Day #11: LashSense and Sand Dollars

When I first started blogging, I envisioned this being strictly for Lularoe...until I realized that there really IS a demand for review of certain beauty products. And now that I am a SeneGence distributor, I realized I could do both here easily.

LipSense is fantastic. It's what made me become a distributor. I bought my first tube in November, my next two in December, and after that, I was hooked. I will do a review on it at some point, but right now while I'm still trying all the other lesser known products, I'll focus on those since I won't sell anything that I haven't tried and reviewed myself. I just won't do it. If I have a client that wants something, I'll disclose that I haven't tried it and I won't stop her from ordering, but usually it's a person who has tried it elsewhere or has heard great things about the product first. 

So, one of the first things (other than LipSense) that I was asked about was LashSense, the mascara made by SeneGence. I am extremely picky about my mascara, probably more so than any other cosmetic that I wear since I wear contact lenses, and I knew this would be an excellent product for me to try and review since I would run it through all the tests that I always do with every mascara. 

First, I have to tell you that there is a story here. This is absolutely not Sephora's fault and could have happened anywhere from Ulta to Neiman Marcus, but I happened to be at Sephora when it happened. I am allergic to about 50% of mascaras that are on the market, and did I happen to mention that I am picky about my mascara because I wear contacts? Yes. So I was standing in the middle of Sephora in my pre-Lularoe days when I wore all black, and I think two of the customers mistook me for an employee. When they asked me for my number one choice in mascara, I responded with Too Faced Better Than Sex without thinking. I then proceeded to watch the first one put on the mascara straight from the tester on her eyelashes. If that wasn't bad enough, the second one opened a brand new box, cracked open one of the mascaras, put it on her eyes, put it back in the box, and walked away. I just stood there with my mouth open. And yes, ever since then? I have never purchased a mascara without making SURE before I left the store that it was sealed, and most of the time if I can, I just order it online. And I have ordered mascara since then online from Sephora and I have purchased mascara at Ulta since then as well, but after I buy the mascara, I stand there in front of the cashier, tear open the box, and make SURE that tube is sealed with no tampering before I buy it. 

A few rules that I have on mascara:

1) DO NOT SHARE IT. Period. I don't think you should share makeup period, but I share eye makeup all the time with my BFF because I know she cleans her makeup brushes regularly and so do I. I also share it with my daughter. But mascara? No way, no how, absolutely not. 

2) Always keep it tightly closed so no air gets in there to dry it out. And once you have cracked the seal? See #4. 

3) Always apply it to clean lashes. I don't think it's a good idea to apply mascara to lashes that already have mascara on them because then your applicator is picking up your old mascara and putting it back in the bottle. Ew. 

4) Set yourself a timeline to get rid of your mascara after a certain timeline, and that time clock starts the second that mascara is opened. All makeup has expiration dates, and we can all tell when stuff has gone bad. I have lip glosses and lipsticks that smell bad, and I have some eyeshadows that have clearly had it because they won't blend well anymore, but with mascara? I set a 90-day note on my calendar to change mascaras. Some sites recommend sixty days. It's not worth it. That stuff can breed bacteria and if the right kind gets into your eyes, it can really damage them. To me, it's not worth it. I usually spend between $20-$25 on mascara that I use every day. For grins, let's round that up to $30.00 with taxes and shipping if you order it. That averages out to 33 cents a day. To me, it's worth it to have the peace of mind. If I didn't like mascara so much, I probably wouldn't use it but it is one of those "I would take it with me to a desert island" things so I do. 

So, on to the LashSense. I opened it on Wednesday March 1 and threw away my last tube which was some waterproof thing from CoverGirl that I bought a few months ago. LashSense will NOT be my tester for the public as I will not have one (see #1 above) and I will be getting rid of it on June 1, exactly three months from the date I cracked the seal. 

LashSense mascara comes in two colors-black and brown. That's it. No blue, no purple, no neon green. Just black and brown. The black is a jet black and the brown is a dark chocolate. 

I applied it live for the first time during a live video in my multi consultant group which has Butterfly TV every Wednesday night, and it applied fine. The brush is a traditional barrel shape with a wider section in the middle than at the ends, and the point of the brush is narrower which is good for applying it to your bottom lashes on your waterline. It goes on very smoothly

with no clumping and no need for an eyelash comb. It's not as thick as other mascaras that I have worn, so there is no spiky lashes, no fake eyelash look, and it's not overly dramatic. It dried to the touch within a few seconds. I used an eyelash curler to curl my lashes, and the mascara did not spatter onto my cheeks when I closed my eyes. I also tested it yesterday without an eyelash curler, and it also did not spatter onto my cheeks, which most mascaras do. As you can see, I did not wear it with any eye makeup at all for take #1.

