Ode to the Herringbone Vest

 

 

 

Herringbone, Herringbone I love you so

I waited and waited
And waited some mo'

You started at J. Crew
for the stylish, lucky few
We saw you on Pinterest
And instantly knew

You sold out quickly
And our hearts skipped a beat
Stalking Ebay and others
With sighs and defeat

J. Crew Factory picked you up
Hip Hip Hooray
But again, gone too soon
What the eff, gone in ONE day!

Others tried to copy you
Even a version at Coldwater Creek
For those of us not fast enough
We began to feel weak

When finally this summer
I spotted you online
Good 'ole factory came through again
This time you will be mine

I snatched you up so fast
Final Sale be damned
Click, Cart, Checkout
The most stylish mom in carpool land

I can just picture that popped up collar now
Red Starbucks cup in hand
With skinny jeans and tall, tall boots
Or those TB Revas in popular demand

But now the joke's on us
As we all show up alike
The curse of the herringbone vest
Just made it's final strike!

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Thanks to Ann Elliott and Pampers & Pearls for hosting the Mid Week Muse weekly linkup!

 

 

Beauty Product Hauls: Hits, Misses and Old Faithfuls

Over the last few months I've purchased a handful of items at Ulta, Sephora and the drugstore.  I also got motivated and cleaned out my makeup and beauty products drawers so I could re-discover all of the good stuff I already had!  I've stumbled upon lots of hits and just a few misses.

I also included my old faithful products that I use everyday no matter what look I'm going for.  I have fun playing with my eyes or {usually} lips keeping everything else the same day-to-day. 

Hits

Too Faced Natural Eye Neutral Eye Shadow Collection -If you like neutral shades, this is a must-have.  Great mix of matte and shimmer in a compact tin case.  Too Faced shadow stays on all day and goes on easy, blending well.  I prefer this shadow over my Naked Palettes (gasp)!

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Double Ended Eye Pencil - goes on easy, stays on all day even in the Houston heat and I love that there are 2 colors in one pencil! Great for travel.

Urban DecayAll Nighter Long Lasting-Makeup Setting Spray - I thought this was sort of gimicky and an unnecessary step in my makeup application, however I really think it works.  For the past 2 weeks, I've used this product off and on to see if it's really making a difference and it is.  Perfect for the Houston heat when normally your makeup sweats off your face in a hour!

NYX Cream Blush - I love this long-lasting cream blush on days that I'm not doing a full face of makeup, but don't want to scare small children.  There are a ton of colors to choose from, but I went with a brighter shade (Glow) to give me a flushed look.  If I'm running errands on the weekend I might just do this, concealer and mascara. 

Revlon Colorstay Moisure Stain (Barcelona Nights, Shanghai Sizzle, Cannes Crush) - LOVE this line.  I want every single color.  The three colors are have are bright and vibrant, stay on longer than most lip products and feels light.  It has a great, glossy look without the stickiness. 

Also loving the NYX Butter Gloss and Maybelline Color Elixir.  Both are very similar to Revlon Moisture Stain - all around the same price point, great color pay off and glossy look.  Moisture Stain does last longer and is my favorite.

Misses

 

Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Eye Palette {not pictured} - I ordered this eye shadow palette online not out of my love of the movie (I've never seen it), but out of my love for a neutral, matte palette.  This was a miss for me not for the actual makeup, but the packaging.  It is HUGE, but with very little actual makeup.  It was too large for my makeup bag so back it went.  Instead try: Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette  If you want something similar, but less compact, .  And it's cheaper!

Maybelline Eye Studio Tattoo Eyeshadow - This shadow is very similar to Mac's Paint Pots for a fraction of the price.  It's actually not a bad product, but I've been spoiled by Mac and prefer their version.  The color I tried - Bronze to the Bone - didn't have the color payoff I was looking for and did not last all day.  It also melted into my crease as the day went on. 

Maybelline Pumped Up Colossal Mascara - This was just okay.  Nothing special.  Seemed to lengthen a little, but did not add any fullness.  Instead try: L'Oreal Voluminous Miss Manga. 

Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick in Melted Coral.  I've heard great reviews by beauty bloggers on this product so I decided to try it despite the $21 price tag.   This is typically more than I will spend on a lip product.  I was not impressed.  It was very dry and smeared easily.  Instead try Revlon Moisture Stain (see above) in Cannes Crush. 


