Wearing Now: Bella Clothing Tee & Giveaway!

T-shirt - courtesy of Bella Clothing, get yours here!

Skirt - Zara

Belt - J.Crew

Flats - Gap City Flats

Hat - from a boutique in Boulder

Tissue jersey tees are a closet staple and this super-soft version from Bella Clothing fits the mold.  It's actually quite long and would look great over leggings, yoga pants, skinny jeans...the list goes on.  I like mine tucked into my jersey maxi skirt from Zara.  Comfy, easy and so laid-back.  =)

You can win your own tissue jersey tunic from Bella Clothing by entering their giveaway here!  There's two ways to enter:

• Become a fan of the Bella Facebook Fan Page (facebook.com/bellaclothing) OR
• Become a fan of the Bella Twitter Feed (twitter.com/bellaclothing)

Then, leave a comment telling me which entry method you went with - and leave a second comment if you did both!  I'll randomly select a winner this Friday, February 4th!  Note: this giveaway is for US residents only.

Behind the Scenes at the 2011 Bella Clothing photo shoot

Happy Monday!

Wearing Now: Alain Bella Cargo Skinnies & Sweater

Cargo Skinnies & Boyfriend Sweater - courtesy of Alainn Bella, get yours here and here for 50% off (through Sunday only!)

Blouse - H&M

Necklace - Madewell

Booties - Givenchy

Purse - Chanel

My Saturday outfit for a nice coffee/bookstore outing - loving the cargo skinnies from Alainn Bella!  They're an easy weekend choice for lounging around, and just as easy to spiff up with a pair of heels.  The sweater is light and airy (almost gauze-like) which makes it drape nicely.  And I had to add a bit of "girly" with my flowery blouse from earlier this week.  =)

Don't forget that Alainn Bella is offering 9to5Chic readers 50% off full-price merchandise (these $78 skinnies = $39, and this $35 sweater = $17.50!) only through Sunday evening!  Use code "9to5Chic50" for the discount.  

Hope you enjoy your weekend!

What I Come Home To

It's Friday and I'm feeling so blessed - life is undeniably good.  Especially when I come home from work and one of my dogs is sitting in her bed like this:

Happy Friday!!!

Wearing Now: Spring Flowers & Work Trousers

Jacket & Blouse - H&M (recent)

Trousers - Missoni
Ring - Forever21

Heels - Giuseppe Zanotti

Purse - Chanel

Good morning and happy Thursday!

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have heard that I'm heading to Tokyo with my hubby for vacation!  (Soon, but not soon enough!)  Flights are booked, hotel is booked and the necessary tourist manual will be purchased this weekend!  If you follow me on Facebook, you'll get to see a few extra outfit shots from today's outfit.  And if you follow me on both, well, I owe you a major high-five!!! ;)  ;) 

(Make sure you check out the Alainn Bella 50% off sale for 9to5Chic readers!!)

Afternoon Craving: Long Pleated Maxi Skirt

Blame it on the amazing San Francisco weather, the dwindling fall/winter selection in stores and subsequent new arrivals or simply blame it on my impatience. I'm craving all things Spring.  We all are, right?

I love that my little Craving features have turned into somewhat of a sale shopping list for me.  It's true - I rarely ever buy what I'm craving when I'm craving it (when it's this, this or this, it's simply not within reason).  But if I loved it enough to post it here, and pooof it goes on sale?  I can hardly resist. =)

So here's my first craving of the season (not within reason but something to file away for inspiration): a long pleated maxi skirt.

Michael Kors at Saks

(Don't forget the Alainn Bella 50% off sale - I'll be posting an outfit soon with this and this. They're lovely!)

Wearing Now: Weekday Lunch Date

Blouse - Zara (recent sale find)

Trousers - J.Crew (last winter)

Trench - Burberry

Heels - Christian Louboutin
Sunglasses - Prada

Wallet - Louis Vuitton

I enjoyed a rare weekday lunch date along the Embarcadero (across from the Ferry Building) with my hubby yesterday!  The Ferry Building Marketplace is one of my favorite places - it houses Slanted Door (amazing modern Vietnamese food mentioned last week), Miette (delicious treats) and Hog Island Oyster Company, among others.  Best of all, the setting is just gorgeous.  The perfect midday getaway. =)

Don't forget to take advantage of the Alainn Bella sale!  50% off full-priced merchandise with code "9to5Chic50"!

