October Budget Recap

I'm linking up with Franish for Budgeting Bloggers! I didn't link up last month because I wayyyy overpent. This month, I shopped way less because I was busy every weekend and was unable to go to the mall :) I give myself $200 a month to spend on clothes and $50 a month for "personal care" which includes makeup and toiletries. I don't usually include my makeup purchases on the blog because I don't get anything "cool" but I ended up getting some stuff I'm in love with during an Ulta 20% off sale. Here's what I got:

1. Ann Taylor Necklace - $48

2. Alexis Bittar Earrings via Ebay - $75 (similar)

3. Ann Taylor Red Crossbody - $17

4. Ann Taylor Jacket - $44

5. Piperlime Moto Vest - $13 (bought to replace my Zara vest which is falling apart)

6. Piperlime Tuxedo Vest - $17

TOTAL CLOTHING: $214

1. Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette - $21.50

2. Benefit "They're Real" Mascara Mini - $8

3. Bare Minerals blush in Fruit Cocktail - $15

TOTAL MAKEUP: $45

I stayed pretty much on track this month but I need to calm down a bit with the Ann Taylor. It used to just be somewhere where I could get work clothes but now it's my go-to store for jewelry and dual-purpose clothing (work and casual). I'm especially obsessed with the boucle jacket above - I wore it every day on my trip to Maryland for the Homecoming game last weekend. I think it could even work on an office day, or at court on a day I didn't have many courtrooms to go to, and didn't have any important hearings. Anyway, did you stick to your budget this month?? Share what you bought in the comments!

Bloggers Do It Better - Wool Coats

This past Saturday, while I was still in Chicago, I went to brunch at a restaurant called Yolk - I'd been there before but it was good enough to go again :) My BF and I then spent the afternoon at the aquarium. The line was at least an hour to get in (ridiculous!) but it was fun once we got inside. Poor choice on my part to wear heels, even though these shoes are generally comfortable. I'm linking up with Pretty Shiny Sparkly today for Bloggers Do It Better - Wool Coats! I am in LOVE with my one-and-only coat and it's been a great purchase for when I visit Chicago - and, on the rare occasion when it's "cold" in Miami. How do you wear your winter coats? Any favorites to share?

Coat: J. Crew (factory version)

Scarf: BCBG (similar)

Vest: Zara (similar)

Shirt: Target (similar)

Skirt: American Apparel

Tights: ?

Booties: Madden Girl (similar)

Bag: B. Makowsky

Turquoise, Camel, & Gold

So, remember when I first tried on this dress? I ended up buying it when it went on super sale, but somehow it sat in the package until yesterday! I hate when that happens - which, thankfully, doesn't happen very often anymore ever since I started being more accountable for my spending. I got several compliments on the dress, and I do like it, but I will say it shows wrinkles very badly after sitting down all day. I'm going to Maryland this weekend for my college Homecoming game. I'm so excited to see my college friends - some I haven't seen in over a year! NOT GOOD! 

Dress: Ann Taylor (similar)

Blazer: LOFT (similar)

Shoes: Corso Como (similar)

Bag: Michael Kors (similar)

Watch: Michael Kors

Necklace: Ann Taylor

Linking up for What I Wore to Work!

layers & primary colors

I went to Chicago this past weekend to visit my BF. I knew it was going to be cold so a majority of my suitcase space was taken up by my favorite (and currently only) winter coat from J. Crew (now available at J Crew Factory for a fraction of the price). Other than the coat, I made sure to wear my heaviest items, including the Zara tweed jacket below, and my new-ish brown booties. In trying to pack efficiently, I stuck with similar color patterns so that anything I felt like wearing would match other items in my suitcase. This time, I ended up with a lot of reds (influenced by my red coat) and blues (influenced by the Zara jacket), and I added my favorite scarf, which happens to be yellow, for warmth. I ended up with all sorts of primary color combinations but only 2 days in which to wear them! I've talked about the color wheel for inspiration before, but I'll reiterate again that using it to pack was really helpful (although it was kind of subconscious this time). I'd definitely recommend consulting the wheel the next time you are packing, you might be surprised!

I wore this to Sunday brunch at the Bongo Room. We went there the last time I visited and it was so good we decided to go there again! This time I had the eggs benedict and my BF and I shared a pancake..but this was no ordinary pancake - a pretzel pancake covered in white chocolate and caramel. DELICIOUS. The weekend unfortunately went by much too fast. I felt like I was hardly in Chicago at all. Next time I hope at least to stay for a 3-day weekend. 

Jacket: Zara (really similar!)

Sweater: Old Navy (similar)

Jeans: Forever 21

Boots: Report

Scarf: BCBG (similar)

Bag: Ann Taylor (similar)

Watch: Michael Kors

Glasses: Forever 21 (similar)

Lips: Revlon Lip Butter in Cupcake

Teal Tweed & Grey

The days are getting shorter and it's getting basically impossible to take photos at night after work because it's already dark! I'm the worst in the mornings (always in a rush) so I'm not sure what I'm going to do! I'm going to Chicago tomorrow so maybe I can convince my BF to take some pics :) Right now I'm binge watching Dateline: Real Life Mysteries on TLC. Being a criminal defense lawyer I'm just so annoyed by this show, haha. It's so sensational. Bloody writing on the wall, body stuffed in a trunk, a drunken blackout and "dreams" of committing the murder... The evidence is always sketchy and could go either way, but the jurors alwayssssss vote guilty. I guess America (or the people who watch this show) demand "justice" and probably wouldn't feel fulfilled if it was a not guilty verdict. My limited internet research after watching each episode has shown all the convicted defendants are still appealing their cases and always adamantly maintain their innocence. It's interesting, to say the least. Anyway, if anyone else has seen the show I'm interested to hear what you think! I love crime solving type shows but it could just be me! 

