Latest Nordstrom Purchase

I ordered a few things from Nordstrom a little while ago, and had to exchange some of them for different sizes, so everything arrived, and I am happy to report that I actually really like these Steve Madden Haywire Wedge Sandals that I got!  At first I ordered them in size 6.5, which is my "safe" size to order in most shoes.  But they were so big that as soon as I took them out of the box I knew they wouldn't fit.  They were actually big enough that I almost considered exchanging them for a size 5.5!  But that just sounds way too small, so I opted to exchange for a size 6.  I'm very glad that they ended up being a nice fit!

I really love the way these sandals look, with the whole thing being made of the same material.  I love the natural look, and the color is perfect to go with everything.  I can't wait to wear them with summer dresses and shorts!  The web info states that these are a 4 inch rise with a 1 inch platform, so equivalent to a 3 inch shoe.  They are very comfortable, and at the same time they make me much taller!  I always want to be taller... hehe.  The only thing that might be uncomfortable in the beginning is the buckles which kind of rub against the bone.  But we'll have to see about that.  I love Nordstrom because if they are way too uncomfortable after wearing, I can still take them back for a full refund.  I'm hoping that they'd be just perfect though!  I don't usually like paying full price for stuff, but liked these enough to pay $80 for them!

*****Update per request!!  Here they are on me:

The next thing I got is this Love Squared Mix Media Sequin Camisole.  It was on sale for only $19 and I thought it was a unique look.  The front is made of light peach colored sequins all over, and the back is a totally different floral print.

I got this one in a size S, and it is pretty loose fitting babydoll style.  The back is also a lot longer than the front.  I was surprised that it is pretty see-through.  Like you really should wear a tank under it.  But it's a nice top to throw on, and I am happy to keep it for only $19.

Lastly, I got this Zella Victory Jacket in white that I thought looked so cute on the model.  I read the reviews which all said this was a tight fitting jacket and to size up.  Ok, last time I ordered from Zella and listened to the reviews, I ended up with tanks way too big.  So this time I figured I'd just order the size small.  But when I put it on, it was too big!  So I had to change it for a size XS.  It fits pretty well now, and not even as tight as my Lululemon Define jackets.  

I'm kind of torn about this jacket though.  I do think it's cute, but it is very thin.  The material actually feels a little cheap.  And it costs $98 which is pretty much the same price as a Lululemon jacket.  I don't know why but I feel better forking over $98 for a Lulu jacket than Zella.  Maybe because I know I can resell Lulu on ebay and recoup some of the money if I get over it lol.  But I really think that if this Zella jacket was made of a nicer material that I would keep it, because I do like the style.  I'm still keeping the tags on it for a few days while I think it over, but I think most likely I'm going to return it.

I Got Me Some Blue Work Pants!

In a moment of bravery, I decided to get myself some blue pants for work!  I got these Express Ultimate Double Wave Wide Waistband Editor pants in aquamarine, a rich medium blue color.

I love this color, they are pretty out there as far as work pants go, but I don't think they are unprofessional by any means.  Just different, in a good way.  I think!  I almost returned them though but decided to keep them and tore off the tags.  I normally like "studio stretch" material in Express pants, but this "double weave" is the only one that had this color.  To me it feels a bit more slick and less cottony than studio stretch.  The fabric is slightly thinner, which doesn't drape as well as studio stretch.  And also it's not as stretchy.  I got them in size 0, which is my normal size, but the waistband feels tighter.  But they do somehow make your booty look awesome!  Lol!  Like this model looks booty-licious, and I think these pants make me look like I have a bubble butt too.  I like it!  I'm sure I won't wear it that often, but I can definitely rock them from time to time.  

