Finally Back! With Some OOTD's & More!

Where have I been?  All over the place.  Between co-hosting a baby shower last weekend, doing two blog sales and having my sister-in-law in town (oh, yeah, and putting together a big press conference at work) I've just been slammed and didn't have the time (or energy) to post.

But I'm back today...and although I'm exhausted, I certainly didn't let my outfit show it!  I purposefully chose bright, happy colors to perk up my mood this morning:

Top- Ann Taylor (LOVE!!!!!!!)

Skirt- Banana Republic

Cardigan- Express

Shoes- Jessica Simpson Nude Pumps (BUY THEM HERE! thanks Mere for sending me the link!!!)

Remember I mentioned the baby shower had a sports theme and people were encouraged to wear sports jerseys (and I don't own one)?

Well, here's what I put together:

Tee- Victoria's Secret PINK

Shorts- Buckle

Cardigan- Charlotte Russe

Flip Flops- VS PINK

I think I did alright for a girly girl, hehe!

I also have an OOTD from last Friday.  Simple and laid back:

Tee- Forever 21 (it's super-long but I have it tucked in)
Skirt- Urban Outfitters

Cardigan- Express

Jelly Ballet Flats- J. Crew

Bag- Kate Spade

Candice and I both still have some items left from our respective blog sales, but I'm going to post those in a separate post so it's not confusing.

.......and before I go, a few things:

1.  Happy Birthday to one of my lovely readers, Sabrina!

2.  Thank you to all of my lovely readers who left kind comments when I was getting those crazy rude comments last week. Seriously...who has that kind of time?  and by the way, I use tracking on m blog, so I know where this person works and what town they live in and the IP addresses they post from...so to all of the posters out there who think it's "fun" to write rude anonymous comments, the joke's really kind of on you.

3.  Thanks for everyone's patience, I should be back to regular blogging this week :)

xoxo,

Veronika.
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Four Things on a Friday & a Haircut Tomorrow

It has been a really long (and exciting) week for me which is why I haven't been blogging lately. Between my husband being out of town last week and a lot of work commitments, I was hardly ever home.

A few updates:

The firm I work for won an award for my work on an exciting PR campaign! I am just so honored and amazed that we won and I got to bring the awesome award home.  I just feel really proud because I worked for almost an entire year on the campaign and it was just such an amazing project to work on, especially because it was for such an incredible cause.  What a great highlight of my week and a wonderful reminder of why I'm in the field I'm in.

It's sitting in our living room right on top of our media storage unit.

2.  I am still sick.  I thought it was the Truvia (and it most definitely was in the sense that it made my stomach problems even worse) but I am still having tummy problems this week.  I'm hoping my system is just getting back to normal and it's not something that's going to be an ongoing issue. Ugh.

3. I finally went back to Bikram class this week (I was way too sick last week to go) and I must say...I always hate the first 15 minutes of it, but after that it's incredibly relaxing and super challenging. You just have to overcome the initial heat shock and get used to your body pouring out sweat (well for me, it's more getting used to how much all of the other people sweat. I don't really sweat a ton, but some people in the class like DRIP- especially the men. It's kind of gross, but hey, it's 105 degrees, I get it.)

4.  I'm getting my hair trimmed tomorrow. By someone I've never gone to. Wish me luck! I need to switch it up a bit. Just refresh my layers so they don't just hang there.  I'm excited, scared etc. In fact, I'm going to spend the rest of tonight flipping through magazines so I have pictures to show her. Because if you read the article I wrote recently for CultureMap, you'd know that pictures are a must!

Goodnight lovelies!  I'll be back tomorrow with hair pictures...and maybe even some purchases if I happen to come across anything I like in my travels tomorrow.

xoxo,

Veronika.

3 things: & an OOTD

I'll start my post by first making 3 updates:

1. First days of Clarisonic use
2. Stila "Petunia" cream blush review
3. Eyelash curler discussion and photo evidence- if you don't have one, get one NOW (this should really have a separate post, but I'm feeling word-y today)

...and then I'll post my outfit(s) of the day.

So without further ado, here we go:

I used my Clarisonic for the first time on Sunday night, and so far, so good. I used it with a combination of La Roche Posay's Effaclar Gel Cleanser and Neutrogena Acne Stress Control Foaming Face Wash.

Pros:
Makes skin very clean
Makes skin feel smooth and you can tell your products absorb better
My makeup went on very smoothly the next day
Feels good on your skin
Removes dead skin and flakes
Mia model is smaller, so no big charger on my sink area

Cons:
When I use it around my nose, it really, really tickles
The Mia model turns off after 1 minute, so I have to turn it back on for more cleansing

I will continue to make regular updates about my Clarisonic use. I have good skin right now, I just want great skin. I know a few people had left comments to a previous post where I (dramatically) complained a bit about my skin, but when it comes down to it, I do feel lucky to have good skin. Having had cystic acne in the past, I know what real bad skin looks and feels like. I apologize if I confused anyone in any previous posts. I do have some unevenness and things I dislike about my skin, but in general I have good skin (especially compared to what it was.)

My hopes for the Clarisonic are:
Improvement of pore size (smaller)
More even skin tone
Prevention of fine lines
Better product absorption/effectiveness
No flaking/dryness on skin

Now for the Stila convertible lip and cheek color in "Petunia". I have used this as a blush for the past few days, and it literally shot right up to my number one mostfavoriteblushever. I apply it using a MAC travel size duo-fiber brush, and then I blend it with a clean Sigma duo fiber brush to give it a perfectly blended apperance. Note: I wear this over powder and bronzer.

It lasts ALL day (even through an hour of pilates) and it really gives your skin a translucent pink-y/peach glow to it. I have no idea how I hadn't discovered this product a long time ago. I was always so afraid of using cream blushes because I tend to get a bit oily, but this doesn't make my skin oily at all. In fact, I've noticed I haven't had to blot at all in my cheek area when I wear this.

I absolutely love this blush and plan to buy more cream blushes because of this product. The color is so incredible. I tried to take pictures of it for the blog, but sadly, my lighting or something was off because it hardly showed up, whereas in real life, you can totally see a pop of color. The thing I love most is that this blush shows a pop of color while still remaining glow-y and translucent. It shows your real skin through, yet still adds color and dimension.

I also love it as a lip color. I wear it under my MAC lip conditioner in "Feelin' Good." Do I recommend this blush? Absolutely. I also have to mention I love the packaging. Pretty and easy to toss into your purse or makeup bag without having to worry. I think the key to cream blushes is application technique. I am all about the duo fiber brushes. I first deposit the color onto the brush, and then onto the top of my left hand to make sure I don't have too much product. Then to cheeks, and blend blend blend.

Item number 3 was prompted by a picture I took of myself where my lashes were so incredibly curled, I thought I had to show it to my readers to convince anyone that doesn't have an eyelash curler that they absolutely MUST invest in one. I've written about this beauty miracle tool before, but to summarize: Shu Uemura's eyelash curler is your best investment. Blast for a few seconds with your hairdryer, curl lashes, apply mascara, and done!
You can click the photo to enlarge it. Do you SEE those lashes? I absolutely love how wide open and awake my eyes look just from this simple step! Ladies- if you have $20, please invest in this incredible tool. You will thank me, I promise!

Now for 2 outfits of the day: I wore this one on Monday:

Top: Macy's; Skirt: Ann Taylor; Cardigan: Express

Today I just wore something really simple. Black dress pants, top and sweater.

Bottoms: Express; Top: Club Monaco; Sweater: Forever 21

Questions? Comments? Please leave them below! I love reading your comments :) As a reminder, Leah is still answering questions in yesterday's Motivation Mondays post.

xoxo,

Veronika.