{ the day I received the box I snapped these photos with my iPhone as I opened it up }
When one of my closest blogger friends Sharon told me she wanted to send me something in the mail, I was intrigued and excited. Well, the package has arrived and let me tell you, girl spoiled me something good! First off, she spent $27 in shipping costs alone, isn't that wild?! Isn't that so generous?! I know! Secondly, she sent me a whole box full of goodies. Not just one or two things, a whole box full. She decorated the inside of the box with magazine models (you can see in the pic above) and wrapped everything up in her signature print: Hello Kitty. I can't believe everything she sent me. It's ridiculously generous. We've never met in person (hopefully someday we will), I've 'known' her for just under a year, but we've become great friends. She lives in Hawaii, me in Canada, it's like worlds apart, yet, I feel so lucky to have made such a great friend through this amazing place we call the blogosphere.
Sharon, thank you so much for these gifts, I love them all so much!
{ Maui cookies - they are so good }
{ Hawaiian lotion, chocolates & chips, some cute sticky notes & black ankle socks (not pictured) }
{ cute vest she sent with great crochet-like detail at the back }
{ la piece de resistance: Jeffrey Campbell sandals!!
My first pair ever! Isn't Sharon the best?! }
Now that you've drooled over the amazing Hawaiian goodies and been saying to yourself, 'Wow, Amanda is so lucky to have such a great Hawaiian friend', head over to Sharon's blog and show her some love (and tell her to get better because she's been under the weather the past couple days).
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Chelsea, the girl behind the blog Maritime Shopaholic, contacted me after she'd caught a glimpse of my shoe collection and asked if she could feature me on her blog. I was obviously very flattered and honoured, so head on over and check it out.
Jacob oxford, Smart Set one-sleeved sweater, Urban Behaviour skirt (thrifted & last seen here), unknown tights,
Aldo shoes (last seen here), Joe Fresh necklace, Bay bangle & Mexican bracelet
Can you believe I purchased this oxford and one-sleeved sweater both over eight years ago? It's true, and I'm still wearing them (rare!). I recently had this sweater taken in so it would be more fitted (something it never was and always bothered me) and I am now getting more use of it than ever before. I do tend to hold onto clothing for quite some time, but usually not this long and this is actually a combination I wore so many years ago and here we are, all together again.
Givenchy tights, Le Chateau bangle & Lia Sophia ring
It's rare for me to not incorporate colour into my outfit, but I felt like doing something monochromatic on this day and really love how it turned out (new fave personal trend? We shall see... ). I was also pretty much a poster board for Mexx on this day, which is rare as I tend to mix as much as I can. However, I just purchased this top on Boxing Day and have had this skirt for two years (as if I'm trying to say, 'It's not like I saw it on the mannequin and made it mine' - ha).
Happy 1.11.11 !
{ all the now-free hangers }
Something I dread doing is laundry. It's not the simple task of washing the clothes and hanging them to dry (I don't mind this so much, it's certainly rewarding to see all your favourite clothes clean and yes, I must hang almost everything due to my height - one small shrinkage for some could be a very large shrinkage for me), it's the daunting task of finding a place to put the clothes once they are clean. It's no secret I love to shop and have accumulated tons over the years, it's the storing of all these clothes. Currently, I use half of the walk-in closet, 9 (out of 16) drawers in our bedroom furniture, the office closet (sweaters, hoodies & jackets) and 3/4 of the spare bedroom closet (dresses). Wow, writing it out makes it seem like even more (ha).
On Saturday, I was folding massive piles of laundry, dreading the part where I'd have to find a place for it all, when I started to clean out one of my dressers. Just out of nowhere, I started to purge. I went through all those drawers and made a huge pile of stuff. I didn't stop there. I marched into our walk-in closet and went to town. I was ruthless - and it was shocking. I made two piles: donate & consign. I ended up with two massive garbage bags full of clothing (donate) and a spare bed piled with clothes (consign). - over 200 items. I literally spent all day and night purging and cleaning - exhausting but well worth the end result.
I invited a girlfriend over to paw through everything and she took 32 items and it barely made a dent. The best part? I still have closets full of clothing (that I love) and have made space. Yes, it's still full, but I can actually push hangers to the side and slide the clean clothes in without using my bicep muscles. Score.
{ spare bed full of clothes - this picture was taken after my friend took home her share }
{ more clothes & one of the two garbage bags }
{ I reorganized my drawers and pulled out the bottom one to
find missing undies and tops I thought I'd lost forever - woohoo! }
{ AFTER: walk-in closet}
{ AFTER: dress closet }
As far as organization goes, I keep like-items together and colour coordinate in my closets (I find this helps for getting dressed). In the picture of my walk-in, I have two clothing bars. On the top bar I keep sleeveless tops that are colour coordinated which run into button-downs/oxfords. On the bottom bar I put tops with sleeves and cardigans, also colour coordinated. Above the top bar is a shelf where I keep all my 'in-rotation' purses and clutches. I didn't get a chance to tidy this up so I didn't photograph it.
