Stretchy Comfy Awesome

Meet my stretchy comfy awesome jeans! No matter how comfy the jeans were, the windchill was extreme on the day I took these photos and I was incredibly cold!

Details

Jeans: Cambio via Foreign Affair

Sweatshirt: Smart Set

Jacket: Danier

Sneakers: Converse

Snood: H&M

Sunnies: Gap Factory Store

Necklace: Gift

All I could concentrate on was trying not to scowl! I meant to get close-ups of the sweet necklace my BFF sent me for my birthday, but I couldn't stand the wind any longer! I'll be sure to get a better shot of it soon.

These jeans are a really interesting wash - black and grey and a touch of shimmer to them. Quite unique! They'll be replacing my old grey skinnies which I wore a lot. Seriously, if you don't own grey jeans, you should. They go with so much and are a great way to step out of the box (i.e blue and black) without getting too bold.

I wore this out to lunch with my friend who also happened to have a day off work during Halifax Burger Week. I didn't have as many burgers as I hoped to try, but the two I did try were amazing. I had ones from Relish and Flipburger, and they were so delicious.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Curse of the White

I love white clothing. Even though I'm as pale as a ghost and it very easily washes me out if I'm not careful, I gravitate towards white pieces. Do you know what else gravitates towards white? Mustard, black tea, marinara sauce, and salsa. Just a few of the things I've dropped on white clothing in my life.

 Details

Sweater: Club Monaco

Jeans: Target

Tank: Smart Set

Boots: Aldo

Necklace and Bracelet: Stella & Dot

Earrings: Joe Fresh

Nails: Maybelline Color Show in Styled Out

On a happy white note, I have finally found a perfect white button-up shirt after literally years of searching. I happily paid full price for it, and I rarely happily pay full price for anything! I'll blog about it soon.

Have a fabulous weekend!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Sarah Stevenson for Target

One of my absolute favorite things to do fashion-wise is to anticipate and shop a Target designer collaboration. Sarah Stevenson for Target is the third collaboration that has happened since Target opened in Halifax. I was late to find out about this one - I think I heard about it in late February. 

Sarah Stevenson is a Canadian designer (yay!)  who won the Emerging Talent Award last year, and with it, the opportunity to partner with Target. There are 15 pieces in the collection and no piece is over $60.

My goal was to take my camera to Target and get some photos of the display, but at 8:00 AM on a Sunday, I was lucky to remember to wear shoes going out the door. I had the racks to myself that early in the morning. Halifax seems to not care that much about Target collabs - better choices for me! As with the Peter Pilotto collection in February, 

The pieces were so pretty, butI didn't come away with the Sarah Stevenson piece I was most hopeful for - the black pants second from the left below.

Image from Globalnews.ca

I admittedly have a difficult time with most elasticized pants as I have a really really long waist and they won't stay put. I think if I want to have any luck with a pair of relaxed pants this spring, I'll have to find ones that have a button closure or really strong elastic.

I actually liked the floral pants better than the black ones - I have a very similar patterned pair from H&M. The blazer was stunning, but if I buy another blazer my closet will auto-eject it (so.many.blazers.)

What I did come away with was this lovely solid/printed dress. I can already picture so many ways to style it (with a red cardigan, my white leather coat, a jean jacket, and my 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target navy blazer to name a few).

One thing that has stopped me from going insane at the last few Target collaborations is that they are SO fast at marking down the pieces. The Peter Pilotto stuff was marked down less than a month after the launch, which was before I even wore the piece I bought (I'm into delayed gratification when it comes to clothes). There is a pretty white tunic from this collection that I may keep my eye on since it would be too summery to wear yet anyway.

Congrats Sarah on a lovely collaboration! 

XOXO 

Glitterary Girl

Tuesday Treasures: Nail Polish Fit for a Bride

This week on Tuesday Treasures, I'd like some wedding advice! It will be very hard for me not to do something bold on my nails for my wedding, as I'm not a neutral nails girl by nature. However, I don't want to be looking at photos 25 years from now and questioning my choice of nail art. I think I'd better stick to classic on this one.

Pick your treasure! What's your favorite neutral wedding-appropriate nail color? Brides of the past, I want to know what YOU wore on your big day!

My pick: OPI Glints of Glinda from the Oz the Great and Powerful collection.

