Lookbook: She's so Lucky, She's a Star

Last week was a super stressful week and when I got back from my business trip I was still dealing with a lot of stuff.  So when I discovered on Friday night that my right eye was completely swollen, I freaked and knew I needed to relax a bit.  Does your body react oddly when you are stressed because mine does!  This isn't the first time that my eye has swollen because of stress.  Anyway, Saturday morning the eye was still swollen but we had plans that I didn't want to miss so I had to go out looking like a freak show.  If you follow me on twitter you may have seen my tweets that I was debating on going with an DIY eye patch but I actually ended up putting a cold tea bag on my eye for half an hour (green tea if you want specifics) and that helped tremendously!  The swelling went down to a reasonable state.  Not back to normal but at least not freak show status.  Phew!  I didn't have to try and pull off the pirate look!

Okay enough about my eye, onto the outfit of the day!  (note, this was taken weeks ago so no swollen eye lookbooks to scare you away.  haha!)  I'm a bit slow to the whole Groupon thing and only recently started buying the deals but I forget to check every day so I miss out on some good deals.  At least I was smart enough to nab the Nordstrom Rack Groupon but then of course silly me forgot all about it until 2 days before it was going to expire so I went to the Rack and crossed my fingers that I could find something that I loved to use the Groupon with.  Well, I ended up getting this blazer and I adore it!  I know a lot of you got that Groupon as well, did you guys get something good with yours?  Also, if you didn't know yet, use ebates to get 3% cashback from your Groupon.  It's like a deal for a deal!   I like Nordstrom Rack but I never have much luck when shopping there (unlike some of my friends that have found some amazing deals there!) so I was happy to have found this blazer.  I was actually just there the other day and saw that they have a few left so go check there if you are looking for a great blazer.  It comes in black too!

What I'm Wearing

Blazer: Bird by Juicy Couture

Top: Vero Moda - ASOS

Jeans: Gift from Lucky Brand Jeans

Shoes: Miu Miu

Bag: Alexander Wang Rocco

Headband: Forever 21

These curls were flat iron curls!  Check out my video tutorial if you haven't yet!

Thank you to Lucky Brand for sending over the Lola Skinny Jeans!  I love the dark wash.  I didn't have a chance to take them to the tailor to get hemmed just yet so rolled them up and thought that looked great too.  I figured that this outfit was a bit girly with the pink, the doily embellishment and the bow headband so added the Alexander Wang bag to toughen it up a bit.  I'm trying to add handbags to my lookbooks when I remember as I've been getting requests to see more of my bags.  Plus I think it does complete the outfit a bit more right?

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ASOS Chiffon Sleeve Blazer - on sale!

I often get asked about my favorite brands and See by Chloe is one of them, their clothing fits my body type really well and the blazers always fit like a dream without any alterations.  This See By Chloe Boyfriend Blazer is on sale and looks great.  What's great about spending a little more on a blazer is that it will always keep it's shape and will last forever!  Or this is a great price for a Phillip Lim blazer (also a great brand).  And speaking of light colored blazers, I'm absolutely in love with this lace one!

Vero Moda Contrast Trim Top- on sale for $17!  

Sizing wise I went a size up (which I typically do for ASOS) which I recommend.  It's a lot more pink in person (true to color in my pictures than their picture)

Lucky Brand Jeans Lola Skinny Jeans
(if you shop at Lucky Brand don't forget to use ebates to get 2% cashback!)

I might just be weird but I like my skinny jeans to be super skinny so I'd classify these more in the "straight leg" category for me if that makes any sense.  Also I went with my regular size but it was a bit too big because there's a bit of a stretch to them so I'd size down if you want a tighter fit.

Women's Miu Miu Platform Pumps

I love these.  I actually bought them but my sales associate at Nordstrom could only find me a 5.5 and it was just too big so I had to return them.  But they are super cute and comfy!  I actually really want this pretty pink color now.  These Jessica Simpson pumps are really similar to the Miu Miu ones but WAY cheaper! (and get 8% cashback from ebates!)

