Springtime blues

I love springtime.

That's one of the perks of living in Arizona--we get this gorgeous, long spring. It starts in February and goes through May. After that, things get crazy hot and I'm back to wishing I lived in a milder climate, but springtime in the desert is great while it lasts.

Dress: Old Navy. Shoes: Target

That's one major perk of working literally in the middle of a desert garden: I get to see all these gorgeous flowers in bloom right now! I try to get out of my office for at least fifteen minutes a day to wander around the garden and see what's in bloom. Yesterday I even ran into a giant crane that was just hanging out in the middle of the garden near a tiny watering hole!

So since I'm really in the spring mood, I felt like this seersucker sundress was the perfect outfit for a sunny Tuesday in the garden.

Sweater: Old Navy

I got the dress last spring, and I just love how versatile it is. I dressed it up for an outdoor spring wedding with wedges, red lipstick, and big curls. But my favorite way to wear it is with a loose open-weave sweater and flats, just like this!

Oh, and this necklace! I wish I could remember where it came from--possibly Forever 21? I like that it's cute and chunky, but it isn't too over-the-top. Perfect for a simple outfit like this. And you know I have to pair some bold lips with a springy outfit like this!

Penelope isn't allowed outdoors, but when I'm outside she just wines at the backdoor. So I thought I'd carry her outside to enjoy the sunny weather. She was clearly not a fan!

Late Start

Today was just one of those days.

See, I had this big meeting scheduled this morning that I've been pretty nervous about for the last week or so. I had a lot of preparation to do, as I was leading it, and I really wanted to make a big impression--dress nice, look professional, the whole lot.

Blazer: Maurice's

So imagine how I felt this morning when I overslept and woke up 13 minutes before I needed to leave for work...

Yep, it was a moment of panic, followed by 20 solid minutes of rushing. I pinned my hair back, slapped on some foundation, brushed my teeth, got dressed, and ran out the door. I even took my mascara, eye shadow, and eyebrow pencil with me and did it at my desk when I got to work!

Skirt: Old Navy

All in all, I only got to work 4 minutes late, and had plenty of time to get my head in the game and prep before the meeting. And guess what? It went great!

Okay, I may or may not have sweat through my blazer a bit (it's been so hot here this week!) but other than that...it was great!

Shirt: Old Navy

It's also been a crazy day weather-wise, too! It was so windy out (hence the change of location) with high tree pollens, which had my allergies going crazy. But I made it through the day, and I think I managed to still look professional. Not bad for a rushed morning!

Earrings: Target. Watch: Target

I think I might just set an extra backup alarm for tomorrow morning...just in case, you know?

Casual Monday

Oh man, it's been quite a weekend.

See, the wind kicked up here in Phoenix on Friday night, and it blew all those lovely pollens around. Cut to me nursing an allergy-fueled headache and fighting a cold all weekend long.

So when it came time to wake up and get ready for work this morning, I was NOT feeling it.

My workplace doesn't have an official dress code, so my coworkers' attire can range from t-shirts and tennis shoes to button-downs and ties. I try to keep it on the business casual side, but today that was just not going to happen.

Button-down: Old Navy. Pants: Old Navy.

Lucky for me, I have a super cozy office, complete with a tea corner. So once I got to work and had a cup of rooibos tea, I was feeling a whole lot better. 

I know I said I wouldn't wear these pants in my next post, but...I was tired, and tired Kellie always wins the fight. At least I didn't wear lilac and navy this time!

Blouse: Target

Don't you love the detail in this embellished tank top? It's very art deco. Or is it art nouveau? Whatever it is, it's lovely. And--confession time here--I wore this to see 10 Cloverfield Lane last night with my boyfriend. There was a part that made me jump, and I spilled a little red gatorade (I super-hydrate when I'm trying not to get sick!) on it...but it seriously slid right off and didn't stain at all! Miracle fabric!!

Watch: Guess

Earrings: Forever 21

Shoes: Target

I really wanted to take a jumping picture, but it turned out to be...not so easy. I take these pictures with my camera on a ten-second delay, so figuring out the timing was hard enough...figuring out my face? Well...see for yourself:

Yeah, not my finest work.

But clearly I'm feeling a whole lot better...here's to a great week!

Wine time

Happy Monday!

Okay, I get it, Mondays are rarely happy. But today was a happy Monday, because I got to see my best friend!

After work, I met her for happy hour at our favorite wine cafe, where glasses of wine are only $5 before 5pm every day of the week! You really can't beat that.

Blazer: Maurice's. Top: Old Navy. Pants: Old Navy.

By the way, if you've read this blog in the past, you might recognize that mammoth cactus in the background. It made an appearance in a couple of my old posts, most recently in April of 2012, and look how much smaller it was back then:

I do miss the Agave that used to live next to it, though (rest in peace, little buddy!)

This blazer is just so nice. Spring has come far too early here in Arizona, with temperatures already in the mid-80's most days. But this is nice and lightweight so I can wear it comfortably even when it's warm outside. Granted, it won't be comfortable to wear in mid-July when it's 118 and I just want to lie spread-eagle on a cold, concrete floor in a dark, air-conditioned room, but...well, nothing is comfortable in that kind of heat!

Bag: Target.

I got this ages ago as a school bag, and it's the perfect size for carrying to work now. I can fit books, papers, files, and even my laptop if I need it, plus there's plenty of room to carry my lunch inside instead of having another bag to lug in with me.

Watch: Target

I think I'd like to start every week the way I did this one, with a glass of chardonnay, hanging out with one of my favorite people on earth!

Earrings: gift (from my best friend!)

I've realized that in my last two posts, I have a sort of lilac-and-navy theme going! I'm going to need to switch it up of the next outfit I post, even though I've been loving this color combination lately! We'll see...hopefully on my next post you'll see me in something completely different. Until then!

Long time, no see...

Well hello!

As I write this, I realize that it has been about 3 years and 10 months since my last Dresses and Curls blog post. Can you believe it?! That is, if anyone sees this...I suppose you aren't regularly checking my blog to see if I've posted anything after almost 4 years of radio silence?

I don't really remember why I stopped posting 4 years ago, but I do know that lately I have begun to miss it. I got nostalgic and went through all of my old blog posts, and I remembered just how fun it was. So I've decided to give it another shot!

So, what has changed in the last four years? Well...a lot. To start, I [finally!] graduated with my bachelor's degree this past December. It was a day that, for a long time, I thought might never come, but in 2014 I really buckled down and powered through my final four semesters at Arizona State University after years of biding my time at community college. And all of the hard work (and sleepless nights, and crazed study sessions, and tears, and so on...) finally paid off, and I graduated with honors!

Not too long after graduating, I got a job as the publication coordinator for a botanical garden here in Phoenix. I just started a month ago, and I'm loving my new job and the start of my career in publishing! That is another reason I've been itching to get this blog up and running again...now that I'm starting to build up a business-casual work wardrobe, I want to document it here.

The thing is, when I was blogging before, I had more motivation to put thought into what I wore and, as a result, I felt more confident in how I looked. And more than anything, it was a lot of fun!

So here we go again...I'll try to update regularly again, starting...NOW:

Today was a strange mix of a Sunday: early in the day I was busy, and in the afternoon I was lazy, lazy, lazy. In the morning I went with my boyfriend to a little luncheon at his grandma's church to celebrate her 83rd birthday! Then I had a quiet afternoon to make up for an otherwise busy weekend. I binge-watched four episodes of Downton Abbey so that I could catch up for tonight's finale!

Top: Maurice's. Pants: Old Navy.

I love the Pixie Chino ankle pants from Old Navy because they're so comfortable and versatile. I can wear them to work with a nice blouse and flats, or roll them up at the ankles and wear them with a t-shirt on the weekend. Confession time: I own them in four colors (and, let's be honest, I plan on buying more in the future) but I can't get enough of this lovely lilac shade. I have a feeling I'm going to be wearing these a lot this spring!

Oh, and don't even get me started on the top. I bought this recently on my first-ever visit to Maurice's. I am officially in love with that store (I bought way more than I should have on that trip!) because they have lots of cute, trendy pieces along with a good mix of staple pieces, and it's all affordable. The good news is there's a Maurice's within walking distance of my house. The bad news is...well, there's a Maurice's within walking distance of my house. Quick, somebody take my wallet away from me!

