Re-cap: Chicago Weekend and Work Trip!

Hello loves! I wanted to share a little recap of my Chicago trip. I was there from last Friday, and I got in last night. I was there over the weekend to support one of my best friend's Caitlin on her first full marathon! She was amazing and is so strong! I am so proud of her for this huge accomplishment - seriously such an inspiration! 

Love you Caity! 

I was able to catch up with friends I don't get to see that often. It was great to see my sorority sister, Bev, and meet Caitlin's other friend Meghan who I had never met before! I had a blast with them over the weekend. I also got to see my good friends from Atlanta Chris and Meghan who live in Chicago!

So confession.. I am IN LOVE with Chicago. Not only does it have amazing shopping and restaurants, but the people are so nice. I won't even talk about the amount of HOT TALL men walking around the city. We were blessed with great weather and it was even warm some of the days! Of course, you know I always do some shopping damage and I did take the plunge on these babies from Zara. I will say it time after time, but Zara is one of my favorite stores and I always hit it up every time I am in a city that has one. 

I also did something VERY bad. I did a makeup trial at Neiman Marcus with Tom Ford makeup. It was beyond amazing. No wonder his products cost what they do! I ordered the Cognac Sable eyeshadow quad (on it's way to me right now) & I bought this GORGEOUS lip gloss. Honestly - the best lipgloss I have ever used! It is so creamy and glossy, but not sticky! Tom Ford Ultra Lip Shine Gloss in Peach Absolute

FOOD - Amazing! My friend Chris took me to Japonais - it was some of the best Asian food I have ever had. My favorite was this dish - NY strip cooked on a rock! Definitely recommend if you are ever in Chicago!

I had a great time visiting, and had some good work meetings as well. Definitely glad to be home! Expect some videos this weekend! :)

Happy Thursday!

Fall Fashion Trends Haul!

Guys, I have a major problem. I CANNOT stop shopping for fall. I feel like everything is extra cute this season and I have an urge to buy everything! I filmed a little (aka big) shopping haul talking about some of my favorite fall items I have picked up recently and how I plan on wearing them! 

What I bought:  

Report Signature Booties
Target Faux Leather T-Shirt
Target Chifon Tunic
J.Crew Pixie Pants with Leather Tuxedo Stripe
Joe's Jeans The Skinny
Free People Sparks Fly Dress
Mink Pink Dress
J.Crew Necklaces: Crystal Wildflower Necklace & Crystal Cloves Necklace
Urban Outfitters Sweater
BP Cardigan

I hope you enjoyed watching! I have gotten requests to do more beauty product reviews and outfit videos and I definitely plan on it! 

Happy Thursday! :)

Catch-up: work, blogging events, and life in general!

Hi guys! Been crazy as per usual, but wanted to pop in and share life lately! I hate to be doing basically catch-up posts these days - I don't mean to be abandoning my blog at all, but I have just been swamped. Thankfully, this past Saturday marked the end of our Hispanic Heritage festivals and we totally went out with a bang!

We had close to 40,000 attendees - meaning that we basically quadrupled last year's attendance. I am so extremely proud of our team and everyone's hard work that made it happen. It was a monumental event for Charlotte where we were able to close down two streets Uptown and have it be named the official Hispanic Heritage celebration of Charlotte!
 
this picture pretty much sums it up! 
Other than work, life has been pretty normal! I have been concentrating on eating clean and working out with my amazing trainer! I have had a few setbacks, but I am back on track! :)

Typical dinner: Grilled Chicken breast cooked with Mrs. Dash seasoning and organic olive oil spray, sauteed kale cooked in EVOO and garlic powder, small side salad with mushrooms, red peppers, and lettuce - topped with evoo and white wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar - yum! Getting cardio in as much as possible - my trainer makes us "run" on the eliptical!
My sister and I out at Bubble on Saturday, Me with our Latina 102.3 DJ Carla at Hola Charlotte, Interviewing on Channel News 14 the day of the festival, lots of coffee to keep me going, radio promotion for the festival, and my baby chloe 

Ordered these gorgeous Anthropologie flats! I love them! Lydia Cutout Loafers

 Yesterday, I got to attend a fun blogging event at my favorite place ever - Nordstrom! If you know anything about me, I am a complete Nordstromoholic. Definitely my favorite department store by far! Yesterday, Nordstrom at SouthPark mall held a trunk show and viewing party of the new Top Shop collection that will be available there on the 12th. I loved getting to see the collection and getting to see some of my favorite bloggers as well! It was a great event! Thank you to the lovely girls at Nordstrom for having us!

