OOTD: Furry business.

I rarely wear this faux-fur vest from The Limited because it just sort of overtakes the outfit. However, I've seen it on other bloggers (so cute here on Krystal!) and decided to wear it despite its largeness. Honestly, I think it looks ok, now that I'm seeing it in photos. Maybe I've changed my mind on it, after all.

Also. The semester has begun in full force! Which means more of Justine trying her hardest-and-darndest to keep up with FF. But I'm committed, so no worries. Just be nice when I'm a sporadic-blogger again. I know, I can't stand it either. But my degree (and mounting debt) calls. :)

 Vest: The Limited faux fur vest

Top: Parker cinched waist top (here, in gray!)

Jeans: AE Super Skinnies

Shoes: Nine West

Necklace: Forever 21

Umm, woah.

Where in the heck did October go? Seems like I closed my eyes and here's November already! I won't apologize for the break, not because I don't care about my readers but because it's just par for the course at the moment. It's weird moving from being a daily blogger to a when-I-get-a-second blogger, and I hope you will all bear with me! I've definitely had moments of just calling it all quits, but something stops me. For now, I'll have to be okay with being a bit sporadic, which kind of sucks for my readers. But I'm not giving up just yet! :)

It's getting a little chilly (finally) here in Dallas, so I've been able to bust out some cozy pieces. My fave so far has been my BB Dakota Branson sweater jacket, (on sale at Shopbop now). I totally recommend-- it's crazy soft and warm and is perfect a substitute for a coat. At least when temps are above 35 degrees! (

And my most recent purchase/birthday gift? New sunglasses (since my Diors tragically broke whilst getting shoved into my school bag. Ooops.) :

Chanel's 5185 Sunglasses!

I love these babies-- not too big, not too small, and the color is just right for my skin tone/hair. The shape is bordering on the cat-eye shape, but it's much less pronounced.  Purrrrfect. :)

What I'm lusting after: Madewell's Last Dance dress. This dress is lit.ter.ra.ly. perfect in person. The picture does not do it justice!

And my smartest purchase? Has to be the AG Stilt denim in 2Y wash... (shown below in the Orlin wash)

For any gals out there like me (ahem, lacking curves), AG is a great fit. Only second to Hudson and the cute triangle pockets, in my opinion.

Have you bought anything splurgey or savvy lately??

Review: J Brand Lovestory jeans

Hello, bloggie world! I'm back for just a moment to post a quick review on the jeans I received in the mail yesterday. Since I don't want my new followers (HI!) to think I never post (which isn't true, right long-timers?), and since I couldn't actually find a proper review of this style anywhere online, I thought this would be a nice little extra-post. I don't have IRL photos because 1) I don't have anywhere to take them yet and 2) they really need serious hemming... but here's a product photo of the color and style, for reference:

(J Brand Lovestory jeans in Falcon wash, sold out)

First, I really like the wash on this! It has a bit of a retro-vibe, which is cool since these are pretty much bell bottoms. The fading is minimal, which I prefer for every-day use jeans. The fabric is a nice weight-- not too light but also not heavy like J Brand's Ink wash (which I had to sell because they were WAY too stiff). It's also pretty stretchy, and time will tell how that fares after a few wears.

Next, the fit: For reference, I took a size 27. Although the Lovestory is a low rise, these seem more high-rise than most of my other jeans. They are supposed to be 8 inches (standard) but feel more like 8.5. I think I'm going to have my tailor take these down just a tad. I found the waist to be just a teense big, but the size down would have been too small for sure. Because of the slightly large waist, there is a little gaping in the back, but not too bad. Again, tailor can take care of. The thigh is SUPER fitted, which I love, because it adds more drama to see the exaggerated flare. The hem is very wide and I just love them. Overall, very satisfied!

I do have to say, I'm a little shocked I took a 27. Granted, I've gained a few lbs recently (damn mid-20s! Taking away that flat stomach I used to have!), so maybe this is my new size, but what gets me is I can usually fit into a size 0. You'd think that means I should be a size 25 or 26, but there's no way in hell these would have fit in either size. This could be a word to the sizing of this style-- ladies who own these: is this the case? Anyway, I'm quite satisfied with them, and with a few little nips and tucks, I'll be wearing them in no time. Also, this was a Gilt purchase, so I'm SO SO SO glad they worked (didn't feel like dealing with the store credit thing).

Hope you're having a nice Tuesday! Please continue to bare with the sporadic posting.  :)

(Is it just me, or do boxes seem to multiply like rabits? I think I need teach them some box-abstinence.)

OOTD: Inspector gadget.

