Building a Work Shoe Wardrobe

I've recently had a few readers ask about what kind of shoes I have in my work shoe wardrobe and whether I spend entire days in high heels. Short answer: I only spend the day in heels if I absolutely have to--so most days, I wear both heels and flats. (Very) long answer: settle in with some popcorn and get ready to go through several years' worth of wardrobe building. I'll be discussing all the shoes pictured above--these are all actual shoes I own and wear to work (the photos are all clickable links).

A little background: I am a full-time lawyer who goes to court 1-5 days a week. Whenever I go to court, I'm dressed "business formal," although the particular court I usually work in has a somewhat relaxed version of business formal, so there's a little leeway for bolder fashion choices. I always wear a jacket and closed-toe shoes in court.

The environment in my office is more relaxed. If I don't have any meetings or court appearances, I am able to wear nice jeans or business casual attire. Unless I have clients coming in, I am usually in flats at my office to try to save my feet a little. Read the whole breakdown after the jump!

Fall Mornings with St. Ives (and Tips to Soothe Your Winter Skin)

The weather in Colorado is finally beginning to feel like fall. Cooler temperatures here mean lots of cold, dry air, and my sensitive skin gets red and chapped quickly if I don't moisturize religiously. With the advent of fall and pear season, St. Ives has introduced their new Refresh & Revive Pear Nectar & Soy products. Last week, I received the pretty package below from St. Ives skincare with a request to test out a couple items from the line.

Over the last week, I've incorporated the body wash and lotion into my morning routine along with my favorite fluffy robe and daily soy latte. The pear scent smells just like the real fruit (not too sweet or overwhelming) and is perfect for the autumn season. The Pear Nectar & Soy line is formulated with pear extract, soy, and other natural hydrating ingredients, and it's gentle on sensitive skin. My skin will often react to harsher formulas, but I've had no issues with any of these products while testing them, and the natural moisturizers have kept my skin hydrated and soft all day long after using both products in the morning.



If you're looking to give this product a try, the body wash is available online and in stores, and it looks like the lotion will be available soon. The size of these bottles is such a great value--I can see mine potentially through the whole upcoming winter, which is no small feat. I thought I'd also include some tips here for my fellow sensitive-skinned ladies who might be reading.

• Don't slack on moisturizing. Slather some lotion on every day, twice a day, especially after you've just gotten out of the shower.
• Use a gentle exfoliator to get rid of flaky skin (gentle being the operative word there!). I've been using this St. Ives scrub for years, and it does the trick nicely.
• Use a hydrating body wash like the one I'm reviewing today to make sure your soap isn't stripping you of your natural moisture and making your skin feel tight and dry.
• Invest in a humidifier and try to remember to run it every night. I had a bad attack of eczema last year, and the humidifier made my nights so much better.

Do you have any tips for keeping your skin in great shape during the winter? What's your favorite way to stay hydrated? Let me know in the comments below!

x, Tam

Thanks to St. Ives for sponsoring this post. Opinions and content are all mine.

6 Tips for Managing Stress, Dealing with Anxiety, and Enjoying Your Life

As I promised, I'm going to be doing a few more wellness posts here and there. After a very stressful week segueing into a relaxing weekend away with family and friends, I felt ready to share some of my easy ways to make sure anxiety and stress don't rule my life.



Most of the time, I love my fast-paced, jam-packed life and career. Doing the kind of legal work I do is tremendously rewarding, but it’s also challenging, high-stakes, and sometimes heartbreaking. Squeezing in time for blogging, calligraphy, exercise, family and friends, and all the million little things that need to be done to make life run smoothly can be overwhelming.

I am a fairly high-strung person who has had a very active imagination since childhood. I’ve suffered from bouts of anxiety since I was a teenager, and over time, I’ve developed some relatively simple coping mechanisms that really help me bring my anxiety level down, assess my priorities, get shit done, and enjoy my life.

Admit to yourself that you are overwhelmed

Sometimes I get into a pattern of feeling a growing sense of apprehension without really realizing it. I try to pay attention to those feelings now and let my conscious mind realize that I’m feeling overwhelmed and need to step back and address it. The first step to coping with anxiety is realizing it’s about to bubble to the surface.

Neaten your space

Having a desk strewn with files and papers piled on the floor of my office makes a stressful day and a long to-do list feel impossible. The same goes at home—it’s hard to clear my mind when I have to clear a spot on the table to start a calligraphy project. It’s difficult to drift off to sleep when I have unpacked bags, a cluttered room, and laundry to put away.

