"It's my birthday!"

Quote of the weekend..."OMG it's my birthday." Mainly stated out of tipsy frustration that 88% of my "friends" are lame enough to bail on my birthday celebration. A couple whiskey cokes and free shots later, though, my few friends and I were happily dancing away in the VIP and doing just fine for ourselves. Well, that is after I slipped on a spilled drink and fell from my nearly 6'4" stance in my awesome heels right in front of the club owner, looking like "that girl" who couldn't handle herself...even though it was prior to said shots/drinks. So that was a downer. Literally. But whatever, people, you missed out. And I really hope you enjoyed bailing on me (:

That being said, here's what I wore on Saturday. Totally in love with this slip from Free People and can't wait to wear it again.

 

My actual day of birth was on Monday, Earth Day, my Golden Birthday! I spent the day shopping with mom and grabbing a lite lunch at PF Changs...couldn't resist the free mini cheesecake at the end, however. After a few more purchases and a nice cruise in le convertible, we met up with the rest of the fam for dinner in Lake Oswego at Manzana.

(cue awkward plethora of photos with me blowing out candles)

I do believe I ate more this weekend than ever in my life. But totally worth it. (Friday was Kat and I's standing date with Henry's, so a burger and a double jack & coke felt necessary considering the flood of "sorry I can't make it tomorrow" text messages.)

Off to reevaluate my friendships and tend to the goosegg on my forehead and likely broken knee cap.

Happy Tuesday all!

xx.

What I Wore: Cherry Chapstick Slip, Free People; Cropped Leather Jacket, B.P. (similar here); Nedra Sandal, Vince Camuto; Studded Belt, Target; Woven Stitch Scarf, Free People (new colors here); Crop Jacket w/ Pleather Sleeve, Forever 21 (similar here)

In the Spirit of Spring...

Okay, it may only look/feel like Spring in Portland, like, 60% of the time right now...but a girl can dream! And you know what they say, "April showers bring May flowers"! Hoping that sunshine comes early though...as in next weekend...so I can host my birthday outside on the rooftop bar instead of around a crowded restaurant table.

Anyway, here's what's inspiring me for this new season:

My color of the moment is definitely white. It could be my recent discovery of Portland's Organic Bronze Bar and newly tanned skin that looks pretty amaze in the hue...but in my eyes, you just can't ever go wrong with white. Or black.

But for Spring, I'm loving the fresh, bright whites and crispy, clean pieces to update the feel of a wardrobe. Plus, something about white just screams modern day Jackie O and who can complain about that?

Maybe it's my new job at Free People, but right now I'm totally in to the idea of "festival dressing" even though I never find the time to actually make it to a festival...

The whole Boho Chic-Beachy Glam-Nicole Richie-esque style is perfect for this warmer weather we're having...or will be having...soonish.

Home sweet home, refreshed! What's better than a little interior facelift after that crazy Spring Cleaning sesh?

Update your dwelling place with a shot of color on the walls or in new linens. Fresh flowers, patterned pillows and simple, updated accessories are just what the doctor ordered to bring your home into the spirit of the season.

Enough inspiration...let's go shopping.

xx.

Something I Love

Firstly, something I hate: waking up at 6am and driving an hour to work before my coffee fix. This was my morning on Tuesday. Luckily, though, I made it downtown in time for a little pick me up at Starbs before heading down 23rd to find parking. And I must add...I'm getting scary good at parallel parking these days. I could always manage just fine - I'm not my mother! (she makes me park for her half the time) But by working in the city and constantly on a time crunch (surprise)...my parking skills are now that of a professional. Just sayin'.

