cheap thrill: camo surplus jacket at Old Navy

Lightweight Surplus Jacket in camouflage green: $19.99 at Old Navy

If you follow Taylor at Sterling Style, or happened to catch her recent feature on Refinery 29, you've seen her wear this jacket. It was originally $44.50, so when I saw her tell another blogger on Twitter that it was on sale for $19.99, I immediately ordered one for myself. It arrived at my doorstep on Thursday and was a perfect fit, so with this post in mind, I wore it on Friday with a navy/cream striped top, skinny jeans, and my favorite Madewell bracelet. I felt very Taylor-esque, despite my lack of blonde hair.

weekend wish list

from the top:

     Three-Tone Flat Sandal at Zara (available in sand and fuschia)

     Brett Dress Shirt by Equipment / Daddy Leopard Shirt by Equipment

     Cleo Necklace by Dannijo / Rexanna Necklace by Dannijo 

As much as I gravitate towards statement-making styles, the truth is that I frequently leave the house in jeans, a gray t-shirt, a scarf, and a pair of flip flops or Converse. Sometimes this is because I'm in a rush, and sometimes it's because I'm not feeling totally confident. I've been making a conscious effort over the past few months to wear outfits that change from day to day and better express my personality, but because I've basically spent the past five years in an outfit that is more appropriate for a lazy college student than the adult I've grown into, I get a lot of comments when I wear heels, prints, bright colors, or heavy jewelry. I realize that it's completely my own fault, and I do enjoy getting compliments, but it will definitely take some getting used to.   

footnotes:

1.  I am not exaggerating whatsoever when I say that I am obsessed with these Zara sandals. I NEED them. Why oh why does Zara refuse to open an online shop?

2.  If you're a Dannijo fan, click on this link RIGHT NOW. Trust me. Refinery 29 Reserve is currently offering an incredible deal where you can grab vouchers for $75, $150, or $300 that will snag you $150, $300, or $600 worth of merchandise at Dannijo's online shop. I've already spent my allowance for the month of May, and the necklaces above are way out of my price range, but I couldn't resist buying a voucher for $75. I've had my eye on the Jacinda ring for too long to pass this offer up.

Jewelmint / take two

I didn't pay much attention to the Nicolas necklace when I was making my first purchase at Jewelmint, but after seeing it on Anna, I couldn't resist picking one up for myself. And I'm so glad that I did, because I swear, this necklace might actually be the thing that finally pulls me out of my scarf rut. I've had it for a little over a week now, and I honestly have to fight the urge to wear it everyday. I'm not even typically a big fan of pastels, but this candy-colored necklace has totally changed my perspective.

weekend wish list

from the top:

        Kate Spade Pocomo Gwen Handbag

        J.Crew Merino Confetti Striped Sweater

        Warby Parker Sinclair Eyeglasses

        Tory Burch Wood Wedge Espadrille

click, purchase, mine: safari style at LOFT

LOFT Tab Sleeve Shirt Dress: $69.50

LOFT Safari Button Front Top (shown in herb green): $44.50

I've always enjoyed mixing masculine and feminine, so it's no real surprise that I'm a big fan of the safari styles that have been popping up everywhere over the past few months. I've only had it in my possession for about a week and a half, but my new utility vest from J.Crew has quickly become one of my favorite layering pieces for Spring, and I love pairing it with florals, blush tones, and girly jewelry. It's clear from looking at my wardrobe, though, that I'm in need of more work-appropriate clothing that is designed with warm weather in mind, so when LOFT announced that all online and in-store purchases would be 30% off today, I couldn't resist snagging the two items shown above. Fortunately, Kevin and I both did some Spring cleaning at the end of April, so there is plenty of room in my closet.

beauty favorites / volume I

I may not wear much makeup, but beauty products still manage to take up a good amount of the counter space in our bathroom. I probably own more lip balm and body lotion than any one person could possibly need. But what can I say? I'm a sucker for anything that smells like dessert or has coconut at the top of its ingredient list. Below are a handful of my favorite products, some that I've recently discovered, some that I've been using for years. What are some of your favorites?

from the top:

     Burt's Bee's Tinted Lip Balm in Rose (available at drugstore.com)

     Coconut Lip Butter (available at the Body Shop)

     Simpatico Solid Perfume, No. 8 (available at Anthropologie)

     Ultra Bland Facial Cleanser (available at Lush)

     Mountain Ocean Skin Trip Coconut Moisturizer and Soap (both available at drugstore.com)

faux snakeskin

ALDO Faux Snakeskin 'Madril' Sandal

I've had snakeskin shoes on the brain, and I happened to spot these gorgeous things in the window display of an ALDO store while running errands a couple of weeks ago. Somehow I had never been inside an ALDO store before, which is just bizarre, right? They had tons of cute stuff, but I was focused on this pair like a hawk, and lucky me -- they were on sale for $39.99! If there had been any prior hesitation -- which there wasn't -- the price would have convinced me. They didn't actually have my size in the store, but Lisa (the lovely salesperson who was assisting me) was able to order them in the correct size and have them shipped directly to my doorstep without any extra costs or shipping fees. Thank you, Lisa, for being so helpful and for pretending not to notice that it took ten humiliating and painful minutes for me to pry that size 5 ring from my size 7 finger before putting it back in the jewelry display case. I owe you one.

DIY inspiration: silk friendship bracelets

I love these silk + chain combo bracelets by Ariel Gordon, but they're a little outside my price range. Fortunately, after spending a little time on Google and Tumblr last night, I discovered that Becca over at Free Honey made a DIY tutorial back in February for a bracelet that looks very similar to the second bracelet shown above. Check it out here.  I'm definitely planning a trip to my local craft store.

weekend wish list

from the top:

     West Avenue Jewelry 'Classic Monogram' Necklace (available at Max & Chloe)

     Karen Walker 'Deep Freeze' Sunglasses (available at Shopbop)

     Kate Sheridan 'Black and Peach Tri Granny' Purse (available at Kate Sheridan)

cheap thrill: Colorblock Chain Cuff by Madewell

Colorblock Chain Cuff by Madewell ($18 at Shopbop)

*canvas (color not shown here) is actually on sale for $12.60

It's no secret that I'm pretty much obsessed with Madewell.  I'm also a total junkie for cheap jewelry. Somehow, though, I didn't come across this bracelet until I was searching last night for ways to add more color to my wardrobe and possibly even try out this whole color-blocking business. I'm particularly smitten with the limeade color, which will give me a chance to test out the neon trend without going so far that I feel like I've traveled straight back to the late 80's/early 90's. Only two colors are left on the official Madewell site (see here), but Shopbop still has four different colors available, and at $18 apiece, you can safely bet that I'll be placing an order ASAP.