STYLE CHALLENGE II + MOSQUITOS

I was initially drawn to this location due to its isolated-ness. However, the moment Zach and I started snapping photos, every single mosquito in the Des Moines metro came swarming. Zach was all like, "Oh, they're getting me!" and he came away with what he thought was a bug bite (unconfirmed). I was all like, "Oh, they're getting me!" and came away with four confirmed bug bites.

Guess that means I'm sweeter or something...

These photos are from my second style challenge for J. LoVan. I'm sporting the dripping bow headband which you (yes, YOU) can win by following the two easiest steps ever. First, follow J. LoVan on Facebook or Instagram (still superspecialdoublebonusentry if you do both). Second, shoot me a quick lil comment below so I know you've complied with the first direction. This contest ends at 11:59 PM on October 5. 

As of now, you're odds of winning are pretty good, but who knows things change and maybe you'll miss out because you never tried and then your life will spiral out of control and you'll wish you could go back in time and take 30 seconds out of your busy schedule to enter this contest but you can't because you don't have a Tardis. 

Sweet Doctor Who reference, AMIRIGHT?

And just to prove that an outdoorsman I am not...

sweater | jcp last year // denim jacket | mng by mango (similar) // skirt | express (similar) // mostly un-pictured boots | tj maxx (similar)

STYLE CHALLENGE + MY VERY FIRST GIVEAWAY

Call this my 'season premiere'. 

Summer kept me occupied with pretty much everything except writing. And that's ok, because, like I said way back in April (when Summer (that saucy minx) was just starting to tease us with her lingering sun and above freezing temperatures): MY BLOG. MY RULES.

A few weeks ago, I was approached by Julia LoVan, designer/creator/mastermind of J. LoVan. She happened upon my blog and asked if I would be willing to style a few headbands from her current collection. Now, I have never done anything like this before, so I was both petrified and excited (a feelings combo I am well versed in). 

Julia and I met up for coffee and spent over two hours talking all things style, celebrities, and her many creative endeavors. Rarely one to just sit on ideas, Julia has dabbled in just about everything including working in the demanding L.A. fashion scene. She now specializes in accessories for men and women, home goods, and homemade body butter (which I didn't even know was possible, because the only thing my KitchenAid whips up is frosting). 

As the title of this post suggests, Julia is offering one lucky guy (no gender discrimination here) or gal a dripping bow turban headband, which I will be styling later this week. Entering to win this prize is easy-peasy, just follow J. Lovan on Facebook or Instagram (bonus entry if you do both!) and let me know in the comments section. This contest will be open for entry until 11:59 PM on October 5. Go out there and win something pretty!

button-up | ny&co. // sweater | i don't know // pants | ny&co. // boots | dsw forever ago // headband | c/o j. lovan designs

IT'S NATURAL

"You have a gray hair," she stated. Right in the middle of class. For everyone to hear. As a pimply, braces-wearing seventh grader, the last thing I wanted was to be different. Was it not punishment enough that I sported sweatpants as a fashion statement on the daily, was on the C-team in basketball, never made the cheerleading squad, and had an uncontrollable chapstick addiction?

Sure enough, as someone held a Cover Girl powder compact up to my face, I saw a single Cindy Lou Who-esque strand of gray was standing at attention atop my head. Without thinking, I yanked it out.

She couldn't have known, but at that moment an obsession began. 

Friends (and my unfortunate younger brother) would regularly comb through my hair with a pair of tweezers in search of salty colored streaks to pluck. Finding a gray hair was the highest victory; unfortunately as time passed, locating the wiry strands became much less difficult a task.

I dyed my hair for the first time on a whim one day during the Summer before junior year when I caught a group of my friends cruising around town without me. In a lame effort to show them (or myself) how much fun I could have alone, I haphazardly covered my noggin with goop. A shade best described as 'exit sign orange' is what I ended up with. My mom was horrified and immediately sent me to Walgreens for a repair kit. I sobbed as the dye stung my head, positive all my hair would fall out, and not certain I didn't want it to.

Throughout the next ten years, I dyed my hair most every shade of chocolate brown imaginable and during my hardcore phase, I opted for true black. But every 4 - 6 weeks, as the color grew out, I could see just how much gray hair I was masking under the boxes upon boxes of L'Oreal Preference. 

To be 100% truthful, it made me incredibly self-conscious. I had this idea imbedded in my mind that I was not a beautiful person because of my gray hair. Coloring my hair was an expensive and time consuming security blanket I couldn't live without. 

