October Shopping Update

It has been about 3 months since I started this journey of not buying any clothes, shoes, or accessories until next July. It’s been about a month since my last update and I know I was feeling pretty strong and had no strong shopping urges.

Since then we’ve hit another season and I have definitely had some twinges. I did kinda know this would happen. I mean I had done plenty of shopping before July and had plenty of summer items to wear. I’m not saying I don’t have plenty of fall and winter things to wear, but the cute new things are pulling at my heart strings.

My previous plan had been to just avoid, avoid, avoid. I unsubscribed from emails, would avoid walking into the women’s section at any clothing store, and would zip through any insta advertisements. I decided recently that that I may have to change my tactic.

The Target we currently live close to seems to have the biggest selection of women’s clothing and it’s hard not to see it as you walk through the store, but I never go into the section. I decided that it might be good for me to just go in and check out what they have and see if it’s stuff that I would buy to wear and use or just find to be pretty. As I walked through I realized it was more just stuff I found to be pretty.

This was a big relief as you can imagine and I left the store with no purchases. I still have no plans to resubscribe to emails, but I think if I get the urge to shop I will go do some “window” shopping. I think there’s something soothing about just seeing what’s out there and if it’s a need vs a want and something I would use more than once or twice.

Don’t get me wrong I have no issues purchasing a want over a need, but a part of this process was to figure out what pieces I use and gravitate towards and what pieces are missing from my wardrobe.

So far, I’m still enjoying the process. I still like figuring out what to wear from my own wardrobe instead of running out and buying something every time I feel like I have “nothing to wear.”

I hope you guys are enjoying these updates as much as I enjoy writing them up! Thanks for reading!

Cutting down and Cleaning out

I’ve been avoiding writing this post because writing this post means I will have to stick with it…

Long story short I decided after our move that I will not be buying any more clothes, accessories, or shoes until after July 2020. I kinda avoided telling hubby for a little while too because, again, saying it out loud would make it a concrete thing that I would have to follow through on.

I took the plunge and told him because honestly there’s nothing quite like a move to encourage you to get rid of things and question your decision of buying stuff. We did donate a bunch of clothes before the move and some after, but it really opened my eyes to the amount of things we acquired in just a couple of years.

The things I have now are things I feel like I will wear and use and love, but I really wanted to test that theory out. Do you guys have a ton of things to wear but only rotate through a few things? I know I do, so I wanted to see if I could encourage myself to wear more of things I already own.

At the end of the year the things I haven’t worn are going to be donated. I feel good and strong about this now, but I know it will get tough because I do love clothes and accessories and shoes…

I decided to do this for a few reasons:

1. Avoid being wasteful-I keep buying new things so I don’t get as much use out of my clothes as I could/should.
2. Easy to keep organized-I don’t have clothes overflowing out of my dresser/closet. This also allows me to see what items I am missing or what items I may need more of.
3. Buying clothes/shoes/accessories is more of a want at this point and not a need. I have enough clothes for every occasion and season. I have more than enough jackets for the winter and plenty of dresses and shorts for the summer.
4. A perk of not buying more stuff is saving some money honeyyy 😉
5. It will get the creative juices flowing in terms of coming up with outfits and pairing things up that I may not have thought of otherwise.

I have plenty of rational reasons in my head, but I am keeping my fingers crossed that I am able to stick it out and do the darn thing. I will definitely do my best at keeping you guys updated…maybe even like a monthly update?!

Thanks for reading lovely peeps! Let me know if you’ve ever done something like this and how it went? Any tips on how to get through?

Loving

Hey sweet people!

I have had a few things piling up that I have been loving and wanting to talk to you about so I thought what better time than the present? Yeah?

Let’s jump right in starting with some fashion favorites 🙂

I had bought a dress from Aritzia for a special occasion that was going to be happening in the summer! I loved it, it was beautiful. Then I went to TJ Maxx and found this beauty. It’s this blushy, mauve, nudey pink color with a beautiful floral pattern and fluttery sleeves. It’s a wrap dress that cinches me nice and tight with the tie at my waist (I do wrap it all the way around instead of just tying it on the side). It is a high/low style dress which is great for a shorty like me and  the best part? It has pockets!!

Needless to say this won by a million miles and I ended up wearing it! I learned that it would have been much better for me to be patient because this dress came in under $30 while the Artizia dress was $70!

