Monday, September 30, 2013

september budget

1. Sole Society Whitney Pump [seen here]: originally $65, with giftcard: $0
2. Forever 21 Cardigan [seen here]: $28
3. H&M Blouse [seen here]: $35
4. Gap Ponte Pants: originally $70 + 35% off + rewards + giftcard from Audrey: $1
5. JC Penneys Striped Tee [seen here]: $15 + 10% off code: $13
6. The Limited Skinny Pants [seen here]: originally $70 + 40% off = $42
7. J.Crew Factory Sylvia Wedge [seen here]: originally $120 + 40% off + 15% student discount: $60
8. Forever 21 Sleek Button Down: $18

= $197

= $500 quarterly budget - $120 in August - $197 in September = $173 left for October

This month was a big month of "staples" for me. I've worn the wedges, the striped tee, the maroon pants, and the sweater at least 5-10 times each since I bought them, and I don't really see that changing any time soon. I just really really like each of the pieces! I haven't received the pants from the Gap yet, but included them here anyway in hopes that they work out - I'll be sure to review them when they come since several of you seemed interested in them. I had also purchased this ring in black ($40 was with the remaining gift card from Nordstrom) but I will be returning it to wait for the next size up to come back into stock because I want to wear it on my middle finger and the current size is too small.

This whole quarterly budget thing is working out pretty well - I'm mostly still trying to stick to around $150 a month just to not get too carried away. Like I mentioned a few days ago, I received $100 from my grandma for my birthday, so I'm hoping to use that to buy a pair of black boots. Several of you suggested this pair, so I will try to see if I can't get my hands (or feet- har har) on them! I'm still itching for a pair of navy ankle pants, and many of you have said that you really like these pants from Banana Republic, so I may order some the next time they have a really great promotion going on. For those of you who have them, how do they run? Did you get the regular or the tall sizing (if you are taller)? I also would like to try on this blouse that I saw on instagram here. Other than that, nothing is really planned for the remaining budget as I feel pretty good about where I am right now. School will be changing for me again at the end of October when we are finished with anatomy - I won't have to be in lecture as often/as many days a week so I don't really want to jump the gun on buying things I may or may not actually wear.

During last month's post, Elaine asked if I could include the pieces I receive from companies as a part of my budget posts, and I think that's a really great idea. If I'm going to say that I'm on a budget, and portray the financial goals of someone on a "budget", the the pieces I receive for free as a sidekick from blogging should be included as it gives a more well-rounded idea of what is actually going into my closet. This month I was given the opportunity to review an Everlane tee, wear a fun polka dot scarf from Surfdome, wore and gave away a bracelet from Color by Amber, and received a ring, earrings, and two necklaces from Tryst Jewellery.

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As a side note, I purchased a pair of Joe's Jeans from eBay a few months ago, which turns out was pretty poor planning on my part. I got them right when I was finishing my job, and there was no way I was going to spend my summer in jeans, and now when I do wear jeans I'm not looking to wear heels with them and just stick to my skinny jeans. If you are interested, I'm selling them for $50 (the price I paid) + shipping - send me an email at fhasselhof(@)gmail.com if you are interested or would like to see pictures! They are a size 32, "Honey" style,  and have (I think) a 35 inch inseam (they are too long on me in flats, and I'm 5'9''+ for reference). They look basically unworn, I just don't think I need to keep them in my closet if I'm not wearing them.
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Okay, your turn! Please let us know how you did sticking to your budget - please make sure you link back to this post so your readers can discover other budgeting bloggers :)


Friday, September 27, 2013

~5 things

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With my anatomy lab practical behind me, but my theory exam coming up, I'm going to keep this short and sweet! A couple of things:

1. Miranda made me her favorite blogger of the month! Check out the interview here to read about how I started blogging, my thoughts on the business of blogging (again!), and how I try to spice up my dress code clothing.

2. Thank you to everyone who voted for me in the OnlineShoes.com contest - I won! I really appreciate all of your support, you guys are awesome. If you're interested, they are currently running a pin-to-win contest to win a $500 gift certificate - you can learn all about it here!

