What I Wore: Black and Red

Just so you know, I totally completed my weekend goal of watching the first season of Downton Abbey. It is TOO good. Now I'm onto the second season in time to catch up to the new episodes on TV. I am obsessed. Which also means I didn't do much over the weekend. I worked on some stuff with a looming deadline, ate some Mini Eggs and hung out with the fam. I love me a low-key weekend.

So, this is basically what I wore all weekend. I'll admit, black and red isn't the most creative color combination in the world -- it's pretty basic. But when I'm in a rush, it's an old standby that I know looks good with zero effort on my part. It seemed like when I got ready this past weekend, it was all under a super fast time limit, so I gladly went with stuff I knew looked good.

Like when my husband bumped up our date night to accommodate the return of Jimmer against the Jazz on TV (only true basketball widows know what I'm talking about)


Top: I can't remember and it's in the wash now so I can't look at the label.
Jacket: c/o mod bod
Skinnies: Refuge
Shoes: Dear
Earrings and ring: F21

When we first took these pics, the flash made my shirt super see-through so I had to add a cami. I felt like such a celeb!

OMG STORY TIME! So, at the last minute we decided to bring the kids along with us to our "date night." It was completely disastrous. I had called ahead for reservations for two, so it threw them for a loop when we showed up with four. Before our dinner arrived, my son had spilled his root beer and an entire salt shaker, then proceeded to spoon spaghetti into his jacket when we weren't looking. Then, I was imitating the way my son eats spaghetti and my daughter laughed so hard she totally vacuumed up a noodle into her wind pipe and then choked for a full minute, resulting in my performing a reformed Heimlich and her barfing onto her lap. Then, they brought out dessert for the kids, which was a cup of pudding decorated like dirt with worms and my son become so convinced that it was REAL dirt and REAL worms that he carried it home with him and has been treating it like a pet ever since.

It's OK though, because we left a really good tip and promised ourselves to never ruin our date night with kids ever again.

Then, Sunday morning started with an early meeting for the husband, so I had an hour to get me and the kids bathed, dressed and fed all by my lonesome, so red and black came to my rescue again.


Dress: c/o eShakti
Belt: c/o mod bod
Tights: F21
Bracelet: Vintage
Shoes: Steve Madden
Ring: Lia Sophia

(Ignore the wrinklage -- that's totally a word -- this picture was taken after three hours of kid wrangling and after our Saturday night escapades, I didn't care.)

Check out this bracelet too. It's one of my fave pieces from my collection because it was my late grandmother's and she had amazing taste in jewelry.


The coolest thing is that the jewelry is stamped with a "JC" hallmark, which are mine and my hubs' initials. I would say that's pretty cool.

Also, I'd like to point out that while I was uploading pictures, I found this on my camera:

Yeah, that's my daughter taking a dramatic selfie on my camera. What...the....heck.

Anyway, I got all of the red and black out of my system for now, so expect to see more creative color combos in the future. Unless Jimmer is playing again.

Also, on Wednesday I'm going to answer some of the questions that have come through my email inbox. If you have a fashion-related question you want me to answer, send it on over and I'll include with with this week's Q&A. You can also post them on the Facebook page or in the comments of this post if you're so inclined! I promise I won't make fun of you.

OK, I might make fun of you. But I'll also answer your question too, so it'll be worth it.

Happy Monday everyone!

Giveaway Winner and Freaky Friday!!

Hey guys! If you want to see who won the mod bod giveaway, head over to the swag page to check out. Thanks to everyone who entered and shared the page with friends. I was feelin' the love, but not in a creepy date in a dark theater way.

OK! Hows about some Freaky Friday? I Have a pretty relaxed Friday planned and I am WAY too excited about it. Lunch with the hubs and then an afternoon nap with the kids? Don't mind if I do! I also just started watching Downton Abbey on Netflix and I am loving it! If anyone likes Kate Morton as a writer, you'll love this series. Very posh family drama. So that's pretty much my weekend taken care of right there.

Here we go!



Michelle sent me this offering from Pinterest. My favorite part was that it was pinned to a board that was called "Covet Worthy." Um, I think you spelled "cringe" wrong. On the bright side, I'm fairly sure you can smuggle small children in your pant legs but I'm pretty sure that's abuse.

L. sent me an entire website for JUST LEGGINGS. K, whatever, I'm fine as long as you don't wear them as pants or have suspicious color pattern darkening around your crotchal area. One of the many, many hazards of wearing jumpsuits, people!


