Finally, the First Day of Fall

That doesn’t mean pumpkin spice lattes or pumpkin bread to me. (It used to, but now Starbucks sells pumpkin bread year round so it’s just not as special anymore.) Sure, it means I buy too many pumpkin-scented candles, and burn them religiously, but what really makes me excited about fall is the fashion.

I’m one of those strange people that follow the calendar- if the calendar says it’s fall, then I am going to dress appropriately! Just try to stop me. (Never mind the fact that I live in Austin TX and it’s still in the upper 90s. NEVER MIND THAT. Just focus on the calendar and it will be okay.)

My fall fashion rules:

No more bare legs. Bare legs are meant for summer and for the beach. That’s it. Once summer passes, no more bare legs (unless you’re at said beach.) So now I get to pull out the stockings, thigh highs, fishnets, and other mostly neutral leg coverings. (I won’t be bringing out the opaque tights until much later in the season, and then in winter it’s all you’ll see of my legs.)

 No more shorts*. I don’t wear them anyway, and I’m convinced +90% of the people who wear them shouldn’t. (Pockets should not hang below the hem, your legs should not pop out around the hem, and you shouldn’t have to pick at them with every other step. Living in Texas, that’s what I see. Skirts and dresses are so much more comfortable and flattering.)

*Unless you're at the beach, of course.

And I will be setting aside the light pink lip shades. Bold pinks still have their place, as do the classic reds, but now’s the time to pull out those great deeper shades. A favorite darker neutral of mine is Make Up Forever in N9 Copper Pink. It’s just a little darker than my natural shade, and one I’ll wear year round, but will be perfect for those “go natural” or heavier on the eyes days. (I also *just* got one, a Sephora lip stain in peony, that looks great, just not sure how long it wears yet.)

It’s also the time that I’ll start wearing more scarves. While I normally wear them year round, this spring and summer I hardly wore them at all, so I’m looking forward to bundling up (eventually).

Happy Fall!
xo
ashley

Make Up Lessons Galore!

So i'm addicted...

Sea of Shoes posted a link to PixiWoo's youtube channel and i can't stop watching their videos!

I'm scheduling my Turning Thirty Extravaganza make up lesson for the 3rd week of July. Looking forward to that!!

Scarves, scarves and more scarves

J'adore les foulards, mais, je ne sais pas comment les porter.
Until now! ; )



Can't wait for tomorrow- I'm wearing a scarf. Maybe the next day, too.

My Name is Ashley, and I'm an Addict

...Addicted to fun footwear! (There are much worse things to be addicted too. Of course I'm also hooked on Newflower Market's gummy bears, but that's another post...)

Last week I checked out my shoe store online and ordered these ladies, that arrived today!!!

(Remember, I am not a shoe model. Don't expect perfection or loveliness!)

Pair #1: Indigo's Dodie in purple:
First thought: Damn, am i really that white?!
Second thought: I have 2 dresses that these will look *perfect* with!
Heel: moderate. Shouldn't be a problem at all.
Tread: awesome for scooting
Comfort: pretty good. We'll see how they are after a full day at the office though.

Pair #2: Chelsea Crew's Bell in tan:
First thought: they're so vintage-y! Can't you just see Keira Knightley's character in Atonement wearing these?
Second thought: i like the color; should be great for spring and summer.
Heel: moderate.
Tread: okay. I've scooted in worse
Comfort: well, one toe (my second toes are a little longer than my first- go ahead, call me a freak) might pose a problem but as long as i keep my toe nails nicely trimmed, i'm sure it will be okay.

And Pair #3: Naturalizer's Beacon (I think): First thought: these might be returned. They're just not summery, yanno? But should I keep them for fall/winter? Can I make these summery? Hmm...
Second thought: again with the paleness. Sure I aim to be Dita von Teese pale, but i usually don't think i'm any where near that! I guess that's what flashes do... But about the shoes, yeah, I'm going to have to think about them...
Heel: again, moderate. I think everything I ordered is 3" though these might be 2.5.
Tread: decent.
Comfort: a little tight across the vamp but it feels nice a secure. And this is post-workout so my feet should be as swollen as they'll get, right?

