cozy sweater

wear-it-wednesday

Todays post features one of my favorite items in my closet during the winter months. Right now we are have a noreaster in Jersey and it has been raining alllll day. I woke up this morning and changed into a different pair of sweatpants and put on a comfy sweater. In the winter, sweaters are a closet staple for me and I try to wear them everyday. At work I can make sweaters look work appropriate by adding a collared shirt underneath. But as soon as I get home, I throw on another comfy sweater to relax in. On my days off I usually just wear leggings and sweaters. Seriously guys… I am obsessed!!

Last week my family and I went out to lunch last minute, so of course I threw on some jeans and a sweater from The Loft. This sweater is no longer available, but I swear the Loft has some of the most comfy sweaters!  Post Christmas is the best time to stock up on sweaters because stores are trying to get the stores emptied to make room for resort wear. Right now at The Loft there is a big sale so run on over and stock up!

Morning Miracles

dry shampoo

 

Hit the snooze button tomorrow morning!  I dare you!
The only way I get out of the house on time in the morning is by using dry shampoo. My favorite is Batiste because it gives my hair some volume that I lose after day two of dirty hair and it really does feel clean. Since I color my hair I cannot wash my hair every day or else it gets dry and it causes breakage. You can buy this dry shampoo in different scents and there are ones made specifically for blondes and brunettes. I use the blonde dry shampoo in between highlights and root touch ups because it is a great way to hide my roots! Batiste has been a life saver lately especially when I work the night shift and don’t have the energy to wash my hair after work. I swear I shower every day, but to wash, dry and straighten my hair is a pain in the butt and takes a few hours. This is an investment you need to make in 2017 because I think we will do anything for a few more minutes of sleep in the morning!

winter & pastels

wear-it-wednesday

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Here’s a look I wore back when we had snow in Jersey! It was the day my family and I  were going to Ikea to buy me a new dresser. Before leaving the house I threw on my Lululemon leggings, a black long sleeve shirt and Uggs, an outfit I have been wearing literally every day lately! After I looked in the mirror I told myself I needed to make more of an effort before leaving the house! In the winter months, I feel like all I wear is the color black, I literally live in my Lululemon leggings and Uggs.I have been making more of an effort to wear color during these cold, winter months.

I finally had an excuse to wear some of my birthday and Christmas presents! This sweater is from Banana Republic and while I cannot find the exact one, I did link a similar one below. It is so cozy and perfect for the winter months. I find myself buying boring black sweaters, so I love that I finally had a colorful sweater in my wardrobe. I am blessed with friends who spoil me because also I got a Tory Burch bag for my birthday that has been on my wishlist for a while. It was the perfect addition to this outfit for our little outing. I scored Tory Burch boots when they were on major sale during Cyber Monday.  If you are going to invest in new boots, I suggest investing in Tory. Just wait for a sale and it makes the purchase a bit easier!

Click HERE to get my outfit details!

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life isn’t perfect, but your hair can be

I wanted to let you know that I washed my hair today. You are probably like, okay..but why are you telling us that you washed your hair? With my work schedule, I wash my hair two times a week because it takes so much precious time out of life to do. My hair routine revolves around dry shampoo because my hair gets oily very fast. With my frizzy hair I often have to use serums and products to keep my hair tamed which causes oil and more dry shampoo is needed. In my calendar I plan when to wash my hair, that is how little time I have to style my hair!

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While I try to spend as little time as I can fussing with my hair during the week, I also spend a lot of money on my hair and a lot of time in a salon chair. I am at the salon at least once a month and block off time in my calendar to spend time on my hair. I get a lot of compliments on my hair because it is healthy and dyed a perfect shade of blonde. With a new year, comes an urge to make a drastic change with our hair. If you are thinking about going blonde, going for a major chop or getting bangs, here are some tips and advice.

1) Go to a Professional

When I was a freshman in high school I started dyeing my dirty blonde hair blonde platinum blonde. Once a month, I would have my mom dye my hair with box dye and while I loved the look and the low costs, after a few years I started to see the damage it did to my hair. I always had long hair, and I was forced to do a major chop to get my healthy hair back. Now that I found a salon that I love (and trust) I know that I can sit down in the chair, stroll Instagram and not look back up until it’s all done! It usually takes a few appointments for them to correct any color damage or hair mistakes from a previous salon. I found a hair salon that allows you to have a Hair Membership- it’s like a gym membership where you only pay a monthly fee and can get unlimited hair cut, color and blowouts. Every month I book a root touch up, every two months I get a trim and every 3-4 months I get new highlights. With this investment, I can protect my hair keeping it healthy and shiny in between salon visits.

2) Use The Right Hair Products

I am always the bargain hunter, but a few years ago my hair stylist lectured me on using the right products for my hair. Using a cheap shampoo is great for the wallet, but you are literally washing money down the drain. My hair started to get brassy, I was losing my blonde and my hair looked like bleh. Influenster reached out to me and analyzed my hair with a questionnaire. I love the blow out look I get from the salon, but lack the energy to use various hair tools and a million products to achieve the look. Influenster and Loreal sent me a package of L’Oreal Hair Expertise Extraordinary Clay Mask, Shampoo  & Conditioner. My roots are oily, my ends are dry and with every product I use it fixes one issue and damages the other. I have used the Loreal Hair Shampoos and Conditioners for years, but with the broad line of shampoos I never knew which one to use!img_3607img_3608img_3609img_3610img_3611

Plus, I love the blue colors of the bottle because it looks so pretty in my shower! After one use, I loved the way my hair air dried and it felt very clean. My hair also kept its blonde color post shower which is a huge plus!

