Glamour
Lately, I've been all about making lists of beauty products I need to purchase in the coming weeks. Why? Well, I suppose I assume I'll be looking like a train wreck post-baby, and what better way to cheer oneself up than with new, shiny beauty products, right?
I need to get
Moroccan Oil from my hair stylist next week. So pricey and I only use it once every couple of weeks, instead of every day like my stylist would prefer, but man, my hair loves the stuff.
I seem to have run out of all three of my fragrances simultaneously:
Romance,
Coco, and
No. 5. I wonder if I should try something new? Or just replace some of my old ones?
Makeup products. From Clinque I need
concealer,
a brow pencil,
lip pencil,
lipstick (actually, I don't
need this per se, but a new shade always perks me up),
eye shadow (Colour Surge Soft Shimmer in Desert Sun--my all time fave) and
"All About the Eyes" cream (this isn't actually makeup, but whatever). Who knew I used so much makeup? That's not even the half of it. So I'll be spending a ton of cash on beauty products. Thank God Douglas is having a
20% off sale next week.
Also, I might hit Duross and Langel for one of their
eye creams, because HEY, when you're in your mid-30s with two (2!) kids, you can NEVER have enough eye cream.
Labels: Living, money, random, style, winter of my discontent
FUG
Holy hell,
this is some bad fashion all around.
Labels: society, style
Ready for Spring
Honestly, if you asked me which was my least favorite season, I'd say spring. Most people love spring. While I do love those first glorious days of warm weather after the winter, I tend to associate spring with lots of rain, unpredictable weather patterns and the nuicance of having a day start off requiring an overcoat and gloves only to end with the need for a t-shirt. Thus, I usually spend much of the spring either over- or under-dressed.
That said, though, I love when stores start featuring spring clothes and this is because my mind starts fast forwarding to summer. All of a sudden, the clothes are so much more colorful. This year, Banana Republic has been featuring a shade of green that I'm so in love with, I would consider leaving my husband for it. Behold
this,
this and
this. The online photos don't even do the color justice.
I love it so much that I'm actually considering getting
that first top I mentioned, even though it's silk and I usually avoid silk like the plague. Also, I wish I had somewhere to wear
the dress, even though that cut doesn't usually flatter me.
But there are other great colors too, ones that would look amazing with white pants, and yet. Yet, I can't really pull off a white pant. Or, I should say, I have yet to find a white pant that doesn't make me self-conscious that the world can, in fact, see my panties. But tops like
this and
this inspire me to search yet again for the substantially lined white pant.
What fashion are you craving these days?
Labels: style
TV
I need a new TV stand. I need one with doors on it. Doors to hide all the electronic devices from Rolo, who nearly swallowed my iPod the other day. And who has taken to turning on the DVD player randomly. He does this while the TV is on but not on the right setting for a DVD. So the DVD starts playing in audio, like a CD. And it's alarming. You'll be sitting there, watching House Hunters, minding your own business, not realizing that Rolo turned on the DVD player. And then WHAM! All of a sudden, the Baby Einstein, or some other nonsense, music comes on AT TOP VOLUME on the surround sound system. It can make you jump out of your skin.
Because we have a flat screen, and can no longer balance the cable box on top of the TV, I was initially thinking a TV stand with glass panels. You know so the cable box can be in the TV stand and still work with the remote. I love the look of
this one. I love me craftman style anything. But large, unreinforced glass panels + toddler = emergency room trip waiting to happen. At least for my kid who loves to bang on any piece of glass he can find.
So now I'm thinking smaller glass panes for smaller risk of breakage, like
this one. I love that it's red, but it's not very deep. And have I mentioned that our entire apartment is on a slant? It is, and boy, what a challenge that makes everything. So I'm not sure putting our top-heavy ginormous TV on top of a skinny media stand on a slope is the answer.
Of course I could get a
large media center, but that's a large-ass piece of furniture for not a very big space. And interestingly, a piece that large would make the slope that much more noticeable. Because I'd have a large-ass piece of furniture which would look all slant-y. I know this would be an issue, because I have several large bookcases in the same area that I have on wedges to make them look less slant-y.
Oy. It's never easy.
Labels: shopping, style
Some Things from the 80s Can Stay There
And I think
limp neck bows are among them.
Labels: style
True That
Bathing suits are scary.
Labels: style
Pegging It
I tried to ignore
this.
Good freakin' God, Katie! Get it together! I've seen at least 4 photos now, in 4 different outfits, all with the baggy, rolled jean action.
You must stop. Please. I'm begging you.
Labels: society, style
Currently Obsessed With
Finding new wooden blocks for Rolo. And a wooden toy car.
So many options, it's hard to choose. Especially online.
Labels: random, style
Things I Am Currently Enjoying
1. Iced vanilla lattes from
Bonte.
2.
Haba's cheese carriage. (Technically, Rolo is enjoying this, but anything that keeps him occupied is something I enjoy too)
3. Salt bagels from the Bagel Factory.
4. My
oasis drink flip flops (a birthday present from Rolo).
