Before I begin: I just came back from the new Walgreens on Keeaumoku Street. I can't help but have mixed feelings about this place, actually, since 1) this stands on what used to be Tower Records and 2) I was expecting a more diverse line-up in terms of the makeup and bath lines. (Yeah, I know - I should've just waited for the Tarjay if I knew Wal-Mart was going to beat Walgreen's in that department.) But I don't think it's that much of a bust, if you ask me, because I have to admit that the bargains are crazy - really, how great is that "buy 1 get 1" deal on L'Oreal and L'Oreal HIP lip colors? - and I found a really nice coconut-lime body butter there that smells fabulous. And I have to admit that I love how the place smells as soon as I open the door: it's got that "new-store smell" that reminds me of the first time I came to the States - the best way to describe it is a light but un-obnoxious combination of candy and cheap perfume, a little floral but not too cheesy.
That said, I couldn't help but crack up when I saw the "holiday" shelves (hello, can we defrost the turkey first before we bust out the "Mele Kalikimaka"? Please?) and it was all filled with box upon box of celebrity-fragrance gift sets. Seriously, the box for the Antonio Banderas fragrance collection must be seen to be believed.
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As somebody who does a lot of work at home on the computer, I know all too well about the pitfalls of Internet shopping. It's dangerous because unlike many of the online shoppers that I know (*ahem*mostly free-lance writers*ahem*) I don't have enough money - not even from my semi-decent campus bookstore job - to justify the time I spend browsing through the electronic stores.
So imagine the guilt when I realized that I had finished clicking through the Old Navy web site and ended up about $65 poorer. Yes, I could've bought a lot of groceries with that money, but I also knew that the refund policy wasn't going to cover me if I ended up not being happy with my purchases. What's a girl to do?
Luckily for me, the Famous $5 shipping didn't let me down, and when I saw the package waiting for me on the doorstep - a mere 4 days after that short, sweet moment of clicky-clicky - I was all too happy to rip it all up and try it on.
First up: the women's mid-rise, boot-cut dark rinse jeans, in the style known as "The Flirt."
I have to admit that I must've gotten spoiled from buying my jeans at The Gap - I was expecting these to come in a heavy, indestructible twill, but the first thing I noticed when I had them in person was that the fabric was a little too thin. I wouldn't necessarily call it a cheap move, since the construction is actually pretty decent - but considering that my last pair of jeans from Old Navy are still holding up after two years, I'm a little concerned about the durability. And also: SHORT jeans? Please. I'm definitely going to have this hemmed for 2 inches, at least.
Apart from that, though, I love how these jeans fit me. Since it's a mid-rise, the pants don't give me the same issues that I'd get from other pants: my stomach stays flat without the dreaded "muffin top" pouch on the waistband,and the front is roomy enough not to give me polterwang. Add the dark rinse to the mix and we've got jeans that can pass for men's-style work pants while still respecting the integrity of my round booty. Once I get these babies hemmed, I can break them in properly and go to town.
Speaking of going to town... how about a nice little wrap dress?
Oh, my, my. Where do I begin with this Women's Plus surplice wrap dress? I love that it's long enough not to make me look like I've been cut off at the knees. I love that I can wear this with heels or boots if I want to, and I can dress it up for dinner and tone it down for work. I love that it's wrapped and pleated in the front, and Empire-waisted, but not so much that I look pregnant. I love the "true blue" color - not quite navy, not quite cobalt. I love that it's made out of T-shirty material, so I can pack it for my upcoming Christmas trip and not worry about ironing. And I love the fact that I can avoid any potential bra-showing issues up front by wearing this with a long necklace - preferably one with a heavy pendant or chunky beads - to close up the mid-surplice gaps. In fact, this reminds me so much of that one Igigi dress that Plumcake raved about not too long ago - and the fact that the blueness goes great with my dark hair makes this dress even more so. Also, since I bought this from the women's plus section of Old Navy, I didn't have to worry about the fit, considering that their 1X in the plus section is closer to my actual proportions (18 top/16 bottom) than the XL size in the regular women's section.
What don't I love: the elastic on the wrists, which makes me look like I'm wearing a gigantic windbreaker. One more thing for the tailor to take care of, to be quite honest with you, but that can be dealt with after the Christmas trip.
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