It's the holidays and the end of the year is fast approaching. With that comes work deadlines, Christmas tree decorating, Christmas shopping and (for me) wedding plan finalization.  Blaaahh. Last night I stayed up entirely too late decorating the Christmas tree.  The disheveled appearance of my living room area is proof that I have yet to finish the tree despite staying up until 5 am doing it while Christmas movies played in the background.  It's a payroll day so I have to get a ton of work done and then the mid month billings, end of the month deadlines pushed up because of Christmas and New Years and end of the year reports.  Add to all of that my last minute wedding planning? This girl is beat.  Running on 2.5 hours of sleep and 2 cups of coffee with much left to do.  I wonder...how long will I last before I face plant on the ground like this cute dog?  Somehow I think my doing so won't be adorable in any way, shape or form.  Well back to reality, keep on truckin'!  

Hello What Jeans Likes readers! I'm Lauren, a personal style blogger at Fizz & Frosting, where I focus on budget-friendly fashion for both work and play! One of my goals for this year was to get more wear out of the items already in my closet. As a girl on a budget, I knew that it'd be the perfect way to save moolah while pushing my style boundaries at the same time. Win-win, right? One of the ways I've done this is by winterizing my Summer dresses with layers!

I started with a spaghetti strap striped dress and I added my warmest, fleece-lined tights (thanks, Urban Outfitters) and layered on a blazer. Accessories-wise I made sure to select bolder, chunky pieces to add a heaviness to the look overall.

Dress: J.Crew Stripe Derby Dress (similar), Blazer: Kenneth Cole Reaction (similar, worn here and here), Shoes: Madewell (similar, worn here), Tights: Urban Outfitters fleece-lined tight, Belt: H&M (similar), Bracelet: Stella & Dot, Necklace: Stella & Dot, Earrings: J.Crew Factory Fireball Studs, Glasses: Firmoo

 

I can't wait to winterize this dress for the weekend as well. I'm envisioning wearing boots, layering with a knit sweater, and bundling up with a chunky scarf. How do you get more wear out of your Summer clothes this time of year?

Check out more amazing posts like these at Lauren's blog Fizz and Frosting! 

I saw this gif-filled list of what getting engaged really feels like and it pretty much (for the most part) sums it up.  {source}

Did you know that 43% of engagements occur between the months of November through January? In honor of Proposal Season, here are 26 universal truths about getting engaged!

1. What you think you'll look like when it happens:

2. What you may actually look like (#fail):

3. Take heart, the end result is the same:

4. The moment he says he wants to spend the rest of his life with you:

5. Instead of elation, you're thinking "Wait, is he just being cute or does this mean....?" (Cue nervous giggles.)

6. Immediately, the suspense becomes unbearable:

7. He's bending down!

8. But you brace yourself in case he's just tying his shoe:

9. The moment you realize it's really happening because you stop breathing:

10. And start processing what just happened:

11. And as you're processing, you don't actually hear a word he's saying:

12. Until he mentions he asked for your parents' blessing:

13. You suddenly understand why he's been acting weird all week:

14. This is what you feel like when you say the word "fiancé" out loud and not in your head:

15. You have to call your bestie (now MOH!) to tell her IT'S HAPPENED:

16. Next you have to tell your proposal story 50 different times:

17. But all anyone cares about is seeing pics of your ring:

18. You MUST change your Facebook relationship status to "engaged":

19. When your head hits the pillow that night, of course you can't sleep:

20. Instead, you stare at your hand for hours:

21. Then it starts. "Have you set a date yet?"

22. And then, "Who's paying for the wedding?"

23. Then you meet a fellow bride, and she asks, "What have you done so far?"

24. You realize you need a time out STAT:

25. Then, relief when you make your very first major wedding decision:

26. Only to realize it's just the beginning:

Congrats to all of our newly-engaged brides out there! 

We all have breakouts.  They tend to come at the worst times and take forever to go away.  Many of us, however, mistakenly use the wrong products to combat acne at all ages.  Here's are some common mistakes we make at all ages while trying to combat the dreaded zits.

All ages can be guilty of this—using the wrong cleanser: Some women use a cleanser containing active ingredients (like salicylic acid), which can be way too harsh if you’re using multiple topical products during the day. Just find a gentle cleanser that isn’t too drying.

Biggest mistake in your 20s—undermoisturizing: According to Dr. Schweiger, women in their 20s tend to forget this step. Then skin gets too dry and you get rebound oil production, thus making your skin oilier and more prone to breakouts. You should look for a moisturizer that says “oil-free” and “non-comedogenic” right on the packaging. Avoid heavy cream moisturizer.

Biggest mistake in your 30s and 40s—using the same products you used in your teens and 20s: Lots of women will continue to use ingredients like benzoyl peroxide. Many don’t realize that some alternate treatments, like retinol, can have both anti-aging and anti-acne effects.

Article Source: Glamour

I'm getting married in a month.  No one is more excited than I am to start my life with the man I love more than anything.  Andrew is not only my best friend, but the best guy I know.  He's funny, talented, romantic, sweet, so caring and amazing.  I can't see my future without him in it... That's truly a statement I never thought I'd think let alone say out loud but it rings truer and truer every day.  Nothing about the way we came together can be considered ordinary.  We were best friends before we ever dated, we started dating and got engaged not long after and we are getting married only 3 months after getting engaged.  Well... we're not that abnormal I suppose.  Two of our friends who are leaders in our young adult group at our church also got engaged around the same time and have the same wedding date (January 4th).  I think to a lot of people we know, the entire relationship is kind of a whirlwind but I have never been more sure about anything in my life.

So what's the problem Jean?  Well... I'm kind of the anti-bride it seems.  As a photographer, I have shot weddings and had the opportunity to share the beautiful moments as a bride and groom start their lives together and it's all very romantic and lovely.  When I got engaged, I started looking up wedding venues and plans and man, I think I'm in the wrong business.  The wedding industry in Hawai'i is ridiculously expensive, they mark the price up so high that a "budget" wedding runs about $15K.  NOTHANKS. The more research I did, the less I wanted to even plan the wedding.  Did it make me not want to marry Andrew? No way!  I love him more today than I did the day he proposed.  But I turned into somewhat of an anti-bride.  There are thousands of websites dedicated to bridal etiquette and how to plan the perfect wedding but I could never bring myself to spend that kind of money on one day.  To me, the marriage is way more important than the wedding.  We are doing pre-marital counseling at our church and that's all going great and our relationship grows stronger every day.  I mean, look at Kim Kardashian's beautiful wedding to Kris Humphries that lasted all of 72 days.  The point: a beautiful wedding does not equal a happy marriage.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying a beautiful wedding equates to a divorce nor am I cutting down any bride who had a dream and made it happen.  I think weddings are amazing and beautiful ceremonies.  I just think the big wedding thing is not for me.  I have a huge family... and I'm not close to many of them.  The ones I'd want most at a traditional wedding (if I had one) would have had to fly from the mainland to come and it just costs too much.  Likewise for Andrew who's entire family is in the mainland.  So, we opted for an elope-ish style wedding.  Super small, immediate family... no fuss, little planning, kind of last minute (much to the dismay of my own mother and my future mother in law).  And yes, I do understand their want for the structured and planned wedding but I don't have the time or the energy to sit and plan every detail. In my mind, I have a dress, he's in a suit, we're on the beach... we get married and we go eat at a nice restaurant.  That would be perfect.

My mom kind of got really irritated with me today because she wants me to postpone my wedding so we can "actually plan it" since I haven't really done anything but start wedding counseling.  But she just doesn't get it. Whether she wants me to or not, I am getting married to Andrew and if that's on the beach in a sun dress, then that's what it will be.  We were supposed to go wedding dress shopping but I work full time and when I want to go, she all of a sudden has a ton of stuff to do.  Interesting.  Truth be told, if I had more time the wedding would be much more planned and structured but I don't.... and honestly, weddings aren't my thing... never have been.  I'm happy with something super small and simple. 

Nothing makes me happier than the thought of Andrew and I starting our life together.  I think even if I had planned the date myself, planned out a wedding and so on... I still would have been an anti-bride and my mom would have planned the wedding more than I would have because it's just so not me... not at all.  It's almost 3 am and I'm up writing this on a whim.  Sometimes the most honest and amazing posts come when you're up alone in the middle of the night, don't you agree? 

From this anti-bride to all of you, I wish you a very happy week(end)!