slightly elegant

Oatmeal baths. Seriously! I suffer from severely dry skin on my legs during the winter. When I say dry, I mean scaly, fishy looking skin that sheds in flakes. Gross, I know. I would lay awake at all hours of the night scratching my legs raw until they bled. And, getting in the shower to next morning was miserable, because the sores I had caused to myself would burn as the warm water touched them. I've tried a many  different types of lotions, but the only eased the itch for a few hours before I had to reapply more. Applying lotion isn't so bad, but having to do it two or three times a day is sort of inconvenient. Please someone tell me I'm not the only one turning into a fish! Anyways, a dermatologist came into work one day and we somehow got on the subject of dry skin. She told me about the magic behind the oatmeal bath. You can prepare your oatmeal bath two ways: 1. Fill a coffee filter or a tea filter full of plain (not instant!) oatmeal. Tie it up at the top, ...

Thrifted(very ancient wool)- Sweater Vest // L.L. Bean - Shirt // Polo - Bow tie  //  L.L. Bean - Boots When people(especially young men) decide to start dressing well, they usually tend to go overboard with accessories, and hence wind up looking like they're wearing a costume. I try to avoid this by wearing no more than one 'loud' accessory at a time. In this case it's one of my favorite bowties. I love the color, and the geometric pattern is nice and subtle. L.L. Bean makes my favorite button-down shirts. They're a little stiffer feeling than Brooks Brothers, etc, and I like that when I'm wearing a tie with a shirt. I'm also a very avid supporter of the classic Bean boot, which has been keeping my feet warm since I was a child.

Old Navy -  Solid Blanket Coat    // Target -  Similar Ankle Booties  / / New York and Company - Similar T-Shirt Dress There's a severe weather advisory in Tennessee for ice. Lots and lots of ice. Man, they weren't kidding! It's perfect weather for my "very Mary Tyler Moore" coat. I actually fell in love with this coat when I saw Kendi from Kend Everday wearing it. I had been eyeing for awhile on the Old Navy website, and I finally decided to buy it on Black Friday when it was 50% off!

I'm trying to remember mental images from this flying time in my life. Do you do that? It feels like yesterday I graduated from high school. I feel different from the way I did when I walked across the stage to grab the end of my childhood on a piece of paper. More grown, more mature, and a better grasp at what I want out of life. I'm counting down the days until I walk across that stage again, only this time to grab the start of real adulthood. College is a limbo of sorts, you're stuck between not actually being a child and not actually being an adult. My limbo is drawing towards it's end. This is my last spring semester as an undergraduate. I finish up my final computer science classes next semester, complete an internship during the summer, and walk that short journey to my diploma in August. Am I sad that this beautiful time in my life is coming to an end? No. College has been one of the hardest things I have done thus far. Feelings of inadequacy crept in o...

My go to nail colors for the cold weather: 1. Sally Hansen Mega Shine Top Coat - Not really a color, but it's worth mentioning because I have not found a better top coat that keeps my nail polish from chipping! 2. Essie in the color Wicked 3. Maybelline Color Show in the color Twilight Rays 4. Maybelline  Colors Show in the Color Impeccable Greys Let me know what you are wearing!

If you went to university, you know exactly what I'm talking about. There are those days (most days) where all of your professors expect too much of you, so your schedule is perfectly imbalanced. As it should be as a student, I suppose. I don't really believe in going to class in pajamas when you just can't get up in the mornings. It's just not my thing. But, I do have those days with no make up, hair-unwashed-in-a-ponytail, and I just throw something on so I'm not late for my class that starts in 20 minutes. Here's a quick-n-easy outfit for those "I spent all night studying and I'm running on two hours of sleep" days.