(Who else loved that show? Penny was my fave... she was so smart! :) )

I've been so busy around here, lovies. I wish I could say it's been some big preparation for the blog, but unfortunately it has nothing to do with the blog. First, I was sick, which made me a zombie to the world, then I my immune system found its way back to me, and then things got busy. House-buying busy... yay! We're in closing right now on a townhouse, and I'm thrilled. But it always seems good news comes with a bad side, and the bad side is the inspection (which occurred this morning) didn't quite go to plan. We need to call in a structural engineer (the big-wigs) to investigate some foundation issues. Great... anyone with home experience knows foundation issues are analogous to car transmission issues-- the biggest, baddest and (typically) most expensive concerns. If the issues are bad enough, we may have to walk away. Boo. But I'm hoping for the best... and hopefully, my evenings will be mine again some time soon. So I can come back to you, my readers, and give you what you want: more gratuitous photos of moi. (Ha!)

This afternoon found me a few hours to mess around with some outfits, so I've stockpiled some dress up sessions for some OOTDs to come. Which means, like it has been recently, most of the outfits seen will be not really OOTDs, but some version of what I want to wear... I promise to get back to regularly scheduled programming soon.  Promise.

(I'm really Anthro'ed out today! By the way, I do love this top, and it looks very cute with my white shorts, too!!)

Top: Anthropologie Nexus Top

Jacket: Anthropologie Immutable Jacket

Jeans: Hudson signature bootcuts

Shoes: Madden Girl

Bracelets: courtesy Maria! thanks, girl.

Earrings: dunno. Sorry.

And as a little update: the Rebecca Minkoff pants went back to Shopbop for someone else to buy... sigh. I think I liked them more than many of you (and I still think the fit was pretty good-- I actually like pleats and think I can pull them off), but the heart of the matter was that I just know I wouldn't wear them. I know I'd just end up reaching for my jeans or a skirt instead. Old habits die hard!

Sorta snow day.

Bosses ruin everything, don't they? So when the local school district closes, our work closes. However, I got the old "Use your best judgment in coming in today." Meaning= You should totally come in. So I did, just to grab some stuff to work on at home. Since... well, I don't get paid if I don't go in. So I'm on a pseudo snow day. Sigh.

Here's the snow-damage, taken in the middle of the day yesterday when only 1/2 of what we got dropped on the ground:

I did manage to snap a few pics of my OOTD prior to stopping by the office. I brought out the tried-and-true Anna Sui for Target cerulean blue mini dress today. I've only worn this one before, which is strange since I really like it and have gotten lots of compliments on it. I think it's that it's polyester and chokes my neck with unbreatheable fabric. On a cold day like today, though, it's ok. I need all the insulation I can get.

Yipes! Sorry about scary-faced Justine in the last shot. Don't know what happened there. Also, again with the lighting differences-- the auto setting wasn't cooperative today.

Dress: Anna Sui for Target blue dress

Sweater: F21 Bow Cardigan (I'm in love with this)

Leggings: Nordstrom HUE

Shoes: Liliana bow pumps

 

So starting next weekend, I'll be going interview-crazy around the States! Next weekend is Denver (shout out to all ya'll Denver ladies!), weekend after that is Connecticut (holla!), then good ole Denton, Texas... then a phone interview with a school in New Hampshire (any NH ladies out there?). I'm really excited to see the cities I may spend the next 5 years in... although staying here in Texas is looking rather probable. We'll just see. Here's to hoping weather doesn't ruin my plans...

OOTD: Travelin' garb

Yes, it's a wee bit late in the eve to be posting an outfit post, but this is the first I've gotten some time to blog in a few days. This outfit was my traveling outfit on Friday. I know a lot of people have very specific needs for traveling garb and I'm one of them. Here are my rules: 1. Must be comfortable (duh). 2. Must be a dress and leggings. Yes. MUST. I hate wearing pants and feeling restricted, especially when sitting in a car for 5 hours, so a jersey dress is key. 3. Must be light and airy. I know lots of people think it's better to dress warm just in case, but I always find I want to just layer if I get cold instead of tie myself down to thick or heavy fabrics.  So here's a great rendition of Justine's Traveling Ensemble:

 

  

  

  

Dress: French Connection abstract art dress

Leggings: Nordstrom BP

Necklace: Anthro's Stormy Seas necklace in the amber hue

Shoes: Steve Madden fleur de lis flats

lip gloss: courtesy Johanna, thanks love!

There's a reason I posted so many gratuitous photos of myself... to show the lipstick wear. In the first photo, I had just applied the Marina Cosmetics lip gloss I received from the lovely Johanna of 101 Things I Love. By the end (hell, by the second photo), it was generally worn off. I do have to say it's not my normal color (I prefer pinks when I wear any color at all), but still, it didn't seem to last as long as I hoped. I usually have a lot of trouble finding colors that last on me-- this could have something to do with me personally, but I have no idea if that's logical or not. Anyway, there's one review for ya, Johanna!! :) 

Also, please notice the necklace, which is apparently on sale at local Anthropologies for $30 instead of nearly $50. As I love my F21 version and have been drooling over the Anthro version for so long (fortuitously, I wanted this particular color, too!), I decided to finally make a commitment to an item. I'm so excited that I did because I just lurve this thing. Yay!

