I have some big news coming...me thinks. Or maybe it's not really huge news.Or I don't know. I have been pretty fickle-minded on many things as of late and it's pretty inconvenient as its timing is during the "most wonderful time of the year." Anyway, wishing everyone a merry holiday season!
I have been wearing almost the same shoes week after week in a not very me way. I have always been one to dress up, not wear the same pair of shoes twice during the week but lately, I have just been wearing the few same pair of shoes as well as the same two parkas. LOL
Has anybody been into watching Gilmore Girls? I have been watching it since mid-fall semester, when I have down time--which brings me to realize that now that school is over and is hopefully over for a long time, I have all the free time in the world but because of my endless sleep spell, 80% of my free time has been spent napping. Weekends have been 50% less productive than usual and even my blogging is sort of flaky and sorry for that. My writing has been bleh and meh and I feel like my creative juices have been squeezed out of me entirely. I sort of cannot wait for my vacation...sort of.
It feels like forever since I last blogged. As in I don’t even know where to start or what to say first. I’m not going to lie—I did not miss blogging. While I was on my hiatus, it felt like the right thing to stay away from technology at home because I have been living and breathing to it too much in the past few weeks. I am back though. I’m done with finals by the way so life is so much better for me…except that I have to drive 70-80 miles to work now. Never thought I’d be in this position ever again but I am and like the saying goes…suck it up.
Now let's talk about this outfit that I took back when we were still in our old office. Have you ever woken up wanting to wear a very specific outfit on a perfect day and realize that your leggings has a hole on the knee as soon as you put 'em on? No? Okay maybe it's just me. I was feeling creative this one day so I decided to just cut both knees like those destroyed pants at the mall. It worked out well as you can see. Thankfully, the fabrication of my leggings is fleece-like to it's able to take all the stretching pressure I put into it. ;) I must admit though, I am super close to drawing eyes on my knees and pretend that they're ninjas! *excuse me while I think of more silly ideas*
So Shopbop, one of my faves, is having a huge huge huge sale starting today until the 30th! It'll really push you to go big on holiday presents this year! Or maybe, go big on spending on yourself! I meeeean, you've been a good girl, right? :P
If you're new to Shopbop, here are little gift guides to help you navigate your holiday shopping through the site. Happy shopping!
After the time change, I finally gave in and decided, I NEED to start taking outfit pictures during my break time at work. So please excuse the smirk, that was unintentional. I just can't bear the thought of having my coworkers who don't understand blogging to catch me taking pictures of myself. Oh the things I do for this hobby.
Now let's talk about this outfit. That long line cardigan cost me $7.99 plus tax. No, I'm serious. Only $8. Although it would probably be just an accessory to people in colder places, it works for the sunny fall weather we have in Los Angeles. Also, I love how my thighs look in these pictures because I look like I have thighs. Yay!
I am seriously considering buying a fanny pack for my upcoming trip to the Philippines. Oh wait, I never said anything about it here? Sorry! Thought I had updated the whole world…or may it just feels that way. Back to my point--the Philippines is not the safest place in the world so you can't just wear a backpack without worrying about anybody trying to take something from it while you're walking around, wandering. Just like every city, there are usually good areas and bad areas but still. Wearing a fanny pack I think is the safest way to make sure that I come home with all my belongings intact. Here are the ones I am looking at...
So it's been a little quiet here. Talk about busy season combined with midterms! The past week has been no joke but I am just so glad that last week's in-class midterm exam was turned to a take home exam so I had enough time to work on it on Halloween night after I downed a huge cup of coffee milk tea. I finally got time to take a breather last weekend. Ron and I are all caught up on Scandal and Grey's Anatomy and we also had time to go out on Sunday and watch the Seahawks almost not handle the Cowboys. Oh I was also able to do a little shopping! Yay!
