L.O.V.E

Last weekend while going through my closet I found two pairs of the same jeans. I bought them at different points of time and did not realize that they were exactly similar! This is what happens to an inveterate shopper. In the future, I will be more careful especially while buying jeans :)

Anyways, after pulling out these jeans, I started hunting for some light trendy summer tops and realized that I have none. Since most of my tops are semi formal, I drove to the mall to get myself something light and breezy. This was the first top I laid eyes on and fell in love instantly. Maybe it is the word 'Love' on the T-shirt or the hot pink color, but when I wear this top, I feel happy. I also found a necklace with a heart shaped pendant. Inside the pendant is a golden key. Whoever finds the key to my heart will get all my love. Silly romantic notions of course. That's what this outfit does. It brings out the teenager in me. And makes me believe in sunshine and rainbows and knights in shining armor. All the things I have forgotten over the years. For a little while, it makes me let go of the cynicism and believe in fairy tales once again.

Remember the first time you fell in love ? The feeling of being so alive and so happy ? I wish we could feel it everyday of our lives. So if you have found your special someone, or still searching, take a moment to just celebrate 'LOVE'.

T-shirt: Sugar High "Love" Chiffon Back Tank $12.99

Pants: So Skinny Jeans $19.99

Sandals: Mia "Norway" Sandal $34.99

Bag: Croft & Barrow $17.99 (similar here and here)

Necklace: Forever 21 $5.80

Earrings - Gift (similar here and here)

Bracelet: Gift (other option here)

Ring: Forever 21 $3.80 (other option here, here and here)

Delightfully Sinful

"If the color fits, wear it". I love this quote from Essie. Light greens and yellows are the hot this time of the year but I have stayed away from them, as these colors do not complement my nails. I might try them out later in the summer just to give them a try before rejecting them completely. But for now I am excited about three beautiful nail polish shades from Sinful Colors. Priced at less than $ 2, these shades are a bargain.

The first one is a navy blue color called "Rain storm". This color is a must-have. If you have a lot of pinks and yellows in your wardrobe, this nail polish shade provides a wonderful contrast to enhance your look. I wore it along with my blue flowered jumper.

 

 

The second shade is called "Nirvana" and has the color of a light milk chocolate. I think this shade is very sophisticated and goes well with brown skin tones. The light chocolate color makes your fingers look delicate and feminine. 

 

 The last shade I wanted to highlight is a very light delicate pink called "Easy Going". Just like its name this color is really easy going. It can be worn with a day dress or a LBD (Little Black Dress). It is subtle enough to be worn to work but can also add the drama to your evening look.

 

 

 

 

I bought all my colors at Target. So if you have a Target close by, I would encourage you to grab them as soon as possible. Some shades run out faster than others. Here is the link to order them online at Walgreens. You have to order more than $25 to get them shipped to you or you can collect in store.

If you have registered for google shopping express, you can have them delivered at home. Shipping and other charges may apply.

This post is not sponsored by "Sinful Colors" and all views expressed are my own. 

Champagne elegance

Ross is not one of my favorite shopping destinations. Nevertheless, I do go every weekend to check out their home goods section. I studiously avoid the clothing racks as the thought of going through all those haphazardly arranged clothes makes me feel like I'm going to break out in hives. Yes, you heard me right! Even an avid shopper like me can get overwhelmed with so many choices. Besides, Ross tends to carry styles that are on their way out.

The fit and flare trend is in vogue right now and my wardrobe is jam packed with dresses in this style. So while I was at Ross a few days back, I decided to brave the innumerable racks in search of something "different". I had a mental debate about this dress and another one similar to this, as I knew that this trend was fading. Two things convinced me - one the price tag - only 15 bucks and second - it fit my curves perfectly hiding all my flaws and accentuating my assets.

So I bought the dress and decided to modernize it. I added a wide brim belt (borrowed from another dress) and  T-strap sandals. Who would have thought this simple dress off the sale rack could look so expensive and chic? Unfortunately, I could not find a similar dress online although I searched far and wide. All the dresses that came up were extremely expensive running from a couple of hundred to thousands of dollars. So I searched for tops and skirts that would give a similar look. They do not come as low as $15 but are reasonably priced and affordable.

The jewelry showcased in this post is courtesy of outragefashion.com

Dress: Enfocus Studio from Ross $15.99 (similar here and here)

or

Skirt: Option 1, Option 2 / Top: Option 1, Option 2

Shoes: Jessica Simpson $44.99 (similar here)

Clutch: Nicole White Cross Body Handbag c/o Outrage Fashion $39 (also featured here)

Necklace: c/o Outrage Fashion $55

Belt: From another dress (similar here, here and here)

Bracelet: c/o Outrage Fashion $42

Shirt Dress

Here in the Bay, companies have a very casual work culture so even formal business meetings will have people dressed in shirts and jeans; unlike the east coast or even SF where most people would wear a suit.

If I turned up at work wearing a suit or a formal jacket, people would assume that I was going for an interview or presenting at some conference. While I love casual wear, I sometimes miss my old Accenture days when I used to get dressed up for work. So the shirt dress is a happy medium. Its formal enough to be classified as "work wear" and casual enough not to raise eye brows at the office :)

Women took to wearing shirts in the late 1800's and today shirts are a staple in most of our wardrobes. Why ? The simple fact is that they are very comfortable and flattering to most body types. Shirt dresses are, in my mind, a more feminine or sexy version of the shirt.

