May Budget

I came in under budget again you guys!!  I feel like I deserve a treat.  To be fair, I actually bought a lot of stuff this month, but ended up returning most of it (and the minty dress from last month, it didn't fit me quite right).  I also used some credits and gift cards.  I did also buy a few workout related things but I feel like those shouldn't count in the clothing budget since they were more "needs" than "wants."

LOFT Dress - originally $59.50, on sale $29.75
JCrew Factory Skirt - originally $75, on sale $59.50, additional 30% off $41.65, used gift card - $0
Kate Spade Watch - originally $195, on sale $154.99, additional 20% off $123.99, used credits - $99.00
Old Navy Tee - originally $22.99, on sale $17.99
Reebok Sneakers - $59.95
LOFT Skirt - originally $49.50, on sale $24.75

Not Pictured:
Target Dress - $24.99
Old Navy Belt - originally $14.99, on sale $9.99

Total Spent: $266.42
Total Saved: $136.50

For next month, I'm actually looking for more summery tees and tanks, which basically comes as a shock to me since I'm usually on the hunt for skirts and dresses.  I was looking through my closet though and realized that most of my summer tops are several years old and don't really match my style anymore.  I also may try to find another swimsuit since I have three trips planned in June and July.

Did you have a clothing budget for May?  How did you do?

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Playing Dress Up

Dress - c/o Chi Chi / Heels - Nine West / Belt - unknown

Sometimes it's fun to play a little dress up, like in this cute Chi Chi dress.  Watch out, weddings I'm going to this summer, this look may be coming your way soon.

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All Floral, All the Time

Jacket - Target (old) / Tank - F21 (really old) / Jeans - Gap / Shoes - Reebok / Bracelet - LC Lauren Conrad (old, similar) / Necklace - gifted (similar)

I bought this blazer last spring but actually had a hard time finding different ways to wear it, so it mostly just sat in my closet looking sad.  This spring though it has been all over the place (like when I wore it to work here).  For some reason all of the sudden I've been wanting to wear blazers all the time, despite the fact that I ignored Stacy and Clinton for years.  They just help to pull together casual outfits, or finish off my work looks.  I wore this particular outfit out to lunch with my mom and aunt, and then to run around the city a couple of weekends ago (hence the comfy sneaks). It was supposed to be in the 60's, but ended up being almost 80 that day, which was unfortunate because I maybe had a weird bra situation going on under that jacket and couldn't take it off to cool down.

What about you?  Are you a blazer fan?

P.S. Don't forget to enter the Hanes #Sunkissed giveaway!

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This weekend...

This weekend I...

...Played a little tennis with Jeff's family in my tennis whites.  They're basically all pros, so I maybe need to do some practicing before we play again...
...Went to the mall with a couple of my friends, and realized that I haven't actually been to a mall with friends in basically forever.  I do almost all of my shopping online or run and grab stuff during my lunch break, I forgot how much fun it can be.
...Hit up our favorite neighborhood pizza place for dinner.  I may have already quoted this on this blog, but sausage, onion and pepper, scientifically proven to be the best toppings.
...Went to another bridal shower that had some super adorable (and yummy!) favors.
...Continued my return to run program down by the lake, and *almost* convinced Jeff to go running with me, which is in and of itself a major accomplishment.
...Went out with a couple of friends for the Blackhawks game, but don't worry, I barely watched.  I did, however, discover a new love for shuffleboard.
...Accidentally ordered the biggest of the beers, which seemed like a great idea before it came out and I realized just how many 32 ounces are.
...Went to a barbecue (because that's basically required for Memorial Day, right?) at my grandma's house out in the burbs.
...Didn't buy anything in the Memorial Day sales!  Well, except for a pair of running shoes, which I feel like don't really count.

I hope you had a good one!

P.S. Remember to enter the Hanes #Sunkissed giveaway!

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Signing Off

Image via Flickr

With this weekend comes the unofficial start of summer.  I'm dreaming of barbecues, beaches, and long, lazy days.  I'm looking forward to enjoying a long, lazy weekend filled with friends, sunshine, and lots of relaxing.  I'm actually going to give myself a blogger day off for Memorial Day, so I'll see you all again on Tuesday! 

P.S. Don't forget to enter the Hanes Sunkissed giveaway!

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Bridal Shower Guest with Hanes Hosiery & A Giveaway!

