I know I've been really bad about outfit posts for a while! Work has been really stressful, and honestly, the last thing I want to do at the end of the day is create photographic evidence of my exhaustion.

So you will have to trust me when I say I am growing out my hair, and it is getting longer (oh so slowly).

I've had long hair a few times in my life, and my mother always told me that we just don't have the hair for it. In fact, both my parents have long encouraged my sister and I to keep our locks on the shorter side because it's just "more flattering" for us. I do have naturally thin hair (though it's thick in the sense that there are tons of these fine hairs). For the past few years, I've been a bit unsure of what to do with it style and care-wise when it's long, and I've enjoyed the liberating feeling I get from cutting it all off. So long hair for me? Not so much.

That being said, I decided a few months back to give long hair another try. And boy, is it tedious. I cut bangs into it to keep myself amused, and dyed it brown.

Actually, these changes might work to my advantage. The dark color makes my hair look a bit thicker and the bangs solve a problem I always struggled with in framing my face when I had stick straight, looong hair. I've also been doing research on how to make it look nicer (Herbal Essences and a blow dry just weren't cutting it alone).

Today I stumbled on the site Thread Sence,which has pretty sweet clothes at good prices. Even better for me was the hair inspiration! The model featured my basic hair goal, minus the color. I spent the better part of my time on the site daydreaming about the hair I will have if only I can wait...

 

Sigh.

A Cowboy Boot Guide

You may remember that a little while back I copped to having a pretty fierce cowboy boot jones. It was a bit too eccentric a shoe style for me to splurge on, so I decided to go used (bonus: they would have the beat-up look I wanted).

I checked Etsy, but the ones I liked were all at least $50. A bit pricey. So, to Ebay!

Tony Lamas on Etsy for $80

My dad grew up on a farm in a time/place where cowboy boots were way cool. So he knew a thing or two about good leather, brands, what the boots were worth, etc.

A few things:

- Two brands he specifically recommended for quality were Justin and Tony Lama.

- All natural leather is important (obviously), and some pairs have nice leather soles too. Rubber soles will be cheaper and less slippery, though.

- A quality, new pair of cowboy boots can cost hundreds of dollars. So keep that in mind as you're junking for old ones ($50 actually isn't that bad, I'm just cheap).

- Women's shoe sizes are roughly 2 bigger than men's. I usually go for a women's size 10 boot (to leave room for thick socks) so I went looking for size 8 in men's boots and mine fit great.
- The more exotic leathers (lizard, for example) will wear down much more quickly.

I checked out Ebay with these points in mind. I wanted brown boots for sure, and I preferred men's boots because they looked more traditionally 'cowboy' than a lot of the faux-leather, high-heeled versions I saw for women.

I had to be a bit patient, a bit cutthroat (Ebay bitches!) and a smidge lucky, but I eventually found these Tony Lamas for $20- they're pretty much perfect.

Then I wore them. OUCH.

The ankle of the boot caved in on the side exactly where my ankle curved out. Within minutes of wearing them, I had sores rubbed into my ankles. Dad to the rescue again.

How to Break in Boots

#1. Soak them in hot water for about half an hour. Some dye will probably get in your bath, but don't worry about it.

#2. Wear those suckers wet. Walk around in them. Do not take them off until they are dry. This molds them to your feet. Personally, I got bored and took a nap in them (true story). I recommend thick socks.

#3. Saddle soap is your best friend. Once the boots dry, they will be very stiff (mine also seemed much lighter in color). I bought some Kiwi saddle soap at Walmart and lathered those puppies up. After that they were darker and softer.

#4. At this point, the boots will already be 85% more comfy. You'll be able to walk in them without pain. This is the stage I'm at, and I'm told to just keep wearing them and they'll break in the last bit themselves.

I LOVE my boots. I've gotten lots of compliments and they're surprisingly comfortable now that I put a bit of work into them. All told with shipping and soap, they cost me about $35.

A Little Game.

We're going to play a little game called "Ebay Fail".

It all started when young Robin set out on an intrepid quest to find a dress for an upcoming party. She was soon diverted to a corner of Ebay where dresses were FOUR DOLLARS.

In a tizzy, Robin bought this dress for her party:

Beautiful, right? Kinda artsy, pretty color, nice and short. Looked MUCH nicer quality than $4 can normally get you! Yay Ebay!

Also got this dress just for fun:

Imagine the pure joy at their arrival today/yesterday.

Oh, observe.

Tent dress. It's a cheap, horribly static-y thing. Belt does help a bit.

But the other dress, the happy excited yay dress... it's pretty bad news.

Please keep in mind that I paid very close attention to their sizing guide, too. This is ridiculously over-sized. I wanted it to fit a bit more like this:

I mean, what?? The lace isn't even the same color. It looks Forever 21 sale rack. I guess I shouldn't complain- with shipping these were about $20 altogether.

Please.

Upside is, I still have plenty of time before the party to find a dress, and now I have these on their way...

!!!

 

I waited until I finally got a Christmas bonus-type-thing from work and the day I bought them they sold out of my size on Modcloth. Phew.

!!!!!

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