Pleather skater skirt, 6 ways

I had been looking for a pleather skirt for a couple months now. I finally came across one at Forever 21, but just my luck, the sizing options that were left were not accommodating for me. I let out a huge sigh and continued browsing around. I went down to the floor that was all the clothes on sale, and out of the corner of my eye, I see a pile of random clothing that oddly drew my attention. I looked through the clothes.... and there was the skirt! I look at the size... my size! I immediately grabbed it as if there were other people around me (there weren't) and ran to the changing room. 

Now these skater skirts have become quite popular lately, in every pattern under the sun. When a piece of clothing is "trendy", I tend to go for a basic colour or pattern instead of something more out there. This skirt in black is definitely a staple piece, and staple pieces in your wardrobe are the best because of how many different ways you can wear them, making every outfit look different. So I looked through my own wardrobe, and paired different items with this skirt. You will see the exact same skirt in every outfit. Here we go.

This first outfit is on the more casual side. Jewellery and shoes make that difference between casual and more dressy. With any of these outfits, change those 2 parts of your outfit, and again you have multiple outfits in one. Here I put a grey denim shirt, with a chunky silver necklace, and camel coloured boots.

                           

The next outfit is also on the more casual side. To be honest, I have had these over-the-knee socks for a couple years now, and have never found a way I was really comfortable wearing them. Of course, wearing a skirt and tights in the winter can be made possible with these socks, but I never quite figured it out just right. I saw a picture of an outfit similar to this online, so thought it would be the perfect time to bust out these bad boys and give them a fighting chance! So here we have a plain white t-shirt, a gold spiky necklace, over-the-knee black socks, and black wedge boots.

                                                

This next look is leaning more toward being slightly dressier, but keeps that casual look because it is so darn comfy. Here I wanted to put together patterns and embellishments, which is why I paired this zebra print inspired sweater, with houndstooth patterned tights (instead of just black ones), and studded flats, keeping that comfy factor. I never really considered pairing a sweater with a skirt before, but it is the best combination of cute and comfy. 

This next outfit makes me think totes preppy, because of the collared shirt under a sweater. But with the collar having metal spikes, it definitely takes it from preppy to a little more edgy. I like to think that I personally love all sorts of different styles, but if I'm going to go for a more "safe" look, I have to add a little something something. I paired this outfit with another pair of studded flats, except these ones I made into a little DIY project myself. It couldn't have been easier: old plain black flats + whatever cool shiny studs you can find at Michael's + super glue = shoe transformation and money saving!

Ok now these last 2 outfits are what I would wear for really special occasions, and with the holidays coming up, and the possibility of multiple parties/gatherings/etc., you can change up your outfit without having to buy so many new individual pieces. And I'm sure no one will notice ;) Here I took a collared blouse, and kept with the fancier theme by adding sparkly tights, and some high heels. Holidays for me require glitter and sparkles whenever possible.

And we could not have a variety of outfit looks without some lace. So this black lacy top with the skirt, and the same high heels, would be another fancy occasion outfit for me.

And because after all, we are in the colder months, ya gotta stay warm. So I added this creamy coloured blazer on top.

The "staple pieces" of a wardrobe are something I have definitely come to appreciate more and more lately. It is definitely a challenge and fun (if you make it) to come up with as many outfits as you can surrounding one piece. You will be pleasantly surprised! The blue sweater I paired with the spiky collared shirt, for example, is something I typically wear with pants, when I'm dressing super casual. But after putting it with the collared shirt and this skirt, I look at it in a whole new way now. So give it a try!

10 favourite fall/winter nail colours

I will choose painting my own nails over getting a manicure the majority of my days. I have gotten a shellac manicure ONCE, and it looked amazing and flawless. But after 2 weeks I was getting an itch to change my nail polish (as I'm used to doing, even sooner usually) and was becoming frustrated with not being able to take it off easily (first world problems much?) And the last time I had a regular manicure done, it was not the most pleasant of experiences, as you would think it should be. After the lady literally scolded my hands in rubber gloves with burning hot wax, which was supposed to be "therapeutic" and make my hands soft for 3 days (I'd rather not be in pain during a therapeutic experience?), she did the sloppiest job painting my nails, I could have done better painting my nails with my toes. And of course, I can be frugal/like to save money when and where I can, SO rambling paragraph concluding... I like to paint my nails. So without further ado, here are my 10 favourite nail polishes from my collection, for the Fall and Winter seasons.

1. Essie "Very Cranberry"

If you can picture the real-life colour of cranberries, make it a creamier looking colour, and voila! I find it a nice variation to a more classic red, and more "colder weather" appropriate.

2. Essie "Big Spender"

The perfect blend of red & violet. I suppose it's on the verge of fuchsia, but this is warmer and a tad darker.

3. Essie "School of Hard Rocks"

A perfect combination of warm forest green with gray.

4. China Glaze "Bermuda Breakaway"

A very opaque and sophisticated royal blue.

5. Essie "Mezmerised"

Another royal blue, but lighter, softer, and more playful.

6. Revlon "Blue Slate"

A lighter blue, verging on the gray side. 

(Yes, I just love my blues.)

7. Essie "Over the Edge"

A metallic deep silver. My most recent purchase. Obsessed.

8. Essie "Chinchilly"

A soft granite gray.

9. Love & Beauty (Forever 21 brand) "Nude"

Exactly as the name says; it's a nude. But if you have skin that's more on the pale side like me, this colour is extremely flattering and doesn't look washed out. It has a hint of peachy-ness to it which I think is what makes it so wearable. Gotta have a good nude, year-round. And if you haven't felt forced to pick one of these up while waiting in line to pay at a Forever 21, you really need to try this brand. It is surprisingly pigmented, and they have a great selection of colours. And for only $3.80. Bargain!