Old Faithfuls

• Estee Lauder Matte Perfecting Primer
• Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Foundation
• Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer
• Too Faced Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush in Candy Glow
• Mac Paint Pot in Painterly (I have a few colors of Paint Pots, but this one gets used the most because it is a great neutral base that I use like a shadow primer).
• ybf beauty Automatic Universal Taupe Eyebrow Pencil
• Tweezerman ProCurl Eyelash Curler in Rose Gold

The Friday Five

TGIF!  I've gottta keep this one short and sweet...blogging while working...ssshhh!

ONE

Ashley and I already started the hunt for cute Halloween PJ's for our little men.  So far, Carter's and Old Navy have a few online.  I love these Boo!  PJ's from Old Navy, but am holding out until they arrive in stores (hopefully) to avoid shipping.

TWO

August in Houston = Houston Restaurant Weeks!!!  One of my favorite times of the year.  It's not quite so easy anymore with Jack, however I am managing a brunch this weekend with some friends and hopefully Jason and I can sneak away for a date night in the next few weeks.  What HRW menu are you dying to try?

THREE

I gave Jack his first keyboard yesterday after he loved playing on Grammy's piano so much last week.  I read tons of great reviews from other bloggers about this B. Meowsic Keyboard.  It's not available online right now, but was $10 off at my local Target store yesterday and there were tons in stock!  Love this brand - Jack loves their stacking blocks too!  There is also have a matching guitar and drum, but I resisted.  Gotta leave some things for the grandparents, right?

FOUR

I signed myself up for Stitch Fix, but it doesn't come until 3-4 weeks.  Excited to share what I receive!  I figure if I don't like any of it, I'm out $20, will cancel, but will be left with a great blog post.  I LOVE reading other Stitch Fix blog reviews.  The vast majority seem to love it, but there are a couple of negative reviews out there. 

FIVE

Confession: I've fallen off my at-home workouts.  It was bound to happen.  I have no self-discipline and my husband is an enabler.  Our new Orange is the New Black episode binge has pushed me over the edge.  I'm trying to really up my steps this week to make up for it.  Jack and I even walked to CVS yesterday rather than driving to the grocery store like we would normally do.  So hot, but I reached my 10,000 daily step goal!  And I'm going to try and make it to a few Pure Barre classes this weekend. 

Jack: 13 Months & 14 Months!

 

Length:  31.5 inches
Weight:  23.8 pounds
Head Circumference:  18.25 inches
Size 4 Diapers
Wearing 18 and 24 month clothing (even some 2T PJ's), Size 4-5 shoes

Milestones this month:

• Crawling...yes, at 14 months you finally started actively crawling.  Don't worry - you've been getting around just fine with your butt-scoots, but have decided that tummy is okay now too. 
• Eating more and more new foods
• Talking more and more

Things you like this month:

• Stacking blocks and knocking them down.  These are your favorite.  You like to stack them in a tower and then stack them inside each other...over and over!
• Riding in the car
• Tucker
• Little Gym "Birds" classes
• Reading Books
• Food!  You are a great eater and willing to try anything.  You love Avocado, Mac & Cheese, Grilled Cheese, Berries, Bananas, Oranges, Pears, Sweet Potatoes, Chicken, Turkey, Scrambled Eggs, and String Cheese.  You recently tried and loved lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs, and Hamburger.  Chick-fil-a is another fave!  We always get you the grilled nuggets and fruit cup. 
• Swimming in the pool
• Bath time
• Wagon rides
• Chicken is your new preferred stuffed animal over racoonie

 

 

 

Things you don't like this month:

• Being left in the church nursery
• Being told "no"
• Watermelon and green beans
• Waiting too long for your food to be prepared when you are in your highchair

Special memories this month:

• Your first coloring session
• Graham's First Birthday Party and trip to Tyler
• Our first road trip together (just me, you and Tucker) when we met dad in Corsicana
• Your second trip to Matagorda for your second Fourth of July
• Little Gym classes with mommy and daddy every Saturday morning
• Getting drenched at the grocery store in a summer rain storm. 

 

Catching Up :: Chelsea Lately

Last week was so busy so although I didn't get to blog I wanted to catch ya'll up on everything going on in our world. 

-  For Jason's birthday (in March) I bought him Counting Crows tickets.  The show was (finally) last Tuesday and was amazing!  We had great seats to see Adam Duritz up close and personal. 

-  Last Thursday we hosted a dinner for our church dinner group.  It was so fun and a major success.  I get nervous cooking dinner for a large group (especially on a work day while also wrangling a one year old), but everything was great.  I made a simple pasta dish and a big salad and others brought apps and dessert. 

