Hiding Some "Girls", and Breaking Out Others

I've been having some tummy trouble, and needed something plenty roomy around the waist on Wednesday. I thought of just the thing....

I love this top, but it tends to sit pretty low on my bustline... making it terribly entertaining to wear to work. Between the size of my jugs (bigger than one would think, really) and the elastic in the black criss-cross detail, a girl can feel a bit exposed at the office.

But I finally figured out how to keep my workday from turning into a free show... safety-pinning under the black strips directly onto my bra cups!  I'm not showing the details of that little trick, but here's the result:



When it comes to my daily makeup look... I'm pretty lazy. I do the same thing, or just about, every day. And only rarely make changes. It's kind of a "uniform". Which is how I used to approach my clothes. I came up with an "outfit", then wore it the same way every time. I started blogging because I was bored and wanted to mix things up a bit, wardrobe-wise.

I'm starting to feel the same way about my makeup. But Hubby's not working, we don't have a ton of spare cash for me to play makeup with... what is a girl to do?

About a hundred years ago, I sold Mary Kay cosmetics. I fell for the "can't sell from an empty wagon" line, and got frontloaded. Long story short... I still have a bunch of stuff hanging around. Lipsticks and eyeshadows, mostly. Keeping in tune with my "shop your closet" ethos, I'm going to be experimenting with cosmetics for the first time in a very long time. Here's today's:


Eyes: Lavender Haze, Cheeks: Lilac, Lips: Cherries Jubilee

Is the lipstick too bright?

Anyhoo... I wore black pearl earrings:



And grabbed one of my black pearl necklaces to go with it. I quickly realized that the short necklace with the lower neckline was a bit too "Renaissance Faire" for the office, so I wore it as a bracelet:



Not perfect, though. First, it's a little long for two wrap-arounds, and way too short for a third wrap. And the claw-catch isn't terribly attractive. When I have money again, I'm changing catches on a lot of my necklaces so they can better double as bracelets. Lastly... my other necklace (the one I couldn't find this morning) is a better color-match for the earrings.

I do so love the colors in the necklace-as-bracelet from today, though. Rich and varied... I actually had an older photo of this in my Photobucket, but decided to use the one I took today because it better shows the colors.

For an extra pick-me-up, I wore my awesome beaded velvet slippers rather than proper shoes:



Which I didn't realize I didn't already have a photo of their awesomeness until writing this post, so this is a 1:30 a.m. "blogging emergency" shot.

Once again, I didn't have time to do my hair before heading into the cruel world, so I scraped it back into this beauty... which I've been wearing a lot lately:



More medical appointments for Hubby, and hanging out with (alleged) criminals the rest of the day. We should find out tomorrow whether Hubby is going to have another surgery... we're virtually certain that will be the case. He still can't really do anything. I just hope it takes away his pain... then he can hang out with the unsavory elements of our beaucolic little community as well!

Top: via Stein Mart
Jewelry: from Jasper's Den, Spring Grove, OH
Pants: Lane Bryant
Slippers: random store in Melbourne, Australia
Barrette: gift from Mom

So Much for That...

...a couple things, really. First, I didn't get anyone to take my photo again, so it's crappy-kitchen-mirror-shot again:



Note to self: pin the neckline together so that the bottom of the necklace doesn't go inside it! And just for fun, I get some spray starch to try to keep the shirt tail from rolling up:



Have I mentioned how awesome this necklace is?



I got a little crazy today, and decided to wear my red belt with this combo, rather than a black one. So my only pop of color for the day:



I still haven't found the "ah-ha!" earrings for this necklace. So these will have to do:



I know this is an old photo... but I so love my hair flower:



Flats. Nothing special.



At least I got to miss yoga for night court... so much for that!

Shirt: via Stein Mart
Pants: Lane Bryant
Shoes: Nine West via garage sale
Hair flower: Maurice's
Necklace: gift from Freeda
Earrings: JC Penney

Effect of Tailoring

I so seldom get "pre-tailoring" photos of my jackets, but I finally have some so I can show the difference it makes! The left photos are the ones I texted to Freeda for a second opinion. The ones on the right are from Friday.

Before/After:



Hmm... perhaps I should press that front seam.... And I think I want to put shoulder pads in this jacket. To be fair, I've put on a few pounds since I had the jacket taken in.

I was supposed to go to a jewelry party... but somebody made the roads crappy:



KHAAAAAAAAN!!!!!



Guess me and my really cute sweater sleeve detail will hang out at home:



Jingle-jangle-jingle!

