West Elm Desk, OOTD & Laura Bell Bundy and Carrie Underwood Shine on Red Carpet

Today I called my waxing place to make an appointment with my favorite waxer...and was told she is moving to Michigan! I have been having such bad luck in the beauty services world lately...first my hairdresser left me and now my waxer. Sigh. If you haven't checked out my piece about losing my hairdresser on CultureMap yet, go check it out, it might give you a laugh or two. How ironic is it that I'm losing my waxer too!? LOL.

Today I wore an eggplant colored J. Crew blouse and my beloved Target pleated skirt. 

For some reason the shirt photographed a bit blue, but it's a deep purple color.

I also snapped some pics of our new West Elm 2 x 2 Console Desk even though I swore I wouldn't until I had finished accessorizing it. I think it looks OK right now, but I think it needs a lamp. I love how bright white it is.

I'll post more pictures when I add more to the desk.  I love having a desk in our home. Though I usually use my laptop from the couch, I like to store my laptop on it, use it there occasionally  and use it to put my cup of tea on when I'm on the couch (it's so hard to reach our coffee table from the corner seat where I sit.)

If you know me, you know I'm obsessed with Legally Blonde (the movie and the musical). I saw the show on Broadway when MTV reality star Bailey Hanks was in it (I actually got to meet her after the show.)  It is such a fun show and I must admit that I have the score in my car and know the word to everysinglesongonthedarncd...and when I'm alone and sometimes even in the presence of my lovely husband, I will belt those songs out at the top of my lungs like no one is listening.

Which is why I got so excited when I saw these photos of original Legally Blonde Broadway star Laura Bell Bundy.  I think they are from the Country Awards and I think she looks gorgeous. I believe right now she's in the midst of releasing her first album. She looks thinner than I remember her, but I think she looks fantastic here- absolutely love her hair and makeup.

I also thought Carrie Underwood (as always) looked stunning:

I am not sure when this other photo of her was taken, but she looks amazing in it too. Her makeup is always applied so perfectly!

Hope you all had a fabulous Monday!  Now tell me- have you ever lost your hairdresser or another beauty guru you go to?  Did they move (or did you)? How did you find a new hairdresser? Let me know in the comments below!

xoxo,

Veronika.

Hair Coloring, Spring Cleaning, Couch Shopping & OOTD

Yesterday evening, some work colleagues and I attended an awards dinner for the Houston Association of Black Journalists. It was a great event! Here's what I wore (the dinner was a mix of business and cocktail.)

Dress- Ann Taylor (seen in this haul post); Belt- Club Monaco; Shoes- Paris Hilton "Senorita"; Bracelet- Forever 21.

Gosh I love those bow shoes. I wear them every chance I get! They do hurt a bit towards the end of the night, but hey, a fabulous shoe is worth a little discomfort!

I got my hair done today! At the last minute I chickened-out and canceled my trim. I just got the color (my roots) retouched. Here is how it turned out (my hair looks the same, but brighter since the color is fresh.)


I LOVE fresh color! It just brightens things up and makes hair feel shinier and better. I know it's going to fade all through the summer, but I actually love the faded ends look (kind of like how Gisele's hair is.)

After my hair appointment today, my lovely husband accompanied me on a little errand-running. I had spring cleaning on the brain and wanted to find a shoe rack for our closet. I didn't want the fabric kind or anything that would hang over the door because we have super skinny closet doors. I ended up finding an awesome shoe rack at The Container Store for $19.99 per rack (I purchased two.)

Here's how it turned out:

First, the box, in case anyone wants to know the name/packaging of the product. It's super easy to put together. It took me like 5 minutes to do both of them. They are expandable and assemble with a quick "click."

Ta-da! (and excuse our messy bed/room, like I said, I'm still cleaning) Isn't it great? Now...here it is with the actual shoes on it (it saves SO much space! love it!)

Lulu came to check out the shoe rack. I think he likes it.


I'm keeping my most-worn shoes in the second rack from the bottom.

While at the container store, I also picked up this acrylic makeup brush holder for $6.99. I was tired of having separate containers for my brushes so this was the perfect fix!

As you can see, I also started using Maybelline Great Lash clear mascara as a brow gel. I finally remembered to pick some up a couple of weeks ago. It really does help keep brows in place. Great product, so thanks to those who suggested it!

I was also on the hunt for a new duvet cover/bed sheets today and after visiting Bed, Bath & Beyond, Pottery Barn AND Crate & Barrel to try to find ones I liked (fail) we paid a visit to West Elm where my husband and I fell in love with this gorgeous couch:

We have just started looking for a new couch recently (we plan to try to sell the ones we have now.) It's pretty rare for us to BOTH absolutely love something, so this couch seems like the perfect match for us since we both agree on it.

We tend to like more modern, clean-looking furniture and this couch fits that look to a "T." We also both wanted an L-shaped couch with a long chaise lounge which this set also has. I believe it is called the Tillary couch. The best thing about it is that you can completely re-arrange it to whatever best fits your space and you can also add more pieces to it. All of the pieces and cushions are movable, so you can completely customize the look and layout of the couch. I also really love the fabric. We haven't committed yet, but it is definitely at the top of our list! Plus, if you have a West Elm card, you get 10% back on your purchase to spend in the store!

Do you like the couch we fell in love with? What does YOUR dream couch look like!?


Anyways, we won't be buying for a couple of months or so, but it's nice to start looking and seeing what's out there.

I saw some cute duvet covers and bed sheets at West Elm but I just couldn't decide. The ones I liked were:

The Ruffled Circle Quilt (as a bed cover, in gray) and The Parachute Duvet Cover (in white). I would buy regular white sheets to go with the duvet cover. I don't know why I hesitate so much before making a purchase. I want white sheets/duvet cover because I think our rooms needs more white/brightness. I love our lime green patterned sheets, but I guess I'm ready for something new and fresh for spring/summer. What color are your bedroom sheets?

Before I go, I just had to share this adorable buy from BB&B: a dish scrubbing brush:


It was only $4.99 and it just makes me so happy! I mean, I hate dishes, but they are definitely more tolerable with a cute little flower scrubber :) It just looks so...happy!

I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful Saturday! Have any of you done some spring cleaning? Warmer weather always gets me in the mood to re-do my closet.

I haven't done it yet by my closet needs some MAJOR reorganization so that my summer clothes are easier to access. I reorganize my closet every 6 months or so. That way, the clothes I wear the most are more towards the center of the closet and within reach and my heavier winter clothes can move to other parts of the closet. Am I the only one who does this?

xoxo,

Veronika.