The dress closet is colour coordinated and for each colour and I go from sleeveless to sleeved and if there is anything with a pattern, it goes at the end of the colour block.
What you didn't see:
* Sweater & jacket closet (I didn't go through this closet as I'd cleaned it out not too long ago)
* Drawer organization (I'll save this for another post)
Ever since discovering NYX eye shadow over a year ago, I've been hooked. So hooked that I consistently choose it over all other eye shadows I own, including MAC. The formula is a fantastic, it goes on smoothly and lasts. The variety of colours is excellent, and they run about $7 each (at drugstores). I ran out of my favourite colour ('Ultimatum') about a month ago and have been using a combination of what I already have, as they'd been sold out when I tried to replenish my stash earlier. I popped into the store to pick it up and was on the hunt for a cool, grey-silvery shadow. Mission accomplished (and the grey goes on exactly how it looks in the pictures, it's perfect and exactly what I was looking for) and while there I picked up a sweet baby pink shadow too. Bonus, all the shadows were $2 off - score.
153A Ballerina Dream - 25 Silver - 155A Ultimatum
Dynamite blazer (last seen here), Sirens dress, unknown tights, Aldo wedges (last seen here),
Emily Elizabeth necklace (last seen here) & Forever 21 ring
First outfit post of the new year! Ya! So I figured I'd put this post to good use and offer up an outfit post, finally, and list out my resolutions. I'm not really one for resolutions, I used to make them when I was younger and of course, never follow through with them, leading to a year of un-crossed off items and disappointment. This year, I'm going to partake, but only in a half-assed way. Resolutions? Not necessarily. Things I enjoy and would like to accomplish? Yes.
* Wear more lipstick (on weekends, especially) - why not? I currently never wear lipstick, always gloss, but you know what? Lipstick is fun and I'm going to incorporate it into my make-up looks.
* Continue to step outside of my fashion 'box' - when helping style my friends, I always encourage them to step outside of their personal fashion box. This means, trying anything and everything on, keeping an open mind and not turning up your nose at something that might seem outrageous (outrageous to you, courageous to me).
* Meet at least two blogger friends. I'm assuming this will be Emily & Kara as they both live relatively close, but who knows (Jamie & Sharon are top on my international list).
* Buy an SLR camera (I'm debating between a Canon & Nikon - suggestions?).
* Teach myself more HTML and advance my skills - this is mainly to help me blog better. HTML annoys the F out of me, but it can be so rewarding, so wish me luck.
{ new lipstick: N.Y.C. 407B, $3 }
{ black & white with lots of stripes }
I was totally spoiled this year for Christmas by my family, friends and hubs, and wanted to share with you a few of my favourite goodies.
{ two jackets with fur & a tulip dress }
{ chiffon & wool tops with a clutch & pashmina to match }
{ the wool snood I was coveting & a super soft scarf }
{ various shoe paraphenalia }
{ MAC Fix + this stuff was a savour on our wedding day thanks to the BFF }
{ Gucci shades - ballinnnnnn' }
{ recognize this shoe? Hubs had our jeweler custom make this pendant.
The stone is a orange sapphire }
What you didn't see:
* Sewing machine (sneak peak)
* Various Bath & Body Works products
* A spider catching device (don't ask)
* Two pairs of black lace-ish patterned tights
* Spa gift certificate (mani, pedi, facial & hair styling)
* Mall gift card & some money
* An iPhone clock radio
* Leopard Christmas ball ornament
* BCBG beaded bracelet in navy with a 'pisces' charm
* Pier 1 candle in my favourite scent
* White fur knee boots
* China serving platter & bowl
* Lots of chocolate
Back at the end of November I entered Natalie's give-away to win three beautiful gold necklaces from Emily Elizabeth Jewelry. I was so ecstatic to open her blog a couple weeks later to discover I won! IMy package finally arrived yesterday and I tore it open to find the three beautiful necklaces you see above, inscribed with, 'Faith, Hope, Love'. The necklaces can be worn separately or together cohesively. I will certainly be getting a ton of wear out of them so thank you so much Emily Elizabeth Jewelry and Natalie's Sentiments!
Mexx fur snood, Smart Set jacket, Jacob tights & bracelet
Hello my lovely readers. I just wanted to touch base and really write something out. The holidays have really taken a toll on me and not necessarily in a good way. In return, I've been totally slacking on blogging (between Christmas and New Years), which doesn't make me happy, however, I needed the break. If anyone tries to tell you blogging is easy, they are lying. It really is like a full time job from the photoshoots to editing the photos, to posting, etc. I absolutely love it and have found a passion for it, but it was nice to exit the Internet world for a few days and focus on myself.
