Week 2 :: Work and Week 5 :: Insanity

Hooray! This week is my second week at work and my fourth week of Insanity.

I'm looking forward to getting into the gnitty gritty more at work, I'm a little tired of the training.

As for Insanity, my back is feeling a little better, and after a rough weekend of not eating so well, I'm ready to jump back on board. I'll be sure to report back with how it goes.

Moving on, can you believe it's July 19?!

Okay.

Don't be mad at me when I say this.

...I'm kind of ready for fall.

I KNOW!

No she di-in't! Yes she did.

It's horrible, but the heat is becoming ridiculous on the electric bill and it's cramping my style since I'm sweating by the time I get to work. Gross, I know, but my commute via the L is not a cool one.

You're not ready for some layering? A nice breeze with a cute scarf on? Not sweating?

Something like this?


or this?


Maybe I'm jumping the gun...maybe I just really want to wear my boots...

Happy Monday!

I Totally Survived.

So the first day at work went great and I definitely think I'm going to be comfortable wearing my business casual pieces.

ThanksbetoGod.

Onto more fun things, yes?

Let's talk about Benefit Cosmetics. As I mentioned earlier, I was at Benefit Cosmetics Saturday evening with some girlfriends where we had a great time drinking champagne, eating yummy snacks and getting dolled up together.

Yes, we had a great time, but I ended up spending too much money.

I blame the champagne.

Luckily, I love my purchases. Again, thanksbetoGod.

Let's review.

BADgal Plum Mascara. Love this. I was actually very intimidated by a mascara that wasn't a black or brown. My routine is basically a bit of eye liner, black or brown mascara and a classic shadow technique. Today, I wore only this mascara with no liner (something I never ever do) and the creaseless eyeshadow (shown below) and I loved it.

the POREfessional. This is a pore minimizer and I have no idea how it works, but it does. I must say I really dig it and it makes the pores on my nose almost invisible.

creaseless cream eyeshadow. I don't have a lot to say about with this shadow, but I do love it. It IS creaseless and stays put after a long day.


posietint. This is the best product I purchased. I am always searching for a great lip and cheek color and this product serves both needs perfectly. It's the perfect pop of pink on my pale skin!

Onto work day numero dos! Happy Tuesday!

Weekend Recap + A New Chapter

Well, well, well.

That week off went by too fast! Let's see how I did with my list of to-do Fancies...

-Painted closet, CHECK!

-Organized top of closet, CHECK!

-Painted TBF's desk white, no-go. Silly me forgot that no spray paint is sold in the city.

-Paint a stool for vanity, no-go. I think I became burnt out with painting in general after I
painted so much.

-Paint large wall in studio, CHECK! (extra impulse project).

-Cleaned apartment, CHECK!

and some extras..

-Said farewell to a girlfriend who left for Europe for a couple of weeks with her mother and sisters (lucky!).

-Kept up with Insanity (which is going very well, so well in fact that some girlfriends who I hadn't seen in awhile were full of flattering compliments on Saturday evening. It was lovely, definitely a motivator to keep up the hard work!).

-Explored Andersonville's furniture stores. They are all gorgeous and my favorite was White Attic.


The owner has my dream job where he refinishes all the furniture. Oh, and there's a lamp bar!

-Was dolled up at a Benefit cosmetics party on Saturday evening with some lovely ladies. I spent far too much money but I'm loving all of my purchases. I got a free brow wax, too, which I haven't had done in years, and I think I'm going to start doing it again. They are so clean and pretty!

All in all, not bad with the project and activity total!

Now it's time to get down to business because my first day of work at a new company is today. It's going to be a long week of training, but I'm ready to begin this new chapter in my life.

Here's the deal though, this company's apparel preference is extremely casual.

Now, this could be awesome, but right now I think it's a little odd.

I could probably wear shorts if I wanted to, but right now I can't fathom the idea of it since I am used to business casual/professional daily. Plus, as I've mentioned before, when I looked the part, and acted the part with a bit more confidence.

So, it'll be a bit of a change going from something like this...


to this...

Has anyone else been in this situation? I know it's minor, but I'd still love to hear about it!

Happy Monday everyone.

Ahh, One More Day.

