Spiked Leopard Print Loafers

I can count on two hands the number of times I've actually gotten to wear these loafers and each time I do, my day ends in bloody battle wounds. I was beyond excited when I got them back in 2012 and of course wore them out the same day. I came home later that night with several open wounds and couldn't wear anything but flip flops until I recovered. Since then, I've tried everything from small socks, tights, band aids, etc. I've even tried stretching them and still no luck. Now, I just wear them for shorts amounts of time and bring a box of band aids with me. Regardless of how uncomfortable, I'm going to continue to try to break them in for the rest of my life because I'm still obsessed. Since they've come out I've seen plenty of other versions out in stores and online that range anywhere from $30-$300, Steve Madden even put out another version himself, just with less spikes (and hopefully not as painful).

Witch Hat Pt. II

As promised, here is a less casual but still kind of casual way to wear the same hat that was in my pervious post. I contemplated ordering this playsuit for a few days for an event I was going to, then when Cyber Monday came around of course I caved in. I knew it was a bad sign when it took me well over ten tries to finally complete my order due to the mass amount of internet traffic that day. Finally, an hour later my order went through and just like anyone else, I expected my package to magically appear on my lap only five minutes later. The shipping policy on their site says about 5 - 10 days which is the standard for most companies, but after waiting two weeks I started to get nervous. I tried to track my package several times and each time it was "unavailable". It took about 18 days from the date I placed my order for it to arrive on my doorstep and for someone as impatient as me, it was torture and of course I didn't get to wear it to the event I bought it for.  I was planning on ordering a dress from them for New Years Eve, but decided against it because it definitely would not have made it in time and I would have been in an even bigger dilemma if for some reason it didn't fit. Moral of my story: UK shipping is not as speedy as US.

Shorts in December

I still can't believe I was able to wear shorts in the middle of December (without tights, which goes against everything I stand for) and not have a single climate-related complaint .. and there was still snow on the ground! This joyous weather sure did bring me a three day migraine though. Does anyone else get them as soon as the weather changes, or am I alone?

I bought these shorts during the beginning of the month at Forever 21 figuring I wouldn't have an opportunity to wear them until summer since they're extremely thin.. little did I know it was going to be close to 70 degrees in a few weeks. If it were a bit cooler, I would have definitely thrown on a pair of opaque tights underneath but it would have been unbearably warm on this particular day. Of course, I went to grab the link for you and they're gone which isn't out of the ordinary for anything at Forever21.  I've linked a couple similar versions that I also love and will most likely invest in.

Even though this sweater is about a year old (from PacSun) I did post a couple more current options below. If you're feeling crafty it's also extremely easy and inexpensive to make yourself. All you need is studs which you can either buy for a couple bucks from Amazon or a craft store (call ahead of time, not all carry them) and a plain sweater (I suggest Forever 21 because their basics won't cost an arm and a leg). I'll link the DIY options below!

Witch Hat Pt. I

I finally caved in and bought this hat after weeks and weeks of inner turmoil. When I tried it on in the store and someone told me I looked like a witch so I knew I had to have it. I've already worn it with so many different outfits, but this one was definitely one of my favorites. This specific day I chose a more casual option but I will definitely post another way to wear it soon. 

On an unrelated note, incase you haven't noticed I finally got new hair extensions!  They match my hair a lot more than my previous post, I had to use purple shampoo a couple of times to tone the ends to match the ends of my real hair. I've been using clip ins for just about four years now and after talking with my hair dresser we decided on trying keratin bonds, praise the sweet lord jesus! My life has never been easier! I chose to make the switch because after four years of clipping in extensions in the same spot it caused a tiny bit of damage (no, I do not have bald spots!) On top of that, caring for them was taking a lot of my time as well as putting them in and taking them out every day. Although I did master the clip in process and maintenance aspect of having them, they were starting to get on my nerves. It was nice to be able to have short hair one day and long the next, but, so far I am absolutely loving not having to clip and unclip every.. single.. day. Of course a lot of maintenance comes along with these too, but, if you don't mind caring for your hair and you know what you're getting into there should be no problems. It is so nice to finally be able to put my hair up into a ponytail or wake up with my hair looking the same way it did the day before. I've had them for about 10 days now and they have already saved me so much time in my getting ready process.  So far I've had absolutely no problem washing them, brushing them, sleeping with them, etc. I will definitely do an update in a month or two to let you know how they're holding up incase anyone is contemplating trying them out or making the switch as I did.

Of course, my hair would be nothing without my ~magical hair goddess~ Kellie.  She is somehow able to understand my crazy ideas, that sometimes don't even make much sense to me, and turn them into a hair miracle. I've gone to her for highlights and came out with a beautiful head of sparkling blonde hair, brought her my self-cut crazy looking extensions and watched her fix them in minutes and asked for several color changes that most people would deem impossible. I 100% trust her advice on what I should and shouldn't do with my hair and I know that even when she suggests something different than my original idea, It will come out perfect in the end. If you're interested in experiencing the magic that I do, feel free to send me a message and I will definitely give you her contact info!

