Sunday Funday!

I have good news!  The escrow on my condo officially closed on Friday, so it is all done now!  I'd say that was a pretty quick process, considering the buyer came and looked at it during the first open house (we only had 2 open houses total and 1 private showing) that was the day after the condo went on the market.  So you could say it was sold within a day!  But all the bids had to come in and we had to negotiate back and forth so we really struck a deal a week later.  Still though, it was much faster than I thought and I am very pleased!  This is definitely a seller's market like they say.  The bids all came in at above asking price.  But there are so much expenses associated with selling a property!  The realtor fees alone were 5% of the sell price.  Then there were a bunch of transfer taxes, document and recording fees and miscellaneous expenses.  I also paid to get it staged as well.  It all adds up!  But anyway, I feel pretty relieved that it's all over and done though.  This is definitely not a process you'd want to repeat often lol.

Anyway, other than that, my week was pretty normal!  Just kept pushing with my weight lifting hoping to build up a good base of muscle tone!


Monday 9/2
What I did:  Weights, lower body, followed by 30 minutes of my usual interval cardio session on the treadmill at 15% incline.

What I wore:  Lululemon Flow and Go tank in faded zap, with Lululemon Ebb & Flow crop in black and Nike Frees in violet.

Since Monday was Memorial Day, I had the day off work.  I went shopping!  Here's my shopping outfit - Express Burnout Racerback Elastic Waist Dress in bahama coral, with BCBGeneration Tapis sandals in pink canvas.

Tuesday 9/3

What I did:  Upper body weights, shoulder and tris, followed by 30 minutes of interval on treadmill.

What I wore:  Lululemon Scoop Me Up tank in caspian blue, with Lululemon Snap Me Up crops in black pique and same Nike Frees as Monday!  I love these shoes!

Wednesday 9/4

What I did:  Back and bi, followed by 30 minutes of treadmill!

What I wore:  Lululemon No Limit tank in flash, with Lorna Jane Devoted 7/8 Tight and New Balance Minimus Road shoes.

I do negative chinups on Wednesdays for my back/bi workout.  This is super cheesy, but I literally had no upper body strengths growing up so I never thought I could even do a push up.  Now I'm doing negative chinups with "Believe" on my ass!  Haha!  Now that I'm 30, my body is so much stronger and healthier than ever before!

Here's my monochromatic work outfit from the same day - a black button down shirt from Express from a looooong time ago, and Calvin Klein colorblock pencil skirt, with Vince Camuto Jiris sandals.  I love this skirt because the colorblocking is super slimming.  So smart.  It is kind of big on my in the waist now that I'm leaning out.  Luckily hips still fit perfectly - my squats and lunges are making my butt bigger lol.  So this should be an easy fix for a tailor.  I gotta get it taken in, because I love it!

Thursday 9/5

What I did:  My rest day from weights, so I took a pilates class.

What I wore:  My Beyond Yoga outfit!  Elastic Sweep tank and Essential Long Gather Legging in red.

Friday 9/6

What I did:  Back to weights again!  Lower body super set.  This one always gets me!  I'm feeling pretty sore still.  I was going to do my last cardio session but I was beat!  And it was Friday night, so I went home to eat.  :)

What I wore:  Lorna Jane Analisa tank in teneriffe blue and Yogasmoga Run Jump n' Play crop, with Nike Frees in gray/crimson.

And this is my work outfit from Friday - I love this Calvin Klein satin collar 3/4 sleeve polo shirt.  It is so comfy but the satin collar really dresses it up.  Perfect for Friday!  I wore it with this old Express tweed pencil skirt and my Vince Camuto Dacoma pumps in hurricane gray pearl patent matches the outfit so well!

Trying to show here that the heel of the shoes are the same color as the top lol:

Saturday 9/7
What I did:  I did the last weights workout of the week - upper body super set.  I was going to do my last cardio session afterwards but the round took like an hour and 15 min so I kind of wanted to get out of there and head to the 7 for all mankind sample sale... haha.  Besides, I planned to play tennis today anyways which counts as cardio!

What I wore:  Lululemon cool racerback in heathered angel blue, with Victoria's Secret supermodel cami bra in sweetest orange under it.  Lululemon Power Vinyasa crop and Nike Frees in crimson again because it matches the bra!

Sunday 9/8

What I did:  I played tennis for like 2 hours with the ball machine!  

