Nail Files - Chanel Spring 2011 - Black Pearl

Holidays are over...and back to blogging....  Yes, took a little longer than I anticipated but more on that in a minute...

I finally got to the mall on Friday to do the round of Christmas returns and exchanges.  Yes, it took me *that* long.  More on that in a minute....

And I had seen the pics online, but as I rounded the corner at Nordstrom and passed by the Chanel counter I came to a dead stop.  Spring nail polish.  Black Pearl.  I know you've been waiting for me...  I'm not going through my ridiculous visit-it-each-week saga that I had with their Paradoxal.  So I bought it.  And the spring Jersey Rose Rouge Coco lipstick.  I needed the pick-me-up.  More on that in a minute... (are you getting this?)

Quick note on Jersey Rose - ok, maybe I was a little inspired by my newfound lust for Jersey Mike's subs (#2 & #5, where have you been all my life?  I'll take it Miek's way, no onions, with a glaze of mayo on the bread, mmmmmm).  It's a beautiful lip color for Spring - but really for any day - a very pretty light but warm pink.  

But onto the nail polish because that's I'm loving that even more....

How to describe it?  Black Pearl is a dark gray/green/black/teal metallic.  It's gorgeous.  I've said before that I'm not a fan of blue-ish greens and they don't work on me.  This one is dark enough that the slight teal tone doesn't faze me one bit.  But it is also very clearly *not* black, unlike some of my many dark polishes.  It is the exact color of my car, actually.  Maybe that's why I bonded with it so heavily.  I think this is a perfect color for now inwinter...but it will be great in spring to offset all the soft floaty colors & fabrics.  It will also just rock with navy, my personal fave for spring. 

And I must fish for compliments...isn't that a great manicure?  That's even without the morning shower cuticle scrub, which just isn't happening right now (more on that in less than a minute).  I'm going to pat myself on the back for this one.

And why?

Well...back to all that "more on that in a minute" stuff...I think it's a darned impressive mani, when my right hand looks like this:
 

That's right, friends...this is what we call a "short arm" cast.  This is what you get when you are 39 but think you're still 25 and can move heavy furniture down steps with your husband.  So when the huge & heavy entertainment center starts sliding down the stps at you and you actually don't want it to pin you to the wall, thumbs are secondary to the issue at hand.  ("at hand," ha!)  Don't judge me for the bad puns, right now I need all the entertainment I can get.

So...this is an evulsion fracture, where the ligament popped off the base of the thumb and took a nice little chunk of bone with it.  So, in a cast for 4 weeks and then a splint for 2 and then there's only a 5-10% chance I'll need surgery.  DC/MD-ers- if you need a hand surgeon, I've got a great one!

And yes, I did say "right hand" earlier- it's my right thumb and I'm right-handed.  I should also mention that this happened 3 days before Christmas and I hadn't done any wrapping yet. 

So life is interesting...and frustrating...and entertaining...and a pain in the butt...but always funny.  I really should YouTube the process of getting ready in the morning.  It's a hoot.  I will say the dry cast cover for the shower now ranks is my favorite invention ever. 

So yeah, I needed the pick me up of a pretty lippie, I'm not really able to do the morning-after-main cuticle scrub to clean up my sloppy work, it just took me a while to get to the mall (shoot, I'm still trying to figure out which sweaters fit over the cast), and I've been getting used to typing without use of my right thumb. 

But most of all - I did my own nails...holding the nail polish brush between my index & middle fingers (base + top coat, too, of course).  Then again...that's how I've been doing my mascara, eyebrow pencil, and eyeliner every day. And how I use the long sharp knives to cut.  And so on and so forth.

Not that I'm complaining too much.  It could be so much worse.  So we'll leave it at 'entertaining" for now.

Happy 2011 to all!

Field Trip Chic

Q:  How do you know it's been too long since you blogged? 
A:  Blogger asks you sign back in when you get into your Blogger Dashboard.  hahahaha.

