Outfit deets:
* Amanda & Chelsea sleevless blazer.
* Sam & Veda tank.
* Zara pants (new!).
* Accessories: F21 necklaces & earrings, Deux Lux bag, Le Chateau cuff, Gorjana bangle & H&M rings.

If you follow me on Instagram (I'm acoest1984), you've seen these shoes I purchased a few weeks back.  I searched four Winners to find them and was so excited to finally get my hands on a pair!

They have really nice padding for the bottom of your foot but they do run a little snug.  I got my normal size (10) but they definitely need to be worked in and stretched out a bit; however, since they're real leather, it shouldn't be a problem over time.

As far as the outfit, I'm loving these pants--I'm a huge black pant lover, especially for work, and these take my regular skinnies up a notch.  I especially love the side zipper and  a cool seam that runs up the back of the legs to back pockets--so much so that I tried to get them in navy after buying these but they were sold out.  

Photos by Serena Rivard.

Outfit deets:
* Garage kimono cardigan which you saw in the my last outfit post (with a leather skirt) because clearly I have no other clothes to wear.
* H&M tank with a low back which I wore to Taco Fest.
* Paige white denim which have quickly become my favourite pair of pants and I'm convinced this is the brand I should buy from now on... except the price point.
* Accessories: Le Chateau cuff & 'Hope' necklace by Emily Elizabeth jewellery.

When I first bought this kimono-like cardigan in beige, I was a little uncertain about it being so... house-coat-ish?  Despite loving the look on other girls, it felt weird at first wearing this out of the house, despite the sweater-like material.  However, like most trends when you try them there is often an awkward, 'Can I really pull this off?' phase that will usually pass once you arrive at your destination.

This was no different, and even when I purchased the black, got it home and realized it was about 6 inches longer than the beige colour, despite it being the same size, I again felt a little odd rocking it for the first time.  And then again, after the first wear it almost becomes old hat and voila! you've made a trend your friend and can rock it with confidence.

Ever feel slightly out of place in your new duds at first?


Photos by Serena Rivard.

Outfit deets:
* Ardene 'Partier' top (new!); how cute is this?  When I saw it I had to think for a minute but then realized the nod was for Cartier--cute!  It was super cheap and totally on trend.
* Dynamite waterfall blazer.
* Zara jeans (old) which you've seen a few years back in a parking garage with all black errthang.
* Aldo Periera booties (Christmas gift) which I had my eye on for months, but never purchased and then funny story, my mom purchased for herself, they came in, didn't really suit her and I saw them in her pile of 'returns' and snatched them up.  I told her I pay for them but she said I could have them as a Christmas gift--it was Christmas day when this happened, too!
* Accessories:  Expressions by The Bay necklace (old but they still have it), Ardene 'Love' bracelet, F21 wrap bracelet & Aldo bangle.

Okay, it's that time.  New Years resolution time.

I said I would share and I've been thinking long and hard--and you know I'm a fan of attainable resolutions--so here goes:

* Minimum one video per week on my YouTube channel.

* Don't take on everyone's problems--listen, empathize, let go.

* Pay off my credit card every month.  #keepinitreal


I think that's good.  Those are attainable, but also challenging for me.  

Making videos is a time consuming ordeal, and while it's a labour of love, there is a lot of behind the scenes work from preparation of myself (hair, camera make-up), the camera itself (setting up, focusing, etc.) and then the editing which is easily three to six hours per video.

I'm a naturally empathetic and compassionate person, who takes others problems and make them my own; it's my (astrological sign's) way of helping others.  In reality, it causes stress and worry, and most of the time it's the other person who has to fix it on their own.  That isn't to say I'm going to turn cold hearted, I just need to learn to accept I can only help someone else so much.

Finally, my credit card.  A balance on my credit card looms over me and while it might not be a terribly high amount, it still looms.  I want to pay it off, and keep it at zero come the end of every month.  Definitely do-able, but will have to keep my spending in check.

What are your resolutions?  I'd love to hear!  Share them in the comments below.






Outfit deets:
* Smart Set sweater & cami (both old).
* Dynamite tuxedo pant (new!).
* Accessories:  H&M necklace, Old Navy bangle & Lia Sophia ring.

So last night I put a good dent into my packing for Domincan.  I spent hours styling outfits, laying them out on my bed, accessorizing, etc.  I'm a terrible packer and if I don't style my outfits, I will simply throw all of my favourite items into a suitcase and call it a trip.  Problem with that is, all my favourite items equal about 3/4 of my closet... and that doesn't fit in a suitcase... so...

I will be sharing with you tomorrow what I packed, from nighttime looks to bikinis to shoes.  I'm so excited to go away, lie on the beach (slathered in sunscreen) and just relax. 

Have a great day!


