Collective Summer Fashion Haul + Try On

To kick off the summer, lots of stores have started having some fantastic sales. Since I'm moving soon to a much more humid environment than I'm used to, I need some different clothing to better suit my new weather conditions. On top of that, I've recently realized I need to stop fighting my body type, and I have decided to kind of re-vamp my wardrobe to better suit my shape. (Look at me, justifying my shopping addiction as always). Here are just a few things I have picked up in the couple of months to add to my summer wardrobe! Also, please excuse my dead grass. We're having a drought here in San Diego!

At Aeropostale, they've been having one of their awesome "Up to 70% off" sales. With this sale, a lot of the clearance stuff gets even cheaper. I mean, come on, you can't beat crop tops for less than $5! I really love boxy crop tops and stripes, so I picked up a striped cropped tank for only $4.99, and a striped cropped burnout tee for $5. Plus, Retail Me Not currently has an exclusive 25% off online/20% off in-store coupon (expires 6/25/14), so take advantage of it while you can!

Since I am leaving for school soon, I needed to pick up a good laptop/school bag. I didn't want to get anything that was obviously a laptop bag, and I needed something big enough to also carry my books. After hunting for a little bit, I decided on this cute faux leather tote bag with zipper detailing from Forever21. In addition to the bag, I picked up these basic high-waisted cuffed denim shorts. I have been on the hunt for the perfect pair of high-waisted denim shorts that were a medium wash with no distressing. Apparently that's a hard thing to find because it took ages, but it must have been meant to be, because these were the last pair and they fit me perfectly! I also needed some basics, so I picked up two v-necks in white and black, as well as a black racerback tank. I got these a size up from what I normally would because Forever21's basics almost always shrink for me.

Because I recently donated quite a few of my old cardigans, I also picked up this oatmeal cardigan from their Love 21 line, which I think will be absolutely perfect for cool summer nights or when the weather is transitioning into fall. It's super cozy and incredibly soft!

Lastly from Forever21, I bought two pairs of sunglasses. One pair of thick-rimmed ombre sunglasses, and a pair with a square frame and gold accents. I purchased two different pairs because I've had some horrible luck with sunglasses lately. Recently, I broke one pair of sunglasses, and then managed to lose another pair within two weeks. The fantastic thing about Forever21 sunglasses is that they are so affordable, and I won't feel so guilty if something bad happens to them!

This next piece is something a bit trendier than I would normally buy. Recently, I've been seeing kimono cardigans every where, and I love how they dress up any lazy day outfit! If you follow me on Tumblr, you'll know I had some drama with a kimono that I bought from Cotton On (never again), so I ended up going to Charlotte Russe and finding this navy floral kimono which I love! I think kimono cardigans make outfits so easy. Just some jeans or shorts and a basic tee, a kimono on top, and you're all set. I'm a sucker for anything that makes my lazy outfits look a little more put together, and this definitely does the trick.

From H&M, I picked up two pairs of pants. The first pair is just a basic pair of black high-waisted skinny jeans. I know these jeans are going to be a staple in my wardrobe year-round, and they make me feel so confident! The second pair I picked up is a pair of khaki mid-rise twill skinnies, which were on sale for $10. They're definitely quite a bit different from what I would normally wear, but with all the dark colors I tend to wear for tops, I thought they would be perfect to help lighten up my wardrobe a bit!

Of course, I had to stop by Target, but here I had two very specific items in mind. I needed a new pair of basic black flats, because I ripped through my last pair after wearing them to work every day for over a year, and a new bikini top. These basic black flats by Merona were not my first choice in style, but they were so comfy and looked better on my feet than they did in the box (plus, nothing bothers me more than toe cleavage, which these shoes didn't have. you know, when the front of your shoe doesn't quite cover your toes all the way and you see the little lines between your toes?), so I settled on these. I've also been wanting a vintage-style swimsuit for a very, very long time. Probably since I was a junior in high school, actually. With the summer on its way, and with my upcoming move to a warm and humid climate, I have a feeling I'm going to be spending a bit more time in the water than usual. I picked up this basic black bikini top, which I plan to pair with some high-waisted bikini bottoms from Unique Vintage.

Last but not least, of course, I could help but stop by PINK to check out their Love PINK Sale, which is essentially their version of the VS Semi-Annual Sale. PINK and Victoria's Secret are the only stores where I can find my size (having a small rib cage with a bigger bust sounds like a blessing, but I promise you it's not), so every time they have a sale, I have to take a look! PINK's Wear Everywhere Lightly Lined bras are my absolute favorites, so I scouted the sale bins to find these two bras. Unfortunately, I can't find the sale price online, so you'll have to go in store to see what you can find! The black and white bra cost $15.99, and the muted lime green bra cost $14.99. If you have a hard-to-find size like me, I definitely recommend checking out this sale before it ends! 

And just for kicks, enjoy a photo of my boyfriend attempting to walk my cat on her leash in my backyard ;)

Let me know in the comments if you decide to hit up any of the awesome summer sales that are happening right now. I'd love to see your picks! 

- D.

p.s. On Sunday, June 29th, I will be at PHAMExpo in Pasadena! If you are going to be there, let me know in the comments! :) 

Casual Spring/Summer Fashion

Recently I had the idea to step a little bit out of my comfort zone, and into the world of fashion. I'm a costume designer, not a fashion designer, so I'm not always comfortable talking about my style (or lack thereof). Most days, I'm a jeans and an easy top kind of girl. But lately I've been trying to step out of comfort zone and play with my wardrobe a little bit more! I have a closet full of clothes, and I'm constantly buying new things, so I thought I would have a little fun and see what I could put together that I thought would be great for spring and summer.

