Weekend Shopping: Sephora & Victoria's Secret

Last night I went on a cleaning spree. I think that anytime I'm stressed or sad, I turn to cleaning to center myself and feel "in control."  I spent at least 2 hours cleaning out my closet last night (I also cleaned the bedroom and bathroom.)  I even took all of the socks (mine and my husband's) out of the sock drawer and threw all the old/torn ones away and turned them all the right side out.  I also made another donation pile of clothes I never wear anymore and some tee shirts and stuff.

Cleaning is always a calming thing for me.  When I organize and clean things, it makes me feel like everything is OK and everything is better.  I've kind of always been that way.  My closet was a mess so I was really happy I took the time to clean it. I think it will be a lot easier to pack now.

After sleeping in this morning (I was up until almost 2 cleaning) I made a trip to Sephora to use my 20% off coupon. Here's what I got:

Ole Henriksen- Ultimate Lift Eye Gel

Boscia- Luminizing Black Mask
Boscia- Green Tea Blotting Linens

Tarte-Natural Lip Stain with LipSurgence™ Technology in "charmed"

Make Up For Ever- Aqua Smokey Lash Mascara

Sephora Collection Kabuki Brush

I am really happy with the products I got using Sephora's 20% off coupon.  This was actually my third time using the F&F discount. I also got YSL Touche Eclat, Victor & Rolf Flowerbomb rollerball perfume, Philosophy Microdelivery Mini Peel Pads, Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner and Benefit Eye Bright in previous orders.


I also stopped by Victoria's Secret today to use my "$10 off a bra," "free ruched panty," and "free lacie thong" coupons (I get A LOT of coupons in the mail.)


I ended up getting this VS sport bra:

I also bought a bunch of VS PINK panties, they always suck me in with their bright colors and prints! They were on promotion---7 for $25.  They have some really cute designs out right now! I can't wait for the VS Fashion Show on November 30th!  I DVR it every year and use it as workout motivation.

Tomorrow night my plan is to pack for my trip so it's done and ready to go. 

Hope you enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

xoxo,

Veronika.

Finally Colored My Hair & Weekend Shopping (Some OOTD's too!)

I am SO HAPPY today!  You know how I was all nervous about getting my hair done and going to a new person to get my hair colored? Well, I think a picture says a thousand words:

I am THRILLED with the way my hair turned out!  I went to Stephanie at Cutloose and she totally understood exactly what I wanted.  I am SO happy I found such an awesome hairdresser.  Stephanie recently got to work at fashion week, so I asked if she would share her experience with my readers so look out for that interview soon!

I mentioned to Stephanie that I love the ombre hair look but that I wasn't ready to take the plunge so she added some lighter pieces in the front underneath part of my hair and they just blend beautifully with the rest of the color.  I honestly hadn't realized how horrible my hair looked until I got it done today.  You see, Stephanie has mirrors both in front and behind her station so I was able to see the back of my head and man oh man did I have a lot of roots and dullness! I am so happy to have had my color touched up, everything is back to normal now!

I am also going to have Stephanie trim my hair in the next week or two.  I really trust her and she has long hair herself so I know she gets that I want to keep it long.  I can't wait to see how she trims it! I definitely need to have my layers taken up and overall just have it reshaped so it styles better.

Here are some more pics of the color (excuse the messy hair, I was trying on clothes all day while shopping.)

With Flash

 Without Flash

Now onto some OOTD's that I wore this week.  I kind of dressed more casually this week. Here's one of my outfits:

Top- Target
Cardigan- Tristan & America
Pants- Express
Shoes- Aldo

 

Dress- Target (I've worn this one a lot!)
Belt- Forever 21
Cardigan- White House Black Market
Shoes- Jessica Simpson

In addition to my incredible hair appointment, I had a wonderful shopping trip as well!  I was so happy with my finds.

First, I got this AMAZING blazer at Express. I have been wanting one for quite awhile but could never find one that I loved the fit of.  This one is perfection and has stretch to it so it's so comfy in addition to being stylish. It also looks equally great worn both opened and buttoned.  It retails for $98 but I bought it using a discount coupon.  I highly recommend this blazer. I got a size 2 because I love the look of it being really fitted.  The size 4 fit as well but I thought the shoulder part on the size 2 looked nicer on my body (the jacket has shoulder pads).

Next up are these two incredible dresses from Charlotte Russe. I was so surprised when I tried these on because number one, they are both long enough to wear for work and number 2, they fit extremely well and are totally flattering.  I am beyond thrilled about these dresses. They were both $26. 

I just realized I have fitting room pics of these!

The first dress (above) has the most gorgeous full skirt.  The top is very flattering and the straps are adjustable so if you want to pull the neckline up you can.  The second dress (below) is stunning on.  It skims the body and hugs it in all the right places without being too tight. I actually got this in a size large because the medium fit perfect but it's a dress that needs a slip so I needed to have room to accommodate that.  I also wanted to get the extra length that comes with a larger size. It doesn't look like much on the hanger but it has very interesting sleeves. I honestly think this dress looks expensive when it's on.

I picked up a couple of things at VS PINK too!  I got these v-neck tees (2/$24). I got these in a size large because I like my tees to be looser for working out.  They are so comfy and they have such cute colors out right now!

Lastly I got some super-comfy boyfriend sweats.  They are really flattering especially if you don't like tighter fits around your thighs. They are a relaxed, loose-fitting style. Absolutely love them!  I got the black ones in a size small. You can see them here, on the Victoria's Secret PINK website. I am wearing them right now! They are the perfect lounge pants!

While shopping, I also checked out GAP's sale.  I got this cute navy-blue patent wallet for just $7!!!  I was really happy to get such an inexpensive wallet since I hadn't been using one for quite some time.

