Welcome friends! Are you ready to read a novel? Oh, I’m so glad! It’s a tale of heartache, intrigue….cloooothing!!! It begins with an introduction to a new company…..
I was very quick to discount poor Agnes & Dora when they first stepped onto the scene. Everyone was having parties left and right and I was way less than enthused. Why you may ask? WELL, when one is a pear shape and a few lbs over what I’d like my thought process was this,”My legs are large…but would you like to see them in an even BIGGER size???”
HEEEECK to the no. The patterns of these and other popular leggings (mostly worn by themselves) were loud, sometimes obnoxious and very bold (look at me look at ME!). I didn’t WANT anyone looking at my thighs and butt any more than anyone had to! I went to one party and felt self conscious at the idea of not getting a clingy skirt past my knees in the hostesses bathroom (another story in and of itself) and the leggings that I didn’t dare touch because of what I saw them do to other people’s legs. In a word? Traumatized. I had been traumatized by this new fad.
Insert a year ago when I was asked to teach makeup for a bloggers overnighter up in Oakley, Utah. I was so honored to be asked and excited to be stepping into the blogger scene that is pretty rockin here in Utah. Imagine my absolute horror to hear that we would all need to wear a certain color shirt because we would be taking pics in our jammies……sponsored by Agnes and Dora. How absolutely kind of them, but WHAT????? Please don’t make me wear aztec and do I have time to do a few more squats? Those were the phrases, among maybe a few curses running through my head.
The night went well, I got the girls to giggle and open up about makeup concerns and fears. I may have shimmied a few more times than one should but it. was. wonderful. Made some amazing friends and had a blast!
When it came time to choose our leggings (gulp) I walked timidly to the table to see what was left. Aztec…no! Hearts, cute. Snowflakes…..hmmm, those are darling. They’re dark so that’s thinning, the print was smaller, I didn’t know they made those! Ladies, when I touched the fabric on these leggings, it was as if I had died and gone to soft material heaven. I was no longer told that only babies get the coziest and fuzziest fabric…IIIIIIII, Jen, an adULT was allowed to wear something so soft I could have died!!!!! It happens quite often and it happened again, I was wrong. I put them on and felt my butt. I did! It was so soft and smooth (the fabric ha!). I made sure to wear my high wedges for the pic to make the legs look longer lol!
I still have never worn them on their own unless it’s to bed but I have worn them SO often under skirts and dresses and have several pair now!
Love the leggings as a detail under solids!
Nooooooow fast forward to me meeting this beautiful woman. This is Kaylynn, THE Agnes and Dora ambassador! (like seriously)
This girl has my heart. She is loving, hilarious, outspoken, full of fire (the good kind), driven and so talented. We were meant to be friends. We met on Instagram, decided to room together at Snap Conference in SLC Utah and the first time I meet her in real life, she brought me a Subway sandwich……I mean RIGHT????? Throughout our stay at good ole Snap, Kaylynn was rocking her leggings, sure, but she had some of the cutest skirts and tops and I was FLOORED to learn they were from Agnes and Dora….say WHAT??? They have tops? Dresses? She then went on to tell me they even have plain colored leggings.
SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!!!!
If someone would have told me that, I would have dropped all the cheapy leggings I was carrying in my Forever 21 bag and RAN to my computer or the next party and demanded my goodies!!! I think everyone was so crazy for the other leggings that the parties I went to only had those items. I immediately told her I wanted to collaborate with her to tell ALL other women that had my same experience the liberating truth!
Speaking of darling tops they offer, THIS Peter Pan collared dream is a MUST! The fabric, the fit, the scalloped collar…I die!
Don’t you love it when your hubby is so kind to take a million pictures for you only to realize your phone was in your pocket the whole time? (insert rolling eyes emoji here) LOL
Moral of the story, sometimes (more often than not) I’m wrong. I was wrong about Agnes AND Dora ha! and I can’t wait to make up for lost time now and buy up everything I see that screams ME on their site!!!!!
