I am Style-ish: December 2010

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Goodbye 2010

It's been quite a year for me and I can't believe that 2010 is almost over. I had a not-so-good 2009 and coming into 2010 all I could wish for was to be happy again. Well, my wish came true and I had the best 2010 that I could ask for. So many things have happened for me that make me so thankful and feel so lucky to have experienced it all and to have such loving family and friends. I truly am such a lucky girl. This blog is one of those things that have contributed to my happiness as without you guys, your comments, your kind emails, your support, I wouldn't be the same without it all. Not going to write too much just wanted to wish you all a very happy new year and best wishes for the coming year!

I've been bad at updating my Project 365 (taking a picture every day this year) on my flickr but I haven't abandoned the project! I have been taking pictures every day and although I loved it and love looking back at the pictures, I have to say I'm so glad it's almost over! Not sure I'll ever do this again so I'm sure glad I did it this year! Here's a random sampling of recent pictures that I took.

Our holiday decorations

Dulce de Leche cookies that my friend Christie and I made together. They were yummy!

Flowers from my boss for doing an awesome job (and just for being awesome in general. hehe!)

Holiday lights at night

Pretty font and pretty dresses at Nordstrom

My sister's cutie pie pup Louis!
louis

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Hair Tutorial: Glam Curls

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I think I've gotten requests from readers to do a hair curling video every week over the past year and I keep on making excuses as to why I couldn't do one. Well! I finally decided to suck it up and do one. Not gonna lie, I'm a bit afraid to do tutorials because I'm no expert at make up or hair, I just know how to do my own. I'm not pretending to be a hair stylist or nothing, it's just what I've learned is the best way to style my hair. But I made the video because I love you guys. :) Anyway, hope you like it and helps out in some way for your own hair! I do apologize it's kind of a long video, I actually edited so much out of it but there's just no way to curl my hair in 5 minutes!

In the video I used these products:

You can now buy my beloved curling lotion at Amazon! Also love this styling spray and there's even a straightening spray!

The best lightweight hair cream that I've used. I run it all through my hair and it helps keep the frizzies away and keep the curls looking pretty.

Yuko Repair Through Leave in Conditioner

Thank you to Hazuki from Yuko for sending me this! It really has helped my split ends and I really like that it helps protect my hair from the heat of the blow dryer and curling iron.

T3 'Twirl' Curling Iron (1 1/4")

It's not cheap but I've justified the cost by using it almost every day for a year and a half! It slides through my hair really smoothly, especially with the way I curl my hair. The ones I've used previously kind of would stick to my hair and tug at it when I slid it through my hair.

Also check out my All About Hair post for some of the other products that I use.

In the video I'm wearing the Yumi Kim Kalie Top in Ebony Rose. (It's on sale for $50 now! Go get it!) Loves this print, I bought it in the Cissy dress as well and wore it to our company holiday dinner party. Oh and since I get a lot of questions about Yumi Kim sizing, I wear an XS and it fits TTS except for some of their flowy tops which are a bit on the big side (but I guess since it's flowy, it's fine.) The necklace is the Tiffany & Co. Lock Charm (it comes in every letter of the alphabet). Bracelet is from Madewell and ring is the double finger ring by Erica Anenberg.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Lust List

I'm probably not the only one that's *trying* not to buy anything now that the Holiday Season (meaning Holiday SALE season) is almost over. I kind of went nuts with present shopping and shopping for myself but I don't regret it one bit! I also got some great gifts so I'm not in NEED of anything, however I still can't resist shopping as it's just something that I can't not do! Here's a collection of things I'm lusting after that I might be adding to my cart once I'm back to buying things again :)

1. West Elm Alphabet Mug - Okay these are on sale and super cute so I ordered mugs for both me and hubs. I ordered it before Christmas, however it won't be coming for another month so it's still on my lust list!

2. TARINA TARANTINO Special Edition Dollskin Powder - I don't even care about the powder, I just want to see that pretty compact sitting on my desk!

3. Tom Ford Private Blend Lip Color - I'm loving red lips but I'm loving the sleek packaging even more.

4. Le Creuset Classic Round Dutch Oven - I'm doing a lot more cooking these days and I need one of these.

5. Michael Kors iPhone Wristlet - I created this list before Christmas but I found one of these wrapped underneath the tree for ME! Thanks to my awesome brother and sister! I LOOOVE it. Mine is black and now I want this gold one too!

