Fall Fashion 2015: Office Edition

Let me start off by saying that I do not work in an office. Now, before you write me off completely, I should say that I have worked in an office in the past, so I do have a fair idea of what I'm talking about. In any case, this post is really about fashion, and that just happens to be my field of expertise! 

Here in Ottawa, especially downtown Ottawa, there are LOTS of office and government workers. If you're in the city between 7:00am-7:00pm during the work week, you're bound to see a significant number of people walking around in suits. Personally, I quite like the professional look of suiting and office attire. That being said, I also very much enjoy being able to wear jeans to work too! Yes, office attire can be limiting, but that's also part of what makes fashionable office dressing such an art! 

So, without further adieu, may I present my take on Fall 2015 Fashion: Office Edition! Outfits courtesy of JCrew.com

Monday

From left to right: Stadium-cloth cocoon coat in black / Elsie woven metallic pumps in gold silver / Tartan plaid scarf in navy / Crystal cluster earrings in marine salt / Crystal cluster bracelet in marine salt / Collection cashmere turtleneck sweater in heather flannel / Campbell blazer in super 120s wool in black / Campbell trousers in super 120s wool in black.

Tuesday

From left to right: Collarless pocket top in leopard / Martie pant in bi-stretch wool in heather baltic / Cascading glass earrings in crystal / Collection Elsie metallic d'Orsay pumps in gold / Stadium-cloth cocoon coat in black.

Wednesday

From left to right: Double-cloth lady day coat in antique linen / Carrie cami in floral lace in pale rose / Collection Collete calf-hair d'Orsay pumps in sienna black cat / Preston pant in super 120s wool in heather flannel / Crystal burst earrings in crystal / Collection cashmere cardigan sweater in bright ocean.

Thursday

From left to right: Regent topcoat in black watch flannel / Cambridge cable v-neck sweater in dark poppy / No. 2 pencil skirt in double-serge wool in black / Crystal burst earrings in crystal / Mixed crystal necklace in crystal / Collete suede d'Orsay pumps in black. 

Friday

From left to right: Perfect shirt in Stewart plaid in black / Pull-on pant in floral lace in black / Collection Elsie metallic d'Orsay pumps in gold / Stadium-cloth cocoon coat in black / Mixed crystal necklace in crystal. 

Finding your Signature Scent(s)

Scent is one of the most intriguing and mystifying of the human senses. The way that certain smells can evoke memories and feelings is incredibly powerful. There is something uniquely captivating about the right scent and it's ability to create lasting impressions. 

For a long time, I thought that it would be so lovely to have one signature scent that would eventually become directly associated with me...as if people would say, "oh, there goes Alexandra, she always smells like fresh cut roses". Well, I've since realized that people (including myself) are really quite complex and dynamic, and associating one scent with a person is far too limiting. For example, one day I could be feeling fun and feminine, and another, I could be feeling more intense and mysterious. Depending on my mood, I've got a selection of go-to scents that satisfy all of my olfactory inclinations. 

Floral

Chloe Eau de Parfume, Chloe (available here at Sephora)
 









Generally speaking, I tend to prefer light floral scents like rose and gardenia on a regular day basis. I don't care for anything that's either too sweet and powdery, or smells too much like nail polish remover (which unfortunately is not all that uncommon)! Aside from Chloe Eau de Parfume, my two other favorite scents are Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet (for when I want a light, feminine, and classic perfume), and Parisienne, by Yves Saint Laurent (for when I want something a bit more bold and romantic). 

Fresh

CK One Summer, Calvin Klein (available here at Sephora)










Oh CK One Summer...this scent brings back quite a multitude of memories! I wore this a lot in high school and I absolutely loved it! It's very fresh and clean, with a subtle musky scent to it. I remember going into Shoppers Drug Mart with the intention of getting some other perfume (hmm..what was popular 10 years ago?), but was pleasantly surprised with how One Summer sat on my skin. Alternatively, I also remember really wanting Cashmere Mist, by Donna Karan when it hit the shelves, but ended up turning away from it when I tried it on because it just didn't mix well with the chemistry of my skin. 

