Best of 2013

Hello hello! I hope everyone had a nice holiday. Mine was great, but quick! No days off except the basics meant a lot of rushing and driving, but thankfully the roads were clear.

I took a much-needed week off from preparing blog posts. Don't get me wrong, I love to blog, but during busy times, one less thing to do makes things easier.

I've got plenty of new outfit posts, but I thought my last post of 2013 should be reflective. The year was a exciting one for me - our engagement, my new job, traveling to Jamaica, and new business venture for R were a few of the major highlights. I feel like I should be saying something more important, but I don't have it in me right now to be all poetic (blame it on too much chocolate and cheeseballs).

I'll leave you with a few of my favorite outfits from 2013, and best wishes to all of you for a wonderful 2014. Thank you for reading and helping my little blog to grow.

XOXO

Glitterary Girl

The Sunday Currently 12.22.13

I'm inside today, as the forecast is for extended freezing rain. There hasn't been any in Halifax yet but I think other parts of the province haven't been so lucky. 

No outfit posts today, but I was playing around with my camera and took some photos of a few of the ornaments around our house. 

This is a gorgeous decoration made for me a few years ago my R's grandmother. It's a glass present with colored lights inside and a fancy ribbon. So pretty!

Swimming Santa was a souvenir from Australia. It was amazing to be there before Christmas. It's so hot and just a completely different atmosphere than a Canadian Christmas. 

Mr. Penguin was a gift from one of R's co-workers last year. He's so cute! I adore penguins. 

Reading: I just finished Sophie Kinsella's latest - Wedding Night. It was LOL funny in a few spots and absolutely what I would expect from a good, light chick-lit pick. I'm going to start reading a book my good friend gave me a few years ago. It's called One Week in December and I've been meaning to read it for a few Christmases. I read January's Cosmo late last night (the one with Lauren Conrad on the cover). Cosmo is better lately than it used to be, but still not quite enough wearable fashion for my liking. 

Writing: Nothing except blog posts and fax cover sheets at work (which I could probably fill out in my sleep). 

Listening: Thankfully not to Eastbound and Down anymore which was what I was listening to up til a few minutes ago. I don't get the appeal. Lately I've been relaxing it night to Blissed-out Beats which is an electronic instrumental list on Songza. It would be a great playlist for a massage.

Thinking: As my Facebook status said this morning: All wrapping paper should come with the cutting guides on the back. There's a complex pattern on the front - can't be that hard to put lines on the back!

Smelling: Ginger Sparkle body butter from The Body Shop. My scent du jour.

Wishing: A happy holiday for all the people who take time to read my blog. I couldn't do it without all the positive feedback I get. Sincere thanks :)

Hoping: The weather cooperates over the next few days so everyone can get safely to their holiday destinations. I'm heading to my parents' on Tuesday afternoon

Wearing: Leggings and a long hoodie. Later I'll be wearing an ugly Christmas sweater!

Loving: My new Swarovski ornament I won from the Avion lounge at Halifax Shipping Centre. It's so pretty, but I'm terrified to hang it for fear of it falling and breaking!

Wanting: To stay up late on Christmas night and see what's going on for Boxing Day on-line sales! I never usually partake but this may be the year to start a new tradition!

Needing: Sleep. I've been so tired lately even though I've been sleeping fine. I usually always get eight hours but lately my body wants more.

Feeling: Much more relaxed now that my wrapping is done (I think...) 

Clicking: More buttons on the remote than the computer lately. Cleaning my DVR of Ellen The Social, The Carrie Diaries... and fund Gossip Girl of Netflix. Score.

Check out some of the other bloggers Sunday Currently posts here

Have a fantastic holiday dearest blog readers. Who knows when my next post will be up... we'll see how the week goes!

XOXO

Glitterary Girl

Cozy Christmas Clothing

 Can I just wear my slippers in all my posts? It would be so easy and comfy....

Yup, I'm aware we need a new tree skirt. 

