I haven’t had very good luck with hair dressers in my life. When I was in high school I had terrible hair cuts because I felt obligated to get my hair done by a family friend of my boyfriend (at the time). I remember bringing in a picture of Lindsay Lohan with these big gorgeous curls to her for my grad hair style and to my disappointment, left with a half up ringlet curled bun-ish thing. At the same salon I happened to click very well with a younger stylist who convinced me to start putting foil highlights in my hair. She made me feel really good about myself and we got along really well. I was seeing her one afternoon to touch up my blonde roots (yes, I was blonde for a few years) she was complaining to me about her marriage woes…something about her partying 24/7 and her husband not being impressed by that. While I had the foils in my hair, her husband happened to show up with flowers for her and they had a big moment there in the salon. Surprise, surprise, she left my foils in for WAY too long and I came out looking like I had tie-dye hair. When I went back a week later ready to demand she fixed it for free, she had fled to Edmonton and left without notice. I’ve been through 3 other stylists since then, one left her salon and I wasn’t keen on getting my hair dyed at her house, and another who went on maternity leave. I just could never seem to settle on a stylist!
Well my luck has turned around because one of my friends just graduated from hair school and is currently a stylist at Axis salons. Now I realize that I am slightly bias because she is a friend, but she does such an amazing job. I have the most difficult half asian thick hair and hairdressers HATE me for it, but Marlee handles it well and always does cuts that will help me better maintain my mufasa hair. Last night a bunch of the stylists did a “blow-out” class and learned how to blow dry curls, and this is what she magically made my hair do:
Bracelets from Le Chateau
If you’re interested in seeing Marlee she’s usually at the W. Pender Axis location, but definitely ask when you call because she has worked in the W. Georgia location as well. She only charges $35 for a cut/blow dry, which trust me, is SUCH a steal!
Hello and thank you to all of those who have been following my journey and giving me positive feedback along the way. It’s a relief to know that others out there in the world relate to what it’s like to struggle with a shopping addiction and “empty closet syndrome” (when you stare at your overflowing closet and say that you have nothing to wear so you purchase something new). Several people who I’ve told about this 30 for 30 challenge don’t understand. They look at me with confusion and explain that they simply don’t get the point of all of this. “What do you get at the end of it?” they always ask. You know, setting personal goals doesn’t necessarily mean that someone has bet me to complete something, or that I get a prize for completing it. Sometimes we simply need to set goals for ourselves.
30 for 30 has already done wonders for my bank account and for my self esteem. There have been a few days where I’ve felt “fat” and uncomfortable in what I was wearing. Then when I photograph it and take a second look, I realize that there’s no difference at all in a photo and that probably no one else out there thought I was looking 2 lbs heavier than the day before. Repeating outfits has been a real breakthrough for me as well. I blame Facebook and my love for photographs, because I had a total complex with outfit repeating. It was not an option in my books to re-wear something that I was seen wearing in a recent photo, as if people were judging me based on outfit repetition. Who on earth did I think I was? I was in dire need of a wake-up call. Good morning…get over yourself!
I look forward to the next 15 days and hope that everyone else is also enjoying the challenge and reaping the benefits. And to those who are watching from afar, I encourage you to try a similar challenge one day. It really is amazing what you can accomplish!
FINALLY caught up on photos, I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders!!! I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to photograph my outfit every day, I definitely have a new found respect for all the fashion bloggers out there!
Here’s Monday and Tuesday’s outfits:
Scarf from Plum // Earrings from Forever 21
Tuesday was my fave outfit so far because it reminds me of London. While I was there last June, I was browsing around Carnaby Street and came across a little boutique called Dahlia. It immediately caught my eye with it’s perfect mix of vintage inspired pieces with modern silhouettes. They had floral dresses and polka dot prints, and the most adorable jackets I’ve ever seen! The prices were not ideal for someone who had to factor in a terrible exchange rate, but I knew that this store was where you want to splurge. I bought the white striped dress, as well as the telephone necklace and now I must say, that they are probably my two favourite pieces in my closet right now. I paired them with a mustard yellow vintage Ann Taylor blazer to bring out the yellow stripe in the dress.
Keep an eye out for the Dahlia label, as they do sell their line to other stores such as TopShop. If you’re interested in Dahlia dresses in North America, I have seen a few on ModCloth for a reasonable price (USD).
Chain Necklace from Plum // Telephone “Hello” Necklace from Dahlia (UK)
Here is my Saturday and Sunday when I was clearly loving the high waist 😛 Sorry about the lack of words, but it’s now 2 am and I promised myself I’d get up early and go for a run. And push ups…I really need to start doing more of those. 2 more posts coming at you in the morning…you better watch out!!!
Necklace and Belt from Plum // Ring from H&M
Headband and Purse from Forever 21 // Bracelets from H&M
A crab crawled out from under that abandoned flip flop in front of me moments before Brandi took this photo. Note the fists and tense arms…I am extremely uncomfortable haha!!!
I actually wore this twice this weekend. The 30 for 30 makes things tricky if you want to change your outfit mid-day and often leads to repeats. The entire weekend was spent moving Adam into his new apartment aka “The Big Move Phase 1”. The space looks great and I’m so proud of him for buying a place all on his own. I’m kind of jealous really, it makes me want to save my money up and buy a place one day as well!! I’ve already started on the budgeting…I have banned myself from using my Visa AND my debit card. I took out $200 cash and that is to last me until my next paycheque. Let’s just see how it all pans out. So far it seems as though I spend 95% of the money on food. Oops.
