The Discount Store Debate.

If you frequent this blog then you know that S and I are big ROSS/TJMaxx/Discount Store connoisseurs. If you don't frequent this blog, well, then, you should so you can know this too. We LOVE deals so we love ROSS. Yes, you have to assume the role of an archaeologist when you enter the doors since it does require a lot of digging, but the reward can be huge.

However, the fact that some people don't love discount stores like ROSS is not lost on me. There are times when there are more rhinestone studded jeans hanging in there then you'd find at a rodeo, and crappy/weird clothes abound. But there are times when the heavens open and there are some straight-up gems. Today we have examples of both, from a singular ROSS excursion S and I went on a few days ago.

Exhibit A: Unfortunate.

I don't even know how to categorize these. They are jeans at the top, then turn to leg warmers at the bottom. I know there is some joke here, possibly involving Olivia Newton-John and the video for "Let's get Physical", but I can't. I just can't.

It is these types of weird hybrid jeans/legwarmer things that give discount stores a bad name, leading you to believe you can only find cute clothes at full price. It is not true though, friends. Not true.


Enter, exhibit B: Holy cuteness:

I found these Steve Madden beauties the same day as the monstrosity pictured above for $14.99. You see? At ROSS freaky legwarmer jeans and adorable floral wedges can co-exist, and it's a beautiful thing. Now, my point is: Stop being afraid of your local discount store. The savings are big if you have the patience. I recommend bringing a friend to make the digging fun. And maybe a snack. You might get hungry.

Here is how I wore my new precious ROSS find yesterday:

Top: Charlotte Russe 9.99, Skirt: H&M 14.99, Shoes: ROSS 14.99

And if you are still skeptical, S and I are available for hire as your discount store guides. We are very affordable and accept payment in the form of shoes or Dairy Queen gift cards. Extra charges may be incurred if you want compliments in the dressing room. Give us a call.

oxox/ W.


PS...Stay tuned for a faaabulous giveaway coming this afternoon!

I like it when you share your opinions.

Last week for work we put on a huge conference, resulting in my working around 50 hours in 3.25 days. I know a lot of you probably work that much all the time, but I normally work 20 hours in a week. I have a pretty cushy life right now, and I like it that way.

Needless to say I am taking work off this week to balance out my work hours and get caught up on school. Why am I telling you this, you ask? Because when I stay home and do homework all day, like I am doing this week, I don't put on cute clothes. I wear extra large men's v-necks and leggings. Hot. Not worth showing to you.

So, today we are going to do something else. Something like this post we did once before. Here is what you do:

Below you will see five items that are "in" right now, but that I am still forming a personal opinion about. All you gotta do is share your honest thoughts about them. Here they are:

 

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Easy enough right? We'll let it simmer for a couple of days then share what everybody is thinkin. Okay. Go.

Yours truly, 

-S.

Sigh.

I'm back from my trip to the lovely shores of La Jolla. It was bliss. I saw dolphins, and ate seafood at the pier, and laid on the beach, and sufficiently convinced myself that I should just sell all of my belongings and move there and become a hippy-surfer-vagabond and menace to society. Husband agrees.

However, until we can get a garage sale going, I will continue my normal life, including showing you what I wore. Like this simple little number I wore on one of my favorite nights out in La Jolla:

Skirt: Lands End 19.99, Top: F21 4.99, Necklace: F21 4.99, Sandals: Target 9.99

That right there is my new Lands End skirt I mentioned in this post. I loooove it. A skirt with pockets is like a three-day-weekend, or a 50% off coupon at your favorite store, or hot fudge on...well...anything. I love throwing on a white t-shirt and simple skirt, so easy and pretty, which I had to be to compete with a night this gorgeous: 

Ssssiiiiigggghhhh. Anyone wanna buy all my stuff?? The ocean is calling me back.

oxox/W.



PS. The winner of the Nautilus Necklace from Love Spell Jewels is:

Emma who said:
This is so pretty! I LOVE it!

Congratulations Emma! Email us at prettylifeanonymous@gmail.com to claim your prize! 

Thanks so much to all who entered and for your FABULOUS recommendations of things to do in San Diego! They made our trip perfect! ox. 

{wwiw}

A different kind of post.

About a month and a half ago, one of our dear family friends found out very suddenly that their son/brother has cancer. He is 14 years old, in the 8th grade, and has a lot of life left to live. 

I know a lot of you have had, and maybe are currently having, similar experiences.

When I found out about this I felt a lot of different emotions. Fear that I might be faced with a similar challenge some day. Sadness that this could happen to some of the best people I know. Hope that it will all work out the way it is supposed to. 