3. Kerry from Tryst Jewellery sent me a few of her beautiful pieces to try out, including the necklace I'm wearing here, these earrings that I've been wearing non-stop (I have really sensitive ears so I'm thrilled to have found a pair of gold earrings that aren't irritating!), and a few other goodies. Be on the lookout for a giveaway coming soon!

4. Are these the most perfect leopard pointed toe flats? Possibly.

5. Have a great weekend! Think of me while you're out enjoying the beautiful fall weather and I'm inside learning about the layers of the scrotum. I know, you're jealous. 

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Skirt: Thrifted
Chambray: Old Navy [current version - mine's a tall!]
Necklace: c/o Tryst Jewellery [exact]
Shoes: Banana Republic c/o Chippmunk [exact]
Belt: H&M Mens
Watch: Target



Thursday, September 26, 2013

everlane ryan tee review

everlane ryan tee
Ever since I purchased my first white Everlane white tee (see the review here), I've become a total convert, to the point that I'm refusing to purchase a tee from anywhere else. Through their reward program, I've been able to accumulate a little collection of tees that I wear non-stop. Once they came out with their Ryan Collection, I "purchased" one as well. I ordered the white, and it's been my go-to shirt every day when I get home from school. Everlane was so gracious and offered to let me review another item on here, so I choose to get the Ryan tee in grey. 

Let me say that going in on my first purchase of this tee, I knew this would not be the most flattering shirt on me. These looser, drapey, round neckline shirts are not meant for someone who is more busty and hour glass shaped. We need something that adds a bit of an angle to our shape (with a v-neck) and something that comes in at our waist, but the longer sleeves and soft fabric were calling my name. 
everlane ryan tee review
So as you can see, not the most flattering on me. I'm 5'9'' and pretty proportional in the torso/legs ratio, and I find this shirt just a tiny bit too short on me. The model online is also apparently 5'9'' but she may be more legs than torso, which is why it looks longer on her. The sleeve length is great - I love having a bit of a longer sleeve that isn't tight on my arms. The little pocket on the front varies between shirts - on my white shirt it's very loose and flappy, while it's a bit tighter on this one. The rounded neckline again isn't the best on my shape, but it hits right where my cleavage starts (just like the v-necks) which is nice if you don't want to wear a tank underneath it. 

But you guys...I love this shirt. I love it for hanging out around the house, for wearing under blazers, and for studying. I seriously wear one or the other just about every evening. I personally probably will not wear this alone like I would the v-necks because it's not a flattering shape on me, but if you are all clavicles and wispy-ness, this shirt will look awesome on you for all occasions. If you don't care what it looks on and just want to wear the most comfortable tee ever, order one pronto. I would love if Everlane made a similar style (looser, longer sleeves) but with a v-neck instead - hint hint! ;)

But for anatomy studying all night every night? Amazing.


Thank you to Everlane for providing me with the credit to receive this shirt. I'm a big Everlane supporter, and can't wait to see what all they come out with next! If you would like to try it out for yourself, you can sign up here. If you purchase within the first 24 hours of signing up, you get free returns (if you want to return!) and I receive a $20 store credit.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

switcheroo

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Say hello to the last time you're going to see this purse. 

For my birthday + white coat ceremony, my parents gave me this beautiful purse in a fun bright coral. My mom has the same one, and I've been admiring it for months. After looking at my tote collection, between my Madewell bag, the Merona one I'm currently stuffing into my tiny locker, the Hobo bag, and the Phillip Lim for Target bag, I have way too many bags for school. As much as I like the PLFT bag, it was the one I would be okay with not having, as much as I do like it. I sold it to my girl Hannah, who missed out on all of the bags in her city, so that money now goes back into my budget, she gets a beautiful bag, and I get to add a bit more color to my bag collection. I'll only be using it on days where I won't have to stuff a bunch of books into it (and then stuff that into my locker) because it's way too beautiful, but lucky for me, that time in medical school will be over in 4 short weeks (when anatomy is over!).

