Making Spirits Bright

 Dress: Opulent Paisley Faux-Wrap Dress by Leota (size 4L) via Gwynnie Bee

Tights: Snag

Shoes: Born

Earring: Kerala Rose

Necklace: Age Before Beauty

Bracelet: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo, Kate, & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

Paisley is my favorite pattern & this one is spectacular...the design is lovely...& the purple, yellow, orange, & pink all pop against the black background. Had this dress been a fit & flare rather than a sheath...I would have HAD to purchase it. I wish GB would have mentioned that in their description. I liked the empire waist, length, & long cuffed sleeves. I was sad to send this beauty back. 

I should have worn orange shoes with this instead of yellow since those are the two colors I was most excited about...but the orange shoes I was thinking of are in a box of shoes that need to be painted with leather dye. Some day I'll get right on that. 

These are my first pair of Snag tights in the proper size...the fit is spot on, like I mentioned in my last post. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Voodoo, Violet Voss Sparkling Cherry Limeade palette, Huda Beauty palettes in Coral Obsessions & Amethyst Obsessions, Big Bang lipstick from UD, Anastasia lip palette, & OPI nail polish.

Freddie & Sal's pizza...

I wore this dress to work & use yet another code Sephora sent me...I got this already on sale Violet Voss palette & a set of my favorite three Replica perfumes. Then I picked Kate up from work & she took this pretty sunset picture...

Girlie cocktails! It has been ages. Merchant had some new winter drinks out, so we tasted some of them. They were all amazing...I don't know how they consistently come up with such fabulous concoctions. 

 The girlies...& the food that we ate.

I hope we make it back before winter's end to try the drinks we left behind...& to have these all over again.

Merchant..Making Spirits Bright...indeed. Driving Kate home...I was craving a spot of chocolate...so we dashed (I can't actually dash anywhere) into Madison Chocolate Co...Kate got a bar & I got two truffles...Rum Chata & Liquid Salted Caramel. YUM. 

This shop is so cute...& it was adorably decorated for the holidays. Spending time with my girlie is always so special. 

Happy Holidays!

 Dress: Red Flocked Trapeze Dress by Torrid (size 4x)

Shawl: Target

Tights: Snag

Shoes: Adrienne Vittadini, thrifted 

Earring: etXarte

Necklaces & Bracelet: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo, Kate, & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

I adore this velvet flocked swing dress...soooo pretty & festive. I needed something for Kate's holiday work party...so I went shopping in my own closet & found this dress I had gotten on sale at Torrid. 

I don't know what I did before getting this black velvet burnout shawl for $11 on clearance at Target...I wish I had gotten two. 

I could have used some static guard...also, I wish I had gotten some photos of this dress without the shawl. Oh! And these Snag tights are FABULOUS...unfortunately, they were out of my size in black, but worn in the correct size...they are PERFECT. If you order 10 pairs, they are 25% off, which makes these awesome tights only $9! They are more opaque than We Love Colors, fit me better, & are so much cheaper. I'll still wear WLC because their color selection can't be beat. So, now I can confidently say...Snag is Muffin approved. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Perversion, Stila liquid eyeliner in Intense Black, Violet Voss Oh Snap! palette, Santa Sangre lipstick by Kat von D, NYX glitter in Red, & Ruby Pumps nail polish from China Glaze. 

Kate's work party was at The Fireside Theatre...the play was A Christmas Story, The Musical.

Each section of the dining area had a theme...we were in the sea section. I had a Shoot Your Eye Out Sangria & a tropical concoction. 

Dinner was better than I expected. The poor girlie had just gotten in the evening before from her trip to Thailand...so she was severely sleep deprived...but stubbornly determined to attend her holiday work party.

That dessert was a massive ginger hit, which I loved...but I noticed a lot of leftover cake. The play was alright, but we left at intermission because it was already 9pm & it wasn't good enough to get home that late. I am quite sure we already saw the best part...a chorus of dancing girls dressed as leg lamps. 

Eye make-up complete...false lashes. Kate & I both wore the same outfits the following weekend to attend holiday Wasted at Square Wine. I love spending time with my two favorite people. 

I sat myself down on the couch because YUM, plus my stupid hurting knee. I need to tell you about these amazing cookies Lindsay made...Alison Roman's Salted Butter & Chocolate Chunk Shortbread. They were quite possibly the best cookies I've ever had. 

Group photo! David & I signed up to host wine tasting at our house again next October...hopefully nothing will stop us this time. Happy Holidays! 

Summer in Winter

 Dress: Leaf Print Fit & Flare Dress by eShakti (size 28) via Gwynnie Bee

Cardigan: ?, thrifted

Tights: We Love Colors in Yellow

Shoes: Dansko

Earring: eBay 

Necklace: Wendy Baker

Bracelets: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

I had been looking forward to getting this lovely cotton dress back in the summer...but it came in winter instead...so I attempted to make it appropriate for cold weather. It was not my favorite...some dresses just need to be worn in season. The fit was spot on, with the exception of overly large armholes. Super wrinkly & light weight. 

