Fashion - Pocketful of Joules

An Anthropologie Try-On Session

I think everyone has a store or two that you totally can’t resist. For me, it’s Nordstrom Rack and Anthropologie. The pull is just TOO strong!

For example, on Friday I was walking through the mall after getting my hair cut and without planning it my feet started skipping towards Anthropologie. I swear, I didn’t even realize I was going that way until I was standing in the middle of the store fondling a display of giraffe ring holders (how freaking cute are these?!)

Normally, I try to keep myself confined to the sale room at Anthro… but I decided to just grab whatever caught my eye and do a little try-on session in the dressing room for funsies. Please forgive my terrible picture quality… I snapped them all with my iphone and the lighting kind of sucked.

Chiffon-Spliced Tee ($68) and Pilcro Premium Splattered Shorts ($98)
The first item that caught my eye was this navy top ($68). It is pretty much the most amazing t-shirt in all the land – the fabric is incredibly soft, there is fun detailing around the v-neck and sleeves, and there is a super cute sheer polka dot insert in the back. I usually grab a large in tops at Anthro, but they were out so I grabbed an XL… which is way too big. For bottoms, I tried these polka dot distressed jean shorts ($98). I think they are kind of fun, but I would never pay almost $100 for jean shorts.

Melo Maxi Skirt ($88)
UGH, so sorry for the blurry picture, but I really wanted to show you this maxi skirt. This is one of those skirts I keep seeing online and wondered how it would look on someone with hips and a butt. I tried it in a large, but probably should have sized down to a medium because it was super stretchy and had a ton of fabric. I tucked the XL navy top into it, but it was so super unflattering. And instead of the pattern looking kind of cool and abstract, it kind of looked like I had a communicable disease.

Zenne Maxi Skirt ($98)
The nice dressing room lady tracked down the Cliffon-Spliced Tee in a medium for me to try, just as I was putting on my second maxi skirt. This top fits SO MUCH better and still gives me the drapey look I was going for. I grabbed this maxi skirt in a medium, which fit great. I love the fun pattern, as well as the mixed-pattern striped waistband. It also has two slits on either side, which make it easy to walk in. I feel like this would work great for summer, but I could also layer it up with a cute pair of boots and a cardigan for fall.

Speaking of layering… here is the same outfit with a jean jacket added:

It is the Pilcro Classic Denim Jacket ($138) and I love the medium/dark wash, as well as the tailored fit. I haven’t owned a jean jacket in probably ten years, but after trying this one on I decided I really need another one! I got a tip from an Instagram friend that there is a very similar version at Old Navy for $35, so I ordered that online (it’s this one) with a promo code and will try it out when it arrives this week.

Tideline Pencil Skirt ($88)
This is one of those skirts that I was super curious to see on my body. It is made out of super soft jersey and you can see the vibrant colors much better in the link above (the dressing room lighting doesn’t do it justice). It is very form-fitting, but still really comfortable due the material. I also feel like the way the fabric is cut with the stripes is very flattering for a girl with curves. The only thing I didn’t love was the length. I tried on a large (which would be my typical size), but I didn’t like where it hit below my knee. I think if it were hemmed a bit shorter (or if I tried the petite version) it would have been so much better.

Tied Acionna Silk Dress ($198)
Apparently this dress just hit the store, because the sales associate almost begged me to try it on so she could see it on a person. I typically wear a size 12 in dresses, and found that this fit true to size. Honestly, the silk twill of the dress and the amazingly detailed fabric makes it feel way more expensive than it actually is. I really liked it, but it wasn’t love. Also, I have some similar dresses in my closet already… so it was easy to walk away from this one. If you’re shopping for a summer wedding or bridal shower, it might be perfect for you though!

On Friday, I only bought one of these items. Care to guess?

It’s pretty easy to tell… I fell in love with that navy top the second I put it on in my proper size. I think it’s going to be in heavy rotation with shorts, jeans and skirts year-round. The price is a little steep, but I think it’s justified when you consider the quality of the material, the intricate detailing and the cost-per-wear that it’s going to get in my closet.

Here’s a closer look at the back of the shirt:

I do have one regret though. I’m kind of kicking myself that I didn’t buy the Zenne maxi skirt. At the time, I told myself that I’d wait for it to go on sale, but I’ve been thinking about it a ton ever since I left the store a few days ago. I even DREAMED about it over the weekend, so I’m thinking I might stop in to pick it up sooner, rather than taking the chance that it might sell out before it goes on sale.

What do you think? Should I go back and scoop up the Zenne maxi skirt? Do you like my little try-on session to see how the clothes look on a real person?

Update… 2 hours after I posted: I just saw that Anthropologie marked a bunch of new items on sale AND they are having a Free Shipping promotion (use code 2DAYTREAT at checkout). The Zenne maxi skirt has been marked down to $59.95 and is currently on hold for me to pick up tonight. YAY!

6/3/15 Update: It’s ON like Donkey Kong! I stopped by the store last night and bought the maxi skirt on sale. And a cute t-shirt. And another bohemian style shirt. WHAT?! It was a SALE!!! {teehee}

A photo posted by pocketfulofjoules (@pocketfulofjoules) on Jun 2, 2015 at 1:50pm PDT

Reviewing Jamberry Wraps

Am I the only one who has suddenly been swamped in Facebook posts and ads about Jamberry wraps? It seems like EVERYONE is having a Jamberry party and even though I’m not really a fingernail polish kind of girl, I started to get curious.

Although I’m totally cool with keeping my toenails all prettied up with nail polish year-round, I’ve never been very good at painting my fingernails. If I do it myself, it looks pretty terrible and if I go to a salon, it gets chipped within a day. I tried a gel manicure last year for a friend’s wedding and I really liked how the gel polish kept from chipping for a long time. Unfortunately, I just can’t commit the time or money to getting that done on a regular basis.

So, I decided to try Jamberry.

I put a call out on my Facebook page to see if I had any blog readers who sold Jamberry and Ginny commented right away and offered to send me a pack to try. The color I tried out is called Sparkling Marsala. I was surprised that they had “normal” colors, because I had only seen the wild and crazy patterns… which are totally not my thing. I checked out the website and they have a pretty good selection of the more subtle designs/colors too. I especially like Grapefruit, Diamond Dust Sparkle and Rose Gold Sparkle.

Most styles are $15.00 for a pack, which are typically good for 2 manicures, 1 – 2 pedicures and some leftover accents (if you want to do just an accent nail or two with a different wrap). The packs are always buy three, get one free. Also, they are made in the US and Big 5 Free, so they are safe for pregnant women and kids (they have smaller sizes available for kiddie fingers and toes).

Ginny suggested that I watch a YouTube video of the application process, so that is exactly what I did. She also said that the most important things are to find a size so that no skin is touching the wrap and use alcohol on your nail before you put the wrap on.

With all this in mind, I went for it. Here’s the video I watched before I started:

Based on the instructions and video, here are my supplies:

I pretty much followed the instructions from the video exactly. I made sure not to touch the adhesive part of the wrap and picked it up with my little stick. Then, I turned my hairdryer on the wrap for a few seconds and smooshed it directly onto my fingernail.

Once the wrap was in place, I trimmed the excess with my pocketknife scissors. Then, instead of filing it down, I just used my nail clippers to clip the whole fingernail (and wrap) a teensy bit shorter, giving me a nice sealed edge.

I timed myself and it took me right about 20 minutes from start to finish for my first time. I feel like I can definitely get quicker with a little practice. I have spoken to friends who haven’t had as much luck getting the nails on though, so I don’t know if I just have extra flat nails that make it easy or if I did an exceptional job following the directions.

Here’s what my nails looked like after I put them all on:

I was really impressed with how well I did, especially on my non-dominant hand. I’ve heard a bunch of feedback that it’s really hard to get the tips smooth, but by clipping the ends with my nail they turned out really great. I highly recommend that method!

Even with the neat application, I still fully expected the wraps to start chipping or peeling up within a day or so. I’m pretty hard on my nails and I didn’t hold back with the Jamberry wraps at all. Within the first 24 hours I had ripped apart my vacuum cleaner to clean it out, hung some pictures on a wall, typed a ton, showered, bathed a kid, emptied the dishwasher, dug around in my purse, etc.

Then, on Day #6 I had swim practice with Jack and figured that there was no way the wraps would last through 45 – 60 minutes in a pool… but they totally did. In fact, they looked pretty much the same for the first 8 days of wearing them.

Here is a picture I took on Day #8 right before I took them off:

I totally could have kept them on for a few more days, because they weren’t showing much wear at all. The problem was that when I was bored I’d started working my fingernails under any bit of loose edge I could find and was dying to rip the suckers off.

So I did.

