Thanksgiving Travel Packing

Thanksgiving is a week away!! I'm so looking forward to a few days off work, meeting my boyfriend's family, spending time in a new place, and eating some yummy food :-)

On Tuesday evening, my boyfriend and his family are making a 12+ hour trip to visit his extended family! I'm so so so looking forward to meeting more of his family (I will miss being with mine!). The downfall? There isn't much space in the vehicle for all of us and our belongings. As the queen of overpacking clothes, shoes, accessories, books, magazines, etc... I'm really trying to cautious about what I'm packing. I've also got to have space to bring back a few Black Friday purchases!

I decided the best way to ensure very little overpacking was to pack outfits with similar colors so that I can use the same few pairs of shoes (black), bottoms (black leggings, black skinny jeans, dark skinny jeans) and accessories. As a good portion of my closet is gray/black/white- that seemed to be the obvious choice for my outfits. 

I'm sorry about the glowing top of the photo. In order to get all the clothes in one pic I had to stand directly under my light which created an awkward lighting situation.

From Left to Right:

-Black & White Long Shirt/Dress H&M, Long Gray Sweater Lauren Conrad @ Kohl's, Leggings, Payless Angel Wing Earrings

-Gray/White Stripped Shirt (previous blog) No Boundaries @ WalMart, Gray Vest from Marshalls, Turquoise necklace from Charming Charlie's, Dark or Black Skinny Jeans

-Thanksgiving Outfit! Dress from Delias, Sweater @ New York and Company, Braided Skinny Belt from H&M, Leggings

-Black Shirt No Boundaries @ WalMart, Military Style Vest from Old Navy, Dark Skinny Jeans

-White Sweater from Express @ Marshalls, Necklace from New York and Company, Dark or Black Skinny Jeans

-Olive Shirt from Old Navy, Necklace from Charming Charlie's, Black Skinny Jeans

-Travel Outfit: Cape from Marshalls with black long sleeve tee underneath

-Travel Outfit: Oversized Striped sweater from H&M

Those are my outfits planned for Thanksgiving break/travels! Still hoping to not overpack with accessories and beauty products. 

Thanks for reading

xxoo Andrea

Product Reviews

Product Reviews

A few weeks ago I blogged about Sexy Hair’s Organics Voluminizing Mousse which I got for $3! After washing my hair I applied the mousse as I do with my other products, but right away my hair was sticky and greasy. I couldn’t even run my fingers through my roots as I was blow drying. My hair was so nasty that I actually had to re-rinse it and all. I wondered if I had applied too much mousse, so about two weeks later I tried the product again. Same results L I generally don’t have any problem with Sexy Hair products, so I was slightly disappointed. No real loss with the price tag, but the product will not be used again.

About a month/two months ago I began using Smashbox Photo Op Under Eye Brightener. Sadly, I have not noticed a difference at all. I really don’t have a problem with under eye darkness, but definitely puffiness and the occasionally dark circles. I apply a few dots under my eyes and blend/dab with my finger, but nothing. Everything looks the same as before I apply- bummer. I read a few reviews online and there was an extensive mix of good and bad. Like me, some said the product did nothing. Others raved. I’m not sold on the product so I’m looking for something new to try. I have heard great reviews about the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles, so I think that’s what I will be trying next when I have the time to get out! Suggestions on other under eye products?

I also began using Garnier Ultra-Lift Anti-Wrinkle Firming Eye Cream about two months ago when I finally started worrying that all my tanning years would catch up to me L I was hoping to find a product that would help “lift crow’s feet and firm wrinkles.” I really can’t say that I have noticed a difference with this product either. The product description says that “In 2 Weeks: eye area is noticeably firmer, fine lines and wrinkles are visibly lifted. With Continued Use: eye area is noticeably lifted, more resilient, and healthy looking.” I haven’t experienced this, so once again I need suggestions on anti-wrinkle/firming eye creams!

 I love a tan. Having a glow makes me feel sexy, thinner, and overall more happy. As someone who used to tan at least 5 times a week for years, I finally gave the habit up at the beginning of 2011. I have tanned occasionally since, but I have started using VersaSpas and self tanners as a way to keep my tan skin without spending time in a tanning bed. I found Tan Towels Full Body Application Towel at Ulta on sale and decided to give it a try. I must say, I LOVE this product! I like the application with a towel a lot better than lotion/mousse and the product dries extremely quickly! It does still smell like self-tanner :-/ I'm super strict about what products I apply to my face, but I have applied this and have had no problems. The Tan Towel is great for in between my VersaSpray applications. I've stocked up on this! 

My last thoughts are on the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Tokyo. This was a random purchase at the checkout counter at Ulta. I tend to always grab a product as I'm waiting in line! I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this, as the product states "It's not lipstick, nor is it gloss. It's like nothing you've experienced before. It's lipstick cream that goes on silky but looks soft matte." The color is very pink, but fades quickly. It's kind of a downfall, but I place a nude lip gloss over the NYX lip cream so I don't have a problem with the color fading a bit. I also love that this does not feel sticky AT ALL! I'll probably keep using this as one of my favorite lip products. 

Thanks for reading y'all! Have a great week!

xxoo Andrea

My Weekend

So, just a warning, this might be a long post as I've had quite the eventful Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. 

Friday after work I was planning on stopping by Old Navy with my 30% off Friends and Family coupon. I mentioned this to my boss, so she decided that we (her, the two girls, and I) could stop by the shop near her work. In my mind I didn't really see this being a problem, but I guess I have never shopped with the girls and their mom. Usually it's just us three and I do a decent job of keeping them close and away from merchandise. I was completely wrong. I have never been so stressed during a shopping trip! After spending about 30/45mins with them, they left and I had the chance to pick out clothes for myself. Before heading to the fitting room, my dad texted and wanted to meet up for dinner. I decided to just purchase what I had in my bag and try them on when I got home. I bought a pair of jeans, two sweaters, and two coats. I ended up keeping the pair of jeans and this coat: 

*sorry for the stern look :-)*

The coat was originally $79.94, but with the sale & coupon I got it for $30! 

It's a little shorter than I normally like my jackets to be, but I love the color and pattern! I looked ALL weekend for a mustard scarf to go with... no luck :-( Please let me know if you've seen any around lately! If I don't find a mustard scarf, I'm thinking fuchsia or teal? Suggestions?

Saturday morning I planned to visit quite a few stores. I had a major collection of items to be returned and wanted to get some $$ back with the holidays coming up! My first stop was Marshalls (<3). After returning two tops I bought for my halloween costume that didn't work, I purchased this beauty: 

I wasn't in love with the way it looked over my shirt, so I tried it on with just a tank under and knew I had to have it! I think it will look great over a thin long sleeve tee or even under a cardigan or blazer. The beading & sparkles scream holiday season! 

I spent quite a bit of time at the mall after Marshalls looking for a mustard scarf and returning things. Many stores had quite the deals, but I guess I just wasn't in a bargain hunting mood. Despite having purchased nothing at the mall, besides my free pair of VS panties, it was nice to return unwanted clothing. 

Today I needed to go by Michaels and Kohl's and knew my mother would tag along! We had a wonderful day shopping. This Thanksgiving I'm headed out of town with my boyfriend to meet his family. I wanted to bring something along for them as a thank-you for having me sort of thing. At first I thought about cookies & a candle, but that just seemed so typical. I have now decided to make an ornament for each "family" of my boyfriends- aunts, uncles, and grandparents. I only have a few weeks so I need to get cracking incase something goes wrong! 

Got two new nighties at Kohl's

These are the patterns :-)

My best purchase of the weekend was at Bath and Body Works! Today ended their Buy 3, Get 3 Free sale! I also had a $10 off a $30 purchase so I stocked up on old scents and got a few new ones as well. 

Sensual Amber Triple Moisture Body Cream, Winter Candy Apple Triple Moisture Body Cream, Adorable Soap Dispenser cover, Twilight Woods for Men Body Wash, Black Raspberry Vanilla Body Lotion, Sensual Amber Body Lotion, and Vanilla Bean Noel Body Lotion. All for under $30! I'm ready for the fall and winter with these wonderful scents! 

Weekend OOTDs:

Friday

Top- Old Navy

Belt- Target

Jeggins- Jessica Simpson @ Macy's

Boots- Nordstrom Rak

Necklace- Target

Watch- Fossil

Saturday

Coat- Marshalls, last Fall

Shirt- Old Navy

Jeans- Gap

Shoes- G by Guess, Famous Footwear

Earrings- Payless

Watch- White Fossil

Bracelet- Juicy Couture Rope Bracelet & New York and Company 

Sunday

Shirt- Delia*s

Jeans- Old Navy

Boots- Payless

Watch- White Fossil

Bracelet- Juicy Couture Rope Bracelet 

Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful Monday!

