Outfits of the Week, New Year's Resolutions, and Pinterest

This post just explains a multitude of things, I don't really know how to describe it! :P

First of all, I am now on Pinterest! I have no idea how exactly it works, but I'm pinning things and creating different boards-
http://www.pinterest.com/maria0157/

Next, my New Year's Resolutions. I found a sort of template I guess you could call it, on Lauren Conrad's website: http://laurenconrad.com/blog/post/2014-my-new-years-resolutions-lauren-conrad-goals
A bad habit I'm going to break: putting myself down over everything
A destination I'd like to visit: New York
I'm going to work harder at: being positive
A project I'd like to finish: knitting (well, I'd have to start that project first...)
A class I'd like to take: some sort of fitness class with a lot of cardio would be fun
I'd like to spend more time doing: my blog, playing my flute
A food I want to eat more of: any ideas????
I want to wear more: patterns
I think the hardest thing for me will be to stop putting myself down over things; I tend to do that the most with school and when I teach flute. But it's a new year,so hopefully I will figure out how to make the best of everything :)

Here is my first try at photographing some of my outfits. This past week was really cold, so I had to dress in layers and wear some of my new sweaters to keep warm. Also, the fleece-lined leggings that I recently purchased were such a good buy! They work really well under jeans for an extra layer of warmth. I got mine from Fairweather, but I'm pretty sure stores like Urban Behaviour or Urban Planet would have them as well.

Sweater: Eclipse
Jeans: American Eagle
Necklace: Forever 21
I don't know how long I've had that necklace, but I've never really put an effort into styling it. I had seen a lot of outfits that featured a chunky sweater with a statement necklace, so I was excited to try it out and I was pleased with the outcome :)

Olive shirt: American Eagle
Plaid shirt: Urban Planet
Tank top: Forever 21
Jeans: Tommy Hilfiger
Necklace: Forever 21 (recent!)
This outfit definitely shows how I like to layer. I don't wear plaid that often, but when I do I like to dress it casually, unbuttoned, sleeves rolled up, with some jeans and a long necklace. I call this outfit my "street style look." :P If only it was warm enough to wear a leather jacket on top!

Until my next post, stay stylish!

Holiday Party

Holiday Party by mariathefashionista featuring christmas home decor

Black white sweater
$40 - fashionunion.com

American Eagle Outfitters black tight
ae.com

River Island skirt
$12 - riverisland.com

LOFT flat shoes
loft.com

Forever 21 crossbody handbag
forever21.com

Humble Chic statement necklace
humblechic.com

Christmas home decor
christmaslightsetc.com

Boxing Day (Week) Deals!

I hope everyone has been having an enjoyable holiday so far! :) I certainly have. Last week I had the opportunity to do some post-holiday shopping to take advantage of Boxing Week sales. I was unable to go right on Boxing Day (I was working, and was the mall ever crowded!), but I went the day after with some of my friends.

Some of the stores did have a good sale going on that was just for Boxing Week, but I noticed most of the stores had the same sales as they did the week before.

I didn't get too much, but they were all things that I needed and I got really good deals!
Chunky sweater- Eclipse, $20
Coral sweater- Jacob, $20
Black dress pants- Dynamite, $30
Blue blouse- Bluenotes, $12
Striped top- Eclipse, $15
I didn't get any sales on the pants or the blouse, but as I said, I was looking for some dress pants and, well, I couldn't pass up a blouse for $12! I found that Jacob had the best sale going on- everything was 50% off the last ticketed price, even sale items. I am super excited to incorporate these pieces into my wardrobe (I actually wore the striped top for a family dinner the next day :P); I already have some outfit ideas!

For 2014 I want to post more outfits of clothes that are actually in my closet, not just sets from Polyvore (though I do love my virtual wardrobe there). Let me know what you think!

I am also in the process of revamping my makeup collection, so when that's done I will do a similar post, but for makeup.

Stay stylish! :)

Manicure Monday (a day late)

So yesterday I decided to get into the holiday spirit by painting my nails. I didn't go crazy and do nail art because it probably would have gotten ruined with all the baking and cleaning that I've been doing lately to get ready for Christmas, but I did add a bit of sparkle to my usual basic red polish.

I put gold glitter on my ring finger after putting two coats of red polish on my other nails. The glitter polish that I used was a little sheer so I had to layer on three coats to make it stand out. I'm sure I'll love taking that off in the coming weeks! :P I really like the idea of putting a different colour on the ring finger, I'll probably be doing that in the new year as well!

Polishes used: Sally Hansen Salon Nail Lacquer in Ruby or Not to Be, Love & Beauty by Forever 21 (doesn't say the name but it's a gold glitter and it came in a set of three- light pink and coral were the other colours in the set)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! :)

Sweater Weather

Sweater Weather by mariathefashionista featuring a pearl bracelet

Mango long sleeve sweater
$33 - johnlewis.com

Pea coat
delias.com

Mango blue jeans
mango.com

Brown boots
modcloth.com

Forever New handbag
$18 - forevernew.com.au

J by Jasper Conran pearl bracelet
$8.18 - debenhams.com

Aéropostale loop scarf
aeropostale.com

Mixing Black and Brown

Mixing Black and Brown by mariathefashionista featuring Chanel

Blouse
avenue.com

7 For All Mankind blue jeans
$585 - harrods.com

Mossimo knee high boots
target.com

Urban Expressions crossbody purse
dsw.com

Chanel bracelet
farfetch.com

H m scarve
$8.12 - hm.com

How to Wear Leggings

How to Wear Leggings by mariathefashionista featuring gray tops

Topshop dress
topshop.com

BLK DNM brown top
$67 - zalando.co.uk

Oasis gray top
$66 - oasis-stores.com

Mango side zip black pants
$33 - houseoffraser.co.uk

UGG Australia gray shoes
shoescribe.com

Accessorize black ballerina flat
accessorize.com

H&M black engineer boots
$49 - hm.com

J by Jasper Conran white pearl jewelry
$13 - debenhams.com

Forever 21 chevron necklace
forever21.com

I've been wanting to do a post on ways to wear leggings for quite some time now. I've seen too many people wear them as regular pants, such as with hoodies and short jackets- pretty much with anything, including see-through or worn out leggings with coloured underwear underneath.

*silent scream*
This is not okay. Leggings are not a substitute for pants. 

The number one rule I have for wearing leggings is that the top worn must cover your bottom. You've probably heard this a million times before but it's true. Acceptable pieces would then include tunics, shorter dresses, sweater dresses (for the winter), long or over-sized cardigans...etc. The second and third outfits above show these decent ways of wearing leggings. The third outfit is more casual; it would work for class or hanging out with friends. The second look is more dressy; it would be appropriate for a holiday party- leggings under dresses make a great (and often warmer) alternative to just plain tights. 
Now, you're probably wondering about the first outfit. This sweater is a little longer, but I doubt that it covers enough to wear out. So my second rule is that if you are at home studying, writing essays, or just lounging around the house, then you can rock your leggings as you wish. 
Well, except the see-through ones. I have to draw the line somewhere. 

Until my next post, stay stylish! :)

Update December 31st, 2013- Another way to wear leggings to keep warm in the winter is to put them underneath your jeans / pants. It gets extremely cold in Canada, so leggings as an extra layer keeps your legs nice and warm. Even warmer? Fleece-lined leggings. I just picked up two pairs of these and not only are they super soft, but they are also really warm! I definitely recommend them!