Wearing Now: Alainn Bella Cozy Sweater & 50% off Sale

Sweater - courtesy of Alainn Bella, get yours here! (wearing the M/L size)

Dress - Samantha Traecy (old)

Belt - J.Crew

Ring - Forever21

Booties - Givenchy

Purse - Chanel

How much do I love this new sweater from Alainn Bella? Twice. Twice-in-three-days love. ;) No shame here, I wore it to work on Friday with jeans and all day on Saturday with this dress.  It didn't bother me that there were only M/L sizes left in stock - this kind of sweater is meant to be big and loose (more to cozy up to!).

Now here comes the good part:

You can cozy up to your very own Alainn Bella sweater too - Alainn Bella is offering 9to5Chic readers an awesome 50% off full-priced merchandise for one week only!  That makes this $64 sweater only $32 - a total steal in my opinion!  Use coupon code "9to5chic50" for the discount!

Hope you have a wonderful Monday!

Techy Talk: Upgrading from 3GS to 4G

I was pretty bummed after shattering the screen on my iPhone 3GS on Thursday (a man walking opposite me decided to swing his arm into mine...).

But every end is a new beginning(!)

Enter my new 4GS, purple case and all.  I'll be sure to keep the case on this time.

Aside from a few minor upgrades and changes, it's pretty much the same phone.  Except that it has two-way camera, which is going to make it utterly impossible to avoid these gratuitous self-shots:

Yep - I did it. =)

Hope you're having a lovely weekend!

Wearing Now: Navy & Camel

 
Peacoat - H&M (last year)

Blouse - Theory

Trousers - Zara

Belt - J.Crew

Booties - Givenchy

Purse - Chanel

Sunglasses - H&M

Ring - Forever21

Wednesday to-do list:

1. Plan and book a mini-vacay (preferably involving warm beach & sand) (or Vegas) (or Palm Springs) (indecisive much?)
2. Figure out how to get my UPS package before it is returned to the sender...which happens to be theOutnet.com and yes, I'd really like my $30 See by Chloe blouse!
3. Mentally prepare myself (two days in advance) for the mind trip that is Black Swan.  Let's save my dreams of fluffy clouds and rainbows for Friday night when hubby and I have our movie date! 
4. Send Victoria a text because dinner at Slanted Door last night was so much fun =) 
   

Daily Makeup Routine

Everything here works wonders for me but the four things that are unquestionably stocked in excess at home are the primer, foundation, blush and eyeliner.  I'm not a beauty guru, so I'm sure there are lots of products out there that should be in my arsenal...care to share your holy grail product? Please do so in the comments! =)

Face: 

1. Olay Complete SPF Moisturizer
2. Smashbox Photo Finish Light Primer
3. Bobbi Brown Moisturizing Creme Compact Foundation (4.0 Natural)
4. Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer (Beige)
5. Bobbi Brown Blush (Peony)
6. Bobbi Brown Loose Face Powder (5.0 Sand)

Eyes: 

1. Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quardra Eyeshadow (79 Spices)
2. (not pictured) MAC Eyeshadow (Bloomcycle, Part Peony, Fresh Cut and Swiss Chocolate for brows)
3. Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler
4. Maybelline Volume Express Mascara
5. Benefit Cosmetics Magic Ink Liquid Eyeliner

Lips:

1. Kiehl's Lip Balm #1
2. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick (Wild Orchid)

Tools:

1. Bobbi Brown Foundation Brush
2. Bare Escentuals Powder and Concealer Brushes
3. MAC Blush, Liner and Shadow Brushes

Wearing Now: Color Blocking

Tuxedo Blazer - 3.1 Phillip Lim

Tank - Forever21

Skirt - Valentino

Tights - HUE

Heels - Chloe

Purse - Chanel
Sunglasses - H&M

Happy Monday!!!

A colorful ensemble and it feels refreshingly good. A bit shocking too, after all the neutrals I've been sporting. Have you tried color blocking or are you looking forward to trying it? What's your favorite color combination?

PS: We're officially at www.9to5Chic.com now! It should automatically forward you but if it doesn't, be sure to change the URL! =)

Wearing Now: Weekend Shorts

Blouse - ADAM by Adam Lippes

Shorts - Forever21

Trench - Burberry

Necklace - J.Crew

Tights - DKNY

Booties - Givenchy

5 lb Fluffball - "Buffalo"

It's a gorgeous weekend in San Francisco!!  I dined at Evvia Palo Alto with girlfriends on Friday evening, brunched at Town's End with visiting friends on Saturday morning and then traipsed around Union Square for coffee and a bit of shopping with an old childhood friend, Michele, in the afternoon.  Came home with new eyeshadow - and I'll soon be posting an update of my makeup arsenal, per reader request!

