From work to play, in just one day

Luckily I'm only a 15 minute drive home from work. But if I have after work plans, sometimes it's just more efficient to go directly from the job to wherever I'm meeting my friends. This brings about the challenge of what to wear that will transition from work to play. Sometimes dressing for this transition can be tricky and involves several elements, especially depending on the event you are attending after work. However, yesterday's "from work to play" challenge was an easy one. I was simply meeting friends for dinner at Ocean to celebrate my roommate's recent job offer (sad, she's moving back to NYC!). So I thought I'd start small and share my transition tips for this event situation with you.

For day: I simply threw on a blazer to make the fun dress underneath it office-appropriate. I kept my hair pulled back in a side bun with a braid for a more professional, polished look. I chose light and neutral makeup to downplay the "bling" in my shoes and dress.

For evening: I dropped the blazer, let the hair down (but kept the braid), played up my makeup just a bit  with some red lips and replaced the big bag with a small white clutch—and viola! From work to play in just one day. Easy peasy as my friend Emily would say!

Here's the cheapskate outfit breakdown:

1. Vintage dress from the Pretty Parlor ($29.99)
2. Cream blazer, Banana Republic (?? - old)
3. Belt, thrifted ($3.00)
4. Shoes, Rugged Warehouse ($8.99)
5. Glass heart necklace, ATL Market ($5.00)
6. Gold disco ring, ATL Market ($4.00)
7. Stud earrings, ATL Market ($2.00)
8. Gold leaf ring with cream rosette, Charm on Second (gifted)
9. Gray bag, Designer Details in LA ($40.00)
10. White clutch, Forever21 ($12.50)
11. Sunglasses, streets of Venice beach ($7.00)

p.s. Yes, I am indeed rocking gold lamé heels at a professional job during the day. I'm ok with this choice - are you? Leave me a comment and let me know!

photos: Laura Menconi

Product Pick: Coffee Creamer

I once had a coworker who stopped at Starbucks every morning before work. The thought of how much money she spent on coffee in a week still gives me anxiety to this day. I mean, some folks can afford it and that's awesome, but this gal (me!) certainly cannot. Instead, I like to reserve my coffee house visits for special occasions.

But that doesn't mean I can't have yummy coffee daily, too! To do this, I've always opted for the creamer flavors you can buy at your local grocery store. I've been a huge fan of Coffee-mate for a while and now that they offer the Cafe Flavors, I'm even more obsessed—particularly with the Caramel Macchiato. Since doing my research for this post, I have found I can save more money via their website with these coupons and deals. Bonus: Follow them on Twitter for even more promos.

I've also just found a new flavor from International Delight that I can't get enough of: Almond Joy. Unfortunately while doing this research, I just found out it's a "limited edition flavor." Eek! No! This is traumatizing because it is the closest thing I have ever found to my all-time fav coffee drink since college: the Cafe Yucatan at Crimson Cafe. So anyways, it might be best if you put a little "hurry up" on this one and start stocking up today. The good news is that if you click here you can also print a coupon to save even more money.

Here are just a few more fav flavors of mine:

• Coffee-mate Cafe Latte
• Coffee-mate Caramel Apple
• Coffee-mate Belgium Chocolate Toffee
• Coffee-mate Vanilla Caramel
• Coffee-mate Peppermint Mocha

Enjoy!

photos: Laura Menconi

What's in my piggy bank for April?

It's April, which means it's definitely starting to warm up down here in the south. So here's what I've got my eye on for the spring season. Brights colors, wedges and hats are a must.

1. dELiAs Abstract Print Ruffle Dress ($44.50). Not too bad of a price for a fun print with perfect colors to kickstart spring.

2. Forever21 Abstract Trim Floppy Hat ($12.80). I can't get enough of hats here lately. I am loving the color of this one and the perfect boho trim that adorns it.

3. Payless Pandora Wedge Sandal (26.99). I see these shoes making an appearance in a blog post soon! Seriously, these pretty little things would "go" with just about everything.

4. ASOS Boxy Flat Lock Clutch ($35.86). It's no secret that bright colored bags are the trend for spring. But what is a secret is finding one at a reasonable price. I searched high and low and finally found this hot yellow number to fit that additional budget requirement.

5. Forever21 Cherish Crepe Chiffon Dress ($24.80). And here would be the sixth cream dress I plan to add to my closet.

6. Pink Wayfarer Sunglasses ($10.00). I can think of no better way to add some color to your outfit than with these sweet pink sunnies!

7. Charlotte Russe Turquoise and Gold Bangle Set ($4.00). Turquoise is always "in" — in my opinion.

8. Payless Rockwell Woven Low Wedge Sandals ($22.99). These shoes have just the right amount of braiding detail that I am currently obsessed with and they look comfy enough to wear all day at a music festival.

9. Essie Nail Polish in "foot loose" ($8.00 at ULTA Beauty). I'm pretty sure the instant mood lift this color would provide is worth the $8 splurge on a bottle of nail polish.

10. lcd soundsystem self-titled album ($7.99 on amazon.com). I recently scored their London Sessions cd on a successful trip to the public library. It was such a fun album to blare with my windows rolled down that I think I need to go back and start at beginning with their first album. It just seems like it would make a good soundtrack to start the spring season.