3) Invest in a hair mask.

I use a face mask twice a week and have a moisturizer routine every night, but I didn’t see the benefit of using a mask. But then I did my research! After using the L’Oreal Hair Expertise Extraordinary Clay Mask I cannot imagine a shower without using one now! It is important to know that not all hair care products are made equal! Lately, hair care is changing drastically. So take advantage of the changes and improvements in hair care. On Pinterest, there are all of these DIYs with mayo and eggs and I was not letting any of that touch my hair! But now companies like Loreal are investing in hair products.

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L’Oreal Hair Expertise Extraordinary Clay Mask is applied to dry hair and left on for 5 minutes. I was happily surprised by the clay, it was a smooth texture without any gritty feeling. It is light and airy and not like a dense clay like I was expecting.  This combination makes applying super easy and easy to wash out.  The result is clean and silky hair without having to apply any other products.  I am in love with my hair and I want the world to know it!

5) Protect your shine

The sun, product build-up, overuse of hair tools and chlorine all dull your hair color and dull your shine.

6. Purple Shampoo

To prevent my hair from looking brassy , use a purple shampoo. This helps hair from turning brassy, which is my biggest hair problem. Once a month I use a purple shampoo and I recommend this one!

Thank you to Influenster and Loreal for sponsoring this post and sending me my new hair care favorites for free for a review!

now is the time to buy a winter coat

 

For todays Wear it Wednesday, I am sharing how to save money on winter coats. After all of this snow we have been having (it even snowed in Dallas, Texas!), all of us had to bundle up to survive the cold. If this snowstorm made you realize you need a new coat, good news because now is the time to buy one!

Keep scrolling to find out how to get one for cheap this month!

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One of my skills in life is getting the best bargain when I am shopping. I have ways of finding J. Crew for super cheap, finding Lilly Pulitzer pieces for only $10 and have two closets full of clothes that I never paid full price for. In college, I always had friends borrowing clothes out of my closet because I had so many great pieces to wear.

Today I thought I would share with you how I have built an amazing closet over the last few years. One of my biggest trick is to never buy anything full price. I get a lot of my clothes at consignment or Goodwill for just $2.99, Crazy, huh?? It takes some practice and patience to sort through the junk, but I have found some amazing pieces for just a few dollars. When I went to Texas last year, I went to one of my favorite consignment stores and bought a whole new J. Crew wardrobe for our 10 day visit. I spent only $200 for dresses, shirts, pants and a few Lilly Pulitzer pieces for that summer.

An expensive purchase that everyone needs to have is a winter coat. For my first job out of college, it was so close that I would just walk the five blocks to work and not drive. My first winter home I realized that my college peacoat or North Face was not going to cut it for the commute to work! In January, I started to look for a proper coat for the winter, and when I started to look in department stores I found that there was nothing left in the stores or I didn’t like the options. Then I went over to the clearance section and found a big puffy coat from Vince Camuto for under $100! There were a ton of coats in clearance because the stores in January are trying to get rid of the winter clothing and make room for resort wear!

At the store I work in, all of our winter coats are in clearance as well. And you might have gone last week and realized they were not your size. Here is a helpful hint, for Christmas a lot of people get nice coats for their kids or family members, but after Christmas a lot of them were returned. When they are returned, they go straight to clearance because we don’t have room for them on the floor anymore. If there was a coat you saw but didn’t get in time before it sold out or it was above your budget, be sure to go to the stores now and check clearance!

I shop a lot, but I am very smart when I shop… Just like every other girl, I want the newest trends and to fill my closet with beautiful things. I have made some big purchases lately, but I have to point out that they were all on sale. Christmas time is the best time to buy perfumes and makeup, and January-March is the best time to purchase a coat. Just remember that the day a new style hits the stores, you don’t have to buy it right away. Wait a few weeks (or even months) and I can guarantee it will go on sale or be in clearance!

My red coat is on major sale right now! Fellow blogger prepsterange and I have the same coat and we are both obsessed!

SHOP MY LOOK

#goals : declutter

One of my yearly goals is to clean and declutter. This may not seem like a lot of fun, but decluttering you room, your home, car, closet, etc. brings so much happiness into your life. Walking into a space that is messy makes me very stressed out. It’s hard to go to bed if I have clothes on my floor or there are dishes in the sink. It sounds crazy, but waking up in the morning and everything is in its place helps me get out of the house faster. This is coming from the girl who loses her keys at least once a week (because I put them in a new place every night)!

Cleaning seems like a big task, but if you do one big clean in the beginning of the year and maintain it, it’s not as scary as a task. One way to make it easier is to declutter. Go through each room at a time and then go through each drawer, and each category of clothes. I wrote another post on this here that I highly recommend.

Another exciting project that I am starting is the Home Organization 14 Week Challenge. It started when I found this Facebook group and every year they have this house cleaning challenge. Each week there is a different room to clean and it provides a to do list to make sure you go through all of your items, purge, declutter and do a big clean so it is easier to maintain throughout the year. You can find the challenge here.

Over the weekend I started with my kitchen and checked off a lot on my to do list, but there is still a lot more fun to be had! Since I did this last year, so far the cleaning has been very easy to do. I created places for everything last year, so it is just me putting some things back to where they belong.

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My parents are in for a big surprise when they try to find things this week! I am sure they want to kick me out of the house after all of this cleaning!

Who wants to do this with me??