OOTD & I Finally Used My Hot Tools Curling Iron

Hello lovely readers! I am absolutely exhausted from Pilates class tonight so I feel fortunate that I took photos of my outfit before I left for work this morning!

It's getting warmer here, so I'm very much looking forward to ditching tights soon (though I do like their slimming effect on the legs.) I also cannot wait to wear open-toed shoes again. Bring on the pretty pedicures and awesome heels! One thing I'm dreading- getting back into self tanning. I know, I know, "pale is the new tan" but when I have bare legs, I like them to have a bit of color.

Here's what I wore today:

Cardigan- Express; Skirt- BCBG MaxAzria; Ruffle Sleeve Tee- Forever 21; Tights- Hue@Macy's; Shoes- Jessica Simpson; Watch- Michael Kors; Necklace- Tiffany&Co. & Forever 21.

So I also finally used my new Hot Tools brand curling iron this morning (I have the 1 1/4 inch version.) My second-day hair was looking a little blah, so I perked up some of the front pieces with this miraculous tool (much better than my cheaper Conair curling iron.) I paid about 40$ for the Hot Tools curling iron at Beauty First. It has tons of heat settings, which I love.

Beauty confession: I absolutely suck at using curling irons. My hairdresser actually tried to give me a lesson and I failed. The strange thing is, I can make curls/waves with a flatiron, but put a curling iron in my hand and it's like I've lost my sense of direction. Literally. I lose all sense of which way to turn it and twist it and have no natural understanding of which angle to put my hair in it.

Having said that, I think I did OK today. I was going for a loose/textured look. I didn't have time to do my entire head, so I just perked up the face-framing pieces to make myself feel less blah.

Here is how it turned out:

I think it was alright for my first curling iron attempt. More attempts to come, I'm sure. I like to wear my hair wavy.

Are you a curling iron pro, or do you struggle with it like I do? Let me know in the comments below!

xoxo,

Veronika.

The Shoes with the Bow & OOTD's

The shoes have arrived. I came home to a cute white and hot pink bag/box that contained the Paris Hilton shoes I had been anticipating for the last week.

They are adorable. The bows are a little crushed from shipping, but I'll fluff them back out with foam inserts.

OK so let me say this...the left shoe is a tad bit big and the right shoe fits but is very tight. They are the same size (no mess-ups.) I don't know if my right foot is swollen or just massively larger than my left, but I can walk in them and that's what counts, right? I got a size 10, my normal size.

I do love them. Here they are (please ignore my toes, they need a pedicure)




Pretty, huh? I'm excited for when it gets a bit warmer and I can wear them. I'm going to need to get an insert for the left one, because my heel slides out a bit when I walk.

As I uploaded the shoe pics, I had some OOTD photos I had forgotten about. Here are some from this week. Not super exciting, but hey, it's what I wore.

Top- Forever 21 silk blouse w/racerback; Cardigan- Express; Skirt- Express; Pearls- Charlotte Russe; Tights- Hue @ Macy's; Shoes- Jessica Simpson.

Top- BCBG; Cardigan- Express; Pants- Express; Shoes- Aldo.

Like I said, nothing too exciting, but we can't be exciting everyday, can we?

Before I go, I'd like to thank everyone who's taken the time to write a nice comment or email to me lately. I read every email and every comment and I always appreciate you ladies sharing your thoughts with me, it really means a lot.

xoxo,

Veronika.

BCBG MaxAzria Haul & Casual Weekend OOTD

Today, my bestie Candice and I hit the outlets on 290 to find some deals. Lately we've been tired of our regular trips to the Galleria and Memorial City, so we decided to venture out to expand our retail horizons.

I am not a great outlet shopper. What I mean by that is that I don't just buy things because they are cheap. I truly only focus on buying things I love, no matter what the cost or what store they are from. Just because a t-shirt is $5, I don't feel the need to buy it unless I need it or it is truly an item that is so unique and awesome, that I fall in love with it.

In fact, I've scored so little at outlets that people were shocked to learn I bought only 2 items when I went to the San Marcos outlets (a $3 storage box from Crate & Barrel and a makeup travel bag from Victoria's Secret.) I just didn't think the deals were that great, and a lot of the merchandise was stuff that didn't sell well in stores or was super outdated. I just wasn't impressed. Also, the prices aren't that great in most stores, especially the designer ones. Saving $50 on a lukewarm item just isn't that appealing to me. I prefer to shop sales in mall stores on more current merchandise.

Today was a good day at the outlets for me, courtesy of BCBG MaxAzria.

Here's what I got:
The skirt above looks super cute on. It was originally $178, and I got it for $49 (!!!!!!!). It's a size 4. I will be sure to do an OOTD when I wear it, because I don't own anything like it. Candice actually convinced me it was too cute not to buy, and she ended up buying one for herself too!


The skirt above was originally...I think $138? I got it for $65. I love the pleats at the top and the little belt. I had actually seen this skirt in the non-outlet BCBG store and admired it from afar, but the price tag was too much. I was thrilled to find it at the outlet. Also, it is my first navy-blue skirt. Size 4.

My final purchase was this gorgeous top. I was immediately attracted to the colors, as I don't own anything green, and I don't own a lot of navy either. The flutter sleeves are so cute. It just looks really cute on. I love that it cinches at the waist but can also been worn loose with skinny jeans. It also looks awesome tucked into a skirt. I was surprised at how much I loved this top actually. I just tried it on because the colors were cute together, but it ended up being a win in all categories. It was on sale for $49. Originally probably $100-120. Size small.

One of my lovely readers asked me to post what I wear on weekends. Typically I am in LuluLemon stuff, because I go to pilates Saturday mornings. Today, I was all ready to go and then I had girl issues (cramps) and decided to skip the class because I was just not feeling well and didn't want to have to struggle through it. So today I wore this on our shopping trip:

Bottoms- LuluLemon "still" pants; Tops: LuluLemon Racerback tank (in baby pink), Banana Republic zip-up (not shown) & PH8T military jacket.

So yeah, pretty casual. That's what I love about LuluLemon and PH8T workout clothes. You can go from the pilates studio to the mall and not feel like a complete slob. The clothes are made with that in mind. Plus, LuluLemon pants are so gosh darn flattering!

Thanks for reading :)

What did YOU buy this weekend? Please share below!

xoxo,

Veronika.