October 30, 2017

My Morning Routine

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This post is sponsored by Clarisonic and Her Campus Media. While I did receive a product for free, this is my own opinion. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Brazen and Brunette!

Hey guys it's me again back from the farm! No seriously lol if you follow me on snapchat I hope you enjoyed my dad taking advantage of the free labor 😂 Anyways last week as I was making my Why You Should Be a Morning Person post I got to thinking about my morning routine and thought I'd share it with y'all so you can see what all you can be getting done if you just set your alarm a little earlier.


5:30 - Wake up

Not much to say here. But one thing worth repeating is do. not. let. yourself. press. snooze. You're not going to get in any quality sleep in the next 5 minutes and you're just wasting your time. No matter how hard it is, force yourself to at least sit up and bed and turn the lights on and wake up. It's definitely an adjustment at first but once your internal clock gets synced with your alarm clock, you'll start waking up on your own and it'll be more natural for your body.


6:00 - Workout

I workout first thing in the morning. Not only will it for sure wake your brain up before class but it also is better for your metabolism to work out right after you wake up. Obviously I prefer spin class but even just a quick walk around the block will do! The key here is to just get your body moving and it will wake up your brain. Pro tip— sleep in your workout clothes and then all you have to do is roll out of bed, brush your teeth, put on your shoes, and head off! Then you're in such a good mood the rest of the day because you started your day being so healthy and productive and those endorphins make you happy so you're all motivated to conquer the world.

Related: Spin class for beginners


7:15 - Shower

I don't do public showers so I come straight from the gym to shower. The good thing about my thick hair is that as long as it was clean before the gym, it'll absorb most of the sweat so I can get by with a shower cap and a teeny bit of dry shampoo since I prefer to wash my hair in the evenings. This shower is mostly just to get all of the sweat off of my body since I like to sit in the sauna for about 10 minutes after the workout. Most importantly, I wash my face because one downside to working out consistently is that your face is most likely going to break out real bad because it's getting more oil than it was used to back when shopping was your cardio. I've mentioned that I went and got me a Clarisonic because of this, but I think it deserves it's own section so more on that in a second. But I just keep mine in the shower since it's waterproof and then when I see it I'm reminded to wash my face.


7:30 - Breakfast

So y'all know I'm a picky eater by now. Well on my 25th birthday at brunch I was feeling all fancy so I was like sure I'll try eggs on a muffin even though it sounds disgusting because Eggs Benedict sounds fancy. I loved them! So I'm having them like 3 times a week right now (it's like when you hear a song that you like so you listen to it 5,000 times until you're sick of it) but other great breakfast ideas are yogurt with blueberries and granola or toast with peanut butter and banana slices or breakfast burritos.

8:00 - Me time

This is what I think will be the thing that surprises you. Having "me time" sounds soo clihé so let me know if y'all know of a better phrase but it's really what sets you up to have a good day! On Sundays when I'm at the library I'll write out my week in my planner with my classes, work, and meetings that I've got going on. But during this time I think of everything that I need to get done that day and what I need to do to accomplish this. I take all of this and make me a daily to-do list. I read somewhere that if you write down a task you're more likely to do it and so far I feel like that's actually true. This is also where I read my emails because a cluttered inbox drives me crazy (you people with 1,000 unread emails I don't understand you. you're on a totally different level than me). 

8:15 - Pick out clothes

Am I the only one that has to do this like first thing? It's weird I know but usually how I do my hair and makeup depends on my outfit for that day. Pro tip— check the weather first! It drives me crazy that some people don't do this because sometimes it's 50° in the morning but 80° by the time class is out so if you didn't check the weather you're going to be dying in your sweater at lunch. 


8:30 - Hair and makeup

Ok actually I do makeup then hair but it just sounds better the other way. Two reasons for this... 1) your hair can be out of your way while you do your makeup and it's okay because you're not creasing what you just straightened; 2) curls fall so you want to prolong that by doing your hair last minute. This is why it's important that I already washed my face in the shower so now it's for sure completely makeup and oil free. Side note- you sweat a little in your sleep so even if you don't work out it's still a good idea to wash your face first. 

Taking the time to do your hair and makeup may sound like a waste of time but everyone is staring at you when you're called on and when you look good, you feel good, and then your thoughts are more The model rules say this about the plaintiff's argument instead of omg everyone has to have noticed that I look tired/sick when I'm not wearing mascara. Likewise, it's also hard to get the nerve to introduce yourself to a judge who is visiting your school when you have a messy bun that's real heavy on the messy and kinda wouldn't even be considered a bun.

9:00 - Head to school

This usually gives me at least an hour to review my notes before my first class of the day (on mornings that I have to be there by 9 I just speed things up just a bit to get there on time). By the time I'm sitting in my class, I've usually been going for at least 3 hours so I'm fully awake and have my life together. We've all been there where you're trying to eat a pop tart at your desk as quietly and mess-free as possible so for sure no judgment but you gotta admit it does feel nice to be in class and able to fully concentrate without your stomach rumbling. And bonus points that you'll get a wayyyy closer parking spot at 9 than you would at 11.

So that's my morning routine! I find it's really comforting to get into a routine and be able to know that each morning you're going to get a lot done. And once your body goes on auto-pilot, waking up early will start to be something that comes natural to you. Give it a week and you'll be feeling like such a real adult and so proud of yourself being a productive member of society. 

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Ok now to the Clarisonic review! I already had the Mia Fit but I know that it's one of the pricier option so I jumped at the chance to get to talk about a more I'm-drowning-in-student-loans price option. 

Clarisonic Mia 1

So the first thing to do with your Mia 1 is to charge it up. Pro tip— if you get your Mia in the morning (haha I like that alliteration), don't set it up to charge just yet and wait until the evening. I say this because I got mine at like 9 and then plugged it in and set the timer on my phone for 18 hours (how long it takes to charge) and was so excited for the timer to go off so that I could finally try it out. Then 3am rolled around and I woke up with a heart attack to my timer going off. So just put a little thought into when you start that timer and you'll thank me later.

To use it, it's basically a no-brainer and is pretty self explanatory. Remove any makeup that you're wearing and then rinse your face. Wet the brush and then add your face wash. Clarisonic does have their own face wash but you can use face wash that you already have. Then simply just push the button and turn it on. It goes for a minute so what I do is go over my T zone for 20 seconds, my chin and the corners of my nose for 20, then each cheek for 10. Then rinse off your face and the brush. How I rinse the brush is I cup a little water in my hand and then gently swirl the brush against my hand until all of the soap is gone. And that's all folks! It's just a minute out of your day but ooh you're going to love how velvety your skin starts to feel.

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Here's what not to do... Don't scrub your face with the Mia. This thing is already working much more efficiently than your fingers alone so it doesn't need you to go hard like you're trying to clean grout or something. Hold the Mia with a loose wrist and just steer it over your skin and it will do the work for you. Another no-no just for safety is to wait until your Mia is dry before you charge it. I know the charger external but it's better to just be safe. In fact, what I do is just put up the charger and let the Mia run down until the battery light comes on and then I'll charge it and repeat so I usually don't even have this problem. This last don't is a big one so listen up. Don't give up and think it's not working if you don't see immediate results or even if you start to break out a little extra. The Mia is getting deep into your pores and unclogging them hardcore. Having all this crud come up faster than it normally would if you were just using your hands can make it feel like your face is breaking out because of the treatment. Trust me when I say give it about two weeks (maybe a little longer if you were having some major issues) because it'll get worse before it gets better. 

Mia 1 v. Mia Fit 

The first obvious difference is the look. Take the Mia 1, cut off the handle, and then you have the Mia Fit. The benefit of the Fit is that it's more compact than the 1 so it takes up less room on your shower shelf, but the benefit of the 1 is that it's easier to grab. If you're not sure what would be more comfortable for you to hold, hold your blow drier in one hand and a regular 8oz drinking cup from the bottom in the other and that's about the grip difference.

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The Fit also has 2 speeds while the 1 only has 1 so that's easy to remember haha. The 1's only setting is the normal setting on the Fit and this is just a good every-day setting. The Fit's other setting is more like a power boost for after a particularly sweaty workout or if your face is just going haywire and you need a little extra help. I tested out the 1 for this post and I use the Fit's normal setting a lot so I feel like you really won't be missing out too much without this power boost and you most likely will be just fine with only one setting.