I was doing so well and then work got INSANE because I had deadlines to meet before heading off to Disney for a week - we just got back yesterday.  (And I even had started this post a week before we left and never finished it) 

A couple Fridays ago, I went on a field trip with M's class to the Montgomery County Agricultural History Farm.  This is a field trip that could have been very ugly depending on the weather.  But the heavens smiled on us and we had a gorgeous, sunny, crisp fall day. 

What do you wear on a field trip?  Remember, you don't *have* to go into full slumpadinka mode.  But like the Boy Scouts, you do need to be prepated.

First of all, read the instructions.  (We're women, we're usually good at that.)  When the info sheet comes home and the first item says "dress for mud", you know to toss the ballet flats or flip flops in the back of the closet.  Then again...we were visitng a farm...not really sandal stuff, you know? 

So I started from the bottom up...with the good old LL Bean duck boots.  I couldn't even tell you how long I've had these...and they still work.  And then I had to giggle when a bunch of the parents were sitting around and I looked over to see another mom in duck boots. 

Jeans are the natural option.  Hey, if you want to feel good about your size, head on over to Target.  I just got these - Merona, fit #2, in straight - and I took a size 4.  How's that for the ego?  Now admittedly, I have shed some pounds over the past couple of months, but not that much.  Hey, we've all made that ooh-it's-a-smaller-size-and-it-fits purchase.  At least with jeans, you know you'll wear them - it's not a purple floral muumuu that will sit in the closet with its size 00 tag dangling dejectedly waiting to be worn. 

And given the recent weight loss, I have no idea where I'll end up, so I don't really want to spend much on replacement bottoms right now, so $24.99 jeans from Target worked out well.  It's nice to be able to wear pants that aren't falling down while you walk. 

Ok, the jeans and boots were kinda obvious. What to put on top?  Layers...always layers.  So, last JC cambridge cable turtle with a tee & cami layered underneath.  Then a puffer vest and cozy cashmere scarf.  To stay warm, zip up the vest and bundle up in the scarf.  To cool off, unzip vest, loosen scarf or stow in bag.  It was a perfect outfit for that day.

The field trip itself was a lot of fun.  And made me love M's teacher even more. Like when she, my friend Kim and I got in trouble with one of the volunteers for chatting at the back of one of the stations.  We were talking about our kids as students, and not gossiping, I swear.  Teacher was not really happy with the cranky lady. 

And then during another demonstration, a student turned her camera off and it made a very small noise.  The volunteer at the farm doing the demo pretty much freaked out - "what was that? who made that noise?"  After the students around the poor little girl with camera said "oh it's ----, she just turned off her camera," yet another crankly lady LOUDLY intoned "BOYS AND GIRLS COULD WE PLEASE TURN OFF ALL CELL PHONES AND ELECTRONIC DEVICES SO WE CAN PAY ATTENTION?".  Yes, she was that nuts.  These kids aren't allowed to have cell phones, duh.  So I really fell in love with M's teacher when she turned to me and whispered "Ok, I'll give you my cell phone number and then you can call me right now."  Love that!

Nail Files - Fall 2010 - Rescue Beauty Lounge

Final post (I think) on fave Fall polishes.  How many of you have tried Rescue Beauty Lounge?  I am a huge fan of Ji Baek - I love her book, Rescue Your Nails, it's a great how-to for home manis & pedis with other fun info included.

I don't have many RLB polishes - in fact, before this fall, I only had one.  But when I saw the Fall 2010 release, I had to jump.  Note - get on the email list if you like these, I was able to pre-order since I had gotten the email and had them in hand even before they were released to the public.  Not because I'm special or anything...just because I signed up for the email list.  And I will add that they don't inundate you with 5 emails a day - it's not even once a week, so you're not setting yourself up for spam-ville...unlike some other retailers...

