The transition from twenty-something to thirty-something is fraught with peril. It’s inspiring when a 21-year-old heads off to the big city to make her mark, but at what point does pursuing your dream at the expense of financial stability become unrealistic and naive? This article from Elle, written by Genevieve Smith, discusses how many young women struggle to turn passions into careers, and what to do when the job you love doesn’t pay the mortgage.
Want to see what’s in Belle’s makeup bag? Head over to Politics of Pretty to learn about my AM and PM regimen.
My life has been moving at a frenetic pace for months, and my sleeping schedule has taken a real hit. I found this app called Sleep Cycle, which I’m going to try this weekend. Hopefully, that and a good shot of self-discipline will get me back on something resembling a track.
I can’t decide whether the stepped hem on this Topshop dress is “cool and edgy” or “bad high school home-ec project.” Thoughts?
Fashion magazines have a long and proud history of giving professional women truly unrealistic fashion advice, see: suits with shorts, the idea that any cocktail dress can be worn to work if you also wear a cardigan or blazer with it, and the bogus notion that 7″ heels were made for every event in your life. So imagine my shock when the ladies at Who, What, Wear put together a job interview outfit styled for a “creative” work environment that was a) really chic and b) actually acceptable for a job interview. I almost fainted.
I need this Oscar de la Renta dress, somewhere to wear it and a buyer for the kidney I would need to sell on the black market in order to afford it.
What does 2,000 calories look like? Prepare to have your mind blown.
I’m ankle-deep in Girl Scout cookies at the moment (and loving it!), so I was fairly surprised to discover that two states force the purveyors of fine coconut caramel products (Team Samoa, for life) to pay sales tax on their cookies. Get on board, Idaho and Hawaii, these baked goods are served with a side of female entrepreneurship.
I feel that it is my duty to share these two metal bar bags from ASOS. Modern and chic, the clutch is $29 and the top handle bag is $58.
Lastly, not posting pictures of me in my actual outfits on CHS has prevented me from garnering some higher-level of credibility (as far most of you ladies know, I wear leggings as pants and commute home in Crocs…shudder), so I decided to uploading some photos to Instagram. I don’t do it every day, but if you want to see some of the clothes, bags and shoes that I wear in my “real” life, follow me on Instagram.
The instagram is awesome, Bell. Thanks for sharing.
I’m on day 8 of sleep cycle. I really like it. It will wake you up in that semi-conscious moment in the morning when you don’t even know you’re awake. (sounds weird, but you will know what I mean after you try it out) It definitely has made getting up a lot easier, even when I have to wake up earlier than usual.
LOVE that you are on instragram. I think that I just went through and “liked” all the outfits. Even more fantastic on. Thanks Belle!
The hem is bad. The dress is too short, anyway.
Agree!
I recently started using a similar app, Sleep Time, and I really like it. As Amanda pointed out, sometimes you wake up earlier than you want, but it’s a lot easier to get up. I’ve really liked it so far. It still kind of blows my mind that my phone can tell when I’m awake and sleeping. But I would definitely recommend it to others to try.
I use sleep cycle and I love it! Might just be my slight obsession with data, but I swear I wake up feeling less groggy too.
The Weekly Roundup is by far my favorite feature. It’s like Clinton Yates’ Lunchline for fashion. Lovin the Instagram – so inspiring!
I’ve been using sleepcycle for almost two years. I rave about it constantly. It’s been huge in my husbands weight loss and management of my migraines. I started using the notes section, it has a few presets and you can also add your own, things like “ate late”, “exercise” etc. I found it to be very helpful in pinpointing what things had a major impact on my sleep.
So excited about seeing your “real” outfits. I was just thinking about that a couple days ago… I wondered out of all the clothes you posted which ones you wore. This will be fun to follow!
Love the article in Elle – thank you. Though it is giving me heartburn, as I am on the precipice of a sea-change in career and will be applying for assistant-level jobs at 30. 🙂
Already following on Instagram! Terrific outfits – especially love the Burberry dress, it’s a killer. And your hair always looks so “done”…it takes me 45 min to blow out my curly hair to look like that, so often I don’t do it in the morning.
I am “blessed” with stick straight hair. So a little blow dry and 20 minutes in hot rollers (Conair curlers are the best!) usually does the trick.
Ohh lucky duck! Blessed, yes, and no scare quotes! I should check out Conair curlers, though; I’ve heard they can be used for further straightening or shaping blown-out curly hair. I sometimes do the flat-iron trick after straightening hair to give it some natural looking waves:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArvvCtSj2us&feature=related
or
https://www.refinery29.com/curling-hair-flat-iron
Hmmm…The Topshop dress looks like a mistake. Someone, somewhere can rock that dress. I’m not that person.
As far as Instagram is concerned, I’ve always found you credible based on the outfits you present here, but it is nice to see you really in some chic outfits!
Love the white dress with the black “accents” on your Instagram! Where’s it from?
That article was great, and made me glad I made certain decisions that I did. I always wanted to be a writer, and then realized that writer = poor. So now I am a lawyer, and do freelance writing and essays on the side. It is a nice income boost, plus lets me choose what and when I want to write without bills breathing down my neck. I could not have my two daughters or my nice shoes without a real salary (not a high salary, but definitely pays what I need).
I have been using Sleep Cycle for six months. I love how it wakes me up gently, and the sleep trending reports are very interesting.
Wow, you look truly fantastic in the photos. I am so inspired by your sense of style, thank you for sharing it with us everyday.
The Sleep Cycle App is great! I have a definite problem getting up sometimes and its ability to track when you are in deep sleep vs light sleep makes waking up much easier. It also helps to see what kind of sleep you’re getting– if its light the whole time that explains why you’re more tired during the day.
hope it helps!!
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libertyonless.wordperss.com