What I wore:  Lululemon cool racerback in white jacquared mesh and Lululemon Run Jog skirt in pig pink, with my new tennis shoes that I bought today from Big 5!  I've been playing tennis with my running shoes which is really not a good idea.  So I finally bought some!  They were cheap too.  I got the Wilson Court Pro Hope II shoes, which were on sale for only $39.  They are the breast cancer edition, so they have cute pale pink on the trim that is pretty much a perfect match to pig pink!  :)

It's been super hot here lately so I haven't been wearing any long sleeves.  But I actually put on the Swiftly 1/2 Zip in ultra violet afterwards when it got dark and I made a quick Trader Joe's run!

And that is the end for this week!  Have a good night everyone!

2 Mini Skirts & 3 Tanks from Express!

I joined the Express reward program "NEXT" a few months ago, and they sent me a $40 credit for my birthday that was good for the whole month!  I didn't even know they would do that, but it's pretty awesome.  It's good in store and online as well.  I waited all month because I meant to stop by the store, but I didn't get to it before August was over so I resorted to ordering online.  Funny because I work really close to a store and could totally walk over at lunch.  But I'm lazy!  Oh well, it worked out because I ended up ordering when they had 40% off everything for Labor Day so I bought even more than I originally wanted to lol.

So I bought 2 mini skirts that I've been eyeing on their website forever!  The Sequin Embellished Mini Skirt and the Studded Mini Skirt.

The sequined skirt retails for $59 and the studded skirt is $49.  So with 40% off, I got them for $35 and $29.  Not bad at all!  I got both in size XS.  They are both made of stretchy knit material.  Kind of like yoga pants lol.  So they don't have zippers or anything and you just pull them on.  XS is kind of large fitting actually.  They are definitely not tight.  So if you are smaller than me, you probably won't be able to wear these skirts since XS is the smallest size they are offered.

The sequined skirt has a tribal look, which is not something I normally wear but I like it with the sequins.  I am a little torn though, because I'm not sure where I'd wear this skirt to lol.  It's a fun skirt to wear if I still went clubbing but those days are far behind me.  But I do like it.  Here it is with both a black tank (see below, same order) and a white tank (Express Rhinestone Stripe tank I got last weekend) - I think both works but black is better:

Here's what it looks like from the side and back:

And a close up:

The studded mini skirt is actually different from what I expected.  One of the reviewers on the Express site mentioned this too, but the studs are in silver and copper colors which look way more obvious in person than on pictures.  I tried taking a picture myself but the colors look way more similar on my picture as well so I am not able to capture the true difference.  I don't mind it at all though.  I actually think this one is definitely a keeper.  

Here it is with the same 2 black and white tanks:

By the way, this skirt matches my BCBG Peacock pumps perfectly!  I can't even believe it lol.  The studs are the same colors too!  It's quite exciting.

Anyway, here's the side and back of the skirt:

Here are my close up photos:

As shown above, I got this Pearl and Rhinestone Embellished Shirtail Tank in black, which I love! It was only $17, down from $29.  I'm totally keeping it.  It feels soft and the length is perfect.  I got size XS.

Here's a closer up one on me:

I think this shirt will actually be very versatile.  It's simple but has a little embellishment around the neck so it can be dressed up a little.  

I got another ivory tank - the Sequin Stripe Seamed Tank.  The color is soft ivory and it looks pretty much white.  I also got it in size XS but I think it's a little short.  I wish it was like an inch longer, like how it fits the model.  I think I might take it to the store and see if I can exchange for a size up.

On me, the size XS is loose fitting, but I think it looks a little boxy.  Hopefully size S will be better.  I got it for $23 so it's one of the expensive items lol.  I would like it to fit right.

I love it though, here's a close up:  it's got white and silver sequins and would be such a versatile top that matches everything too!

The last tank I got I think may also have the same issue.  It is the Stud and Rhinestone Stud Embellished Shirttail Tank.  I also got it in size XS but it's a little short.  Also, a couple reviews on the Express website for this tank says that rhinestones fell off very fast.  It was more expensive as well - I paid $29 for it.  I don't want 30 bucks to go down the drain if it's just going to fall off after 1 wear.

On me, also wish it was an inch longer:

And here's the close up of the details:

I love the studded look, it makes items look a bit more edgy.  I also think all 3 of these tank styles are very easily matched with any bottom.  Skirts, jeans, in pretty much any color.  Can be dressed up or down.  Prices are very reasonable too!  I definitely need more pieces like these in my wardrobe.