This next dress was also a steal at around $18! I found it at Target and immediately fell in love. I have a major love/hate relationship with the Target clothing section. It’s very hard to figure out my sizing there. I am usually an XS or smaller when it comes to dresses and anytime I try on XS there it can range anywhere from fitting beautifully to looking like I’m wearing a large trash bag. I am talking about within the same brand so it’s frustrating to say the least.

I was a little nervous going into the dressing room because I knew it could go any which way, but it ended up fitting like a dream! The buttons on the dress are functional, but they don’t go all the way down. It leaves this little rectangular open space that isn’t too noticeable because once you tie the dress at your waist it all bunches and flows together.

It feels so light and flowy and perfect for a summer day! I’ve worn this dress multiple times since I got it and have absolutely loved the versatility.

I love a good pair of earrings and while at the mall with my brother in law and his GF I found these beauties at Lucky. I love that they are hoops and have this sweet pearl detailing. I found them to be just so lovely and also very versatile. You can dress them up or down!

Moving on from fashion to food…

Summer fruit is a current obsession…I’ve literally just been eating watermelon for dessert after every meal. It is sweet and hydrating and I find it much more delicious than just drinking water 🙂 Besides watermelon, berries have been so incredibly yummy as well…honestly any sweet, juicy summer fruit is a favorite!

Avocado toast with tomatoes on sourdough…I may have mentioned this before, but I just can’t seem to get enough. I have literally been having this with my breakfast every morning! I love the acidity and freshness that the tomato adds and with a little black pep-omg I have died and gone to avocado toast heaven!

That is going to wrap up my favorites for now! Thanks for joining me you guys and please tell me what some of your current favorites are in the comments below. I can’t wait to chat!

OOTD Deconstructed: Spring is Here

After all the rain and cold I’m happy for promises of warmer temps and sunnier days. It has me having all the feels and ready for dresses, jumpers, and skirts! I’m definitely not an OOTD person, but I love putting stuff together and I thought it would be fun to do a deconstructed version of the OOTD.

The fun yellow overalls are light yet perfect for those cooler spring nights. They have pockets and lemme tell ya…I love a good pocket! I really loved that I got it from TJ Maxx for less than $20 🙂

I paired it with this navy and white floral bodysuit from Forever 21. It was on sale for $8 when I went looking for them and so I snagged this one and a plain white.

I found these at Old Navy by absolute accident! They were under $8 and I thought the yellow would match the overalls so perfectly 🙂

I couldn’t help but wear this beautiful necklace from FabFitFun mostly because it’s my current favorite accessory. It’s just so pretty!

I love a good classic white sneak and these are from Steve Madden. They are used and loved and so easy to pair with anything!

Do you like overalls? Do you prefer more fabric-y ones or do you prefer a sturdier denim? Let me know in the comments!

Some shopping I did

I love hauls, but I wasn’t sure this qualified as a haul. I recently made some purchases from Sephora, TJ Maxx, and Forever 21, but it’s a few stores and I really only got a few things.

I was needing a refill on my favorite concealer so I decided to do some online Sephora shopping and we all know how that leads to a lot of money spend on things we didn’t know we needed.

I do love this NARS radiant creamy concealer. It’s always worked for me and it looks great! It works for brightening up my under eye or concealing a spot and that’s all I can ask of my concealers!

I ended up adding my birthday gift to this order so I wouldn’t have to go in to an actual store. As a skin care lover it was easy to pick out the Drunk Elephant deluxe sample. I’m curious to try it out! It’s also excellent for travel 🙂

Another deluxe sample I was able to add on was this Alt-retinol from Ole Henriksen. It’s something I had looked at it before and thought it would be interesting to try, but kept putting it off because of the price tag. I’m curious to try it in this size and see if it makes a difference! Fingers crossed my skin loves it!

 

I was running low on my Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery and initially I was just going to reorder more of the same, but I decided to do some looking around and found this Herbivore Orchid Youth-Preserving Facial Oil. I figured I would try it out and if my skin loved it I could keep it other wise I would just return it and find something else.

I love that Sephora includes samples with their packages and I ended up getting this Youth to the People Face Wash and Black Opium Perfume. I’m not sure how I feel about the Black Opium quite yet, but maybe it’ll be another favorite?