Let's get to the polishes, shall we?  The RBL Fall collection was inspired by the Housewives of Tudor Englad. I got 2 - Anne & Jane.  And they retail for $18 each.  The Real Housewives of the Tudor Dynasty....how fun is that?

image above from Rescue Beauty Lounge

First up: Anne. Per the website: Rumored to be a sorceress, Henry's second wife lends her short-lived name to this bewitching olive green with a pink-gold metallic iridescence.  I'll admit - they had me at "olive green".  But the little teeny hot pink sparkles in this are just gorgeous - and very subtle - it's not overly flashy.  Hard to get a great picture - it's even better in person. Just a gorgeous, rich, saturated fall color.  If you've ever imagined a polish inspired by a rich brocade gown, this is it.  Yum. 

This will be one of my mainstays this fall, without question.  Application was flawless - very easy.  If you click on the link to go to RBL's website, they have links to some of the main polish bloggers' pictures, including my all time fave polish blog, All Lacquered Up.

And then we have Jane.  Or, as RBL says on their website: Ji’s latest favorite polish is named for Henry's favorite wife, a pale gray pearl with sheer washes of pink and gold.  I was pleasantly surprised at the application - it's nice and smooth.  Pale colors can often be streaky because of the way they are formulated.  I like the color.  A really nice neutral for year-round.  The pink and gold are *very* subtle - they just add a little richness to the color. 

And as you can see below, this is right in line with those gray-beige-taupe-smoky colors I like.  Jane, come meet your new friends....

Bottom line - Anne is a must-have for me and I'm thrilled with it.  Jane is a great neutral - so if you don't have something like it, go for it. 

And I think that's it on polish purchases for me for the fall.  My triumvirate for fall polish will be Essie Over the Top, Chanel Paradoxal, and RBL Anne.  Now it's time to clean out the nail polish bin...

Essential Piece: The Cashmere "Sweatshirt"

Still cashmere weather today.  And oh, I was loving my cozy bed last night.  Today was one of those days where I just wanted to be in a blanket all day.  But on days like that, I often find that just making the effort to get dressed in "real" clothes helps lift my energy level.  It's too easy to just sag down in the chair with the sweats on, you know?  So a perfect day for my cashmere "sweatshirt".

Before you start yelling, yes, I realize this isn't really a sweatshirt...thus my use of quotation marks above.  What I really mean is a nice cozy and oversized cashmere sweater to wear on these kinds of days.  You *want* to be in a sweatshirt, but you feel like you want to do just a bit more.  I think I do stand up a bit straighter than if I were in sweats.  Obviously, this isn't something you want to spend a ton of cash on since hey, it's functioning as a sweatshirt.  If you've lost a lot of weight, great, you're probably set.  If you want to find one, I suggest looking at the sales and buy up a size.  It's amazing how well this one works for me.

For you JCAs, you probably recognize a J Crew Cashmere Crewneck Tee when you see one (#28763, $145 - but we know these go on sale online ALL the time).  This is a size L, so it's a size up from the JC cashmere turtle I wore and posted on yesterday.  It's also from Fall 2008, so it's a year earlier, so who knows what that means size-wise.  I love this color - was it heather blade?  Such a gorgeous green, wish we'd see more of it.  I think I got this on sale plus discount = happy with what I paid. 

The key is to keep everything else trim, but comfy.  I added a pair of black Minnies (8T) because the slim bottom is important, a white crewneck perfect fit tee, some darling old Isaac Mizrahi for Target mocs (yes, they are that old and I will cry when they bite the dust), and a black ribbon pearl necklace - also from Target.  So I guess this is my J Crew/Target outfit?  Funny...the 2 stores I shop most often...huh...how about that...

So as the season wears on, keep an eye out for a cashmere "sweatshirt"...you'll love it.

Polyvore from today:

10/5/10 by HeidiGblog featuring stretch twill pants

C is for Cashmere....(and cashmere is for me....)

Yes, I have kids but I remember Cookie Monster's song from when I was little.  Well...as a grown-up...today it was "c is for cashmere".  Fall has officially arrived - with cold and rain.  Down to the 40's tonight.  Yeeps.  We actually turned the heat on tonight and I gave our bed its usual fall makeover, swapping out the percale sheets and thermal blanket for flannel sheets, fuzzy blanket and a down quilt on top.  Yum...can't wait to go to bed tonight.

