summer dress

Summer in Blue

July 1, 2021 by The Partial Ingredients

We had a brutal heat wave the last few weeks, and on both coasts that heat has unfortunately continued. Now that it’s returned back to more milder temperatures, I feel like I can finally enjoy Summer again! Recently I stumbled across this 100% cotton midi dress from H&M (on Poshmark) during my pursuit for perfect Summer dresses. Cotton is definitely my jam in the Summer, just because it’s lightweight and breathable. Midi dresses are also great because you don’t have to wear any tights or leggings underneath to cover up. Speaking of which, does anyone else get annoyed by dresses that are so mini they might as well be long shirts? How am I supposed to wear those in the Summer without leggings? The last thing I want to wear on a hot day is leggings, so mini dresses are pretty much out for me in the Summer (kind of ironic, no?) I digress. This dress reminds me a bit of the #cottagecore vibe which may or may not be passe by now. Not really sure what the status is, but I don’t mind keeping a few pieces of that trend around in the future since florals and shirt dresses are pretty much a closet staple of mine. Just out of morbid curiosity, I recently read one of those “what’s OUT of style and will date you in 2021” pieces, and can I just say that the very topic of “what’s in” and “what’s out” feels really….dated to me? Expecting people to throw out perfectly good clothes for the sake of the latest trends is 1. horrible for the environment and 2. an exercise in futility as those trends will just circle back around in a couple years. It would be great if the internet just gave it up already, and let people wear and enjoy whatever they want without being slaves to the latest trends. Sigh, maybe one day.

On a totally separate note, the garden has really taken off this year (pics below). Gotta say I am pretty proud of the rose bushes, they are producing like crazy!

**Outfit** **Details:** Dress: H&M (Thrifted from Poshmark); Bag: Etsy; Hat: eBay (Unbranded); Shoes: Free People

Rust & White

November 14, 2020 by The Partial Ingredients

Early November has been so lovely and mild, it’s been kind of amazing. Finally, something in 2020 has been nice?! Somebody pinch me. We saw some absolutely perfect Fall days with temperatures in the mid to upper 60s. The latest look on the blog is all about Summery dresses coupled with cozy oversized cardigans. There’s something about big ole cardigans that I find so comforting, especially this one from Abercrombie, which is apparently a size small, LOL. I can’t imagine what the large is like, but I would imagine it’s bordering on tent-like proportions. Can’t complain though, because big-ass cardigans are basically like blankets that you can wear without resorting to snuggies and such.

You could say that Cardigans are like the socially acceptable blankets that you can wear in public without being socially ostracized — while still being cozy! It’s a win-win, especially during the winter months. Plus you can take a Summery dress, pair it with a cozy cardigan and boots, and voila, you have a perfect Fall outfit. These boots, by the way, are from Thursdays, and they have been such a great addition into my closet. I’m always a fan of “swiss army knife” additions because these boots look good with basically anything! Granted, this outfit wouldn’t do well in a snow storm but hey, you can’t have everything. Please keep this beautiful Fall weather coming Colorado, thank you very much!

**Outfit Details:** Dress: Abercrombie & Fitch; Cardigan: Abercrombie & Fitch; Shoes: Thursday Boots; Watch: Stock Watch; Bag: LeatherStrata

Green Gingham

July 12, 2020 by The Partial Ingredients

It has been an abnormally hot Summer in Northern Colorado thanks to a “Heat Dome” (thanks 2020!) so this post and probably all the ones in the near future will be featuring the most Summeriest of Summer outfits. Give me all the lightweight dresses, tank tops and skirts please — like this gingham patterned dress from Abercrombie & Fitch. Like usual, the quality is up to their standard: it’s made from double-lined 100% cotton and comes with pockets! I am pretty much a loyal Abercrombie customer after they revamped their whole image and brand a few years ago. They have sales so frequently that you can get their items for a very reasonable price. The quality being much better than your average fast-fashion retailer gives you the most bang for your buck. It’s not as cheap as say H&M or Forever21 (this dress was on sale for $39.99), but I’m all about spending a couple bucks extra for better quality. Oh and this genuine leather shoulder bag was also from there and was on sale for like 15 bucks! It’s hard to find faux leather bags for that price, much less real leather.

Sandals and flats are also a must for this freaking hot Summer (I think we have had mid-to upper 90s for a solid week and a half now ughh). These woven flats from LaMar Lifestyle are a perfect lightweight and breathable shoe for your hot feets. Add a sunhat and you’re good to go for the weather, just don’t forget the SPF!

**Outfit Details:** Dress: Abercrombie; Shoes: LaMar Lifestyle; Bag: Abercrombie; hat: unbranded; necklace: Forever21

Snake Print Dress

August 11, 2019 by The Partial Ingredients

I have no idea how I fell in love with this dress. There are two factors here that would make this so improbable that I can hardly believe it. First off: I HATE snake skin print. To me it’s the heavy hitter of trashiness, second only to leopard print. Hate it. I probably don’t need to explain my reasons, you probably already know and are on the same page. Moving on.

Second: the brand is Abercrombie & Fitch. I actually worked at Abercrombie Kids briefly while I was in high school and let’s just say the brand has come along way since then. They have some awesome, well made clothes for reasonable prices that don’t look like kid-wear. No longer do I see the gaudy “AnF” writing on everything nor do I see the oversized moose insignia stitched on everything. Gotta take my hat off to them for getting me to buy something snake skin, seriously. I mean come on, the pattern is gorgeous though right? Also, another awesome thing with their sizing on this dress: they offer this in tall which they recommend for anyone over 5’8. I’m not over 5’8 but I bought it anyways to get an extra few inches in the length, which paid off. I don’t like mini dresses and having the option to add some inches was great. Another smart touch to this wrap dress was the little snap enclosure. While I love wrap dresses it can be annoying to keep the front always secure so that little snap was a perfect touch. I love all the little details of this dress and it’s great to branch out into something I don’t normally wear!

Dress: Abercrombie & Fitch; Bag: unbranded; shoes: Birkenstock; necklace: Urban Outfitters

Next up is a bit of a makeup experiment. I was curious whether my favorite — but pricey — concealer by NARS (the Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly) could be duped by a more affordable brand. It’s hard to find a perfect tone for fair skinned folks so I thought it would be tough to beat since NARS’ offering is a perfect skin tone match. NYX’s HD Studio Concealer in Porcelain (retails $6) gives a pretty good run for its money though and I was overall very happy with it. The coverage is pretty much the same but maybe slightly less creamy. The tone is a very good match but has a bit more of a pinky tone than NARS. For 1/5 of the price, their dupe is a pretty amazing option. I have tried both as an undereye concealer and am happy with both of them. If you’re a pale person like me and have been on the hunt for a perfect fair skin concealer, try both of these out!