Happy New Year! And Best of 2014!

Happy New Year!  It's 2015 now, can you believe it??  When I reflect on the past year, I think 2014 was a pretty good year for me.  I made a lot of progress with my weight training, I went on some fun trips (mainly Amsterdam, Paris, and New Orleans), and I got multiple raises at work!  Lol.  Though I do feel that I need some kind of hobby other than shopping and working out.  Can I even call shopping a hobby?  Anyway, my resolution for 2015 is to shop less (maybe less quantity and more quality?) and do some other things.  Lol.  I know it's very vague, but I haven't thought it out yet.  I'm thinking I can take some online classes or something... maybe even a class at a local city college if I can find a suitable schedule.  Otherwise time just gets away from me and I feel like everything I've done is so trivial.  Of course I need to go on some fun vacations too!  That's always on my list of things to do.

Anyway, since this is mainly a shopping blog, I will now reflect on all the purchases I've made in 2014 and list out the best ones!

The items which stand out in my mind the most are my Nike Free 5.0 TR Fit 4 sneakers.  I got 3 pairs (here, here and here)!  I love all 3 equally.  They are the best shoes for weight lifting as well as cardio.  Plus they are SO pretty!  The multi-colors on each shoe make them go with pretty much every clothing piece I own.  I give these shoes 10000 stars.

Look how they go with everything!  Hahaha.

Surprisingly, the venom/turbo green ones are the most versatile since they go with every shade of green and blue, even yellow too

On the same note, I also wear these geometric print Nike Free 3.0s a lot!  I think the 3.0s have vastly improved from when I bought them years ago.  They are not as stable for lower body weight workouts as the shoes above, but they are still pretty awesome and super cute!  Of course they go with the most outfits since they are black and white.  I've probably worn these the most of any shoes I bought this year.

Another item that I bought and have been using daily is the Lululemon Run On Duffel.  It has replaced my other duffel bags as my regular gym bag!  The size of this bag is perfect.  I'm also really loving the mesh look still.  It's still in tip top shape even though I've been using it everyday since March!  I think that's money well-spent.

As far as my fitness attire goes, I think the standout for me is the numerous Lorna Jane sports bras I've got.  I wear them all the time.  Their designs are unique and they give me way better shape than other sports bras.  My favorites are the Lustre sports bra and the Somersault sports bra. They both have subtle sparkles in the fabric!

As for workout tanks, Lorna Jane tanks also stand out for me.  I love the Team LJ tank, Sunrise Tank, and Feline tank the most.  I could really add a lot more to this list, but in the interest of keeping it short and picking only the absolute top ones, these are the three I settle on.  =)

Sunrise tank:

Team LJ tank:

Feline tank:

I think I bought more workout tights in 2014 than any other year in my life!  I think Lululemon definitely wins this category.  My favorite prints are the Live Natural ombre crops, wunder under crops in wee are from space fatigue green, wunder under crops in pretty palm cadet blue, and all the camo!  I really like my black camo denim wunder under crops and the fatigue camo Inspire crops as well.  Last but not least, my newest addition has quickly become one of the favorites too - the diamond jacquard flaming tomato wunder under crops.

I just love the ombre Live Naturals...

These wee are from space fatigue green wunder under crops surprisingly go with everything:

Pretty palm cadet blue is also very versatile:

The black denim camo ones are hard to see on pictures, but I love the material.  It's more of a "matte" look, and the material is compressive.

The luxtreme fatigue camo Inspire crops are quite the opposite since they are shiny luxtreme material.  I love them too though!

The newest love - diamond jacquard flaming tomato wunder under crops (not many pics with them on yet!)

Now, onto long sleeve tops and jackets!  My favorites these years are the Nike Epic Crews (I got 2 more after the first one!), Lululemon Camo Forme Jacket and Lorna Jane Feline Jacket.

Can't get enough of the Nike Epics... they are the perfect weight and I love the fit.

The Lululemon Forme Jacket kind of surprised me.  I actually first passed on it when I saw it in the store.  But my friend then went and tried it on, and said it was super cute so I asked her to get one for me too.  Now it's one of my favorites and I'm glad I got it!

I liked the Lorna Jane Feline jacket from the first moment I saw it.  I love the embossed animal print and the subtle sheen!  Also love that it transform go from the gym to regular street wear.

Ok now, onto work clothes!  I bought a lot of clothes from Ann Taylor (here here and here), which I have been wearing a lot!  It is a brand I wore years ago and sort of forgot about.  I'm glad I found it again, because I think they really kicked it up a notch and their quality is superior to other brands at the same price point IMO.  Some of my favorites:

This mod scarf dress!

