What to Wear: Date Night

Prices & Details

Prices & Details

The Switch

Cavalini jacket, Steve Madden top (last seen here), Forever 21 pants, Club Monaco scarf, Joe Fresh flats, Liliana wedges (last seen here), Gucci sunnies, Mexican, A.Co Designs & F21 bangles & BCBG bracelet

Oh hello completely unedited photos.  I don't normally do too much to my photos, a little shading here, some cropping there, but not this time.  The main computer has been infested with viruses for months and I have been forced to blog from my laptop since last summer (pain in the butt).  However, the software to edit my photos was on the big computer (and still working) so for every post I'd be editing photos on that computer, transferring the images to a USB stick and plugging into my laptop to actually blog (just writing about it is tiring let alone...).  However, the big computer is now fixed and I can blog from it again (woohoo, mouse power) but the software I used to edit my photos is gone (gone, gone)... hence the unedited photos (did you even notice?  I didn't think so).

The switch:  heels to flats in 5 seconds flat.  (get it? Flat? Ha? Ha...)

Favourite Hair Products

Covet

Aldo, Schiess $100

You all know what I fan I am of nude shoes and wedges, so this seemed like a natural covet choice for me. 

PS - this is my 500th post (!).

Meet Emily

Hi Everyone!  How stoked am I to be guest blogging for Amanda again! I am emily and I write emily loves.  I wanted to share with you some products that make one of my biggest 'loves' easier!  I paint my nails at least twice a week, it used to be more but now that I have a real grown up job I don't have the time to paint them every other night.  Having naturally weak nails I have always been on the look out for products that will strengthen my nails.  I had fake nails for a while but they were too much upkeep and not really my style.  Next to making my nails stronger I wanted something to help the polish last longer and something else to make the polish dry faster.  I'm not asking for too much, right?!   After years of searching I have finally found my top three nail products. . . . lucky you, I'm going to tell you all about them!

This is my newest favourite colour 'Passion Pink'.  Thanks to my fave three products I can rock this colour for days chip free!

Left to right: CND Stickey, Salon Sciences Instant Articificals and OPI RapiDry CND 'Stickey'

I spent a full day driving around to different Ulta stores trying to find this product and it was totally worth it as it is by far the best base coat I have ever tried.  The best part is it actually lives up to it's name!  This stuff keeps my polish on longer than any other long-wearing base coat.  Since it is clear (not green as it might seem) I just brush on a quick coat over clean nails.  It doesn't need any dry time at all so once I have finished painting my second hand the first hand is dry enough for the next layer.

Salon Sciences Instant Artificials

This was a random Sally Beauty purchase during the summer and I can't believe that I've kept it a secret this long.  I swear two coats of this product and my nails are as hard as gel nails. . . ok, maybe that is a slight exaggeration.  For real though, this somehow dries to a super durable and hard finish, yet removes easily with polish remover.  They recommend putting the coats right onto your bare nail, but I like to put it over the base coat.  As someone who used to have flimsy nails this product is a life saver!

OPI RapiDry

I have used many different quick dry polishes and also the OPI DripDry drops and until I started using RapiDry DripDry had my vote.  This spray is easy to apply (literally you just spray) and with 2-3 spritzes and 5 minutes your hands are good to go.  This is the only product that actually dries to the point where you can do things.  I always found that the other quick dry products would dry the polish to the touch, but not enough that you could actually do anything. 

Let me know what your favourite nail products are!

Thanks for letting me ramble Amanda!

x em

Meet Ally

 Me on left in the front row in the jacket

Hey y’all, Ally here from In The Sky With Diamonds. I’m just starting out in blog land and I have to say I just love it!  I am so happy that Amanda is giving me the opportunity to share with you the story of how I came to own my favorite bright yellow H&M jacket. Normally for me these stories aren’t very interesting and usually consist of a lucky trip to the mall. This one is much more than that…

Rewind back to April of 2008, I was on a school fashion field trip to the most amazing place in the world… New York City! Of course I was so wrapped up in picking out all my outfits and accessories for the trip that (in true blonde moment fashion) I totally neglected to bring a jacket. Ugh, just my luck. The day we got there we were allowed to roam free on 5th Avenue for 1 hour (hello dream come true!) and I made it a mission to find a coat (preferably fabulous and inexpensive). I bee-lined it to H&M and started combing through the racks of spring items to try to find something with sleeves… and there it was… a lone bright yellow coat… in my size. Ahh, it was like the heavens opened up and shined a big spotlight down on me in the middle of the packed store. Needless to say I bought it, loved it, and wore it the entire time.

