Sweater Dresses

One of the nice things about living in LA is that you can still wear something like a sweater dress and not be freezing in the winter time. The great thing about sweater dresses is that they're totally warm and stylish at the same time. It's always tough finding outfits that are both functional and stylish. However, if you're like me and very sensitive to wool, sweater dresses can be tough.

Sweater dresses are also really versatile. They can be dressed up with leggings andknee high boots/heels/ankle boots (although i'm not a big fan of the ankle boottrend). Or with skinny jeans and flats/heels/knee high boots. Of course, a big belt around your waist usually will work with them also.
I already posted about this KAROO Mark Eisen Sweater Dress $352.00 here it is again, so cute! The thing that's great about this dress is that it's a little looser so it doesn't show everything.



The turtleneck version (left) is also pretty and probably even warmer. It's on sale for $281.60 This Kimono dress $242.00 at Shopbop.com (right) is also gorgeous. I love the color and how the belt looks with it. All these KAROO dresses can be found at www.shopbop.com


For something a little funkier try this Diane Von Furstenberg Kody Sweater Dress $415.00 or this Victoria's Secret Cut Out silk and cashmere dress $75


For a sexy version of the sweater dress try Vince's Cashmere Halter Dress $265.00. You'll be sure to turn heads at any holiday party.


If you're on a budget or you don't feel like spending a lot of money on something that might only be around one season, there are also a lot of options.

I went into Wet Seal the other day (first time in at least 5 years) and found these sweater dresses. Not the best quality but still look great. The store had some fun and trendy stuff for really reasonable prices, I might be going back soon.
Scoop Neck Belted Sweater Dress $24,50 (left) I bought this one and am going to wear my own belt with it, it looks great on and doesn't itch). There's also this Mock Neck Sweater Dress also $22.50 (right)




I've never bought any clothing from Victoria's Secret but after seeing these 2 sweater dresses that might change.
Silk Sweater Dress $75.00 (left) or this Puff Sleeve Turtleneck Dress $78.00 (right)


For something with a little pattern there's always this Kimchee and Blue Dress at Urban Outfitters. On sale for $49.99 (left) Or this Free People Lambswood Fairisle Dress $98.00 at Urban Outfitters (right)


Sometimes sweater dresses can show all your imperfections because the material is clingy and the dresses are tight. But don't let that deter you from wearing them, that's what Spanx are for!

Lip Balm conspiracy?

So I've heard musings of how lip balm is addictive and the more you use it the more you need it. There are some(crazy) people who believe it's a big conspiracy and that we don't need lip balm at all to keep our lips moist, it's just a false need created by the makers of lip balm. Um, i don't really believe that. However, after using Rosebud Lip Slave for a couple years i noticed it stopped working, especially once it started getting a little colder and dryer here. While talking to the sales girl at the Benefit counter I learned that lip balm is not addictive but the active ingredient in most of them, Petroleum (often listed as Petrolatum in the ingredients) is addictive. It's addictive in the sense that your lips need it to be moist so you have to keep using it and eventually it doesn't work as well. Sure enough, my rosebud Lipsalve is petroleum based. I went home and looked for new lip balms in my make up arsenal and it turns out ALL of them had petroleum in them. So I went to Sephora and bought 2 new petroleum-free lip balms which i LOVE.

After I stopped using Petroleum lip balms, i swear, my lips felt like they really wanted it. Even though I was wearing other lip balm, they felt unsatisfied. Maybe it was psychological or maybe those lip balm conspiracists are actually right.

Sugar Lip Treatment by Fresh $22.50
This was the first one i bought and it's fantastic. It has SPF 15 in it and although it's not cheap you don't need to use a lot of it and you get a lot in the tube. It also smells nice. Supposedly it also plumps up your lips a little bit.



Skin Care Lip Balm by Dr. Hauschka $14.50
I use this at night since it doesn't have SPF 15 in it. I really like it even though it's not as smooth as the Fresh lip balm.


If you don't want to spend a lot of money on lip balm than you can't go wrong with Burts Bees Beeswax Lip Balm $2.50. It's all natural, petroleum free and comes in a convenient little tube. You can also buy it at any drugstore.


If your lips are really really dry and you need something stronger I would suggest using Lipscription by Benefit $30. I've never bought a Benefit product that I didn't love, and their packaging is always pretty. (What can i say, I'm a sucker for packaging) They come up with the most creative products. The lipscription is a 2 step treatment. The first tube is buffing beads which you use to exfoliate your lips and get rid of the old skin. That way when you use the Silky Lip balm (the second tube), it will be more effective. However, the Silky Lip Balm does have petroleum in it so I would only do this process 2 or 3 times a week so your lips don't become addicted to the petroleum. I would also do it at night so it doesn't rub off while you eat, drink and talk throughout the day. Then you'll wake up with plump, soft lips and you can use the other products I mentioned to maintain.

Regina Spektor

I am currently obsessed with Regina Spektor and i love this video for her great song Fidelity. This whole black/white thing infused with color has been done before but something about this video seems so fresh and new. It also matches the song so well. Makes me wish I still played piano and could carry a tune.

Merry Christmas to me

So this past weekend I bought myself a couple things for christmas. Well, i bought a couple things and basically made up the excuse that it was for Christmas. Or it could be my post-LSAT gift to myself or it would be my weekend present to myself, i can always find some sort of excuse. Believe it or not, the whole learning self control while shopping thing is going well. There's about a bagillion more things that I wanted. Baby steps, baby steps.

So I've wanted these Tory Burch Reva flats for a lllooonngg time and heard how comfy they are. I decided just to fish out the cash and go for it. It's okay, i don't need to eat. They have them in leopard, black patent, blue patent, orange, green, brown, gold, silver python. I decided to get Navy Blue with the silver buckle, simple is always better with me.


I also bought this Joie "Think of Me" Dress (which is such a stupid name for a piece of clothing) from Bloomingdales. It was a great deal too, on sale plus 25% off then another 15% off that. I love a good deal. I have so many dresses now but i love them, plus i really wanted a red dress.


I definitely can't shop for a while after this little splurge since I have to save up for London and Paris where I can go to Top Shop and Zadig and Voltaire. Until then, I'll longingly look at the next couple things on my Christmas Wishlist.

Alex Woo Little Faith Lotus Blossom necklace. LOVE the diamond studded one, but probably going to get the silver one.


Even if i save all my paychecks i don't think i could afford this Mike & Chris Cropped Clark Jacket at its $835 price tag. Even when I go to the Mike & Chris sample sale it's still going to be over $400. Sigh.


I saw this sweater dress on Closet Therapy and loved it. It'd be so great with mom and dad's xmas present, knee high boots and leggings, but since I'm kind of allergic to wool i dont' think that's happening. Even though this KAROO dress is 100% cashmere, I know it would start to itch after a few hours. I'm getting itchy just looking at it. Oh well.


My job doesn't absolutely require office type clothing, but I like dressing up a little bit. Probably because the whole business casual thing is new to me. This Nanette Lepore top would be so cute under a black jacket for work and then with a pair of jeans, a clutch and a black shrug for going out.