one

 

I'm done! Yesterday was my last day of work and now I'm frrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeee. Alright, so I'm only exaggerating a little - I was very lucky to have the job I did for two years. It taught me a lot about the pharmaceutical development world, how to get the job done, and how to be an adult. There are parts I will miss a lot - the stable hours, the ladies I worked with, the insight to developing crazy new drugs, having my evenings for my hobbies - but there are also certain things I won't miss, such as never seeing the sunlight, having to wear pants all the time, and being around hazardous materials eight hours a day. 

This is what I wore on my last day. The shirt is the shirt I wore on my first day of work two years ago - I don't have a full length picture but you can see it peeking out on my work badge. I bought it when I was a sophomore in college when I worked at the Gap (man do I miss that employee discount!), and while it mostly fits, it's now too tight in the bust so I've only been keeping it specifically to wear on my last day at work. What can I say, I live for that kind of sentimental stuff ;)  The skirt also has a story behind it. As I was looking through the skirt section of Goodwill last week, I found this amazing tweed skirt. The tag looked interesting, so I googled it to see what came up -turns out it's a brand from Anthropologie. Unfortunately for my closet, it was a size two, but I figured I could sell it on eBay for a little extra spending money. As I was looking for the general prices on eBay for the skirt, I found the skirt in my size! Like the exact same one. So I bid on it, and ended up winning it for $20...and then I sold the one from Goodwill for $35. So...win win! 

I also didn't wear tights because what are they going to do, fire me? REBEL.

So now I have six free weeks and I'm cramming as much in as possible. I'm doing a bit of shadowing on Monday, then I'm off to Chicago for two days, then on Friday I leave for Germany for ten days. Then I have a fun little appointment with immigration services before I hop onto another plane for Seattle for another six days. Then I have a week left and then I move! I'm proud of myself for completing another one of my 30 before 30 - saving enough money to not work for a bit. It wasn't always easy to put as much money, including my work bonus and tax refund, away but I'm now happy I did. Let the festivities begin!

Shirt: Gap [similar on sale with code GAP35]

Skirt: Anthropologie via eBay  [similar]

Necklace: Forever 21 [very similar]

Belt: Gap [similar]

Watch: Kate Spade [exact]

Shoes: Tory Burch via Goodwill [similar]

Nails: Essie Spagetti Strap

ok, no more countdowns! ;)

and the last time I beg for votes (even if you voted before) - thank you!!

one year of budgetting: a slap on the wrist / pat on the back

I purchased this anchor belt last summer, and I think it may have been the smartest purchasing decision I made those months. If I look back to what I actually did purchase a year ago (May/ June/ July), I'm not really wearing those items any more (except this belt of course). I was making a lot of impulse purchases, not thinking about what I wanted my style to be, and what I wanted in my closet. I wasn't thinking about how I could re-wear items, how they fit on my body, and if the trends were something I wanted to spend my money on.

I started working with a budget a year ago, and I've definitely learned a lot since then. I've sold or donated most of the items from a year ago actually, and it makes me angry that I wasn't better about shopping then. I'm no where near a perfect shopper now, and I still make shopping mistakes, but I do feel like my purchases are adding something to my closet other than just another item I won't own a year from now. Between my list of items I would like to add, and understanding my preferred style better, I feel the purchases I've made recently won't end up in someone else's closet by this time next year. For example, my new nude flats have already been worn three times this week. They were something I identified was missing in my closet, I took the time looking for a quality pair that is comfortable (which these are! they were comfortable from the second I put them on and have required absolutely no breaking in, which is a first for me), and now I feel I could wear them everyday.

I still have a lot to learn about being a smart shopper, especially with the transition my wardrobe is going to take in the coming months, but I'm proud of where I am now as compared to a year ago.

Blouse: J.Crew Factory [exact]

Skirt: thrifted

Belt: Madewell [exact on sale]

Tights: Target

Shoes: Sam Edelman [exact]
Necklace: Forever 21 [exact]

Earrings: Ralph Lauren [exact]

Watch: Target [save | dream]
Nails: Essie Fifth Avenue + Julep Oscar

downside of taking your own pictures: no one around to tell you your necklace is all wanky.

perfection pressure

 

I almost always take my pictures before work, except today when my battery died after one picture because my camera had somehow turned on in my purse and drained the battery. After work, my co-worker Emily came over so we could make the bouquets for her wedding (we made them like this!) so I again coerced her into taking my pictures. The problem with taking pictures at the end of a work day is that clothes don't really look as nice as they do 45 minutes after putting them on in the morning. I suppose the point of my blog is to show what a girl who works under a lab coat all day looks like, and so this is it, wrinkled pants and flat hair and all. 

I do feel a sense of pressure from myself, and just the blogging world as a whole, to be more put together. I wish I could be so effortlessly beautiful, just swipe on some red lipstick in the morning and go, but I feel lipstick draws attention to my small mouth and chubby cheeks. I wish I could wear heels to work and therefore on my blog because wearing flats all the time means stumpy legs are a constant issue when I take pictures of my outfits. I wish I didn't take 30 pictures just to find one that I feel okay with putting on here. There are a lot of things I wish were different, but I think the biggest thing I've learned from blogging my outfits is that it's okay that it's not perfect. Personally, I read blogs because I like to see what real women out there are actually wearing to work and in life. If I wanted to see fake perfection, I'll crack open a magazine. Seeing what woman wear on the job, or while raising a family is more inspiring than anything I've read in Glamour.

So I guess my piece of advice is to accept your so call "imperfections" because it may be what people like the most about you.

Blouse: H&M [similar]

Pants: The Limited [similar]

Necklace: Forever 21 [exact]

Watch: Kate Spade [exact]

Belt: Old Navy [similar]

Shoes: Sam Edelman via Nordstrom Rack [exact]