spring neutrals

 Nordstrom jacket (similar) | Marc by Marc Jacobs sunglasses | Nordstrom belt | Gap jeans | Michael Kors watch | J. Crew bracelet (similar) | Victoria's Secret nail polish in "String Bikini"

It's officially the first day of spring! While I wish it were warmer, it felt nice to wear a light jacket and not a coat or sweater. I kept the outfit pretty neutral, but with bubble gum pink nails and some heeled booties.

xo-ally

red, white, and blue in the garden

Ray-Ban sunglasses| J. Crew top (not available, loving this one) | Aldo sandals | J. Crew skirt (similar) | Max & Chloe necklace | Michael Kors watch | Swank bracelets, silver | Nordstrom faux pearl earrings | Nordstrom bracelet, navy | Nail polish: Color Club "Disco Dress" | Lips: Mally Lip Magnifier

Today's outfit is a repeat of what I wore on the Fourth of July -- I didn't have a chance to photograph it then, so I decided to pull it back out. If you can't tell, I've been gravitating toward stripes lately :) as well as red and white! Haha, I just can't get enough of it I guess. If my next job had a professional dress code like my last one, I'd even consider this red and white skirt from J. Crew factory. Yeah, okay, maybe I should hold off on the stripes.

I got my nails done today and chose this bright but deep purple. At first I was afraid it would be a little too "teen punk rock princess" but liked the shade so stuck with it. Now I'm regretting not doing a different color (baby blue or bright pink)! I know, I know it's a major #firstworldproblem...

On another note, I was browsing around online and came across this photo of Disney Princess-inspired engagement rings! How adorable.

My favorite is Ariel's, followed by Cinderella's. Which one is your favorite?

xo-ally

friday's fancies - project polka dot

This week's Friday's Fancies theme with long distance loving is Project Polka Dot. I love the black and white polka dot sweater so I built an outfit around it! The peplum top and scallop shorts make the outfit a little less casual but not too dressy. The trendy sunglasses, bold bangles, statement necklace, and bright nail polish complete the look!

top, shorts, sandals, necklace, bracelets, sweater, nail polish, sunglasses

xo-ally

friday's fancies - red carpet ready

This week's Friday's Fancies theme with long distance loving is red carpet ready. This is what I'd consider wearing if I were ever to go to a formal red carpet event. I love this princess dress! :)

dress, shoes, palm bangle, toggle bracelet

And a few more gowns to lust over....

one, two, three

xo-ally

my first .gif outfit post!

Here is my very first .gif outfit post!!!!

I've been planning on doing this for months and I finally just did it. I'm so excited! I've never seen any other bloggers do this with outfit posts, so I feel so innovative :) you saw it here first! 

And if you didn't, because someone else did it before me, then this just got really awkward....

Without further ado, here's my outfit:

Photo credits go out to my wonderful friend Lauren P! Lauren takes many of my outfit photos, including the ones from today!

Bag Kate Spade (similar) Bracelets J. Crew Shirt Forever 21 (similar) Skirt Nordstrom (similar striped look) Heels DSW Nails Cynthia Rowley Necklace Max & Chloe

Since I'm loving the black and white color blocking being a huge trend this season, I paired this sheer button up with my striped cupcake skirt and then nude platform heels. With touches of gold from my new monogram necklace, shoes, and bag, I had fun by using color on my bracelets and nail polish.

xo-ally

friday's fancies - red + pink

This week's Friday's Fancies theme with long distance loving is red + pink. Happy post-Valentine's day outfit! Even though Valentine's Day was yesterday, I still think this outfit is adorable and suitable for any day.

sweater, skirt, belt, heels, nail polish "demure vix", thin bangle, thick bangle

xo-ally

bumblebee

 Dress Vivid Collection (totally loving this similar one!!) Jacket from a market in Italy (here's a cool, trendy take on a leather hoodie with color blocking) Tights F21 Wedges Tory Burch (similar) Bag Tory Burch (similar) Ring Henri Bendel Nail Polish Essie "Playa del Platinum"

Unlike yesterday, I woke up to a gray sky and drizzling rain. It felt like Seattle...ick. Instead of wearing the black peacoat I intended to wear, I threw on my black leather hoodie from Italy! I realized I haven't worn it in a while since it has been so cold. The leather material is soft and as smooth as butter. Also the material makes the outfit look a little more dressed up than a cotton or velour hoodie would. It's nice to pull it back out of my closet!

As you can tell, I am wearing mostly black with a huge pop of yellow in my dress. I love wearing bright colors in the winter! I played up the black in the rest of the outfit, and bounced off the yellow with gold accessories like my bow ring and the chain strap on my Tory Burch bag. Beige nail polish added a subtle, yet clean touch.

Happy Thursday - almost the weekend!

xo-ally

PS - to the girls that commented asking for a hot rollers hair tutorial - I am definitely considering it! I would need to practice the style more, however.....we'll see. I'll keep you updated if I do one. :)

snapshots 01/17/13

I finally have my nail polish organized! I got these small, glass containers from Target for $3.99 each. Now the only thing is that each container is perfectly full, so adding to my nail polish collection might be an issue.....

I like to sneak in spring color into my winter wardrobe whenever I can! My poppy orange-red Kate Spade necklace is perfect for the task.

The trees looked so beautiful today because of this weird freezing fog we're having. Instead of being covered in snow, the branches were covered in mini icicles. It felt like walking through a snow globe this morning when I went to class!

Speaking of winter - a winter white outfit post is coming soon, as promised! I have the outfit planned and just need to wear it :)

xo-ally

scarf + stripes

Scarf Nordstrom Tank F21 (old) Jeans DL 1961 Shoes Sperry Earrings Tory Burch Nail Polish O.P.I. "Quarter of a Cent-Cherry" Coat H&M

Quick outfit post today - wanted to do a closeup of the earrings! I made a striped yellow top that's more suited for summer work for winter by pairing it with a scarf, a navy parka, and brown wax-coated skinnies. It's crazy to think this is my last outfit post of 2012!

xo-ally

tiny polka dots

 Shirt J. Crew Jeans Nordstrom Silver Bracelet Tiffany & Co. Chevron Bracelet Nordstrom (similar) Flats Report (similar) Earrings Nordstrom Belt Nordstrom (similar) Necklace Muses & Rebels Nail Polish OPI "Quarter of a Cent-Cherry"

I just got my nails done today! I even had little rhinestones put on the ring finger nails. :) Love me some sparkle in any way possible. My toes are purple sparkles too but you can't see them because it's winter and I'm wearing flats. I'm so sick of winter. I'm also sick of these jeans - have you noticed I've been rocking this pair quite a lot lately? Wellllll, it's the only pair of jeans I brought home. (Besides my brown skinnies, which, don't go with everything). The more I wear these jeans, the more I question why I only brought one skirt so I don't have to wear jeans, then question if I should wear a dress, then end up deciding to wear these jeans. 

It's basically a whole lot of indecision going on inside my head.

2 1/2 more weeks, then I'll be back at school with my full closet.

xo-ally

PS - here's a closeup of my nails:

A dose of sparkle is never too much!

off to the nutcracker

Tank James Perse Skirt Nordstrom (similar) Necklace Kate Spade (new color) Tights Nordstrom Flats Tory Burch Watch Michael Kors Nail Polish OPI "No Room For The Blues" and OPI Extra-va-ganza (the glitter on my party nails)

I've been looking for a versatile skirt lately, and I was happy to find one a few days ago! The subtle stripes make it easy to mix prints, like I did with the purple dotted tights. To add more color, I wore my coral-red colored Kate Spade necklace. Now I'm off to see The Nutcracker! I saw the professional one in Seattle earlier this week and now I'm going to see one with the girls I used to babysit. Two Nutcrackers in one holiday season = a happy Ally. :)

xo-ally

stripes on stripes, with a dash of pink

Shirt Nordstrom (old) Jeans Nordstrom Sunglasses Chanel Earrings Nordstrom Boots Me Too Socks J. Crew (similar) Bag Guess (similar) Ring Kate Spade Watch Michael Kors Nail Polish Color Club in "Peppermint Twist"

Today I wore my olive green striped tshirt with skinnies, ankle boots, and striped socks peeking out in between! I continued to play up the pink from the socks with my earrings and nails. The pink really breathed some fresh air into the neutrals in the rest of the outfit.

Time to go change! Can't wear heels to Zumba. This is the last class I'm teaching till next semester! I'm going to miss it over the Christmas break, however, it will be nice to have some extra time to come up with some new routines!

xo-ally

sally hansen salon effects nail stickers

I recently tried the Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail stickers. I received them as a gift about a year and a half ago, and finally decided to try them for Halloweekend! The majority of the sparkles were green and silver, which were perfect with my mermaid costume.

Pros: Easy to apply, no nail polish smell, no mess, no need for a top coat (but base coat is recommended)

Cons: price - they're $7-9ish, the price for one set is the same as a whole bottle of nail polish, and not all of the stickers stuck.

I'm guessing that not all of the stickers stuck because they're so old? This was my first time trying this, so I don't have anything to compare it to.

Since I had three "unpolished" fingers, I just applied a beige color to let the sparkly nails take the spotlight. Overall, I've been pretty happy with the nails and have received plenty of compliments on them. Even though they're a little pricey for just one application, I'd consider buying another box.

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On another note, I am proud to say that I was able to capture my depth of field (blurriness of the background) perfectly in the photo above! I shot that photo on the manual setting on my SLR camera. I was so happy! Oftentimes, I test the shot and throw my hand in front of the lens to see if my settings are correct (how I got the photo above).

So I tried it to test indoor lighting, and it worked, for the most part....

The subject (hand) is in focus, and the background is blurred! Hurrah!

...and then when I tried having myself as the subject, it didn't. Fail! 

Ugh. The lighting ended up being overexposed in this photo instead of casting the glow it did on the hand test shot. I want to figure this out. I think it would make my photos look much cooler. Sigh. I will continue to try.

Any tips for camera settings to get a shallow depth of field???? If anyone can help a girl out...I would love you forever. :D

xo-ally

straw hat and orange flats

Sweater, colorful bracelets: Nordstrom sweater  bracelets Shorts: Rock & Republic (old) similar Flats: Target Hat: H&M (old) similar Watch: Michael Kors Ring: Kate Spade (old) similar Sunglasses: Chanel 

Belt: American Eagle Black bracelets: Forever 21 Nail polish: O.P.I. "DS Glow"

Still warm. Still wearing shorts. :) Going to go lay out in the sun in a bit to read and relax - should probably do some homework, too... short post today!

xo-ally

skinny belt & ombre nails

Dress: H&M (old) similar Belt, bag: Nordstrom Flats: Report (old) similarSilver jewelry: Tiffany & Co.; Bracelet , Ring Nail polish: Butter London and NARS

It was such a gorgeous day, so a friend and I went shopping and walked around outside downtown. I wasn't originally wearing ombre nail polish - I ended up trying on a few different shades of blue over the royal blue I already had on, and it ended up actually looking good! And remember when I said I would get a lot of use out of this dress? I've already worn it so many ways, some of which are posted on here. Adding a green skinny belt is yet another way to wear this dress.

The nail polish:

NARS and Butter London

xo-ally