Hi everyone!  & Happy long weekend to my US readers!

As I mentioned last week, tonight I am flying to Ottawa so that I can visit the National Gallery tomorrow, then tomorrow night I will fly to Toronto for work.  We have our big spring auction on Wednesday, and then I'll fly home on Thursday.

The weather out east is looking little mixed, which makes it annoying to pack for - sun, rain etc.  I wanted to bring/wear on the plane one of my new pairs of espadrilles - both of which I've worn on my walk to work and are 👍- but I don't think they would do well in the rain?



(scroll down for more!)

Open Front Sweater by Old Navy

Waist-Defined V-Neck Dress by Old Navy

Zoe Suede D'Orsay Flats by J.Crew Factory

Necklace by GemPassionJewelry (Etsy)

Stripe stretch button-up shirt with peplum by J.Crew
Mid-Rise Pixie Ankle Pants by Old Navy
Suede Bow Mules by Town Shoes (old, similar)

Blazer by Forever 21 (old, similar - comes in so many colours!)
Dress by Old Navy (old, similar)

Zoe Suede D'Orsay Flats by J.Crew Factory

Necklace with pearl by GemPassionJewelry (Etsy)
Gold Bar Pendant Necklace by ? (similar)

Striped Top by Old Navy (old, similar, similar)

Denim Jacket by Gap
Rocket High Rise Crop Skinny Jeans by Citizens of Humanity
Mules by Town Shoes (old, similar)
Necklace by Tiffany & Co.

I was hoping my Gap & Old Navy orders would have arrived by now, especially because there are a few dresses in there that would have been (potentially) great to bring to Toronto!  One of the orders is actually waiting to be picked up at a UPS store because we weren't home when they tried to deliver it, so I'm going to do that after this!  The other order somehow was missing my apartment number so they are going to try and re-deliver at some point ... I'm guessing next week which is slightly frustrating!

Anyways, let's talk about what I wore this week.  Outfit #1 I have worn twice already - once in April and once in May on a weekend I worked but didn't document.  Obviously I am loving this combo!

Outfit #2 is my relatively new J.Crew top which I think is super cute but I have a few problems with crisp cotton shirts like this.  The first is wrinkles.  The second is comfort.  I find the range of movement with this type of shirt is less than a softer cotton jersey or poly-blend top.  The third which might sound weird is that it's kind of cold!  I am always cold anyways, but I have to wear a cami under this type of shirt or I will freeze!!

Outfit #3 are two older items from Forever 21 and Old Navy.  This dress has spaghetti straps and is really just a super simple sun dress that you can make work-appropriate by pairing it with a blazer!  Another option would be a cardigan (see Outfit #1) which veers slightly more casual.  Since I'd already worn a dress + cardigan this week I wanted to switch it up with a blazer for this outfit.

Outfit #4 is another old item from Old Navy!  I had totally forgotten about this top TBH but wanted to wear my black skinny jeans to work since it was a pants day (see this post if you don't know what I'm talking about), and Friday, and this top was a perfect 'wear on it's own' item.  It's boxy and the short sleeves go to just above my elbows, plus the material is kind of stiff so it's difficult to wear something over top of it (like a cardigan, or even this denim jacket if I wore it properly).  I remember when I first started blogging and a lot of bloggers would shoot outfits like this with the jacket just draped over their shoulders, and there was backlash!  Like readers were mad because they thought you would never really wear a jacket like that.  But I'm telling you it's really a thing!  I actually love wearing a jacket/blazer/cardigan like this at work because it does at some warmth but is also easy to shed at any time!

Anyways, I hope you all have a great weekend and thank you so much for visiting!


xo JULES

May Outfits Week Three

Hi everyone!  How are you?

It's a long weekend here in Canada, which is why this post is coming to you a day later than normal!  Friday night we took the ferry to Victoria to visit our cousins and stayed up late drinking wine (me) and beer (them) and trying out their brand new hot tub!  Then on Saturday we slept in, went and got breakfast sandwiches at Red Barn, picked up some boat snacks and then drove to Brentwood Bay where their boat is moored for the summer.  We dropped prawn traps and puttered around the inlet for the afternoon.  The weather was pretty good, definitely windier in some areas and when the clouds came in it was colder, but not bad at all!  We didn't catch too many prawns, but enough for T and I to bring back for dinner tonight.  Bring on the garlic butter!  LOL . After boating we had appies and a drink at the "pub" in Brentwood Bay.  I say "pub" because it's really quite a nice restaurant!

