NYE is fast approaching and this dress is the perfect way to kick it off! I love the one shoulder and ombré sequins but I really love the one shoulder. I bought this in small and I usually have zipper issues, but this zipped up without a glitch. These Tamara Mellon red heels are the perfect punch of color to kick off NYE and can’t wait to pair them with jeans. Even if I don’t end up ringing in 2018 at a party, it’s date night ready. What are you wearing?
Other New Years options:
5 Coats Under $100
One of my readers asked me to share some budget friendly options for the wintertime. I rounded up 5 coats under $100, yes under $100 can you believe?
ANDREW MARC faux leather x faux fur
TOPSHOP hooded parka super practical and cute
A good coat goes a long way. I love wearing just a plain tee under a great statement or teddy coat with classic denim. So, the investment goes a long way. Which is your favorite?
More sales around the web this weekend
COACH 50% off sale
LOFT extra 50% off with code WRAPITUP
BLOOMINGDALES extra 15% off no code necessary!
MADEWELL 30% off with code LATEBIRD
INTERMIX $50 off a purchase of $250
FARFETCH up to 60% off select
I’m the last minute lazy Susan when it comes to cool hot gifts. This time of year has a way of overwhelming me and at the same time craving for some off-the-grid cabin time with my family. More on that later. Meanwhile, below are some things I’m genuinely wanting (or already purchase for myself haha) and that you can get and gift. Whether your friend or sister is a traveler, fashionista, homebody or beauty junkie, there is something for everyone. And who doesn’t want sweet dreams on a silk pillowcase?
1. WEEKENDER BAG This bag looks leather but its vegan! Amazing.
2. HAT This shape of hat is super flattering and great for days you don’t wash your hair.
3. SILK PILLOWCASE I’m on day 2, and my kids already tried to steal it. It’s the little luxuries in life right?
4. BRONZER in “laguna.” I use this for SoCal winters when I’m not as tan. Also a make up artist told me to use it on my eyelids like eye shadow. Love!
5. MUG Every year Anthropologie comes out with another adorable mug, I usually buy one for myself and one for a friend. They make mornings better.
6. ROBE in grey. Any robe in the softest material is a win. Need I say more?
7. YOUTH OIL, smells and feels amazing, need any further convincing? Just try it out yourself and see
8. COZY SOCKS in grey polka dot. I wear these around the house. Tip, exfoliate your fee than put on foot lotion and these socks. It’s like a mini spa treatment for your hardest working feet.
I have such a soft spot for tweed and all things red. I mean, pardon the fact that I’m wearing a red baker boy hat on repeat on Instagram. However, tis the season right? This red coat and gold buttons is a total beauty. I love it dressed up and down and a total statement! My in-laws will be here over Christmas and I can’t wait to bust this out with black jeans, a sweater and sneakers.
I just love this tweed off the center skirt too. I had to adjust the belt since I bought it too big, my bad, but I still love it! What are you wearing for the holidays?
red coat // skirt // boots // sunnies // belt
Camel Coat Outfit
Ski Jacket // Ski Pants //
The Arrabelle at Vail Mountain
Perched up on top of the breathtaking Rockies – a mere 8,022 feet above sea level, is the European inspired town of Vail, CO. I cannot tell you how excited we were to finally go here! Not to mention as a family. This summer, we stopped in Vail for two days on our way to Chicago. Read more here. We rode the gondola and marveled at the streams, the warm sun, chilly nights, and most of all, GORGEOUS VIEWS. Family vacations, as many moms know, are not all relaxing all the time, so we were super excited when Reid’s parents agreed to join us in Vail for a couple of days. A girl needs a couple date nights out with hubby, right? I also got a little spa day, more on that below.
Which do you prefer? Skiing or beach. As always…I’ll welcome one of each per year, if I can. All in the name of balance, right? Now that we live in a warm climate, I don’t mind a week in snowy cabin. The family was fortunate enough to partner with Vail Resorts as the ski season was just getting kicked off this last week. The beauty of going skiing as a young family is that you are investing in their skills so when they are teenagers, they’ll be racing you down the black diamonds…if that’s your thing. Or, sipping hot chocolate with you in the lodge.
Reserved Ski lessons
For a large family, you can book a private group lesson for less than 4 kids ½ day ski school. Here’s our lesson learned. Skiers and snowboards don’t mix. The boys chose to snowboard and the girls skied. I booked Ski lessons for everyone. The Vail Ski School was super accommodating. They arranged for a group ½ day lesson for the boys at a little extra cost. The girls kept with the private lesson I had originally booked. While the kids were in their lessons, Reid and I skied together which ended up being on the same bunny slope as the kids. So we all got to see each other the first day. And woahhhh… did my heart melt seeing my mini snowboarders figuring things out! It was the cutest thing I have ever seen. Seriously. Worth every penny. The boys though switched to skiing the rest of the trip, so Reid and I spent a day teaching them skiing. Fortunately, they picked it up pretty fast. Can we say Pizza? I grew up calling it Snowplow? What did you call it?
Booked a spa treatment
My hubby surprised me with a spa treatment at the Arrabelle Spa. With the winter dryness setting in, airplane hair, wind burn, I needed major facial reconstruction. I had a 50 minute glow facial. It was…..
Yes. That good.
I loved the exfoliation, steam, hot towels and how tight my skin felt afterwards. I learned a lot too! The aesthetician told me silk pillows are worth the buy both for your hair and skin, go easy on chemical peels, and every night you go to bed with make-up on, ages you 7 days. Ouch! Good to know. Bonus, I was given lemon sorbet after the procedure and a welcome to come back to the spa anytime to use the spa’s hot tub, sauna and steam room as we were hotel guests. Which of course Reid and I did that night.
Meal Planning
Planning a day on the slopes can be overwhelming. Especially for a larger family. We tried to ease some stress by packing a backpack of crackers, gummies and water. It did help some hangry moments. Nobody really wanted to stop skiing, so a quick snack hit the spot. Plus, the lifts lines we the best during the lunch hour!
Spending time on the slopes will be memorable now and years to come. We are now one of those skiing families that I always dreamed of being.
Thank you Vail Mountain/Vail Tourism for a wonderful trip our family will never forget!
A staycation is one of the best traditions we do before Christmas. Since moving to LA, we’ve attended the Four Season’s Westlake “Let it Snow” event. The kids talk about the Four Season’s all year. When December rolled around again, we booked another night. Making California look like Christmas is a challenge for us native Midwesterners, but the movie like snow, roasting s’mores, and Christmas cookies with Mrs. Clause makes us all a little home sick. In a good way. What topped it all, from the kids review, was the train ride with a big surprise at the end. It was the Grinch and he was handing out candy canes.
After we had our fill of the Christmas festivities, we headed up to the room for some family time, which included room service and Star Wars. We lounged on the couch, ate pizza and watched the movie in our robes. It was some great quality time together. It’s nice being away for a night and avoiding the Christmas clutter we had left behind at home.
We woke up early the next morning to enjoy the Four Season’s Character Breakfast. The kids stayed in their pajamas, threw on their robes and we all headed down to breakfast. Beauty and The Beast greeted us as we sat down. We all filled our bellies with bacon, avocado toast and eggs while life size characters took selfies with us. The kids were enthused! Oh and did I mention they found the Elf on the Shelf! That was a highlight as we checked out and headed home.
Thank you Four Season’s Westlake for a lovely stay!
These 7 For All Mankind jeans are the gems I’ve been looking for when it comes to coated denim. When I first saw them I got a very downtown-meets-uptown-meets-errands vibe, which I’m kinda all about. To be sure they were as amazing as I thought, I took them on a test drive through the Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles. Yep! I was right and I love them so much I can barely take them off! They’re the perfect marriage between faux leather leggings and distressed denim. This pair runs slightly large, so I sized down, but the slim fit is great, especially with oversized loungewear.
For this look, I stayed with 7FAM and paired the coated denim with this super luxurious leopard coat with faux fur trim and finished it off with patent booties. I love this outfit, but I definitely can’t wait to wear the jeans with sneakers and camel coats, too. That is if the temps ever decide to dip—wishful thinking in SoCal. We’ll see. Now, I can’t wait for a night out!
We recently purchased an oval marble table for our dining room and I was on the hunt for the perfect chairs to match. I felt some pressure because I had purchased some chairs in the past we had regretted, they fell apart easily and were uncomfortable to sit on. However, I was determined to make this a better situation. I did some research, even asked readers and followers on Instagram stories what are their favorite furniture brands. I finally put together a couple looks I loved on Pinterest and boom, my vision for our dining room was taking shape. I ended up choosing two velvet chairs from Anthropologie and 6 from Houzz.com. The latter was a sizable purchase so I did what I always do, check and see if I can find a promo code. Those who know me well, know I love coupons (though I’ll admit I have zero time for them now) and my mom used to pay me for the coupons we used on our grocery trip. That early training sparked my habit for always looking for the best deal. My mission was to find antique gold cafe chairs and find them before Thanksgiving. That’s not too much to ask for, right? So when I was ready to check out and purchase the chairs on Houzz.com, I noticed the promo code was empty. I looked for a promo code for Houzz.com on RetailMeNot. A site I had used a couple times before. I’m happy to announce that I found a promo code that saved me $100 off on the chairs and called Reid at work who was proud of me for doing the research and most of all, finally picking out chairs. Now, before every purchase, I check RetailMeNot, just in case, so as to not miss a promo code that could potentially mean huge savings. Also, I recently downloaded the app, chose my preferences, mine were kids, fashion and of course, shoes. I didn’t turn on post notification ( since that makes me a little crazy) and signed in seamlessly with my Facebook account. What’s your next big or small purchase? Whether its a gift for your mom, your son your co-worker, a new vacuum or like me, 8 new chairs, take my advice and check RetailMeNot first. You will thank me later. and by the way, the app is free 🙂
sweatshirt // jeans /// sneakers and similar // sunglasses
Southern California winters don’t usually allow for cute puffer coats and layers of sweaters, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still be cozy. I like to do this style with just a touch of chic – that’s the trick to dressing cozy – keep things comfortable, but adding a little something to avoid looking like you just rolled out of bed (even when you did!). Cue this amazing vintage style pullover from Bloomingdale’s. It’s chic with its colors and pattern, but at the end of the day it’s a terry sweatshirt that I can move in. Plus, I’m always into a hint of vintage – it makes things more interesting and unique.
To dial it up just a touch I’m adding these ripped black coated jeans and sneakers. The jeans are still very casual, but the sneakers add that little bit of laid back chic I mentioned. Pro tip? Find a balance. If you know your top is on the relaxed side, spice it up with a cute sneaker like I did here or a black boot for going out. If it got chilly at night, as it does here in Southern California, I’d add this coat to add a dash of glam to an otherwise sporty look.
You can find all of these pieces at Bloomingdale’s. I love shopping with them because I can get all the high fashion pieces I’m looking for along with some of my favorite brands all in one place! Have you tried Wildfox loungewear? Why am I so late to the game? See more favorites below.
Thank you Bloomingdale’s for sponsoring this post!
leopard coat // tee // jeans similar // beret // kitten heels // sunnies
Editor’s note, this post was re-published due to being deleted on accident! Enjoy the post!
I once again feel drawn to this gorgeously basic, wannabe neutral, leopard! It’s one of those prints that is timeless. I have a cardigan from LOFT I’ve had for 4 years and I can’t seem to give it away. Hence, this post. If you follow me on Instagram, you know I love this leopard coat I’m wearing has been a favorite. Especially paired with a graphic tee, red beret and kitten heels. If you get anything this fall, make sure at least one piece is leopard. Be it an accessory or top or heels. As a styling tip, while I would NOT wear this print top to bottom, rather it looks best sprinkled into your wardrobe. Try it and let me know if it upgrades your chic.
Happy Friday!