 

I like how these tinkle in my ears all day.

The only color in Friday's outfit was in my shoes:



And I'm finally caught up in my posting! Now, I just need to stop by some of my favorite blogs and check in.

Sweater: Tribal via Pip's in Corning, NY
Jacket: Apt 9 from Kohl's via consignment shop
Pants: Lane Bryant
Earrings: Lia Sophia
Shoes: Aerosoles

I finally figured out another way to style this

Crud! I lost most of my work on this post of Thursday's outfit, and have to redo it....

This sweater seems to be a big hit at work, I always get compliments on it. But I'd been accessorizing it the exact same way every time, which isn't terribly exciting for the blog. I am much happier with my change in accessories that this photo would indicate:

 

I was actually feeling pretty cute, but I took the mirror shots after a long day. I went to a fun retirement party for one of my friends, who has an excellent eye for style... so I wanted to step up my game:



So I went with green earrings to complement the green appliques:



But I felt that my inspired moment was breaking out my "old lady" shoes to complement the red appliques:



I really need to remember to have people take photos for me during the day... these mirror shots suck! The pants are actually blue, I don't know why they look black in the photo. *sigh*

Sweater: Casual Trends from Sears/Kmart via dry cleaner's "left behind" rack
Earrings: gift from a friend
Pants: Lane Bryant
Shoes: Trotters via DeGaetano's in Hornell, NY

Twice as Nice?

Tuesday was a low-effort day, to put it nicely. I felt like crud, and wound up napping after my morning shower. Fantastic effect on my hair for the day:

 

I only went in for the afternoon, because there were some things I had to take care of. Never bothered to put makeup on... I was just too tired to care.

On Wednesday I figured I wore the outfit so little the previous day... that I might as well save on the laundry and recycle it:

 

I worked the whole day, but it was just office stuff and I just didn't have the energy to bother with makeup again. The outfit was the exact same both days. I wore navy pants and trouser sox with these purple flats:



And I wore these both days:



But the barrette only came out on Wednesday:



Yeah... I pretty much phoned in my fashion those two days.

Sweater: via Kohl's
Pants: Lane Bryant
Shoes: Aerosoles
Earrings: Lia Sophia
Barrette: gift from Mom

I Don't Like This...

I love, love, love this top. I even paid FULL PRICE for it. But I don't like how it is creasing across the top of the "girls" in this pic... perhaps it's a bit snug:

 

Yeah... that's just weird. I thought the outfit was cuter than it looks in this photo... is my disappointment due to Stinky's photography skills, or that the necklace is too subtle? Here's a closer look:



This necklace was purchased to match a shirt that is no longer with us, so I'm seeking other ways to use it. I thought it was a nice counter to my pink patent flats:



Oh yeah... this outfit is from last Friday. I'm trying to catch up on my posting. I've been preoccupied. Anyway, I just wore some simple hoops to complement the necklace:



I'm rather unhappy with how blurry my outfit photo is in this post, because I really love the neck and bust detail on this top. Here's an older, but better, photo:



See what I mean?

Top: Tribal via Pip's in Corning, NY
Pants: Lane Bryant
Necklace: Ann Taylor outlet
Earrings: Gold MIne in Bath, NY
Shoes: Aerosoles

Zig-Zagging

I swear, I spent the bulk of the day in the car! I'm sure I clocked over 100 miles today in zigzag driving, between running to different courts and running to Hubby's specialist to pick up a new prescription.

I had night court and thought I would have to skip Zumba. But I gott out of it in time to get to the Y for class after all. I changed in the locker room, and just as class was about to start, Hubby texted asking me to come home because he is in agony and is nervous to try his new pain medication without me home. Just in case....

At least I got a mirror shot before I changed:



I just love Mother-of-Pearl/Paua:



I really love the rich tones in this set, particularly the greens, pinks, and purples:



The barrette doesn't match the jewelry, but it's in the back, so it's close enough for government work:
 

I wore my especially short pants today, so I definitely looked toward the flatter end of the shoe spectrum. My purple flats are the wrong tone for the shirt, and the pink ones are too bright. So I went with my more subtle pink kitten heels:



I decided to have a little fun and went with crazy socks. The rest of my outfit is so plain.... They are supposed to be knee-highs, and they are even from a plus-size store. But they always settle at crew-sock length when actually on my legs. Annoying... but I love the flowers!

