A Couple Dress From Soprano

This brand called Soprano was on Hautelook the other day and they had some pretty cute stuff for pretty cheap.  All made in the USA as well, which is a plus in my eyes.  So I bought a few items to check out.  I'm a serial online shopper (and returner), and I always buy stuff just to "try on".  If I don't like something, I just send it back.  Nowadays these flash sale sites give you refunds to your form of payment rather than just credit.  But they do deduct return shipping, but only like 5 bucks or so.  I think it's totally worth it.

Anyway, so I bought 4 dresses (!!) and 1 shirt.  I'm returning 2 of the dresses and keeping the other 3.  Pretty happy with the stuff I'm keeping actually.

First, I got this "Stripe Over Solid Dress".  It is really cool because it's a navy tank dress, with a wide stitch dolman style sweater over.  I can see it being a nice, somewhat casual summer night dress.

And here is the model in it:

So I'm keeping this one for sure.  It was only $25 as well, no brainer.

I also got this Shirred Bodycon Dress, in this beautiful wine color:

It's made of this jersey material, and I like the gathering in the front because they are placed in flattering places that hide your flaws.  This dress can be worn anywhere as well, on its own or with a sweater/jacket over.  I don't have any other dresses in this color either.  I love it, and it's only $23 lol.  Here it is on the model:

This is the only shirt I bought, which is super cute I think.  It's called "Colorblock Raglan Knit Top".  It's basically a sweater material made in a baseball tee style.  I've never seen anything like it and I really really love this one!  And of course, I got it for only 15 bucks!  Sweet!

I can see myself wearing this top A LOT.  It is great to just throw on with just about anything.  I'm wearing my Lululemon groove pants in the above photo.  But it can work with jeans, shorts, etc.  Very casual and comfy, but very cute at the same time.

And here are 2 dresses that I am returning.  They are both pretty unflattering and I didn't even bother taking a picture of myself in them.  They are actually in similar styles - just one with white loose top, and the other with a goldish black one.  In theory they both could have been winners but they just did not fit me well.

And that's it!  Well 3 out of 5 isn't too bad.  I get to return 2 and get about $50 back.  =)

Tahari ASL Teal Belted Dress

I bought another Tahari ASL dress that I love!  This time I got it from Ruelala.  It was on sale for $59 which I probably would not have paid, but I had a $20 credit so I figured it was not a bad price.  I actually really do like the way it fits - every time I buy a Tahari ASL dress, it fits like a glove!  And super flattering.  I am so in love with this brand.  And all these dresses can be used as work to night out type of thing.

I think this is the 3rd Tahari ASL dress that I bought that comes with a belt.  All these belts are pretty nice!  They are not cheaply made like you'd expect a belt that comes with a dress.  It also can come off so you can use the belt with other things as well.  I really like that.  Here are some web shots that show the details of the dress better:

 

Anyway, I'm pretty happy with this dress.  I don't have any other work attire in this color, so this will be unique for me.  I also like that it has cap sleeves.  Sometimes I feel a little bit weird about wearing sleeveless dresses to work without something over it.  I guess I work in a pretty conservative environment.  So the cap sleeves on this dress gives a little bit more coverage.  This one is definitely a keeper!

Lululemon Cool Racerback Slope Stripe Polar Cream Clarity Yellow

Wow what a handful this color name is - Slope Stripe Polar Cream Clarity Yellow, I couldn't believe it.  But I love my new Lululemon Cool Racerback in this color!  I actually have kind of fallen off the Lululemon bandwagon, which I can't say I'm not pleased about.  I have spent way too much money there in the past few years!  I have fallen off, because I just haven't liked anything they have been offering lately, not because of anything else.  So over the weekend I was out shopping and decided to swing by the Lulu store and see if there was any good deals to be had.  Well, there was a huge markdown rack, but only by like 10 bucks per item, and nothing I wanted.  And so, the only thing I walked out of the store with was this new cool racerback.