I also wanted to try out these Studio Stretch Wide Waistband Slim pants, since they sounded interesting.  A slim fitting leg sounds like a great idea, and I needed another pair of black pants since the ones I have now are dying a slow death.  But this style just doesn't work for me.  The hem opening is TOO slim for me, and they don't even really go over my shoes, so I have an awkward crease on top of my shoe, like how men wear suit pants.  No likie.  Maybe if I were a couple inches taller they'd fit me like the model.  But they are not worth the trouble of going to the tailor since I can just buy the regular ones that fit me perfectly length-wise.  These are going back.

Oh and I am so sad because I ordered another Studio Stretch Corset Pencil skirt, in black, since I like my tweed one so much.  But a couple days after my order was placed, I got an email saying that they no longer had the item!  Ahhh!!!  They were only $14 too and would've been such a steal!  Sad face!!!

Oh well!  You win some and you lose some!

Sunday Funday!

Hello everyone!  I just got back from a really fun weekend visiting my college roommate in San Diego.  We went out to the Gas Lamp and had great dinner and drinks last night and caught up on our lives.  Today was so gorgeous out, we went to La Jolla and had brunch there.  Check out this picture I took!  I really like my iphone's camera... hahaha.

It was 70 degrees out and sunny.  So nice to be in Southern California sometimes!  San Diego is only about 2 hours from LA, so I got home a little while ago.  Time for a relaxing night or some TV, yummy dinner, and of course Sunday Funday post!

So as I mentioned last week, I have decided to be very strict with my food and workout this week and next week.  I've really been eating very well!  Including last night when I went out, even the drink I ordered was just cumcumber gin and soda, which is like 100 calories.  But I did workout like crazy before I headed out to San Diego, so I feel like I had 100 calories to spare.  Anyway, this has really been paying off, because I'm feeling better than ever, my clothes are fitting looser, I can see more ab and arm definition, and the scale shows that I'm 5 lbs lighter than a week ago.  

I'm supposed to do a detox for a few days next week, so we'll see if that will make me feel even better.  I swear ever since I got back from China, I had not been feeling the same because of all the crap I ate during my trip!  So I'm very happy that I've now lost it all after only a short week.  

One of my friends started to train for a bikini bodybuilding competition, and she's got me kind of interested too, so I'm supposed to talk to her trainer some time next week and see if this is something I can pursue!  I don't know about doing an actual competition though, but I'd be down to train and eat like one just to see what it's all about.  I think it would feel like a great accomplishment, and it's something I've always kind of considered.

Anyways, so I went to workout 6 times this week!  I'm happy I pushed through, because the original plan was 5-6 times, and I almost called it off on Friday when I felt very tired after work.  But I didn't, and I felt loads better after my workout, so it was totally the right decision.

Monday 2/18

What I did:  Weights - I'm taking a break from the New Rules of Lifting for Abs, and started doing some other body parts on my own.  I also included a good amount of HIIT on the treadmill.  So I did five 1-minute sprints, then lifted 2 alternating body parts.  Then went back to the treadmill to do five more 1-minute sprints on very high incline (15), and then did another 2 sets of alternating weights.  It was such a killer!

What I wore:  Lululemon swiftly shirt in white/ultra violet, 50 Rep bra in very violet, and astro wunder under crops in heathered black/dewberry with New Balance Minimus Road shoes.  

As to/from, I wore my Turn Around LS in plum.

Tuesday 2/19
What I did:  Weights again, this time I did sprints before lifting, 50 burpees between weight sets, and 50 burpees after to finish it off.  Death!

What I wore:  Basically Monday's outfit in different colors lol.  Lululemon swiftly tank in fruitie tootie, with astro wunder under crops in black slub denim and Adidas adizero adios 2 shoes.

It was pretty chilly on Tuesday evening, so I wore my Dance Studio pants in concord grape, and my Journey Jacket.  I don't know why I took 2 different pictures, but here they are:

Wednesday 2/20

What I did:  Yoga class... still had sore upper arms the next day!  Why does yoga always get me like that??  Can't be a bad thing.

