Favorite skirt of the season

sunday outfit in winterover 40 style bloggerlaser cut skirt and turtleneck sweater outfitjcrew skirt and turtleneck sweaterjcrew laser cut midi skirt outfitgivenchy antigona and prada mary janessunday stylewinter midi skirt outfitwinter outfit idea for churchgivenchy antigona with jcrew skirt

Pictured: Sunglasses: Chanel / Earrings: Kendra Scott / Lipstick: Chanel Mighty / Necklace: Kendra Scott / Sweater: White + Warren (so soft and comfy, love!!!) (last seen here) (less expensive option here) / Skirt: JCrew (last seen here) (also love this one and this one, more at the bottom of this post) / Handbag: Givenchy / Ring: Beau Bijou / Nail Polish: Dior Lilac / Shoes: Prada (sold out, also love this pair and this pair)

Have you ever had a piece in your closet you find yourself reaching for over, and over again? That is this skirt for me! I purchased this skirt for fall near the end of summer vacation after I instantly fell in love with it when I saw it in the JCrew catalog for fall; so I jumped up and ordered it!

I have been styling it with different tops since late summer. When I first got the skirt, I was pairing it with basic tee-shirts, and tops, so that I could wear it during the awful heat we experienced in late summer, and early fall. When our weather finally cooled off, I started to pair it with light sweaters, and now heavier ones, such as the turtleneck sweater I wore it with last Sunday; shown above.

In this outfit, I mixed last year’s color of the year, Marsala, with one of this year’s colors, pale blue or “Serenity,” because I think they look pretty together. I love Serenity for 2016, any shade of light blue is beautiful; and easy to mix so many other types of colors!

I am looking forward to continuing to style this skirt into the new year; and pairing shades of blue with other colors in the new year too!

My beautiful nine-year-old daughter took these photos after church on Sunday. I think she did a pretty good job! She is learning her way around a DSLR camera, and really enjoys photography. It seems like a natural hobby for someone who wants to be fashion designer, an interior decorator, and an automobile designer when she grows up! With three careers, she will be quite busy 😉

Do you have any pieces in your closet this season you feel like you are reaching for all the time? If so, what are they?

Laser cut skirts:

Outfit details:

Dior Lilac nail polish for spring 2016

dior lilac nail polish spring 2016

Pictured: Dior Lilac nail polish for spring 2016

Dior Lilac nail polish is from Dior’s spring 2016 beauty collection. It is a bright lilac color which instantly grabbed my attention. I am in love!

I have never tried Dior nail polish before. I always had Dior in the back of my mind, but haven’t seen a color before which made me pull the trigger and purchase one. For spring 2016, Dior has two colors which are right on trend with the current color trends for the spring 2016 season; Lilac and Bluette (which I will review soon!). Love that!

I tested out Dior Lilac nail polish for spring 2016 with two coats of color, one base coat, and one top coat. The nail polish is long lasting, and offers beautiful color saturation! Dior Lilac nail polish is a cream polish which needs two coats for full coverage. It is not streaky, and offers a solid color once dry. The brush is a little bit thicker than I am used to using to apply nail polish, but that did not matter. The brush was easy to use, and mess free!

Dior Lilac nail polish blends well with the current shades of pink, fashion is offering for spring. While American designers favored blush, and shades of rose on their spring runways, European designers showed bright shades of pink; all of which play well with Lilac.

If you are in love with all the various shades of blue for spring 2016, Dior Lilac nail polish is the ideal contrast to a blue ensemble. After all, the biggest color trend of the season is to wear blue with a shade of pink! Although Lilac is in the purple family, Dior Lilac nail polish offers more of a pinkish hue than traditional lilac, making it great in-between color if you are not a straight pink person.

I am thrilled with Dior Lilac nail polish, and look forward to purchasing more Dior nail polish in the future. I always love it when I fall in love with a new brand!

Dior Lilac nail polish for spring 2016 can be found online here, and here.

Fitness gear for the new year

fitness gear for the new year

From left: white hoodie / purple leggings / purple tank / sports bra / duffle bag / running shoes / lavender tee / jacket / loose yoga pants

 I have always been a fitness buff, but for 2016, I am completely revamping my workout routine in order to lose fifteen pounds! In my quest for fitness success, I want to spice up my almost-all-black fitness wardrobe, and get some new fitness gear for the new year!

If you are heading to the gym for your new years resolution, you might be looking for new fitness gear in the new year too! I have a few basics I like to stick to, but for 2016, I would like to add some brighter colors, and less conservative styles to my fitness wardrobe.

The basics are simple. I cannot live with out a Nike sport bra. No other sports bra offers the support, and the comfort, Nike’s classic staple offers. If you have not found the perfect sports bra yet, I highly recommend this one!

I love capri leggings for spin classes, step classes, and cardio kick-boxing (BodyCombat) classes. They offer smooth range of motion, and are not too warm since they hit below the knee, and do not extend to the ankle. I attend a step class every Saturday morning. This year, I want to commit to getting myself down to the gym every Friday for BodyCombat and every Tuesday for Spin. They are all such great workouts for both the legs, and the core.

When it comes to yoga, I just don’t go. Not this year! As I age, I have found I need more recovery after working hard at the gym, and I also need to stretch more in order to stay injury free! So, as part of my new years resolution, I plan to add yoga into my schedule. I already do fifteen minutes of Pilates three times per week after working out, so I feel like I get enough Pilates on my own. My favorite type of Pilates is simple mat Pilates. It is a great way to strengthen the core, and stretch muscles you didn’t know you had!

I don’t like wearing tight clothing for yoga or Pilates, so the loose pants pictured above are perfect since they are not constricting, and they can easily be worn to run errands before or after a yoga class. Love that!

When it comes to shoes, I am a Nike girl! I have been wearing Nike since High School and swear by the brand. These shoes are my favorite running shoe style. I wear running shoes for running, or walking on the treadmill. For fitness classes, I prefer a cross trainer such as this pair, and for tennis I wear good old fashioned tennis shoes such as this pair.

I like a no-nonsense duffle bag for the gym. I don’t like using a designer tote, or an overly fussy bag. I feel like a gym bag should look athletic; not like it is pretending to be something else. This duffle bag is perfect; and very sporty looking! Love that!

What are your current fitness goals? Do you prefer classes, or do you workout on your own?

Fitness gear for the new year wish list: