Weekend Wishlist: Cleaning Out my Closet Edition

I recently started a new chapter in my life. I started my first adult job and am no longer student for the first time in 18 years. This change marks my ascent further into what I like to call 'being a real grownup.' (Yes, I realize the word 'grownup' is juvenile, but I nearly always feel like I'm faking adulthood anyway so it's appropriate :)

Although I could talk about the myriad little--and large--ways my life has changed in the last 3 months, instead, I want to talk...about my wardrobe. (Like I said....faking adulthood).


My actual closet. I lead a glamorous life. Yes, I realize it looks ghetto--plans in the works to put on doors etc. Money doesn't grow on trees people...

Once I started working every day, I realized that my wardrobe isn't necessarily set up to do so. Even though I tried to dress stylishly for school, let's be honest--lots of times that meant leggings with boots and a cute top. As evidenced by these photos of me:






(Gotcha, fools! I'm not even brunette! These aren't even the same people! And if I looked this hot, I wouldn't be writing about the woes of my closet now would I? Silly readers....so gullible.)

Regardless of how awesome these hotties look, that's just not gonna cut it as a medical professional. It got me thinking about how to make my closet work for me, and I went on a long nerdy binge of reading fashion blogs and what they have to say about the topic.

My favorite posts are these:

• http://www.kendieveryday.com/p/working-closet.html 
• This series includes some great ideas about individualizing your closet--how to make sure what you're wearing is really you
• http://goodlifeforless.blogspot.com/2012/07/how-to-organize-your-closet-in.html 
• I loooove the series of questions that goodlifeforless posed.  Favorites? "Does that piece fit your lifestyle? Is this piece a part of your future or your past? Would you re-buy this piece today?"
• http://apair-andaspare.blogspot.com/2011/06/perfect-wardrobe-essentials.html
• This DIY-savvy chic put together a great collage of essentials that I've been referencing

So, in the immortal words of Eminem, tonight I'm cleaning out my closet. And here is how I'm going to do it, while revamping my wardrobe to work for Present Day Meghan rather than Past Meghan:

Step 1: Take Stock. Go through each item in your closet and ask yourself:

• Would I buy this again if I saw it in a store today? I think this is the most important question, because if you wouldn't buy it again today you probably don't or shouldn't wear it now.
• Does this item fit? Dress for your body, people! If it's too small, donate it! If it's too large, can it be tailored? Is it worth the extra money to do so? If not...donate!
• If it does fit, does it represent where I am in life? I could do with getting rid of my millionth tshirt and replacing it with work-appropriate tops that can transition to play.
• Does the item transmit the message I want to send about who I am? Whether you realize it or not, the way you present yourself does send a message to people. Do you want that message to say that you are sloppy or lazy (keep wearing those stained sweatpants to the grocery store!), or do you want to nonverbally tell people that you are proud of yourself (by wearing clothes that truly present you, fit you, and work for you rather than the other way around)?
• Did I buy this or do I wear it to fit someone else's ideal? Whether that ideal be that of the store you bought it from, the people you wore it to impress, or the guy on the subway you're trying to catch the eye of, the only ideal you should strive to fit is your own. Dress for you, not for others.
• Do I wear this because it makes me feel pretty, sexy, healthy, or any other positive emotion? If not--donate! There are so many things life that can bring you down, and your clothes are not nearly important enough to rank on that list.
• Am I holding on to this piece for sentimental reasons or because I actually love to wear it? I'm way guilty of this. If it's sentimental and not practical, maybe you could frame that pretty scarf that's bad for your coloring, or put a picture of it in your closet, then put the actual item in a box in the attic. Retail space in your closet is at a premium people!
• Have I worn this item during its season? If not (and the reason you didn't wear it isn't because it's a beautiful floor-length gown and you didn't make it to the Grammys this year), ask yourself if that piece needs to take up space in your closet, or if another piece would be more functional.

Step 2: Remove or Reconstruct. 

After answering the Step 1 questions for everything in your closet, you should be able to easily separate items into Keep, Rework, or Donate piles. 

• Keep: This pile should consist of all the items that passed the test of the Step 1 questions. You love them, wear them, fit well in them, feel good in them, and wear them to please yourself and to present the true you to the world. 
• Rework: I think this pile is one that gets overlooked by many people. Sometimes all an ill-fitting maxi dress needs is a shorter hem, or jeans that fit well everywhere but the waist can get nipped in to your actual size. A quick trip to a tailor can fix those types of problems and create a wardrobe specific to you.
• Donate: there are tonnnnnns of places that would be happy to accept clothing that no longer works for you. Another tip might be to bring them to a consignment shop, where often shop owners pay you either cash or credit to their store, so you can replace all the nonfunctional items with ones that work for you!