What I wore:  Lululemon Scoop Me Up tank in caspian blue (why haven't I seen more of this tank?  I love it and want more colors in it...) with deep indigo Ebb & Flow crops.

I wore Don't Hurry Be Happy pullover in polar cream to class because it was a very chilly night!

Thursday 2/21

What I did:  Spin class

What I wore:  Lululemon cool racerback in little boy blue, with pow pink Free to Be bra under.  And bright blue Run: Passion crops.

And I wore my pow pink Define Jacket to match my bra!

Friday 2/22

What I did:  Lifted weights, again with treadmill sprints before weight sets, in between, and afterwards. I love this routine.  It keeps my heart rate up the whole time and sweating like a monster.

What I wore:  Lululemon Power Y tank in discovery stripe, with Run A Marathon Crop and Brooks Pure Drift shoes.

I wore my Express oversized drape neck pullover sweater to work, but it also served as my to/from gym lol...

Saturday 2/23

What I did:  Weights - I worked on my legs and butt hardcore.  I'm so sore right now I can barely walk!  I was doing 125 lb squats.  Omg... legs shaking... but I want my butt to be anti-gravity so I gotta do what I gotta do lol.  And I had this genius idea of running sprints in between sets too, and then finish off on 5 incline sideways and backwards run on the treadmill.

What I wore:  Lululemon swiftly tank in pink mist, with white Flow Y bra under.  And CW-X Pro tights, with New Balance Minimus Road shoes.

I wore 1/2 zip swiftly in ultra violet as to and from.

Sunday 2/24

Today was the only rest day.  Instead of working out, this is what I did while looking at the view in the first picture in this post:

It's 2 eggs benedicts, one is with carne asada, and the other is with crab cake.  So good!  A little splurge on the calories, and totally worth it.  =)

Maybe I'm crazy, but looking at my own pictures I feel like I do look a little leaner in this week's photos, especially towards the end.  Those 5 lbs decrease had to come off somewhere!  I'm happy what I'm doing is working.  Will keep pushing next week and hope for good results!  

French Connection Dress & Tank

I ordered a French Connection dress and tank top on Hautelook a couple weeks ago.  They arrived in the mail today, and I think they are both keepers!  The dress is called Multi Jag Stripe dress, and it was marked down from $98 to $39.  I thought it was a cute summer dress that can be worn during the day, but it actually looks a little more dressy in person.  Maybe because it is a figure hugging tighter fit.  And there's actually shoulder pads inserted too, which was interesting.  Not huge ones though so you can't really tell.  The back is cute because it has a little key hole opening.  Overall I like the bright colors and contrast, and I think it's a cute dress!  So I'm definitely keeping it.

I got this dress in a size 4, and it says the model is wearing a size 4 in the photos as well.  It looks tighter on me than on her though.  I wouldn't mind if it was looser, so it can be worn more casually.  But too late.

The other thing I got is the Taboo Stripe top.  This one is definitely a lot more casual.  It fits me pretty much exactly the same as this model, in size S.  I like how she's wearing it with white pants.  I think it looks really cute with white pants or shorts so that's how I'll wear it too!

This top was only $19, down from $48.  I am really liking the bold colors lately!  So summery.  For some reason I am already in the mood for summer already, so I'm excited to wear it in the not too distant future!

Jackets!

I bought some jackets last week from ideeli and received 3 of them today!  I actually am a big fan of outerwear.  But I don't buy too much of it because I live in such a warm climate.  The 3 jackets I bought are all pretty thin and 2 of them can be work wear as well, so double win there.

These 2 jackets are actually the same style in different colors.  I really liked the idea of them so I figured I'd take a chance and order both, and if they didn't work, I would just return them anyway.  And it turns out, I really like them!  So they are definitely being kept.  Besides, they only cost me $29 each, down from $82.  They are called Esley Sheer Sleeve Blazers.  One in black and one in light gray.  They actually also had one in a bright coral color that was very pretty, but it was already sold out when I saw it, so no go there.