-  Is it sad that I'm actually HAPPY the Nordstrom Anniversary sale is over?  It was just too tempting to go on a shopping binge with all of the great deals on fall and winter items.  I didn't buy any of the higher priced items like boots or bags but I did grab a few pieces that I think will be great wardrobe staples for this fall - all recommended by Sheaffer.  Good thing Ashley and I don't live in the same town anymore since we purchased all of the same items!

What did you purchase?  Let me know if you'd be interested in doing a linkup sharing all of our goodies from the sale. 

-  We are planning a trip to Estes Park, Colorado next month to see my mom's new place.  If you have been to Estes, please share all of your recommendations on your hits and misses.  I think Jack needs this shirt for Colorado by Hanna Andersson...especially since our backyard is being overtaken by raccoons at the moment (check out Instagram).

-  I'm obsessed with Revlon's Colorstay Moisture Stain.  I love everything about it - the packaging, the price, the pigmentation and the applicator.  I have Cannes Crush (below) and Shanghai Sizzle (bright red) and want more!  Next time you are at the drugstore, pick one up!

Thank you to Meg for recommending it here!

-  I'm reading Orange is the New Black and even though I haven't finished it Jason and I started watching the series on Netflix last weekend.  We got through 7 episodes already in 2 days and we are hooked!

World Breastfeeding Week

In honor of World Breastfeeding Week, Houston Moms Blog is highlighting different stories from our contributors about their journey with breastfeeding. 

You can read my post here about making it work as a working mom. 

Five on Friday

Happy Friday!  Before we jump into my Five today, I wanted to make a note that I'm thinking about doing a No-Spend month in August.  As you can see below, I've been spending a good amount of $ on material things that are luxuries.  While I appreciate them and work hard for my spending money I realize that this isn't what's important.  Perhaps doing a no-spend month will allow me to focus on other things.  This also means I have 7 days to buy everything I want...kidding!

ONE 

Is anyone else getting tired of hearing about the Nordstrom Anniversary sale yet?  You're not...okay good because I'm about to talk about it!  Instead of posting all of the things I love, I will just show you what I've actually purchased. 

Kate Spade Initial Necklace: Reg: $58/Sale Price: $37.90

Zella Capris: Reg: $48/Sale Price: $31.90

 

I'm officially a Zella convert!  I was skeptical that they would be that much better than Lululemon as I've heard.  I LOVE my Lulu Wunder Unders, but do agree that the quality of the material used has changed in the past couple of years.  Lululemon Wunder Unders are $72-$82 depending on the style.  Zella Live In Capri's are regularly almost half the cost of Lulu - and during the Anniversary sale are a fraction of the cost (which is why I had to give them a try).

They are almost identical in features - compressive, wide waistband, key holder in band, but they feel so much higher in quality.  They hold me in better, stay in place and are thicker so they don't show everyone the color of your panties!

There are still great Zella pieces on sale at Nordstrom until August 4 when prices go back up!  The tops look great too and are also half the price of Lulu!


TWO

Kendra Scott launched her new Fall 2014 line last week - GlamRocks - and I am in love with every single piece.  Damn.  It's just as good in person. Double Damn {says my wallet}.  Although I want every piece I have controlled myself and only purchased one item.  It was a good one though!  

I love all of the filigree and mixed metals in the Sadie Spear earrings, Sienna Pendant Necklaces and Hadley Bangles, but I'm also dying over the Ellie and Skylette studs and tons of glittery sparkles. 

What pieces do you have your eyes on?  I think my next purchase (in September or the next 7 days) will have to be the Skylette studs, but this ring also looked great on too!

THREE

My friend Ashley hosted a girls dinner last week for all of us "Junior League Tearoom Waitresses" to catchup.  Ashley just moved into a new home which is stunning!  She also made Ina Garten's Weeknight Bolognese which was O.M.G good.  We all inhaled it and it was the perfect casual, girls night dinner. So happy I wore a loose-fitting dress!  I think I'm going to make it next week for our church's dinner group. 

FOUR

This picture was quite the hit on Instagram earlier last week.  Gotta love those supportive husbands...laying in bed eating cookies while I workout!  By the way, I'm loving Piyo and just realized a week in that Piyo stands for Pilates/Yoga...what a dummy I am!

 
FIVE

I am considering taking the plunge and signing up for StitchFix {thanks Adrienne}.  Move over Birchbox!  Has anyone else tried Stitch Fix?  Let me know your thoughts and share you link if you wrote a post about it!

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