Blush & Gray: What I Wear to Work (Tips for the working girl!)

In my other life, I'm sure I was a rich and fabulous woman who spent most of her time brunching, sailing and shopping. I am just absolutely certain, in my previous life, I was a woman who never had to work a day in her life. This life? Not so much!
I am your ~~not so~~ typical office girl who click clacks on that keyboard by day, and I am a dreamy, fashionista blogger by night. Kinda like Clark Kent and Superman, ya know what I mean?!

When I have special events or social gatherings I love to plan a nice outfit and pull out all the stops with my hair, makeup and jewelry. And while that just thrills me, the reality is, I don't dress like that everyday because I have a full time job that ....lets just say requires less than the "Lights! Camera! Action!" of it all.

It's a modest office with a small group. We don't see clients most days.
I am blessed to be able to wear pretty much anything I please aside from the obvious no-no's.
I can wear jeans and Uggs every day if I choose, but I think my boss would still frown upon neon hot pants and thigh high boots!
Some days I wear makeup, most I don't (God, I am SO lazy! My call time is 8am so waking up at the crack of dawn to dabble with eye shadow is daunting to say the least! But I'm making more of an effort now that Spring is in full effect), I type all day so my watch tends to bang and scratch on the table and I end up flinging it off halfway through the morning, I also speak on the phone all day so bigger earrings also get annoying....

So where does that leave me - a girl who lives for clothes but doesn't have the necessity to get "dressed" everyday?

I have settled on "Realistic Office Casual". lol
Comfortable but still polished pieces that I can put on and not feel like a schlub when I go to work. I may not be a Wall Street bigwig power walking in stilettos on the streets of Manhattan but I still respect myself and I respect what I do for a living. I want my clothing to reflect that.
Even if it is just realistic office casual.

Here are a few things we all can do to feel less schlubby!

1) Put a brush through your hair. A no brainer, right? Ha. Some people don't even do that!

2) You don't need full war paint before leaving the house. A nice moisturizer, maybe something with a tint or a BB cream type of product, some gloss or lip balm, a swipe of mascara and we're out the door! The goal is to look presentable. No pageant judges hiding under your desks.....I hope?!

3) A light spritz of perfume. No matter what I'm wearing, my co-workers ALWAYS mention that they love how I smell and for me, it's important and makes you feel nice.

4) DO be a bag lady! A nice work tote in a neutral color helps you stay organized, goes with all of your outfits and jackets and gives you an overall polished look when walking in and out of your place of business.

5) Try to always have your nails done. It will always be the first thing people notice. Especially for me, since I look at them all day long (as I'm doing right this minute!) on my keyboard.
When I hand documents back and forth to my boss and co-workers, I know they notice as well so I do try to keep the chipping to a minimum. But hey! Sometimes mama can't get to the salon at a timely fashion and they can look.....not so nice. Such is life, right?! That's why it's called realistic office casual. All we can do is try our best.

Now that I'm done yapping, here are two examples of what my work outfits look like this week.
I'd like to do a blog like this weekly to show that it's not high heels, sequins and ballgowns every day for regular people and fashion bloggers alike. We wear every day clothes, too.

Now in my other life.....I didn't wear every day clothes. I'm positive I wore Kaftans and diamonds all day! ;)