Aquamarine Dance Strap Tank

Ok, so I got my aquamarine Dance Strap tank in size 4 today, and I think I definitely like it better than the 6. The chest is smaller and lower cut for sure, but the body is perfect.  I find the size 6 too long and loose/poofy for me, especially when I move around air gets under the tank and it looks way poofier for a few moments before it settles back down.  If the material was lullure instead of luxtreme, I don't think it would be an issue.  Here's a side by side comparison of the 2 different sizes on me.  I cinched in the bottom on both, which is how I normally wear this tank.  Had to tuck under the size 6 more than 4 since it's longer.

Though size 6 has more boob coverage, for some reason I think it looks a little weird.  Kind of like I'm wearing a bra that is a size too big for me.  Size 4 definitely gives more cleavage.

I love the color of this tank, but I can't help but think how even more beautiful it would look in lullure!  Lullure is slicker and has a subtle sheen to it, which I think is a great plus for this tank style.  Also the Lulu logo on the old Dance Strap tanks are velvet and in the same color as the rest of the tank, instead of the regular silver reflective one.  So I think the older style is more street-wear-friendly.  Otherwise there's not too much difference between this one and the older ones.

Air Filters

My husband and I had been talking about getting an air filter for a while and a couple months ago we finally decided to just do it.  Living in LA, we get really bad air quality.  I think I read somewhere before that LA has the worst air quality in the entire country!  It makes sense, from all the smog out there.  Many times when I think it's kind of cloudy or foggy, it's actually the smog!  It's really quite gross.  So we actually bought 2 air filters, both from Walgreens.  One is the Winix WAC5300 PlasmaWave True HEPA Air Filter.  It's $199, and I believe it's like mid price range as far as air filters go.  I see some for close to $1000!

This thing is actually about 2 feet high and 1 foot wide.  So it's not small.  But it looks pretty slick, you can put it in a corner of the room and it doesn't look too bad.  When I first received it, I was really impressed by how quiet it is.  It's actually got 5 different speeds, from "sleep", to "turbo".  But both the sleep mode and mode 1, which is the one above sleep mode, are so quiet that you can't hear it at all.  It only gets a bit loud if you put it on turbo mode.  It's supposed to work well for rooms up to 350 sq ft.  

We put it in the bedroom, and so far I really have noticed a difference (we've been using it for about 2 months).  Everywhere I've lived in LA, basically you must dust every 3 days or so, otherwise you see a layer of dust on top of all the furniture surface.  But with this air filter, I've noticed that we can go for weeks without seeing any dust!  Of course, the furniture closest to the air filter collects the least amount of dust.  

It also traps pet hair, now that we have a dog here, I have noticed that there's less dog hair in the bedroom than the other rooms.  The air always feels crisper and cleaner in the bedroom too.  So I believe it does work!  We usually just leave it on speed 1 and let it run 24/7.  It is energy efficient, so we haven't noticed any increase in electric bills.  It also has an air quality indicator so when it indicates "poor", we put it on turbo mode.  It's really quite nice.  The filter needs to be changed from time to time and there is an indicator for that as well.  So far running it 24/7 for 2 months, we haven't had to change the filter yet!

The other air filter we got is a little one, it's a portable Clean AirBall HEPA filter.  This one is only $39, and it's supposed to filter air within about a 45 sq ft room.  

It's actually pretty cute looking in person.  It's about the size of a medicine ball.  This one is super easy, you just plug it in and push the "on" button.  There's no other settings.  When it's turned on, it emits this blue light, it looks kind of futuristic.  This one we put in the living room, which is obviously way bigger than the 45 sq ft space.  I think immediately around it, there is slightly less dust.  But otherwise I haven't noticed that big of a difference.  I might bring it to work and put it on my desk or something.  That way I can have better air in my immediate surrounding area by where I sit.

I really want to buy another big air filter for the living room / kitchen area as well, so we can clean up some dog hair and odor from cooking!  Speaking of the dog, he got neutered today and he is now spending the night by his lonesome at the vet.  He will be a sad puppy the next few days!  I miss his cute face.

Sunday Funday!