Shirt: VanHeusen outlet
Pants: Lane Bryant
Jewelry: Lia Sophia
Barrette: gift from Mom
Shoes: American Eagle via Freeda's purge pile
Socks: Ashley Stewart

Argh!

Banner day at work on Wednesday....



That's all I'm going to say about that....

At least I may have finally figured out to winterize this summer top... or am I delusional?



I think I have my answer....

Of course, I never did properly switch out my wardrobe for the winter like I normally do. And I've put on a few pounds, compounding the wardrobe challenges. It doesn't seem as much fun for me as it seems to be for the bloggers trying to avoid buying maternity clothes by getting creative. Emmett Katherine and Elaine really do a great job at adapting their clothes to accommodate their growing baby bumps. It's not as cute when the "bump" is "Little Debbie"!

Kept the accessories pretty low-key again, so at least I didn't compound my error:



This once was two necklaces. I put them together for length... and could never get them apart again:



I woke up to sn*w (I'm so sorry for using such filthy language in my blog!), so I decided that my brown suede flats weren't the way to go. Back to these babies again:



At leat I have a 3-day weekend to recharge.

Top: INC from Macy's
Sweater: Iman from HSN gift from Freeda
Pants: Lane Bryant
Earrings: via art fair in Kalamazoo, MI
Necklace: gift from an ex
Shoes: Aerosoles

It's All About the Details

And everything in this outfit is chosen to set off this gorgeous beaded neckline:
 

It is actually pretty heavy, and the backing scratches a bit. I can't really wear this in the heat of summer, as I initially intended, because I have to wear an undershirt to keep it from scratching me to death. I briefly considered posting a pic of that... but decided that was just too much boob to put in your face!

Instead, here's a mirror shot in the courthouse:



I prefer to wear brown pants with this top, so I don't look like one giant black mass stalking my next victim. Although my back was bugging me so much today... I was feeling a bit homicidal. A quick trip to my friendly neighborhood chiropractor straightened out my spine and my attitude:



But apparently not my wonky eye!

While my hair does (barely) fit into this clip again... it doesn't look like this any more. Really old pic, but I love the clip so I broke it out today:



I just went with inoffensive earrings, to avoid distraction from the wooden beads:



And these again:



I skipped Zumba because my back is still sore, and I need to give it a break this evening. But I plan to lift tomorrow, to "make up" for skipping the class. In the meantime, I'm going to lie down now....

Top: Lafiance via Stein Mart
Pants: Lane Bryant
Shoes: Trotter's via DeGaetano's in Hornell, NY
Earrings: via art fair in Kalamazoo, MI
Hair clip: not sure

Saddle Sore

Yesterday, I went to spinning class at the Y, in my fabulous gear. Before/After:



Yeah, I pretty much felt like death warmed over when I was done, and I only got through half the class! Even with the gel seat-pad, I still wound up with sore "sit bones" on Monday. Ah well... will just have to keep at it.

At least I got a compliment on my color combinations from a prosecutor (female) this morning. I feel a bit chagrined that I neglected to get a shot of today's outfit "all together" to show it properly. I will say that I thought it looked pretty decent with the jacket on.

I decided to keep the "base" of the outfit brown, with only the top and jacket using the "pop" color. I chose this embellished tee as an under-layer to the sleeveless shell:



So I chose brown glass earrings to complement the shiny bead trim on the underlayer tee:



Note to self: next time, tuck the under-layer shirt IN!



Hmmm... getting snug... I guess it will be a bit before I retry this combination due to fit issues.

 I actually wore dark brown trouser socks with these today, rather than the stockings shown:



Workout tank and cheapo sports bra: Wal-Mart
Pedal-pushers: Fashion Bug
Clip shoes: Nike via Breakaway Bicycles in Kalamazoo, MI
Padded bike gloves: BG via Breakaway Bicycles in Kalamazoo, MI
Special bicycling sox: Pearl Izumi via Breakaway Bicycles in Kalamazoo, MI

I guess you figured out that I bought the specialized equipment all at once! The clip-in shoes take pressure off the ball of the foot, and also allow me to pull UP when pedaling, for a more effective workout. The socks wick nicely, and the gloves keep the pressure on hands from becoming intolerable.

The dork that I am, I wanted all blue to match my shoes, but had to settle for pink-and-blue bicycle gear....

Shell: Croft & Barrow via Goodwill
Shirt: Limited via Freeda's purge pile
Jacket: VanHeusen outlet
Earrings: Kalamazoo Institute of Art
Pants: Lane Bryant
Shoes: Trotters via DeGaetano's in Hornell, NY