But wait, that’s not the best part! While walking around with our tour guide, she ran into a friend who produced, ‘The Early Show’ and he invited our group to come to the show in the morning. We were all pumped and figured why not?! So, we somehow got to the studio the next morning by 7am and lined up around the gate outside and before we knew it the place was packed! The show was going along great and then the male host turns to the audience (us) and decides to ask a question.

He started walking over to our side… and he keeps walking… getting closer… even closer… and he stops… right in front of me. Now let me just say for the record I am very shy in unfamiliar situations so I was mortified and thought I was literally going to have a heart attack. He turns to me and asks, “What makes you smile?”… silence… I can barely remember what I said. I know I mentioned NYC and plugged the fact that I was there for a school trip but that’s all I can piece together. From the feedback I got from friends watching on TV, I managed to sound pretty good during my national television debut! Our group got invited into the studio after the show and I was told my yellow jacket was the reason he chose to come talk to me… what luck! 

Outside the studio on that fateful morning

Now 2 years later I still have the infamous bright yellow jacket and love to wear it, but what I love the most is the fun memories attached to it and the fact that when I think about it I can’t help but (you guessed it)… smile.

 

Inside the studios

Do y’all have some fun stories behind your favorite items? I’d love to hear them! Feel free to stop by my blog and say hello and share your stories! 

Thanks again to Amanda for the fabulous opportunity to be a guest blogger!

Ally

Road Trip

Source

Today my girlfriend and I are getting away.  Getting out of town.  Getting lost.  And we've made a pact: no cell phones.  Of course we are bringing them with us (duh, safety first my friends), but they are being turned off.  Destination unknown.  A real adventure.  Sometimes you just need to get away (ideally on a holiday that we are getting paid for but don't have to work - woot!).

Happy Good Friday to all. 

Meet Angie

Hello all.   I am Angie from The Hotness Your Momma Warned You About, and I am here lending Amanda a hand while her life is on the crazybusy train right now.  I'm a 30 eve lady living and loving in beautiful San Francisco and one issue that I always have is taking my day look right into the evening.  

Being a city girl, I walk five miles a day, to and from work, so, I typically lace up my Reebok Easy Tones (not kidding, those things are effective) and bag lady it to work every day (I honestly get the strangest looks while walk commuting to and from my office because I look like that quintessential older working gal wearing her professional gear + sneakers, and I am lugging around 12 pounds of junk).  I work in an industry that constantly has something going on in the evenings or I am meeting up with The Mister or friends right after putting in that 9 to 5.  I am always having to think ahead on what I can wear so that A: My feet don't kill me come 8pm and B: How can I still look chic and keep warm once the fog in the city starts to roll in.

Today I have styled my favorite sundress in two different ways for you all.

DAY

 

Dress: Anthropologie.  Shirt: Gap. Belt: Express.  Shoes: Jessica Simpson

You can call me "Mortified Mildred" in this picture, because there are about 3 men outside of this frame making comments and a garbage truck drove by and honked.  Ahhhh, the joys of being a blogger.  Also, can anyone tell me if this tactic of cat calling has ever worked for any man? Doubtful.

NIGHT

Dress: Anthropologie.  Belt: BCBG.  Jacket:  Local Boutique Called Ambiance.  Watch: Michael Kors, Men's Chronograph, stacked with a bunch of cheap-o bangles. Bag: Coach

So, there you have it friends.  How do you style from day to night?  I'd love to know.   Also, don't judge me on needing a tan...believe it or not, it's cool all year long here in SF so, ones skin can become damn near translucent.  

Amanda, thank you so much for letting me entertain your readers.  Hopefully, I kept the nutbag to a minimum...but if you like reading nutty rants and musings, stop by and say hi to me on my blog.

Champagne wishes and caviar dreams.

Angie 

Fresh Goodies

 

Joe Fresh:  boatneck grey tunic with pocket | boatneck white & grey striped 3/4 sleeve tee with pocket | 

olive ruffled mini skirt | flowered silk top with buttons | dolphin silk top with buttons

As I mentioned, I took a lil' trip to Joe Fresh and Winners the other day and came home with some goodies.  Check 'em out.