Today is actually not so fun for me.  I fell off of the ball while attempting to jump on it at the gym yesterday, and landed on my back and elbows really hard.  I managed to scrape both elbows and really really hurt my lower back.  I thought it would go away after a while, but it's still hurting today even as I walk.  Doing simple tasks such as getting in the car, or even bending down to put on my shoes is really painful!  I never knew that one's back was so crucial to everyday tasks.  I guess I've been taking health for granted!  After I woke up this morning, I felt the effect of whip lash on my neck.  It's super sore to the point where I have to hold my head with my hand while getting up.  As you can imagine, getting up from the bed is almost impossible - I have to hold my head with one hand, and support my lower back with the other arm.  And yeah... not fun!  I'm glad my neck decided to step in and stop my head from hitting the ground though.  It would have been really really bad if I hit my head too!

Anyway, so I've been nursing myself all weekend.  But I actually worked out both days too.  I took it easy though, and modified workouts when I knew I couldn't do something without hurting myself more.  That's hard for me to do, because I'm kind of an over-achiever when it comes to the gym.  Like I literally check out what speed everyone else is running at so I can beat all of them.  Lol.  Psycho, I know.

I actually ventured onto stage 3 of my workout program!  I like this stage.  It gets harder and the duration is longer now.  But still under an hour to complete it.  Here are the workouts:

Monday 2/20
What I did:  Workout A.  The body matrix at the end is hard!!  I never tried doing 24 squads, 24 lunges, 24 jump lunges and 24 jump squads all at once.  It took me about 2 minutes and 45 seconds to complete.  Then had to go again after resting!  My legs were sore the next day.

What I wore:  Ok, I thought that I should try out my Dance Studio Crops for weight lifting.  I've always wore these crops only casually but they actually weren't bad for working out.  Though the wide waistband kept folding in half during my squads and things like that.  So I had to unfold it from time to time, but otherwise they were light and comfy.  I wouldn't do cardio in them though.  I wore them with my pearl luxtreme cool racerback in pigeon, with the 50 Rep bra under.  And New Balance Minimus Road shoes.

As to/from, I wore my Kitson burnout hoodie.  I love this hoodie.

Tuesday 2/21:  Rest day

Wednesday 2/22

What I did:  Workout B.

What I wore:  Lululemon pink mist let it loose tank, with black Team Spirit crop.  I wore the Adidas adizero adios 2 shoes with it.

I also have a work outfit here.  I wore this wrap dress from Express I bought years ago.  I still love it!  I wore my new Ash Orchid boots with it.

Thursday 2/23

What I did:  Workout A again.

What I wore:  Lululemon wish blue cool racerback, with bright blue Flow Y under.  And matching bright blue passion crop.  Wore my NB shoes again.

And here's another work outfit.  I wore my Express Wide Waistband Editor pants in gray, and black Calvin Klein suit jacket, with Express chiffon tank under.  I really love this tank to wear under suit jackets for work.  It's a very very pale pink color, love it.

Friday 2/24:  Rest day

Saturday 2/25
What I did:  This was the day I hurt myself right before my normal class began.  So I still did the class, but took it easier.  Like ran at 7.5 mph instead of 9.  My back hurt more when I ran on flat incline but when I ran hills it didn't hurt at all.  Weird.

What I wore:  I wore my new Lululemon Power Y tank in discover stripe.  I loved it!  I love the placement of the indigo stripe across the waist - super slimming effect.  I wore it with a pair of blue denim wunder unders from years ago.  They are the only navy colored bottoms I have.  I thought they went well with indigo.  NB shoes again here.

I had to run some errands afterwards so I wore my Seychelles True Story boot, and Ever hoodie as to/from.  I don't care if it was too much navy.  Hahaha.

Sunday 2/26

What I did:  Circuit workout with treadmill sprints in between.  Took it easy again but still had a good workout.  This back and neck problem needs to go away soon, they are a big hinderance to my workouts.

What I wore:  My new lavender dusk Practice Freely tank.  OMG love!  Color is so pretty, and I think I like this tank better than the No Limit.  I love purple and gray together, so I wore my coal Team Spirit bottoms.  NB shoes again!  Wow, wore them 4 times this week.

Whiskey really really wanted to be in this pictures.  =)  See his balls?  They are coming off on Tuesday.  Hehe... I actually feel kinda bad for the little guy, losing his manhood!

I wore my Lululemon Journey Jacket and Bear Paw boots as to and from.