ALEXANDER WANG Rocco Mini Bag

I got mine when the bag just came out so it's the older style but he's now released a new version with a shoulder strap and I'm so jealous!  This bag is super heavy on its own so holding it kind of hurts my arm if I'm holding it too long.  The shoulder strap would definitely help!  And if you don't want to drop that much money for a bag (to tell you the truth, it's not worth it unless you LOVE the bag.  It's a bit too heavy for everyday use so I don't use it often) then you should take a look at this look for less for $84!  So similar right?  And you can also get 6% cashback from ebates!

***oh yes my post title is from the Britney Spears song.  I couldn't resist.  Got it stuck in your head now right?  hehehe :) *** 

{Lucky Brand Jeans were provided by Lucky Brand PR for my consideration but do not affect my opinions or review.  Please see my disclosure on product reviews/gifts from companies}

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Currently wishing...

to be here!

Photos from our October 2010 trip to the Riviera Maya, Mexico

or here!

Photo from our May 2010 trip to St. John

Instead, I'm somewhere that is quite possibly the exact opposite of this right now.  Sigh.  Time to plan my next vacay!

I might not post again until Monday, my plans to upload a new video have been tossed out the window by work stuff so hopefully a new vlog next week!  Til then, have a good rest of your week lovelies!

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How to walk in heels!

Two common questions I get is "How do you walk in heels all the time?!" and "Do you have any tips for wearing high heel shoes?" I've been writing back individually but thought since it was such a common question that I'd just write a post for it!  These tips aren't ground breaking or anything, I'm sure you can find tips if you google for it as well, but here's just some tips of how I manage to walk in heels all day long.

Practice makes perfect 
I've been wearing heels since I was a teenager so my feet have been thoroughly trained to be in heels.  In fact, they are so used to being in heels that when I wear flats, I am clumsier and tend to fall over my feet or hurt myself.  I also get foot cramps when I wear flats.  Odd but true!  If you are just starting out, don't immediately go for the stilletos.  Get some heels between 2-3 inches and preferably with a bit of a thicker heel and wear them around the house. (these would be great)  Wear them when you are cooking, wear them when you are doing your makeup, when you are vacuuming, walk up and down the stairs, etc...  You don't need to even get dressed up, just walk around and wear them in your sweats, nobody will see you but if you wear them during normal activities without leaving the house, you will get a lot more used to them and not feel foolish because nobody will see you practicing.  I do this when I'm breaking my shoes in and it helps a lot in that aspect as well.

Does it fit?
Nothing looks worse than a girl who's wearing shoes that are too big or too small and you can see them visibly struggling to walk in them.  I wear different sizes with different brands and even within the same designer I can go up or down a half size so make sure that you are wearing the size that fits your foot and not just the size that you "usually" wear.  To help with sizing you can also get insoles.  I really like these Dr. Scholl's For Her Open Shoe Insoles or if you don't want the whole insole I also recommend the Foot Petals Tip Toes.  I buy these in bulk and put them in so many of my shoes.  They make my foot stay in place and not slip to the front like so many super high heels can make your foot do.  It also makes the front pad of the shoe much cushier and comfortable to walk in.  You can also buy the variety pack that will cover each part of the shoe that you may be affected by.

When you are buying shoes, walk around the shoe department in them and make sure that your heel doesn't pop out or it's not squeezing your toes or the sides of your feet.  All of that will stay the same once you buy them and take them home.  Don't think that shoes will stretch because most of the time they won't stretch enough and they'll still be too tight to wear.  Nobody likes to wear too tight shoes.  Well, I sure don't and I think most people wouldn't either.  If they are a bit loose and the half size down is too small, ask the sales associate if you can see how it fits with an insole or a foot pad.  Most often they will have temporary foot pads that you can put in your shoe to see if it will help.  I know for sure Nordstrom has them and will put a few in your shoe box for free!  They aren't as good as foot petals but good for a temporary fix.

