What I Did with Neiman Marcus

Should I call this post Hanging out with Neiman Marcus in Dallas, part two? Today, let's talk about the itinerary.

Day 1:
* Wake up at 3:45 in the morning, stumble around the apartment in a sleepy delirium, feel thankful that husband makes delicious breakfast every day, and leave the apartment by 5a.m.

* Arrive at airport, feel thankful husband is a veteran at flying and happily prints out boarding passes for Mom and me, stand in security long enough to realize that bottle of water is creeping up on my bladder and glare at Mom for managing to get through the "quick" line, fight with buckles on shoes and curse myself for wearing said shoes, and make it onto flight.

* Give Mom oil to put behind her ears in an attempt to prevent motion sickness, find out Mom is allergic to eucalyptus which is in said oil, furiously wipe behind Mom's ear with a wet one in order to remove eucalyptus oil, and make it to Dallas. (Mom white knuckled the arm rests for the entire flight.)

* Wait for baggage at baggage claim, watch as an old woman in a wheelchair tossed her cat in a glorified duffle bag onto the floor and lint rolled the cat while it was in the bag, wait around for the driver who finally got a hold of me, make it to the hotel.

* After exiting the car, photographers and videographers filmed me as I entered the hotel, the Joule. I wondered why they'd want proof of how haggard I looked after waking up early and sleeping on a plane. Thankfully, I had the foresight to put on lipstick before exiting the car. I entered and exited the building several times so that they could get multiple shots.

* After I met the coordinators and checked in, I face timed two of my colleagues so that I could show them our sweet hotel room.

* I met another one of the winners, and we hit it off immediately. We had a chance to check out the Neiman Marcus store a few blocks down from the hotel. They asked us to enter and exit the store several times (I was beginning to feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog's Day) as they videotaped and photographed. At one point, a grody guy leaned out of the passenger side of a Honda Civic and yelled, "How much, ladies?" Right away, I felt a little slice of Baltimore was right there in the heart of Dallas.

* At the store, two of us had our fitting. (The first girl I met.) SO MANY pretty and expensive clothes. I ended up picking a navy Kate Spade sweater dress and a white Theory blazer. Another blazer to add to my collection? I don't mind if I do. I got to keep the outfit! The stylist had awesome, curly, gray hair and glasses like Edna from The Incredibles.

* After our fittings, we decided to get something to eat because we were hangry. My friend who now lives in Texas and my cousin met up with Mom, my new friend, and me. We ate at a nice little restaurant on the corner of St. Paul and Main Street called Wild Salsa.

* We had a little more down time and then met up with everyone for dinner at the hotel. The chicken was the most delicious chicken I have ever tasted. I know it's weird to rave about chicken, but the chicken was scrumptious.

Note: Every winner was paired up with a Beauty Department Manager, who was our point of contact before the event and during the event. Mine was Claudio, and I don't think they could've paired me up with a better person!

* My new friend, Mom, and I all sat at the bar after dinner and chatted before bed.

* Bed time.

Day 2:

* Wake up at buttcrack of dawn. Play in coolest shower ever for 45 minutes. Spend 15 of those minutes trying not to scald the crap out of myself.

* The same girl they paired me up with for the fitting was the same girl I went in for make up and hair with. Make up and hair at 7 a.m. with the funniest make-up artist whom I told to do whatever it took to prevent me from looking haggard.

* At this point, things get a little hazy for awhile because things were so jam packed that it took me three hours to finish my breakfast of a muffin and fruit. It consisted of four things:
      -- Video interview of just me on camera
      -- Photoshoot with Claudio, the manager paired up with me (they wanted to pictures of the
        manager showing us how to do something)
      -- Group shot of all the managers and winners
      -- Video shoot with Claudio (same as the photoshoot but moving pictures)

* After all of the pictures and videos, I had to return to reality.

The campaign launches in August because it's for the fall. (I realize a white blazer doesn't scream fall, but their wardrobe choices weren't really very fall-like. Of course, I didn't have much of a problem with that. I think navy and white work all year round, no?)

In the future, I'll be telling you more about some of the products I received. (I am SO excited to try Neulash!)

Since I wanted to look more "fall" like, I wore this outfit with booties instead of these shoes. However, I really like this look. 

The Look:

Shirt: LOFT (new--exact in light lobster)

Skirt: Francesca's (also worn here and here)

Shoes: Me Too via DSW (also worn here)

Belt: Target

Seriously, who knew this $15 skirt would get so much mileage? 