As I stated, I am highly allergic to most mascaras, so I was watching this to see if I was allergic to this. Usually when I start having an allergic reaction to a mascara, it starts with my contacts starting to go fuzzy and I can't see very well. Not only did that not happen, but after an hour I took one out to inspect it and see if there was any residue or flakes on my contact. Not a one. The next morning, it was still on, but removed easily with waterproof eye makeup remover. I
have not tried Fooops! yet, which is SeneGence's makeup remover, so I'm still using my favorite Sephora brand which takes off everything. Take #2 was later that morning. I did apply full makeup to see how it would look and used Too Faced's Peach Pallette and Urban Decay eyeliner. The mascara went on fine and accentuated my eyes with the eye makeup. I also decided to test the waterproofness of this mascara and put a swirl on my hand at that time which was about 1 pm on day 2. My last test was the morning of day #3 which is where I went to sleep wearing my makeup (not a good idea, but I took a chance because I wanted to test the durability and also the waterproofness) and took a shower the next day with my makeup on. By the time I showered, I had probably washed my hands at least a dozen times since the day before, but look at my hand after the shower. 

So pros of LashSense:

-No allergic reaction.
-Ease in application with no need for my eyelash comb.
-No cheek spatter.
-No eye irritation.
-Long durability.
-Natural look.

And my cons of LashSense:

-I'll be honest, $25 is a tad pricey for mascara, even for me, but my old standby Too Faced Better Than Sex in the pink tube is not waterproof and it is $23 whether you buy the pink tube (regular) or blue tube (waterproof). And I don't play when it comes to my mascara, because if I open one and I'm allergic to it, I either have to toss it or see if I can get the store to take it back. Most of the larger stores now will take mascara back even if it's opened, which is great, and guess what? So will I! If you like what you have read and want to give this a try, let me know, and if you aren't 100% satisfied, I'll accept it back opened or not for a refund or exchange within a reasonable amount of time. 

-The ONLY other thing I didn't like about this was that for me, I prefer a thicker application, and I couldn't get that without a lash thickener. Yes, I admit it, I like my lashes once mascara is on to look one step below wearing false eyelashes. However, SeneGence has a solution for that. If you like THIS look that I am modeling, which is very nice, you can order just the mascara, but if you are like me, and want a more dramatic eye, you can buy the combination tube which has LashSense on the top and UnderSense on the bottom. UnderSense is like a primer for mascara. I haven't used it since I wanted to review LashSense all by itself but from the pictures that I have seen, it appears that using UnderSense would give me the look that I want, so when the combo double-ended tube is back in stock, I'll be ordering it for myself to try it for sure. 

I have LashExtend in stock in clear. It is a product that helps your lashes grow. I haven't tried this and to be honest, I don't need to because the one thing I was blessed with was very long eyelashes. LashExtend comes in black and brown for day use and a clear formula to wear at night and is to be used for fuller and longer lashes within three weeks.

So here is the price breakdown for all the "lash" stuff.

LashSense in black or brown all by itself is $25.00.

UnderSense (the primer) all by itself is $20.00.

The combo LashSense/UnderSense is $20.00. 

The Lash Extend in clear is $50.00.

The Lash Extend in brown or black is $55.00.

As of the time of this post (and of course, this could change by lunch time), I have one black LashSense, three brown LashSense, and one clear LashExtend. I can order the brown LashSense only. However, if you are interested in any of these, please comment, join my page, email me, text me, send out smoke signals, whatever, and I'll put you on my list to order as soon as they come back in stock. And if you are reading this review after the fact? Hopefully if you read this and are like, oooh, gotta have THAT, let me know because it might just be in stock to order or I might have it!

So where are the sand dollars, you wonder? 