If you're having a hard time giving up certain items, I suggest you do one of two things: 1) Put those items in a box and store the box in a place outside of where you get dressed. If after a set amount of time you don't go to the effort of locating that box and taking out an item, those items can be donated because you're clearly not really missing them. 2) Put all of your clothes on hangers, but put the hangers backwards. As you wear an item, switch the hanger to the normal way. After a set amount of time, anything you haven't worn (the ones with the hanger still facing the wrong way) gets donated.  

Step 3: Reassess your Closet.

Now that you've removed the unnecessary items, it's often much easier to see where your closet is lacking. 

• Assess what needs replacing. For example, once I got rid of the ill-fitting dress pants I held onto since high school, I could see that I need to replace them with dress pants that actually fit my body and work with the existing colors in my wardrobe. 
• Assess what color palette you commonly wear. After getting rid of all the 'fluff' I saw that my wardrobe is mostly black, white, and cream with pops of color via tops and scarves.
• Assess what types of clothing you commonly wear. I wear skirts and dresses four out of five business days, so although I do still need a nice pair or two of dress pants, I shouldn't go overboard there because I'm less likely to get a lot of use out of pants as opposed to a nice skirt.
• Assess if your closet fulfills its necessary roles. My current closet is set up to accommodate a student. I have am now a healthcare professional, and my current closet just isn't cutting it!
• Assess if your closet represents you. Although my closet is black and white now, I'm soooooo not a black and white personality--I'm bubbly and energetic and friendly and much more outgoing than a mostly neutral wardrobe may portray. 
• Assess what you can afford. I am fortunate to finally have a little disposable income for the first time in years, so why am I still shopping Forever 21 like a kid who just received her weekly $10 allowance? I love F21 but I need to start investing in myself and thus my wardrobe. As Kendi brilliantly pointed out, if I'm not spending $100 on 5-6 F21 items that fall apart after one use, I can afford the $100 boots that I love and will wear a million times over and reheel and wear another million times. Quality over quantity, people. On the flip side, as stated before, your clothing shouldn't be getting you down, so if you can't afford new clothes--reimagine the clothes you've got! No need to add stress to your life because your clothes aren't exactly what you want--just be creative and challenge yourself to work with what you have. 

Step 4: Create a Shopping List

After all this funnnnnnn assessment, we get to the good stuff: Shopping! I can't really write any tips on what to buy, since everyone's list should be drastically different, because you are drastically different from me! But to give you an idea, here's how I've created my list.

• Decide what's needed to make your wardrobe functional for you today and to represent who you are. My wardrobe is student-oriented and neutral, and I'm now a professional and decidedly not a 'neutral' personality! If your wardrobe isn't doing its job of clothing you or representing you to the world, decide what you need to make it do so.
• Place necessary items at the top of your list. My favorite black short-sleeve, super-versatile dress has seen better days, so I need to replace it ASAP! Even though it's black and I am trying to get more color in my wardrobe, this is a necessary purchase for me because I wore its predecessor so often that it would be missed if not replaced. 
• Figure out items that maximize the rest of your wardrobe. Since you're now familiar all the contents of your wardrobe, it should be easy to see where a piece can fill in the gaps.  For example, this lovely Mikkat Market peach-colored dress can be a heavy hitter in my wardrobe because it brings in lots of lovely color (including a hue I don't even own!) while mixing nicely with all my black, grey, white, and cream pieces. It can also be dressed up or down and be nice and light in the summer or layer prettily in the winter. Lists such as this one can help you figure out if you have your basics covered, but remember that my 'basics' (black dress, brown leather boots) may be really different from your 'basics' (leopard print leggings? Bad-ass rocker jacket? ok!).
• Place fun, trendier items near the bottom of your list. I loooooove these fun orange boots and these funky pink tribal earrings because each of them is unique and brings lots of fun color to my neutral wardrobe. However, they're lower on the priority list because the boots can't really be worn at work (so are restricted to play time) and the earrings are trendier than the other items I've selected. Remember that trendy items help keep your wardrobe current, but will likely not have as long of a shelf-life as classic pieces. Therefore I go to Forever 21 for trends and Nordstrom or Shopbop for well-made, quality classics.
• Make sure your 'needs' are fulfilled, but get your 'wants' as you're able! I can't stress enough that clothing should be fun, not stressful, so if you're wearing your budget thin to get the latest hot item, stop it! Wait until you can really afford it. BUT on the other hand, if you can  easily afford it, don't be a baby! Go buy those hot faux leather leggings you've been eyeing for weeks! Have fun with your closet!

