5 x 5

My five current loves:
01. Buffalo plaid.
02. Warm temperatures. Okay, so not everyone would consider 34° F warm, but after combatting single digit temperatures for much of the month, 34° F feels like Florida.
03. My rockin' new Urban Decay palettes. I got them for Christmas and I love them! It's so much fun to play with new shades again. I haven't purchased any new make-up for myself in quite a while, so this is very nice.
04. Green nail polish. I expressed my love for this a few posts ago, and it hasn't gone away. Jade green for now, seafoam green in a few months. I love it!
05. Awaiting spring. I seriously cannot wait for spring this year. I miss being outside so much! I also hate how it gets dark so early now. Less than 3 months till spring!

Five questions:
Favorite make-up brand? Urban Decay. It was the first "real" make-up brand I ever got into, and it's still my favorite.
Favorite clothing brand? J. Crew. I'm more obsessed with their styling than actual clothes, though.
Your indispensable make-up product? Concealer. I haz the redness. Physicians Formula Concealer Twins is my favorite. The green covers up the redness, and the beige covers up the green. Perfect.
Why country would you like to visit and why? Right now, I really want to visit Australia. I miss being warm, and I'd love to spend a day on the beach. Hopefully I wouldn't run into any snakes, though.
What was the last concert you went to? Murder City Devils back in October 2009. Yeah, it's been a while.


Marie at Marie a la Mode tagged me a week or so ago to list five of my current loves and to answer five questions. Thank yoo, darling! I'm tagging:

01. Robbie at The Other Side of the Pond My Dear
02. Cee at Coco and Vera
03. Mary at Undergrad Fab
04. Trishna at Tashrin
05. You!

Or just tell me in the comments a few things you're loving right now.

Red, White, and Blue (in December)

Day-o. I wore this outfit on Christmas Eve. I bought leg warmers and I think I like them. I'm going to wear them with Converse soon.

Close-up face pictures are to show off the new Urban Decay set my momma got me. I like it. The colors are a bit muted, but that's totally okay. I think understated make-up totally works right now.

I enjoyed reading all yer thoughtz on my last post! I'll be returning all comments from that post in the next couple of days...I'm currently wrapping up all that holiday shizz and haven't been on my computer much!

Dress: Urban Outfitters
Scarf: Gap
Necklace and Legwarmers: J.C. Penney
Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs
Booties: Seychelles

Be my serene

Major snowstorm hit here recently (I think the kids even got the day off of school...that's amazing! I don't think we got one snow day in all my high school career, and--trust me--we got snow a plenty). The temperatures actually warmed up, so taking pictures outside was quite enjoyable! Unfortunately, I'm only getting around to posting them now, since my home internet had been M.I.A. up until this morning (bad things about living in the middle of nowhere: you have one shitty option for internet, and if it snows or rains too hard, you're screwed for days).

I've been thinking of what I'm going to do with my 1.5 year break before graduate school and I've brainstormed up some winners. I'm going to start a new blog project. I'm going to learn how to play piano. I'm going to take a trip to Australia. I'm thinking of training for a marathon even (I started to a couple of summers ago but never got around to actually running it). Maybe I should set my sights high and train to win a marathon (those student loans are a killer). I can hear it now...Ashley, 5'3", thick-thighed fashion blogger beats every Kenyan and steals the show! When asked what she would be doing with the prize money, she responded, "Well, I think I'll be paying off the rest of my pesky student loans." After pausing for a minute, she added, "And I'd really like a pair of Louboutins."

Shirt: Eddie Bauer
Vest: Old Navy
Jeans: Abercrombie
Boots: Steven by Steve Madden

Jaded

I can't decide if this outfit is a little drab or not. I want to say no, but something inside of me is saying, "Yeah, Ashley. You boring." I mean, I don't know how a leopard print jacket and sequin skirt could be boring, but whatevs. I was obsessed with the combination of seafoam green and leopard print a few months ago, so I thought I could make my adoration a little more season-appropriate and change it to jade green and leopard print (although the green in the pictures is more teal...silly lighting). I bought the nail polish yesterday ("Going Incognito" by Essie) and love it.

I also picked up some of those tights with the dots (with the dots!) that seem to be so popular right now. $7 at Target and they've already got a snag in them. DO NOT WANT.

Thanks for all your support, everyone! I totally appreciate it! I'm done with school now so I'll be posting a lot more regularly now, yay. I'm also thinking another giveaway is in order soon...whatchu think?

There's still time to join the Guest Post Group, so be sure to contact me if you're interested!

Jacket: Topshop
Skirt: ? (I got it at Bloomingdales)
Clutch: Steven by Steve Madden
Booties: Steve Madden

Knit wit

Another big piece of knitted goodness. Really, I never much liked chunky sweaters before this year. They were something my mom wore and I avoided like the plague. I also try to steer clear of shades of pink that remotely remind me of Pepto-Bismol. So really, I should absolutely hate this outfit. But I don't! That's why I'm wearing it, you know?