If you have any questions about clip in extensions or my current endeavor, you can leave me a comment below or ask me HERE.  Of course I will answer you as quickly as I possibly can.

Denim & Faux Leather

These wedges are definitely about two years old and I still live in them. When I worked close to Urban Outfitters I would see them sitting in the window begging for me to buy them every time I walked by. After losing sleep over them for a week straight I went in for the kill. I keep them on display year round because I'm so obsessed with them. They're a perfect fit with a pair of socks and just a bit loose with only tights on top of having just the right amount of spikes. I love pulling out older pieces and pairing them with some not sold old items, it makes them feel brand new again.

I'm sure everyone has seen and probably lusted over the Alexander McQueen skull print scarf and died after reading the $295 price tag. I know at some point I'll end up investing in the real deal due to my lack of self control, but in the mean time I found this really great look-alike on eBay. After seeing plenty of imitations in the mall I decided to browse around on eBay and check if anyone was selling theirs for.. less than $295. After searching I found a vendor who was selling them in both black and white with tags for about $30 with shipping. I knew from the start they weren't real because this guy had tons of them left in stock at an extremely low price and there was only a "buy it now" option. I decided to place an order since it was the best lookalike I had seen and no one at that time was selling theirs under $200 (no that anyone ever would, anyway). When I got it in I was impressed with the quality as well as the tags it came with to make it seem like it had actually come from a store. Since I've seen a couple of the real versions in person I remembered that their texture was a bit more rough than the one I received which validated the authenticity. I checked the size and it was also off by just a tiny bit. Along with that, the small tag attached to the scarf did not have the washing instructions that the real scarves have. For being an imitation, the version I purchased is almost identical to the real scarf minus the few minor details I explained. So, until I purchase the real deal this lookalike will most definitely suffice. 

I've definitely stressed how much of a denim advocate I am and here is one of my favorites from my collection. I did purchase it from the Levi's store and it was a bit expensive but, it was definitely worth every single penny. I've had it for almost four years and have worn it more than anything in my closet, I've even thrown it in the drier several times (which I refuse to do with any of my other clothes) and it has yet to loose its perfect fit. I've worn it so many different ways that I couldn't even begin to name them all. This time, I chose to pair it with this faux-leather skirt I picked up not too long ago. Mixing fabrics is only of my favorites and I thought this was a perfectly opposite match. 

Please excuse my sunglasses in only one of the pictures, my eyes are extremely sensitive to light (another reason I hate the snow, it makes everything so bright!) so I had to give them a bit of time to adjust in order to avoid a migraine.

Lace & Litas

I know this shirt looks almost identical to the one I wore with my floral skinnies, but.. you're absolutely correct. I loved that shirt so much that I bought another version of it, this time without the bell sleeves and with a lace pattern. I can't wait to wear it in the spring with a pair of denim shorts & sandals, but until then I chose these riding pants.

As much as I hate shopping in Forever 21 because it's so overwhelming & time consuming, I'll never say no when my Mom offers to tag team the store with me. Ever since I was young we've been shopping together and to this day she is my #1 partner. When we go to Forever we usually end up splitting up and when we find each other she always has a handful of items she picked out for me and they're always spot on. On our most recent voyage, I found a pair of cute lace shorts on a random rack near the front door, when I met up with her she told me I should try a different size because they looked a bit big. I disagreed and said they were fine and of course five minutes later questioned my decision and returned to that rack. As I was looking for another size I came across pants that felt exactly like riding pants from American Apparel... after catching my breath because I came close to a heart attack I realized they were my size and the only pair left! Since I had AA's pants on my x-mss list for $74, I knew that finding this pair in XXI for $20 was entirely too good to be true. I brought them home, tried them on and I haven't taken them off since. Whenever things happen like this I always credit them to my Nana for watching down on me & blessing me with these great finds.

The moral of my shopping miracle story is that you don't always have to pay top dollar to get good quality or something that's "trendy". I tried to find the pants online to give you the link, but they're no where to be found so I linked an equally as inexpensive option for you.

I also re-discovered this bracelet I got a couple of years ago in its bag when I was cleaning out my jewelry box, definitely felt like Christmas morning was happening a couple of weeks early. It was originally from Nordstrom and of course is sold out. I found a couple of listings on eBay and I also linked the only site that had it in stock below.

Camo Print & Lace

Some days the second I wake up an outfit idea pops in my head before I can even take my first breath.  I immediately thought of this white lace dress that I actually purchased just about a year ago when I was working in PacSun and never wore. I did take the tags off over the summer one night when I thought I was going to wear it, but, it went back into the closet for another 6 months.. typical of me.  Since the dress itself is really girly, I wanted to pair it with something a bit opposite to make it more casual. I chose my camo jacket that I also got from PacSun over a year ago since it's more of a boyfriend fit and the pattern itself doesn't exactly scream "pretty in pink".  While I was on a roll with those two items I came across these brand new tights from Forever 21 that have small round gold embellishments all over (I emphasized "brand new" because in about two weeks you'll never see them again in that store). Since it was bout 50 degrees, which is below freezing to me, I threw on one of the hats I made last year (that matched my tights a little too well) when I decided a hat-making business would occupy my down time- of course I ended up just keeping them all in my drawer and now I have a surplus of spiked and studded beanies.

