The Great Wardrobe Clear-Out of 2010

It is so past time for this, you guys.

I've been in a cleaning and clearing mode lately, which I suppose is a good thing considering that my room currently looks like a tornado hit it. After traveling, etc., it really does look like a disaster zone and Something Must Be Done.

I finally sat down and organized all of my nail polish (but now I feel like I should do it again, once my make-up is organized), I did a shoe clearout (including the navy boots I never figured out how to wear), and after the wardrobe, I have to tackle my make-up. And my sock/tights drawer. And my underwear. And I appear to have wakened a slumbering beast.

Anyway, as part of just general housekeeping and upkeep, I did my laundry, which is always a good starting point for thinking about your clothes and your wardrobe. And so I decided -- why not start with the clothes that are *not* in the laundry -- the clothes that obviously haven't been worn recently enough to have gone in this last laundry run?

So that's where I started, with the long sleeved shirts (a thinner batch, due to the late winter/early spring weather), and then the short sleeved shirts. I did a tank top clean up in the fall, but I'll revisit them again once it's warmer. Sweaters, you bet. If I really don't think I'll wear it again, into the bag. If I'm sick of wearing it, into the bag. It's like a reality show -- you're in, you're out. No sentiment allowed.

It's also a good way to get perspective -- what do I really wear now, versus what I used to wear. What shapes, what colors, what style do I really wear? What am I missing?


And so I'm really just clearing it out, and it's clearing up my head space too, just to go through and say "no, no, no, let's be honest, no". Three bags full, and out you go.

Have you ever done a drastic wardrobe pruning? Or are you in need of one?

image from periodicstyle.blogspot.com

Quick! Nailing it for Spring

Here's something unusual for me -- lately I've been wearing nail polish on my fingers but not my toes.

I'm actually much more likely to wear polish on my toes at all times, even when it's winter and I only get to see my toes in the morning and when I'm getting ready for bed. It actually weirds me out to not have nail polish on my toes at all.

But because I've been pretty hard on my feet so much lately (I'm now thinking of running a *second* 5K this summer -- one in June, one in July), I have to be really on top of maintaining my toes, and with my lack of time, that means the polish isn't happening.

And yet, I've been managing to find the time to paint my fingernails -- which, for me, is really unusual, because if I don't have enough time to sit around with my bare feet idle, I *really* don't have the time to sit around not doing anything with my hands.

So here's what I've been picking up and putting on lately...

- This past weekend, I found myself back in the Pacific Northwest. Specifically, I found myself back in my beloved Fred Meyer. I loved Fred Meyer in college, I really did. It was always a big deal to get to go to "Freddy's", and I always wound up coming home with something random, like potting soil, pots, seeds, and the plan to grow plants in my dorm room. (I grew sweet peas and mint.)

Anyway, I found myself in the beauty section, as you do, and while there was OPI and all sorts of other polish goodies to be had, I found myself drawn to the L.A. Girl displays -- what's this? A large variety of matte nail polishes? And black light reactive nail polish? Hell yes, those were coming home with me.

I picked up the Matte nail polish in "Matte Alpine Green", a dark hunter green (and my St. Patrick's Day manicure!), and the Disco nail polish in "Turntable", a totally hot turquoise-y mint-y color that will look awesome in or out of black light. "Matte Alpine Green" is my first matte mani, and I have to say -- it's pretty cool!

(Kati, I may need to send you on a mission. To Fred Meyer. Just FYI.)

- I had seen the Sally Hansen Complete Manicure bottles pop up in my local Walgreens, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to make the jump. I mean, I already have so many colors. And top coats. And base coats. Would I really want an all-in-one? After reading Michelle's review of the formula and wear -- check out her photos of what her nails looked like after five days!! -- I was convinced.

Since I was feeling a little down and dark at the time and wanted a "don't mess with me" nail, I went as goth-y dark and tough as I could find. I picked up Black Platinum, which is more of a hematite color. I put on two coats before heading out to the dentist, and immediately the assistant commented on my nails. My twenty-minute mani wounded up lasting two weeks. Definitely worth it.