Dress: Tahari (similar)

Blazer: Theory (similar)

Shoes: Forever 21 (similar)

Necklace: Forever 21 (similar)

Bag: Michael Kors (similar)

Sensation 2013: Miami

I went to Sensation in Miami on Saturday night with a few friends. It was an all white event which was fun, but finding a dress I liked was hard for me! I went with minimal jewelry because I didn't want to hate myself for losing anything nice, and I was worried about being too hot. I was also worried that my long sleeves would be too hot but the air conditioning inside American Airlines Arena was great and I felt comfortable all night. Here's what I wore:

Dress: Lulu's 

Booties: Report via DSW

Necklace: Forever 21 (similar)

Bag: Ann Taylor (loving the cobalt that's currently available!)

My friend in the middle is wearing a dress from Bebe and the one on the right is wearing a dress from Guess. I really liked both of them and was surprised I didn't come across either in my rather extensive search for a white dress. The girl in the middle is also wearing a really pretty chunky necklace from Ann Taylor - I ended up buying the same one! I curled her hair using the same Conair wand as I use on my hair. It's interesting to see how the same tool can work on different hair types. 

I don't consider myself a makeup guru at all but I really liked the way my makeup came out that night. I used a fun glitter eyeshadow that I got from BA Star (a sort of cheerleader/dance company). It was really pretty but it did clump quite a bit. My friend had Nars blush and I've always wanted to try it so I used that on my cheeks (I want to buy it now!), and on my lips I used Revlon Lip Butter in Cupcake. 

vest over dress

I wore this out a few weekends ago. It's funny to look back at photos before I started blogging and realize how simple my style was before. The last time I wore this dress I wore it alone and with a simple necklace. Today, I would never think of wearing it alone (and not only because I like to cover up more now). This vest  has proven to be one of my favorite purchases from the last year. Every time I think an outfit needs "something" extra I can usually add this vest. Plus, living in Florida, it's nice to be able to layer without adding sleeves. It may be October but it's still 80-85 every day :) Tonight I'm going to Sensation! I planned my outfit for months (or, rather, I made sure to buy a white dress months ago and then fussed about what shoes to wear a few weeks ago) and I'm just hoping that I'm not too hot wearing long sleeves. I'll hopefully be able to take some pictures of my outfit, but sometimes you just get caught up in all the fun and it's not a priority! Any fun plans for Columbus Day Weekend?? 

Vest: Zara (similar)

Dress: H&M (similar)

Necklaces: Forever 21 (similar)

Bracelet: Ann Taylor

Watch: Michael Kors

Bag: Longchamp

Ring: Ebay (the real deal)

Lips: Revlon Lip Butter Tutti Frutti

Shoes: c/o Alonai

dry cleaning day

Pictures don't lie - this blazer sucks. My other black blazer is sitting in my dry cleaning pile because I accidentally left it draped over a chair the other day and my dog decided to slobber all over it. This is my backup black blazer for a reason. The arms don't look this loose in person but pictures don't lie. I think this needs to be donated! To change the subject, I haven't worn gold and grey together before but it's growing on me. I can see camel and grey also being a pretty chic combination if done right. And what I like about the outfit - the mixture of textures with the lace tee and the tweed skirt. Hate that blazer though :)

Blazer: Amy Beyer (do they even make that brand anymore?!?)

Lace tee: Forever 21 (similar)

Skirt: Banana Republic Factory (similar)

Shoes: Cole Haan

Bag: Michael Kors (almost the same)

Necklace: Forever 21 (similar)

blue & grey

I'm so backed up in outfits I can't even remember what I did the day I wore this, but I know I went to court at least. I spent this past weekend in Key West for a bachelorette party and it was a blast! I did lose my wallet but aside from that everything else was a good time. I went snorkeling for the first time! I'm glad after 4 years of living in Florida I finally was able to take a trip down to the Keys. Hopefully I'll be able to go again in the near future. 

Blazer: Theory (similar)

Dress: Theory (similar)

Shoes: Forever 21 (similar)

Earrings: Lord & Taylor

Necklace: Forever 21 (really old) (similar)

Bag: Michael Kors (almost the same)

Linking up with Mix & Match Fashion & Fashionably Employed!

Black & Forest Green

I wore this to work last Friday on another day I didn't have to go to court. Friday night, some of my friends and I went to an event called "Cluck Miami" - it was a fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald house where your ticket got you unlimited champagne and open bar and unlimited fried chicken "bites" from various restaurants in the Miami area. It was cool to do something different than our regular weekend activities. I'm going to look into more events like that to try out soon. I think Miami's version of Oktoberfest would be perfect, but unfortunately I am totally booked every weekend in October already! Looking forward to being busy though!

Jacket: Theory

Blouse: Ann Taylor (similar)

Pants: Banana Republic

Bag: Michael Kors (similar)

Shoes: Cole Haan

Necklace: Bohypsy

Navy, Tangerine, & Gold

I had a rare day last week where I didn't have to go to court, so I decided to wear a cardigan in lieu of a blazer. I haven't worn a cardigan in many months, I almost forgot how comfortable they are! I really like this color combination - I have a moto jacket in the same color and I forgot about this outfit where I went with a similar color scheme of cobalt and tangerine. I wore this outfit below to the office and then ditched the cardigan for an outdoor happy hour at night. It was a "bench & bar" mixer where the local judges and attorneys met for a happy hour. It was nice to see everyone socialize and get along! 

Dress: Theory

Cardigan: Ann Taylor (similar)

Shoes: Ann Taylor (similar)

Necklace: Forever 21 (similar)

Watch: Michael Kors

Bag: Longchamp