Winter to Spring transitions -- OOTD

When I was throwing together my Outfit of the Day, I realized how easily it could transition to a spring outfit with some simple accessories switching.

All I had to do was remove the boyfriend blazer (from Papaya) and the nude taupe flats (from Old Navy) and throw on some silver wedge sandals (can't recall where they are from). The shirt and metallic silver jeans are also from Old Navy. Silver necklace is from Express.

I could totally bring this on my next cruise in April, for which I'm already counting down the days! It's stylish enough for lots of photo ops, plus bringing a jacket is a good idea because it gets chilly indoors on cruises. 

New Old Navy clothes/jewelry, new shadow style, new lipstick! Plus SNORKELING adventures :)

Today and yesterday I've been rocking some new clothes I bought online for sale at Old Navy. They did take about 9-10 days to get to me, unfortunately, but I was just glad to get them finally.

My "look" today

Today I'm wearing this crepe shift dress which I bought for only $11.97 PLUS 20% off! The necklace and earrings are what I blogged about in a past post at the Old Navy outlet in the Sawgrass Mills mall. So far one co-worker has complimented me on it. :) 

My eyeshadow look lately has been naturally contoured, with just a hint of orange-y shadow as a transition color just above the brown-taupe crease color. I think with my skin tone it works! 

Yesterday I wore this embellished collar shirt recently featured in "O" magazine. It was $19.97 with 20% off, and I was so happy with the jewels at the collar. Three co-workers complimented me on it!! That's a win, LOL. 

Also notice the lipstick, it's a dupe for Mac's "Angel," which is a pink shade made famous by Kim Kardashian. It's Maybelline's Color Whisper in "Lust for Blush," and I think it gives a nice neutral, not-too-made-up look to my makeup. A little on the paler side than I typically go for, but hey, it's good to shake things up a bit every now and then!

Now, I know it's not fashion/beauty/health, but I absolutely have to share a SNORKELING video after my husband and my adventures on Sunday at the Riviera Beach snorkeling trail. It is my absolute favorite place to snorkel/free-dive, and it never disappoints. I've seen an octopus, tons of exotic fish, eels and more there-- and this Sunday, we swam by a MANATEE!!! It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It's prohibited to touch them, but I was the first to spot it and I'm so glad the divers right behind us captured it on tape so I can share it with you on this video. 

This is the manatee I was swimming 5 feet above! DO NOT DISTURB, LOL

Also, the spotted eagle ray (stingray) you see at the beginning hung around all afternoon, I kept swimming after it and it was a fast little thing. Looks like they're flying the way they flap their "wings." :) 

OOTD with new Old Navy outlet jewelry, Navy Blue eyeshadow

Here's my Outfit of the Day (OOTD), chosen to showcase the awesome new earrings I purchased at the Sawgrass Mills mall in Sunrise, FL:

The navy lace peplum shirt was another part of my awesome Christmas gift from my bestie Rikki, and the boyfriend jacket is from Old Navy, as are the metallic denim gold-toned jeans.

The shoes jewelry is from lindsay phillips designs, I love those snap-ons! The only down-side is that they do tend to snap off occasionally with rough wear, but you can easily change the look of your shoes. I have these flats in metallic brown, as well. I think metallic flats are so versatile, they can go from day-to-night so easily, and are super-comfy. I always wear shoe pads in mine for extra support and cushioning (heel health!).

My eyeshadow is a mix of navy on the lid, and brown on the crease, from the 88 Original Palette from Coastal Scents. You can purchase the palette at this link. I think it has a wide variety of shades with pretty good color pay-off.

Mini-Haul: MLK Day sales at Sawgrass Mills, plus OOTD

Yesterday, the sun was shining and the weather was cool, so my husband and I packed up to do what was originally planned to be some "window shopping" at Sawgrass Mills, the largest outlet and value retail shopping destination in the United States. Little did we realize it was mega-sale time, because of the holiday weekend. We racked up for cheap!

Fashion first… love the nude wedges that make me SO TALL. I have been looking for some like these for years. They were only $25 at some shoe store that I can't recall. The jewelry is from the Old Navy outlet, and I am obsessed with the green earrings that match the necklace. Can't WAIT to wear them!

Next up, in the beauty department, it was Buy-One-Get-Two-Free at Mastercuts. I got some awesome OPI nail polishes, two of which (the gray and the purple) I will send to my sister in Germany. I knew she wouldn't care if I did my nails with them... here are the mani's so you can see the true shades:

 

The polishes left to right are Austin-tastic Turquoise, It's All San Andreas Fault, and Alcatraz… Rocks.

The purple (Alcatraz…Rocks) was glittery and fun, but I took it off my nails because they smudged. The gray (It's All San Andreas Fault) is more wearable for day-to-day to me. The two polishes are from the "Liquid Sand" line of OPI. They dry to a matte finish. Here is a How-To link for applying and removing the Liquid Sand polish. Ya gotta have a base coat, and skip the top coat-- then to remove, hold the remover there for 30-60 seconds.