On Sunday we had a lazy morning at my cousin's, drinking coffee on the deck and having cinnamon buns for breakfast :).  My cousin's wife had a training ride in the morning so she was gone till about noon (she had to bike 80km!!) and then we all headed over to my other cousin's for lunch!  After lunch we went to the Phillips Brewery tasting room and then back out to the ferry so we could come home to watch the GOT finale!  LOL

(scroll down for more!)

Striped Midi Dress by Forever 21 (last year, similar)

Belt ?? (super old, similar)

Rodney D'Orsay Suede Flats by Sam Edelman

 Sweater by Gap
Mid-Rise Pixie Ankle Pants by Old Navy
Edie Leather Loafers by J.Crew Factory
Tassel Necklace by J.Crew Factory (old, similar)

 Bennett Silk Shirtdress by Babaton (Aritzia, old, similar, similar, similar)
Dunkirk Knit Vest by Wilfred (Aritzia, now called the Olivie)
Edie Leather Loafers by J.Crew Factory
Headband by H&M (sold out, similar)

Patterned Pocket Blouse by Dynamite (old, similar)
Mid-Rise Pixie Ankle Pants by Old Navy
(note I've linked to the full length pant in the above image but this link will take you to the ankle length pair which is what I have!)
Suede Bow Mules by Town Shoes (old, similar)
Necklace by GemPassionJewelry (Etsy)

Last week I caved and bought a bunch of stuff that was sitting in my virtual cart from Gap, Old Navy and Aldo.  Gap had two deals last week, one was 50% off shorts and the other was 50% off dresses, and both of those things were in my cart so I just went for it.  I don't have a pair of medium wash denim shorts, which are kind of a summer staple IMO, so I ordered three different styles to try (these, these, these) in a few different sizes since I've gained a bit of weight and my usual size doesn't seem to fit anymore!!  As for dresses, I ordered this one in both the blue and pink, and this one in the pink.  I hope at least one of them works!  I find Gap stuff tends to fit big so we'll see.  I also ordered a couple of new workout tanks (this, this, this - I love the Breathe series from Gap), white jeans and some sweats which I'm hoping will be good for camping this summer.  From Aldo I ordered two pairs of espadrilles - this pair in white and this pair in black.  They've both arrived and are super comfy.  I haven't worn them out of the house yet but have high hopes!

Above I'm wearing a new sweater from Gap that I ordered a couple of weeks ago.  It fulfilled my need for a lightweight spring sweater in a cute colour!  It comes in bunch of different colours, and in a v-neck tunic length version, if you're interested!  Other than that, and the headband I'm wearing in the third outfit that you can barely see, everything else I'm wearing is old!  The headband is sadly sold out but I found this very cute similar one from Anthro.

I wanted to give you an update on the mascara situation as well.  After trying them both out for a few days, I decided to return the Blinc and Ilia mascaras and have gone back to the L'Oreal one.  The Ilia mascara still left smudges under my eyes and the Blinc was harder to apply and remove.  The L'Oreal mascara has not been bothering my eyes since I've gone back to it, so that's a positive.  Maybe it was just allergies?! 

Oh, and my ASOS order arrived (win), but nothing fit or was what I was looking for (fail).  The floral print midi skirt for example wasn't lined, the plain black midi was in a cotton jersey material that I felt would fade quickly and also wasn't lined, and the jumpsuit and scalloped skirt just straight up did not fit.  I had to pay $22 for return shipping which is super annoying but at least now I know.  Just one more reason for me to (unfortunately) not shop there!

Next weekend I'm headed to Ottawa for a day and then Toronto for 4 days for work!  I'll have a blog post up next weekend (May 26) and then my Monthly Outfit Roundup for May will but up the week after than (June 2). 


Thank you all so much for visiting and I hope you had a great weekend!



xo JULES

May Outfits Week Two

Hi everyone!

I can't tell you how happy I am to be sitting on our patio this morning writing this blog post!  The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, I've just finished a cup of coffee while editing these photos ... spring is here and I am all for it!

Actually, we've had a couple of summer-like days this week!  I know talking about the weather is cliche, but it genuinely has an effect on my mood & outlook.  Sun = happy Jules.  Cold = unhappy Jules.  LOL.

Also!  As you can see from these pics I've changed up my shooting location on our patio.  There are two reasons for this, the first being that with the change in seasons the lighting wasn't as good in my old spot.  The second is that we've put our patio furniture out, and it's kind of right in front of my old shooting spot!  So I'm trying to figure out how to best shoot in this new spot, which is kind of backlit but also the sun is coming up on the left ... so please bear with me!  I don't know why we have this huge rock on our patio either, I actually hate it but what can you do 🤷

 (scroll down for more!)