What an all star. 

What I learned from Neiman Marcus

If you want to know where I was last week, I explained the situation here. The short story is that my mom nominated me to be a part of Neiman Marcus' Faces of Beauty campaign that will launch this fall. They picked me and five other women out of what one of the stylists said was 80,000 entries. Quite honestly, the whole experience was surreal. Though the experience lasted only Monday and Tuesday, I was recovering from so little sleep the rest of the week. I think I'm getting old. My lack of sleep early in the week resulted in an end of the week that went as follows: I ran into a doorknob, almost fell down the stairs, and saw stars for half of the day. I wrote the bulk of this post in a fog of fatigue. Of course, I didn't get around to posting it until now.

Anyway, I figured I'd start telling you about the experience by providing you a list of some things I learned. The whole experience overloaded my brain with nuggets of wisdom. However, several of the nuggets slipped through the holes of my Swiss cheese brain.

1. You lightly tap lotion under your eyes using your ring finger because, out of all of your fingers, it creates the least amount of pressure. (News to me!)

2. The Beauty Department Manager, Claudio, who was paired up with me, used the following analogy to describe your skin. The skin on your neck is thicker, like cardboard. The skin on your chin, cheeks, and forehead is a little less thick like printer paper. The skin around your eyes is like tissue paper because it's only two layers of skin; whereas, the other skin on your face is three layers thick. This is why we have to be especially careful about putting on eye cream and removing eye make up.

3. If, like me, your face looks like it's melting by the end of the day, you need to apply a mattifying primer under your make up. One of the Beauty Department Managers, Alyson, recommended Laura Mercier's oil-free primer. (I'll try it out and let you know how it goes.)

4. One of the other winners who is a doctor said that I needed to see a medical doctor to do the following for my acne scarring: microdermabrasion first, glycol acid at 30% second, and finally liquid nitrogen. She said it does not peel the skin on your face. (Last time I got a face treatment, it made me look like a snake shedding its skin.)

5. You should not apply perfume to your wrists and then rub them together because that friction creates heat, which changes the chemical make up of the perfume, thereby altering its smell. You should apply perfume to your sternum and behind your knees/on your calf because those are the heat zones of your body. The heat will make the smell waft off of you. If you put it behind your legs, the smell will travel upward and create a forcefield of smell around you. Now that I've had sinus surgery and can smell teenage funk like a bloodhound, I think I might need to practice this perfume applying method.

Tomorrow, I plan to tell you more about my trip. Is there anything in particular that you'd like to know?

I feel like a total turd because I was supposed to post on Monday to let you all know about the birthday dress look I suggested for Ada's birthday celebration, and she so kindly posted it on her blog. I actually DID write a post on my phone, which I thought published. I later found out that the dang post never actually posted. In fact, it disappeared somewhere into cyberspace. Forgive me, Ada!

Today, I'll show you the look that I planned for Ada. I told her that this look is perfect for a festival downtown or a little bit more of a relaxed birthday. Of course, for night, I could ditch the chambray/hat/flats and add some fun heels!

The Look:

Dress: Casual Corner Annex (it's actually a petite even though I'm not usually "petite" because of my height)--I bought this thing SO many years ago and wore it to my students' high school graduation last year. Here's a similar one from Macy's, a really cute navy/white option from Nordstrom, and a dress with bigger polka dots from Ruche (this option is less than $50!)

Chambray: Old Navy (find it here--mine is the "light" chambray.)

Flats: Sole Society (it's still available and called the "Enji" flat--find it here)

Hat: It has no tag, but I'm pretty sure it's from Target a year or two ago. (I love this men's version from Target, and it's less than $20. Don't mind if you do.)

Mom loves this picture, so I'm posting it for her :)

Essays aren't the only things in need of revisions.

When Mom and I took pictures of this outfit, I hadn't considered the blustery, rainy, cold front that would pass through on the day I planned to wear it. When I actually wore it, I pulled a typical me and tucked in the shirt, belted the pants, and threw on a white blazer. (If you follow me on Instagram, you already saw this look on Tuesday!) Anyway, I felt much better in the revised version because it felt more "me." I know blogland is all "HALF TUCK THE SHIRT," but I typically prefer a full tuck for work outfits. I feel more polished. When you deal with teenage funk all day, anything that makes you feel more put together prevents that "I think I smell like teen spirit now" feeling. 

