Fashion on a budget, makeup tutorials, simple recipes, and all things girly!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Thrift Store Magic

I went to my favorite thrift store not long ago, and found a bunch of new wonderful items that I'll be wearing in the weeks to come. One of them was this dress, which started out as a massive muumuu type sack, and I turned it into a stylish sundress. I don't think there is anything more satisfying than paying $3 for an item that turns out to be unique and fashionable after just a few snips! I just adore thrifting!

Before- massive sleeves, way too long, way too big
After- short, sassy, and I turned the cut off hem into a belt
I ended up wearing it without the belt when I went out, and I still felt cute and comfortable.
dress- America's Thrift Store, shoes- Target, bangle- vintage, bag- thrifted, ring- Charlotte Russe

Monday, July 25, 2011

Unofficial Celebration

My boyfriend and I had a LivingSocial coupon to use, so we decided since it was our 1 year and 4 month anniversary, we would use it for an unofficial celebration. We celebrated every month up until a year, and we still tell each other every month on the 17th that it was the best however many months of our lives :) I still feel incredibly blessed and happy, and I can't imagine spending my life with anyone else.
I turned my pool hair into a side pony again, and added a flower clip.
Outside at Terra Nostra for dinner.
My go-to pink makeup look, which I did a tutorial of here.

I was so excited to finally get to wear my bandage dress! I want more.
flowered stacked heels- TJMaxx, bandage dress-Ross, cameo necklace- Charming Charlie, hair clip- H&M, bangle- Charming Charlie, bag- thrifted

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Another Mom Date Day

I had another nice day with my mom this past weekend. We went to brunch at our favorite spot, Easy Bistro, and to Starbucks and TJMaxx. I'll be having another day like this tomorrow, with my friends & mom, followed by True Blood! Sounds great to me!

Eyes- Coastal Scents 120 Palette matte yellow and orange
earrings- Charming Charlie, necklace- Charlotte Russe


My mom, being all pretty and stuff.
dress- swap party treasure

Friday, July 22, 2011

Harry Potter Release Party

To celebrate the release of the last (sob) Harry Potter movie, my good friend Simone and I threw a themed bash, complete with snacks inspired from the books. We cooked all day, enjoyed the food with some of our friends, and went to the midnight premiere. It was amazing and perfect, as expected, and I can't wait to go see it again!
Homemade Butterbeer! We made butterscotch sauce on the stove, and poured cans of cream soda over it.
Fire Whiskey, for the alcohol drinkers (not me!). This was a mix of cinnamon whiskey and Apple Snapple. I tasted it, and it was surprisingly very good. Soft of like a cinnamon candy.
Pumpkin Pasties, which were pastries filled with a baked pumpkin mixture. These took longer to make than they were worth! Along with the Treacle Tart, which turned out very strange :(
Golden Snitches that Simone made out of chocolates, paper wings, and edible gold dust!
Simone's vegetarian Hufflepuffs- made from puff pastry, cheese, and spinach.
Bob's (Simone's husband) contribution of manly Half-Giant Dip, inspired by Hagrid. It's a sausage, beef, garlic, and Velveeta concoction, served with chips. I couldn't stop eating it!
Close up of one of the Snitches!
My cottage pie, made from ground beef, carrots, celery, onion, and potatoes. One of my favorite British dishes, for sure.
Simone and I at the premiere, in costume of course!
Snitches have flesh memories, you know.
My cute boyfriend and I with our special Harry Potter 3D glasses on.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Pearls and Bows

I did a few of my favorite things this past week, all in one day. My mom and I ate at a new Mediterranean restaurant downtown, and then sat outside at Starbucks and sipped yummy drinks. It was quite nice. I always love going to dinner or brunch with my mom, I'm a total Starbucks fangirl, and sitting outside in the summer evening is just divine. I really wish summer was year-round. I know many people don't share that sentiment with me, but I am a true Southern Belle!

Simple, girly makeup to complement the preppy stripes and pearls.


Isn't my mom so elegant? Her bag is a Cynthia Rowley and I'm very jealous of it.
bodysuit- Walmart, striped bow skirt- Forever 21, pearls- Body Shop, skeleton cameo choker- Hot Topic, shell bracelet- Target, striped earrings- H&M, flats- Charlotte Russe

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

True Life: I'm Obsessed With My Cat

I think if I were to ever be on a reality show, it would either be about my obsession with my cat, or my mild hoarding problem. Below is evidence of both: one of the 43875 pictures of Slingblade I have on my phone, and my gratuitous closet room. Oh, and the outfit I wore to dinner with my mom and boyfriend :)
The wedding dress is a $50 thrift store gold find, I spotted it and couldn't pass it up. It's vintage, and I plan on selling it as it's a bit too big for me (and has long sleeves). Plus, I'm not even engaged so I don't need a wedding dress quite yet!
I'd like to eventually paint the entire room hot pink!
He's so luxurious.
That's a delicious chocolate-almond macaroon in my hand. Mmm, I wish I had one now.