Spending a few minutes tidying up my space does wonders for tidying up my mind and helping me to refocus. As I’m removing those files from my desk, I can prioritize them. They stay on my desk in a neat vertical file caddy for immediate action, go into an appropriate “action pile” on my bookshelf, or are placed in my filing cabinet if no action is needed for a couple weeks.

7 Tips for Surviving a Long-Haul Flight

On our Australia trip, Sean and I flew from Denver all the way to Perth, Australia, which was 10,101 miles away from home. We didn't do it all at once (thank goodness), but we did have on extremely long flight from L.A. to Melbourne, Australia, and then home from Sydney to LAX. I was a little nervous because 1) I'm a nervous flyer and 2) I have flown some long flights, but nothing this long! It was a little intimidating.

As it turned out, the whole process wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. We arrived in Brisbane, our first stop on our trip, not overly disgruntled and only a teeny bit worse for the wear. Here's what I did to make the whole thing much more bearable.

1. Wear the right clothing. This is so important! I wanted to make myself as comfortable as possible without looking like I was wearing exercise gear or loungewear at the airport. I did my hair and makeup as usual in the morning, then I put on my black Lululemon Wunder Unders (similar in petite sizing at Athleta) and a black Power Y tank as my base layer. The built-in bra with soft cups in the tank meant no underwire or other bra hardware that could cause discomfort. On top of the tank, I layered a long, wide-necked tee that came down past my hips, and then I added a blazer in a cozy sweatshirt material. This made it easy to add or subtract layers to adjust to a comfortable temperature.

I didn't really take any pictures at the airport, so I recreated my outfit over the weekend so I could show it to you.

Here's little collage I've created for you that shows some of my favorite products and essentials that made my flight a whole lot more comfortable. For most of the items, you can just hover over, click, and it'll take you to the page where you can purchase that item. If you aren't sure where I got something or how to find it, just ask me in the comments and I'll be happy to direct you to where I was able to find it.

2. Pack things you can't afford to lose in your carry-on. For me this means:

• Medications
• Jewelry (I wear the most precious pieces on me on the plane)
• Electronics and chargers, both the plug-in ones and the charging bricks
• A change of clothes in case you spill something or the airline loses your luggage
• A bathing suit--same idea as a change of clothes. It's no fun shopping for a bathing suit while you're trying to get into the swing of your vacation.

3. Get your sleep on. The easiest way to get through your long flight is to get as much sleep as you can. It'll stave off both boredom and jet lag! In order to get some quality rest, I make sure to pack the following:

• Eye mask
• Cozy socks to keep my feet warm
• Pashmina to supplement airplane blankets and double as a wrap or scarf during my vacay
• Travel pillow
• Sleep aid of choice (Benadryl, Ny-Quil, or Dramamine are over-the-counter options)

4. Bring lots of entertainment. It wasn't possible for me to sleep for 16 hours straight, so I made sure to have plenty of things to do. I loaded about 10 new books onto my Kindle, added some TV shows and movies to my iPad, and made sure I had a good set of headphones that cancelled out ambient noise.

5. Make sure you take healthy snacks and plenty of water with you. Drinking lots of water will keep you hydrated in the dry, recirculated air on a plane. I love my spill-proof CamelBak water bottle and take it everywhere with me. For snacks, I like to bring my own trail mix of raw almonds, peanuts, dried cherries or other fruit, with a few crunchy and sweet things mixed in. It's great for tiding yourself over until they serve you the next meal. I also pack energy and granola bars for a little variety and for ease in snacking later while running around sight-seeing.

6. Beautify on the go. Spending hours upon hours traveling is not really conducive to looking your best. To keep myself looking decent, I make sure to pack travel sizes of my favorite products in my carry-on:

• Makeup remover wipes--no one wants to sleep with a face full of makeup! These make it easy to wash your face without ever leaving your seat. The lavender and camomile-scented Neutrogena wipes are my favorite.
• An easy wipe-off or no-rinse mask will help you arrive looking fresh
• Facial moisturizer to keep skin hydrated
• Hand cream to combat the drying soap in airport and plane bathrooms
• A heavy-duty lip balm
• Dry shampoo (I like this non-aerosol one for travel)
• Deordorant
• Portable toothbrushes
• A makeup essentials kit--I include powder foundation and a small brush, eyeliner, cream blush, and brow gel in mine
• A compact mirror
• Comb or brush
• A small baggie with hair ties, bobby pins, and/or a headband to make hair fixes easy

7. Keep your important documents handy. Most critical rule? Don't lose your passport or other travel documents! I like to place them in a zippered compartment in my purse or in a separate, sealable pouch. You'll need them as soon as you're trying to get on or off the plane, so keep them within arm's reach of your seat.

Hope this list helps you get ready for your next long flight! Happy travels!

x, Tam