Not a Blogger: A Corporate Fashun Blog

Did you know that the internet is more than just kitten videos? (Katie 2 would like to say that goat videos are vastly superior to cat/kitten videos.) I know- we're shocked. Other things we find shocking? How atrociously bad a lot of the "career advice" available online is. This is especially true when it comes to shoes. We think we've previously mentioned that work appropriate shoes were one of our biggest struggles when it came to dressing for our careers early on. There were many factors that contributed to this being such a struggle but one of the biggest was the fact that we're pedestrian commuters. Learning the difference between commuting shoes and office shoes proved harder than it seems. Also, because there is so much hostility surrounding work shoes on workwear blogs (looking at you, Corporette!) and commuting in what's comfortable and changing at the office it was especially hard to figure out what is truly inappropriate and what out of touch anony...

We're back with another "Where We Really Shop". It's been a while since we let you in on our own shopping habits, so if you're new to the blog or don't remember, go back and check out Parts 1 and 2 of the series. This time around, we want let you in on our little secret about the lesser known side of a classic workwear brand for preppy and working women everywhere: Brooks Brothers. When looking for timeless, quality pieces, many people recommend the American brand, and we completely agree. But when we were young(er) working women, the prices were out of our league. Even now, we still think their prices can be a bit steep. Enter Red Fleece . Rolled out in 2013 and previously known as the University Collection, Red Fleece touts its youthful touch, modern fits, and friendly prices. But it isn't just for the under-25 crowd. The line offers trendier cuts, colors, and details while staying true to the tenants of the Brooks Brothers brand. In terms of pr...

By know we've all read (or read about) that New York Times  opinion piece shaming women for wearing anything other than sweatpants to the gym. We're not going to link to it here because we don't want to send additional traffic to the website; however, THIS article from Jezebel  sums the article up quite nicely (make sure to check out the comments, they're gold). In short, the author of the opinion piece wears sweatpants to the gym, doesn't see anyone else wearing them and then proceeds to shame women for (1) wanting to look nice in their workout clothing; and (2) wearing anything other than baggy sweats to the gym. The article also cultivates the very thing that the author claims the proliferation of the yoga pants culture seems to cultivate: it shames women for dressing how they want, when they want.  The overarching theme of women shaming aside (because we don't have the time to go into that), most of the points that the author makes in the article are jus...

We haven't talked about hair in a while (in fact, last time we discussed it was HERE when we talked about how much we spend), so today seems like a good time to revisit the topic. You may recall that in our last hair discussion, Katie 1 mentioned that she colors her own hair approximately every 3 months (in reality it ends up being about every 6 months but whatever). She also occasionally falls into YouTube beauty rabbit holes (it was DIY Charcoal masks for awhile) and her most recent obsession is YouTube hair color tutorials because they are fascinating and weirdly calming. Thus, this post is very well timed.  So... we've rambled a little bit about home hair color and YouTube, what does that have to do with this post? Glad you asked. As it so happens, Katie 1 also had a haircut on Saturday and was discussing her recent hair related YouTube obsession with her stylist, Kassi. This discussion lead to the inevitable question: What do professionals think about at home hair co...

This is an idea that we've been tossing around since we started the blog: a post featuring honest answers to questions that we've all asked at some point in our adult lives. This isn't an "Ask the Expert" beauty post (although we've got a fun one coming up so stay tuned), this post is a barometer to determine how gross we really are.   Here are our answers to 3 basic "how often do you" questions. We've also provided expert answers to explain how often you should do these things. Note - Elizabeth has the flu and is not participating in this post. 1. How often do you wash your bras?   Katie 1 - I'm not 100% sure.  I've got a number of bras in rotation and I don't wear the same one every day but I end up washing a load of bras probably every month or so....  Katie 2 -   I agree on the "I'm not sure" front. I don't do laundry regularly (except sheets), so whenever I decided to do the wash, I wash everyt...

