Retail Therapy...on a budget

Seven little ways shopping helped me to feel a little better this weekend (or at least kept my mind off of everything):

1.Dress, Pure Energy, Target, $24.99
2.Scoop Neck Top, Pure Energy, Target, clearance $9.98
3.Ruffle Top, Merona, Target, clearance $4.98
4.Dress, Pure Energy, Target, $24.99
5.Dress, H&M, $12.95
6.Skirt, H&M, $9,95
7.Pointelle Cardigan, $17.99

And I found these gorgeous little hair clips at H&M:

I also hit up a local thrift store and found a fabulous black Old Navy skirt with tulip-style pleating and fancy little buttons on the back for $3.99...and a brand new zip-up jacket with a sequin-lined zipper and the original tags for $4.99.

Hopefully sometime soon I will be able to post some outfit pictures with my new stuff...I wish I could get away with wearing my new dresses to work. But unfortunately, any skirt I wear has to be mid-calf length. Does anyone else have very conservative dress policies at work? How do you work (haha no pun intended) cute clothes on the job?

Hope you had a marvelous Monday!

♥Case

Those You've Known & Lost Still Walk Behind You

When I started this blog, I wanted to have a place to share several things:
1. my opinions on fashion and beauty
2. my frugal finds...because as a teacher I have to be thrifty, and as we all know, good, cheap, plus-size finds are sometimes hard to come by!
3. my open mind in approaching fashion, hopefully to learn from you all and gain insight
4. encouragement for women of every shape and size

I never realized though, until a friend pointed it out to me, that the reason I have recently become so much more obsessed with fashion and shopping was because I've got a lot of other things on my mind. And this is my escape. This is what makes me feel good.

So today, I need to use this blog to share some feelings. I apologize if this is too emotional for you, but I've got to get it out. Yesterday, my parents had to put my dog to sleep. Bozz was family to us. He was truly our best friend for the past 16 years. And now he's gone. And my world does not feel real. I am trying to carry on with my life, but now there is just an aching in my chest that doesn't go away, no matter how much I try to distract myself with shopping or reading or...anything else.

As I write this I think to myself, "Wow, Case you sound silly. He was an animal." But I think if you've ever had a pet for a significant amount of time you might understand how I'm feeling. Maybe. And I'm not looking for sympathy, I just needed to vent by writing. I know this wound will become lesser in time, but right now it just feels surreal.

Rest in Peace Bozzy. Love you always.

On a much lighter note, here are some pictures of the outfit I wore while I went shopping today, in an attempt to keep my mind off things.

Denim Jacket: Old Navy, $34.50
Top: Kohl's, last year
Pants: Lee w/comfort waistband- so comfy! Kohl's, last year as well
Flippie Floppies: Old Navy, $2.50
Sunnies: Old Navy, $9.95
Bag: Coach, $129 at the outlet (this was purchased during "Abstinent April"...which turned out to be quite the opposite, lol)

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

♥Case

Graduation Weekend Outfits

This weekend was the BFF's graduation from her master's program. She is now an official School Counselor! Needless to say, we spent the whole weekend celebrating! Here is a recap of the outfits I wore.

Friday night Girl's Night at a Mexican restaurant and watching Breakfast at Tiffany's:

Dress: Old Navy, $8
Shrug: Old Navy, $19.99 (before coupon)
Belt: NY&Co, $2.99 (on clearance before coupon)

Saturday Graduation Ceremony:

Dress: Pure Energy, Target, $24.99
Sandals: Kohl's, $25

Saturday Night Going Out:

My blush looks really intense in this lighting but I swear it was not that dark! haha and sorry for the cleavage shot, but I thought that last picture was kind of sassy :)
Dress: NY&CO, $21.95 (after coupon)
Shrug: NY&CO, $ 21.95 (after coupon)
Leggings: Target, $6
Necklace: F21, $5.80
Earrings: Express, last year
Booties: Avenue, $12.50 (after coupon)


Saturday Night Makeup:

Face: Makeup Forever HD Foundation shade #115, Benefit Hoola bronzer
Eyes: Urban Decay Primer Potion, Smashbox Eyelights Palette in strobe (pink & brown colors), mark. eyemarker eyeliner in java,
Eyelashes: Maybelline Great Lash in blackest black with a coat of Dior DiorShow Blackout over top
Cheeks: Lorac blush in Main Attraction (from the Red Carpet Reveal Palette)
Lips: Benefit BeneTint, NARS orgasm lipgloss

So there you have it, my weekend in outfits. Hopefully soon the weather will get better and I can start taking pictures outside! Hope your Monday was splendid :)

♥Case

And I Said, What About Breakfast at Tiffany's?

