Fashion - Pocketful of Joules

Stitch Fix Review: Getting Warmer

Okay friends, I had high hopes for my second Stitch Fix box. Hiiiiigh Hopes (yes, let’s break into song now…).

High Apple Pie in the SKY hopes.

After receiving and reviewing the first box, I was pretty excited because the stylist then looks at your feedback when selecting the items for your next box. I also added to the notes section that I’d love some “fall transition pieces” since I will be going on our anniversary trip to Hershey Park and wanted to look kinda cute while chilling out with my boys.

Oh and in case you aren’t familiar with the concept, you can read my first Stitch Fix review here. The short version is that Stitch Fix is your own personal stylist that picks 5 items that she thinks you’d like and sends them to you. You try them on in the comfort of your own home (with your own stuff from your closet) and send back whatever you don’t want.

Here’s what I got in my October Fix:

Street Level Kirkham Crossbody Tote with Side Pocket – $66.00. And yes, that is Ollie’s face in the corner, just checking things out.

Street Level Kirkham Crossbody Tote with Side Pocket – $66.00. If I were in the market for a cute tote and purse, I would have totally have purchased this cobalt blue set. However, I already have a purse that I love so I don’t need this one.

RD Style Genoa Seamed Ponte Knit Pant – $58.00. As you can see, I’m not wearing them and there is a reason for that.

RD Style Genoa Seamed Ponte Knit Pant – $58.00. I liked the color and weight of these pants, but just did not dig the style. With the seam running down the front of the leg and the elastic sides on the waist, it just reminded me too much of the under-the-foot leggings from the 1980’s. I tried them on, but totally hated the way they looked. If this were a pair of skinny jeans in this color, or even a pair of work-appropriate trousers in cranberry, I would have kept them in a heartbeat. As they are, they went back into my return bag.

Under Skies Elissa Terry Cloth Moto Jacket – $68.00. It’s grey, but it’s kind of a beige-taupe-grey.

Under Skies Elissa Terry Cloth Moto Jacket – $68.00. I like the IDEA of this jacket, kind of rocker-cool in a soft snuggly fabric. Unfortunately, the problem with asymmetrical zippers is that they tend to make a busty girl look even more broad and busty than she already is. And not in a va-va-voom way, in a chunky-chunky-monkey way. Back in the return bag it goes!

Sanctuary Pfister Crochet Detail Sleeveless Top – $48.00. Here is the close-up so you can see the pretty detailing.

Sanctuary Pfister Crochet Detail Sleeveless Top – $48.00. This one ALMOST ended up in my closet. I love the crochet/lacy detail on the front of the shirt and of course I love a nice black top that I can dress up for work or dress down for play. Unfortunately, this top had two things going against it – first it was see-through, so I’d have to wear a tank underneath it. Yeah, a tank under a tank.

That was actually do-able. It wasn’t until the second time I tried it on (for the pictures) that I noticed that one of the middle buttons was straining just a bit. So since the fit was a teeny bit off, I decided to send it back.

41Hawthorn Abrianna Long-sleeved Knit Cardigan – $48.00. Outfit experiment #1, I did a double-knot in the cardigan and put it over a red dress from Banana Republic. And yes, you can totally see the back view in the mirror.

41Hawthorn Abrianna Long-sleeved Knit Cardigan – $48.00. It’s so funny that they sent me this sweater, because I pinned it on my pinterest board from the Stitch Fix blog. I really liked how they showed four different ways to wear an open front cardigan and I was planning to try their tips with a short-sleeve one I have.

Here it is in outfit experiment #2, I left it open and put it over a taupe-colored tank top and a pair of black skinny jeans.

Now that I’m looking at their tips again, I wish I had taken a picture of this cardigan belted. Oh well – I did try it both open and tied in a double-knot over a dress. What you can’t see in the pictures is that the cardigan is so incredibly light AND super soft, without being see-through. So I love it and am definitely keeping it.

So, once again I’ve ended up buying one item out of the five that Stitch Fix sent me. I ALMOST bought two though, which is why I think they’re getting warmer when it comes to sending me stuff that I love. I’ve decided that for next month’s box I’m going to ask for: a pair of work appropriate pants, a dress or two, a skirt and the rest tops. That way I can give them an idea of what I want (no purses) but still give them full control of surprising me!

Also, just so this is perfectly clear this is not a sponsored post. Stitch Fix did not pay me or reward me in any way to blog about them. However, if you do decide to give Stitch Fix a try and use my special referral code, I will receive referral rewards. Here’s my link. So thank you for anyone who chooses to click through and support my shopping addiction.

What do you think, did I choose wisely? Have you tried Stitch Fix? If so, how long until you got that coveted five items box where you purchased everything?

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!

Do you REALLY need a diaper bag?

I’m doing something crazy. It’s flying-by-the-seat of your pants crazy in the mommy world… I’ve gotten rid of my diaper bag.

{I can hear the parents out there with their shocked gasps now!}

Ok, it’s not that crazy. And if you’re not a parent you’re probably wondering why it’s even a big (ok, medium-sized) deal. Honestly, I do feel a bit naked and maybe even uneasy with this change.

For the past 20 months, every single time I’ve left the house with Jack I’ve had my diaper bag.

It’s not your typical diaper bag from Baby’s R Us or Target… it’s actually a large purse from Fossil that I fell in love with and asked my parents to buy me for Christmas two years ago. It has worked great for lugging around everything you need when you have a baby: bottles/formula, cups, a changing pad, spare clothes, diapers, wipes, medicine, snacks, my wallet, etc.

But, it’s HEAVY.

And you tend to just throw things in there and later pull out three used cups, 8 empty snack containers and 3 socks.

I came to the realization a few weeks ago (and I’m almost afraid to share it because I might jinx myself) that I never change Jack’s diaper when we are out and about. Never. I change his diaper before we leave and he’s typically mostly dry for a few hours at a time. Also, Jack prefers to be home when he has his own personal twosie time… so I’ve never had to do that ‘oh no my kid just launched a poo granade’ thing in public.*

lunchbag — Skip Hop lunchie *(Source: www.Skiphop.com)*

For most trips, I’d find myself leaving the diaper bag in the truck and just grabbing out my wallet. So I had the bright idea to just give up on a diaper bag altogether. Instead, I packed a cute Skip Hop lunchbox that we had gotten from Citrus Lane with the necessities – 2 diapers, a small pack of wipes, a change of clothes, teething tabs and an emergency pacifier – and left it in my truck for good. I also packed a gallon baggy containing 2 diapers and wipes for my husband to keep in his truck. So now, for our normal trips I’ll just throw a baggie of goldfish in my purse and be done with it.**

So much easier, right?

And if we do run into a changing emergency, I have everything I need in my truck without lugging it around daily. Why didn’t I do this months ago?!

Part of me feels a little sad because I most likely carried my diaper bag for the very last time, but another part of me feels so much lighter – mentally and physically – without the heavy bag o’ crap on my shoulder.

If you have kids, how long did you carry your diaper bag? Is there something that you think I should add to my truck ‘necessities’ bag?

*The only exception to this is that Jack apparently likes to poo on planes.

** For longer trips, like when we go to Hershey Park, I’ll put some necessities in a backpack or in a small bag to keep in the bottom of the stroller.

Welcome to the Bang Club

Yup, that’s how my favorite barista greeted me at the Starbucks drive-thru this morning. Even though I started laughing hysterically, I’m not really sure she realized that she inadvertently said something naughty.

For those of you who don’t follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you may be a little confused right now…

I got bangs on Friday.

After years and years (and years) with the same hairstyle, I decided it was time to change things up a little. One way to tell that you’re in a hair rut is when your long-time hair stylist gets excited to finally do something new. Yup, Kristin was ecstatic.

For years, I’d consider chopping some bangs but would always wimp out. But then, I got a nice big kick in the head from a fellow blogger. I’m a HUGE fan of Shana over at Ain’t No Mom Jeans (if you haven’t checked out the blog, it’s not just for mommies. It’s an awesome fashion blog for REAL people). She’s currently going through chemo and has decided to try out a bunch of haircuts on the way to bald. Did I mention that she’s awesome? Because she is totally kicking breast cancer’s boobies with her positivity and humor. Anyways, watching Shana go through this makes me realize how stupid I’ve been. It’s ONLY hair and I’m lucky to have all of mine. So if I feel the itch to change it up, I should just go for it because nobody knows what the future brings.

When I went to the salon I took a picture of Shana’s beautiful hairstyle with me, as well as this picture I snapped of a Loft display right before I walked in:

And then less than an hour later I walked out a whole new person.

instagram pic — I snapped the first picture right before I walked into the mall and the second about an hour later from a dressing room. I didn’t change my hair color, it’s just the change in lighting that makes it look so different.

At first I felt super weird and self-conscious. Like everyone was staring at my forehead full of hair. One of my Facebook commenters described it as feeling like you have a mustache on your forehead and that’s totally right. I was aware of every single follicle of hair sitting on my eyebrows.

And suddenly I started to HATE it. I ran into a dressing room (ok, walked slowly while gathering clothes to try on) and STARED at myself for probably 10 minutes. It was like SuperVainWoman took over as I kept sweeping my hair to one side and the other, adjusting each piece of fringe carefully.

I sent a picture to my bestie and my husband, hoping for some ‘it’s not that bad’ comments. After some consideration (because I was in a very fragile state…) I also posted a picture on my Facebook page asking if I had made a huge mistake.

Within a couple minutes my world was rocked. There was positive reinforcement out the yingyang! I walked into that dressing room feeling like Hermione in her early years and walked out feeling like a BOSS. If by “boss” I mean a sexy boss of AWESOME!

My new haircut required new lipstick. Obviously.

My husband thought I looked like Cici from NewGirl. Kari from A Grace Full Life said Anne Hathaway in the Devil Wears Prada. And then a friend from high school decided that I looked like Carly Rae Jepsen, the singer of “Call me, Maybe”. To each of these comparisons I say, “HECK YEAH!” and “THANK you!!”

Too bad once I washed my hair I couldn’t figure out how to style it.

I even went out to buy a new flat iron and STILL couldn’t figure out how the heck to make it work. On Saturday it was just weirdly curled at the tips, which then stuck to my forehead with sweat the second I walked out the door. Then on Sunday, I got so mad I gave up and corralled the bangs with a barrette. Thank goodness for barrettes!

This morning I tried yet again and I think I finally figured it out!

So yay for bangs. I’m kind of digging them again. My husband is not a huge fan, but I think it’s more to do with his dislike of change then the actual look. We’ll see if it grows on him.

Wow, I can’t believe I’ve written over 600 words about hair. I’m hoping that I get used to this new look soon because right now with the time and effort it takes to make my head look good, I’m feeling incredibly vain.

And hot. For the first time in forever, I feel kind of sassy again.

For those of you thinking of doing the Big Bang chop, here are 5 things I didn’t know about bangs before I had them:

Your forehead gets hot. Like REALLY hot and sweaty when you’re trying to get ready in the morning. Which makes it difficult to style your bangs and makes you want to just give up and put them in a barrette off your face.
Nobody can see your eyebrows, so if you’re going for an inquisitive eyebrow or the “Peoples Eyebrow” you’re out of luck. On the plus side, you can skip penciling in your brows.
You don’t look like Jess from New Girl when you wake up, you look ridiculous.
A swift breeze is your enemy.
You will take like 100 selfies an hour. You won’t post them because you realize how incredibly douchy you are acting. However, when your husband borrows your phone to check out the pictures you took at the pumpkin patch you will get INCREDIBLY embarrassed when he swoops his finger too far and sees you. And you. And you with kissy face. And you again.

Here’s a dare for you – are you thinking about changing up your look but keep wimping out? Well, DO IT! Even if you hate it, you won’t have to wonder about it anymore! So tell me, is there a look you’ve been wanting to try?