6. Golden Half Camera - I haven't been into toy cameras but I do love the look of the Golden Half pictures plus the camera itself is just adorbs.

7. Tiffany Petals Cuff - When don't I want a piece of jewelry? I'm really into bangles and this one caught my eye the last time I was in the store.

Let me know I'm not the only one out there! What's on YOUR lust list? :)

Monday, December 27, 2010

Lookbook: Witchy

Hihi! Did you all have a nice holiday? I had a blast with my family and playing around with my gifts and the iPad that we got for my parents. By what I've heard, the iPad seems to have been a very popular gift this year! :) I posted this on facebook yesterday but my mom got me the cutest ornament. I squeeled when I opened it. Isn't it SO cute?!

No Christmas lookbook but we took these pictures back in October and the weather is behaving exactly the same right now so thought it was a fitting outfit to post now! We usually take around 15-20 shots and then I edit them down to 3-5 for the blog but that day, the rain killed that plan and we shot 3 and then ran! I'm pretty tolerant of the rain but don't like it much when it ruins my lookbook plans. I wanted to wear a skirt but I didn't really want my legs to freeze so I pulled out my maxi dress that I usually wear in the summer and just layered over it. Oh and the title of the post? Hubs said that this was my "witchy" outfit. What? Only witches can wear long black skirts? Silly! ;)

What I'm Wearing

Cardigan: Eryn Brinie

Top: Beyond Vintage

Maxi dress worn as a skirt: Frenzii

Boots: Sergio Rossi

Belt: J Crew

Earrings: gift from Marika King
Rings: Kenneth Jay Lane and Target
Nail Polish: OPI Lincoln Park After Dark and China Glaze Medallion

Sparkle & Fade Racerback Maxi Dress - $24.99 and 2.5% cashback from ebates!

If you don't want the full on dress you could always get a maxi skirt like this. Or you could do this convertible maxi dress/skirt from Target!

BEYOND VINTAGE IVORY BLOUSE

This little ruffle blouse is really cute and would work just the same. I also really like this pleated blouse. Really similiar to my blouse!

Vila Victoria Stripe Cardigan - on sale for $19!

You can't tell but my cardigan has thin stripes on it. I love stripe cardigans, big stripes, little stripes, I have the whole range in my closet! This one looks so cozy (and on sale)! And this cardigan with the pockets is fun!

Sergio Rossi Chelsea Over-The-Knee Boot
Mine are similar to these but not over the knee.

I tried on these these Via Spiga boots when I was at Nordstrom and they are really nice and a reasonable price point for higher end boots. (And don't forget 5% cashback if you shop online at Nordstrom) If you are looking for something a little more comfy, how about this wedge boot?

Glamour Gals Earrings
These are so light, you don't even feel them on! I usually don't wear dangle earrings because I hate that they weigh my ears down but not these ones! Marika ships for free worldwide so make sure to check out her shop, she has so much cute stuff!

OPI Lincoln Park After Dark

China Glaze Medallion
The gold glitter + the dark colored base was just what I needed on the rainy day. That gold one is one of my favorite glitter polishes!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Lookbook: Party time!

Just wanted to say THANK YOU for downloading my 2011 CD Calendar! So far it's been downloaded over 600 times!! I completely underestimated it and when I first posted it I had a 1GB limit on my downloads which I thought would be enough. Within 4 hours of posting I had exceeded my limit and had to find an unlimited download host ASAP! I just can't believe it and am really glad you guys liked it. If any of you guys have pictures of it sitting on your desk or displayed in any other ways, send them over, I would love to see it! :) I also want to thank those of you that blogged about it, tweeted it and also the sweet comments and emails I received in regards to the calendar. It truly made my day and I'm so glad that I could do something to share with so many of you!
I had a couple of requests for holiday party lookbooks and I tried to do some but each time I got dressed up, guess what? it rained! Boooo. So I was able to squeeze one party outfit in during the few hours where it wasn't raining. I ran outside to take this picture and came back in and literally 5 minutes later, downpour! So I guess I was lucky I even got these pictures. I didn't go to any fancy schmancy parties this year so no fun sparkly gowns but for a nice dinner party, I pulled out a LBD that I bought ages ago but never wore. The pictures don't show the details too well but it's got layers of poofy tulle that make it a perfect little party dress.