Earthy

Miss Dior Eau de Parfume, Dior (available here at Sephora)










Personally, I don't much care for perfumes that have earthy top notes. I absolutely love having a hint of earthy or woodsy tones in floral perfumes (YSL Parisienne is a perfect example), but I find them too strong when they are the leading scent. I haven't had a chance to sample it on my skin yet, but I will admit that I am intrigued by White Woods, by Clean. The notes listed on the Sephora website look like a nice balance of sweet and earthy, and floral and woodsy, so it will be interesting to see how it really smells. 

Spicy

Hypnotic Poison, Dior (available here at Sephora)










Last but not least, another nostalgic scent for me is Hypnotic Poison by Dior. Unless you happen to be a Bond Girl or some mysterious woman of intrigue, this perfume is definitely not your everyday kind of perfume. It's an incredibly potent blend of feminine notes like jasmine and vanilla, mixed with spicy notes like caraway, bitter almond, and jacaranda wood. If you like this kind of sexy perfume, you will probably also enjoy Black Orchid, by Tom Ford, or Opium, by Yves Saint Laurent.  

Ultimately, the best and most accurate way to determine what perfumes you like, is to test them on your skin. It could come in a beautiful bottle and smell absolutely exquisite when you spray it on a sample card, but then change completely when you apply it to your skin. It's also important to consider how a perfume evolves on your skin as well. I've tried perfumes that I've loved for the first hour, but hated as the day wore on. Since so much of it has to do with chemistry, it's important to really test it out properly yourself. Finding the right perfume is a very personal process and highly rewarding when it pays off in the end! 

Autumn Harvest Muffins

The changing seasons brings many new transitions, not the least of which being my kitchen habits! I notice the change pretty clearly once the weather starts to cool and the leaves begin to fall off the trees. I wake up in the morning craving oatmeal instead of a smoothie, our lunches go from being crab salad sandwiches to soups and stews, and of course, how can I leave out the incorporation of pumpkin into as many baked goods as possible! I love autumn and winter cooking! It's so hearty, rich, and comforting! If I had to pick my top 10 favorite meals, I can assure you, at least 8 of them would be considered autumn/winter fare. 

So for today's post, I'm going to be sharing one of my favorite muffin recipes for the season. I call them Autumn Harvest Muffins. They are incredibly easy to make, and always taste delicious. What I enjoy most about them, is that they are very easy to play around with, so you can add or substitute various ingredients to make them exactly as you want them.

Ingredients 

* 1 cup of milk 
* 1 cup of quick cooking oats 
* 1 egg
* 1/4 cup of oil   
* 1 cup of flour
* 1/4 cup brown sugar
* 1 tsp baking soda 
* 1 tbsp cinnamon
* 1 tbsp nutmeg
* 1/2 cup pumpkin (canned) 
* 1/4 cup walnuts (chopped)
* 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 
* 1/4 cup dried cranberries 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°c. Grease muffin tray or line with paper muffin liners. 
2. Mix together milk and oats in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together all dry ingredients (flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg).
4. Pour milk and oat mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients, along with the egg and oil.
5. Spoon batter into muffin cups, each about 3/4 full. 
6. Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, and let cool for about 5 minutes before enjoying! 

Everyday Makeup Routine

Makeup-free face! 

So now that the weather is getting cooler here in Ottawa, I've been having to switch things up a bit when it comes to my makeup routine. In the warmer months, when it gets very hot and humid, I tend to go fairly light on my makeup, focusing primarily on skincare and sun protection. Now that the humidity has all but disappeared, I'm finding that I'm having to be a lot more generous with my moisturizers! I've even been going out without any of my face powder lately because I've found it a bit too drying. 