Sequin Panel Silk Tank in Cabernet from Hautelook

I have not ordered from Hautelook in like 6 months!  And before that I hadn't ordered for 4 months.  I think it's because they stopped sending me daily emails for some reason!  Probably started happening when Nordstrom bought them.  So no email means I don't get on their site anymore.  But I was bored last week and decided to take a look, and actually bought this sequin panel silk tank in a color called "cabernet".  So as you can guess from the name, it's a beautiful deep burgandy.

It arrived today.  Oh yeah, I forgot that they are located here in LA so I get my orders the next day which is really nice.  So this top is a size small, and it does fit loosely as is the style.  I think it actually works really well with my Lululemon Tech Mesh Tights lol.

So the front has 2 panels like a curtain lol.  The middle part is just silk with no sequins.  

I think it will be an easy top to throw on and pair with pants or skirts, and with or without a jacket over.  It was only $25 so not bad at all.  I'm really loving this colorway for fall!

Express Tops from Labor Day Sale

I went to the mall over the long weekend to return some stuff, and I stopped in at Express since everything there was 40% off!  I learned something pretty cool too - apparently you can order anything that's on the Express website at their store, and they will ship to your house for free!  I think if you order online, you have to buy minimum $125 or something in order to get free shipping.  So this is pretty nice if you want to order less than that.  Though it would be even better if they just made shipping free all the time!

I got 3 tops and I actually really like all of them, especially considering what great prices they were.

Marled Rolled Sleeve Tunic Sweater in "Hot & Spicy".  Only paid $26 for this, down from original $44.

This looks like a picture from their catelogue

I think the color of this top is definitely brighter in person than these photos show.  It's more of an orange-coral type of color.  I love it.  I got it in size XS and it still fits pretty loose.  The way the models wear this top is one shoulder off.  But it can also be worn like a regular shirt, this is what it looks like that way:

This is a close up of the marled print:

I love that I can wear this top casually as well as to work.  So definitely a winner!

I got this cool Rhinestone Stripe tank in soft ivory.  I saw it online before, but it actually looks much better in person.  It was $29 instead of $49.   They only had one left at the store which was a size XS.  It fits loosely through the body but a little tighter in the chest since the material is not very stretchy.  I kind of like how loosely it fits the model below better than how it fits me.

On me, not quite as loose fitting.  I wish they had a size small as well to try on:

So I hope the rhinestones stay in place, because if one falls off, this tank will look really weird.  As I'm writing this, I'm thinking that maybe I will keep the tag on this one for a while and decide whether I should keep it or not.

The last shirt is casual but super cute and I'm definitely keeping.  It's the V-Neck Rolled Sleeve Slub Tee, in strawberry color.

It's a casual tee but it has rolled up sleeves so it dresses it up a tiny bit.  The material is like a semi-burnout type.  I think I could maybe make it work as a work shirt as well.  It was only $17, with original price of $29, which I don't even think is that bad to begin with.  But $17 is better for sure lol.

I also got size XS, and it fits pretty loose still:

I also ordered this cool looking (Minus the) Leather Quilted Mini Skirt that they did not have in the store.  So it's being shipped to me and I should get it soonish.  I received an Express catelogue in the mail today, and this skirt was on the cover!

Love it from the look of it!  I ordered a size 0 so I hope it fits.  Express is ridiculous with their vanity sizing, I actually tried on a skirt when I was in the store in size 00 and it fit me.  But I ordered 0 just in case this one runs a little smaller/tighter.  I really hope it works because it looks so cool!  Also great price, $35 instead of $59 regular price.

Can't wait to get this!!!

Sunday Funday!