I have to show me Roeing in the wild! And I haven't done that in a while even though I have a ton of Lula pictures and the laundry basket to prove it. In fact, I've now ruined every last one of my old non-Lularoe leggings and yoga pants so now I have to wear my Lula leggings around the house OR go buy non-Lula leggings. And that's just wrong. Yesterday I had breakfast with my girl Deborah Shute and I sported a 2X Cassie (YES! I NOW CAN FIT INTO A 2X CASSIE! AFTER ONLY BEING COMFORTABLE IN A 3X FOR ALMOST A YEAR!), a black Irma and a black Mimi. Yes, flip flops...it's starting to be a little spring-like around here. And I LOVE this Cassie; the design reminds me of sand dollars so it is one of my favorites. I also have it in light blue and white. And lastly....a close up of LipSense Beige Champagne which turned out to be not as nude as I thought!

Hope everyone has a great day and please let me know if you have any questions about LashSense! To join my group, please click here to be added.

Day #9: Has it really been almost a month?

It hasn't really been almost a month since I blogged....has it? Ugh. I am really falling down on my goal to blog every day. I have tons of photos of me Roeing in the wild, just no time to write anything up. 

I'll sum up the last month in a few bullet points:

1) I am having severe problems at work. Since my blog is public and I am well-known in Dallas in the insurance industry, that is all I'm going to disclose at this time.

2) I decided to become a distributor for Senegence (you know, Lip Sense?) and in order to raise capital for inventory, I decided to sell off all my cross stitch supplies, fabrics and patterns. Ugh, that's all I can say is UGH! It has been two weeks OF HELL!

3) I think that's ABOUT it! I can't think of anything else! But this outfit was way comfortable. WAY!  But, my Roeing goes on! Real life, right? 

My outfit that I am featuring today is a four-piece oufit that I wore to meet my friend at The Flying Saucer in Rockwall for dinner and drinks. I paired a solid royal purple Carly with a pair of, well, African print leggings! One of the girls that commented on these said that they looked like Lion King leggings and yes, I admit it, that made me see them in a different light! I also topped them with a purple striped Sarah cardigan and a blue Mimi. 

Now that I'm getting more organized with my life in general, I should be blogging more, but I apppreciate your patience. If any of you are friends with some makeup divas, contact me, and I'd love to come to your house to do a party. More to come this weekend. I promise. It has not escaped my attention that I am not done with the core reviews yet!

But I do have to admit I LOVE this Sarah. Dark purple stripes on a solid royal purple? That's just freaking awesome! Purple is great and yes, I admit that these leggings look like they are RIGHT from Mufasa's wardrobe. Have a great day!

Day #7: Elegance...for work?

Why not? These girls look like they are ready to party it up every day of the week when the average person may attend one formal event every few years. Maybe.

I really had no idea what to expect when the Elegance Collection was released. All I knew was, several of my consultants were taking preorders, nothing in my size was available, and everything that I absolutely loved wasn't even made in my size. And it was expensive! And dry clean only!

But when it comes to clothes, jewelry, makeup, nail polish, whatever....I'm attracted to the sparkly. If I were a fish, I'd have been dead on a plate long ago. An old friend of mine used to yell "fish bait!" every time we'd be shopping and run into a display of jewelry that caught my eye. 

The first thing I got was the Classic T in a combination of silver and rose gold. That was a preorder and I was happy with it. The second thing I got was the sparkly Carly in the berry color. Also a preorder and I was happy with it. Everything else? Well, I came across this Lindsay in the picture at a multi-consultant sale after Christmas and told myself I wouldn't buy it unless it was still available at the end of the day. Obviously it was. I had several friends on the list to the left contact me when they had stuff in my sizes to offer me first right to buy. I had several friends say that they didn't think they would EVER sell X, Y or Z....and then I decided I had to have it. The rest of it? Imagine a lion hunting antelope and

that was me. See that picture? The antelope was the shiny blue Wonder Woman skirt and I was the pouncing lion. I justified it by telling myself that because I have fifteen nieces and nephews that are growing up and will be getting married that I need these semi-formal (all right, fine, they are formal!) clothes. Then I justified it by telling myself that they really aren't that Christmasy and I can wear them whenever I want. Then I made myself a promise that I would wear Elegance to every Lularoe party and pop-up and event this year to get my money's worth, a promise which I promptly broke on Sunday.

Shameless....I really could talk myself into walking off a cliff if I tried hard enough. 

