Misikko, I Think I Love You

Today is a happy day, because I can throw out my $20 Walgreens flat iron which makes me hair into a poofy, damaged mess and my Hana Elite flat iron and I can ride off into the sunset on a white horse. Misikko sent over a flat iron for me to review, and while it's easy to love free stuff, I am going to do my best to uncloud my rose-tinted lenses and give an unbiased review.

Here is what my hair looks like clean and dry. It is naturally pretty straight, but it has a tendency toward frizz and it gets kinked annoyingly easily by hair elastics.



Here's what I like about Misikko:
1. They are a family-run business so both your heart and hair can be warmed.
2. They packaged stuff beautifully and I am a sucker for the little extras, like the Shine serum which made my hair smell like an expensive hair salon. Behold:



3. If you have moneys (sadly, I am out), you can buy lots of amazing hair things from Misikko, like CHI flat irons and Ionic hair dryers which will make your hair pretty.
4. The Hana Elite model, which they sent me, is 100% ceramic which is actually good for your hair. Ceramic plates also last forever, get ridiculously hot, and make your hair amazingly shiny and smooth. The proof is in the pudding:



I could only come up with two downsides. The first downside I'd chalk up to my complete lack of hair skills. Inspired by the very talented Indiana Adams, who is blessed with hair-doing talents, and foolishly galvanized by a youtube clip which make hair curling look easy, I tried to curl my hair using the flat iron. Result:



Things didn't go so well. Someone come to my house and teach me!

The second is that flat irons are expensive, and I am poor. While Misikko's prices are better than its competitors for these amazing products, there's still no way I could afford a ceramic flat iron on my own. But if you are a person with a "real job" that makes "real money" instead of a grad student living near the poverty line, go out and buy yourself one of these babies. You will never have a bad hair day again.

Luckily, if you're impecunious like me (or even if you're not), you can enter a giveaway early next week to win one of your own--woohoo! Stay tuned!

Eighteen Nineteen

Works Cited
skirt: i made it (find pattern here)
tank: forever 21
belt: j crew
flats: yellow box

Cheater, cheater pumpkin eater! After a long day of packing boxes, I put on the above outfit to go meet some friends. But after hustling Christopher into the mosquito-swarmed street to take phoos, I had a sudden change of heart. Even though I really liked the outfit I put together, it wasn't what I was in the mood for. So change it was:

Works Cited
top: forever 21
shorts: diy
necklace: f21
sweater: j crew
flats: yellow box

I know it's kind of cheating to put up an outfit I ended up not wearing, but I'm keeping them both (gotta get through this 30 for 30)!
All I did was swap out skirt for cut-off shorts, but it made the whole vibe of the outfit feel more relaxed and it was just what I was in the mood for. I'm struck by how much mood affects what I want to wear. On another day, outfit 18 would be just up my alley, but it didn't match my mood last night. Do you dress for your mood, too? Or are you more decisive than me :) ?

Lesson Plan: My Easy Messy Bun

Lesson Plan: Messy Bun from whatwouldanerdwear on Vimeo.

I've gotten a lot of requests for this so I finally got around to making a video about how I do my messy hair bun! I would have preferred pictures, but I think the video will be easier to follow.

I started with three-day unwashed hair (so it's pretty grimy right now...perfect for getting it up and out of my face in the summer). Now you can also hear my voice--something I'm always curious about with other bloggers!

Hope this helps those of you who wanted to see! Feel free to leave questions in the comments, if you have them. xoxo

Seventeen

Works Cited
dress: loft
tank underneath: anthro (gift)
belt: uo
flats: yellow box
necklace: f21

I'm really excited to be wearing this necklace again. I am one of those morons without a good jewelry stand, so all my necklaces are piled in a wooden box where they get more tangled than a sentence of Judith Butler. Recently this necklace--my current favorite--became so tangled that even two hours with a straight pin did nothing to remedy the knots. Enter Annie, who saved the day by offering to detangle the necklace. Within an hour of its arrival in Portland, she'd worked her magic, untangled the worst knot I've ever seen in a necklace and sent it back to me. Annie, I think I love you. (P.S. She's also expecting and has the cutest little belly!).



I may have worn this dress a million times, but I love it more every time I put it on. I would definitely wear something like this for teaching during the early part of the fall. Layering the patterned tank under the dress adds more coverage and a little bit of color--I can't believe I didn't think of doing it earlier.

Guest Post: Cycle Chic at Simply Bike

Hi! This morning I am guest posting at Simply Bike, the incredible new site by S. of Academichic fame. S. rides the cutest Electra Cruiser, takes the prettiest pictures, and shares my love of Portland.

Here is my guest post; here is Simply Bike; and here is how excited I am that she asked me.

Sweet Sixteen

Works Cited
top: anthro (gift)
pants: gap (circa 1
belt: j crew
wedges: clarks

I had an awesome weekend visiting my college roommate in Ohio. We picked blackberries, made homemade jam, and took walks in the woods.



If I were 30 for 30 veteran like Kendi, I might have been wise enough not to include a pair of black pants in a July remixing challenge. But because the pants are in my closet, I'll make them work for summer, with a top that I love and some summery wedges. And happily, they have lots of stretch in them, so I can spend the morning cleaning and packing and still look put together for an afternoon of student meetings.

7-12

Oh bother. I'm a little late on the 7-12 wrap-up.







Seven is definitely my favorite from the last six looks, but I actually loved most of what I wore in Madison. I'm glad to be 40% through (50% by the time I've gotten around to publishing this), and I'm looking forward to the inventiveness that will take me through the rest of the 30!

Fifteen

Works Cited
dress: banana republic (hemmed by me)
maryjanes: dansko
bag: freshly picked

(The white balance is a little funny on these, but I love how verdant the yard looks!)

I fiddled with this outfit this morning for a while before giving in to the summer craving for simplicity. An easy white dress doesn't need a lot of dressing up or accessorizing (though I'm sure I'll eat my words in the next few weeks).



Plus I think boys like it simple. As we were walking out the door, Christopher teased me, "You've resisted your compulsive habit of belting. I like it better this way--it's simpler." There are certainly men out there who seem to appreciate more unusual or inventive ways of dressing, but my boyfriend definitely isn't one of them. He much prefers pared down looks.

I'm curious--what do the boys in your life think of fashion? Do they also think simple is better?

Fourteen

Works Cited
skirt: old navy (plus altered by me)
tee: j crew
belt: j crew
wedges: clarks

I've had this skirt since my sophomore year of college and recently I took it in about six inches at the side to make it high-waisted and slimmer. I love the result--$15 and about 15 minutes of sewing and it feels like it came from anthropologie except without the resulting pain to my credit card.


(I look awkwardly overjoyed in this photo, but the only funny thing happening is middle-aged women walking by with their dogs and looking on curiously).

I'm excited to be almost halfway done with the 30 outfits, though I'm starting to wonder why I included so many black pieces when it's broiling hot and summer. Now I'm avoiding half of the 30, which means I feel more like I'm doing 30 for 20. Hopefully my creative juices can keep up!

P.S. My toe is definitely feeling better enough for these shoes, thank goodness (but don't worry, birkenstock lovers, my gizehs are not going anywhere). I feel powerful enough to grade about 100 papers in these shoes (and good thing, because I have about 120 to grade!).
P. P.S. Win a pretty bracelet!

Twelve & Thirteen

Works Cited
skirt: i made it
striped tee: target
belt: j crew
flats: yellow box

The last two outfits from my weekend away helped me zip through more of my 30 for 30. In this outfit, I may have looked a bit like a bumblebee during a jailbreak, but a linen skirt kept me cool during our bike ride to dinner, and a striped tee never fails to make me feel chic.

Works Cited
skirt: old navy
gray tee: american apparel
sandals: birkenstock
belt: mommed
bag: uo

I wore this to breakfast and for some last-minute errands to buy locally-brewed beer and visit the yellow jersey, a bike shop Christopher had been raving about. I love gray and white together because it always feels fresh and cool--this ended up being an invert of Kendi's tenth outfit, which I just luurrrved.

Whew, I'm glad to knock out 4 of 30 outfits in a matter of two days! Are you doing a 30 for 30, too? It's just beginning to feel daunting!

Ten & Eleven

(bicycling around the lake)

Works Cited
dress: ruche
flats: yellow box
necklace: gift from little o by wolfbrother
clutch that looks like a chair: uo on sale for $3 years ago

(drinking at memorial union terrace, wearing a pretty necklace)

This weekend, Christopher and I threw our bicycles in the back of the car and drove to Madison, Wisconsin for a mini-vacation. It was so easy to pack with only 30 things to choose from.



I am so grateful for your suggestions about things to do--Erin and Patsy had particularly amazing ideas. We took a lot of your advice and biked around the lake, went to the capitol building, ate at sardine (amazing!), drank at the weary traveler, and visited the state fair. I wore this on our first evening out, and took these awkward pictures in the middle of campus.

Works Cited
shorts: thrifted, DIY
top: ruche
sandals: birkenstock

I am pleased to report that there are lots of cute girls in birkenstocks around Madison, and I happily wore mine on Saturday while we walked around. It was so hot that I went for maximum comfort--shorts for easy getting-on-and-off-my-bicycle and a loose top for easy eating-my-fill-of-Wisconsin-food. It struck me as a perfect traveling outfit--it was comfortable and had shoes I can walk miles in, but I still felt pretty.

More to come tomorrow...

Giveaway: Gold Bangle from Designer Apparel (CLOSED)

This week's giveaway is sponsored by Designer Apparel, a shopping search engine that lets you search for lots of great brands you can't afford (like Diane von Furstenberg, Bottega Veneta, and Stella McCartney). They're offering one reader this Alex and Ani bangle, which is classic and would go with everything.

To enter:
Check out Designer Apparel and leave a comment below. I'll pick a winner at random next Friday, July 23.
This giveaway is only open to domestic and Canadian readers (sorry, international readers!!).

P.S. I'm escaping to Madison for the weekend with Christopher--see you Monday with a few pictures. xoxo.
UPDATE: the lucky winner is treehuggerxo8!

Nine

Works Cited
dress: anthro
sandals: steve madden (via dsw)

That's it--dress and shoes--on a day so hot I kept thinking of that scene in The Great Gatsby on a scorching day where Jordan, Nick, Gatsby, Daisy and Tom drink mint juleps in their hotel room. When I first read Gatbsy at 17, it was a brutally hot day. I'd never heard of a mint julep before, but it sounded like the perfect cooling drink for a hot, hot day. (Then I turned 21 and drank one and realized I hated bourbon!).



I'm not sure if this purple thing I'm wearing is actually meant to be a dress. I picked it up at anthro on sale for about $19 and it's quite possible it is a tunic or a top or a nightgown and not a dress at all. So I walked around all day kind of feeling like I forgot my pants. Then again, if there's any day to forget your pants, it's a 95 degree day.

Eight

Works Cited
skirt: i made it (find the pattern here)
belt: j crew
tee: j crew
sweater: j crew
maryjanes: dansko

Woohoo, some new items from my 30 for 30! I mentioned on twitter the other day that doing the 30 for 30 is like trying to be Elaine for 30 days. She has the most pared down closet and she does INCREDIBLE things with it!



I liked the colors of this outfit--the burgundy shoes, the neutral belt and (of course) the gray and white. I'm also glad to get these shoes back into rotation--my broken toe is feeling a little bit better these days and it's nice to have the dankso arch support. Yes, another pair of dorky shoes I love!



I've worn this skirt quite a few times already this spring and it's one of my favorites. I dug up the fabric in the bargain bin, so the whole shebang only cost me around $2.50. Pretty awesome.

Seven

Works Cited
button-down: forever21
dress: loft
wedges: clarks
bag: by susan of freshly picked

I am pretty much obsessed with my new bag, made by the very talented Susan of freshly picked. It arrived on Saturday and I've been carting it around nonstop since then. I think she has a few left, so hurry quick if you want one!



This dress has seen a lot of this blog, but this might be the first time I've worn it with the belt it came with. I love the way the bow of the belt echoes the bow on my bag. This particular outfit is a summery remix of this one I wore last fall.





This is my other bicycle, my Peugeot (here my 3-speed triumph). This was my bicycle all through college and I just recently rescued it and sent it in a box back from the west coast. I am so excited to have it back (and to ride it around Madison this weekend).

1-6

Here are my first 6 outfits from the 30 for 30.







I think two is my favorite--simple but so pretty. I hope I have the strength for 24 more outfits!

Six

Works Cited
top: ruche
skirt: i made it
belt: j crew
wedges: clarks

I am super proud to say that I finally conquered my tripod and took these photos myself! While it is a lot easier (and quicker) to get the shots I want with Christopher, there's nothing like the feeling of satisfaction when you do something yourself.



It's been a week of Kendi's 30 for 30 challenge and so far, it's going well. I love the challenge of making a lot out of a little in my closet--it forces me to find new and unusual combinations and to embrace different shapes and silhouettes than I usually do.



Christopher and I are taking a little trip to Madison, Wisconsin later this week. Have you been? Do you have suggestions for what to do? Good bookstores, good beer, fun things to do?? I'd love some advice.

P.S. Last day to enter to win a super pretty necklace from Little O by Wolfbrother!