Monthly Musings: Spring & Summer Fashion

This is a fun questionnaire hosted by Patty and Holly that I found over on Dara's blog. Unfortunately I found it after the link up party had ended, but I still wanted to play along. Anything to keep my mind occupied with something other than work or staying home! 

1. bug repellant! / flip flops / sunglasses / fun (bright) nail polish (like this CND Vinylux in Pink Leggings) / zip-up hoodie

2. Sneakers until flip flop season! 

3. For the winter to spring transition I drop the chunky sweaters and pull out the cardis and 3/4 sleeve tops. It's all about the layers for me. Spring and summer are the only time I wear dresses because I get cold easily, but even so I'm not a huge fan of dresses in general. Of course the shorts come out as the temps warm up too! 

4. Since I wear dark, neutral colors the rest of the year, spring is a time when I bust out some colors like mint, lavender, and pink. For me, summer is all about bright primary colors- a lot of red, yellow, and blue, but also orange and Kelly green! 

5. No. 

6. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, just like my momma told me!

7. Lounge pants (different from PJ pants), a sweatshirt, and my house slippers. 

8. Maxi dress- have you ever tried to get out of a romper when you REALLY have to pee?! And then you're sitting there half naked, holding up half your outfit so it doesn't get in the bowl- it's such a production! 

9. Given the choice, I'd pick an in-between sandal like my favorite Journee Genevive sandals. 

10. None yet but now that you mention it, I want to make some! I prefer my banana bread with chopped walnuts. I don't have a favorite recipe but I do love the Starbucks ones banana bread, so I'd like to try this one! 

When do you break out the white pants? 

What are you wearing while you're staying at home?

Here's is the rest of the schedule in case you're interested in joining in the future!

TBB Asks: Shop Til You Drop Edition

Hello and Happy Monday! As you can see I'm off to a slow start today. My company had a delayed opening due to snow and of course I did not have this post up and ready to go. Clearly I've been off my blogging game lately, but I'm back with another edition of TBB Asks and this month's theme is shopping! Honestly, I used to shop (and actually liked going shopping) a lot more when I was younger. Back to school shopping was my favorite, and going to the mall with friends was a weekend hobby. However nowadays most of my shopping is done online and out of necessity. My self-described style would be comfy-classic, and not at all trendy, so I definitely get the most wears out of all of my clothing. Anyway, onto the questions! 

1. Top 3 Shops? Old Navy, TJMaxx, and Nordstrom Rack, though I love the heat-tech stuff from Uniqlo in winter. 

2. Where is the majority of your shopping done? Online! I usually find the best deals there, and can use coupons and cashback (like E-Bates!) 

3. Favorite thing to shop for? Graphic tees, especially punny ones! 

4. Least favorite thing to shop for? Riding boots! I can never find ones that don't leave a gap between my calf and the boot and it drives me nuts! 

5. Favorite clothing I ever bought? My North Face fleece. When I was in college, EVERYONE had a North Face fleece except me. It made me feel beneath them because mommy and daddy bought them everything and we just couldn't afford it at the time. As soon as I got my first job out of college I bought one (in boys size- because I could!). I still wear it all the time. 

My coworker and I in San Diego

6. Do you prefer to shop alone or with others? Alone! I often feel rushed when shopping with others. 

7. Best bargain? Probably my original tall Hunter boots that I found at Costco (like Sam's Club) for half price. Oooh, or my tweed Guess jacket that I found for $10 in a thrift shop! 

8. Do you like thrift store shopping? Yes! I haven't gone in awhile but I love combing the racks for that hidden gem. I guess now the online version would be Poshmark?! 

9. Best cities to shop in? I don't usually go shopping when I'm visiting other cities except for keepsakes like magnets or ornaments, so I honestly don't know! 

10. Who are your style icons? Reese Witherspoon, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Aniston... my style is comfortable and classic, and these ladies embody that with pizzazz :) 

Do you like to shop? 

Linking up with The Blended Blog! 