DON’T do what I did though. Follow the instructions and take the nails off by soaking them in nail polish remover to break the adhesive bond. If you rip them off, you also kind of rip off some of the top layer of your fingernail… which is totally not cool. Luckily, my nails were back to normal within a day or so!

So the question is: would I try them again?
Absolutely! They are much cheaper than going to get a gel manicure done at the salon and I like that I can apply them in the comfort of my own home. I think that they looked natural and my friends were shocked when I told them that they were actually Jamberry. I’m not really an ‘everyday’ nail polish girl, but I’d totally break these out for my next fancy event.

Do you want to try them?
I just want you all to know that I don’t make a dime if you decide to buy anything from Jamberry. I’m not having a party or earning products off your orders. I was just really curious about the company and thought you might want to read an honest review.

If you do decide to try them on your own, I’d love it if you’d check out Ginny’s Jamberry website. She’s just starting out her Jamberry business and I love to be able to support my readers whenever I have a chance!

Have you tried Jamberry before? Do you like the ‘plain’ designs that look like nail polish or the funky patterns?

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored review. I was not compensated in any way and all opinions are my own. Ginny was nice enough to provide me with a pack of Sparkling Marsala Jamberry strips to try out. So, thank you Ginny!

Finding Shorts I Don’t Hate

I think I hate shorts shopping even more than swimsuit shopping.

I know, I know. That’s QUITE a statement because nobody likes swimsuit shopping…but every time I try to find a new pair of shorts it seems like my two choices are either super long or super short. If I find a pair that looks okay, there will inevitably be a gap in the back of the waist or that fun little surprise when you sit down and your thigh is doing its own special version of a muffin top.

For the longest time I just had a few pairs of knee-length cargo shorts, but I finally ditched them because I realized that they don’t actually look very good on me. Instead, I kind of looked like a camp counselor. After purging them out of my wardrobe, I was left with just two pairs of shorts (not including running shorts for working out or lazing around the house).

The knee-length pair are from Martin & Osa (a store that went out of business in 2010…) and while I find them super comfortable, the longer style gets so hot when the weather warms up. Also, I’m thinking they are total “mom” shorts. Am I right?

The second pair are my favorite shorts from last year, here’s this year’s version on the Gap website. I love these shorts and wore them pretty much every single day that I wasn’t working. However, when I pulled them out this year, they just seemed awfully short on my haven’t-seen-the-sun-since-last-fall legs. I feel like I kind of need to work my way up to them…

What I really wanted was a pair of shorts that falls somewhere between the two pairs that I have. I could just cut the longer pair down, but I like having them around and I’m afraid I’d miss them. So, I decided to go old-school and make my own cutoffs.

Now, in the old days I’d peruse the thrift store to find a pair of $2 jeans to cut up. However, my issues with jeans are that it’s really hard for me to find a pair that fits my waist, butt, hips AND thighs. So, instead of getting a super cheapo pair, I went to Nordstrom Rack and tried on a bunch from my two favorite denim brands, Democracy and Kut from the Kloth.

I ended up getting a pair of “Equality Skinny Boyfriend” jeans from Democracy (I’m pretty sure they were these) for $45. And YES, I realize that seems like a lot for jeans that I’m going to cut apart but I’d happily pay $45 for a pair of shorts to wear all summer so I’m okay with it.

I picked this particular pair because they already had some distressing at the top (which I love), the waist fit perfectly and they made my butt look good. Because that is obviously super important. {wink, wink}

When I got them home, I used my longer shorts as a template and cut them to that length. I figured, that by time I folded the newly cut shorts up a couple times, they’d be just about where I wanted them to fall. Then, I wore them for a few days to make sure that the length was working for me. I like that I have two ways I can wear them — with one fold so that you can see the distressed cutoff part, or with two folds like my other jean shorts.

If I decide that I want to commit to the double-fold, I can do a quick little sewing job on the side seams to keep them where I want them. I’ll probably end up doing that in a few weeks, but right now I’m kind of digging the ‘lived in’ look on the left.

All-in-all, I’m pretty darn happy with my new shorts. The stretchy denim is super comfortable and the custom length is exactly where I wanted it. YAY for bringing it back old school. I’m thinking that next time I see a pair of cute colored jeans on sale, I’m going to have to buy some to chop up!

Are you a cut-off fan when the weather warms up? Do you just butcher jeans that are already living in your closet or do you buy some at the store with the intentions of cutting them?