{Donate and get your shirt here}

If anyone can handle this, if anyone deserves a miracle, if anyone can take this as a learning experience, if anyone can use this as a way for their family to grow closer together, if anyone can be an extraordinary example to onlookers, it is this family. 

To learn more and find out how you can help, check out their Blog or Facebook page. We'll pass on words of support and encouragement if you want to leave them in the comments.

XO/S.

Five Things Friday

1. Bruno Mars concert on the Today Show this morning. Love.

2. Corn salsa. For every meal. Every day.

3. 90 degree weather, resulting in my wearing this at the pool all day.

 

4. Fabric dye. My new favorite discovery. I will be dying a white dress teal today. I will let you know how it goes. 


5. These short sleeve cardigans that are only $7.99 and perfect for a little summer covering up.

Have a great weekend! Yours truly,

-S.



PS- Do you guys like Five Things Friday? Or is it time for something new? Suggestions? Be honest. XOXO

Ghostwriter.

I hope I didn't get your hopes up too much with my post title. Unfortunately, no, this post will not be about the hit 90's tv show about a bunch of kid detectives from Brooklyn who solve crimes with the help of an apostrophe-shaped ghost who communicates by writing in a composition notebook. If it was about that though, it would be awesome. And involve an in-depth discussion about oversized plaid shirts and overalls. Bless you 1995.

No, this post is really S's, but she is soooo busy this week with coordinating a conference on campus that she requires a ghostwriter, me, to post her outfits. And it's a real cute one:

Dress: F21 $10, Scarf: TJMaxx $12.99, Shoes: Target $14.98

And she put the entire outfit together for under $40!
Even ghostwriter himself couldn't have pulled that one off.

oxox...S/W

Beach Style and a Giveaway.

Love! {1,2,3}

I am off to San Diego in 48 hours for a few luscious days of beach, seafood, and sunshine. Yes, I am spoiled, you may hate on me all you like for the next week. I deserve it. 

I mostly love dressing for the beach. A cute flowy cover-up, a great pair of sunglasses, no make-up, a sassy beach hat...I'm all about the ease and lightness. Here is what I plan to bring with me for my week at the beach, all under $20: 

{Hat, Suit, Cover-up, Bag, Book, Sandals, Shades}

And in honor of my little beach getaway, we have a beachy-giveaway to bring some sunshine to your day! Okay... I can't guarantee that, but I know you'll at least feel sunny inside if you win this adorable Nautilus necklace from Love Spell Jewels:

I am in love with it. The perfect summer necklace.

Wanna win it? To enter you MUST be a follower of this blog and leave us a comment that you are! And for bonus enteries:

-Follow us on Twitter

-Tweet about our giveaway

-Add our blog to your blogroll

-Post about our giveaway on your blog

-Leave a comment telling me what I have to do while I am in the San Diego/La Jolla area this week. I'd love to hear what you like to do there!!

Giveaway closes Sunday, June 26th. 

Good Luck!!

ox/W. 

Five Things Friday. {Summer Reading Edition}

Hi. This post has nothing to do with fashion. Feel free to shut your browser now. I won't be offended. Ok, maybe I will a little, but still, do what you want.

Now, although this post may not seem to be very fashionable, I tend to believe that one of the best accessories a girl can have is a good book, which equals more stuff in your brain, which equals even more beauty. So, basically this is a list of things that will make you more beautiful. I should be making big money here.

My 5 things today is a list of some summer reads I guarantee you will love. Beware. None of them are young adult fiction, not because I don't love a little YA fiction guilty pleasure now and then, but because I think there is much goodness that can come in reading about real people and not vampires or aliens now and then. That said, if you haven't read The Hunger Games, shut your computer, and run, don't walk to Walmart and get them or we can't be friends. Also, Lauren has a FABULOUS book list with a lot of great YA reads here, which you will want to visit.

Now, onward. My list of books you should read this summer:

1. Tom Rachman, The Imperfectionists.

Hilarious writing, rich, quirky, and relateable characters,

 set in Rome, interesting format. I loved. 

2. Nicole Krauss, The History of Love

The most beautiful and surprising novel I have read in a while. 

3. Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner

Everyone should read this. EVERYONE!

4. Markus Zusak, I Am the Messenger

Have your read Zusak's, The Book Thief? Then you know how good of a writer he is.

 If you haven't read it, you must read both. Asap. 

5. Nancy E. Turner, These is my Words

If you don't read any others from my list, read this one. 

You will want to marry me after. 

Do you have any summer reading recommendations? We would love to hear!

Happy reading/becoming more beautiful/summer!

ox/W. 

