Last Saturday, I had a fun birthday lunch out with girlfriends. That’s one of the “perks” of having kids and friends who have them too. We’re all so busy that we’re rarely able to coordinate our schedules on, or in some cases all that near, our actual birthdays…which means that we get to stretch our festivities out for at least a week.

Sadly, I have no photographic evidence of our gathering. Well, no evidence of the human kind (unless you count my friend, Jolinda’s, hand). I did snap a quick pic of these crazy-cute little pumpculants (see how I did that there?) though, which I totally want to knock-off now.

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After some absolutely scrumptious vittles (yes, I’m a Southerner), I headed to the LOFT to spend a little birthday dough. While there, I snapped quick pics of my finds and posted them to Instagram and Facebook so I could get some real-time votes on what I should buy.

In other words, I was encouraging a mob mentality (see how I worked that title post right in there?).

You know me—pretty much everything was under $20, most of it way under.

I thought I’d show you guys the options, but first up, here’s what I wore there:

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{Pretty much shocked I don’t have any salsa stains on my shirt}

Two quick notes:

1) If my giant forehead pimple is a source of distraction for you during this post, I apologize. I did my best to minimize her with concealer, but she was pretty insistent on making her presence known. Thank goodness for grainy cell phone pics. Maybe we should just name her and get that out of the way. So, yeah. Mildred, it is.

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2) I feel like I’ve already said this before, but…LOFT mirrors are R.I.D.I.C.U.L.O.U.S.  My friends and I like to bemoan the things their deceptively “skinny” reflections have made us take home (and then return).

So, here’s a piece of free advice. If you try on something that’s normally not your thing, and you find yourself thinking: “Well, hey there, good-lookin’”…keep your receipt. You’ll be back.

Of course, then there are Old Navy’s mirrors, which have the opposite effect. Which is to say that if you find something you look great in in an Old Navy mirror, buy it. It’s wardrobe gold.

But I digress.

First up, I posted this orange top with lace crochet at the shoulders.

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(I cropped Mildred out of this shot just so you could focus on the shirt)

It got mixed reviews with some folks declaring an immediate LIKE and others feeling a bit more “meh” about it.

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Next up was this too-short number (more on that tomorrow) for $5, which debuted to generally good reviews.

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This pretty rose-colored lace top also got a thumbs-up from most of the voters.

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This dress, however, was universally panned. I honestly knew I wasn’t interested the moment I tried it on. It was too clingy and stripey. Also? It only emphasizes something I already know and that is that I am really long-waisted, and my hips start like 3/4 of the way down my body. And yet, I posted it, for the sake of conversation. And boy, did I get a conversation going!

At least if by conversation, I mean lots of “OH NO!” and “NO WAY!”

My…um, favorite response?: “No. You look… um, wider than usual.” Ouch.

I didn’t actually post this next one because it was two sizes too big, and I knew I would get a lot of comments on the saggy fit, but I already had an easy fix in mind and knew that, at $5, it would be a great layering piece.

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I didn’t post this next one either because I had already flooded everybody’s stream enough but also because it was $25, even on sale + an extra 50% off. I can’t deny that I love it, though.

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Oh, and then there was this one:

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…which, at $17, I wasn’t sure about. But it received rave reviews and even a request from my friend Liz for me to buy it for her so she could pay me back. She commented again with, “I’m serious,” so I wouldn’t miss her meaning. Got it, Liz. 🙂

So, there you have it—another round of “real-time” (at the time anyway) shopping at the LOFT.

And now it’s time for you to weigh in and tell me what you think.

Which looks did I buy (or should I have bought)? (Yes, I still have my receipt).

Anybody else want to sign a petition to God for a moratorium on grown-woman acne? C’mon, now. It’s bad enough that you have to have it as a teenager. But zits at 31? Ain’t nobody got time for that. (I’m also taking any and all sworn-by skin care product suggestions under advisement).