Last Friday the BFF and I happened to pop into a Sally Beauty Supply store and as she looked for a nail strengthener, I became enamored by thee most beautiful nail polish color I had ever seen...a beautiful light blue color that reminded me of the color of a Tiffany's box. So I picked it up for further inspection and what do you know? It was called "For Audrey" and was only $5.99...and at that moment I decided that it was coming home with me. Tonight I finally got the chance to swipe it on just to try it out, and in only one quick, sloppy coat, the color was just as beautiful as it looked in the bottle. But pictures don't do this color justice. It is literally the same color as a Tiffany's box...light blue with that slight hint of teal/green.

Inspired by this gorgeous find, I also picked up another pastel-like color this weekend, a minty green color from Pure Ice called "Free Spirit" for only $2.99 at Wal-Mart. It reminds me a lot of the Essie color "Mint Candy Apple," just a few bucks cheaper. Here is the trial run of that, after 2 coats (this is a thinner formula):

After this quick trial, I actually really like both colors of polish...but the China Glaze color is much more unique and the formula was a lot better. Definitely not as good as Sally Hansen Salon Manicure, but good. Both colors are perfect for spring and are bold enough to make a statement, but not super loud.

I think they would look much better on a sunny day, though. This rainy, cloudy weather does not do my new friends justice. ;)

♥Case

Want-It Wednesday

So, I recently became a fan of Pure Energy on Facebook , and all of their little posts inspired me to make a trip to Target this evening to see if there was anything new since my last visit...and let me just say, overall I was both thrilled and incredibly disappointed. I was THRILLED to see all these cute designs and I wanted to buy so much...but sadly, my local Target only had about 3 overstuffed racks of the Pure Energy line, with no sense of organization at all. Clothing pieces were just strewn all over these 3 racks, like they were confined to only that space. It wasn't like how at most stores things are neatly organized and grouped together. Oh no...anything from the Pure Energy line, regardless of style or type of clothing, was just all lumped together. So, needless to say I was frustrated with the store itself, but I just LOVE Pure Energy.
Anyway, here are just a few of the items I loved...

I love that they make so many dresses and skirts...I'm a sucker for girly things and bright colors...add a floral print and I'm kind of smitten. And for under $25, you really cannot go wrong. They also had another floral print dress that I NEED but they don't seem to have it online. So if you're looking for some new and inexpensive summer dresses, head over to Target and check this stuff out!

Speaking of floral prints, I took a few quick photos of my top(s) today because I always get so many compliments when I wear this outfit to work:

And a close up of the top because I am in love with the little ruffles:

Tank: Lane Bryant, $23.50 (after coupon)

Cardigan: Lane Bryant, $26.50 (after coupon)

Anyway, I always just wear this with plain black dress pants and it seems to make everyone cheerful...even though I look absolutely dreadful with my mid-week teacher sleepiness!

Hope you had a fabulous Cinco de Mayo! I am a big fan of any day that encourages a margarita. ;)

♥Case

Goody Global Chic Hair Accessories

So, as you might be able to guess by my frequent wearing of gossip-girl style headbands, I have a thing for cute hair accessories. The other day I was just poking around Wal-Mart, waiting on a prescription to be filled, and I happened to come across a rather decent-sized collection of what looked like a newer limited edition line from Goody, called "Global Chic." The headbands weren't exactly my style with their oversized, "realistic"-looking flowers, but the clips and ponytail holders were uber cute. They even had earthy-tone colored bobby pins! And the best part...all of these items were less than $6! OH! And check out the little bow clips! So darling! (Sorry for the crappy photo quality...I wasn't expecting to do an impromptu photoshoot in Wal-mart...haha)

I liked this yellow clip the best...the bright color just screams summer! Especially next to my dark purple nails!

Anyway, thought I would share in case anyone is looking for some cheap, cheery, and easy summer hair accessories!

Oh...and on a side note- Today is Teacher Appreciation Day...so appreciate a teacher you know! :)

♥Case

My First Blogger Award!

So I have to send a huge shout out to Iza...because she gave me this award and made me feel totally awesome!! Thanks again girlie! You are most certainly a beautiful blogger yourself!
Beautiful Blogger Award rules:
- thank the person(s) who nominated you and give a link to their blog.
- copy the award and paste it to your blog.
- pass this award on to 15 fantastic bloggers you have discovered.
- contact your nominees and let them know they've won.

Ok so I will pass this award on to a few lovely bloggers...but since I am rather new at this and it seems that many beautiful ladies have already recieved this award, I am going to aim for 5 or 6 instead of 15! Here goes....drumroll please....

1.) Maddii (Fatshion Forward)
2.) Bianca (Deals for the Short and Curvy)
3.) Sonia (Anomalous Allure)
4.) Kae (For Fatshion's Sake)
5.) Amanda (Fashion, Love, and Martinis)
6.) Angel (Live Fabulously)

There are also many other lovely ladies who I would like to give this award to, but I know they've recieved it about a thousand times because they are so awesome! Sorry if you ladies have recieved it already! I'm all about spreading love in the blogosphere.
Hooray for beautiful bloggers! :)

♥Case