J.Crew Reindeer Tee, Frances, and F21 Finds!!

Do I need another embellished tee? Are you kidding me? NO! But, when I saw this lovely lady online, I had to go ahead and order it .... mostly because I'm freakin' craving some Christmas right now, and also because I thought the color was nice and the beading was pretty striking.

As you can see from the photos below, I have several colors of cardigans that will compliment it nicely, plus the reindeer face doesn't get completely covered up! LOVE this shirt!!

Details: I got a size Small, my regular size (for JC tees!) The shirt fabric is substantial enough to hold the beading. I ordered this with free shipping when it was 20% off, so I'm pretty OK with paying $38.... regular price of $48 was a little steep for me! I LOVE that this shirt isn't black, white, or gray like ALL my other holiday tees!

As I mentioned in a previous post, my Silk Frances Cami in Deep Rose is probably my favorite piece from JC in recent roll-outs. I really really wanted the Autumn Sun (yellow) color and when it went on sale (or promo, or whatever the crap it was .... since it's now back to FP!?) I bit. I still love it, but not as much as I love it in the Deep Rose color! I'm not sure what I'm going to ultimately do about this top. I love it, but do I love it enough to keep it when my CC bill is so ugly?? Feel free to chime in.

(FYI - I took this picture without steaming the cami first... it would look better steamed, I'm sure!)

With F21 silky shorts - see below

I rarely make it into Forever 21 by myself (aka: without a little helper in a stroller) so I took advantage of my last trip by trying lots of stuff on and having a little fun. Above are some navy satin shorts I picked up. I plan on wearing them with tights (duh) but I was too lazy to put them on for just a picture. I ended up sizing up to a medium so that they were long enough to cover what I assume shorts are meant to cover ;)

Can you say: perfect holiday tank top? Just enough sparkle without going overboard. I sized up to a Medium in this tank since it's white. I would have gone with a small in any other darker color. (and they had this tank in several colors)

This tank has a lot more bling-factor, plus it is a lacy racer-back. I will be wearing a cardi over this I'm sure, but something about the gold and black really made me fall in love with this tank. This is a size small, they were out of the medium.

I already own this exact dress in black from a few years back and end up grabbing it as a go-to fun dress at least once or twice a year (especially if we're going to Vegas) because it's just so cute and easy to wear. When I saw it in this red/berry color, I didn't think twice about grabbing it up! I went with the small because I will ALWAYS wear tights or leggings under a dress this short! Love it!

*I'd like to give a little shout-out to my local F21 for having great employees who are knowledgeable and helpful. There was a gentleman working the front of the store the day I visited who was more than happy to help find sizes, colors, and give advice. At a store like F21, who caters to younger folks I'm afraid, it's nice to be treated like a valued customer. From what I've heard, sometimes the seasoned employees at the JC Collection Store can't even muster up a smile. Way to go, F21!

Ten Of My Favorite Things: Beauty Edition

In this time of giving thanks (Thanksgiving of course!) I thought I would share with you the 10 beauty products I am most thankful for discovering! Enjoy!

10. OPI Rapiddry Top Coat: Drys your nail polish in 5 minutes... and when you have a two-year-old to wrangle, sometimes 5-minutes is all you've got!

9. Gigi Wax Warmer and Honee Wax: I was sick of paying $100+ for a simple bikini line and leg wax. So, compliments of the Internet, I found 8ty8beauty.com where I could purchase all the supplies I needed to do it myself at home. It doesn't hurt anymore than paying to have it done, and just takes a little practice and patience.

8. Benefit's Georgia Peach finishing powder: I've been using this powder for years. Very versatile, smells great, and easy and quick to use! Compliments my complexion through the winter and summer!

7. No.4 Reconstructive Conditioner: My hairdresser only recently introduced me to this relatively new brand. It's amazing... expensive, but amazing!!

6. Bio-Oil: So, I know that science says there is no way to topically erase stretch marks, but this stuff is amazing!! So amazing, in fact, that I checked my old-school, had-them-since-high-school stretchmarks in the mirror before heading to the dermatologist the other day (because I was going to ask for a Rx treatment of something) and to my delight, after two years of religiously using Bio-Oil, I could hardly see them anymore!! I'm actually comfortable with the way they look now... miracle!

5. Jergens Natural Glow Moisturizing Lotion: Takes that winter-white glow off your skin and replaces it with a nice soft sun-glow. The scent was updated a couple of years ago and is much less offputting now. ... however I think the price has gone up, so I'm thinking of switching to one of the store off-brands. Anyway, love it! (PS - Also good for helping blend pesky tan-lines in the summer!)