Standing in a pile of leaves because we don't have any snow on the ground. Yet. Yay!

As pretty as this cardigan is, it didn't really go with this dress...I guess I didn't try too hard.

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Abyss, Gilt Trip eyeshadow from Morphe, Huda Beauty Coral Obsessions palette, Santa Sangre lipstick by Kat von D, NYX Glitter Goals lipstick in Crystal Crush, & Gimme a Lido Kiss nail polish from OPI. 

I wore this dress to work & to run a few errands before sending it back to GB. David got me four pretty bras...a black one to replace one he bought me years ago that needs to be retired, another black one with criss-cross straps in front to peak out from under clothing, a floral pattern, & red lace. I get all my bras from Melissa at Whisper Intimate Apparel...she is the bra whisperer & can size you without even meeting you. Dinner with adorable Freddie & Angie. Angie made delicious ginger meatballs that I can't stop thinking about. I need to jot down the recipe before I forget. 

Most of my Black Friday purchases worked out...sadly, these ASOS velvet dresses had to be returned. They were HUGE on top & tight on the bottom...but this color! 

A few little things from Ulta...because I can't just let a sale go by without me. Notice the Ulta nail polish remover. I wanted to run into the beauty supply to get some OPI polish remover, but my knee was hurting me so badly on this day...that I just couldn't imagine another errand. David bought me a cane & I've been using it because it helps some. Just four more days until my appointment with the knee doc to find out what can be done. David & I also visited Deconstruction Inc. & had Indian buffet. 

Blood Sugar & Other Make-up I Didn't Need

 Dress: Twilight Dot Midi Dress by Leota (size 4L) via Gwynnie Bee

Cardigan: Avenue (size 26/28)

Tights: We Love Colors in Royal

Shoes: Mudd, thrifted

Earring: etXarte

Necklace: Former Etsy shop

Bracelet: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

This dress felt rather conservative for me, but instead of jazzing it up...I kind of went with it. It was a great fit. What you can't see...it's sleeveless, has a keyhole with a tie in back, & there is an attached sash belt. 

Olive was one of the colors of dots in the dress, so I brought that out more with my cardigan & shoes.

I need more olive in my wardrobe.

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in LSD; Morphe eyeshadow in Top Secret, Gilt Trip, & Coin; & Santa Sangre lipstick by Kat Von D. 

Working on lining the drawers to my dentist cabinet I'm going to use for jewelry...entertained by cute playing doggies. I wore this dress to work & to get a haircut. 

I had an excellent mail day with things pouring in from Black Friday sales. Sephora had a ton of make-up I was interested in for over 50% off...Kat von D & Bite Beauty lipsticks...as well as some Violet Voss & Huda Beauty eyeshadow palettes. I also tried a new to me brand, Sydney Grace. I got a sampler set of the Maison Margiela Replica perfumes I'm obsessed with...I love them all.

Swatches of all my new lipsticks. And an order from Beautylish of a Jeffrey Star & Natasha Denona palette...along with an alien green holographic make-up bag. 

Freddie eating. The rest of us having a plate of roasted veggies...along with the garliciest walnut skordalia dip...YUM.

My dilemma...I thought I'd organize the jewelry in my typesetters cabinet by color...green jewelry in the drawers lined with green felt. But...I don't think that's going to work for me...even though it is satisfying to look at. I'm still thinking on it. 

Friendsgiving

 Dress: Flutter Sleeve Wine Jersey Dress by Taylor Dresses (size 24) via Gwynnie Bee

Tights: We Love Colors

Shoes: Gap, thrifted

Earring: etXarte

Necklace: Wendy Baker

Bracelet: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

Wine monochrome outfit for our Friendsgiving celebration. Again, too tight because it didn't come in my size...I guess I should stop closeting dresses that don't fit me. The color was outstanding & I liked the flutter sleeves that showed off my tattoo. 

The burgundy in these Gap shoes were a good match for the dress...so I picked a necklace that also had some pink in it to carry that color through.

Crunchy fall leaves underfoot is much nicer than snow. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Alkaline, Velvet & Flash eyeshadow by Kat Von D, MAC lipstick in Dubonnet Amplified, & OPI nail polish in Rich & Brazilian. 

I totally missed David carving the turkey wearing his turkey hat...so he posed for me...

This is my favorite part of Thanksgiving...Angie's cranberry jalapeño relish with cream cheese on crackers...it is extremely tasty. Kate & Jason were in Thailand, so they did not join in the festivities.  

Dinner was outstanding! I only need it once a year, but traditional Thanksgiving dinner is so yummy. Fred was not having the turkey hat. After dinner...Val sits at the table like people. Do not suspect I was also trying to covertly snap a photo of the elusive elly. The next day...more Sobral jewelry from eBay came in the mail...early Black Friday sale.