L. also sent me what was labeled a "cotton tube." How about we just go ahead and eliminate all tube-related clothes from the earth? Jumpsuit tubes.... tube tops....tube socks.... am I missing anything? Now the word "tube" is sounding funny to me. Don't you hate when that happens? My full name is Jacqueline and when I say it too often I start thinking it's the WEIRDEST name ever.


I can't remember who sent them to me, so whoever it is, comment and claim your awesomeness!! My husband took one look at this and said, "What is that, a normal girl wearing Khloe Kardashian's pants?"

.... and that's why I married him, folks. Ouch.


Sara sent me this beaut from Etsy. It was labeled as a "Fun sweater." Really? Because to me it looks like someone got a 5 year old drunk and asked her to design a shirt for the school play. SO FUN, RIGHT?

The acid wash denim shorts are a nice touch. Do we have any nevernudes in the house?


My cute cousin Stephanie sent me this dress. Look, I Loved Toy Story 3 as much as the next mom weeping into her popcorn uncontrollably, but I've never had the desire to make my hips look wider with a squeaky toy.

OMG, I also took my daughter to Beauty and the Beast the other day and sobbed through that too. What is wrong with me!?


Stephanie also sent me this, which made me laugh because I can totally imagine my 5 year old doing this and being like "Look, mom I'm a unicorn!" And I would be all "LOL!" to her face but in private I'd ask my husband if maybe we should take her to see someone.


Can we just set a general rule that knit shorts are never a good idea? They look like thigh sweaters and that makes me uncomfortable.


This shirt/dress/tunic has split personalities. It's business at the top, dinner with the girls in the middle and then eight-grade birthday party decorations at the bottom. So... next time you have all three on the same day you are totally set.



Thanks to everyone who sent submissions to me over the last couple of weeks. You know you can also send some submissions via the Facebook page or right to my email.

Now, off to my hot date with Masterpiece Theatre... jealous?

mod bod Review and Giveaway!

YAY I have been waiting for this giveaway for a week now! You guys know I don't do a lot of giveaways. I'm super selective about the stuff I choose to do (if I wouldn't wear or buy it, I can't let you guys either) and plus, I think blogs that do a giveaway every day are buggy. But this one is great, so pay attention!

mod bod contacted me to see if I'd like to do a review of their store and their latest line They started me off by sending me their Signature line to try. And not to sound like a suck-up, but they've definitely become my favorite layering tees and camis. My problem with layering stuff is I usually hate the cut. Like, the neckline is basically a turtleneck and it ruins the way things look when they're layered. mod bod stuff is super modest, but not like, nun modest. Which I appreciate. So when they invited me to come take a look at their store, I was like um, OK! Why would I turn that down?

So I popped by last Friday and started trying on stuff. When I shop, I like to put things together like a collection. Instead of grabbing willy nilly stuff that I think I like, I pick a few different pieces that I can mix and match into a ton of different outfits, so that's how I tackled this shopping trip. Check out some of the awesome finds I tried on!


Like this!


... I'm totally kidding. mod bod is absolutely not the place you'd find Pauly D crop tops. I shudder. SHUDDER.

Instead, I found gorgeous stuff like this:


I saw this cream skirt when I first walked in and was all "Hello, lover." It was the first thing I snagged to try on. I also freaked out over that leopard cardi - it's the perfect pattern without being boozy.


Right? (Excuse the mirror pics. My sister in law came with to snap some shots but the lighting in the fitting rooms was TOO good. Like, I want to go try on swimsuits there, that's how good it was.) But seriously. I love this outfit. The shirt is super textured with a brocade pattern, so it's interesting without being like I HAVE A SKIRT crazy. Oh, did I mention they had it in pink?


They do. How cute would an outfit like this be for a Valentine's Day date? Plus blush pink is HUGE right now. And with an open cardi? I die. I love the mix of the leopard with the texture of the skirt. They were meant for each other. And check out the texture and bandage effect of the shirt. It's super flattering. And the belt came with.


I also really loved this layering tee on its own. It's basic but it has the double-V to make it a little different and the fit is amazing. I'm a solid size 6 and this is a medium shirt, just for size comparison when shopping. It fit like a glove without being too tight -- another major issue with layering tees. Also, baby got back. But it's OK.