This post is sponsored by Hanes Hosiery.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Dress and Sweater - LOFT / Belt - Old Navy (old, similar) / Heels - Steve Madden (old, similar) / Bracelet - BaubleBar (similar) / Necklace - Bip & Bop / Tights - c/o Hanes Hosiery

I mentioned on Monday that I went to my friend's bridal shower over the weekend.  This was actually the first time I've been to a friend's bridal shower rather than a family member, it was really fun to celebrate with my friends.  I actually have another shower coming up this weekend, wedding season is now in full swing!

Since it was the first shower for one of our friends, my girls and I were all texting the week before about what we were planning on wearing.  We decided on "cute dressy spring," but unfortunately the weather didn't quite cooperate.  I was really glad to be able to pull out Hanes Hosiery's Silk Reflections Sunkissed Ultra Sheer Tight to keep me warm in the chilly temperatures, as well as make my legs look, well, not quite so white.  I haven't worn hose since I was about 14 years old, and back in the day they were super obvious - they never quite matched your skin tone and were always way too shiny.  Not these!  My legs looked flawless with a hint of color, and super super natural.

Lucky for you, Hanes is giving away two pairs of their Silk Reflections Sunkissed Ultra Sheer Tights - enter through the widget below!  The giveaway will be open until Thursday, May 29th at 11:59 pm CST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Daydreaming - The Honeymoon

Lately I've found myself daydreaming about our honeymoon - it's still a year away, but I'm guessing that time is going to fly by.  Originally Jeff and I were talking about doing something really relaxing and going to Hawaii or the Caribbean.  But then we were talking about it more, and thought that we might be missing an opportunity to take another big trip.  After all, when else will our employers be so generous with giving us time off, and when else will we have the means and lack of obligations to really go away?  The trip we took to Spain and Morocco last year was the first time I'd been outside of North America, and  now I'm really getting the itch to see some more of the world.  Here are some of my top picks:

South Africa - I'm not sure if I mentioned it on here, but before we were originally supposed to go to Zimbabwe and South Africa last fall instead of Spain and Morocco.  Our trip was amazing, but I'm still dying to go on safari and see the amazing scenery.  The vineyards around Cape Town don't sound too bad either :)

Italy and Croatia - Sure, Italy's on everyone's hot spot list.  I'm sure I don't have to tell you about the culture or the food or the sights.  But Croatia may not be on your radar - it has a stunning Mediterranean coastline said to rival Italy and Greece, and is much less touristy than other places in Europe.  Not to mention that I'm part Croatian and would love the chance to explore my roots.

Southeast Asia - This trip has been in talks since about 2009 when my brother first lived in South Korea.  He moved back there last summer with his new wifey, and this time I have to make it out to visit him.  While we're on basically the other side of the world, I'd also love to hit China and then head further south to check out the beaches in Vietnam and Thailand and maybe float down the Nam Song in Laos.

Where are you dreaming of visiting?  Are any of my top picks on your dream list?

Images via Flickr: South Africa / Croatia / Korea 

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Cream & Lavender

Sweater - Loft / Skirt - c/o Sammydress / Sandals - Sole Society (similar) / Necklace - c/o Anjolee / Ring - F21 (old) / Earrings - LC Lauren Conrad (old)

I'm clearly a big statement necklace fan, but recently, more often than not I find myself reaching for simple, delicate pieces.  This gorgeous one carat CZ necklace Anjolee sent me definitely fits the bill.  Anjolee lets you customize any of their jewelry, so you can get exactly what you want. I chose to get this on a longer chain, short necklaces can look weird on me because of my chest.  While this necklace is beautiful, a sparkly diamond tennis necklace sounds pretty good to me too :)

I'm dressing down the necklace here with this cute lavender sweater (last seen here), but I could also see wearing it for a fancy night out in my favorite LBD.  I haven't worn it since my friend's wedding two summers ago, but I'm hoping I'll have an occasion to pull it out soon - maybe an upcoming wedding this summer at the Adler Planetarium?  I went through all of my fancy dresses last week and had to get rid of a bunch because they're too big, but luckily this one still fits.

I hope you're having a good week so far - it's dragging a little for me but only because I know there's a three day weekend coming up!  I'm really excited for it since I haven't had any days off work since March.  Hopefully the weather cooperates!

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This Weekend...

This weekend I...