Another difference is the chargers. The 1's charger is a small circle that magnetically snaps on to the front. The Fit's charger is like a tea saucer that you just sit it in. Both are pretty easy and just as long as the magnets get close to each other they'll snap into place and stay put. As for battery life, I personally felt like they lasted about the same.

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The Fit has these little prompts (different vibration) that will tell you when to move from your T-zone to chin to cheeks. The 1 just turns on and lets you go where ever you want for however long you want. I didn't feel like this is a big difference because it's not really that hard to just count to 20 in your head and then move on to a different part of your face. And if you're the personality type that doesn't like being bossed around then you might actually prefer the 1 so that you don't get interrupted every couple of seconds to move around.

I know price is going to be a big deciding factor for y'all so let's get straight to it. The Mia 1 is about $100 cheaper than the Mia Fit. They both come with the normal speed setting, wireless/magnetic charging, and are travel-ready when you use the brush head cap. What you're getting with the Fit over the 1 is more compact and an extra speed so it's really up to you if that's worth it or not. They also both come with free engraving which I was a fan of because we all know how I live and breathe monograms so that's a plus.

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Little tips

Remove your makeup before washing your face. Clarisonic is made to clean your pores so it can't do it's job as well if it first has to strip off your makeup first. Having makeup on when you wash your face will also stain your brush into an ugly brown and then it will always look dirty. Your face doesn't have to be a clean slate before you wash it, but at least use a makeup remover wipe first to make sure your face is really getting clean.

Did you know that the brush head actually comes apart? When I first got mine I was so excited just playing around with it and thought that I accidentally broke the brush until I realized that this smaller size is great for getting right up in the edge of your nose (which is where blackheads always hide on me). About every other time that I use my Clarisonic I will take the brush apart and do a more nooks-and-crannies wash.

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Try out different brush heads. I read a lot of reviews from beauty bloggers who swore by one brush and then the next review would say that a different one is the absolute best. Everyone has different skin problems and everyone has different types of skin so see what works best for you. Even then keep mixing it up! For example, when I first started working out I really used the deep pore cleansing brush a lot because I was like woah my face looks like I'm 14 again. I've also used the acne brush for those times I get hormonal breakouts from stress and need a little touch up. Since these two have helped my face get back to normal, right now I mostly use the radiance brush because I personally feel like it makes my face super smooth and my makeup just glides on there and I love it. Clarisonic has really been expanding their lineup and basically have a brush for anything you could need (pedis, facial massaging, makeup applying). Just remember to save the little cap that comes with the brush so you can have a brush cover when you travel.

Don't be afraid to treat yo' self! I completely understand that dropping $130 on beauty product can seem too luxurious after you've just paid an ungodly amount on casebooks. But I do have two good pieces of news for you. 1) use the code HERCAMPUS to save 15% off your purchase and 2) Clarisonic offers a payment plan so for less than a latte a week you can get you a Mia.

Add your brush head replacement into your calendar. Your brush will last you about 3 months and then it's time for it to go. One easy way to remember this is that a new season means you need to replace your brush head (January, April, July, October). Or if you end up like I did and order in the middle of the season, then right when you get your new brush in go ahead and make in your planner to get a new one 3 months out from now. I like to buy mine in bulk so that I save a little bit in the long run.
let's be friends!

October 27, 2017

Why Law School Made Me a Morning Person

Why you should be a morning person and how to become a morning person. Benefits of becoming a morning person. 3 reasons why it's better to be an early bird than a night owl. How to be more productive in the morning. How to have more productive mornings. Why you stress less when you wake up earlier. Waking up earlier tips. How to go from a night owl to an early bird. Being a morning person in college or school. How to be a morning person as a student. Strategies to becoming a morning person. Steps to becoming a morning person. law school blog. law student blogger | brazenandbrunette.com

My 1L year, I remember sitting in my first class of the day at 10am feeling half-asleep and unable to stop yawning and focus. This surprised me because I was able to "sleep in" since my first class didn't start super early. But the truth was, I had stayed up too late so even though I "slept in," I still didn't get quite enough sleep and since I had just rolled out of bed about 30 minutes prior to class, my brain and my body weren't fully awake.

My 2L year, I got my life together and got into a routine of waking up, working out, and then getting ready for school. By the time I got to my first class of the day (again at 10am), I had already been up and at 'em for four hours by then so any sleepiness I had left over was long gone. This meant that I had a much higher concentration level while studying and a higher stamina for reading before needing a break. Still not sure you can make yourself do it? Here's 3 very important reasons to rise and shine a little earlier next week.


Be more productive

You have the same hours in a day as Beyoncé. So if you're using the old excuse that "there's just not enough hours in the day," I have a tip for you. You're wasting some of your hours! This is another big lesson that I learned my 2L year. From about 10-midnight, my guess is that most of y'all aren't being very productive. I'm not blaming you I know how just flat-out tiring law school can be. And even though we know we're tired, we put off taking out the trash or other little things all day and then are too tired to do them at night so then they just get pushed aside. 

But in the few hours before your class starts, you're not tired and you're not rushed so you can have the time to get all of this done. Then once you get the ball rolling you'll start to be more productive in other ways throughout your day since you started off on the right foot. And then by the time you get home in the evenings there's nothing on your to-do list so you've earned couch time.

Be less stressed

Literally the worst thing ever is when you're in bed trying to fall asleep and your brain decides to guilt trip you on all the things you should've gotten done that day but didn't. But I just explained to you how waking up even just a few hours earlier will help get more of your to-do list checked off! Not only that, but you'll have a little peace of mind knowing that you'll have plenty of time to wake up and get ready for the day in the morning. 

Another unexpected stress-reducer of being a morning bird that I've recently discovered is how much stiller the world feels at 6am right when the sun is rising. Since I have plenty of time in the mornings, I'm able to make myself a full breakfast (instead of just grabbing a granola bar), and sit outside and enjoy the day while I drink some coffee and read theSkimm. Just having this little time to myself every morning helps so much just for my mental health.


Be more awake

Even if your first class starts at 8am (or maybe even especially if you have an early class), waking up several hours will help you so much. You will have time to eat an actual breakfast, do your hair and makeup without rushing, and even get some last minute reviewing in all before your first class. And what I've found is that I'm much more productive during the day when I get started early than when I sleep in and feel overrushed to get my life together before the attendance sheet is passed around.


Once your body gets in the habit of falling asleep and waking up at the same time every day (more on that later), you'll probably notice that the quality of your sleep improves. That means that even later on in the day you're not nodding off in class because you're body is fully rested. What helps is that if you live in a college town, practically no one is up at this hour so you're not being awaken an hour before your alarm because your upstairs neighbor has an 9am but lets the alarm go off for a good 30 minutes.


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Give yourself a bedtime

After the freedom of college where you could stay up to 2am every single night because you have no parents to tell you not to, it's time to parent yourself and go back to a bedtime. If you are going to wake up earlier, you're going to need to be going to sleep at an earlier time. Waking up at 7am might sound impossible, but it's actually pretty easy when you've already had nine hours of sleep that night.

At first it will be hard for you to go to bed earlier than usual because your body won't be ready for sleep. My tip is to use the same methods to fight off jet lag- immediately adjust your daily schedule to what you want it to be. So for example if you usually go to bed at 12 and eat supper at 8 but you want to be in bed by 10, then adjust your schedule so that you're also eating at 6. Your body will realize that you ate 4 hours ago and will continue its rhythm of eat + 4 hours = sleep time. Another tip is to use the toddler trick- where you turn off all the lights and get in bed (no phone) and trick yourself into thinking okay it's sleep time now. If you keep up with a consistent bed time then your body will start to follow.


Have a consistent wake-up time

Yes, this means that you're going to need an alarm clock. Get in the habit of never snoozing it and make yourself at least sit up in bed when it first goes off. If you notice that you're still feeling tired then go to bed earlier instead of sleeping in later because your body likes consistency.

Three days a week, I have to be at school/work by 9am. The other two days, I have until 11am before I have to be anywhere. But I still wake up at the same time every morning. If your sleep schedule changes depending on your class schedule, then you're going to wake up feeling still half-asleep every other day. And once your body gets used to waking up at the same time every morning, you'll notice that you will start naturally waking up even before your alarm because you're fully rested and ready to go. 
let's be friends!

October 25, 2017

How to Work During Law School

How to balance work and law school. How to make time for a job in law school. Can you work while going to law school? Can you have a job while going to law school. How to decide if you should work during law school. How to have a job as a law student. Work-life balance in law school. Working part time while you study law. Part time job, full time law student. | brazenandbrunette.com

This summer I wrote about how I balanced clerking with classes, but that was summer school and I only took 2 hours in Summer 1 and 5 hours in Summer 2 so I thought I'd do a more updated post on how I handle it with a full class schedule and some ideas on how to get it all done. Working while in law school does make it a little harder because you have less time to read and less time to yourself, but the money really does help! Even though I only work part time, I make enough that each paycheck will cover my groceries with a little bit of left over spending money which is really nice because I can skim off just a little bit of what I take out for student loans.  

Related: Summertime in Law School

I want to start out by saying that I'm only taking 13 hours of class this semester and although I worked 20 hours a week this summer, I've reduced it down to about 15 hours a week because that's literally all that I have time for. My class schedule just so happened to work out that I basically have class all morning and then usually work right after lunch. But I will say that about half of my work hours all happen on Fridays since I don't have Friday classes and if I wasn't able to work all day at least once a week I probably won't make any money. So anyways here's how I do it!


Read on the weekends

Quick refresher- My 1L year I basically broke my day down and the first 1/3 was class, the second 1/3 was my downtime, and the last 1/3 was my study time (read about my 1L schedule here). My 2L year I would get to school early and stay late and would read before, after, and in between classes and be done with everything every day by 4 (read about my 2L schedule here). So 3rd method of studying for my 3L year I guess! What I've figured out works best is to hole up in my study carrel on Sunday and knock out all of that week's readings because after class and work I just want to sit on my couch and do absolutely nothing. I should also throw out there that only 3 of my classes require reading so I don't have a ton of reading to do anyways so it is feasible for me to cram all my readings in on one day. And it's really really really easy to just skip the readings if you wait until after work to do them (I know all you 1Ls are flabbergasted at this concept but it's true by your 3rd year you actually can get by without reading, although this isn't recommended). 

I've avoided this method for the past two years because it's not exactly the easiest to read a full week's readings in one day and also because I know if I read it on Sunday I won't remember it as well by Thursday's class than if I'd just read it the day before. What has really helped with this is that I have scripts for 2 of my classes (What's a script? Find out here). Just because I have these does not mean that I don't take my own notes. Instead what I do is I take notes as I'm reading on Sunday and then review these and the script right before I go in to class to refresh my memory. In some ways I think this actually might be helping me more because now by the time I get to class, I've read, reviewed my notes, and reviewed the script so I've come across the main points 3 times before I even get to class. 


Dress up for class

I've always tried to look nice for class but now I don't let myself slip at all. Every single day I have my hair and makeup ready when I leave for class because I don't have time to do later. On Monday's and Wednesday's I'm done with class by noon so that gives me one hour to get home, eat, change my clothes, and get to work before 1. This might sound rushed but I live in a small city so I actually have time to chill and eat. However, on Tuesday's and Thursday's I get out of class at 2:40 and like to be at work by 3 so I can at least get 2 full hours in. That means that I have to go home and eat and change and then come back for my last class so that I can go straight to work from school. 

I could just wear my work clothes all day and not have so many trips home to change, but I'm always afraid of accidentally ruining my clothes before I even get to work.  People actually dress up a lot in law school because many have a competition, job interview, work, or if they're in a clinic even a real hearing to go to right after class.The weird thing about law school is that you have people in suits sitting by people in sweats! My favorite was this guy who was in one of my classes last year who had work right after class so he'd come in with a dress shirt and jacket on (although his shirt wasn't buttoned up all the way and he didn't wear a tie) with sweatpants and sandals. He'd be comfy for class and then change his pants and fix his shirt right after and then head off to work looking professional. You gotta do what you gotta do!


Have a flexible job

My boss is so amazing and I love my job! At the beginning of the school year, I was told to just give him my hours so he can know when to expect me. I started off slow the first few weeks and only worked about 10 hours because I thought I'd want to save half of Friday for review/studying. This turned out to be a mistake for me because I realized that I was just sleeping in really late so I decided that I should just go make some money  since I wasn't being productive anyways. Another wonderful thing about my job is that they don't really care when I'm here, just as long as I get what I need to get done.There's been a few times when class got out late or on a Friday I accidentally overslept and they've always been totally fine with a heads up text that I'm running behind. 

I also know from my friend who had this job before me that working from home is an option. I haven't taken advantage of this yet because for most of my projects it's just easier to have access to everything on my work computer or to run down the hall to my boss's office when I have a question. If you're considering getting a job on the side, I personally would rank flexibility over almost anything else when considering your options because you'll need it more than you realize.

Don't participate in extracurriculars

Another big thing that makes this possible is that I'm not really involved with anything else. I'm not on any Board of Barristers team and I'm not on a journal, so I don't have too many things to schedule my work around. I do lose some work hours to mediate for my clinic and it's really hard when the parties don't show up for their mediation and I just lost out on hours that I could be clocking and getting paid for while I was waiting for them to finally call and let me know that they decided not to mediate. My class for my clinic meets basically every other Thursday in the evening so I gave those dates to my boss and took off all those dates.


The only other thing that I"m involved in is Student Government Association but this works out because those meetings are at 6 and you have to dress business professional for them so I just get out of work and go straight there. For SGA I do have to go to Student Bar Association meetings but this also works out because they hold those during lunch so they never conflict. Seriously, the smartest thing law schools do is give everyone lunch at the same time so that things like this are possible!

let's be friends!

October 23, 2017

Stitch Fix Review

October 2017 Stitch Fix Review. Is Stitch Fix worth it? Stitch Fix for students. What to wear to law school. Law school outfit idea and inspiration. Law school clerk outfit. Law school intern outfit. Legal clerk outfit. Legal intern outfit. Legal associate outfit. Stitch Fix for work. Personalized shopper. First Stitch Fix box. Subscription box review. Clothing subscription box. Fashion subscription box. Women's clothes subscription box. Stitch Fix coupon. Stitch Fix code. Stitch Fix discount. Stitch Fix referral. | brazenandbrunette.com

I've come to realize that subscription boxes are a slippery slope because once you get used to having one thing shipped to you, you kinda want everything shipped to you. I currently get my toothbrushes, wine, fitness/beauty supplies, and now clothes mailed to me! I originally had no plans to sign up for stitch fix but then I saw that they have work clothes and I was like ooh sign me up! To be honest, I wasn't quite sure what I was signing up for but I was like hey if this is a fail at least I can right a blog post about it. But if I had to describe my experience with Stitch Fix it would be surprisingly impressed!


What Stitch Fix is

So by now I'm sure you understand how subscription boxes work. You sign up and take a quiz about what you're looking for, and then every month (or however frequent) you get a box of goodies. What makes Stitch Fix different though is that you can return what you don't like! This was the big seller for me because I didn't want to get stuck paying for clothes that I knew I would never wear. What's also great is that instead of just scrolling through pages and pages and pages of clothes like normal online shopping, you have a personal shopper who will take what your style and clothing needs are and will pick pieces for you. 

So what I like is that they send you pieces and you get to try them on in your own home and you have 3 days to sleep on it before sending back what you don't love. I really like this concept because you can try on a shirt with different bras on try on pants with different tops that you already have to see if it will really work with what you already have. Plus, I just really don't like pushy sales ladies who insist that the dress is super flattering when in reality I look frumpy AF and they just want the commission.




Setting Up

So here's what I honest to God thought would happen... they'd push their clothes on me and I'd be stuck buying clothes that I would honestly never wear again. They had me take a style quiz but I didn't really have much hope in it because I figured an algorithm would take my response and group me into categories like "boho" or "edgy" and then I would just get whatever predetermined outfit was planned for that group. Not only that, I usually never shop online because different styles and brands fit differently so I hate the hassle of having to return something over and over again. 

But here's what did happen... their style quiz has a lot of sizing questions so they really know your sizes beyond just small, medium, or large. Then it goes into your style so they know what fits you like and what you hate (it goes through all the major body parts and you pick what to flaunt and what to downplay). Then you rate some of their own outfits as either love it or hate it so they get a sense of your style. This was where my responses went heavy on work clothes (business casual) and school clothes (laid-back casual). Next was the price, which at first I put $50-$100 for tops, bottoms, and dresses, but I was being an idiot and not thinking about how if they shopped in this range my total would end up being $250-$500 since you get 5 pieces. The next step is such a good idea because they have you link up your Instagram so they know what you currently wear and a Pinterest board so they know what you'd like to wear. This is also where you can tell them more about yourself so this is exactly what I said— I'm a law student so for class I mostly wear jeans&cute top/dress but for my work I dress business casual/professional and sometimes have to go to court or meet with judges. If it helps, I have dark brown hair/eyes. I'm petite but very top-heavy. Because of my big boobs, I need all tops/dresses to be flexible in the top half but prefer them to be tighter below them so I don't look pregnant (A line and baby-doll styles are unflattering on me).

The last thing was choosing your frequency. You can choose between getting clothes sent seasonally, every other month, every month, or every few weeks. I chose monthly because I honestly hate the time it takes to go shopping but I do feel like I wear the same thing every week. This is why I also had to change my prices from $50-100 to >$50 because dropping $250-500 every month would kill my budget. But if I weren't getting it so often I probably would go back to that option. 

What I Got

I opened up my box and was floored because I actually got a box full of 2 school pieces and 3 work pieces! I realize that my expectations were probably just a little low, but I really didn't think that I would get something so personalized! If they are using an algorithm then they're using a damn good one because everything I got was exactly what I wanted. I know this sounds overdramatic but I'm seriously glad that I signed up for this because I am one happy camper!  


October Stitch Fix Review. Is Stitch Fix worth it? Stitch Fix for students. What to wear to law school. Law school outfit idea and inspiration. Law school clerk outfit. Law school intern outfit. Legal clerk outfit. Legal intern outfit. Legal associate outfit. Stitch Fix for work. Personalized shopper. First Stitch Fix box. Subscription box review. Clothing subscription box. Fashion subscription box. Women's clothes subscription box. Stitch Fix coupon. Stitch Fix code. Stitch Fix discount. Stitch Fix referral. | brazenandbrunette.com

Another thing that pleasantly surprised me was that they sent little cards for each piece showing how it could be dressed up or dressed down with full outfit inspiration. I really appreciated this because I'm the type to Pinterest "red Hunter rain boots outfits" to get some inspiration for a new look. Also in the box was the prepaid return bag for any clothes that I didn't like which is a super smart business move and I'm glad they didn't charge me for returns (which helped make this more risk-free for me). Oh, and they threw in a cute little personalized note that I appreciated because I love little personal touches. 


October Stitch Fix Review. Is Stitch Fix worth it? Stitch Fix for students. What to wear to law school. Law school outfit idea and inspiration. Law school clerk outfit. Law school intern outfit. Legal clerk outfit. Legal intern outfit. Legal associate outfit. Stitch Fix for work. Personalized shopper. First Stitch Fix box. Subscription box review. Clothing subscription box. Fashion subscription box. Women's clothes subscription box. Stitch Fix coupon. Stitch Fix code. Stitch Fix discount. Stitch Fix referral. | brazenandbrunette.com


Amber Straight Leg Pant

October 2017 Stitch Fix Review. Kut from the Kloth Amber Straight Leg Pant | brazenandbrunette.com

This was the very first thing I saw when I opened the box and I feel like Lili (my stylist) purposefully put this on top on my box because instantly after seeing these pants I decided that stitch fix was perfect for me. What I love about these pants is that they're very similar to what I already wear to work and are very professional so I was completely sold. They're this really pretty blue-gray color that really would go with everything just like jeans do so I was glad that I was sent such a versatile pair of pants. Not only that, but these things are CRAZY comfortable. They're super starchy so although they look very professional, they feel more like you're wearing leggings so I instantly fell in love when I put them on. If you just want to get the pants, here's a similar pair from the same brand!

October 2017 Stitch Fix Review. Kut from the Kloth Amber Straight Leg Pant | brazenandbrunette.com



Kelis Dot Print Blouse

October 2017 Stitch Fix Review. Collective Concepts Kelis Dot Print Blouse | brazenandbrunette.com

My second piece was also for work so I was really happy because right now I rotate through about 10 shirts and I need business professional and casual clothes since this is really my first job that had an elevated dress code. I loved the material and look of this shirt because it was breezy and would be great for layering. However, it did have elastic at the bottom of the shirt and I'm just not a fan of that so I knew that I wouldn't end up wearing it if I kept it because the elastic would bother me too much. Other than that, I thought the color was great and it actually matched the pants Lili sent me (I'm guessing she did this on purpose so that I would get a set out of this box) which I really appreciated because if I was brand new to my job and had literally zero clothes to wear then at least I would have one go-to outfit. Here's a similar top that is almost the same pattern but is a button up.

October 2017 Stitch Fix Review. Collective Concepts Kelis Dot Print Blouse | brazenandbrunette.com

Mollee Knit Dress

October 2017 Stitch Fix Review. Kut from the Kloth Mollee Knit Dress | brazenandbrunette.com

And the work clothes just keeps on coming! (this is an excited, not sarcastic, exclamation point; I'm officially a boring adult) At first I was not going to keep this dress because it was $88 dollars (see why I quickly changed my preferences from $50-100 to <$50) and #poor. BUT, then I tried this dress on and I was like there's no way in hell I'm returning it now. I mean I fell in love. Not only is it super flattering (got a compliment on it the first day I wore it from my HBIC coworker 😊) but it's also super comfortable. I mean it feels like the cotton t-shrit dresses that I love to wear to class. At first I was a little nervous because it was a little form fitting and didn't have sleeves, but the style card was right and it looks just perfect with a blazer/cardigan. It also is one of those dresses that would be great for an adulty cocktail party so yeah it was a keeper. I couldn't find this exact dress but here's a similar one from the same brand (that's also on major sale).

October 2017 Stitch Fix Review. Kut from the Kloth Mollee Knit Dress | brazenandbrunette.com

Bowie 3/4 Sleeve Dolman Knit Top

October 2017 Stitch Fix Review. Laila Jayde Bowie 3/4 Sleeve Dolman Knit Top | brazenandbrunette.com

Funny story about this top... I already have it. In fact, I have it in both red and blue because my mom ordered one for me, I told her I liked it, so she ordered me a second one 😂. Needless to say, I didn't need three of the EXACT same shirts, so I knew instantly that this one would be returned. But besides that, this was my first casual shirt. What really impressed me was that I said I need a good mix of work and school clothes and got 3 work pieces and 2 class pieces so Lili really hit the nail on the head. Also, I really like this color because I feel like gray is such a versatile color and goes with everything so I was really glad that my stylist was thinking about what pieces would work in the most situations for me. One thing about this top is that the armpits are droopy which I personally don't mind but just a heads up if this style makes you feel like your shirt is oversized. However, if you do like baggy tops, here's a similar top.


October 2017 Stitch Fix Review. Laila Jayde Bowie 3/4 Sleeve Dolman Knit Top | brazenandbrunette.com

Florettah Twist Back Knit Top 

October 2017 Stitch Fix Review. Colette Florettah Twist Back Knit Top | brazenandbrunette.com          

Well Lili saved the best for last! I got this box just a few days before our blackout game and I had no clue what I was going to wear this year and when I saw this top I got so giddy because it was fate that my stylist had thrown this in my box. The back was so cute that for the first time in Tech football history, I wore my hair up for game day (but of course, curled, because it was game day). I'm still kicking myself that I didn't make Ryan take more pictures of it because I just felt so cute in this top and was so happy. I've already worn it with red jeans to the game and also discovered that it looks really cute with jeans and brown booties and a brown floppy hat (also mad I didn't get pictures in that. what can I say, I'm definitely more of a law school blogger than fashion blogger). But anyways, again I was really happy that my the color was so versatile yet also perfect for the Fall and upcoming Winter. Here's a similar top which is the closest that I could find that has a little open back but is still classroom appropriate.

October 2017 Stitch Fix Review. Colette Florettah Twist Back Knit Top | brazenandbrunette.com

Overall thoughts

I ended up keeping 3/5 of my pieces which I was fine with because the whole point of this is that I could have someone do the shopping for me and then I could send back what I didn't love. I'm glad that the 2 pieces I ended up not keeping were returned for little things like I already had it or I didn't like the bottom instead of that they just weren't me. I was super happy that Lili took the time to read through my Style Profile and actually only send me what I wanted. In fact, I liked her so much that I requested she be in charge of my next month's box. I downloaded the Stitch Fix App and went back and reviewed each piece basically like what I did hear telling her why I loved the pieces I kept and why I sent back the pieces I did. Overall, like I said I was surprisingly impressed with this whole process and would definitely recommend Stich Fix as a way to slowly build up your work wardrobe while getting in some great outfits for class if you're too busy to go to store after store and just browse around hoping for something to jump out at you.






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