30 for 30 Pregnancy Edition: Outfit 11

Pink and green is one of my favorite color combos.

Scarf - Primark, Pink shirt - American Eagle, White watch - Michele Watches, Green shorts - Destination Maternity

Fresh, fun, a hint of preppiness. 

And floral! Like the flowers on my scarf.

Sometimes the best way to get inspired is taking a look right outside--what are the natural color combos you're seeing in the world?

Me? I see pink rosebushes outside.

Manicure Monday: Patriotism

So you've seen me do Pac-Man and pink and red color-blocking, but what about when you have another patriotic holiday rolling around like 4th of July (I know it's now end of July, but this is coming to you a little bit late!)?

• Prep your nails--remove old nail polish, push and cut cuticles, cut and file nails if you need to, etc.
• Put on your trusty clear base coat.
• Go with your lightest color first, in this case, white. Put on as many coats as you need to make it look good, in this case, three before the white looked strong enough. 
• Allow plenty of time to dry! I went for about 30 minutes.
• Cut strips of Scotch tape. Place across nails, leaving some hanging off the sides. In this case, I put the tape in the middle to preserve the white, then I was able to paint on either side. 
• Put on a coat of red at the bottom, blue at the top.
• Again, allow plenty of time to dry. I went for another 30 minutes. 
• Peel off the tape. This should be easy if you left tape on the sides to pull from. 
• Put on your trusty clear top coat.
• Wave your flags and your nails in celebration!

Fave of the Week: June 23-June 29

I have a serious love for scarves, pushing this outfit from Saturday into fave of the week territory.

Very simple, easy outfit, but a scarf gives it just a splash of color. And they can be worn year-round, in a variety of ways--in your hair, wrapped different ways around your neck. Also, during the beginning of my pregnancy, when Baby Girl was still a secret, they were a great way to hide my growing bump! I can't hide it anymore, but it worked for a while!

30 for 30 Pregnancy Edition: Outfit 10

A third of the way through the 30 for 30 challenge!

Top - Old Navy Maternity, White skirt - Charlotte Russe

I got this top to go along with some white maternity shorts I bought online. The shorts didn't work out, but I still loved the top!

I considered not keeping it, but I've managed to remix it a couple of times already...more to come.

The shorts were super easy to return--ASOS is my favorite way to online shop at the moment. Shipping and returning are both free and simple. I read the return instructions from Old Navy for this shirt and decided, Eh, I'll just keep it and figure it out.

Who's your favorite online retailer?

30 for 30 Pregnancy Edition: Outfit 9

So I thought my beloved maxi dress would be worn lots during my pregnancy--it's so roomy!

Lies! There's a side zipper that refused to budge and I had to give up on it. And so I bought a new one!

Maxi dress - Old Navy Maternity, Crocheted top - Nordstrom

Ahhh, now this is roomy.

Maxi dress, indeed.

I love how feminine I feel in maxi dresses. So being pregnant and wearing a maxi dress is pretty much the height of femininity. 

Throw in red lips and wavy hair to boot.

30 for 30 Pregnancy Edition: Outfit 8

I've fallen behind again in posting! No real excuse for it--just staying busy as a pregnant lady! And without further ado, Outfit #8 in the 30 for 30 Pregnancy Challenge.

Scarf - Club Monaco via Shopbop (Present from Sister), White shirt - Pea in the Pod, White watch - Michele Watches, Shorts - Pea in the Pod

The blue gray in this scarf went perfectly with my shorts.

And thank goodness for the new shorts!

I've been so comfortable wearing all of my new shorts that I've been wearing them to work too. This was a weekend look, but I think it would have worked at the office too. The scarf classes it up, right? (Also my office is pretty casual. And forgiving of my sartorial choices lately.)

See that gray blur in the bottom corner?

There's a happy doggy rushing at me in this last pic. She doesn't understand, "Nooo! Mommy's taking pictures!"

Fave of the Week: June 16-June 22

My fave of the week was from Tuesday, the day of my baby shower at work.

Okay, it helps that I just felt extra-special that day because of the surprise party, but also, you guys--Breton stripes in dress form. What's not to love about that? Are you a lover of blue and white stripes? Because you should be! It's clean, it's classic.

Review and Wear Wednesday: Ready Player One

I'm taking a break from 30 for 30 to bring you Review and Wear Wednesday. I recently read Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, and even though my wardrobe doesn't feature too many 80s nostalgia pieces, I knew I had to do something for this book.

Pink tunic - Bebe, Leopard belt - dEliA*s, Black leggings - Old Navy Maternity

Yes, it is very similar to the outfit I wore when I wrote up a review for Divergent, but...um...the sleeves are rolled up! And that's a different belt.

Sigh. Fashion blogging while pregnant is tough, guys.