Even though I was just lounging around and watching Downton on my computer, I didn't take this outfit off all day (and that's really saying a lot, as I usually come home from work and immediately change into sweats.) My mom and I had a fancy little tea party to celebrate the series finale of Downton Abbey and I sort of felt like I could fit in with the classy outfits of 1925 with this lovely lace piece. Okay...sort of.

Shoes: thrifted.

Earrings: gift

These earrings were part of my graduation gift from my boyfriend's parents and I am so in love with them. In the future when I wear these in a post I'll be sure to get a better detail shot because they are just so gorgeous and classic, I wear them all the time!

Sunglasses: Target. Lipstick: Matte Darling by Milani

Oh, and if you read this blog before (or know me in Real Life) you might notice that I've changed my hair! I made a BIG leap in December by cutting a whole lot of my hair off (something I mulled over for about 11 months to make sure I was really ready to do it!)

Yeah...I had a LOT of hair (don't mind the greasy hair on the left, I sort of just rolled out of bed and went straight to the salon that morning)

Then just last week I chopped it again, this time opting to go even shorter with this sassy little asymmetrical bob. I must say, I have the short hair bug and I am loving it. I mean, it's quick to dry, easy to style, and it's going to be amazing in the summer when it's 115 out and I don't have a lion's mane of hair on my head.

So that's my first new post sorted....I must say, I'm excited to be back! Much more excited than little Lucky, it seems...

Oh, and on that note, I'll end this with a picture of my little baby! I have a new cat since I last posted here. Her name is Penelope and I've had her for nearly three years. The other two cats you have seen in this blog are my parents' cats, but Penelope is mine (ALL MINE!) She is sweet and cuddly but hates being picked up so don't expect any me-holding-my-cat-with-crazy-eyes pictures of her, since she has front claws and I rather like having unscathed skin. But here she is in all her sweet adorableness, and there's that.

See you next time (and yes, there will be a next time!)

May Birchbox!

I got my very first Birchbox the other day! If you’ve never heard of a Birchbox, it’s little box that gets shipped to you every month with a bunch of samples of beauty products. It’s a mystery every month, so you don’t know what you’re getting until it comes!

Mine wasn’t scheduled to arrive until the 15th, but it came early! Usually they will post your box on the website a couple days after shipping it, but I refused to go look because I wanted it to be a complete surprise.

I knew this month was going to be “Gossip Girl” themed, possibly because the show is ending soon (?) Now, I don’t watch Gossip Girl, but I wasn’t about to complain when they said they had been working with brands like Stila and Dior this month to keep up with the show’s theme of luxury.

Inside the box it had this little card explaining the Gossip Girl themed box. Now, here’s the strange thing—it said I got the “Hamptons Beach Party” box, but none of the products listed on the back of the card were in my box. My guess is they slipped the wrong card in my box, so I’m not sure which box theme I actually got.

 
First up was this Beauty Balm from Dr. Jart+. From what I understand, it’s supposed to be like a tinted moisturizer, except…fancier. Now, I’m not a fan of tinted moisturizers for a couple reasons: they don’t have very good coverage, and they tend to leave my face looking shiny and oily. I tried this stuff yesterday and it seemed to be the same as any other tinted moisturizer I’ve tried—except with a much steeper price tag. Good to know!

 

Next up was this perfume. It smells amazing. It’s like warm vanilla—and really, is there any smell in the world better than warm vanilla? It lasts forever, too. It’s not like some perfumes that vanish after a while—you can smell it all day, but it’s not too overpowering.

I got a blank card…not entirely sure what I need this for, but that’s okay I guess!

This is called a Twist Band…it’s basically a regular hair tie, except it’s supposed to be non-snagging and more comfortable. I haven’t tried this one yet because I have been wearing my hair down. My sister got the headband version of this in her Birchbox, though, and she loves it—she said it doesn’t slide around on her head like elastic headbands usually do.

 
The nail polish I got was Color Club in “Disco Nap”…I’m really fascinated by that name. Disco and naps…two things I didn’t think really went together. It’s a nice color, although I already have a similar gold polish by OPI. I do like that it’s more metallic than my OPI, rather than just a shimmery gold.

I saved the best for last, of course! I got the Sugar Rosé lip treatment! I’ve wanted to try this for a few years, but I just never wanted to shell out $22 for it. It goes on really smooth, lasts a long time, and it’s such a pretty sheer rose color. I love it!