And because I've been really wordy for a girl with zero claim to fashion fame, here are some pretty things on my Weekend Wishlist:

Nice and Neutral:

                       

            

         Nearly Neutral:

                         

Not-So-Neutral

                           

As always, all my sources can be found on my Pinterest. Most from this post are on the boards Style Inspiration, Dream Closet, or Shopping Spree.

I've found my dream store

If someone were to ask me one store that personified my taste in clothing (not that they ever would because, really, what a weird question), to this point in my short life I would never have had a good answer. No more, my friends. No more.

Thanks to this lovely post from Designstiles, I ran across the store Esther.  Unfortunately it's Australian so I won't be able to go broke buy a new wardrobe reasonably order several desired lusted after needed items. But I will, however, share why this store is my personal style mecca.

                                 

1. They have a lot of black items, with a twist. I like a lot of black items, with a twist. Pretty sure I need both of these blazers.

                         

2. Their items are feminine with a tough edge.

                                

3. They're ever so slightly boho, but still tailored and chic.

4. They have items that sparkle. And lord knows I love a good sparkle (that grey tshirt has gold sequin trim! DIY anyone?)

5. All their items are basic in concept with small details that make them special.  I love the wavy edge on this lapel.

6. Their dresses are feminine and flirty but not trashy.

7. They stock pants with polka dots. Duh.

8. They have great statement jewelry that can be paired with many different outfits.

And last but not least, did you notice any common denominator in many of those images? How about these guys:

9. They've convinced me to buy the leather-look leggings from my Weekend Wishlist. After seeing how many different ways they styled them, I think those Windsor leggings have upgraded from a Want to a Need!

What about you guys--any one store that captures your personal style?

Weekend Wishlist: Black Leather Jacket

Lately, in a pathetic attempt to avoid studying for my board exam, I've become a pro online window shopper. Which, naturally, leads to me creating Pinterest boards such as "Shopping Spree" and "Dream Closet"....but if I haaaaaad to pick just a few items off the list, these are the ones I'd go with this weekend:



1) Isn't this Warehouse Soft Pocket Leather jacket AMAZING?!! I've been searching for an affordable black leather jacket with a beautiful waterfall or asymmetric hem for MONTHS now and this is basically my holy grail.

2) I'm also lusting over these awesome Rag & Bone Harrow Booties. I can only seem to find them in stock in black...but they're crazy good and I can basically imagine wearing them with my entire wardrobe.

3) I'm usually one to stick to a really neutral color palette for my basics (and I personally count a good leather work bag as a basic) buuuut I'd make an exception in this case.  This bag alone is why I curse having a winter birthday....there's no way to sucker someone else into getting this for me! :( This Jade Green Twist Lock Holdall Bag is from a really cute shop I just discovered, Chicwish.

4) I'm really digging stripes this summer and I'd love to add this Black/White Stripe Belted Pencil Skirt from Windsor to my closet. Only $23!

5) I think this Swan Cloud Skirt from Chicwish is a little crazy, but in the best possible way.  They show it with a chambray/denim shirt, but I think it'd be fun with concert tees or a slouchy grey tank too.

6) Speaking of crazy, these It's a Colorful Life pants from Modcloth are basically the definition of crazy-pants. I'd break allll of my normal fashion rules for these pants if not for the fact that all the reviews make them sound super tiny :(

7) Last but certainly not least, I've been lusting over black liquid/wet look/faux leather/whatever you call them leggings for eeeeeeevvvvver. These Black Liquid Leggings from Windsor seem to be the darling of fashion blogs, but I'm wondering if they would fit my badonk well enough? The model seems pretty tiny.....anyone? Or anyone had luck with other liquid leggings for the not-size-zero body?

Urban Outfitters Pin to Win contest moodboard

So Urban Outfitters is doing a fun Pinterest challenge right now where you pin your favorite home items from UO to a board and they pick a winner! I was browsing their inventory and was surprised to find so many items I liked.  Unlike a lot of stores, it seemed that you could put together a room or home entirely from UO and it wouldn't look like it all came from the same big-box store.  So I decided to make a couple moodboards!