So here I am. Tomorrow is my last day of my first job right out of college. Naturally, I'm reflecting on the past year. Let's reflect and think of some takeaways together, shall we?

Here are some takeaways I'll use in the future:

Dress for the job you want, not the job you have. I know you've heard this before, but it's so true. I always strived to look nice and wear dress pants or nice skirts to work even when my fellow team members would be regularly sporting jeans. Yes, my office is business casual, but when I looked around, the higher ups were the one's looking nice.

I'm definitely not saying run to your local J.Crew, just using this as an example :)

When I would look nice, not only was I more confident, but I was also taken more seriously. I'm young, so that could be working against me.

On another note, I'd like to mention that ensuring your clothes fit property should be a huge priority. For example, it's an intern's first day here at my company, and from the top up, she's looking great in her button down, but from the bottom down, she's wearing a grey pair of slacks that look similar to this...

except tighter on her bootay.

Now, there was a day when I thought that because the models can work it in their tight "professional" pants, I could too. Negative. Personally, I don't think they come across as professional as a more loose, better-fitting pair.

Those models aren't working in a professional environment. Their goal is to sell the pants, which they do well because it's displayed in a sexy manner. This doesn't mean we should wear it that way, too. Do you get my drift?

I digress.

Next up!

via

Be nice to everyone. Yes, everyone. Although I'm not mean per se to anyone, I'm just constantly in my own world. This could mean I have a spaced out look on my face or potentially a confused look. Either way, try to look pleasant, have your arms uncrossed and be open to conversation. You never know when you may have to team up with this person for a project. First impressions are important.

via

Say "yes" to almost every project thrown your way. I know this sounds annoying and somewhat scary, but think of it as a challenge and knowledge you'll use later on. Not only does it make you look like a go-getter (which every boss thinks is awesome), but it sets you up nicely for potential success. The more you're willing to help, the more great opportunities will come your way.

That's all for now, and I'm sure I learned more, but those are my key takeaways.

Am I forgetting any? Please share!

Ahhh, Happy Thursday everyone :)

Psst, I'm realy excited to share my fancies tomorrow!

"What To Wear To Work"

...MY TOOTIE!

I received this email...



and when I clicked through I found these are the dresses they expect us to wear to work... Really? Would you wear these items to work?




The weekend maybe (because helloooo, they're super cute) but work?! Heeeeell no. A cardigan and pearls can't distract from that short hemline. Am I right or am I right?!!

Freck out!

Happy Hump day!

PS - Tootie = booty. TBF's little nieces used to run around (they're 3) with their "tootie's" out when they were potty training, so their mom would say stop running around with your tootie out! So cute. So it stuck, butts = tooties :)

I Find It Difficult To Concentrate At Work When...

I open this email at work.

So naturally I need to continue looking..

and looking..

and loooooking...

then I go here and see this..

and this...

Do you see what you do to me J.Crew?

Unproductive.

I become unproductive.

Much love,

**I wanted to follow up about yesterday's baby shower post. I'm so glad many of you agreed that TBF bringing the daddy-to-be a gift is a great idea. It's a very laid back couples shower in the evening, so I'm not sure if they'll even open the gifts in front of everyone. If they do, I may say it's from me and then tell them later that it's from TBF. Thanks again!!**

Weekend Recap + The Limited

My weekend was fantastic! It was full of relaxing and prepping for my business trip to Santa Barbara. Holy toledo I still can't believe I'm going!

We spent a couple hours on Sunday at an outdoor mall in the burbs. It was an absolutely perfect outside so being outdoors was wonderful. I had an extremely successful trip at The Limited. I walked in wanting a couple of items (to wear in SB for an extra boost of confidence :) ) and walked out of the dressing room wanting EVERYTHING I tried on!! First time for everything?! This is what I got...

The Limited, $89.50

The Limited, $29.50

The Limited, $34.50

The Limited, $49.50

I also was searching for a professional carry-on. I don't want to risk losing my professional wardrobe on the way to a convention! Well, let me tell you, it was difficult because there are so many to choose from and they're all so expensive!! Anyone have any preferences of luggage brands?? I'm going after work today so I want to be super prepared since I leave tomorrow!

I hope everyone had a nice weekend!!