Monthly Archives: September 2012

Tuesday’s Ten: Currently

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(Shamelessly stolen from my friend Lora’s blog. Although…she does them on Thursdays, so maybe it’s just plagiarism? Well, they do say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery…)

Currently Listening To: The Civil Wars, Florence+the Machine, the Hunger Games: Music from District 12 and Beyond album

Currently Reading: I’ve had Chris Colfer’s book on my Kindle since it came out in July, but I haven’t had any time to read it! I really want to sit down and read it all the way through in one fell swoop. But mostly…I haven’t read much lately. Sad.

Currently Looking Forward To: fall break (a whole week off! October, come faster!), the new season of Glee (it’s awful but I just can’t quit it…), the weather to cool off a bit so I can break out my tights and leggings, my husband being able to find a car

Currently Craving: more of my friend Rachel’s amazing lemon poppyseed scones! Luckily, she gave me a recipe, so all I have to do is buckle down and make them.

Currently Thankful For: my sweet students,  a car that runs beautifully, happy kitten snuggles

Currently Discovering: how much I enjoy painting my nails! Such a little thing, but it makes me so happy.

Currently Organizing: EVERYTHING. Things get very cluttered very fast when two people and a cat live in one small room.

Currently Watching: They put the X-Files on Netflix Instant, so I’ve been having a jolly time with that. I’m almost done with the first season, and so far my favorite part is how deliciously ’90s everything is!

Currently Wearing: dresses! All the dresses! And soon it will be chilly enough to wear to wear boots and leggings with my dresses!

Currently Wishing: a car for P, a house for both of us, and more room for Hiccup to run around in.

Bright Colors!

Posted in beauty, fashion, hairstyles, outfit of the day by

9/7/12

I usually don’t wear a wide variety of colors- I usually stick to browns, blues, reds, and yellows- but Iately I’ve been trying to branch out. This purple knit dress is super comfy, but shows off way too much boob when I wear it alone! So in the summer I’ll wear it on its own, but for school it’ll have to be a jumper, or at least have to be worn with a very concealing cardigan.

These are pretty much my favorite flats. They get a combination of praise and funny looks every time I wear them out, but still. I love them, and I’ve been trying to find outfits that match them. Not always successful, but you know.

I wanted to do something cuter with my hair, but I ended up just going for a wavy ponytail. And I tried something new with it. I was disheartened by how thin and flat it looked around the elastic, so I teased it. AND VOILA. SO much better. Maybe that’s why I look so sassy in this picture.

I wore this for another day without my high school students, but I ended up subbing for the 8th grade Bible class in the morning. I have to say that few things make me happier than getting ready to sub for a class and watching the students cheer and hug me when they realize I’m their sub for the day.

I chose to wear purple mostly because it was Wear Purple Day. I’m not really one for big political statements, but I do believe that nobody should be bullied, especially to the point of taking their own life, and most especially not because of their sexual orientation. My work environment is not exactly friendly to such ideals, but I wore purple anyway, as a quiet stand of support. And least one student realized it, and told me very emphatically that she was glad I was wearing it. So if I can be a support for my students, that’s all that matters.

Dress: Forever 21 via eBay
Tee: Target
Shoes: Jeremy Scott for Adidas via Ross
Necklace: Betsey Johnson via eBay

Nail Polish: Nicole by OPI Rainbow in the S-Kylie layered over OPI Burlesque Ali’s Big Break
Perfume of the Day: Harajuku Lovers Super G

Fancy Pajamas!

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9/6/12

This dress makes me feel like I’m wearing pajamas! I mean, fancy pajamas, but pajamas none the less. It’s so comfy I might die. I ended up wearing a cami under it because it was just a tad too low to wear as a teacher, but still. So comfy. It was one of my purchases in the Last Hurrah Sale on Modcloth, so I only paid $14.99 as opposed to $49.99. It’s more than worth it. It’s incredibly comfy, it’s great for the unpredictability of Nashville weather (pouring rain yesterday, 90 degrees and perfect today, what gives?), and I can layer it easily in the winter.

My hair was another day of “I just don’t curr.” Originally I had it in a pretty half-up fishtail, all fancy-like and Pinterest-y, but my hair was so unruly and frizzy that dutch braids it was!