As far as Winners goes, I didn't buy much, just some sunscreen and a pair of thigh-high tights like these.

Interesting: iPhone Snaps

 Someone had a great night.  Yes, that is four Sapporo beers taped together.

 My favourite lip gloss for the past year and a half.  

 Our shopping cart at Winners (I ended up buying this dress).

 

WTF.  How does this happen?

 Romance

Calling all...

 

I'm looking for guest bloggers to take over my blog this week.  Life is a little too crazy right now and I'd love a hand.  

Guest Blogging topic suggestions...

* The story behind your favourite shoes/jacket/skirt, etc.

* A DIY

* Your favourite recipe

* The look for less

* How-To...

etc. 

If you're interested (you're awesome!) please email me at acoest1984{at}gmail.com

Double Up

A.Co Designs circle vest (last seen here), American Eagle oxford (gingham),  Joe Fresh oxford (solid), Dynamite skirt (last seen here), Anne Michelle heels, Givenchy tights, thrifted belt, Mark necklace & Bay bangle  

Hello lovelies, please forgive the slight absence - it's been a week and I was so busy and blah blah blah, who cares right?  All that matters is I'm back and that's that.

So let's talk cars.  I've decided I'm going to keep my car (I know, right, after the car shopping episodes and all) as it's the smarter choice right now.  I would love to have something new (I've had my car for quite a long time) but this just makes sense for now.  So yesterday I went to my parent's house and my wonderful Dad put my summer tires on, fixed my trunk latch, installed a new headlight switch (I've been driving around without lights... well, I had daytime running lights but those aren't very bright at night and I'd have to hold the lever halfway towards me in order to get the highbeams to come on... I know, a little bit ghetto, but,  since I was planning on buying a new car so didn't want to spend the $75 for a new switch) and replaced my burnt out signal bulb.  Having a (retired) mechanic for a Dad has huge perks.

After I left their house, I did a bit of shopping (Winners & Joe Fresh) and picked up a few goodies.  I'll take some pics and show you what I picked up (exciting).  Also, I know I promised you birthday gift pictures and I haven't forgotten, it's just life has gotten in the way and taking perfect pictures takes a lot of time!

Lastly, I created a vlog of my favourite hair products (as someone asked for that) and loaded it onto my computer and it crashed.  It won't even turn on.  Of course I didn't put the video on my laptop, that would just be too easy.  Le sigh.  So, you might or might not be seeing that video in the future.  On that note, does anyone have a good (free) video editing software?  Hook a sistah up.

Curried Sweet Potato Soup

 

I love sweet potato.  I can't get enough.  I bake it, I mash it and now I apparently make it into soup.  When I found this recipe, I knew it was love at first sight (hello, did I mention I love sweet potato?  It was a no brainer).  It was fairly easy to make and enjoyed for many days following the night I made it.  Le yum.  Get your soup on.

Tan, Chocolate & Black

 Kenzie jacket (last seen here), H&M dress (last seen here), Aldo boots (last seen here), Costa Blanca belt, 

Forever 21 bangle, Ardene leather bracelets & Tiffany bracelet

I'm feeling uninspired so no words today.  Hope your Tuesday is great, though!

 

I'm loving lately mixing my masculine leather bracelets with girly bangles

I Could Be Your Treble...

Dynamite jacket (last seen here), Joe Fresh top, American Apparel dress (last seen here), Sirens leggings, xxx booties (last seen here), Club Monaco scarf, Suzy necklace, H&M bangle & Gucci shades

Happy Friday my friends!  It's finally here, the weekend - breathe easy.

I finally sat down at my sewing machine last night and ... sewed.  Yes, I actually focused.  And guess what?  I'm about to cross of #5 off my April resolutions list (whoomp there it is).  No. Big. Deal.  And don't fret my friends, I will be sharing the wealth, and by that I mean taking some photos and showing you... I'm keeping them for myself though, sorry (I'm not that wealthy).  

