Thaw

Nova Scotia has had a brutal winter, as has pretty much everywhere else in northern North America so I hear. Saturday was a glorious break from the freezing temperatures, and it felt relatively balmy at ten degrees. I had to break out something slightly spring-like to celebrate.

Details

Dress: Gap

Vest: Joe Fresh

Belt: Forever 21

Boots: Aldo

Hat: Le Chateau

We went out for dinner with friends in Halifax and once the sun went down, I kinda wished I had more on my arms than polyester. 

XOXO

Glitterary Girl

Tuesday Treasures: Hair Masque

One of my friends in university said something very wise to me... "Don't feel guilty about spending money on your hair. It's like an outfit you wear every day". True enough!

My hair used to be really thick. Like struggle-to-get-a-hair-elastic-wrapped-twice thick. A few years ago, I molted, much like a bird shedding its winter under-feathers, only my hair never came back in. If I were a bird, I'd have to permanently relocate to Arizona.

My hair has kept its course texture, just without all the bulk. Even though my drying time has been cut in half, my hair still gets moisture deprived, and I highlight the heck out of it. A masque is a necessity in my shower.

Pick your treasure: What's your favorite hair masque?

My pick: Moroccan Oil Intense Hydrating Masque

Amazon

I use this about every two weeks (every 4-5 washes). I've had my tub since September and estimate I've used maybe 1/4 of it, so I should get over a year's use out of it. You use a very tiny amount, and apply it fast as it "melts" quickly in warm wet hands.

Leave your comment below or come to Glitterary Girl on Facebook!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Brazil by OPI

Halifax in February doesn't exactly conjure up images of a summer carnival, but we'll take any distraction we can get. Paint me warm, pretty please?

I had to throw my cute Valentine's Day card in there. 

The wonderful staff at The Summit  invited me to the launch of the spring/summer OPI polish collection - Brazil. The colors were a great balance of brights and neutrals. Although I couldn't bring myself to fully commit to a full-on summer mani in minus five degree temperatures, I did have a tiny accent nail in a summer bright!

It was hard to choose from all the great colors, but I went for Taupe-less Beach with an accent nail in Live.Love.Carnival.

The Summit was a fabulous experience - relaxing and fun. I was sent home with a mini polish in Amazon...Amazoff that I can't wait to try on. It looks so pretty!

Thanks again to The Summit for inviting me!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

The True Me

Have you ever put something on that just doesn't feel "you" enough? Maybe it was a trend you admired on others, or it was something that was given to you as a gift and you felt compelled to wear. Maybe it looked okay in the dressing room, but didn't go with the rest of your closet when you tried to integrate it. You glance in a mirror and wonder who that stranger is.

This outfit might just be one of the most "me" ensembles I've ever put on.

Details

Blouse: Suzy Shier

Tunic (worn as shirt): Joe Fresh

Pants: H&M

Shoes: Le Chateau

Necklace: Stella & Dot

I think this look could be changed up a lot by the footwear. Boots would work, as would my black Chucks. These pants are lined in fleece - genius! Who wants faux leather sticking to their legs? Not this chick.

What kind of outfit do you feel most like yourself in?

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Wedding Wednesday: The Destination

Of course Treasure Tuesday must be followed by Wedding Wednesday!

I've had some requests to share how I'm doing with the wedding planning. I'm going to keep this first post fairly basic and likely won't be doing a wedding post every week, as the whole point of doing a destination wedding is to avoid a lot of picky details. I'm not a picky wedding details type of person, and while I love receiving wedding jam, there's no way I'm going to be making any. Nor am I going to be sitting around making Save the Date cards or gluing tulle/burlap/ribbons to anything. The fewer things I have to do, the less stress I'll create, and the happier a bride I will be! And here's my disclaimer: I have been to a lot of weddings and loved them ALL so don't be offended by the lack of burlap/jam/tulle/ribbon-ness in my planning if you in fact used burlap/jam/tulle/ribbons - it was beautiful!!

The first big thing that R and I did after we got engaged was decide that we were going to do a destination wedding. In fact, we agreed on going away fairly early on in the process -I think we decided within a week of our engagement.. Choosing to go away and get married is a more popular decision these days, especially in the after-30 crowd. For us, we'd both been to a lot of local weddings that were absolutely amazing, but we wanted to do something different. We also figured we'd end up spending a lot less on "details" if we went away.

We tossed around the idea of going south (as in Caribbean), but based on our choice for time of year (fall), we decided against it as fall is hurricane season and we didn't want to risk the chance of a storm crashing our special day.