Just because...

...it is almost the weekend.
And this song just breaks your heart right in half.
And it hurts sooooo good.
And we will be seeing him sing it live this weekend with our girl Brandi.
And we almost can't STAND it we are so excited.
And it wouldn't be right not to share the goodness with you.

Now watch and listen:



Sigh.
TGI{almost}F.

Simplicity.

So listen. The last time I posted {Tuesday} I pretty much broke my brain trying to come up with something to post about. I came up with allergies. It's true. It wasn't glamorous, it wasn't inspired, but it did the work. I could not think of a single other thing to write about, so it was what it was.

However, after posting, a certain wonderful commenter told me my outfit was perfect for flag day. FLAG DAY. So simple. I was pretty much wearing a freaking American flag on flag day and instead I gave myself an aneurysm trying to come up with a pithy post {and going with allergy talk, nonetheless}, when all along posting gold was right in front of me. Hello. I am wearing a flag. It is flag day. Come on!

So today, I have learned my lesson. I am keepin it simple. No allergies or aneurysms. Just leopard and orange. However, if it does turn out to be national leopard and orange day somewhere, please don't tell me. I don't know that I can take it.

Skirt: F21 {Can't remember the price, from forever ago}, 

Top: TJMaxx $8.99, Necklace: F21 $5.99, Shoes: ROSS $7.99

...and I won't even attempt to concoct a fancy segway into announcing our giveaway winner. I'm just gonna tell you that I am very excited for them!

The winner is....

Ana Paula who said: 

"And if I were to win, what I looooooooooooved was the Peach Orchard - Filigree and Rose Ring. It's so unique!!"

Congratulations Miss Ana Paula! Send us an email to prettylifeanonymous@gmail.com and we will get you your prize!

Thanks to all who entered! Love you, mean it. 

ox/W. 

Secrets of happiness.

Well, sometimes I just don't have that much to write about. Or anything to write about, really. Today is one of those days. Maybe this week is just one of those weeks. You know the type. So freakin busy at work. Stressed out of my mind. Trying to finish up school. Eyes itching up the ying yang. Tummy ache. Haven't been sleeping well. You know... just life. Oh ya, and my closet looks like this:

This is not staged, I swear. This is authentic evidence of my current lifestyle. I won't tell you how long its been like that because that would just be embarrassing. But for some reason I cannot make myself clean it. I wish someone else would just come clean it for me. That would make getting dressed a lot easier. Its really hard right now.

Anyway, I did the best I could and put this on.

 {shirt: Walmart $5, pants: Old Navy gift, belt: forever21 $2.50, shoes: DSW gift}

Luckily on days/weeks like this, and even when I have a disastrous closet, I have lots to make my happy. I.e. polka dot wedges (as seen above), Pumpkin Flax Granola (I want to eat it for every meal, you must try), watching Modern Family in bed with my husband, summer work parties that allow me to not cook dinner, YouTube (specifically this video), family visits here, and lots lots lots more.

I hope you have a seriously great day. And if you have secrets to happiness that I don't have listed, please share.

Yours truly,


-S.

-Last day to ENTER!!!

{wiww}

Bless you.

I've got the allergies today.

I know that is just what you wanted to read having clicked on over here this morning. You likely thought to yourself, "I wonder how W's upper respiratory health is today?" and I delivered, because that is what I like to do, because you, dear reader, are important to me.

I have sneezed more than 20 times already, and the girl in the office next to me is sooooo nice and keeps the "bless you's" a comin. Except, after the 17th sneeze in a row you'd think she'd just give up and pretend she doesn't hear my brains trying to escape my nasal cavity, and yet, she doesn't, she keeps on blessing me.

Right now it is kinda funny, but once I get into the triple digits I think it might be weird. I mean, I get it. You are polite. You want to acknowledge my sneezes, and they like that, sure, who doesn't like validation? But seriously, I have sneezed 100 times, so cut it out.

Either way I will take it. I hate the allergies but I find them a very small price to pay for the sun being up after nine, sandal weather, and a little browner skin. I will sneeze 30 times in a morning, and potentially scream at my "bless you-ing" coworkers all day for that. Worth it.

Other things about summer I love? Skirts. Grass. The lilac bush in my backyard. Red, white, and blue. And all those things together:

Skirt: Kohls 15.99, Top: Old Navy 4.99, Sandals: Target 9.99, Earrings: F21 3.99, Bangles: Gift

Happy summer, Tuesday, and whatever else makes you happy... 

...and "bless you" for reading! {I had to. I just had to.}

ox/W. 

PS. Second to last day to enter to win our fabulous giveaway!