OOTD/Fashion: Keepin’ it casual!

I may have hinted with the lack of posts this past week that life has been super duper busy for me — there’s more to do at work, and I started the new semester with my grad class, so I’ve got plenty on my plate. (Plus, we’re still getting adjusted to the much bigger new house, so decorating, cleaning and unpacking is still on my to do list every weekend.)

So, what’s a girl to wear when she’s got so much going on in her life that she doesn’t have much time to devote to pulling together a cute outfit? T-shirts! I know what you’re thinking….yawn. But T-shirts don’t have to be part of a drab outfit. You can add a few touches here and there to make an OOTD with a T-shirt really fun and fashionable.

During the week, since I work in an office, I wear slacks, skirts, sweaters and dresses. But on the weekend, I’m a total T-shirt girl. I was recently sent a few shirts from Crazy Dog T-shirts, a website where you can buy custom T-shirts with funny designs, including some vintage-looking styles and 80s throwback logos.

I was really impressed not only with the cute styles of the shirts I was sent, but also with the quality. If you’ve got several T-shirts in your wardrobe, you probably know that not all shirts are made equally, and some tees can be pretty cheap and fall apart after one wash. But these have worn well, and I’ve really been reaching for them the most out of all my T-shirts.

You can see here that I ditched the usual sneakers that most people pair with T-shirts and went with a soft black boot with tucked in jeans. I really like this shirt because it’s a reference to the HBO show True Blood, but it’s not an overt T-shirt with Sookie and Bill on the front.

Merlotte’s Bar and Grill is the restaurant where Sookie works on the show, but you’d have to be a fan to know that. I’ve gotten tons of compliments when I’ve worn this, from people who love True Blood!

One really cool thing about this site is that they have a variety of fits and sizes in their shirts. This one is an adult size, which I got in a small, but you can also get women’s slim fit, which would fit more like a baby doll tee (more fitted sleeves, shorter in the waist).

This shirt is also a nod to True Blood, with a graphic that features “Bon Temps football,” the name of the town that the show is set in. Love love love this one, and when I wear it, I go for a super casual style with laceless Converse slipons and baggy boyfriend jeans, since the shirt itself is really soft and loose.

They also sent me this women’s slim fit shirt with a Bayside Tigers athletic logo (Saved by the Bell, anyone?), which I got in a size large. It fits just right, with a little bit of give in the chest and stomach but still fitted enough where it doesn’t feel like I’m wearing pajamas. Whenever I wear T-shirts, I like to do my makeup really soft, girly and glowy so that I don’t feel like a total bum!

I’d definitely recommend checking out Crazy Dog T-shirts to see what unique tees you can find that are fun little pop culture references. And, when you’re wearing a tee, remember that you can definitely go extremely casual, but you have other options to pull your outfit together and look chic!

MopTop giveaway winner

Wow, it’s a crazy week for me! Sorry for the lack of posts. But, I want to make sure I get this post up tonight. Drumroll, please, announcing the lucky duck who has won the MopTop travel kit giveaway…

5. Shana  |  January 23, 2011 at 1:26 pm

I have always had crazy curly hair that I couldn’t get under control unless I used a bunch of gel and hairspray, which made it crunchy and gross. After trying Japanese Straightening for a few years, I’ve noticed that even though it made it LOOK nice and straight, it was actually making my hair paper thin and damaged. I recently cut off a good amount of my hair and I am trying to go natural now in terms of haircare ingredients; I am apprenhensive and think something like this would be hopefully be great for my hair. Thank you!

Congratulations, Shana! I’ll also contact you via email so you can send me your address and MopTop will get your travel kit to you!

Getting my hair under control with MopTop! Review and giveaway!

If you’ve been following my blog for awhile, you know that I’ve got a thick head of hair that falls way past my shoulders, and I’m always on the hunt for the best products to keep it in control. When I heard about MopTop Unruly Haircare, a company that focuses on hair products to help tame dry, frizzy, unruly, color treated and/or chemical treated hair (and is free of silicone, waxes and sulfates!), I knew I wanted to give it a try.

I was sent this travel kit, which retails on their website for $23 and includes mini, 2 oz. bottles of their Gentle Shampoo, Daily Conditioner, Detangler & Refresher Spray and Light Hold Anti-Frizz Gel. I’ve been using all the products for the past week, and I have to say that I’m definitely a fan!