It was definitely a day where I was thankful that I do work from home, as I was hanging out in a big cozy sweatshirt.  And then tonight, I had a PTA chair dinner to attend, so cashmere was the only way to go.   Out came last winter's dark slate cashmere turtleneck (yes, I was that chilly, size M btw) plus black Minnies (8T) and black Born Lovely flats, and a stack full of bracelets - crystal shapes, gold link, crystal supernova.  It gave a little sparkle to the outfit.  (Any sparkle will do. It's a great base outfit for pretty much any kind of accessorizing.) 

Then some gold hoops and a ponytail and I was good to go.  Anyone else read the Percy Jackson series?  Yes, I am a 38-year-old woman and I like to read some juvenile fiction.  I say it's just because of the kids...  Anyway, in the 3rd or 4th book, where the author starts talking about the "Party Ponies"?  Always makes me think of this hairdo.  It's my party pony (in other words, my hair's been down all day and I need to do something different with it).

To recap the evening - lots of fun catching up with friends.  And I stayed cozy the whole time.  Success!  I may have to pick up another one this season.  I'm digging that heather cobblestone and heather saddle color.  Sigh, I know, more neutrals.  Maybe I need to swing over to the warm honey.  We'll see.  But it's late and I'm itching to crawl into my cozy bed.  Good night!

Polyvore from this evening:

10/4/10 by HeidiGblog featuring crystal bracelets

Nail Files - Fall 2010 - Chanel Paradoxal...it's about time...

Wow...just wow...that's all I have to say about this color.  It's funny, I had been visiting Chanel Paradoxal at Nordstrom for about 2 months.  Every time I went by the Chanel counter, I'd stop at look at Paradoxal.  You see, I just wasn't sure I needed it, especially when I had Dior's Lemon Balm from last fall.  But a few weeks ago, after realizing that I was doing this *every* time I walked through Nordstrom (in my defense, the Chanel nail polish does face right out to the mail aisle to get to the rest of the mall), I finally sprang for it.  And couldn't wait to get home and put in on my nails.  I love it.   I do.  I love love love love it.  The next day, I called one of my fellow nail junkies to coo about Paradoxal...yes, it's that bad.  And she agreed about the gorgeousness because she borrowed it when we got pedis together a few days later.

Of late, I had stopped buying Chanel polish, because I wasn't loving anything enough to pay the price for it.  I thought Pariculiere was a fab color, but OPI's YDKJ was enough taupe for me.  And I wasn't feeling any of the summer colors.  And I finally realized that much as I like Blue Satin, OPI's Light My Sapphire is a better navy for me - less bright, more gray.  And I heard reports of chipping issues with Jade... And... And... And...  For me to spend that much on a polish it has to be pretty spectacular.

This one is.  To start, Chanel polishes usually show on the nail a bit different than in the bottle - most often, it's that there is less sparkle on the nail than in the bottle.  With Paradoxal, if I had known what it would look like on my nails, I would have gotten it sooner.  In the bottle there is a very bright purple iridescent quality to it.  But on the nail, the color morphs a bit darker, with subtle sheen in the sunlight. 

How would I describe the color?  Hmmmmm.  It's just a gorgeous bit of smoky violet-taupe mysterious goodness.  Application is fantastic.  Even without my fave OPI wide brush, it applies like a dream.  Not too thick, but not too thin.  2 coats really is all you need.  It's funny as I post this, because I just put it on my fingers again last night. 

Closest comparisons with my polish collection, with notes because, as I said, Paradoxal definitely presents as much deeper on the nail than in the bottle.

Sephora OPI Metro Chic:  Paradoxal is definitely deeper/darker.
OPI You Don't Know Jacques: Paradoxal is more purple, less brown/gray.
Dior Lemon Balm:  Paradoxal doesn't have as much shimmer - and it's deeper.

Bottom line - HIGHLY recommend this one, if you've been feeling the urge.  It's still available online at Chanel.com, and my local Nordstrom had several bottles left in the case - so your local store may have it as well.

J Crew Caprese Tunic

Yes, totally late to the party on this one, sure.  J Crew Caprese Tunic (#26796, orig $35, curr $14.99).  Would have been nice if I'd been blogging on this one over the summer, eh?

There is some background to this purchase...or at least what I was looking for here.  I used to have, several years ago, a fantastic pale pink linen long-sleeve pop over tunic top from H&M.  It wasn't super long, just enough to cover the bum, and long enough so that shape of it was a flattering vertical rectangle instead of the super-unflattering-on-me horizontal rectangle.  I loved this top, lived in it during the spring and summer.  I loved the popver idea, that it didn't have the button placket running up the front.  Alas, after a few seasons, it was showing wear because hey, it was from H&M, and you don't go purchasing a piece you expect to last for 10 years there.  But I've been searching for a replacement for it ever since.  When J Crew had their chambray popovers, I was one of the first in line to grab one and try it on.  Sadly, it was just too boxy - too wide and not long enough. 

And then I started seeing pics of the Caprese Tunic.  First thing I noticed was the length - so I thought, hey, I wonder if I could make that work.  The second thing I noticed was the self-belt, so I thought, hey, I can chuck that really fast (since my plan was to wear it as a loose but straight tunic, not something belted and puffy).  Of course, this was over the summer, it's not so easy to get to the B&M to try on, and so it took me a few weeks before I got there to try it. 

The first thing I did was grab a S, since it looked a bit wide and I had no intention of wearing it belted.  And then I realized that the S was huge on me....so next I opted for an XS.  Yes, folks, an XS....  Ok sure, it's sleeveless and I don't have to worry about the shoulders, but still...5'10" and size 8 in pants here...the XS was exactly perfect for how I wanted to wear it.  (No wonder there are only M's & L's left online.)  Bottom line - this sucker runs HUGE. 

So thanks, Jenna & company, I'm sure this isn't how you thought of it, but it worked out exactly how I wanted it to.

Now that I have semi-replaced my lovely pink linen popover...the next question is how to wear it.  Well, since it was summer when I got it "with white jeans" was the easy obvious answer.  See first pic above - with my Kut from the Kloth white slim jeans from Nordstroms - one of my best buys over the summer - indispensable. 

That is one of those outfits (chambray top + white jeans) that works with pretty much any set of accessories you want to throw at it - metallic, bright, pastel, neutral, you name it.  That day (I think the kiddies & I met Dina & her kiddies to lunch & shop  a bit), I chose heeled sandals and a chunky bracelet.

Next outfit (middle pic), I went with black Minnies (Tall, size 8), and a gray cami.  For chillier weather, I could have easily added a cardi.  I'm pretty sure it was hot that day, so in the chambray top and black ankle pants, I felt cool and seasonally appropriate.  I was headed into school for a meeting and wanted to look nice, but be comfy (then again, that's my usual dressing mantra, right?)

And then let's get to today's outfit, shall we?  It's pretty yucky outside.  We've got the remanants of TS Nicole blowing through.  We've already gotten 3 inches of rain or so, with more to come. 

But am I complaining?  No, and here's why:

1 - it's not too chilly, so the rain doesn't feel to cold (don't you hate those days that are 38 degrees and rainy?  ugh!!!)

2 - With all the rain coming down, the stinkbugs aren't flying.   Are you getting hit with those, too????  They were divebombing us at soccer games this past weekend.

3 - I don't have to commute 99% of the time, so I'll just shut up now.
4 - I have cute pink rain boots for the grocery store runs.

Back to today's outfit.  I guess the rain gave me the blues, though, because um yeah, that's pretty much all I'm wearing.  Darker slim Chico's jeans, a navy cami, and a navy Jackie on top.  I think I actually might like this a bit better if the jeans were a touch darker, but still I liked how it worked...even though I have since abandoned the flats for a pair of cozy socks. 