Walk slowly and take small steps
I admit, I'm a fast walker but like I said I am pretty experienced with heels so I'm so used to walking in heels.  However when I wear super high 5 inch heels like my Louboutin Bianca pumps, I have to walk pretty slowly.  I always warn my husband that I will be especially slow on the days that I wear them.  There's just no getting around it.  Walking slow is much better than trying to keep your normal pace and then falling on your face.  Don't feel silly for walking slow or taking small steps.  I mean don't walk abnormally slow (if you do, you may need more practice) but look around you, there's always a ton of people walking slow and you probably don't stare at them weird or anything do you?  So ignore your own self conscious feeling of "dang people are probably staring at me because I'm so slow" and just take your time walking.  If you have to go up or down stairs, always hold on to the handrail or your significant other to keep steady.  It sounds silly but I've seen people take tumbles because they didn't have anything to hold onto but if you are wearing heels, you have a higher chance of slipping or getting your footing wrong when going down stairs.  I've taken a few tumbles myself that the handrail has helped me from making into an embarrassing situation!

Always carry flats with you
When I know I'll be walking a lot, I always carry a bigger handbag and put a pair of flats in there.  I have a ton of shoe bags from all my shoes so I just put a pair of flats in a shoe bag to keep my handbag contents from getting dirty.  Then when I've been on my feet for a couple of hours and I need to give them a rest, I'll just slip on my flats, put my heels in the shoe bag and my feet are back to being comfy! There are even flats out there like these Dr. Scholl's Fast Flats that are foldable flats and are really compact to keep in your handbag.  I haven't tried them just yet but seems like a good concept.

Keep blisters away!
People always wonder if I get blisters from walking in heels all day long but I never do.  Ever since I started investing in high end shoes, I have never gotten a blister from a shoe.  I think it's the way the shoe is made and the materials inside the shoe.  For cheaper shoes, you may get synthetic materials inside the shoe which after your foot has rubbed up against it for an hour or two, it just can't be comfortable.  Whereas for designer shoes, the entire insole as well as the inner lining is made from genuine leather which is softer to your feet and molds better than the synthetic materials.  If you are getting blisters from the inside of your shoes, put your shoes on and note where you think they might start rubbing and stick little bandaids there or you can also get some moleskin padding as well if you want to cut out custom sizes.

That's it for my tips!  The only thing that I want to reiterate is to practice and practice some more!  That's the only way that your feet will get used to being at a strange angle for long periods of time.  If you practice enough you might end up like me and have to train your feet to wear flats :)

My next guide will be on how to take care of your designer heels as that's another question I get a lot!  And now, a few of my picks from the spring collection of my favorite shoe designers.

Christian Louboutin Pigalle 120 studded denim pumps
If you are a beginner, I advise I against these ones!  The heel height plus the small toe box makes for only experienced stilletto wearers.  Aren't they amazing though?!

Christian Louboutin Bibi Pumps
With the thicker heel, these are great for the super high heel look but a bit more on the comfortable side.  I've actually tried these on and can vouch for their comfort!

Dior 'Cannage' Buckle Pump
The strap in front like these helps to keep your foot in and more stable.  I actually just bought these the other day!  Adore them but they are very high so not for the beginners either!

Miu Miu Suede multi-strap sandals
And having a platform in front is definitely helpful with balancing out the high heels.  I love these sandals, they just scream "springtime!" to me!

Hope my tips helped and next thing you know you'll be dancing the night away in your 4 inch heels without wanting to kick them off and throwing them in the trash!

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Lookbook: Sir Mix-a-lot

You remember the striped top that I cut to make into a cardigan?  Well this is the same sweater but in black.  Isn't it funny how sometimes the color of the exact same item can make it so much harder to wear?  The white one just never looked right until I made it into a cardigan but the black one is just perfect as is.  I love the pattern of this dress but it's a sleeveless dress and I didn't feel like just throwing a cardigan over it so decided to wear it as a skirt instead.  I think the mix of the patterns works really well together, in fact stripes and florals are my favorite patterns to mix.  As long as you stay in the same color scheme, the pattern mixing will work.

