Denim Distressin'

I have been trying to find the perfect pair of distressed denim skinnies for the longest time! I was debating on whether to wait until I had lost these final post baby pounds, when I came across a great pair of stretchy, comfy, generously weighted jeans by H&M. For just $39.99, I was in the change room and at the checkout faster than she could say "cash or credit".

There are so many things I like about these jeans - I don't even know where to start! Firstly, the shade of blue is absolutely spot on what I wanted. Not too deep, and not so light that they are unflattering on my fuller post-pregnancy thighs - I find these the perfect shade of medium-blue denim. I also love that the distressing was done in such a way that there are no actual "holes" in the jeans, just a really great threading effect:

Next, I absolutely LOVE the length on these! They are sold as a cuffed jean, and so there is a very generous inseam that allows you to wears these with flats or with the highest of sky-high heels you dare. 

Finally they are made of that most elusive combination of thick, heavy-weight denim and generous stretch that makes them both comfortable AND flattering.

I paired my jeans with a pretty, blush blazer by Vero Moda, snakeskin heels from Nine West and a loose sleeveless blouse from Forever 21.

I had a tough time deciding between my cognac satchel from Danier or the gold Tory Burch clutch. As I was going to be on the road for a while, function ended up trumping form, and I went with the "fits-everything-i-need-and-more" satchel :)

Which handbag would you have chosen?

Linking up with these fabulous blogs!!

My Strange Addiction - Best Budget Nail Polishes!

So I've already mentioned how I am an absolute sucker for the impulse purchase displays that are set up at store checkout lines. What you don't know, is that I also have a serious weakness when it comes to nail polish. I love the different color choices available from the pretty pastels to the cool metallics and edgy darker shades....I also get a kick out of the clever names that polish companies come up with and have been know to buy a polish because the name was just too cute to pass up. Honestly, sometimes it feels like opening a fortune cookie - I seriously bought Essie's "eternal optimist" (which is barely HALF a shade different than the "not just a pretty face" I had sitting on my dresser at home) because I felt like the name was speaking to me personally. I know, I know...a little bit cray - don't judge. Truth is, I pop that stuff into my shopping basket like candy. Originally a devotee of anything OPI, I discovered a few years back that Essie had a great formula that dried quickly and shiny and lasted days longer, quickly giving it the top spot in my overall nail polish ranking chart.

So you can imagine what happened when my routine shopping haunts added super cute, low priced nail polishes to their impulse purchase displays. I was no match for the temptation and soon enough, my order of clothes and accessories from H&M, Forever 21 and Joe Fresh were coming with a delicious side of nail polish. I had no idea whether the product would be any good, but I was loving the colors and for the prices figured they were worth a try.

Here are some of my favs:

H&M 

For just $1.95, you can get a cute little 5 ml bottle of nail art fun from H&M. On the day I first gave this nail polish a try, they were "buy 2 get 1 free", so really - how could I not? I picked up "warm sand", which is a really gorgeous nudey/peachy color, along with "I do" - a pretty pinky/coral:

Ever a fan of the classics, I grabbed "true love" - a perfect Jackie O. shade of red - to complete my 3 bottle purchase:

I was shocked at how great these polishes were when I got them home. They were decently pigmented, dried quickly with a really nice shine. My only complaint with these is how teeny the bottles are. I like to hold the bottle between my knees so that it doesn't tip over or slide all over the place when giving myself a manicure. These bottles are so tiny that you have to take special care to avoid getting the brush (and polish) on your knees rather than back in the bottle (does anyone else use this techinique for DIY mani's or is this just my issue??)

Joe Fresh

Just when you think a line can't give you anything more - they do (sigh). Joe Fresh, a hidden gem in between the broccoli and bacon slices of your local Loblaw's/Supercentre grocery store has opened up a few stand alone stores (I've visited both the one on Queen Street West and the Vaughn Mills location - and for those of you without access to the actual store, they have a great online shopping site). Not only do they carry great quality, affordable and trendy fashions that are presented every spring and fall at Toronto Fashion week, they have expanded to include cosmetics as well! In fact they have a new line of skin care including face serum, eye cream, toner and this citrus facial cleanser that I want to try - but, I digress...

I was in the checkout line the other day when I saw the display sign "Buy 1 get 1 Free" for a bin full of nail polish, and so of course, I did what came naturally and grabbed these two:

                                                                                                                                    From the Left: "Peacock" and "Ballet Slipper"

Once again, I was loving the colors, and pleasantly surprised with the formulas. An added bonus was the wide FLAT brush that makes application much easier and more even (the absence of this type of brush is were Essie misses the mark - IMO). Priced at just $4 each (one of which was free), no complaints here!

