Spring Dreaming...

I feel like I say this every winter, but this has been the longest and coldest winter ever. It really seems like I never will stop wearing boots to work every morning. I always look at the weather and so far, ballet flats have not been apart of my commute yet. We've had a few nice days here and there to remind us what spring is supposed to be, but with the weather predicting snow tonight, it seems like there is no end. I have some really cute dresses I want to wear before July, thank you very much. 

Anyways, even though it is cold, it hasn't stopped me from doing some window shopping and browsing for some things I want to purchase for the upcoming Spring season. I've seen a lot of Spring Hauls on YouTube from various vloggers, but I figured I would do my wish list since I really haven't purchased anything for spring yet. My latest purchases include Anthro mugs, a wool dress to wear with tights, and patent leather ballet flats to wear with tights. Not exactly the most Spring-y items!

NEST Midnight Fleur

I've seen a few bloggers rave about this scent. I'm usually pretty picky with what I like, so I wasn't expecting to love this. I didn't like it the first time I smelled it, but after trying it on and wearing it for two days thanks to Sephora, I am obsessed. It smells so good. I would ask my sister what smelled so good, only to figure out that it was this perfume. I'm waiting until April (my birthday month) to buy it and get my birthday gift at Sephora!

TOMS Sandals

TOMS are super comfortable - as much as I want to look cute at all times, sometimes you need to be comfortable. These are both cute, functional, and comfortable. I saw them at Bloomingdales and loved them. They are a great neutral and stay on your feet easy. The seem to have a tiny wedge, so you are flat flat. NYC is dirty and gross, but I don't think my feet would get too dirty in these. They would look amazing with dresses or shorts.

 Paige Jimmy Jimmy Shorts

I have a pair of Paige shorts and love them. These are a lighter pair and are a great length so you're not exposing anything. In your 20s, you still want to wear shorts and stay cool, but can't wear the hot pants you wore in high school. Pair with a great t-shirt and some sandals and you're ready for the weekend!
 

Anthropologie Medallion-Cut Dress

I am obsessed with maxi-dresses. This one is amazing. I typically don't love big patterns, but this one has me ready to go to Anthro and buy it. The back with the cut out is adorable as well. The front is modest enough that you could pair with a sweater or denim jacket and wear to work during the summer. 

Lilly Pulitzer Iona Shell

This would add some needed bright color into my wardrobe. This would look so cute with black skinny pants, such as the J. Crew Minnie, for work. The button detailing down the back is beyond adorable. It's been awhile since I have visited the Lilly store on Madison -- it's just so far away! But I feel like I need to take a trip back up and treat myself to Laduree (motivation) after stopping in the store.

Alice + Olivia Lorita Leather Crop Top

I like leather -- I like it in my shoes, my handbags, my mom's cars, etc. But I haven't found any leather clothing pieces I love and can get my mom on board with. But, I'm almost 23, so I feel like if I find something awesome (like the leather jacket I just bought from Nordstrom Rack), I should go for it. I never like crop tops-- but for some reason this top from Alice + Olivia calls to me. I think this would be awesome paired with a printed maxi skirt or something bright. Not sure about the back since it isn't all leather. Maybe I'll take a look at this at Saks when I'm there this weekend. 

J. Crew Twisted Hammock Necklace

I'm just starting to get into statement necklaces. Before this year, I would basically only wear a small Tiffany's heart (the one everyone had -- my two good friends in high school and I each had one) with my initials engraved. My grandma bought it for me, so it means something special. I then bought a matching one for my sister for her graduation. Hers rarely gets worn (clearly I should have just gotten her like Nike tennis shoes...), but mine is well loved. But sometimes you need something a little more substantial. This is amazing and a great price point. I do have a real strand of pearls that were handed down from my mom (I believe my dad bought them for her- we had them restrung and got 3 pairs of earrings made with the extra pearls). This one is a little more funky but still has the class that pearls promote. 

What are you looking for to purchasing this spring? Are there any must haves I'm missing from my list? My mom is in town this weekend, so hopefully I'll pick up a few new things while she is in town.