I loved their girly stuff, but they also had some harder-edge pieces that I had to try too. This old-school fisherman's sweater went right over the layering tee and looks all snuggly and hot chocolate warm.


Finally, I tried on this leather jacket because I'm OBSESSED with them and already have seven, so naturally I would want another. I loved the asymmetrical zipper and ruffles on this one to make it a little girlier. Also, boots and socks woo!

See what I mean about shopping in a collection? Literally every one of the pieces that I picked can be worn with each other, meaning I get the most bang for my buck when choosing new pieces.

Altogether, I had an awesome time at mod bod. For one, the first thing the manager said to me was "We have tons of other sizes in the back." Don't you hate it when you go to a store and they're like "Oh, if it's not out here we don't have it." Annoying, right? Plus they had super basic stuff like layering tees and camis, but then "special" stuff like a cool leather jacket or a flared ruffle skirt. Love. The sales staff was super helpful without being buggy and I loved how all the pieces went together. Kinda makes it a no-brainer when trying to make outfits.

Want to see what I went home with?


You know I can't say no to leopard, right?
Cami, cardigan and skirt: mod bod
Shoes: Steve Madden
Jewelry: F21
Also, like my new hair?


I love a mix of super girly with the pinks and floral and then tougher stuff, like leopard and dark patent leather on the shoes and belt. It's a big-time "Jae" look.



Anyway, I'm super happy with my mod bod experience and the pieces I picked up. They're awesome quality, super cute and the entire store was made up of stuff that I already love. And I'd be lying if I said my leather jacket count didn't now rest at eight.

But mod bod wants you to try out their newest line too. Seriously, I keep reaching for my camis the second they get out of the dryer, which for me is the biggest indication of how much I like an item of clothing.

SO, mod bod is offering a 25 percent off code for all online purchases when you use the code BLOGFRIENDS25 during checkout, yay! They are also having some awesome sales going on right now, so that's extra cool.

Local girls, they have stores in Springville, University Mall in Orem and in American Fork, but they also have a great online store.

And to win $70 worth of mod bod swag for yourself, click through to our swag page over here and enter away!!

What I Wore: White After Labor Day

Omg, I have a major case of the Mondays today. I've been sitting at my computer for like, two hours and gotten nothing done but watched videos on Youtube, played Scramble with Friends and checked Facebook obsessively. I need a shot of motivation like, NOW.

I never understood obscure fashion rules about the colors that you can and can't wear and when to wear them. And when does the "after" Labor Day part of the rule apply? I mean, every day BUT Labor Day technically comes after. It's confusing and annoying. So I ignored it and wore my white skirt with my chambray shirt and black tights and called it good. Take that, obscure fashion rules!


Chambray shirt: Papaya
Belt: I have no earthly idea.
Skirt: Ricki's (Canada)
Tights: F21
Shoes: Charlotte Russe
Watch: Gucci
Necklace: Nordstrom



I loved the mix of a super casual shirt with a super glittery heel. I'm all about mixing and matching the two.



Glittery neck AND feet? I die. I've also heard that you shouldn't wear navy and black together. I say a hearty "Whatevs" to that!

I had my hair done last week so this is the last long hair pic. I had some cut off and went tons blonder. WOO! But I shall reveal on Wednesday, because....


...we're going to have a giveaway! Check back then for an entire store review plus some super cool swag that YOU can win! So definitely come hang out with me on Wednesday. In the meantime, I have a 1p.m. deadline for other work and it's almost here so I have to get going. Thank goodness for Mango-Peach Crystal Light and an iPod stocked with Lily Allen or I would never get anything done.

Freaky Friday: Fun with Keywords

Today is one of those Fridays that I have been off and running since the alarm hit. And I'm super excited because this afternoon I'm heading off to do some prep work for a giveaway on Wednesday, so be excited too!

The more posts I have on my site and the more colorful language I use, the more weird searches I get in my Statcounter. I'm always super amazed at how people stumble across my blog -- like, seriously, people. Besides the completely perverted, I've got an entire new batch for weirdness that came up in the keyword analysis of my website's stats. OH YEAH.

"Kama sutra snuggie."

If tacky infomercial products turn you on, you're beyond my help. Also, ew.

"How to not be like your husband's mother."

My advice would probably be to not be like your husband's mother. Because it sounds like you kind of hate her.

"Padded butt jeans."