I really loved the idea of the sheer sleeves when I saw these blazers!  I think they can be perfect to be worn to work in the summer time, or to go out.  I love that the sheer sleeves have button details on them, which makes the jackets look a bit more dressy.  The fit of the jacket is really good - longer in the front and shorter in the back.  I got them in size S and they really fit very well without having to get tailored.  Although the upper arm areas are a little tight, which was surprising considering they are sheer and I thought they'd be more flowy.  But they only feel a little tight and don't look tight or stretched at all.  So I am ok with it.  I also really like that they have no collars!  I'm very happy with this jacket in both colors, and will definitely be keeping them.

I got another light weight jacket, the Aaron Ashe Baker Street Jacket:

I don't think the fit of this jacket looks particularly flattering on this model, but there was another color that looked much better.  I wanted a black jacket that I can wear out and about, and I thought this might be promising.  I also ordered this jacket in a size S.  It doesn't look as baggy on me as it does on the model.  But I kind of splurged on this jacket for $89 (down from $299).  I'm not sure that it's worth $89 though.  It's faux leather, actually 100% polyester.  It's open front with no hidden buttons.  And it's very very thin.  I think I need to sleep on this and try it on a few times before deciding if I'm keeping it or not.  It is made in the USA though!

Endless Spree at Express...

So I went shopping this weekend and ended up at Express again.  I'm telling you, their deals just have me keep going back!  I guess I could always use work clothes.  I also signed up for Express rewards a few months ago, so every time I buy something I collect these reward points and once in a while I get some "Express cash rewards" to use.  So far I've already collected about 50 bucks.  This time I had $15 to use towards my purchase, so it made it even more worth it.

I caved and bought another button down blouse - the Portofino shirt in a beautiful purple color.  I'm pretty sure the Portofino shirt is just a new name for my convertible sleeve shirts that I already own 3 of and love wearing for work.  It's exactly the same, but I guess "Portofino" just sounds better.  I can't find the color that I bought online, but I think it's this bitter grape color.  Although it really looks blue to me on my computer screen, and the one I bought is a true dark purple, with no blue hue at all.

This was the one item I bought that was more expensive, at $35.  But with my $15 reward, I ended up paying $20 for it so I'm pretty happy.  I know I can get a lot of use out of it.  I love the other 3 I have and have worn them with skirts or pants, tucked in or untucked.  Very versatile.  I wouldn't be surprised if I end up buying another few at some point.  Same as the others, I bought it in size XS.  It still fits loose.

I got another pencil skirt as well, this time in a bright red color!  I can't find the exact skirt online, but it is the same style as this Studio Stretch Welt Pocket pencil skirt, just in red.

The red is identical to this "firecracker" color in this cotton sateen pencil skirt they have.  But I would never buy another cotton sateen item after my first run in with it years ago - it wrinkles like crazy, and shrinks if you dry it.  I love the non-wrinkle, non-shrinking material that is studio stretch lol.  My skirt was the only one the store had left, and it happened to be my size!  Size 2, that is, same as all my other pencil skirts from Express.  It's on sale for only $19, but with another additional 50% off of sale items, it was only 10 bucks... lol... I like it because summer is coming up, and sometimes it's fun to wear a bright color to work!

Lastly, I got this One-Button Peplum Seamed jacket.  It was also the only one the store had, but there seems to be a whole stock of them online.  I got it in size 4.  I think my only other Express suit jacket is a size 2, but I felt that this jacket in a size 4 is even a little bit tight if I try to button it.  However, I'd never button it, so I think it's ok.  It's on sale now for $50 so I paid $25.  I know this is a great deal, but I'm not sure if I like it enough.  My friend Brad who I was with was in love with it and told me I had to get it, so I did.  But now I'm debating if I should return it or not.  I do think the white contrast in the collar is interesting, but I don't really like how short it is.  I prefer longer jackets for work.  Oh well, I'll keep it for a couple weeks and see if/how I can work it in with my wardrobe.

