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

Hello!

I've got 3 more outfits to show today. This week was all about earth tones. I really love tans and olive greens. I have been told that the olive colors compliment my light skin.

You may have seen an outfit like this before but I chose to add this pic because it shows the tops color better and the detail on the sleeve. This shirt is from Zulily. It is comfortable, fits well and the color is amazing. It has a slight sheen but not shiny. I almost always pair this top with the featured scarf because they compliment each other so well. I got the scarf from Shoptiques.com using a gift card I received from a Popsugar MustHave box. It was less than $3 and that was the shipping! I know I mention Popsugar a lot but it is worth it! These jeans from Zulily have become my favorite pair, fit extremely well, and I always feel good wearing them. The shoes are brown Clark's flats that I found at Ross. The earings are a jade stone with gold tone wire that I picked up from World Market. They are my second favorite pair of earrings. 

I've finally worked up the courage to wear the tribal print sweater that I picked up from Forever 21. When I first tried it on I felt it looked too boxy, with the help of the brown braided belt I found at Charming Charlie it gave me some shape. Also the wider leg on these heathered brown Gap pants balanced the volume up top. I had several people tell me they liked my sweater and I feel more confident about being able to pull it off. The shoes and earrings are the same from the first outfit.

No great work week is complete without a blazer! This one is a forest green color and I found it from Zulily. I also have it in black. It is a cropped, 3/4 sleeve style. Underneath I have a light knit gray and black short sleeve sweater from Ross. As usual these are the dark gray NYDJ pants that I love and turn to most often. The shoes are a patent black flat from Ross. The silver pennant necklace is from Baublebar.com gifted through one of my Popsugar boxes. It's not too bold but not so dainty that it can't be seen. It's an everyday piece and a welcome addition to my growing collection of accessories. The earrings are a light teal blue with silver wire from World Market.

Most of my clothes and accessories come from the same stores but when I find a store that carries unique quality pieces at reasonable prices I go back as frequent as possible. 

Hope this has given you some ideas on where to look for cool stuff. It's sometimes hard to find clothes etc. on a tight budget but that's the fun in bargain shopping!

Thanks for reading.

Til next time,

Trish

January 2014 Popsugar MustHave Unboxing

Hey there, 

I received my Popsugar MustHave January box yesterday and I wanted to show you what they've sent this month. I rave a lot about the things I've gotten in past boxes and I really think it's the most exciting subscription box, just above Glossybox. I think the price is worth what you receive. They don't just send beauty items, they always include a little bit of everything, it's like your birthday every month. 

Drum roll please!

Some pretty neat stuff this month!

This is the Malin + Goetz Detox Face Mask. It claims to hydrate and brighten your complexion. I'm pretty excited to give this a try. It's a full size product, and from their website it retails for $40. That's more than the whole box cost! Absolutely an awesome item to receive. I might post a review or include it in a Thumbs Up (or down) Thursday. We'll see!

The Juice Generation book looks amazing. It's a juicing recipe cookbook and I sure am glad I bought a juicer a year or so ago and will be able to start trying out these tasties soon! It's awesome quality, full of photos and overall another great find in this box. I love when they send books and knick knacks too, once I've got it I've got it, no running out and having to repurchase if I like it. On amazon.com you can purchase this book for $16. 

This 2014 Flip Around the World desk calendar by Rifle Paper Co. is super cute. It's flip style pages with each month have charming illustrations of world famous cities. 

The details in each drawing are precious and this is something I could totally see myself turning into greeting cards once that month has passed. This calendar retails for $16 from the Rifle Paper Co. website. Popsugar also included a 10% coupon off future purchase. 

This is Revlon by Marchesa Box O' Files. It's just larger than a matchbox and contains 6 dainty nail files for the girl on the go. Can't wait to throw these in my bag for mani-mergencies! You can pick some up for $3.50 at Target. 

These tech gloves from Jack + Lucy are a nice addition to the box. This style glove is pretty popular and this particular pair is gender neutral and could even be embellished to give them a personal character. I could not find information about where to get these or how much they cost but overall I'm not disappointed in getting these in my box. The only thing is I shall have to wait for December this year to be able to wear them in South Texas! They may go into a gift pile that I could send to my family up north. 

