Outfit of the Week

Hey there!

For this weeks work outfits I played with patterns. It's fun to try and theme the weeks wardrobe but also challenging. I can't say every week will be themed but I will make an effort to do some more coordinated weeks.

Here is a tribal patterned short sleeve cardigan I bought from Forever21. I use a brown braided belt from Charming Charlie to secure and help give some shape. Underneath is a 3/4 sleeve zip front black top from Target. The black skinny pants are from Forever21. The brown riding boots are Enzo Angiolini from Macys. My necklace is from World Market. This combination was so comfortable and cozy. I felt like I should have been at a ski lodge curled up in front of a huge rock fire place with hot cocoa! The sweater is very warm even though it is short sleeve and unfortunately in Texas we are already headed into our summer heat and I fear this may have been the last time I'll get to wear this before next winter. 

Here is a polka dot blouse from Target with an Old Navy tank top underneath. The pants are a charcoal gray work pant from Nordstrom Rack. The black belt is pretty old but I think it is from Target. The chunky heart chain necklace is from Zulily and I also have it in gold tone. The shoes are nonslip ballet flats from Payless. I get so many compliments on this shirt. It sits slightly above my hips about mid waist which graciously accentuates my assets. The pattern is reminiscent of stars in space and feels very glam. I usually like to pair this with a deep berry or bright red lip for a nice retro vibe but this day I had a brighter fuchsia lip shade. Over all this is one of my favorite "office" type of outfit.

Every now and again I like to throw in a dress combo. I bought this chevron patterned dress from Ross. The belt is the brown braided Charming Charlie one from before. My black leggings are from Zulily. My earrings are from World Market and the shoes are the same nonslip flats from Payless. This dress is fun and very chic. The black sleeves are mesh and the sweetheart neckline gives this a great feminine feel. Paired this with the gold dagger earrings to lend an edgy vibe. When I wear dresses I have to be creative because I don't carry a purse while I am walking about work. I usually keep phones (personal and work issued) and lip gloss in my pockets. Most of my dresses don't have any pockets but I found these leggings from Zulily that have a somewhat thicker pants-like material and back pockets. With these I'm able to clip my work phone onto the belt and the other items tucked in my back pocket. 

It was fun trying to see what kinds of prints I had lying around and it turns out I have more patterned items than I thought. 

Hopefully this inspired you have a theme for your work outfits. Let me know what you think down below. 

I enjoy reading the comments and look forward to feedback from my readers.

Thanks for reading!

Till next time,

Trish

 

Outfit of the week

Hey guys! 

I've put together another round of work week outfits for you. 

This is my favorite, comfy, relaxed but still pulled together look. This tunic top is from Nordstrom Rack and I also have it in olive green. If I could wear them every day I would! They are polyester and the fabric drapes nicely. I love to pair these with black leggings and a long tank top for the ultra relaxed comfortable outfit. Here I have the blue tunic with my NYDJ grey denim pants. They have a bit of stretch to them and a panel inside to help minimize the tummy pooch. Shortly after I ordered these from Hautelook one of the back pockets completely fell off! I kept it to sew it back on someday but for now I'm just rocking the single back pocket. It'll be a new trend. I still love these pants even with this flaw and feel snug as a bug in a rug. This necklace is from Lane Bryant and compliments the blue in the top. The shoes are slip resistant bow flats from Payless. 

I always get compliments when I wear this wrap sweater. It was gifted to me by my good friend Hayley and I do not know where it is from. It is a unique piece being one long fabric rectangle with arms attached. When you put it on you cross the ends and wrap around. I always secure this look with a belt (this brown braided one is from Charming Charlie) but it can probably be left open and draped. The shirt underneath is a black mixed fabric Converse One top from Target with a half zip front closure. This top is very comfortable and versatile. The black skinny pants are from Forever21, and the black boots are from Payless.  

I usually like to throw in a blazer at least once a week. This blazer I got on sale for $10 at Target and is a black with a hint of shimmer texture. It's a slightly stretchy material and has a single button closure in the front. It is a bit long but I think the length on my 5'7 frame works. Underneath I have a teal short sleeve top also from Target with an open zigzag pattern, and a black tank top from Old Navy. The pants are my NYDJ grey denim comfy pants. This necklace was an added gift to a Popsugar MustHave Box I received and I love how easily it wears with any outfit. It's tiny silver triangles with rhinestones and the perfect length for daily use. The earrings are a silver drop aqua blue stone that I picked up from World Market. I usually find some great earrings and necklaces from them and they always have great sales and coupons online. The shoes are black patent flats from Ross. This hairstyle is my go to everyday updo. A side twist pinned bangs and a messy side bun that I usually braid first then twist and secure with bobby pins. 

