Sprucing Up

As I head to law school and begin a new chapter in my life, I guess I've also automatically started updating my style.  I've come a very very long way from say, middle school. Wow.  I look back at those pictures in horror and wonder what on earth I was thinking.  And even into high school/college...I refused to wear jeans until I got forced into them for Good News singing events and realized that they actually look good (it was all cargo pants before that...).  In fact, I didn't get my first nice sweater until this past year (from Express), and that was because my brother pressured me to get something from there with him.  Basically, I think I'm inherently stylistically challenged.  I'm thankful for people around me who can help me out (like my brother and Liz) and tell me what looks good on me/what works!  I've made some pretty big gaffes over the past couple of years, and so I'm currently not very confident in my ability to pick out the right stuff.

Yeah, yeah, I know, I shouldn't care too much about this worldly stuff.  But I do think it can be a distraction to other people if you are really extremely lacking in style.  Why not look nice, as long as it doesn't break the bank?  There are way more worthless things I could be spending my money on.  In all actuality, it's not necessarily even spending more money - it's just a matter of choosing more wisely when I go out and buy new clothes and shoes.  My most recent pair of Nike shoes I am very proud of, and I picked them out myself at Birch Run (they were pretty cheap, something like $40-$50)! 

Most everything before this pair of beauties was extremely bland and boring, and I paid the same for those.  That was my problem before - choosing the most boring and bland things.  So 2011 is my year of new beginnings, choosing nice-looking and non-boring things.  Examples:

And perhaps the most surprising new thing for me:

Yes, both of these.  Something else that has really contributed to my style awareness is subscribing to Men's Health Magazine (which I discovered via Twitter, which I got into thanks to Mark).  They always have a bunch of ads/samples of cologne (or I guess it's called eau de toilette), and I became really intrigued....I wanted to add some sophistication and sexiness to my life...hahaha.  And so when James came to visit me, I brought him, Sam, Andy, and the Chou brothers to the mall with me and they helped me sniff out different scents at Sephora  =]
These are the two I eventually picked out, both Versace.  First one is my favorite - so warm and delicious.  The second is also really nice - fresh and citrusy.  These do cost a lot.  Versace Pour Homme (first one pictured) I ended up buying on Amazon for $48 (3.4 oz bottle), which is an amazing bargain, considering original price is $74.  This one I kicked myself for.  The seller had a 95% positive rating, but I read some negative reviews that said the cologne people received was fake/old and worn out (this I read AFTER I already purchased it and they don't let you cancel the order).  But....it has arrived and it's genuine and amazing.  The second one I just ordered from Sephora's website for $56 (1.7 oz bottle).  Anyway, yes, very pricy, but very sexy, and hopefully will last me a long time.

What's next?  Perhaps a nice pair of brown dress shoes.  I don't know.  But being a lawyer, it would probably be best for me to look sophisticated and professional, so I'm on my way!