4. Arbonne's No Sun Intended Compact Powder Bronzer: Great as an all-over bronzer and for accentuation cheekbones, etc... Comes with a huge mirror and is a great brown color, not orange!

3. BareEscentuals Eye Glimmers in Bare Skin: This is THE BEST eyeshadow color ever. I use it everyday - everyday. I can dress it up with other shades, or wear it alone. It's always out of stock in this shade around my house so I have to order it online from Sephora. Seriously, everyone needs this color and a fluffy eyeshadow brush in their makeup drawer!

2. Phytodefrisant Botanical Hair Relaxing Balm by Phyto: Wonderful, everyday use hair product. I use this humidity-blocking balm on my hair after every wash, whether I'm letting it dry naturally curly, or blow-drying straight!

1. GHD Professional Straightener: I used to think CHI was the holy-grail of hair straighteners, but as it turns out, they just spend a lot of money on advertising! What brand is used more by those in-the-know? GHD. Check them out! Hard-core, simple and easy, hair straightening power. It'll cost ya, but it's worth it!

Fundraiser Dress and Best Bra Ever!

A few months ago I posted about some of my absolute most fabulous fashion pieces I own... one of them is a gorgeous, hand beaded Sue Wong dress I purchased to wear for our wedding rehearsal dinner 3 years ago. I never thought I would be able to wear it again (comfortably) after having Connor. But... yea... miracles do happen!!

After lots of running and hours in the gym, I decided to give this dress one more night on the dance floor!!

On a related topic, wearing a backless dress can be daunting for a, A-Cup gal like me and boy-oh-boy did I happen upon an amazing product!!! A self-adhesive (no tape, glue, sticky mess, etc...) gel bra!! This product is so so great I couldn't wait to post about it here! The gel is thick and adds at least a cup size. There is a hook in the middle to create more cleavage. AND, the cups really stay on with no problem, and come off with no pain when you are ready!! I wore them for about 8 hours last night under that dress and they performed great! Woo hoo!! Even more surprising, I bought them at WALMART!! Yeah.... click HERE to see them online ... plus they are on clearance right now! Cannot say enough about this product!!

New J.Crew Cotton Tank and Sale Cardi + Outfit of the Day

Please excuse the lack of details, but I wanted to go ahead and get this posted. I picked up a couple of items last weekend that just so happened to get great together! I've already worn the combo twice, plus it looks great with my Minnie's! I cannot even tell you how much I fall head-over-heels for any cute tank or shirt that is hand washable and mommy-friendly!

Love these new pieces (well, the cardi is new to me, but not a new item) - Plus, I was also rocking my new ATL jewelry and JC Minnie pants in the gray color.

Closer look

One of my favorite pieces of the last couple of roll-outs is the Silk Frances Cami in Deep Rose. I've found it very easy to pair with cardis of many colors! Love Love Love it! I really really want it in the Autumn Sun color.... but I've got to wait until it goes on sale!! I've got it in my shopping cart .... come ON J. Crew!!

Girl's Night Out (Black Leggings: INC; Jewelry: ATL and JC; Cardi: J.Crew)

Outfit for my sister's White Coat ceremony: She's in Pharm. School!! So proud ;)

Pants: Ann Taylor

Belt: J.Crew

Jewelry: The Limited

Cadri and Cami: J.Crew

J. Crew Coat *Bust* + Banana Republic *Find*

I went to great lengths to purchase the Ruffle Front Coat in Camel. I worked 2 Saturday night weddings in a row for a local catering company just to get the money to make myself feel less guilty about purchasing a coat that I so obviously do not need!

The dang thing was even wait-listed for over a month, so I've had plenty on time to drool over and anticipate the arrival of this coat.

HOWEVER, I must confess a huge disappointment!! My boyfriend-in-brown (UPS) brought it today and from the first peer into the half-opened box, I wasn't totally thrilled.

For one, the camel color was much darker than what I had anticipated. Not a bad camel, just darker than what I had pictured in my mind. Second, the ruffles seemed cheap and flimsy, not like they did in the black color (the one I had been trying on in the store). Third, I'm just not diggin' on the buttons ... not sure why, just not loving them. Fourth, the coat seriously looks like it was made of felt .... like from a craft store. Finally, the fit wasn't perfect... maybe a bit too roomy? I ordered this in my regular size 2, but the sleeves seemed a bit long and the coat wasn't super comfy (although, none of my "cute" coats really are, so....). A size 0 would definitely be too snug through the shoulder and back to wear a thin sweater/ layers.