Details

Sweater: Joe Fresh

Jeans: Calvin Klein via Costco

Scarf: Le Chateau

Slippers: Acorn

Earrings: Stella & Dot

Bracelet: Gift

For the last Friday's Fancies of 2013, we were asked to feature an outfit that would be appropriate for relaxing. This is something I might wear by the tree on Christmas morning. The sweater is cozy and the jeans are stretchy (to make room for all the turkey and snacks)!

Click below to see what the other bloggers have decided to relax in.

 

The jury is out on whether I will post next week or not. If this is my last post before the holidays, I wish you all the most fabulous holiday. 

XOXO

Glitterary Girl

Wonderful Web Wednesday 12.18.13

It's such a busy time of year for everyone, style bloggers included. I'd like to give props to a few of my favorite fashionable Canadian ladies for finding the time to fill my sartorial spirit with inspiration during this chaotic season. I know how hard it is to find time to blog in December. You ladies are amazing, and I wish you the happiest of holidays!

Meet Kate from O My Heart! (New Brunswick)

Thanks to Kate, I won a lovely gift from Stella & Dot earlier this year. Snowballing from that, I hosted a Stella & Dot trunk show which was a great way to have a fun girl night and get some Christmas shopping done. She always looks so happy in her posts and has terrific arm parties!



Meet Kayla from Short Presents (Nova Scotia)

Kayla and I met at Starbucks in Halifax one day last winter when she was giving me a lovely Vince Camuto gift from a blog giveaway she hosted. Since then, we've met up at several fashion and lifestyle events in Halifax and she is seriously as sweet as she looks in her beautiful posts. She also loves to blog recipes, so keep an eye on her for healthy food inspiration.

Meet Krystin from Suburban Faux Pas (Ontario)



Krystin has the perfect amount of girly + edgy. From the suburban Toronto-area, she always puts together amazing ensembles, is so good at styling statement necklaces (evidence above...), and should teach classes on the art of pattern mixing.

Happy blog surfing!
XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Forever 21 (and counting)

A storm was brewing and the thought of being cooped up inside all day on Sunday made me want to get out and do something productive on Saturday evening. Plans got cancelled due to the pending weather, so R and I headed to Mic Mac Mall, one of us more willing than the other...

I'd fully prepared myself to not be able to get near Forever 21 as it was opening day, but to my surprise, it wasn't as busy as I thought it would be. The check out line was long, but other girls told me it was moving quickly and what looked like a long wait was really only ten minutes. I showed restraint though and didn't try OR buy. I know myself, and I've never spent less than an hour and a half in a Forever 21 in my life... and I was running on boy time.

The store looked great though - tons of helpful employees and everything looked tidy and well-stocked. I will be back for sure!

Details

Jacket: Dynamite

Sweater: H&M

Cords: Joe Fresh

Boots: Steve Madden

Bracelets: Forever 21, Stella &Dot

Earrings: Le Chateau

Have you ventured near the malls lately or have you decided online shopping is the best way to do it?  I did a combination this year!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Party Sparkle

December is the time to break out a little (or a lot) of sparkle!  R and I went to a delightful Christmas party last weekend. Dinner was at Little Europe Bistro in the Hydrostone Market and the astounding desserts at the after-party were homemade.

Details

Skirt: 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target

Cardigan: Le Chateau

Tank: Old Navy

Tights: American Apparel

Boots: H&M

Bracelet: Stella & Dot

There were enough desserts to feed a football team and they were for royalty. These photos are only a small sample of what we had to choose from.

Sour Cherry Chocolate Cake and Brownies

Pumpkin Cheesecake

I'm linked up with Friday's Fancies this week. I bet the other bloggers are showing some amazing sparkle!

I hope all of you are surrounded in sparkle this weekend!

XOXO

Glitterary Girl

Lancome Loot

I always try to attend the Shoppers Drug Mart galas that support Look Good, Feel Better. The charity helps women with cancer navigate some of the physical changes a person with cancer might go through.The majority of the clients I work with have cancer, so it's a cause that means a lot to me.

For the Christmas gala, I went to Shoppers on Lacewood Drive in Halifax. They had a saxophone player, snacks, punch, and lots of products on display. I had my makeup done for free by the Benefit make-up artist (she was so sweet) with a focus on face products. Their Hoola bronzer is amazing, and I now I totally understand why it has such a following among beauty bloggers.