So a few tips for those of you that are like me and have a ridiculous amount of Elegance and won't admit it (but you know you do):

1. If you have one of the glittery sparkly Carlys and you are freaking out about the glitter dust that is everywhere, I heard from another consultant that if you take it outside, shake it out and then spray it thoroughly with Scotch Guard, the glitter fall out will be at a minimum. Another suggestion is hairspray, although I'm not going to be trying that, thank you very much! Here's an article that talks about how to keep glitter from falling off clothing. 
2. I have heard from several wearers that the glitter fabric scratches the bejeezus out of the underside of the arms when you wear it. I don't have any input on that yet since I haven't worn mine anywhere except around the house, but I'll update this article when I wear one for more than five minutes. I would suggest wearing a Lindsay or Monroe with it to help with the chafing. 
3. Read the care instructions on every piece that you have. I have heard that dry cleaning is recommended for these pieces, but I seriously doubt I am ever taking it down to my local dry cleaner to let them have at it. Since I'm an insurance adjuster, I know people in the textile restoration business, so I'll probably be doing that as needed but only as needed. Any piece that can be hand-washed, I would do that with the most delicate soap possible and wash by hand. 
4. Be careful with it and watch your jewelry, especially on the stuff that can snag. I didn't even bother wearing a bracelet Christmas even when I wore my Elegant Lucy that has a tulle overskirt. (You can see the picture of me wearing that green skirt in this article.)
5. I seriously wasn't kidding about wearing it to every pop-up party I attend this year, but I'm not going to wear head to toe metallics or glitter. I plan on toning some of those pieces down with some solid shirts and skirts. 

And with that, it's a perfect segue into the title of my article where I actually did wear Elegance to work. My first Lindsay that I bought (ouch, I just admitted I have more than one, didn't I?) was a bronze shimmery Lindsay with gold threads running through it, and I thought it went really well with this combination of a mineral-washed black Classic tee, a floral Azure skirt in tones of gold, gray, and white on a black background, and tan leggings underneath. Definitely four pieces that I would not have thought about pairing together, but it just kind of....worked. Which is odd considering that there were four fabric types in this outfit....mineral wash, gauzy chiffon with metallic threads, slinky Tencel in the Azure and then everyone's favorite leggings. It was dressy for work without being overkill, and it was fun. (Karaline, if you are reading this, I told you I had worn the mineral wash to work!)

And the Azure is such a cute topper for leggings...it's swingy, it's comfortable, and you can pick a color out of the pattern in the Azure to bring to the forefront with your legging choice. I was trying to highlight the gold in the floral pattern to bring out the color of the gold threads in the Lindsay.

I loved pairing the Azure with leggings so much that day that I decided to give it another shot today when I was traveling, except this time I paired the Azure and leggings with a Perfect tee and a Sarah cardigan. It was great for flying, so much better than the jeans I used to travel in. Unfortunately I didn't find anyone that I felt would stop what they were doing and take a picture of me, and I hate taking selfies of myself in the mirror, so I took this one of me from the waist down . The "bell" of the turquoise Perfect blouses out perfectly over the Azure, a lavender cotton with a rich vibrant purple and turquoise thinly striped grid-like plaid, which I layered over purple leggings to match the "grid" in the Azure. I wore a purple striped Sarah over the entire thing, and now you get a close-up of my Skecher ballet flats. When I travel, I only bring one set of jewelry, so I just was wearing my wedding rings, some handmade turquoise black beaded earrings and a stainless steel Fossil watch with a white marbled face. 

But this weekend I am hosting my first in-home party AT my home, and you bet I'll be wearing one of my fancier dresses then...maybe I'll try one of the glittery Carlys and see if I can irritate my husband by getting glitter all over the couches that he'll insist on vacuuming to perfection before my guests arrive. 

The bronze Lindsay with the gold threads is available for purchase from Jessica Martin in sizes medium and large.  She also has the berry sparkly Carly, the green Lucy with the rose gold diamonds and the Classic tee in the silver and rose gold, so if you are still on the hunt for Elegance, it's a great place to go shop, and she is offering special pricing through tomorrow evening. 

Have a great day and remember, any day is a good day to dress in sparkling clothes!

Oh, and one last thing...look what I spotted at Hudson News at Dallas Love Field! Sure do look like MIMIS, don't they? Just goes to show you that EVERYone wants to Roe!

The Mimi: Is it a sweater, a blanket a poncho or a scarf?

For me, the answer is that it is whatever you want it to be. My best friend thinks I look like I am wearing a macrame potted plant hanger. And she's probably laughing RIGHT NOW reading this article.

