FINALLY FOUND THE BOOTS! & Weekend Shopping: Abercrombie, Old Navy, Charlotte Russe

YEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
I FINALLY found the PERFECT cognac boots!  I am SO happy that the search is over and that the ones I got are ones I'm absolutely in love with!

They are from Nine West and were 30% off their original price of $169.  Behold:

I also had to pick up this gorgeous bag. The moment I saw it I knew it had to be mine (also from Nine West):

It looked so lovely with the black and white outfit I wore today.  I can't wait to use it. It's larger than a clutch but smaller than a typical purse. You can buy it here!

Here's what else I picked up today:

 This pretty fairisle sweater coat from Old Navy (yes, it's from the kids section and I don't care, I love it!  I got a size large and it's perfect!) it looks really great on and it's very warm.

This V-Neck sweater from Abercrombie & Fitch (it was an extra 50% off and came to like $15.)  I got a size Large:

A little wrinkly, but this gingham shirt was also 50% off and cost about $10) I think it will look great tucked into a skirt with my navy blue AE long cardigan.  I must comment that the customer service at A&F was actually good today, which is great.  I was in line waiting to pay and when it was my turn, I saw a girl wearing the shirt above and I realized I had seen it on the sale rack so I asked the cashier to hold on to my sweater while I went to try it on. When I got back into the long line the cashier actually motioned for me to come forward and finish my transaction. I thought that was really nice since I had already waited in a long line the first time.

I also picked up this pretty jewelry at Charlotte Russe: (I was returning the boots I bought there last week.)

...and lastly, this eyeliner from MAC's Tartan Tales Collection called "Lord it Up"...it's a brown shade with a bronzey shimmer to it! The liners are all water resistant which is awesome. I plan to use this on my top lid.

That's it for this weekend!  I feel relieved that I pretty much have everything I need for our trip (except for hats and gloves.) The footwear was really my biggest concern. I may pick up a sleek pair of black runners but haven't found the right ones yet.

Hope you all have a great weekend and happy shopping!  BTW, I did check out the Nordstrom half year sale and I did try on a wonderful Laundry brand dress but I passed on it (it was still almost %150).  I didn't even look through a lot of the store because I didn't want to tempt myself. Sometimes I just have to stay away!

Let me know if you bought anything today in the comments below!

xoxo,

Veronika.

Returning It: Redken Body Full Instant Bodifier & Requested: IRL Pics of the CR Boots

Redken Body Full Instant Bodifier.  Oh do I have things to say about this product.  Usually I post product raves, but sadly (and I wanted to love this) this gets a big thumbs-down from me.  It's from their new Body Full line and I thought I'd pick it up when I was at Ulta over the weekend since it was so highly recommended by MakeupByAlli (love her blog and YouTube channel BTW!)

Before I get into this rant, I must say that I LOVE most Redken products, this one just wasn't for me. It literally had no "PROS" aside from the fact that it does smell nice.

I used this product on the roots of my hair for my Monday blowout, and what happen can only be described as sticky.  When I ran my fingers through my roots as a blow-dried, it felt like I had sprayed a dry glue into my hair. It was just really dry, rough and sticky. I could hardly work with my round brush.  My hair felt like it was being overpowered by the product instead of working with the product in harmony to create a soft, voluminous blowout.

This product is made for "baby fine" hair...I do have fine hair but I have a lot of it, so maybe it's just not meant for my hair type. It makes hair feel stiff and sticky and the results of my blowout were not as good because it sort of prevents your hair from getting that "bounce" most women covet (at least for me that was the case.)

When I use Redken GUTS 10 Volume Spray Foam, it's a whole new story. That product is an HG for me and gives a ton of volume without the undesired stiffness and stickiness. You might experience a tiny bit of stickyness when you're first drying your hair, but it goes away as you dry your hair and hair is still soft and bouncy. I also love Redken's Full Frame Mousse.

I will be retuning this to Ulta ASAP. It retails for $16.99. My advice: stick with the GUTS 10 foam.

On another note, one of my lovely readers asked me to take a picture of my CR boots ON.  I was somewhat horrified when I put them on after work today because they um...kind of hurt. Like immediately as I put them on. That concerns me since they are supposed to be my main walking shoe in Paris.  So I'm going to try them on again at different times and see how they feel.  If they continue to hurt that's definitely going to be an issue and I'll have to (sadly) return them.  I hate that because I thought my search was finally over. I hate that I have to look for the seemingly impossible perfect cognac boot again (and if I get new ones they will probably cost a heck of a lot more. ugh.)

Ok, here they are:

*Sigh*  I really don't want to return them :(  Ladies, if you can find flat, cognac boots (not the Steve Madden Intyce ones--- they've already been eliminated) for under $200, please post the link below! I'm desperate! I didn't see these in the store when I went---but they are also from CR and might be a good option for me (link).

Thank you for reading.  I have my trainer tonight so I'm looking forward to a nice tough workout!

xoxo,

Veronika.