The weather has been annoying here in Austin…and last week was particularly dreadful. The bright fuschia and leopard shoes were exactly what I needed for Happy Hour(s). 
Dress :: Marc Jacobs
Tights :: Hue
Shoes :: Candie’s
Blazer :: Laundry
Belt :: Vintage
Bracelet :: Vintage
Clutch :: From India
Hi y’all! Haven’t had a chance to blog properly in awhile or even catch up on reading my favorite blogs – it’s been a crazy few months…
We adopted Katara:
We got married:
I got purple ombre hair:
Top :: Vintage
Pants :: Bar III
Colorblocked Heels :: Elle
Cat Eye Sunnies :: Nine West
OK, it’s been a little crazier than that but you get the idea.
Here’s hoping I’ll get the chance (& the motivation) to blog more regularly here and on The Style Co-op.
With the wedding mere days away (17!), I’m crazy busy and spending time on my my hair is not practical. I’ve also been attempting to thicken up my hair after it started to fall out in India late last summer and straightening it makes it look thin so I’ve been avoiding doing that. So I’ve been leaving it to air dry and wearing it curly…which means I pull my bangs back and throw the rest into a bun every day. Not attractive.
Cue the Hana Air Premiere Hair Dryer. I long ago replaced my Chi Straightener with something much nicer but have been putting off upgrading my hair dryer…and I’m glad I did. The nice folks at Misikko sent me the HANA dryer to test out and I am so grateful because I’m in love!
They sent me wonderful hair products as well but I was determined to make the experiment unbiased. To make a fair comparison, as a control (oh yeah, I paid attention in 7th grade Science) I used the same shampoo, conditioner and cream that I always use and only changed the hair dryer in my routine.
The Hana Air Premiere Hair Dryer was amazing. It dried my hair in minutes…like 7. It normally takes me multiple sessions over the course of hours to get my hair fully dry in a way that won’t make it unless I am in a rush and am forced to scorch my head. Not only was it super quick but even the high level combined with the hottest setting didn’t burn me once. I don’t know how it did it without making me break into a sweat but it did and in no time at all. I asked Bear to feel my hair and he said it was, and I quote, “Luxurious!”. And it was…no frizz and no brittleness. It was soft, had movement and was super shiny.
Then I went a little crazy. I was so excited that I thought “maybe I can even give myself a blowout!”. Now we all know how difficult and time-consuming this can be…hello, that’s what salons are for!…but then add in my usual level of frizz and stubborn curls and it’s near impossible. Also, I had never even tried before so there was that. But I re-wet my hair and gave it a shot. It took awhile and I didn’t even have all the proper brushes/tools but it still came out looking pretty fabulous:
It’s lasted days and I’ve gotten several compliments. My hair has volume, no frizz and looks and feels healthy.
The HANA Hair Dryer is professional grade and really lives up to all the great reviews (here, including mine). The website sells everything from styling products to professional hair straighteners and all the tools you’d ever need. Now I’m on the hunt for a curling iron to add some big curls…and I think I know where to start looking.
But I do love the color and these pants that Bear found me at Sears. And because we bought our appliances from there and had signed up for the rewards program these were $12 free! I love when I find great staples or things I’ll wear a bunch (things that would have been worth splurging on) at great prices.
Top: Cotton On
Pants: Sears
Shoes: Nine West, thrifted
Purse: Michael Kors, gift
Bangle and Watch: India
I’ve also recently been obsessed with this super comfy skirt and top:
Top: Maurice’s
Pants: Old Navy, thrifted
Shoes: India
Watch: Citizen
Sunglasses: Kate Spade
And this leopard print jacket with fun structured shoulders:
Dress: H&M
Shoes: YSL, thrifted
Purse: Michael Kors, gift
Bracelets, Belt and Necklace: Thrifted
Jacket: Thrifted
Do we really only have two weddings to go to this year?? That seems crazy given the 6 we attended last year. We have one more in LA during Thanksgiving weekend but a couple weeks ago we headed to our old haunts in Houston to attend the wedding of our good friends Samir and Rachel! It was so much fun seeing my old coworkers and getting dressed up in all the clothes we brought back from India:
I have a closet the size of most dorm rooms and I’m out of hangers and almost out of space. Yet sometimes I walk in there and can’t find a damn thing to wear. As my friend Amy would say, #firstworldproblems.
I was late for date night last week and ran in and decided to just go with something super simple and this is what I came out wearing. Surprisingly I was happy – usually I feel the need to make every outfit unique. But I like the shape and comfort of this one and love my new-to-me necklace and cuff.
Top: Thrifted
Skirt: Kenneth Cole Outlet
Shoes: Aldo Outlet
Necklace: Garage or Estate Sale
Purse: Gifted from Mom from Michael Kors Outlet
My darling friend Andrea and I had an eye-opening discussion recently. I already knew how much I love to shop (surprise!) and hunt for treasures. But the realization was that I wear the things once or twice and in some extra-awful cases, never, and then donate them or hold onto them for years thinking ‘one day I’ll be invited to a 60′s costume party’. Seriously.
Case in point: I’ve had the cuff and necklace worn in these pictures for months at least. And yes this is the first time I’m wearing them.
So I’m going to continue my thrifting habit (which is not to be confused with my book and magazine hoarding obsession) and wear the items a few times until the thrill is gone and then sell them online for another lucky treasure hunter to find…when I stop being lazy. Want to guess how lazy? I’ve had the Etsy store without anything in it for over a YEAR now. I have the shopping part down, it’s the uploading and pictures taking part that I’m struggling with. Go figure.
As Bear and I plan our wedding, with all the other costs we’ve had this year and our decision to donate $10k to charities in our first year of marriage, we are very careful about all of our expenses. We want the wedding to be unique and memorable but not be embarrassingly expensive or gaudy. We have been thinking about our stationary and wanted to keep the thank-you cards simple and economical while still personalized and of course – not looking cheap. Enter UPrinting.
UPrinting is an online printing company that offers a multitude of printing services such as a customized letterhead or magnets and even stickers! Of all the printing companies, few offer as many great options and services at UPrinting – they let you order free samples of the paper to help you decide and offer online support all day, every day.
Best of all they are offering a great prize to one reader! You’ll receive 500 pieces of Letterhead (yes, 500!) printed on 5.5″ by 8.5″ 70lb offset paper. Your own personalized letterhead design will be printed (front only) and you’ll receive your package FREE of shipping charge in about 4 days! Giveaway is limited to readers 18 and older and U.S. Residents only.
All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below! BUT HURRY! Giveaway will end Wednesday, September 28 at 5 pm central time. Only two days!
I’m so excited to design our letterhead that I’m actually looking forward to sending out thank-you notes with our personalized paper!
GIVEAWAY ENDED. Winner: mommy2one126@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting, no monetary compensation was given and I will receive letterhead printing service by hosting.
