Weekend Shopping: (Thank God for AE's Boyfriend Shorts), Essie's Pink Parka & Homemade Cards

What a random post title, huh? So much happened today that I didn't quite know what to call this post, but I'll start at the beginning.

I got to meet one of my LOVELY blog readers today.  She had bought several items from my blog sale and since she also lives in Houston we decided to meet at a local Starbucks.  Ilham is the most awesome girl.  I just clicked with her right away! She was so sweet (and stylish, of course).  It was a very fun experience! I sometimes wish I could just take all of my favorite bloggers and blog readers, move them to where I live and we could all be best friends. 

After I met up with Ilham, my husband and I went to DSW because I had to return some shoes.  I stumbled upon these COACH flip flops, and although I usually don't like COACH's  overly-logo'd items, I liked these because 1. they have a cute heart on them and 2. they have support to them instead of just being completely flat and after my episode two weeks ago of hardly being able to walk after wearing flip flips for 5 hours, I was looking for something that will offer a little extra support but still had the flip flop look. I think they're cute to just wear casually, for running errands, etc (excuse the splotchy feet, I forgot to use the barrier cream during my spray tan):

Next up, we went to the Galleria so I could buy my lovely best friend some lovely birthday presents. I have to keep it a secret because I won't see her until tonight and she may read this, but here's a little preview of my wrapping job: (the presents aren't all from VS I just used the boxes)

Pretty, huh? I LOVE VS's boxes and bags. They are so cute! I especially love how they change the bags out during the holidays.

Next up, I was once again sucked in by Zara and just as I was leaving I spotted this lovely loose-fitting tunic dress.

It was on sale, of course, and you know I can't say no to a pretty, versatile tunic dress.  It's perfect for more casual days at work or for running errands. I even joke with my husband that it's an "investment piece" because I'll wear it when I'm pregnant too! LOL.

Then, I got THE boyfriend shorts. I say THE because the lovely Chloe and BeautyGirl24 have raved about these American Eagle shorts and the moment I put them on I knew EXACTLY why. So thank you CHLOE and BeautyGirl24 for telling me about these because I'm seriously in love with how cute and flattering they are!

They're longer than traditional short shorts and they look great with both flats and heels...perfection!

And yet another thanks to Chloe I picked up Essie's PINK PARKA nail polish last week and finally put it on my nails last night and it's LOVE. It's an incredible formula (I only needed 2 coats) and it is literally highlighter neon PINK! I absolutely love it and though it might seem jarring to some, I think it's cute and flattering.  I used my Seche Vite Topcoat over it because the polish actually dries matte.

I'm not sure the photos show it, but they are way bright in real life, but in a good way. If you're looking for a great true hot pink, this is for you.

Before I go I wanted to share a fun little DIY project I did today.  Our neighbors are having their first baby soon and our other friends are celebrating their sons first birthday next week so we got them some gifts and when I got home I realized we had forgotten to get them cards. So I went to my craft drawer, got out my scissors, pearlized paper, leftover wrapping paper and came up with these home-made cards:

...and the gifts ( I suck at wrapping but I decorate to distract from the badly wrapped edges):

Both cards took only minutes to make :) I was proud of my creative little problem-solving!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend! Tomorrow H and I are going to go see Inception. We heard it's really good.  We are also going to drive around and look at houses and see if there are any open houses. We aren't ready to move just quite yet but we want to see what's on the market and all that good stuff.

Update- I totally forgot to add this purchase to my blog post...this cute $16.99 dress from Target! How could I forget?

xoxo,

Veronika.

Ask Me Anything, On FORMSPRING!

OOTD: Black Zara Dress & Blog Sale Update

OMG ya'll!!! I just spent an hour taking pics of my blog sale clothes and I'm about to collapse! My feet hurt from wearing heels all day and I think I'm coming down with something. I felt really "off" this morning...just low energy, nauseous, hot...now I feel a sore throat coming on...that can't be good, right? I am praying it's not going to turn into something full-fledged.

THANK YOU to all of the ladies who encouraged me to do a blog sale. I'm still working on going through all of the photos of the clothes for the blog sale but I'll tell you right now it's mostly super-adorable dresses that are TOO SHORT for me. Some of the stuff is kind of painful to sell because I love it...but if I can't wear it, then I'd rather it go to someone who can enjoy it.  I have spent many many hours over the years scouring the Forever21 racks to find the best pieces so I hope you all enjoy what I'm going to post.  I strongly encourage some of the shorter ladies to take advantage. Anyone shorter than 5'10 (my height) might be able to pull off some of these super cute dresses.

The format of the sale is going to be done through PayPal and I will quote you on shipping once you email me with your selection (it shouldn't be too much since clothes are light.)  I'm going to number and name each item, and then you can email me the item number you're interested in. It will be a first come, first served kind of deal.  

I put on every garment I'm selling and did the photos like that. I think it's more helpful than it just being on a hanger because you can see how it fits on my body and go from there. Like I said, a lot of these dresses are extremely short so be prepared for some leg!!!

My best friend Candice is also going to sell some of her pieces on my blog. Hers are more designer dresses like Alice & Olivia so look out for that soon as well!

OK, now let's go back to today.  I ended up wearing my new Zara dress from the semi annual sale, my new DSW shoes and my new Express cardigan from last weekend's shopping trip.

Crystal-Button Cardigan- Express

Dress- Zara

Shoes- Calvin Klein @ DSW

Bag- Kate Spade

Skinny Belt- Forever21

Sigh. I am so glad I got that Kate Spade bag. It makes me happy everytime I see it! Yay!

Happy Monday! going to go work on the blog sale now,

xoxo,

Veronika.

OOTD: Minty Green & Textured Black

Today I wore my new mint green Sleeveless Luxe Tank from Banana Republic:

Cardigan- Express
Top- Sleeveless Luxe Tank from Banana Republic 

Necklace- NYLightMetals on Etsy.com

Skirt- Ann Taylor
Shoes- "Me Too" at DSW

I am really loving color right now! Especially when I can still mix it with black :)

Happy Thursday!

xoxo,

Veronika.

Weekend Haul: Bows, Sparkles and the Gorgeous Jacket I Had to Have

Today, my husband and I went shopping for some new work clothes (for him) because he just got a new job! (yay yay yay times infinity!) I am so happy for him and proud of him.

I also picked up a few items for myself (which I'm sure isn't surprising.)

Let's begin:
This tee from Forever 21 was just irresistible. I know it is a little bit holiday-esque, but you know I can't resist a sparkly bow. The shoulders have a tiny bit of padding in them, and it actually makes the shirt look very flattering when on.

This jacket from White House Black Market had me at hello. I was walking out of the store after trying on a zebra print bikini top (I know, I know)...and I immediately fell in love with this lovely jacket laying on one of the tables. I stared at it longingly, and was too scared to look at the price tag, as some of WHBM's jackets can often cost more than $200. I nearly squeeled when I saw it was $98. Which is still a lot...but but but...I don't own even one "suit" style jacket (well, I own one, from Zara and I hate the way it fits.) This jacket will be a staple and just looks oh-so- good on. I can just picture it with some pearls...oh pearls.

Onto the details:
Ugh. So so good. We just belonged together. I will definitely have to do an OOTD post when I wear this. I got a size small, for reference.
This lovely military-inspired sweater from Forever 21 is another one of my favorite purchases. I saw it on the "return" rack area when I was leaving the fitting room and quickly tried it on. It looks incredible on, and I had to have it. The ruffles at the neck and hips just make it so feminine. It really is an incredible piece and feels well made. It cost $24.50 and I got a medium.

And because a shopping haul is never quite complete without some rosettes I also picked up this lovely rosette adorned top at Forever 21. I want to say it was $15.50 or $17.50. I like to layer these kinds of tees under simple cardigans to give the look a little some extra.

With my sunny vacation on mind, I picked up this pretty cotton dress from Victoria's Secret PINK, on sale for $19.95. It is actually quite long (most of their "dresses" are shirts on me.) I really love the bust detail. It makes the dress feel more special. I plan to wear it as a beach cover-up and with heels it could even look cute to wear to dinner.

Here is the bust, up-close:

I might be a little obsessed with zebra-print...so I also got this VS PINK tee (on sale.) I think it's a cute weekend tee and gym shirt:

It's supposed to fit loose and off-the-shoulder, but I got an XS because I liked how it looked better when it was more fitted. It was on sale for $12.99.

My zebra love continued when I went to Old Navy to pick up 2/$5 flip flops for our trip. I also got a pair of black ones with a slightly metallic finish:

Earlier this week, Chloe posted about these gorgeousValentino Couture Half D'orsay Bow Pumps.

I fell in love with them, but not with the price tag. You can see the ones she got here.

While browsing at DSW today, I stumbled upon these Me Too brand shoes that are somewhat similar to the Valentinos. I had a $20 off coupon so they came to $37.50. They are very very cute! If you are near the Galleria store here in Houston, they still have a lot of them left...mostly in sizes 7-9 and hald sizes, if I remember correctly.

(I forgot to take out the foamy things that keep the bow shape in the shoes.)

Yes, that is a *new* zebra print pillow. My husband thinks I buy too many pillows (and decorative boxes, as I mentioned in a previous post.) I got the pillow at Target last week, and when I came home with it my husband gave me his "I can't believe you bought another couch pillow you crazy woman" face. I promptly added it to the couch, and took two current couch pillows to the guest room (they matched perfectly.) That way, I wasn't adding more...I actually left our couches with less pillows (now that's quick thinkin'!)

Okay, this is totally gross, but because of the cold weather, my knuckles on both hands are cracking and bleeding because they are so dry. I despise hand lotion, so my options are limited. I've been using Eucerin cream at night, but it's not working. So I went to the Body Shop and picked up some of their HEMP hand cream. Hopefully it will make things better:

I am also happy to announce that today, I purchased some dress pants from Express. The reason I'm happy to announce it, is because today I bought a size 4 dress pant. I already have a pair of Editor's in a size 6...because that's all that ever fits me because of my hips. Today, I was able to buy a 4. It just proves that the way your clothes fit will show you the results of you fitness routine...because when I look at myself in the mirror, I am so critical, so I don't always see the changes as much. It was an exciting moment. Maybe it's just that style or something, but I was proud.

PSA: Marshall's Home Store has amazing and inexpensive yoga/pilates mats. I picked up one to take with my to the studio (they provide them, but I prefer to have my own) and I also got a thicker mat to use in my downstairs bedroom which I am going to use as a home gym (to do my workout videos.)

Here are the ones I got:
Did you buy anything this weekend? Let me know in the comments below. Also- have you been working out this year? How do you measure your results? Is it by how your clothes fit, how much you weigh, how you feel? Please do share!

Thank you for reading, and happy Sunday!

xoxo,

Veronika.