Anyway, I can't believe I once considered ousting this top from my closet. Its sunny yellow disposition rubs off on me, and it worked perfectly for this week's Trendy Tuesday theme, bows. The ladies wore bows in their hair, shirts tied in bows, shirts in bow print, and headbands with bows. The gents took the opportunity to wear bow ties. (Check me out on Instagram if you want to see how I revised the look for a frigid classroom.) I also switched from these shoes to a lower heel that also sported bows on the front. How appropriate. 

The Look:

Shirt: New York & Co.

Pants: Express (the Columnist in slim cut)

Shoes: via DSW

I also wore the shirt this way:

(crappy picture but the blazer is navy)

I also wore the heels this way:

(I had to donate the shirt because it shrunk and same with the cardigan.)

And the pants this way:

Linking up with

* What I Wore to Work (http://www.mixmatchfashion.com/)

* Tres-Chic Fashion Thursday (http://vodkainfusedlemonade.com/)

Dress it Up & Dress it Down

I think I made it pretty clear on Monday that it takes tiny tweaks to bring an outfit from casual wear to work wear by keeping the look in the same color family. Look at how lucky you are. Today, we're taking a look at how hats and shoes make a big difference in an outfit's overall vibe. I make things simple. Flats for day, something with a bit of a heel for night. Hats for day, no hat at night. But maybe you wear your sunglasses at night. (If you started singing that song, I love you. If you don't know the song, educate yourself.) If it gets stuck in your head, you're welcome.

Every now and then, I take a look at what images from my blog get the most pins. Everyone's favorites seem to come from my Teacher Wardrobe Series, and this pin has received a bit of love. Anyway, that's not my point, which I am taking too long to reach. The point is that I just realized the skirt in the top right of the picture in this pin is one I recently bought on thredUP! HAHA. What a fun coincidence. I don't know why I told you this information, but do with it what you will.

(P.S. If you want to search the images people pin from your blog, type the following into the URL box:  pinterest.com/source/YOUR BLOG URL minus the http business. For example, searching pins pinned from my blog would be the following URL: pinterest.com/source/littlebitofwowe.blogspot.com)

You're welcome.  

Today, I learned a fun bit of information from one of the science teachers. He told me that they're doing studies right now which show how zig zag black and white patterns confuse sharks, so they avoid them. Apparently, sharks will just swallow up someone wearing a black wet suit (I assume it makes you look like a seal); however, they see the black and white zig zag pattern as "unnatural" and won't attack it. Additionally, poisonous water snakes have the same kind of coloring, which is further reasoning for them to avoid that pattern. Moral of the story? 

BUY A CHEVRON PRINTED BATHING SUIT THIS YEAR, LADIES. 

You're welcome. Again.

You have so much to be thankful for after reading this post. 

Look #1: Ready for Play

The Look:

Shirt: Mudd via Kohl's 

Blazer: via Marshall's (love this Target option)

Skirt: J.Crew Factory 

Flats: Steve Madden via DSW (similar)

Necklace: The Limited (love this one from Francesca's)

Hat: Target...I think (love this men's version)

Belt: Old Navy

Look 2: Ready for Work

Shoes: J. Crew Factory

(I love how comfortable these shoes are, so I'm waiting on them in black. I wait until they have a 50% off sale, and they seem to have one once a month.)

Disclaimer: I wore neither of these outfits to work because a cold front blew through town. As a result, I had to opt for black tights and black boots, a look I still loved. 

I also wore the skirt this way:

The wedges this way:

The blazer this way:

Linking up with

* Shanna (http://becauseshannasaidso.blogspot.com) 

* Pleated Poppy (www.thepleatedpoppy.com/blog) 

For the record, my inspiration for this combination came from Tara over at Mix and Match Fashion :)

Looking Lucky in Pastels

I love this skirt so much more than I should for a skirt that cost so little (less than $20 coming from somewhere far beyond the big pond) and was "one size fits all." It appears my parents' puppy, Rudy, loves this skirt as much as I do. As soon as I walked outside wearing it, he skittered around my legs and just sat. Ready for his close up. If I could just buy a home with lots of land and manage a dog kennel, I think life would be complete. If I didn't work with teenagers, I'd work with pups. Sometimes, they're pretty much the same thing. (Or smell the same.)

