(Black) Friday Shopping: Best Buy, Express, LOFT & Bath & Body Works

I hope everyone had a safe and happy thanksgiving!  Ours was spent with my husband's wonderful parents and my best friend who joined us for a turkey dinner.  Candice even baked an apple pie (from scratch) and it was delicious!  I couldn't have asked for a better thanksgiving.

I was able to get some reading done this weekend. I had read about this book in a few magazines and it peaked my curiosity so I bought it Thursday after work using a 50% off coupon from BORDERS.  It's called "Some Girls: My Life in a Harem" by Jillian Lauren.  It was a really quick read---definitely a page turner.  It's sort of a mixture of her life and what happened both before and after she decided to go to Brunei and live in a harem serving members of the royal family.  The descriptions of her time there are very interesting.  I almost expected it to be more shocking than it was, but it's certainly a great read and takes you into a world 99.9% of the population will never experience.  Candice is already next in line to read it!

So...I went Black Friday shopping. I had planned JUST to go to Best Buy but then I got all of those emails from all of the stores I shop at and when you see 40% OFF OF EVERYTHING IN THE ENTIRE STORE(!!!!!!!!!!)...well, that's kind of hard to ignore ("think of the money I'm saving!" I exclaimed proudly--- as my H rolled his eyes.)

Many of you ladies will be excited to learn that I finally took the plunge and invested in a good camera.  I purchased the Canon Rebel T2i!!! I am beyond excited!  This means better photos on the blog which I'm thrilled about. I also purchased a camera remote so I can take multiple frames using a tripod.  Very exciting! Finally, I purchased a DVD that's all about how to use the specific model I bought because honestly, I have no idea how to use it outside of automatic mode (haven't even taken it out of the box yet) and I'd love to learn to use it how it's meant to be used and learn about things like white balance and aperture.  It will be a fun little learning journey for me. I can't wait!  Plus getting it now leaves me time to learn to use it before we head to Paris.

So that's my BIG purchase...it's my Christmas present :)  We aren't really exchanging gifts this year (the H and I) because our trip is our gift.

Next up, I got this pretty sweater from Express for 40% OFF:

It's got this pretty, gunmetal colored metallic thread through it.  It was $79.50 and I got it for 40% off.

I picked up 4 packs of Wallflowers from Bath & Body Works too because they were on sale for $5 for a pack of two refills. For anyone who doesn't use these---I recommend them above and beyond any plug in air freshner I've ever used. The quality of the product and the variety of amazing scents available simply beat out the competition.

Lastly, I purchased these two incredible items from LOFT (at 40% off) that I am very excited about!

First, this gorgeous top (*sigh*, it's just so feminine and romantic)

The second item is this lovely lace skirt:

and here they are when I tried them on
(I wouldn't wear them together, this is just from the fitting room):

The top photographed a bit red...it's more of a reddish hot pink---a color I was actually worried about but I think it's nice to add a little something bright in once in awhile. I thought it looked flattering with my skin tone.

Lastly, I forgot to share something I bought at H&M when I was in Slovakia. Believe it or not, I didn't ASK to shop, my grandma's sister and her husband took me to the mall because they wanted to show me where my grandma had liked to shop (her and I shared a love for shopping.)  I only went to about 3 stores.  I ended up getting this sweater coat from H&M.  It's super long and warm...yet also lightweight so It's perfect to layer under a long coat, or even wear as a coat here in Houston where it's not too chilly:

and here's what I wore today---comfy clothes for shopping!

Tee- Love Culture
Hoodie- Victoria's Secret PINK
Tights- Lulu Lemon Wunder Under Pintuck (crops)
Boots- Nine West
Scarf---- My grandmother's---it was one of the items I took as a memory of her and I absolutely love it!

By the way---the Nine west boots are INCREDIBLY comfortable. I was so impressed with how great the felt when I walked around in them for a few hours. I am so very glad I bought them :)

How was your thanksgiving? Did you brave the malls today to get some great deals?

xoxo,

Veronika.

Weekend Haul (Oh Yes, It's a Haul)!!!

My feet are still burning.  Oh yes ladies, I shopped for a solid 6 hours today with my husband.  Bless his heart, he was such a trooper.  We started off at the Galleria where Kevin got a beautiful coat from Zara for our trip to Paris. It's a very nice, long, black wool jacket that's heavy enough for winter.  It's gorgeous!  He also picked up some jeans and a pair of TOMS shoes.  Guys are always so easy. 

I did an unexpectedly large amount of shopping today.  Most of you ladies know that I only shop when there's a deal going on and when I truly love something...and oh were there deals today!!!!

