The Good Girl Gone Blog

10 Favorites from Costa Rica

Good news! I finally went through the 633 photos from Costa Rica (although that doesn't include the ones we took on our iPhones/the iPad) and narrowed them down to just over 100. I sat down for a few hours and edited away and am very happy with the results.

The 10 photos above represent different aspects of our trip: animals, plants, landscapes, sunsets, beaches and forests. It's funny, out of the 10 above, Eric and I each took about half. Can you guess which ones are mine? The more I go through my photos, the more I can identify a certain "Alana style" that shows up in practically all of the ones I like.

Eric and I are currently putting together a more detailed trip diary, most likely in the form of a cool microsite. We had such an amazing trip, it's hard to believe it was actually all real. Stay tuned for that and look forward to regular G3B posts this week!

Special thank you to Visit Costa Rica for sponsoring our trip...we are so thankful for the opportunity to share our Costa Rica Experience on G3B.

The Cutest Little Monkey

Oh hey, we're back from Costa Rica! I have a ton of pictures to share with you. In fact, I'm looking at about 600 photos that still need editing.

For now, I'll just leave you with this fun gif I created. How cute is this little howler monkey?

CLOSED Just for Fun: StyleFixx Giveaway

I've been graciously given 10 free VIP tickets to the Boston StyleFixx event and would love to pass them along to you! No crazy contest requirements or anything, simply leave a comment on this post to be eligible. Tickets will be on a first come, first serve basis.

Feel free to ask for an extra ticket to bring a friend!

Additional info:

StyleFixx Premier Shopping Events is back in BOSTON on May 9th & 10th, 2012 at the Boston Center for the Arts

BOSTON Evening Highlights:

• Meet independent designers and shop their Spring 2012 lines!

• Score a famous STYLEFIXX Swag Bag Tote® stuffed with goodies!

• Shop the 2012 lines of Mahi gold, Caryn’s Corner and Cimber Designs!

• Enjoy complimentary hair treatments by Dellaria Salons!

• Relax with beauty treatments, and makeovers by Virgin Pure Mineral Makeup!

• Sample Finale Desserts & Haru Sushi!

• StyleFixx is proud to support the Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Special thanks to StyleFixx for this giveaway!

Photo Diary: Passover

Just a few photos from the second seder. This year, we were instructed to dress up as our "favorite plague"- I went with wild beasts and Eric was "death of the first born". We had 9/10 of the plagues represented with just one repeat (darkness). Can you figure out which plague is missing?

More photos here.

PS- this is a scheduled post. I'm in Costa Rica :).

Guest Post: Menswear inspired Womenswear

So the lovely Alana is on vacation in Costa Rica (lucky girl) and asked me to guest post. At first I was apprehensive because I mostly focus on menswear on my blog, danchiz.com. But then, I realized I can use my menswear knowledge to my advantage! Let's create a menswear-inspired outfit! I had an specific outfit in mind based on trends and voila, I found the exact look that you see above!

And now for the explanation (Sorry I ramble too much). So, one of the biggest trends this spring is colored denim. You want the denim to be super bright and pop. You want people to pass you on the street and think, "damn, that's a hot color on a hot girl." The best color for that is coral. It gives that huge pop of color yet it can go with many other pieces. It will go far for the season.

For guys, you can't ever go wrong with a chambray shirt. It can be dressed up or down. It's a versatile piece that every man should own, wear and love. Why shouldn't women have that same piece? I would opt for an oversize shirt for women to give it a fun, messy look. Tuck in the front of the shirt and leave the back hanging out--put together in the front with a party in the back!

I figured not many women would like to wear a tie and bib necklaces are super chic. So throw that bling around your neck and flaunt that gold.

And you can't complete an outfit without shoes. To really go for the complete menswear-inspired look, opt for buck shoes. Try for colored sole; to give it a feminine touch, pink always does the trick.

The outfit 411:

1. J. Crew 

2. Romeo & Juliet

3. Dannijo

4. Aldo 

I hope I made Alana proud and hope you enjoyed my post! Let me know what you think! Tweet me @danchiz and check out my blog, danchiz.com.

We're on our Way...

As you read this, Eric and I are on our way to Costa Rica. Thank you so much to the Visit Costa Rica Tourist Board for sending us!

Step it Up: MIA Tulua

A few things you should (and probably already) know about me:

1) I love shoes.

2) I love shoes that help me break 5'2" (meaning they have to be AT LEAST 2.5").

3) I believe that shoes can make or break an outfit.

I'm wearing: Sweater- Loft (swapped) | Top- TKMaxx | Jeans- BR (similar) | Shoes- c/o MIA (here) | Bag- Target (old) | Shades- gift.

These MIA Tulua sandals are super tall and help take a pretty plain/monochromatic outfit to the next level. I believe that they stand out on their own, which is why I tried to keep the rest of the outfit relatively simple.

The sneaker-like soles and thick heels help illeviate face planting (although knowing me, anything is possible!) and the amazing ankle straps add a bit of detailing that's both fun and very on trend for spring.

Thanks MIA for sending me these gorgeous shoes and helping me step it up! Look for more posts in my #stepitup series soon!

PS- thanks Maggie for being an amazing puppy model!

UPDATE: Use code Code: GGGB1 for 10% off at miashoes.com.  They offer free shipping on all orders over $50 or more (shipping to the continental US) & just started a really sweet loyalty program- register or facebook connect you earn 5 points to use on your first purchase (1 point is equal to 1 US dollar).

New French Connection Dresses

From left: Perfect Pleat Belted Dress, Mine and Yours Strapless Dress, Independent Suede Strapless Dress.

You know how your favorite/most worn pieces of clothing are often the same brand? For me, that brand is French Connection.

Not only do I love the brand's overall look, their European sizes tend to fit my petite frame. (Although I typically do best in their sleeveless items.)

Though full price pieces are definitely not in the budget, I did manage to get a few AMAZING deals last week when I walked into the store on a whim. All sale items were discounted an extra 50%...and I left the store with 3 new dresses.

Had I bought them at full price, I would have been out $600. I got all three for $130. I can't wait to for the weather to warm up so I can throw them into the rotation.

PS- I'm also keeping track of my most recent purchases in a Pinterest Board!

G3B on Apartment Therapy!

Thanks to new reader Christine for her sweet email letting me know she found my blog because my closet was featured on Apartment Therapy- what a dream come true!  It's funny, as I look at this old photo, I'm realizing how many of those pieces I no longer have. Plus, my new closet is about 10x cooler.

I guess this means I have to figure out how to deal with the poor lighting in my bedroom, because if Apartment Therapy liked my little makeshift closet, they'll be sure to LOVE my current shoe display. It's pretty ridiculous...

DIY Colorblock Bangle

Did you catch the fabulous bangle in my post on mint denim? It was a little hard to spot, so I took the liberty of making it obnoxiously obvious for you.

I created this bangle for a Gemvara blog post, along with an easy step-by-step DIY. Click through to see the full DIY!