 I wore my fabulous Derng Mignon necklace! I am also wearing my favorite lipstick - the YSL Rouge Volupte in Fuschia in Excess
Topshop is one of my favorite stores, so I am so excited to have it in Charlotte now! Even though it is not the actual store, having it available at Nordstrom is still amazing!
I got to see the lovely Kenya again! She is such a sweetheart and a total fashionista! Definitely check out her amazing blog! Kenya L. Fashion Blog

Recent Outfits

Outfit 1: Top: Brandy Melville | Jeans:  Joe Jeans "The Skinny" | Flats: Lydia Cut-Out Loafers from Anthropologie | Outfit 2: Top: Madewell | Jeans: Joe Jeans"The Skinny" | Booties: Vince Camuto Hadley | Necklace: J.Crewhttp://bit.ly/1dHg2oq | Outfit 3: Top: Vestique Boutique | Leggings: H&M | Shoes: Report Signature | Necklace: Derng

This pretty much sums up my life lately pretty well! Hope to be back to regular blogging soon! :) As promised, I have a new blog design/name/etc in the works, just need a bit more time!

Have a great Wednesday!

September Beauty Favorites!

So, it's October... where did September go? It was definitely the fastest month so far this year! I discovered some great beauty products last month, and wanted to share my favorites. I would say that the standouts are the Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation, and the Philosohopy Microdelivery Purifying Peel! 

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation (I am in shade 2.0)
Benefit Rockateur Blush
YSL Rouge Volupte Shine #13 - Pink in Paris
Marc Jacobs Lip Gel - Understudy

Benefit's They're Real Mascara
Philosophy - The Microdelivery Purifying Peel

[I got my Jordan products at Walgreens, but I found them online here at Cherry Culture -]
Jordana 12 Hour Made to Last - Liquid Eyeliner Pencil in Espresso Last and Black Point
Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain - Honey Love 

Naked Skin Foundation | Philosophy the Mircodelivery Purifying Peel | Benefit's Rockateur Blush | YSL Rouge Volupe Shine in Pink in Paris | Marc Jacobs Lip Gel in Understudy

Let me know if you have any questions about any of these products or would want a more in-depth review :) Thank you for watching!

Catch up: Connecticut Weekend!

Hi my loves! I feel extremely out of the loop with blogging and catching up with everyone's lives. Time has been of the short lately, but this Saturday is my last festival of the year for work, and work will definitely be a little more calm starting next week! :) I flew into JFK last Friday evening, and had an amazing weekend with my best friends in Stamford, CT. One of my absolute best friends, Erin, got engaged earlier this year and her and her fiance just bought a house! Talk about a big year for her, I am SO beyond happy for her. She is in medical school and is extremely smart, ambitious, and not to mention an amazing friend (and gorgeous)! Love you Erin!

Erin hosted her official bridesmaids dinner and gave us all beautiful jewelry, cupcakes, and one of the sweetest notes anyone has ever written for me. I am so blessed to have these types of friends in my life! I cannot wait for all of the wedding festivities coming up next year and the wedding next October! We went to this really cute Spanish restaurant called Barcelona in Stamford and then went out to some of the local bars. It was a blast! 

meeting on Friday at my favorite Charlotte museum - Levine Museum of the New South, Dinner and Drinks out in Stamford with my friends - so much fun! :) 

 Saturday was Erin and Lenny's housewarming party and it was one of the most fun days I have had this year! The weather was BEAUTIFUL and just a gorgeous day overall! :) 

Recent Outfits

Work outfit on Friday: Trouve Blouse from Nordstrom [old], F21 drapey vest [old], Target skirt [old], Dailylook Bag 

Saturday Day Party: Free People Sparks Fly Cape Dress, Vince Camuto Hadley booties

In other news - I filmed three videos last night (until 1 am I might add) and they will be up this week/ early next week - trying to space them out! Have a great week everyone. My morning started with a faulty contact lense and then half of my starbucks oatmeal spilling in my purse - sweet! 