And speaking of budget, two things! First, budgeting bloggers will be going up bright and early on Monday. Second, my grandma gave me $100 for my birthday, and I want to use it to buy black boots. I've been looking around to see what the second year girls at my school wear, and it looks like boots are pretty acceptable to the dress code. Thanks to all of your suggestions about the kind of pants I am looking for! Turns out the simple term I was looking for was ponte pants (derp) - I took Lainey's advice and ordered these pants from the Gap during their recent 35% off promotion and with a Gap reward + birthday present gift card from the amazing Audrey, they cost me $1 so I really hope they work out! I also heard that they have some amazing pairs of Calvin Klein ponte pants at Costco for $16 so if you have a membership, it's definitely worth checking out!

As far as boots go, I have a couple of criteria: under $150, no heel, wide enough to fit my calves (obviously), not too many buckles, leather in anticipation of all the snow coming this winter, simple but not boring. Maybe something like this one from DSW that are fun because it's OTK but understated, these that are made especially for wide calves, or these from DSW that remind me a lot of the much more expensive Tory Burch boots. Any favorites or recommendations?DSC08500
Shirt: H&M
Pants: The Limited [exact]
Necklace: Groopdealz
Shoes: Tory Burch [exact]
Bag: Phillip Lim for Target [exact]
Watch: Fossil [almost exact]

Linking up with the pleated poppy and mix&match fashion

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

self-gifting: burberry langford trench

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Just over a year ago, a friend of mine was telling me how for every paycheck she receives, she puts a small portion into a separate savings account to save up money over the year to buy herself something for her birthday. I thought that was a great idea so I was a total copy cat and did the same by tucking $10 from every paycheck away. 

In June when I was working through cleaning out my closet in preparation of the move, I took a long hard look at my coats and decided that even though the Burberry jacket I got at Goodwill was a once in a lifetime thrifting find, I wasn't wearing it very much. I started looking on eBay to see how much they were going for, and realized they were going for around $250-$300. While in Seattle, I made Bri go to Nordstrom with me (I really had to drag her there kicking and screaming) so I could try on the Burberry trench coats because we don't have a Nordstrom in the state of Wisconsin, and we definitely don't have a Burberry store, so I really just wanted to see the coats in person to get an idea of sizing. 

The very next day, Caroline told me that the jacket we had been discussing for months was 50% off because there were only a few select sizes left, one which happened to be mine. Even though I hadn't sold the thrifted Burberry yet, I knew that this jacket at this price was not something that would happen often, and that I would be able to sell the thrifted Burberry at some point. I purchased the coat, and it was waiting for me when I got back from Seattle. After careful consideration, and an email exchange with Jean, I took my pretty new jacket to the tailor. Jean said to be cautious of taking an expensive piece like this to the tailor, but I've had really great experiences with them in the past. A week later (the day before my move), I picked up my coat with the waist taken in, and the sleeves shortened to the proper length. The tailor did a great job, and I'm so happy that it now fits me correctly.

Last week (after several re-listings) I sold the thrifted Burberry jacket for $300, so that thrifting gem plus my birthday money saved up over the year allowed me to buy this beautiful coat without taking any money out of my budget. It's extravagant and unnecessary, but something I truly love and will have for the rest of my life.

So that's the story of me and the Burb.  Maybe next year I should buy myself a clothing steamer...or a polka dot trench coat ;)

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Trench: Burberry [exact]
Pants: Banana Republic [exact]
Scarf: gift from my Oma
Nails: Essie Chinchilly [exact]

Monday, September 23, 2013

student doctahs - white coat ceremony!


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[my friends are so good looking]
These last four days have been a crazy whirlwind of surprises and celebrations. On Thursday, my sneaky sneaky friends threw me a surprise birthday party and they totally pulled it off because I'm completely oblivious. It was amazing, and so sweet of them - I honestly couldn't ask for a better group of friends. We had delicious food (some made by me because I thought we were just having dinner), apple cider, chai cupcakes, and a pinata for me to hit. At one point of the evening, I was walking from my house back to theirs when I ran into my aunt and uncle in the parking lot - they flew over from Germany to surprise me for my birthday! It's not often that I'm speechless but those were two moments within hours of each other.

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[uncle, mom, brother, dad, aunt]
My parents and brother flew in on Friday for my white coat ceremony. The day of the ceremony was also my birthday so we had heaps of celebrating to do. We didn't get lucky with the weather for most of the day, so I wore my favorite pants instead of the dress I had planned on wearing. We received our shiny new short coats, and stethoscopes (mine is red, which is the same color that my dad and sister have!). Receiving the coat made it all feel a little bit more real - it sometimes feels like we're just playing school instead of actually becoming doctors.

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[my gorgeous roommate]
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how hot is my mom?
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For my birthday, my aunt and uncles bought me the dirndl I tried on in June - it's like it was made for me! Polka dots, more dots, and it has pockets. Now I just need to find a way to get to Oktoberfest so I can actually wear it somewhere!

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My parents got me the most beautiful bag - it's actually the same one my mom has so now we can be twins :) My roommate made me a terrarium, and Hans received a fun new present too - doesn't he look like he loves it?
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Overall it was a really great weekend. I'm not one to talk about being blessed all the time, but I feel really lucky to have such a great family and group of friends both in real life and online. Thank you for all of the well-wishes!

Friday, September 20, 2013

the business of blogging

After my post about using ShopStyle as a way to shop and for links on my blog, I had several people ask me more about the business side of maintaining a blog, so I thought it would make for an interesting blog post. In the last few weeks I've had some really awesome opportunities come my way, and it really has got me thinking about how strange this whole blogging thing is. What started out as just a fun thing of taking a few shots from my macbook in my bathroom thing has turned into a part time job for me. Here's what I'm doing, why I'm doing it, what I'm not doing, and so on. I would love to hear your philosophy on blogging, making a business out of it, and how you get it all to happen. 




affiliate linking

I blogged for about six months before I ever used an affiliate link, and even then I was doing it wrong for another two. For those new to blogging or don't know what an affiliate link is, it's kind of like an in between link that tracks what your readers click on. There are two main types that fashion bloggers use - Reward Style and Shop Style. With Reward Style, you get a percentage of a purchase a reader makes. You don't get anything for them clicking on your links, just if they make a purchase within a certain time frame (usually around 30 days if you don't click on a new affiliate link or clean up your cookies). The second is Shop Style, which pays you around 3-5 cents per click, but nothing for purchases, so for example, if you were to click on this to see the most beautiful dress imaginable, shopstyle registers that click, I make $0.05, but it wouldn't cost you anything. I believe that most of my readers are like me - we're a bit nosy about what other people are trying on and buying, and we like to do a lot of window shopping, but we probably aren't making a ton of purchases. For these reasons, I use Shop Style the majority of the time. I feel it's less intrusive for some reason - no part of your money ever goes to me. I think you guys like to see what I'm looking for, what I'm trying on, and what I've decided to spend my clothing budget money on. I do use Reward Style links occasionally, especially if I'm highlighting an item on sale, but for the most part I stick with the per-click affiliate links. If you haven't used Shop Style or are interested in giving it a try, I used this tutorial to figure it out. I then convert them to a bit.ly link so that I can track the clicks per item.

The internet as a whole has a lot of mixed opinions on affiliate links. As a blogger, I think that bloggers drive people to make purchases or just to check out what brands offer, bringing exposure to that brand. Since this doesn't take away anything from the reader, I think they are a great way for bloggers to be paid for the "work" they are doing on their blog. I know many will argue that bloggers don't deserve that money, that affiliate links are like selling your soul, and that they can't be trusted. I think there's definitely an in between in there - the biggest thing as a blogger is to be open about your affiliate linking to your readers. I have a disclosure on the left hand side of my blog so I hope that no one has ever felted duped or cheated.

