aka: elmers glue

Dress: Lilly Pulitzer

Shoes: Nine West 

I'm on a boat ... in my flippy floppies!


pshhh ... I WISH!


Despite the rain, the clouds, the puddles, and my freezing cold "office" (a term I use loosely) - this nautical getup was just what my brain needed to get over the Wednesday hump and remind myself that "vacation" is only a few (long) days away.


Today also happened to be my first run with dry-shampoo. 
I don't know if I'm not using it right or if I'm using the wrong kind - but this stuff ain't all that it's cracked up to be.


I followed all the directions, sprayed it 8-12 inches from my hair, waited 2-3 minutes before brushing it through and waited for the miracle. 13 hours later and I'm still waiting. 


All I know is that my 3-day old hair felt cleaner before I sprayed on the Elmers glue aka: dry shampoo.


Needless to say, I'll be sportin' the "grunge look" until a 
dry-shower spray is invented.


that'll be the day.

vacation 101

Sweater: Jcrew

Dress: Anthropologie

Shoes: Nine West

I know, I know .. this sweater AGAIN. What can I say? It's Friday. I'm sick. And it was what was on the couch when I was walking out the door. You may call is laziness. I just say I'm saving water aka: "going green".

Is it me or is EVERYONE (and their mom, sister, dog, and cousin) on vacation this week!?!

Did I miss the memo? I mean … I normally make bragging and announcing my time off number one on my priority list of things to do before leaving for vacation (or any amount of time off for that matter). I’m almost certain that every person in my office knows when, where, for how long, and that I will NOT be checking email a full week in advance!

Priorities people. Geez.

Speaking of which, I will be out of town for work/pleasure beginning July 1. And just in case you were wondering (because I'm sure you were) BECAUCE a portion of my “vacation” is for a work related cause, I WILL be checking email. Dangit.

In other news:

• I’m still sick, but have discovered the power of Afrin thanks to one highly addicted little sister.

• Casey Anthony Trial. It’s still going on. Spoiler Alert:  (Apparently) Cindy Anthony is the culprit of the 84 chlorophyll Google searches. Thank you Yahoo news for crackin’ the case. 

• It’s raining. Why? Because it’s Florida – and it’s summer time. Nuff said. 

• I’m super excited to try a new mixed drink (recommended by a co-worker who probably discovered it while on vacation) at the bar downstairs after work …so what if I’m sick? Apparently the drink does not have an official name ….. maybe that’s something us Hookers (Hook & Stylit Readers …. duh ) can come up with!?!

Public Service Announcement (to those with ADHD):

• Dayquil and Adderall when combined is like speed.

• Adderall cancels out Nyquils effects. It’s a fact. I tested the theory last night. 

goin' bare (escentuals)

Dress: Marshalls

Sweater: Target

Shoes: Nine West (via Piperlime)

Thanks to a little stomach bug and that had me paralyzed between the hours of 1-7am last night - todays outfit didn't stand a chance. There wasn't enough coffee in the office / world that was going to wake me up this morning. So I didn't. 

I did the responsible thing and had John (the next best thing to my mom) write an email (subject line: I'm Not Pregnant) to my boss and explain the situation - properly getting me out of work until noon. And lets just be honest - it wouldn't be normal for me to show up on time, so for the sake of my reputation and tradition - I strolled in right around 12:25 - right on time.

Today was also the first day of my new make-up routine. Due to the close proximity of Ulta to my office and the greasiness Orlando is causing my skin  - I've decided to experiment with Bare Escentuals. Yesterday I went to Ulta and bought the "starter kit" complete with brushes, foundation, mineral vail, and bronzer. I've been a religious MAC make-up user for 8 years ... I have extremely red(ish) skin and always opt for extreme coverage makeup. I'm a little weary about going from a liquid to a powder - and I worry that a powder wont cover up the redness of my skin or last all day ... I guess only time will tell :) 

Does anyone have any experience with Bare Escentuals or suggestions on how to deal with oily skin suggestions? 

Favor: Please don't judge me on today's wardrobe choice!! For anyone new reading this blog -  I swear the lack of creativity and "rough" look are not normal. If all goes according to plan - I should be back to my normal self tomorrow. my fingers are crossed.

i need some help.

Hey peeps I need your help!

I leave next friday to go to a college friends wedding in Ohio and I have been stressing about what to wear ever since I met Mallory 5 years ago. Now the big day is a little more than a week away and I need YOUR help deciding what to wear!

Puhhhllleassse leave me a comment and let me know which dress you prefer :) .. and umm.. while you're at it, can you tell me which shoes you think will go best with the dress you choose?

Thank you x a billion!!! 

I can't wait to see which dress ya'll incredibly fashion-forward ladies choose for me to wear :)

DRESS #1

ANN TAYLOR LOFT

 DRESS # 2

JCREW

                          SHOES A         SHOES B

                NINE WEST       TORY BURCH

Moving on...