I stumbled a upon this article one day, which planted the seed to quit dyeing. I read it over and over, attempting to talk myself into letting the gray grow out. With the continued encouragement of friends and family, I took the plunge. It was a very anti-climactic plunge as my hair grows at a painfully slow rate. Lucky for me the growth pattern is actually quite lovely, much of the white is concentrated around my temples and takes on a blonde shade at the tips. Most people actually mistake it for a professional color.

To date, I have not colored my hair since Winter 2012 which means every single strand of hair on my head is its natural color. Perhaps a silly achievement in the grand scheme of life, but it is a major fete in the ongoing battle to feel confident in my own skin.

And you know what's funny? I have never loved my hair more.

shirt | loft // jacket | bcbgeneration // jeans | urban outfitters // boots | dsw // necklace | j crew

CUPCAKE DISASTERS

Recently, I have been fiddling around with a few cupcake recipes and though they have been deemed unworthy of posting or sharing with friends, I find myself eating one every single night after dinner. Just because. And, I mean, how will I know what to change if I don't eat enough to figure it out? It's quite the existential crisis. 

But on the other hand, if I don't want to share them with other people, why am I constantly eating a reminder of my disappointment? Well, we won't address my emotional eating habits today.

Onward to failure!

First was margarita cupcakes (in honor of Cinco de Cuatro). The batter was neither lime-y or sweet enough and I got a little tequila-happy with the cream cheese frosting. On the plus side, I was rocking a pretty fun buzz most nights of the week. 

Next I decided to bake strawberry cupcakes on a whim because something fruity sounded nice and obviously I couldn't just, you know, eat fruit. The actual cupcake lacked a strong strawberry punch, though it was incredibly moist (moist). For whatever bizarre reason, I decided to add chopped up strawberry chunks to the buttercream frosting which was fine the first night, but cut to a few nights later and it wasn't nearly as appealing to my eyes or taste buds. Ended up throwing over half the batch away.

Most recently I made two batches of red velvet cupcakes for my dad's birthday and Mother's Day. The cupcakes were a home run. I really knocked it out of the park, you guys--a most perfect shade of deep red, the tops bouncy to the touch, it was truly a thing of beauty.

But wait. These are cupcake disasters. 

The cream cheese frosting was runny. Like, diarrhea runny. So there I was with 21 (because I ate too much batter to make 24) perfect cupcakes and delicious, but poopy, frosting. Thanks to Zach's ingenuity, we served the cupcakes in bowls and spooned frosting on top. 

So clearly I am no expert baker. The plus side to all of this is that the recipes I do publish on my blog have gone through extensive taste-testing to ensure quality. It's all for you. 

And now unrelated to everything I have been discussing, here is an outfit I wore recently. More specifically, here are my most prized boots which took me no less than a month to settle on. 

I was in a very sour mood on the day these photos were taken.

shirt | gap (similar fit) // jacket | jcpenney (stolen from zach) // jeans | urban outfitters // boots | hunter // necklace | thrifted

ACCESSORIES & PRE-SWEAT

Most mornings I'm lucky to wake after the third alarm shocks me out of a near-dead sleep. I am constantly reminding myself to pack gym clothes the night before in order to save a few precious moments come daylight. Without fail, only half my hair will curl the way I want it to, the skirt I tossed in the infamous hoard pile is purposely hiding and my cat is so cute that I have to snuggle her for a minimum of five minutes.

Needless to say, accessorizing is an afterthought.

While standing among a herd of a dozen other budget-conscious women in the dressing room line at Forever 21, pre-sweating* and overhearing bountiful tales of teenage drama (and thus wondering how many years I can shop at F21 before a friend or loved one takes me on the Maury Show to say "you think you're all that, but you can't wear that") (also, yes, the Maury Show is still relevant), I spotted a bright, cheery piece of neck-wear. Not thinking any longer than it took to check for noticeable rust, I bought the damn thing. Today I am pleased to report it has been worn three times, twice of which was during the work week.

My relationship with accessories is on the upswing!

Please notice the three day old band-aid I forgot on my foot.

*Pre-sweating (v): the act of knowing one will sweat due to nervousness, self-consciousness, awkwardness, agitation, distress or standing in the dressing room line at the local Forever 21, but has not yet begun sweating

button-up | no clue (cute!) // t-shirt | target (close enough) // jeans | urban outfitters // shoes | gap // necklace | f21

OVERALL

"Huck Finn!" they'll call you. "She could be a farmer in those clothes!" they'll say. 

