Charlotte Russe Haul

With the new year, comes new clothes. I did not make a resolution this year, but instead I started it with an "in comes the new" state of mind.

There has been a superstition that what you bring into the new year is what you will bring to yourself- this year I spend some Christmas money on new clothes.

Charlotte Russe was having an amazing sale and I picked up some great finds!

P.S- if you download the app there is a FREE SHIPPING NO MINIMUM!


I went on a blazer/sweater shopping spree and purchased 7. All of which are professional, comfortable, and stylish.

The pastel Pink is on the site with the color label of "violet" I was a little worried that the color would not be the gorgeous shell pink that was pictured... Low and behold when I opened the package everything was as pictured and fit perfectly!

I can't wait to put together some outfits! 

Hope you enjoy!

Neon Trends for Winter

Winter is my favorite time of the year, but sometimes I look in my closet and I get sick of wearing the traditional black which is so timeless for Winter.

 

As I was getting ready this morning I looked through my accessories and was drawn to my neon collection. Then I started to Overthink.. Is neon appropriate for fall?

 

I immediately headed to Pintrest and discovered that shown on the runway this winter was Bright yellows and Citrine colors. I thought what a better way to brighten up the gloomy cold weather than to add a POP of color.

 

 

The clutch (pictured) is not the easiest thing to pair with everything, it looks amazing with white and grey and I have a few pieces that are interchangeable. This however  was my staple inspiration- I thought why not wear this with nude colors or black? Make this the centerpiece of my outfit- a subtle outfit with this wonderful pop was just what I needed.

 

As most of the working force know, neon is not the typical office wear- but in small doses I think the office could get used to it. So I am saving this look for my fabulous casual Friday!

 

I included more of my neon accessories in the picture below and details are to the right.

 

 

Pictured is:
JUICY COUTURE Sunshine Shimmer Madame Daydreamer Clutch in Ultra Yellow

Neon bracelets, find similar here:
neon bangles

Skull bracelet made by Rachel Eva designs can be found here

Find similar necklace 
here

Winter Lipstick Swatches

Like most working women during the week getting up and getting ready is similar to the opening scene in "The Devil Wears Prada"... and no, I don't mean the gorgeous models who have time to match underwear and bra and count their almonds as they put on gorgeous shoes. Most women relate to the Andy Sachs character- we barely have time to dry our hair let alone look incredible.

I usually set an alarm for  6 AM  a good 40 minutes before I leave for work and  wait until about 6:15 before I roll out of bed. By the time my face is washed and teeth are brushed I am already running late.

I tend to stray away from too much makeup at the office- this is a personal choice, some women rock the red lips, while others rock the smokey eye. In my office though, I follow the routine look of the other women and keep my makeup minimal. Which hurts the heart a little as I get ready and leave all my makeup to the way side that I love so much.

That's why when I get the chance, on the weekends, I love experimenting with my look- I am absolutely loving trying new lip colors!

They can make the whole look come together and it is effortless, timeless and chic if done correctly.

I don't follow skin tones and color palettes that are suitable for them. I think everyone has the right to wear any lip color they want- I do!

Winter I usually stick to deeper colors and if I do venture out to the "brights" they are in the red to orange and magenta to purple colors.

Below I have posted some of my favorite winter lip colors. All drug store buys ranging from $1.99-7.99

Just remember, these are MY personal favorites- by all means wear whatever color your heart desires. Makeup is meant to be fun, no rules here!

From left to right 

NYX- simply vamp - enamored 

NYX- Copenhagen 

Maybelline-divine wine 

NYX- castle 

NYX-macaron-violet

Revlon-mauvynight 

From left to right 

Maybelline- espresso exposed

NYX- san Paulo

Wet n wild- cherry picking 

NYX- indie flick 

J cat lip paint- much mucher

J cat lip paint- 2nd impossible thing 

Fashion spotlight: nakamol jewelry

 

My new recent fashion obsession is beaded statement necklaces- it makes everything look a little more special, if you will. I was shopping at my local TJ Maxx and came across a gorgeous piece of jewelry (not pictured) and I read the name on the tag was Nakamol.... that name sounded very familiar to me. And I remembered, 3+ years ago I used to manage a boutique in the heart of downtown Los Gatos, Ca- I loved it. This was my dream job until I decided to make a move to better my education, while I worked there I would help the owner buy for the store. We came across Nakamol years ago and bought their leather and beaded wrap bracelets (pictured above), if you remember those were and still are a huge fashion staple. But a few years ago the Chan Luu Wrap bracelets were the "it" thing to buy at a pretty penny ranging from $100- $300 to check out Chan Luu click here. In an attempt to stay up to date in fashion at a lower cost Nakamol came into the picture- and their bracelets are gorgeous, in the picture above I have included pictures of some of my favorite pieces- you can order directly from Nakamol here or if you have a local Nordstrom they also have their jewelry there.

