olive & ivory.

2.26.2013


 do you ever put on an outfit and just feel like-- a woman? with my body, i often feel like i'm still kind of a kid, it doesn't really bother me, but occasionally i see someone with a really womanly figure and wonder what it might be like to feel really sophisticated and grown up. when i put this outfit together and looked in the mirror i felt like that and it was fun. I'm glad to know i have something in my closet that i can go to when i need to feel, well, more grown up!
<<what i wore>>
silk blouse//j.crew sale $20 (buy similar here)
canvas army jacket//ann taylor sale $24 (buy similar here and here)
leather belt//j.crew sale $19 (buy similar here)
teardrop necklace//forever21 $6 (buy here)
lace skirt//h&m clearance $12 (buy similar here and here)
slip extender//c.o. a slip shop
gold mini-skull anklet//clair de lune jewelry $10
leopard heels//target $29 (buy similar here)

what the outfit you go to when you want to feel that way?

i feel it's only appropriate to end with this:
and feel free to discuss those male back-up dancers, because--wow, i really want to hear what you have to say about them...

CLOSED: braologie giveaway two of two!

2.22.2013

the winner is Rebekah Norton!

and the second giveaway is for the mini-vest which works best with the braologie posture bra, but can be worn with your regular bra as well:
(read more about why i love this company and enter the first giveaway here)
 to enter simply like braologie of facebook here and let me know you did
extra entries:
share this post via pinterest, twitter, or Facebook

+open to U.S. and international readers
+you may enter one of both giveaways

remember to use the code unicorns for 5% off your purchase in their shop here.

CLOSED: braologie giveaway one of two!

The winner is April Sheen--sending you an email now!
first winner didn't respond, so a new winner was selected.

so it's been quiet around here because i've been off on a fun little adventure that you know about if you follow me on instagram. i have plenty of pretty pictures to share from said adventure, but i'm still busy getting our house back in order and our fridge stocked back up, so before i get to story telling i wanted to tell you about a company i've worked with in the past that is now offering two lucky readers somethings from their shop!

my sister, mom, and i were all part of a focus group i guess you  would call it for a new company that sells bras and the like that are supposed to help with the long-term health of you back and overe-all posture.

they have you fill out a survey, send in headless and fully clothed pictures and they send you a thorough analysis of your current posture issues--very interesting!
this is the bra i got but in beige: HERE
we all got to test out bras, mini-vests, and posture contour pants before the store launched and give our feedback.

i thought it was cool that they had me (in my twenties) my then pregnant sister, and my mom who is in her 60s trying out different custom picked bras since we were all at different body stages.

all i really need to tell you is that 
1. they women we worked with, Talia, was so incredibly dedicated and helpful 
2. when i first got the bra it was so unlike any bra i had ever tried on that i thought i hated it and would never wear it. i thought it looked funny and was uncomfortable. i told Talia that and she apologized, but encouraged me to just try it out for at least a week and see if it got better. she explained the concept in more detail and so i decided to give it a week. by the 2nd or 3rd day it wasn't uncomfortable anymore and by the end of the week i liked the way my body looked in the bra and even felt like it was providing more posture support. Now it's (almost) the only bra i wear--the only time i'm not wearing it is when i'm washing it, at the gym, or need a white bra. it feels so weird to put on my old bras that i thought were supportive--THEY'RE NOT!
anyways, i'm not getting paid for this pitch or anything, i truly love this bra (so does my mom and sister) and the customer service i've received so i wanted to share it with you.

the posture contour pants they sent me (and my mom) is pretty awesome, to be honest, i've only worn mine a few times because i'm lazy and don't really feel like i need it even though i know it would help improve my posture, but my mom loves hers and says it really shapes and smooths, so if you're someone who maybe feels like they need a little tummy/bummy help, or if you're just less lazy than me--this may be for you :)
so here's the first little giveaway from braologie, a pair of posture-contour pants 
*see and read more about them here

To Enter (must be a public follower of i believe in unicorns.):
1.  like braologie on Facebook here and tell me you did

optional extra entry:
2. share this post on Facebook, twitter, or pinterest and let me know!
3. write on braologie's wall letting them know you came from i believe in unicorns.

+open to U.S. and international readers

there's also a 5% discount with the code unicorns to use in their online shop here, as well as a free online fitting at braologie.com available to everyone!

it's a risky business.


yesterday i got a link sent to me from my bff jenny.
it was this link:

and moments later, i was dead.
dead from shock.
from laughter.
from tears.
and most of all dead from confusion.
please enjoy this absolutely baffling tutorial and think upon the risks us bloggers take on a regular basis...;)

i laughed: the story of the lucky horseshoe.

