Printed Pants

I'm back! Not that I was ever really gone, but I haven't had a lot of time to blog lately. In addition to my full time job and side gig I've been doing some kitchen improvement to our townhouse, which kind of snowballed into a lot more work than I had originally anticipated. Luckily you can't see the paint on my hands in these pictures.

Old Navy Pants + Flats / Thrifted Cardigan + Button Down / Mimi's Necklace

Printed pants have eluded me for months now. I ordered some from the Limited last year and even though they didn't fit, I kept them thinking I would get them taken in because I loved them so much. When I found these at Old Navy they were less than the cost of altering the other pair (which I'm hoping I can now bring myself to give up). Today was the first day I wore them and I have to say, these are pretty great. They are a thick material so in addition to not wrinkling much, they aren't see through despite being cream colored. In case you are ordering online, I would recommend getting a couple of sizes and returning the ones that don't work. I ordered a 2 petite and a 4 petite; the 2 was so big I could try them on without unbuttoning them, the 4 just fit. Definitely read the online reviews or try them on in store. I have my eye on a couple of the other prints should they go on sale (or more accurately, further on sale, as most of the prints are already discounted).

Firmoo Glasses: A Review

I don't typically get excited about glasses. I wear them everyday at work but rarely ever outside because if the the sun is out and I don't have on sunglasses, I am all squinty and can see nothing. (I only use my glasses for viewing things up close.) I know I should wear them all the time, but my current pair is a little blah, so when Firmoo asked me to review a pair of glasses from their website, I jumped at the chance.

Firmoo is an online optical store. Because they are based online, they don't have the same overhead costs associated with traditional brick and mortar stores. The savings are passed on to their customers, meaning you can get prescription glasses for a whole lot less. In fact, you can get them for free! With Firmoo, your first pair costs you nothing other than shipping (which is a very reasonable $6.95 for standard shipping to the US).

If you've never ordered glasses online, it's pretty easy. Usually I wait until one of the big glasses chains has a 99 cent eye exam sale to get my prescription and pupilary distance measured. It also helps to have a pair of old glasses handy to compare measurements of new frames to so you get a better idea of how they will fit. You can also upload a picture of yourself on Firmoo's website to see what different frames will look like on you. And they have pictures of other bloggers who have done reviews on some of the frames pages, which really helped me narrow down my choices. I ended up choosing these.

My glasses arrived in the mail about a week after I ordered. They came in a small padded envelope (I hate when something small arrives in a huge box, it's so wasteful in so many ways). Inside the envelope, my glasses were tucked safely inside a hard case. A pouch, cleaning cloth, tiny screwdriver and extra screws were also included.

 

I was a little surprised at how much I liked the frames and how similar the quality was to my other, more expensive glasses. The only negative is that they are a tiny bit big for my head. They look fine, but the earpieces don't hug my head as much as I would like. (This is an easy fix though, I plan to heat them up with my blow dryer and gently bend them into shape.) Also, this was my own fault because I liked these frames so much and was so excited to order that I didn't bother measuring my old glasses. Oops.

Here they are on. They are exactly what I was hoping for, slightly oversized and a little dorky.

Firmoo glasses / J. Crew Tee / Thrifted Lands' End Vest / Lucky Jeans / Lauren Conrad Flats / DIY Necklace / Vintage Coach Bag

If you are interested in getting your own free pair of glasses, check out their website for reviews, pictures and customer feedback. Click here for frequently asked questions.

Firmoo sent me a free pair of glasses to review, but all opinions are my own. I honestly can't tell any difference between these glasses and my much pricier old ones. I would have absolutely no hesitation about ordering from them in the future.

Puffy and Warm

It has gotten SO COLD here lately! It is officially layering weather now. I was lucky enough to find a Lands' End down vest at Goodwill right before Christmas and let me tell you, I have been wearing the heck out of that thing (which is kind of unexpected, I didn't really think I was a puffer vest kind of person but somehow I now own three). It goes with just about everything and keeps me toasty but doesn't make me feel all restrained the way jackets sometimes do.

Old Navy Scarf / Thrifted Ralph Lauren Dress + Lands' End Vest / DKNY Bag

I also found a new scarf on a mannequin in the men's department at Old Navy. Why are scarves on sale right now? This is prime scarf wearing weather. Anyway, it's plaid so of course I love it but I wish it was double or triple the size it actually is. A good scarf is so hard to find.

I may never get tired of this bag. I actually bought a new one with some Christmas money but have yet to change my stuff out. T.J. Maxx has a similar style right now by Ralph Lauren but in bright, springy colors but even the clearance price is a little (okay, a lot) out of my league. Also, I really want to make some neon tassels like the black ones I already have, but it is so hard to find leather scraps in bright colors. I keep hoping to find one of those hideous neon leather patchwork skirts or jackets from the 80s that I could just cut up to use for materials. No luck yet, but thrifting is definitely on my to-do list this weekend so maybe I will luck out.

The Last Soap I'll Ever Buy

About a month ago, I decided to treat myself to some fancy new face wash when I spotted some Shiseido Pureness Foaming Cleanser at T.J. Maxx. It smelled fantastic and worked well, but around the time I started using it, my face started breaking out. I've been lucky in that I've never really had problem skin. When I have a breakout, it's only one or two pimples, maybe three. But they are so painful. Like punched in the face painful. And they don't clear up in a few days; it takes at least two weeks for them to fully heal, and even then they leave scars that take literally years to fade. When the breakouts started, I thought it might be just a coincidence that I was using a new soap at the same time, so I kept using it. And I kept getting breakouts. Then I thought it was some kind of initial deep cleansing thing, and that if I just pushed through my skin would eventually clear up. It didn't. I used it for an entire month and things never got any better. If I had insurance that covered things like dermatology, I would have made an appointment, but I don't, so I did the next best thing: consulted the internet.

After some extensive Googling, I found what I hoped would fix all my skin problems: Vanicream soap. It's free of dyes, fragrance, masking fragrance, the list goes on but the general idea is that it is missing all the common skin irritants that can be found in other cleansers. I found it on drugstore.com (it's one of my favorite sites for reviews of drugstore beauty products) but ended up purchasing it at Walgreens on the way home from work (I have no patience) and used it right after my workout. The first thing I noticed is that it removed ALL my makeup. I really hate using a cleanser, an eye makeup remover and a toner and still seeing residue on my cotton ball so I'm all for anything that simplifies that routine. Afterwards, my face felt really clean and not tight like with most other soaps. Which was all well and good, but there was still the pimple issue.

I've been using nothing but Vanicream soap to wash my face for a month now and my skin has never been clearer. I still get the occasional break out (because unfortunately, there is no soap to cure stress) but they are tiny compared to what I was having, they don't hurt and they are gone leaving only minimal redness within a couple days. I do have a bit of dryness between my eyebrows but I get that every winter so I don't really think it is the soap, and even if it was, a tiny bit of dryness in one area is a pretty small price to pay for clear skin. And it's less than $3 a bar!

This is not a sponsored post. I have not been compensated in any way for writing it, I just wanted to share my experiences in case anyone else is going through the same thing. I completely expected wrinkles to start creeping up on me at this point in my life, but I never thought I'd be dealing with acne a decade after my teen years ended. Hopefully this soap continues to be my miracle cure but if not, I'll keep you posted.

Mad for Plaid

Lately I've kind of been on a plaid kick. I had already bought two plaid button downs when I walked into Goodwill and found this one in the kids section. (Too much of a good thing? I think not.) There's no way I was leaving it behind at only a dollar and fifty cents.

Thrifted Loft Cardigan + Vintage Shirt + American Apparel Belt / Old Navy Skirt / H by Halston Boots

As it turns out, it matches just about everything else I own. Seriously, look at all those colors. I've already worn it with an oversized cream sweater and black skinny jeans and with my new down puffer vest (also compliments of Goodwill and also perfect with everything) and jeans. I also really want to pair it with this grey sweater and some red skinnies. Someday I hope to have a closet filled with only things that are this versatile.

Casual Friday: Plaid and an Army Vest

I love ankle boots, they are pretty comfortable and go with just about anything.

AE Shirt / Justice Vest / Thrifted Gap Jeans / Gap Socks / Kohl's Boots / T.J. Maxx Necklace

The problem is, they can leave your legs chilly, especially this time of year. I've tried tucking my pants into them, but they aren't skinny enough and always end up puffing out over the boots awkwardly (how do they make this look so good in magazines?). So I decided to show a little sock, at least until spring gets here.

Mine are from a few seasons back, but here are some equally cute options.

Forever 21, $2.50

DIY Painted Reusable Dog Bag

I love reusable bags. I take them to the grocery, the library, even Goodwill (but not the same ones I use at the grocery, ew). Most of mine are freebies, and while they work just fine, they aren't exactly fun to look at. My solution? Put a dog on it. (Or a cat. Or a bird, if you must.)

Since all of my regular reusable bags have some big, unfortunate, hard to cover logo gracing them, I got a fresh one to use. The extra outside pockets are what sold me. That and the 40% off coupon I had. In addition to a bag, you will also need fabric paint or a fabric marker (I used both because I couldn't find a metallic gold fabric marker), a ruler, an animal template (and a printer to print the template if you aren't drawing it freehand), scissors, a paint brush and a pencil.

This is a thick canvas bag, if using a thinner one, place a piece of cardboard inside the bag to prevent bleed through.

Print or draw a dog (or cat or bird) template. (Card stock is easier to trace around than plain paper.) Decide where on the bag it will go.

Trace around the template in pencil.

Decide where the stripes will start. Draw a line to mark the bottom of the first stripe. Measure and mark the top of the stripe (these stripes are 5/8" tall). To keep things easy, I made the stripes a ruler width apart.

Continue marking off stripes.

Fill in the stripes with a fabric marker. Be careful not to touch the stripes until they are completely dry and DO NOT color inside the animal outline. It took three coats to get the stripes this dark, and the canvas is still not completely saturated.

Allow fabric marker to dry.

Outline the animal silhouette with fabric paint. Use a paintbrush to spread the paint into a thin layer.

Add a second coat.

Let dry and enjoy!

*These are really quick, easy and cheap (less than $10) to make. If you are looking for a last minute Christmas gift, this is it. For those who aren't animal lovers, a gold initial would also look great!