My inspiration for this home came from these fun anatomical posters.  Being that my real life takes place in a hospital (I'm a genetic counselor), I was inspired to create a Lady Scientist Lair.

I love how it looks like the skeletons are checking each other and the 'carpe fucking diem' poster out....like, look at me and my bad self, oh and all my guts and flowers and birds and muscles. Dyyyyaaaaamn.

I love the horoscope hand for taking off your jewelry at night.  The headboard is soooo prettty!

Lady Scientist enjoys collecting science-inspired memorabilia for her home (us science types always bring our work home with us, it's an illness). So here we've got this fun test tube vase set and a movie projection screen that gets put away when not in use to reveal this fun pull-down world map!

Other items that could've made it into these boards if I had the talent/time to do so:

This pendant is $64 worth of fabulousness, and I want it.

Lady Scientist ain't afraid to mix her metals, so she'd Represent with her initial (or mine, in this case...)

I've been eyeballing this adorable director's table for literally years with no good place to put it. One day it (or the cheaper versions at Target or  Bed Bath and Beyond) will be mine!

Did you know that Urban has a vintage section? That's where I found this Vintage Time Card Rack, which Lady Scientist would use to display the postcards she's picked up on each trip she takes (I'm stealing this idea....)

(Ok I'm tired of linking stuff up.  Sources can all be found at my Urban Outfitters Pinterest board)

I want this terrarium bad....

 But not as bad as I want THIS guy!

He's a Hippo. Holding Toothpaste. I find him hilarious and may or may not be purchasing him in the very near future.

How about you guys? Spotted any great finds at Urban Outfitters recently?

Exciting news! Exciting purchases! Why I'm poor!

Hello friends, How are you this lovely Friday? I left work early to work from home and am playing hooky posting right now, shhhhhhh :) Thanks to those of you that offered opinions on my narcissistic post regarding my haircut...I did end up chopping it and am still figuring out how to style it, I'll maybe post a pic soon :)

The big news of this week is my first big-girl purchase:

The Chloe sofa by Macys, which I've been eyeing up for over a year, has always alluded me because I can't force myself/could never afford the $800 price tag. Lucky for me, this little lady showed up on Salt Lake's local classifieds!

So now I'm the proud owner of this beaut:

Only $300 and she's practically new! So excited :)

One surprise I had was that the 'granite' color shown online is much more brown than it appears on the site. I brought the cushion home to compare it to the current nasty brown futon action currently holding fort where my prettiness will go...

But I still like it! I've been madly planning the rest of the room design because, oh yeah, did I tell my other exciting news? I'm moving in with the love o' my life!

The not-so-exciting-yet-terribly-exciting news?

THIS: 

...is what I'm dealing with. The bf's home just so happened to recently suffer flood damage from a backed-up graywater pipe....so we're taking advantage of his home insurance to upgrade the lower level of the house (doing lots of DIY projects to stretch out the insurance money, and I get to play decorator! :)

The above image was actually taken months ago...we've come a LONG way since then, so my apologies for not posting updates! The good news is that you'll get more instant gratification via before/during/after shots this way, rather than the tortuously slow process I've been enduring lately :)

Oh and here's what the bedroom situation used to look like....

It's still a major work in progress, but I can't wait to show you what it looks like now!

It's been a MINUTE!

Have you ever heard someone use the phrase "it's been a minute" when referencing something they haven't seen/done in a while? Absolutely doesn't make sense.  "It's been forever," yes. "minute," no. 60 seconds is not a long time in my book. Unless you're running a 400 meter dash.  in which case, friend, you better find a new sport.

ANYWAY, my apologies for neglecting you, my personal life has been crazy busy, blah blah blah. On to the good stuff!

Since starting my new job I've realized that the old 'roll into (work, school, dates) with wet hair and a layer of mascara' thing won't cut it anymore.  I'm a really low-mantainence person (get ready in 35 minutes including shower and picking out an outfit), so I've been on the hunt for products that get the job done quick and easy.  I thought I'd review some of my favorites!

(Note: super ghetto pictures to follow. I'm on my lunch break and only have a cell phone...)

First up, Cover Girl Natureluxe Gloss Balms. These are amazing.  As someone slowing creeping into the lipstick world, I love these because they impart more color than a chapstick or gloss, but don't have that thick lipstick-y feeling or taste. Just the right amount of color, and I find them very moisturizing.

These are not mine--I couldn't get a product picture?!

