Holiday Shopping and My Must-Haves

I may be the only blogger who doesn't enjoy shopping on Black Friday, or during the Holidays for that matter. It gives me the worst anxiety being out amongst throngs of people making mad dashes for just about anything with "sale" listed. I do however carefully watch from a distance, usually during a coffee or lunch outing. Nate and I can't help but laugh at all of the craziness. Some of it is just too much for my nerves.

I can't even remember if I created gift or sale guides in the past, but I thought it would be useful this year to remind you ladies about my must-haves in the style and beauty departments. I myself have already done some early shopping, picking up another twill moto jacket from Express (they are back in stock and in all colors from what I could see). So here we go:

From Express:

Said twill moto jacket, here in Leijune 

(I got another in Stone. For reference, I take a size 8 in these jackets)

Barcelona Cami

(I have one in white, black, and recently just purchased pink for my upcoming Oahu trip)

Sweater Leggings

(Comfortable and thicker than your average)

The Portofino shirt

(Comes in so many colors and prints and is my ultimate must-have)

From Loft:

Petite moto jeans

(But all of their denim is great, and for the price, I highly recommend giving them a try)

Chambray shirt, similar

From Sole Society & J.Crew:

Sole Society makes the cutest, most feminine shoes! And the best part? They are affordable! They are available through their own site, or at Nordstrom. 

Olyvia pumps

I love J.Crew for more luxurious pumps, although I don't splurge often. I do think that when they are are on sale though, it's time to jump! My favorite are the blue pumps pictured above, but I also love their mirrored metallic pumps.

Valentina Pumps

**I've heard through the grapevine that my other standard shop spots like Banana Republic and Old Navy will also have sales for Black Friday.**

As for beauty, I highly recommend stocking up on gift sets at Sephora and Ulta. You really can get a lot for your money. Not to mention gift cards always come in handy. Some of my suggestions:

Urban Decay Naked Basics 2

Soap & Glory Hand Food for stocking stuffers 

(I'm on tube numero dos)

Other sales include Stella & Dot and Benevolent Jewels for pretty bits and baubles. I'm eyeing two pieces from Elizabeth Stone, formerly known as Oia Jules. That may be the extent of my "me" shopping.

I hope this was somewhat helpful in case you're brave enough to venture out into the shops this weekend. If not, there's always Cyber Monday. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I'll be back next week after a nice break with family and friends. As always, thank you for stopping by and reading :)

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Using Travel Pictures Wisely

(From our beach camping trip over the Summer)

We've all heard this saying, haven't we? In this day and age, it seems that everything is about commemorating snapshots of our lives using our cameras, in particular, our cellphone's camera. When we went on our trip a couple weeks ago, we used our phones to take pictures instead of our more professional DSLR. Using our phones was more convenient than pulling out a bigger, heavier camera that could prove to be cumbersome.

I've been bitten by the travel bug lately too. In just a few short weeks, my best friend and I are going to a destination wedding in Hawaii. I've never been to the island of Oahu, so I am extremely excited to explore the city, offset by beautiful ocean. And next Spring Godwilling, Nate and I are going to try our very hardest to make a European vacation happen. I think we are realizing that starting a family is within reach, and we want to see and do as much as possible before babies come into the picture.

In thinking about all of this travel and wanderlust, I stopped and pondered why we haven't yet made good use of these pictures. Even from our wedding and honeymoon last year, our phones and SD cards are filled with undeveloped photos that we could print and use as thank-you cards, Christmas presents, birthday gifts, and for decorating our barren condo walls. I really want our travel to be documented and looked at in a meaningful way, so I've come up with some solutions that I plan on using in the coming months. I hope these tips can help many of you as well!

1. Unload your phone's camera and PRINT them! Easy enough right? Most stores have kiosk stations where you can touch up blurry photos, make them more vibrant in color, or forgo color altogether for that beautiful vintage black and white look.

2. Turn your travel photos into a book. Artifact Uprising is probably my favorite company to use and recommend. Photo books are great because you can set them on your coffee table and they are great conversation starters for your party guests. The best part is reliving those special moments with others. Printing your Instagram photos and using them as prints in your home is also great for guests to look at.

3. Now that the Holidays are upon us, why not use your travel photos as gifts to friends and family? My grandmother loves to travel, and each year when we would gather for Christmas, she would bring her photos for us all to ooh and ah over. Take it a step further and actually use these photos as gifts and thank-you cards. Treat by Shutterfly is what I'll be using within the next few months. Personalized cards are so much more thoughtful than store bought cards, and they are always good to keep around for last minute gifts.

I hope this is helpful ladies! It's time to stop stockpiling these beautiful memories and start putting them to use! Let me know if you enjoy this type of post, I may do more in the future that are different from my normal fashion and beauty blurbs.

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I Can Tell Time, Mr. Kors!

A belated Christmas present from my mom =) The two of us went shopping together for the first time in months, and it was awfully hard for me to decide just which one of Michael Kors' pretties I wanted to take home with me. I've had my eye on this one since I first spotted it in a Nordstrom catalogue. I love the silver hardware, mother of pearl face, and rhinestone detailing. I went back and forth between white, gold, and of course rose gold. However, as usual I went with my first instincts and chose the white. A neutral is a neutral and I know I will wear it with everything. Who says you can't wear white in the winter? It sparkles in the sunlight.

Have a beautiful weekend everyone!

♥ Noelle

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