What I love about all of the products in the travel kit is that they are hardcore, in the sense that they really have tamed my hair, which has recently been super dry and unmanageable, but they somehow remain really gentle and light on my hair. I’ve used the shampoo to wash my hair two days in a row, normally something I can’t do with other shampoos because it makes my hair dull and flat, stripping its moisture. Using the MopTop shampoo and conditioner combo, my hair is light, shiny and soft!

I’ve sprayed the Detangler & Refresher Spray after each wash, and it really smoothes out my wet hair when I run a comb through it. I’ve used the Light Hold Anti-Frizz Gel when I want to blowdry my hair after washing, and it does a fantastic job of smoothing the hair out and keeping it straight as it’s drying.

I love all these products because they do the trick, and on top of that, they smell good and don’t burn my eyes when I’m using them, which must be because they don’t include any of the “junk” that’s in most commercial hair care products (sulfates, parabens, wax).

Now, I’m sure you saw the word “giveaway” in the title of this post, eh? The folks at MopTop are awesome, not just because they have an amazing line of products, but because they’re sponsoring a giveaway of the same travel kit that I received to try!

Here’s all you have to do…add a comment to this post, telling me the hair problem you think the MopTop travel kit can help you with! After a week, I’ll randomly select a winner from the comments and give your info to MopTop so they can send a kit to you! The contest will end at midnight CST on Tuesday, January 25, 2011.

coming soon — more reviews and a couple of giveaways!

Just a quick post to let all my readers know that I’ve got some exciting things coming up here on What’s On My Face?, including some great product reviews and giveaways from some really amazing companies. Stay tuned!

OOTD – discount fashion

Here is part two of my recent ROSS haul (part one was my makeup find, a BareMinerals palette). I got 2 pieces of my OOTD in my ROSS shopping trip.

I got this top and sweater at ROSS, and both were under $10! Really, shopping at stores like ROSS, TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Target for clothes has made me such a thrifty shopper — I rarely will pay full price for an item, and if I do, it has to be pretty inexpensive.

The sweater was on clearance for $4.99, and the top was $6.99.

Here’s a better look at the sweater — love those gold sequined pockets! This outfit was perfect for me for work because it was neutral with a few pops of style, like the pockets on the sweater or the lace detail on the top, which was a sleeveless striped tank over a black tank.

Here’s a close-up of the detail on the pocket…

Here’s the bottom half of the outfit, purchased during  a previous JC Penney haul. I got a $50 gift card from JCP for Christmas, along with a $50 VISA gift card, and I went shopping there the day after Christmas — taking advantage of all the doorbuster deals and seasonal clearance! I got these slacks for $14.99 and the shoes were around $12!

I kept the makeup for this look pretty neutral, soft and work-appropriate, and I just pulled my hair back into a messy bun.

Hope this post (and all my fashion posts, actually!) inspires you to look for those deals — you don’t have to spend a lot to look great!

What a deal!!

Check out what I spotted at ROSS today!

It’s the 100% Pure Moxie kit from BareMinerals, on sale for $14.99! It’s got 3 brushes, an all-over mineral face color, blush, a mineral veil, and 2 eyeshadows. It definitely pays to look around at discount stores like ROSS…you never know what you’ll find! I also got some clothes, but I’ll do a separate haul post on those so I can include pictures.

Run — don’t walk — to CVS

I’m testing out my iPhone to blog and wanted to post a quick message about a great makeup sale happening now at CVS!

It’s their 50-75% off sale that happens I think twice a year, and when I checked it out yesterday, I saw great deals from Revlon, L’oreal, Physicans Formula, CoverGirl and more.

The sale will go on till the products are gone, and if you don’t see clearance stickers at your local CVS, take your items to the scanner anyway — they will most likely ring up on sale!

OOTD – warmin’ up with Maggie’s Organics

I talked a little bit about Maggie’s Organics in my Holiday Gift Guide post a few weeks ago, but I wanted to show you what the scarf and knee highs they sent me look like on, so here’s a quick outfit of the day, taking advantage of the cold weather here before it gets crazy hot again!

