A Little More Shopping- Rosettes, Stila and American Eagle Denim

Well, I pretty much think the picture above says it all. Baby pink. Rosettes galore. I told my husband the sweater was the epitome of who I am as a person. LOL. I got it today at The Limited for (gasp!) regular price. I just loved it too much. The rosettes are large, so a simple camisole is all you need under this pretty sweater. It is crop length. Love it. I can also see it being adorable with pearls.
Baby and nude pinks are supposed to be big for spring, so I'm glad to have gotten a great pink piece to start the season off right! My second purchase was this pretty blouse from Macy's. I believe it was $25.00. It is sheer, so I'll have to wear a camisole under it. I really like the geometric style pattern. It was in the juniors section, which surprised me. Chloe from The Chloe Conspiracy always wears the "Artist" jeans from American Eagle, which look really cute on her, so I popped into AE today to try them on. I know I've been whining about how much I ate on vacation, but I guess I am OK because I was able to get a size 4 (long) jean, which I've never gotten from there before. Here they are: I don't have a pic of me wearing them yet but they fit great. AE jeans tend to stretch like crazy, so the snug fit of them now is perfect. They cost $39.50 which is great for denim. I also stopped by at Sephora to make an exchange, and picked up this cream lip/cheek color by Stila called "petunia." It's a pretty bright pink/peachy color. I've never used cream blush, but I've tried it on my lips already and love it.

The swatch above shoes the pretty warm pinky color. It was kind of a random buy, but I love it. I will try it on my cheeks this week, and report back!

Other than our little shopping trip (my DH got a few things too), today has been a pretty high-energy day.

I once again purged my closet of older clothes I never wear to donate to charity. Then I cleaned and organized to my heart's content. This is my workout clothes drawer!

I want to actually make a Flip video of how I organize my closet, but it needs a little more work before I do that. I need more drawer dividers too.

I also want to thank each and every one of my readers in this entry for being a follower. Today I reached more than 300 followers, so I'm going to celebrate with a contest. I'm actually not certain what the prizes will be yet...I'll have to take a trip to Ulta and see what goodies I find!

Tonight, I will use my Calrisonic for the first time...very excited!

I also have an awesome Motivation Mondays post for tomorrow.

What did YOU buy this weekend? anything exciting? Thanks for sharing your comments with me!

xoxo,

Veronika.

I Got It (Clarisonic) & Other Weekend Buys (Oh, and My Hair Cut)

Well ladies, I finally got it! I went and bought the Clarisonic Mia at Sephora with my 10% VIB discount. I got the pink one. I got the Mia because I like the size of the Clarisonic itself, and the charger takes up less space. Since it is the same brush head, I hope to get awesome results.

I have a strategy for my Clarisonic use. I pray I won't go through a purge period, so to avoid it, I am starting off slow. I am not going to use it twice a day (or even once a day) and I am going to use it only on my non breakout areas (so I'll use it on my forehead, nose and cheeks, and avoid my chin and jaw.)

I will give updates as I use it. I can't use it tonight because it has to charge for 24 hours first. So Sunday will be my first Clarisonic cleaning day.

Here is a pic of my Mia, right next to my Sonicare toothbrush:

Before I get to the rest of my purchases, I'll show you lovely ladies my new haircut. Today was hard because I actually had more cut off than I had planned to. I love it though. I needed it. Basically, my hair was so damaged and snapping off, that my "length" at the back of my hair was actually just the longest part of my hair that hadn't broken off yet, so it kind of formed a "V" at the back. When my hairdresser showed me in the mirror, I was like, just cut it off. David talked me through what he would do, I took at deep breath, and off we went to the washing sink.

I really love how much lighter it feels, and how he took the front layers up shorter. Now keep in mind, this is hair I've been running errands with all day, and laid on the couch with for hours before I took these pics (watching the last episodes of Season 2 of True Blood: love love love):

Here is a shot of the length so you can see how far it goes down my back now:

Here are some more shots of the layers:

Anyways. I really like it. It's a bit shorter, but it's healthier and softer.

I've made a new commitment to myself this year. I want to focus on making everything the best it can be. Taking better care of my hair, skin and body. I want to take my vitamins regularly and just focus on keeping my skin in great condition. Next on my list is a Vitamin C serum for my skin.