Recent Fall Fashion Purchases!

I have been going a little crazy with my fall fashion shopping lately. Maybe it's the change in the weather, the great deals lately, or the fact that I tend to over-shop when stressed? Regardless, I have been an unstoppable shopping machine and I wanted to share some of the goodies I have gotten. With life hectic, I haven't had time to film a haul & some of these are actually still in the mail! 

It is now over, but J.Crew Code was offering 25% off your entire purchase for a a few days this past week. I like to take advantage of these codes because J.Crew does not offer them as regularly as other stores. I was browsing online and decided to head into my local J.Crew on my lunch break to see the in store selection. I love online shopping as much as anyone else, but when I have the physical store less than 10 minutes away, I prefer to shop in store!

 I have an obsession with J.Crew necklaces, so I decided to get these two beauties. 

Crystal Wildflowers Necklace

Crystal Clovers Necklace

If you know me or have followed me for a while - you know my obsession with J.Crew Pixie Pants - they are the most comfortable amazing pair of pants you will ever encounter! These have been on my wishlist for a while because I love that they are not "in your face" leather, but very suble! I can totally see myself wearing these to the office with a longer blouse, blazer and knee high boots. Love them! 

J.Crew Pixie Pants in Leather Tuxedo Stripes

Piperlime was also offering a code this week! It was 20% off your entire purchase, and like J.Crew, their codes are not very usual either! I had been eying these amazing booties for a few weeks now and I knew I had to get them with the sale. I cannot wait to wear these! I then took the plunge on this GORG burgundy vegan leather jacket. At under $100, this jacket is a great deal even without the code! These are both still on their way to me, so I will let you all know how I liked them! :) 

Olive & Oak Vegan Leather Jacket 

Report "Fairfield" Boots

Next up: my favorite store, my heaven, and my home - Nordstrom. I have been a loyal Nordies customer for years now, and I am not stopping anytime soon. I have a Nordstrom debit card where I earn Nordstrom notes so I have been trying to shop there for most of my purchases. 

This t-shirt dress is perfection - so comfy and it was very affordable as well! 

Mink Pink "Tres Chic" Stripe Dress

I was browsing Belk a few weeks back because they actually have a pretty amazing clothing section and one of the only places to buy French Connection and Free People in Charlotte. I fell in LOVE with these skinny jeans from Joe's Jeans. I knew I would rather buy them through Nordstrom, so I ordered these last week and they got to me safe & sound (they were 10 dollars cheaper too!). They are super comfy, stretchy and sexy. Definitely recommend to those looking for that perfect pair of skinnies. At the same time, I also found this gorgeous free people floral dress that had been on my Shopbop wishlist for months now. I knew I was not going to pay $170 for this dress, and I was actually able to get it price matched through Nordstrom for belk's $80 price (another reason why I LOVE THEM). I don't mind ordering online from there because it is always free shipping, and it is just always easier for me to return in store :) 

Joe's Jeans The Skinny

Free People Sparks Fly Dress

So yes, I am a crazy shopaholic! I always love getting some fun new pieces for the fall and winter to add to my wardrobe :)

Sephora Beauty Haul!

I realized I never posted my latest video on my blog! I got some goodies at Sephora a few weeks back and wanted to share :)


Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation
Urban Decay Pressed Powder
Benefit's They're Real Mascara
Fresh Sugar Lip Polish Scrub
Benefit Boxed Powder - The Rockateur
YSL Rouge Volupte Shine - Pink in Paris
Marc Jacobs Lip Gel - Understudy

As always - leave any requests or questions! :)

Thanks for watching!