10. Sephora by OPI, nameless nail polish (don't you just HATE that?)

But really, ANY nail polish with glitter. I have a few different ones with different coloured glitter, but thought this was the most appropriate for this time of year. You can literally never go wrong with glitter. Anything. But that's just my opinion.

AND a little tip for all you fellow bargain hunters; if you don't already do this, look for nailpolishes at Winners. They carry brands I haven't seen in any drugstores (at least where I live), such as Orly, Colour Club and China Glaze. And because it's Winners, everything is at least a few dollars cheaper, so who doesn't love that? I have also seen colours by Essie and OPI that are hard to find in other stores.

Happy painting :)

Scrub That Smile

Lip scrubs in stores with natural ingredients can cost around $10. Or you can use ingredients you probably already have in your house, without adding anything with words you can't pronounce. This lip scrub only contains 3 ingredients: coconut oil, honey, and brown sugar.

Coconut oil contains fatty acids and is loaded with antioxidants that moisturize and nourish skin. If you haven't already bought a tub of this stuff and used it in at least 3 different ways... have you been living under a rock?

Honey is also a natural cleanser, and contains healing properties. It is also a natural binder when combining multiple ingredients. Brown sugar is a natural exfoliator, and isn't as harsh as other sugars. Put all of these together, and they don't taste bad combined either!

Make sure your coconut oil isn't too hard that it doesn't mix well and is clumpy. Sit the tub in some shallow warm water for about 8 minutes if it's too hard. It should be the texture of soft butter.

Start by mixing one heaping tablespoon of coconut oil with one tablespoon of honey. It should look a little something like this:

Then add in 2 packed teaspoons of brown sugar. Mix thoroughly.

Once it's all mixed together, put it into a little jar or plastic container. Making small amounts at a time is best; since you are using only natural ingredients, the more freshly made it is, the better.

After exfoliating, your lips will feel a little raw. Follow up with a really moisturizing lip balm or butter. This one has been my absolute favourite for the past few months: Nivea Lip Butter in Vanilla & Macadamia.

MUAH!

Yes, I am among the gigantic population addicted to smoothies. But you wanna know why everyone loves them so much? They're fool-proof to make, include a lot of nutritious food items, and can easily be taken to go instead of skipping a meal when you're in a rush. Here is a combination I have been enjoying for most of this summer.

handful of frozen peaches

handful of frozen strawberries

half a banana

few dollops of yogourt

big splash of orange juice

small handful of spinach

1 tbsp hemp hearts

1 tbsp chia seeds

Once i've blended all of that together, I add cold water a little bit at a time and keep blending until I reach the consistency I like.

And I always use my trusty Magic Bullet.

Happy smoothie making <3

Pasta with pesto, oven roasted asparagus and feta

Since I moved away from home, oh... 7 1/2-ish years ago, I have really acquired a love for cooking and food in general.  Looking up recipes has become a past-time, and being in the kitchen is a truly fun thing for me. I am most definitely a visual learner, and sometimes just seeing a picture of a dish inspires me. Which is what happened with the meal I am going to share with you today. I saw a picture on the cover of a magazine that really caught my eye. I immediately saw ingredients I love all in one dish that looked so appetizing. I made a mental note of all the delicious things I saw and knew what I was cooking for dinner that night- pasta with pesto and oven roasted vegetables. This is why cooking is such a wonderful thing- you can take inspiration from a picture, or just experimenting and putting together ingredients you love. Make it to your taste. When you find a great recipe, don't dismiss it because it has something in it you don't like. Swap out ingredients you don't prefer for something else. There are no rules.

Here's what I used:

- tri-coloured vegetable pasta

- cherry tomatoes 

- asparagus

- shallots

- feta cheese

- sliced almonds

- lemon juice

- salt & pepper

Preheat your oven to 400F.

Boil water for your pasta. I generally cook my pasta using the time suggested on the box. I find it cooks perfectly al dente.

Ever since I started growing my own basil, I can't even bring myself to buy store bought pesto anymore. It is very easy to make yourself, and once you taste pesto with your own fresh basil, you will never buy it from the store again, I promise. So here's what you'll need:

- big bunch of basil 

- pine nuts

- parmesan cheese

- garlic

- extra virgin olive oil

- salt & pepper

To be honest, I've never really measured any of the ingredients when I've made pesto. As long as you have enough basil to make the amount you want, and olive oil to get the right consistency, all the other ingredients just go according to your taste. And if you really don't trust your instincts, you could find a million recipes online using the same ingredients. But what I do is take out my trusty magic bullet, put in all my basil, a little handful of pine nuts and grate about the same amount of parmesan, 1 garlic clove, and some salt and pepper. 

Add a couple big splashes of olive oil to start; you'll see that your blender won't work properly if there isn't enough liquid. Keep adding little splashes at a time until it blends everything and you have a smooth, pesto-like consistency.

HASHTAG NO FILTER, yo. Look at that colour!

Now you want to slice your cherry tomatoes in half, slice 1 shallot (or 2 if they're small), and break up your asparagus. Hold your asparagus right at the stem, snap it, and that will take off the end you don't want to eat. Keep breaking your asparagus, making bite-sized pieces. They snap very easily. If you've never done this before, it's quite fun and amusing. ...No? Just me?

Now that you have your veggies on a cookie sheet, drizzle olive oil and lemon juice over top (about 2 tbsp of each), and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pop in the oven for about 10 minutes. 

After your pasta and vegetables are cooked, mix your pesto and vegetables in with your pasta. At the very end, add in as much feta cheese and almonds as you'd like.

And voila! Bon appetit.