SO, what do YOU think?

Happy Valentine's Day

As some of you know, we took Darcy to the vet for a small bump on his chin. Poor guy had a (non-cancerous) tumor that needed to be removed. He did really well, the people at the animal hospital love him, and he had to wear a silly collar (which he kept flipping back like a bib so we just left it like that) for a week, until his stitches were removed.
Here's Darcy trying to sit comfortably:


I have a slight eye glases addiction, thanks to the super affordable zennioptical.com. Had $ to use up from my flex spending account in December so I ordered SIX pairs. Here's one of the more fun pairs : ) It's lime green on the inside, black on the outside, and had lots of sparkles at the corners, pink sparkles making little flowers, too.


And for my dressing room, I made a very nifty purchase. A girl needs a place to sit while she puts on her stockings and shoes, no? Found a fabulously huge (40" across), tufted, round velvet ottoman (from overstock.com) for a *great* price (plus used BillMeLater so no payment is due until May- nice). Here's Darcy modeling it, the evening his stitches were removed:

And on the stationery business front, the AMOA (austin museum of art) downtown is holding a Hatch Show Print exhibit and the buyer, who is fabulous, contacted inviting about having cards for sale in the gift shop during the exhibit. I busted my butt last week and got 2 dozen of 5 designs printed and packaged, and they will be in the shop early this week! Show your support for a local letterpress printing shop and buy a few cards. I'd love to get an email saying "we sold out and need more!"

(The trains are actually printed in brown, not orange)

That's it for now! More later I'm sure. Since I've neglected this I have some catching up to do! : )

Happy Valentine's Day, whether you celebrate it or not. We pick up some chocolate covered strawberries from Amy's Ice Cream, a pizza from Homeslice, and watch a movie; nothing fancy. Almost like any other day ; )

Summer Fashion Pet Peeve

I *hate* seeing sheer black pantyhose in the summer.

If you insist on wearing hose (i am a huge legwear fan but even I stick to shaving until fall "officially" begins) stick to the lighter (not lighter than you are mind you) shades, like nude, suntan, and other beiges. Or have fun with it and get a tan, white, or colored net, or a sheer with small polka dots. ANYTHING BUT BLACK. It just looks ridiculous in 100+ degree weather.

Btw, if you wanted to start stocking up for fall and winter, check out Sock Dreams. Don't worry, they have more than just sexy legwear. I'm dying to try their Super Dreamy Socks - they look so soft and thick and comfy, i just want to curl up on the couch with jane austen and a cup of tea (ooh, i need to make tea. it's before 7am on a saturday and i need to go print soon- got some new colors to try) and wear those socks, trying to stay warm. (I'm a total cheapass when it comes to heating my home. Why turn on the heater when there are : socks, candles, tea, magic blankets, scarves, sweaters, more candles, and kitties?)

Now I've got you looking forward to winter. Admit it, I have. Scooting sucks when it's below 45, it's awful below 35 and are more often than not bus days. But being at home when it's cold is so nice. It was in the apartments, we'll see how it is this fall in the house!

Fall Hosiery, part 1 of many I'm sure

I read in some magazine recently, Harper's or Elle probably, that fishnet stockings are "out" this fall. How can anything so classic (yes, they are classic, and can be totally tasteful, like with a lady-like dress or a pencil skirt and rockin' heels) be "out?" I was at the Bazaar this past weekend and picked up a pair, in nude for everyday. Doing my part to keep them "in."

(Also, riding the scooter to work this morning, a thin dress, short-sleeved jacket, and my 'nets, my legs were nice and warm. This is a thicker net than I normally find and I have a feeling I'll be very appreciative of it when it gets cooler.)

Ugh, what a month...