And I think it shows the flexibility of this top - perfect for some of these fall days where it starts out chilly and then gets warm.  I doubt I'll still have it out in December, but I think it will be in regular rotation for the next couple of months, and then tucked away until spring.
Now my question is - if you have the Caprese, how are you wearing it?  I'd love to hear....
Polyvore from today:

9/30/10 by HeidiGblog featuring yellow gold earrings

Putting on the Parisian with J Crew

Ok, I'm not taking credit for the theme here...I'm going with Parisian because as I was leaving the bus stop this morning, walking Lucy, one of my friends was driving by and hollered out her window "You look so French today!"  Well, I'll take that as a big huge compliment...and wear this outfit again.

And here's the thing...in part, I was thinking of all my fellow JCA's as I got dressed this morning.  I know a lot of uber-JCA's got the shaft regarding the Mickey card.  I did get my 25% white card...and I am completely flummoxed as to how I got it when so many deserving others didn't.  As I said on Rats On Parade's blog, I hardly even shopped this summer - because the kiddies are home, so not so much mommy-out time.  Who knows...

So today's outfit was a few J Crew classics.  Ok, both purchased in the past year, but they've already become classics to me, and will continue to be so.  The vintage bateau top in dark pewter (#24484, $39.50) - still for sale on the website and in store.  (This is an M, btw.) My store had it in a gorgeous bright orange, but not in my size.  They also had a dark olive green, which I purchased, but then returned because it is just so similar to the dark pewter..  I am still considering ordering the orange one..  I still just adore this top.  I'm curious to see how much I end up wearing this when it really turns to sweater weather.  But even if I'm not wearing it as much mid-winter, I'll be wearing it plenty now.  Of course, the most recent Jenna's picks suggests using a striped sailor tee as your base layer, just like a cami.  Hmmm, I think I'll stick with some of my tanks.  But striped tees almost always send me mentally to Paris...or the French Riviera...

If you can see the tank peeking out, it's from the Loft - their Essential Tank.  I only see it on sale on the website, but if I recall correctly, the store was quite well stocked.  These have been one of my major finds from this summer.  They are usually $14 each, or 2/$20.  But I majorly stocked up when they were on sale for $6 (um, yeah, I got 8...but I think I'm pretty set for a looooong time now).  They are similar to the JC favorite tank, but the straps are a wee bit wider (good for hiding bra straps).  And the Loft tanks come in a wide array of colors - even for neutral-happy me.  Yes, I got white, navy, and black, but I got a yellow, orchid, several tan/taupe colors...lots of options.

The pants are, of course, the JC Minnies in Tall 8 (#24646, reg $79.50, curr on sale online for $69.50).  I think I need to wash and dry these because they are way loose in the midsection now.  Then again, I've lost a some weight recently, so maybe that's it.  In any case, they still worked, and a quick spin in the dryer will put them back where I need them to be.  As a reminder, the Tall Minnies have an inseam of 29" and I'm 5'10", so mentally adjust based on how long you want your pants to be.

To finish off...crystal? starburst? pendant necklace (can't remember the name), gold hoops, braided rope rose gold bracelet, and my comfy Naturalizer croc loafers.  Anything exciting today?  No...just work.  But I felt cute & comfy, so that's a good way to be.  So if you are on a JC shopping ban because Mickey snubbed you, enjoy those classics in your wardrobe - they still work!!

Polyvore from today:

9/29/10 by HeidiGblog featuring rose gold bracelets

Nail Files - Fall 2010 Polishes - OPI

Ahhh, I do love polish.  I have 3 of the OPI Switzerland collection to share with you.  Mixed reviews here.  I'll be honest - this one didn't thrill me like the 2 previous fall collections  - France & Spain.  I don't love the teal-y blues, they just aren't my thing.  Didn't go gaga over the reds/browns...or at least not yet.  But I did find a few to enjoy.

