stitch fix part 2

It came! It came! My stitch fix box finally came! I was so excited that I tore it open after a 12 hour day on Thursday and tried everything on right away (which will explain why I look like I quite need a nap!). The packaging and letter was so thoughtful, each package comes with a note specifically for you written by a stylist and with little perforated note cards that show you different ways of styling each piece. Each item was from a different company and they all felt soft and were beautifully made. Unfortunately I wasn't wild about any specific one, so back they go! After I realized I wasn't keeping any of them I just threw them in the return bag they gave me and dropped it at the usps store. Done and done, but I wanted to make sure my next box was even more my style, so I went back to stitch fix and told them why I returned each piece and gave more details about what I am looking for. Next box is coming March 21st, so we will see how they do next time! 

Here's the letter that came in the box.

The perforated note cards with styling options. 

Here's the haul! 

The green shirt. It had great little details on the shoulders and back but it felt a little claustrophobic around the neck area.

Back detail

Shoulder detail, the texture of the fabric was soft and silky, it didn't feel super cheap though I'm sure it was polyester.

Color block shirt (I think I fell asleep here for a sec)

It had a fun slit in the side lined with the cobalt blue from the top. 

Side slit.

It even had a cute back zipper. The shirt was cute but a little unstructured for my style. 

Pink sweater fit and was a great color, unfortunately it was just too dang long for my taste. 

I strongly believe you should never cover your butt with a sweater, you look like you are trying to hide! Never hide your goods under a bushel. Oh. No. 

This skirt was so fun! It is ridiculously soft and fit great but it was a tad short.

Side view 

This floral dress was right up my ally, I love the print and the lace detail but the elastic waist left me feeling frumpy. 

The delicate lace detail.

The back was fun too.

10 tried and true rules of shopping prep

The art of shopping is not to be taken lightly, if you are not fully equipped for the task at hand you will wither and fade before you can say stilettos. So I am going to share with you my tried and true rules of shopping preparation. Whether you have a specific piece you are looking for or just a day of meandering through countless stores with no objective but to let the scents of jo malone and new frye boots wrap you up like a warm blanket. I use these rules whenever I shop, when I don't, I feel a sneaky hate spiral come on and then I might as well just go home. So without further ado here they are: 

1. Wear nude undergarments. Nothing makes a white dress look worse then when you see your black unmentionables through it. Also wear a normal bra, sports bras do not do ANY shirt justice, except maybe your running mantra clad t-shirt. 

2. Make sure your hair is styled. Im not talking professionally just styled in a way that won't hinder several things going up and over your head. Never wear a bun or a pony tail, you will just have to be redoing it every time you try something on and nothing wastes time like trying to do your hair in the low lit dressing rooms. 

3. Always wear makeup! If you feel tired and ugly not even a Herve Leger is going to snap you out of that funk. Wear light neutral makeup, you want to see what the clothes will be looking like on you on the daily not with full smokey eyes, unless you wear smokey eyes everyday, if so more power to ya! 

4. Wear uncomplicated clothing. Today is not the day to be wearing 54 arm bangles, a belt with 3 buckles and shoes that take more than 3 seconds to take on and off. 

5. Your shopping outfit should consist of:  A. a dark pair of jeans (or your favorite jeans) B. a white undershirt C. a simple light sweater (or shirt with no buttons) in a neutral color, D. slip on flats preferably in nude E. a watch F. a simple necklace. 

6. Bring your spanx, or, my favorite, assests. Dresses and skirts fit differently with them on and if you wear them on the regular this is a must, thankfully the wad up pretty small.

7. Wear a cross body bag. No one wants to carry a purse or have one slip off their shoulders as they are holding 10 hangers worth of jeans. 

8. Bring important accessories. If you have a pair of shoes and need a dress to wear with it or vice versa you need to bring it with you, a picture is not going to do the trick. If you need a pair of jeans to wear with heels you need to bring the heels. You are not going to be able to guesstimate exactly the hight of the shoes standing on your tip toes. 

9. Plan on eating. I know this sounds silly but we are talking about shopping here, shopping makes you tired, eating replenishes you, this is a necessity if you are going out for more than a 3 hour stint. I'm not talking a 10 course meal here, no one likes to try on skinny jeans with a food baby, but a light meal or snack is a must and ALWAYS have water on hand.  