 Outfit deets:
* Calvin Klein dress (from Ross) that was a birthday gift from my parents (that I picked out).  First time wearing this!
* Dynamite faux leather, perforated blazer (a Christmas gift from my parents).  Seen with a ruffled top and navy.
* Payless heels (new!).  Love these and saw my mom rocking them and had to get a pair for myself (that's a first!).  They have a snake-skin print to them and a lower heel, which is nice for those days where you want a heel but don't want 4+ inches.  These are also super comfortable and when I went shopping with my girlfriend to get them, she picked up a pair for herself!
* Accessories: H&M necklace, Pandora bracelet, Suzy rings & Jacob bangle

Monday is here already!  My weekend went by fairly slow, and I did quite a bit so I can't complain too much.  That and with the weather getting warmer, it's getting lighter earlier in the mornings and the sun is staying out past 7pm making getting up for work on Monday not so bad (I'm grateful to have a job also, as there have been many lay offs recently and it's just awful).

Friday night I went for a massage after work at a new spot and it was amazing.  The girl really knew her stuff and gave my muscles a good work out.  Afterwards it was home to get ready and out to dinner.  Saturday ended up being a totally impromptu shopping day with one of my besties and I finally got to check out the new Marshalls that just opened up here; and you guys, I picked up some killer finds (video coming) that I'm extra excited about.  That evening was a birthday celebration for my grandpa (85!) and I hung out with some girlfriends afterwards.  Sunday ended up being totally lazy (well, I did go for a 'quick' 2km run, which is pretty impressive since I never workout on the weekend) and while I felt a little unproductive and bored at times, meh, sometimes you need that on the weekend.


 Reitman's blazer (thrifted), Joe Fresh dress, unknown tights, Aldo boots (last seen here), Ardene watch, Mexx & F21 bracelets, Hot Diamonds, Suzy & Sirens rings

Gap cardigan, Smart Set top (last seen here), Joe Fresh skirt, Aldo wedges (last seen here), H&M bangle & Suzy necklace

 Joe Fresh cardigan, Mexx dress, Jules & James flats, Le Chateau pashmina,
A.Co Designs key necklace, F21 bangles & Bay ring

Three patterns are better than one, wouldn't you agree?  I got so many compliments on this outfit - people seem to really be digging the mix of prints (did I really just say 'digging'?).  It's pretty basic as it's all black and white, but a great way to incorporate the mixing-prints-trend into your look. 

Thank you all for your sweet comments on my return to the world of blogging.  You are all so sweet and it's much appreciated.  I'm doing well.  I know I promised you all a give-away, and I haven't forgotten; I promise to get that up early next week. 

In other news, the weekend is here, my new shoes arrived in the mail yesterday (I will post those tomorrow), I have recently had a ton of luck in the purse-shopping-department (so rare for me, I've been using the same bags for years now with the odd addition here and there, and then I find like, four in the past three months - unheard of) and it's still Summer (for those of you wishing away the Summer and craving for Fall, please stop.  It's especially disheartening for someone like yours truly who lives in winter for, oh, about eight months of the year).  Okay fine, I'm secretly excited for faux fur, layers, leggings, breaking out my (faux) leather jackets, jeans tucked into boots (and boots for that matter), hot beverages, crisp evenings and spiced candles.  But I can wait.

 Club Monaco top (last seen here), Jacob skirt (last seen here), unknown heels, Le Chateau bangle & g21 sunnies

Look everyone!  It's my St. Patrick's Day outfit...  Yeah, turns out, I'm not so good with the whole you-have-to-wear-this-certain-colour-on-this-certain-day-of-the-year.  I was rockin' a green belt with this outfit which I promptly removed upon arriving at work (that sounds familiar).  Then I was badgered with the, 'Where's your green, Amanda?' all day long (mainly by people not wearing green, might I add).

I got these shoes during my trip to Florida and they are so fab (yes, tooting my own shoe horn right now, so?).  They are super high, snug on the foot and they stay put when I'm running around work.  The only problem?  They kill my feet.  Like so badly I told my sister I wanted to chop my feet off that day (her response?  'Um, or you could just take them off...'  okay, smart-ass).  They dig in mad right where my toes meet my foot (aka the toe cleavage area) so badly that when I removed them (and this was constantly throughout the day, while sitting at my desk, rest assured) I had a massive indentation of a line running across the tops of my toes.  So sad.  So painful.  What a disappointment.  Fortunately I only spent $16 on them (I love that Ross store, I tell ya) but it's sad to know I'll likely always choose a different shoe before them.  Le sigh.

Dynamite blazer (last seen here), Mexx dress (last seen here), Old Navy sandals (last seen here),
Le Chateau pashmina (last seen here), Foster Grant sunnies, A.Co Designs necklace & Aldo bangle

I'm relishing the fact that I can still go bare-legged and am not looking forward to tights.  The winter is so long here and as much as I love tights, having to wear them for six months a year is long, and can be tiresome.  Being bare-legged is so nice, easy, refreshing and free.  I'm giving it till October before I even look at my tights, then, I will bite the bullet and silently agree that winter is almost here and sucumb to the cold.



Club Monaco top, H&M skirt, Suzy belt & bracelet,
Aldo ring, Ardene tights, Promise gladiator sandals

I cannot deny my love for black and white.  Not only do I love them separately (white is my favourite colour), I love them together.  You can't get much  more classic than this and although this look is somewhat summer-y, I have to get my fix of wearing black before it gets too warm and I banish the black (well, not all of it...) till fall.

 
{ so the 10 minutes I spent steaming this top was obviously rendered useless once I wore a jacket into work }

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