Now for something that I'm loving right now: looking like an Indian Princess on a cloudy Tuesday. In high school, I was always one to try new "trendy" things...or just make up my own trends when I felt like it. One of my favorites to date - turning a cheap silver necklace with a big dangling locket on the end into a head chain and walking around like I owned the place. Ha, it may have looked silly to others back then but I'd just like to point out to all the haters that I was crazy ahead of the times! :)

(enter poor quality photo of said "trendiness")

I've since hung up my amateur hair accessories, but now that my hair is becoming manageable again, post-pixie cut, I was dying to get my hands on this gorge little head chain from Golden Birthday. (Hey, next week is MY golden birthday! Meant to be?) All handmade locally here in Portland, these girly gems are the perfect addition to, well, any outfit. 'Cause let's be honest, who doesn't want to look like a princess all the time? Nothing says "I'm present day Nicole Richie/an accessory goddess" more than a unique piece like this.

 

Lovely designer, Dana, makes her chains in a variety of colors and styles so you're bound to fall in love with one - or three. Or just buy them all because they're super affordable, easy to wear, and you'll be the freshest princess on the block.

I'm currently planning my birthday outfit around one of these as chains we speak! :)

Happy Wednesday loves, here's what I wore! xx.

   

What I Wore: Jasmine Head Piece, Golden Birthday; Trapeze Slip in Mint, Free People; Grey Zippered Ankle denim, Joe's (similar here); Cropped Leather Jacket, Nordstrom (similar here); Haute & Naughty Too Black Lash Mascara, M.A.C. 

Holy Hot Weather, Batman.

Maybe it's the fact that I've been stuck in typical rainy Portland weather for the past 6ish months but this weekend's heat wave felt worse than usual. I mean, we're talking make-your-spray-tan-run hot! Not cool (pun possibly intended).

Anywho, in the midst of all the excitement over sunshine as if it never existed before, we celebrated Easter with a plethora of familial events. Always a joy. 

In honor of the weather, I pulled out one of my favorite Free People maxis and some of my tallest heels. And in true #giraffeproblems fashion, I attracted the usual "holy crap" looks and whispers from total strangers in church. My favorite, though, was from a little girl in the grocery store who stopped mid-aisle to gawk at my height as she yelled out "Wow, mommy, she is tallllll." I guess at 5'10" sans wedges, I kind of asked for it when I slipped on those 4 1/2 inch stilts. 

This dress was a total steal at a TJ Maxx in the valley during last year's stint in LA and actually came discounted even further due to a missing slip. Naturally, I couldn't resist the crazy deal so I took it anyway in hopes of finding a new slip. Luckily, I found the perfect color to match the springy floral pattern at Free People Portland this Saturday so the dress could finally come out to play.

Later in the day, I zhuzh'd it down a bit with a cropped denim jacket, a double wrap belt, and some cute buckled flip flops. Perfect for family gathering numero dos.

So excited for the weather to start turning, just wish my airbrush tan felt the same way! PS if you're looking for an awesome shot of color in the coming weeks check out Organic Bronze Bar on the Portland waterfront to get your Kardashian on. I tried them out on Friday and the color is awesome, seems to stay a bit better than the typical Mystic or Versa tan (minus a little run in the boob area from yesterday), and the colorist makes sure to get you bronzed in all those little places the booth can't reach. Added bonus - no "Ross" moments, just even color on all sides!

Happy Spring, people!

What I'm Wearing: Maxi Dress, Free People (old, similar here); Slip in "Berry", Free People; Split Heel Wedges (similar here); Denim Crop Jacket, H&M; Wrap Belt (from a Target dress, similar here); Pyramid Bangle, Forever 21 (similar here), Watch, B.P. ; Flip Flops, Aldo (Nordstrom Rack, similar here)

Photo by my lovely sister (myspace-esque shots by yours truly)

Miracle Worker

Attention all lady friends: Go buy Witch Hazel for your face. You're welcome.

No, but seriously. At about $4 a pop at Tar-gey, (T.N. Dickinson's) giant bottle of goodness will cure all that ales you...ok maybe not but it does make your face look/feel amaze.

This little skin secret has been used for ages to help calm red, oily, irritated, or blemished skin. Witch hazel also has a mattifying quality so it won't leave you oily in the slighest. Don't worry about being super dry, either, as it seems to balance skin's texture perfectly.