I am planning to purchase a fancy camera to start YouTube videos very soon. I cannot wait to get it all figured out and be able to start posting some awesome vlogs. I also had another recipe for penne pasta bake to post with step by step and ingredient photos but being a novice blogger I forgot to take photos of the finished product! I even made it twice and told myself to remember on the second time to get the last shots needed... Only to realize once we were finished eating I hadn't taken any! I really think this waking up at 2am for work every morning is giving me a severe case of short term memory loss. 

Hope you enjoyed reading.

Stay tuned for great things to come!

Til next time,

Trish

Outfit of the week

Hey guys!

Time for another #ootw. Each week I choose 3 of my work outfits to share with you. I realize the lighting is terrible but this is the only full length mirror I have access to (someday I will have one at home to take photos before I go in!) I do feel pretty silly taking selfies at work sometimes. Having to be to work by 3AM I hardly ever get to work on my makeup/hair. Once I'm more set up for these posts from home I will be able to take photos of other outfits throughout the week.  

This combination was prett effortless and quite comfortable. I paired my favorite black skinny jeans from Target with a cream and olive striped top from Ross. Finished with a black rhinestone embellished cardigan from Target. These shoes are my favorite black patent flats from Ross, and the spike studs are from Forever21. I love how these earrings add an edgy touch to any outfit. 

I am really enjoying this slightly metalic black blazer I picked up for $10 on sale at Target. It has just a hint of stretch and is very comfortable. There is one button closure and I like the shape it creates. Underneath I have a fuchsia button up top from Old Navy. These pants are a charcoal grey work pant that I found at Nordstrom Rack. The heart charm necklace is from Zulily, and the shoes are the same patent black from Ross. 

I love this Angie patterned top from Hautelook. The color compliments my eyes and the pattern is reminiscent of peacock feathers. It super soft. I chose this tan colored blazer I found at  Burlington Coat Factory and my heathered brown Gap pants to complete this look. The brown Clark's shoes are from Ross. The spike necklace and jade earrings are from World Market. I have found some of my favorite accessory pieces from World Market and I love their home goods too. 

Thanks for stopping by today. Again I look forward to a better set up where I can take better quality photos, play more with outfits, makeup and hair, and bring you more exciting looks. 

Til next time,

Trish

Thumbs Up Yesterday!

::TAKE TWO::

Hey guys!

It's Friday and this would have been posted yesterday but some unfortunate technical difficulties delayed post til today. 

I've given big thumbs up to some pretty awesome products this week. 

Here is a Le Métier De Beaute Kaleidescope eye shadow set in color Pretty in Punk. These retail for $95! Granted I am IN LOVE with these ultra pigmented shadows, my budget conscious self can not possibly fathom spending that amount of money on any singular item let alone a piece of makeup.

I was privileged to receive this in my Limited edition Neiman Marcus Popsugar box and am thrilled to get to try something so luxurious.  I looked around to find the names of these colors but nothing surfaced. The website does have different color combinations for the Kaleidescope set and you can find YouTube videos about how to apply the shadows to really take advantage of the multidimensional "Kaleidescope" effect.

http://www.lemetierdebeaute.com/ in case you'd like to check them out!

The shadows were swatched with primer. I love the density of these. The light beige-gold color on the left is now my favorite highlight and inner corner color. It has a hint of peachy to it and when applied lightly just gives a nice soft shimmer. The bright bold pinks in the middle are great for the outer lid and crease and blend really well together to create a beautiful ombré effect. This black shadow is something else. I have mixed feelings here. It is finicky but oh so fierce! I have learned that I must apply this shadow before ANY other makeup due to its fallout. Fallout that cannot be simply brushed away. Fallout that smears black streaks across your face anywhere it falls. Despite this downfall I LOVE this black. It is intense, sultry, bold, and smoky. When all necessary precautions are taken to avoid streaks this black makes an awesome outer V color. Once applied it DOES NOT BUDGE. At all. All day. Seriously.