July/August Budget- Time For A Freeze

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

GlamGlow "Glamizing" Supermud Set: $69
Hunter "Original Refined" Boots: $195, on sale for $129.90
Kate Spade Mini Small Square Studs: $32, on sale for $20.90
Silver and Gold Hoops: $26 ea. (returned)
Sunnylife Tablet Case with Portable Speaker: $35.98 (returned)


TJ Maxx

Silver Knot Studs: $20
Gold Wing Studs: $10
Vince Camuto Sleeveless Blue Top: $25
Red Bag: $25 (returned)
3/4 Sleeve Maroon Top with Zippers on Shoulders: $20
Navy Shirt Dress: $30 (returned)
2017 Planner: $5 (not pictured- returned)


Other 
Target Beauty Box: $10 
Old Navy Cardigans: $37 ea, on sale for $11 ea (ThredUp credit used)
Pyrex 18pc Glass Food Storage with Multi-colored Lids: $30.49, on sale for $25 (Amazon)


It's been two months since my last check-in, and WOW am I glad I stopped to do this now. My monthly budget is $83 and my quarterly budget is $250. See that number below? WAY OVER. I'm wondering if I should include things like Pyrex because that's more of a "Home" purchase than Clothing/Beauty, but I don't currently have a "Home" category since I rarely, if ever, buy things for my home. Anyway, I said I was going to do a freeze in August and I totally did not. Instead, I went in the exact opposite direction. Some of this couldn't be avoided because with the new job I had new needs- like a bag that could fit a laptop and lunch and whatever else I deemed necessary for the day, and some new clothes, particularly cardigans. 

Total Monthly Spending: $304.80

Total Quarterly Spending: $304.80

Annual Budget Remaining = $313

So it's time for a spending freeze. Here are my rules for the freeze:

Allowed:
groceries
lunch out 2x week
pre-budgetted purchases/dining out

Do Not Pass Go:
clothing/shoes/accessories
coffee/specialty drinks (I have a gift card from DD- so no purchases over the $10 limit)
books/movies/iTunes/extra entertainment fees
Groupon/Living Social/Amazon Local/Goldstar [this will be the hardest]

I'll post an update on Thursday, September 29.

When was the last time you went waaaayy over budget? 

How did you reign in spending?

Linking up with Franish for Budgeting Bloggers. 

November Spending

I don't normally do "Budgetting" or "Spending" posts because honestly, I'm not a big spender (at least not on material things- vacations and events are another story). But every couple of months I splurge, and last month was definitely one of those months for me. However a lot of my purchases were things I wear regularly, or were to fill holes in my wardrobe. For instance, the pants I bought are my go-to work pants, so when I saw them on sale, I decided to stock up. As for the chinos, I didn't own any and have been looking for a pair that fits well and would work for both the office and weekends for over a year. My old pair of Hunter boots sprung a hole, and even though I told myself I wouldn't purchase another pair because they're kind of expensive, I couldn't pass them up when I saw them go on sale. As for #6, I do own a pair of winter boots. But they're so damn clunky and heavy that I hate wearing them. The laptop I just purchased yesterday was a bit of an impulse buy, but also very necessary. My current laptop is from 2006. I've loaded it down with pictures, music, and who knows how many viruses, and I've never backed it up (getting an external hard drive for Christmas- trust). It doesn't even have Windows 7 on it. And do I really need to explain socks?! Here's the breakdown: 

November Spending by lildesiqua featuring black pants

one: work pants // x 3 (black, navy, and gray): originally $34 +50% off = $51
two: chinos // x 2 (khaki and navy): originally $40 + 45% off = $44
three: socks // originally $16 + 25% off = $12 
four: Hunter boots// originally $150 + 35% off = $97.50 
five: hat// originally $24 + 40% off = $14.40  (out of stock- did not receive)
six: Sorel Tivoli tall winter boots// originally $150 + 33% off = $99 
not pictured: the laptop I bought yesterday from Best Buy: $260.00 
(Total savings: $224.15)

Total: $563.50


Though the total is a bit high for me, I don't regret a single purchase. I think these items will certainly serve me well in the coming months. 