Today I was saved by yet another blogging miracle! 
Today's outfit was particularly horrible ...  definitely not an outfit deserving of pictures, explanation or discussion. yes, THAT bad. 


Thats when I logged on to blogger and saw my picture in the "mini-feed" .. hmm? Turns out, my friend Jody featured me (and my maxi dress obsession) on her blog, Tickle Me Chic! Be sure to check it out:)

SCORE!!!

i love k _ _ _ _ ?

Shirt: Gap

Tank: Target

Pants: Gap

Shoes: Nine West

I bought this shirt a few weeks ago at the Gap when all their tops were 50% off AND I had a $20 dollar off Gap rewards card. Basically, the Gap got robbed that day. I was able to walk out with this $50 shirt for a cool $6 bucks. bring it on Gap.


A very weird thing happened today. I think some would even consider what happened a revelation of sorts. An epiphany might be pushing the envelope a little much, but none the less I came to a realization.


Kmart is cool. It dawned on me as I was roaming the aisles looking for a slip (finally) .... that I could actually see myself wearing some of the clothing in their womens and juniors sections. Yes, I did ask myself if my one glass of wine had somehow gotten my drunk, if my cheapness had reached an all new low, and if maybe I had walked into the wrong store? 
Answers: No, maybe, and no.
I was very surprised to see magazine worthy maxi dresses, Jcrew(ish) looking bathing suits, super cute bathing suit cover-ups, and more importantly .... CHEAP slips!
Once you get over the fact that you are shopping in Kmart - there is an endless world of clothing possibilities. 


Who knows what's next... Wal Mart? Crazier things have happened.

Here's a few of my Kmart favorites - eat your heart out Anthropologie. you've got some stiff competition.


(You can weigh in and rate these kmart gems over at Outfitchec.com)

nautical, notary nights

Dress: Lilly Pulitzer

Shoes: Nine West

While it may not be raining today, it is April in Florida and soon enough the rain (more like hurricanes) will be gracing us with their presence ... everyday. I've referenced my need for non-offensive (no-print) rain boots in a previous post and well my friends they are still needed. Apparently my red-crocs are stunting my fashion growth, my style reputation, and ruin even the cutest of outfits. 


This little blogging fashionista has found the missing piece to my rain wardrobe puzzle .. thank you Kelsey (check out her blog, Snappy Casual:). 

I am obsessed with her yellow rain boots and will be begging the Easter bunny to cram these tall wellies into my 23 year old Easter basket (yes, my Mom still uses our ORIGINAL) and then hide it in Seattle where I can get lots and lots of use out of these footwear gems. 


On the subject of being nautical, I leave tomorrow morning for a work event in Los Angeles. In an effort to not look stuffy, old, boring, old, over-dressed and old, I have found the cutest of all dresses (in a 2 block radius of my house) and will be wearing this darling little number to the event. I am excited to not be wearing a suit, to be comfortable, and looking a bit more my age in a room full of older people (not including our work intern - who is only one year younger than me). I'm obsessed with these nude pumps. I would like to return to their Nine-West mother ship and adopt a few more pairs in anticipation of my current shoes one day becoming unwearable.


AND ... I got another spray tan today. I technically should have gotten a month of free tanning as my winning from a previous bet I had with John (yes, our relationship is FULL of bets, rock-paper-scissors, hot/cold, and bribery. it's super healthy). John bet that if I submitted his resume online for a new job and he got it that he would buy me a month of unlimited spray tanning (which would result with me looking like Snooki). Needless to say I learned my lesson and will be adding notarized contracts to our bet making, since apparently I did not preface by saying that he had to get the job and then TAKE the job for me to win. 


Does anyone know a good notary?

hood lesson #1

Similar to my weekend staples (WS) collection, I also have a special sales meeting (SM) collection. It's an entire collection of boring, work-ish, boring, dressy, boring, uncomfortable clothing. In other words it sucks.


After careful evaluation this afternoon, well basically after I took my outfit pictures, I've come to the conclusion that my SM collection sucks. 


tomorrow my friends, i'm stickin' it to the man and wearing jeans. thats right, JEANS!


I'm not saying that today's outfit is all that bad, but I know what the rest of the collection consists of, and well - it aint pretty.


Today the lady across the streets house was broken into. they took everything. Don't get me wrong - that SUCKS and I would never want anything like that to happen to me .. but it made me think, how come they chose her house? Was mine too hood looking for robbery? Does it not look like I have anything bling bling - nice inside? Does my 22 pound wheaten terrier's little yap sound intimidating? 


Hood Lesson #1:
Contrary to common practice, instead of keeping your yard cleaned up and your grass mowed. The more you blend in and the crappier you can keep the front of your house looking, the better off you are. 


John and I have decided to add a "beware of pit bull" sign to our front door and empty beer (cans) on the yard - just to keep up appearances.  I'm still on the fence about trading in my white barbie car jeep for a black chevy impala with rims and tinted windows - I'll keep you posted.

Shirt: Anthropologie

Sweater: Ann Taylor Loft

Pants: Gap

Shoes: Nine West