What's In My Bag? March Edition

Today was an extremely long day -- a lot of people say that, but I was in the rush line for Les Mis by 8:15AM to stand outside until the box office opened at 10AM. I didn't come close to the actual ticket agent until about 10:45AM, when a manager came out and announced that all the tickets were gone. But don't worry - they still had tickets... for $147 each. Now with my own money, I know I've never spent more than $100 on one ticket. I live here and live in a neighborhood where it takes me almost no time to get to the Theater District - there will always be another opportunity to lotto, rush, or whatever. So, needless to say - I will be trying another weekend and planning on getting there earlier. After that, I ran down to Union Square to check out Nordstrom Rack - I saw a few worn & refinished bags, but didn't like any of them or they had been there awhile. I did come home with a pair of patent leather ballet flats, a pair of tan shorts, and two dresses for my sister to try on. I then tried Rocky lotto with my cousin, which we lost. But we got lunch at Olive Garden and some Schmackary's so all is good. I came home, dropped off my stuff, walked down to Meatpacking. All the stores were crazy, so I just grabbed a cinnamon sugar crepe for my walk back uptown. I missed an evening lotto, so I kept walking. I tried on some Burberry cosmetics at Saks, which are lovely, and looked around. I got two mugs and a t-shirt at Anthro since they were doing 15% off full price purchases. I walked home and ate my Schmackary's from earlier for dinner and am now sitting here at 9:30PM starting to writing this. I am looking forward to not setting an alarm to wake up to tomorrow!

I am always curious about what everyone carries in their purse. My sister doesn't really carry one and my mom probably doesn't use half the stuff in hers. Yet, when she holds mine for whatever reason, she always claims it weighs a ton. I sometimes agree with this when I have it on my shoulder for an extended period of time (say, the rush line this morning). I cleaned it out and switched over to a smaller bag (until its supposed to rain - it's a light color bag and Leather Spa claimed to not have anything to protect it. Eeek!). 

I was carrying my Foley and Corinna Mid City Tote, which retails for about $400 on sites like Zappos, Shopbop, Revolve, and Piperlime. I bought mine years ago at the day after Christmas Saks Fifth Avenue sale along with a YSL canvas tote and a Botkier bag. I think I paid somewhere around $150 for it- but I really don't remember at all.

 The metallic is starting to rub off a little bit, but it is certainly well loved. 

 A quick peek into the bag! There are two side pockets, so it keeps everything organized and easy to find. 

First up- The pocket on the left hand side:

 From top to bottom: I have a pen, chap stick, my apartment keys on a Vera Bradley lanyard with a Lilly Pulitzer key fob that I got from the sale a few years ago. They were having issues with the website, so they slipped these into my order. 

Bottom row: A card and ticket from Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. The business card has a table number on it where you would be directed to sit. I had the best seat my last night seeing the show, and I'm thrilled I got to experience it three times. I also have a mint from the Olive Garden and a purse hook. I never like to put my bag on the floor and not every restaurant or bar has purse hooks. 

In the other pocket:

 I have my mophie (external charger) and iPhone 5 charging cord, my iPod touch that I've had since I bought my laptop before I started college, my headphones, and my phone goes in here as well. Obviously not in this picture since I'm using it to take these photos. I love my Mophie - I never had one of my own. My sister and I shared a red little one, but she always was the one using it. I was having issues with my phone staying charged when I was home last, so my mom just gave me hers. :)

The main compartment

 Ok, wow. I carry a lot of stuff here in the main part. I guess I'll go in rows from top to bottom. 

Row 1: Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil hand creme- this stuff smells amazing. This winter has been so bad for my skin, so sometimes I needed to put some moisturizer on other than at night. Below that is just another pen. Beside that is a Minimergency Kit that has everything I might possibly need it in. Then tissues and a Pay It Forward Rebecca Minkoff pouch (more on that below)

Row 2: Advil, Gum, Un Deux Trois Rebecca Minkoff pouch (again see below), Louis Vuitton Wallet (a hand me down from my mom!)

Row 3: Kindle Keyboard, Judith Leiber mirror from the Target X Neiman Marcus collection, and then receipts from Max Brenner, the crepe place in the Plaza hotel from a few weekends ago, a pass to Hearst tower, and a receipt from Olive Garden lunch. The post it note is a lunch order from my boss- a Chop't salad- yum!

