What I Wore To Church: Getting in on the Plaid Trend

Shirt: H&M Basic Top
Cardigan: Tilly's Essential Elbow Sleeve Cardigan
Skirt: Cato's
Boots: JustFab Wilma

If you haven't noticed plaid is big this season (is there ever a fall where it isn't big?), and I absolutely love it. I'd been eyeing a couple of the skirts on eShakti to see which ones I could make work over the bump, and then I realized I had this skirt in my closet from a sale at Cato's years ago. I was skeptical that it would fit over my belly, but surprise! It did. I'm really trying hard to use what's already in my closet instead of buying all new maternity clothes. Not only because it saves me money, but also because then I know I can continue to wear these once the baby is born. Almost any a-line skirt can be worn over the belly instead of under during the first few months of pregnancy, at least while the high-waisted skirt trend is still a thing.

As you can see, I threw some mustard in there for the pop of color. I just can't get enough! I'm definitely trying to stock up while stores have it readily available. It's just such a great color for standing out, and it looks good on almost everyone. I paired it with my navy cardigan (that I've spoken of many times before) to tone it down a tad. Since the sleeves on the cardigan were shorter than the sleeves on the shirt, I rolled them and created a contrast cuff, which I think turned out pretty dang cute.

I finished off the outfit with these grey JustFab boots, both because I liked the way they looked, and because it was a bit chilly today, and they are faux fur lined on the inside. My legs were toasty warm. I also could have paired this with my mustard mary janes or any navy heels if it were a bit warmer outside.

I was kind of proud of myself when I pulled this look together this morning. It turned out better than I thought it would. It definitely makes me want to go out and buy another plaid skirt, because it's so much fun to play with. Maybe I'll find something in a hunter green. I'll definitely be on the lookout.

Happy Shopping!

What I Wore To Church - Navy and Mustard with Pointed Toe Heels

Skirt: Old Navy
Shirt: H&M
Shoes: JustFab Marne

The options in my closet are getting thinner as I'm getting, well, rounder. So picking out my Sunday outfits are going to get harder and harder. In this case, I started with the shoes and worked my way up. I picked these shoes up in a JustFab sale a couple of months ago for $5 (Currently they are a $15 add on). I have a love hate relationship with pointed toe heels because my wide toes do not like to be squished, but I couldn't resist trying these for $5. So I bought them a full size up based on reviews, came to the conclusion I absolutely loved the pattern, and then they sat in my closet unworn for months.

This morning, I decided it was time to work them into an outfit. Once I made that decision, the shirt and skirt were pretty easy choices, but then I decided it needed more color. As you may have seen from my sailor print dress post, I love pairing mustard and navy together. When it was time to start looking for a belt, I found this mustard sash in my closet and decided it was perfect. Pop of color: check! In retrospect, I probably should've ironed the sash, but who has time for ironing?

So what's the verdict on the pointed toe heels? I'm still not sold on them. These were not as comfortable as I'd hoped, but I did like the way they looked. Do I see myself buying any more pointy toes in the near future? Not likely.

If you’re interested in JustFab, please sign up using my link. I'll of course include my standard warning that it is a shoe club, and if you don’t go in each month to “skip the month” they will charge your card and give you a credit to use on any regular priced item on the site. Just be sure to read the terms and conditions. It’s really not that complicated, but I like to make sure people are forewarned.

Happy Shopping!

What I Wore to Church: Bird Print Dress and Boots

Dress: Old Navy
Cardigan: JustFab
Boots: ShoeDazzle Halle

You might have noticed it's Monday, not Sunday, but as I was in Florida all weekend, I hope you'll forgive my tardiness. This outfit was great for travelling. It was comfy, cute, and weather appropriate for fall in Florida. None of the items in my outfit are actually available any more, but similar items can be found. I will never get over how cute animal print clothing is (meaning a print containing animals, not like leopard or zebra, although those can be cute too in small doses). It may not be in style for much longer, but I plan on wearing it as long as I want because it's adorable. This outfit is also another great example of mixing brown with black, which I absolutely love. You can see my other post about that here.

Since I was in Florida visiting my sister, I would be doing a disservice if I didn't feature her outfit. She looked super adorable on Sunday in her brand new eShakti dress!

Dress: eShakti Pleated Cotton Knit Dress
Shoes: JustFab Bogota

She finally took advantage of my referral code and got this super cute dress for only $15 including shipping from the overstock section! I'm serious when I say you can always get their stuff for a steal. And doesn't it look fantastic on her?

She normally would wear heels or wedges with the dress, but since she teaches a class of 4 year olds at church, flats were more practical. She borrowed these from my collection that I brought down for our Beauty Swap party. The orange on the flats went great with the green in the dress and the snake skin brought just the right amount of pizzazz without taking away from the awesomeness of the dress.

eShakti has 25% off their entire site that ends today. It's definitely worth a peek. Use referral code ELIZABETH92SP for $30 off your first purchase!

Happy Shopping!

What I Wore To Church - Using Grey as a Neutral

Dress: eShakti Arbor Melange Knit Dress
Cardigan: ModCloth Charter School Cardigan in Honey
Boots: Soda Like-H (no longer available)

Another great purchase from eShakti. I wanted this dress since I saw it on their facebook page ages ago, but until recently, they were sold out. As soon as it came back in stock, I snagged it, and I'm glad I did because it's sold out again. Don't be sad though, it's come back and sold out again twice since I bought it, so clearly they recognize the demand. Just keep an eye on it, and I'm sure it will be back soon. It's crazy comfortable, like wearing pajamas to church, and it's such a great blank slate to accessorize from. Grey is fantastic for that. I used to think that it really could only be paired with black, but after some playing around, I've finally come around to how versatile it is. It can be paired with almost ANYTHING.

I bought this cardigan from ModCloth a couple years ago on sale, but it's one of their bestsellers so they keep it in stock on a regular basis. It also comes in a variety of fun colors, and I am forever checking their website to see if I can snag it in other colors on sale. I'm definitely glad I grabbed this mustard color because a) I love all things mustard, b) it's a great piece for layering and bringing a sunny pop to an outfit, and c) it goes great with my red hair.

The boots were a steal from one of Tilly's summer sales. I think I paid about $5 for them, but they have been in regular rotation in my wardrobe. They are a great color, a classic shape, and have the perfect heel height for every day wear.

Last thing I want to talk about is that last picture. For those that haven't been told (or figured it out) I am pregnant! I'm 4 months along and due in April. I've been doing my best to keep it under wraps, but with this growing bump it's proven to be quite the challenge, especially when I'm posting outfits on the internet week after week. I'm sure some of you saw right through my guise of high-waisted skirts, flowy tops, and empire waistlines. I'm just glad I can set the bump free now. I think I'm going to have a lot of fun finding ways to show off the bump, while still keeping my playful, feminine style.

If you're interested in purchasing from eShakti, their referral program is still going strong. Use referral code ELIZABETH92SP for $30 off your first purchase. My sister just took advantage and got a super cute knit dress in the overstock section for $15!

Happy Shopping!

BIRCHBOX Review - October 2013

So you may have noticed October is almost over and I'm just now posting my BIRCHBOX review. I've had trouble getting around to using all the products, and I refuse to post a review without trying the products. But it's done now so here it is. I'm still working on getting the lighting right so please excuse the dim pictures (curse not having any natural light in my house).



Not a bad looking box. We'll start with the good:


Miss Jessie's Original Creme de la Creme Conditioner, sample size. I was quite skeptical about this (which you'll notice is a trend for me). I've tried many leave in conditioners and never seen much of a difference. I decided to try it before church two Sundays ago since I knew I would be blow drying my hair. The instructions said to leave it in for 5 to 10 minutes. I'm not really a "long shower" person so 5 minutes was all I could stand to leave it in for. I noticed the smell was very fresh. Almost like older brands of soap. It wasn't an unpleasant smell, but it was very strong. I could smell it in my hair all day. I didn't notice a huge difference once I blow dried my hair, until I started looking at the pictures that I took for that week's blog post. It looked pretty stinkin nice.



I also got a comment from the husband saying I was having a really good hair day. So I guess despite my skepticism, it did make a difference.  Also since the sample was a rather large foil packet, I was able to use it three times so bravo on the sample size.



Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser and Pure Muslin Cloth, sample size. This was the item that held up the review. It took forever for me to get motivated enough to use it. Plus I kept forgetting about it. So last night after my workout I decided to try this stuff out. You rub the cleanser on your dry face to cleanse, then you wet the cloth with hot water, and polish the cleanser off. Lastly you splash your face with cold water to cool it off. It was definitely strange to rub cleanser on dry skin, but I went with it. It felt creamy and smelled very eucalyptus-y (yes, I turned that into an adjective). The hot cloth felt nice as I was polishing, but I could definitely feel the exfoliating effect. My face was a little raw after (I may have "polished" too hard) but the splash of cool water helped to tone it back down. I have to say, my face felt phenomenally smooth after and not at all irritated. Definitely an effective product.

I didn't really have any "bad" in this box so we'll move on to the "meh":


POP Beauty Aqua Lacquer in Floating Rose, full size. Why is this in the meh category? Because it felt like every other lip gloss I've ever used. It claimed not to be sticky, but I still found it to be that. The one benefit that I would give it over other lip glosses is the wand applicator instead of the typical squeeze and rub design.  It wasn't a bad lip gloss, just nothing special.

Joie Folle de Joie perfume, sample size. Not a big fan of perfumes these days, but when I do wear them, I prefer a light, fruity scent. While this claims to have mandarin layered in, all I could smell was the rose and sandalwood. A bit too "crisp" of a smell for me, but really not a bad smell. I just like to smell more subtle and generally more sweet.