What about you? Have you been treatin yo'self, or diligently spending on Christmas presents for others? 

Linking up with Franish for Budgetting Bloggers! 

Friday Favorites: Post-Thanksgiving Edition

How's everyone doing this fine Friday? I've been off since noon on Monday since there was a water main break in the town where I work, and we had no safe water. Had I known earlier, I would be on some Caribbean island right now, but alas, I did not. It was pretty fantastic not having to go to work though. I've been working on some projects that I had been putting aside and can't wait to share them with you next week! This weekend I'll be watching all of the Star Wars movies in preparation for The Force Awakens since I'll be away right before it comes out (don't worry- I already pre-ordered tickets for opening day!). But first, let's kick off this shopping-free Black Friday with Amanda! 

Favorite Song: Diplo and Sleepy Tom- Be Right There

Favorite Recipe: Got leftovers? Why not turn them in a turkey and mash potato empanada? 

[via]

Favorite Video: I saw this yesterday and couldn't help but laugh- wait for the rap part!

Favorite Shirt: Wish I had seen this shirt before Thanksgiving- I love it! 

Favorite Purchase: Thanks to Pinky, I heard about the REI sale last week and promptly ordered these beauties. After reading all the reviews and talking to people, I'm almost looking forward to the cold- almost. (I'm also glad I got them early since REI is closed today- they closed all 143 of their stores to #optoutside, which is pretty damn cool.) 

Sorel Tivoli High boots

Favorite Funnies:

Enjoy the long weekend!

Random Thursday Thoughts

Tuesday was not a good day. I slept like crap the night before, and was dead tired all day. I would've called out of work, but my team member was already taking off. On Tuesday night, once I motivated myself to do laundry, I went downstairs to find this:

That is my little storage area in the basement of my apartment. In the first pic, a large piece of wet sheet-rock is on top of my 30 year old wooden toy chest. In the following pic, is the ceiling from which the sheet-rock fell. On the bottom, was some more of the ceiling on some more of my stuff. I took the pics and sent them to my landlord stating that (obviously) the ceiling fell in. He responded, "What Happened?" Um... how should I know, and what the hell do you think happened? You think I just wanted to get creative and start poking at the ceiling?? No, idiot. I wanted to scream, "Your G-D- building is falling apart, that's what happened! Just fix it and clean it off my shit!" 

In other unrelated news, I mentioned that I attended the NY Ren Faire over the weekend. One of my absolute favorite parts is the people watching. These were my two favorite sights:

Tails on heads, and a unicorn!

I also allowed myself to be tied into a corset for the first time. The guy tied it so tight I could hardly breathe. I looked thrilled, right? I was trying not to laugh at the sight of myself.

Also over the weekend, I pretended to be a fashion blogger.

Pinspiration:

walking Old Navy ad

Pinspiration: 

3 yr old maxi dress/necklace from Wet Seal, t shirt from ?, crossbody from ON

That's enough thinking for today. Want more? You can find other random thoughts here:

More Girl Things I Don't Understand

A while back, I wrote a list of Girl Things I Don't Understand. Lately, I've noticed some more things I don't understand. Do you follow any fashion bloggers? Do you read fashion magazines? Normally, I don't. Mostly because 1) I can't afford anything they advertise and 2) I'm just not trendy. However just because I don't follow trends doesn't mean I don't have opinions on them. Here are a few others:

Ear crawlers. 

I do not want to think of anything crawly anywhere near my ears. They need  a new name.

This bag. 

I get that it's cute, but 1) how do you keep the things inside dry when it's raining outside? and 2) I may the only one who thinks this way, and it may be because me and people I know have been victims of theft, but anyone can literally stick their whole arm in there and take whatever they want. No thank you.

Sheer leggings. 
If they were meant to be sheer, they'd be pantyhose. STILL NOT PANTS.

On the same note, patterned tights.
I don't understand the appeal. Every time I see someone wearing them the word hooker comes to mind, and I'm pretty sure that's not what you were going for.

Not dressing for the occasion. 
I'm not really sure how to explain this one, or the example I was thinking of when I wrote this, but yeah...I think you know what I'm talking about.

Denim on Denim.

Especially if they are supposed to match perfectly, because they never do. It's called a Canadian tuxedo and looks foolish, imo. Unless they're colored jeans.

Overalls. 

Please leave them where they belong, in the 90's. They're not coming back, at least not yet. Not even if you make them in leather. I also think they look childish/ridiculous on anyone over the age of 12.

Clogs. 

The last time I wore clogs I was in middle school. And I remember because I could barely walk in them. Also, they don't look good on anyone.

Crop tops. 

Unless you're a teenager with awesome abs, please refrain. Ain't nobody ready for that jelly. Ever.

Am I wrong? Like I said, I'm no fashionista, so feel free to disagree and educate me on these "recent" trends!

Shopping "Haul" // Colored Pants

I have a hard time choosing between buying things for myself and saving money. However, sometimes, you just need to replace some of your essentials. That's what this last shopping "spree" was for me. My short sleeve shirts needed some replacing, and what better time to invest than when there's a sale? I got the two fitted tees below at Old Navy for $5 each ($7 saved). The gray tank (pictured further down) was full price ($13...hmph), but it's so, so soft, I couldn't resist and also I didn't realize it wasn't on sale.

I don't have much of an excuse for the Bath and Body Works purchases, other than again there was a sale, I had run out of candles, and I absolutely love how long these last and how awesome they smell. The candles, in "Fresh Bamboo" and "Bow Ties and Bourbon" were 2/ $24 (originally $22.50 ea), and the body spray was thrown in just so I could cash in on the free shipping with a $30 purchase. It's a new scent ("Sheer Cotton Lemonade"), so it was on sale for $6 instead of $14 . I was a little weary because I'm not a huge fan of overly sweet fragrances, but this one is very light and fresh. I would definitely get it again. And BOOM! I stayed at strictly $30!

Both of my sneakers needed replacing. I've had them for over two years, so they were way overdue and both had huge holes in them making them unwearable, especially in rain. I always like having (at least) one pair of white sneakers and one pair of black sneakers. I really, really love how comfortable the Puma Soleil II are so I just got them again, though now they look slightly different.

You should not be able to fit your fingers through your shoes

I'm always slightly appalled at how much sneakers cost these days. The last time I bought sneakers, I had hit up the outlet mall around Labor Day. This time I could either wait for the Memorial Day sales, or shop around. I can't say I used any special app for this. I checked 4 sites- Puma.com (full price- $62) , 6pm.com because I had a coupon code ($45) , Famous Footwear because I saw that I could get 4% cash back on E-Bates AND free shipping over $50 ($40), and DSW because I had a gift card there ($55). So obviously, I went with Famous Footwear, and the socks were B1G1 1/2 price, and I needed socks and wanted the free shipping, so I got those too.

I've been wanting Converse Allstars for a few years now, so I finally bought them with my DSW gift card. 

12 socks for $12 and my new sneaks

If you're in the Northeast, you may have noticed the near-summer temps last Saturday. We hit 80! I'm so tired of cold and rain, that it was a welcome surprise. It felt like Spring had finally sprung, and therefore the spring wardrobe, including my colored pants, started making an appearance. 

My ex was very, very much against colored pants. Or more specifically, he was against me wearing colored pants. He claimed that the only reason why women wore colored pants was "to call attention to their asses," and "why would you want other guys looking at your ass if you're in a committed relationship?" Therefore, I've had these for two years and only wore them twice ever... last Saturday being the second time. Honestly, I don't agree with him (especially since as you can partially see here, my arse is mostly covered) but alas, that's just another reason we broke up. I wasn't much into colored jeans because 1) I don't normally follow trends and 2) I don't love calling attention to myself with bright, bold colors in general. However, I thought I'd give these a try, and I have to admit that they are quite comfortable, and really brighten up my wardrobe overall. These are the Old Navy Rockstar Skinny jeans, which I also own in black and cobalt blue. I wore the black ones the most, and they've seemed to lost their shape, so I'm hoping the same doesn't happen with these now that I'm actually allowing myself to wear them again!