 
This post goes out to all you naysayers. To every cynic, sourpuss and party pooper alike. 

This is in defense of overalls. 

1. Overalls are comfy as hell. They come equipped with a blasé attitude that demands respect. Overalls know they are laid back, worn-in and the next best thing to sporting pajamas in public, but don't feel the need to say it aloud.
2. Overalls are bold. Since most of the population is either in denial of their comeback or convinced they belong exclusively on the Super Mario Bros, those brave enough to wear overalls as a fashion choice have wicked moxie.  
3. Overalls are versatile. With heels? Sure! An oversized sweater? Why not! The options are truly limitless. Plus, overalls transition from season to season with enviable ease. 
4. Overalls are quirky. Overalls know they are a little eccentric and are totally cool with it. 
5. Overalls are for me.

overalls | asos (similar) // sneakers | sam edelman // necklace | j crew (try this one) // sunglasses | target

I can't say for sure what motivated me to come back to this space. But after reflecting, I can fairly confidently narrow it down to the following:

Getting married 
Watching the final season of What Not To Wear in two weeks time (and subsequently hating everything in my closet)
Receiving a KitchenAid mixer for Christmas
Finding a passion for health & fitness

And after having a bit of an Aha! moment (literally as I was typing the list), I realized something else: These are the things I want to write about. I cannot absolutely put the future of my blog in any single category - Lifestyle, Personal Style, Foodie, Health, etc. You know what, though? That's ok. It may be a bit erratic, I very likely won't post 3 - 4 times a week, my inspirations and interests may change... but this is my blog. I make the damn rules around here. Oh yeah, and sometimes I say 'damn'. 

Should you care to join in my adventures, please hang around. If not, that's cool. 

Let's talk clothes for a sec. I ran to the mall yesterday afternoon with one thing in mind - a moto jacket. Three hours later I emerged with everything but a moto jacket. A success in one sense, an utter failure in another. Included in my haul was the hat I'm sporting, which was on I-never-have-this-kind-of-luck sale for $2.99. Originally $50. If I were a mic-dropping kind of gal, this is when I'd do it. 

dress | jcpenney (cute alternative)  // top | express // tights | target // shoes | gap // hat | dillards (similar) 

I Can't Bear it

This sweater is my prized thrifting possession. Pretty stinkin' cute, right?

Tomorrow morning I have a job interview. I feel so out of practice with the interview process - although, I wonder if anyone ever grows comfortable with it. I just hope I don't sweat too much...

For anyone who read yesterday's story, I saw my new friend wandering around the block earlier today. He looked just as drunk/confused as last night. I'm incredibly thankful that I was at a safe distance in my car.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend and enjoy the week ahead!

Black and White...and Blue

I missed the Everybody, Everywear Black and White challenge earlier this week, but wanted to participate on my own anyway. Black and white is probably my least favorite color combination, however, this outfit pleasantly surprised me. I think I am mostly shocked by how versatile my new blazer is proving to be. Menswear consistently inspires and intimidates me - I can't be alone in this fear, right?

While walking home from a friend's earlier, I made the mistake of greeting a questionable looking gentleman. During our five minute friendship, I found out the following:

1. The forecast for the coming week (three times)

2. His strained relationship with his 34 year old daughter, Courtney

3. Courtney's on and off addiction to drugs 

4. His mysterious trip to the hospital last night

Sometimes I think I'm too nice. 

Have a lovely weekend!

Doctor Love

My dreams of becoming the next Millionaire Matchmaker finally came true (on a marginally smaller scale) on Friday. Throughout the day, I successfully helped four friends break the ice. While one of the men turned out to be a pervy jerk (I'm looking at you, sleazy construction guy who woos women with magic tricks), I still consider my efforts fruitful! 

Hey, Patti Stanger doesn't doesn't have a perfect record, either... 

Have a lovely Monday, everyone!

Slippery Slope

I've already failed myself. Today I purchased two items at Goodwill and ate a monstrous slice of cake. In my defense...

1. Shoes from Goodwill never fit me and I couldn't turn these down. They are the most charming pair of shiny patent oxford-type shoes I've ever seen.
2. My grand total at Goodwill was $7.18. I mean, come on.
3. I can't defend my cake eating. It was a terribly gluttonous sight.

In other news, tonight marked Zachary's first time taking outfit photos for me. Homeboy has some natural talent.

Have a lovely evening, everyone!