Like I mentioned above, most of this outfit is from just about a year ago so the exact pieces are long gone. I usually post outfits that have more current items so that I can give you the exact link, but since most of these items are still still being sold in stores and online I figured, why not? With that being said, I did link each piece of my outfit with items that are actually being sold right now if you're interested in recreating this look..

Celine Tee

One night back in the spring I was innocently catching up on the Real Housewives of Atlanta when I saw Nene strutting around with one of the most beautiful bags I've ever seen in my entire life (next to my long time favorites Chanel or Louis). I quickly paused to get a good look and was completely baffled by what kind of bag it was, which has never happened to me before. I snapped a picture of it and searched the internet and there it was, standing there in all of its two-thousand dollar glory, a Celine luggage tote. I could easily afford one if I didn't want to buy any new clothes for a month or four, so.. dare to dream..  Since buying one isn't an option for a little while, this shirt will have to suffice. I'm not much of a t-shirt wearer, but for this specific one I'm able to temporarily change my ways. 

This high-waisted, relaxed style of pants is definitely one of my favorites which is why I just invested in my third pair (the ones pictured). They're a light cotton material, definitely not warm enough for the winter, but perfect for the fall, spring and even the summer with a cute crop top. They're black, comfortable and high waisted, what more could I ask for? I have yet to pay more than $40 for a pair so they are definitely inexpensive to top it all off. Since they're not denim, they're easy to dress up for a night out and look super cute with a pair of heels or wedges. I found these in Aerie near the pajama section, when I asked why an associate told me they were "day to night pants", I don't know that I would wear them as pajamas since I haven't before, so they seemed like a perfect pair to add to my regular collection. The ones I linked below are the same pants without the draw string that mine have, apparently they're only selling them in stores. 

Of course I topped everything off with one of my favorite staples, my denim jacket. I still firmly believe everyone should invest! I'll post some of my favorites below since mine is pretty old..

OUTFIT DETAILS:

top: Celine Paris Tee, KrushKollection

denim jacket: H&M  PacSun

pants: day to night silky pants, Aerie

Shoes: similar, Steve Madden @ Nordstrom

Clutch: similar, CharlotteRusse

Leopard Headwrap & Black Maxi

Since I've discovered a new found love for all my headwraps I have been living in them. I can't even remember how long ago I purchased this leopard one but my best guess is that it was well over a year ago. At least it's getting put to good use now! Speaking of putting things to good use, this year I chose not to pack up all of my maxi skirts for the winter so that I could wear them on days that aren't absolutely freezing. It's amazing how slipping on a pair of tights underneath even the most sheer maxi makes it warm enough to wear out, I wouldn't suggest the combination when it's snowing or super windy, but, I was warm enough to go out in just this on a more mild day. This specific maxi is from Brandy Melville, I bought it in two colors because it's so unbelievably comfortable yet oh so see-through, if I don't wear tights under it I have to wear a slip in order to keep my cheeks from being exposed to the public.

I also apologize for my red scalp (even though it's actually kind of funny). I just had my hair done by my magical hair goddess Kellie & was doing the whole 'refraining from hair washing so the color doesn't come out' thing for a day or two.  This is actually the first step in probably the biggest hair project I have ever taken part of on my own head, can't wait to show you the final product. Only another week or so with these clip in extensions, I cannot wait!

Floral Kimono

It's definitely not too late for a kimono in my world. I love taking summery pieces and dressing them darker for the winter, luckily this one is already a deep blue which made it much easier to "winterize". In the summer I would probably wear this with a pair of gladiator sandals & light washed high rise denim shorts, but since it's about 40 degrees too cold for that I chose my go-to high rise jeans and flats. I must have gotten these flats over two years ago and I am still obsessed with them. Before they took Baker's out of Menlo mall I had the privilege of working right next to them and was forced to stop in at least once per shift. After drooling over these gold glittery flats in the window for a couple of weeks, my family gave them to me as a birthday gift. The first couple of times I wore them they left a trail of glitter everywhere I walked, now I don't think they have one spec to spare. I've seen identical versions at plenty of other stores over time and I've even considered investing in a pair as a back up for when I have to retire mine. 

A couple of days ago I went to check in on the new arrivals where I purchased my kimono from and saw it on the site (which reminded me to wear it), so, when I went back to grab the link for you guys.. it was gone!! Must have sold out during black Friday / cyber Monday madness, regardless she has tons of cute kimonos that I have linked below along with a couple others I love.

OUTFIT DETAILS:

kimono: same store MissMagiba MissMagiba2 others, LoveCulture GypsyWarrior

crop top: similar Tobi

jeans: high rise seamed jean, UrbanOutfitters

flats: originally Baker's, identical version SteveMadden

necklace: spiked chain link necklace CharlotteRusse