How to Dress Professionally without a Suit Jacket

As I prepare for the real world after graduation, I have had to find outfits appropriate for interviews.  Since I don't own a suit yet, I don't have a suit jacket.  So, I wanted to put together some outfits that still look professional without a jacket.

10 Key Pieces:

1. Black cardigan

2. White sleeveless poplin dress shirt

3. Well fitted black dress pants

4.  Mid-length or long sleeve shirts to tuck in to dress pants

5. Long capri dress pants

6. Pencil skirt

7.  Black and nude dress pumps

8.  Work dress with an appropriate shape

9.  Pearls and colorful earrings

10.  Fashionable and professional pair of black flats

White Shirt-BCBG sleeveless
Simple black cardigan
Pants-Express Editor Studio Stretch Wide band

Shirt-Forever 21
(Borrowed from my roomie, Emily!)
Pearls-BCBG
Dress Pants-Express

You don't need this many pearls, one or 2 strands would be great.

Wide Band Pants nice to tuck shirts in and super comfy!

A sheer top with a simple tank underneath
tucked in is easy and chic!

Top-BCBG
Pants-Long Navy Capris from Forever 21
Shoes-Nude pumps from BCBG

Earrings I got in Israel
Fun yet professional if worn with a
simple outfit like the one above

I call this my Jackie Kennedy dress! I <3 it.
A white dress might not always be appropriate in a
 workplace, but the shape of this dress works
well for a professional atmosphere.

How to Dress through Travel Woes!

Traveling out of the country is such an exciting experience!  The thrill of visiting areas you have only researched, trying foods you have never tasted before, and meeting new friends.  I had the opportunity to travel to Israel back in December and met my family there for the first time.  

The trip went well, but I had to get through some minor woes first....

#1-One of my bags did not reach my final destination to Israel (from the U.S.)  This bag had some clothes in it and ALL OF MY SHOES!! Ahhhh :O!  That meant I only had the pair I was wearing (brown pair of boots) for 2 weeks in the Middle East! 

#2-The electrical system is different there and on the second day my blow dryer blew.

#3-Along with my shoes, most of my makeup was in the lost luggage.  I only had 1 eye color, foundation, blush, and chapstick.

What did I do to solve these problems? 

#1-I went shopping over the first couple days and bought:  1 pair of black tights, a necklace, one pair of black wedged shoes, 2 dresses, and 1 expensive shirt!

      *Through my pictures you will see how I switched up my outfits as much as possible with the 2 pairs of shoes! 

#2-I would plan out my days by showering early enough to let my hair air dry and then either curl it or straighten it.  Some days, if my hair cooperated, I would let it stay air dried.

#3-For makeup, I bought-mascara, 1 eye color, and a mauve color lipgloss.  I switched up my makeup as much as I possibly could.  Every other day I would switch my eye color with the brown I had and the silvery purple I bought in Israel.

Here are some outfits I wore throughout the trip:

<---Dress-1 of the dresses I bought from a shop in Israel (the back had cute buttons all down it)
       Leggings-Forever 21

Christmas Day in Bethlehem!
Dress-BCBG
Shoes-Zara
Tights-Shop in Israel

Dress-Pitaya

Shoes-Zara

Earrings-Forever 21

Hair-Air Dry ;)

Shirt-From a shop in Israel

Jeans-Express

Shoes-Zara

<----- I had another purse packed that was brand new, across the shoulder from Fossil and it was in the lost luggage :( :( :(
However, I pushed through the woes and used my travel bag to its fullest!
                     Dress-Target
                     Boots-JcPennys
                     Leggings-Forever 21

         

This leather jacket was my best friend throughout the trip.  It is BCBG MaxAzria and I wore it everyday!  It was a chic layering piece and perfect for the 70 degree weather         -------------->


Leather Jacket-BCBG
Striped Tunic/Dress-BCBG
Brown Leggings-Forever 21
Thin Belt-Forever 21

<-----I continued to layer throughout the trip.  I would match accessories with the pops of color from my clothes.
          Flowy Cardigan-Charolette Russe
          Turquoise Necklace-Shop in Israel
          Jeans-Forever 21
          Boots-JcPennys

A little bit of lace

An outfit that can go from day to night. 
All you need is a simple shirt you can tuck in to  your skirt.  The skirt should have a little bit of a design to it.  This lace skirt is really nice because it adds a delicate flare, but can still be edgy if you use the right accessories!

Shirt and Skirt- Forever 21
Shoes- BCBG MaxAzria

To UGG or not to UGG?

To UGG or not to UGG?  That was the question for me the past 4 months.  I had always been the girl who didn't like the cookie cutter look of the UGGs and how so many women owned them.


However, around 4 months ago my friend dared me to try a pair on in an actual UGG store...so I did, and I did not want to take them off.  It literally feels like you are walking on pillows.  The key is the sheep fur inside the shoe.  Although I loved the fit, I couldn't yet justify spending $140-200 on a pair.


Yesterday, my friends and I went into a store that sold UGGs and I asked to try on a pair of the Classic Cardy Knits in the Moss color.  I personally love the knit look because it has a different feel.  I understand that these are not meant for winter, but honestly, neither are any of the UGGs because snow can ruin them.  Anyways, I fell in love again and had my friend scan the box to price match online with the iphone app she discovered called "ShopSavvy".  We discovered the same pair I was trying on for 74.96$ versus 140$ in the store.  


I checked out the company and called to verify the sold actual UGGs and they completely guarantee UGG brand.  Just to be safe, they do allow full returns within a year of purchase.  So my UGGs were purchased today and I can't wait to wear them in the Fall!


Here is the website I got mine at:  http://www.campmor.com/ugg-womens-classic-cardy-boot-5819.shtml?source=CI&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=19845MOS8M
They also have black, grey, picante, and stout.

My hair has been revived!!

So I am pretty much a baby about my hair.  
I have never really had anything done to it, it hasn't ever been dyed before!  
But, I wanted to give my hair a little more vavoom, so I decided on doing a gloss treatment.  
I was suggested to a wonderful hair stylist, Jessi, who did an amazing job!! She suggested that I put a "shot of color" in with the gloss treatment to make my hair look even better! I chose to go with a slightly lighter color, however, I could have chose a darker tint instead.
I was so happy with the outcome and it has also made my hair easier to manage.  Jessi also did an awesome job on cutting my hair!  I was having issues with my front layers, so she thinned them out and helped layer them better into my hair, as well as adding more layers to the back!


My friend, Adriana, also got her hair done by Jessi and it is FABULOUS!! 


If anyone needs their hair done, Jessi is your girl! She was willing to listen to exactly what you wanted and she is so professional, but also so friendly!


Check out the pictures.....


BEFORE:

AFTER:

Jessi Woods at Personal Image Salon & Day Spa 517-333-3234

Spring Make-up

I am loving the warm Spring weather!  All of the budding flowers and beautiful colors inspired me to do a green make-up look.

I took a light green eyeshadow and then blended a darker green on the outer corner of my lid.  If you like it and want me to do an instructional video on how to get this look, please comment!

Also, here is a picture of my new caboodle kit I got to fit all my makeup:

A Night Time Makeup Look

My friend Adriana has a birthday coming up, so we decided to do a trial run of her makeup for the actual night of her birthday party.  We were pleased with the outcome!  She was in her birthday outfit when we took the pictures, and since I can't ruin the suprise of her AMAZING outfit..I had to cut her clothes out of the pictures (but, yes, she is wearing clothes) lol. 

I will post a picture of her complete look on her birthday!

Comment :)

We had a lot of fun makeup to play with :)

Adriana with day time makeup