J. Crew Ruffle Front Coat - $268 Regular Price

See how the ruffles look flimsy? Kind-of like they were an accident! (pretty pink lining, though!)

What DID I like? Still love the length and the little belt detail on the back. The fabric is soft and not too heavy, but still good enough to get me through winter.

I like the detail on the back, but the rest of the coat looks a little big

Bottom Line: Not thrilled. I did get it for 20% off during the private sale thingy, but that's not cheap enough to make me keep this. It's going back. In black (which I still love) I would probably pay about $150 for this, so I'll keep my eyes out online and in my local B&M.

** On a happier note, I found a great coat at Banana while they were having 25% off any purchase when using your Banana card! I hesitated a lot (and for good reason) to even try this coat on because I am a coat addict and did not need it! Plus, I was with my mom and was supposed to be helping HER pick out a black coat and suit, so....

Anyway, this coat ended up being only $150 and it's a great color! I personally consider this a fall and early winter coat since it's a lighter weight wool, but I believe it's being sold as a winter coat. I purchased an XS, as it comes in XS-S-M-L-XL. This style also comes in additional colors and in Petite. My mom purchased the coat in black in a Petite Small.

Banana Coat - $198 Regular Price

Waist-flattering details on back (BR does this a lot - lovey)

With my new brown and cream zebra scarf from The Limited

Have you found any great coats this year that you want to share with a fellow coat-addict? Please let us know!

Perfect Pencil Skirt - J. Crew: Ways to Wear It

I've had several opportunities lately to wear this skirt, so I thought I would share a few pics! Plus, a way to wear a spring/ summer item for the fall!

Shirt: J. Crew (cotton silk twisted placket)

Skirt: J. Crew

Necklaces: J. Crew

Belt: Martin + Osa

Black belt: J. Crew

Tank: Ann Taylor

Cardigan: AT LOFT

Skinny Belt: J. Crew

Jacket: F21
Shirt: CAbi
Skirt: J. Crew
Necklace: Lisa Sophia

Hope you had a great weekend!

Ann Taylor Super-Sale

So, this is a little late in posting but....what's new?

A couple of weeks ago, ONE of the Ann Taylor's in our area was having 50% off all tops (sweaters included)! I say ONE, because the other AT in my area was having Buy 1, Get 1 50% (which is soooo not the same thing!) Also, they were offering 40% off all sale items!

Anyway, I snagged a few great deals (and bonus, I was by myself at the time of shopping, so I got to spend tons of time trying on and scouring for deals!) mostly for winter, I'm pretty pumped!

From the Sale Racks (@ 40% additional savings):

Rayon/ Wool Ruffle Top

Pd: $17 - non-itchy and the perfect weight for a sweater (although I'm not sure they think of it as a sweater, I do :) Currently Sold Out online.

I also snagged gold metallic and silver metallic seamless camis from the sale racks for Christmas outfits. I always find myself wishing a had metallic cami to go under certain sweaters, cardis, etc... so I was pumped to pick them up for about $11 each! (no pics - those camis are NOT forgiving on the tummy/waistline area .... who needs to see that?!)

From the 50% Full Price Selection:

Paid: $25 - Breast Cancer Awareness and fundraiser tee - so cute for October!

Textured Cowl Neck Sweater

paid: $44 - itchy, but I LOVE the color, so I can wear a tee shirt underneath ... loving this with black leggings and even without the belt it is not "tent-like". This is still FP online.

One of my favorites is the *Wool Cardigan with Grosgrain Trim* in "Galaxy". I didn't take a pic of it yet, but I plan on pairing it with my cream cords or over a black dress. I am loving the navy and black combo right now! This is still FP online right now, too.

Lastly, for my absolute favorite piece I purchased...

Sleeveless Cascade Ripple Top

I purchased this in a medium (that's all the had left at the time) and then found it in black on the sale rack for only $17 last week! I love love love them! I checked today and they are basically sold out online.

More recently at The LOFT, I purchased *this* J. Crew Victoria shirt look-alike to wear in our family photos yesterday! I'll post actual pics in the next week or so! Loving it so far! And now it's only $22.50 online! Sweet!

** Snagged any good deals at AT or The Loft lately?? You can share your excitement here!!

Minnies in a New Color and New Tee - J. Crew

Obviously, I had to hit up my JC this past Thursday to see the highly-touted new roll-out of fall/winter items. Mostly I'm just waiting for items I already love to go on sale so I can purchase them (or purchase them in an additional color) but I still had to make it up to the store to check out the new items!