I only have one makeup bag, although sometimes I wish I had two, so that I could do touch-ups throughout the day. Since my job is pretty busy and I'm constantly on my feet, I can't imagine that I would have much time to do that kind of thing though! In any case, the makeup I apply in the morning is all that I rely on to last me through the day, so I certainly demand a lot from it in terms of performance.

Diorskin BB Creme

After I've exfoliated, cleansed, toned, and moisturized, the next thing I put on my face is my Dior Diorskin Nude BB Creme. I like that it gives me a very natural amount of coverage, and it blends really well. I am lucky enough to have decent skin, so I don't need anything too heavy when it comes to foundation. 

Next up, I tackle my brows. I am pretty happy with my eyebrows for the most part, although they are a bit too sparse in my opinion, so I use a pencil most days to fill them in a bit. The one I use is by NYX, in light brown. I don't pluck or wax, so they are just naturally thin unfortunately!

Best overall mascara on the market
in my opinion!

I can get ghostly pale in the winter, so I find blush and bronzer VERY helpful when I'm trying to not look like a corpse! The blush I've been using nearly everyday is by Tarte, in the shade Glisten, which is a warm shimmering peach color. 

I don't like to wear too much eye makeup on a daily basis, so I try and keep it simple with a sweep of nude shadow over my lids, followed by a thin layer of liquid liner before I put on my mascara. The shadows I use are from Coastal Scents. I tend to use Chamois Nude on my lids, followed by Sand Storm on the outer corners. In my opinion, mascara is the most important part. If I had to, I would skip every other step...but not mascara! I have to say, there are a number of fancy mascaras out there that have enticed me before, but I always come back to my L'Oreal Voluminous mascara. It's just such an excellent product...and the price is amazing! 

End result: casual, everyday makeup look!

Finally, I put a bit of Vaseline on my lips, and I'm good to go! I haven't been wearing any lipstick or gloss lately, but I'm thinking that will be changing soon now that I've been needing more color on my face! Lipstick is a tough one if you don't have the opportunity to reapply throughout the day. Instead, I find I tend to use tinted lip balms and stains for a more subtle, low maintenance look! 

I'm Back!

So after over a month of being MIA, I'm finally back, and will be making a conscious effort to post regularly! In my defense, the past month has been crazy busy, and I honestly haven't had a whole lot of free time to just sit and write! The good news is that from now on, I'll only have one job instead of two, which means more time to write! However, that being said, having one less job also means one less source of income, so...yeah, it's definitely a bitter-sweet kind of thing. 

Anyway, I suppose I'll start off by saying that Ryan and I are officially settled in our apartment and couldn't be happier living downtown! I'm loving the way our place is taking shape and even though it's still a bit of a work in progress, I'm quite content with the way it's going so far. 

We did encounter a mini disaster of sorts when we tried to stain our IKEA dining table and chairs. I'm getting over it though, since I have since purchased a navy tablecloth to hide the mess! Essentially, we bought the wrong kind of wood stain, and instead of creating a beautifully rich walnut color, the paint turned out very streaky and formed horrible globs everywhere. I know, I know...those of you with experience are telling me "you should have used X paint or Y paint" and "you should be sanding it between coats". Trust me, I spent far longer than I would have liked, researching all of this stuff! With the price we paid for the table and chairs, and with how the paint turned out, it's really just more economical to cover it all up for now..at least until we're ready to tackle the problem again! 

In other non-decor related news, something that Ryan and I have both been enjoying in our down time, is the convenience of being able to walk three blocks to our local dog park! Rocky absolutely loves it, and it's nice because he gets to meet lots of other dogs and get plenty of exercise running around off-leash! He's even been lucky enough to be at the dog park at the same time as his old buddy Bane, a two year old mastiff, who was at the Humane Society with Rocky at the same time that he was. Ryan and I had even seriously considered adopting Bane, that is, until Rocky cemented his place in our hearts! 

I don't want to ramble, so I'll end here for now, with the promise that I'll have more posts this week! I hope you all have a fun (and safe!) Halloween!