Holiday Shopping Attire + A Giveaway!

A little about what I wore for a day of holiday shopping:

Pants: I was in search forever for the perfect pair of black jeans and scored these Not Your Daughter's Jeans for $18 at a local consignment shop, Frilly Frocks in Leesburg. #score

Jacket: I love the deep maroon color of this jacket from The Coffee Shop and all the cute details like the toggle clasps and plaid interior. Check out their website and follow their social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest) for cold weather style inspiration!

Cardigan: This is one of my favorite items for winter. It’s such a cute and cozy piece. Free People is like, the master of cozy. Snagged this one at their Bethesda location.

The bag: This SOLSAK bag is quickly becoming my go-to bag. Not only is it completely adorable and versatile, but it has a secret compartment to stash your heels or flats for convenient commutes. I zipped up the handles here and used it as an oversized clutch for an afternoon of Christmas shopping. There’s one day left to win this bag!

This tank: Literally the softest thing I own. Yes, it was kind of expensive (around $50) but Iately, I’ve been all about luxe basics, especially from Anthom. It's not online yet, but you can pick one up at their Mosaic District location. 

The scarf: Twice as Warm, a DC-based warm accessories company, is one of my favorites - they are basically the TOMS for scarves and hats. For every piece you buy, they donate a warm item to someone in need within the DC area. I bought a few awesome pieces as Christmas gifts this year!

Jacket, The Coffee Shop c/o. Pants, Not Your Daughter’s Jeans. Boyfriend cardigan, Free People Bethesda c/o. Tank, Anthom. Scarf, Twice as Warm c/o. Boots, Luxury Rebel. Bag, SOLSAK c/o (win one here!) Ring, Elaine B Jewelry.

Cozy Holiday

This is the year of comfy. Never before have I seen so many oversized sweaters, adorable jackets and chunky knit scarves all around me. People in the DC area have experienced a cold like no other in years past and they’re not letting it happen again.

As the time for holiday parties has come around, I’ve been looking for versatile pieces that are cute and cozy to celebrate in. Something that’s warm but also impossibly chic at the same time, you know? Like I want to have my cake and eat it too (#sorrynotsorry!) Luckily, Piperlime is on the same page. This Soft Joie cardigan is literally the piece of my dreams. It’s soft but also totally adorable. I've worn this about, oh, 12,399, 234 times since it arrived in the mail. 

I also love wearing velvet for the holidays. I think this black Daniel Rainn tank top would have also been adorable with a pair of oxblood or dark green velvet pants…but since I don’t have either, I threw it over a grey silk shift dress to give the whole look some texture. And since I’ve been into keeping my toes warm, I was only semi-reluctant slipping out of my ugg slippers into these boots when I left the house. 

What are your favorite holiday styles? Are you going for cozy looks like me?! Stay tuned for more pretty holiday looks this week!

Save 25% off this sweater and tank on 12/16 with code: SHOP25 over on Piperlime.com!

On Julien: Soft Joie cardigan (on sale!) and Daniel Rainn Velvet Burnout Top c/o Piperlime (use code SHOP25 on 12/16 for 25% off!) Shift dress worn as skirt, J.CREW (old.) Boots, Luxury Rebel. Tights, c/o Hanes Hosiery. Necklace and earrings, c/o Rachelle Celine. Bag, Coach (old.) Ring, Elaine B Jewelry.

Special thanks to my sweet hubby for being such a great photographer braving the cold to shoot my photos. I'm eternally grateful for his support, patience and mad photo skills. Love you, honey! 

My Hair Cuttery Look

Most days my hair is spent swept up in a quick pony or thrown up into a sock bun (my fave) but to be honest, I just don’t want to deal with the huge mess it’s become. And maybe it’s the winter blues, but I’ve been feeling so UGH about my hair lately anyway. So when Hair Cuttery reached out offered to pamper me for a blow dry and style before a girls shopping day at Mosaic District, I literally couldn’t google their locations fast enough. With one only 3 minutes from our new place (SCORE) I happily obliged and set up the appointment. 

To be honest, I didn’t even know Hair Cuttery did blowouts…I figured they probably did styling for events, like updos, but when I found out they could give me some beachy waves, I was in.

I just want you to take a good look at the before. Look at that face. That is the face of an messy-haired girl who desperately needs a bit of help. And look at the HAIR (#iliterallywokeuplikethis) - it’s so long and awful looking. I don’t typically check it out from the back so it was kind of a shock. Could anyone make that mess look any better? I could only hope.

Luckily, Katelyn (from the Purcellville location) knew what she was doing…and she was able to give me some tips along the way! Basically, she used a 1.5 inch curler then brushed through with her fingers afterwards to create that romantic wave. She recommended I grab the It's a 10 Miracle Leave in Product spray for my tangly mane and I am officially obsessed. It makes my hair super soft. 

When she finished my ‘do, I was literally amazed. I shouldn’t have acted so surprised but I had totally forgotten my hair could look this good! Hair in my latest posts have been haphazardly curled or maybe not done at all and I was literally floored. AND she didn’t even mention the thousands of split ends I have. Bless her.

I thought $40 for a shampoo/blowdry/curl was reasonable given that other blow dry salons charge the same. And having it be so convenient to me was definitely a plus. I’ll be back for sure! To find the location nearest you, check out their website.

* Disclosure: I have received compensation and a free salon service from Hair Cuttery. All opinions shared are my own.

Mom’s Faux Fur Vest

Ah, holiday shopping…tis the season where we get all bundled up to go outside for 20 seconds as we hurry to our cars, take off all our layers as the heat cranks up, then bundle up AGAIN as we head into our shopping destinations…only to take off all those layers AGAIN once you get inside! Sheesh! 

Luckily, I grabbed this faux fur vest from my mom’s closet before one such shopping excursion. It was warm enough to keep me cozy while scurrying between my favorite Georgetown shops but not too hot that I felt like I was overheating at the entrance of every store. I threw it over one of my favorite blouses from Bethesda Free People (last seen here) - I love that you it doesn’t cover up the gorgeous lace details!

Shout out to my mom who let me raid her closet again. She is the absolute best! #momsrule

On Julien: Faux fur vest, borrowed. Blouse and bralette, c/o Free People Bethesda. Jeans, Lucky Brand. Knot, pave and triangle rings c/o Hanuel. Necklace, Hanuel. Hat, Saks Off Fifth (similar.) Boots, Impo Ochoa via DSW.

Comfort Zones

I stared at my closet Sunday night, around 11:30 PM (wayyy past my bedtime) and realized I had a major problem. I had nothing to wear. Of course, I had some things I could wear…but the next day, I would be attending the Rent the Runway grand opening party that, oh, just Christian Siriano was also attending, and I had to be on my fashion A-game. That meant NO PLAYING IT SAFE.

I’m a safe dresser. I’m learning to color outside the lines, but for the most part, I play it safe. Someday, I’ll reach to daring heights like my uber fashionable gal pal Krystin Hargrove. But to be honest, I just really like dressing well and blending in.

But that Monday was no occasion for blending in. This was my chance to do something DIFFERENT, fun, daring, bold. While I doubt others would say this outfit is daring, it was certainly out of my comfort zone. But guess what? I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT. Have I worked out in the last few months? No. Did I suck it in for my photo with Christian? OF COURSE I DID. But did I forget in most of the photos below? Yes, yes I did. And that’s ok! Reaching outside your comfort zones is part of evolving your style. Have I tried things I’ve hated? Yes, and you’ll probably never see those shoots ever. But it’s the process of learning what you love that counts…

What do you think? How do you go outside your comfort zones?

On Julien: Crop top and blazer, Anthom. Pants, Intermix. Bag, Pink Cosmo c/o (on sale!) Rings, Love Juliet c/o. Earrings, Sarah Cecilia via Stylecable c/o. Bracelets, Nordstrom (old.) Sunnies, Kate Spade (similar.)