What I'm Wearing

Sweater: Uniqlo

Dress worn as a skirt: Forever 21

Tights: DKNY

Belt: J Crew

Shoes: Christian Louboutin "Rolando Boucle"

Did you guys have a good weekend?  Mine totally flew by!  It was my husband's birthday last week so we did some celebrating and I baked him a cake!  It was my very first cake and it turned out alright.  I think finding a good recipe (or a recipe to suit your taste) is the hardest part.  If you are wondering I made this cake from Pioneer Woman.  I would've liked the coffee flavor to be more intense or maybe I just like coffee a lot more than other people!  Hubs recently bought me a KitchenAid stand mixer after I had a baking party with a friend and fell in love with hers (see below).  I was insanely jealous of hers so I had to get one!   I've been on a baking kick ever since I decided that the only sugar I was going to put in my body had to be made by myself - meaning no Cupcake Royale, no Simply Desserts, no Top Pot Doughnuts, no pastries while getting our morning coffee at Espresso Vivace, no Old School Frozen Custard, no D'Ambrosio Gelato... <---- if you need dessert/sweets recommendations in Seattle, those are my favorite!  I hardly ever drink pop so I don't have to worry about that but I did have to cut out candy which I LOVE, especially the sour gummy kind.  I love the bakeries around here too much and the ease of getting the yumminess into my belly was making my belly much too big.  So now that I have to put the effort into making my treats, I'm a lot better at controlling what goes into my belly!  And even though I'm making a batch of treats, I don't feel the need to eat all of them.  I just eat one or two and then I'm satisfied and the rest goes to friends or family.  I can say that I could pretty easily give up carbs or meat if I had to, but sugar - NEVER! :)  That's why I had to find a better way to control my sugar intake.  How about you?  Could you give up sugar if you had to?  Or what could you not give up?

We made these tea cookies and they turned out pretty good!

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Hive & Honey Nautical Striped Sweater

Really similar right?  Only $44 and 2% cashback from ebates!

Forever 21 has some great inexpensive options as well.  Like this one is super cute with the buttons on the shoulder or this one that's a bit baggier and would look great with skinny jeans or leggings. And both are under $16!

Macy's - Material Girl Dress

Whenever I do the sweater over the dress thing I like to make sure that the top of the dress is fairly plain, no ruffles or embellishments and that the skirt part is a bit more on the poofy side.  This one would be great for that as well as it being cute on its own!  Or if you don't want to go with floral, this striped dress is really cute too!

Christian Louboutin Lady Super-Platform Mary Jane Pump

OMG have you seen the Super Platforms?  Crazy!  I don't even know if I can go that high.  Here's a shorter heel Louboutin mary jane.  Or you could go for these for a much better price!  If you want to see a better view of my shoes you can also see them on my shoe collection vlog!

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Lookbook: One of the Crew

I had lunch with my mom last week and we were talking about my blog (my parents love my blog and they always ask me about it, which I love!) and she asked "Does J Crew pay you to write about them because you're always wearing their stuff on your blog!" and I laughed and said No (but I wish!) and to tell you the truth, I knew I liked shopping at J Crew but I didn't think I liked it enough for my mom to notice and then as I was putting together this lookbook, I realized that 95% of it came from J Crew (and Madewell which is owned by J Crew).  Dang!  I think I need to step away from the Crew and shop elsewhere until they pay me to endorse them.  LOL! 

What I'm Wearing

Blazer: J Crew

Tunic (worn as a top): J Crew

Pants: Madewell

Belt: Nordstrom (really old)