Might I introduce you to Booty Pop? Or you can totally have some of my booty, because I'm just nice amd charitable like that.

"Sexy lamp."

I saw this in the Sky Mall catalog the last time I flew and I was like yeah, just what I need. A light fixture that is skinnier than me.

"Pictures of cute hamsters eating pencils."

...........................

I don't even know anymore.

"Foot undies."


Look, I know that these are for dance and stuff but please, they are a foot fetishist's dream.

"Wearing overalls and desperate to pee."

Oh hey, welcome to my site, anyone who has ever worn overalls. It serves you right for 1) wearing overalls in the first place and 2) Googling this instead of just using the washroom. It honestly makes me wonder what is wrong with the human race.

"Worst tube top ever."

I believe that it would be any tube top ever. This isn't "In Living Color," so you can go ahead and put some clothes on.

"Freaky bustier."

I decided to Google that exact phrase and came up with this. I believe it's from "How to Dress Like a Terrifying Russian Spy-Lady."

"Pimp clothes."

Ooh, how about a sexy pimp costume? As a special touch, this was listed for teens and it said it came with "shorts." Let me know if you can find them.

"Why I'll never dress like my parents did."

Because my dad got married in a powder blue leisure suit and that's a good enough reason for me.

"Clever ways to hide a microwave."

Well, it definitely won't fit in your purse, so I'm thinking you should just splurge and buy the popcorn AT the theatre.

"Half skirt half shorts."

These are called culottes. I had some when I was seven. STOP IT.




Well, whatever way people get here, I'm just glad you come to hang out every Friday, you big pervs!

Happy weekend, everyone!

**Please note that I moved the comments link back down to the bottom with my latest bloggy facelift. So click it and use it often or I'll be forced to eat my feelings kthanx.**

Jae Raids the Drugstore: Best (and Worst) Beauty Buys Under $10

Since my family has literally been sick since November, I've had the opportunity to reacquaint myself with a very strange place: the drugstore. You see, when I was a teenager living at home, the closest place for me to buy makeup and hair stuff was the drugstore that was two blocks away from my house. I spent all of my tiny paycheques on massive amounts of eyeshadow and butterfly hair clips and whatever else was cool in 2001. Seriously, I loved that place. I would take hours to pick stuff out and then I'd rush home and try it all on like a demented beauty queen.

Since I've become oh so more mature in my old age (you guys, I was playing in the snow with my kids the other day and I fell and I've been complaining like a granny ever since) I started buying more of my makeup and hair stuff at beauty specialty stores, department stores and online. Honestly, I hadn't been in a drugstore in forever because usually we use a Walmart pharmacy and I'm picking up milk and Pullups with my prescription, not lipstick. But a couple weeks ago, Walmart didn't carry my prescription so I had to head down to Walgreens and since then, all of our stuff has been going there. The result? Hours upon hours of waiting for prescriptions that I have now spent trolling the makeup aisles for new products.

Since I totally understand that not everyone wants to go have their bank account manhandled by the ladies at the Nordstrom makeup counters, I give you some of the best (and worst) products that I've picked up during my drugstore escapades -- proof that you can find totally awesome stuff while you're picking up antibiotics and Advil.



L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes

I know I've reviewed this mascara on here before, but I picked up another tube when my pricey brand was out the other day and I remember how awesome it is. For a $8 mascara, this stuff rocks. It's the closest I've found to Diorshow, which is my all-time fave. My favorite part about it is that you can layer it really well. I hate when I go to put a second coat of mascara on and it's all crispy and gross. With this, I put on a layer, wait two minutes and then add one more for superthick lashes. I was wearing it at Christmas and my sister-in-law thought I falsies on. Score!



Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter.

I am a sucker for new types of lip color, just because I'm not a hardcore lipstick girl. I love gloss, but I feel like the color fades super fast so it's kind of a pain. When I saw this I was excited because it's kind of a mix between lipstick and lip blam. Like, it feels like chapstick going on, but gives awesome color like a lipstick. This would be AWESOME if you're new to lip color or want to try a bolder shade (red please?) I bought this color, which is a bright pink in the tube but is just pretty and rosy on my lips and it lasted forever. I also liked that it was all smooth n' stuff.


(I'm wearing it in this picture. LOVE! PS My son looks like a tiny banker.)