I'd like to give a warm welcome back to my favorite pair of Jeffrey Campbell shoes. They've been missing since about October. I found them today at the bottom of my suitcase. I think one of my New Year's resolutions had better be "get shizz organized."

Remember to follow me on Twitter! I like new friends (or excuse me, "tweeps").

Sweater and tights: J. Crew
Fedora: Urban Outfitters
Shorts: Victoria's Secret
Wedges: Jeffrey Campbell
Scarf: Forever 21

Light. At the end of the tunnel!

This is my new sweater. It's huge. I didn't like it at first. My mom convinced me to keep it. It's extremely warm, so I did.

My pants look rather disheveled, don't they? Ah well. All part of the appeal, I guess. Right? Right!

The semester is coming to a close (and if you hadn't guessed it by now, yup, that's what's preventing me from posting like normal). I finished my internship yesterday. I got 100% on my first final. I have one more class session, one more assignment, and one more final to complete, and I will have my shiny new bachelor's degree. And, almost as exciting as that, I'll be back to a regular posting schedule after this madness, too. Whee. Life is good. So good, that I engaged in a one-woman dance party at work today to James Brown. There's nothing better than dancing to "I Feel Good" when you feel good, no?

Sweater: Levis
Pants: Gap
Heels & Clutch: Marc by Marc Jacobs

Winter foliage

I wore this coat back in September (which, you know, is typical, because I do wear things more than once). My hair sure looked better back then. Goddamn. I switched it up a bit this time with some black knee-highs, boots, and a scarf. Thanks again to my boyfriend, who, like last time, was my photo bitch. It sure is a lot quicker than setting up the tripod, and I think he actually has learned to focus my dSLR. Amazing!

I wore this Christmas shopping today. I didn't end up buying any Christmas presents. I did, however, get a shearling vest from Old Navy for myself that will probably be debuting here in the next few weeks. It was on sale and I couldn't resist! I think I'm just going to give cards for Christmas that say, "Sorry! I couldn't find anything for you, but I did find this really kick-ass vest for myself! There's always next year, right?"

* In case you haven't yet heard, I'm starting a new project centered around guest posting. We're going to be starting in January, so there's still more than enough time to join the group!

Scarf: H&M
Coat: Free People
Boots & Earrings: Urban Outfitters
Bag: Steven by Steve Madden

Project Scarf: the Displaced Accessory

Finally, I am continuing Project Scarf. Alls I did this time was tie it on my beloved bag to add a little bit of interest to it. This is my go-to bag: recently, I've been using this one day in and day out, so dressing it up with this scarf is fun and made it less boring. Yeah!

This is my new coat from Tulle that I got for $55 on Black Friday. It's nice, albeit the sleeves are a bit long! Winter's ice makes heels hazardous, so I've been turning to my favorite casual shoe lately: Converse. I think they make for a fun weekend look.

Thanks to my photo bitch (my boyfriend) for taking these pictures outside of J.C. Penney on a freezing day. I'm seriously counting the days down till Spring.

If you haven't seen it yet, check out The Guest Post Group! It's a new project I'm starting aimed at promoting your blog and making connections with other bloggers in the process. Check it out and let me know if you're interested!

Coat: Tulle
Pants: Gap
Handbag: Steven by Steve Madden
Scarf: Madewell
Shoes: Converse

My top five fashion & beauty pet peeves

#1. Improperly applied red lipstick. If you're going to wear red lips, at least figure out how to do it properly. This was the worst picture I could find, and it's not even that bad. I've seen way, way worse. Lipstick smears...on the teeth, on the cheeks. Lipstick that has faded, but the bright red lipliner remains strong and steady. Lips that are in bad condition so they're peeling, leaving big red chunks hanging from one's lips. Oh yeah. I've seen it all. And I hate it.





#2. When people just bleach their hair and fail to tone it. I'm no professional or anything, but I'm pretty sure when one's hair is dark to begin with and they bleach their hair, it takes on an orange-y appearance. That, my friends, is why you used a toner (all together now, T-O-N-E-R) to get rid of the orange tinge and get something that is more likely to resemble "natural" blonde.





#3. Heavy black eyeliner with no mascara. Especially if you have blonde lashes. This just looks dumb, like something's missing. I've noticed a lot of teenagers favor this look, and it drives me up a wall. Finish what you've started. If you're going to put on black eyeliner, finish it up with a coat or two of black mascara to keep the look polished.





#4. Uggs with sweatpants. I hated Uggs for years and resisted them when everyone and their brother were giving in. I let my guard down last year and bought not just one, but two pairs of Uggs, and I was a changed wo-man: I love my Uggs to death in the winter. BUT. I don't wear them with baggy sweatpants. Uggs go with two things: jeans/pants that are skinny enough in the leg to be tucked into the boot, or tights. They. Do. Not. Go. With. Baggy. Sweatpants. Ever.





#5. Ed Hardy. Need I say more?


So...I want to know. Do you hate these things as much as I do? What are some of your fashion and beauty pet peeves?