Ok, that's all!  I am going to go heat pad myself some more!  The good thing about being hurt is that I got a lot of studying done this weekend.  I even had time to watch the Oscars tonight!  I hope everyone had a great weekend!

A Few New Lululemon Tanks!

I totally splurged during the upload on Tuesday and bought 5 tanks.  First and foremost, the Dance Strap tank!!!  If you've been reading my blog for a while, then you must know how I obsess about this tank time and time again.  And I can't pass on such a pretty color as aquamarine in it.  Just. Not. Humanly. Possible.

I mean, look at it!  Drool.... I'll make these images extra large:

I couldn't believe my eyes when I woke up on Tuesday morning, checked my phone and saw the email from Lululemon showing the return of this tank!!!  Beyond excited.  I actually bought it while I was still laying in bed.

I read that it is now made of luxtreme instead of the old lullure.  With the old tank, I could wear both size 4 and 6, there really wasn't that big of a difference in the body, but the size 6 has bigger cup size and slightly less low-cut.  So I figured that maybe luxtreme would fit tighter, and I should probably order a size 6 and not look so scandalous in it.  But it's actually bigger than the older version!  Just to prove I'm not crazy, I took a picture.  

So the top army colored one is size 4, middle one is size 6 and the bottom one is the newest size 6 in aquamarine.  The size 4 and 6 in the older make aren't that different in length or width.  But the newest one is more than an inch wider and longer than the old size 4.  And luxtreme is not as heavy as lullure, so when I cinch it (I always wear this tank cinched), it creates kind of an air bubble under the material which I'm not a fan of.  The chest of the new tank fits a little bit looser than the older size 6, with slightly bigger cups as well but it's not a big difference.

I have already placed an order online for size 4 right after I tried it on.  I think it will fit me better.  Thank God it's not sold out yet.  I'll keep the 6 around until I receive the 4 just in case.  Because I definitely want this tank.

I also got 2 new Practice Freely tanks!  One in lavender dusk and one in aquamarine/discover stripe.

I love my paris pink Practice Freely tank, but I think since it is so bright I can't repeat it too much.  So I didn't mind adding 2 more.  I really like lavender dusk in person, it is more saturated than the web photo.  It looks more purple in person to me.  I'm definitely keeping it.  The tags actually fell off as I was trying it on, so I guess I have to keep it anyway lol.  When I got my No Limit tank in coal/lavender, I wished it had a lavender body instead.  And then when the reverse No Limit tank did come out, I somehow missed it again even though a super awesome reader had actually emailed me to let me know!  I don't know how that happened.  So now I am very glad I have a similar style tank in lavender dusk.

I thought I would love the aquarine/discover stripe one, but the front is completely see-through!  I thought it might be a little bit, since you can kind of see the bra pattern underneath on the web model.  But it is way more obvious in person.  I don't know how I feel about that.  I think I might return it.

And lastly, I bought the Power Y tank and a Cool Racerback both in Discovery Stripe.  I couldn't decide which one to get so I got both, with the intention of returning one.  I really don't need both in the same pattern.  

After trying them on, I am definitely keeping the Power Y.  I haven't bought a Power Y in a long time, and I think this tank just looks better in Power Y.  Or maybe because the Power Y I got has a better pattern distribution.  I also didn't really think about this before, but I can really only wear my white Flow Y bra under the Cool Racerback.  Other colors I have don't match the pattern and will make it too too busy.  So this was an easy decision for me.

I really like how the chest area of the Power Y is mostly deep indigo and aquamarine.  I don't like the thin white stripes across the chest on the cool racerback.  Plus, the stripes don't stay straight on it.  It looks like this on me:

Whereas the Power Y stripes lay straight:

I really like the discover stripe pattern.  I think I might have to buy some deep indigo bottoms to go with it.  That would look really good.  Even my husband likes this pattern!  Usually when I ask him what he thinks of my tanks, he says "it's ok", or "sure it's cute" nonchalantly, or "it looks like everything else you have".  But when he saw the discover stripe he said he really liked it and that I should keep it!

I am now also thinking that maybe I should return my Flow and Go tank, since it is quite pricey for what it is - I can't wear it to most workouts.  But I need to make that decision soon since I believe tomorrow will be the end of my 2 week return period.

Anyway, I'm very excited about my new tanks!  Can't wait to wear them!