There was rain and *cold* weather in the forecast a few weekends ago so for our shopping day out, I got dressed appropriately...or so I thought. The rain was done by 8am and I basically just broke these new booties form Shopbop in. Wait, have I mentioned how much I love them and how I absolutely have to wear them every chance I get? I was so excited for them, even my husband got excited for me. They also came right in time before out trip to Seattle. And because the weather forecast when we left said that we it'll be raining all weekend, these booties flew with us to the Emerald City! <3
In other news, Ron and I attended the Maxim Halloween party. We have not been at a halloween party in a loooong time and because of that plus its is a party attended by a pretty good crowd, we went big on our costumes. I got my makeup done at Sephora--the practical way to go when getting your face done for an event because you don't really have to pay for the service. You just need a $50 or more purchase. I got an Estee Lauder lipstick in Emotional, a pair of Sephora false lashes and Make Up Forever's ink liner. I also met Amber the super talented makeup artist who did my make up.
Aside from the perfect coffee and baking weather, pretty trees and being able to wear booties, another thing I love about fall is that I can layer up. That's something I take as a luxury here in LA. Fortunately though, I can feel it's finally cooling down as I am able to wear a hoodie when I walk the dogs in the morning now. Dressing up for work is another story--usually, when I walk the dogs, it's a liiittle chilly but right when I walk out the house to get in the car, it gets warm. Because of this, I always have to bring an unworn layer because the temperature in the office is usually at least 15 degrees lower than what it is outside. I'm not complaining though, I prefer cold than hot temps. What kind of weather would you rather have?
Anyway, I can't wait until I can rock the [literal] just-got-out-of-bed look on weekend mornings and walk the dogs in pjs, a hoodie and my good ol' trusty Uggs. LOL For now, I shall settle on wearing shorts, a hoodie and running shoes.
So before I go off talking about our trip to Seattle, I thought I'd share what we've learned from our trip in Chicago last month. We only spent 3 days and 3 nights in Chicago and what we've accomplished in those three days were beyond every tourist-y thing we've done here in LA.
The trip was amazing. From meeting our relatives to exploring the beautiful city of Chicago, we did not run out of things to do at all. We visited so many places in such a short time that during our flight to back to LA, I had to recount the tourist spots (if you will) that we visited. After looking at our list, I felt pretty bad ass that we were able to visit all the places. There were a lot...and I mean A LOT of other tourists because of the sporting events going on that weekend and the on top of that, there was a jazz music fest too. It was crazy but it's the good kind of crazy. Here is a video to prove all the fun we had:
Our Chicago trip also proved that Ron is THE BEST travel buddy for me. So glad that he's just as excited and thrilled as I am when touristing and he actually was able to handle my whining towards the end of Saturday because I was so damn tired. Also, the uber driver dropped us off at the wrong side of Millennium Park instead of dropping us off right in front of THE Bean. That gave us a chance to explore more though! And I got to take this beautiful picture...
This actually made me ask: How in the world did we do it? We usually suck in being tourists because we love sleeping in when we don't have the dogs with us (no morning walks required). So even though I am no Chicago expert, here are some things that worked for us.
Manage your time. Don't spend too long in one place. Museums take time, some places have shows and time is against you so make sure to manage it well. We started our days by waking up at 730am and making sure that we're out before 930am. We ate heavy breakfasts to make sure that we're fueled up.
Know where to go. One of our friends recommended getting a CityPASS. We got to go 5 different tourist spots with VIP entry/fast passes for only a fraction of the cost--$96 to be exact, and by doing that, we saved $102. A few of the passes require you to choose one from two places but don't worry, you still get a discount if you want to visit the other place.
Walk if you can, Uber if you can't. Towards the end of Saturday, I was all whiney and tired so Ron and I did not make walking a choice to go to Skydeck. We took an Uber instead and leaving the place, we took another Uber to take us to the Millennium Park. I guess I should also say that do NOT for any reason rent a car especially if you're staying in Downtown Chicago. Parking there costs a fortune and they have angry, honky drivers in the city. Seriously.
