January Favorites
Happy Monday! I have to say that I wasn't sad to see January go. It was a great month and full of so much, including starting my new job(!), but I'm so ready for warm weather and longer days so any step closer to that is a great thing in my book. On to the favorites...
Red Nails
I'm a bit of a #NailPolishAddict. On more than one occasion I've asked someone if she was wearing X by Essie and been right. One color I've never really done and didn't own? Red. I've always admired red on others and this January I decided to take the plunge. I've been rocking OPI's The Thrill of Brazil nearly all month long. I love that red nails are both neutral and colorful and work for any occasion. I may have bene late to the party, but I'll be staying well into the night.
They go with everything! PC: @floorprinsen
Clothing: AG Pants, Lululemon sports bras, Zara Coat, Frye Boots
On the fashion front, I've been all about the Frye boots I wrote about in this post, my white Zara coat, black AG pants, and Lululemon's "Energy" sports bra. Let's go through them in order shall we... I'm a diva when it comes to sweat and clothes and have a different set of winter gear for the gym. I needed a better gym coat, something warmer which looked more presentable than the collapsable puffer I'd had for a few years. Enter Zara's post-holiday 40% off sale and my lucky day. This coat is what dreams are made of (ok that might be a slight exaggeration) but it's down, machine washable, has rose gold hardware, and cost about what I spend on a week's worth of groceries. Sadly it's no longer available in white but here it is in pink. This coat is so warm and while I do worry about getting it dirty, there's just something about a white coat, it looks so sleek.
I don't know why the model looks so sad when she's wearing a cloud of heaven. PC: Zara.com
My work dress code is "business casual;" jeans are a no, except for Fridays. I wanted some black pants that weren't dress pants but were pants I could wear to work. While googling, I remembered that I had a pair of red pants from AG that weren't denim and figured they must come in black. Turns out they didn't, but these guys exist. I ordered two and am considering getting a third. Comfortable, dressy enough for work, and such a classic, I can't imagine ever having too many. If you work somewhere where jeans are a no, or just want a pair of black pants, may I introduce The Sateen Prima.
I don't know why these look cropped, maybe this is the wrong version or because the model is so tall, but trust me, they're great. PC: AG Jeans
Sadly, Lululemon discontinued the sports bra I always wore. Turns out, I found one I like even more. The Energy Bra is supportive, its crisscross straps are not at all complicated to get on (as I'd feared) even when doing a quick, sweaty change during a double, and the neck is high enough in the front that when I wear just a sports bra, I don't feel like I'm showing a little too much. Now I'm remembering that I have $28 on a gift card and should m̶a̶y̶b̶e̶ definitely order another.
Finishing My Book
Once I start a book, I have to finish it. The one exception here is Crime and Punishment, I just could not get into it no matter how many times I tried. I first picked up 1984 over the summer but then came the racist, Semitic rallies and I needed my reading material to be an escape so I put it down for another time. I then came to realize that there's no time in the foreseeable future when 1984 will not be hard to read, so I might as well do it. I never expected this book to become one of my favorites, but it's one I've long wanted to read and when I read, I shut out and shut off everything else, it's a really special part of my day. So maybe this shouldn't count because it was more the process than the actual thing itself but it's my blog so I make the rules :)
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Three Billboards is one of my favorite movies this season. Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell deserve all the awards and I hope they both win at the Oscars. The way you feel about their respective characters is visceral and complex, much like the story itself. It's not a happy story, but there are comedic moments. Don't be deterred by the run time, the minutes fly by.
Street Art Day
As you know, street art is one of my happy places - yes, I think things can be happy places. After my first week of work, I was feeling so many things - happy, tired, like my whole world had been turned upside-down, wondering if I had made the right decision, not sure I had it in me to do it all over again, hoping that I would excel because I liked it so much, seriously the WHOLE gamut of things. Despite the frigid temperatures, I knew that what I needed was a good street art wander. Off to the Lower East Side I went to see some new-to-me murals. The afternoon was just what I needed and worth every shiver.
What were YOUR January favorites?