I had another day of doing absolutely nothing at work. Seriously. With the high school students gone and not having aftercare, I went in and worked on show things for two hours, then went home and watched the X-Files. It was amazing. I felt like I was getting away with something.

Of course, now I remember I need to get my lesson plans together for next week. COME ON, CAITLIN. GET IT TOGETHER.

Also, these shoes are finally broken in. Awesome. Only took a year.

Dress: Carnival You Could Want dress via Modcloth
Shoes: Diba Style via Shoe Carnival
Cami: Macy’s

Nail Polish: OPI Burlesque Ali’s Big Break
Perfume of the Day: Harajuku Lovers Li’l Angel

Things I Love Thursday: the Modcloth 70% Off Sale

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Like about eighty bajillion other people in this world, I’m slightly obsessed with Modcloth. It’s full of adorable things, especially dresses. It’s also often out of my price range.

But twice a year there is a beautiful, momentous, wondrous occasion- the 70% off sale. I watch for it like a hawk, and immediately purchase as many things as can fit into my budget. It’s the best way to buy Modcloth items and save. Last sale I bought three dresses, a skirt, a bag, and a cardigan for $96- and saved $230!

This year wasn’t quite as momentous, but I still got a lot of pieces that I’m really excited about.

Carnival You Could Want Dress: originally $49.99, paid $14.99

I really adore this dress! It’s a super soft knit, and the chevron pattern makes it really flattering. The brand (Monteau) is one I’ve heard of before, but never purchased- and now I might be in love. Oops.

Looks Like Fun leggings in Red: originally $27.99, paid $7.99

(All right, who pays $27.99 for leggings? That’s what I want to know.)

I’m a huge sucker for leggings- my standard winter outfit is a dress, leggings or tights, and a cardigan. I’m really excited about these because, with my current weight loss, I might be able to pull off wearing these with a hip-length tunic or cardigan. I think it’s a super cute style but I’ve never felt good enough about myself to wear it. These leggings are thick but not bulky, and come on, they’re red. Red leggings are awesome.

Bud-Slide Leggings: originally $29.99, paid $8.99

These will be great to liven up a solid color dress in the wintertime, and they’ll transition into spring really well too! The fabric is slightly itchy, but hopefully it’s only textured on the outside.

Wildflower Child Leggings: originally $29.99, paid $8.99

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I really love leggings.

Steps in a Stylish Direction Sandal in Musical: originally $32.99, paid $9.99

These are probably going to be stashed away and saved for spring, but I just couldn’t say no to them. They have that adorable late 1950s musical vibe- I feel like I ought to sashay down the streets of Paris with Gene Kelly. They’re a bit slippy on the bottom, but a little hairspray and sandpaper ought to do the trick.

The Bells of London, Ohio Dress: originally $129.99, paid $38.99

This was my biggest splurge. At $38.99, it was almost the same as a full price Modcloth dress. But it’s from a brand I’ve admired for a long time (Dear Creatures), I know it’s really good quality, I’ve seen it on other fashion bloggers and thought it was adorable, and…and…I just really wanted it, okay?!

So I purchased it. And I love it. The reviews said the sizing ran a little funny, and since this dress was nearly out of stock and wouldn’t be able to be exchanged or returned, I bought it in a size larger. Turns out it fits in the waist without being tight and is a little big in the shoulders and armscye, but nothing too terrible that can’t be altered. I’ll give it a wash and see if it shrinks at all; if not I’ll take it in a wee bit.

So what was my total cost?

Full Price Total: $300.94

What I Paid: $89.94

Total Saved: $211

I’d say this shopping trip was definitely worth it!

Now to save my money before the January 70% off sale…

Want to make a Modcloth purchase of your own? Click here! You’ll save $20 if you make a purchase of $50 or more before October 2nd- and it’ll give me a $20 credit too!

Awkward Turtle

Posted in fashion, outfit of the day by

9/5/12

I really need to learn how to pose properly. Maybe I’ll start doing all the cliche fashion blogger poses just so I can not look so awkward.

Anyways. I love this dress, poofiness and all. It’s a full gathered skirt with a full gathered underlayer, so it can be somewhat ginormous. All right, maybe not somewhat. Maybe really ginormous. But it’s cute, right?

Well, I at least paired it with heels, which gave me the somewhat ungainly look of a top-heavy flower on a too-skinny stem. But I was comfortable and I felt cute, and that’s all that matters, right?