Secondly, I went for that test drive I was telling you guys about.  It was awesome; the car is sick and really fun to drive.  However, the V6 is just more power than I need... okay, that's not true, it's the high gas prices and gas guzzling consumption I'm worried about.  Engine power?  Pshhh.  Gas prices?  Eeek.  So, I've decided the four cynlinder is a better option, but am taking my time to ensure everything is right.  I haven't ruled out other options but won't be making a decision right away.  Car shopping to me is scary and exciting, all at once.  Anyone else out there shopping for a new (or used) car?

 I could be your treble, baby, you could be my bass. 

... 

It's getting bigger.  The bass is getting bigger.

You Asked...

 

Thanks for you questions and comments on my 'Responding to You' post - I loved your questions.  If you had a question and didn't get it in on time, visit my Formspring page where you can ask anonymously.  Onto the answers!

1.  I always wonder are your the third person from the left in the picture above with your blog name?  Thank you!  That isn't me, but she does have a great booty and tiny waist.  I also really dig her kicks.  (For the record, none of them are me)

2.  Which is your favorite store/site to buy affordable shoes?  Urban Original

3.  What do you do for a job?  I'm an Executive Assistant.

4.  Do you want any kids?  Yes, two, but not anytime soon.

5.  Do you have any wild and crazy blog goals?  ie - do you want to monetize, ever do blogging as a living?  I would love to blog for a living (is that possible?) but am very happy to have it as a hobby / passion.  As far as monetizing, yes, that'd obviously be great (make some money while doing something I love?  Um, does it get more awesome than that?) but nothing wild and crazy.  I want to improve the esthetic of my blog, learn better HTML and pull in a bigger audience.

6.  What is your favorite pair of shoes out of your collection?  These... no these... wait, these. 

7.  What's your favorite part about Canada?  I haven't traveled much in Canada but I love summer where I live.  It gets super hot (30 degrees C, or more) and there is beautiful scenery.

8.  What's the biggest rumor you hear about Americans?  (Caitlin!) How do I know if it's a rumour or not?  I'm Canadian!  Just kidding.  Probably that all Americans are overweight.  I mean, that's obviously not true but I personally do enjoy the massive portion sizes (for cheap) you get in restaurants down there.

9.  How do u get motivated to work out?  Ugh, certainly not easy on most days.  I think finding something you love to do helps; for me that's mainly classes (Zumba, BodyPump, Spinning, etc.).  I like having someone yell at me and keep me focused.  Being surrounded by others doing the same thing pushes me.  Also, I love working out with a friend.  It's not a social thing, it's more of a they-are-counting-on-me-to-be-there thing, and it helps because we are motivating each other.  However, I do mainly work out alone.

Miss Zumba

Spence cropped jacket (thrifted), H&M dress (last seen here), Sirens leggings, Bamboo boots, Suzy belt, Emily Elizabeth necklace,  g21 sunglasses, Swarovski bangle, Michael Kors bracelet & Bijoux Terner beaded bangle

You guys!  Something totally exciting happened to me on Monday night.  As some of you know, I do Zumba and have for two years.  I absolutely love this cardio work out and as a former dancer, it's awesome to be doing choreographed dance again (unlike when I just randomly dance around the house).

Back to the story exciting-ness.

So I'm in class on Monday, waiting for our teacher to arrive.  The class is set to start at 4:30pm, and there are about 30 women waiting.  Well, 4:30pm came and went and still no teacher.  A few minutes later, an employee of the gym told us our teacher was no where to be found and we could wait, but class would likely be canceled.  As we all stood around feeling defeated, one woman pointed at me and said, 'You should teach the class!'.  Another chimed in, 'Yeah, you're really good,' and then another, 'Yeah, do it!'.  Next thing I know, I'm fetching my iPhone from my locker and hooking it up to the stereo system in the class, jumping on stage and teaching an hour long zumba class.  What!?  I know. 

It was so exhilarating and while I've had several people, including instructors, suggest I become certified to teach over the years, I've never actually taught a class.  I was so nervous but didn't want to go home either.  I came to sweat, and sweat we did.  I had some of the songs on my phone, the others I YouTube'd.  Sometimes I messed up the choreography and sometimes I killed it.  I even free-styled for one song which wasn't terrible and everyone seemed to really enjoy it.  At the end of the class, everyone was clapping and cheering like crazy for me and numerous women were coming up to me thanking me, telling me how awesome it was and how I should 'really look into teaching from now on', etc.  It was amazing.  Such a feel good moment and accomplishment.

Urban Behaviour trench