Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

We made these pumpkins at work on Friday. I made the Tory Burch logo pumpkin and when I was done I realized the logo was upside down.

A coworker of mine and I love TB and she couldn't be there for the pumpkin carving so I decided to make it in her honor!

Hope everyone has a lovely Sunday!

If you missed my weekend haul, you can see it here.

xoxo,

Veronika.

Weekend Haul (Oh Yes, It's a Haul)!!!

My feet are still burning.  Oh yes ladies, I shopped for a solid 6 hours today with my husband.  Bless his heart, he was such a trooper.  We started off at the Galleria where Kevin got a beautiful coat from Zara for our trip to Paris. It's a very nice, long, black wool jacket that's heavy enough for winter.  It's gorgeous!  He also picked up some jeans and a pair of TOMS shoes.  Guys are always so easy. 

I did an unexpectedly large amount of shopping today.  Most of you ladies know that I only shop when there's a deal going on and when I truly love something...and oh were there deals today!!!!

Let's start off with my shopping ensemble.  I finally broke out the JS boots and they were admittedly very comfortable for the first few hours. By the end of the day the balls of my feet were burning...BURNING!  I'm going to add some gel insoles like I do with most of my shoes. I do love these boots so much though.

Tee- Love Culture
Tights- Lulu Lemon Wunder Under Pintuck tights
Boots- Jessica Simpson Collection
Zip-Up- Lulu Lemon

Now onto the shopping!  I am now the proud owner of a gorgeous eyeshadow set from MAC's Tartan collection--- and ladies, this is NOT a collection to pass up.  I try not to get too into all of those collections MAC does because it's easy to go overboard and buy products you don't even need and won't use...but this collection has so many incredible sets that I urge you to check it out.  The packaging is also my favorite packaging MAC has EVER done, and when you see it in person, you'll know why.  The e/s set I got was the brown neutrals one.  The picture simply doesn't do the colors justice. They are gorgeous!  It retails for $36.00:

I just realized I totally forgot to take a picture of the top of the compact.  It's the same blue tartan print of the box and it's velvet and has a gold MAC emblem. It's very high-quality looking.  I almost bought a brush set JUST to get the amazing bag it came with...but I somehow resisted because I didn't need any brushes. I have a feeling this collection's going to go fast.

LOFT was having a 30% off of your entire purchase promo today so of course I just casually stopped in...and I came  out with three absolutely incredible additions to my wardrobe...and one of the items took a trip to another mall!

First up was this navy skirt with silver metallic flecks.  I know I said this earlier, but the picture doesn't do it justice. It looks incredible on.  It's a size 4, was on sale for $39.99 and I got it for 30% off of that.

Next up is a jacket I had to travel for. My LOFT store only had this in a size Extra Small Petite.  It was just too small in the shoulders, but I had to have it. This jacket is probably my favorite thing I got today. It looks absolutely incredible on.  It originally retailed for $148. It was on sale for $59.99 and I got it 30% off of that price.  We ended up driving to Memorial City Mall to pick up the size Small (regular) in the jacket.

The jacket just has so many great details! I can see why it originally had such a hefty retail price.  My final item I got at LOFT was this blouse. They only had a size Large left which turned out to be perfect because I wanted it to have that billowy look.  Believe it or not, I tried all three items I bought on together (with this blouse tucked into the navy skirt and jacket on top) and it looked amazing together. It was really unexpected.  This blouse retails for $54.00 and I got it for 30% off.

I will wear these in an OOTD soon!

Next up are some boots from Charlotte Russe.  BOOTS! Yes, you heard that right.  I have been on the hunt for some flat, cognac-colored boots for our trip and I went to seemingly every shoe store to try some on.  I kept finding boots that were $150-$250 that I didn't love. I thought to myself..."I'm not spending that much money on a pair of boots unless I love them."

So, while checking out the offerings at Charlotte Russe I wandered over to the shoe section where I saw a sign "BUY ONE, GET SECOND FOR $10."  That just couldn't be right.  I asked a sales associate who confirmed that every shoe was in fact, buy one pair, get the second for $10. I was shocked.  Then, I spotted them.  Flat, cognac boots.  At Charlotte Russe. I was hesitant but I tried them on. The felt comfortable and looked nice on.  They retail for $40.  That pretty much sold me since I'll be wearing these to walk around all over the place in winter weather, so I won't be upset if they get roughed up since they are so affordable.

I got the cognac flats and also a black pair with a heel.  The black ones were $10.  I still can't believe it.

 The girl who had no boots, now has three pairs.