dress- Target, shoes- Blowfish, necklace- Rue 21

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Sunshine

I felt like I dressed like a ray of sun this day, even though I didn't feel like it. My life as of late has consisted of lots of boredom, since I can't seem to find a job in my field. All of my friends and boyfriend have jobs, so I spent quite a bit of time alone. It makes me sad, but I am trying to be optimistic that I'll get a great job opportunity soon. On this particular day, my boyfriend and I spent the day with a friend and went to a random pool. You'd think that would be exciting, but it really wasn't...haha. At least I was with my sweet Jason :)

golden accessories and boyfriend in the pool
orange and yellow eyes to match my sunny outfit
Starbucks ad pose
cuffed denim shorts- Marshall's, yellow shirt- TJMaxx, gold sandals- H&M, bracelets- H&M, necklaces- vintage, earrings- Rue 21, bag- Lucky Brand

Speaking of Starbucks, I just gave in and applied there today. heck, if I can't find a job in makeup, I might as well work somewhere that I love! Wish me luck!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Summertime Cookout

One of the many, many reasons why I love summer is because I get to grill out with my friends. The pavement is warm, the food is delicious, and the company is the best! I cooked out with my boyfriend and our friend Simone last week. I made the food super simple, and Jason grilled away.
All I did for this delicious spread was drizzle green onions, chicken, and sweet potatoes in olive oil, salt and pepper. When the chicken was nearly done, we coated it generously in hoisin sauce. The sweet potatoes got a coating of sesame oil and seeds at the end. That's it! Healthy and yummy.
I wanted something super comfortable and casual to wear, since I had a cold. I changed into the shorts when we came inside.
shirt- Target, skort- Victoria's Secret Sport Wear, shorts- Walmart, sandals- TJMaxx, necklace- Charming Charlie

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

4th of July

I do believe my posts have gotten a tad out of order. I tried to clean up my desktop, and moved my pictures into some folders, and I forgot where some of them were temporarily! Oops. This first outfit is from the 3rd of July, when my condo had a cookout and fireworks viewing party. My mom, her friend Debbie, Jason and I ate free food and enjoyed the entertainment.



dress- Target, tank top- The Limited, shoes- TJMaxx, jewelry- Forever 21

On the 4th, we went up to my dad's lake house for boating and barbecue. We watched another set of fireworks from the boat, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
We also went to the huge parade in Jason's hometown of Dunlap. It was ridiculous and funny, but too hot to enjoy!
dress- Forever 21, shoes- TJMaxx, necklace and bag- vintage, sunglasses- thrifted

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Pesky vs Poopy 2.0

I was reading through my old blogs tonight and I realized 3 things: I badly need Jason to take the photos for my blog, I never updated on the completion of my condo, and I need another pesky vs poopy list. I will be doing all of those things, beginning with my list. It's a current likes and dislikes list, just with a cuter name. You can see my first list, and the reason for the name here. So without further ado:
PESKY:
my sweet, talented boyfriend- Jason
my hilarious cat, Slingblade, who gives me hours of laughter and entertainment
actually finding a career that I enjoy, makeup artistry
being nearly back to my high school weight
having an awesome makeup/photography project to work on with my friend, Simone
cooking healthy, delicious food
summer weather
looking forward to going to Cape Cod with Jason and his family
brunch and the market with my mom
Pottermore
grilling out by the pool
sunless tanner that looks natural and prevents my skin from being damaged :)
wonderful friends
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2
a Harry Potter themed party!!
Kawaii anything
the prospect of moving to Orlando and working at Disney World

POOPY:
joint pain
stomach aches
headaches
not having a steady source of income
feeling worthless
sitting around my condo, doing nothing
people that are mean to me for no reason at all
being unable to secure my dream job
fear of disappointing my parents
Harry Potter being over forever :(
not seeing my girlfriends as often as I'd like
worrying that I'll never be as successful as I want to be in life
driving (yes, probably always)
being thin, yet completely devoid of muscle tone
not being the best at what I do

Once again, there's more positive than negative :) If i could get this job thing settled, I'd really have nothing to worry about at all. I am still a blessed girl.

Kisses and Cupcakes,
Jess

Monday, July 11, 2011

Rock Star

You know when it's the middle of the summer, and you have to shave your legs every day since all of your clothing is tiny? Well, I didn't feel like being summery a few days ago. I went with some skinny jeans and a t-shirt. This is very unlike my usual style, but I like to mix it up a bit sometimes.



wolf shirt- Hot Topic, purple skinny jeans- Charlotte Russe, sandals and bangle- Forever 21