LASIK, re-visited

Hi everyone! Sorry I’ve been missing in the blog-sphere lately, in all of my blogs! In addition to avoiding reading style blogs temporarily to help cool down my over worked credit card from use due to looking at all you lovely ladies looking fabulous in all your new wear, I had been gearing up for my retouch surgery or “enhancement” starting a couple weeks ago.

Basically, since my first surgery, my right eye remained with its astigmatism from day one, which means everything remained blurry around the edges and made text look fuzzy. Thankfully, my left eye was basically perfect, and improved so much that it compensated for my left eye’s troubles.

Side Effects

1. I can remember that driving at night the first few weeks was sort of a nightmare. I had somewhat lost my confidence driving at night and almost got into an accident; the halos (the glow around a light source, in particular headlights) were huge, as well as star bursts (star effect coming from a light source). Plus, everything was blurrier and my depth perception was messed up. However, the starbursts and halos eventually went away.
2. Dry eyes. Even though it had been three months, I still had to put in eye drops everyday, otherwise my eyes would start to feel sandy, and I would start to look like Dracula with little red veins running everywhere.

The Enhancement

The blurriness remained whenever I covered up my left eye, so, after having pretty much the same prescription in my right eye, I went in for my enhancement yesterday. They didn’t have to use the laser to reopen my flap, as once the flap is created, never really heals. Think of it as a lid to a container. However, prior to lifting the lap, I was told that I would feel like there was an eyelash stuck in my eye, which would be different than my first experience.

Boy, were they right. After the numbness wore off and after I slept for two hours, I was in pain. It’s exactly like having an eyelash stuck in your eye- but you can’t rub it or wash it off. So my eyes kept on tearing and tearing all night. I woke up to put in my antibiotic and inflammatory eye drops, but wonder if my tears washed them away.

Waking up this morning, my right eye is still blurry. I was half hoping that it would be like my left eye – immediately clear. But, when you get LASIK, it takes a while for your eyes to stabilize. Most of my friends however, their vision was immediately clear when they got it. So, I can’t say I’m not disappointed.

I tend to read and research before any purchase, and this time was no different. The stories you read about people who lost their best corrected form of vision and have daily pain is scary to read. Some have to wear glasses or contacts again, while others in the worst case, get depression because of pain, nausea, headaches due to their poor vision that they did to themselves and ultimately want to commit suicide everyday.

Scary stuff. I go for my post-op checkup in a few hours, and a “smaller” eyelash feels stuck in my eye, so at least I can actually open it now for a good ten or twenty seconds before having to close it, as opposed to yesterday when it was just pure painful to open it at all.

That’s all for now, I’ll probably update again about my LASIK experience in a month or so. Look for more project un-cluttering posts to come. I’ve been inspired by Lily to continue with those kind of posts. No shop my closet for me, as my little ol blog doesn’t have enough visitors, plus, since I’m getting rid of things that are too big for me, not sure who they would fit! 😛

But, hm.. the question remains — should I head to LOFT to check out their 40% off sale? That twisted pleat shell is calling my name! — they’re all sold out online!

LOFT Weekend Review

I’ve been avoiding the stores lately since I had decided that I needed to halt my shopping a little bit. But, after meeting up with one of my friends for lunch, she wanted to go to LOFT to shop for a few new items and asked me to go with her. Besides, I love LOFT and thought why not try a few items while my friend was looking for a few things (of which she found some beautiful items — not available in petite, to my envy)! Here are a few of the items I tried on.

Petite Marisa Cropped Cargos, 0P $49.50

Liked, will wait for a sale. I actually really liked these pants. I have a few wedges that I think would work with this and it’s pretty casual. My friend thought it worked with pumps as well. What do you think? yay or nay? How else do you think I could dress them? With runners? sandals? Or are the cargos too casual for it?

