Stitch Fix Review - January

It's been more than a year-and-a-half since I last posted here - crazy! Granted I had been using my running blog more, but even that fell by the wayside a long time ago.

I didn't even have an itch to get this thing going away but I signed up for Stitch Fix and needed a place to review my first order and post the pictures because other people's blogs about Stitch Fix helped me so much that I wanted to do the same.

My (new - but more on that another time) boss is the one who convinced me. She's been doing it for a while and while we have totally different tastes, I was intrigued by the fact that you can tell them exactly what you like and don't like, how much you're willing to spend, and any other preferences.

I wasn't floored by my first order but I was pleased with two pieces - one of which I'm really torn on, mostly because of the $48 price tag. I apologize for the blotchy face, bloodshot eyes, glasses, and Rudolph nose - I'm sick. I wanted nothing more than to go straight to bed after work but I just HAD to try everything on.

Without further ado:

MARKET & SPRUCE

Careen V-Neck Dolman Knit Top

$48.00

I do love this top! It fits well and is super comfy and could be paired with jeans for a casual look or black pants and heels for a nicer work outfit. It'd also look good under a blazer. However, I have a similar top from Old Navy that was probably $14 or $18. Granted that one is more fitted (and thus less flattering), but I can't justify spending $48 on this one.
Verdict: Return

MARKET & SPRUCE
Sawyer Space Dye Dolman Sleeve Knit Top
$58.00

I hated this. The pattern/texture was just not something I'm interested in - "space dye" is a spot-on description. It was SO long that it made me look like short and wide. It was also really thin so even if it fit well and had a non-space cadet pattern, it wouldn't be worth $58. It was almost see-through.

Verdict: Return

PAPERMOON

April Patterned Knit Sweater

$54.00 

This could be so cute...if it fit. It's HUGE. I'm big on pushing up my sleeves anyway, because I'm always busy and if I'm not busy, I'm probably not wearing long sleeves. I have long monkey arms and yet somehow these were so long on me. You can't even see my fingernails when I let the sleeves fall naturally. It was comfy and had this cute, cutout scalloped texture. You'd definitely have to wear a cami under this. Unfortunately it was just too big. It was less expensive the other tops, which is odd for a sweater.

Verdict: Return

ALICE BLUE

Boulder Button Down Blouse

$58.00

I absolutely love this blouse and I knew I would before I even tried it on. With the sleeves down, it looks like a dressed up version of a good ol' flannel. With the sleeves rolled & buttoned up, it looks a little more ladylike. I also tried it tucked it and nope! Not with this belly. And don't worry I wouldn't wear it out in public with leggings. I was just truly over the jeans.

Verdict: Keep

KUT FROM THE KLOTH

Kate Distressed Boyfriend Jean

$78.00

I wanted to love these jeans. I have a hard time with jeans. Anything not skinny or fitted just makes me look even bigger. And capris or rolled cuffs make me look even shorter. So, these jeans were totally working against me. I also think the distressed look is a little too 2003 Abecrombie & Fitch for a 31-year-old, and also these are NOT appropriate for New England winters so even if they worked for my body, I wouldn't be able to wear them for several months. They did fit perfectly, though!

Verdict: Return

Overall, I'm happy with this order and will definitely try it again.

Here's what I told my stylist, Emma:

Hi Emma! Thanks for giving me options for work. My office definitely emphasizes the casual in business casual, but I don't wear jeans to work and it's always things you would be OK with your grandma seeing you wear. I am fine with one piece per Fix being something I would wear on the weekends or out to brunch friends. I would have loved the sweater if it was smaller. I don't like to emphasize my stomach so looser clothing I am usually a medium while tighter, form-fitting tops usually have to be a large. The Boulder blouse was a perfect fit and exactly my style! Looking forward to my next Fix. Thanks again!

Allergies, sinuses and skin pricks

I miss writing. Not that I don't do plenty of it for work (though it is mostly writing emails, press releases, and pitches), but I miss writing about my life for all of my interested blog readers to devour. Ha!

Waking up with a raging sinus infection today actually reminded me about my blog. I used to always complain about my sinus infections every third week or so. This winter, I saw an ENT surgeon, who took a bunch of scans and negated what my previous ENT surgeon said about me eventually needed septum surgery. He told me there is nothing anatomically severe enough to warrant surgery, but that when there is any sort of inflammation in my nasal passages, how narrow the right side is completely blocks off that side, and thus the "stuff" gets stuck up there unable to drain, resulting in a sinus infection. Well then.

He prescribed me steroid nasal spray to use every day. I'm on my fourth bottle in as many months and I really have noticed a difference. But he also wanted me to get checked for allergies because "something" was causing these nasal blockages too frequently.

I met with the allergist, who reviewed my symptoms and then put me through 120 minutes of torture. Well, his nurse did. I had a full skin prick allergy panel done. Both my forearms were pricked about 20 times. Within a few seconds, I could tell some of them were coming up positive. They itched like mo-fo bug bites but of course, I wasn't allowed to touch them. I was petrified that one of them was the dog allergy. Turns out, it was not. Thank god for me AND for Rags.

Both arms shortly after starting.

Right arm after 20 minutes. Those would be my dust, mold and pollen allergies!

I came back HIGHLY allergic (because who isn't at least mildly allergic) to mold, dust and tree pollen. Mold isn't an issue as long as I'm not spending much time in basements (remind me not to get kidnapped, OK?), and tree pollen is unavoidable, though it helps to shower at night - which I do - so you aren't bringing all that grossness into bed while you sleep. But dust is a beast to deal with. Granted, I keep a clean house, but dust ends up in everything - upholstery, linens, clothes, and most noticeably - mattresses. I left the allergist's office with instructions to spend hundreds of dollars on dustproof mattress covers and pillowcases, and washing every linen in my house (including curtains), every week with hot water. Yeah, not happening. I do wash my sheets in hot water and either put them right back on my bed, or into a storage container if I'm rotating sheet sets, but I'm not washing my curtains every week. I hardly have time to wash and change my sheets every weekend.

However, the steroid nasal spray has been my saving grace. My allergies got really out of control a few weeks ago, but everyone else's were, too. And I thought they were getting bad again yesterday, but this morning when I woke up, I knew it had turned into a full-blown sinus infection. Taking a sick day was not an option today, so I am toughing it out and chugging water (and coffee because I'm SO fatigued), and using Afrin at my ENT's recommendation. He said it does the same thing as Sudafed, but without the jittery side effect. Fine by me!

It's only Tuesday, and a co-worker has strep and I have a big event on Saturday, so I need to survive the week, but you can bet I'll be enjoying a lazy Sunday.

Bad banana

I think I’ve developed a banana intolerance.

Yesterday, around mid-morning, I had to go to the bathroom several times. TMI, I know, but it’s true. It’s very unlike little miss regular me. By lunchtime, I had such severe stomach cramping and nausea that I considered going home. I didn’t throw up, but I was sweaty, dizzy, shaky and my heart was pounding. Thankfully, it eventually passed and I felt fine but exhausted (though that may have been from not sleeping at all Sunday night).

I assumed it was eggs. I’ve been having eggs in some form every morning but the better part of the last six months. Soft-boiled, hard-boiled, fried, whites only, egg “muffins” with peppers and turkey sausage—you name it. Eggs fill me up and are easy to make, not to mention tasty. But I know that eating too much of one food can cause sensitivity and even intolerance.

So I decided I would try a week without eggs to see if that helped. I wanted to make sure I got enough protein to start my day, so I made myself a smoothie this morning with skim milk, Greek yogurt, peanut butter and a banana.

All good in the hood. Until an hour later. I’m sitting at my desk and suddenly I’m very aware of my heart racing. Soon a wave of nausea comes over me. My whole body starts cramping up, my stomach obviously the worst but my legs feel dehydrated, too. I run to the bathroom and got sick not one, not twice, but three times. Fortunately I was the only one in there.

Coincidentally, I have my allergy skin prick test tomorrow morning and then an appointment with the allergist. I don’t know if they’ll test for bananas, but I’m certainly going to mention it. For the record, the bananas were ripe, with a few brown spots on the skin (how I like them), but not rotten or green.

At least I can go back to eating eggs. Hopefully.

Am I The Grinch?

OK, so all of my co-workers gave me Christmas gifts. Ornaments that don't match my tree, candy and a notebook, and a $25 gift card to Legal Sea Foods (holy cow!). One even said, "Next year, we should just all go out to lunch instead of these obligatory $5 gifts." I didn't get them anything... except for the two I work with most closely (which I blogged about last week). Am I jerk? Probably. But I barely bought my own family gifts this year. I guess I could've just done cards or something nice but it's too late now. Just blame it on being knew and honestly not knowing people did gifts around here.

Reading my mind

My family (well, mostly me) uses Amazon's Wish List feature for gift ideas, especially those small stocking stuffer type gifts. I literally put every brand of beauty, cosmetic and cleaning product I use on there so they don't buy me Crest toothpaste (I use Sensodyne) or something.

Back on Nov. 29, I found a really pretty yellow necklace on Etsy that I wanted. I had been wanting one for a while, most specifically back in October when I had to work an event with a Bruins player and had nothing yellow (ahem, "gold") to complement my black dress. Since then, I've gone to two Bruins games with my dad and came from work both times, so I was in cute work clothes as opposed to Bruins gear, and I WISHED I had some yellow jewelry.

So, I added said necklace to my Amazon Wish List. Forgot all about it, actually.

Today, my boss and co-worker and I exchanged gifts. The three of us are our own team within the bigger media relations team within the even bigger communications department. MY BOSS GOT ME THE EXACT YELLOW NECKLACE THAT I NEVER TOLD ANYONE BUT MY AMAZON WISH LIST ABOUT. How crazy is that?! She doesn't have access to it, but she knows I like going to Bruins games with my dad and that I often meet him right after work. And, she knows me well enough to know my style. Nailed it!

She also got me a very pretty cosmetic bag from West Elm. My co-worker got my a fuzzy ball winter hat that actually keeps my ears warm, unlike my other one which is thinly knit and barely provides any warmth, as well as a copper "K" wine stopper and a photo frame/ornament with a little dog on it - OBVIOUSLY a photo of Rags is going in that one.

I don't have a lot to spend on gifts this year, so I decided to make a majority of all the gifts I'm giving. For my boss and co-worker, I picked up a box of four stemless wine glasses for - I think - $8 at TJ Maxx. I got out my ginormous bag of acrylic paint and a box of Q-tips, and went to work “dotting” the bottom of the glasses. I did two in warm shades and two in cool shades. Then I baked them at 350’ for 30 minutes, and voila!

They both said they loved them, and appreciated that they were handmade. I gave the bluish ones to my co-worker and the pink ones to my boss as I thought they suited their personalities and styles best. I was going to tell them they could trade or mix & match but they opened them at different times and seemed content with what they got. Success No. 1 of my handmade gift-giving Christmas.

Recommendations for fellow bookworms

If you're looking for quick, easy reads during the holidays, I recommend the two books I loved most in the past year. The first is John Green's The Fault in Our Stars. I read it right after Peter Heller's The Dog Stars and the two couldn't be more different. I was just on a star kick, I guess.

I read The Fault in Our Stars the weekend before I started my new job. If you know where I work, you'll know that reading about adolescents with cancer was good preparation for me. It was fiction of course, but it provided a viewpoint of teenage cancer that we don't often see.

It's been made in to a movie that premieres June 6, starring Shailene Woodley. I'll be seeing this one in theaters (and I see maybe three movies a year in the theater - tops!). Maybe you've never heard of Shailene. She starred in The Secret Life of the American Teenager, and aboslutely dreadful show on ABC Family that I could not stop watching until the final season (which I still need to do). She was the only redeeming factor on that show. She'll also be starring in my other favorite book-turned-movie in 2014...

The Divergent series sounds a lot like The Hunger Games. Set in dystopian Chicago, 16-year-olds must decide whether they remain faithful to their families and upbringing by remaining in their original "faction," or if they want to start over with a new life, abandoning their families and friends for good. There are five factions - Abnegation (selflessness), Amity (peace), Candor (honesty) Dauntles (brave), and Erudite (knowledge). There's fighting and death and love, but the aside from those aspects, it's nothing at all like The Hunger Games. The subsequent books, Insurgent and Allegiant are equally as good. So good that I actually pre-ordered Allegiant (I NEVER pay for books) and it was delivered wirelessly to my Kindle in the wee morning hours the day it came out. By the time I got to work that morning, I was about 50 pages in.

I dragged my dad to Catching Fire on Thanksgiving night, and without having read the books or see The Hunger Games, I expected him to be totally lost and bored. He was not. We had a great discussion on the ride home about how clever Katniss is and how technologically advanced the Capitol is. But admittedly, my favorite part of the movie was actually the preview for Divergent, which premieres on March 21. I'll be seeing that one in the theater, too!

I don't anticipate either movie will be nominate for an Oscar or a Golden Globe, mostly because the target audience is probably the 16-24 age group. And based on my love of these two books, I'm guessing I still identify as a 24-year-old. It was one of my best years!

I'm Thankful

All week, or even all month, I've been looking forward to Thanksgiving. Not only are Wednesday and Friday my first days off (not counting holidays) since I started my job in July, but it's my first time spending any amount of time back in Longmeadow. This morning when I woke up, I was tired but knowing I'd be in Longmeadow later tonight put me in an instant good mood. And when I got off my train and walked outside, it was snowing. The last time it snowed, I was already in the office before it started. So this was my first, first-person experience with active snowfall since last winter (or spring, technically).

I only walk outside for about 25 seconds as I get from the Garden/commuter rail portion of North Station to the Green and Orange lines portion of North Station, but those 25 seconds of snowfall where all I needed.

As I walked into the station, I saw the guy handing out the free Metro newspapers. He's one of two guys that are always there in the mornings. I take a paper every single day, so when neither of them were there yesterday (it was bible salespeople, instead), I was disappointed. Today, just as I made eye contact with him, he dropped his stack of papers on the ground. Because we are consumerist jerks in 'merica, today's paper was enveloped in a giant sales circular from somewhere, making the normal matte newspaper print slippery due to the circular's glossy finish. I could tell he was having a hard time by the look of sheer frustration when he dropped them. He paused, and didn't bend down to pick them up right away. I think he was doing one of those, count to 10 in my head instead of cursing out loud, things. So I started to bend down to help him, but he smiled, put his hand out, and said, "No. Thank you dear." I smiled, took a paper, and went on my way. I made it exactly eight steps before I started bawling my eyes out. I don't know whether they were happy tears, sad tears, PMS tears, or what. He must know that everyone who takes a paper from him in the mornings is in a rush to get somewhere, and that he shouldn't let me make myself late. I started wondering how he was going to spend Thanksgiving. He can't make much, if anything, passing out free newspapers. Even if he does, he gets pushed, shoved, hardly ever thanked, and stands in a covered but freezing cold (or boiling hot) entrance.

I won't see him again this week as he's only there in the mornings and I'm off all week, but I decided that I have to do something. His hands are always full of newspapers but there's a window ledge nearby where he keeps a coffee. Maybe I'll bake some cookies or get him a $5 gift card for Dunkin Donuts. I don't know, but I feel compelled to do something. I literally tear up every time I think of this morning's interaction and I cannot figure out why it's bothering me so much, but it is.

Bottom line: I'm thankful for everything in my life. It may not be perfect, but it is exactly as it should be.