Old Navy head to toe-wishing I had wore sandals

What are your thoughts on colored jeans/pants? Do you/would you wear them? Do you have any tips or tricks for keeping them in shape? 

Girl Things I Don't Understand

There are many things that girls/women do that I just cannot get on board with. I don't mean personality traits (though I could probably write a whole list on some of those too); I mean trends and fads that I'm hearing or seeing everywhere. Here are the first few that come to mind.

Bubble baths, or baths in general:
I don't understand them. And I tried (see below). Candles, wine, bubbles, no bubbles, bath bombs, etc... I can't get into it. First of all, maybe I need to get one of those bath neck pillow things, because the edge of the tub is COLD. And hard. And generally uncomfortable. Secondly, you know how some people swear by reading in the tub? How do you do that? Your hands are wet. You either have to keep drying them, or just not put them in the water at all, which is also uncomfortable. And thirdly, I just can't really get past the fact that you are stewing in a tub of your own germs. It's pretty gross if you think about it.

Also, I am uninterested in your Instagrammed photo of you in the bath. Just sayin.

I tried guys

Monogram everything: 
Unless you're headed into a group trip or vacation and need it for an actual purpose, like identifying your stuff, I don't see the point. Not to mention that half the time I can't tell what the initials are because of that fancy pants script you chose.

High-waisted pants:
I understand this is a returning fad, but really? Maybe some things shouldn't make a comeback. Yes, they hide your muffin-top, but they look hideous. Try Spanx or normal clothes that fit instead if you're really that concerned. Or ya know, just own it.

Midi/ stacking rings:
Why? Why do we need rings in the middle of our fingers? Maybe I'm just jealous because I can hardly find rings to fit the normal part of my finger, or maybe because I don't wear much jewelry to begin with, but I just find this unnecessary.

V Steaming: 
Have you heard about this? Of course it's a Gwyneth Paltrow thing. Apparently you can "steam-clean" your privates now. Although she swears by it, according to scientists it's unnecessary and not healthy. One even warned against it: "try to avoid thermal burning from the steam." Your V is not a rug- it does not need to be steam cleaned. Just stop it, Gwynnie,

Are there any girly fads/trends that you just don't get?

What to Wear: Valentine's Day

As Valentine's Day is fast approaching, I have been scanning magazines, the interwebz, Pinterest, everydamnthing trying to find something appropriate to wear.

Last year was fairly low-key- we spent the actual night eating B1G1 free Qdoba and falling asleep to Battleship, and went to dinner at The South Street Seaport- which I chose. So, I knew what I was getting into. And then we went to a hookah lounge and it was perfect and chill. And I knew what to wear, because I knew what we were doing, and I knew my bf at the time very well.

This year is completely different. First of all, there is a new guy. Secondly, I didn't make the plans. I don't even know what the plans are. In fact, all I was told was that we would be in NYC, there would be dinner at some point, and wear comfortable shoes because we'd be doing some walking.

Which leads me to think: 

Where are we going to dinner? Will it be fancy or low key? How much walking are we talking about here? Is it just dinner or something else? And omg is it going to snow? WTF am I going to wear? 

So I need your help! Which one do you like best???

fancy schmancy

street cute

tis is actual exactly what I will be wearing to work

girly girl... though I would trade out those shoes

cute and casual...

Valentine's Day 2013 by lildesiqua featuring a revlon nail polish

I like this, but it doesn't seem very "festive"...
where's the red or pink?

My absolute fave....unfortunately I do not own any part of this outfit,
and it's way too cold for this level of cuteness.

What are your plans for Valentine's Day?