It is very difficult to find yellow clothes in the US as yellow color is not complimentary to most skin types here.So whenever I see a yellow outfit I get really excited. Since the dress is pretty simple, I decided to combine it with my leopard print bucket bag to give the look the much needed contrast. I could not resist adding a light blue faux stone ring to keep things interesting.

Dress: Sharagano - Ross $24.99 (other option here)

Shoes: Nine West $19.99 (similar here)

Bag: Gift - Outrage Fashion (similar here)

Earrings: Gift (similar here)

Ring: Forever 21 $4.80 (similar here)

Bold Prints

 Wearing a bold print can be overwhelming. Especially if you have to wear it head to toe. I ordered this jumpsuit online and from the pictures, the print looked like it had small flowers. Also, the lady modelling the look must have been over 6 ft tall which I did not realize. I was a little upset when this outfit arrived. The flowers were really big and bold and the jumpsuit made me look like I was wearing a curtain. I debated on returning it but decided that I needed to be a little more adventurous with my fashion choices. I could stick to my tried and tested looks or try out something that I have never worn before. I opted for the latter and I'm really happy that I did.

  This jumpsuit is very comfortable and the pants can be pulled up so that they look like capris. The top is  blousy with an open neckline ideal for summer. Since I am pretty short I wore it with 4 inch heels which made a huge difference to the entire look. I also decided to go all out and wear a bright pink jacket to complete the bold look. Let me know what you think. Yay or Nay ?

For this look I kept the accessories very minimal. A owl necklace in mint, a white flower ring and a cross body handbag.

Jumpsuit: Eva Mendes Collection for NYC $46.17

Shoes: Christian Siriano for Payless $19.99 (similar here)

Jacket: Papaya $19.99 (similar here, here and here)

Handbag: ELLE Naomi Floral Straw Cross Body Bag $ 35.40

Necklace: Forever 21 $3.80 (similar here and here)

Ring: Forever 21 $3.80 (similar here, here and here)
Sunglasses: Apt 9 $14.99
Nail Polish: Sinful Colors Rainstorm $1.99

Just Another Day

This week has been really crazy at work. Usually, I don't mind the busy schedule as I have the option of working from home and most days I start working right from my bed. No one sees me and I can lounge around in my pajama's while taking conference calls at home. But this week is different as I have to be in office to attend all meetings in person. Also, since I will be meeting new people from different parts of the organization, I have to take special care with my appearance. I wanted to make a good impression without resorting to business attire. 

This outfit is casual but not too casual. The top is comfortable and airy which makes it ideal for the summer months when I have to trek long distances between different office buildings to attend meetings.

 Last year there was a surplus of owl themed jewelry and I'm guilty of buying at least three owl necklaces. I have a special bond with my three owls and this one is extra special as it was the first necklace that I bought. I also have to mention my snake skin pumps that I might have used almost thrice a week for the past one year. These pumps go with most solid clothes and are comfortable and classy.

Top:  Love Haight $19.99(similar here and here)

Pants: Papaya $10 (similar here and here)

Shoes: Target $39.99 (similar here and here)

Clutch: Hill Clutch- Outrage Fashion $42

Necklace: Forever 21 (similar here and here)

Rings: Forever 21 $3.80 (similar here)

Hair Pin: Forever 21 $4.80 (similar here and here)

Pastel Delights

One of my goals for year 2014 is to try to work out on weekends as well. So when a friend suggested a hike on Saturday morning, I jumped at the opportunity. Little did I know that the hike was actually an uphill jog for 5 miles. Initially, I struggled with the pace and my lungs were on fire from the uphill climb but my body soon adjusted and I began to enjoy myself. 2 hrs later, reality set it. My muscles were super sore and I began to feel parts of my body that I didn't even know I could feel :)

So in order to soothe my aching bones and feel better, I decided in indulge in some retail therapy at Kohls. The branch I visit happens to have a customer in my size who orders clothes online and returns them to the store when she is not satisfied. This has worked to my benefit as I get to try out one off pieces that are only available online and buy them in store. I sometimes think of her as my fairy clothes God Mother.. ha ha

Anyways, back to this dress. I have been circling around this one for awhile. I liked the cut-work flower print but the store was only selling it in off white color. So last weekend I was pleasantly surprised to see this dress in seafoam color. They had only one piece and it was in my size so I grabbed it immediately. I had a $10 coupon and a 15% off so I ended up paying only a fraction of the price. 

My good luck did not end there, I also spotted the this blue cross body bag with a floral print that was on sale and voila! my look was complete. 

The bag is so bright and colorful, that I decided to keep the accessories mono-chromatic. I had this necklace that I had bought months ago but never used and it went perfectly with this dress. Since spring is all about the flowers I even included a flower bracelet and hairpin.

Dress: LC Lauren Conrad $44.80

Bag: Croft & Barrow $17.99 (similar here and here)

Shoes: Fioni $29.99 (similar here, here and here)

Necklace: Forever 21 $12.80

Rings: Forever 21 (options here, here and here)

Hair pin: Forever 21 $2.80 (similar here)

Bracelet: Gift (other option here)