TEITM: The Return of the Ombré

Excuse my recent dead-ness. I've been busy finishing up my summer class, and it's hard, yo. I figured out I can only miss 8 points (out of like, 200 and something) on my assignments and tests in order to get an A. The pressure is on. I promise promise promise I will catch up on your blogs soon!

Since I blogged last, a series of unfortunate events occurred:

1. I missed the blogger meet up on Saturday because my car took a big dump in unfamiliar territory. By the time it got fixed, it was pretty late. So I drove home.
   
2. I'm pretty sure I have shin splits. I'm going to ditch the Converse and buy me some real walking shoes.
   
3. I'm also pretty sure I have ovary rot. No details on that one.
   
4. I feel like, as a 21 year old, I shouldn't be saying this, but this humidity is making my joints ache like a son of a bitch.
   
5. I accidentally bought two copies of the same book.
   

I also applied for a job at Starbucks (don't major in sociology, friends) and dyed half my hair turquoise.

Dress: UO
Boots: Steve Madden

Minnesota Beach Ashley

I don't really like these pictures, but getting them involved my boyfriend kneeling literally balls deep in the lake (with my camera, no less. Talk about dangererous!), so up on the blog they go. We spent Wednesday wading around in the lake. Wading, because apparently I have forgotten how to swim (I guess it's not like riding a bike). And I guess we didn't really spend all of Wednesday wading in the lake. It was more like an hour and a half, since our water experience was cut short when I noticed a fish floating a few inches away from me. That means it's dead, folks. That means I squeal like a little girl and run out of the water. That means it's time. To. Go.

Anyway, the Minnesota Blogger's Meet-Up is today, and I'm already running late. Gotta make myself look fancy and then get on the road! Have a great weekend, y'all. Hopefully my next post will be about my meetingz with all my lovely homegirl bloggers. Stay tuned!

Top: American Eagle
Shorts: Calvin Klein

Lady Sings the Blues

Humidity and my hair should not mix. Do you see that little indentation on the left side (my right) of my head that looks like someone used the liquify tool in Photoshop to make my hair line look absolutely ridiculous? That's where my hair decided to do a nice little curly-que. Odd curly-ques and frizz seem to be the norm lately. And beads of sweat and sunburn seem to be making a common appearance, too. Supposedly, the heat index was 125°F here today. That is crazy, y'all. I live in Minnesota, remember?

My boyfriend took these pictures. Thanks. I sincerely feel for anyone who is currently dating a style blogger. It's got to be the most annoying thing in the world.

Me, 2 p.m.: Will you take pictures for me today?
Boyfriend: Maybe.

Me, 3 p.m.: You still have to take pictures of me.

Me, 4:30 p.m.: Okay, let's eat, play a game, and then we can go take pictures.

Me, 5:30 p.m.: We have to take pictures soon.

Me, 5:45 p.m.: Pictures. Now.

Me, 6 p.m.: Okay, I'm ready! Do them lengthwise first.
Me, 6:01 p.m.: Make sure you get my feet.
Me, 6:05 p.m.: Okay okay, now do some close-ups. No, hold the camera the other way.
Me, 6:07 p.m.: Alright, good, now get some where my face isn't in it, just my body.
Boyfriend: ...Why?
Me: I need the lovely detail of my skirt!
Boyfriend: ...
Me, 6:09 p.m.: OH MY GOD. My necklace has been harnessing my boob the whole time!!!! We'll have to take some more where my necklace is actually centered.
Boyfriend: ...
Me, 6:15 p.m.: Oh, and make sure you get my collar!

I think he secretly hates me.

Top & skirt: Urban Outfitters
Sandals: Can't remember and am too lazy to get up and check

Forest green

These pictures were taken Friday evening. Temperature: 93°F, humidity level: 87%. And yes. I am wearing a sweater.

...

Why, you ask? Because it was cloudy, foggy, and hazy out. And normally when it's cloudy, foggy, and hazy out, it's still fucking freezing outside, because I live in Minnesota and rarely is it anything BUT fucking freezing outside. So I saw clouds, fog, and haze, and I was like, "HEY! Even though it's the middle of July, this must mean it's cold outside! Is winter on its way already? Must be. Let's put on a sweater." And then I stepped outside and was like oh shit.

But you know what? It's okay, because I am a cold person by nature. Poor circulation or thin blood or something, because, despite living in one of the coldest parts of the country for 21 years, I am still cold most of the time. A few summers ago, my mom and I went on a road trip, and we were driving through Teddy Roosevelt Park in North Dakota. It was 110°F outside and we got out of our car to take a few pictures and she instantly turned into a big ol' bag of sweat while I was frolicking around in a sweater and jeans and still honestly was a bit chilly. Does this make sense to you? Me neither.

In other news, my hair needs an overhaul.

Sweater: Forever 21
Skirt: Abercrombie
Shoes: Dr. Martens
Belt: J. Crew

Bag Love

I bought this bag back in June and I can't remember if I ever pimped it out properly on the blog. So, just in case, I'mma tell you about it now: it's from the vintage Fossil collection, cost more than I am comfortable with spending these days, and rocks my world. And it photographs so well! I even splurged and bought the matching wallet. Don't you just want to do naughty things to it? Pet the smooth, rich leather? Teabag the front pocket where I keep my keys? Etc, etc? Yeah, it's okay. So do I.

And I like my polka-dots, too.

My boyfriend is down a-visiting for the first part of the weekend, so I'm going to keep this short and sweet to reduce the guilt I have of blogging while he patiently waits for me. We're going to the park today. We might even have a picnic, because you know what? I finally found a goddamned picnic basket! It was 50% off at Target and is cute as all hell. I think this calls for a photoshoot.

I'll be catching up on all your blogs later! What are you up to this weekend?

Dress: Free People
Sweater: Abercrombie (I think)
Shoes: UO
Bag: Fossil

Scowl

Ugh, I've been so busy lately, and it drives me crazy. There's no balance or normalcy to my weeks, and that's difficult for me. I like routines. It's kind of hard to form routines when one day, you don't have to do anything at all except lay outside and read Danielle Steel novels (true story), and the next you have to work a 10 hour shift and come home and do homework for two hours. And then you work a nine hour day on Wednesday, a two hour day on Thursday (much to your dismay), and don't work again till Sunday. And then you don't get another day off for fifteen days. Ugh, I say. Ugh! I crave stability. Don't work in retail, folks. It'll be the end of you.

This outfit is about as simple as I go. I like to think it's shorts and a tank done right (as opposed to shorts and a tank done wrong...like what you wore when you were a prepubescent girl in the summer. Like what some people still wear in the summer even though they are not prepubescent girls anymore and thus do not fit into their prepubescent clothing but continue to wear them anyway, cellulite and muffin tops be damned). The red lipstick and forest-setting make me look like a Twilight-wannabe. At least I'm better written and don't have that shitty CGI sparkle.*

And, just for shits and giggles, here's what I looked like last July 13th.

Top: Abercrombie (from de old days!)
Shorts: Urban Outfitters
Shoes: Jessica Simpson

* For the record, I have read all of the Twilight books (for the lulz) and watched the first movie. I do not like Twilight.

I go so crazy I don't know what to do

I don't wear long, flowy, floaty, flowery silk dresses very often. In fact, looking at these pictures, I feel a bit awkward seeing myself in something that isn't "me" at all. But I like the dress, even if it's not my "style." And who says I even need to have a certain style anyway? Can't I just be Ashley in clothes?

Not that many people in the world have the luxury of being able to choose what style of clothing they put on their bodies. Many barely have clothing. It seems so silly, then, that so many of us stand in our closets every morning, staring at a plethora of options, only to huffily declare that we "have nothing to wear!!!!" And it really makes you think about what's important and what's not, and how much our clothing means to us, and how much it actually should.

Just think about it. If I were stripped of my clothing, what would I be? Just a girl with maybe a knack at writing a few amusing quips. What would you be? Are you satisfied with that?

Dress: Free People
Shoes: Steven by Steve Madden

Weekend Special: 3 Easy Make-up Tutorials for Easy Goin' Girls

I've gotten more than a few requests for make-up tutorials as of late, so I thought I'd oblige you all. I'll give you a disclaimer in advance: I'm not professional. I'm messy. I'm not precise. I mean, my eyebrows are asymmetrical for feck's sake. But, that being said, I still like to have fun with make-up, and these three looks have been some of my favorites this season. They're easy, peasy, and will take you about five minutes each. So let's get crackin', aye? Click the read more link for the tutorials!

Independence

So, this was my 4th of July outfit. I'm so patriotic, aren't I? Although arguably, you can't get more American than Levi's denim.

I'm posting from my phone since I won't get back home to my beloved computer until night falls. And I want to post right meow, damnit. Thank you, iPhone, for allowing me to do this. I would also like to thank you for having the worst autocorrect feature ever. Another day, another fun corrected text:

Me: I'm home noe.
Mom: va!
Mom: ok!

Mom: rawr
Me: taters!
Me: I mean rwarrrrr!

And yes...my mom and I do text cat noises to each other.

I should go now.

(Hello new commenters and followers!! I'll be returning all comments when I get home tonight. Thanks for the lurve!)

Bra: Aerie
Denim vest: Levi's
Skirt: Urban Outfitters
Shoes: Steve Madden

She's malaria

I've recently acquired the habit of taking outfit pictures right before the sun goes down. You know what goes up as the sun goes down? The number of mosquitoes who want to feast on my type-A blood. I'm pretty sure if I keep this up I'll have contracted malaria, West Nile virus, Yellow Fever, Rainbow Fever, Barmah Forest virus, or some mosquito-borne disease by the end of the summer. But I love me some good bokeh, so suck on that, mosquito. Literally. See what I did there?

I like this skirt. A lot. I've worn it before. Remember? Yeah, you do. In fact, the latter look was featured recently right here, which I'm thrilled about. I get a kick out of seeing my face on other blogs. You like me, you really like me!

Brownie points to whomever knows what song the title of my post came from. Congratulations! You are officially as uncool as me.

Tank top: Victoria's Secret
Asymmetrical skirt: Nasty Gal
Wedges: Jeffrey Campbell
Belt: UO

Ziggy Zaggy

I don't much like this outfit. That's why I figured I'd post it now, when everyone is probably in the midst of rockin' summer holiday weekends and probably not reading my blog. It's k, I forgive you.

Originally I wore this outfit sans the leggings. And I felt like a hooker. It's honestly not that short, but that's still a lot of visible skin to be showing, especially when you're just going to Wal-Mart to run errands for your grandma. Oh well. I like to have fun. Then it got cold out and I threw on some leggings. I think that was a good choice.

I bought my earrings a few years ago from some other style blogger, but since I didn't style blog myself at the time, I lost track of her. Anyway, they're awesome, and if you by some chance recognize them, do tell! I'd love to get in touch with her again...

Vest: Maurices
Skirt: UO
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell
Clutch: Marc by Marc Jacobs
Earrings: Handmade by mystery blogger

Feathery!

So. It's July. There's a lot of green in these pictures. I'm wearing possibly the comfiest boots ever. I'm at a loss for words (I think it's because I'm not a morning person. What's there to say in the morning anyway? My bowl of Cheerios was extra tasty today?), so I'm just going to state random facts.

Check out my earring. See it? Do ya? Do ya see it? Lovely Dimi of Little Witches/Tiny Wizards sent it to me (from Greece, yo!), along with another pair, and it's love. She hand-made it, y'all. My less than artsy-fartsy self is so impressed. I tried to make feather earrings once and they turned out very lulz-worthy. I honestly don't know how you crafty people do it. Dimi--as one might expect--makes other jewelry besides the earrings she sent to me, so please browse through her blog to see more!

Okay, back to the easy statements: I have to work this entire weekend. Independence Day is my favorite holiday. I'm bitter. I like money.

Dress: Shopbop
Vest: J. Crew
Boots: Jeffrey Campbell
Earring: handmade by Dimi