The downside is that, as a balm and not a lipstick or stain, you have to reapply more frequently than other products. But I don't mind since, like I said, I use it kind of like a chapstick. I have two: peony and pinot. Pinot is a gorgeous deep red/dark berry color, and Peony, although it looks bright, intimidating red in the tube, looks more like a brighter red berry (blue undertones), which I actually love.

If you're not the type to want to reapply, here's my other favorite product for your perusal: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain. It's a stain, with a balm! Duh. I love these because the color really does last forever and the balm is nice, although it wears off right away.



These are the product images...I don't think the colors are very accurately depicted, so here's my ghetto shot from my desk:

Top to bottom: Revlon Honey, Revlon Smitten, Covergirl Pinot, Covergirl Peony


The Honey is marketed as a "my lips but better' color, which I don't really agree with.  And now I come to the downside of the product: at first Honey is a MLBB color (if your skin tans easily--for my pale, pink-toned skin it was a little too mauve/brown at first). Then, once the balm wears off, it turns into a really very pretty pink color, which is noticeable not subtle. It's still really pretty, so it's not a problem for me as long as that's what color I planned to wear.  If you're looking for a natural color, this isn't it.  As for the Smitten color, it's BRight! Bright pink.  Starts as a lovely berry color, then once the balm wears off it's a fuschia (how the eff do you spell fuisha?!) more or less. So the downside of these sticks is that the balm color is different from the stain color--stain is still pretty, just something to be aware of.  I look forward to them expanding their color selection, too.

(Tip I just discovered that everyone probably already knows: Rite Aid and CVS both have 100% guaranteed returns on makeup. So I've been bringing things home to try and if they're hideous/I will never ever wear them I return them and try another.)

Next up, mascara.  I've never really understood the hullabaloo over different types of mascara. They all seem to work the same for me. I like Almay products, so when I ran out of my regular kind (the One Coat Nourishing type), I just grabbed the first Almay mascara I found, which was this:


And HOLY LORD now I get it.  Almay Get Up and Grow is amaaazing, makes my lashes look thicker and longer.  At the end of the day it does smudge a little, but all my mascaras do so I don't care.

And last but not least, with the crazy-hot weather assaulting Salt Lake City lately, my hair has gotten sooooo dry!

I did a little internet digging for hair help, and discovered this gem:

I found it in the 'ethnic hair' section of my local Rite Aid, and was initially worried that it wouldn't be good for my non-African hair (sorry if that's really naive--I didn't know!), but after reading a few reviews I gave it a whirl.  I put it on the ends of my hair and immediately noticed a difference.  The next morning after my shower I put a little pool in my palm and ran it through my damp hair then styled as usual.  It was a bit softer, but not crazily so.  Then last night I put it in my dry hair (I put too much in, made it look oily which if used properly it shouldn't), and this morning after my shower I didn't put any in (because I was worried that the greasy look would come back) and holy goodness my hair has never been so soft. Seriously. Wonder drug, and only $8!

My last trick has been using this:

My Supercuts stylist (who I go to for just trims--I have a fantastic girl, Alison at Bladeworks, when I'm getting an actual hairstyle rather than a trim) recommended biotin or prenatals for hair growth and strength. Since my hair's been growing soooooo slowwwwwwly I gave it a whirl.  I'm not sure if it's working--I started using the argan oil a few days after I started taking biotin and noticed more of a difference after the oil--but maybe it's the magical combo of both that's doing me good?

Anyway, these are things I've used and loved.  What are your favorite products? Are you a low-mantainence person (read: somewhat lazy about makeup routine and sleeps in till the last possible minute) too, or are you one of those people I strive to be who are fantastic at making lots of makeup look completely natural (and HOW do you DO it?!?!)

OH and your input plllleeeeease! 2 Augusts ago I did this to myself:

Chopped off basically all my hair so I could donate it and subsequently had personal image issues for a good two months (sad but true--although I met my now-boyfriend the day I chopped it off, so it couldn't have been as awful as I felt it looked ;). I've been growing it out ever since and have finally reached this status:

(why yes, yes I did take this in the bathroom at work.  Funny you should ask.  What's that you say? Did I feel like a big creeper and do I now feel extremely narcissistic for posting this? Right again! Is it a terrible photo that probably should never reach the internets? Yesssssss)

So Here's the deal.  I am TIRED of trying to grow this shiz out. Then I (and everyone else and their mother) saw this on Pinterest the other day....and I'm pretty sure I'm going to do it. Haircut today at five.  So I need YOU, lovely readers, to tell me if you think it's a good idea!

Your thoughts?!?!