Luxe Jersey Crossover Dress, XS $69.50

Skip. As I saw my friend look through some gorgeous dresses, I came across this interesting crossover jersey dress that unfortunately only came in regular. The color really caught my eye, and jersey dresses with interesting twists or “drapery” or folds for some reason always make me want to try it. However, as you can see, this just draped me all wrong. For one thing, despite the dress having a tie, I still remained extremely shapeless. Plus, I was wearing a bad bra (where the cups don’t lie flat) so the dress just made it much worse, due to its crossover.

Island Flower Peplum Top, XSP $49.50

Like. Wait for a sale. I really liked this top, despite the strange way the the front part of the top was like one large pleat (hard to describe). It was cute, but the price deterred me. Surprisingly, the top has already sold out. The fit was good, but because of the slight strange look of the top on the side (with the front curving outward), this was definitely a buy that I could wait for when it was much cheaper.

Twist Pleat Shell, XS $49.50 in Warm Iron

LOVE. Wait for a sale and/or find it similar in petite and on sale. My friend tried this top on and I loved it so much, I decided to try it on in regular, since there were no petites available for this beautiful top. It looks really huge here, but I thought it would look really nice if I added a belt. At the price point of $49.50 though, too expensive for me. The color is also a beautiful purple, not the putrid brownish colour thanks to my phone. Ignore the touch of pink in the background from another item I tried on. It looks kind of funny 😉

Petite Sequin Front Tee, XSP $59.50

Bought. It was on sale for $39.99 with an additional 30%. I’m wondering if an XXSP would fit me better, but I actually like how the shirt isn’t something I normally would wear, plus I liked the longer looser length so it would look better with skinny jeans or jeggings. I’m a bit hesitant with the purchase though, despite my liking how unique it is. I’m just thinking how else I would dress it and I’m not sure I can come up with enough ways to justify it. What do you think? Keep or return?

Going through the regular section, I’m always jealous by the beautiful pieces I’ve seen but most likely won’t fit because it’s too long. For example, this Distressed Dot Shell is so pretty and me wants to try it, but … only in regular, alas. I wish they would create more petites from their regular items. Are there any items that you wish came in petite?

My friend then asked me if I wanted to go check out NY&C, and I was sorely disappointed because they have some absolutely gorgeous tops with the most beautiful colors, but all their XS tops were huge, not even worthy of reviewing. But the colors were so pleasing I wanted to purchase a couple. I was good though, because the lack of fit is probably not even worth $1. I despise all the clipping they do on their mannequins!

Will the Real Steve Madden Intcye Boots Please Stand Up? ………Oh Wait.

Some of you know that I bought Steve Madden Intyce Boots, thanks to seeing these deliciously cute boots on Aubrey when we met up for sushi a while ago. They’re pretty expensive, but I figured for real leather, Steve Madden and the gorgeous colour cognac, they’d be worth it, armed with a small coupon.

I purchased first the 6s from shoes.com, then got worried after reading numerous reviews about how narrow they were and went ahead and bought the 6.5s. Sadly, this was after their 20%off coupon had expired which worked with Mr. Rebates, so I got the 6s first with the 20%off coupon + Mr.Rebates 12% off cashback, and the 6.5s with only a 20%off coupon using VISA. I was getting ready to return just the 6s when I came across the boots on endless.com for 20%off+10%off, at a starting price lower than shoes.com, which prompted me to decide to return both shoes.com orders.

Well, here comes the comical part. I received the endless.com boots yesterday, opened them up, and to my dismay, they looked awfully different to the ones I received from shoes.com:

Can you tell the difference?

Steve Madden Intyce Boots in Cognac

Made In
Color
Lining
Fit
Heel

I typically love boots made in Brazil, and I can tell by the workmanship of the stitches that it is better than the boots made in Mexico. But the fit and the color leaves something to be desired. Due to how supple and soft the leather and the lining were (almost suede like), it caused the ankle area to bunch a whole lot more, and my calves to look a lot more funny with the boots on (they look like they just flare out, and I have fairly normal calves).