5. My new post-it notes (Meg, wherever did you find these?)
Labels: random, style
Swimwear
I have a confession to make. Just about every swim suit I own came from Victoria's Secret. I swear, they are all tasteful, but they were VS nonetheless. Department stores never seemed to have a good selection and frankly, I didn't know where else to look. It's not like there are a plethora of swimsuit stores around here. I tried a J.Crew swimsuit once but the problem there is that every suit (and actually, this often goes for their clothes too) is for someone with no boobs.
My boobs may be considerably smaller than they were pre-baby, and joy of joys, gravity has totally taken over. So even more than before, I need, er, support. J.Crew is not familiar with this. And due to my new found anxiety about what a mom should wear, I don't think a swimsuit from Vicky's is going to cut it either.
I got a catalogue from
Athleta recently and you know, their bathing suits aren't bad looking. There's a good selection, particularly of tankinis (which are my new best friend) and because it's geared towards athletes, it seems like there would be a good amount of support. I particularly like the
Moroccan Tile tankini and the
Victorian Scroll tankini.
Plus, I do enjoy some of their beach dresses and yoga gear. I feel a buying spree coming on.
Labels: shopping, style
The Little Green Dress?
Can we talk fashion here for a minute? Because I feel like I haven't talked fashion for awhile and, my friends, that is completely unacceptable.
So, my brother's wedding is in a few weeks, the wedding that very well may wind up being the wedding from hell, for more reasons than there is space on this blog to fill. Anyway, I've actually been considering wearing a dress I already own to this wedding. I, who have been known to buy a new dress for each wedding I've attended, even when we have like 5 in one summer. And even when all of them have been for people I've either never met, or hardly remember, including Ron's third cousins, once removed. So it strikes me as strange that I wouldn't get a new dress for a wedding of someone who shares my DNA.
I perused the Ann Taylor website, my dress go-to store of choice, and found some interesting options. Now I have to do a reading at the wedding, so I don't want anything TOO flashy, but let's pretend I don't care about it being strapless or showing my shoulders (I'd likely wear a cardigan for the ceremony).
What do you think:
Option 1 Too bold?
Option 2 Too similar to Option 1?
Option 3 I have to admit that I'm a little bit obsessed with this dress because it's not black and I do love green. That said, I'm not sure the empire waist will be flattering on me.
Option 4 This one is actually from J. Crew and it's a style that I had tried on for my friend Deidre's wedding. I know it's flattering, it is pretty, particularly in that kelly green color, but I'm not a super huge fan of chiffon and it's also...slightly boring?
Hmmm....suggestions, in addition to the selections above, are welcome.
Labels: style
Big Decisions
Rolo is quite the little shopper. For mother's day, he bought me
this. Although, he also liked
this one (I like the Geranium color, don't you?) and
this one, and said if I want to exchange it for either of those, that would be fine.
He's funny, that kid.
Labels: Rolo, style
It Really Hurts My Eyes
So a couple of months back, I
posted about some elderly folks of Asian descent that "work out" in the park every morning. Well now that the warmer weather is here, they've taken off their coats and oh. my. God.
What the hell are these people wearing?
Yesterday one woman was wearing black and white zebra-striped parachute pants (think Hammer-Time) with a patterned teal
velour short sleeved button-down shirt and a red nylon baseball hat. Today it was bright blue and hot pink floral button-down shirt, black pants with red leaves on them, and a bright yellow baseball cap.
Everything, positively everything, head-to-toe clashes on every level. The colors
and the patterns, they all clash. And they're not even work out clothes, they're regular everyday clothes. Some even appear to be some sort of synthetic silk blouses.
I think they are trying to kill me. I look at those outfits and I die a little inside.
Labels: society, style
Ohana
A couple of weeks ago, I won a contest at
Cool Mom Picks, one of my favorite go-to style websites. Anyway, I won the opportunity to have
a mother's necklace designed for me by an artist who has an
Etsy shop. Her work is totally cool, but I didn't know what to expect. I was super-excited though because I had seen her work on Cool Mom Picks and had mentioned to Ron how, although personalized jewelry is so NOT my thing, these necklaces were casual but sedate. That was before I found out I had won one of my vey own.
Lea contacted me within a day of me winning the contest and we exchanged several emails about the design of the necklace. I chose to have Rolo's name and a starfish stamped on a round disc, along with a peridot (his birthstone) and a sand dollar charm. There's no real significance to the starfish or sand dollar other than I like the beach and Rolo was born in the summer. Actually, I almost chose a pineapple charm because Rolo has a fascination with a pineapple nightlight we have in our living room and Lea sent me pictures of the necklace with each charm to see which I liked better. She was great to work with, very accomodating and I'm thrilled with the results. I also ordered a pair of earrings from her as well. I really like that Etsy allow you to support independent artists from all over.
Anyway, if you have time, check Lea out on her Etsy site and also
here on Photobucket (see the list at the left). She's got lots of different kinds of funky, but sweet jewelry.
