What I Wore: Modern Katniss

This past weekend we were treated to tickets for the ballet, so naturally I was over the moon with excitement. I used to dance when I was younger and was pretty sure I wanted to grow up to be a ballerina. Unfortunately, my grumpy high school self took over and decided I didn’t “have time” for ballet anymore (what teenager doesn’t have time?!?). That is one of my life’s biggest regrets, but I’m glad I at least get to seize opportunities like these to sit back and appreciate it from afar.

Although this outfit doesn’t exactly scream ballet, I loved pairing something simple and feminine like this perfect LBD with something a little more rough and tough like this utility vest. It paralleled my belief that these elegant and beautiful dancers are just as strong and gritty as any warrior.

Dress; c/o Conversation Pieces {similar}
Vest; c/o Conversation Pieces
Wedges; Shoe Dazzle {similar}
Necklace & arm candy; Ebay
Lyrical cuff; Chelli Rae’s Engraving
Ring; Dena Venable

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Lovable Friday

1. Although my eyes immediately fixate on hot heels, the reality of the matter is that I wear flats the most. I work with kids all day, every day and when I have time to relax, half of the time I don’t feel like fighting with a pair of uncomfortable stilettos. That’s why I’m trying to train my brain to become enamored with cute flats just as much. These are definitely a good place to start. They are adorable, look comfy and adhere to my “put a bow on it” mantra. Sold.

2. Thanks to the launch (& soon to be finale – sniff) of Sherlock’s series 3, I’m having a hard time focusing on anything else. Cue adorable Sherlock print from this Australian seller and I can’t handle myself. The feels are serious OK?!?!

3. As if I needed another excuse to grow my nail polish collection, Gwen Stefani goes ahead and partners with OPI. I obviously need every single one, but if I was made to pick only one shade, I would go with Hey Baby. But let’s be real. When do I ever just choose one? Intervention imminent.

4. I don’t know why I continue to expose myself to new and potentially wallet-ruining sites. Me & Zena is one of those. They have amazingly fun and unique jewelry pieces that not only call to me, but basically scream my name repeatedly. This unicorn necklace currently has me on speed dial.

5. I know it may be overkill at this point, but I love me a good chevron print. Leave it to Dwell Studio to cook up such a great looking coffee table in it. The price is definitely not right, but I am definitely enjoying it from afar.

Themed Nails: Gatsby & Sherlock

So if you follow me on Instagram, you know that I took on not one, but TWO themed parties in the span of a week. Some may call it crazy, I call it a challenge. First off was our Great Gatsby New Years Eve bash. I had a lot of fun decorating our place with glitter, sequins and fringe, but lets be honest. What gets me most excited are the themed mani’s that come along with events!

I didn’t have a whole lot of time, so I had to look over great tutorials, such as this one, before settling on the one you see above (reference). I have to say that it was a super easy manicure to achieve and it looked fantastic! I was complimented on it for days afterwards and it held up nicely.

Gatsby Nails
Two coats of Essie‘s Shifting Power
Two coats of China Glaze‘s Smoke & Ashes, stopping a little short to create the reverse french effect
One heaping coat of Sally Hansen‘s Big Matte Top Coat only over the black portion

Only a few days later, we hosted a viewing party for the new series of BBC’s Sherlock, which I can honestly say is my new favorite show. I have an unhealthy addiction to it and just can’t get enough. It’s been awhile since I’ve felt the fangirl burn inside of me so bright! Of course, I would have these feelings for a show that only airs 3 episodes every 2 years. I hate you, Moffat. But all that aside: FINGERNAILS (reference).

Sherlock Nails
One coat of Sinful Colors‘ Snow Me White (or any white polish) over all fingers except your accent
Three coats of Essie‘s Bouncer It’s Me on all nails
Create the Union Jack on your accent nail using a toothpick (it works even better than my dotting tools!)
For the red, I used Essie‘s Aperitif

Also, remember to exercise patience while trying to pull off these manicures. I often do not succeed, but I’m trying my best to learn to sit still! Doing nail art while watching a movie or TV show tends to help keep me occupied.

H&M Catalog Favs

Usually something I used to refer to as Meli-porn was the latest IKEA catalog (or Benedict Cumberbatch hair ruffle gifs), but low and behold, yesterday I received a rather busty H&M catalog. All hail the budget shopping gods! Whenever I visit H&M, it tends to be hit or miss. Either I want the entire store, or I am left wondering if I even understand fashion anymore. Thankfully, this catalog sways me more towards the former.

Here were some of my favorite picks;

Clockwise; loose fitting pants (x), jacquard dress (x), patterned tights (x), crinkled skirt (x)

ps; hope you didn’t miss me too much! The holidays were kind of a whirlwind of parties, friends, family and overall busy-busy-busy. But fear not! Regular posts start NOW. Rejoice.

What I Wore: Holiday Glitz

It’s the perfect time of year to throw on some shiny goodness without apologies. This, of course, means I take it a few steps further by not only wearing glitz, but pairing it with loud prints. In other words, sorry, I’m not sorry.

Blouse; c/o Persunmall
Skirt; c/o Conversation Pieces
Wedges; ShoeDazzle {similar}
Necklace; c/o Fossil
Purse; c/o Conversation Pieces

I hope you all have a great holiday week surrounding by all those you love! I’ll be back soon with new fun posts and one great announcement! Cheers!

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Lovable Friday!