Now onto my purchases. My friend Heather (who got married on the beach) wore these gorgeous earrings on her wedding day from Swarovski. I had to have them. Not only are they oh-so-pretty, but they are exactly like my engagement ring! It is the same look of a round center stone with pave around it. Love them. They are the style called "Angelic." They retail for $75.00. I told my husband they were his Valentines day gift to me, and he said I ruin surprises. I think he meant to say "thanks for making gift-giving so easy."


Love them.

I also got this great final sale skirt from Ann Taylor today. It has an awesome animal-print-like texture (and we all know how much I love animal prints). It was $39.98...originally $120, which obviously I wouldn't have paid for it.


I was once again disappointed with my trip to Forever 21. The stock just wasn't great today. I tried about 7-8 things on, and bought one top. It's just a simple pink and black striped top, for $10.80.
It looks kind of shapeless, but it is really nice on. It's actually one of those tops I picked up thinking "this could be very good, or very bad." For $10.80, there wasn't much to lose.

You know I can't resist a Victoria's Secret coupon, so when I got one in the mail for a FREE lacie panty (they are my fave!) and $10 off of any bra, I was sold.

I got this cute animal-print bra for $24.50.

Here it is on VS model Miranda Kerr:

I love her. So pretty. Speaking of Miranda Kerr, how awesome is this recent pic of her ( I believe it's from GQ):

I love her hair...kind of actually reminds me of how mine is now (the length and layers.)

Back to shopping... I got this cute workout headband for $1.50 at Forever 21:

Yes, I wear headbands with bows on them to work out. I still like to have cute accessories. Plus, this one has little teeth in it to really hold hair back.

My final purchase was this awesome bracelet from Forever 21 for $7.50. It looks a lot like some of the ones I've seen at J. Crew and Ann Taylor for $80-$100.

It is much more sparkly and awesome in real life. Very happy to have gotten such a great deal on an accessory I've had my eye on for awhile.

That's all for today ladies. As always, thank you for reading and if you have any questions or comments, please leave them below!

xoxo,

Veronika.

Back to the Swing of Things

I wish the title of my post was true! I expected to come back from vacation and get "right back into the swing of things" and that's just not happening.

Our Christmas tree is still up. Our house needs a deep cleaning. I actually DID do laundry, but there's more. Oh and my closet is also a mess again. Massive massive mess and disorder.

We have no groceries, we haven't cooked (I'm eating cheerios and wheat thins with peanut butter for dinner and gross lean cuisines for lunch.)

It's been nearly a week since we got back and I just haven't gotten it together yet. I'm getting my hair done and shopping Saturday (because Lord knows I can't go a week without doing SOME kind of shopping- but at this point, it really should be groceries.)

My one accomplishment this week was actually going to pilates class tonight, where I felt so out of shape it was borderline embarrassing. At one point, the instructor said change levels if you're tired...I'm pretty sure he was referring to me.

So, what's the plan to get things back to normal? I'm going to knock it all out this weekend. If I don't, my entire next week will lag on like this one has, and another seven days will go by with everything out of whack, and I can't let that happen, because I will go nuts.

As many of you know, my husband lost his job last April, and this past Monday he started a new job. I am so happy for him and proud of him, but I will definitely admit it has been a massive adjustment for me, for us both. In addition to being away for a week on vacation, we came back to a situation that was a complete 180 from the last 9 months. I definitely have to learn to divide everything up again now that we are both working.

For example, I haven't done groceries since May. I might have to take on that duty again since I actually enjoy picking out what kind of food we buy. It was nice not to have that on my list though.

Sorry for the boring entry, they will be back to normal next week, when I feel some relief from the sudden changes and lack of consistency going on in my life right now.

I think I'm just one of those "needs to have a schedule" people.

Thanks for listening. Do you still have your tree up? I hope at least one person says yes.

xoxo,

Veronika.
PS- isn't her hair gorgeous? I love the way it's layered! Hair-trim inspiration!

Taking the Calrisonic Plunge & Other Updates

I think I'm finally going to do it (purchase a Clarisonic skincare brush.) I seriously cannot deal with my skin anymore. Today, after a LONG day of work that started with a 5 a.m. wake-up call, I glanced into my rear-view mirror as I was driving home and was horrified to see that my makeup somehow just looked awful, uneven, poorly blended, etc. I don't remember it looking so gnarly this morning, so I thought it must be because my skin is uneven and I haven't exfoliated in weeks, and over time the oils and other grossness just made it seep into my pores and smudge all over the place.