When you buy a ticket, you get a $5 off coupon to spend that day in the beauty boutique. I decided on a lipstick (Revlon Ultimate Suede Lipstick in Socialite) which I ended up paying $4.99 for. It's a pinky nude shade. I wore it once and liked it, but wasn't really paying close enough attention to properly review it's long-lasting claims. However, I did end up brushing my teeth a good six hours after application and having some of it end up on the toothbrush so it definitely didn't wear off completely.

The gala always has a lot of door prizes, and I was excited to get the call the next day that I'd won something. I stopped in on Saturday to pick up my prize and was delighted to have won one of the big ones - a Lancome gift box worth  about $200. I received a huge bottle of La Vie est Belle fragrance ($110), a full size Hypnose Drama mascara ($33), a full size Effet Miracle primer ($40), and several samples (Dreamtone Dark Spot Corrector, Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate, and Tresor fragrance).

I always hesitate when trying new perfumes as I can be really picky. At first, I admit, La Vie est Belle was not a hit with me. It was too strong, and I like my perfume light. BUT... after about ten minutes of it reacting to my skin, I smelled my wrist and I loved it! After the initial strength wore off, it left a gorgeous, complex fragrance that was predominantly vanilla. I looked up the notes in this fragrance because I was so curious and discovered it is a "gourmand scent" - I had no idea what that meant so I had to look that up too! The best description I found was - "smells like you want to eat your arm off". Now I understand why I love it! It may be one of those I spray and walk into... it's very strong and long lasting when applied directly.

The mascara is really good - comparable to Benefit's They're Real which is my current fave. The wand is so cool - it's "S" shaped and can get at ALL your lashes. It doesn't get stiff after a few hours, which is a big complaint of mine with most mascaras. I don't know that I'd pay $33 for it (or ANY mascara for that matter) but it is amazing!!

If you live near a Shoppers Drug Mart, I highly recommend the Look Good, Feel Better Galas. They are a fun time and support a great cause!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

HO HO Joe

I don't like to complain, as Halifax shopping has gotten drastically better in the last five years or so.... but can we please get a real Joe Fresh store? Like, one that's not inside a grocery store? Santa, are you listening?

                                                                         
                                                                           Details

Sweater and Jeans: Joe Fresh

Jacket: Danier

Bag: H&M

Boots: Aldo

Necklace and Bracelet: Stella & Dot
Earrings: What on Earth

I might live in this sweater all winter. It's soft and cozy and I probably should have bought it in the other color (green!).

XOXO

Glitterary Girl

Fluffy

I love my faux fur vest, but it creates all sorts of body image issues when trying to photograph myself in it. The bulkiness of the material and the length of it create extra padding in sensitive areas. Did you ever see those photos of chunky pets where the caption is, "I'm not fat, I'm fluffy"?

Details

Vest: Zara Kids

Shirt: Gap

Jeans: Calvin Klein

Hat and Small Bracelet: Le Chateau

Boots: Aldo

Large Bracelet: Forever 21

Necklace: Stella & Dot "Sutton"

Small snowflakes were falling and I was too worried of damaging my camera to set it up outside on the tripod. I'm getting lots of use out of these boots, at work and on the weekend. It was a good call to choose flats!

Have a great weekend!!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

My Monthly Purchases: November 2013

November brought some fun (and sparkly) new additions to my wardrobe. As always, some great deals were had.

Blazer: 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target
Discounted from $60 to $30
I wanted this blazer SO BAD when the collection came out and I couldn't find it at my closest Target (and I was there when the store opened...) so I assumed none of the Halifax-area Targets were carrying it. Wrong! I found it in Bedford, on clearance, six weeks after the collection launched. New lesson: Each Target will have different stock in designer collaborations.

No longer available on Target website.

Hat: Le Chateau

Regular price: $15

I've wanted a leather hat all season. I was hesitant on this one as the brim is longer than ideal for my small head but now that I've worn it (see here) I like it. 

Sweater: American Eagle Outfitters

Discounted from $44.95 to $29.00 and another 30% off. I paid $21.00

I really wanted a baby pink sweater and the price was right.