- As I mentioned, I was up in the PacNW, specifically in the Seattle area, and while I knew that Butter London had an airport presence *somewhere*, I didn't realize that their salon was actually in SeaTac. But I arrived, checked in, and spent some time wandering around the airport, as you do, until I saw the Butter London sign and immediately charged right to it. (I also took a picture of the salon with my iPhone, as you can see. Click for bigger, if you like!)

While I didn't have time or money to sit down and get my nails done (sigh!), they have an entire wall of all of their polishes to play with, along with nail polish remover. I must have tried seven different colors, from glitters to neon cremes to pretty pinks, but the first color I tried on is the one I want to wear all spring long -- I'm dying for the bright teal "Artful Dodger". Alas, according to Butter London, they are out of stock online until April... but it *is* in stock at drugstore.com. Yes, I'd have to do the whole base coat/top coat thing, and I'd have to sit and wait for it to dry, but man. That color is so worth it.

What new polishes are you trying out this spring? Are you branching out into different types, like matte? Any new brands or formulas you're curious to try?

images from lagirlusa.com and periodicstyle.blogspot.com

The hastiest of pre-finals posts.

This should be another themed post about Saint Patrick's Day, but alas, I have thirty minutes before I leave town for the day to visit one of my friends. Time management has been a saving grace and a stumbling block for me this year, all rolled up into one little package of "AHHHH!" This post at Get Rich Slowly about avoiding timesuck pretty much is an accurate description of some of the trade-offs I’ve had to make—her list of after-work goals matches up almost identically with mine, and so do her distractions.

And the sad part is? I'm not even one of those crazy kids who's doing full-time work and full-time school. I still manage to fit in three yoga sessions a week and I'm adding in two hikes/jogs a week. I’m loving the energy, not loving the constant hunger while my body gets used to cardio again. But running is easy to fit into the mornings before work, and of course my WiiFit yells at me if I don’t do my yoga. All of this should be a good build up for my dance class next term, which I am unbelievably looking forward to. However, it’s going to be even more of a struggle to fit everything in considering I’m now going to have less than 12 hours in-between classes. Scheduling school around work is no joke here.

Good thing that extra glass of wine I’ll be having to help me cope might actually be a good thing.

I have never been so excited about spring break, if only so I have time to get a haircut, drink some green beers with friends, and write a blog post about shopping for workout clothes.

Image from ign.com.

Planning a Viewing Party

The Oscars are coming up on Sunday, and Gossip Girl is back on Monday. What better time to plan a little viewing party for your friends or yourself? Epicurious has a detailed entertaining guide for everyone who’s a planner. It’s a little too detailed for my personal tastes, but I’m basically a fly by the seat of my pants entertainer. I’ll have themes picked out for months, but wait until the day of to throw everything together, including costumes, food and music, which keeps me from getting too perfectionist-y about it.

But sometimes I like to plan a little in advance, especially where food is concerned. It’s not a secret that Gossip Girl is my favorite night to eat snacks and vegetate, a joy that will soon be taken from me once my Hip-Hop class starts. But I still have three weeks to enjoy the last snackfests of this season.

What am I thinking about eating?

There’s always the classic Strawberries and Champagne—classy and delicious, just like these two events!

It’s pretty hard to go wrong with veggies and dips—instead of ranch or blue cheese, there are a million other options. One of my favorites is salsa (even more veggies!) or artichoke parmesan dip-- something I only eat at parties. I can’t have it in my house without gaining five pounds, hahahaha.

For the Oscars, cute little bags of parmesan pepper popcorn sound like just the ticket. Or if you want to get even more movie themed, Epicurious has a list of menus and recipes based on the best picture nominees here.

For Gossip Girl snacktime, there’s always the infamous truffle grilled cheese from the Gossip Girl pilot. But even more themed? Brunch food! Time to bust out the waffle irons, it’s waffle time. Josh Schwartz has always had a thing for breakfast food in his shows, and right now our waffle love is coinciding. Melted cheese and fruit on waffles? Yes please! Maybe even some cinnamon and other spices? Yes!

Although, knowing myself, I’ll probably just make some sushi.

Do you like viewing parties? Or are you all viewing partied out after the Superbowl and the Olympics?

Image from youknowyouloveme.org.