sponsor agencies

I'm a member of the Clever Girls Collective, which is like an in between machine. Basically, companies will go to them to look for a certain type of blogger for their campaigns, and then we can apply for those campaigns. If we are accepted to that campaign, we usually get to try out their product and then we are compensated for our time. This is how I did a few of the Hanes and Kotex posts over the last year. Personally, I try to limit my participation in those to companies that are either related to my blog or my life. I wear sportsbras, and I use Kotex tampons, so talking about them isn't an unnatural thing for me. I was chosen to be in a really cool campaign coming up that I'm so excited about - I can hardly wait to show you guys all about it, and I would never have gotten to do this or get paid like this if it weren't for being a part of a group like this. Again I think it's really important that you think about the bigger picture, and not just run at every single campaign that comes along because your readers may not want to read about juice or bubble gum if they are reading a style blog. I generally do maybe one of these every other month or so.

selling advertising space

I feel that the selling of ads on blogs has slowly been declining. I offered it for a while on my blog, and I got to meet a lot of awesome women, but in the end I feel it didn't work well with my blog. I always felt guilty that I wasn't doing enough for the people who were giving me their hard earned money, and I just didn't want them to be disappointed with where their money was going. I already follow many of you who comment on here, so it felt weird taking money from certain people. Once I started school, I completely removed all sponsorship information on my blog. Honestly, it felt freeing. I didn't constantly have to update my stats, make sure I was doing as much as I could for my sponsors, and feeling like I needed to push that part of my blog.

working with companies one-on-one

I am not one of those people who have the guts to contact a company to work with them. I've done it two times, and it was for companies I was truly interested in (Daniel Wellington), or have paid my own money for (Everlane). I know many bloggers have no problem putting themselves out there, and most days I wish I had the balls to do so. The times I have worked with companies, I either was given the opportunity from another blogger (like the Hobo Bags collaboration) or the companies reached out to me (for example, Dankso). I don't think that I'm at the point in blog size that I should be paid for this exposure, especially when I'm offered free things. I may be selling myself short, but I just can't bring myself to do it. The companies I do decide to work with are companies that fit my aesthetic and are things I would buy with my own money, and I just get the awesome opportunity to try it out for free.

money money money

In any given month, I make at least enough to technically pay my rent - this is almost all through affiliate linking. Every 6 months or so I receive a check from google for the adsense I run on the side. I am in a bit of debt right now from my medical school applications (they are SO expensive) and my move, so my money that I earn is broken down in to:

  • 25% goes straight into a "Taxes" savings account. The money we receive from affiliate linking is not taxed yet, so I'm planning ahead for tax season now. I'm kind of hoping that the tax return I would have received from working will cover the money I owe, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.
  • $100 goes into my Chanel savings account. After I used the money I had saved up before to pay for my school clothes, I wanted to start over to save my that Chanel bag. I should have enough saved up by graduation, just shy of my 30th birthday, to buy one. Or maybe I'll go on an awesome vacation, or maybe I'll use it to help pay for a house, or whatever, but I like that I can put a little bit aside each month for myself.
  • The rest is going to pay off my debt. I'm not going to lie, it kind of sucks to have all of your money go towards things you already paid for, but duh, that's what debt is, so I want to get out of it as quickly as possible. Although I'll be in about $250,000 worth of student loan debt by the time I graduate, I want to be out of this other debt way way before that.

I'll be really honest and say that I think that making money from a hobby is the most bizarre thing. I never started all of this to make money, but I'm thankful that it has happened because it's allowing me to get my finances in order. I hope that you as readers don't feel like I'm using you, or that I'm just doing this to make money. I truly appreciate all of the support and friendship you guys give me, the money is just a little bonus.

I hope that gives a little more insight into what goes on behind the scenes for me. Please let me know if you have any questions, don't know where to start, or how you feel about all of this. I want you to be honest!

Thursday, September 19, 2013

the fanciest of tees

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I will take just about any excuse to wear a tee to school, so I was pretty pumped that this month's Third Thursday Threads (HOW IS IT THE THIRD THURSDAY ALREADY) challenge was dressing up a tee. Thanks to the awesome credit earning program at Everlane , I had a few great options to choose from** but I ended up going with the navy because I wanted to wear it with my new scarf I received from Surfdome - hello, polka dots and tassles. I didn't purposely start to put together a whole blue outfit but it somehow worked out! Now if only I had some blue heels...like these ;)

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Tee: Everlane
Skirt: J.Crew Factory [exact]
Scarf: Roxy c/o Surfdome [exact]
Shoes: J.Crew Factory [exact]
Bracelet: "J.Crew" via eBay
Belt: Old Navy

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** I just wanted to say again that I don't wear my Everlane tees on here just to earn the credits (I receive a $20 credit if you sign up through my link and make a purchase). I truly love these tees, and would wear them all the time even if I didn't have a blog. I will never suggest or wear something that I wouldn't actually spend my own money on.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

best internet friends

phillip lim for target large tote, the limited exact stretch skinny pants, j.crew factory sylvia wedge 
Necklace: borrowed from Bri
Sweater: Forever 21 [similar]
Pants: The Limited [exact]
Shoes: J.Crew Factory [exact]
Bag: Phillip Lim for Target [copycat | original]
Belt: H&M

Are you guys sick of hearing about how much Bri and I like each other? Okay good, me either.

To stay in touch and really incorporate that friendship into the thing that brought us together in the first place, we decided that every month we're going to send each other something from our closets for the other to wear. Our first exchange was necklaces - Bri sent me this beautiful vintage necklace she received from a childhood friend, while I did not send her something nearly as special (looks like I'll have to make up for it next time!). The necklace is truly stunning, and I've never seen anything like it. I already told Bri I'm going to wear it as many times as I can before I have to send it back.

I'm also looking for suggestions from you guys - I'm looking for a pair of pants that are black, are NOT jeans, are to be worn with boots, don't get too saggy but are stretchy, and are actually pants, not leggings [kind of like this]. Any suggestions?

linking up with the pleated poppy
phillip lim for target large tote, the limited exact stretch skinny pants, j.crew factory sylvia wedge

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

how she wore it: sole society whitney heels

First things first: one of my absolute favorite bloggers, a medical student at Harvard (!), just gave birth to her beautiful baby girl and asked me to guest post for her. Go here to read about how Laura helped me prepare for this crazy medical school journey!

liz claiborne button back tee, the limited pencil pants, sole society whitney

And now, shoes. A few weeks ago, I purchased these shoes while shopping with my girlfriends. I've wanted some mary-janes for so long, and these were a beautiful maroon, ~comfortable, and in my price range. Needless to say, I fell in love with them immediately. I'm not a big shoe person, I generally wear the same five pairs all the time, but sometimes it's fun to buy something that you wouldn't usually spend money on. When Miranda told me she bought them too, we decided to show two different ways of wearing them. While our styles are similar, she dresses a little bit more girly than I do so I knew this would be fun. I wore mine with my favorite pants (I told you that you would see them all the time) and my new striped shirt. This was the one I found a few weeks ago on the JCPenneys website - I found a coupon code for another 10% off, and if you order $25+, you can free shipping to your nearest store. I order the shirt in three sizes, found that it runs fairly large, and immediately returned the other two. I've worn it three time since I received it last week, and I'm so happy to finally have what I was looking for, and for $14.



Sole Society Whitney Pump
Shirt: JC Penneys [exact]
Pants: The Limited [exact]
Shoes: Sole Society [exact]


and for a few other fun options:

Monday, September 16, 2013

giveaway: color by amber

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Today I am working with Leanna from Color By Amber to give one of you $25 towards jewelry from her shop! Color By Amber by is a jewelry company that believes in not only sustainable jewelry, but also helping others. The jewelry is created with 40% recycled eco-resin, while their Full Circle program employes women all over Africa to create the design elements within the jewelry itself. I fell in love with this gold bracelet immediately, and was thrilled with Leanna sent me it along with a few of the bangles from the mohair collection. I received so many compliments when I wore it last week - I can't wait to wear it all winter long when metal bracelets are impossible to wear. 

Thank you so much to Leanna and the Color by Amber team for providing me with these beautiful bracelets. Leanna is giving away $25 worth of jewelry from her shop to one of you as well- all you have to do is enter the rafflecopter below! Also, if you order $40 worth of jewelry from Leanna, she will include a free skinny bracelet of your choice! All you have to do is mention my name!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

P.S. There are only a few more days to vote for me in the OnlineShoes.com contest - I would really appreciate your support! All it takes is a click, and then you can also enter to win a pair of your own!