I've been shopping way too much lately!  I have like 3 or 4 deliveries coming to me tomorrow.... hahaha!  I send my packages to work, so people are going to see my shopping addiction!  I normally try to space my deliveries out, but this time due to one reason or another they all shipped at the same time even though I bought them days apart!  Oh well... what can you do...

Sunday Funday!

Wow I haven't been able to write all week!  It's seriously been a crazy week.  I had friends in town visiting this weekend too, so I literally didn't get to breathe until this afternoon.  Well, I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day!  I don't normally do anything for v-day, but I think it's kind of cute.  I did go to a very nice restaurant on top of the Hollywood Hill for dinner, and it was so packed I couldn't believe it!  I guess everybody is really into this holiday.  I didn't even plan to go out until like 2 hours before lol.  I guess we got lucky since some reservations opened up.  But anyways, this weekend has been very nice to us here in SoCal as well, with weather of 80 degrees and sunny!  But I think it is short lived and will get colder starting tomorrow.  I almost went to the pool though!  I need a tan desperately.  Oh well, some other time!  It feels like summer is almost here.  =)

I am happy that I was able to go workout 4 times this week with my extremely busy schedule and all.  Work has been crazy too, in fact so crazy that I sometimes don't even have time to eat lunch! But I always feel so much better after a workout, so it's totally worth it to make the time.

I took Monday off as a rest day, as usual.  But I do have my work outfit to share!  I wore my Express convertible long sleeve shirt in red lacquer, and Express studio stretch pieced pencil skirt.  I have been obsessed with different tights lately, so I wore my Emilio Cavallini argyle tights - love these!  And Aldo Leanora peep-toe pumps.

It was really cold last week, so I've been wearing my Express military style jacket everyday to work.  I've had this jacket for years and I still wear it a lot.  I have it both black and white too.  I love the all black look sometimes.

Tuesday 2/12

What I did:  Spin, I'm glad I started spinning again, forgot how much work it was!

What I wore:  Lululemon cool racerback in very berry, with white Flow Y bra under and indigo Ebb & Flow crops.  I'm still wearing my Shimano spin shoes here too.

Also wore my Run Brisk in bold blue as to/from.

Wednesday 2/13

What I did:  New Rules of Lifting for Abs, workout A stage 2.  Again.  I realize I've been doing this workout for a long time now.

What I wore:  Lululemon pearl luxtreme cool racerback in pigeon, with currant Energy bra under and coal Team Spirit crops, and matching red Adidas adizero adios 2 shoes!

I also wore my currant brushed Define jacket as to/from.

Thursday 2/14 - Did not workout, but did take a picture of my work outfit.  I realized when I was writing my last post that I hadn't wore my Express Colorblock 2-in-1 dress yet, so I wore that!  And put my Calvin Klein suit jacket over it.

Friday 2/15

What I did:  I had a crazy interval workout!  I first ran for like 30 minutes, with warm-up and lots of 1-minute sprints.  Then I did 4 sets each of 2 different weight workouts, and then I ran 5 more 1-minute sprints on 15 incline!  Nearly killed myself, and then I did 2 more weight workouts of 4 sets each.  I literally was dead afterwards.

What I wore:  Lululemon cool racerback in wish blue with bright blue Flow Y bra under, and bright blue Run: Passion crops.  With Brooks Pure Drift shoes.

Saturday 2/16 - Rest

Sunday 2/17

What I did:  45 minute spin, then 45 min of weights/other types of cardio.

What I wore:  Lululemon Practice Freely tank in heathered paris pink, and black Ebb & Flow crops, with Brooks Pure Drift shoes again.

Oh yes, and my week couldn't be complete without wearing at least once my Lift Your Spirits jacket.  =)

And that's all for this week!  I have a very strict eating and exercising regimen planned for the next 2 weeks, so stay tuned and I hope I can stick to it!  Hehe.