2.08.2013

when i saw this bracelet i couldn't help but remember an experience we had right after we were married.
the wedding and party was over, and we had just woken up in a hotel in la jolla. 
marcus had yet to tell me where or what we were doing for our honeymoon, but i had kind of assumed that since we had a destination wedding, we would just spend our time exploring california or maybe do one of those 'cruises to nowhere...
little did i know that marcus had a much grander plan worked out, so when i rolled over for our first morning snuggle, and he couldn't wipe the smile off his face, i asked him what was going on, and he asked me if i wanted him to tell me where we were headed, i of course anxiously said yes, and almost before i said yes, he blurted out, "HAWAII! We have a flight this afternoon!"
At first I didn't believe him. While living in Idaho, all we talked about while dealing with that endless wind and snow was how we wished we were somewhere tropical and sandy. I constantly dreamed of being in hawaii together and now it was really happening.
I jumped out of bed and started throwing my things in a suitcase, as we talked about what we would do there and where we would stay. 
(Marcus' mom was the sweetest and helped Marcus find the best deals at the most beautiful of places.)
on our way to the airport, i remembered that my family was having lunch on the beach, and since we hadn't eaten and it was on our way, we decided to stop by, say goodbye and grab some grub.
we did so, and were on our way to LAX with PLENTY of time to spare.
....until we hit LA traffic. Something we gravely underestimated.
So we sat there, fingers and toes crossed.
We actually made it to the airport in time, but have you ever been to LAX?
the signage is insane and if you get one thing wrong, you're lost til the end of time.
and parking? forget about it. it's not possible.
at least practically.
after many stressful minutes--which seemed like hours, we conquered the impossible and found some parking.
with our bags in hand, we ran like the wind to catch the shuttle, but when we went to check-in, we were told that we missed the check-in time by 10 minutes and there was no way we could make it through security to make our flight.
if you could have seen marcus' face. it was, well, tragic. 
i asked if there was a later flight we could catch and she told me that the next flight wasn't until tomorrow and it was full, so our best chance was the following afternoon, and there was still no guarantee.
at this point marcus' and mine's differing personalities came out.
he was traumatized about all this, i on the other hand, was laughing. 
if i knew we had lost our chance at going all together, i would surely be crying, but knowing that we WOULD in fact be able to get there, just a little later than planned, i was fine and chalked it up to our first adventure in marriage.
he being the planner of all this, wanting everything to go perfectly, was less amused.
once i convinced him that there was nothing we could do to get our way past security, we headed to a local mcdonald's to use wifi and find some place to stay the night.
i told marcus to find the absolute cheapest place around--as long as i could smell the room before we payed, i was okay with staying at the sleaziest motel for the evening.
he, again, was traumatized that he was taking his new bride to a motel on night two of their honeymoon.
i, again, was laughing.
we called the hotel we had booked in hawaii that night and got a refund, and headed off to the first nearby $30/night motel we found.
The lady at the counter had soap operas from india streaming on the tv, and i don't think she ever looked at us when we talked, until i asked if she could open up the room and let me smell it first--that got her attention, but she complied.
the decor was horrendous, not one thing in the room matched, unless you count nothing being touched since 1974 as matching--and not vintage in a good way... the bed squeaked, there was a mysterious hair in the bathtub, and the light flickered a bit, but it wasn't stinky, so i said, 
"we'll take it."
marcus' jaw dropped, and for the first time during this ordeal--he laughed.
as we went out to the car to get our bags, i looked up, and noticed that over our motel door, and ours only, there was a lucky horseshoe, and again, i laughed at the irony.
when we got out to the car, i found our camera tucked under a blanket and realized that had we made our flight, we would have gotten to hawaii without our camera--and for me, someone who has a deep obsession with capturing all of life's moments, especially ones that are once in a lifetime, i almost starting crying immediate tears of gratitude for missing that flight. i looked up at that horseshoe and laughed instead.
that night we said a prayer that the next day would go smoothly and that we would make the earliest flight.
we did. 
at the last minute, they called our names, and we were ecstatic.
we then met the world's sweetest flight attendant that treated us like honeymooning royalty and told us all about her life, marriage, and children. she gave us beautiful advice and extra treats on the plane.
i couldn't help but think we wouldn't have met this lady and had such a nice flying experience had we made our original flight. and again, i laughed about that lucky horseshoe.
when we got to hawaii, it was the most beautiful part of the day, i got to have my first glaces of the great state in the daylight, rather than late at night, like our original flight would have provided.
it was a visual moment i will never and can never forget. 
my knees nearly gave out. that place has my heart.
plus we had most of the day to explore on our first day, rather than go right to bed.

we love to remember this story. it really was our first adventure as a married couple--there have been many since then, and we've learned from every one of them.
i guess what i'm saying is, we never know why things happen the way they do, but take it as it comes, look for the good, and a happy life you'll have.

also, remember that LAX is insane and plan accordingly.
<<what i wore>>
hair//messy side braid (tutorial)
arrow necklace//stella&dot (similar here)
initial necklace//diva boutique (buy similar here)
silk top//j.crew (buy similar here)
sunnies//modcloth
skinny belt//forever21 (buy here)
skinny jeans//levi demi curve (buy here)
desert boots//target (buy similar here)
green trench//h&m (buy similar here)
striped bag//h&m (buy similar here, here, here, or here)--SO CUTE!
gold bracelets//vintage, favor jewelry, charlotte russe, mimi's the look
horseshoe bracelet//c.o. stylelately
© i believe in unicorns. Maira Gall.