Linking up at The Pleated Poppy

14 Comments

  1. Oh my goodness Abby, I laughed and laughed reading this you are too funny.
    loved it and neeeeded the laugh…
    love the white and the black mostly….but your initial outfit your wore in was my fav:)

  2. I chimed in on Facebook during your try-ons. So this is strictly about acne. At 28 I got acne on my cheeks, it was fairly contained and would flare up and go away spontaneously. THEN this past february I went to an acupuncturist who informed me it was caused by dairy. So I stopped eating dairy and kept seeing the acupuncturist, then I broke out ALL OVER my face. And horrendously so. Not an exaggeration. Caused major depression and I currently hide in my office at work instead of eating with my coworkers like I used to. Be thankful you only get a mildred or two. I say you use weekly masks. Masks have helped me a lot over the last few months. A wonderful one is by Juice Beauty, it’s natural which I think works better than all the chemical filled ones.

  3. Really like the white dress and the black top and if you average the prices the black top comes out much less :-). At 49 I’m still getting ‘Mildreds’, I wipe my face with good old witch hazel usually dries her up quick…

  4. First off….I HEART Loft!! I recently got away for a girl’s wknd to OKC for my b-day and hit a Loft Outlet. I was soooo happy! Prob a good thing I was 32 wks preggo cuz I refrained from many jeans & tops just cuz I didn’t wanna buy them w/o trying them on. I did get some awesome sale cardis & t-shirts that I know will fit later. And a fun purple fitted jacket that I cannot WAIT to wear…..anywhoo…..
    Glad you got some girl b-day time too! I think my faves are the rose-colored lace top and the striped shirt. Hope you got both of them! Their sale prices are always great! I never pay full price for anything there.
    I WILL sign your acne petiton!! Amen, sista! I just got over a giant zit right below my eyebrow…..seriously??? I think I spent 10 min/day just trying to figure out how to conceal it. I am just thankful I’m a girl and can wear makeup to hide them a bit. Also, everyone says that you will have less wrinkles later if you have more oily skin now…….so yay! when I get old…..but that doesn’t help much with a big “mildred” right now.
    I’ve had some luck with using the ProActiv acne mask as a spot treatment at night before bed it I can feel a big one brewing ;). It is basically a sulfur mud mask so another acne mask would probably do the same thing. I just put a good dab of it on the offender at bedtime. Its a 50/50 shot if it looks better in the AM, but I always figure it is worth a shot. Hubby thinks it soooo cute……LOL…..NOT!

  5. Great bargains! The Loft sizing just doesn’t work for me – bummer! Ok, on to Mildred. I am 45 and have named my zits before too. Not just because they were so big and obvious but they also lasted for over 2 weeks. Arghh!! This ist go to zit shrinker – aspirin powder and honey mixed into a paste and slathered on for a good 15 minutes or so, then wash off. Miraculous! Best of luck.

  6. My favorite is Liz’s shirt – I want to buy it myself. You look great in the rose colored shirt.

    I also didn’t notice Mildred until you pointed her out. 🙂

    Arbonne has amazing skin care products!

  7. I bought that purple number in the middle of summer for $50 on sale. Your $5 deal just made me sick a little bit. I hope you bought her.

  8. First of all, I never would have noticed Mildred if you hadn’t pointed her out. Granted, I’m reading this on a kindle, but even after I enlarged the screen I couldn’t really see it. Now that that’s out of the way…don’t you just love Loft sales? Their regular prices are crazy, but I own many of their sale items, including that white dress, which is amazingly comfy, and the striped bow shirt that everyone liked. I think you bought both of those, as well as the lace tank and the blue dress. Only $5? You can add some length to it with a coordinating fabric or ribbon or something. I found a dress there not long ago for $4.88! Yes, I love me a Loft sale.

  9. I have had THE WORST acne lately! I would seriously love to wear a paper bag over my head some days. No sleep-deprived mama should have to struggle to cover undereye circles, beginner crows’ feet (crows’ toes?), and zits all at once. It’s too much for my overworked brain to handle. My favorites are the striped top that your friend wanted, and the too short blue dress. Seriously, slap some wide lace on the bottom of that thing and you’re good to go!

I love hearing from you guys!