I'm normally not a fan of bright yellow hues, but the cream colored stripes tone it down a lot and I really like the blended look.  It looks a lot softer and yet not as boring as a solid color.  So I'm totally loving this one.  I also don't really have tanks in this color, other than my chirp Hot Class tank which is a completely different style.  I can't wait to wear this out!

Sunday Funday!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and ate a lot of yummy food!  I, for one, had a very event-filled day.  My mom drove down from up north, but when she was getting gas before she left town, she fell and hit her knee hard on the ground.  She felt something was wrong, but she didn't want to spend Thanksgiving in the hospital so she drove a few hours down to LA anyway.  By the time she got to my place, she couldn't even get out of the car!  And she didn't tell me any of this before she came, because she was worried that it would ruin my Thanksgiving.  So I was shocked when she showed up like that, and I had to carry her up to my condo (I don't have any crutches) and it just baffled me that she did not go to the hospital right away!  In fact, she insisted on NOT going to the doctor while in LA, because she has osteoporosis and she wanted to see her doctor who knows her at home.  So... she drove another few hours home before she even went to the hospital!  I could not stop her.  Turns out, her knee was broken but it is a very fine fracture so she didn't need surgery or a cast.  They put her in something that is removable.  And she pretty much needs to just rest for a while.  It was all pretty crazy!

Anyways, so that was my day on Thursday.  I was planning on going to work on Friday, but after that whole fiasco, I decided to take it off.  It was great to have a day off finally.  I think I was so tired from not sleeping enough the past few weeks, that I spent almost all day sleeping on Friday!  It was great, haha.

So I did more cardio this week than usual.  I actually took Whiskey out to the park to run on two different days.  I wish I could have done weights one more time than I did, but what with the whole holiday thing going on, I really did not have time.

Monday 11/19
What I did:  Ran about 3 miles around the park with Whiskey.

What I wore:  Lululemon swiftly LS in fruitie tootie, with currant cool racerback and currant energy bra under.  I also wore my astro wunder unders in heathered black/ dewberry and my new Skora Phase shoes.

Tuesday 11/20

What I did:  Yoga class

What I wore:  Lululemon cool racerback in wish blue, with pow pink free to be bra under, and power vinyasa crops.  Here I am also wearing my Koolaburra boots.

I put on my pow pink define jacket as to/from:

Wednesday 11/21 - Rest day

Thursday 11/22

What I did:  I went to play golf first, then took Whiskey on a 3 mile run around the park.  I ran into my golf instructor, and he got a new ipad app that films your swing and slowly analyzes it.  So he gave me a free 10-15 minute lesson which I thought was pretty cool and was actually very helpful.

What I wore:  For golf, I wore my Lululemon Mind Over Matter pullover over my pow pink swiftly tank, and my new concord grape dance studio pants.  For golf I always like to wear my New Balance Minimus Road shoes.

After golf, it got a lot hotter.  I can't believe we are still having 80 degree weather in late November!  This heat wave will never go away... so I changed into my Run: Ultra shorts and kept on the same tank.  I also wore my new Brooks shoes that I got for shoe testing, and haven't had a chance to write about yet.

Friday 11/23

What I did:  Well, I slept a lot as mentioned above.  I wanted to do weights but I felt so lethargic.  But I did manage to get my butt to the driving range for golf again.

What I wore:  Lululemon swiftly LS in haze, with coal Groove pants and NB shoes again.

Saturday 11/24

What I did:  I finally made it to the gym for the first and only time this week, and did weights.  I continued my New Rules of Lifting for abs, stage 1 workout B.  I then ran five 1-minute sprints afterwards. 

What I wore:  Lululemon white/light gray pique No Limit tank, with heathered dark classic sport gray Ebb & Flow crops and Adidas adizero adios2 shoes.

As to/from, I wore my currant define jacket.