Image from Sparkle Canada

I love this as much as I can love a neutral polish, but I know myself, and I know I'm going to want something new for the wedding. There are a few shades in the new OPI Muppet Collection that look promising - I Love Applause and Chillin' Like a Villain.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

The Sunday Currently 03.23.14

Currently:

Reading: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. I'm a sucker for YA books. It's about a society where people are turned beautiful when they reach age 16. It's one of those ones where things abut the society keep being revealed as the story goes on. I found it in my book room at work. I have three new magazines to dig into too!
Writing: A few blog posts today and a few more tomorrow. I like having them done and scheduled in advance.
Listening: To two men talking in french beside me at Starbucks. It's actually quite nice to have the background chat and not really be able to understand it.... makes it easier to concentrate. I've had a Songza list on high rotation - Every 90's Summer Dance party.
Thinking: About lots of money-related things lately. Does this mean I'm a grown up?
Smelling: The Iced Vanilla Latte sample the Starbucks barista just put in front of me. LOVE the smell of coffee. Hate the taste. I did drink it though.
Wishing: Circumstances could change so that some very important couples would be able to make it to our wedding.
Hoping: That this massive storm due to arrive on Wednesday appears as rain and not snow. Seriously, we have had enough.
Wearing: Colored jeans, a tunic, circle scarf and boots. Sunglasses indoors as I'm beside a window and the sun is directly on me.
Loving: That I finally found Dove Dry Shampoo at Target! I've been looking for it for ages.
Wanting: A getaway! Vancouver trip is in 24 days. Can't wait to see some friends and hit up Topshop, Zara, J Crew, and the Joe Fresh stand-alone store. Dying to sink my teeth into a Beard Papa too!

TOPSHOP at the Bay: How cute is this pink bag?

J Crew Linen Cardigan: More pink! 

Needing: A free refill on my green tea. Gotta love the gold card. I love being here at Starbucks so early in the morning... and by early I mean 10:30. That is early for a Sunday! I was up to catch the new Sarah Stevenson for Target launch. I'll blog more on that later this week.
Feeling: Optimistic and looking forward to some more big changes this year!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Polar Vortex

Polar vortex is a term that has been thrown around a lot this winter. I firmly believe that if there is such a thing as a polar vortex, it has settled in our backyard. Our neighbors have no snow. We on the other hand, have enough snow to make a colony of igloos.

Details

Jacket: Danier

Shirt and Jeans: Joe Fresh

Turtleneck: Mac and Jac

Boots: Aldo

Necklace: Forever 21

Hat: Le Chateau

Bag: 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target

On the day these pictures were taken, I'm sure the winds were gusting to 50 km/hr and even though it was sunny, spring seemed very far away. It's spring NOW, Mother Nature. Get on it please!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

The Candle Incident

Do you think it's bad luck for your birthday cake candles to ignite your hair? True story... it happened on Friday a few hours after these pictures were taken.

Details

Jeans: Gap

Shirt: Joe Fresh

Cardigan and Necklace: H&M

Bracelets: Gift/Stella & Dot

Boots: Call it Spring

Lesson learned: Sometimes candles will re-ignite after they look like they've been extinguished. So, pull your hair back before you blow them out!

Lucky for me, a very nice hair stylist at HS Studio in Halifax was able to blend the "new layers" in for me the next day AND only charged me for a bang trim. Sweet! Thanks also to my Dad for the rescue... it could have been a lot worse.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Wee Touch O Green

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Some people prefer to wear a lot of green for the day, and others are happier with a more subtle approach. Green is a fun color to accessorize with! Here are a few of my favorite touches if you want just a hint.

Wee Touch O Green by jennifer-merlin featuring a ring key chain

Nine West flat shoes / Kate Spade black purse / CC SKYE gold bracelet / Ray Ban ray ban aviator / Coach ring key chain / Coach perfume / kate spade new york Thermal Mug

Cheers to you, blog readers! I hope you found some time for a green beer in your day/evening!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Wedding Wednesday: The Ceremony Venue

The setting for our wedding ceremony was pretty important to R and I. We knew we wanted to do a hotel on the strip versus a chapel location, but there are so many options! We agreed we would prefer to have the ceremony outdoors, and Vegas in October (fingers crossed) should have temperatures in the low 20's.

We have a list of Vegas hotels we really want to stay in, and at the top of that list was Caesar's Palace. When we looked on Caesar's website and saw their outdoor options for weddings, we were struck by the beauty of Juno Garden.

I love all the white stone and tall palm trees and it's located by the Caesar's Palace pools, but is pretty secluded. Initially I was worried about the benches being uncomfortable, but our ceremony is going to be short, so people won't really be sitting for long.

We get a free night at Caesar's with the wedding package and we've decided to stay there for the duration of the trip. Caesar's is a central location on the strip and right beside the gorgeous fountains at Bellagio.

Hello says Ray!

I won't lie, the fact that the Cheesecake Factory and the giant fish tank with our friend Ray are both at Caesar's may have played a small part in our decision to stay there. 227 days to go!

