Weekend Shopping: Paris, Here I Come (Baby, It's Cold Outside)

I woke up at 5 a.m. this morning to do a quick work thing where I had to be on-site somewhere.  I wore a tee, my VS PINK thermal hoodie and my Zara jacket that I bought for our trip to Paris.

Let's just say that being outside even for 5 minutes felt awful even though I was wearing layers. I finally came to terms with the fact that my lined wool jacket just wasn't going to cut it in the freezing Pairs temperatures. I've been in denial all this time. "I'll layer!" I said confidently. "I'll wear polar fleece underneath!" I assured myself. Alas, I realized that the thin wool coat I have does not actually prevent wind from going through it, which is why my teeth were clacking as the wind lashed through my not-so-warm layers.

You can imagine my predicament on one of the busiest shopping days of the year---finding a down-filled jacket for under $300 was a challenge I didn't want to take on today---battling the traffic and parking space madness was already too much for me (Dear dude in the Dillards parking lot---thanks for blatantly pulling into a parking space when I was in fact signaling that it was mine, and then "shrugging your shoulders" when I tried to point out I was there first. Merry Christmas).

First, I tried a store called Whole Earth Provisions Co. which was good in theory but all of their down coats were the North Face and other pricey brands---I didn't want to pay $300 for a coat I was buying for one occasion.

I also tried Old Navy which was a fail...then I went to Nordstrom Rack...another fail.

Moving on.

I finally struck gold at Macy's where I found a MICHAEL KORS coat for 60% OFF! I couldn't believe my luck because it's exactly what I was looking for.  It was originally $265---I paid $103. Sweet lord was I ever happy!  It even made up for my parking lot experience.

Oh yes. I am going to be toasty and stylish, my vacation dream come true! 

Speaking of toastiness, behold my new gloves. Warm and cozy. I got them at Marshall's for $12.99:

Also from Marshall's this travel bag. I plan to bring this as my carry-on with things like my makeup products (no liquids), my camera and other pricier items or things I'll need on the flight.  It was $16.99.  Usually I take a large purse with me, but I'd rather have more room this time around since we'll be gone a longer time.

It's got side pockets and comes with a little baggie inside that matches to keep change in...or whatever else might fit that you need to store.

Finally, I got this cute tank at Marshall's for $7.99. It's super long and it's made of that comfy stretchy fabric.

My last purchase of the day was from Banana Republic. Right now they're having a 40% off of your ENTIRE PURCHASE sale---so go while it's still on (until tomorrow, Sunday Dec. 19). It's a great sale if you still have some last-minute gift-buying to do.

I got this cozy sweater (um, can I use the word cozy any more in this entry?) It's a light oatmeal color with super soft baby pink stripes. It's so soft and warm. I just love it.

This isn't a purchase---but the lovely Candice lent me this pretty sweater for my trip. It's so holidays! I love it :)

More to come this weekend.  I'm going to do a ton of laundry tonight so packing can commence.  I'm kind of stressed out about packing but I know I'll get it done and it will be just fine :)  I will definitely do an entire post about it.

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend (and if someone tries to take YOUR parking spot, just yell "Merry Christmas" at them, like I did.)

xoxo,

Veronika.

OOTD: Geometric Prints

Hello lovely readers! 

I hope everyone had a great day today. My day at work was really productive and I love having those days where you feel like you got a lot accomplished on your to-do list.

I know this BR skirt is not a favorite for some, but it always makes me happy when I wear it. It's crisp and pretty!  I think it photographs a bit oddly but IRL it looks lovely, I promise (or at least I think so!)

Top- Macy's
Skirt- Banana Republic
Cardigan- Express
Shoes- Jessica Simpson
Bag- MbMJ

That's all for today!  I have been working on my new blog template (should debut within the next month) so that's been taking up a little bit of time. As always, thank you for reading!

xoxo,

Veronika.

PS- How cute is Swifty's new video!? Love her!

A Little More Shopping- Rosettes, Stila and American Eagle Denim

Well, I pretty much think the picture above says it all. Baby pink. Rosettes galore. I told my husband the sweater was the epitome of who I am as a person. LOL. I got it today at The Limited for (gasp!) regular price. I just loved it too much. The rosettes are large, so a simple camisole is all you need under this pretty sweater. It is crop length. Love it. I can also see it being adorable with pearls.
Baby and nude pinks are supposed to be big for spring, so I'm glad to have gotten a great pink piece to start the season off right! My second purchase was this pretty blouse from Macy's. I believe it was $25.00. It is sheer, so I'll have to wear a camisole under it. I really like the geometric style pattern. It was in the juniors section, which surprised me. Chloe from The Chloe Conspiracy always wears the "Artist" jeans from American Eagle, which look really cute on her, so I popped into AE today to try them on. I know I've been whining about how much I ate on vacation, but I guess I am OK because I was able to get a size 4 (long) jean, which I've never gotten from there before. Here they are: I don't have a pic of me wearing them yet but they fit great. AE jeans tend to stretch like crazy, so the snug fit of them now is perfect. They cost $39.50 which is great for denim. I also stopped by at Sephora to make an exchange, and picked up this cream lip/cheek color by Stila called "petunia." It's a pretty bright pink/peachy color. I've never used cream blush, but I've tried it on my lips already and love it.