I probably should have worked out today, but I went to the mall for a long time instead.  Shopping is kind of a workout right?!  Well, I went mainly to return some stuff I bought online.  I didn't really buy anything exciting except a new cool racerback at Lululemon.  I did, however, shop online on black Friday and did a few hundred bucks worth of damage.  I hope they arrive soon, and will write about them then!

Skora Phase

It's that time of the year again for shoe testing!  I am getting 3 pairs of minimalist runnings shoes to try out from FITNESS magazine, and the first pair has arrived!  They are Skora Phase, which is due to come out in February next year.  The colorway I got is this deep purple, with yellow and blue sole.

So I like the look of these, and think the purple color is great.  I don't normally like this lime yellowish color, but I don't really mind them on the sole since you can't really see.  I am normally a size 6 or 6.5 in normal shoes and size up to a 7 in workout shoes to allow room for some swelling.  So these shoes came in size 7 as well.  But they actually fit very large and I have a good half an inch of extra room.  I wish I could have got them in a size 6.5.  However, the cup of the heel fits very tightly on top, so it digs into my feet.  I took these out on a 3 mile run with Whiskey the other day, and near the end of it my heel was very uncomfortable.  I knew it was going to be the case as soon as I put these shoes on actually.  That's why I wore my thick and higher Lululemon Ultimate running socks, thinking that the socks would serve as a layer and lessen the rubbing.  But my feet were still kind of red and raw afterwards.

That aside, the shoes have a nice feel to them.  They kind of remind me of my New Balance Minimus Road shoes, since they are both zero drop and very light.  These shoes weigh only 5.8 oz.  The material is very soft and flexible, and feels like rubber.  The sole has pretty good grip, they actually feel like track or trail shoes.  And before the heel cup really started bothering me, I was running pretty well in them.  I hope that it is an issue that will go away when I wear them in a bit.  Otherwise I guess these shoes will be weight training shoes for me.  We'll see!  

Lululemon Dance Studio Pants in Concord Grape!

I'm so excited because I got a pair of concord grape Dance Studio pants on ebay!  I bought these in the crop version, and I had always regretted not getting the pants version as well!  I love the crops a lot and wear them often.  Now that the weather is cooler and I play a lot more golf, Dance Studio pants are really awesome to have.

Here they are on me (oh yes, I am back at home and Whiskey is making an appearance again!):

Anyways, I love this deep purple color.  It goes with a lot of different tops.  I think I might just love them as much as my bordeaux drama ones!  

Sunday Funday!

I had some pretty great workouts this week to make up for the last few weeks.  Though I took it easy this weekend and went golfing today.  It's been drizzling here the past couple weeks, so it has been hard to make it out.  I was happy to go hit balls again today, because I forgot how much fun it was!

Same as last week, I've been staying at a friend's place with no mirror, so I had to take pictures at the ghetto 24 that I occasionally go to (and for some reason went a lot this week).

Tuesday 11/13
What I did:  I continued my New Rules of Lifting for Abs workouts, stage 1 workout A.  I also ran sprints at the end.

What I wore:  Lululemon angel blue cool racerback with bright blue Flow Y bra under.  CW-X Pro tights, and New Balance Minimus Road shoes (you can't really see the shoes in this photo though).

I wore my Zella stripey melange hoodie as to/from.

I also have my work outfit in this picture from the same day.  I wore my Mango pleated sheer shirt with Express pieced pencil skirt.

Wednesday 11/14

What I did:  Weight lifting again, did workout B this time.  Ran for about half a mile before and 1.5 mile after.

What I wore:  Lululemon Let It Loose tank in pink mist, with black Ebb & Flow crops and NB shoes again.

Thursday 11/15 - Met up with a friend and had happy hour food and drinks instead.  =)

Friday 11/6

What I did:  Weight workout, did workout A again, preceded by a mile run and followed by 5 one-minute sprints.

What I wore:  Lululemon cool racerback in lavender, with white Flow Y bra under.  And coal Team Spirit crops with Adidas adizero adios 2 shoes.

