outfits - Natalie Wise Blog

Pink Pants & The Happiness Equation

Fuschia pants in winter make me super happy. Also, these pants were $3 at the thrift store, so that’s pretty happiness-inducing, too. I take my happiness where I can get it, and I can usually get it at the thrift store pretty inexpensively 😉

Today’s outfit “equation” brought to you by the fabulous Mrs. Lilien. So much style in that lady, I tell ya!

Mrs. Lilien’s High-Winter Uniform

I like to think of this as “Pink Pants & The Happiness Equation.” In case you missed that because, after all, it’s a foggy-gray-sleety-snowy-depressing January Tuesday, the equation is: Pink Pants = Happy. See, super simple. Add some leopard and some bling, and the happiness quotient triples! We get three times the happiness! That means it’s Pink Pants + Leopard + Bling = Happyx3

So then I asked my engineer friend if this was correct. And she said, “I’ll make you a proof!”

^{So that, my friends, is proof of my theory of happiness.}

^{Just don’t ask me how adding things somehow multiplies them.}

^{I just can’t spend any more brain power on this.}

^{*Ok technically it is A proof, meaning a formal mathematical demonstration. Also, she made it fancier and more official, but it was really kinda long.}

By all accounts, I was no math rockstar back in school. Just put things in terms of pink pants and leopard shoes and I’m willing to give it a shot.

But I gotta be real because Mrs. Lilien lives in Palm Springs, and I live in Minnesota. Sooooo for actually going out I looked like this:

And I’m not really sure where coat + scarf + boots fit into the equation.

Which just goes to show you can take the girl out of the math class, and what little she learned in that math class won’t go with her.

Natalie – Math Class = No Idea How to Do Math

And now we’ve come full-circle.

Happy Tuesday, friends.

PS> Another #KissSlaveryGoodbye post wearing my Radiant Cosmetics Daphne lipstick. So totally in love with this lipstick & mission.

Weekend Wear

Relaxed boyfriend jeans, a cute & cozy sweater, ankle-strap tiny wedges, some bling-bling to take it up a notch. Newsboy hat and military-inspired jacket, pop of color in a kelly green bag, and a black and white Hello Kitty character scarf (because who says we have to be grown-ups all the time?).

Weekend, let’s do this!
🙂
Have a great one, friends!

PS. Now you can pin my images super easily! Just hover over an image and wait for the cute pink “Pin It!” heart to show up, then click!

Let’s Play Choose the Belt

{I really did brush my hair, promise}

I’m such a dork; I totally love game shows. I love old fashioned ones, and watched many rounds of Card Sharks & vintage Let’s Make a Deal when I was younger. Over Christmas break, I watched a good deal of current Let’s Make a Deal (goodness, I think Wayne Brady is hysterical).

{outfit details}

So I thought it might be fun to have you help “style” me today!

You can see I’ve got this gorgeous coral color goin’ on in my bangles and Caroline G. necklace.

Now, let’s play: Choose the Belt!

So should I stick with coral? Go neutral? Throw in a fun pattern?

{#5 is definitely called “coral” on BR website, though it looks crazy-orange here}

Got a favorite?

I’d love to know which belt you would choose for this outfit.

Unfortunately, there is no prize (because how could there be a winner? You’re all winners in my eyes!). Also unfortunately, there’s no Wayne Brady involvement whatsoever.

But I still can’t wait to hear what you think!

Well Then…

It’s the middle of January. It’s -7 degrees today, actual temperature.

I need some sunshine.

Sunshine in the form of a summer dress?

Why not?

Just layer it up!

So long as the background or floral colors are deep enough to coordinate with some darker winter layers, a summer dress can be a cheerful addition to a winter wardrobe.

(Gray 3/4 sleeve tee & thermal shorts under dress)

At least, I think so.

When I was trying on a few clothes at the thrift store, another woman looked at me and said, “You look like you’re dressed for the wrong season. Don’t you have any winter-appropriate clothes?” I think she was genuinely concerned for me, bless her heart. I wasn’t quite sure how to respond, considering I had dressed this way on purpose. Oops.

So now that you’ve seen my attempt at this outfit, you can see what thoroughly inspired it, this gorgeous photo from one of my new favorite bloggers:

She’s so chic.

I think I look like a middle-schooler trying to look like the cool high-schooler…

Actually, that analogy kind of sums up my whole life, haha.

Happy Monday!

PS. Sharing a bit of my heart about Faith-Based Fashion on Rubi’s blog! Check it out 🙂

PPS. If you have cabin fever, too, check out Modcloth’s mad sale:

And doesn’t that red dress look SO SIMILAR to mine?

Coffee Date Vlog

Happy Friday!

Today I’m trying out something totally new: a vlog or video blog!

Nothing monumental, just a “coffee date” chat and linking up with Rags to Stitches!

Um, so, like, this is me, you guys (embarrassed look). This is my first vlog so go easy on me!

Coffee Vlog Good Girl Style {1-18-13} from Natalie on Vimeo.

Let’s see, what else is new?

1.) I wrote about my beloved New England state, Vermont, for Elembee blog.

2.) You can “like” me on Facebook now! (if my video hasn’t scared you off!) I share a lot of new stuff on here that isn’t on my blog.

3.) This post went a little crazy on Pinterest. Have you tried it, or pinned it for later?

4.) Here’s a link to the book I mention in my vlog.

Have a great weekend, my dears!