Anyhoodle, I went as neon as I could with my top, regretted not having acid-washed maternity jeans, considered crimping my hair but just kept the waves from my no-heat curls a few days back, but man, I sure did something special with my nails.

That's right--Pac-Man and Inky (isn't that what the blue one is called?)

I promised to unveil these special nails last Manicure Monday, and here they are! They were pretty simple to do! Base coat; couple of coats of black; paint a couple of coats of Scotch tape yellow and blue; cut them into the shapes you need once dry; apply; add some eyeballs to Inky with white and black dots; top coat.

Why Pac-Man? Because Ready Player One is all about the 80s and specifically about video games.

30 for 30 Pregnancy Edition: Outfit 7

June 19th was a pretty special day for me and Baby--it was Baby's first ever party!

Complete with Diaper Catepillar! How cute is this? Made from two receiving blankets, a sensory ball, a pacifier, and loads of little baby socks and newborn diapers.

It was a surprise baby shower, thrown by the fabulous and sweet people that I work with, and believe me, I was super surprised. I completely blame my Baby Brain because usually I am the first person to smell out a conspiracy.

Instead I was surprised, embarrassed, then showered with tiny socks, among many other cute things!

My coworkers thought I was on to them for many reasons, but also because they thought I looked extra cute the day of the party.

Dress - Asos Maternity, Yellow cardigan - Gap Outlet

I just felt like wearing my new dress!

And bright lipstick, which I happened to reapply right before the party!

All in all, it was a very fun and special day. I kept rubbing Baby afterward, squealing to her that she had her first ever party, all about her.

30 for 30 Pregnancy Edition: Outfit 6

Now that I'm super preggers and even more short on time, no heat curls more than ever is a favorite way to get my hair done.

Shirt - A Pea in the Pod, Black shorts - Destination Maternity

It really is one of the easiest hair tricks, and I love wearing my hair all wrapped around a hairband, so even while I'm curling, I'm looking cute. 

And the best part?

Because I went no 'poo (that's no shampoo, y'all) more than a year ago, I can go one or even two weeks without washing out the curls and eventually the loose waves.

Why am I going on and on about my hair?

I'm trying to distract you from the fact that my outfit is pretty boring today, but hey, that happens. Also, it is Monday, and would have been Manicure Monday, but I'm keeping that a secret until Wednesday. Make sure to check back later!

30 for 30 Pregnancy Edition: Outfit 5

What do you think?

Striped tank - A Pea in the Pod, Purple shorts - A Pea in the Pod

Do I have a thing for multi-colored, striped tanks?

Actually, I only have two for this 30 for 30.

Let's see if I'll be able to remix them as we keep going with the 30 for 30 challenge. 

We're dealing with some challenging colors! But that's all part of the 30 for 30....

Fave of the Week: June 9-June 15

It was tough choosing a fave for this week, mostly because a lot of my clothes are new and exciting. I finally decided on Thursday's outfit.

First of all, who doesn't love to wear green? Especially in the form of shorts! Have fun this summer--find a pair of shorts that is comfortable for you length-wise and get them in a fun color! We're not restricted to just regular denim right now. Find some pink shorts! Find some patterned shorts! Celebrate the summer.

30 for 30 Pregnancy Edition: Outfit 4

You guys would not believe how many compliments I received wearing this top.

Top - Destination Maternity, White watch - Michele Watches, Green shorts - Destination Maternity

To the point that people wanted it to be a not-maternity shirt so they could buy it too.

It made me feel special.

You guys, a really important message if you know a pregnant lady. Pay her lots of compliments.

Tell her she's cute! Tell her she's trendy!

It's tough being pregnant! Your body is changing all the time, and even when you love your pregnant body, it's still not the body you're used to. Coupled with missing your usual wardrobe, it can make you feel ugly some days.

I'm super lucky to be surrounded by sweet people that make me feel beautiful!

30 for 30 Pregnancy Edition: Outfit 3

It's a good (affordable) day when I feel like, Ahhh, all of my clothes are not new maternity clothes.

Navy cardigan - Gap Outlet, Olive shirt - Arden B., Belt - Primark, White watch - Michele Watches, White skirt - Charlotte Russe

It's truly blowing my mind how many stretchy clothes I own.

Also blowing my mind? How I don't need to wear a giant sack just because I'm preggers.

You can still cinch your waist! Kind of.

Belts--still pulling outfits together, even when you can't get them through belt loops.

30 for 30 Pregnancy Edition: Outfit 2

When wearing a simple black outfit, you have to accessorize.

Necklace - Arden B., Bracelet - Stand in Hawaii

I still can't wear fabulous shoes, but you know if I could, I would.

Black shirt - Forever 21, Blue tank (underneath) - Pac Sun, Black shorts - Destination Maternity

Thank goodness for shorts that fit, at least. It's another one of my new purchases, and so necessary! It gets hot in NC during the summer.