Bad blogger.

I feel like I've been such a bad little blogger lately. I'm not making any excuses here, but my usually quiet little world has turned into a rather busy and stressful one. Good news though-- I've gotten a few more interviews and even an acceptance (!) to a psychology program here in the Dallas area. Whew! Looks like I'll be a Dr. Justine after all... just don't know what my zip code will be in less than a year.

Thanks to those interested in blogging for http://www.joeonthetube.com/ !! I'm very excited to think that one of my fellow fashionistas will be helping out my friend and reporting on Project Runway. I just love the blogging community. Isn't it funny how so many different "areas of expertise" collide in a good way?

On to fashion-- ohmigosh lovies. I'm in a shopping rut. Besides the AMAZING SKIRT I bought from F21 recently, I'm not really finding anything else to add to my Spring wardrobe. It's not that I don't have ideas (something sheer and boudoir-ey, need some shorts, something pastel, new lightweight jeans, still wanting some harem pants), I just can't decide. On anything. I'm sure this indecision won't last long seeing as though there are a million options, but I'm just having some weird committment phobia and can't hurdle it. I want to pull the trigger on this romper, but something is stopping my finger from clicky-clicking away. What the hell is this?!

Lulu's Dream Girl Romper (eeeepp so cute and WHY CAN'T I COMMIT?)

Have any of you ever experienced this strange shopping committment phobia? I'm hoping it ends soon because my size goes quick. Argh.

Just a quick OOTD!

I've been pretty busy these past two days, which makes for bad blogging but a fast week. Thought I'd post a quick OOTD because I am in love with this dress and would like to wear it like, every day. (oh and FINALLY Dallas isn't an arctic tundra, thank you lordie.)

Dress: BR rosette dress

Cardi: LINE ruffle cardigan (same brand here) (and long sleeve version here)
Belt: tried and true Rodarte for Target
Earrings: Epic Apparel stained glass leaf earrings (these are neato)
Leggings: Nordstrom HUE
Shoes: Sam Edelman metallic flats (updated version here)

I scored this Banana Republic rosette dress on sale for around $35, which I thought was a great deal. When I saw it on the rack, I thought the color was so pretty (gorgeous Merlot) but when I tried it on, it was even more heavenly. I can't wait to wear this baby for next fall, when I can do it real justice and wear it without a cardigan. The color may not be good for Spring/Summer, but knowing me, I'll find a way to sneak it into my wardrobe. Oh, and best thing? I spilled a little Cab Sauv on it last Saturday and you'd never know. Bitchin.

Fun news!

Hello, mes lovies. I have some fun news-- I will be guest blogging for ShopItToMe on Thursday! (yay!) However, that means I have a day to write it (boo.). So, my lack of posting today is due to my need to write a blog post in which I style Fall's top pieces for under $100/piece. It's going to be fun, and hopefully helpful for some, but I gots-ta get working!

And, my life is super-busy right now. I know I rarely talk about what's going on in my life, but my wedding is in less than 3 WEEKS. Wow. Aaaaaand I'm studying for the Psychology GRE subject test which is scheduled for right after my honeymoon. Awesome. I'm a little stressed to say the least. I even took today off to study/write applications. Even though I worked all day long, I feel like I've gotten nothing done. Don't you hate that?! Anyway, I will be back on track tomorrow (after a glass of champage, Dancing With The Stars and SLEEP).

See ya next week!!

Sorry for being MIA, lovies! It's been a busy week. Lots to do at work, plus I'm headed to San Antonio tomorrow afternoon and still haven't packed. Sheesh. We'll be back to our regularly-scheduled programming next week, I promise. :)

Until then, hope you're voting at shopittome.com... and I'll leave you with the cutest video ever. At least daddy was a good sport. Discuss amongst ya'selves.

whew BUSY DAY

Sometimes my days are so slow I want to pull out my teeth, one at a time. Sometimes they are full of drama and work.

Today is the latter

So again, this post is an apology rather than something fun. You're going to have to live with it, lovies. I can only be spread so thin! :)

Good news, though. My amaaaaazing wedding photographers sent me my pictures from my bridal shoot today. They are so pretty and vogue and glossy and everything I wanted. I want to post the link, but I'm a little worried about the world seeing me in that personal of a sense. And I can't post individual pictures until after the wedding. So... I will for sure share some. But not now. Just be understanding again, ok? OK.

To leave you with a fashionable thought, here are my new fave shoes, found on Endless today (Velvet Angels, love):

Why do I have to want everything I find? Argh.