Christmas Hangover

black Land's End Canvas turtleneck; Banana Republic skirt; DKNY leggings

I had a wonderful Christmas weekend. It was great to have everyone together. The hardest part though has been getting back into the swing of things. 

I bought this skirt after Christmas and it is unlike anything else in my closet. The color is unusual and so is the material (kinda like a sweatshirt) but I like it. 

Tidying Up

J. Crew Factory earrings; gifted turtleneck; J. Crew Factory pants; Dockers wedges

It's funny how having someone come to visit can push you to finish unpacking and setting up your home. I'm not sure how others do it, but growing up my mom always made sure the house was immaculate before someone came over and I guess I'm carrying on that tradition (although I'm not quite so fastidious). 

As I've been busy cleaning, unpacking, and getting ahead with schoolwork I've found myself drawn to basic combinations. I just don't have the time or energy to do anything more, which is fine for now. 

Surprises

denim Levi's shirt; white tee from Beall's Outlet; Target belt; J. Crew skirt; Banana Republic sequin flats

I love (good) surprises. I like to be surprised and to surprise other people. We are planning an amazing surprise for my mother-in-law. We're flying my brother-in-law into town for Christmas! This will be the first time my family and my husband's spend a holiday together and it will be the first time my husband's family spends Christmas together in three or four years. Who doesn't love a good surprise this time of year? 

Opening Gifts Before Christmas

I do it. I admit it. The moment I receive a package from some friend or family member far, far away I open it. I don't wait until Christmas. Part of it, okay most of it, is because my curiosity gets the best of me. The other part is that we spend Christmas away from home and I don't think it's nice/fair to have this stash of presents when nobody else does. I've been to other Christmas gatherings where people brought their other gifts and it was just awkward. So, what do you do? 

Revlon Lipstick

I mentioned awhile back that I've been looking for red lipstick, preferably something that isn't too toxic. I was really surprised to find out that Revlon makes a few that have a low rating according to the EWG. I thought I'd post some pictures of what they look like on in case you're like me and have a hard time figuring out if a color would work for you.

Here I just have on lip balm.

This is Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Soft Nude 070. No, this isn't red. After seeing the lovely Sydney with nude lips, I added nude lipstick to my wishlist. I must admit, I bought this lipstick because it was nude and on sale, which means I didn't bother looking at other nude shades. I compared the ingredient list to the shades listed on Skin Deep and it comes in at a 2-3, which is good but I'm not sure how accurate that is because they don't have data on a few of the ingredients.  

This is Revlon Colorburst Cherry Ice 012. I bought this last weekend after finding it on sale for under $2 at Target and I was hoping that it would be a nice, bright red but it's more of a sheer red with sparkles. It's okay but I think I'm going to return it (did you know you can return makeup?!) 

Ah, red. Or maybe it's more of a pink. Regardless it's Revlon's Fire & Ice 720. Again, I found a great deal (this time online) and it had a low rating (again all the scary sounding stuff isn't rated), so I decided to try it. My main reason for picking this shade is that it's been around since 1952 and seems to flatter all skin types. I  like the color, but it isn't the shade of red I had in mind. I find that this looks like more of a pink on me. 

So, I bought some red lipstick (and nude too!) but I'm still on the hunt for the perfect red. I'd love to find something that doesn't have quite so many scary sounding ingredients too and that fits within my budget. 

A Nutcracker Weekend

We had a fun weekend full of cooking and eating and cleaning. Saturday morning we visited the local produce stand and found raw milk and some beautiful brussel sprouts. We roasted those for our lunch and they were ah-mazing. Later that evening we went to Mass and then we were off to The Nutcracker. It wasn't quite what we were expecting but it was fun to dress up and go out. Sunday we bought a can or two (or 48) of pumpkin. Hubby made me a tasty pumpkin pie protein shake (my main motivation for working out right now) and later we tried our hand at pumpkin cheesecake. It was good but I think we can do better. Same with the pizza we made - it's hard to get nice doughy, chewy crust with coconut flour. 

A Casual Combo

J. Crew Factory jeans; J. Crew Factory black and white striped shirt; Ralph Lauren sweater; scarf is a gift from Afghanistan; Coach purse; bracelets were gifts too

During the fall and winter I tend to gravitate toward pants + button down + sweater combo, which isn't very exciting. And sometimes it doesn't look very pulled together. But I'm learning that accessories can make a big difference and I think they do here.

Tonight we are going to the ballet. Sounds fancy, right? Really we just found a good deal on Living Social for tickets to The Nutcracker and thought that it would make a fun date night. I'm excited to see what my husband thinks because he's never been to the ballet, which means he's never seen The Nutcracker. I saw it once in high school and the only thing I remember is that I ate spanakopita at the Greek restaurant we went to. Clearly I remember the important things in life. 

Ruby Read Loafers

striped J. Crew Factory shirt; black vest from Fred's; Target jeans; Bass shoes

I bought these shoes a few years ago but I never wore them until recently. They were one of my "I like them so much that I'll buy them even if I don't know what to wear them with" purchases. Luckily I've outgrown that stage or maybe I just don't have that kind of budget anymore - either way I recommend skipping that phase. I don't know what clicked but now I have no problem wearing them and I love the pop of color they add to an outfit. 

When it rains it pours

old leopard print skirt; teal J. Crew Factory cardigan; J. Crew Factory tank; concha belt made by my dad

I really like the teal cardigan and the leopard print skirt this second time around, but something about it makes me feel older than I am. This is the first time I've worn this belt in a long time. It's one of my favorite clothing items not only because it's unique but because my dad made it for me. It's also reminiscent of where I grew up. 

I'm not one to get stressed over Christmas. I'm not sure why, but I never have. Today, however, I can already feel the stress of my class that just started on Saturday and feeling like I need to be on the ball so I won't have to do school work over Christmas. Plus, last night I just found out that something I thought had since been laid to rest in 2007 actually isn't. Boo!

How to Wear Snow Boots

vintage plaid top from my Gram; J. Crew navy skirt; Sorel Earhart boots (giveaway win); silver cuff from my mom's jewelry box

I see why so many people use a tripod. I tried taking the first picture by myself, balancing my camera on a foam roller, but I'll probably end up breaking my camera if I do that. So I stopped and waited for my husband but it was almost dark by the time he got home from work. 

I was going through boxes of my stuff that are still at my mom's and I found this shirt. My grandma used to wear it back in the day. It's crazy to know that I'm wearing something that my gram once wore. The best part is that it fits like a glove! I've never really been into vintage but I can get used to this. 

I love a good giveaway as much as the next person, so I was thrilled when I found out that I won these boots. My hubby, however, has pointed out that I'm not going to get a lot of mileage out of winter boots living in the Deep South. He has a point, but I feel pretty cool wearing them and they're comfy too. 

Home Sweet Home

turtleneck: gift (Sucre Soir), skirt: too old to read tag, shoes: Banana Republic (2010)

After a two week stay at my mom and dad's house, it was nice to come home Saturday night. I think the cats were happy to be home too. 

I wore this to mass Sunday morning and I have to admit I feel like it's missing something. I tried belting it but it just didn't look right. I also felt a little bit like Halloween. Maybe next time I'll figure out what was missing.