Onto the pouches: 

Un deux trois is a Rebecca Minkoff pouch I found at Nordstrom Rack- they used to get them all the time, but I haven't found any for awhile. I like everything to be organized and this holds mainly my lip products.

 In here I have a house key to my parent's house (on a Rent key chain and the key says Princess -- can you tell I got it in middle school/high school?), a hair tie, and hair pins. 

For lip products I have: Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in regular and rose (sample) which I am obsessed with, Dior Addict Lipstick in Red Carpet, Nars Lipstick in Dolce Vita, and Bite Beauty Pencil in Rhubarb

And in the Pay It Forward RM pouch - this one is also a hand me down from my mom!

I keep my store loyalty/ cards I don't always need in here. My wallet is small and can't fit as much as I would like - so I feel like I have two wallets. I have my student ID card from Pitt, MyPanera, Bloomingdales Loylist, AAA, and my NYPL card. I also carry in here my YMCA and local Pittsburgh library cards, but they had local names on them, so I left them out. 

And lastly, apparently I have sprinkles in my purse. Who knows if they are from the Crumbs cupcake I got earlier in the week or from Schmackary's funfetti? I frequently throw baked goods in my purse so I don't have to carry them or get a big bag for one item. They typically don't last in there long.

What do you carry? I sized down to my Mini Givenchy Nightingale from TJMaxx so I carry less - it can't hold my Kindle, but I have it downloaded on my phone. Plus, I just finished the novel I was reading on it and started a hard copy. It felt good to do a little bit of spring cleaning! Clearly my bag needed it if there were sprinkles at the bottom!

Elizabeth & Clarke Spring 2014 Review

I was surprised when I got home today, to find a box sitting outside my apartment. Typically my mail carrier leaves a note and I have to go pick it up from the post office. Sometimes I just have to watch tracking since he doesn't always leave a tracking slip - it's about 50/50 with them. Maybe he knew my sister is home for Spring Break so I wouldn't have been able to get my shirts until next Saturday? Whatever - maybe this will become the new normal! I like it. 

Anyways, in case you don't know about it - Elizabeth & Clarke is a subscription service were you get basic shirts. Their pricing is reasonable with $30 for one, $50 for two, or $60 for three. I subscribe and get 2 shirts for $50. I've gotten two collections - the winter 2013 and spring 2014 so far. I can't seem to get my sizing exactly right. I wish you could do different sizes per shirt. All their basic, cotton shirts I feel like I should get a size down as they are always a little bigger than I would buy. They have a sizing chart on their website. I went with a size 6, which I typically wear in brands such as J. Crew/ Madewell or a size Small. All are able to go in the washing machine - which is amazing. I hate having to dry clean clothes. I love clothes that can go in the washer & dryer. I can deal with hand wash, but don't love dry cleaning!

For Spring 2014, these were the options: 

I ended up picking the Arden and the Hutton since I don't really have a need for a white blouse in my wardrobe. I figured I could do the black with a statement necklace and blouse to work. The Hutton looked like a great basic grey t-shirt, which I love. I had a grey V-neck from J. Crew that I ended up throwing away because it had holes in the armpit - sadness! 

 

Everything is always packaged so pretty! I love that they have the information card on top so you can remember what the options were. 

 

Information Card has little descriptions and photos. 

 

They really take everything and make it perfect. Each shirt is in their own bag and folded perfectly. I could never fold these shirts back the same way!

 

First look made me excited - the sleeves were longer and it was so soft. It looks great that it goes in and then out to flatter a woman's curves. 

Not as thrilled with it on - it's too big. I would have preferred this in a size down to fit more like I like to wear shirts. I might see if I can exchange for a size 4 in this - because I do overall like it. It's also a lot longer than I expected. It's not a bad long, but I just wish they would have either gone shorter or longer so it covers the butt totally. It would probably look good tucked in (as in the preview picture).  I'm sure I will wear it with leggings this spring, but just isn't my perfect grey t-shirt. I do love the sleeve length - I have some skin issues on my arms that are getting better with a lot of exfoliation (I basically have little red bumps on my arms and have since I can remember), so I don't love wearing sleeveless things without a sweater. This covers them to the perfect length. Looks like I'll still be coming for you J. Crew or Lululemon - they had an amazing one, the Every Yogi Tee, that I tried on today and loved.