Makes me wonder about all these reviews now over the web. I see some complaints about the boots being an avocado peel, not enough of the rich cognac color, or it being too slouchy, and it starts to make me wonder about “which” boot they received! I will say one thing though – had I received the boots first from Endless.com, not seeing them on Aubrey D, I wouldn’t even have thought about sizing them up to 6.5 because they weren’t really all that attractive! The 6.5s that were made in Brazil fit more snugly, like a size 6, but not as bad as the 6s that I ordered from shoes.com that were made in Mexico (where the toes hit the top of my boot). The 6.5s made in Mexico are definitely more roomy, but the perfect fit were the 6.5 pair made in Brazil. (Are you following along? I’m starting to get confused myself!)

The sole of these boots seem slightly thin, which makes me wonder if there might be enough padding on the sole. I think I might add a foot petal to the bottom to add some cushion to help the ball of my foot. Long story short, I’m going with the pair made in Mexico because the cognac color is what I expected them to be and they seem to hold their structure. They’re a bit more roomy than I’d like, but I much prefer them to the pair made in Brazil. So, while I like the softness of the suede lining, and I also prefer items made in Brazil, I will stick with the boots made in Mexco, despite the price and the fact that endless.com packaged the shoe box much better than shoes.com did. I keep my boots in their shoe boxes, so I prefer to store them in a box that’s not beat up.

All in all what do I take away from this funny situation? Unfortunately, some reviews online (without accompanying photos) may not always be reliable because items could be made in two different factories, producing what seems like two different products that are under the same name and model. This contributed to the somewhat disparaging reviews between shoes.com and endless.com.

What do you think of the boots? Has anything funny like this happened to you before?

Read Aubrey’s recent review of the boots here.

Sorry for my blabbing. I’m constantly trying to improve my writing and grammar 🙂 Back to the work grind tomorrow!

~Grace

Fitting Room Adventures: Ann Taylor Factory and Banana Republic Outlet

I’m in awe of all you bloggers that post such quality posts day after day, especially since I’m just now getting to my tries in the fitting room from three weekends ago!

I dodged into the Ann Taylor Factory and Banana Republic Outlet stores in hopes I could find the navy chiffon ruffle (of which I did!), and I decided to try a few other items on while I was at the store to see if anything would fit.

Ann Taylor Factory

Ann Taylor chiffon patterned top, in XXSP (on left) and XSP (on right)

These shirts (I’m not sure what I would call these) somewhat caught my eye on the mannequin busts in the store. However, being set next to the chiffon ruffle shells, they seemed somewhat plain and less pretty. But I liked how it looked on the mannequin and how it was somewhat more casual with the interesting pattern in the front. I grabbed the blue in XXSP and the purple in XSP to try out the colors and the fit.

As you can tell, the XXSP was too form fitting, and the XSP fit so much better. I thought it looked much better on than just folded there in the store, so I ended up getting this in three colors as well (the purple, dark blue and off-white).

Ann Taylor Factory Navy Chiffon Ruffle Shell in XSP & 1/4 length sleeve long cardigan in XXSP (teal and coral)

I’ve often found Ann Taylor and LOFT sizing to be strange (especially when it comes to dresses), and I found this to be the case with these long 1/4 arm length long cardigans. The XSP was just huge, as though I was swimming in them, and the XXSP fit much much better. They’re perfect for the upcoming spring and summer weather here in San Diego and in nice bright colours too. I’m not sure about the quality though, given they’re so thin. I’ve worn them a couple of times already, so I hope it can keep its shape and size once I’ve thrown them into the washer.

Ann Taylor Factory, Twisted Blouse in Teal XSP
This twist teal blouse shirt, though gorgeous on the hanger, was just a FAIL on me. The sleeves were too long, and the length was too shirt. I did not like where the twist hit me either. I don’t really need such a gorgeous top either since it would be out of place at my office. I do like sheeny shiny things though.

Ann Taylor Factory Petal Chiffon, XS
And just for grins, I decided to try on the petal chiffon top in XS. It was the smallest size available in the store, and there weren’t any petite sizes left. Needless to say, it fit as I expected – very loose. It looked horrible over my bootcut jeans, because every bump on my jeans showed.

Banana Republic Outlet

Also, after the flurry of purchases of the famed Banana Republic Outlet tweed dress I first saw on Jean, I knew I was late to the game, but I thought I’d browse through the racks to see if I could find it. I found the sizing tags to be strange. Do Banana Republic petite size tags always include the “p” on the end? I didn’t look too carefully, but I did grab the 00p for Aubrey (which fits her wonderfully, might I add – in which my response is a “YAY!”), and noticed as I was trying these dresses on that they were all “0”, without a p. So why were they in the petite section? Hence, my confusion.

Banana Republic Outlet Black Sheath Dress 0, $29.99
The black sheath dress seen on Jean (for some reason I can’t find the link!) and the one I grabbed for Aubrey was much too small for me in 00p, which I had predicted, and so I tried on the 0, both in the black and a pretty fuschia color. Unfortunately, it is too long on me, even though I loved the fuschia color. Considering I don’t need to really dress up for work, and the fit wasn’t the greatest, I decided to leave these behind as they weren’t worth it to me to have it hemmed.

Banana Republic Outlet Navy Gold Button Shoulder Dress, 0
I also tried this other dress that really isn’t my style, but I thought I’d give it a go to see what it would look on me. This was a quick “no way” before I threw it off of me. I’m not sure what possessed me to try it on the first place. I think the dress makes me look about five years old.

Banana Republic Outlet, Grey Sheen Sheath Dress 0, $29
Because I was disappointed that no tweed sheath dress was to be found, I decided to try on the similar dress that ReallyPetite blogged about last month. The fit was really quite nice, except for the length, but because the material was more shiny and the dress slightly more formal, I don’t think I would get much use out of it, and not worth it at $99 since I would still need to get it hemmed.

I did grab a Banana Republic casual khaki type skirt that was on sale for $24.99, deciding to give skirts a go this year, thanks to Jean and her array of cute skirts she has modeled for us on her blog. Oddly, I didn’t take a picture of me in it, maybe next time ! I’m really not a skirt or a dress person, but I’m forcing myself to branch out this year, and I think I’m going to need a little help from the rest of you on how to put a skirt together, because I truly am clueless most of the time when it comes to more girly items. I’m still more of a jeans and a t-shirt gal (of which I’m wearing today! :))

And a side note, I’m not sure why a bird is chirping ever so loudly outside my home at 11:45pm!

Ruffle Revolution! :)

Yesterday, I met up with wonderful fellow San Diego petites Aubrey and Christina for sushi and to give them the Ann Taylor Factory Ruffle Shells in XXSP that are all a flurry in the petite community. I look tall in this photo, thanks to very tall heels 😛 Aubrey is in fact taller than me. It was a night full of talk about fashion, finds, beauty and silliness! Unfortunately, Aubrey and Christina have said that the ruffle shells look to be too big for the two of them and will have to be shrunk. So sad! I hope to meet up with them more (and with Kelly too!) They are absolutely adorable and it was my pleasure to spend time with these lovely ladies!

Ann Taylor Factory Chiffon Ruffle Shell – XXSP or XSP?

I have a tendency to wiffle waffle between sizes constantly, and with the Ann Taylor Chiffon Ruffle Shell, this time is no different – it’s even worse! I think I’m leaning towards the XXSP, but I really don’t know, since I fit both seemingly fine. The difference seems to be a wider neckline in the XSP and they hit at different points of the hip – the XSP is slightly longer (something I don’t mind.)

I keep on putting on the XSP, then the XXSP, then the XSP, and then back on the XXSP, and I’m back to square one. The side picture of the XXSP does seem slimmer when the shirt is straightened out as compared to the XSP. But I’m still baffled. Which one do you think I should keep? XSP or XXSP?

Ann Taylor Factory Ruffle Shell, XXSP in Soft Pewter, Front and Side Views

Ann Taylor Factory Ruffle Shell, XSP in Soft Pewter, Front and Side Views

And an unrelated note: Since starting this blog, I’ve really noticed how taking pictures of yourself wearing items you own helps quite a bit in realizing “oh my! I thought that fit….” Case in point, the Vigoss jeans that I am wearing in the pictures are too big for me. They stretch so much throughout the day that it becomes very baggy and I am constantly pulling them up. I ordered them in the right size (26), and thought they look fine since they looked good when I first bought them, but when I took some “back” pictures of the shell, I noticed my behind area just looked awful, all baggy. Since I don’t look at my behind much (that would be something of a magical feat!), it’s very eye opening to see that your behind simply sags – and really tells me that my jeans no longer fit as well as I had thought.

Fitting Room Adventures: H&M, Ann Taylor, and Target Part Two

I’m just now getting to blog about the numerous trips that I made to H&M, Ann Taylor and Target. In some of these occasions I forgot to bring my camera, so this blog post is full of grainy photos by my phone, so please bear with me 🙂

H&M

Several weeks ago I popped into H&M and only had time to try on a few items. I decided to grab the lacy H&M top and this H&M dress that looked so pretty on the hanger:

I think this would be the matching top to the popular lace skirt that so many other petites have bought from H&M. I never took a picture of the tag, but I’m wearing a size 2, and I think it’s too fitting for me, therefore not being all that flattering.

This chiffon dress however… looked so pretty on the hanger. I thought I would try a size 4, which usually varies in fit for me with H&M, and I was surprised to see how big it was on me. I definitely needed a size 2, but by then I was in a rush and the line for the the changing room was very long. The size 4 was shapeless and sad looking. Plus, though the light pink looked so pretty, I blended in with the dress. Plus, it was slightly see through… I guess if I look at the model wearing it, it’s supposed to be shapeless.

Ann Taylor

I dropped by Ann Taylor since I was returning a few items to a few stores at the strip mall there, and decided to see if there were any sales to be had. Unfortunately, there were barely ANY petite items on sale, let alone XSP or XXSP!! So, while I was there I decided to take a peek at an item I couldn’t keep my eyes off of – the Sleeveless Drape Top, $48. I’m very partial to sheeny shiny foldy clothes, and it really glowed on the model, so I was eager to try it out in the store.

Sometimes, it really helps taking pictures of what you wear, because even though I think the top is gorgeous, I don’t think it works as well for me. I tried this top with XSP, and it’s possible XXSP might look better, given there would be less folds and sit better. At $48, it’s still too expensive. I’d pick this shirt on sale, and in XXSP. This is the dusty teal color, and I also think I would look better in the Eclipse color, as it’s more icy and bold.

Target

Then recently, when I went to return a pair of shoes, I decided to randomly try on a few of the items in Target. I was curious, because they have their new sizing and fits for their jeans on display that I was curious enough to pick up a few pairs in a couple different sizes to try them out. I was excited they actually added a “short” length to their jeans, and eagerly tried them on. Needless to say, major fail on each. I shouldn’t really blog about them … but.. I guess I will anyway, to show the horrible fit!

Mossimo Supply Co. Juniors Ankle Zip Jean Crop – Dark Wash size 3
These were so tight I couldn’t zip the jeans up! Since I have larger thighs, I often have trouble finding the right pair of jeans. I think these would work well on someone without thunder thighs (yes, that’s how I refer my thighs :P), surprisingly so.

They didn’t have any size 1s available in the store, but 3S of Mossimo Juniors Bootcut Jean in Fit#6 (Lower Waist & Straight), in 3S, I was swimming in as well. You can see that there is plenty of room between where my thumb is and my stomach, and in general, looked horrible.

I was swimming in these Mossimo Premium Women’s Black Skinny Denim, FIT #3 (Mid Waist and Straight Hip). They didn’t have a size 2 short available, so I just decided to try the size 4, but yes, they didn’t work on me at all. For lean petites, definitely avoid the Women’s Mossimo denim – as I was swimming in the size 2 short. And for reference, I’m usually a 0p in denim and 2p in pants at the LOFT.

Trying on Fit#3 size 2S, of the Mossimo Women’s Medium Wash Skinnies, they were still way too large. Junior jeans might work better than women’s, but in general, I’ve shied away from Target jeans. I was just curious, and had some time to kill, and decided to try them out. Needless to say, I won’t be trying on Target jeans again anytime soon!

While I was there, I took a peek at a few of the shoes on display.

Dolce Vita for Target in Cork Wedges, $29.99, sz 6
I ordered these in gold a while back with other items, but I thought I would give these a try in the store. They come in gold, brown, and black. The sandals are slightly big in the ankle, but everything fit perfectly.

Dolce Vita for Target in Rope Wedges, sz 6
I never reviewed this item when I first received it, but since I was in the store, I thought I might as well do a proper review. The brown wedges look a lot better than the Nude, and I think the pair that I received, the faux leather was so stiff, I couldn’t even stick my foot all the way through. The biggest problem with this sandal wasn’t so much the way it looks (it looks great!), but it’s too big in the ankle area. When I lifted my foot off the ground, there was so much room between the ankles and the shoe that it separated from the sole of my foot. The material was a bit suffocating too. You can see in the second picture the amount of room (though blurry)

Mossimo Pavla Peep-Toe Booties, $29.99, sz 6
I am not normally attracted to these kind of booties, where the only part showing from the foot is the toes, but I thought, why not. It was made of suede, and because of that material, was extremely comfortable and well fitted and easy to walk around in. Plus, the bottoms are skid-free, which is always a good thing. Plus, with the bottoms being platform, there seems to be good enough padding after long periods of walking (my observation at least). So I would recommend this bootie, and it looks like the review on Target also approves. They come also in beige/brown, or “mushroom”.

Mossimio Purvi Peep-Toe Booties, $29.99, sz 6
These were sitting near the Pavla booties, and they were more of a style bootie that I’d be interested in. They seem comfortable, but after trying those Pavlas, they’re definitely not comparable, due to the faux leather material. They also come in cognac and grey.

Product Review: MAC Studio Finish Concealer & Bobbi Brown Corrector

I’ve gone without a very good concealer for years, having had a few that just did not satisfy me. I was sorely unimpressed with MAC’s select concealer, which was too liquidy, and it came out fairly thin. It’s a tube, so it was difficult to control  the amount. About a month ago, I had a Nordstrom gift card, for $50, so I decided to be adventurous and try out a few new products. I did some research on a few web sites, and decided to purchase the MAC Studio Finish Concealer SPF30 in NC30 (My face is actually a C3 in MAC Studio Fix Foundation) and Bobbi Brown corrector in Peach. Both of these have fantastic reviews (Concealer reviews, Corrector reviews).

The concealers closed.

Left: Bobbi Brown Corrector, Peach (better for yellow toned skins), $20. The color looks a bit frightening in the container, but it matches my skin perfectly.
Right: MAC Studio Finish Concealer, SPF35 in NC30, $16.50.

The consistency of both are creamy, and despite the fact that I have oily skin, both of them last approximately 3/4 of the day before it starts falling off requiring a touch up. I use the MAC Studio Finish Concealer on all my blemishes and my scars and it hides it perfectly. It doesn’t feel heavy when I wear it.

As for the Bobbi Brown corrector, Peach is an orang-ish color that looks like it has no way of correcting anything, but it effectively covers up my dark eye circles. I have really dark eye circles that often makes me look a panda, but it automatically “reawakens” me and makes me look more alive.

I had only used liquid concealers in the past that ended up making me look pasty and unnatural. Hence, it was refreshing to look in the mirror and see that though I had I not applied anything else but the concealer and the corrector, my skin looked so natural and dare I say it — clear? Needless to say, these two products have quickly become my holy grails. I don’t wear makeup everyday, but on the days I do, I sometimes forget to put on foundation (which never happens) because my face looks fairly even already! Add a bit of blush, and I look infinitely better. I would consider my skin to be combination/T-zone, and these products were absolutely terrific. No breaking out, no yucky oily feeling. It will be interesting to see how well they stay on during the summer, but it has effectively made me a huge fan, and I would say that they are well worth the price.