Forever 21

Forever 21 has been in beauty for some time now, and they do a fabulous job of not only tempting you with their checkout line displays (come on now, which of you have NOT randomly picked up and taken home one of their cosmetic bags while waiting to check out???) but have little baskets of low priced goodies, right there at the cash counter! It would take willpower of steal to resist the urge. And so last month with my shopping bag full of shorts and swimwear for our vacation to St. Martin, I grabbed this super beachy color to paint my toes for vacay:

The color is called "Bubble Gum" and at just $3.90, it was SO worth it and joins China Glaze's "Flip Flop Fantasy" as my favorite summer pedi color!

Walmart 

I couldn't do a post on the best budget nail slicks without giving a shout out to the line "Pure Ice". I had never before heard of this nail polish, but a couple of years ago, came across the display of super trendy shades priced under $2 a pop! I believe they are sold exclusively at Walmart, and are great, quick drying formulas. These round out my list of the best budget nail polishes:

From the Left: "Bikini", "Jail Bait", "Superstar!", "French Kiss"

Remember the days when you only had "Hard Candy" if you wanted trendy and unique nail colors with good formulations? Today there are tons of great options to choose from and by lines that you may have overlooked for the more well known (and more expensive) brands. Nail polish is such a fun and easy way to express your personal style, and pull together a look, that I am glad that more companies are getting into the biz and putting out really great products while doing it!!

Today I did a fun and fresh two toned look with Joe Fresh and Pure Ice polishes:

                                                   

                                                     

What do you think? I'd love to hear about your favorite low priced nail polishes :)

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Linking up with these fabulous blogs!!

   

Jumpin' for (Jumpsuit) Joy!!

I LOOOOOVVVVEEEEE a jumpsuit!

Much like the beloved maxi-dress (or any dress for that matter) it is the only single item of clothing hanging in my closet that allows me to have an entire outfit put together (minus accessories) in one quick clothes hanger grab.

As if the speed factor is not enough to make you hear the choirs sing, a jumpsuit will also hide a multitude of figure flaws and cellulite sins - something us postpartum mamas can really appreciate!

As today was a hair wash and blow-dry day for me and the length of Emma's morning nap does not give any consideration whatsoever to how much time I need to get ready (can you imagine? I know!), I knew that I was going to have to shave off major time in the clothing-selection-and-try-on department if I was to also fit in a wash, blow-dry and flatiron in my 45 minute to an hour, baby-free window.

So for my lunch date today I decided to rip the price tag off of my yet unworn, sweatshirt material, Forever 21 all-in-one number:

Jumpsuit - Forever 21

Necklace - old

Sandals - Michael Kors

Bag - Michael Kors

I'm still trying to lose that dreaded, last 10-15 pounds of baby weight, but in this outfit, I feel comfortable and at the same time stylish and put together. To be quite honest, with my gargantuan breastfeeding boobs, and my thicker than normal waistline, a v-neckline would have been much more flattering. That said, I think the outfit still rocks :)

While I adore my Marc Jacobs "Pretty Eliza" diaper bag, I'm getting kinda bored of carrying the same thing every day. And truthfully, despite how cute it is, at the end of the day, it is still (let's face it) a diaper bag - I mean how chic can one really be??? I knew I was only going to be gone for a couple of hours, so I got the idea of carrying Emma's things in my Michael Kors Hamilton Tote. It's one of my favorite handbags, and I actually haven't used it in like a year. I got this one almost two years ago at the outlet in Las Vegas and I really ♡ it:

I'm pretty sure they no longer make the nameplate version but you might be able to find it at an outlet in your area. I was pleasantly surprised with what a FANTASTIC alternative diaper bag this turned out to be!! Because it has that zippered divider section down the middle and really large inside pockets I was able to fit (and neatly organize) a couple of diapers, wipes, a bottle, some formula packets, a 500ml water bottle, 2 bibs, my wallet, keys, iphone and my Marc Jacobs change mat! AND there was room for a lot more! I definitely could have added at least one change of clothes and a couple of small toys. I feel another blog post coming on...but alas, I digress...back to jumpsuits.

There are a lot of great options at a wide range of price points and I've included some of my favorites below:

Clockwise from top left: Forever 21, Forever 21, Diane von Fursetenburg, Zara, H&M, Topshop

I absolutely LOVE all of these, but can we talk for a minute about the back on the Zara number...

I know right? I was like "say WHAT?!?" Gorg ♡♡♡♡ 

Gotta go - online shopping awaits!