 

I like blouses that have the buttons covered, so I was thrilled to see that with this blouse. It's a nice touch that the back is slightly longer than the front - its always nice to know you won't be showing your back or anything if you bend down. It also has the same curves to fit a woman's body as the t-shirt. 

 Button up tops are always hard for me as I have a full bust (32DD). I always am swimming in the middle section and have a gap with a button. This gap wasn't too bad, but was noticeable to me. Perhaps if I used a little bit of fashion tape or a different bra, it will work. Once again, this one was on the longer side, but it didn't bother me as much. Probably because it will most likely be tucked into a pencil skirt for work. I just need to up my statement necklace collection - perhaps I will take a walk through Forever 21 tomorrow and see what they have!

All in all, I'm pretty happy with this Elizabeth & Clarke box. I'm looking at the pieces for the next selection and am not totally thrilled with any. But they do offer free shipping and free returns - so perhaps I will take a chance on the Hart and the Truman. I was debating skipping and trying Birchbox or Ipsy, but think I will give the Summer collection a chance before jumping ship.

Have you tried Elizabeth & Clarke? Or have a favorite subscription?

Currently

I've seen these currently posts from other bloggers and love the idea of them. It gives you a peak into a life and you get some new ideas!

Currently Listening To: 

Idina Menzel singing "Let It Go" from Frozen with Jimmy Fallon.

I'm beyond excited to finally see Idina in a Broadway show. Her show, If/Then, just started previews last night at the Richard Rodgers Theater. I've seen her live twice before (including once in the front row center- I'm not sure how I'm alive right now from my like 16 year old self), so I've been listening to this song and various covers. My mom thinks Idina sounds a bit like Dolly Parton - not in a bad way! This is a cute, different version of this song. I still need to get my sister and mom to see Frozen!

Currently Eating: 

My mom recently sent a care package for my sister and I with some Easter candy in it. These were for me, Starbursts Fave Reds Jelly Beans to share, and Milky Way Caramel Bites for my sister. I've already gone through one bag and have made a dent in the second over the last two weeks. I would have preferred some See's Candy - but these are good when you just want something sweet. Plus, they're only a once a year treat!

Currently Carrying: 

 

Foley and Corinna City Tote

I love this bag- I've had it for a few years. I bought it for a super discount from Saks after Christmas. The metallic is starting to wear out, which makes me sad. With my winter coat, I like to have something that easily goes over my shoulder. I'm ready to change it up -- so please come soon spring! I'm going to do a "What's in my Bag" post next week, so keep an eye out for that!

 Currently on my nails: 

 

Essie Shearling Darling 

Yet another thing I got from Marie Claire... There's no secret that I love nail polish. With the cold weather, I'm not quite ready to have super bright spring colors on my nails (my toes are a different story). I only painted my nails this color one other time, but I love the color. I'm a big fan of burgundy colors because they look good with my dark hair and light skin. This is a perfect fall/winter color. 

Currently Reading: 

 

 

 The Witch's Daughter by Paula Brackston 

I am about 50% done with this on my Kindle. I'm starting to get into it and need to finish reading before my library loan ends next week. It's interesting how it goes into details about so many different time periods, going back to more modern times (2007). I'm intrigued to see how it ends. 

Currently Obsessing Over: 

 

 

 Tieks Ballet Flats

I'm currently having a moment dreaming of spring and summer. I love ballet flats for running around the city. I bought a new pair that I've only worn a few times in the fall. I can't wait to wear them this spring. My mom just bought two pairs of Tieks and sent me a picture of the packaging. They are so cute. I've been obsessing over them for some time. I just have to decide which pair and bite the bullet, so to speek. I kind of love the Navy and the Pink. Then of course there is leopard print, snake, and metallic I like as well. Decisions, decisions... 

What are some of your current going ons? Is that even a word? It's almost the weekend, so I think it can stay!