The Austin-tastic Turquoise needed THREE coats for true color pay-off, so I don't know if that's worth it to me. I like to do only a couple of coats for a nice opaque shade.

Also at Mastercuts, it was Buy-One-Get-Two-Free for the pink cans of bigsexyhair. I already know that I love me some of their Root Pump Plus and Spray & Play Harder, and I can't wait to try their Powder Play! I have been using the cheap-o Walmart version of Got2b Powderful Volumizing Styling Powder, which works great. The Got2b product was recommended in my go-to favorite book, How to Look Expensive by Andrea Pomerantz Lustig (former "Glamour" magazine beauty editor).

My husband got a pair of $20 jeans at the Old Navy outlet, and a $10 shirt at Greg Norman. I think we spent less than $150 and racked up!

Last, but not least, we treated ourselves to a dinner at Rainforest Cafe, and sat right beside the animatronics elephants. Super-fun! I loved the fish tanks.

Also, because I was proud of myself for styling this all together this morning, I'm including my Outfit of the Day (OOTD): 

Cold Weather Fashion

My Outfit of the Day (OOTD) is taking advantage of the first true cold snap of typically-sunny South Florida. Not rubbing it in, it's just the way it is. Trust me, I've been longing to wear boots and scarves and jackets!

Yellow jacket: Miss Tina from Walmart

Gold jeans: Women's The Rockstar Metallic Coated Jeans from Old Navy (on clearance here, and I just bought these in silver -- http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=96982&vid=1&pid=938969002

Scarf: Gift from a Thai friend when he went to Thailand

For my makeup, I went for a dewy-complexion and matte green lids. Why green? Because my shirt under the yellow jacket is dull green. Just felt like mixing it up a little.

(What's down there? Nuthin', just showin' off the lids)

CruzTube Video: ELF (EyesLipsFace) Haul -- NEW Studio line products, first impressions

Click HERE to watch the CruzTube video from my ELF haul

The video features unboxing and some first impressions of these products from the ELF Studio line:

Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder
Pout Perfector, Shade: Glowy
HD Mattifying Cream Foundation, Oil-Free, Shade: Buff
HD Lifting Concealer, Shade: Light
Volume Pumping Mascara, Shade: Black
Undereye Concealer & Highlighter, Shade: Glow/Medium
Shine Eraser Oil Blotting Sheets
BB Cream SPF 20, Shade: Buff
3-in-1 Mascara, Shade: Black
Blush, Shade: Candid Coral
22-piece On the Go Palette

From the ELF regular (not studio) line:
Get the Look 5-piece Brown Eye Set

Ulta and Revlon Colorstay Nail Polish Reviews -- Mani/Pedi photos, thanks for Christmas gifts from friends!

I'm obsessed with the book How to Look Expensive by Andrea Pomerantz Lustig, a former beauty editor at Glamour magazine… this book has been my go-to manual lately for elevating my look with sophistication (or, at least, attempting to).

(Photo courtesy www.howtolookexpensive.com)

The book was a Christmas gift from my friend Rikki, who kept hearing me talk about how I wanted to check it out at the local library, LOL! :) Thanks, Rikki. <3

(Pretty Rikki is a TV reporter!)

Because I've been reading this book and wanting to "look expensive," that means my hands will sport only "classy"-type nail polish shades-- more natural colors than the hot pinks and tangerines I love. Those bright shades are relegated to only my toes for now!

Here are two shades I just did my mani/pedi with: Ulta's "Baby Doll" and Revlon Colorstay "Seashell" (025).

I've been wanting pale shades for my hands, and more peach-y shades for my toes… hence these two colors.

The Ulta "Baby Doll" was a Christmas gift from my friend Michelle, who does mani/pedi's with me on Sunday evenings when we're visiting at her place. 

Michelle is pretty, trust her style judgment ;)

This is what Ulta's "Baby Doll" polish looks like with two coats, on top of a base coat and under a top coat:

I like the final result, although it's a little lighter than I was visualizing. The first coat was pretty and sheer, but showed the lines (wish I had snapped a pic to show you) and didn't look even. It took two color coats before it was one uniform shade on each nail. I don't know about you, but I feel a pale pink is super-classy! Love it! Thanks, Michelle!! :)

Here is the Revlon Colorstay "Seashell" with two coats, on top of a base coat and under a top coat (which incidentally were both the Revlon Colorstay base and top coat polishes which promise to make your nail colors last longer-- and they really do!)… this polish was uniform even with just one coat, I did two coats because I felt one coat was too sheer for my toes:

I love how it's the "your nails, but better" type of color. This color is super-summery, and I think it would flatter any skin tone.