What I'm Wearing

Blazer: Anthropologie

Dress: H&M

Tights: DKNY

Shoes: Christian Louboutin "Ron Ron"

Ring: Kenneth Jay Lane

Necklace: J Crew

I did some major damage at the designer shoe sale at Nordstrom and these pretty pink glitter Louboutins are one of my buys! They are one of those shoes that are so impractical that they end up going with everything! Or maybe I just love them so much that I want to wear them with everything! :)

Shop the Lookbook

GUESS by Marciano Lorene Striped Blazer
I love this! It comes in gray too.

I tried on this this Elizabeth and James blazer yesterday and it is GORGEOUS! Or this one is super similar to mine and on sale!

Alice + Olivia Tessie Tulle One Shoulder Dress
eeeeek! Sooo pretty!

This Modcloth Sound Check Dress is really cute too. I love long sleeve dresses. The Sweet Jamz Dress is pretty dang cute too.

Steve Madden Glitter Pump

These Louboutins are a lot more of a subtle glitter but gorgeous nonetheless! And these for sure will get you noticed!

Taking a little holiday break so see you guys next week. Hope you guys enjoy your holidays!

If you missed it last year here's my adorable card that I sent out that I don't think I can top this year. (Original design by my husband with input from me!)

Did you see that the Loubies that the reindeer is wearing are the same shoes I'm wearing in this post? Total coincidence! I must have had a premonition that those would be in my life when I had J create the card. Loves it!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Accessorizing in the winter

I seem to make this blogging thing look pretty cool because another one of my friends has started a blog! :) (haha, and it is totally the cool thing to do so if you've been thinking about starting a blog, I highly encourage it!) Anyway, Yvonne is my BFF that I feel like I've known my entire life except we only just met last year AND we met because of my blog! Every time we get together we talk for at least 5 hours, it's ridic and totally hilarious. Our husbands can not believe how much we have to talk about! Anyway, she's also an amazing wedding photographer (we have that in common as well as a shoe and vintage jewelry obsession) and she started her style blog recently so please go check her out over at modern girl. I DIE for her pink Christmas tree!!

Done with the gushing, onto today's post! I was asked to do a winter accessory video so was happy to pull out all my fun hats, scarves and gloves to show you guys. I have a crazy amount of scarves but I didn't want the video to be all about my scarves so I left it to just two but I could have gone a lot longer with just my scarves! :)

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In the video I showed you a headband/head warmer that I made and for those of you that crochet here's the pattern I used: (even if you've never crocheted before, this is a good beginner pattern to start with)

Stretchy Head Warmer pattern:
Row 1: ch 12 (or however wide you want it), sc in second ch from hook and in each ch across
Row 2: ch 1, turn, in back loops only, sc in each sc across
Repeat row 2 until it wraps around your head. Be aware that this pattern allows it to be stretchy so don't make it too big because it continues to stretch after you take it on and off a couple of times. (I made my first one WAY too big and it keeps on stretching!)
To finish, use a yarn needle and sew the last row to the first.

For the bow, I just made a smaller version of the above pattern until it was a size I liked and then wrapped a string of yarn around the middle to make it look bow like and then stitched it to the head warmer.

I finished making this one after I made the video. Didn't it come out so dang cute? I love it! I used the same pattern for the headband and this flower pattern from Drops Design.

AND some of my favorite picks for winter accessories!

1. MICHAEL Michael Kors black leather studded cuff glove - on sale and get 3.5% cashback from ebates!
2. Diane Von Furstenberg Serafina Gloves
3. Juicy Couture Sequin Pop Tops Gloves
4. Milly 'Bow' Merino Wool Fingerless Gloves - I love these and these are adorable too! (and get 5% cashback)

a. Milly 'Bow' Merino Wool Cap - matches the gloves!

b. Jessica Simpson Sequin Bow Beanie Knit Hats - Adorable and on sale for $27!

c. August Hat 'Bead It' Knit Beret

d. Mix Tweed Knit Wrap

I. Juicy Couture Sequin Stripe Infinity Scarf

II. Juicy Couture Contour Rose Scarf - use code SHOP30 to get 30% off at Tobi.com and go through ebates to get 2.5% cashback!

III. Fuchsia Fine Knit Solid Color Circle Eternity Ring Scarf

IV. Alexander McQueen Scarves - love how they tied it here!

Casualmere Crinkle Bamboo Scarf - only $15.95!