Shoes: Christian Louboutin - New Simple Pumps

All Jewelry: J Crew

Speaking of moms: I think almost everyone I know has read the controversial Why Chinese Mothers are Superior and I have to say that I related to a lot of this article (I've felt the pain of getting my first B.  I thought my life was OVER).  However, my mom (and dad) still let me attend sleepovers, choose my own extracurricular activities (although I did play the piano and violin too), heck I was even on the cheerleading and dance team which I suspect the author of the article would abhor.  And you know what?  I still turned out fine!  My parents are proud of the way I turned out and I'm proud of myself and my accomplishments.  I love my parents for raising me the way they did.  It was definitely hard for me when I was in high school and my parents' strictness/rules made me think life was SO HARD but I now realize why they were strict with me and how it's helped me with everything I do in my life now.  It was just an interesting article and while I think that the author is a bit extreme in her thinking (but I also realize that she IS trying to sell her book), I did actually agree with some of it, although I could pinpoint the areas that, if I had children, which areas I would not be adhering to, only because of personal experience.  <---- when I was 8 or 9, I had a Chinese piano teacher who made me play the same area of the song 100+ times if I messed up.  And I had to mark it in the book for every time I did it.  Before the lesson was over she would hand me a long list of areas that I needed to work on and the amount of times of each piece I had to practice every day which amounted to hours every day!  Traumatic much?  No wonder I won't touch the piano anymore!  Did you read the article?  What did you think about it?

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AE Women's Striped Schoolboy Blazer
I love this Michael Kors blazer too, it's the perfect color for the spring.

Dallin Chase vintage blue 'Birsch' tab sleeve tunic
You could also go with a short sleeve version or this one that's a bit more casual.

Gap Always Skinny Cords
I haven't tried these on yet but they look great.  I've been living in my skinny cords, they are a great alternative to jeans.  These skinny military cords are great too.

Christian Louboutin Simple 100 Patent Pumps
I'm wearing the New Simple pumps and the yellow color was sold out last year but they always have the Simple pumps which I own too and are my favorite Louboutin style.  The New Simple pumps are great because they have an extra platform and give you just an extra bit of height!

For those of you looking for yellow pumps, check out these suede pumps and get 4% cashback from ebates or cute peeptoes and get 8% cashback!

American Apparel Le String

I bought my belt forever ago but you could do the same thing with this belt (for $5!) or this navy/pink combo is cute! Mine has the same kind of rings but I just folded the end part of the belt over it to cover the rings.

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Week in iPhone pics: Chanel, Lula and FOOD!

First, I have to tell you that I'm so excited that I finally figured out how to "reply" to my comments.  I've been trying to reply to you all but it takes me forever to scroll up and down and write the reply but I do really enjoy your comments and am trying my best to get back to you!  I installed this code to make it easy to reply to your comment so if you ever leave a question here or just want to check back I try to reply by the end of the night of each post. 

My January so far has been fabulous!  How about you?  As promised, another week in iPhone pics!  We may own several fancy dSLR cameras and thousands of $$ worth of lenses but I take way more pictures with my iPhone.  It's just so handy and if you take the time to set up and compose your shot, it can come out pretty nice too.  Not all of them will turn out great but the same goes for dSLR's.  Fancy cameras does not equal automatic nice pictures.  Remember, "the best camera is the one that's with you" no matter how big it is or how much it cost.  Anyway! Onto my iPhone highlights of the past week!

 

1. Umm no explanation necessary.  A little Chanel to start off the year never hurt nobody :)

2. I missed the last issue of Lula (one of my favorite magazines) so am glad I got my hands on the newest one!

3. I ordered this from the Sephora/Hello Kitty collab preview.  It's the CUTEST brush holder but I prefer it on my desk than in my bathroom!

4.  Antique shopping.  Ahh vintage sparkly jewelry is my weakness!

5.  Just a picture of my puppers Macho because he's adorable.  

6.  Shopping at Madewell while wearing an entire outfit from Madewell.  (I like that store too much!)

7. A decadent business dinner at the Metropolitan Grill.  Let's just say it was 5 bottles of wine between 4 people.  And I started off with a martini.  Closing a business deal is hard work. ;)

8.  We threw my brother a surprise birthday party at one of our favorite Chinese restaurants.  We ordered so much food but the Salt and Pepper Crab there is to.die.for.

9. OK I'm cheating here :) This is a picture of a picture from my Real Simple magazine.  It's the Seafood Chowder that I mentioned on my post last week.  A few of you asked for the recipe so click here!

10. I made Tonkatsu over Japanese curry with brown rice.   First time making Tonkatsu and I did a dang good job.  <---Hubs can vouch for that!  Even better than getting it at a restaurant! :)  I just followed a basic tonkatsu recipe (you can usually find it off the Panko breading package) and since I was a child, my mother has always used the S&B Golden Curry roux so I don't stray from that as it never disappoints. (I always buy the HOT, we like it spicy although it's not too spicy at all).  I just put in caramelized onions (do that first) and carrots. 