Here I used scotch tape to create a sharp cat eye with the black shadow. I used the dark pink right above the black and blended with the light pink toward the crease. I smoked out the black shadow a bit and applied the beigey golden shimmer to the inner corner and brow bone. I took these photos after an 10 hour work day and you can see the shadows are still complete, no smudging under my eye. This color combination would be perfect for a Valentines look. 

I love these shadows and I find myself reaching for them daily. 

I have always loved wine hued nail polishes. Deep burgundies reminiscent of a bold glass of Merlot. I layered this deep berry cream color from Nails Inc. with a smokey sheer black with red shimmer polish from Julep. The combination of the 2 creates a rich full-bodied burgundy. 

I received the Nails Inc polish in a Glossybox and am a Julep Maven subscriber where I get a few new polishes each month.

Both of these boxes are great and they have really made it possible for me to try out awesome products. 

While organizing my Julep collection I stumbled upon these gems that I ordered on sale shortly after Halloween. I have never used crackle nail polishes before so I picked these up to try them out. 

I decided to layer them over a hot pink base to hopefully make the crackle pop!

I love how the texture came out after only a few swipes of the brush. The orange combination is perfect for a fun beachy summer look. I think I will paint my nails with either the black or the silver for valentines day, although the white would be awesome with a red heart painted on top! 

I love food! A big thumbs up for these herbed French bread pizza toasts. I took a loaf of rosemary olive oil French bread from Target and placed them under the broiler just until the edges began to brown. I slathered each toast with a roasted red pepper tapenade, laid a few thin slices of muenster cheese, and topped each with some pepperoni slices. Back under the broiler until the cheese is hot, bubbly, and brown around the edges. Holy yum! 

This is a delicious indulgence any time of the day!

My thumbs down this week is also somewhat food related.

I grew up drinking artificial sweeteners and Splenda was always the first choice for taste. The last few years I had found a new sweetener called Ideal. It is amazing. Simply sweet and very natural tasting, better than real sugar! One day a few weeks ago I ran out and kept putting off buying more. Honey to sweeten my coffee just wasn't cutting it and I really try to stay away from refined white sugar. I finally broke down and ran to the nearest store to get more sweetener. All they had was this bag of Splenda granules. I knew I previously likes Splenda so I picked it up. When I tried this in my espresso I nearly spit it out! It was disgusting! I used the same Splenda to sweeten iced tea and it tasted fine. I don't know if the acidic nature of the bold espresso I make caused the flavor to warp or what, but very time I add it to my coffee I want to gag. 

Thumbs down to Splenda sweetened espresso! 

Even though it is Friday, I was going to include these #TBT pictures in my post yesterday so I will still add them today!

My circle of friends at our highschool graduation.

Some more of us striking a pose on our way to project Graduation.

Good times!

Hope you enjoyed reading this post!

(albeit a day later)

Til next time,

Trish

Outfit of the Week

Hey there!

Today I bring you another installment of my work week outfits. Why only 3 you ask? I decided that not all of my outfits are always pulled together at 2:30am when I'm getting ready for work. If I pick my best 3 outfits each week I've got a little wiggle room for error. 

This deep cobalt blue shirt is one if my favorites from Target. It's easy to wear and the silhouette suits me well. I pair it with a gray/brown textured pant from Gap. These pants are soft and very comfortable. The shoes are slip resistant pumps from Payless. 

This was a fun outfit. I'm always delighted on the slight chance I can wear jeans to work. These jeans are from Eighty Eight Jeans and I found them on Zulily. They fit perfect and go with any outfit. This top used to be a dress that shrunk and is now too short, so I just fold under the bottom. I got it at Target along with the black sweater that has Black rhinestones on the shoulders. I get compliments on the sweater all the time. 

Here I paired a black cropped blazer from Mine Too found on Zulily with a short sleeve button up top from Nordstrom Rack. The top has a nice brown dot design and tabs on the sleeves. The pants are my trusty NYDJ that I bought from Hautelook. The necklace is from Zulily and the earrings from Forever21 (they have such cute inexpensive earrings and so far they do not irritate my ears!). I'm pretty sure this outfit would have looked nicer with the shirt tucked in and a black belt but the NYDJ come pretty high up and would not have worked out that way. 

Nothing too exciting this time, some weeks I'm so tired it's hard to get creative at all. I've also got certain criteria I have to follow for our dress code. Boo! Someday I'll have a job that let's me dress however I want! 

I should be getting my first DIY finished by the end of the week and stay tuned for Thumbs Up Thursday as well!

Thanks for reading,

Til next time

Trish