Labels: style
Bags
Yes, MORE WITH THE BAGS. I got my
Petunia Picklebottom a few weeks back and I literally get a compliment every day about it. Nobody ever realizes it's a diaper bag. It's fun and cute and it totally sucks as a diaper bag.
Which I guess isn't surprising given its shape. It's good for storing two bottles, I will give it that. But the pockets aren't deep enough to properly store diapers. My kid's only in a size 3 but they are too tall to have in the pockets and zip the bag. I'm surprised none of the online reviews mentioned this. I could just line the bottom of the bag with the diapers, but then what's the point of having the pockets?
I took Rolo to the doctor's last week and I wanted to bring the bag and pack it with: 4 diapers, two bottles, a pacifier, a set of teething keys, wipes, diaper cream, an extra undershirt and one-pieces outfit (this kid seriously poops himself at the most inopportune times), along with my wallet, cell phone and lipstick.
Yeah, that didn't all fit. And a trip to the doctor's office isn't even a long day out by comparison. You could never go out all day with this bag and be able to carry enough supplies.
So I carry this bag to work, and it holds my water bottle, Rolo's food, my wallet, lipstick, etc. But that's just for getting us to and from day care. Granted, I got this bag to mostly be a work bag that I could just also happen to use as a diaper bag. But really, it's not going to be a useful diaper bag.
I've had the opportunity to see the
OiOi one (in GAP Maternity of all places) and while it looks a lot less like a regular purse, it seems to be a lot more functional as a diaper bag. The outer material is sort of vinyl-y though and that kind of makes me hesitant to order one.
My hunt contines.....
Labels: style
Coveting
I've seen
this on several website and I've decided that not only is it brilliant, but also, I should own one.
Labels: baby, style
Mama's Got a New Bag or The Obsession Continues
Okay, so I found two bags I could use for work. Two! Actually, many more than two, like
this one, designed for the lovely Reese Witherspoon,if I was ever crazy enough to spend $500 on a diaper bag (sidenote: I am crazy, but not that crazy).
The other bag, the one I have not yet broken down and gotten is this
OiOi hobo bag. It's ORANGE inside. How fun is that?
Anyway, the bag I actually ordered, on sale I might add, is none other than this
little number and I BEG YOU TO IGNORE THE NAME OF THE COMPANY. IGNORE IT! I'm honestly not sure how I'll like it as an everyday work bag, but I fell in love with the idea of it and the color. My guess is that I'll love it for a week, realize it's shortcomings and then order the OiOi bag. Because that's sort of my M.O.
Labels: style
Coveting
Apparently I have a thing for bags recently, because I'm also in love with
this one. Either in the green or geranium. This does not, however, diminish the love I still have for
this Vera number. In diaper bag news, I got a
Skip*Hop bag in black for everyday, casual use because either Ron or I could use it (for reasons that baffle me, he scoffs at the idea of using my Vera Bradely diaper bag) and it attaches to the stroller, which is key. I am still on the hunt for the perfect work bag--one that I can bring to meetings, but still be able to throw in baby food, or as the case today is, puke-stained clothing.
This bag by Rowdy was in the running, until I realized the strap really doesn't go around your chest, but simply over your shoulder. And really, I need something that's more of the messenger style, without being too messenger-y.
This was another option, but it might be too diaper-bag-ish.
Have I mentioned that I'm picky?
Labels: style
Coveting
Currently, I'm lusting over
this bag.
Labels: style
Currently Coveting
This coat in green from Land's End. However, I need another spring coat like I need a hole in my head.
This bag, right now on sale, from Vera Bradley. Also, I wouldn't mind
this one.
Lastly, it dawned on me last night that instead of lugging a heavy leather tote bag to and from work (along with my soon-to-be-history pump bag), it would be much easier for me to have a messenger bag. Particularly when nagivating the city with a stroller. The tote bag straps slipping off my shoulders every time I try to open a door and push the stroller through is extremely annoying. Why a messenger bag didn't dawn on me, oh say, six months ago, I'll never know.
I need something that's professional enough for meetings at work, preferably that I could wear just over my shoulder (when not pushing a stroller) instead of across my body. But it also has to be something I can bring with me when I go out for drinks after work (in the rare instances that may ever happen again). So, I thought
this one, maybe. I do enjoy me a Coach bag. Then again, my current tote is Coach and it kind of weighs a ton, even with nothing in it. So I'd need to actually have this one in my hands to make a decision on it. Another possiblity comes from my other aforementioned go-to bag designer, Vera, with
this option. The problem with this bag, of course, is the crazy ass colors. Most Vera bags already look pretty casual because they're quilted cotton, but throw in a hot pink paisley and I would have to be pretty brave to show up to a meeting with that. Why can she not make one in plain black? That being said, I do enjoy the
Yellow Bird color. It's kind of crazy, but in a more elegant way than some of the others.
I think, maybe, it just might work.
Labels: style