I actually did a lot of research on this since it is just so darn different than anything that Lularoe makes, but if you are on the fence, haven't seen one in person, or just want some good reading material, get a fresh cup of coffee and sit back! I did a little blogging reconnaissance when these beautiful items first came out last summer and made a run out to check out the newest addition to the Lularoe lineup at a local consultant's house. I wanted to do some research, see these fabulous pieces up close and personal, and take pictures to share with you all, since there is a lot of buzz going around the Lulaworld about these fabulous pieces. (And yeah, I admit, I bought one. And since then? Three more.)

Here is the nitty gritty...the Mimi is essentially a large shawl that is sold as one long piece, but with buttons on one side that allow you to fasten it in front or to the side of you as a poncho. You can also wear it as a wrap, a scarf, or a blanket-style wrap on cold nights. The way that I have modeled it in these pictures is to wear it poncho-style with the blue one buttoned to the side (over a Julia) and the black and gray one buttoned in front (over a Carly and leggings). I can't see myself wearing it unbuttoned personally because I could totally see it slipping off of me and falling on the ground and getting stained or something. I'm just that clumsy, which is why I have to take extra-special care of my Lularoe!

The Mimis are designed, plotted, cut and knitted to their own specifications. Each one is made individually and knitted by a machine, and then finished off and tasseled by hand. This is the reason why this is the most expensive piece hands-down right now in the Lularoe collection. A piece like this is called "Full Fashion Knitting". Yeah, right, I don't know what that means either. So I looked it up!

According to Wikipedia,  "Fully fashioned knitting machines are those flat and circular knitting machines that produce custom pre-shaped pieces of a knitted garment. Instead of knitting a whole rectangular sheet of fabric, instructions from a knit pattern on a punch card or computer file guide a fully fashioned knitting machine's needles to add or drop stitches to create custom two-dimensional shapes appropriate to the desired finished garment structure. The pieces emerge from the machine ready to be sewn together." Now in the case of the Mimi, there are no pieces that are being sewn together, but the point is that the machine makes each Mimi individually, which is why they are so expensive! As we all know, Lularoe's bedrock principle is that they make a print or a color in a fabric, they cut it into the various styles, sew them together and then distribute them for sale, but in the case of the Mimi, these are a little more special because there is no fabric anywhere in the piece. They are 100% yarn in the piece and the tassels and finishing are made with some sort of thread from what I could tell. 

From what I can tell, there are three main "styles" of the Mimi:

1) The first style, featured in purple and blue, is a combination of a shaker-style stitch with bands of honeycomb mesh stitches in a staggered eyelet design. 

2) The second style, featured individually in black and cream, is a honeycomb mesh stitch in a staggered eyelet design for a more traditional crocheted look.

3) The third style is a tight zig-zag rib knitted stitch pattern, featured in slate blue.

Don't be impressed that I knew those stitch names. I had to look them up on Pinterest while quietly cursing myself for not letting my late grandma teach me how to knit or crochet. She, by the way, was also nicknamed MIMI. 

It also appears from what I have seen online so far with Mimi, there are four main "color variations" as well:

1) The first style is a blend of two colors of yarn that combine together to appear as one color when actually when examined up close are two. For example, the plum one that is modeled is actually a combination of purple and blue. That's the only one I have seen in that way.

2) The second style is a solid yarn in one color. I have seen this style so far in black, gray and white. 

3) The third style is almost a combination of striped and heathered, which is what I am wearing in the blue. I have seen this in also in olive, green, gray and black.

4) The fourth style is a solid color but with partial stripes of a contrasting color coming in from the sides, which is what I am wearing in black and gray. I've also seen this in blue and gold, green and white, white and black, pumpkin and cream, olive and brown, and white and gray.

So now, on to what I thought of the Mimi itself:

The first reaction I had after laying a hand on one was how incredibly soft and light it felt compared to what I had expected. I don't know why, but I had honestly expected it to feel like wool. You know, scratchy? Itchy? Hot? Not something you want to wear? But it wasn't like that at all. It was incredibly soft and luxurious. The knitted fabric stretches gently so that it truly is one size fits all, and because there are no sleeves or a waist, you just wrap it around your shoulders and button it up and go. Or, leave it buttoned and then slide it over your head like a pull over. Then you can adjust it to have the buttons to the side (as I did with the blue) or leave them in front to create a more cardigan-feel (as I did with the black). Another way to wear it is to stylishly arrange it around you so it drapes at an angle. 

