As has been the norm the past few times I've actually had somewhere to go (other than my parent's for dinner) the weather did not want to cooperate. This is what I wore to go to New Beauty Magazine's 10th Anniversary party in New York last Thursday. Disregarding the misting/rain the whole time I was walking to and from the event it was fun! I got my "perfect shade" of Paula Dorf lipstick picked out for me ("Attitude") and got my hair braided with help from John Barrett Salon.

The event was three floors of experiential beauty, so everyone was just walking around trying out all the different products! I really liked the Per-fekt Brow Perfection Gel, will have to buy some when my shopping ban is over! At the end of the event I got an amazing goodie bag filled with products to try! Going to be fun going through all of them! Already gave some stuff to my mom and sister since I can't possibly use it all on my own.

P.S. This weather was making me think of this part in The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh, poor Rabbit! Ha ha.

Jacket: Theyskens' Theory (Nordstrom Rack), Top: Daniel Rainn (Piperlime), Jeans: J Brand 'Maria High Rise Skinny' in Supreme (Gilt), Necklace: House of Harlow c/o South Moon Under,  Rings: old, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Lumo 'Violet, Lumo 'Rope', Heels: Jimmy Choo (Roundabout Resale)

April Fools! It's not Spring yet. Mother Nature just had to drop some more snow on us! I wore this two weekends ago to help my friend shop for work clothes and then we went to see Cinderella. It was my second time seeing it, and it was still amazing the second time! I didn't want to wear a coat, even though it was cold, so I decided to wear my faux fur vest, which is just as warm!

Vest: French Connection (Marshalls), Sweater: J.Crew, Jeans: Mother c/o Marshalls, Boots: Vince Camuto (Marshalls), Bag: Etienne Aigner (thrifted)

Starting this month I'm no longer doing the traditional French Wardrobe Challenge. I made it through one year, which is pretty darn good! So now I think I have learned quality over quantity and basics over crazy pieces. From now on I'll just be mindful of my purchases and try to stick to buying mostly basics.

I did a pretty good job this month with a few exceptions.  I splurged on two rings from Lumo that I've had my eye on, but I used advertising money I had in PayPal so they were 'free.' I also scored a few deals that I couldn't pass up. One was a pair of silk pants from The Outnet that will be perfect for my trip to Greece (I also had to buy a navy tee to go with them.) The second was another pair of pants - faux suede and super soft!

From now until my vacation starts on April 11th I'm going to try not to buy ANYTHING (no clothes, no movies, nada!) And then during my trip I have a list of a few things I want to buy. When I get home I'm going to attempt a few months of no-shopping to get myself back on track after a rough tax season. In that way, freelancing sucks! Three huge chunks of money will be leaving my bank account within 3 months, thanks to 2014 taxes and 2015 quarterly taxes.



THE RULES

1. Be mindful of purchases
2. Quality over quantity
3. Basics are best

MY PROGRESS

Clothes:

1. *NEW!* Blank Vegan 5 Pocket Olive Jeans ($23 via South Moon Under, retail $98)
2. *NEW!* Sea printed silk tapered pants ($56 via The Outnet Clearance Sale, used advertising money)

Basics:

1. *NEW!* Zenana Outfitters navy tee ($5.99 via Marshalls)

Shoes:

1. *NEW!* Diane von Furstenberg 'Emma' pointed toe flats ($18 via Marshalls, retail $250)

Accessories:

1. *NEW!* Ray-Ban 'Erika' Sunglasses ($15 via Ditto, with coupon code)
2. *NEW!* LUMO 'Violet' Ring with Australian Opal ($85, used advertising money)
3. *NEW!* LUMO 'Rope' Ring ($40, used advertising money)

Gifted:

1. *NEW!* Orox Leather laptop sleeve
2. *NEW!* Orox Leather 'Merces Petite' bag

Once again my outfit plans were foiled by the weather! This weekend I went to South Moon Under's 1st Anniversary event with Lydia. I was hoping the weather would be nice (aka not raining or snowing) so I could wear my fun printed Carven skirt (seen here) with a tee, suede jacket, tights and sandals to show off my second Orox Leather Co. handbag! Unfortunately, it was flurrying/raining all day and really cold, so I had to resort to wearing a dress with an over-sized sweater and I look a little dumpy...not pleased.  On the plus side, I had gotten my hair done on Thursday night at a party and was amazed to find that it wasn't totally ruined by Saturday morning, so I let it have one more day before taking it out and washing my hair, ha ha.

Other than that, the day was great! I broke a promise to myself and bought a pair of pants (only $23!), had some Chinese food for lunch and finished reading The Cuckoo's Calling.

Back to the bag. How adorable is this Merces Petite purse Orox Leather sent? It's made of the same leather as the laptop sleeve I shared on Friday. It has an adjustable double knot shoulder strap so you can wear it short or as a crossbody. There is even a little sleeve compartment inside perfect for storing a cell phone (my iPhone 6 fit great!)

Dress: Diane von Furstenerg (Coco's on the Green), Sweater: Inis Crafts (Marshalls), Boots: Grandma's, Rings: old, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Lumo 'Violet, Lumo 'Rope', Bag c/o Orox Leather

Today I'm featuring a beautiful piece from Orox Leather Co., based in Portland, Oregon. Orox sells a full line of American made bags, belts and small leather goods, crafted by hand in their Portland workshop. They use only the highest quality, American­ sourced leather and other sustainable materials. Orox is a proud leader in sustainable consumerism, standing by their low­ impact production process and quality US made products that will last a lifetime.

We love handcrafting exceptional leather goods that last just about forever. Perhaps the only thing that makes us happier is seeing our products well used, cherished, and passed on to the next generation. As a fourth generation family business, we’re in it for the long haul. We’re very excited about 2015: creating new products, discovering new materials, and sharing our vision and craft with more people around the world.

Orox kindly sent me their Macbook sleeve in tan to style for the blog! I chose it because it can do double duty as a clutch, which is how I will use it most of the time! You can tell the piece is skillfully handmade, the quality is excellent. I can just picture this a few years from now, beautifully worn in and weathered from lots of love.

The leather was giving me a Ralph Lauren-esque feeling, so I decided to style it with a Lauren Ralph Lauren dress. Unfortunately it was REALLY cold when Lydia and I met up to take these pictures so I improvised and turned the dress into a top and wore it with jeans.

Make sure to come back next week when I'll be featuring another bag from Orox!

Sweater: Ami Dans La Rue (Shopbop), Dress (worn as shirt): Lauren by Ralph Lauren (Lord & Taylor), Jeans: J Brand 'Maria High Rise Skinny' in Supreme (Gilt), Necklace: BubuRuby,  Rings: old, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Lumo 'Violet, Lumo 'Rope', Sunglasses: Ray-Ban 'Erika' (Ditto), Bag c/o Orox Leather