Chapstick Hydration Lock, Vanilla creme, full size. This was the "BIRCHBOX find" for the box and it came with a $1 coupon off any Chapstick Hydration Lock I purchase in the future (before 31 Dec). Unfortunately I won't be purchasing this anytime soon. It smelled nice and went on smooth, but I found myself reapplying constantly because my lips still felt dry. I think I'll stick with my Burt's Bees that I only have to apply every other day.  I was also a little sad they sent me two lip products in the same box. It seemed a like overkill. However, I did appreciate that they were both full size.

So that's the box for the month. Overall I thought it was a good box for getting me out of my comfort zone and trying things I never would've tried before. They weren't all home runs, but I definitely think it was worth the $10 (especially since the lipgloss is $14 by itself).

If you're interested in signing up for the waitlist, please use my link here. Happy Shopping!

What I Wore to Church - Anchor Print Dress and Mustard Mary Janes

Dress: eShakti Retro Anchor Print Shirtdress
Shoes: ShoeDazzle Malese

What can I say about this dress? I absolutely love it! It's super soft corduroy (Yes, corduroy!). It has an adorable anchor print that is right in line with the current nautical trend. It's warm, which is perfect since it's been cooling down around here finally. It fits like a dream, and like most eShakti dresses it has POCKETS!   This is seriously the most perfect dress I've ever worn. I fell in love when I found it on the website, and knew I had to have it.  It was a bit pricey, but between various coupons/giftcards and taking advantage of the buy 2 get 20% off deal they had over Columbus day, I got it down to a reasonable price. That's why I always encourage people to sign up for eShakti despite what appears to be higher price-ranges. There are ALWAYS opportunities for coupons. Each time you receive an item, there is a delivery survey to fill out. Once you fill it out, BAM: $10 coupon. Occasionally they send out surveys to fill out and occasionally they give coupons with those. Sometimes they give coupons just because. Not to mention the awesome sales they frequently have, as well as the overstock section. There is always an opportunity to get these adorable dresses for way less than full price.

Now onto the shoes. These were another pair from the heyday of ShoeDazzle. Back when this was considered pretty tall for them instead of the 2-3 inch platforms they have now. I so wish they would figure out that there is still a market for shoes like this. I absolutely adore these shoes and am so glad I snagged them when I could. I thought the mustard paired perfectly with the yellow anchors in the print, and brought a nice fall feel to the outfit. And who doesn't love mary janes? I'm such a sucker for them. I'll share a heel wearing tip with those of you that don't wear heels because you think you won't be able to walk in them. Start with a mary jane. The strap (or in this case, straps) hold your foot in so all you have to worry about is balance. Without the strap, you may also have to worry about keeping your foot in the shoe, especially if the shoe doesn't fit quite right, and the result can look like a baby giraffe learning to walk. Not an attractive look.

The referral program for eShakti is still going strong so if you'd like to try them out, use code ELIZABETH92SP for $30 off. If you're in love with the corduroy anchor print, but maybe not the design of the dress, check out the Peter Pan Collar Anchor Print Dress or the Colorblock Collar Anchor Print Dress. Both are equally adorable.

If you would like to sign up for ShoeDazzle, just to peek around in hopes they might get better (or who knows, maybe you'll find something you actually like), use this link. If you sign up for their new VIP Elite program which is the same subscription model as JustFab (and the same as it was previously with ShoeDazzle), you get 50% off your first pair. Just make sure you read the terms and conditions prior.

Happy Shopping!

What I Wore To Church - Polka Dots and Red Accents

Shirt: H&M
Skirt: Old Navy
Shoes: Iron Fist Society Suicide
Jewelry: Monica's Fantabulous Fashions

Since I'm trying to take my own advice and try new things, I challenged myself this week to create an outfit I've never tried before using things I already had in my closet (novel concept, right?), instead of just wearing an outfit I've tried and proven before.

I'm totally digging the retro look of high-waisted skirts these days, and had this one in my closet from Old Navy. I bought it over a year ago but had never worn it. I wasn't quite sure how to style it because when I bought it, I was stuck on the idea of skirts being worn on my hips. When I dug it out this morning, I had the perfect combination in mind. It originally came with a black sash belt, but how boring is that? I love how the red belt brings attention to the smallest part of the waist and adds some fun. It also brings out the red in the shoes.

I originally bought these shoes when JustFab was featuring the Iron Fist collection. The biggest downside of Iron Fist is that they only carry full sizes. I first bought them in an 8 and they were far too snug, but by the time I decided to exchange, they were sold out of the 9. I had to stalk the website for months before I finally got them in a 9 and they were SO worth the wait. The details on them are too adorable for words, and I love pairing the polka dots on the strap and bow with other dots. Seriously, bows and dots are my favorite details.

Overall, I loved the retro look of the outfit, and how all the little details worked well together. I got lots of compliments at church so I'll take that to mean it worked. Again, I guess I should continue to take my own advice and try new things. It seems to work out in my favor.