So I took Saturday off to rest (probably didn't really need it though), and today I played golf but since I didn't have a mirror, I could not take a picture.  It wasn't great anyways, I wore my bordeaux drama dance studio pants with aruba cool racerback. 

I will be returning home this week, so hopefully I will have some better pictures and Whiskey in them!  If he chooses, of course.  I miss him a lot!  Hopefully I will also be able to workout a lot but since it is Thanksgiving week and it might be tough.  We'll see!  I do plan to eat a lot.  =)

d.j.v. beautenizer Fiberwig LX

I must share my new favorite mascara - d.j.v. beautenizer Fiberwig LX.  From what I've read, apparently this was the #1 selling mascara in Japan for years and years.  Then one day the company decided to change the formula, and some people complain that it is not as good as before.  Well, I've never used this mascara before the change, but I am very glad I decided to give it a try because I really like it!

This is a fiber extension mascara that uses the tubing technology.  So it will come off when in contact with hot water.  I really like mascaras like this, because I don't have to use makeup remover and it comes off completely with no leftover residue like normal mascaras can leave.  I feel like my eyes stay cleaner because of it.  It also works extremely well if I decide to put some on my lash extensions (I don't normally though).  It comes off when I wash my face, and I don't have to worry about it ruining my extensions.

So I really only put mascara on my lower lashes these days because of my lash extensions.  This mascara adds amazing length!  The fiber extensions really work their magic.  You do have to build the length up, so it could take a few minutes of brushing.  But at the end the result is so worth it.  I think it can literally double the length of my lashes!  

The only draw back I can tell from using this mascara the past few months is that the brush seems a little too loose for the tube.  So when you take it out, you see some left over goo on the brush.  I think if the brush fit the tube tighter, a lot of that would come off inside the tube as you take the brush out.  So you have to be careful with the brush and make sure it doesn't have anything left hanging there before putting it on your lashes, otherwise you may get some unwanted chunks.

Anyway, so I'm quite happy with this mascara.  It's been months of daily use and it hasn't really dried out at all either.  It's $22 at Sephora, and it's totally worth every penny!

Sunday Funday!

Oops I missed Sunday again... well in my defense, this is the long Veteran's day weekend, and I totally forgot that yesterday was Sunday!  Last week and this week I am staying with at a friend's place who went to New York for work for two weeks.  I realized after I got here, that he does not own a full length mirror!  What the...?!?  So all my photos are actually taken at different gyms I went to, except for the first one when I was still at home.  Kind of a crappy situation - when I'm at the gym, I have to snap photos quickly so people don't think I'm just taking pictures of myself for no reason.  =)

Anyways, so I was kind of sick earlier last week, but I managed to go to the gym 4 times.  I do think that my Monday workout actually made me more sick, so I took Tuesday off.  I really wanted to workout more last week, but I guess it's really not good to push yourself when you are not feeling well.

Monday 11/5

What I did:  Yoga class.

What I wore:  Lululemon Hot Class tank in bold blue, with deep indigo Ebb & Flow crops.

Tuesday 11/6 - As stated earlier, took the day off due to being sick.

Wednesday 11/7

What I did:  Weight lifting - I continued my New Rules of Lifting for abs, stage 1 workouts, workout B.  I ran for 5 minutes before lifting weights to warm up, and that kind of wiped me out.  I don't think I ever got so tired and sweaty from running such a short amount of time.  I guess being sick really takes it out of you!  So I ended the workout with only 8 sprints of 20 seconds each with 10 seconds rest in between.

What I wore:  Hmm I actually did not get to take a picture of my outfit from this day.  So sad.  But I wore my purple outfit - swiftly short sleeve shirt in lavender, Energy bra in grape seed, and passion crops in power purple.

(Sorry for lack of picture)

Thursday 11/8

What I did:  Weight lifting - I did the abs workout, stage 1 workout A again.  And I did 5 one-minute sprints afterwards.

What I wore:  Lululemon Power Y tank in three print, with Power Vinyasa crop and New Balance Minimus Road shoes.  

It was actually a cold and rainy day, so I wore my Turn Around LS and bordeaux drama Dance Studio pants (love love love these!).

Friday 11/9 - took the day off

Saturday 11/10

What I did:  I did workout B again, I ran more than usual as well.  Before the workout I warmed up by running a mile, and then I ended it by running 1.5 mile sprints at the end of the weight session.

What I wore:  Lululemon cool racerback in wish blue, with flash Centered Energy bra under.  Empower crops, and Adidas adizero adios 2 shoes.

Sunday 11/11 - I was planning to workout, but I was actually quite tired and sore from Saturday's workout so I took it off.  I had pretty much recovered from my sickness by the end of the week though. So I'm going to workout hard this week for sure!

Honey Can Do Velvet Touch Hangers

My recent addition to my closet is making me so so happy.  I don't know why I waited so long to find something like this!  I bought a 50-pack Honey Can Do velvet touch hangers from Beyond the Rack.  I never knew that they even made these, but they are like a god send!  No longer will my clothes slip off of hangers.  Such a little thing makes a huge difference!

I honestly cannot recommend these velvet hangers enough.  All my shirts and jackets now stay on my hangers exactly how I put them.  They don't slip off and there is no hanger mark at the end of the shoulders of my sweaters anymore!  On top of that, they are super thin so you can fit more on each closet rod, and they are quite durable as well.  I love that the top hanger part is actually metal because it really is sturdy.  I got a 50-pack for $19, but it is not enough!  I wish I had got like 500.  Lol.  But so far I have hung up all my sweaters, hoodies, and more delicate Lululemon running tops (mostly swiftly shirts) on these.  Provided not all my clothes need this type of hangers since only certain materials tend to slip off, but I am working on replacing all my crappy hangers with this one!  Since I bought these, I've noticed them more and more in different stores, and I think they are such a genius idea!  My little google search just now told me that they are for sale on websites like Staples.com for $39.99 for a 50-pack.  That's not too bad, I think these are definitely worth the investment!

Should I Even Call This "Sunday Funday"?

Well, I know that I've been sucking lately with posting on time, but I promised I'd post a belated Sunday Funday, didn't I?  It may be disappointing, actually, since I only went to workout three times last week.  I've been saying this a lot lately, I'm really trying to get better.  But it's just been so busy!  Anyway, so... even though today is Wednesday (happy hump day!), here we go.  :)

Monday 10/29
What I did:  I finished up my weight series by doing the last workout which was chest.  I have been doing this program for a few months now.  Basically it consists of 5 different workouts - one for each muscle group.  I started by doing 3 sets of 12 for a few months.  Then I changed it up to 4 sets of 20 for another month or so.  Definitely noticed difference in my body, only if I ate better I would probably see better results!

What I wore:  Lululemon No Limit tank in caspian blue, with coal Team Spirit crops and my Nike Frees.

After my workout, I went to take Whiskey to Petco to see if I could find him a Halloween costume.  I know, I'm very last minute.  But they had a very bad selection, so I didn't end up getting him any.  So sad.  But I wanted to share the outfit I wore because I wore my new Armani Exchange Faux Fur Knit Jacket!  I also wore my Wunder Groove crops with my Seychelles True Story boot.  I'm glad the weather is finally cooling a bit and I could wear my boots again!

Tuesday 10/30 - The market was closed but I showed up to work anyways and messed around for a few hours.  Then I decided to be lazy and hang out so I didn't make it to the gym.  Totally lazy day.

Wednesday 10/31

What I did:  I started the new workout, from New Rules of Lifting for Abs!  Since I had such great results from New Rules of Lifting for Women, I have high hopes for this one.  The first workout was decent.  Not too hard, but it's only stage 1.  So we'll see how it goes.

What I wore:  Lululemon No Limit tank in flash, with Run A Marathon crop and New Balance Minimus Road shoes.

Thursday 11/1 - I skipped the gym again but I do have a work outfit to share!  I wore my new Express long convertible sleeve easy fit blouse, which I love, with my Wide Waistband Editor pants. I actually was debating whether to tuck this shirt into the pants (which you see here) or leave it out.  Both looked good actually.  But since I already tucked it in, I figured it was too wrinkly to take out.

Friday 11/2

What I did:  I went back to CorePower and took a hot yoga class.  Had been a while since my last class.  It felt good!  I was soaked.

What I wore:  Lululemon Practice Freely tank in lavender dusk, with black Ebb & Flow crops.

Hmm so I didn't workout all weekend - in my defense, I started feeling sick.  So I wanted to take it easy.  I actually was very sick yesterday but I feel much much better now.  So, this week should be better I hope!

Armani Exchange Faux Fur Knit Jacket

I know I missed Sunday Funday yesterday, but I will make it up, I promise!  I am in a time crunch right now, so I wanted to write about my newest obsession with is my Armani Exchange Faux Fur Knit jacket in heather grey.

This jacket is absolutely adorable, and I have not taken it off since I've got it!  It's super comfortable, since it's really a sweater material.  And the faux fur on the front and the hood is actually very very soft.    I like the style too, super obsessed with this side zipper thing on jackets lately.  It goes with my casual pants or more dressy jeans.  This was $98 which I thought was not a bad price.  I'd actually expect Armani Exchange to sell it for like $50 more!

Here it is on me with both zipper open and closed:

Express Tops & A Dress!

I received a discount card from Express in the mail, so I bought a bunch of stuff online last week.  I was actually hoping that I wouldn't like some of them so I can make some returns and get some money back.  But I actually love all of them and I am for sure keeping them!  Oh well, I guess that's a good thing!  So here's what I bought:

First, this Color Block 2-in-1 dress:

I've actually been eyeing this dress online for a while now, and now it's on sale, on top of my discount card.  So I bought it.  It's pretty cute!  I bought it in a size S, which I think I could have even gone down to XS and make the skirt portion fit tighter.  But I think it fits pretty well so I'm not going to bother exchanging it.  I like that this dress can be dressed up or down, and maybe even to work with a jacket over.  I see many options in the future.

I got these following 2 blouses for work which I LOVE!  I wore both of them this week, and I'm seriously considering getting more in different colors.

So first the long convertible sleeve easy fit blouse in ivory with black piping:

I actually think this blouse looks better in person than in the photo above.  It's a super cute fit and I love the black detailing button closure.  This top actually arrived with the sleeves rolled half way up and buttoned in place.  I like it like that a lot.  This is one that they make in different colors - all solids as far as I can see.  So I might just pick up 1 or 2 more!  Really love these types of blouses for work.  It's a bit see-through so you gotta wear a tank under.  The other colors may be ok.  I bought this in size XS and it still fits loosely.

This other top I bought is the Cross-Over Pleat Shell Top, in doll pink:

This top comes with the inner tank part.  It's a really nice and easy fit.  I like the draping in the front, and the color is very nice.  It's a soft powdery pink.  I can wear this to work or to go out.  I really like it.    I got it in size XS, and it fits fine. 

Next I bought the tank version of this same top, in lavish purple, I love this color:

The inner tank actually looks way more metallic-y in person.  It's got bigger silver sparkles.  I like it.  It's very cute.  Since it's a tank, I got it in size S instead of XS.  And I'm glad I did because it fits well!  I am seriously in love with this color.  I also see many different ways/outfits for this tank.

Lastly, I bought a casual shirt - the Wild Love Burnout Baseball Tee:

So it's just a casual shirt that I can wear on weekends.  I got it in size S since all the reviews say it runs small.  I like it.  The length is good, and the style is nice.  I wore it all day on Saturday and it didn't even stretch out or anything.  So that's a keeper for sure.  

So I spent $185 after taxes for the 5 items.  It's not bad, about $37 a piece.  I was hoping to save some money though!  But what can I say... at least I will get a lot of use out of these so I'm happy!