Well, my hard drive crashed at the beginning of the month. No, I hadn't backed things up yet. The back-up external hard drive was to be October's purchase. So I lost EVERYTHING*. Very traumatic weekend. As my warranty had expired, we tried some DIY w/ a new hard drive, but that possibly screwed up the machine- a piece moved during the switcheroo. Long story short, I have a new computer and the old one is being worked on. Going to sell it once it's all fixed up and use that $ to help pay for this one.

*Thank goodness I had posted all my travel pictures on the travel blog! Can you imagine how upset i'd be if i lost those???

One of the stray cats was adopted earlier, but then another showed up. And now I hear from a neighbor that there are 2 kittens? Oy! (Can't wait to see them though!)

I'm in a wedding next Saturday and my dress (simple brown sateeny-cotton halter) is still tight. Planning on wearing it all day this Sunday to stretch it out; cross your fingers that it works. May also have to wear my (air-restricting yet awesome) laced up waist cincher under it. Comfort or beauty, I know which I'll pick!
I also still need shoes. Can't afford the ones I originally wanted now.

The two people who had initially expressed interest in my slightly-dinged up yet still really good Corolla can't buy it after all. I'm going to clean it up and take it to Carmax this weekend, just to see what they can offer me. If they don't hit at least the minimum of what I need (there is a magic number, I just want to pay it off and pay for the scooter, nothing more) then I'l have to Craigslist it. Not looking forward to the hassle. (If anyone needs a 2005 silver corolla with a few cosmetic flaws for a really good price, contact me!)

Never Say Never Again was not "a good one." Why do people always say the old Bond movies were "good one[s]"? Was it that they saw them when they first came out? Saw them as kids on Saturday afternoons? I still say that Dr. No is the only one I'd buy so far; Goldfinger was the next best, then From Russia w/ Love (but probably b/c the belly dancing in the beginning was so cool).

My raincoat came in and is a) too big and b) too bright pink. Was hoping for a more fucshia-ish fucshia.

On a happier note, it only cost me $3.43 to fill up the scooter this week. And I got a new helmet, white with pink stripes.

So that's what's going on here, and why I haven't posted in a while.

I *Love* My Mascara

It's Cover Girl's lashblast and it's fabulous. In the morning I curl my lashes, apply it, and seriously, at the end of the day it looks like I just put it on, unlike their Remarkable, which is horrible...

This could be the best $6.50 I've ever spent!

Denim Skirts

Driving home today, I noticed a woman wearing orange espadrille wedges; bright and summery. Then I noticed her, and her friend's, outfits- nice basic shirts (orange to go with the shoes and her friend in a white) paired with perfect denim skirts- not an item i'd normally call "perfect" having worn many growing up. These were a nice dark wash and the cuts were fresh, flirty and summery- a-line and full. These women looked so well put together and seasonally appropriate. 

Then on the next corner, I saw an outfit that made me appreciate these two even more- tapered brown pants that were both too short and too tight and an ill fitting sleeveless knit. Sigh.

Bye-bye Black Hair

Eeks, am removing the color from my hair as I type. *Quite* nervous about it. I really love the black, but tired of having to touch-up every month. :-(

Shop Your Closet, etc.

Week 4 of boxing. Week 2 of healthy eating habits. Day 3 of no sugar. How do I feel? Crappy.

Calvin Klein's Euphoria smells like Las Vegas.

In the current issue of In Style, they have an article called "Shop Your Closet." In it, they recommend taking all of your clothes out of the closet and trying on different outfits and then take snapshots of each outfit that works for future reference. I'll admit- this is a normal practice for me- not the snapshot part though. Two weeks ago i bought six new tops (went a little crazy, but whatever) and the first thing I did when I got home was try them on w/ everything else I own* (well not everything, but MOST everything) and wrote down the combos (thought about taking pictures, but wasn't that ambitious). My list is taped to the closet door. Sounds anal and geeky, but makes your mornings much easier when you haven't a clue what to wear- you just look at your list and pick something, and there's no guessing or worrying about it because you already know that it will work.

*The other reason I tried on my new tops with everything is because I told myself in the dressing room that if they didn't work with at least 2 other things that I already had, I'd be returning them.
I kept them all.