The high school students are all on their beginning-of-the-year retreat, so I have very little to do right now. Today I just worked on things for the school play for two hours, then had aftercare with only the middle schoolers. So yeah. Quiet. I didn’t need to do much. But I still looked cute!

We’ll just ignore the “I don’t feel like caring today” ponytail.

Dress: Lavender Labyrinth dress via Modcloth
Cardigan: Target
Shoes: Seychelles Sense of Humor pumps in pink via Ross

Nail Polish: OPI Burlesque Rising Star
Perfume of the Day: Harajuku Lovers Baby

Tuesday’s Ten: OPI Mini Goodness!

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I used to never worry about painting my nails. I did it periodically in middle school, mostly just super crazy colors, but when I got into high school I started cheerleading, and we couldn’t have our nails painted. So I just stopped thinking about it and left my nails bare. And I chewed on them. I didn’t bite them, I just chewed on them. Ew, Caitlin. Bad.

I got my first (and only!) professional manicure in 2009, when I played Miriam Goldman in Beau Jest and my director asked me to get a manicure. I loved it. It was just a basic French mani, but it was the prettiest my nails ever looked. I started covering them with a clear nail care polish and stopped nibbling at them quite so much, and again, that was it.

And then I recently discovered OPI.

OH MY LORD WHERE HAS THIS BEEN ALL MY LIFE?!

I am a woman obsessed. It’s insane. I went from never painting my nails to changing the color at least twice a week. It’s amazing. And now there’s an app. Did you know there’s an OPI app? Because there is, and it’s amazing.

I’m mostly trying to collect a ton of colors, rather than a lot of full-size bottles, so thank my lucky stars there’s lots of mini sets available! I’ve been ordering them on eBay, and I’m already poking around Pinterest for ideas on storing them…

#1: Alice in Wonderland

I’m not even a fan of Tim Burton’s Alice (I thought it was boring and uninspired, but that’s another story) but I love the polishes, especially Thanks So Muchness! However, this set is super impossible to find, and when you can find it, it’s super expensive. Sad day.

#2: Glee

Okay, if you’re surprised by this one, clearly you don’t know me well. Come on! It’s nail polish! And Glee! Nail polish about Glee!

Also not surprising, this one is currently being shipped to me. Hurray!

#3: Burlesque

I actually saw this movie (it was on TV and I was bored and…well, I’m sure you’ve watched plenty of trashy movie selections in your day too). I’m happy to report that the nail polish is a million times better than the movie.

I’m actually wearing the color on the far left right now- Rising Star. It’s a super pretty pumpkin-y gold shade. I’m really excited about trying Ali’s Big Break (the one on the far right) next.

#4: Pirates of the Caribbean

Pirate themed nail polishes in quirky pastels? I’m all over that! The one from this collection I want the most, however, is Mermaid’s Tears- a pretty pale aqua. I might have to buy the full size bottle…

#5: Muppets

Two things I love: Muppets and glitter polish. Again, though, I really want a color not included with the minis- Fresh Frog of Bel-Air, a green and silver glitter.

#6: Nicki Minaj

I’m a little skurred to put the lime green Did It On Em on my nails (will it look pretty or like a nail fungus? Maybe a pretty nail fungus?) but I’m really excited about Fly and Pink Friday.

#7: The Amazing Spiderman

Okay, I would have gotten this just because it’s Spiderman (confession: I love Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker a MILLION TRILLION times more than Tobey Maguire’s) but gaaaaah, Just Spotted the Lizard is gorgeous.

#8: Betsey Johnson

IT’S BETSEY JOHNSON.

AND ALSO SCENTED.

I’M DEAD.

#9: Katy Perry

I have a confession to make.

I love Katy Perry.

I adore her. She is my favorite musical guilty pleasure. Her SNL episode has been watched in this house multiple times. I own all her albums (even her gospel one, which is terrible).

And I not only have her OPI colors…I bought them all full size.

NO REGRETS JUST KATY PERRY.

#10: NYC Ballet

Even before I got into OPI I kind of wanted these. I’m a sucker for ballerina-y things, and these soft shades are so feminine and pretty. And the Pirouette My Whistle one sparkles. SPARKLES.

So have any OPI mini sets caught your eye?