The Best Leggings and Some Fall/Winter Outfit Inspiration for Curvy Girls on a Budget

Hi, I'm too lazy for real pants. If you're here--you are too. It's cool, sister. Leggings are easy and they go with everything and you can go to pole and floor/chair classes and then run five miles everyday or sit on your couch eating your feelings for a month and either way they'll probably still fit. #leggingsarethebeesknees

The problem with leggings? Get the wrong pair...and the answer is everything. And what's if you're curvy? What if "curvy" is just the cute word you're using and what you really mean is "chunkarific?" Igotchu. Here, my friends, is the legging run-down.

Added bonus: cute fall and winter outfits for the curvy babe on a budget, complete with links where applicable.

For reference: I am 5'3" I have a comparatively small 32" waist and big ol' 46" hips.

Lyssé: Shaping Leggings Review

I ordered these last year and loved them but by the end of the season they had several holes in them so I decided this season I would shop around to see if there was anything better. To be fair, I wore these to death. But I still felt like they should have lasted longer. I ordered them again this season and hopefully, since I also have an arsenal of other leggings to alternate them with, they'll last longer this time. 

Price: $58 full price. I got them for 30% off from Bare Necessities and paid around $40. If you look around you should be able to find a coupon code for at least 20% off from Bare Necessities pretty much all the time. Pro tip: If you've shopped there before and don't have a coupon code, try using a cookie-free browser like Chrome's Incognito mode to return. Often they will offer discounts on the home page to new customers. 

Fit: Last year I originally ordered these in an XL and found they were too baggy in the knees and ankles. I exchanged them for a Large and ordered a Large this year as well. These have tummy control which makes them a little difficult to get on with my big hips, but they lay nicely when on and hug everything without squeezing. 

Material: Is nice, but I'd prefer them to be a bit thicker and less shiny. If you look at the picture of them on the model on the Bare Necessities site, you'll notice the shininess on the model's legs. They aren't too terribly see-through, but don't bend over in them without your tush covered. The fabric eventually dulls with repetitive washing.

I also ordered two other pairs of Lyssé leggings. The tight ankle fit grommet leggings are no longer available, but don't worry, you didn't want them. The material was more exercise gear than day wear, but I probably wouldn't work out in them either. I kept them as a back-up pair because I was too lazy to return them, but I wouldn't recommend them. The other pair I ordered were the Floral Print Shaping leggings. I returned them immediately because they had very thin fabric, were extremely see-through, and did little to no shaping.  

What else I'm wearing: Headband from past season Free People | Aqua button-up from past season Target (this one's pretty similar--maybe even the same one) | Faux leather bomber jacket from Target (again, this was past season, but this one from Target is nearly identical) | Jessica Simpson Elmont boot in the extended calf (Click here to read my review on the JS Elmont boot.)

Marika Yoga Pants Review

I purchased these from TJMaxx (or Marshall's? I never know...) for cheap because they reminded me of the Lyssé leggings.

Price: I probably paid less than $20 for these at TJMaxx but finding them there now is a real crap shoot. They are $55 from Marika's website.

Fit: I got these in a Large. They aren't bad but they tend to stretch out after I've had them on for a while and they don't do a lot to shape or contour my legs or my butt. I bought them because of the tummy support panel that appeared to be similar to Lysse's, but I assure you they have nowhere near the same quality of tummy firming.

Material: Cotton-y and kinda cheap. I don't mind since I paid so little for them but I'd be pissed if I paid the retail price of $55. They are pretty see-through and have faded in the wash.

Yes, that's my underwear. No, I'm not bending over.

What else I'm wearing: Hat from Forever 21 (this season, but it appears to be sold out online...this one is similar) | Rustic Fringe cardigan from Forever 21 | Belt from Target (Pretty close.)  | Boots are Fitzwell Sante Fe Extra Wide Calf Boot (Click here for more info and to read my review on these.)

Assets Red Hot Label by Spanx Shaping Leggings Review

They claim to be leggings. But they're lying.

Price: $38 full price from Bare Necessities. I got them for 30% off. 

Fit: Amazing! These feel like heaven and make my legs and butt look awesome. The waist band is super wide and effortlessly stretchy so it doesn't dig in anywhere. I ordered them in an XL. 

Material: These are called "leggings" but they aren't really. Not if you wear leggings as pants anyway. These would be best suited under a pair of shorts for fall/winter wear. They are VERY see-through and kind of appear to have a built in panty. You can see it online if you look closely but I didn't notice it before ordering them. You could get away with these as pants if you wore a long top but you'd really be playing a risky game. If these were truly opaque like some of the other options, these would have been my favorites. They are so soft to the touch. 

What else I'm wearing: Hat from Forever 21 (this season, but it appears to be sold out online...

this one is similar) | Feather earrings are Rae Beth Designs | Cropped jacket was thrifted | Shirt was from a boutique in Philadelphia | Boots are past season Target (VERY past season--I bought these in probably 2006 and they still look great)

Elle Leggings from Kohl's Review

A surprising good buy from Kohl's. 

Price: I purchased these on clearance for probably $10-15 from Kohl's a while back. The identical pair aren't available online but here's a similar pair from Kohl's for $22. 

Fit: Not bad. The waist band could be higher, the legs could be tighter (particularly around the ankles), but considering I didn't think I'd find decent leggings on clearance at Kohl's I was pleasantly surprised. They aren't particularly stretchy, so I can see why they came in numbered sizes instead of S/M/L. I got a 12.  

Material: NOT see-through...not even when I bend over. There's also a double hem down the side which is a nice touch and is similar to the White House Black Market pair below that retail for much more. They aren't particularly luxurious feeling, but did I mention they aren't at all see-through?

What else I'm wearing: Amazing leather biker jacket from an Estate Sale! | Aztec vest from Forever 21, current season but sold out (Pretty close.) | Bow tank top from TJMaxx | Over-the-knee boots are past season Bakers

VSX by Victoria's Secret Sport Leggings Review

This line doesn't actually exist anymore, as far as I can tell. But all of the Victoria's Secret sport pants are awesome. (I have three pairs of the flared leg yoga pants in the same material and wear them constantly.) I know, I know, these are exercise pants. But they don't have that exercise-y shine to them and they feel and look awesome. They have a reflector on the back which is unfortunate for everyday wear but my tall winter boots cover that up.

Price: Apparently these have been discontinued, but the VS Knockout pant looks to be nearly the same thing and is currently available for $64.50. 

Fit: I wish the waist was higher, but otherwise I love these. I got a Large.

Material: Because these have exercise pant material, they don't fade in the wash. I bought mine at least three years ago and they still look the same as they did on Day One. They aren't the ultra shiny and slippery exercise material, so if you cover up the reflector on the back of them they just look like high quality everyday leggings. They are see-through if you really bend over--but why are you doing that in public? 

What else I'm wearing: Sunglasses from Target (Pretty close.) | Greatest silk blazer ever with potted plants was thrifted | White button-up by Converse from Target (No longer available but try this instead.) | Jessica Simpson Elmont boot in the extended calf (

Click here to read my review on the JS Elmont boot.)

White House | Black Market Instant Slimming Legging Review

These are probably the winners.

Price: $60 full price from White House | Black Market. I Googled at the time and was able to find a discount code for 25% off. I don't know if such a thing is still available, but it never hurts to try. 

Fit: Kind of big actually. The waist fits great on me but the legs in general are a bit bigger than I'd like. I thought about sizing down in them but surely I'm not a medium in these? The fabric is high quality, however, so I don't notice them getting much baggier throughout the day. 

Material: Not see-through unless you really try to make them so. They feel high quality and don't come off stretchy or shiny looking. They have a double side seam with an extra slimming panel (which you can see in the picture below, just barely) but I'm not sure that it's really doing anything. Overall these are probably my favorites--I just wish the legs were slightly tighter. 

What else I'm wearing: Forever 21 Day Trip Tribal Print Cardigan, no longer available online | Floral/stripe tank top from TJMaxx | Jessica Simpson Elmont boot in the extended calf (Click here to read my review on the JS Elmont boot.) 

Spanx Ready-to-Wow Jersey Knit Shaping Leggings Review

Price: These were a wallet-busting $92 from Bare Necessities. I had a discount code for 30% off so they were a bit less painful, but they were still pretty pricey. 

Fit: I just wish these and the White House Black Market pair could get together and have legging babies. I got these in a Large and they fit my legs great and make my butt look legit. BUT they are very tight on my waist and the chunky waist band really digs in. I considered returning them for a larger size....but then...I just didn't. 

Material: Definitely good thick-ish material. BUT they are very stretchy-shiny. And they are totally see through on my bum. That could be because they're a bit small on me, but they're so see-through that I think a larger size would do the same thing. I can't say these are worth their full price at over $90. 

What else I'm wearing: Pleather jacket by Elle from Kohl's, past season | flocked filigree skull tank from Hot Topic | Geo scarf from Forever 21 | Jessica Simpson Elmont boot in the extended calf Click here to read my review on the JS Elmont boot.)

Spanx Ready-to-Wow Denim Shaping Leggings in Dark Indigo Review

Price: A cringe-worthy $98 from Bare Necessities. Of course, I had a discount code as per usual. 

Fit: I got these in an XL. They're baggier than I would like on the knees and the ankles. Aren't doing any favors for my glorious butt. Good through the thighs. Okay on the waist. BUT the big glaring issue with these is that they came with a small side zipper that, because of the thick stretchy material, was damn near impossible to zip up. I managed to get them on by pulling the zipper up before putting them on but later that day I had to pee and forgot what an a-hole that zipper was, unzipped them, and then broke the zipper zipping them back up...the first time I wore them. I don't hate these, so I'm thinking about sewing them up myself without the zipper, as I've been unsuccessful in trying to repair the zipper. Or I might just return them. 

Material: Is good. These are jeggings, so they are not at all see-through. I dislike the red details on the pockets.

What else I'm wearing: Hat from Forever 21 (this season, but it appears to be sold out online...this one is similar) | Blurred lines sweater from Forever 21 | 

Jessica Simpson Elmont boot in the extended calf (Click here to read my review on the JS Elmont boot.)

What's your favorite legging? Share it below!

Xpose Fitness Fright Fest 2013: Squerk Squad

Every year Xpose Fitness has an instructor showcase/Halloween party in Baltimore. Over a year ago I decided I wanted to do a twerk routine for Fright Fest. Not just any twerk routine, mind you. I wanted to twerk as a squirrel. I wanted...to squerk.

Life got in the way last year and Squerk Squad had to be put on the back burner. This year Miley Cyrus tried to ruin twerking for everyone. Some might even go so far as to say she succeeded. But damnit, I'd already made a squirrel tail with an acorn belt. Plus this year I managed to wrangle up a group of five squerkers, versus last year's three. So eff you Miley. This was happening.

And it did:

Photos by Dan Haga

How to Make DIY Light-Up Marquee Letters

The Circarnival wedding happened last weekend--and it was beautiful! I'll be sharing images galore from the event, but in the meantime I wanted to share another DIY project I tackled for the wedding. These light up marquee letters were NOT the easiest. If you're only semi-committed to crafting I'd suggest not even trying this one. But, if you're down for the challenge, they're definitely awesome and would look great at circus, carnival, movie, Hollywood, or Vegas themed events to name a few. The project, including the lights, cost under $50.

What You'll Need:
-Foam core board (For my two letters I used 2 large pieces from Michael's. The letters turned out about 27" tall so I'm assuming I purchased 20x30 boards)
-Pencil
-An X-Acto knife
-Poster board (I believe I used two large pieces from Michael's)
-Scissors
-Hot glue & gun
-String of globe lights (I bought this set for $27.87 including shipping: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009CZW7DW)
-Silver metallic spray paint
-Red spray paint

1. Trace out a letter on the foam core board.

Or, if you're me...decide you just "don't have time for this" and free hand it like a boss (read: moron). While I will admit that I just decided to "go for it" and free handed this, the smarter choice would be to print out a letter and trace it. For the record, however, if you're going to do letters as large as the ones I did, you'll need to have an industrial sized printer to print a letter large enough to copy. As for the font, I just googled "Circus font" and did my own interpretation.

2. Use the X-acto knife to cut out the letter.

This is going to take a while. Take a deep breath and just let it happen. 

Using a ruler would have been a smart choice for a straight edge, but of course I didn't feel like getting up so I grabbed a random nearby magazine. I yam what I yam.

3. Repeat for the remainder of your letters.

I spent a decent amount of time trying to decide what my marquee letters should say. I was making these for a circus carnival wedding, but I was unsure if the bride and groom would want to keep them so I didn't want to do anything too specific to the theme or to their names. I thought "XO" would be a good choice if they wanted to keep them but would also be versatile enough for me if didn't and I got stuck with them. With "XO" I could easily incorporate them into my home or into a future event's design. PLUS it was super appealing to only have to make two of these bad boys.

4. Plan out where the lights will go. 

I had a set of 25 lights so I decided to use 24 to make it easier to divide in half and use 12 lights in each letter. This also worked out in my favor because someone in my clean-up crew at the wedding busted one of the lights and now I have an extra. Start with pencil and mark out where each light will go.

5. Use the X-Acto knife to cut out light holes.

I did a bit of research on this before diving in and saw that some people used some sort of a coin method for this. I tried this for about 20 seconds and decided it was not for me. Instead, I cut asterisk shapes with my X-Acto knife and then jammed my thumb through each hole to open it up. I also would stick the base of the light socket through to make sure this was going to work out and I wasn't wasting my time.

6. Cut strips of poster board.

I would suggest three-four inch strips, but as I mentioned before I was too lazy to actually get up and grab a ruler. I eyeballed it for the first strip and just made sure all subsequent strips were the same size. 

7. Glue the foam core board letters to the center of the strips. 

Line small sections of the outside of the foam core letters with hot glue and lay the poster board strips down as you go. Do too much and the hot glue will dry before you get there. Slow and steady wins this race. Ensure the poster board is in the center of the strips. Don't stress about it getting a bit messy--you'll be painting over this anyway.

 

This is the front and back. Notice there is equal amounts of poster board on each side. The foam core board is in the center. 

8. Before proceeding, take a minute and try out the lights in your first letter.

This is optional of course, but for 1) you'll want to make sure you haven't screwed this up before you soldier on to other letters and 2) seeing one of these lit up will be serious inspiration to keep on keepin' on. Take them back out before moving to the next step. 

9. Finish up those other letters.

If you decided to do eight of these you're probably wishing you did "XO" instead by now, aren't you?

10. Apply metallic silver spray paint to the letters.

This is another optional step, but I thought it was a nice touch to have the silver coming through in spots that were more lightly sprayed with red. It helped to give them that old feel. Do at least the front.

11. Apply red spray paint to the letters. 

Do the front and back. I didn't take pictures of this step or the one before because I foolishly painted them outside in the dark. I just couldn't wait!

12. Put in the lights. 

What I did, to avoid having excess light cord, was skip a hole and circle back round with the lights. For instance, I'd put the first light socket in the first hole, the second light socket in the third hole, and the third light socket in the second hole. Plan this out to ensure your cord will connect to the second light at either the top or the bottom. I did the bottom. 

When you're finished, obvs, screw in the lights. 

12. Celebrate, friend--you've done it!

Here's my finished project at the Circarnival wedding:

Neutra Numbers Are On Sale! | Mid-Century Monday

It's that time again...

The Design Within Reach semi-annual sale catalog arrived a couple weeks ago and I wanted to scoop in before the sale was over to alert the masses of a quick way to add a bit of mid-century design to your curb appeal...on sale.  Design Within Reach's Neutra numbers are regularly $24 and are currently $20.40 (for black or aluminum) and $16.80 (for red--which would look awesome and I kind of regret not going that route). If you're dying for red and your address has a "0" or a "2" in it, however, you're going to need to move. Those numbers are currently sold out.

This probably doesn't sound like a huge savings, but if your address is five numbers long that's almost $20 off (or $36 off if you go with red). And, if you're like me and your address is only one number long, that means you can give your home a little facelift for around 20 bucks.

Sale lasts through this Thursday, the 24th.

Virden Lighting Chandelier | Mid-Century Monday

When we moved into our home last December, most of it had been recently remodeled. This was great for a lot of reasons. But it also meant that a lot of the original charm that was probably once present in our 1950s split level had been replaced with new fixtures designed to appeal to the everyday buyer.

This was the chandelier that came in our new home:

Don't get me wrong, it was nice and all. But it just wasn't old enough.

This, on the other hand, is perfect:

I spotted this magnificent piece of history a while back on Craigslist. It was $500. I didn't have an extra $500 sitting around but I fully support wishful thinking so I dove head first into a serious round of I'll-just-research-this-til-I-convince-myself-it's-worth-the-$500-I-don't-have.

The Craiglist ad showed a picture of the lamp's manufacturer sticker so I used that to Google-vestigate.

I pulled the following directly from the Abandoned Blog:

By 1968, Virden was the third largest among the nation’s 1,400 fixture manufacturers, with production tripling from eight years prior. The company sold more than 1,000 varieties from its biennial catalog, and produced 10,000 to 15,000 fixtures per day, consuming more than a million components per week. Virden constructed 600 to 800 units of one design per run, which were moved to distributors in lots of 10 to 2,000 per week, some designs totaling 150,000 units per year. Its designers sketched 2,500 fixtures per year, selecting 100 patterns to be prototyped.

In 1946, Virden was elected a director of Eaton Manufacturing Company and became director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland in January 1951 – later rising to chairman of the board. On September 28, 1958, Virden was named president of Eaton Manufacturing Company and diversified the company, believing in “divisional autonomy.” He also announced his resignation as chairman of the board of the Virden Company. In 1965, the Virden Company was acquired by Scott & Fetzer Company of suburban Lakewood, with no changes taking place at its operations at Longfellow Avenue. The company became known as the Virden Lighting division.

