I'm kind of a big deal...

Monday, July 30, 2012

I've got my eye on you...

Hi!

It's been awhile since I've done a Polyvore set so I wanted to share with you some of the items I've been coveting as of late.  A lot of retailers have been releasing their "Fall previews" recently which has irked me to no end (I want to hold onto summer as long as I can)! The plus side has been that I get to see what is in store for next season.  If you know me then you know that I typically wear what the heck I want to wear when I want to wear it.  I don't venture as far to wear shorts in the winter time but I have been known to rock florals and bright colors in the fall and winter months. Fashion "rules" are meant to be broken (someplace, somewhere, Karl Lagerfeld just cringed)!

JACKETS
I've had my eye on leather/leatherette jackets for some time because...well just because.  I think a broken-in (preferably cropped) leather jacket is a must for any wardrobe. I'm especially feeling the one by Forever 21 that has yet-to-be released.  It has spikes on the shoulders! When I first saw it, I did this little shriek and, after I told him why, my hubby was like: "Is it that serious???". Clearly, he doesn't get me....
Here's a cool hint if you are ever perusing the Forever 21+ site: Go to the "Shop by outfit" section of the site to see a preview of the items that aren't for sale yet. I also like visiting the UK site for the same reason.  Am I obsessed? Why yes, yes I am.

TOPS
With regards to tops, I've been into crazy patterns, florals and peplum anything. I can envision myself wearing the Staring at Stars cardi with some black leggings, mesh/sheer black top, a fierce boot, and a bright red lip. I've also been pleasantly surprised by some of eloquii's pieces as of recent.  The muted vibe of their previous lines have given way to a robust/vivid color palette with very fashion-forward silhouettes.  I love the color-blocked peplum top below--it's a great wear-to-work and after work piece. Rounding out my other selections for the "Tops" category is a denim shirt from Talbots and an open-backed floral blouse from Lucca Couture (via Urban Outfitters).  I chose the top from Talbot's because I am loving the rich denim color.  Denim shirts are very versatile and are fast becoming a staple in my wardrobe. The floral shirt is a great layering piece (I can see it being worn under a solid-colored blazer) and will add some serious flair to an outfit.  I actually tried this on in the UO store and it is cut very large.  I was able to close the buttons without any gaping....win! Hint: Don't feel like trying a shirt on  but are doubtful about the fit?  hold a shirt by it's armpits and match it to your armpits to determine how it will fit across the bust.  If it takes effort to match up with you armpits then most likely the shirt will not fit.

ACCESSORIES
The accessories I've been eyeing recently have been very bold and loud and the ones I have selected below are no exception.  I have a million obi belts (okay, I have 3) but I must have this one from the ASOS Curve line.  It is 100% leather and reasonably priced at $33.  There is also a beige-colored one on the site for $23! The leopard oxford with the neon sole is from Target.  You've probably spotted a similar one on the Forever 21 site.  The Target version is a steal for $20 versus $26 for the Forever 21 version. Oh, and the linked finger tip ring from ASOS? Well, does that even need justification???

What do you think of my picks? What do you think of the fall previews so far? 

As always, thanks for reading my blog! I love hearing from you all so please comment below!

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Eff it!

Hi!


I hope you all enjoyed your weekend! My weekend was...well, "eh".  My daughter's friend came over for a sleepover which was....interesting. They have this thing where they love each other one second and hate each other the next. I know that may be typical for four-year olds but I almost pulled out my hair after hearing "I'm not your friend!" over a million times.  Also, the hubby was was celebrating his 30th birthday at a casino so I was feeling a bit like a hater resentful.  Imagine me cleaning butts and wiping up stickiness all while envisioning my husband in a club swinging his shirt over his head while gyrating on some female.  Yeah, I have a vivid imagination. Well, it turns out he did none of the things I was imagining although I was giving him my "yeah, mmm-hmm" face as he described his angelic behavior.  

So...my clothing purchases have recently started reflecting my "eff it" attitude.  What do I mean? I mean that I've been opting for styles that I wouldn't normally wear.  I don't really know what spurred the attitude but I like it! Case in point: I recently spotted this dress from the ASOS website.

Cute right? Well, after clicking the link I tried convincing myself why the dress wouldn't work for me. It was strapless! It was fitted! It was too stripey! It was strapless! For those of you that are new readers know this, Izzy no likey her arms. I embrace all my other lumps and bumps but for some reason my arms upset me. With the dress languishing in my shopping cart, here is a sampling of the argument I had with myself:

"So what if it's strapless? I can just throw a shrug over it"
"Kinda defeats the purpose of it being strapless though"
"The peplum is nice and flattering"
"You have 400 things that are peplum, underwear included"
"But my arms!" (said in a really whiny voice)
"Woman up"
"But my arms!"
"Yeah? so what about your arms? You use them to hold and comfort your children, to console others, to cook, to clean, to carry burdens and joys...basically, to hold it down!"
...
"yeah, eff it!"

So after the "place order" button was pressed, I felt great! I waited a week for my package to arrive and began to assemble the outfit in my mind...


So what do you think? I'm not totally crazy about the dress on me but I feel triumphant nonetheless.  I still don't love my arms but challenging myself in this way brings me one step closer to accepting and loving all of me...without conditions.  I didn't intend to be so matchy-matchy but that's how things kinda worked out. Also, I was not trying to style my hair so I decided to throw on another banged wig.  This one is "Lala" and it's by FreeTress.  I think it's safe to say that my fascination with bangs has come to an end...for now...


Dress: ASOS (main range but the dress is super stretchy)
Clutch: Aldos
Necklace: Free People
Earrings: F21
Shoes: Corso Como "Del" pump
Bangles: Oasis via ASOS

So what about you? What part of your body are you the least comfortable with? What steps are you taking to be more accepting of your body?

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog! I love hearing from you so please comment below!

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Another Forever 21 $50 Giveaway!

Hello Everyone!
As promised, here is the final giveaway for June! Yes, yes, the fact that we are in the middle of July is not lost on me.  For those that missed out on my last $50 F21 gift card giveaway, here's another chance to get in on the action!

Also, I know not all of you are fans of F21 and I love to hear from you about the type of giveaways you would be interested in.  Please let me know by commenting below!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please be sure to read the Terms & Conditions of the giveaway! Good luck to everyone and thanks for reading my blog! <3 <3 <3

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Cleopatra Jones!

Hi!

I seriously need to clean my bedroom.  It's easily surpassed the realm of "messiness" and is now broaching the "hoarders" netherlands. I do have a hard time throwing things away but that is not the reason my room is a mess.  It's a mess because not only do I not pick my stuff up off the floor, but I have this thing about wanting to save boxes and packaging for "next time".  That is the ultimate hoarder mentality right? Saving something because you are convinced you will use it again? *Sigh*

Today's post is brought to you today by procrastination. I didn't want to clean my room so I decided to dress up instead! Also, did you notice my new wig? I'm still on the fence about it.  It's called "Brie" and I got it from BlackHairspray.com.  If you ever are in the market for a new wig, I encourage you to check them out because they have an extensive selection of wigs and they are all reasonably priced.  Plus, shipping is extremely fast!

As for my dress, I purchased my dress on EBay from a vendor called ModasJaime.  ModasJaime sells junior plus size dresses from size 1x to 3x.  I've been really into peplum lately so I had to have this dress when I saw it.  The material is super stretchy and is very durable.   The only thing I don't care for is the cap sleeves (only because I don't like my arms too much) and the length of the dress.  I'm 5'3" and the dress seems a little short for my taste. Other than that, I love the double peplum and the stripes! What do you think about the dress? What about my hair? Love it or hate it?





I love my nail ring! Please ignore my stubby boy fingers...

Dress: ModasJamie via EBay
Shoes: F21
Clutch: Canal Street in NYC
Cuff: ASOS
Necklace: F21
Earrings: MizOutlet
Bangles: Oasis via ASOS
Nail ring: EBay

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Fashion Ambush!

 Hi!

I thought I'd change it up a little and not make the focal point of this post about me! There are so many stylish and radiant women in my life that I thouht I'd start a new blog feature called Fashion Ambush! I use the term ambush because I don't intend on giving my subject's prior notice that I will be taking pics of them!

So today's Fashion Ambush! is a work edition. Check it out!

I featured Oneka in an earlier post and here she is again rockin' the heck out of that skirt! I absolutely love how she paired the skirt with a bright and bold top! The slight shoulder ruching of the shirt adds a touch of whimsy to the whole outfit. 


This is Rosa (who you all should know quite well) and I think she looks fabulous in this jumpsuit by Lane Bryant.  The jumpsuit is "utility" style and has cute details like a drawstring waist and pockets on the chest.  I'm not really a fan of brown but Rosa decided to add a  punch of color by throwing on an Old Navy cardi. I'm also loving the sparkly details on her shoes (not really visible) and the filigree pattern of her earrings.

Cardi: ON
Jumpsuit: Lane Bryant
Shoes: DSW
Earrings: Target 

What can I say about my colleague Debra?  She is a firecracker! Not only that, but I think she has tremendous style and confidence.  I love how her jewelry picks up the subtle details and colors in her outfits. 

Top: Talbot's
Skirt: Chico's
Shoes: Naturalizer
Jewelry: ??

What do you think about this first feature of Fashion Ambush??? Is it something you would like to see more of? Sound off below!!!

Monday, July 9, 2012

Gingham?

Hi!

So the past 5 days have been absolutely miserable for me! I was admitted in the hospital recently with what was a peritonsillar abscess.  I don't want to gross anyone out but they essentially had to drain the abscess so I could swallow and talk again (it was that bad). So I was released yesterday and feel 100% better.  I was told that I need to get my tonsils removed in order to prevent this from happening again since my throat pain initially began as strep throat.  On top of all that, I caught my 4 year old daughter humming "Beez in the Trap" by Nicki Minaj. When I asked my hubby where she learned the song he slowly backed out of the room with his head down....

So, I'm officially back in business! Not quite 100% but I'm close to it.  Today's post is inspired by my recent obsession with gingham.  Well, it's more of a fascination really.  If  you would have asked me several months ago if I would ever wear gingham the answer would've been a resounding "No!". For me, gingham conjures up images of rusticity: farmers, clapboard cabins in the woods, and pants hiked to your breast bone. As of recent, I've been seeing alot of gingham and plaid fashions out there, some more appealing than others. I bought this top from Old Navy and wanted to see how I could make it funky (or to "put some stank on it" as my wizened cousin would say).  So I have two different looks for you to see and to judge. In the second set of photos, I'm wearing my super bad-@ass earrings from BeadsbyAree.  These one's are called "Pyramids".  When I saw them on uber-blogger Marie Denee recently, I knew I had to have them. These earrings are expertly crafted and are super fierce--definitely not for the pearls and studs girl! I encourage you to check out Areeayl's site, she has some super sick pieces up!








Top: Old Navy
Pants: eloquii skinny jean in "Astoria Wash"...my new "go-to" pants!
Shoes: H&M
Earrings: BeadsbyAree
Earrings (top photos): Ashley Stewart
Necklace (top photos): F21
Belt (top photos): American Eagle
Wallet (top photos): H&M

Ava wanted to get her pose in too

My daughter Lilah and her "y'all mofo's are crazy" look...


Thanks for hanging with me and thanks for reading my blog! June's final giveaway is around the corner (yeah, yeah, yeah I know it's July) so be on the lookout!
<3