We wanted a place that was easily accessible, and that gave people some choice as to how long they could stay for. We also wanted to pick a spot with varying levels of accommodations, from budget to splurge-worthy.

Las Vegas is our destination! R and I have been there before, and I loved watching all the brides walking around the hotels, getting photos, and having fun.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Tuesday Treasures: Neutral Lipstick

Tuesday seems to be a good day to try something new on the blog! I can't promise this will happen every single week, but the more response I get, the more likely I'll be motivated to do it!

I've been asking some opinions lately on my personal Facebook page for people's favorite things. I really enjoy hearing about what people use/like in their day-to-day life, so I thought I'd make a segment on my blog where people can share their treasures. Some weeks it will be hair and make-up tips and products. Other weeks it might be something different like books or music.

You can respond here on the blog, or pop over to Glitterary Girl on Facebook as I think the majority of the action may happen over there. My apologies in advance if you have the urge to run out and buy everything you read about. My blog readers and friends will have some great picks!

Pick your treasure: What's your favorite neutral lipstick/lipgloss?

My pick: I adore MAC lipstick in Blankety. I "erase" my natural (medium pink) lip color with Benefit Lip Plump before I put on Blankety or else my lips will show through and ruin the neutral effect. Sometimes I wear Blankety alone, but most of the time I'll pair it with a  clear or almost clear gloss on top. It looks great when you have strong eye makeup and don't want to look like your whole face is overdone.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Love Knots

Happy Valentine's Day blog readers! Instead of pink and red, I've gone for neutrals and graphics instead. This year, we're going for dinner with our friends who are expecting a new little one in just four weeks. Dessert is at our place and I've made a chocolate trifle. It's been a few years since I've made this one, so I hope it turns out okay!

Since it is the day of love and all, I suppose it's a good time to announce that I have finally bought my wedding dress! After staring at photos of myself in it for 5 months, it was time to take the plunge. It's a big relief to have it ticked off the to-do list! Now to patiently wait until July for it to arrive...

Details

Sweater: Old Navy

Scarf: Gift

Jeans: Guess

Boots: H&M

Hat: Le Chateau

Psssst... don't forget... chocolates will be half-price tomorrow!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Necessities

So. Much. Snow.

All. Winter. Long.

This coat has made it a bit more bearable.

Belt is off center!

Details

Coat: Cole Haan from HR2

Sweater: American Eagle Outfitters

Scarf: Gift

Pants: Uniqlo

Boots: Call it Spring

I don't mind spending money on a warm, comfy, practical, and stylish winter coat because it'll get worn soooo much for months on end. I have a few other winter coats, but for the really cold days (i.e. most of them), this is the one I'm sporting. I love the belt and gold details, and I love that it was half-price.

What's your favorite cold-weather item in your closet?

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Girly Day

Celebrating a little girl calls for wearing a skirt! Maybe I should've worn pink...

Details

Top: Club Monaco

Skirt: 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target

Tights: Old Navy

Necklace: Gift

Bracelets: Stella & Dot

Boots: H&M

I wore this to a baby shower for my soon to be cousin-in-law who is simply glowing in anticipation of her baby girl. There were so many adorable gifts! Wow... kids need a lot of stuff!

I drew for my Halifax Shopping Centre gift card giveaway and the winner is Sarah over at Sunlight After Rain. Congrats Sarah! She has some great-looking Paleo recipes if you're looking for any. Thanks to those who entered!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

The Sunday Currently 02.09.14

Reading: Inferno by Dan Brown. This is a book I borrowed from a co-worker. It's been some time since I've read a Dan Brown book, and I'm enjoying this one. I always want to read his novels in the illustrated version though as there are so many references to art. I need to see the pieces and symbols he's writing about to fully appreciate it. 

Writing: NOTHING WORK-RELATED FOR AN ENTIRE WEEK AS I"M ON VACATION! YAHOO!

Listening: The Olympics are on in the background. Did anyone see the awkward Daft Punk rendition during the opening ceremonies? Love that song, but really not suited for the venue... or the singers. Russia's Police Choir Covers Daft Punk at Sochi Olympics Opening Ceremonies | Billboard

Thinking: How nice it will be to catch up with lots of friends over the next few days. 

Smelling: I just blew out my hot buttered rum BBW candle. Thankfully, not able to detect much of the gasoline/rubber smell from the gym mats that were in our house the other day. They have found a new place to live for the next little while until they de-gas.

Wishing: For the motivation to get the wedding website and invites done.

Hoping: The people at Subaru can figure out why my car keeps icing up on the inside. It's not really that fun to pull over at Old Navy on the way to work to de-ice the interior windows (the store isn't open at that time...)