xxoo 

Andrea

Recent Purchases

This past weekend I visited my boyfriend in the wonderful, small town of Kirksville, Missouri. It's a town of about 17,000 people complete with a Wal-Mart, Leisure World (bowling alley), and a small movie theatre. There really isn't much to do at all, but Kirksville does have a Payless. During middle school that was THE place for shoes. I remember always loving their "cute" shoes and cheap prices. Over the years I strayed away from shopping there as I grew out of their styles. Once during college I was looking for a cheap pair of shoes for some sort of occasion and found what I was looking for at Payless; I was pleasantly surprised by their selection. During one college summer I needed money and found a job at Payless. While the shoes are not high quality, they are cute (I always got teased at work for "cute" being my go-to word!) and reasonably priced- especially with an employee discount! During that summer I must have added at least 15 pairs of shoes to my collection. I haven't found myself shopping there much after I left, but with nothing to do in Kirksville on a Saturday and a 40% coupon, my boyfriend and I stopped by. Here's what I got: 

Brash Katy Bow Wedge

Original $29.99 Sale 24.99

*40% off coupon*

 I absolutely love the big bow on these shoes! I tried them on with a pair of skinny jeans and they looked wonderful! I think I'll dress them up with some tights and a skirt as the weather cools down. Besides being adorable, they are so extremely comfortable! 

Brash Rose Earrings

Original $7.99 Sale $3

*40% off coupon* 

So feminine! I recently purchased another pair of flower earrings- daisy flowers, but they are just too spring looking. I'm excited to be able to wear these this fall! 

Onto another store- Walmart. 

Early this fall I began the search for a perfect long sleeve t-shirt. I looked at quite a few places, purchased different styles, but ended up returning them. On a quick run through Walmart I picked up a No Boundaries Juniors Long Sleeve Scoop Tee. After trying my purchased on at home I fell IN LOVE! It The sleeve length is perfect, the scoop next is wonderful for wearing a chunky necklace, and the fit is just right. I now have a white shirt, grey and white stripped shirt, black shirt, and tan. I've worn them with a necklace, under a sweater, with a vest- just can't beat the fit and the $7 price tag! 

Here's the link to a two pack of tees: Walmart Tshirts: http://www.walmart.com/ip/No-Boundaries-Juniors-Long-Sleeve-Scoop-Tees-2(636)%20532-860-Pack/17049402

I hit up Target after work tonight to check out their After Halloween Sale. I avoided all the candy, although it was difficult :-) I found a few cute decorations that I'm excited to use next fall! 

My first purchase was these adorable spider cupcake holders! 

Original $5.00/4 holders Sale $1.50/4 holders

Besides holding cupcakes, I'm thinking that these little cuties could hold a small candle. My mom said the same thing about holding candles after I showed her. 

I also got some pumpkin/fall potpourri. It smells wonderful and I'm going to put in in a glass cylinder vase tonight! 

My FAVORITE purchase was this beautiful Smith & Hawken® Pumpkin Candle Holder 

Original: $24.99 Sale $6.24

I saw this pumpkin early September and wanted it soo bad, but decided against due to lack of space and money. I put this beauty in my cart the second I saw the clearance price tag. I might try and find room for it this season, if not, there's aways next. 

I can't believe tomorrow is FRIDAY!!!! I have some clothes to return at Old Navy and their Friends & Family 30% off sale is going on, so I'll definitely be stopping by sometime this weekend. I'm off to watch my two favorite shows, Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice! Happy Early weekend and thanks for reading! 

xxoo

Andrea

Fall Lovin'

I love fall. Everything about it- the leaves changing colors, cooler weather, boots, scarves, pun’kins.

In May I graduated from Truman State University in Northern-Eastern Missouri. Currently, I am taking the year off, working and saving money before I apply to graduate schools. That being said, I live wonderful parents. While I am extremely gracious to have a place to stay rent & bill free, I do miss having my own space. One thing I really miss is being able to decorate for upcoming holidays. It just isn’t as fun to decorate when it’s just your room. Here are a few of my favorite fall ideas that I WISH I could have displayed in my home right now!

Besides decorating, I would have to say that my favorite thing about fall is boots. I love boots. I have about a dozen pair in different styles and fabrics. I've already added three new pairs to my collection:

Nordstrom Rak St. Louis

original: sale: $100

FINALLLLLYY!!! Seriously y'all, I have been looking for a pair of cognac boots for months. I must have tried on at least a dozen pair, purchased a few only to return them. I was becoming discouraged and beginning to think that the *boot* I wanted just didn't exist. Nordstrom Rak never fails with their shoe selection, so after work I stopped by and found these beauties! These are exactly what I was looking for: comfortable with minimal buckles and zippers. I've worn them a few times and can't wait to keep wearing them throughout the season. 

Nordstrom Rak in Minneapolis

Original: Sale: $25.00

What a cute little pair of short boots for such a great price. Chocolate brown is such a pretty color. These are perfect with leggings and a cute top or dress; I also love that they are easy to slip on and off... good for a long day of shopping :-) 

Simply Vera, Vera Wang Midcalf Boots

original $109.99   sale $54.99

I've had my eye on these boots for a while, but I couldn't spend another $100+ on boots. Today, I saw them on sale and knew I had to have them! After coming home I realized I have a coupon, so I'll probably head back to Kohl's and get a few $$ back! I just looooove the sparkle on the boots; funky and feminine at the same time. I tend to wear a lot of black and white during the winter, so these will be a great addition and work with quite a few outfits!

Outfit of the Day

As I said in my previous post, I am taking the year off and saving money for graduate school. My current job? I'm a nanny to two cute, spunky, high energy girlies. We are always playing throughout the day, so as a result, I don't dress up very often. I always try and feel put together, but never overdone. It just really isn't worth it when I'm on the floor playing with dollies, coloring with markers, or cooking. As a result, I probably won't post too many OOTD posts cuz y'all don't need to see the same outfit *workout pants or jeans, v-neck, and a cardigan* over and over. I will however, post outfits from the weekends!

Here is a typical Monday-Friday Outfit. I apologize for the extremely dirty mirror :-O

Pants- Express, 3 seasons old

Shirt- H&M, $3

Cardigan- Old Navy, last season $20

Shoes- Sperry's 

GO CARDS!!!!!

Make Me Happy Monday

What Makes Me Happy Monday

1. My Sperry’s! These were a purchase on vacation at the Mall of America with my boyfriend mid-summer. I had considered getting a pair for months, but just didn’t love the shoes for the price. I then saw these at Macy’s and fell in love! I’m much more of a black/white/gray clothes wearer, so these are perfect for my wardrobe. So comfy for running around doing errands! My boyfriend did make fun of me this weekend when he caught me wearing them with socks- don’t worry, I had pants on so you couldn’t tell. I just don’t want them to get yucky!

2. Beauty Brands- The shop by me is closing, so today I stopped in for 30-50% off inventory; even the fixtures were on sale! For $14 I got:

OPI Miami Beet- I love this color and think it’s a perfect deep pink for fall. Thanks to my BF for trying it out on his fingers :-)

4 Travel size Shampoo & Conditioners of Big Sexy Hair Lite for Fine/Normal Hair- perfect for keeping at my BFs since we are long distance! $.25 each!

Bottle of Sexy Hair Organics Voluminizing Mousse- I use Redken Guts 10 on my roots after washing, but for $3 I thought I’d give this a try!

Redken 5 Travel Size Bottles of Outshine 01, Blown Away 09, Align 12, Guts 10, Quick Dry 18- Like I said above, I use Redken Guts 10 and the travel size of that usually retails for about $8, so just simply the Guts 10 made this package a deal… but then I got 4 more products to try! I haven’t used any of them, so I’m excited to try them! The best part of the deal was the enclosed gift certificate for 1 free full-size product!

3. The St. Louis Cardinals! World Series! My dad and I went to the 2^nd game in St. Louis last Thursday- Here are some pics!

4. I will be celebrating Halloween this weekend! I cannot wait to get dressed up and have fun with old friends! My boyfriend and I have a themed costume. Here is a “preview” of my costume:

+

  = ???

5. Versa Spray Systems- I loveeeee tanning! A lot! Long story short, I started tanning very regularly in high school (at least 3-4 times a week). Which continued into my four years at college; I also worked at a tanning salon close to campus so I was tanning even more regularly. I always ignored warnings from family & friends, but recently I have become terrified of skin cancer, early aging, sun spots, etc. I can’t say that I’ll never tan in a tanning bed again, I think its justified on a special occasion in combination with a spray tan. Anyways, I had a groupon for $12 for two sessions at a local tanning salon. I went yesterday and love it. Having color always makes me feel better about myself. I’ll probably go again before this weekend to have even more color for my Halloween costume! Eeek :-) 

Happy Monday to All!

xxoo Andrea