First:  Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous.  Have to get this out of the way - every time I think about the name, I picture Billy Crystal as Fernando on SNL with his "You look mahvelous" spiel.  Ok, I'm done (now it will be stuck in your head, not mine).  Back to the color - a sparkly dark pewter.  Honestly, I wasn't feeling this one so much when I put it on, but that was earlier in August when it was so devilishly hot that it was hard to even comprehend fall...let alone fall polish.  Looking at the picture now, it's really growing on me.  I'll have to pull that one out again soon.  It would be a fun party polish - and the darker pewter means it works with silver and gold, so it's way versatile.  And do I even need to say it?  Application was fantastic.  And remember, as with all sparkly polishes, those little bits of glitter mean that it stays on better.

Second: Cuckoo for this Color.  I've probably said it before, but at the risk of repeating, I'm just not a blue-green person.  I am really way more of a yellow-green person.  I don't get teals and turquoises when I shop for clothes - they just aren't great colors on me unless I have an uber-unhealthy tan.  And I'm just not drawn to them in general.  I go for the olives and such.  Not sure why I even got this one except that it was pretty and I was just in that state of mind.  Again, application is fantastic.  If you skew to the blue greens, go for it.  This was ok on me.  But it was GORGEOUS on E's toes, so I have a feeling she'll be the one sporting it this season.  I do also think it would be a great spring/summer pedi - very mermaid-ish, as well as cuckoo-ish. 

2 of my fellow DC JCA's come to mind immediately when I see this color - dinagideon & Summerilla - you both need this polish - Summerilla because she loves fun polish and it will look great on her; dinagideon because she doesn't do a lot of nail polish but this would be beyond amazing on her, too, and she is such a teal chick!

And finally: Glitzerland.  Ok, points along on the name, huh?  I'm still on the fence about this color.  I had it on last week when I wore my "you're so stylish it makes me sick" outfit and when I went to lunch, both friends commented on the polish and loved it - one of whom is a die-hard creme fan.  I think my issue was that by now, I am SO READY for the dark polishes, that I wasn't in the mood for a lighter one.  But as far as golds go, this one will work on a lot of people because it's not too yellow-gold, it's more tan-gold.  Way more versatile and skintone friendly for more people.  A great party or holiday polish.  I'll probably take this one up again when I get bored with darks in a few months (usually hits me in January - I don't crave sunlight, I crave pale polish.  Weird, I know).  Again, great application.  Can't argue with that - it's why OPI is my default polish. 

So that's my summary of my 3 faves from the OPI Switzerland Collection.  Some nice options for over the season.  I think Cuckoo will be a hit, but for my daughter, not for me. 

What are my fave fall polishes so far?  Stay tuned...I'll try to churn those out this week. 

Summer Dress Round Up with Their Funny Stories

So it's Fall.  And our first couple of days were pretty darn warm.  So it was a good chance to look back at a few summer dresses and get in 1 or 2 more wearings.  I'm still working on the transition-summer-dress-into-fall thing.  Then again...I just love Fall clothes, so I'm usually ready to dive headfirst into Fall, and just say sayonara to the summer togs.

First up, since it's actually still available, is the J Crew Ruffled Jersey Dress (#29816, curr on sale for $59.99).  I did get a PS discount on this from FP, and I'm ok with that because I've already worn it twice in the three weeks since purchasing.  I took an M.  Plenty of room.  Love the fit on this.  It works great with a black bra - the straps blend right in.  It's not as low cut as the shirred v-neck dress from the spring was (this one doesn't show off a tan line, like the other one did).  I love the length - it works with the dress.  One note is that there is no hem - it's a raw edge.  But I haven't had any problems with that so far.  The weight of the knit is great - not too heavy, not too light.  And by the way - yes, my dress is black - they had lots in black in the store.  I only see the heather carbon or shadow online but trust me, it's black.  AppGal tried it on here.  (if soemone else did and I left you out, please holler.)