How's your summer feeling?

Manicure Monday: Pink and Red

Welcome to my humble blog a new facet of fashion, Manicure Mondays! I've already said how being pregnant makes you focus on things like hair and makeup to keep feeling pretty, so I was hanging out at the beauty department for ideas and got inspired by all of their nail tutorials. I especially loved their idea to use paper reinforcement stickers to create patterns and layers of color.

Purse - Tokidoki for LeSportsac

I hope to branch out and take pictures along the way and make my own tutorials. Here are the steps without pics, though! (I didn't bother to push and cut cuticles because I wasn't feeling that advanced yet. So jumping right in!)

• I used Sally Hansen's top and base clear coat. After letting it dry for 15 minutes or so (maybe that's too long, but I didn't know how long to wait and I was just reading a magazine anyway)...
• I used a pink nail polish. I only did one coat because it went on pretty well and I figured half of it would get covered up anyway once the other polish went on. After waiting for probably 30 minutes (I really wanted that stuff to be dry)...
• I put on the reinforcement stickers at about the halfway point. I probably should have cut them to make it easier to stick completely across my nails, but I forgot. 
• Use your next color (red, in my case) and polish the top half. Then I waited probably 30 minutes again for it to dry before...
• I peeled off the stickers, and voila! Beautiful nails. Well, nearly. I touched up some edges that looked goofy where the sticker hadn't completely stuck to the nail. I waited another 15 minutes and...
• I applied the same top/base clear coat for shine and protection.

The manicure lasted a week (probably could have gone longer but I was eager to try another manicure) and got a lot of compliments. My favorite part was colorblocking pink and red!

30 for 30 Pregnancy Edition: Outfit 1

I mentioned a while back doing a 30 for 30, Pregnancy Edition. Well, folks, I'm going for it.

Striped tank - Nordstrom, White tank (underneath) - Target, Green shorts - Destination Maternity

I got, um, even bigger so I had to buy some new maternity wear. And I thought, I could remix the heck out of these. A note of warning: Some of the outfits will be boring. Because so much of the maternity wear is like this: Plain white tee with ruched sides. Blue tee with ruched sides. Denim shorts galore. Purple tank. Pink tank. Orange tank. Green tank. Do you see a pattern? The pattern is this--there are hardly any patterns!

This striped tank is, in fact, a regular shirt, not maternity.

Another warning: These are the only shoes the fit me. Weird, huh? I don't think I'm that swollen, but my rings don't fit and neither do my shoes. Anyway, I feel like I'm kind of cheating with my 30 for 30 because shoes should normally take up 2 to 5 of your selections, but eh, I'm pregnant. Are you seriously going to ding me? That's right--I'm playing the ol' pregnancy card.

Purse - Tokidoki for LeSportsac

We'll have to try to liven things up with a patterned purse! And other accessories! Which is generally a good 30 for 30 rule anyway. And to be real--right now I don't even have 30 options so I'm probably not going to play the ol' pregnancy card. I'll probably do like 25 outfit things for 30 days. But that doesn't have the same ring to it now, does it?

Fave of the Week: June 2-June 8

My fave of the week was from Wednesday.

Two maxi skirt outfits in a row for fave? I know, I'm sorry. Normally I do try to mix up the faves more but this is an entirely different outfit on a few levels! This week's fave has darker colors--dark gray, black scarf, gray and black hat. This week's fave kept the top of the skirt lower on my middle (oh, how it stretched). This week's fave featured more accessories--again, scarf and hat! This week's was a bit more on the casual side. You see the differences, right?!

Review and Wear Wednesday: Irma Voth

You know what has been really exciting about this year's spring season? It actually happened in NC. We had moderate temperatures and rain!

Black and white scarf - Primark, Green cardigan - Gap Outlet, White tank - Target, Gray skirt - Express, Flip-flops - Rainbows

One could layer, wear scarves, do whatever!

Wear a hat! Hat - American Eagle

This day's outfit was inspired by Irma Voth, a book by Miriam Toews, who seems to be a bigger author in Canada.

Gray! Green! Stars!

Gray! Green! Stars! (No orange, though...but belly!)

Miriam Toews is a beautiful writer, just a bit too scattered for me. The thing is, I know there's potential for me to like her....

Black and white make-up

Limited in my wardrobe options, I'm trying to spend more time on hair and/or make-up instead (that always makes a girl look put-together, right?).

Dress - H&M, Green belt - Primark

This dress is nearly getting too short in the front.

But that's one of the good things about being short--it's not as scandalous-looking as it is on long-legged, tall ladies.

Going with the black and white theme of the dress, I put on a layer of white eyeliner, then black liquid liner on top of that.

It makes the black pop even more than usual.

What are some of your favorite make-up tricks?

Here's another one I'm going to have to try!