That was it from Sephora, but I did do some in store shopping at TJ Maxx and Forever 21. From TJ Maxx I picked up these fun, yellow overalls. They have pockets and I thought they would be perfect for that spring to summer transition time. They are cottony so they don’t feel as heavy as a denim overalls which I love!

To go with my overalls I wanted to find a couple of body suits. I had actually eyed these a couple weeks prior at Forever 21, but when I was trying to figure out how to style the overalls they came back to me. I got a navy blue floral and a basic white. These were soft and very fitted!

Let me know if you’ve tried any of the Sephora items I got and if you loved or hated them! Also, body suits? Do you love them or hate them? These are my firsts so I’m curious!

Fab Fit Fun Spring Box

Besides all the other wonderful things hubs did and planned for my birthday, he also got me another Fab Fit Fun box.

He did some add ons this time around which were a fun little surprise! I thought it would be fun to share the unboxing and show you guys the add ons 🙂

Add on numero uno was this necklace which came the day before the box arrived. It’s the Pisces symbol. I’m definitely a dainty necklace/jewelry gal and although this Pisces symbol is bold I loved the delicate chain and the beautiful gold details.

The second one arrived in the box and were the deluxe Murad samples. He knows how much I love skin care and trying new things and added this!

Now for the actual box!

This season’s box had this gorgeous short sleeved floral robe! It will definitely be perfect for the warmer months and I am so looking forward to wearing it! It feels light and soft and I love the pattern.

This champagne body scrub is something I am excited to use and see how much I like it. I love the packaging on it too-so pretty!

I don’t use a lot (or any) product in my hair other than my regular shampoo and conditioner. I do put coconut oil in my hair once a week as a deep conditioner and wash it off, but I am a little intrigued and scared of this Ouai leave in conditioner. The smell is nice, fresh and clean. I’ve currently pawned it off on my husband, but I may have to try it out!

Tula isn’t a skin care line I’ve heard a lot about, but this probiotic wash intrigues me. I’m interested in looking into it before using it, but it’s always nice to have a back up of face wash!

The box came with this beautiful necklace as well. It’s a lovely light chain and I love the bar with the white stone in it. So pretty!

I have yet to use or find an eye cream, ointment, anything really. This box included a Dr. Brandt eye de-puffing gel and I am curious to see how it works and what it will do.

I broke a favorite pair of my sunglasses a while ago and I’ve been on the hunt for something similar. Even though this is a little different I am so excited about these Quay sunglasses. I’ve heard great things about them and they look so fun on!

This last product is definitely one of my favorite things in the box. The Lavido lotion with mandarin, orange, and bergamot smells so delicious, fresh, and clean I just can’t get enough!

That was the Fab Fit Fun spring box! Let me know if you get Fab Fit Fun and what you got and if you did any add ons!

 

Loving

Hello, hello! I thought it would be fun to share some of the things I’ve been currently into…I want to keep this post short and sweet so let’s jump in 🙂

My Sedu straightener finally gave up and gave out. It was a good long 10 year run and it did a great job of straightening my hair without damaging it, but I was ready to try another brand. I took a leap and got this Kristin Ess 3 in 1 straightener and so far I have been loving it! It does a really great job and it’s so beautiful! White and gold? My heart!

I’ve been wanting this book since the moment it came out, but for whatever reason waited to buy it. I love books by strong women-it’s so inspiring and I just feel so motivated after. If you haven’t read it yet I would definitely recommend!

I’ve been looking for a dress for an occasion that is months and months away. It will actually be during the summer so I wanted something summery, light, and classy? Does that make sense? Anywho, I found this dress at Aritzia and snagged it up! It’s my first Aritzia purchase and I just keep trying it on and going head over heels…

That is all I got for now! Have you guys read anything you couldn’t put down? Let me know in the comments below 🙂

Loving

I love doing these posts and reading posts like this from other people! I think it’s so interesting to see new finds and sometimes I find something super useful in those posts.

I’m constantly loving all the things, but here are a few that keep coming up over and over…

Quick meals-I don’t know if I’m just more hungry then usual or I’m waiting too long to start making my meals, but fast meals to get food from my fridge to my tummy have been a major go to.

I know summer is gone, but I cannot get enough of these grape/cherry tomatoes. They are so delicious! Side note: also can’t get enough grapes…

This dress I found at H&M…not my usual style, but I thought it was super cute and it was under $10! Whaaaaat??