Another concern I had with the Mimi was that I won't be able to wear it very often since I live in Texas. That was a concern that I had back in August when it was triple digits. Now, in January, I am very glad that I bought them as they are wonderful to wear, very stylish, and very cozy. The knitted fabric is very flexible and thin but not so thin that you are cold. However, I did hear from another consultant in New York who was not impressed with the Mimi at all because she feels that it will be too thin to provide any warmth for the chilly Northeastern winters. I have a feeling that the consultants in Florida probably will like theirs but won't keep them since Florida hardly ever gets cold. I have worn my Mimi when it is fifty degrees (perfect), thirty degrees (perfect but I could have used a little more warmth) and nine degrees with wind chill (completely insufficient).  

The tassels, as intended, are purely decorative to add some flair to the shawl and not just make it look like a rectangular piece of knitted fabric. The buttons are in complimentary colors to the yard and fasten the Mimi on securely but not so much that they are hard to unbutton. 

So the question is, are you buying one because you truly intend to wear it, or are you buying one because it's the hottest flashiest thing right now? Ask yourself that before you buy one, because not everyone likes them. My husband was not too crazy about them. Mr. Fashionista, upon seeing the pictures of the Mimi when it was first released last summer, asked where my sombrero and burro was. Ha. Do you live in a climate where it would be worth it? Do you live in a climate where it won't provide you with any warmth? Does it go with your clothes that you wear? Is it really you? It's $75 retail, ladies...ask yourselves if you really want it or you just want it because everyone wants it? It's so easy to get caught up in the whirlwind...kind of like Tickle Me Elmo. 

For myself, I decided when I first saw them that I really wanted one because I have shirts that are this style that I really enjoy wearing. Texas does get cold when the storms blow down from Oklahoma, and as it stands right now, my warmest dressiest "jacket" is the Sarah since I donated my old out-of-date leather jacket. I also think that these look really nice and stylish with skirts and dresses and jeans. I think they have the capability to be styled in a lot of different ways and to be genuinely enjoyed....if you truly want to spend the money to do that. If you do, they are definitely worth it. There are items like this on the market right now that on the cheap retail for about $29 from Target and on the pricey retail for about $208 at Nordstrom's. And I really wanted the ones from Lularoe because of the colors. I decided on two in the color combinations that I would wear the most: black and blue.  The ones featured are the ones I will own and wear for years to come. Since the first release I bought another one that is solid black with white threads and a gray one, and I am thinking about a green. 

So for me, I guess I did get sucked into the Tickle Me Elmo whirlwind. I don't even know whether or not I should hang these things up or just fold them. Right now, they are all sitting folded in my office until I figure out a storage method. I throw them on my desk at work because my coat hook stretches them out. 

But I really like them. Do you? Have you tried one on? I am tall and these hit right at the right place on my hips and my arms. Do they hit right on you, or are they too heavy? Only you can say! I personally love mine and I wish that I could have one in purple and one in blue-green. But I don't like the fabric in the purple and the blue-green doesn't exist. 

Okay, fine. I admit it. I love them. They are so darn cozy and I can wear whatever I want and it will layer over everything. Look at this. What can layer over leggings, a Nicole dress, a Joy and a Sarah and still look normal? 

The minimum advertised price (MAP) set by Lularoe for the Mimi scarf is $75.00. 

If there are any questions about the Mimi scarf, please post them below. Make it a great Lularoe day!

Day #4: Get Rhythm When You Get The Blues

Seriously, you would think that no one in Dallas had ever seen snow or ice before. But I digress. I teased my coworkers enough at the office for standing at the window watching our parking lot get covered in white yesterday. I know a lot of people were excited about the snow, and I know I should be too, but I guess in Dallas it's more of a hassle than pretty. But at least the city is preparing better.

Since it was going to be COOOOOOLD yesterday, I decided to take advantage and wear an Ana which I hardly ever get to wear! I know it looks purple in the photographs because of the flash, but it is actually a mix of navy blue and royal blue. I paired it with an Aztec-style turquoise and royal blue Lindsay and turquoise leggings. Accessories? Denim blue Skecher ballet flats (let's face it, after my shattered foot, I don't have a lot of options for footwear), an aqua agate faced Fossil watch with a stainless steel band, turquoise headband, blue topaz cocktail ring and a pair of turquoise and teal beaded earrings. As my coworker said, "look at you in all that blue!" If you picked my favorite colors dependent on what the predominant color is in my closet, blues and turquoise would be it. 