So, I fly out to Dallas on Monday morning. I cannot settle on what to wear. So far, I know we're going to dinner at a really nice restaurant, I have to be on a plane, and I don't know what else. What is Dallas like this time of year? Someone pack my bags for me. I'm at a loss.

Oh, and today is my last day participating in the April Challenge. I wanted to have another look featuring pastels so that I didn't shirk my "give each theme a new post" responsibilities. Plus, I presented myself another opportunity to wear this skirt, and that's always a good thing. I just realized that this look includes so many accidental trends: floral, brights, midi skirt, and pastels. Aren't those just spring things? I think so. Can pasty legs be a new trend? That'd be great.

The Look:

Shirt: Old Navy (exact)

Cardigan: Banana Republic via thredUP -- similar from Target with scalloped edges!

Skirt: some obscure company on Amazon (find a shorter version on Top Shop for $30)

Heels: Naturalizer (SO comfortable!) -- similar by Madden Girl

Belt: New York & Co. (I love their belts.) 

Mom and Dad gave Rudy and his brother, Sammy, hair cuts. As a result, you can see Rudy's eyes much better, and he's a billion times cuter, which I didn't even know was possible. Seriously though, look at those eyeballs. Adorable doesn't even begin to cover it. 

This picture kills me. He tried crawling up my legs at one point. This point, in fact.

Almost every picture is of me laughing like this.

This pup is Sammy, and I love those ears. He wasn't infatuated with my outfit, but he loves sitting on laps. 

Linking up with

* Trend Spin Link Up (http://www.walkinginmemphisinhighheels.com) 

* Style Sessions (http://stylelixir.com)

Local Love & Lace

Who is not smitten with alliterative titles? People who wouldn't know awesomeness if it poked them in the ocular. That's who. People who deliberately give their children alliterative names, on the other hand, are being almost as cruel as people who name their child after their surname (Phillip Phillips...really?) Maybe I'm just jealous of people with alliterative names. Who can be sure? 

I am back and in action, folks! If you could have seen me literally whip my head back and forth--not as intensely as Willow Smith--as I typed that, you'd surely want to know me in real life if you don't already. I am SO back that I am showing you two outfits today. Oh me oh my. 

I wanted you to see how I dress up and dress down this lovely lace shirt. Something for work and something for play (or casual Friday for those of us whose places of employment are lucky we don't wear stained sweatpants to work on Fridays...whichever).

This shirt is yet another one of my finds on thredUP, which I am almost as smitten with as I am with alliterative titles. Okay, maybe more. The leather jacket, which looks super expensive if you ask me, was a $25 find on thredUP. Cha ching. I think it's turned into my favorite place to shop. They might as well put me on the pay roll. Feel free to be sick of me talking about thredUP. 

However, if you're interested in a post about how I find awesome things on thredUP, I'd be happy to oblige. Just let a sister know. 

The Look:

Blazer: Express (old)

Shirt: LOFT via thredUP

Skirt: The Limited 

Shoes: BCBG via Boscov's 

Earrings: Local boutique called Sweet Elizabeth Jane (find them on Facebook!)

I keep finding the cutest and really reasonably priced (these earrings were a mere $6) jewelry at this boutique in the downtown shopping area near me. Sweet Elizabeth Jane has the cutest housewares and jewelry and trinkets and skirts and ALL THE PRETTY THINGS. If you're ever in downtown Ellicott City, Maryland, check it out. You'll thank me later. 

I smirk like I know what's up. 

Meet outfit number two, my ticket to bad assery, which autocorrect does not think is a thing. Rest assured that it is. 

The Look:

Leather Jacket: Buffalo by David Bitton (via thredUP)

Shirt: LOFT via thredUP

Pants: Celebrity Pink via Boscov's

Flats: Steve Madden via DSW

After I came up with this week's outfits, I cruised Pinterest, which probably should have happened the other way around. Anyway, I realized that this outfit must have been subconsciously inspired by Ashley; I pinned her look 9 weeks ago. Man, it must have really stuck with my brain? I didn't even have this shirt 9 weeks ago. I must also be prophetic. 

Thanks to Sarah and Lucky B Boutique for making me stretch my brain with their April Challenge. 

Today's look is inspired by the "local love" theme (this look was as well, but I needed to make sure I didn't double up on my themes.) I am a rule follower to the core. 

For your viewing pleasure, here is another way I've worn the skirt:

(original post)

And another way I've worn the pants:

(original post)

I'm nothing if not thorough. 

Let's talk about bats in the cave.

