everything else about it. $6 later, here we are. Thank goodness for my seamstress :)

wearing: necklace from nordstorm, zara dress, dolce vita heels, thrifted belt, revelon lipstick in black cherry & polish in valentine

worn to: 1st saturdays at ERA ART BAR & LOUNGE