Friday, July 27, 2012

things that make me happy

 Friday morning indulgence: Starbucks cinnamon swirl coffee cake
 current lip loves: L'Oreal Balm in Caring Coral & Lancome Rouge in Love in Sequence of Love
 nail color du jour: Revlon in Whimsical
 my summer uniform: a cute dress (preferably with stripes) and easy sandals (on sale!)
a versatile no-fuss watch (similar)


This weekend, our goal is to be 90% done with the packing and to spend some quality time together that doesn't include folding clothes/scrubbing tile/anything moving related. The Opening Ceremony of the Olympics comes on tonight, and we'll probably order in and enjoy the festivities.

Here's wishing everyone a happy weekend!

Thursday, July 26, 2012

just one of those days

Yup, today is one of those days. The weather is icky, I'm sick of the whole moving thing (and I haven't even moved yet!), and it's just the summer doldrums. We'll just have to get through it one sweltering day at a time...until fall - cool, blissful fall - gives us all some relief...

Here are some things keeping me sane until then:



1. an absurdly cute keychain  
2. a new planner (I still love writing things down even though I own an iPhone and an iPad) [similar]
3. halo-halo - a Filipino dessert of shaved ice, milk, ice cream, and various fruit and jellies
4. ON cheap oversized butterfly sunglasses (cheap enough that I won't feel bad if I lose them) [similar]

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

olympic fever

Tell me I'm not the only one who loves the Olympics.

I love the competition and seeing all of these athletes from all over the world coming together to compete in hopes of Olympic glory.

Come this Friday, I'll be in an Olympic shirt (see below) watching the Opening Ceremony avidly, because I'm cool like that.



Do you suffer from Olympic fever?

Monday, July 23, 2012

currently eyeing










I love the colors - muted yet eye-catching. I'm more of a delicate necklace girl, but this necklace caught my eye the moment I walked into J.Crew. It will be just as perfect as the standout piece over a simple little black dress as over a chambray button-down and tailored shorts for a more casual chic look. It retails for $150, which for me is a bit steep, so I'm hoping to wait it out a bit. In the meantime, I'll just stare at it a little longer...

Friday, July 20, 2012

simple


Let's talk about style.


My style has changed a lot since I was younger. In middle school, I would have given an arm and a leg to have an outfit from American Eagle or Abercrombie and Fitch. Fast forward almost 15 years later, and my style leans heavily towards the classic, with bits of whimsy and edge thrown in. I've noticed time and time again that I favor clean, timeless lines, but with enough sartorial flexibility to appreciate when those lines have a modern twist: a perfectly tailored ankle pant with an art deco print; a classic leather almond-toe pump in saturated crimson; a delicate initial necklace with the letter askew. To return the gorgeous picture above, it is so absolutely perfect. I love that it's 95% a monochromatic look with the addition of maroon from the fabulous shoe. And while the look is fairly classic, it doesn't feel stuffy, or overworked, and even feels completely modern. There's nothing too trendy yet it feels so en vogue because simple hair and impeccable tailoring are always in style.

I'm guilty of often going with the trends, even when they're not the most flattering on me (hello, peplum!), but when it gets right down to it, this is the style I truly gravitate to and try to exude on a daily basis. The lovely Caroline Issa is always this chic. See for yourself:


 all images: garance dore

Thursday, July 19, 2012

hello again

So it took a lot longer to get back to blogging than I thought it would. So many things came up - being sick often (I have weak lungs), thinking about then deciding on moving (and all the fun stuff that comes with that), and just trying to figure out life in general. I feel like this is why a lot of people say their 30s was when they finally felt grown up and put together: your 20s are exhausting

But, that was then, this is now. 

So about that move...the boyfriend and I are up to our eyeballs in packing, and we just started! Coming to the decision to move wasn't so straightforward. While we loved our apartment and had really taken the time to make it feel like our place, we were starting to burst at the seams with our stuff. It wasn't that we had an exorbitant amount of belongings, but as we moved out of college and into a real apartment, we picked up other real things - a full-sized bed, a couch, a coffee table, a complete set of dishes and pots and pans, etc., etc., etc. We found a lovely, slightly bigger one-bedroom apartment about five blocks down from our current apartment. What sold us was the full-sized refrigerator (a first), granite counter tops, spacious kitchen with endless cabinets, air conditioning with balls (!!!), and the convenience of an elevator and on-site maintenance. 

While at first we were wistful about having to move and dreading the pains of packing, we are so glad we decided to go ahead with it. It's been ridiculously hot in Chicago (at or near 100 degrees constantly), and our current not-so-modern apartment has been stifling with constant power outages in our building and an ineffective might-as-well-not-be-turned-on air conditioner. It's been miserable living there, much less packing. On the flip side, I have become a ruthless purger. Anything ill-fitting, ill-advised, and ill-looking just gets tossed without a second thought as I try to pack as little and as fast as possible (the boyfriend is ecstatic about this). Let's see if I can keep it up...and not die of the heat in the process.

Some pictures as we try to move:

new desk and table


whittling down the nail polish collection
our soon-to-be closet (so excited about the shelves!)