10. Last, but not least, have a list! It's always fun to find random, amazing things but most of us go out shopping with something in mind. If you have a running list on your phone of things you need/are looking for, then when you are standing in the middle of h&m looking at yet another black pleather mini skirt you can keep your eye on the prize and not bring home the same skirt you already have 5 different versions of. 

Waterlogued

noah as a shadow man 

Yes, I know that's not how you spell waterlogged. Pat yourself on the back, you are good at spelling. If you didn't notice, you and I were meant to be friends. So, today's post was supposed to be a fun and flirty outfit but, since I was on barf duty with my littlest one I wore nothing that was fun nor even an ounce of flirty. So instead I will tell you about a new app that I first saw on my amazingly talented photographer friends Instagram (hi Andrea!) and of course because all of her photos are amazing I just assumed that watercolor was another talent she had, when in fact it was a very cool app! Yes, that too is a run on sentence, my husband would cringe but he won't read this anyway. So go get this app, it's called waterlogue, it's 2.99 and it's totally worth every penny. You can even take the painting you have created and make it a post card! So fun. Go pretend you are an artist now, like me!

yup I totally painted that, wait...no I didn't!

have no makeup on? no problem! waterlouge it. 

oooOOOooo a sunset 

ocean

even children look cute in watercolor

this kind of crappy picture of the sky turned out awesome

more ocean

yup, another sunset, don't worry you soon will soon be doing this to all your pictures too

cloud

and finally a lake, I knew you were waiting for that one

monochromatic mama

necklace: j.crew outlet, watch: fossil, sweater: J.crew 

A little known fact about me: I love a sale. I'm almost TOO good at shopping for sales, if there was such a thing. This fantastic skirt was a find at anthropologie for 19.99! I have gotten a lot of wear out of it, even though it's so bright and unique. Usually I would pair it with something like a chambray shirt, but since the prompt today was monochromatic, I decided to go all out with my bright orange sweater (given to me by my sister) and my bow necklace that I also got for half off on black friday at the J.crew outlet. Since the outfit was so loud I wore very simple makeup, nude shoes and my hair up in a vintagey style updo. 

braided messy updo, back view

side view 

foundation: lancome 24 hour wear, eye liner: stila eye liner pen in brown, blush: nars gaiety, eye shadow: pacifica natural minerals, lips: chapstick. 

skirt: anthropologie, shirt: nordstrom b.p., shoes: lulu's, sweater: J.crew, necklace: J.crew factory

color block party

watch:fossil rose gold watch, bracelets: anthropolgie and forever 21

I love color, I especially love lots of color all smooshed together in one outfit. Therefore I love color blocking! Not that long ago I would have never put all these colors together but, at one of my favorite salons I worked at (1688 in walnut creek), my boss Kandace would always put together the best color combos and it gave me the confidence that I too, could be cool like her! What about you? Do you love lots of color in one outfit? Or do you prefer the monochromatic look? p.s. if you do, you don't have to wait long, that look is coming tomorrow! 

shirt: banana republic, sweater: anthropologie 

yummy dairy free chocolate and orange gelato from Naia 

pants: H&M shoes: nine west outlet

Pretty in pink

Rebekah and I 

 My mom, sister, sister in law and I went to high tea in Niles canyon to celebrate a belated birthday for my sister, Rebekah, who moved away from me to Austin (I might still be slightly bitter). After we drank delicious tea (black currant is one of my favorites, sub note: I never commit to a favorite anything, if I ever accidentally say something is my favorite I mean it's one of my many favorites, you have now been warned) we went shopping at a few of the cute antique stores and then stopped at some old train cars to snap some pictures.  

pink wrap dress: jeremy's in Berkeley, shoes: lulus

where is my face?! haha

blue jean baby

(gap mid-rise skinny jeans, nordstrom rack top, hat cost plus,) 

Today is the day! The very first day of February and the first day of the instagram fashion challenge! If you don't remember what the prompt was for each day you can see it here, or follow me on instagram. I love jeans, especially these which are perfectly warn in and slouchy in all the right places. These are fun to pair with just about anything but I especially love putting them with my cut off cowboy boots and an easy breezy top. The hat (which was a total steal at cost plus of all places) was a fun addition and gives it some playfulness. I hope this inspires you to have fun with your closet!