XOXO

Glitterary Girl

Tuesday Treasures: Lip Balm

It's that time of the week again to share your can't-live-without product and possibly find a new favorite!

This week the focus is on lips. This time of year, I find the wildly fluctuating temperatures make my lips extra sensitive and I have to reach for my balm more often. I'll share with you the three places where you'll find my lip balm (and yes I have three different faves...)

Location 1: Work.

Blistex Silk and Shine

In my desk drawer I keep a tube of Blistex Silk and Shine. I am the world's laziest lady at reapplying lip color throughout the day. This one moisturizes and gives a bit of shine to my lips which are sometimes bare by midmorning unless I've got a long-wearing lip color on.

Location 2: Nightstand



I wear this Smith's Rosebud Salve every single night and I've had it for over two years, so that tells you how far a little dab of it goes! I've seen lots of magazine articles with celebrities who swear by this stuff, and it is really good at moisturizing my lips. I've also used it on minor skin irritations with good results too.


Location 3: Handbag

Smith's Rosebud Salve in a Tube

I couldn't find the Strawberry one I have on-line, so the link/pic is for the original scent. It was bought on a whim one day at Sephora (those little bins near the cash are seductive) as I don't like sticking my germy fingers in the pots while I'm on the go. The Strawberry scent  is so yummy. I think I like it better than the rose one!

Share your treasure! What's your favorite lip balm?

Leave your choice below or come over to Glitterary Girl on Facebook and leave your pick in the comments section of the post.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Print-tastic

Peter Pilotto is known for creative bold prints and the Target collaboration was full of the brand's signature style. I wanted a piece from the line that screamed print-tastic and this dress certainly fit the bill. 

Details

Dress: Peter Pilotto for Target (still available and marked down in Halifax/Dartmouth!)

Jacket: Danier

Boots: Aldo

Tights: American Apparel

Nails: Pacific Blue by Sally Hansen

Bracelet: Stella & Dot

Excuse the indoor shots and that my legs have seemingly become one with the ottoman. Another blogger a while back said this is the worst time of year for blog photos as the outdoors is covered in snirt (dirty snow).My neighbourhood is Snirt City right now. 

Have you added any bold prints to your wardrobe lately? I'll be re-mixing this dress a lot this season and might even try it with jeans if I get bold!

XOXO

Glitterary Girl

Black and White and Spring

The frustrating thing about Nova Scotia is that the stores are filled with spring things, but we all know it will be a few more months before most of them are wearable. For this reason, I'm all about garments that hint at spring, but are still wearable in the transition season.

Black and White and Spring by jennifer-merlin featuring kate spade earrings

Topshop sweater / Topshop skirt / STELLA McCARTNEY leather backpack / Fossil jewelry / Kate spade earrings / MAC Cosmetics makeup / CONVERSE CT ALL STAR SPARKLE TOE

I love the silhouette of this skirt! Topshop and our Vancouver trip can't come soon enough!

Have a wonderful Friday!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

My Monthly Purchases: February 2014

About mid-way through the month I decided to change the way I think about my clothing budget. Sticking to a monthly budget is a way to avoid overspending, but I often feel limited by my goal of $140, especially when it comes time for buying bigger ticket items (handbags, shoes, coats, etc). I don't want to "cheap out" on these types of items in order to stick to my budget, because inevitably I may up picking something of lower quality, which means I'll have to replace it sooner.

I'm going to see how I do with a seasonal budget instead. And I'm going to give myself a little raise.

My new goal is $500 per season, and each season will be divided into three months. That way if I want to spend $250 on a handbag, I won't feel guilty for blowing my monthly budget, and I'll still have some wiggle room to buy other things.

I'll still do my monthly breakdown, and at the end of the third month I'll share how I've done for the season.

Earrings: Joe Fresh (not available on-line)
Discounted from $8 to $4
I'm not going to bother with a photo of these. They are a three-pack of studs in gold, hematite, and rose gold. I've worn them a lot already. They're cute and understated - great for when I'm wearing a chunky necklace.

Sweater: Old Navy
Discounted from $33 to $12
This was a great way to satisfy my craving for all things nautical. I wore it here.


Tights: Old Navy (not available on-line)
Discounted from $8 to $5
A nice basic pair of navy tights.I wore them in this post.

Dress: Peter Pilotto for Target
Marked as $30 (mistake on tag, was supposed to be $40- yay)
I wasn't quite as excited for this Target collaboration as I was for 3.1 Phillip Lim. I was really hoping to love  the napkin skirts in this line, but they just didn't flatter my shape. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I loved this dress though. I am hoarding it...maybe for a spring wedding, maybe for my birthday, maybe both! I also have my eye on a trumpet skirt from the collection which I will pick up if it goes on clearance.


