Lei Ann...Off Duty

*the evolution of ombre hair*

it was almost a year ago that i decided to ombre/bayalage/two tone my hair.  i’ve really loved the results & still get tons of compliments on it.  i actually can’t believe the lighter color used to be so high up & now it’s really only my ends that are blonde now. i’ve maintained my tips with this great lightening spray (much better than old school sun-in & you can control the amount of lightness using heat via a flat iron).  now a year later, i wonder if the look is passé, but i feel i still see tons of ombre on the internet models/celebrities/bloggers.  should i do a total salon refresh or just let the look grow out & run its course?  i feel like i’ll allow it to grow out for now since it’s still super fun to have the blondish tips ^_^

*ombre waterfall braid*

more details on an awesome photo shoot to come. wait for it…WAIT FOR IT ^_^

*dip dye white hot/hot pink*

wearing: dylan & rose high low tank || target girls dip dye skirt || thrifted braided belt || le sport sac bunny print bag || target pink wedges

ombre, dip dye, two tone…whatever you call it…is a trend i’m certainly not getting tired of any time soon, if it isn’t blatantly obvious :)     

accessories:  white bead bracelet (manila, baclaren shopping area) || LF stores single skull bracelet || skeleton cameo pendant (via ebay)

ditto for skulls.  i wear skulls all the time & i love it!  i’m going to be a little(r) hunched over 80 year old lady & *still* wearing skulls on my wrists…or skulls around my neck…yeah, that won’t be going away any time soon either.  hahaha!

*rainy days & ombre never get me down*

i bought this coat years ago.  who knew ombre would be so on trend & popular still?  especially when i see some of the other dip dyed types of coats & jackets out there (asos comes to mind).  i’m once again reminded why i don’t get rid of clothes very often…hahaha!  you never know what will come back in style.  i’m even inspired to dip dye some other pieces of clothing.  well, we’ll see.  i keep adding to the DIY to do list, but never start anything :/

it’s funny though how it’s sooooo NOT functional as a coat.  it’s tissue paper thin, has no lining, is super short & has elbow-length sleeves.  what kinda coat is that?  so, i wear it like a coatdress.  it’s too cute to take off & hang on the rack when i go into the office anyway.  oh hey, it’s also in sync with my ombre hair…talk about matchy-matchy ^_^

wearing:  ombre trench coatdress (copley mall off brand store) || steve madden tights || silver bangles c/o kmart || forever 21 mary janes

*first stop travel clinic, second stop THAILAND!*

i alluded to my great news the other day & those of you who follow me on twitter or we’re IRL friends on facebook already know what’s up…I’M GOING TO THAILAND! obviously, it’s quite an unexpected trip (as i’m leaving in a little over a week now) but as promised, here are the gory details :)

- about a month ago, MDH said his company was sending him to thailand for a regional conference. of course, i kept doing the *wink*wink*elbow nudge*…you mean *we* are going to thailand, right? right? we both kept laughing about it knowing we just spent a lot of money & time traveling on the west coast this summer & another big trip was just out of the question.

- so, juuuuust when i got thailand out of my system & was ironically making definitive plans for pre-fashion week stuff in new york city, like the twice yearly IFB conference, MDH said, but wait…maybe it *is* possible…

- here’s the breakdown…since all his expenses are paid for AND he had this huge hotel suite he was going to be in all by his lonesome (whatta waste), all we had to do was pay for my airline ticket. prices weren’t horrible. i actually got a fare cheaper than when i went to the philippines last year. *plus* his boss thought it was a great idea that i go since she brings her husband along on trips all the time, but the final decision point was that the timing of the trip necessitated he be away on our wedding anniversary & he thought well, that ain’t right for a husband to be away from his wife on their special day…hence his business trip also becomes an AWESOME anniversary gift for me!

so, now all the plans are set in motion. first on the agenda was a visit to the ol’ travel medicine clinic to get some updated immunizations. so, in honor of thailand, guess that’s why i decided to dress all kinds of exotic-y with pretty flowy patterns & oh hey look, an elephant necklace for good measure! i’m hoping i’ll get to ride an elephant when i’m there!

now, i’ve worked my fair share in hospitals & thought for sure i was only going to have to get a hepatitis A vaccine. that’s the one you should always get or make sure your titer is adequate as it’s food-borne. unfortunately our travel nurse (who was EXCELLENT by the way…great with needles & very knowledgeable & helpful on travel-related questions…even though i go to asia often enough & felt i already knew a lot), decided we also needed a typhoid vaccine. so, i got stuck TWICE! boo hoo. as someone who usually does the stabbing on a daily basis, you can imagine this was quite a change for me…hahaha! no matter, achy arms are quite the small price to pay for a trip to thailand!!!