Cardigan by Gap (old, similar)

Striped Fit and Flare Dress by Gap (old, similar)

Calf Hair Leopard Print Belt by J.Crew (old, similar)

Zoe Suede D'Orsay Flats by J.Crew Factory

Scalloped Cami by J.Crew Factory
Cardigan by Old Navy
Mid-Rise Pixie Pants by Old Navy (old pattern, similar)
Mules by Town Shoes (old, similar)
Necklace by GemPassionJewelry (Etsy)

Polka Dot Swing Dress by Zara (old, similar, similar)

Zoe Suede D'Orsay Flats by J.Crew Factory
Gold Hoop Earrings by J.Crew Factory

Cardigan by Zara (super old, similar)

Botanical Print Sleeveless Top by Banana Republic
Mid-Rise Pixie Ankle Pants by Old Navy
Edie Leather Loafers by J.Crew Factory
Tortoise Headband by J.Crew Factory (sold out, similar)

My J.Crew Factory order arrived and as you can see I'm wearing the Scalloped Cami in Ivory.  I also bought one in black, both in size 2, which I think is the correct size for me.  I kind of wish they weren't racerback, but I looked at a lot of different versions of this kind of cami (H&M, J.Crew, Aritzia), and this one had the best price point for the material/quality I was looking for.  I'm also wearing a headband I bought from there which you can't really see, in the last outfit.  It's since sold out but they have a similar, wider one at J.Crew. 

Other than that, and the ASOS order I'm waiting on, I haven't been doing much shopping.  I had a bunch of things in my cart from Gap and Old Navy but I'm just not sure I need any of those things, so I'm holding off for now.  I would like a new pair of white jeans, and I've ordered and returned a bunch of pairs and am kind of feeling defeated by the whole ordeal, and then two weeks ago I was feeling like I needed a long sleeved midi dress or two for this weird in-between weather we were having.  But now that it's warmed up I don't know if I need one anymore!  (But what if it gets cold again?!) . LOL . Anyways, I am a very indecisive person so this type of 'leave it in the cart' for weeks behaviour is totally normal for me!

I was a bit annoyed last week by all of the Sephora sale coverage but it ended up working (you win again, Sephora!) and I bought the full size of the Fresh Sugar lip balm in Rose, this brush cleaner which I used for the first time last night and is great!, this tubing mascara and a mini size of this natural mascara.  I'm hoping the brush cleaner will get me to wash my makeup brushes more regularly ... like every week.  I was inspired by the Indie Lee episode of Bad on Paper Podcast where she talks about cleaning her makeup brushes every Sunday as part of her "self-care" routine.  I am totally a creature of habit, so if I can make cleaning my makeup brushes part of some sort of weekend routine then I'll probably stick with it!

Let's talk about the mascaras.  Many months ago I asked for long-wear mascara recommendations on my Instagram stories, as I was sick of having dark spots under the outer corners of my eyes by mid-day.  A colleague of mind saw the story and brought me a bunch of mini-size mascaras that she'd received as 'gift with purchase'.  This was right around the time that we went to Costa Rica, so I brought them with me and kind of tried all of them, and they were great, but since the climate was so different and I wasn't wearing eyeliner I didn't feel like it was the best testing ground.  Right when I got back, I saw a BuzzFeed article that I think Grace linked about the best beauty products to buy on Amazon, and this L'Oreal tubing mascara was listed.  I clicked on over and it had great reviews, and one of the best things about tubing mascara is that it's formulated differently so it doesn't flake off.  Colour me sold!  Anyways, I went to my local Shoppers and bought it and it's been working great!  It took me a little while to get used to a more natural look for my eyes (I always wanted big, bold lashes before), but now I think it's totally fine/I'm used to it.  But a couple of weeks ago, perhaps combined with allergies, my eyes started bothering me.  Like there was something stuck in there that I couldn't get out.  It would last all day until I took my makeup off.  So one day I switched mascaras to see if that would make a difference, and it did!  So that's the super long story of why I bought two new mascaras!  LOL . I wore the Blinc mascara yesterday and it went on a bit more wet than the L'Oreal, probably because it doesn't have a primer (or maybe that's just the formula), which meant it I got a bit on my eyelids, and it was a bit harder to take off at the end of the night.  But it lasted all day with no smudging or flaking, and it didn't bother my eyes.  I'm going to try the Ilia mascara today!

Did you get sucked into the Sephora sale, too?!  Share what you bought in the comments below!

As always, thank you so much for visiting!  I hope you have great weekend :)


xo JULES