...Went to my girl Laura's bridal shower back in our hometown, which was a fun little reunion with my friends from high school.
...Subsequently spent the night at my parent's house so we could go out Saturday night.  Somehow the neighborhood bar we've hung out in before turned into a haven for biker dudes in full leather who are really good at karaoke.  I chose not to participate, figuring that "Since U Been Gone" wouldn't go down well with that crowd.
...Went to Polish and Pour for pedicures and wine with some of my girls.  It was about 45 degrees, so not really ideal pedicure weather, but now at least my toes will look great for the 70's we're supposed to have this week.
...Had dinner at Chicago Q, where the old guys sitting next to us hit on my friend and I using the same line (maybe he'd forgotten he already asked if one of us was a movie star?) and we sat across from Robert Irvine (and yes, he was wearing a tiny tee shirt).
...Started my return to run program (I've been going to physical therapy for the last six weeks) and walked/ran for 30 minutes without any issues!

I hope you had a good one!

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Current Pinsperations

Happy Friday!!  So it may be a duh moment (a la Meryl) but I've been pinning tons and tons of flowers lately - hello, it's spring!  I would fill my house top to bottom with flowers if they weren't so dang expensive.  Luckily, the farmer's markets started up in Chicago last week so there should be lots of pretty flowers in my future.

What have you been pinning lately?

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Shorts, People!

Tee - Loft (similar) / Blazer - NY&Co (super super old) / Shorts - Gap / Sandals - ShoeMint (old) / Bracelet - Baublebar (similar)

That's right, this past weekend it was actually warm enough for shorts!  I had to add a jacket for the evening, but it definitely still counts.  I was super excited to finally be able to wear my new boyfriend shorts, which may be the comfiest jean shorts I've owned since I was seven years old.  Actually, I'm not sure I owned a pair of jean shorts at seven, back in those days I was really into large print cotton shorts.  That came with matching large print tees.  What can I say, I was one stylin' '90s kid.

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Five Tips for the Best Second Day Hair

I've been a second day hair fan back since middle school.  That's not to say I always had "technically good" second day hair, just that I was often rocking it.  Lately though, I've been managing to get shiny, voluminous second day hair rather than second day hair that's just passable.  Note that my hair is naturally straight, and have what hairdressers describe as "a lot of thin hair."  Here are five of my tips to get the best possible second day hair:

1. Use dry shampoo the night before.  It allows the product to stop grease before it takes over, and helps you wake up with tons of volume.  I was using Suave for a long time, and well it worked and the price was right, I never liked the smell of it.  I recently switched to Batiste and have been loving it.

2. Don't rely on the ponytail.  My hair is usually greasiest along my hairline, so pulling my hair into a ponytail highlights the fact that I haven't washed it, and actually makes it look worse.  Instead, I may pull back my bangs, but leave the rest of my hair down.  The only exception to this is if I was wearing my hair up the day before.  Then my hairline seems to magically stay clean.

3. Use products when you do your hair the day before.  Sometimes I'm really lazy and just comb my hair and let it air dry.  While it looks fine on day one, it never translates into day two.  I've found that using products on day one, like Redken Guts 10, help my hair stay voluminous and keep the greasies away for day two.

4. Don't fight your day one style. If you wore your hair up, put it up again.  If you pulled back your bangs, you can try braiding them or twisting them, but don't try to wear them down.  If you curled your hair, don't try to straighten it.  My hair always looks better if I try to mimic the style I had the day before rather than fighting with it.  The one exception here would be curling your hair if you previously wore it straight, this definitely works.

5. Rinse, don't wash.  If you've been really pushing yourself at the gym, second day hair can sound kind of gross.  Sure, there's dry shampoo, but that can't make your hair less sweaty.  Whenever this happens to me, I go ahead and get my hair wet in the shower, but instead of using shampoo I just massage my scalp with my fingertips, like I'm washing my hair.  This helps to rinse away any sweat that's hanging around and can help with any grease, but won't dry out your hair.  I'll use a little conditioner after this, but I just put it on the ends of my hair to stop it from getting weighed down.

Are you a second-day girl?  Do you have any more tips for getting great second day hair?

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Lavender & Denim

Shirt - Gap (similar) / Jacket - Elle (old, similar) / Jeans and Necklace (similar) - Old Navy / Sneakers - Reebok / Watch - Michael Kors (old, similar)

This lavender striped shirt has been my go-to piece the past couple of months, maybe because it's the thing that feels "springiest" in my closet.  Here I dressed it down with double denim and some sneakers, but I've also worn it dressed up and for a day at the beach.  I swear I also wear it with things other than white pants/shorts.  You know, just occasionally.  

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