I've heard great things about the Clarisonic including its ability to even out skin, make products work better and reduce pore size.
It's a pricey investment, but after pondering the importance of healthy skin for awhile (prompted, no doubt, by my SPF-70 obsession while sunning myself) I think the investment is worth it to have great skin, since glowing, healthy skin is among one of the most desired beauty traits for most women.

My skin has just been feeling rough, uneven, red and blotchy etc. Of course, I can cover all of this up and make it look nearly flawless...but I don't want to have to do that, I'd rather just have skin that is as awesome as possible on its own. This isn't to say I don't want to wear makeup/a base, but I'd like to be able to not always wear a base and feel good about how my skin looks sans coverage.

Some girls have mentioned there are websites that sell the Clarisonic at a discount price...if you know what these are, please let me know. I might purchase from Sephora anyways, for the return policy and the points, but I'd love to know how they are priced elsewhere online or if you got a great deal somewhere. Feel free to let me know how you liked it in the comments as well!

In other news, I am seeing my lovely David on Saturday morning for a trim. Yep. I have re-evaluated the situation and I don't think it's that bad. I think I was just being a bit dramatic. I do want to have the layers reshaped and the ends trimmed up and possibly bring some of the layers up a bit, but I'd still like to keep the length, because I just love having long hair.

Please share your awesome-skin secrets, products and advice in the comments below!

xoxo,

Veronika.

Blogging: Our Honeymoon

My lovely readers...I apologize for my lack of posting, but I had an amazing time on our honeymoon/at my friend's gorgeous wedding so I'll make this post sort of a fun, lighthearted vacation wrap-up post.

Before I start, I'll share our finally blogged wedding with my fellow wedding-obsessed readers. Our amazing photographer Craig, at Studio 563 blogged our wedding here. You can also view his entry about our wedding being published here. Seeing those photos just brings back all of those lovey-dovey wedding day feelings. Sigh. It was awesome to come back home and see this.

Speaking of weddings, my gorgeous friend Heather married the love of her life Matt on the beach at the Majestic Elegance Resort in Punta Cana. She was stunning, and the wedding was absolutely incredible, beautiful and most of all FUN. They built a dance floor on the beach that was slightly elevated and we danced the night away (which IMO is the most fun a wedding can get- eat, drink and be merry...and dance all night!)

Here are a few shots of the stunning bride and her groom. Congratulations you two, love you guys! (They are on their honeymoon in St. Bart's and probably won't see this for awhile...but, here we go!)


And here's what I wore to the wedding: (Dress- Lulu's, Belt- Club Monaco)

Most of our vacation was spent laying on the beach and by the pool. I got a decent tan, but not nearly as dark as I used to get. I am so paranoid about skin cancer and wrinkles, that I wore an SPF 70 on my face the entire time and SPF 70 on my body for the first few days (I later switched to SPF 30 on the body.) Better safe than sorry, right? I did manage to burn my chest area on the very last day, but otherwise I am OK.

Here are some pics of the pool area: (so pretty)

The pool basically ran down the entire length of the resort. I laid-out on that ledge a lot reading on a pool chair: (That's Emily Giffin's "Love the One You're With" novel, which was really good.)


Here are a few beach shots:

I like to call this hair "wind-blown chic" LOL!



And some evening shots:

My awesome low-back VIX dress:

We had a wonderful time. The resort was beautiful. The customer service was a little off, but overall we had an incredible time!

Thank you so much for reading and there is a lot more to come now that I'm back to regular blogging...I've got some great "Motivation Monday's" posts coming up and some hauls and product reviews.

So, tell me- what did I miss last week in the blogosphere? I am working on catching up!

xoxo,

Veronika.

Honeymoon Packing & Fashions

If you watch Bravo's "Million Dollar Listing," you know that one of the realtors, Chad Rogers is super-OCD with the way he packs. I can relate.

My husband always makes fun of Chad and his zip lock bags, but guess who's laughing now?

That's right ladies, we packed almost all of our stuff into zip lock bags. It's all about the roll and compress. Repeat after me "roll...and compress."