Hopefully these pictures aren’t too frightening (as I kind of scared myself looking at such closeups of my eye – my eyes are constantly red lately due to them being dry from my LASIK surgery), but here is a before and after photo of my eye area. You can see that it wakens up my eyes immediately with the use of concealer, and it covers very well – this is a closeup of the Bobbi Brown Corrector.

What concealers do you use? Which ones are your HGs?

Project Uncluttering: Getting Rid of “Stuff”

Note: I’m cross posting this with my personal blog, since I think it applies there as well, and it keeps me in check.

Anyone who really knows me, knows that I’m a bit of a schizophrenic when it comes to spending and consumerism. I even have a blog with a friend (that has been slightly molding) about living simpler, greener, and basically simplifying ones’ life. In the past year, I’ve tossed a great deal many things out in light of all the things I accumulated in finding a more stylish me (hence, the schizophrenic part), but I find that I still own many items that I just don’t use or haven’t worn in a long time. I came across this one blog that documented each item they threw out a day, and while I won’t be documenting everyday, I may do an accumulation of the things I plan to donate/toss/sell that week (minus dirty old things or who knows, a second stapler I find haha). I don’t know if people will find this boring as this doesn’t directly relate to clothing or beauty, but I see it as minimizing my wardrobe and items that are investments instead of toss-a-ways. PetiteAsianGirl’s latest post on her investment in a few quality Chanel purses makes me feel as though this post might not be too out of topic 😉 Plus… I need to place myself on a strict discipline shopping budget (current ban), and this will help keep me in check!

Item #1: White T-shirt Tank, aka listed as ‘Sexy women’s T-shirt dress #JG162white’
Reason to Toss/Donate/Sell: I decided to brave buying from these Hong Kong sellers from ebay selling the cutest Asian clothes online April last year. I thought the items would be more petite friendly (they are) but the sizing varied so much from item to item I would definitely not recommend it as it’s just a hassle to have to make returns back to Hong Kong. This one was a definite miss for me. (The other items I returned – could barely fit and it was just odd!) Too big (as you can see, not very fitted). Too see through, and all in all, not very practical. I never wore it once, and I don’t see myself ever finding a reason to wear it. (I’m almost embarrassed to show these pictures!)

Item #2: Victoria Secret’s Drop-Waist Belted Wool Coat, XS
Reason to Toss/Donate/Sell: Currently just $68, I love the look of this jacket. I bought it several years ago, but despite it being XS (which I can usually fit, especially if it’s a jacket), it’s too big on me. I think that’s true of almost all of Victoria Secret’s clothing – way too big. If it weren’t for the belt, it would look as though I was wearing a big poncho. Because of how much extra “belt pullage” I have to do, there is a lot more extra fabric that comes up. Also, even though white is a beautiful color (it’s more like ivory), it’s easy to get all sorts of stains and lint and fur on it. The coat is very heavy, and I love all the details (I like the button in the center on the back, and the button cuff on the sleeves – hence why I kept it even though it’s clearly too large), but it’s just not very practical in Southern California. I haven’t decided whether or not to sell or donate this one yet, as it needs to be dry cleaned if I end up selling it.

Other Items:
#4. I bought this Guess hand purse when I was in college and loved it back then. I’m still on the fence on keeping it, but I haven’t really used it much in years. I carry so much with me now a days it doesn’t make any sense for me to have such a rigid small purse. Not very versatile either, even though it is really well made. It’ll probably find itself on ebay.
#5. Charlotte Purse wallet. I love the idea of a small flat wallet, but I carry a lot of coins with me, as well as cards, and of course, it being Charlotte Russe, isn’t of the best quality, so the wallet will start bulging with too many items in it, and the pockets too rigid. I did use it pretty good for most of the year, but I’ve put this on the donate block.
#6. Naturalizer Prissy Sandals. As a bridesmaid for my brother’s wedding, I had to wear these sandals. I was hopeful they would be comfortable after all the positive reviews, but after testing them out at work, and then wearing them at the wedding, the straps began to dig into my foot. The same was said by the other bridesmaids. So, after wearing these a couple of times, I think I will try to find another home for these shoes.