Alternative Apparel Stuff

I recently bought some Alternative Apparel stuff from Ruelala that I thought were pretty cute and cheap.  I actually got 2 things for my hubby and one for myself.  That's a first... I usually mostly shop for me and maybe throw in a bone for him sometimes... LOL!

So my package arrived today and I'm actually really happy with my purchases!  I didn't have high expectations for them since they were so cheap.  But me likie.

For myself, I just got this cute white burnout tank, it was only $15.  I would have bought a size S but they were sold out so I got a size M.  It fits a little baggy, but I think it's fine for this style.  I really like the white burn out look.  I think I could wear this tank to workout in, and it will look awesome with a super colorful bra under!  Hmm... maybe I should have bought a paris pink bra from Lululemon... but then again I don't want my white tank to turn pink.

So yeah, it's a simple little tank, with some buttons on the front.  The length is pretty good.  I could get good use out of it for sure!  

For my hubby, I got 2 hoodies for only $19 each.  They are awesome!  The brown one is fleece on the inside so it's super soft.  And the blue one is thick cotton, it's pretty warm.  And the blue color is gorgeous.  He likes his hoodies to fit loose but not baggy.  I got him both size M and they fit perfectly.  Sweet, 3 things for like 50 bucks!  I'm pretty jealous of these 2 actually.  If he gets tired of them, especially the brown one, I can wear it around the house and be pretty happy!

Sunday Funday!

I'm so glad this week is over because it has been a tough week for me!  I've had to be at work at like 5:30 am everyday this week, with lots of stuff going on all day, and the puppy takes all my free time at night!  He was so chill and nice for the first couple days we had him last week, but then he got comfortable with us and now he acts so hyper!  Basically I come home every night and have to pay attention to him every single second, like pet him, play tug of war, etc.  Otherwise he wimpers and barks at me, and makes me feel guilty with his sad eyes.  He won't let me sit down for a moment, because as soon as I do, he will jump on me and start to fight, bite and hump me!  And finally when I go to bed at night, he feels the need to dig me out from under my blanket - I think he gets scared when he can't see my legs so he tries to rescue me.  Sigh... high maintenance!  We need to get him neutered ASAP, because I've barely had time to study this week.  Even as I'm typing this right now, he's here bugging me.  But he's so cute though lol.  Ugh!

Anyway, so let's get on with this post and then I can go play some more.

I actually broke my streak of working out 5 days a week for the past 2 months or so.  This week I only went 4 times.  I even packed my stuff to go on Friday, but I got too tired after I got off work and I wasn't feeling well.  I think I just needed to rest.  Whatever, playing tug of war with the puppy is actually really hard work since he is so strong, so I probably burned a lot more calories this week than usual!

Tuesday 2/14
What I did:  This week I got to finish stage 2 of my workout plan.  I was going to move onto stage 3 on Friday, but since I didn't go to the gym, I will start fresh next week!  So on Tuesday I did my workout A of stage 2.

What I wore:  Darn!  I forgot to wear pink for Valentine's day.  I should have worn my paris pink Practice Freely tank!  But I wore my white cool racerback, with very violet 50 Rep bra.  And I wore my power purple passion crop, and New Balance Minimus Road shoes.

I love my cool racerbacks, I actually wore one for work on the same day!  Here is the lavender one, with my Green Dragon cardigan over it.  And Express Wide Waistband Editor pant in cool earth.  I love sneaking in yoga/casual clothes into my work outfits.

Wednesday 2/15

What I did:  Workout B of stage 2.

What I wore:  Lululemon No Limit tank in coal/lavender, and power purple/lolo purple groove pants and Adidas adiZero adios 2 shoes.

And the same day for work, I wore my Abercrombie Elaine Sweater over a white Banana Republic tank top, and this old Express skirt I bought years ago.  Topped it off with my Michael Kors Fleur Tall boot.

Thursday 2/16:  Rest day

Friday 2/17:  This was the day I skipped gym.  However, I do have a work outfit... here's I am wearing the Green Dragon silk flower top, with a charcoal Zara tuxedo style suit jacket over it.  And black Express Wide Waistband Editor pant.  And Ivanka Trump Pinkish pumps.

Saturday 2/18

What I did:  Interval training.  I was still tired so the runs kind of killed me even though I sprinted at a slower speed than usual.  