I was SO excited to find out that the Minnie pants now come in an additional navy/ purple-ish color! The Minnie's are my absolute fave pants hanging in my closet right now and I'm so excited to add the new color to my wardrobe. I have a slight obsession with the color navy right now... I don't know what that's all about, but anyway....

So, this picture seriously sucks, but believe me, these are the Minnie's in the new navy/purple color!

I also came home with a new tee with a tuxedo looking front in a dusty pink color. Gigi reviewed the same shirt in navy here on her fabulous blog! I purchased this in a small.

Up close of the detail on the tee

Can't wait to wear these new items .... maybe together!

*SURPRISE* from J. Crew!!

Ok, so it wasn't a COMPLETE surprise - I had read on my fave J.Crew blog here that some J. Crew lovers (and I assume credit card holders) were receiving an extra special surprise in the mail!

And, although I spend far too much money at J. Crew (and time in the store, online, reviewing items, etc...) I really did not think I would receive this gift or be considered a VIP customer - although I'm not really sure how they decided who received the gifts and who didn't, so I shouldn't just assume it has something to do with how much you spend with them....

Unfortunately, my husband DOES assume it's spending-based, so I'm probably on 'J.Crew Shopping Watch' for the next few weeks. (aka: my husband looking for signs of JC shopping such as receipts, brown boxes, new clothing in the closet, tags in the trash can, me being especially nice, looking guilty or giddy, etc...)

Just Kidding!

(kind of!)

ANYWAY - I am thrilled to have received these gorgeous earrings and have already worn them twice! I am generally too cheap to spend any real money on costume jewelry (even from my beloved JC) so I will be cherishing these for years to come!!

Heirloom flora earrings $45.00

What a great way to keep customers happy and spending!

THANK YOU J. CREW!!!

Fall Dresses from Boden - And An Important Fashion Question

I recently attended a Boden Trunk Show at the home of a friend in the neighborhood. It was pretty cool because you could see almost of all Boden's fall catalog in person, try it on, etc... which is a huge advantage over the online guessing game I'm usually playing about colors, sizes, materials, quality, blah blah blah.

So, I took advantage of this trunk show, which was a great way to introduce my closet to a new brand:

"Closet, this is Boden. Boden, this is closet."


"J.Crew, be nice to Boden. Boden, don't be intimidated by J.Crew, there are more of them, momma has enough love to go around, plus you might be higher quality and less expensive."


(am I the only one amused by this? probably... moving on....)

I ended up purchasing a couple of sweater dresses and a long sleeved tee (not pictured) and everything arrived at my door within a week! Yea! I wasn't going to get anything for myself, only my son, but I was a sucker for the 20% off you entire order and free shipping both ways. What can I say?

This is a merino tunic, which could also be paired with skinny jeans. The sleeves are longer, I just have them scrunched up in the picture! This dress is thin enough to wear indoors in the winter and not burn-up!

I just love the coloring of this dress. I plan on pairing it with my new gray suede mary jane heels and tights, or gray Cardi Uggs to dress it down! I found the waist band to be slimming and the length (just past my knees) to be very comfy for colder weather!

The biggest plus to these sweater dresses (the mod-print one is actually called a tunic, but at my height, what's the difference?) is that they are cut slim enough to not look frumpy, but they do not cling too much (aka: you can wear them on Thanksgiving without looking prego! Also, see question at the bottom of this post!)

Boden pieces tend to run a big long and have a lot of material in my opinion, making most of the clothing more suitable for a taller women, but these dresses fit very nicely and are long enough for me to be comfortable in the cooler fall and winter temps. (There is no petite option in Boden that I'm aware of, but I think some pants might come in lengths... that I would still need hemmed ;)

*Bottom Line: I really enjoyed the experience of shopping in a friend's home and seeing these clothes in person before buying! I will definitely keep an eye out for Boden items in the future. Remember, the sizes are European. I ordered a 10 (US 2/4) in both of these dresses, so I feel their sizes are pretty much right on!

**Question I've be meaning to ask: What's a girl to do about the tights/leggings-induced tummy roll when wearing them under dresses, tunics, etc...? I'm getting to the point wear I'm willing to try maternity leggings and tights just to see if they won't create that gut-roll effect! I even notice very slim young ladies where you can see the waistband of their tights and it really bothers me! Any ideas, ladies? Pa-lease tell me you know what I'm talking about!!!