I love a good rose scent, but this vanilla and rose lotion from Bath and Body takes it to another level! It’s seriously so lovely!

Dinner with friends is always a favorite, but I think it means a lot more now knowing that we are all going different ways come later next year 😞

I’ve been wanting some heart earrings and these gold plated ones were too cute to resist. I actually mix them up when I wear them instead of pairing them with their twin!

I think that wraps up my favorites! Talk to me in the comments and let me know what you’ve been loving recently! Till next time 🙂

Some fall favorites

I have not been hating this fall thing that’s happening. It still gets nice and warm during the afternoon in LA, but mornings and evenings have been a bit chilly. Because of that I have been feeling all of the fall things!

My first favorite is something I’ve been looking for, for a LONG time. When you’re a shmall framed human it’s hard to find leather/jean jackets that properly fit and won’t break the bank. I finally found this beauty at TJ Maxx. It fits nicely, has pockets on the sides for your hands, and was $20!

During the same shopping trip I found this reddish brownish burnt orangey polish from OPI. I probably don’t need another polish, but I honestly don’t have a shade like this and it seemed like it was meant to be 😀

Brunch with bae has always been and will always be a fave..honestly any meal with him will be a fave. This particular meal was from Leo & Lily’s. It was their turkey club and their crunchy french toast.

I have been kinda loving and living in jumpsuits as of late. They are so comfy and you can pull one on and look put together as long as the fit is right. This was another TJ Maxx find. Maybe I should have named this a TJ Maxx haul 🤔

Breakfast burritos are perfect for fall! When it’s chilly outside I have a hard time eating raw veggies. So if I can sauté them up and wrap it up in a tortilla with some scrambled eggs, cheese, and hash browns…why not?! Also it’s super delicious and filling!

Obsessing specifically over Fage’s 2% Greek yogurt. I normally use the 0% Greek yogurt, but the hubby had been mixing the two. He had some 2% leftover recently and I was trying to use it up and fell in love. It’s super creamy and it’s not as tart as the 0%. Super impressed! Will be sticking with the 2%!

These sunnies were a find at Francesca’s. My favorite pair of sunnies recently broke and I’ve been on the hunt for a pair. Just like finding jean jackets are hard for me, finding sunnies that fit my face are difficult…maybe I’m just picky! Who knows? I saw these, tried them on and loved them. They’re so lovely!

Those are all my current favorites! Tell me what you’ve been loving this fall in the comments below!! Till next time!

Fashion Favorites

I don’t know if it’s getting older or just getting more comfortable in my own skin, but the way I look at clothing has really changed.

I feel like I could never find clothes that fit me properly or anything “in style” did absolutely nothing for my body. If it actually looked good it was uncomfortable, I would wear it once, tug and pull on it all night and never wear it again.

Recently, I have been having no issues finding clothes that work well for me. They are comfortable and cute and I am excited to wear them.

I’ve been loving dresses this past summer. It was hot and wearing anything denim, pant-related, or heavy was a no-go. Dresses were great because they were light and easy to pull on, but you still look put together and pretty!

As fall is coming I wanted to find some dresses to transition my way into fall and these next two do exactly that. Both of these fall right in middle of my shin which is a trend I’ve been loving.

This floral black one I got from Old Navy. They had it on sale for 50% off or something and I couldn’t resist. I also ended up getting a solid black version as well. I figure I can pair it with a denim jacket (once I find one) and some mules or white slip-ons and be good to go!

This wrap dress with the light denim material with the sweet floral-ish design had my heart the minute I found it on the sale rack at Target. It was $13 and I was positive it would not fit me. When I figured out the ties and got it on I was in love. I can’t even tell you how much I love this dress!

What’s funny is that I can usually never find too many things from Old Navy that fit my petite frame and dresses at Target are pretty much the same way. I find that things are super baggy or tight around my hips/butt and hang loose around my waist/chest so I was incredibly happy to have found my dresses!

This last item is a jacket from Zara and I am completely unsure whether I keep it or return it. A part of me LOVES it and can’t wait for cooler temps to wear it with everything and everywhere. Another part is skeptical and mocking the first part.

I have nothing like this teddy jacket. It fits big, but it’s snuggly and warm and IT HAS POCKETS. ugh.