I kept coming back here to write a post, but it wasn't until today that words stopped hurting my face. Obviously, the words didn't reach out of the screen and smack me, but this sinus surgery recovery has been--how shall I say it?--brutal. So, my grand plan to grade papers over break? Totally thwarted by the constant headaches and dizziness; the latter of which has finally begun to abate. My grand plan to whip up some of the best posts this blog has ever seen? Squashed by my sinuses. 

Today, I finally returned to work, much to Jefferino's dismay. However, I needed normalcy. Well, as much normalcy as can be provided by a room full of teenagers.  It is with great hesitation that I say things are looking up, but I'm going to take a risk here. Things are looking up. I successfully disgusted my junior classes by telling them about my sinus surgery and what came out of my face. (Pity goes a long way, folks. Especially in the hands of teenagers.) 

After school today, I went for my third follow-up visit since the surgery. The right side of my face is healing quite nicely. The left side, on the other hand, is just hanging onto its relationship with inflammation. Every follow-up visit carries on as follows: doctor straps on his headlamp and sticks a tiny lighted rod up my nose to assess my nose goblins (which breed like crazy following a surgery, FYI). He then proceeds to SHOVE bits of hydrogen-peroxide-doused bits of cotton into my sinus cavities; this step of the process serves to soften up the indelicacies living in my nose. Once the hydrogen peroxide makes the inside of my face sizzle (much like the nostalgic "snap, crackle, and pop" sound of our Rice-Krispies-loving youth...without the entertaining cartoons and sugary sweetness that sinks to the bottom of the bowl), he sticks the world's longest tweezers into my nostril and removes said cotton. Does he shove one piece in? No no. Does he shove two pieces in? No no. He shoves three pieces of cotton in; all of which feel as if they're flicking me in the frontal lobe. He assures me he is not touching my brain, but his middle name might be Hannibal. I can't be sure. 

Sometimes, he sticks clippers up my nose, and I wonder to myself, "How are all of these instruments in my face at the same time? Will my nostrils be forever large? WHAT is he snipping in there? Is this a nasal circumcision? Why am I thinking these things?" All the while, Jeff sits in a nearby chair and periodically grimaces or groans about the things coming out of my face. I think to myself, "God love this man who married me, takes care of me, and is sincerely interested in the things that live in my face." In fact, when I told him that my brother was right about the things I blow out of my face being akin to "bloody cockroaches," he asks me to save one in a tissue so that he can inspect it. Don't worry. I do not plan to fulfill this request. Even I have my boundaries. Boundaries that clearly do not include refraining from telling my readers (who may no longer be my readers after this post) about metaphorical cockroaches up my nose. 

In case you're new to this saga, the ENT (ear, nose, and throat) doctor had to fix my deviated septum, bone spur, and clean out my severely infected sinus cavities. After the surgery, he explained that my septum was so deviated it had blocked off my left maxillary sinus, making it impossible for the seven weeks of antibiotics to kill an infection that had nowhere to drain. Since my left sinus cavity is still inflamed and he did a lot of poking around in there, it'll take some time for me to heal; however, it's looking much better already! 

I'm finally cleared to work out and use nasal sprays (including my dear friend, the neti pot), but I must still sneeze out of my mouth, an art I've perfected over the past two weeks. After reading this post, if you try sneezing out of your mouth the next time you sneeze, I do hope you'll share your experience with me. 

I think I know how people who can't see until they put on glasses for the first time feel. I can smell the world for the first time. At the moment, air has convinced me that it's made of menthol because so much of it attacks my face at once that my nose feels overwhelmed. If a mouse farted inside the wall, I'd probably smell it. I'm still trying to decide whether or not I like it. Not the mouse fart. The whole actually being able to smell the air around me. 

If you've made it this far, I might as well reward you with some pictures. It's only fair, yes? 

The Look:

Cropped Jean Jacket: LOFT (old)

Dress: Jessica Simpson via Marshall's 

Booties: Old Navy

I wore this jacket in honor of the Looking Lucky challenge and the theme "cropped," but the jacket does not appear to photograph as cropped as I feel it is. I swear I measured it against my regular jean jacket, and it is shorter. If the jacket doesn't suffice, can we agree that booties are just cropped boots? Come on, throw a girl a bone here. I'm wearing a dress with little red heels all over it for crying out loud. (I don't know how that fact helps my case, but I'm throwing it out there anyway.)