The rest of the stuff, I have no photos for. You'll see it all soon enough on outfit posts.

Sweater: Joe Fresh (no longer available on website)

Discounted from $29 to $19.94 and I had a $10 gift card, so I paid $9.94

This cute and cozy animal print sweater is going to be worn a lot by me this winter.

Blazer/Jacket: Smart Set (no longer available on website)

Discounted from $75 to $12

I have an profound love of tweed things and it was $12 so it had to come home with me. I've worn it to work and I really like it.

Necklaces: H&M (no longer available on website)

Discounted from $15 to $7.50 (blue beads) and from $25 to $3 (silver and rhinestone)

I was waiting for a year (no kidding) for the blue one to go on sale.I first saw it on a friend last October and loved it but was stubborn and knew it would go on sale eventually. The other one is a gorgeous statement necklace that I will be great for the holidays

Sun Hat: Joe Fresh (no longer available on website)

Discounted from $10 to $2.97

I'm always in search of sun hats that actually fit my small head. I bought this in the kids section. 

Boots: H&M (no longer available on website)

Discounted from $70.00 to $10.00

I wore these super-fun boots to R's open house at the dental clinic and I was shocked that I was standing for four hours in them and while my feet weren't necessarily thrilled, they weren't killing me either. I had several compliments on them and I still can't get over the price. 

Various awesome jewels: Stella & Dot trunk show

It was far too complicated to do the math on this as I got some stuff for free and some stuff for half price. I also had to pay the tax on the free items. I was able to get some gifts for some of my favorite girls too! For the stuff that is mine, I believe I paid  (not including the tax as I never include tax in my monthly budget...) around $29.00 (two half price items for me - the rest was free). The original cost of it all was around $285.00 before tax.

I hit my monthly budget bang on this month with $140 before tax spent. Mind you, the tax I paid on the Stella & Dot stuff was around forty bucks but again. . . tax doesn't count. The original retail price of my finds was $628.00, bringing this month's savings to 78%. That just might be a record for me!

Did you find some great deals this month?

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

The Sunday Currently - 12.01.13

Welcome to another edition of what I'm doing on Sunday, published on Monday. I just have to be that complicated.

CURRENTLY. . .

Reading: I finished Catching Fire on Friday after a four day speed read (hey, that's not bad for having a full time job and lots of other stuff to do besides read). R and I went to the movie last night (loved it!) and it was really fun to watch the movie with the book so fresh in my head. I also finished the November Instyle this morning.
Writing: Not a lot besides blog posts. With the frenzy of the holiday season, I likely won't be sticking to my MWF posting schedule this month, and I'm not going to let myself stress over it!
Listening: To whatever is streaming through the speakers at Starbucks, which isn't Christmas music, thank goodness. I just can't do Christmas-y yet.
Thinking: That I probably need to chill out. I'm admittedly stressed out right now, for no justified reason besides the complete disorder that is in our house right now. We dragged out the Christmas decorations last week but just left them in totes in the living room (so stylish). Then, this morning when I got frustrated with all the stuff on the floor, I thought I'd Swiffer vac the floors to make myself feel better. I should have known better. . . our Swiffer vac's battery is kaput and the charge lasted perhaps three minutes which is long enough to do about 1/3 of our floors. Then I got angry at it. So I put away the vacuum and decided to take outfit photos . . . and it started to snow which is probably not good for my camera so I had to take crappy indoor shots again. Growl. AND Paul Walker died which is just so awful (Varsity Blues is still one of my favorite movies).
Smelling: My venti chai latte (half price for gold carders Dec. 1). Yay!

Wishing: A professional home organization service would be in my driveway when I get home.
Hoping: For some wedding invite inspiration to fall into my lap.
Wearing: The outfit that will be in my blog post this Friday.
Loving: My new Stella and Dot goodies that arrived last week from my trunk show.
Wanting: To be finished with my Christmas shopping. I estimate I'm about 2/3 done.
Needing: To remember to charge my Kobo so I can start reading Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella before bed tonight.
Feeling: Slightly calmer now that I've vented my frustrations to you, dearest blog readers. Thanks!
Clicking: Not enough blogs for my liking. Trying NOT to click on Cyber Monday sales.