I was sent their printed scarf in the maroon “peace print” and a pair of patterned knee-highs in the “maroon stars” print. The premise behind Maggie’s Organics is that they offer fair trade organic cotton apparel — I think it’s pretty widely known that fair trade organic food is important, but I definitely agree with the company that knowing where your clothes come from and having confidence that they were made in an ethical way is equally important.

In addition to being a socially responsible company, Maggie’s also offers really fashionable items, which I found super easy to integrate into my existing wardrobe.

Check out the close-up print on the scarf! I love that it says “peace” in all sort of languages. I wore this throughout the holiday seasons, to different family gatherings and celebrations, and I got a ton of compliments. It really feels like the perfect holiday scarf!

You can see in this picture how long the scarf is — 15” wide by 87” long. You can also see the adorable knee-highs, which I wore with jeans and my favorite tan moccasins (which I think I bought last year at Payless, if you’re wondering). Both the scarf and the socks are the same maroon color, so they really pulled the outfit together and felt festive.

I paired these with a simple black top, which you can’t see under my coat, a sweet zip-up peacoat from Old Navy. I think the combo of the muted basics (jeans, black top, gray coat) with my makeup (a bright brown-based red lip and light eyeshadow) and the festive scarf and socks from Maggie’s really suited the holiday celebration I was going to.

Quick first impression! Cupcake Organic Divine Skincare

Happy belated holidays! I had a week off from work and have been enjoying time with family, relaxing and catching up on TV and YouTube! But, I did recently get an iPhone, so I’m hoping that will make blogging a bit easier for me, so I can do it remotely and using photos from the phone, rather than using my digital camera, uploading to my computer, uploading to WordPress, etc. Let’s hope!

Now, on to the reason for the post and something I’m super excited about…I got a package from Cupcake Organic Divine Skincare and it’s just about the cutest thing in the world.

Adorable! It’s their sample set in a ridiculously cute pink package. Here’s what was under the lid…

They sent me four of their day face creams to test out and review, and just by opening each of them up and taking a quick first glance, I’m really impressed with this company so far. They obviously take pride in their products and presentation to customers, which isn’t the most important thing, but it definitely sets a good tone and makes me feel good about trying something from a company I’ve never used before.

After looking through their website, I’m even more impressed. They have substance to back up their image — their products are organic, fair trade and eco-certified, not tested on animals, and designed to treat your individual skin care needs.

I will go into more detail on each of the four face creams they offer when I do the full review, after I’ve had time to test them out and see how I like them, but here’s a quick rundown of what they sell and what I was sent:

Blue Tansy and Lavender Balancing Day Cream – this one is described as a cream with bergamot, vanilla bean and rose flowers that will smooth and nourish normal to dry skin. Here’s a closer look at the texture of the cream…

As you can see, it’s really thick, but (as you can’t see!) it doesn’t feel heavy or overwhelming. I definitely think this would be great to put on before primer and foundation in the morning, after letting it set for a few minutes on the skin. Plus, it smells really clean and slightly sweet, reminds me of frosting (must be the vanilla)!

Lime & Sage Blossom Cooling Cream – this one is for oily and/or problem skin and contains sandalwood, juniper berry and grapefruit. I didn’t get a photo of how this one looks, but it seems a bit lighter than the balancing day cream, which will probably be great for those days when I’ve got a breakout or two and need a really gentle moisturizer.

Frankincense & Orange Repairing Day Cream - loooove the smell of this one! Super citrusy. It’s got lemon grass, ginger and vanilla bean, and is designed to protect and repair dry and/or mature skin. It’s never too early for anti-aging skincare, especially if you’ve got drier skin, as I tend to have.

Raspberry Rose Blossom Softening Day Cream -The final of the four creams I was sent contains rose blossoms, ylang ylang and mandarin. It’s described as good for all skin types and provides deep hydration. This winter, I have woken up almost every morning, feeling like my skin needs to be quenched, and I think this cream will definitely do the trick for hydrating my face underneath my makeup.

Really excited to give all of these day creams a shot and see how they work on my skin. I’m definitely already impressed with Cupcake Organic Divine Skincare, from their presentation and packaging, to the quality of their products, to their website, which is really user-friendly and informative. I’ll let you know what I think in a full review, after I’ve had a chance to test everything out!