I do have a vent though.  GAP's customer service was atrocious today.  Not only does their new logo look awful...but their service was terrible too. I was shopping in the Houston Galleria store and I was trying to find something in the store that was on a mannequin.  I finally tracked down a girl who worked there and she pointed in some random direction and said "it's probably over there" even though I told her I checked that area. OK.

So I finally just give up and start trying to take the jacket off of the mannequin because there was no one around to help me (why isn't their store adequately staffed on a SATURDAY when they are having a SALE?!) I soon realized the arm of the mannequin was attached to the hip so it would have to be removed to take the jacket off.

I once again went on a search for ONE employee that was not working cash and they were nowhere to be found. I even checked the fitting room area to try and find someone to help me there and instead of employees I found 2 people waiting in line, also confused as to why the store had no staff.

Someone at the cash register finally helped me take the arm off of the mannequin and I tried on the jacket and wanted to put it on hold (I ended up buying the way cuter Express blazer anyway) but I had to buy the wallet. There were 3 people on cash with a line of 6 people or so.  Does anyone else get annoyed when you have to wait in a long line to buy something? I know it's inevitable but sometimes it's just ridiculous.

I have recently had a lack of good customer service at both Banana Republic (which I emailed corporate about and got a response) and now at GAP.  I have worked at GAP before when I lived in Canada so I'm not really sure what's going on with the stores and why they aren't staffed properly on weekends.

So ladies...what do you think of my hair!? Did you buy anything this weekend? Have you experienced bad customer service recently? Share your story below!

xoxo,

Veronika.

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.
 Got a Question? Ask Me on Formspring!

Weekend Shopping: Kate Spade Cuteness, Victoria's Secret PINK & Express

Last Monday, one of my coworkers walked into our offices carrying a lovely Kate Spade small handbag and I gasped at how cute it was!  I knew I had to have it. She got it at the outlets on 290 so I waited until the weekend, praying they would still have them (the entire store is deeply discounted, so I worried they would sell out.)

Luckily, when I walked into the store today they had some left. I also saw a cute gold bag and took some photos to send to my friend to help me pick which one I should get:

I was going back and forth and then I decided on the white one (the same one as my coworker) and then just as I was about to finally make a decision, I decided to just "try on" the same purse as the white one, in bright pink. I tried to deny my love for it, but I had fallen- deeply, deeply in love with the pink handbag. It was bright, bold...exciting! It made me happy just looking at it. So that's the one I got.  I still love the white one, but I thought the pink just screamed "Veronika!" Plus, there was one ONE left in pink! IT HAD TO BE A SIGN!!!

It's such a pretty pink. Plus, it will punch up any outfit. I bought this smaller bag because I was tired of lugging around a massive handbag when I went shopping. This bag will allow my debit cards, coupons, iPhone and car keys to fit and that's all I need!  Sometimes taking a heavy bag when you're going to be shopping around for hours is such a hassle and it gets sooo heavy that my shoulder starts to hurt after awhile. Plus, the bag is perfect for a night out, too.

It's cute on the inside too! I can't wait to use it :) I still really love the white one and even the gold one I saw there, but I had to choose. The best part is, I paid for the entire bag with giftcards I got for my birthday, so it was...free!  It originally retailed for $195.00 and I got it on sale for $165.00 plus 40% off which with tax came to about $107.  Worth every penny! I absolutely love it. I don't own one Kate Spade item, so it was fun to buy something from a brand I've never owned. I don't typically go for Kate's handbags because most are too simple (and pricey!) but I just had to have this one.

Next weekend, I am helping to host a baby shower for a friend.  The girls decided on a "sports theme" party and they are asking everyone to wear their favorite sports jersey to the party. I don't even OWN a sports jersey or sports team tee shirt of any kind (not that that would be surprising to most people who read this blog.) I like to play sports, but I don't care to watch them and don't follow any teams (my husband of course, LOVES sports and does the whole fantasy football thing.)

I was kind of at a loss because I'm not really into sports or wearing sports gear (unless it's to actually work out). That all changed when I visited Victoria's Secret today. Behold:

This is about as close to a jersey as it gets for me. It's HOT in Texas and I can't even fathom buying something I'd never wear again- but this cute tee is jersey-esque and I'll wear it for working out too, so it works.

Oh, and I got free flip flops at VS today because they were having a promotion where if you buy anything from the VS PINK line, you get flip flops!  I think the tee is a nice compromise!

Next up, I got this pretty white extra long cardigan from Express. It was on sale for $39.50 but my lovely friend Candice gave me a $10 OFF coupon that she had which brought the price down (awesome!)

I love the pretty crystal buttons. It makes the cardigan more feminine. I actually don't own a white cardi so this was a nice addition to my closet.

The last thing I picked up today was a pretty glittery nail polish from Sephora. I was inspired by Lorraine (her YouTube Channel is TheCurrentCustom) to use glittery polish after seeing her have it on in several of her videos. Sometimes she just does one nail on each hand with glitter other times she puts it on all of her nails. I only plan to use it on my toes so it's not as "in your face." I got the color called "It's Bouquet With Me"which is the same one she has on in her video. I'm going to layer mine over OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark.

I'm excited to use it and I'll post photos when I've used it :)

Did you buy anything this weekend?  I am going to try not to shop for the next two weekends (for clothes and makeup, still need to buy groceries! hehe)

I don't know if I'll make it, but it's worth a try. My husband and I want to plan a vacation to Europe so I am trying to shop less so I can save my money to shop in Europe...and to uh, eat there and stuff.

Thanks for reading and hope you have a fabulous weekend!

xoxo,

Veronika.