As a natural astringent, witch hazel rids your pores of all that makeup and dirt built up throughout the day. After cleansing with something just as yummy, like (this), to remove the bulk of your makeup, sweep a cotton pad doused with witch hazel over your face and neck. And that's it! Watch as even more grime is lifted away - even when you thought you were clean!

Before bed, finish with a (brightening toner) and a (rich night cream) - if you're into that, which you should be! Try (Boots Botanics), also at Target, for super soft, super lovely skin at an equally lovely price.

Enjoy a less red, more beautiful face come summer! Cheers to an all-natural, totally simple skin care routine.

Happy Monday beauties!

XX.

I Promise I Can Parallel Park.

Wandered around some more today. This whole working from home/having time to actually enjoy life is pretty great so far. Free time is beginning to grow on me. Go figure.

Slept in a little too late today, by accident. The girls - my dogs - were up at least 3 separate times during the night and, being that my bed is a million feet tall, all I hear are whimpers and constant woofs until I wake up to let them down. Finally decided to get ready for the day: another crispy fall afternoon in Portland - the best kind!

New arm candy, fall fur, giant flares, and a fresh face for roaming around downtown.

Headed down to 23rd to hit up craft-lover's-heaven, aka Paper Source, and searched at least 15 minutes for parking. Found a spot. Had a horrible start, angle wise. Tried to start over and get closer to le curb...one of those "Oh I totally know my car, the front end is close, but I'm definitely gonna make it with my awesome turning radius" moments. And boom. Hit the dork in front of me. Immediately go into "oh shit" mode and back up quickly, look around to see if anyone saw that tragedy, hop out to make sure there's no damage, and breathe a sigh of relief that there wasn't. Thankful that he had one of those awful looking chrome bumpers that failed to leave a paint scratch on my pearly white one (: Crisis averted, I zoomed around the corner to find a new spot. Okay, so I may be a wanted criminal for a technical hit and run...but I promise I'm usually a great parallel parker! ...Promise. Plus...no scratch, no problem. Sorry about it, dude!

 

Got some pink envelopes and cards for my grad announcements, caught up with Sammy for a bit, sat in traffic for an hour - surprisingly not mad about it - and had another awesome home cooked meal. This week is shaping up pretty well if you ask me.

 

 

 

 

 

xx,

K

It's Phsyically Impossible to Leave Target Without Buying Something.

Back on this blogging kick, as long as I continue to be spoiled with these post-graduation free moments. I had the best day I've had in awhile today. After moving back to Portland, I've been waiting for these rainy fall days to kick in. Got what I asked for, to say the least. Note to self: don't go frolicking downtown mid-day in a dress, paper-thin tights, new suede booties, and a miniature jean jacket.

Cute, but not so cute when wet. 

Went costume hunting today. Doing one of those surely overdone Pinterest-y homemade costume type things this year. It's somewhat of a surprise, mainly because I've tricked myself into believing it's the best idea ever and I don't want anyone to steal it. Anyways, not much of a success so I bought some new arm candy instead. A thin, gold initial bracelet to add to the collection. 

Hopped over to the M.A.C store and scored some free lip gloss and eyeshadow, thanks to my obsession with makeup and 12 empty containers. (Not to mention the 6 I traded over the weekend for lipstick) It's a problem, really.

Giddy from my non-purchased purchase I stepped out into the monsoon of the season, sans umbrella. Stood there dumbfounded under a tree for a good minute before deciding tea sounded like the perfect solution to this soggy situation. Thank god there really is a Starbucks on every corner. 

Figured I had nothing left to lose since I already looked like a wet dog, so what the hell! I asked for rain, why not walk around in it. After the 6ish blocks full of puddles and funny looks from people staring at my giant, makeshift scarf-hat, I decided a Target run felt necessary. 

Seriously though, you walk into that place looking for something, or maybe nothing, and you leave with a cart full of completely pointless stuff. It's physically impossible to leave Target without purchasing something. Which is why I bought a minty green/navy striped shirt that I have yet to try on. But it was $10. And striped. ...Meant to be if you ask me.

Ended my pleasant me-day with some leftovers and comfy, obnoxiously long socks.

Mondays like this should happen more often.

xx,
K