I'm happy that my boot hunt has come to and end :) I LOVE boots now, but boy is it hard to find the perfect pair!

I also picked up this fun sequin evening bag at Charlotte Russe. It retailed for $19.50 but all handbags were 30% off.

This bag can really pop against at LBD or all-black outfit.  I just love it. 

Since we had to go to Memorial City to get my LOFT jacket, I was able to stop by Forever 21.  They have a lot of cute stuff right now, but the store was an absolutely clustery mess.  I must admit that the Memorial City store is usually clean and well-organized, but today was definitely an exception. It made it a bit more difficult to shop but I picked up so many great items!  Here we go:

 Tapestry-style scarf, $7.50

Striped open-face sweater $19.80, size Medium

Textured dress/tunic, size Large, $27.50. 
This dress is absolutely gorgeous but I had to size-up because it's so form fitting on the hips and thighs.  I could wear this as a dress if I wore it with black, opaque tights, but it can also be worn as a tunic over skinny jeans.  The texture is just beautiful.  It's really an expensive-looking piece, IMO.

Black and lace top, $15.80, size Medium.

Forever 21 is usually a hit and miss for me.  As in, there are a lot of misses, but when there are hits, the hits are pretty good.  I am really happy with the items I got there today. Can't wait to wear them! If you can find that striped sweater, I highly recommend it. It's just beautiful on.

OK, I swear I'm at the end now.  I also picked up this beautiful sweater by Kensie at Nordstrom Rack- they have lots left, Houston girls!  I got a size small. It was originally $88 and the Rack price was $39.50.  It looks great on and I can see it being cute belted as well.  It's got a very interesting texture, not like any piece I own. It doesn't look like much in the photo, but it's really a nice piece when worn.

Lastly, I used my Express Cash on this long cardigan. Many of you know that I also own this cardigan in white, the one with the crystal buttons.  It was $49.90 and i got $25 off of that (though, I had to buy a lipgloss because you have to spend $50 before taxes to use the coupon. That kind of upset me, but whatever.)

My sweater collection is great right now because I have a balance of all of the neutral colors now that I've added gray.

We also picked up a few antibacterial hand soaps from Bath & Body Works today. We had a 20% off coupon. They already have a lot of the holiday scents in! YUM!

What did YOU buy this weekend? Please please please make me feel better and tell me about your purchases too (in the comments, below!)

xoxo,

Veronika.

OOTD: Black & Blush Pink, Sephora F&F & American Eagle Jacket

This week just flew by.  On Tuesday I saw my trainer and last night my H and I went to see Jonsi (he's the lead singer of Sigur Ros, we love him!)  If you haven't heard anything be Sigur Ros, I recommend checking them out.  They are a band from Iceland and have a very unique sound.  We even played their music at our wedding. You can see a video from last night's performance on my YouTube page if you're a fan!

I wanted to share with you ladies what I picked up at the Sephora F&F sale:

I got Benefit's "eye bright" pencil (mine is running low), the Philosophy Microdelivery Mini Peel (I've never used these) and a Victor & Rolf Rollerball Perfume in "FlowerBomb" which is my next favorite scent to Marc Jacobs Daisy, which I wear everyday.  I also got a few samples with my order.

Did you pick up anything from Sephora's F&F?

Here is my OOTD for today. Black and soft blush pink:

Top-  Ann Taylor
Skirt- Banana Republic
Necklace- Forever 21
Cardigan- White House Black Market
Shoes- Jessica Simpson

On Sunday I took advantage of the last day of the 20% off sale at American Eagle and ordered this olive-colored parka.  It's lined with faux fur and is really warm (which surprised me.)  The online reviews say to go UP in size, but I ordered both a medium and large and the large was too big on me (I'm returning it). The medium was perfect so I would stay with your regular size.

so warm and cozy!

Though it's more casual, I plan to take this to Paris when we go in addition to my longer wool coat.  It's really warm and is cute for a more casual look.  I love the fur on the hood. When I lived in Canada I had this awesome, long, down-filled white parka with fur on the hood and I loved it.  We don't usually need coats that heavy in Houston so I didn't bring it with me when I moved.  I don't miss winter, but I do love jackets!

Hope everyone had a great week so far!

xoxo,

Veronika.

OOTD: Zara Black Dress & Cooking Healthy Meals

Today I decided that H and I would try to cook 2 new meals a week.  I got this awesome cook book from my amazing friend Ed for my birthday called "Eating Well Serves Two" and I must admit I haven't ever really used it.  I would like to learn how to make yummy, healthy meals now so when we have kids I can just whip it up effortlessly.  I sometimes think I should buy myself one of those cute, girly aprons to encourage myself to want to cook more. LOL. Maybe that's just the push I need.