Sunday, September 15, 2013

3.1 Phillip Lim x Target thoughts + shopping adventures

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Jacket: from Germany [save | splurge]
Tee: c/o Everlane - review coming soon!
Jeans: Madewell [exact]
Shoes: Tory Burch [exact]
Bag: Coach via Etsy [current version]
Belt: Espirit, thrifted
Scarf: DIY

This weekend about 20 people from my class drove up to Buffalo to go see the Body Worlds exhibit. I've always wanted to go to one of these, and going while we're in the middle of our anatomy course made the whole experience almost a bit surreal. We are elbows deep in cadavers at least three days a week, looking for tiny arteries, ducts, and nerves. Many of the people who so selflessly donated their bodies for our education were lucky to live a long life that unfortunately for many ended in cancer. Cancer, and the surgeries involved with disease, make it difficult for us to see what a "normal" body looks like. We piece together parts based on which bodies weren't torn apart by disease, but sometimes it's really hard to get the full picture. Seeing the bodies at Body World really gave us a new perspective. We got to see everything perfectly laid out - where each nerve courses, what each artery supplies, how the organs lie in the body. What we thought would just be a cool thing to see actually turned out to be a really valuable learning tool. Granted, we all sounded like a huge freaking group of nerds going around with our netters flashcards talking about lympathic drainage and which leg muscle is which - as a collective, our class's favorite muscle is the sartorius because we say it like this. So it was all slightly embarrassing, but also kind of fun. How the position the bodies, and specifically the muscles, is so beautiful - this one was my favorite.

Afterwards we stopped by the mall. I've really been itching for a few new tops because I've been a bit bored with me. I looked back over my purchases from the last few months and I haven't really purchased a lot of shirts recently. Our first stop was Gap, but their sale section was disappointing small and since they weren't having an overall store sale I passed on everything (although I was tempted to buy this french horn shirt as a mellophone tribute).


Then we went to Forever 21, which I haven't been in in months and months. This one was large, and had a whole section of Love 21, which the one in Madison doesn't have. I really wanted to find this top because I saw it on Shanna and fell in love with it, but I couldn't find it, and they don't have my size online anymore. I did find this light peach top which looks and feels a lot more expensive than it is. I tried on this top but it was too sheer for school. I also got the cardigan above - it's an open, kimono sleeved...thing. I belted it with the belt I was wearing in my pants so it looks a little strange, but I promise it's cute - a real snuggle up in cardigan that I think will look great with my maroon pants. Like I said, this was my first Love 21 experience but I was very pleasantly surprised by not only the quality and fit of the pieces, but also how many work/school appropriate items they have. I know that's the point of that whole line, but it makes me excited to explore the line a bit more. I wish I had seen this top in the store! I'm weary to order items online because you can only return for store credit or else I would buy it online. We plan on going back to this mall in 6 weeks (the weekend after we are officially done with anatomy!) so maybe I'll get lucky and it'll still be there. As a side note, a few people asked about my geographic leggings in this post, and I found a really similar pair in the normal section of the store for around $10!

Next we went to H&M which I also haven't been in for months. I really liked this lace top, and now really regret not buying it - it was only $12, and it would have made for a great casual going out top. The shirt on the right is the poor mans version of the J.Crew blouse from last season, but I passed because the fabric was a bit too shiny for my taste and the beading looked really cheap (...because it is really cheap). I did really really like the blue tuxedo shirt in the middle and walked it immediately to the counter.
This morning I got up early to make a trip to Target specifically to look at the Phillip Lim x Target pieces. I've never been a big Target collaboration person - I generally don't like the clothes on me because they aren't cut to flatter my own body, and usually everything is a little bit to "fashion-y" for my current lifestyle. This collaboration was really different for me though. I've been a long time admirer of the Pashli satchels because although they are a huge fashion blogger cliche, I think they are so beautiful. I could never afford one in my current financial situation, so this was an opportunity to get the look for less. I was thinking about what all of this meant - am I masquerading around as a fashion blogger with this knock-off of the original? Do I like this because of blogging or do I like this because of life? I came to the conclusion that I spend 95% of my day living the life of a medical student, and 5% of a blogger. I wanted this bag for the 95% of my life, and that it fits into the aesthetic of what is currently popular on real fashion blogs is just a nice coincidence. I'm trying to build my wardrobe to fit the 95% of my life, and document it during the other 5%. So, in conclusion...I really like my new bag. Did you go fight the masses this morning for your chance at one of these babies, stay up all night to get the online exclusives, or slept in because you aren't a crazy person?