Vest: Vero Moda via Envy (can't find this on-line)
Discounted from $60 to $25
I haven't worn it yet as it hasn't been warm enough, but it was on my list of things to buy and I love it! It's a army green utility vest and has a detachable faux-leather panel.

Riding Boots: Call it Spring
Discounted from $150 to $50
I've never actually owned a pair of riding boots. When I saw that these were real leather and only $50, I ordered them on-line. I've worn them around the house and they're really comfy. They're different enough from my other brown boots that I can justify keeping them. My other ones are darker and cone-heeled.


Skirt: Club Monaco
Discounted from $140 to $17
OK, I just realized that this is new stock, so I have no clue why I got it for the ridiculous price that I did. I assumed it was from last year or something, but nope, it's on the website for full price! The shopping fairy was on my shoulder that day.





Jeans: Cambio via Foreign Affair (can't find them on-line)
Discounted from $295 to $50
I haven't worn these yet. They were bought on a whim on what might have been the most expensive lunch hour ever (same day I bought my wedding shoes). I'll be sure to wear them soon and take some photos. They will replace my grey Old Navy skinnies. Cambio is a German brand and they were apparently featured as one of Oprah's favorite things. I'm so glad I walked into Foreign Affair on the day they did final markdowns!

Total spent this month: $193
Total value of the items:$734
I saved 74%.

Based on my new "seasonal budget", I have $154 to spend in March to complete my Winter season. I'm excited for another Target collaboration that I just found out about a few days ago. This one is with an emerging Canadian designer, Sarah Stevenson and the previews show some gorgeous floral prints. I'm noticing an absence of red tops in my closet, so I might try to find one.

Do you budget your monthly clothing expenses? How did you do in February?

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Tuesday Treasures: Black Eye Liner

I'm beginning to love Tuesdays! Thank you to those of you who have shared your products of choice for the past few weeks. It's really fun to learn what other people use, and I'm keeping track so I have ideas for what to try next.  I have a hard time finding products I refuse to stray from, as I get bored with the same old thing.

I'm cheating a bit for this week as my choice for black eye liner isn't technically eye liner. My blog, my rules.

Pick your treasure: What's your favorite black eyeliner?

My pick: MAC eye shadow in Typographic.

MAC

I use this by wetting my angled brush. I normally only line the upper lid. The only thing with using eye shadow as eyeliner is that you can sometimes get specks that fall on your cheeks while applying. If the brush is wet, this usually doesn't happen to me.

Leave your choice below or come over to Glitterary Girl on Facebook and leave your pick in the comments section of the post.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

The Sunday Currently 03.02.14

Have you ever had an internal struggle between a) feeling so blah that you can't possibly put yourself together enough to leave the house. and b) the feeling that if you don't get out of the house, you'll go crazy so maybe you can just do the Starbucks drive-thru?

This is me today.

Currently:

Reading: Moon over Edisto by Beth Hart on my Kobo. Before that I devoured Man Repeller by Leandra Medine - so intelligent and funny. It really made me want to start writing again. The book is set up as a series of essays which sounds so much less daunting than writing an entire novel. Perhaps I'll try my hand at something essay-style... I also finished the huge March Instyle yesterday which was packed full of inspiring spring colors.
Writing: Blog posts, emails to wedding vendors (need to book DJ, hair, and makeup!)
Listening: To a girl with a beautiful voice on an older episode of Ellen. She was kicked off American Idol and her name is Jessica Bassett. I'm trying to purge the DVR this weekend while I'm sick with a head cold.
Thinking: How lucky I am to have a fiancee who goes out to buy me orange juice and tulips when I'm feeling crappy.
Smelling: Supper bubbling away in the slow cooker. I'm trying a new recipe today, and it was super easy to throw together. It's called Beer and Bacon Chicken and it smells good!
Wishing: This cold would GO AWAY. I felt like it was coming on for a whole week and it decided to tease me for seven days before coming on full-force. Actually, I've managed to avoid illness this winter until now so I should be thankful. Considering I work with palliative clients every day, I really should just stop whining about my minor ailment. Now I feel like a jerk. I can deal with this cold.
Hoping: That I make a little girl smile when she gets a card from me this week.
Wearing: Leggings, a t-shirt, a hoodie, and slippers.
Loving: My wedding shoes. I keep staring at them. How will I wait til October to wear them?
Wanting: A nap. I think I'll take one soon.
Needing: To get back to T25 as soon as this cold leaves me. I also need to clean up my eating. I am a horrible snacker.
Feeling: Tired. My nose hurts. Not complaining, just being honest.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl