5.25.2011

I was looking through my archives the other night while I was saving some old pictures from my laptop to a flash drive. See, my computer decided to be a pain in the you-know-what and my internet now has a virus. The boy reassures me that his techie friend can wipe away all the mess, and my laptop will be good as new in a few days. I hope so, because the last thing I want to spend my money on are necessities ;)

I had so many pictures on my computer that made me laugh. Swatches of lipstick, eyeshadows and blush. Super blurry outfits from when I first started blogging. I deleted most of them, but saved a few that I actually really like. Most are fairly recent, because I'd like to think that my style has greatly improved over time.

One of my first OOTD. I still love the simplicity of this look. However, bad lighting and an ultra messy background (note the white splotch on the mirror) taint it. I also don't watermark my pictures anymore. Maybe I should, but I just don't.


Infamous rose dress from the H&M Garden Collection last year. This was at Megu in NYC. I still adore that dress, and keep thinking of some place I could wear it.


Friend's wedding, where black was mandatory.


This past winter


Five year anniversary with my bf


And most recently in the necklace you'll see me wearing a lot in the next few months!


I think looking back at old outfit photos is a great way to see what you used to love and, most importantly, what you don't anymore. Me? Well it's abundantly clear I love skinny jeans. It's also clear I love basic colors and silhouettes.


The witty Amy nominated me for a "Stylish Blogger" award and I was tickled that she even thought of me. I have to disclose 7 things about myself you girls may not know, and then nominate 7 others to do the same. Here goes...

1) I am having a tough time "dressing down" at work. For those of you who are new to my blog, I work in a group home. It's actually half school, half residential treatment program but I mainly work in the teen boys' dorm at night. The rule is that you can't wear heels or open toe shoes, and because these kids have serious emotional, mental, and behavioral issues, I have to be ready to possibly go hands-on with them. This means no jewelry either. I find myself wearing lots of  zip up hoodies, not exactly my style! There's such a discrepency between my personal life and my work life. Not really complaining or anything, but it's very odd.

2) This leads to my next fact: Most people have no clue that I have a beauty/fashion blog. I bet my co-workers would die if they knew because I am not able to share that side of myself with them. I also find myself struggling to tell friends for fear of what they may say or think. Is this insane? Why am I embarassed? I love this community so much and I love blogging. We should all be proud of ourselves for the time and passion it takes to blog. Have any of you faced similar problems?

3) I'm addicted to The Food Network and all of the reality shows on Bravo! The Real Housewives franchise? It's a sickness.

4) I'm not very good at swimming, even though I live for the ocean. I even go snorkeling! But only with my boyfriend, who holds my hand out in the water. I grab on for dear life! I can tread water and keep afloat, but I really only know how to dog paddle or do the "froggie" as I call it.

5) I have a grotesque sense of humor, typically associated with males. I'm a girl, but I still love bathroom jokes. Don't ask me why!

6) I light candles in my room every night. My favorite scents are vanilla, cake batter, and anything by Glade.

7) I really, really, want a French or English bulldog. Do you read The Honeybee? Andee has the cutest puppy!

I want to pass along the award to:

Natasha from Schue Love


Lilly from Lilly's Style




Ella from Ella Pretty


I love every single blogger I follow, so if you want to participate and tell us all something about you we may not know, please feel free =)

Thank you for reading,
~Noelle

25 comments:

  1. i love the fourth and last photo! :) followed your blog. :)

    stay pretty! :)

    http://pastelbluejacket.blogspot.com

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  2. OH YAYYY!!! So fun! Thank you for the recognition!! Totally just made my day!! :) I too love the Food Network and Bravo Housewives! And I love that red dress on you...so glamorous!

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  3. I am in love with your last outfit!
    Where is that from?

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  4. This is great post! its always nice to know something about the person behind the blog :)

    Raech
    http://ilvoeshopping.blogspot.com/

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  5. Loved reading the seven things about you :)

    The only people that know about my blog are my hubby and my sis :) And I've told them not to tell any of my friends...not sure why haha.

    Thanks for the award, I'll have to do it soon :)

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  6. I loved reading more about you too! I am so surprised that you have a dirty sense of humor, you always seem so ladylike to me :) I think the work you do is amazing.

    I love all of your looks, you've always looked so classic but modern at the same time.

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  7. thank you hon :)!! you so deserve this award.. i love your style!! i super love your very first OOTD.. you look so chic and polished.. the red rose dress is SO amazing on you!!

    i can't stop watching the real houswives series too.. even though they're like totally ALL trainwrecks.. but i just can't look away! hahha

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  8. Aww, thanks Noelle! I think posts like this are so fun, can't wait to do it! It's funny bc the my 2 close friends do not know about my blog either! I couldn't agree with how you feel more. And I am an avid addicted fan of RHONJ!!!! XX-Jackie

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  9. Wow, I had no idea that you worked in that field! It's not at all what I would've imagined (I honestly imagined you working in fashion or merchandising!). That's awesome, though! As for being reluctant to share your blog with your real-life people, I can understand. I was really secretive about mine too, aside from telling Boyfriend. Now I just don't care, haha! I don't broadcast my blog, but I don't mind it if they spy the link or anything.

    I loved looking through your old OOTDs in this post -- and you look awesome in skinny jeans, so I can see why you love 'em!

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  10. Thanks for tagging me :-) Your sense of style is amazing - I love it! I also love your hair - it looks so pretty softly curled (in the black dress) and the anniversary photo.

    Off to think of 7 things about myself...

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  11. Thanks for posting. Your OOTDs are always so well put together :) Where are those wedge heel boots from again?? I love them!

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  12. I'm amazed to hear about your job- I never would have expected that!! But I understand. Doesn't it suck not being able to dress up for work? I used to have a job like that and I hated that so much.

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  13. I'm pretty much the same way about telling people about my blog - other than my boyfriend and a few friends who actually have blogs too, nobody really knows about it. It's kind of a weird thing to try to tell people, and if they're not bloggers, most people don't really understand it.

    LOVE that red dress. So pretty and fun!

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  14. Aww, I love your sweet comments girls. They make my day! especially after a not-so-great day.

    Just another Shopoholic: My outfit is from - top is by Madewell, and so is the tissue light cami underneath. The jeans are my Banana Republic skinnies which I wear way too often! But I can't help it! The necklace is H&M, the pumps are from Zara, and the bag is MNG by Mango via JCPenny. Oh, and the ring is YSL. Phew!

    Ness: The wedge boots were purchased from Marshalls last Fall. They are BCBGeneration. I know you can find similar though!

    Courtney@SDB: Yes, it can be very boring to say the least. But on the flipside, at least I don't have to worry about taking too long to get ready for work! I just throw whatever on. I reserve my style for days off and weekends I don't work =)

    As I said before, feel free to participate in the tag!

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  15. I think it is kind of fun to look back and see how you dressed then. I was cleaning out some of my pics yesterday and had thoughts of what I was thinking on a few items.

    I love your facts. I'm hoping to come up with some good ones for mine.
    I used to work at a job that was casual and I remember wearing jeans and hoodies most of the time. I could feel myself slipping out of the mode of really getting dressed up some for work. I'm kind of glad I don't work there anymore (for that and other reasons too).
    And I haven't told many people about my blog either. I'm not sure why though but part of the reason is that most people I know don't really read blogs like I do and if they are anything like my mother, don't understand why I would take pictures of my outfits. :)

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  16. oh my gosh, would we ever get along in real life!!! LOL!! i'm such a guys girl! but those moments when the girlie girl comes out!! what a great post! and yay for awards! i love your ootd! I also haven't told any family about my blog. since mine gets so personal sometimes - I would rather leave it to not include family members! keep up the fab work you do here! we all enjoy it!!

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  17. Thanks for giving the shout out to Louie :) She is such a ham and a chick magnet! my husband loves walking her haha! LOVE LOVE LOVE that red dress from the Garden Collection and that turquoise necklace on you! just beautiful! and i totally know what you mean about feeling judged when your real life friends and family read your blog. I felt kind of nervous to start my FB page for the Honeybee! haha totally silly. xoxo

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  18. fshnonmymind: We sound very similar ;)

    DeAnna: Good, a fellow dirty girl lol! Yeah, I don't know where my sick humor comes from. I guess my mom, since she is very much the same way. I'm so happy you enjoy my blog. I love yours as well because it is so personal. It takes guts!

    Andee: Oh you know I love Louie and squeel everytime I see her on your blog! I even forwarded that post to my bf so he could see her in those cute sunglasses! He loved it too =)

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  19. Good stuff! I love looking back at older pics, especially from when I first started blogging. Like you, most of them are pretty darn awful, but it's fun to see how I've grown. Style is definitely a continuous journey, especially as trends come and go, and that's what makes it fun!

    I love all of your outfits, but the colors in the last are SO pretty! I love a good mix of neutrals with a slight pop of color, and you nailed it!

    When I first "came out" with my blog to my friends, I was like you--I felt like my blog was my private space, away from my real life, so having "real life" people know about it seemed incredibly scary and daunting! But once I opened up with it to my family, friends, and co-workers, it's been amazing to see and hear the feedback I get! While it *has* impacted how and what I write about (I can't write quite as freely, as I have a young niece that reads, so I've toned it down on the swear words!), it's been fun to share my love of fashion with everyone else in my life. Definitely not as scary as I thought it'd be. :)

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  20. Thank you Chloe, I appreciate your comment!

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  21. The 5th anniversary outfit & red dress are too cute. I have tried to explain to a couple of ppl and they don't really get it. I'm fine with that. It's a personal decision people make on how they share their blog. If you don't feel the need to discuss your blog w/co-workers, don't. I wouldn't look as it as a secret. It was fun reading about you :)

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  22. That H&M dress is one of my all-time favorites of yours! Super cute, love.
    xo Josie
    www.winksmilestyle.com

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  23. Gigi: Thank you for your advice =) I agree that it shouldn't be seen as a secret, more of just something that I don't necessarily need to share with everyone in my life.

    Josie: Thanks, Doll!

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  24. All over your fashion blog!! Just found you through Natasha's and I'm so glad I did! Love unique styling photo shoots! ;)

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  25. Drew: Aww, thank you! I love Natasha, she's such a sweet person! Welcome to my blog, I hope you enjoy.

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