In 1970, Scott & Fetzer laid off several hundred from the Virden Lighting division due to a housing slump, and again in 1975. The company sold off its Virden Lighting and Rembrandt Lamp divisions in December 1977 to a newly formed company, Virden Corporation, which at the time of the sale had 360 employees.

That's cool if you're into history--but what was of use to me was that Virden was acquired by the Scott & Fetzer Company in 1965. The label of my prized light fixture showed it was from the Virden Lighting Division of Scott & Fetzer. Scott & Fetzer sold their divisions in 1977. Which meeeeeans my fixture was made between 1965 and 1977.

I also learned that the Virden lighting catalog came out every two years. I was able to dig up the 1959 catalog, which means the catalog came out in odd-numbered years. If I had to guess I'd say my fixture was from 1967. Here's a similar light fixture (bottom right) from the 1959 Virden catalog from the Internet Archive:

I scoured Ebay and Etsy and everywhere in between to find a comparable light fixture to compare prices but I couldn't find anything like it anywhere. This was weeks ago so I tried again now. The closest I could find was this:

The bad news: It really was worth $500. Probably more than that actually. And, even so, I couldn't afford it. So I let it go.

Kind of. I checked back sort of embarrassingly frequently. A month later it was still available. AND it was around half the price.

The good news: I am expert haggler and got the price down to $200...which was still more than I could afford in real life. And yet...

I plan to keep this gem for a very long time or to sell it for much more than I paid for it in the event that Jackson Lloyd needs an emergency liver transplant. The old-new chandelier that came with the house is still in the attic so we can put it back up to appease the herd of prospective buyers when we eventually move out of here. 

PS, I know Columbus Day is kind of a ridiculous holiday for anyone who actually pays attention to history, but Columbus just so happens to be the name of our cat. So--Happy Columbus Day from Columbus the Cat!

How to Make Fish In A Bag Carnival Prize Soap | Circarnival (Circus Carnival) Wedding DIY

Wedding guests at the Circarnival Wedding will be receiving wedding favors, but we thought it would be nice if there were prizes for the carnival games as well. Enter: Fish in a Bag Soap. This project is best accomplished with two people, but is relatively easy and can be done in an evening and, depending on how many you make, is also pretty inexpensive.

What You'll Need

-clear glycerin soap

-a knife

-measuring cup or other bowl with a spout

-funnel

-plastic treat bags

-chopsticks or long forceps

-spray bottle with rubbing alcohol in it (I got mine at CVS for about a dollar.)

-plastic goldfish (I bought a multi-color pack, but only used the orange ones.)

1. Cut up the soap. 

Using the soap we had, I was able to cut the block into about nine sections of four cubes each (for a total of 36--yielding 9 bags). The first cut row you see pictured below was a bit too much soap for one bag so I began cutting thinner slivers after this.

2. Prepare an ice bath.

You'll use this soon.

3. Melt the soap.

Put a "row" of the soap (for me that was four cubes) into the spouted container and microwave it for 45 seconds. If the soap isn't melted, pop in back in there for 8-10 second intervals until it is. 

4. Using the funnel, pour the melted soap into the bag.

This is a surprisingly delicate process and would best be accomplished with two humans. The trick is to keep the funnel's nose aiming toward the center of the bag to avoid getting soap on the sides of the bag. 

5. Spray the soap in the bag with the rubbing alcohol.

This is to remove air bubbles. Failure to do this step will lead to a rabies-like frothing at the top of the soap. Don't forget, or you'll have to shoot your soap, Old Yeller style.

6. Move the bag of soap to the ice bath and use the chopsticks to lower in the fish.

It's best to wait just a smidge (which is the scientific term) before lowering them in so you don't have to hover hand it forever.

7. Hold that damn fish there.

Doot da doot. 

8. Once it seems legit, let that fishy free.

You'll know you've reached legitness when that fish stays put when you let go.

9. Boom! One fish bag is more or less prepared. Now repeat this process until you run out of soap. 

10. Mix it up, mixmaster. 

Every once in a while, stop fighting the urge and go ahead and make a dead fish bag. You could just put the fish upside down at the top of the soap, but trust me this won't satisfy your itch. For true deadness, first scratch the eye paint off of the fish. You're welcome. He's dead now. 

11. Find a friend with a Cricut. 

Trust me. If you're going to make labels for your fish prizes, you're going to want a Jamie-With-a-Cricut in your life. This thing is magical. 

12. Make and attach cute labels.

In my case, I used a star shaped hole punch, double layered Cricut-cut paper tags, wrote on them, and attached them with ribbon and string. Because, why not.

13. Marvel at your craftiness.

No, YOU'RE the winner.