Here's how it started out- can you see my dear husband zip-locking? OH YES! I HAVE EVIDENCE!!! Please direct your attention towards the top left of the photo:

Poor Lulu. He gets sad when he sees suitcases because he just knows it means mommy and daddy are leaving. If you could see his face in the above photo, you would see how sad he looks. :(

Here's some of our product zip lock bags. I bought travel bottles for shampoo, conditioner, body wash and face wash. That way I can take good shampoo but not have to worry about bringing huge bottles (and thus taking up lots of room in our luggage.)

Yep, those are sour patch kids below (to the left). Gotta bring some candy fixes.



Above, you can see the inside of our luggage. Oh glorious zip locks! They just make me feel so happy and organized, and clothes stay clean if anything spills and the bag breaks.

Here are a few of my fave dress picks that I packed: (for dinners, etc)

The above dress is from Forever 21. Here is me wearing it this past summer (with a belt from Club Monaco)


I absolutely love that dress. I think it's the perfect vacation dress. Then, there's this white beauty:
And here I am in the dress last summer. I know you can't see it very clearly but it is a great summery dress. It is made of a taffeta material, I think. Also from Forever 21. I love the little flowers at the bust. They add a little something extra. I think it would be a cute after party dress for a bride having a beach wedding.

Continuing with my Forever 21 theme, I bought this cute dress on a whim right before our wedding. I wore it the next day when we lounged by our hotel pool for awhile. It is REALLY short, so I can only wear it as beach attire.

Oh the shortness. Going off on a tangent here but...Forever 21 really needs to consider making a "tall" line. Seriously. I will pay extra for the fabric. It makes me so sad when a gorgeous dress that would cost like $300 at BCBG is $27.50 at Forever 21 but I can't buy it because it's like a shirt on me.

Then there's this pretty cotton dress from Zara. I wore it while getting ready for our wedding. Perfect for slipping over a bikini. I think the detailing on the bust is what makes it so unique and not just a typical cotton strapless dress. It really looks cute on.



Love it!

I wore the dress below to my rehearsal dinner. It is also from Forever 21 (see a pattern here- they have the cutest most affordable dresses!)

I like it. It's bright and flowy, perfect for the beach, if I must say so myself! It is also one of those dresses that you need a tan to rock so this next week will be a good time to wear it! It has a cool criss-cross thing going on in the back with the purple satin strings.

I am also brining this black dress. It is such a staple. I really find it so easy to change the look of it with a belt or another accessory. It has a bubble hem, which can be tricky, but I think because of my height I can get away with it.

That was my bachlorette party- hence the crown. The pic below shows it with a bright pink flower I pinned to it. Believe it or not, the flower is from Papyrus (as in the paper store. yep) I saw it and though...this would look cute on a dress or cardigan or in my hair...it was like $5 so I just got it!

Those are just some of the dresses I packed, so I thought I would share. Let me know what you think! Some of my other picks can be find in previous haul posts where I bought bikinis and other beach wear :)

Then, there is this fabulousness. Behold my beach hat:

Please ignore my shiny skin. I got a spray tan earlier this evening and haven't washed it off yet.

Sigh. This hat makes me feel like a rich person who owns a yacht. LOL. I don't know why but for some reason it makes me think of those society women who wear one piece swimsuits with big huge rimmed hats and massive sunglasses. I love it. Mine is from Zingara Swimwear.

Do you love my plaid PJ pants and workout top? hehe! I'm not always so fashionable!

Before I go, I want to mention that I found a great way to re-use those zip-up clear plastic packages that bed sheets come in- I use them when I pack! I am SO paranoid about losing my luggage that I pack all of my expensive stuff in my carry on. So in this case, I packed my pricey bathing suits, cover ups and dresses into my carry on. I wasn't able to include everything, but I picked what mattered most/what I would wear the most/what was priciest. This way if anything were to happen I'd have some options (though I pray my luggage comes through!) I used the clear zip-up thing that came with my bed sheets and it fit almost all of my bikinis and helped compress them so they fit perfectly into my large, carry-on handbag.

What is your packing system? Are you crazy enough to even have one like me? Do you unpack when you get to your destination, or live out of your suitcase? Let me know in the comments below!

Thank you so much for your support, for reading and overall for being lovely!

xoxo,

Veronika.