In the second pic, I'm wearing it with the Old Navy Cinched Front-Zip Jacket that appears to no longer be on their website.  I have to thank Gigi for guiding me to this as a great alternative to the JC downtown field jacket - she had a great pic when ON was doing their 30%, so I went ahead and ordered.  What I LOVE about the jacket is that I was able to get it in a Large Tall.  Large so that I have enough shoulder room...and can put heavier sweaters underneath (thank you, ON for the online reviews - always helpful), and Tall so that it's long enough in the sleeves.  Note in the name "cinched" - it comes in at the waist, so it avoids the all-too-common utter lack of shape that many field-type jackets have.  I will be wearing this jacket tons in the fall.

Funny story for this dress:  I was wearing this outfit again Friday night when hubby said to me as we were heading out the door to dinner "You're so stylish it makes me sick...but I don't mean that in a bad way."  Ah men...gotta love them.  What do you do?  I smiled serenely and sailed out the door.  Clearly it wasn't a rehearsed comment.  I've got to give him credit for noticing...and realizing it was stylish?  Then again, I also had a friend holler out her window to me at how nice I looked picking up dog poop.  I guess it was a winner all the way around.  And yes, I do clean up after my pooch when I walk her - if you have one, I hope you do the same.

Polyvore:

9/24/10 by HeidiGblog featuring ray ban sunglasses

Next up...the AT Loft Medallion Shift.  I loved this dress when I first saw it.  It's interesting because it's a yellow/tan print dress, like the famed LoL sateen sheath in the Dunclare print (which Dina has on here) - which I tried and immediately returned because the colors were just horrid with my skin tone.  As soon as I saw this at Loft I grabbed it...fortunately, I was shopping during a 40% off sale. 

I got an 8, and it had plenty of room. It's definitely not fitted - very flowy and breezy, but it shows of a lot of arm and leg to counter-balance the lack of shape. I love the linen fabric. Not see through, not stiff. The only downside, if I could come up with one would be that it really requires a strapless bra. But for this dress, it's worth it. 

And again, as I do with shorter skirts/dresses, flat sandals -these are from Target a few summers ago.  I wore them a ton this summer, and again, will be so sad when I have to replace them.  But they are insanely comfy and work with most of my summer wardrobe.  I found its perfect partner in last summer's JC linen vneck short sleeve cardigan.  They were made for each other.

Funny story on this dress:  A few weeks after I had purchased it, my mom and I were at Loft (30% off or something, probably) and I had pulled a few dresses into the dressing room to try on.  While I was doing that, my mom came back with this dress in hand and said: Did you see this one?  It just looks like you."  And I said: you're absolutely right, and that's why it's already hanging in my closet.  So clearly my mom knows my taste...one of the many reasons I love shopping with her.

Polyvore of Loft Medallion Shift Dress:

8/15/10 by HeidiGblog featuring flats shoes

And the final dress I have to share, which was in HEAVY rotation this summer is the Loft Empire Tank Dress with Twist Detail. Can't remember the specs on this, I know I got it as a % off, just not sure whether that was 30, 40, or whatever.  In any case, in terms of cost per wear, it may well be one of the cheapest items in my closet right now.

What's not to love on this one...  Great shade of gray.  Beautiful draping. Lovely empire waist.  I took an M in the dress, and it fit perfectly.  The fabric is mostly synthetic, if I recall, but it still breathes.  This was a hot, steamy day staple in my wardrobe this summer.  Wore it tons.

Funny story on this dress: When I tried it on, I was asking the SA about the feasability of wearing my usual summer sports bra/cami underneath so that I didn't have to wear a real bra with it.  She, of course, was going on and on about how I could dress it up with heels, necklaces, etc. 9 a bit like at left here)  and I was just like:  um, I have plenty of that stuff, I really just want a cute knit dress I can throw on with a sports bra on a hot day and head out the door.  And that's exactly what I did with it...over and over and over again.

Polyvore of Empire Tank Dress:

7/15/10 by HeidiGblog featuring ray ban shades

I may have a post or two more on summer left, but I'll be switching to fall really soon, I swear.