I’m coming to the realization that I may be cheap……that I may be a lil white trash err now and then, according to the fashion world standard, and I’m okay with it. I shop for clothes rarely, I’m all about Forever 21, I have clothes still from back in high school, I refuse to accept certain trends and I happen to like Walmart….I SAID IT!!!!!! My name is Jen and I AM CHEAP!!!!!!!!!! I feel better, wow….I feel a lot better!
I follow quite a few fashion gals on Instagram and I think they are top notch! They look stunning and they piece things together so beautifully. They all seem to have a link set up to where you can double tap on their picture and an email is sent to you to tell you where to purchase each piece. I DIE when I get an email saying that the skirt is oooooonly $600. ONLY? That’s about how much it is to take my family to Disneyland for a few days! Only indeed…bah!
Well, imagine my complete surprise when I see the darling Annie from Stylish Petite wearing this amazing lacy bow top.
Perfection right??? My finger started twitching….I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist so I threw caution to the wind and double tapped!!!! I was almost scared to check my email but somehow raced there as quick as quick could be. My jaw hit the FLOOR when I read that this top was $14.59…..ladies…..this top is
$14.59!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Needless to say I put in an order ASAP and I am SO glad I did! I wish I would have known better to order a size up but I think after losing a few needed lbs this will do just nicely.
The bow can sometimes throw me for a loop (no pun intended) but it is just so stunning on on trend right now that it’s worth the extra hassle. I need to figure out how to tac it once I get it just right. Any thoughts on how?
I was also way proud of myself, not being a hair person, for making this happen. I put my hair in a low ponytail and then did many braids off of that. I then wrapped each one around, pinning as I went. This was the exact do I did for my Jane Austen party as well.
I’m alive!!!! Boy, have my days been filled with photo shoots, blogger events, conferences, youth group obligations, fundraisers and family (not in that order ;D). I have soooooo many posts and pictures to share of all mentioned activities but FIRST I have to share a recent trip to the dapper Mr. Mac for the Mr’s new suit! Guys, I’m in LOVE!!!!!! One of my responsibilities in church is being the camp director for all the young women in our congregation/ward. Our huge fundraiser was a carnival and BOY did that take a lot of imagination and hard work…..and I loved every second of it LOL! I’ll post more on that later. At said carnival we had a live auction and the most aMAZing things were donated.
One such donation was a full suit from Mr. Mac in American Fork, Utah. Guys, this place is leGIT and the owner just happens to live in our neighborhood. Well, I knew the Mr. was eyeing that particular item but I knew a lot of other men were too. I was attending to other duties while the auction took place but BOY did I know that he got it when I saw his face!!! He was pretty excited albeit a little nervous to tell me lol. The day of his suit fitting I posted a pic on IG of the final four suits we were debating on.
The response was heeeaaaavily weighted to suit number ONE. We really did love number four with it’s brilliant blue hue but sooooo many people have wanted it that it’s on back order for forever and harder to get. Weeeeelllllll, we went with……
Number ONE!!!!! After he was measured and taken care of we were told our suit would be ready in a matter of days! These guys don’t mess around and the finished result was more than we expected. The coat is like butter and the pants fit him like a glove. I demanded a fashion show and after a few minutes of prodding he relented (I think he was excited too but didn’t want to appear too eager ha!). Now, let’s take a moment while the Mr. changes into his new suit. While we were there at the shop with owner Adam Winn, he told us all about the fine quality of suits he carries. Seriously, this man has you covered if you want an inexpensive but well tailored suit all the way to if you want super high end and can drop a few thou. The extensive materials, the ties, the accessories…I never knew I could have so much fun in a man’s SUIT store!!! I was particularly interested in the Happy Socks he has available. Have you guys SEEN these? Am I just behind the times in just now loving them?
I wanted him to buy EvErY single PAIR!!!!! Alas, he said they weren’t really his “thing” (flash backs of a scene from Honey I Shrunk the Kids). The pout commenced…maybe only in my head to save myself from the embarrassment a childish tantrum would have caused in the middle of such a nice establishment and we left….without them.