Let's start off with my shopping ensemble.  I finally broke out the JS boots and they were admittedly very comfortable for the first few hours. By the end of the day the balls of my feet were burning...BURNING!  I'm going to add some gel insoles like I do with most of my shoes. I do love these boots so much though.

Tee- Love Culture
Tights- Lulu Lemon Wunder Under Pintuck tights
Boots- Jessica Simpson Collection
Zip-Up- Lulu Lemon

Now onto the shopping!  I am now the proud owner of a gorgeous eyeshadow set from MAC's Tartan collection--- and ladies, this is NOT a collection to pass up.  I try not to get too into all of those collections MAC does because it's easy to go overboard and buy products you don't even need and won't use...but this collection has so many incredible sets that I urge you to check it out.  The packaging is also my favorite packaging MAC has EVER done, and when you see it in person, you'll know why.  The e/s set I got was the brown neutrals one.  The picture simply doesn't do the colors justice. They are gorgeous!  It retails for $36.00:

I just realized I totally forgot to take a picture of the top of the compact.  It's the same blue tartan print of the box and it's velvet and has a gold MAC emblem. It's very high-quality looking.  I almost bought a brush set JUST to get the amazing bag it came with...but I somehow resisted because I didn't need any brushes. I have a feeling this collection's going to go fast.

LOFT was having a 30% off of your entire purchase promo today so of course I just casually stopped in...and I came  out with three absolutely incredible additions to my wardrobe...and one of the items took a trip to another mall!

First up was this navy skirt with silver metallic flecks.  I know I said this earlier, but the picture doesn't do it justice. It looks incredible on.  It's a size 4, was on sale for $39.99 and I got it for 30% off of that.

Next up is a jacket I had to travel for. My LOFT store only had this in a size Extra Small Petite.  It was just too small in the shoulders, but I had to have it. This jacket is probably my favorite thing I got today. It looks absolutely incredible on.  It originally retailed for $148. It was on sale for $59.99 and I got it 30% off of that price.  We ended up driving to Memorial City Mall to pick up the size Small (regular) in the jacket.

The jacket just has so many great details! I can see why it originally had such a hefty retail price.  My final item I got at LOFT was this blouse. They only had a size Large left which turned out to be perfect because I wanted it to have that billowy look.  Believe it or not, I tried all three items I bought on together (with this blouse tucked into the navy skirt and jacket on top) and it looked amazing together. It was really unexpected.  This blouse retails for $54.00 and I got it for 30% off.

I will wear these in an OOTD soon!

Next up are some boots from Charlotte Russe.  BOOTS! Yes, you heard that right.  I have been on the hunt for some flat, cognac-colored boots for our trip and I went to seemingly every shoe store to try some on.  I kept finding boots that were $150-$250 that I didn't love. I thought to myself..."I'm not spending that much money on a pair of boots unless I love them."

So, while checking out the offerings at Charlotte Russe I wandered over to the shoe section where I saw a sign "BUY ONE, GET SECOND FOR $10."  That just couldn't be right.  I asked a sales associate who confirmed that every shoe was in fact, buy one pair, get the second for $10. I was shocked.  Then, I spotted them.  Flat, cognac boots.  At Charlotte Russe. I was hesitant but I tried them on. The felt comfortable and looked nice on.  They retail for $40.  That pretty much sold me since I'll be wearing these to walk around all over the place in winter weather, so I won't be upset if they get roughed up since they are so affordable.

I got the cognac flats and also a black pair with a heel.  The black ones were $10.  I still can't believe it.

 The girl who had no boots, now has three pairs.

I'm happy that my boot hunt has come to and end :) I LOVE boots now, but boy is it hard to find the perfect pair!

I also picked up this fun sequin evening bag at Charlotte Russe. It retailed for $19.50 but all handbags were 30% off.

This bag can really pop against at LBD or all-black outfit.  I just love it. 

Since we had to go to Memorial City to get my LOFT jacket, I was able to stop by Forever 21.  They have a lot of cute stuff right now, but the store was an absolutely clustery mess.  I must admit that the Memorial City store is usually clean and well-organized, but today was definitely an exception. It made it a bit more difficult to shop but I picked up so many great items!  Here we go:

 Tapestry-style scarf, $7.50

Striped open-face sweater $19.80, size Medium

Textured dress/tunic, size Large, $27.50. 
This dress is absolutely gorgeous but I had to size-up because it's so form fitting on the hips and thighs.  I could wear this as a dress if I wore it with black, opaque tights, but it can also be worn as a tunic over skinny jeans.  The texture is just beautiful.  It's really an expensive-looking piece, IMO.

Black and lace top, $15.80, size Medium.

Forever 21 is usually a hit and miss for me.  As in, there are a lot of misses, but when there are hits, the hits are pretty good.  I am really happy with the items I got there today. Can't wait to wear them! If you can find that striped sweater, I highly recommend it. It's just beautiful on.

OK, I swear I'm at the end now.  I also picked up this beautiful sweater by Kensie at Nordstrom Rack- they have lots left, Houston girls!  I got a size small. It was originally $88 and the Rack price was $39.50.  It looks great on and I can see it being cute belted as well.  It's got a very interesting texture, not like any piece I own. It doesn't look like much in the photo, but it's really a nice piece when worn.

Lastly, I used my Express Cash on this long cardigan. Many of you know that I also own this cardigan in white, the one with the crystal buttons.  It was $49.90 and i got $25 off of that (though, I had to buy a lipgloss because you have to spend $50 before taxes to use the coupon. That kind of upset me, but whatever.)

My sweater collection is great right now because I have a balance of all of the neutral colors now that I've added gray.

We also picked up a few antibacterial hand soaps from Bath & Body Works today. We had a 20% off coupon. They already have a lot of the holiday scents in! YUM!

What did YOU buy this weekend? Please please please make me feel better and tell me about your purchases too (in the comments, below!)

xoxo,

Veronika.

Weekend Finds & Lauren Conrad Style Book Review

Happy Sunday everyone!  Today Kevin and I went to Rice Village to try and find a coat for him for our trip.  We didn't have any luck at any of the stores we checked out, so we'll probably have to try the Galleria next week. It's more difficult to find stylish, heavier coats here in Houston since it doesn't get that cold here, even in the winter.

Today it was SO hot out. I mean like you could lay out by the pool hot...and it's nearly November!

Banana Republic was having a 20% off everything in the store sale today so we got a few things there and Kev got a new sweater at Express.  Here's what I got:

Black dress from Zara- I actually bought this yesterday but forgot to include it.  It's a perfect length for work and very soft and comfy.

Bath and Body works Wallflowers.  I absolutely love these. They keep the house smelling awesome. They were on sale 2 packs for $20 plus I got 20% off of my purchase using a coupon.

GAP "always skinny" jeans.  I got black ones.  I got these in a 28 (size 6) I like the way they fit and love that they have the stretch in them because they are much comfier than my always skinny destroyed ones which are just a denim without stretch.  I used a GAP Groupon and a store credit so these technically only cost me $45.

I love this satin top from Banana Republic's Monogram Collection. It was on sale for $31.99 and I got an additional 30% off.  I love tops that have detailing at the neckline like this. It almost acts as an accessory, no necklace needed!

Yesterday at Sephora I tried on a bit of this glittery gold nailpolish and I thought- it's perfect for the holidays!  I like to do my nails Lorraine-style and just paint glitter on one nail (it is a PAIN to get off.)  So I picked this up today.  I also ordered some stuff online because Sephora is having their Friends & Family sale (20% off everything on the site, use code FF2010).

I stopped by at MAC and picked up a Mineralize skin finish natural in Medium-Plus. I have seen a lot of bloggers and YouTubers using these powders and although my MAC Studio Fix is my Holy Grail powder, I thought I'd give this a go. If I don't like it, I can return it (I was not aware MAC had a return policy like this.)

 
 Here is is compared to my Studio Fix in C3 (on the right). The C3 is definitely a bit more yellow. I tend to enjoy yellow-toned foundations because they give a brightness to my skin.

I will report back when I've had a chance to use it.

I snapped some shots of my favorite parts of Lauren Conrad's Style book and wanted to share them here.  While I didn't think the book provided any ground-breaking information, it did give me a few cute ideas. My favorite feature was the Little Black Dress five different ways: (click to enlarge)

 

I really love the black lace slip under the dress in the first photo (from the left) I have been trying to find one online ever since I saw it with no luck!  I think it's great to have that one fabulous black dress in your closet that can really be styled so many different ways.  Every woman needs one of those dresses!

Here are a few of my other favorite shots from the book:

 Ohh a PINK bag!

Her hair and makeup are always so pretty and I love how she sticks to a signature look.  I feel I'm the same way. I know how I like my hair and makeup to look, and I stick with a look that works for me.  It's nice to try different things, but my hair has been every color in the book and I've tried different hair lengths...I've finally found a look I love (my current) and I'm sticking to it!

Lauren shows how a dress goes from day (office) to night (dinner)

Dear gorgeous rosette dress, I am in love with you. That is all.

Bottom line- if you love Lauren Conrad, I think you will like this book. The information isn't ground-breaking or something you haven't heard before, but it has great photos and great tips on things like organizing your closet, shopping better and even packing. 

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend!

xoxo,

Veronika.

PS- did you miss Motivation Mondays this week?  Check it out HERE!

Lulu helping me blog!