Here's the link to the other Sunday Currently posts

That's me in a nutshell these days. Hope you are well on your way to preparing for an amazing holiday season!

XOXO

Glitterary Girl

Double Denim for the Win!

When you're part of the blogging world, you encounter lots of contests and giveaways. It's kind of impossible to sign up for everything you come across, so I only do the easier ones to sign up for and the ones where I really really really want the prize. Hash-tagging a photo on Twitter is one of the easier ways I've ever entered a contest, and this time I was lucky!

Remember this gem from last month?

I used #stylicity to enter a contest with MasterCard Canada (the ones who sponsor World MasterCard Fashion Week in Toronto). They were looking for a Canadian Tux photo, which I just happened to already have...

A week later, I got the great news that I won! I've kept sort of quiet about it as I wanted them to announce it on social media first. Trust me, it was hard not to blab on the blog! Check me out on the MasterCard Stylicity page, in the Twitter feed on the right.

Thanks so much MasterCard Canada for letting me buy a new DSLR camera (or four...) with no reservations! It makes up for me not getting to attend fashion week due to my own poor planning!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Speaking to my Shoes

Details

Blazer: Banana Republic Factory Store

T-Shirt: American Eagle Outfitters

Jeggings: Guess

Sneakers: Skechers

Necklace: Forever 21

Earrings: Le Chateau

Dear Wedge Sneakers,

When I bought you, I was so excited. I know you are not of the famous and expensive Isabel Marant variety, but you were affordable for me and cute.

I vowed to wear you all the time, but lately I have been drawn to dressier pieces. I'm sorry you have been sitting in the closet for so long, lonely and footless. It's not because I don't love you. You're one of those items I get excited to wear because you're still a novelty to me.

You look great with jeggings and I'm super-pumped to style you with my faux leather pants.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Everything is Lighter

Have you ever had anything really big going on in your life, and then a certain event happens, things feel like they are settling down, and you feel a bit of weight off your shoulders?

Saturday was that day for me.

Not that it was "my event" per se.... but R had the open house for his new dental clinic and now that the clinic is open, that stress of "opening" is gone for him.

I decided to match my hair to my mood and went for a lighter all over look with a ton of blond foils.

Details

Shirt: Forever 21

Skirt: Costa Blanca

Boots: H&M

Necklace and bracelet: Gift

Earrings: Park Lane Jewelry

It was so wonderful to see many friends and members of the community come out and support R and his new business. The open house was a really fun afternoon, and we topped off the day with a dinner at The Bicycle Thief with the office manager and his wife who also happen to be our very close friends.

Much love and congrats go out to R and his wonderful new beginning!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

How to Dress for Serious Shopping: Black Friday

There are average shopping days when you might be able to pull off wearing cute heeled boots, and then there are days like Black Friday where you must dress for comfort at all costs. This week's Friday's Fancies challenge was to come up with an outfit to withstand the chaos that this shopping day inevitably brings.

Black Friday started as an American idea - massive sales the day after Thanksgiving to get everyone going with their Christmas shopping. The custom has trickled into Canada over the past few years, in hopes that big sales north of the border would keep Canadians from traveling out of country to shop.

Details

Sweatshirt: Old Navy

Pants: Uniqlo

Scarf: American Apparel

Bag: Coach

Boots: Call it Spring

Earrings: Gift

I hate wearing a jacket while shopping (too bulky) so I chose a sweatshirt and cozy circle scarf which should keep a girl warm enough to leave the coat in the car (provided it is an indoor mall shopping experience). The crossbody bag means hand-free access to grab-worthy finds. Flat boots keep the feet happier than heels. Jewelry was kept to a minimum in case the sales were good enough to require quick changing - in addition to gifts, Black Friday is also a great time to snag the items on your list that can't wait for Santa, like holiday dresses and sparkly tops.

Stop by to see what the other bloggers chose for their shopping attire!

Good luck next week for those of you who will be heading out to brave the Black Friday crowds. Here in Halifax, the Big Black Bow event will be happening at Halifax Shopping Center! I know where I'll be at lunchtime...

XOXO
Glitterary Girl