Suave Volumizing Mousse

It makes me really mad when spell check says that "volumizing" isn't a word. Um, shut up. OK, I am a sucker for hair products, especially ones that promise to give me big hair. And I'm kind of a mousse-aholic. But I love this stuff. It dries really soft, even when I do scrunchy curls, so I use it for both curly and straight looks, since my hair is pretty wavy in real life. And i think I paid like, $2 for this, so it was totally worth it. I used a Big Sexy Hair version of the same thing and really can't tell a huge difference, despite the fact that BSH cost $24.



Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips

I would literally rather have a root canal than try and mess with these again. I picked up a box because I hate doing my nails only to have them chip and figured this would last longer. It might have if I'd actually been able to put them on. First of all, each strip is encased in roughly 79 pieces of peely plastic, which means they make a HUGE mess. Second, they're pretty much impossible to apply I gave up and put them on my daughter. She loves them but I don't have the heart to tell her that they're slightly crooked. So I won't. Stab me with a spoon these were annoying.



Maybelline Mineral Power Foundation

I ran out of my precious Bare Minerals right before my trip to Canada, so I rushed to the drugstore since I didn't have a chance to get to the mall. I figured that all mineral powders were created equally, and I was close. This is a really great substitute for the real deal. If you want to try mineral foundation but don't want to fork out $25 for the stuff, try this. The coverage was fine, although I don't think it lasted as long as Bare Minerals. Also, you don't get the range of colors that you do with Bare Minerals, so it wasn't the exact match I usually get. But totally worth it to stash in my makeup bag -- I really liked the supersoft brush that came with it too!



Beyond the Zone Rock On Dry Shampoo

K, this is kind of cheating because I didn't buy this myself. But I went to a "Favorite Things" party with my friends and this is what I won. One of my friends (Hi, Tamera!) brought this to share and I'm glad she did, because it was magical. Everyone knows about dry shampoo, right? It's a powder spray that you can use to revive your hairstyle when it's oily or just flat. You might not be able to find this brand at the drugstore, but I've also tried the Suave dry shampoo and liked it a lot too. Definitely a must for time-crunched mornings.

In the interest of full disclosure, I'll give a pic of me with dry shampooed hair. BUT I literally took this picture as I rolled out of bed and sat down to work for the day and i am not wearing a stitch of makeup. BEWARE.


But see? My face looks tired but my hair looks like it's actually DONE. I sprayed my roots with dry shampoo and then just fluffed with my fingers and got like 30-second hair right out of bed without doing anything special. It's awesome and one of my secrets to faking like I actually put myself together everyday. Totally doable.

Alright, so now I have divulged my guilty pleasure for low priced cosmetics (hence my insane obsession with buying stuff from e.l.f.). What's your favorite budget beauty buy that you can't live without?

What I Wore: Reformed Tomboy

Growing up with four brothers, I was a hopeless tomboy. I feel bad for my mom, who thought that she finally got her girl who she could dress up and do girly things with. At age five, I threw a tantrum about my waist length hair and had it cut to my chin. At age nine, I quit dance class to play soccer. And at age 12, I was wearing my little brother's clothes on a daily basis. Did I mention that my brothers are all freakishly large? Despite me being three years older, my brother and I shared the same shoe size when we were kids. I have this amazing picture of me as a 12-year-old, backwards hat, oversize shirt, cutoffs and high tops. You would NEVER know it was me. I was 16 or 17 before the switch in my head turned on and I started acting like, you know, a GIRL.


(Case in point: this is me at age 11, dressed as a hobo for Halloween. Like, really? I HAVE A BEARD.)

But, I still consider myself a bit of a tomboy. I don't mind getting dirty, I have a secret love for video games and I'll always have a soft spot for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. So when I spotted this sweater, it reminded me of my tomboy days and I had to have it. It kinda reminded me of a referee, so I added some super awesome knee socks and paid homage to my weirdly boyish soccer-loving heritage.


Sweater: F21
Jeggs: F21
Socks: Abercrombie & Fitch
Boots: Breckelle's
Necklace: Local


And yes, those socks do have bows on them. I bought two pairs. It was one of those shopping triumph moments. I thought they were $13 and when I went to check out they were only $4 so I was like WAIT I WANT MORE. So I also have them in gray. Knee sock love forever.

I don't think anyone would accuse me from being anything but supergirly now, but aside from the hot pink socks I would say this look is all tomboy. It makes me want to go throw a yellow card at someone.

I won't though, because that would be really weird.