Wearing: A girly outfit as I was at a baby shower today. Club Monaco top, 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target skirt.

Loving: That I was only one of five ladies scouring the racks this morning at Target for Peter Pilotto stuff. Target collaborations are SO fun. Can't wait to check out the selection in Bedford tomorrow. 

Wanting: Soooo badly... rosegold Chucks. For wedding shoes. 

Needing: To pick a paint color for my closet-room. Anyone have recommendations for a nice turquoise color?

Feeling: Unmotivated to work out... as you'd expect for a Sunday night! I can do it!! As Shaun T keeps telling me, "It's only 25 minutes of your day..."

I'm linked up for The Sunday Currently over at siddathornton today.

I hope your Sunday was wonderful!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Road Holes

Driving this time of year is a gamble. I like to call this my off-roading outfit, because I wore it to visit my friend who happens to live in a rural area. The drive to her house was nothing short of a test track for my Subaru. Pot holes the size of small canyons. Is it just me, or have they appeared earlier in the year than usual?

I liked what I was wearing, but the expression on my face is all kinds of crazy, so I spared you.

Details

Shirt: Old Navy

Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters

Necklace: H&M

Sneakers: Keds

Safe travels everyone!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Evening of Extravagance

Next week is that love-it-or-hate-it day meant to celebrate love. I've spent PLENTY of V-Days single, and I remember feeling a little left out at the time (one time so much that I went and  bought myself a Coach bag for company). So I say, if you are solo on the 14th go out with friends or treat yourself to something special! I've designed this outfit to be appropriate for a romantic date or a fun girls' night out. The bag ensures you'll have a well-behaved man on your arm no matter who you're with!

Modcloth Uniquely You by jennifer-merlin featuring a black velvet choker

Evening dress / Betsey johnson shoes / Black handbag / Black velvet choker / Yellow gold ring / Art nouveau earrings

The people at Modcloth contacted me to be a part of a style challenge based around the pretty dress pictured above. If this one isn't to your taste, there are a ton of other dresses to choose from on their website.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

My Monthly Purchases: January 2014

January is a very interesting month for shopping as a LOT of winter merchandise goes on sale. Weirdly, there is spring stuff in all the stores now even though it's crazy to think about spring yet here in Halifax.

Black Cardigan. Vera Moda from Envy
Discounted from $35 to $17.50
I can't find a photo of this or a link to buy on-line. My other black cardigan had been worn to death and needed replacing. This is a pretty basic medium-weight button up cardigan with long sleeves and was on  my list of things I needed to get.

Jeans from Gap Factory Store
Discounted from $65 to $18
These are super-comfy and I love the vertical stripes. I've been feeling blah about my existing jeans, so decided to do something about it this month

Jeans. Rock & Republic from Crimson Clover (consignment)
$30
I don't even want to venture a guess as to how much these would have cost the original owner. The brand went bankrupt in 2010 and was sold to Kohl's where you can get budget versions of the jeans. The original ones went for prices as high as $400. Yes, I have had them hemmed since this photo was taken.

AND

Vest from Joe Fresh
Discounted from $40 to $15
Replacing my old black puffer vest. The red version of this is still available on-line.

Pants from Reitmans
Discounted from $50 to $5
No longer available on-line.
These are actually pretty cute for $5. They are black with a tiny gold pattern throughout. I've worn them to work already.

Scarf from Dynamite
Discounted from $23 to $8
I've had an obsession this winter with plaid scarves and this was the perfect price to justify buying another one.

Blazer from Dynamite
Discounted from $47 to $12
No longer available on-line
I haven't worn this yet because I have to de-wrinkle it. I have quite the collection of blazers now. This will be great all year round as it's a bright white. I'll snap a pic soon!

Sweater from Dynamite
Discounted from $50 to $18
Long enough to wear with leggings! This color was missing from my closet as well. I'm getting really lazy with outfit shots... I wore this a few weeks ago to a wedding show and should have taken a pic.

Hat from Le Chateau
Discounted from $30 to $10
A seriously cute hat!

Stevie Necklace from Stella & Dot (image found on e-bay)
$20 (was $94 new)
My Stella & Dot stylist Erica was purging her inventory and sold me this lovely piece.

Total spent this month: $153.50
Total value of items: $484 (with more for the R&R jeans...)
Saved 68% 

A few dollars over budget (and I knew that before I bought the necklace, but how could I say no) but I'm happy with my deals. February brings shopping excitement in the form of a new Target collaboration. I will try to keep my spending to a minimum this month as we are headed to Vancouver in April (yay!) and I'm sure I'll find some things to buy there.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl