A Fond Farewell

As of late, I've become extremely busy with school, my internship search, and a new writing project. With all of these new projects and endeavors consuming my time, I seem to find myself posting on the Frock less and less. This is why I have decided to take an indefinite hiatus from this blog. Don't get me wrong, I love this blog, and I always will, as it was my first major writing undertaking and challenged me to write and take my love of fashion to a new level. I may even come back if I feel the need. But for now, I bid a sad but fond adieu to Frock It Out and look forward to progressing in my new endeavors. Thank you to all of my loyal readers, and to those of you who have been here with me from the start. You guys are amazing. If I come back to the Frock, you'll be the first to know, and if I grow into a new fashion blog, I'll be sure to post the info on it here first.

Wishing you all the love and fashion inspiration in the world,

Elise

A note: I will continue posting my random fashion musings on twitter, so if you just can't bear living without the Frock, fret not. Follow me at @FrockItOut and @esabak.

Under PRessure: Welcome to My World

Under PRessure: Welcome to My World: Check out my newest project here!

Wishing you love and fashion inspiration,

Elise

Blogs We Heart: NYC PR Girls

As you may or may not know, I'm pretty set on getting into the fashion/beauty industry. I was referred by a friend to the most amazing blog regarding the PR field in New York City. So pretty much, these bloggers are living MY FUTURE LIFE. At least, I hope my future life. They seem to have the perfect balance of work and play and they embody everything I want to be career wise.

If you have a remote interest in the field of PR, I beyond strongly suggest you check out NYC PR Girls.

Wishing you love, fashion, and career inspiration,

Elise

Tis the Season

It's almost Christmas! In honor of the holiday and the party for such (which is today because finals are over!), I'm posting!

My party is going to be the very cliche but always hilarious ugly sweater party. I'm going to be honest: I'm not super keen on the whole "ugly sweater" concept. I think that there are ways to make these ugly sweaters cute, though, and wanted to share my ideas. So without further ado, here are 3 ways to make that ugly sweater adorkable:



1. When in doubt of what to wear as bottoms, wear leggings. Your sweater is probably oversized as it is, and will more than likely cover your derriere. Jeans are boring, and at least at my party, my roommates and I have a no jeans allowed policy.

2. Be ridiculously sparkly. The middle picture is clearly riddled with TONS of gold sequins and studs. And that is perfectly ok because it's Christmas and the holiday is all about encasing yourself in as much glitter as you can, right? RIGHT.

3. I'm a skirt and tights kind of girl. I think a skirt is always appropriate and this one is just so fun and frilly and flirty and I love it. Clearly.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas (or whatever winter holiday you celebrate)!

Wishing you love and fashion inspiration,

Elise

Elise Makes a Video Post

Just to forewarn you all, I'm an amateur at this whole video deal. Also, I'm a bit awkward, but that'll probably never change. I hope you enjoy this nonetheless :)

Also, a shout out to my friends and readers of Frock It Out from its inception, Emily and Moira...if you're reading/watching this, HAPPY BIRTHMONTH!!!

xoxo, Elise

Rain

A comical across-stick poem regarding how I feel about rain:


R is for the relentless blowing of wind and precipitation in my face and hair


A  is for the agitation I feel when I need to pull on my rain boots


I     is for the indescribable feeling of joy of knowing that I didn't spend loads of money on a Marc
        Jacobs umbrella (I still love you to pieces, MJ!)        


N  is for the neglect to my general appearance when abhorrent weather comes about

Clearly, I am not a fan of weather.

Wishing you love, fashion inspiration, and safety from what's practically a mid-western monsoon,

Elise

Addiction of the Moment: Butter London Nail Polish

I have recently developed an obsession with Butter London's nail polishes. Other than coming in amazing colors and enchanting glitter shades (and I'm not a fan of glitter polish, generally, so this is a pretty big deal), they have this concept called "Three Free." What is this lovely and unique concept, you may ask? To my dismay, it isn't 3 free polishes, however, it means that their polishes are free of three harmful chemicals generally used in the processing of nail products. Butter London polishes come WITHOUT: formaldehyde, toluene, or dibutyl phthalate. The brand embraces the concept of natural nail care and does not forgo an amazing color selection!

My favorite shade is the LIMITED EDITION glitter polish, "The Black Knight."

Photo Credit

It's a bit pricey for a polish, about $14, but it's well worth the investment. Check out Butter London's website for the entire selection!

Wishing you love and fashion inspiration,

Elise

Thanksgiving Outfit

Thanksgiving is undeniably my favorite holiday of the year. It epitomizes fall and is the official way to usher in the Christmas season. I love to be festive (somewhat--not over-the-top holiday sweaters for me!) and cute for the holiday, especially since it's one of the main times I get to come home and see everyone. Even though I plan to eat a ton of food (because, being blessed to be part of a humongous Arab family, we not only have tradish American Thanksgiving food but Arabic food as well) I want to do a dress, preferably in a fall color. Here's what I was thinking:







Love it? Hate it? Let me know!

Also, don't forget to follow us on twitter @FrockItOut

Wishing you love, fashion inspiration, and the BEST Thanksgiving ever,

Elise

Thanksgiving by ess912 featuring lace up wedge booties

Madewell a line dress, $216
Madewell a line dress, $216
Madewell a line dress, $216
TopShop lace up wedge booties, $136
Nine west handbag, $55

Let's Talk About (my lack of) Hair

I recently cut off all of my hair (not really all, more like 9 inches of my hair...but I like being dramatic, it's part of my charm) in order to donate it. Donating my hair has been something I've wanted to do for quite some time and I finally got to the point where it was BOTH long enough and I had enough courage to actually do it. Now that it's actually all gone, a bitter-sweet reality, I've had to adjust to new methods of styling my hair. Below are my top picks for styling my short hair:

1. BOBBY PINS. I lived by them with long hair, and they are of monumental help with my much shorter locks.

2. Curling Wand. My sisters' curling wand has helped me transform my sometimes wild curls into tame, adorable little waves.

Photo Credit

3. Braids. I braid the awkward little pieces out of my face because I can't throw it all up into my obnoxious signature bun anymore. This is to my chagrin, however, everyone else seems to be happy that I can no longer crazily pile up my hair.

All in all, I love my new hair because it's much simpler to style and manage. I still miss my lovely long locks like crazy (oh, my alliterative skills), but knowing that I cut it off for a good cause makes me feel much better.

Do you have any suggestions for styling short hair? If so, lemme know either in a comment, email, or tweet (@FrockItOut)!

Wishing you love and fashion inspiration,

Elise

World's Most Adorable Christmas Gift

I know, I know, it isn't even Thanksgiving yet! I really shouldn't be already talking about Christmas. BUT, I saw a post on College Prep yesterday about the Kate Spade surprise ball. It's so adorable and filled with cute Kate Spade-esque trinkets.

Check out the post on College Prep or the actual item on the Kate Spade website!

Madewell Faves

As you may know, British style icon Alexa Chung has partnered up with Madewell for a collab that is beyond brilliant. Madewell already boasts some amazing pieces, as seen in the first two dresses below (how awesome would that middle dress be with a great jacket for class?!). The dress to the far right is Alexa Chung for Madewell. It's called the "kiss me" dress and it's sweet and flirty and perfect for the upcoming holidays!





What do you think about these dresses? Do they make you want to go out and prep for the holidays?

Wishing you love and fashion inspiration,

Elise

Madewell Faves by ess912 featuring a scoop neck dress

Madewell scoop neck dress, $188
Madewell dress, $158
Madewell dress, $245

Addiction of the Moment: Essie Nail Polish in Limo-Scene

As you can probably tell, I have a very strong addiction to nail polish, and not just any brand of nail polish, but Essie, which is the primary brand in my collection.

This week's mani is in Essie's Limo-Scene. It's a romantic ice-pink color and I can't get enough of it. It would be safe to say that this is my most used nail polish color.

Essie Limo-Scene Photo Credit

This is available at the Essie website and most drugstores.

Wishing you love and fashion inspiration,

Elise

Nice Weather = Outfit Post

So we recently had a burst of lovely weather here in Detroit. With lovely weather comes outfit posts!

I kept it neutral with all grey and black, which, to be honest, are my favorite colors to wear ever.

What do we think of this look?

H&M dress, Nine West boots, belt taken from my sisters' closet (thanks girls!)


Wishing you love and fashion inspiration,

Elise

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, lovelies!

I hope you have a wonderful day full of ridiculous fashion choices!

Olive (from Easy A), Scar, Nerd, Roman Goddess, Biker Chick

XO,

Elise

Addiction of the Moment: Essie Nail Polish in Sandy Beach

So my newest mani is probably my favorite by far. Essie Sandy Beach nail polish is a translucent, shiny shade of nude and it matches my skin color flawlessly.

Photo Credit

The mani on me:

As I mentioned, the color is nude and matches my skin color super well, which is part of the reason I lovelovelove it!

What do you think about this color?

Wishing you love and fashion inspiration,

Elise

P.S. You voted, I listened...I'm keeping the shoes!

Yay or Nay?: Shoe Purchase Round 2

Hello, Lovelies!

A few months back I did a post about an impending shoe purchase. The wild popularity of that post and the phenom responses I got via email compelled me to bring this style of post back. This time around, it's another pair of wedges. The difference? I already bought this pair. So, I ask you, my darling readers, do I keep these wedge booties or return them?

Image via Google Images.  Mossimo Supply Co. Kloe Bootie, $29.99 Target.

They're olive green, which is different for me, but a great style, and they're suede, which is my absolute fave texture for shoes in the fall. Let me know what you think by responding to the poll in the left pannel of the page! Poll closes at noon tomorrow, so be sure to vote and check back to see what I've decided!

Wishing you love and fashion inspiration,

Elise

Welcome to America, Joe Fresh!

The Joe Fresh line, originally spawned in good old Canada, is innately preppy and hopelessly classic. So pretty much, right up my alley. I heard about this brand first through some superfab Canadians and then in magazines like Elle and Nylon, all singing the praises of brand developer Joe Mimran. You may recognize the name if you know a thing or two about the geniuses behind my favorite store that I can't afford (cause, you know, I'm a broke college student) Club Monaco.

My point? The brand is gracing America (Finally!) with 5 flagship stores in our fashion Mecca that is NYC.  Here are some of my favorite pieces from the line, which I must say, is pretty affordable and will become a rival to my beloved H&M...

I lovelovelove stripes and sweaters. That in combination with a killer price of $19. Be still my heart. 

Super cute, super chic skirt, at a superfab price of $39. 

Things I love more than fantastic shoes? Nothing. At $79 these babies will be mine.

Did I forget to mention there's a beauty line? I did? Silly me! The line includes products for eyes, lips, nails, and face as well as brushes and beauty accessories, all affordably priced.

Get the perfect pout with this juicy pink lip stain, only $6.

So there you have it, the overview of the Joe Fresh line. I can't wait to get my hands on some of these items or for a flagship store to open somewhere here in the mitten!

Wishing you love and fashion inspiration,

Elise

TVFU

So today is the first day of Teen Vogue Fashion U, which I got into but unfortunately will not be able to attend. I was super duper upset to find out I couldn't go, and will forever be bitter that I won't be able to see my beloved Michael Kors as the keynote speaker. They are offering the program, for the first time ever, online, and if I take that route (although it won't be as wonderful as being in the city of my dreams with the fashion elite for a weekend), I'll be sure to post about the experience here!


Still bitter, but nonetheless, wishing you love and fashion inspiration,

Elise

Splash Away! 4 Great Rain Boot Selections

So, I've recently lost my fondness for rain boots. It may be that my Coach pair fits awkwardly on my calf and requires leggings or tights in lieu of real pants. Or, it could be that I just hate rain. These boots are practical though, whether you're in college and walking around all the time or in a climate that has pretty sporadic weather. I've made a little grouping of cute rain boots that allow you to wear real pants and face ugly weather in style!

I see girls all over campus sporting Burberry rain boots. With plaid being super popular this fall, there's not doubt you'll see tons of this style during fall.

For the diva, these black and white rain booties by Vivienne Westwood are a chic option.

These Jeffrey Campbell boots are classic, chic, and would go with just about anything!

The classic rain boot company, Hunter, revamps their original boots with glossy and brushed metallic finishes!

Wishing you love, fashion inspiration, and relief from rain,

Elise

Swap THIS for THAT: A Guide for the Beauty Maven on a Budget

Being in college and not having tons of money (or sometimes having money but spending it on things necessary to survive, like endless amounts of coffee) has taught me a thing or two about streamlining products and finding things that work well without breaking the bank. For example I used to spend $40 every 3 weeks on foundation. Ridiculous, I realize. But now I've found some alternatives which I can pick up at places like CVS and Target which are everywhere rather than scoping out a Sephora (or even worse, spending a fortune on products and then spending a fortune to have them shipped to my apartment). Mainly, I want to bring light to drugstore products that are pretty equal in quality to their expensive counterparts.

So, let's get started with Swap THIS for THAT

My old foundation:

Not gonna lie, this was an AMAZING  foundation, but the $40 price? Not so much.

Swapped for my new foundation:

For the price of the above foundation, I could get two months worth of these 3 products, which are about $6.99 a piece.

My old bronzer:

I loved this bronzer, but not the price, which hits at around $30.

My new bronzer:

At about $12 and with pigment that isn't too dark and doesn't turn me orange, this baby is  a winner.

My old mascara:

We're talking $24 mascara. Couldn't bring myself to it any more.

My new mascara:

I lovelovelove this mascara and it's  $8 price. 

My old eyeliner:

At about $20-ish, I knew I could get matching quality for a lesser price. 

My new eyeliner:

This is $9 and makes a superfine or a superthick line. Perfect for my daily dose of cat-eye.

My old lip stain:

Spending $15-ish on a product I used only on occasion seemed silly and frivolous.

My new lip stain: 

$6. This is $6. Doesn't get better than that.

As far as blush, I'm still spending beaucoup bucks because I just cannot get myself to part from my lovely NARS shade. For eyeshadow, I've always gone for Maybelline or L'Oreal, because they're a great value and have some pretty awesome color options. 

I hope this proved helpful to you lovelies! 

Wishing you love and fashion (and beauty!) inspiration,

Elise