Friday, September 13, 2013

über- prep

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Shirt: Banana Republic [similar]
Skirt: Banana Republic c/o Chippmunk [exact on sale]
Cardigan: NY & Co. 
Shoes: Sam Edelman [exact]

The last time I wore this skirt, my girl Tierney, my go-to gal for everything preppy, told me I should wear it with a polka dot shirt and a navy cardigan.  I really love this skirt so I'll take any excuse to wear it again, even if I don't own a navy cardigan- the ponte knit is just so dang comfortable and while a little more literally prep than I usually go for, I kind of love that about it. It is currently on sale, plus an additional 35% off (online only with code BRSHOP35) which makes it just over $30. Run, don't walk. Also, if you are looking to send me presents, I also really love this skirt because it reminds me of Bri's famous black skirt, this amazing heels, and definitely these boots.

 joking of course...but it IS my birthday next week ;)

Thursday, September 12, 2013

fall // mustard // psl

J.Crew Factory Sylvia, Hobo Morena Bag, Everlane Silk Blouse 
So this past weekend, the weather cooled down and it was amazing. I slept with the windows open and woke up all snuggled under the covers - the best feeling (besides waking up cuddling next to someone but ya know...LDR). I wore jeans and a scarf while outside! And while I didn't drink a PSL because as much as I love pumpkin everything else, I'm not a fan of them in coffee, but everyone else was achatter about them so...yay PSL season! 

I love fall (because I am a blogger and a walking cliche). Maroon is my favorite color to wear, and even though for the first 24 years of my life I never ever wore mustard (because I'm a blondie and I thought it clashed), I am now just a little bit obsessed. I was just looking to see what other mustard cardigans are out there when I found this one. While I don't know how practical a short sleeved cardigan is...something about the style is saying "Buy me Fran! Spend your fall budget on me! Think how cute I'll be with your new striped shirt!"...so...thoughts? Mustard, grey, walk away slowly? 

Also, it is now back up to 90 degrees here so...that's not so awesome. 

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Cardigan: thrifted
Blouse: Everlane
Skirt: thrifted
Shoes: J.Crew Factory [exact]
Bag: c/o Hobo Bags [exact]
Watch: Target [similar]
Bracelet: c/o Apple of My Eye

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

help me! ahnu shoes contest with onlineshoes.com

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A few months ago, OnlineShoes.com approached me to participate in a contest to style a pair of shoes. I was super excited about the opportunity, but there were a few more months until it was all going to go down, so I kind of put it on the back burner. This summer when I was in Seattle, I was having drinks with Bri and Katrina and we started talking about blogging (obviously) and being approached by companies. I mentioned that I was approached to participate in this contest, and how it should be pretty interesting. Turns out, of the thousands of bloggers out there, one of the four contestants is Katrina! And she's fierce competition, because just look at her. 

So I we all received the same pair of Ahnu boots - the Himalaya style, each in a different color. I decided to stick with a neutral palate (with my newest and possibly favorite cardigan), cognac, and denim. Hansi even made an appearance to show his approval. If you also approve, I would really appreciate it if you could go here and vote for me - all it takes is a click! And then if you are interested, you can enter to win a pair of Ahnu shoes too (I think the Karma shoes are so cute). Thank you so much for your support :)

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Shoes: c/o OnlineShoes.com [exact]
Shirt: J.Crew Factory [exact]
Cardigan: Gap [exact]
Jeans: Gap 
Belt: H&M Mens
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