 

Now, back to my killer find- I am so glad I found my necklace at TJ Maxx, it is similar to the one above  (retails at $40) but I couldn't get the best picture of it in my lighting so found a sort of dupe. The best part of my shopping excursion is that my necklace retailed for $50 and I got it for $24.99.... and that my mom bought it for me as a Christmas gift:) Thanks Mom!

 

 The necklace I have inspired my OOTD (outfit of the day) - you can find a similar houndstooth jacket here. I plan on keeping Nakamol on my favorites  list so I can get more gorgeous finds! So glad I lucked back into finding this brand at my local TJ Maxx.

 

I chose this outfit because it wasn't the traditional matchy-matchy I would normally do, I am stepping out of the "normal" and trying to find something that would highlight the necklace and in my humble opinion it did just that. I think when things get to similar you lose the statement, if I wore a burgundy necklace it would have been lost in the tank top. My rule is I find what I want to highlight and form the outfit around that. Most days I highlight a necklace, I have so many and it dresses up a plain or solid colored outfit.

 

I think we tend to stray away from things we think people will judge, but you can't judge fashion- if you like it wear it. I find that I get the most compliments on my looks when I go out of my comfort zone.

 

Houndstooth is probably my favorite thing to wear, its so classy and chic- paired with this gorgeous necklace I felt like a glamazon and wouldn't have it any other way.

Winter Favorites

Fashion

Here is a brief colletion of some of my favorite accessories for winter. Black is s sessonal given but I love adding gold in for a little extra sparkle, especially around the holidays. 

At home facial for under $50

Happy Skin, Happy feeling with-in

 

 

I find that on days that I am feeling stressed, or have worked a few hours of overtime, or at a particular time of the month my skin freaks out. The way I deal with the breakouts that come from sleep deprivation and stress are giving myself an at home facial. A spa facial is great, but for me, sometimes all I want is to be at home in my pajamas and this is an easy step to achieving a similar face feel. I love facials, professional ones are amazing- but for a girl on a budget, getting a $80+ spa treatment is a splurge, and more often than not especially with work we do get stressed. When you give yourself this facial make sure you have the time to enjoy the benefits of it. Take a day or evening where you have a little extra time and just relax- take yourself away from the hustle and bustle.

 

First, your going to want to set your spa "scene":

For me this means lighting a few candles in my clean room, nothing stresses me out more at home than having a pile of clothes to wash and put away- I usually stuff everything in my closet before I begin "treatment".

 

Next- I make my bed, and spritz lavender vanilla pillow mist  all over it, this added step is $10 at Bath and Body works.



Finally, I close the door to my room, dim the lights and put on Spa Music on my Pandora.

Then I begin.

All of these things were found at my local walmart. 

The steps to the facial:

1. Clean off all makeup with a makeup wipe 

2 Cleanse my face with Biore blemish fighting ice cleanser $6.47
I love this product because of the cooling feeling, you feel it working immediately and for me the cooling feeling makes me feel extra squeaky clean!

3. Tone the face with neutrogena oil free acne stress control triple-action toner $6.97 and a cotton ball, don't soak it- but saturate it enough so that it gets on the skin.

 

Salicylic acid is in this product, which is great for those prone to breakouts.

4. Now to exfoliate I used St. Ives apricot cleanser $3.27 

I picked the cleanser because it still has the beads to exfoliate without it being so harsh on the skin, I added a little baking soda to make it a more intense scrub- this will strip away dead skin without any harshness or added chemicals. Sometimes I add the regular apricot scrub to this cleanser as well, but that does tend to be more harsh on the skin.

 

5. After washing the scrub off, The next step is to steam the face, this was done by using a  hot washcloth or taking a hot shower. I ran it under hot water, rang it out and places it over my face until it got cold, and then repeated. 

You can also use the sink plug, run hot water and place a towel over your head.

6. Now time to take out the blackheads! 

Using Biore deep cleansing strips $8.47 ( 14 count) I dampened my nose and placed the strip on for 15 minutes. 

Pulling out all your impurities after is pretty interesting. Remember to take it off slowly from both corners pulling forward- If you take it off too quickly it could damage the skin... and OUCH! does it hurt.

6. I then toned my face again using the same Neutrogena product (you do not need to add this step if you do not want to)

7. Finally it was time for my mask. I love this mask, not only does it minimize pores it will help clear away any black heads that the Biore strips missed. I apply this using a flat foundation brush.

Queen Helene mint julep mask $2.47

 

 

I let the product sit for 15 minutes before washing it off with warm, then cool water. 

 

8. Moisturizing, I start with eye cream- always apply moisturizer's thinnest to thickest on the skin.

This eye firming treatment I really like, its subtle and the benefits of blueberries is it helps neutralize oils and helps prevent against free radicals so your skin keeps that young appearance.

Say Yes to Blueberries eye treatment is $9.90

 

 

 

 

 

 

I used olay active hydrating beauty fluid lotion $5.94 

All in all this at home facial cost a total of $45.00. That is what the price of just one high end product, at it's cheapest. The facial was good and just what my skin needed! 

 

If you like posts like this let me know, I will be posting about my favorite high and low end skin care and makeup products.

Good Luck 2015

Color of the Day: RED

 

Without getting into the nitty-gritty of resolutions (which I am not making this year)- I think the new year is an important time to celebrate the new phase of life.

 

If you read my last blog post you would know that I love superstitions and anything fun that helps liven up life and make things exciting. I am following that into the new year!

 

To bring luck on New Years day you should wear something new or red. I have done both. This blazer from Charlotte Russe was one of my Christmas presents. I paired this with a loose fitting tank from H&M and a necklace from Forever 21- similar here.

 

FASHION ALERT:

This Beanie that I am wearing is dupe for the Rag and Bone Beanie featured in InStyle Magazine. Their beanie here is on sale for $75. I found mine on ebay for $14, but you can also fine one similar on sale here.

 

My makeup for today I used the Smashbox Full Exposure Palette- It has several mixed reviews on Sephora and Ulta online but I love it. The Brush that came with the palette has quickly become one of my favorite blending brushes and while the glitter colors leave a little to be desired; they can be used wet or dry. This is truly one of my go to palettes and I love it.

 

 

Thank you for reading, for more fashion and makeup please keep reading!

 

I wish you all a very happy New Year!!

 

 

 

Dom and Diamonds

2014 comes to a close and 2015 is about to begin.....

This has been an exhausting year, and I am ready to celebrate the beginning of a "fresh" slate.




To start my day I thought why not end the year on a fresh note and good mood and wear something new, to symbolize bringing in new for the rest of the year. I chose the color Blue as my staple.

Colors represent so much in our lives that I thought why not bring in my new year wearing BOLD statements that have great meaning, end the new year on a positive note and bring in the next year with a positive note.

I am not one to over analyze the new year and I love superstition or cute quirky things that make life a little more fun. The year 2015 I am excited for- it is going to be my golden year, or year of my golden birthday. The big 2-8!

Keeping on my positive vibe, the outfit I wore to work today (details below) symbolizes  knowledge, power, integrity, and wellness. All my hopes in carrying out my golden year.

Outfit Details:

Blazer- Charlotte Russe
Necklace- Francescas- Similar here

Jeans from Kohls are the most comfy Jeggings you will find and for only $19.99 you can't beat the price. Find yours here

 I was lucky enough to be given a bottle of Dom Perignon for a Christmas gift from the company. My first "fancy" bottle of champagne and I am so happy to be able "taste the stars" and welcome in a new year.
 
My own personal choice on New Years Eve is to never get drunk- I don't like the idea of bringing in a fresh year with a hangover or a headache so on this night in particular my self control comes in handy.
 

NEW YEARS FASHION

My undergarments- not pictured here- are white, many superstitions for the new year involve colors; specifically in certain cultures wearing red underwear suggests you will bring in a good new year. I did not have red underwear so I did a little research on colors and decided that I wanted my outfit to embody what I wanted for the new year. Below I have listed some more superstitions for the best possible new year!

White symbolizes peace, harmony and happiness.

My white and gold blazer is from Charlotte Russe- I chose gold because the color represents success, healing, faith and blessing. Not to mention it is a fabulous color perfect for celebration... and as I mentioned I am bringing in my golden new year the best possible way, wearing the color!

The tank I wore I got from a boutique in Los Gatos, CA- it is from brand Ya Los Angeles, I could not find that exact one but here is similar.


My New Years Sparkle Is all in my accessories:
Necklace- TJ Maxx- $40
I could not find anything similar, but my favorite place to buy accessories are Francescas and Bauble Bar

Clutch-Urban Expressions- Similar Here
Shoes- Jessica Simpson- Mayra Heel $59.99

I hope everyone has a safe and fabulous New Year, to enjoy your New Year even more, here are some common superstitions:

• Be sure to have money in your pocket when the clock strikes midnight- to ensure it stays there all year long.
• Open windows (if its not too cold) to let out the old year and help bring in the new one!
• Remember to kiss the one you love on New Years!! So many people get caught up in not having a significant other to kiss- anyone you love will help bring love and positivity in the new year!
• And the final superstition- say something positive out loud so you can hear them, the first words you hear on New Years will set the pace for the year.