BACK TO THE MR.
Ladies, when my man walked out with his new suit and fresh haircut I think I may have actually giggled. As in, my crush has just walked into the room and I am immediately RED giggled. He looked sooooooo good I could have eaten him UP! The power of a good suit ; ). He strutted around a little to make me laugh, then struck a pose that not only made me erupt into fits of giggles but also made it impossible NOT to see the sock he was wearing. HE BOUGHT SOME!!!!! When his suit was ready for pick up and I was off doing makeup, he BOUGHT some!!!! He is a keeper and I love him. I will name him Squishy and he will be mine. The next day at church I couldn’t stop staring at him and decided right there and then that we would need to take a family pic so that I could remember the moment I fell in love with my sweet hubby all over again. Reasons that come to mind and I never want to forget:
He makes me laugh
He is such a good daddy
He is a God fearing man, at church every Sunday with us
He did something that wasn’t his “thing” because he knew it would make me smile
He looks soooooooooo hot in his new suit
He loves me and I love him
You may all commence the awwwwwwwws
And now the oh dears and head shaking LOL!!!
xoxo Jen
(ps you’ll notice our youngest is wearing his own crazy socks to match his daddy’s. I bought them both a pair of green Christmas socks from the dollar store for crazy sock day. Glad they could be used more than once lol)
Good good good, good vibraaatioooooons. Oh I can just HEAR the sounds of summer!!!
However, I may cringe, just a little, when someone asks if I’m ReAdY for summer. I know that in years past, it’s because I could never find a swimsuit that I could be comfortable in AND be modest. Nor was it in fashion to have suits that covered more of my lower half (which isn’t my fav) so they were very hard to find.
I had found this suit and loved it dearly. When Mr. Kenneth Cole decided to discontinue it I felt impotent and out of control…which I really hate (name that movie). Ladies, I am not a traditional follower of trends. They come and go and make you look utterly ridiculous when looking back through photos lol. One trend that I am SO happy to get behind is the need and desire of more and more girls/women, to be modest. I love love LOVE it!!! Now that summer is quickly approaching I was so excited to team up with Beverly Swimwear because of her amazing patterns, flattering silhouettes, great prices…. AND THEY ARE MODEST!!!! Aaaaaaaaaand….
are you ready for this?
ONE lucky reader will win a FREE swimsuit of their choosing from the one and only Beverly!!!
If you want to earn more entries, head over to my IG account to tag a few friends. You may also repost this on any social media for extra entries (separate comment for each) Please list a comment below with each requirement you fulfill. For the extra entries (tagging on IG) you may comment here as well. The more comments, the more chances you have to win! Now let the giveaway BEGIN!!!!!
You must be 18 or older to participate. If you are not, you must have your parents permission. Non valid or inappropriate comments will be deleted. We will check authenticity of all entries. Contest will run until Monday April 6th midnight MST. After all entries are verified, we will announce a winner.
GOOD LUCK!!!!!
And could you DIE???? You and your smooshie mini me can wear matching suits!!!!! I need a girl, I need a girl! ; D
I am thrilled to announce that I have teamed up with Project Runway to help promote their upcoming casting call for those of you in the Utah area!!! You could win $100,000 to launch or even expand your clothing line. Do YOU have what it takes? I only WISH that I had the talent of creating amazing designs and then sewing up a storm….alas, I cannot BUT I can’t wait to see the talent gathered for season 14! The deadline is FAST approaching – Monday March 16th is the last day to submit but have no fear! You can now submit an application ONLINE here! You can also email them at prcasting@bunim-murray.com
Good luck, and may the odds and ends fabric be ever in your favor!
Can I just say that I loooooooove March??? I think from the time you are born, you are made to feel special on your birthday so the whole month kind of has a magical twinkle. I may be getting older and maybe soon I won’t think of my birthday month the same……but I’ve been thinking that for forEVER and yet I’m still so excited every time I see March 1st proclaiming it’s arrival! YAY MARCH!!!!! lol I wanted to do something fun since I love showing my appreciation to all of you and I love having giveaways. From now until my birthday (the 8th), I’ll be giving away things that I love! Right now if you go to my Instagram (@classycozmetics) there is a necklace that I luuuuurv!