All photos were taken by me and edited using the Cross Process app (except for #9 was not edited) and collage was created in Photoshop.

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Lookbook: Polka Dot Dot Dot

It's been awhile since I've put on a skirt.  Now that I work from home, I still like to get dressed up but I just wear whatever the heck that I want and while I used to wear skirts all the time to the office, sitting at home in a skirt just seems, I don't know, a bit odd.  I think it's also because since I don't work in a normal corporate setting, I don't have to sit in front of the computer all day long (where sitting in tights is not too bad) instead, I'm in and out and running around all day long and doing it in tights in this freezing weather just isn't ideal.  However, I do adore these polka dot tights and haven't worn them yet this season so brought them out to play!

What I'm Wearing

Cardigan: Eryn Brinie

Top: J Crew

Skirt: Eryn Brinie

Tights: Nordstrom

Shoes: Prada

Bangle: gift from my mom

Straight hair for today!  Are you surprised?  It is a rare day when I don't curl it.  BTW, thanks for the awesome feedback about my curling with a flat iron tutorial.  I'm so glad that quite a few of you were able to try it out and find it to be quite easy!  Check out the adorable @StephBartolome version!  Adore it with the poof!

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Roxy Night Out Sweater
When I was in NYC I stopped by the Eryn Brinie store and bought practically everything there.  I love that label and everything fits me perfectly.  Unfortanately the cardigan that I bought is sold out, I love the little puff sleeves.  This Open Back Cardigan looks great and even this chunky cardigan would look cute with this outfit.

J.Crew Factory Palmera ruffle cami
Or this one is super similar for $39.50.  I like the the print version too.

 

Rag & Bone Ledbury Wrap Skirt
You probably know that Rag & Bone is my favorite brand.  I want this skirt!  It's 60% off and use your ebates to get 2.5% cashback at Saks!

This bow skirt is pretty cute too. Or this pleated bow skirt for $19.99! (And get 2% Cashback from ebates)

Sheer Dot Tight On sale for $12! + 2.5% cashback!

And how cute are these floral dot tights?  Oh and Spanx has dot tights too!

Prada Womens Shoes

I talked about my shoes in my "rarely worn shoes" vlog and this is proof that I actually took them out this season to wear them!  I'm also in love with these new season Prada pumps, I think I need them!  And these cutie bow pumps too!

Oh and for those of you that have been looking for my Prada pumps from this post and this lookbook, I finally found them online!  You can get them here and they have them in gray too!

Prada Booties

P.S.  The ebates giveaway winners have been selected and contacted by email.  Congrats to Martha and Maria!  Thanks to everyone who entered, I'll be having another giveaway soon!

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Get Fabulous Curls Using a Flat Iron

** Today is the last day to take advantage of 50% off your order at Alainn Bella!!  Don't forget to hop on over and do some shopping!  Use code "Stylish50" to get the discount.  **

Curling my hair with a flat iron is my current favorite way to curl my hair, mostly because it takes half the time of doing it with a curling iron!  Here's my quick tutorial on how I do it.  Have fun with it and if you do it, send me your picture or blog post, I would love to see it and link to you in a post! :)

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Hana Elite Flat Iron and Philip B. Maui Wowie Beach Mist

In the video I'm wearing; top by Madewell, both rings gifted to me by the hubs, and a vintage necklace.  (I'll post a lookbook of this outfit soon so will have more details then.)  If you missed it, check out my other hair curling tutorial here!

Disclosure: Flat Iron was gifted to me by misikko.  (they have no affiliation with the tutorial)

On a more serious note, I'm sure you've all heard of the flooding in Australia.  Amanda, a lovely reader of mine who writes still as a rose, wrote me a very sweet note letting me know about how the flooding has affected her and wanted to get the word out about helping out the people that have been affected.  This is defintely something that I think is worth mentioning and if any of you guys can help with the recovery efforts you can donate here www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate

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