 

I think this first outfit would be really great for a day in the sun. It was pretty warm when these photos were taken, but I was at a marina (as you may be able to tell by all the boats), so it did get a bit chilly when the wind came in. This outfit is perfect for layering, and you could add some tights for a cool night on the beach! I kept everything pretty neutral, and this outfit would look great with a bright lip. Since I went a bit natural with the makeup, though, I added a pop of color with my red Keds!

Crop top: Bethany Mota for Aeropostale
Cardigan: Hand-me-down from my mom (and it's become a staple piece in my wardrobe year-round!)
Belt: Aeropostale - This isn't the exact same belt, as I've had it for years! Aero has some great high quality belts that last a long time.
High-rise shorts: Forever21 - These shorts are no longer available. I purchased them last year, mid-summer. If you would like to get a similar look though, I'd check out H&M, which has an incredible selection of high-rise and high-waisted shorts!
Shoes: Keds
Bandana: Walmart

This next outfit is really easy and carefree. It's definitely for great those warm days where you want to look put together, without putting in a ton of effort. That's the beauty of dresses, right? I love that I'm seeing denim just about everywhere this year, and I feel like it's just a great way to take an ordinary dress from simple to stylish! For shoes, I think this would look great with white Converse, but I only had my black ones, which I think looked great as well. It would also look great with a cute pair of wedges!

Dress: Target
Denim Vest: Target - yes, it's a child's size. I'm a fairly small person and can fit into some large and extra large children's tops. However, I've seen some really great denim vests in just about every trendy clothing store.
Mini Affirmation Bracelets: BCBGeneration - Fearless and Tough - They no longer have the "Tough" affirmation bracelet in the color that I purchased it in, but they still have it in a cute pastel blush color!
Shoes: Converse

And just in case you're wondering, my sunglasses are from Target! I love Target for sunglasses, because it's so inexpensive and they have a ton of different styles. I'm very picky about sunglasses, but I absolutely love the slightly-oversized wayfarer shape mixed with the very subtle cat eye angle. On my nails, I'm wearing Essie Bikini So Teeny, which I mentioned in my February favorites, and I'm still absolutely loving!

Which of these two outfits do you like best? 

- d. 

ps. enjoy a picture of the adorable baby ducks we saw while at the marina!

February Favorites!

For some reason I feel like this month was just not very exciting in terms of beauty products for me. I've spent most of this month just kind of lounging around, so this month I have a few beauty favorites as well as a couple of random favorites!

Let's start with the beauty favorites.

Urban Decay Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color -- Punch Drunk. For most of January, I was trying to hunt down the perfect orange lip color. I didn't want it to be too neon or blue-toned, but I didn't want it to be too warm-toned either. I just wanted a very true, vivid orange. This lip pencil was the perfect color for me! I adore this lip pencil, and it's so hydrating and vibrant, while still have some good staying power. This month I've consistently been looking for excuses to wear this color, and orange lips is a huge trend for this spring!

Essie Nail Lacquer -- Bikini So Teeny. "Bikini So Teeny" came out with the Summer 2012 nail collection, and ever since I first saw it, I fell in love. It's a color that I always told myself I would buy, but never did, and after my first bad experience with Essie polishes (with a light green color that I can't remember the name of), I told myself I'd never buy Essie Polishes again. Of course, I did again, with "Butler Please," which I wasn't a fan of, and then again, with "Vested Interest," which I fell in love with. And yet again, I have found an Essie polish that I love! "Bikini So Teeny" is the perfect periwinkle color. It is a bit sheer, so be patient when applying it, but when it's on, it's absolutely gorgeous.

Physicians Formula Glow & Mood Boosting Powder -- Translucent. This product was a happy accident. I'm not exactly sure what I was thinking when I bought it, I guess I expecting a very, very pale blush, but it is actually a setting powder! It's got the slightest iridescence to it, which helps to blur any imperfections and add a glow to the high points of your face, without making you look oily. Plus it smells good! It works really well for me, especially in the areas where I tend to get dull and dry.

Aeropostale "Can U Not" Graphic Tee. If you follow me on Instagram, you'll probably be familiar with this shirt already. This graphic tee is from the Bethany Mota collection by Aeropostale. Like I said in my Teens For Jeans post, I worked for Aeropostale for two and a half years, and I think it's such a wonderful company! Plus, they have some great, affordable jeans that are almost always on sale. But this is a crop top graphic tee and on the front it says "Can U Not." Anyone who knows me in real life knows that these words come out of my mouth multiple times on a daily basis. My best friend and I were being mall rats, and when we saw this shirt, I knew I had to have it! Like all of Aero's graphic tees, it's super soft and goes from sizes XS to XXL.

Cartwheel by Target App. I feel like I spend a good portion of my life in places like Target. A few months ago, Target came out with a coupon app available in both the App Store and on Google Play, and of course, as soon as I heard about it, I had to download it. It was super helpful during Christmas time, and I feel like, over the past month, I've been obsessively using this app for everything. It's basically couponing made easy -- you just sign in via Facebook or email and select your coupons. Once you get to the register, just scan the app barcode! If you have a Facebook, you don't have to sign up or give them any information, which makes it even easier.

What were your favorites of February? What kind of posts would you like to see next? Leave me comments and suggestions down below!

- d.