This outfit is pretty special because it's my birthday party look. I fell in love with this dress in St. Louis. My college pal got married in St. Louis last year and while I was visiting I had time to hit up the most amazing Dillard's. They had a huge plus size section--bigger than I've ever seen. Honestly, it was so good I think it would be a worth a trip just to go shopping. So if anyone is ever up for that... The dress is from Eliza J. It's a new brand for me and the cut is so flattering. It's a fit and flare dress where you feel beautiful the minute you put it on. It's hits in the right places and skims over the others. I love the 3/4 length sleeves also. I wouldn't have minded a slightly lower neckline, but the higher neckline makes a nice base for the real star of the show--a statement necklace. I had my eye on this Barbie collection Tarina Tarantino necklace for quite a while. It finally went on sale and my birthday was the perfect excuse to finally take the plunge. I saved the necklace for my birthday party and then wore it three days straight. I just love it! It's sparkly and over-the-top, but still so comfortable to wear all day long. It's perfect for the Barbie collector or lover. I paired the dress with black tights and my black Ziera boots. A Kate Spade bow purse and "lovely" hair pin completed the look.
For my manicure, I planned to do a black nail with white flowers and a matte top coat, but I found a super dark blue with a slight shimmer that I couldn't resist. I still added a couple flowers because it was my birthday after all. I got my roots touched up and tried a shine treatment for the first time. The shine treatment is essentially a clear gloss. It helps repair your hair (much needed in my case) and makes your strands smooth and shiny. It's supposed to last up to six weeks. The shine treatment definitely gave my hair a boost of shine. You can also do a gloss treatment at home. And since it's clear, I'm guessing it's not as messy as coloring your hair at home. I had to give up at home colorings--it's just too messy for me. I was getting dark brown hair dye all over the place, no bueno.
I completely support birthday traditions that involve new dresses, fun accessories and parties. Do you have any birthday traditions? Also, don't forget the cake!
- Black and White dress - Eliza J
- Black tights - Assets
- Boots - Ziera
- Purse - Kate Spade
- Barbie necklace - Tarina Tarantino
Photos by Sarah