I read a great tip once of how to figure out (with not much thinking or emotional thinking) which clothes to toss and clean out of the closet (of which I have yet to do.) Every time you have washed and worn an item, you put the hanger facing the opposite direction (for example, inwards) than those items sitting in the closet unworn/unused for a long time. After six months to a year (or whatever time period you think is long enough), go through those hangers that are facing outwards, and simply donate those items. Of course that would exclude special occasion dresses. I thought that was an excellent idea. People have even used separate closets as an idea, but I don’t have that many closets… 🙂

Any items you will be ridding of? What metric do you use to sift through to clear your closet?

Target Shoes Review, Part One

My two Target orders were split into many shipments – a few won’t even be available until March. Today, I received two shipments, one item from each order. I’m having a bit of trouble deciding whether or not to keep them.

Target is still having its 20% off $75 sale (immediately applied in cart). Excuse the horrible quality of my pictures and the backgrounds. I’ve been in deep purging/cleaning mode, that you shall see in a future post.

In my first order, I got these Merona Ettie Leather Wedge Sandals, sz 6 in black. They are now listed at $22. When I first spotted it, I wanted it in champagne but they didn’t have my size available online. I was curious about the comfort though, and went and ordered it in black anyway.

What I like about it:
– It is so incredibly soft and comfortable. The insole is padded the way I like it, in such a way that my feet don’t start sliding when it gets sweaty.
– Genuine leather upper.

What I don’t like about it:
– The flowers are rather huge. I don’t know if it’s because I wore jeggings with them that it makes me look like I’ve got huge humongous feet. Maybe they’d look better with my boot cut jeans.
– It’s black. I own far too many black shoes. I may have to hunt down the champagne color in store. I think the black probably contributes to the clown feet effect.

Unsure:
– I’m weary about thongs and can only wear flip flops that have a thicker cloth or made of really soft material, but it varies from shoe to shoe. My skin gets easily chaffed and is pretty sensitive to the thong while it rubs in between my big toe and second toe. Even though the thong feels comfortable now, it may not handle up to longer periods of walking. I had a similar experience with a shoe I bought at DSW; it was super comfortable in store, but I quickly discovered discomfort when walking for longer periods of time after I had bought it.

I’m really unsure of whether or not to keep these sandals. They are so incredibly comfortable and cute, though not really sleek or classy. Not that I’m sleek or classy most of the time, especially given the summer where I’m always in flip flops anyway. They’d be good for a summer day. Decisions, decisions!

The second item I received were the Xhilaration Wedges, sz 6 in Tawny (a replica of the Dolce Vitas), priced at $24.99. (Also in black). It seems as though many people bought these shoes.

What I like about them:
– They are surprisingly light and comfy!
– The 3.75″ is a good height.
– They look really great on the feet, especially from the front.

What I don’t like about them:
– The zipper of the right sandal took a while to zip up. I found that it was easier to zip up part way before I put my foot in, as the zipper just wouldn’t want to go.
– They look good directly on the feet, but the whole brown tall wedge made me feel as though I was a midget on stilts (exaggerated, of course). I would definitely say skinny jeans are NOT to be worn with these – otherwise they just look too clunky – I should have taken pictures wearing something that fit both of these pairs of shoes better.
– The material isn’t of the best quality, but that’s what I expect out of a $24.99 shoe.

I don’t own many dresses or skirts, so the one thing I could wear with these wedges would be bootcut jeans. (I’m still slightly lost about what to wear!)

So, what do you think I should do? Keep or return?

~Grace