Swap Day 4: Mary's Floral Dress

It's Day 4 of my blog swap with Mary from babble+bloom!  I am loving this swap, and really enjoying the pieces that Mary sent me.  In fact, when I pulled this dress out of the box she sent me I got deja vu!  I actually own this dress in a different pattern.  Great minds, right Mary?  I love the casual feel of this dress, it is perfect for a homemade meal and an after dinner walk.  

Here's how Mary styled this dress...

...and how I styled it

Dress: Mary's

Cardigan: xhilirations

Shoes: xhiliration

Belt: I heart Ronson

Necklace: thrifted

Check out Mary's blog to see how she's styling my pieces!

Swap Day 3: Mary's Polka Dot Top

 

It's Day 3 of my blogger swap with Mary from babble + bloom, and today's I'm featuring her polka dot top.  I got about 15 compliments on this outfit today, most of them being "cute top"!  So, sorry Mary, this might not make it back in the return package next week...  I wore this outfit to work and then out to drinks with the boyfriend and I felt great in it.  I love the flattering neckline, and I'm a sucker for a good polka dot.

Top: Mary's

Skirt: Ann Taylor

Shoes: Jessica Simpson Collection

Bracelets: Oooooold

Ring: Turkish bazaar

Sunglasses: Aldo

Bag: Coach

Check out Mary's blog to see how she's styling my items!

Swap Day 2: Mary's Tie-Neck Top

Today is the second day of my swap with Mary from babble + bloom!  We've sent each other a few of our favorite items to receive the royal swap treatment, and let me tell you: I was not disappointed with the selection Mary sent me.  When the box arrived and I was rifling through my new found goodies, I set this top aside while I looked at the great prints and bold colors that filled this package.  However, as I thought about which items I wanted to style, this one kept popping into my mind with great style potentials.  The fit is great and flattering, the tie-neck makes it stand out from the traditional white button-down, and the neutral color makes it easily paired with bolder items from my closet.

Here's how Mary styled it...

 ...and how I styled it

Top: Mary's

Skirt: Ann Taylor

Shoes: Jessica Simpson Collection

Purse: Coach

Pin: thrifted

Check out Mary's blog to see how she is styling my items!

Swap Day 1: Mary's Striped Tee

Today is my first day of a week long swap with Miss Mary from Babble & Bloom!  This is my third swap, and I like to think I'm starting to become an ole' pro.  I get so excited when the box holding my (temporary) new wardrobe arrives!  Mary's package of goodies did not disappoint. As soon as I pulled this top out of the box I knew exactly how I wanted to style it.  This Banana skirt is my new favorite purchase.  I'm a sucker for a good deal, and this lace mini was marked down to 12 bucks.  12 BUCKS!  I had to snatch it up right away, and I'm glad I did because I'm loving the stripes and lace combo here.  Thanks for the lovely shirt Mary!

Here is how Mary styled it...

...and how I styled it.

Top: swapped (Mary's)

Skirt: Banana Republic

Shoes: Steve Madden

Ring: Hawaiian street vendor

Pin: thrifted

Check out Mary's blog to see how she's styling my items!

Review: HANAair Professional Hair Dryer

Hey everyone, I know I'm usually all about the clothes, shoes, and purses.  I don't usually spend much time chatting with you all about my hair because I'm certainly no expert.  I love to use good products both in my hair and to style my hair which is why I'm happy to review the HANAair Professional Hair Dryer courtesy of the great people over at Misikko. 

I was super pumped when this baby arrived because I've never used a professional hair dryer before, just my cheapie little Conair that frankly was leaving my hair feeling kind of fried.  The HANAair dried my hair bone dry in less that 3 minutes.  3 minutes people!  Usually I have to spend about 10 minutes drying my hair, and anything that shaves more than 7 minutes off of my morning routine is a Godsend. 

Yesterday was a super lazy Sunday and I lounged around most of the morning.  I found myself in a predicament because I was supposed to be at the movies in less than an hour and I still hadn't showered.  I thought there is no way I can shower, dry my hair, style it, do makeup, get dressed, etc. in 40 minutes.  That would have been true before the HANAair, but I was able to dry my hair (without it being a frizzy mess!) in about 2.5 minutes.  Perfection.

Pros:
-Three heat settings
-Two air speed settings
-Cold air blast button to check for any damp spots
-Super sleek
-Targeted air nozzle to help hit the exact right spot for styling
-My hair looks really shiny and smooth when it's dried

Cons:
-This hair dryer is a bit pricey.  Coming in at about $195 bucks on sale, this baby would have been way out of my price range. Misikko has tons of other hair dyers for you to check out if this one would put too much stress on your pocketbook.

Overall: I really love this hair dryer.  Although it's a bit more expensive than the other styling tools I use, it really adds the shine and cuts my drying time by about 70%.  If you're looking to decrease your drying time and save yourself precious minutes in the AM, I would strongly recommend the HANAair Professional Hair Dryer.

Thanks again to the great people at Misikko for sending me such a wonderful product!

Spectator

Today I was a spectator at my boyfriend's cycling race.  The race was around downtown Indianapolis, so I had some primo spots for pictures in between laps.  I wanted to stand out in the crowd so he could see me as his zipped by, so this bright polka dotted dress was an easy choice.  When I put it on, he said "wear a yellow belt with that".  His wish is my command.  Enter: the yellow belt. 

 Dress: xhiliration

Belt: Old Navy

Shoes: xhiliration

Bag: Coach

It was HOT out today.  I melted almost instantly, and I almost didn't want to post pictures today.  If I waited until the heat subsided to post OOTD pictures, you'd all be waiting until September though...  

Congrats on your awesome race Love!

The Danger of Cuddling

Some mornings I wake up and practically spring out of bed to get dressed and ready for work.  Other mornings, nothing sounds better than staying in my comfy fortress and cuddling with my favorite guy (and occasional fluffy kitty).  This morning was definitely the latter, and I found myself rolling out of bed with less than 20 minutes to get ready.  Enter the messy bun and minimalist makeup.  Not my best look, but definitely worth a few extra minutes of boy time in the AM.

Top: Charlotte RusseSkirt: Merona

Shoes: Jessica Simpson Collection

Bag: Frank's Produce Market

Belt: Gifted

Bracelets: Hawaii, gifted, ???

My silver pressed bracelet from Hawaii that reads kuuipo is one of my favorite accessories.  It means sweetheart (or so I'm told, any Hawaiian bloggers out there that can confirm this for me?), and it is perfect for today's outfit.
So what about you?  Would you trade an awesome hair day for more time in bed with your sweetheart (or kitty!)?

In Kinsey's Closet Obsession: Coach Bags

This marks the beginning of a new series of posts called "In Kinsey's Closet Obsessions".  I am pretty loyal to my favorite brands, and I like to feature them regularly on IKC.  One of my nicknames has been "The Coach Lady" in the past based on my undying affection for Coach bags.  My mom is the Coach Lady and always has a cute bag to match her outfit.  I don't always feature my bags on IKC, but it's a safe bet that every day I'm rocking a Coach purse.  I believe that they are well made, reasonably affordable (versus super pricey designer bags), have great pockets for all the stuff I lug around with me on a daily basis, and (most importantly) CUTE! Here's a small sampling of my favorite outfits featuring Coach bags.

I'm not sponsored by Coach, I just love their products and am a loyal "Coach Lady" to the end!

What brands are you obsessed with?