The last item in the box was this huge bag of Pipsnacks White Truffle Pipcorn. Popsugar usually includes some kind of snack in the box and this is pretty neat. I've never seen mini popcorn but can't wait to try it out. This popcorn costs $6 per bag and can be found at their website Pipsnacks.com. 

Wow! This box was an amazing value for me. I know I will get use out of everything in the box. All together the box comes to around $82 without including the gloves since I don't know how much they are. I got this box in a 3 month subscription for $35 dollars per month. I essentially saved about $50! I have been impressed each month with popsugar and it really has been my favorite and most enjoyable sub box to get each month. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Til next time,

Trish

Thumbs Up Thursday!

Hey there!

Today is another Thumbs Up Thursday, I've got a few products to highlight and a few other things I am just enjoying at the moment. 

This is the Beauty Protector Protect and Detangle leave in conditioning spray. It's AMAZING. I originally received a sample size in a birchbox and instantly fell in love with it. My hair is so soft, silky and smooth. It does not weigh down my hair and does not turn greasy. It says to leave in and use before styling to protect against heat damage. I usually only blow dry my hair but with this, people are always telling me my hair looks so soft. I can't stop running my fingers through it. It's got a pleasant scent too! I've tried to find the product outside of the birchbox website but no luck so I just purchased the full size from them. 

Lately I have been loving plain nonfat Greek yogurt (no particular brand) and find that when mixed with honey, peanut butter, and cinnamon makes an awesome fruit dip, especially with apples. I'm sure it's relatively healthy and has lots of protein and fiber from the fruit. It keeps me full if I eat it for breakfast and tastes more like a dessert. I also like to top mixed fruit (berries, pineapple, papaya, grapes) with the yogurt, drizzle with honey and sprinkle pecans on top. Soo good!

This candle is from Nest Fragrances, it's the Burchwood Pine Luxury Scented Candle. I got it in a Popsugar Must Have box and it is delicious. The candle infuses the whole room with the most pleasant wintery scent even when it's not burning. This photo does not do justice for the beauty of the glass itself. It has a gold leaf pattern design and I cannot wait to use the candle up and have the pretty jar to store makeup brushes or eyeliners atop my vanity. The Popsugar Must Have boxes are really great and I really enjoy the items they send.

This body cream From TokyoMilk (also received in a Popsugar box) smells fantastic. It makes my skin so soft, it applys smooth and absorbs nicely. When I wear this I do not need a perfume because it leaves me with a faint pleasant smell throughout the day. It keeps my skin supple and I like to apply it right from the shower. The jar itself is huge and cleverly designed. A really great find!

When I'm not feeling in the mood for coffee (which is rare) but still need a caffeine jolt I reach for a sugar-free energy drink. I've tried most varieties and granted they all taste a bit like the candy Smarties on crack. It's a toss up if this taste is pleasant or not. Either way a friend from work introduced to me the Monster Energy Ultra Zero. This DOES NOT taste like doped up sugary candy. It's mellow, slightly sweet, slightly tart. It reminds me of Squirt soda. It definitely has a hint of grapefruit to it and it seems like although it is still carbonated it isn't extreme fizz like most other energy drinks. This stuff could be dangerous because it doesn't feel like I'm drinking an energy drink, just seems like a refreshing beverage so I've got to be careful not to reach for one right before bed! Overall I love this and it's my go to boost of energy when coffee just won't cut it.

Moving on to the one Thumbs Down for this week.

 I was really kind of bummed out because when I got the BH Cosmetics Contour and Blush Palette it seemed like it was going to be really awesome. I loved the color and when I first applied it everything seemed great. 

Then by the end of the FIRST day wearing it, right above my jaw line a huge pimple surfaced. I don't usually have acne issues and never in that area. I did not wear foundation this day and the only thing I applied there was the brown contour color. I decided to try it a few more days and the breakouts just got worse! I stopped using it and they are starting to go away. I REALLY wanted to love this. I will continue to try the blushes to see if they will still work out but I mainly got the palette for the contour color. BOO. I'm sure not everyone will have this reaction but something in the formula causes me to breakout.

And in the spirit of tradition here's a #TBT for ya!

My dad and I, circa 1989.

:)

Thanks for reading!

Til next time,

Trish