Today I wore that new black dress I purchased at Zara on Saturday.  It's really comfortable. I did wear a slip with it because though it's not sheer, it's not perfectly opaque in the skirt area either and it's better to be safe than sorry. It's just a cheap, nude, skirt-slip from Target.

Dress- Zara, size M, $39.50
Shoes- Jessica Simpson
Necklace- Forever 21
Bag- MbMJ

I blow-dried my hair this morning and I definitely feel the lightness and different shape it has since I got it cut. I know it doesn't look drastically different (it's not) but it feels a lot lighter and more manageable and Stephanie definitely took my layers up a ton (and they needed it!)

What are some of your favorite healthy dinner ideas?  If you know of any great cooking blogs or have any recipes to share, post them in the comments below! Thank you <3
xoxo,

Veronika.

Weekend Finds & Lauren Conrad Style Book Review

Happy Sunday everyone!  Today Kevin and I went to Rice Village to try and find a coat for him for our trip.  We didn't have any luck at any of the stores we checked out, so we'll probably have to try the Galleria next week. It's more difficult to find stylish, heavier coats here in Houston since it doesn't get that cold here, even in the winter.

Today it was SO hot out. I mean like you could lay out by the pool hot...and it's nearly November!

Banana Republic was having a 20% off everything in the store sale today so we got a few things there and Kev got a new sweater at Express.  Here's what I got:

Black dress from Zara- I actually bought this yesterday but forgot to include it.  It's a perfect length for work and very soft and comfy.

Bath and Body works Wallflowers.  I absolutely love these. They keep the house smelling awesome. They were on sale 2 packs for $20 plus I got 20% off of my purchase using a coupon.

GAP "always skinny" jeans.  I got black ones.  I got these in a 28 (size 6) I like the way they fit and love that they have the stretch in them because they are much comfier than my always skinny destroyed ones which are just a denim without stretch.  I used a GAP Groupon and a store credit so these technically only cost me $45.

I love this satin top from Banana Republic's Monogram Collection. It was on sale for $31.99 and I got an additional 30% off.  I love tops that have detailing at the neckline like this. It almost acts as an accessory, no necklace needed!

Yesterday at Sephora I tried on a bit of this glittery gold nailpolish and I thought- it's perfect for the holidays!  I like to do my nails Lorraine-style and just paint glitter on one nail (it is a PAIN to get off.)  So I picked this up today.  I also ordered some stuff online because Sephora is having their Friends & Family sale (20% off everything on the site, use code FF2010).

I stopped by at MAC and picked up a Mineralize skin finish natural in Medium-Plus. I have seen a lot of bloggers and YouTubers using these powders and although my MAC Studio Fix is my Holy Grail powder, I thought I'd give this a go. If I don't like it, I can return it (I was not aware MAC had a return policy like this.)

 
 Here is is compared to my Studio Fix in C3 (on the right). The C3 is definitely a bit more yellow. I tend to enjoy yellow-toned foundations because they give a brightness to my skin.

I will report back when I've had a chance to use it.

I snapped some shots of my favorite parts of Lauren Conrad's Style book and wanted to share them here.  While I didn't think the book provided any ground-breaking information, it did give me a few cute ideas. My favorite feature was the Little Black Dress five different ways: (click to enlarge)

 

I really love the black lace slip under the dress in the first photo (from the left) I have been trying to find one online ever since I saw it with no luck!  I think it's great to have that one fabulous black dress in your closet that can really be styled so many different ways.  Every woman needs one of those dresses!

Here are a few of my other favorite shots from the book:

 Ohh a PINK bag!

Her hair and makeup are always so pretty and I love how she sticks to a signature look.  I feel I'm the same way. I know how I like my hair and makeup to look, and I stick with a look that works for me.  It's nice to try different things, but my hair has been every color in the book and I've tried different hair lengths...I've finally found a look I love (my current) and I'm sticking to it!

Lauren shows how a dress goes from day (office) to night (dinner)

Dear gorgeous rosette dress, I am in love with you. That is all.

Bottom line- if you love Lauren Conrad, I think you will like this book. The information isn't ground-breaking or something you haven't heard before, but it has great photos and great tips on things like organizing your closet, shopping better and even packing. 

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend!

xoxo,

Veronika.

PS- did you miss Motivation Mondays this week?  Check it out HERE!

Lulu helping me blog!