This is the scarf that I showed in the vlog. Thank you to Casualmere for sending them to me! Also Casualmere has a special discount just for I am Style-ish readers! 20% off until Jan 15, 2011, for any order, (s+h not included) Discount Code: IMSH They have other scarves and clothing all made from bamboo so check them out. Would make for a really great gift!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Holiday Magic!

This post is just a big mish mash of things that I've been wanting to write about but just haven't yet! I thought about doing a "gift guide" but decided to share some of the things that I recently got that I think would make for great gifts!

I think you all know how obsessed I am with nail polish. One of these days I'll show you my stash of polishes! :) Nicole by OPI sent me their Holiday Magic collection and I got it just in time for Christmas and had to share with those of you that are into festive nails as well. I'm not the kind to do red and green nails but this collection was subtle enough for me to really love it and have been wearing it all week.

The colors from the collection are Kiss Me at Midnight, Bring on the Tinsel, Stuck in the Chimney and Spark My Misteltoe

Just a quick swatch of how the colors look on the nails. The reds are very much up my alley. They are both great for work, even the dark one! It's not too "goth" dark and in the light it has some nice shine to it. The glitters I'd definitely use as topcoats rather than on their own but I do like the subtlety of them that they are not too chunky of glitters and not too IN YOUR FACE kind of glitter either.

from left: Stuck in the Chimney, Kiss Me at Midnight, Bring on the Tinsel and Spark My Mistletoe. Bottle: Stuck in the Chimney

I've been wearing this combo all week. I love how these two look together!

For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter @NicoleByOPI and become a Facebook fan!

{Nail polishes were provided by Nicole by OPI PR for my consideration but do not affect my opinions or review}

On another note, it really has felt like "holiday magic" at my place lately. Every day I've been getting such awesome presents and I recently received a little (actually big!) surprise from the Microsoft Windows Phone PR team (thank you Nadine!). They sent me the HTC HD7 - Windows Phone 7 along with a bunch of goodies!! I'm such a lucky girl! I <3 my iPhone but after playing with this phone, I am in love!

As you can see the screen is bigger than my iPhone 4 which is a great bonus when reading websites and blogs. I've been having fun downloading apps and playing around with all the features. It was SO easy setting up my emails which is essential for me because I hate things that take a long time to set up. One of the neatest features is you can set up your home screen with "tiles" and it can even include "live tiles" of your family and friends and when you click on it, it will bring you to their contact info (SO easy to find than an address book) as well as any of their latest facebook updates and photos that they've uploaded. The social part of this phone is probably the best and most unique thing that I've come across with phones. I've never had an easier time staying in touch with my family and friends.

Oh and I'm sure you know I'm an avid picture taker on my phone like a lot of us these days. I LOVE that this phone has a dedicated camera button so I never have to unlock the phone and click on the camera button and wait for the camera to start to take a picture. I mean a lot of times you just want to take a quick snap and this phone is perfect for that. I <3 it and plan on switching phones every once in awhile (actually I might carry both in my purse!) I'm now one of those geeks with 2 phones :) Thank you so much to the Microsoft Windows team!!

{Windows Phone 7 was provided by Microsoft Windows PR. They did not ask me to review or write about it on my blog but I love the phone and my opinions expressed are of my own.}

And lastly, I've always loved coffee table books and photography books and when National Geographic sent me their Simply Beautiful Photographs for review, I knew that I would love it even before I got it! I'm a huge fan of National Geographic and have had a subscription forever. Admist my hundreds of fashion magazine subscriptions, I get so excited when National Geographic comes in the mail. The photographs are so inspiring as are the articles. I learn so much every time I read my Nat Geo! For coffee table books I don't read them cover to cover but I like to thumb through them and I love that I can find a beautiful image each time I thumb through this book. Most photobooks like this cost so much money and I don't like to spend that much on something that's just going to sit on my coffee table but at $35, this one is super affordable and definitely would make for a great gift for someone that loves photography!

{Simply Beautiful Photographs was provided by PR for my consideration but do not affect my opinions or review}

A book that I recently bought that I LOVE is The Ellements of Personal Style. I love looking at and reading about celebrities style and home decor so this book is absolutely perfect for me. I actually bought it to give to my sister for her birthday and then when I started looking through it, I wanted one for myself so I bought 2. The pictures are gorgeous and love the write ups for all the celebs that they feature.