Stay in Downtown Chicago. This can get pricey, I understand. Fortunately, we have family that has a condo in downtown so we had the luxury to stay at her place. But you know what, I can imagine spending a few hundred bucks to stay in downtown well worth it. Maybe try airbnb.com?
I found these boots a couple of weekends ago and fell in love! And then this conversation happened when I found Ron at the Men's Shoe Department:
Ron: If those are boots, don't get it. You have too many already.
Me: I'll just show you how pretty they are.
Ron: Okay!
Me: *puts on booties* See? They're pretty huh?
Ron: Oh wow, I'll get them for you!
#GOALS
So that was easy. LOL But seriously, if he weren't going to get them for me, I would have still gotten them for my self. They're so comfy too and I had no issue wearing them to work all day. It's still not cold enough for any other type of boots where I am so this is as far as I can get with wearing fall weather shoes. Except when it rains. I certainly have just the right boots for that but that's a story for another day. Anyway, if you'd like to grab yourself a pair of these boots from Amazon, keep scrolling for a chance to win an Amazon gift card or cash--it's totally up to the winner! :D
One of my favorite resources for putting together outfits, Shopbop.com, is having their Friends and Family Sale! Styles will sell fast for sure so don't think twice too long!
I've always been drawn to Free People, thanks to my mom's influence! She grew up in the 70s so Free People's boho style is very relatable to her. There's one thing we don't agree on though--cold weather. FPs's cold weather clothes are definitely stuff that I would wear if I had unlimited money to spend.
While shopping for Seattle clothes, a turtleneck top sort of caught my eye as it reminded me of Kendal Jenner. I know, I know, she's a model and she can pull anything off but guess what, I bet you everyone can pull of that trend! I bought the top by the way, but more on that later.
Another one of my fall must-haves is a saddle bag...or perhaps, English saddle colored bags. I got mine last summer and I love that the style carries over to fall. I really love these ones bags from Madewell that Shopbop carries which you can for 25% less in the next few days by using the code INTHEFAM25! You can also click here for more details about the sale.
I have been going through my closet, making sure I get to wear all of my dresses before the weather cools down enough for people to give me dirty looks if I wear something like this. Haha! So basically, I have been living in dresses despite my leg bruises that I get from (believe it or not) golfing. I should really stop playing with my clubs like I play with my pen when I'm thinking or waiting. My mom gave me this dress years ago and I don't think I have worn it enough so before the nights become longer and the days become shorter, I had to give it its chance to shine. :p
We're in Seattle right now, enjoying real fall weather that we don't really get in LA. So to everyone who is suffering from severe weather, I hope this brings you hope that the sun will come out again...in less than 9 months or maybe sooner! :)
Hi I'm Jan and I am no longer a hair extensions virgin! *cheers*
A few weeks ago, I received a box of IrresistibleMe.com's 20-inch Royal Remy Hair. I did my research here and there on how to use them while before I finally decided to put them on and voila! Here they are. I don't really have before and after photos because well...hit the "Older Post" link at the bottom of this post to see how short my hair is right now. ;)
Dress: Ross (similar). Sandals: Forever21 (similar). Clutch: H&M (similar). Necklace: Rocksbox (click here to get a free month or enter the code JANMLOVESXOXO).
As much as I love having hair that is easy to manage, sometimes it just gets a little boring. So one Saturday, I decided to heat up my hair straightener and curl my hair to give it the volume I ever so long for. As it turns out, I think I look decent in messy short hair parted in the middle! I am well aware that I need to work on getting this hairstyle on point though (that almost straight bunch of hair in the front bothers me a lot LOL). It's nothing I am used to but it's just one of those things that help me feel more comfortable in my own skin by getting out of my comfort zone.
On a different note, would you believe this dress is over three years old? I have pictures to prove it: here! More importantly though, let's focus on my necklace. I really fell in love with this style when I started my Rocksbox subscription and I have been waiting for it to come to me. I just love how simple and detailed it is. I feel like it's the perfect accessory to spice up any outfit, whether you're wearing plains or patterns.
