OOTD: Throw together

I didn't plan to dress cute or make an effort today.  But I just woke up before my alarm went off (and boy am I paying for it now.  yaaaaaaaaawn) and felt like putting in a little effort.

I still wanted to be comfy so I reached for a knit skirt in basic black.  Pairing it with a black and white stripe tee shirt still left it pretty plain, so I added some color in the form of a cardigan and bright yellow shoes.  I topped it off with red orange lipstick and called it a look.

Comfortable, cute.  Perfect for summer.

Skirt - Old Navy, cardigan, t-shirt - Gap, Shoes - J.Crew

Watch and yellow bangle - J. Crew, red bracelet - Madewell.  I'm also wearing a thin gold bracelet on my other wrist and a compass necklace from AE

Check that lipstick!  I feel fun and fancy today!  It's NARS Heat Wave, no liner.  I'll try it with liner, but I love that it doesn't seem to need it.

And this last picture doesn't really have anything to do with my outift.  It's just too good not to share.

Goodbye pixie

It's been over a year since I've been in man hair territory.  And I love it.  And I'll always know that I can go back here if I want to.

But I'm growing my hair out.  Not super long.  I'm just tired of the way it sticks up in the back and having to battle my cowlick every morning.

Every week, I look at Jessica Pare's hair with major envy.  I won't go that long, and I don't have that much texture, but I love the messy bob she has going on.  Very career girl.  Hey!  That's me!

I'll know the right length when I get there.  But for now I'm thinking grazing my chin.  Short enough that it doesn't stick to my neck in the summer.  Long enough to braid away from my face.  Win win.

Something like this look that I've always loved from Katie Holmes.

Or a similar cut from someone with finer hair like mine, Jessica Stroup

Get ready for some mullety awkwardness!  Luckily my hair grows insanely fast., so hopefully the awkwardness won't last too long.

Buy this: Sally Hansen Salon Effects

I really love nail art and having a great, clean manicure.  But I am just physically incapable of doing my own nails.  First, they are super short.  That's my own fault for chewing on them, but it makes things difficult.  Second, I'm just kind of spazzy about it.  It probably comes from the fact that I haven't really practiced, never did my nails as a teenager.  The result is that I'm shelling out $15 every time I want my nails done.

No more.  I'm taking a day off to relax today, and I picked up some Sally Hansen Salon Effects strips at Target last night, in case I felt like trying them today.  Well I just spent about 20 minutes applying them, and I am smitten.

Look how cool I am with my miniature globe

I picked Lustrous, which is a shiny black base with silver and gold glitter.  I think this is a style that might be too much for everyday with longer nails.  But with my stubs I think it works.

My Target sold the strips for $8.50, and they didn't have all of them available.  Personally I can't wait to try Tweed-le-dee, Check It Out, and Stripe-Tease.  They also have solids, and Debu-Taunt looks like a really great color.

I think they're worth it at close to half the price of a manicure.  We'll see how they look over time, but I've already framed and hung a picture, which can be rough on nails.  And they still look perfect.

I did my left hand first, and learned that erring on the size of too large for the strips was better.  I have more complete coverage on my other hand.

Each kit comes with 16 strips of various sizes so you can find that perfect fit.  It comes with all the tools (nail stick and a special file) that you need for application.  And it was definitely fool proof.  I ruined one strip and just started with another one.  I am definitely a believer, and am going to be using these pretty often.

Maybe it will keep me from biting my nails!