The Buffalo (a year and a half old now) is a crazy little nut but she makes our hearts melt.  Her life's goal is to meet every single 4-legged creature out there - you've never heard a more painful whine when her leash keeps her from sniffing her next 30-second best friend.  She keeps us entertained, that's for sure!  =)

Wearing Now: Givenchy Booties

Booties - Givenchy

No matter how hard I tried and how badly (*so, so badly!!!*) I wanted to wear the amazing Proenza Schouler wedges from this post - my closet just wasn't having it.  I begrudgingly returned them at Barneys, but it was a trip worth making because someone had just returned these Givenchy beauties (remember my craving post here?)!!! =)  A better match for this 9to5Chic closet, don't you think?

Happy Friday!

9to5Chic News

Good morning!

I have good news and I have sad news.  I'll drop the sad news first: I wasn't chosen for Full Time Fabulous...

But the good news is... I'm back to my regular posting on 9to5Chic!!! =)

I've learned a lot this last month and it has proven to be an amazing experience for me.  For one, I know that I absolutely love blogging.  By day I'm buried in all things medical/technical/serious.  But my escape is here.  And "meeting" you guys (even if only by web) has been the biggest reward.

Thank you again and again for your support and for continuing to visit 9to5Chic.  I had no idea that my modest little blog could have garnered so much interest and support from such a warm community.  And just to demonstrate how much support, here's my experience in numbers:

• 31 days of Full Time Fabulous fun and 34 posts with outfits, photo diaries, cravings and assignments
• 1,029 comments
• 4,743 votes cast (you guys definitely helped outweigh the negative "1" star voting throughout!)
• 1,518 YouTube views of my Webisode alone!!!  That blew me away!!!
• 747 YouTube views of my Grand Finale video
• 3,586 total YouTube views (more videos to come on 9to5Chic?? Definitely!)
• 624 "likes"
• 100+ new Google Followers, almost 200 new Twitter Followers and around 100 new Facebook Fans

Phew!

Thank you friends, from the bottom of my heart! =)  

Carrots - a San Francisco Boutique

Four years in San Francisco and I'm still discovering local treasures.  Case in point: Carrots in the Financial District.  It's a lovely boutique with clothing, accessories and housewares carrying lines like Proenza Schouler, Alexander Wang, Yigal Azrouel, ACNE and more.  Jessica M. introduced me to the store via a 60% off sale email (thanks, Jessica!) - and if you know me by now, you know that I'm always in when it comes to sales. =)

Hope you're having a great week!

Wearing Now: Shades of Blue

 Blouse & Trousers - Zara

Heels - Yves Saint Laurent

Purse - Chanel

Ring - Forever21

Necklace - J.Crew

Good morning!

I enjoyed a relaxing weekend to get ready for this all-important week.  Our company's board members are arriving (mostly from Europe) and we're hosting the Board Meeting at our office in San Francisco.  With so much to prepare, I put on my working-girl pants and I've got a double espresso in hand.  I'm going to be buried behind my laptop/big monitor and a pile of manila folders the rest of the day.  =)

*Oh - and this blouse?  LOVE this blouse.  So much, in fact, I bought one for my sister too as part of her Christmas present.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen

The hubby and I skipped breakfast this morning and went straight for lunch at the delicious American Grilled Cheese Kitchen.  An entire menu dedicated to grilled cheese sandwiches - how can you not love it?!

The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, San Francisco.

What's Next for Full Time Fabulous?

Hello everyone!  I just wanted to let you know that the announcement for the Full Time Fabulous winner is going to be on Monday, January 10th!

Am I nervous?

YES!  But win or lose, I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity and experience.  It's been such an adventure!!!  One of my favorite memories is courtesy of Sunglass Hut: the filming and producing of the Webisode for each finalist.  Here it is if you didn't see it:

I'm a busy little bee this week with a TON of work (Year-end/First Sales & Marketing Meeting of the year is tomorrow, the all-important Board Meeting is in our SF office early next week) and there's so much big-picture planning to do!!!

But, I promise, I have a lot of blogging to do this weekend.  I'll be back to my regular schedule ;)

Thanks again for visiting, commenting and for your overwhelming support on my Full Time Fabulous blog!!!  You guys have made the experience unforgettable!

Happiness Is...

When everything around you is go-go-go, it’s always important to take a moment to appreciate the little things in life…

 (The soft glow of a candlelit dinner)

 (Jumping on a cable car to get home – because you can)

 (Glancing over at your kitchen cabinet and seeing your niece’s artwork)

 (The way your puppy gazes at you)

 (Feeling tempted by mouth-watering baked treats…and then giving in to the temptation)