Have you ever had one of those moments where you see something that looks really familiar to you, before realizing you own something made with the very same fabric? I wore this dress back in 2011, when my hair was red and shorter than it is now.
I came across this dress and this skirt on eshakti and noticed the fabric immediately.
It’s the same fabric as my dress! So weird and yet so cool.
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I keep reminding myself that it’s never too late for my dreams. Joe has been encouraging me to shift away from negative thoughts and talk, because I often fall into that “can’t, don’t, won’t” trap. It’s been tough, but I’m making progress and my mental state is beginning to thank me for it. Instead of focusing on what I can’t do, I focus on what I can. One of my goals for this year was to learn to be less negative and less critical of myself. Slowly, slowly, it’s working. And that makes me happy.
About a year ago Jenni invited me to join Influester. Influenster is a free online community where you can post reviews and you’re given the opportunity to receive free products to test and review. I finally received my first VoxBox to review, which made me mighty happy. I’m not a product junkie by any means, but I enjoy trying out new things.
I received:
Tastykake Kandy Bar Reese’s flavor.
NYC Applelicious lip balm in 356 Big Apple Red
Secret Outlast clear gel deodorant
Osis Dust It texture powder
Impress press-on manicure in Over the Moon
I did not eat the TastyKake, but gave it to my mom because she actually likes chocolate. She said it was good.
I tried the NYC Applelicious lip balm first, which I really liked. It wasn’t really dark or really red, but gave my lips a nice color and sheen.
Keeper!
I already use Secret as my deodorant of choice, but tend to stick to the “naturals” line and the semi-solid. Also a keeper.
Next up is Osis Dust It from Schwarzkopf Professional. This product totally confounds me. It was easy to use (part hair, add powder, fluff with hands) but it gave my hair the weirdest texture. I used it on freshly washed and dried hair, but as soon as I added the powder it felt oddly rough, similar to how my hair feels when I have used dry shampoo two days straight. I used it to create a bump earlier last week and was pleased with the results. So far it’s a keeper, although I think I need to figure out how to really use it. My hair is so long and thick I’m afraid it won’t work as well for me as it would for someone with shorter hair.
Lastly, the press-on nails from Impress. These were, by far, my least favorite product.
The directions were straight forward and easy to follow. However, I found my index and ring finger nails were all the same size and although Impress includes 24 sizes, they only include two of each size. My middle finger nails are also only slightly larger than my other nails, so it was really difficult and annoying to try to find sizes to fit all my nails. Per their instructions, when needed I deferred to a smaller size.
I don’t have long nails (I think they’re fairly short!) and I still found it difficult to fully cover some of my nails. I also found it awkward to try to do normal things, like unbutton my jeans, once all the nails were on. My nails were in pain immediately after application. I’m blaming it on the awkward sizing of the fake nails. If it were possible to get sizes that actually fit my nails, I’m wondering if they’d still hurt.
The nails lasted through a shower, dish washing and overnight. Once I woke up Monday morning, I immediately removed them because I couldn’t stand the pain anymore. I’m currently only wearing one pinkie nail, because I want to see if it actually does last a week. I don’t polish my fingernails often, so I could see using these for a big event instead of using nail polish, if I could ignore the pain.
Overall, I thought the box was pretty cool. Only one of the products wasn’t a keeper, but I’m glad I got to try the nails. If you’re interested you can sign up for Influenster for free (I do not get ANYTHING for you clicking and signing up, so click all you want!).
•••I received these items free, from Influenster, for review purposes. All thoughts and reviews are my own.•••
Alright my friends, I’m happy to announce the winner of the Shabby Apple giveaway. (pretend you hear the drumroll…)
Emma! G!
Emma, please check your email. Everyone else, thanks for playing! Hopefully I’ll be able to continue doing fun giveaways. Any suggestions on things you’d like to see/receive? I’ve got some cool vintage stuff some of you might like…
Today is my four year anniversary as a WordPress blogger. Whoa! In true celebratory fashion, I’m hosting a giveaway! The lovely people over at Shabby Apple want to give one of you a $50 gift certificate to their online store. I own a few dress from Shabby Apple and have been very happy with the quality and style options. Some dresses look modern, some look like vintage dresses, and they’re all lady-like and appropriate for work, which makes me happy.
To enter please leave a comment below telling me your favorite item/what you’d buy (I’m nosy and want to know!). This is open to those in the US only (sorry) and ends Friday, May 24.
**Comments are closed. Winner will be announced shortly.**
Pants: Go Jane (similar, similar, similar)
Top: Loft, thrifted
Sandals: c/o Wanted 2010 (similar)
Necklace: gift from my mom (similar, similar)
Holy crap my skin is translucent! Wow. Look at those veins in my hand. Now I know why I usually get asked if I’m sick if I’m not wearing makeup. Ok, even if I am wearing makeup. Someone always thinks I’m ill because I’m just so pale. I’ve been waiting most of my adult life to reach that level of porcelain skin that many people seem to reach. I’m just reaching new levels of translucency. Pretty sure you’ll be able to see my organs through my stomach soon enough. Any other pale people feel the same?
Dress: Prabal Gurung for Target (exact)
Necklace: TJ Maxx (in gold)
Sandals: Steve Madden via DSW (similar)
Today was so nice out! Such a great change from the colder weather we’ve been having lately. I mean, look at my pale legs! This dress was a recent find. I liked it when it first came to Target, but I wasn’t about to spend almost $50 on it. Instead I found it on the clearance rack for just over $13 a couple weeks ago. That’s a price I can get on board with! I can’t explain why I’m leaning toward black and white lately, it’s really different for me, but I like it. Also, these shoes are fantastic. I can’t find the exact ones online, but they’re at DSW in this color (bone), tan and black. I want them in every color.
And, a happy anniversary to Joe. We’ve been married now for four years and together for just shy of nine. Thanks for putting up with the crazy! 
Cardigan: Marshalls, c/o my mother (similar, similar, similar- awesome sleeve detail!)
Top: Gap (similar)
Pants: LOFT, last fall
Earrings: Muse, birthday gift (they’re fake druzy quartz)
Shoes: Toms (exact)
My mom has this sweater in white. Guess what we both wore today? Like mother, like daughter! Also, it was snowing today. SNOWING! I’m kind of excited and scared. Snow is awesome but snow at the end of April is scary, amiright? Global warming and all that.
We’ve discussed Loafy’s daredevil tendencies before, I believe. She walked back and forth on this railing the entire time I was taking photos. Crazy cat!
Pants: LOFT (similar, yet more expensive, versions found here and here)
Top: c/o Karen Kane circa 2011 (similar here and here- on sale!)
Shoes: Target (similar)
Earrings: Betsey Johnson (exact)
A few months ago I found these pants at LOFT for $5. Seriously! They’re honestly a tad large in the waist (and just a little too long!), so I know I need to take them in. But that means I need to dig my sewing machine out of storage, blah blah, more excuses here. I figure for the cheap price they were totally worth it to jump on the “polka dot everything” bandwagon. When they’re not popular in the next year or so, I’m not out a bunch of money. Sound like a win-win!
(Ruckus didn’t try to fight me when I held her. I suppose she’s become more affectionate as she ages.)