Some of our most popular posts have involved how much we spend on shit.  In THIS post we discussed how much we spend on skincare.  In THIS post we discussed how much we spend on make-up and in THIS post we discussed how much we spend on working out.  Since apparently you find this stuff interesting (or really like to judge us), we’ve decided to come back for another installment of how much we spend on stuff, this time tackling hair care. Katie 1: I’m not one of those ladies who can get out of bed, shower, and wash her hair and go.  Like me, my hair isn’t that well behaved and it takes a lot of stuff to tame the beast (or at least not anger it). Naturally, my hair is a weird wavy/curly mix that isn’t uniform so when it dries naturally it just looks bad. As a result, whether I wear it straight or curly I always have to style it. Thus, I spend a lot of money on hair care products.  Let’s dive into what I use, shall we? Shampoo and Condit...

This post is probably more appropriately titled "Career Leggings: What to Wear When You've Given Up but Still Need to Look Put Together", but Katie 1 is actually wearing career leggings to work today and isn't ready to admit that she's given up yet.  Also, she feels very conflicted about her current state of leggings at work wearing because until last Wednesday she considered this particular item of clothing to be weekend-only attire (or worn to work the day after Thanksgiving when she's the only one there). So... what changed her mind? It all started last Wednesday when she tried out the November Project for the first time.  By the time she arrived home she was cold, sore, and running terribly late. Literally everything but leggings seemed like way to much effort to wear. Knowing that her office recently changed it's previously business professional dress code (which no one on her floor actually observed) to "dress for your day" she decided to...

In this post  we introduced you to our individual skincare routines. It was one of our most highly viewed posts which makes us think you liked it. We said in that post that we would make a series on how much we really spend on stuff. Up next: make-up. Note: We consider moisturizing as part of our skincare routine, not make-up. You can find what we use in our previous post. [Editors Note: Blogspot really hates our links and sometimes they don't show up. We have linked to every product we use, so just hover and you can find what we're talking about.] Katie 2: I really have no idea what I'm doing. I try something and use it until it's gone, then replace it with whatever Elizabeth or the people at Sephora recommend. There are a few items that I use "all the time", so those I've marked with a **. Sunblock: I use it every day, but I'm not loyal to any brand. I subscribed to Birch Box a while back, and because I said I didn't want any scents or nail ...

For today’s Workout Wednesday, we are giving you a two-fer. This post is going to give you a peek into what our regular workout routines entail, as well as a sneak peek on what we really spend to “stay fit”. [Note: Katie 2 is not staying anything. The material contained herein reflects her attempt to not die of a heart attack at 40.] Katie 1: Same as Katie 2 above regarding the heart attack.  I love junk food and wine and don’t want to have a heart attack so here we are. I belong to the same gym as Katie 2 and Elizabeth but I often supplement that stupid expensive gym membership with boutique classes (I’m a sucker for a fad) and races (I’m a sucker for t-shirts, free bananas and beer).  So… how much do I spend?  Good question, my breakdown is below.   Equinox Membership: $155/month for unlimited access to all Chicagoland clubs. While I mostly use the location near my office, it's not super convenient for weekends so I have the all access pass so I can...

[Note: Katie 2 is having major technology issues, which are very likely her fault and have nothing to do with Blogspot. That being said, it doesn't look as though all of the links are showing up, but they are there!! Hover the name of any product and there is a link directly to it.] Our recent post on cheap thrills made it clear that the three of us are at three different levels when it comes to our spending on make-up and skincare. Which got us thinking (always dangerous) – how much do real working girls actually spend on make-up and skincare? Given the number of products in our bathroom, we’re going to break this up into a series of posts. First off is skincare. Next up will be make-up followed by hair care. If you can’t tell – readers we want your input on this one. Why? Well first of all, it’s interesting. Secondly, we will attempt to use this data to really cater to the actual budgets of real working girls. That being said, here’s what we spend on skincare (and a...