Free Spirit Fashion

sunny, 90 F

first day of classes

dress and tank: anthropologie

denim jacket: express

boots: aldo

heart necklace: claire's

heart & bow earrings: betsey johnson

orange bracelet: plasticland

strawberry tote bag: forever 21

Are you sick of this dress yet? This is now the third time I've posted it on the blog, lol. Ah well, it's one of my favorite summer outfits. I decided to keep it around for the transition to fall, even though I put most of my summer clothes in storage at my parents' house last weekend.

Also, I tried to scrunch my hair with mousse to make waves. But I don't think I left it clipped up long enough, so it didn't turn out very wavy. 

Ok well I have class coming up this evening, so I'm out. Bye for now!

90 F, sunny

welcoming my boyfriend home!!

Today my boyfriend James came back from Hong Kong! 

So I got all dressed up for him =]

I'm sooo glad to have him back. 

He took these pictures of me, so you guys finally get to see some decent photos of me!

dress: boutique (fashion tomato)

shoes: aldo

earrings: gift

rose ring: not sure. i think wet seal.

This dress somehow reminds me of something a mermaid would wear, so I tried to keep that theme with my hair and makeup. 

While my hair was wet after washing, I ran some aloe gel through it, and then scrunched a ton of mousse into it. I used a claw clip to clip it up all scrunchy while it dried, and sprayed some salt water mix over it. When my hair was dry, I simply let it down, and clipped my bangs back with a bobby pin.

For my eye makeup, I used Lancome eyeshadow in "Bubbles" - it's a powder blue shadow with flecks of gold in it, which is great for those of us with olive/tan skin because it doesn't show up chalky, and doesn't wash you out. I dipped a brush in water and used a deeper turquoise (from an Urban Decay palette) to line my eyes, and then used black liquid liner (also Urban Decay), mascara, and highlight on the brow bone and in the inner corners.

Anyway, James will be living with me temporarily until the apartment he's subletting becomes available for him to move in. So he will be taking lots of pictures for me in the mean time! Yay for quality photos!

Also, I have a ridiculous amount of work to do over the next couple days, so I apologize in advance, as I probably won't be commenting on everyone's blogs as much. I'll be back once the weekend hits though. =]

morning

73 F, rainy

afternoon

90 F, sunny

The weather can change so drastically in one day in Chicago!

I was sick yesterday, so today my mom stopped by and made chicken noodle soup for me. =] I went to the gym in the morning, and spent the rest of the day cleaning my apartment and doing homework. So I wore something that was comfortable, and wore my boots because it was wet outside. And not a lot of makeup, except some peach lipgloss. 

shirt: boutique (fashion tomato)

shorts: charlotte russe

boots: steve madden

bracelet: can't remember!

earrings: pink ice

hairband: urban outfitters

These shorts that I'm wearing barely fit me a few months ago. I had been put on some medication, and it made me gain 10 pounds! I was constantly hungry! So my doctor added another medication that has the side effect of reduced appetite, and that fixed the problem. But now I was 10 pounds heavier, and my clothes barely fit. =[

So I've been working out a lot, and after 2 1/2 months I'm back to where I was before. I just need to tone up a little bit now. But my shorts are loose and comfy again. 

Also, another thing arrived in the mail!

...........

a plaid vintage jumper that I purchased off etsy!

(Please excuse my lack of make-up. I had just gotten out of the shower, and wanted to try it on as soon as possible.)

It's from the 80's, I believe, and I think it's adorable. I'm so obsessed with plaid. I'm excited about this because so far I don't have very many vintage pieces in my wardrobe, and I'm trying to fix that. So... yay!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and a good start to their week!

xoxo, alexandra

82 F, sunny

class and GRE tutoring

To be honest, I was having a fat day today, and I wasn't really that excited about what I ultimately decided to wear. I just wanted to be comfy and passably cute. But really, the past couple days I've felt like a hot mess. In fact, I don't even want to post this outfit, but I will in the spirit of honesty. Because everyone has off days, and I'm not going to put myself up on a pedestal. Here is me, in all my fat, unexcited glory... 

peasant top: pink ice

shorts: wet seal

gold strappy wedges: aldo

tusk necklace: boutique

bracelets: claire's

straw hat: urban outfitters

I don't know, maybe I'm just being too hard on myself, but my outfit just didn't seem to want to come together today. I feel like it's not cohesive and like the elements don't really blend. That pretty much sums up my whole day today. I was in a hurry when I got dressed because I had an exam, and it's been an all-around hectic day - I felt very discombobulated. Oh well. Tomorrow is another day. =]

80 F, sunny

class

floral top: macy's

crocheted vest: wet seal

cutoff shorts: wet seal

boots: steve madden

bracelets: brighton and ebay

ring: i think it was aldo

The sun came back today! I tried taking a picture in a different location with the self-timer on my camera, but it didn't turn out well. I'm going to ask my parents for a tripod for my birthday so that I can vary my photo locations. Until then though, I'm stuck taking mirror pictures. =/

85 F, sunny

2 pm drinks (what? don't judge!)

Cuffed capris: Mavi jeans

Flowy top: Wet Seal

Espadrilles: BCBGirls

Earrings: Pink Ice (IIRC)

I pulled my hair back into a low side ponytail and curled it using a curling iron. I am so envious of people that have hair that doesn't fall! I realize that part of my problem is that at waist length, my hair is so long that it weighs itself down a lot - a few years ago when it was shoulder length, it held a curl easier. But even still, I can't seem to get it to stay more than an hour or so when I curl it. I think I'm going to ask for a steam setter for my birthday, which is coming up next month. Steam setters supposedly set even stubborn hair into curls. It's worth a shot for me!