1: I know I was gushing over constellations and zodiac signs just last Lovable Friday, but I can’t help myself. These constellation earrings are so gorgeous! I had to go on a little bit of a wild goose hunt to find them, and unfortunately the Etsy store that makes them was overwhelmed with orders for the buggers so none will be available until after Christmas. Blame it on Pinterest.
2: So this may be a Lovable Friday first. I am featuring something I already went ahead and purchased! This Boston Terrier onesie pajama is just too perfect for words. I had to run to my nearest Target to pluck one up for myself. It is effing adorable and now on sale for $14.99 – how could you go wrong?
3: I was not aware of the Girls with Glasses show, but I’m pretty sure I will love them immensely. I mean, look at these perfect holiday outfits they put together. And those glittery glasses? OMGz, total must have. Best part is they probably created them via DIY. Totes jels.
4: I’m a sucker for personalized pencils. Is that weird? They are the first thing I look into when throwing a shower/event/etc. I just find them so fun and I might have an unhealthy obsession with writing instruments. As usual, Kate Spade takes everything one step further in the cute department, and has done no different with these cute idiom pencils. They are the perfect stocking stuffers or could make their way into a bridal shower favor. Grab yours here.
5: Warby Parker is not the new kid on the block anymore – in fact, 90% of my friends are usually sporting a pair of their trendy shades at any given moment. However, I do love how, despite incredible popularity, they are constantly trying to up their style game. Most recently they have paired up with the creative genius, Beck, to create the limited edition Carmichael line. These two shades (more to come soon) embrace quirkiness and charm – just like Beck himself.

It is to be noted that some of the content on this post was sponsored.

I’ve Been Missing

Hi lovely readers!

I don’t want you to think that I’ve abandoned you all. It’s just the holidays, so both my professional and personal life are flaring up at the same time, which makes it difficult to stay on track with extracurriculars (I’m sorry, that means you blog). But I’ll be posting regularly soon enough, and even better, I will have a new project to share with you all at the start of the new year (spoiler alert: squee!). I’m also hosting 2 fun themed parties over the next few weeks, so I can’t wait to share those with you as well.

2014 is looking so bright, I almost can’t stand to look!
ps; did you know you could get 20% off your entire purchase at Gold Bubble Clothing with the coupon code: “MELIFICENT“? Take advantage, last minute shoppers!

What I Wore: Art Basel

So this past week was Art Basel in Miami, which is a huge art event that has really put us on the map as a cultural center. Despite the headache of increased traffic and an overabundance of obnoxious tourists, it’s always a fun time of year. That may be hard to read on my face on these photos, but I was recovering from a little claustrophobia spell after walking around Context Miami for an hour or so. It doesn’t happen often, but when that crazy anxiety hits, it’s not pretty. I was more than happy to breathe in a little fresh air. Does this mean I’m getting old?

Top; c/o Persunmall
Pants; StitchFix {similar}
Wedges; ShoeDazzle {similar}
Shades; Forever 21 {similar}

ps; digging my new hair?

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Lovable Friday!

1. I’ve always been super mesmerized by the zodiac. My mother had this incredible 70’s era book when I was growing up that physically described each sign (among other things). I was legit obsessed with it. I’m pretty sure I carried it with me everywhere. When I was older, I had my astrological chart read, and although the majority of it was a big flop, I still live for horoscopes. That’s why I immediately was drawn to these beautiful zodiac constellation necklaces from Etsy seller, Iaonato. The one featured above is Leo’s, but of course she has all other signs available – I just decided to share the best one (can you tell which sign is mine?).

2. To quote the newest Sherlock series 3 teaser trailer, “OH MY GOD.” That was basically my reaction when I saw these amazing Sherlock-inspired leggings from Gold Bubble Clothing. I’m really trying to justify a reason to spend $70 on ridiculously loud leggings that I will probably only wear to conventions/geeky events, but I’m coming up short. I’ll probably cave by the time this blog is published though. I’m weak after all.

3. Continuing on the fandom tip, OMGz today’s Tee Fury is just all sorts of perfection. Although I’m late to the party (as usual), the hubs and I started watching the reboot of Doctor Who (starting with the 9th doctor) and I am so unbelievably hooked. More on that later (yeah, it deserves its own dedicated post) though – back to this amazing crossover tee! The Girl in the Fireplace is my favorite episode (so far) of Doctor Who, so I was thrilled to see it mashed up with Harry Potter by none other than the amazing Karen Hallion. This was a no brainer: take my money please and thank you. ps; Can you imagine what a great companion Hermione would make??

4. Talking about those that instantly steal your money, let’s talk about Marc Jacobs continuing his amazing Boston Terrier series. Although I am not complaining (it warms my little heart), my wallet is starting to grumble a bit. Cue this ADORABLE watch. At $267 it’s a stretch (I mean, REALLY?), so I am hoping that someone will rip off the design soon enough. Is that terrible? Oh well.

5. My relationship with Tumblr is touch and go. Sometimes I would flood my blog with 50 posts in a row, sometimes I wouldn’t post for 8 months at a time. I’m back on this bandwagon now (follow me here) and have become immersed in the fangirl explosion that is tumbling (I can use it as a verb, right?). More than likely if you catch me laughing at my computer screen maniacally, I’m on Tumblr compiling more fandom gifs to my already ridiculously large collection. #sorryimnotsorry

Special mention; Benedict Cumberbatch and his ridiculously sexy voice reads lyrics to R. Kelly’s “Genius.”