All you have to do is guess where it’s from and it’s YOURS! Head on over to see what to do to enter. Can I also mention how much I love this outfit. It is the epitome of ME! I love how colorful, comfy and warm it is. It’s a great mixture of textures and patterns. The light blue shirt underneath is pinstriped, and y’all know how much I love any kind of stripe. If you didn’t know, now ya do ; ). Do you have any birthday traditions? Any place special you go to eat? Tell me everything!!!
Utah Chic Magazine, Provo Fashion Week, Classy Cosmetics and 24 local bloggers are teaming up to bring you an awesome giveaway featuring clothing by local independent Provo Fashion Week designers.
Provo Fashion Week will be having three runway shows this weekend, February 27-28th.
Friday, February 27th – 7:30PM Ready-to-Wear Show
(featuring menswear, womenswear, swimwear, and childrenswear)
Saturday, February 28th – 3:00PM & 7:30PM Bridal Wear Shows
*All profits from ticket sales will be donated to the Pomelo Project*
Follow the rafflecopter – all entries are mandatory to be entered to win. All instagram accounts will be looped starting at 9:30AM Wednesday so you can easily follow everyone.
When finished following all accounts and filling out the rafflecopter, leave a comment with your instagram handle and which two prizes you would most like to win!
Giveaway ends Thursday, February 26th at midnight.
5 winners will be chosen at random through Rafflecopter
I was able to go to a preview of these amazing designers last night and was literally drooooooling over the textures, colors and glitz. You will NOT want to miss these shows if you are a Utah gal or miss out on winning these fabulous prizes! Will you be attending any of the shows?
WHY can I NOT stop laughing at this commercial??? You know the ads before videos on YouTube? I usually can’t WAIT till that lil box on the side counts down the seconds for me to skip it. With THIS video….I watch it EvErY single time!!!!! I love love LOVE it LOL!!!!!
BAH!!!!!
(sorry about the curse word in the title)
Can you feel it? Love is in the air! To me, it’s coming a little too fast. I usually set up all my candy in apothecary jars (children beware, I save the candy and by now it’s about 6 years old).
image source: Pinterest We heart attack Daddy’s room, fun crafts etc. This year? Meh…no idea why. Okay, so maybe I do. When we went home this last December I was about a month and a half along. When we came home, nothing. It’s very upsetting but I know that many have tried a lot longer than our small 4 years have had more loss than me. Still, it makes me sad. I am, however, so grateful for the two boys that are all mine and that I get to watch grow up. They are my loves and along with Kevin, I am so grateful to be a family forever! NOW, let’s jump to this photo shoot on Saturday, shot by the amazing Niki Martins and styled by Jacque from Looks For Lovelies. I was so super excited to wear this darling Live With Love tee! Darling Amy from Liv and Hope has the most darling boutique filled with goodies and every cent goes to fund the adoption they hope to be blessed with.
I love that my photographer is super passionate about adoption, having gone through it multiple times. She commented that the all black ensemble including leather and diamonds was so perfect for the topic. “You look strong, powerful. Adoption is an incredibly empowering deal.” I honestly had never though about it that way. Then, as the shoot went on I started thinking about the main feelings I had through all these years of trying. It was that I couldn’t deliver something that women can. A cute lil smooshy to hold and love. That made me feel powerless, helpless. Then thinking about other ways to fill that void in our family made me feel like I did have control. I could take back some of that power and bless more than one life. I can’t tell you how blessed I feel to know the people I know. To be inspired by them….even when they don’t know they’re doing it. I would love to hear your experiences with adoption if you have any. Please leave me a comment or email me at dollcosmetics@gmail.com.
Always have to end with a stirring air guitar ballad right? P.s. this top is soooooo comfy, I may or may not be living in it. Seriously. So comfy! Have a rock ‘n’ roll day ladies!!!