Rocky Point in Port Moody is an excellent walk, and an even better photo walk! They have free concerts in the park on every Sunday for the rest of summer…you should go check it out 🙂
Necklace and Ring from Plum // Belt from Primark
Kadie brought Lindsay and her little guy Jackson to the water park. Oh my gooooosh Jackson was so cute it melted my little heart. You can see from the pictures that he goes from terrified to fearless in a matter of minutes. Babies are so freaking adorable…can one of my friends just have one already!??!?! Jeeeez
I’m doing a little happy dance right now because today was Day 10!!! Double digits people…we’re getting pretty serious. The reality is setting in though, there are only a few pieces left that I haven’t worn yet. Soon the repetition starts and the real remixing begins….eeek! This old Graham and Spencer number is one of my favourite dresses. The bubble shape isn’t over done, but rather provides a feminine hourglass silhouette. I added the white jacket at the last minute and I quite like the way it all turned out. Score one for last minute outfit additions!
Necklace from a stand in NYC // Ring from H&M // Bow Ring was a gift // Belt from Plum // Sunglasses from Forever 21 // sandals from Old Navy
Melissa thought that I needed to ignore any healthy eating plans for the day…
Melissa and I caught up over sushi and cupcakes (a weird combo…we know!) Both of us are enjoying the 30 for 30 challenge, but are especially happy about the shopping ban. I think we’re both going to see how long we can go without spending money on clothing even after the 30 days are up. I’m sure I’ll end up shopping in San Fran, but that’s not until the beginning of September. If I didn’t shop until September I’d be absolutely shocked. Hey, is it cheating if you use a gift certificate during a shopping ban?
My 30 for 30 took an unexpected turn yesterday when my Old Navy sandal broke. I wasn’t even moving when it happened. I just looked down and the strap was hanging to the side. Thankfully I always bring heels and flats to work, so I had my tan wedges to save the day! That’s what I get for picking Old Navy sandals thinking that they’d last all 30 days. So where to go from here? I have picked a new pair of Old Navy sandals just because I love to live life on the edge of shoe breakage!!!
I apologize for the quality of photos yesterday. It really pains me to have to post these point and shoot pictures with the flash *shudders*. I blame the fact that we couldn’t find parking to see The Goonies outside at Stanley Park last night. My night was kind of thrown off from there.
Flower Pin from H&M // Necklace from UO // Ring from Riot
I’m meeting up with Miss. Melissa tonight for dinner, girl chat, and obviously a mini photo shoot. So there will definitely be better photos tonight 🙂
Adam and I had our date night for the week yesterday. He took my out for burritos at Cafe Deux Soliel, one of my favourite vegetarian restaurants. We went for a nice walk afterwards and then I treated him to a smartie McFlurry 🙂 We of course had to end the night by watching an episode of True Blood because I am now completely obsessed. My roomie works at Rogers Video and her location is closing so the entire store is buy 1 get 2 free. I bought the first two seasons of True Blood, When Harry Met Sally, and Center Stage for $35 TOTAL. Can you even believe it?? I felt like I was robbing them! Anyways, I’m halfway through season 1 right now and absolutely hooked. I can’t wait to get all caught up!
Day 8 and I’m starting to feel the effects of the 30 for 30. I miss my other shoes. My feet miss my other shoes. My blisters miss my other shoes. Really though, limiting yourself to 5 pairs of shoes is extremely tough, at least for me! How are the rest of you doing with the 30 for 30? Sick of any of your items yet? Or any regrets on your choices? I would definitely take away all the jackets and grab more tank tops if I could!
Sunnies from Barefoot Contessa // Ring from Le Chateau // Purse and Necklace from Plum
I had the extreme honour of spending the day with professional fashion photographer Candace Meyer. The company I work for is planning to start a Vancouver Fashion Blog-ish website in the next few weeks, so Candace and I set out to browse all the major Vancouver fashion hotspots like Commerical, Main, Kits, Robson, Gastown, and Yaletown to get street shots of the best dressed. Unfortunately for us, it was a Monday and the stylish were apparently all at work…figures! We of course did find a few fabulous gals, including one fashion blogger…also figures! Even though the day seemed like kind of a bust because we only found a few to photograph, I had SO much fun! Although, any morning that you spend cruising around in a Lexus convertible in the sunshine is better than sitting around in the office. Candace is so amazing and such an inspiration, it felt surreal to be following her around for the day watching her work her magic with the camera. Too bad I couldn’t have asked her to photograph me for my 30 for 30 challenge LOL
I did learn some very important lessons today though:
1) Vancouver really needs to step up their game in the fashion world
2) It honestly doesn’t take much to look stylish people and I’m telling you that wearing something…ANYTHING that is unique to you will make you stand out a mile…in a good way
3) Vancouverites tend to dress more on the casual side, leaving anyone in heels looking like they’re off to the prom! Let’s bring back the days of dressing up as the norm (think Mad Men)
4) It’s a crime to wear all black in the sunshine
5) Most women, no matter how much they want to say no, will let you photograph them for a fashion blog 🙂
Necklace, Bracelet, Ring, and Purse all from Plum // Sunglasses from Forever 21