Today is an extra fun Sunday because tomorrow is a holiday so no work for me!  Yay!  I was considering a last minute trip but still have not decided where to go so it's probably not going to happen.  I know this sounds a little crazy, but I haven't been keen to book any trips or vacations because I like the structure of making my own food and my workout schedule.  Food is seriously the #1 concern when you are working towards a better physique.  As for me, if I go a day or 2 of not eating well, I feel the bloat coming on right away.  I feel sluggish and it takes like 2-3 days of clean eating to get rid of the effect.  When you are on vacation, it is so hard to make good choices at restaurants, so it's easier to just stay home and cook lol.  It does put a damper on your social life though.  It's like you never think about how big food and drinks are in any social interaction with people, it's really insane!  So nowadays, I have to be mindful of how often I eat out in order for my hard work at the gym to pay off.  But at the same time, I have to try to balance it out because I also think there is no point in working so hard if I can't go out and enjoy myself once in a while.  I kind of like the 90% rule - so say you eat 5 meals/snacks a day, that is 35 total in a week.  Just make sure 90% of the 35 meals are "good", which leaves you with 3.5 meals of "not so good".  :)  I hope my trainer never sees this.  He thinks there should be one and only one exception each week, and you cannot go crazy and enter hot dog eating contest for that meal!  It's pretty damn hard to do - usually I can hold off decently ok from Monday morning until Thursday night/Friday morning, then I'm like: I want to eat 3 desserts at the same time!!  So I think in order for me to not go crazy, I have to put in little cheats earlier on... hehe.  :)

This strategy has been working out for me I think.  It's been almost 4 months exactly since I started training with my trainer.  I've lost about 10 lbs so far!  But more importantly, I've definitely lost inches.  I wish I had measured myself before, but I didn't so I can only judge from how my clothes fit.  I would guess that I've lost at least 1 inch around the waist, because a lot of my pants that used to fit perfectly are now too big in the waist.  My boobs are smaller too though.  Sad face.  But I do feel pretty great!  I think I gain muscles very slowly, but I have become much stronger from all the heavy weight lifting, so something is happening whether I see it on the surface or not!

Ok, enough digress.  :)  Moving onto this week's workouts and outfits!  I continued doing the kicked-up-a-notch weight training that my trainer gave me last week.  Although I still felt sore after the back/bi workout, I recovered much faster than last week.  It's pretty amazing how fast the body adapts.  I really love all my workouts.  In the past 4 months, I can honestly say I have not missed a single workout that was on my schedule!

Monday 8/23

What I did:  Lower body weights, followed by 30 minute cardio interval session on 15% incline.  For these interval sessions, I basically fast walk for a minute at 4.5-4.7 mph, then rest for 45 seconds at about 3-3.2 mph.  Repeat the entire 30 minutes.  Actually goes pretty fast.

What I wore:  Lululemon ocean stripe mellow lemon cool racerback with very green free to be bra under.  I also wore Lululemon Lab Perennial tight in coal, and Nike Frees in gray/crimson.  I went for the mix of bright colors!

As to and from, I wore my fresh teal/very green swiftly LS:

Tuesday 8/27

What I did:  Shoulder and Tri workout, followed by my 30 minutes interval.

What I wore:  Lululemon Cross My Heart tank in silver spoon with Beyond Yoga Gathered Legging in dusk and same Nike Free shoes as Monday!

Wednesday 8/28

What I did:  My back and bi workout, and 30 minute cardio interval session again!

What I wore:  Oh, totally didn't even realize I had this matchy-matchy outfit in my closet - Lululemon Run: Ta Ta Topper tank in black/groovy stripe nimbus and matching Bandha Crop in soot light with groovy stripe nimbus waistband and edging around the hem.  New Balance Minimus Road shoes.

I wore the Victoria's Secret VSX Sport Angel Sport bra under the tank.  I didn't realize that you could see quite a bit of it in the back!  Oh well.  But let me just be a broken record again and say that Victoria's Secret really knows its shit when it comes to bras, regular or sports.

Thursday 8/29

What I did:  It was my rest day from weights, but I went to pilates class.

What I wore:  Lululemon Dance Strap tank in gold (why doesn't Lulu make beautiful jewel tones anymore?) and Beyond Yoga gathered legging in mojave.  Zigi Kickin wedge sneakers because they are like my pilates to/from uniform!

Friday 8/30

What I did:  Lower body circuit.  Then my 4th and final cardio interval session of the week.

What I wore:  Lole Fly tank in fusion coral with Lululemon Ebb & Flow crop in deep indigo, with Nike Frees in violet.  The shoe laces and tank are a pretty decent match!

Still loving the back of this tank a lot!

Saturday 8/31

What I did:  My 5th and final weight workout of the week.  :)  Upper body super sets.   

What I wore:  Lorna Jane Janet mesh tank with Lululemon spry blue free to be bra under it.  Lululemon Run Fast short in black - I don't normally wear shorts to the gym (because I don't like my legs touching the equipments lol) but it's been SO hot here lately!  Nike Free shoes in blue glow.

Ok, that is all for this week!  I think I will go shopping now.  :)  Wishing you all a beautiful weekend!