Fashion - Pocketful of Joules

Let’s Talk About Buns, Hun

Now that the weather is warming up and Maryland is getting steamy, I’m always searching for ways to keep my hair back without looking like I just crawled out of bed. Last year, my ‘go to’ look was to clip my bangs back with a barrette and do a French braid that fell over my shoulder. This year, my hair is a little shorter – due to a major chop session last fall – so my French braid is kind of stumpy and sad.

Which brings us to buns, hun.

I have three different (super simple) buns that I’m kind of loving right now, so I figured I’d share them with you along with the tools I use to get each look.

Bun #1: Using a Hairpin
Tools: Aluminum and Pearl hairpin (I have this one)

This is the easiest bun for those of you with long hair – all you do is grab your hair and hold in a ponytail, then wind it around into a circle. Then, you just stick something through to hold it — I typically use a pencil, pen or chopstick. When I want to be fancy, I use this pretty hairpin I found on etsy to make the bun look much more ‘on purpose’ than shoving a pen in there.

Bun #2: Using a Clip
Tools: Kimono Fabric Hair Clip (I bought mine at an accessories store called Lou Lou, but they don’t seem to have it online. I found some similar styles here and here)

For so many years I tried to do a bun with one of those little claw clips, only to have it loosen and fall off my head within a few minutes. When I found this clip at the mall, I almost swooned… it is THAT fantastic. It holds all my hair securely, even when going for the ‘messy bun’ look. I followed the same steps as with the last bun, but instead of using a hairpin I just shoved the clip into place.

Bun #3: Using a Sock
Tools: Two ponytail holders and a kids sock with the toe cut off.

Yeah, that’s right… I tried a sock bun. I wanted something with a little more volume, but I didn’t want to go for the full sock bun (which can look like a huge hair fascinator stuck on your head). To make the bun smaller, I switched out the typical-sized sock for one of Jack’s and it gave me just enough puff. I purposely chose a dark colored sock so that it wouldn’t be as noticeable in my hair.

Here’s how I made this one:

Pull hair into a ponytail and secure with a ponytail holder.
Put sock on the ponytail.
Wrap hair around sock to cover it up as best as you can. Secure with the second ponytail holder.

What do you think, am I pulling the sock bun off? This is my first time trying it, so I think I might need a little more practice before I leave the house with a kid’s sock in my hair. Hmm… that is an awfully weird sentence.

Are you a ‘buns’ girl? What is your favorite way to get the messy-pretty bun look? Were you singing Sir Mix-a-Lot the whole time you read this post?

My May Stitch Fix: Summertime, Summertime, Sum Sum Summertime!

One of the Maryland-y things about Maryland is that spring lasts for a split second before summer stomps its way in with a fun mix of heat and humidity.

Since summer slows down at my work, it’s a great time to escape and spend some time down at the beach with my family. I’m already counting down the days to our first week away! So yeah, go ahead and listen to this song while you’re reading today’s post.

With that in mind, here’s the note I sent to my stylist for this month’s Fix:

Maryland gets really hot and humid in the summer, so I’d love to see some short sleeve and sleeveless tops, dresses, skirts. Same vibe we’ve been doing, you’ve been doing AWESOME on my Fixes! I’ve been hunting for a floral or patterned jersey (knee-length) swing skirt… so if you see one, I want to try it! Also, a top to go with my new coral jeans would be great.

Let’s see what she sent!

Item #1: Olive & Oak Belair Button Up Top – $48
Okay, I know that denim shirts are totally in right now, but I haven’t actually found one that works for me yet. I always feel like an extra from Orange is the New Black when I try to wear one… but I tried to keep an open mind.

Okay, first for the positive – the top is super soft and has a fun dip-dye coloring where it gets lighter towards the bottom. My stylist suggested that I try this top with my coral jeans from my last Fix, so I tried that first. Then, I used the styling cards and paired the jean top with a floral pencil skirt.

Keep or Return? The shirt is okay…it’s just not my style. I can’t imagine me ever wearing this top in real life. I think it’s one for the return pile.

Item #2: Papermoon Zemba Henley Blouse – $44
This is exactly the kind of top I was hoping for – it is a super lightweight material which makes it perfect for a hot summer day. It can also be easily dressed up for work or dressed down for weekend wear.

I think that the fit is really good on this and the pattern is vibrant and interesting too. What do you think about the horizontal pattern — is it unflattering? The one side of the Henley top kind of flops over, but I don’t think that it will drive me nuts.

Keep or Return? This shirt checks a lot of my boxes, so I think it may be a keeper. What do you think?

Item #3: Collective Concepts Mendolan Pintuck Detailed Tank – $58
I saw this top on another blogger’s Stitch Fix review and immediately pinned it to my Pinterest page. It looked super cute on her with the pintucked detailing at the top and flowy waist, so I was super excited to receive it in this month’s box! The jersey material is super soft and it is nice and lightweight for hot summer days.

It is totally driving me nuts that the top is folded over in the first picture, but by time I noticed I had already cleaned up my camera set up. GRR! For my first styling, I paired the tank top with my favorite jean shorts and sandals. For my second look, I decided to try it with my new coral jeans.

Keep or Return? I really like this shirt – it has some really pretty details and a very comfortable silhouette. My only question is, is it TOO comfy… meaning does the draping make it look like a maternity top?

Item #4: Market & Spruce Barrymore Solid Pleat Detail Top – $48
I love a simple tank top with a subtle detail to it and this top totally does that. Unfortunately, it was too tight on my chest and the material wrinkled super easily. I tried it on for you though, so you could check it out. I think this top would be gorgeous on someone smaller chested.

Keep or Return? Doesn’t fit = Goes back.

Item #5: Skies are Blue Dove Printed Maxi Dress – $74
I pinned a maxi dress on my Pinterest page that had a really pretty fabric that I liked. However, when I got this month’s Fix, my stylist had included a note that said, “the maxi dress you pinned is gorgeous, but tends to be a bit troublesome for our busty clients – so hopefully you love this one just as much.” I can’t even tell you how much I appreciate that she did her research before just sending it over to me! This dress has a similar shape to the dress that I liked and I also really like the pattern.

I tried the dress alone and with a cardigan to make it appropriate for work. Unfortunately, this dress has some funky straps that would make it impossible to wear a bra. See:

Keep or Return? I could wear a strapless bra, but honestly they are pretty uncomfortable to wear for a full workday. Also, I’m not totally in love with the dress anyways, so looks like it’s going back.

Help me!
I really liked this month’s Fix and I think my stylist did an awesome job picking pieces that I would like, even if they were a little out of my comfort zone. I’m leaning towards buying the crazy print tank top and also the pintuck detailed jersey tank top. They would both be great pieces to add to my wardrobe that would be totally appropriate for my job, as well as with casual shorts on the weekend. I will definitely be passing on the jean shirt, too-tight blouse and maxi dress.

What do you think I should buy? I always love to hear your feedback, so leave me some comments below and tell me what you think!

5/18/15 Update: Thank you to everyone who left a comment here, on Instagram and on Facebook — I LOVE getting your feedback! I decided to just buy the Papermoon Zemba Henley Blouse and I can’t wait to start mixing it into my wardrobe!

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored by Stitch Fix, I pay for the $20 styling fee and any clothing I purchase with my own hard-earned money. If you enjoyed my review and decide to try Stitch Fix for yourself, the biggest compliment you can give me is by using my referral link. Thank you to anyone who chooses to click through and support my shopping addiction!

Psssst…Do you love checking out what other people received in their Fixes? I added quick links to every single one of my reviews on my Stitch Fix Reviews page!

Feeling like a Bombshell

I’m not really sure when the switch happened, but I went from being a bikini girl to a one-piece girl.

Actually, I’m pretty sure the switch had to do with the fact that I’m 37 years old, my belly isn’t as flat as it was 10 years ago, AND I prefer not to show everyone my kibbles and bits as I’m chasing my wild kid around the beach.

Yeah, that probably has something to do with it.

Being a one-piece girl kinda feels like I’ve given up though. I mean, there are plenty of yummy-mummy’s out there who can still rock that itsy bitsy bikini. I’m just not one of them right now. However, a couple years ago I came across a one-piece suit that actually made me feel sexier than any bikini did on my 20 year old body.

It’s this one from Modcloth, the Beach Blanket Bingo One-Piece Swimsuit (the picture is from last summer). There is a reason it’s got 1,274 reviews and averages 5 stars… it’s awesome. It is so flattering on that I feel comfortable running around with Jack and don’t have to worry about a wayward boobie or butt cheek busting out. And that’s kind of important to me when I’m on a beach… you know?

This year I was considering buying the same suit in another color. However, I decided to branch out a bit and found a similar suit on Amazon.com. It’s called the Cocoship 50s Elegant Inspired Retro Vintage One Piece Pin Up Monokinis Swimsuit and it was only $24. ONLY $24!

That’s pretty much the cost of a bikini top at Target! I was a bit hesitant about buying the suit though, because (as always) I checked out what the one-star reviewers were saying. Apparently some people found the swimsuit short in the torso and had issues with the underwire popping out.

I decided to try it out though, because it qualified for free returns and it was ONLY $24!

I typically would order a size large or 10/12 in swimsuits, but according to their sizing instructions I was instructed to sized way up with the XXXL. Because everyone likes to size WAY up on a swimsuit. Blegh. Talk about a kick to the ego-balls. Anywho, I plan on cutting that tag out asap.

The swimsuit arrived last week and fits great. Unlike the Modcloth swimsuit, this one has molded cups with underwire, which is pretty supportive and the girls look very va-va-va-voom. I went back and forth about whether I was actually confident enough to post a picture of me in the swimsuit… and then I figured I might as well show you what it looks on an actual person. {By the way, the UPS man dropped off a package about 15 seconds after I took this shot.}

I wore my new one-piece to Jack’s swim practice over the weekend and everything stayed exactly where it should. I also threw it in the washing machine (but not the dryer) to get the chlorine out and it still looks great.

I know a lot of people are kind of curious about whether the retro-style swimsuit would work for them and I think that this version could be a good starter suit to try. I’m not sure that it will hold up as well as my Modcloth swimsuit that has lasted 3 years so far and still looks brand-new, but for just $24 I’m pretty impressed.

Have you tried a retro-style swimsuit before? Where did you end up buying yours? Have you ever startled your UPS delivery person?

Pocketful of Joules is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. I included this disclosure because the black swimsuit is on Amazon.com.