The swatch above shoes the pretty warm pinky color. It was kind of a random buy, but I love it. I will try it on my cheeks this week, and report back!

Other than our little shopping trip (my DH got a few things too), today has been a pretty high-energy day.

I once again purged my closet of older clothes I never wear to donate to charity. Then I cleaned and organized to my heart's content. This is my workout clothes drawer!

I want to actually make a Flip video of how I organize my closet, but it needs a little more work before I do that. I need more drawer dividers too.

I also want to thank each and every one of my readers in this entry for being a follower. Today I reached more than 300 followers, so I'm going to celebrate with a contest. I'm actually not certain what the prizes will be yet...I'll have to take a trip to Ulta and see what goodies I find!

Tonight, I will use my Calrisonic for the first time...very excited!

I also have an awesome Motivation Mondays post for tomorrow.

What did YOU buy this weekend? anything exciting? Thanks for sharing your comments with me!

xoxo,

Veronika.

Weekend Haul: Today, I Discovered Department Stores

Today, I discovered department stores. You read correctly, department stores. Now, before you all think I'm crazy, I know what department stores are, and I have been inside of them before...but today I really discovered what they had to offer (typically, I just go there for one item, like tights, and leave without looking around.)

You see, my husband and I arrived at the mall at 11 a.m. Much to our dismay, we discovered the stores didn't open until noon. So I got a Gingerbread Latte at Starbucks...and then I saw that Macy's was open.

"Why don't we just go to pass the time and look at stuff," I suggested.

So we walked around the nearly empty department store and that's when it hit me. As we browsed around in the dress section, I saw so many gorgeous dresses- from cocktail dresses to evening gowns to work dresses. I couldn't believe my eyes...and the prices were incredible too. And, unlike Forever 21, the dresses there were actually long enough on me to be work appropriate.

I purchased a gorgeous 3/4 sleeve holiday/work dress by Tiana B. It has this pretty detailing on the sleeves and bottom of the dress. I think it's festive, but not too festive for the office. I also like that I can add a belt or some great accessories to spice it up for the evening. It's a great dress to wear to any evening holiday event. I've been looking for a dress like this for a long time, and am happy to have finally found it!

It actually looks nice and fitted when it's on. I especially love the 3/4 sleeves that hit just below my elbows. It was 25% off too!

I also found some gorgeous work dresses there, but I'm going to hold off for now. It's nice to know I have a go-to place for when I need an appropriate-length work dress. I prefer to wear dresses over anything else, so finding ones that are long enough for my 5'10 frame can be a challenge!

With about 30 minutes left until the mall opened, we headed to JC Penny. I bought an adorable dress from Charlotte Ronson's line (also on sale). It has some pretty beading detail at the neck.

It also plunges into a great ruffle "V" shape in the back.

After my department store shopping success, I headed to Forever 21 to return a belt I had ordered online (the studded "Carrie" belt I talked about a few weeks ago- I ordered it in two sizes because I wasn't sure.) I got this pretty argyle sweater. I love how the sleeves have the block of cream, it really makes the sweater looks polished when it's on. You probably can't tell from the photos, but the cream part is actually a bit metallic/shimmery...very holiday appropriate!

I also got this amazing feathered/bejewled headband! It is so fun and pretty! I even plan to bring it on vacation. I like to wear accessories on the beach. Call me crazy but I think it's fun! I have to pull my hair back somehow, why not pull it back with a pretty headband instead of something plain, right!? I recently saw Brody Jenner's girlfriend Jade wear a prett feathered headband with her bikini, and she rocked it. It gave the look a little something extra!



I also got these pretty animal print-esque metallic bracelets. I think they will look amazing with a nice tan and beach hair. Yes, that's right, I also bought these with our vacation in mind.

My final purchase was this pretty leaf/ruffle top from Charlotte Russe. I saw it displayed in the window under a black blazer and I just couldn't resist. Each ruffle leaf is shimmery and has a sort of polka-dot subtle design on it. Very feminine.


I am loving all of the sparkly, shimmery, party-type clothes that are avaialble in stores during the holidays. The holidays bring so much more embellishments and details to clothes. I love that. I tend to stock up on party dresses during the holidays because they are hard to come by in the summer time, when the focus is on bright, flowy dresses.

What did you buy this weekend? Leave me a comment below! We saw New Moon today, and it was really good. I thought it was a little slow in the beginning, but it really developed the characters a bit more in this movie. I'm going to skip reading the second book and just go right to the third, because now I want to know what happens next! Have you seen New Moon yet? Hope everyone had a great weekend!

xoxo,

Veronika.