A Little Bit of This

{thrifted scarf, thrifted merino plum sweater, H&M blazer, F21 jeans, thrifted boots}

No big, fancy outfits around here lately, just a few everyday-doing-this-thing-called-life outfits.

{Caroline G. necklace, Target sweater, Gap cami, F21 jeans & boots}

This was such a gray day, you can tell by the lighting. I was wearing a dark purple sweater, and I looked at myself in the mirror and thought, “This shirt is making you look tired & sad. You need color.” So I swapped for my yellow sweater (current clearance at Target, fyi!), my peach Caroline G. bubble necklace, and my hot pink Radiant cosmetics lipstick. Much better!

{Thrifted tee, thrifted sweater, J.Crew cords, H&M ring, Minnetonka mocs}

Crushing hard on this color combo of seafoam and raspberry lately.

And who doesn’t love some Minnetonka mocs?

The snow was swirling in an ethereal way this morning: circular, horizontal, dream-like.

I felt like I was inside of a snowglobe, truly.

Quite lovely.

Kiss Slavery Goodbye: Shades of Pink

Wearing my Radiant Cosmetics Daphne lipstick all this month to support #KissSlaveryGoodbye. You can read more about this awesome company, awesome mission, and awesome lipsticks here and here.

My heart has been so encouraged this week with help from a coffee date with my sister-in-law, the women in The Influence Network, and so many kind words from friends & others. Thank you, lovelies, for lifting my heart!

This awesome nail polish from my December Birchbox is my new favorite! It’s a silver/purple/pink depending on the light. Don’t you think it’s fun?

Have a great week!

Casual Sequins: Oxymoron?

My friend told me I don’t wear jeans very often.

Regular old blue jeans, as opposed to colored denim, because we all know I love my hot pink jeans! I guess it’s true…I’m a skirt and dress sorta girl. That, or yoga pants and one of my many sweatshirts. But you don’t need to see that.

My mom gave me this top for Christmas. My brother (again with my brother nick-naming my outfits/clothing, right? This was my lot in life growing up) calls this the “mermaid top.” I think I rather agree this time! The paillettes are a beautiful matte blue-green, but when the light hits them, they shine and come alive.

I wanted to try wearing this top in a wearable way. A “Hey, this Mermaid top isn’t so scary!” way. So I pulled out the old blue jeans. For some texture contrast, I added my velvet riding jacket and my gray suede pumps. Since the top is rather statement-y, I kept my makeup and jewelry very simple. Just a few coats of mascara and this wonderful Pomegranate-Fig Lip Butter I received in a gifted Birchbox, and it was a particularly good hair day thanks to another goodie from my Birchbox. Have you joined Birchbox? It’s totally fun…they send you designer beauty samples every month. You can join here! For jewelry, just some simple studs and my favorite rings. If your office lets you wear jeans on Casual Friday, I think this would be the perfect outfit. Take off the jacket, change the heels, add a bit more makeup, and you could head out for a party afterwards!

This Missoni bag is my absolute favorite winter purse. It’s a consignment store steal, considering it was under $20 and it retails for nearly $500. Tomorrow I’ll show you my purse & travel essentials featuring the uber-awesome GoToobs from HumanGear.

Also, I’ve been reading these amazing blog posts about picking the perfect jeans for your figure. Considering they don’t make my favorite brand of jeans (what I’m wearing above, Blue Cult) anymore (I don’t think…if you know otherwise, please let me know!), I’ll need these tips soon enough. Thanks, Rachel!

Birthday {Part II}

So you’ve seen the outfit. This one:

{threw in a vintage edit ’cause I’m happy}

Buuuuuuuuuut you haven’t seen the cake yet 🙂

Now you have! Light pink frosting with rose petals all around. Tall candles. Beautiful platter.

But, actually, you still haven’t really seen the cake.

Because, I mean, look:

Ombre green mint-flavored layers inside 🙂

THE BEST BIRTHDAY CAKE!

My favorite colors! My favorite flavors! Gluten free!

A lot of people say I shouldn’t make my own cake, but most of the time I really don’t mind. It’s just so FUN and I really get to go all out.

I was laughing so hard because when I tried to blow out the candles, the rose petals flew everywhere! Note to self: remove any small, loose, light objects from cake platter before blowing out candles 😉

{Birthday banner from grandma above & DIY garland below}

Thanks, everyone, for making my birthday so special.

I’m just so grateful we get to do life together…good and bad, near and far. Thanks for being in my life and for sharing life with me here on my blog. Here’s to another year!

Birthday {Part I}

Hi 🙂

It was my birthday 🙂

I received the most luscious bouquet of hot pink and light pink roses 🙂

My family and friends really went all out to make sure it was a special day…sending flowers, gifts from afar, cards, and bringing pink champagne and presents. They really indulged me, and are ever-so-good to me. Thank you, dears, for making my day so special 🙂

My brother calls this my Neopolitan Ice Cream skirt. I call it my Birthday Tutu! I’ve worn it for my birthday before (see this old-as-the-hills post). It’s just so perfectly pinkly party-y! I wore it with my grandmother’s crinoline underneath. Can you believe she used to wear it under her poodle skirts in the 50s?! I love it so much it’s not even funny.

The feather headpiece was a birthday gift a few years ago from one of my very best friends. I love it so much and have worn it on many birthdays because it is just so birthday-y! I wore some vintage costume jewelry earrings, and my polka-dot tights too.

A birthday only comes once a year, so it definitely requires some party clothes! Don’t you agree?

Check out PART TWO here, including my green-ombre cake with pink frosting!