The Mimi was nice to have on with the cold in the morning. I didn't take a picture of me wearing it because I have a few pictures up already with me wearing it and the Mimi, really, doesn't look any different worn over different dresses. I wish I was all stylish and fashionist and wore it all scarfed and everything but I just like to wear mine poncho-style with the buttons in the front or pulled to the side so that the bottom hem of the Mimi drapes at an angle. I will be honest that it did not do a thing for me in the afternoon when I walked out at six pm when it was 23 degrees with a wind chill factor of 9 degrees, but fortunately my car warms up fast, and once the heat was going, the Mimi kept me snug as a bug in a rug. 

The Ana dress is a fantastic dress and if you know your Nicole size, this is the same as the dresses are identical, it's just a longer skirt that doesn't twirl. However, as you can see, it is rather clingy. I didn't wear a Spanx under mine since I was wearing leggings and you can tell for sure!

Wearing leggings under an Ana is something that a lot of people don't think about doing because it's such a long, formal dress, but I have done it now on two occasions and no one has noticed my leggings either time. Both times that I did it, it was on really cold nights and I don't think I would have been warm enough either way. The Ana is a fantastic dress and I am so excited to get to wear the ones that I have this winter with leggings as an accompaniment. For this dress, the blue is so vibrant and vivid and beautiful, it is perfect for winter, and the Lindsay that I selected is in a combination of so many shades of blues and turquoise that it was the perfect compliment to this perfect dress. And the flash of turquoise as the skirt of the Ana swished matched the Lindsay. 

The Lindsay, a hard to find one, is available in S for purchase from Deborah Shute. She also has the turquoise leggings in OS and TC.

Make it a great Lula day and stay warm!

Day #3: Layers, layers and more layers!

Snow flurries tomorrow. Really? Argh. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that it's finally starting to act like winter around here, but I have a feeling when March comes I will be so happy to wear sandals again!

I've had some very big changes at work this week, which means I'm going to start traveling again, so I haven't done as great with blogging EVERY day as I wanted...but the changes at work are really positive and I'm going to be back out in the field. I'm leaving for Sacramento, California on Sunday.


On Wednesday, I wore a gorgeous new Nicole that I honestly wish I had bought months ago after hostessing for Laura Lindsay. I was very lucky that she still had it during her end of the year sale, and I can't be happier that I gave it a try. It is a dark blue, almost navy background, with a pale platinum gray lace pattern overlaying it. I wore light blue leggings underneath, a white lace Joy on top with a navy blue Sarah with white heathering, and to top it all off, my blue Mimi since the temperatures dropped like a rock in a pond while I was at work that day. I think what I liked the most about this outfit was that the white lace Joy really went well with the pattern on the dress. White is generally a spring and summer color, but in this case, it was a perfect combination with the lace pattern especially for winter....kind of like snowflakes! And the blues, even though they were all different shades, all complimented each other well. 

 ...and then the leggings!
As each layer comes off...

Wearing a Sarah layered over a Joy really adds a different dimension to the duster cardigan. They are the the same length, so the lace worn under the Joy almost makes the Sarah look lined. It's a really unique way to dress up the Sarah when wearing it with a dress. For accessories, I am wearing a pair of blue Skecher ballet flats, a pearl headband, a pair of silver seashell and pearl drop earrings, a silver and cubic zirconia cocktail ring from Brighton, and a silver Fossil watch with a white marble face. 

And for fun, I decided to paint my nails in a complimentary color...OPI Live and Let Die! 

This really has been the first week of the season that I've gotten to really wear my Mimi scarf and enjoy it, and I'm just loving it. They are so soft and warm, and they layer perfectly over your outfit, no matter how many layers you are wearing. And they are really comfortable and not scratchy at all. I'm really glad that I made the investment to get the ones that I wanted for this year rather than replacing my leather jacket from years past. 

The blue Mimi I am wearing is available for purchase from Lisa Mims. 

The dark blue with platinum lace Nicole is available for purchase in a 3XL from Laura Lindsay. 

The navy blue heathered Sarah is available for purchase in an XL from Katie McReynolds.

The white lace Joy is a little out of season as that is more of an item sold in the spring, but white knit Joys are very popular right now and Serena Cervantes has the white knit Joy in S, L and XL available for purchase. 

Thank you for reading and I hope you have a wonderful Friday as the first week of 2017 draws to a close.