Icicle tweed pencil skirt:

Wild Jacquard pencil skirt:

I also bought a lot of blouses this year for work!  I love the Pleione faux wrap ones, as well as the Theory Brindan blouse, BCBG carbon print blouse, and Ann Taylor Tie Neck blouse.

Pleione:

Theory, BCBG and Ann Taylor:

I also do love my Theory suit.  It was kind of a splurge since I don't need to wear suits often.  But I think it's always nice to have a nice suit!

Ok next up, casual clothes.  My #1 is no doubt the Vince Leather Scuba jackets!  I'm so happy I stumbled upon this jacket at Nordstrom and now I own 3!  Charcoal (which always looks olive to me), black and mallard.  They are made of the softest leather and they are the perfect lightweight jacket for LA.  I wear them all the time.

I'm also very happy with the 3 pairs of Joe's Jeans I got (here and here).  I think they are the most comfortable and best fitting jeans I own!  I have worn all 3 pairs a lot too.

As far as tops go, I love the Splendid button down as shown above on the photo with the white jeans, Aiko Trudie top (both white and black), Gabriella Rossi cashmere cross front sweater, Free People knit cuff henley, and Caslon drape neck cardigan (black, gray and tan!).

The Splendid button down is so soft, and it drapes really well.  Best of all is that it can be worn with jeans or with a pencil skirt to work!  I just love it.

The Gabriella Rossi cashmere sweater can also double up as work or casual wear:

Aiko Trudie top - love the mix of silk and leather!  The fit is perfect too.

Free People henley - I wear this all the time too.  The henley is comfortable, and the alpine cuffs just add something a bit extra.

The Caslon jackets are one of my best purchases ever.  They are very comfortable and I love the fit.  I literally wear them as casual wear, work wear, and gym wear!

As for pumps / high heels, I love my Sam Edelman Novato slingbacks and my Coach Nala patent pumps.  Both are neutral colors.  The Sam Edelman Novato are very high but surprisingly very comfortable.  I can seriously wear them and walk forever.  The Coach shoes are just classic.  Black patent pumps can go with everything, literally.  I also recently got 2 pairs of Casadei pumps in navy and pink which are very classic looking as well but I haven't had enough time to wear them much.  So they just get an honorable mention.  =)

These shoes are already included in many photos above, but here are the Sam Edelman Novato - I wear them to work and out:

The Coach Nala pumps I wear mostly to work, they are just so professional looking lol:

On a much more casual note, I also love the Manitoba Mukluks!  I can only wear them during very cold months in LA lol.  My bf hates them and calls them "pom pom shoes".  But I don't care haha!  They are super comfy and warm!

Now, onto accessories.  My two favorites this year are the Kate Spade Cobble Hill Canvas Dot Carson crossbody and the Aqua skull scarf.  I must say... I wear the Kate Spade bag so much more than I thought I would!  To think that I almost didn't buy it... the Aqua scarf is funny.  I'm not really a skulls person, but I somehow really liked it.  Every time I wear it, I get compliments from people who have very different fashion taste than me... haha!

Ok, last category!  Beauty!  I absolutely love my Sultra Bombshell!  And Clinique bottom lash mascara, seche vite top coat, and Sephora nail polish remover. 

The Sultra Bombshell just amazes me every time.  It makes my curls look perfect and effortless.  Seriously must have.

Clinique bottom lash mascara - life changing lol.  I love the eye-opening look it gives and I never knew I had so many bottom lashes!

Seche Vite top coat is amazing.  It is the most fast drying top coat I've ever used.  Truly life changing too.

The Sephora nail polish remover also makes it so much easier and more fun to remove polish!  I can never live without it.

I think I'll also give Latisse a honorable mention here.  Because it really has dramatically increased the length of my lashes and I love that.  I'm just hesitant to use it long term because I'm afraid of the side effects.  Let's be real, Latisse is a drug, even though it is FDA approved.  You do need a prescription for it, and I still feel uncertain about using it regularly.  It was meant to be for patients with glaucoma and the lash lengthening effect was a side effect that was noted.  Latisse has only been around for a few years, so I feel like long term effects have not been documented yet.  So I don't feel 100% safe using it for cosmetic purposes.  My bottle is almost done.  I may get another bottle since I only use it every 3 days now.  Then I think I'll take a break.

Anyways, now that I look back on 2014, I've bought a lot of stuff!  Lol!  But I think the difference this year has been that I bought a lot more work clothes in relation to workout clothes.  In years past, I was like a crazy person buying all kinds of workout clothes that would last me till the apocalypse.  Let's see what 2015 brings and how well I can stick to my resolutions!  =P