What I wore:  Lululemon cool racerback in aruba, with caribe/gulf undulation Not So Deep V bra.  It's interesting because I didn't realize that this bra has aruba in it.  It has an outline in aruba, and the middle layer mesh in the front is also aruba.  As you can see here:

I wore my coal groove pants, and Nike Free shoes.  I keep forgetting to not wear these shoes when I do cross training.  They are good for running, but when I do squads or lunges, my feet start to slide towards the sides of the shoes and it's uncomfortable.

I wore my angel blue Define jacket as to/from.  I love the Define jacket, but I don't love how the collar is not stitched down on the inside, and does not lay flat.  That's why I have not bought another one.

Sunday 2/19

What I did:  Interval training class again, with circuit weight stations.  

What I wore:  Lululemon cool racerback in lavender, and white Flow Y bra under.  Astro wunder under crops in black denim slub.  NB shoes again.

As to/from, I wore my Turn Around LS and Seychelles True Story boot.  I had lunch plans in Malibu afterwards, so I wore my boots. 

It took me a long time to finish typing this post with Whiskey bothering me.  I got mad at him and yelled at him, and had to move places.  Lol.  Oh how I am not looking forward to having a kid.

Tart & Walter Jackets from Gilt

I bought 2 jackets from Gilt that I was super excited about getting.  The Tart Ponte Motocycle Jacket and Walter Nina jacket.

Here's the Tart Ponte:

I really like this jacket.  It's constructed really well too.  I guess it better be for the original price of $266.  I paid $89 for it on Gilt though.  I bought it in a size S, but I really wish I had bought it in a size M.  I like the way the jacket looks on the model being a little loose.  The sleeves are tighter on me.  I think for this style, it really needs to not be tight.  So I think I will have to return it.  Sad face.  This would look so cute with jeans or over a dress like the model!

I actually bought the Walter Nina jacket in a size M, since that was the only size left and I figured it would be ok.  But it's too big!  Ugh.

So since it's too big, this jacket looks frumpy on me.  I do like the funky style of this jacket, and the sleeves are super comfortable because they are much thinner than the rest of the jacket.  But I also couldn't figure out how I would wear this jacket.  So this one is definitely going back.

Sucks!  I wish I had ordered reverse sizes and then they'd both be perfect!  Oh well, that's online shopping for ya, I guess.  I like motorcycle style jackets, and shorter length will be good for the warmer weather here.  So I'll be on the lookout for more jackets like these!

Betsey Johnson Tights - Fun!

I meant to write about these Betsey Johnson tights I got from Hautelook when I was writing my last post, because I was wearing them in the photo!  Of course, I totally forgot to write about them after I wrote about the skirt though.

I actually bought 2 pairs, the first ones are the ones I wore, they are called "Take A Bow Net Tight":

I think they are called Take A Bow, because there is a bow on the back of the ankle, which is a super cute detail but for some reason they did not show a picture of it.  The rest of the tights are all like this diamond shape.  I think these are super fun!  I do like patterned tights, I think they break up the monotony and gives you more personality.  But there are many tights that are too out there for me.  These ones though, I can wear to work!  So that's a definite plus.  You've seen this picture twice already, but here they are on me again, even though you can't see them that well:

And then, I got these other ones called "Filigree Garter Net Tight".  

To me these ones are definitely more sexy, since they are like this floral lace pattern.  I don't think I'll be wearing these to work, but I really like them.  I actually didn't realize when I bought them, but the lace pattern only goes up to the thigh.  I thought they went all the way up.  But the top portion is all just fish net, with garter detail pattern blended in on the back which they once again chose not to shown a picture of.  This model is obviously taller than me, so it looks like the lace stops pretty high up.  But on me, they stop only a couple inches above my knees.  The garter detail definitely makes it too sexy to go to work!  But I think these will be super fun to wear on a night out or something like that.

I love Betsey Johnson's funky style, and love it even more when the price is good!  I got these for only $9 each.  But of course these are not like the "high end" tights that have body contouring or shaping.  My regular all black tights I normally wear to work are Spanx, and those have pretty nice control on top and around the butt.  These Betsey Johnson tights feel very flimsy compared to those.  But the waistband is hot pink!  That's gotta count for something, right?