I have several things I want to share with you all, that I'm trying to get around to. I got an extra special package in the mail from a great blogger friend with the-most-amazing contents (this girl, I tell you, so generous) - wait till you see. I also am dying to show you my Christmas goodies (sneak peak here), which are still under the tree and seriously should be put away (oops, procrastinator over here - but it looks so fun and festive, so who cares). And last, but not least, come up with some New Years resolutions (I have a few in mind, attainable, realistic, enjoyable too, and just need to put pen to paper .. er, fingers to keyboard, and share with you all). With regards to New Years eve, if you didn't see my tweets, I was sick. I woke up at 6am with the most horrible sharp pains in my stomach and made friends with the toilet bowl fast. By 11am I think I had flushed my system and felt a ton better, but still very woozy (I think it was food poisoning, but how do you ever really know?). By 10pm that night I still wasn't 100% but said, f'-it, and headed to a friend's house to ring in the new year - very low key, very casual, not what was planned, but none the less really great.
This isn't exactly an outfit post as I was only able to get a few shots in before the camera battery died (and these were the only ones that turned out, the rest were blurry). Underneath I wore a black pencil skirt, grey scoop neck tee (both Boxing Day purchases from Jacob), this necklace and my studded pumps. Winter is becoming so difficult to shoot outfit photos, I was thinking this as I drove home in the pitch black ... at 5pm. Hubs often isn't around to take photos outside and when he is, it's too dark. C'mon summer, you can't come soon enough!
Finally, I know I said I talked myself out of buying some shoes on the weekend, however, shoes have now been purchased. I couldn't resist. I might have purchased seven pairs. Yes, seven. From two different web sites (Aldo & Urban Original). The jury is still out as to whether I will keep them all, but look, I had a semi-bad day, okay, and I haven't bought multiple shoes in a while, so beat it. (Mom, if you are reading this, I didn't really mean you should beat it).
PS - this tweet made my night.
Sally Hansen nail polish remover, OPI Lincoln Park after Midnight (plum) & Don't Know Beets Me (pink),
Avon Nail Experts base coat & Rimmel 60-Second top coat (740 clear)
A few of you readers have commented on my nails always being painted and a friend recently reached out to me about my nail routine. I do always (prefer to) have my nails painted and typically give myself a manicure every Sunday (and a pedicure every three weeks or so - more often when summer rolls around, though). I love the look of painted nails and although it is high-maintenance, to me, it's worth it (and more cost-effective if I do it myself, although getting a manicure by a professional is always a lovely treat). I'm really terrible with biting my nails and picking at them and have been trying so hard to kick the habit (I've been good in some instances, but in others, old habits die hard) because they look way better when they have some length.
I've always painted my nails, even since I was a kid, I remember buying tons of Wet'n'Wild nail polishes, all colours of the rainbow. Now, I prefer OPI, however it is much pricier than drugstore brands, so I save so I can splurge on a new colour every so often to build my collection.
I really feel that the brush of a nail polish makes all the difference. You want something that has a wide brush, to minimized the number of strokes to completely cover each nail. I aim for two strokes per nail, but sometimes it's more. I find OPI's brushes are wide, the polish is smooth and it goes on very nicely. However, I have recently (re-)discovered Wet'n'Wild's newer line of nail polish, which I blogged about a few months ago. I don't find the polish lasts quite as long as OPI, but the brush and formula are excellent., and for $2 bucks a bottle, you can't really go wrong. Enough chatter, let's get started.
Start by removing all existing nail polish by using a cotton pad (do not wash your hands after this, the residue from the nail polish remover is actually beneficial to your manicure). I then use a cuticle stick to push back my cuticles, then I gently file my nails square with a stiff file.
I love this base coat, it goes on smooth, the brush is fairly wide and it dries quickly. A base coat is essential in preventing your nails from yellowing from the polish and to help the polish stick to something.
Next up, the polish. I like to do two coats of whatever colour I'm doing. You can see in the first picture it's the first coat (this should be a very thin coat, but completely cover your nail. Try to make it as smooth as possible, no bubbles, but perfection is not the goal here). The second coat (picture on right) is more important - you must ensure you cover the nail completely with quick strokes to minimize any air bubbles or bumps (don't worry about getting polish on your skin, we will take care of that after).
Let your nails completely dry before applying your top coat. This will ensure you don't smudge or remove any colour. Apply a thin layer of your top coat (I do like this top coat, but keep in mind that 'quick-drying' top coats aren't usually as good as non-quick-drying and may cause your nails to chip sooner (personally, I don't care, I'm in a rush all the time).
Once nails are dry, dip a Q-tip in nail polish remover and trace around the edges of your nails and cuticles to remove excess polish. If your nails are taking too long to dry, dip your fingertips in a bowl of ice water for as long as you can stand it. This will set the polish and you'll be ready to head out the door.
{ deux castors }
I'm a few days late, but over the holidays, my BFF had a birthday and we celebrated in style. She invited a slew of people out to dinner at a chic new-ish restaurant in town and we dined on tuna carpaccio, assorted olives, the best meatballs in town (stuffed with ricotta) and an amazing mousse-pudding like dessert that came in a jar topped with shaved almonds. I think everyone had a great time, the food and company were certainly delicious and it was of course nice to celebrate such a special evening with such a special friend. Happy (belated) birthday, Beavs.
Old Navy oxford (last seen here), Do & Be studded dress (worn as a skirt),
unknown tights, Aldo booties (last seen on my birthday) & Forever 21 cuff
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