I was cleaning up at night before bed as I do most nights because I love waking up to a clean house. We have been in our house for a full year now and I’m still tweaking things here and there, especially around the holidays. After seeing new home decor items at Target released for fall, I decided I didn’t like how my first floor was decorated and wanted to change things up. For the record, it looks pretty as it is, I just need to rearrange things every few months because I’m crazy like that. I’m trying not to buy too much for our home because I may love it but we don’t have that much room for it all. I had to give in when I saw these candlesticks and the price was too good not to get them. I knew they would be perfect for my fireplace mantel throughout the year and could move them around with the seasons. The gold finish looks antique and are made really well for a low price. My mom has dozens of gold candlesticks varying in height and style that we love to decorate her home with. I’m excited to start building my collection with this set that can easily go with more candlesticks I buy in the future. Or more candle holders I buy from this amazing collection at Target right now! Right now I have my mantel decorated for fall and I’m excited to decorate it for Christmas in a few weeks. The candlesticks are the perfect elegant touch that this space needed in our dining room.
Last week, I was wearing shorts and a tank top or a bathing suit and this week I am wearing long sleeves and leggings! The weather has definitely shifted; it’s cold, overcast and the sun is going down a lot earlier. It’s making me think of Jake’s family who was directly impacted by the hurricane this week in Pensacola and my friends out west in the path of the fires. I’m excited to be back home in Philly with Jake and Ed but I really am going to miss my time in the South with my parents.
One of the best things about fall is all of the new things to watch! I even made a list of things to watch because I didn’t watch much tv the last few months. Fall television is going to be different this year so I plan on watching shows live to support. One show that will be interesting because of the cast is Dancing with the Stars.
This week I made time to watch the This Is Paris documentary on YouTube. It’s free to watch and heartbreaking to see what happens in Paris Hilton’s life behind the cameras and her brand.
I was excited to be home because I can finally catch up on the current season of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. I’ve been trying to keep up with the drama on Twitter so now I’m binging season 10 this week.
I’m still sharing my reading list on Goodreads to keep me committed to my reading goal. I did a lot of reading over the summer and I need to get into a routine of reading everyday this fall.
I stocked up on a ton of products before we came home so I got this new bag to keep it all organized. It’s so cute and holds so much that I plan on getting some more bags in this print.
There is currently a ton of new products on my vanity that I am excited to share on the blog in the next few weeks. Over the summer I’ve been going makeup free most days and really focusing on skincare. After seeing an amazing deal on 3 full size eyeshadow palettes from Tarte, I had to order it ASAP!
Recently bought these sandals because they were on clearance and I’ve been wearing them nonstop since. Very comfortable and do not look or feel cheap even though they were only $12.
WOW, I have missed my kitchen so much the last few months! I am back to making dinner every night and trying new and old recipes. We did a big grocery trip when we got back to Philly so I was able to make our favorite penne vodka which was delicious! I’ve been sharing our dinners on Instagram stories and it’s been a great motivator to cook and interact with you all.
Speaking of amazing food, I just discovered the Starkist tuna creations and they are a game changer for lunches!
When I was clicking through the sale preview pages I realized that a few of the items looked very familiar. So maybe that’s proof I really do have good taste? Over the last few years I’ve been more picky about my purchases and choosing to spend more money on some items because I know they will last me for years.
Some items in my closet (and in storage) are from Nordstrom sales in the past. I think why this sale is SO popular is because you can’t beat these sales on items that truly are investment pieces that you can use daily. Other items in my closet are from Target and honestly, they do the same job. I love wearing clothes and buying clothes. I was happy to see that some items I’ve purchased from other retailers were included in the sale (for example a brown leather skirt). I purchased mine from another retailer last year and now I can’t wait to wear it again this year in new ways.
I love shopping but I love a good deal more. Below I put together a long post of items that I currently own that are a part of the Nordstrom sale. Some are from Nordstrom or other higher end stores and some items are from Target. Do some browsing and see what catches your eye. If you have the budget, do some shopping. The way that I look at it is you can buy 10 fast fashion bags that will break and fall apart easily or buy one amazing designer handbag that you can use every day for years. This year I’m shopping the sales on the jewelry to get presents for friends and family and a few things for myself because you can’t beat that price.
Happy shopping!
TORY BURCH LEATHER TOTE PURSE // If you want to buy yourself a nice designer item that you will definitely use a lot, I suggest getting a designer handbag. I treated myself to a Tory Burch bag in 2018 and it looks like I just bought it. I use it a lot in the fall as my everyday bag and I love that it acts like a tote bag because I can throw things easily in there and it’s small enough to be an everyday bag.
CHARLOTTE TILBURY LIPSTICK // I worked on a campaign with Charlotte Tilbury more than a year ago and that is when I finally understood why everyone is obsessed with this lipstick! It’s goes on smooth and I find it lasts all day. You can read more about the brand in this blog post here.
KATE SPADE INITIAL PENDANT NECKLACE // This is a necklace that I wear all the time because it’s tiny and goes with any type of outfit. I bought mine during a Nordstrom sale years ago and it still has its gold color even after wearing it in the rain, lots of sweat and daily wear. This would be a great present for someone or for yourself.
PLATED STUD EARRINGS // Whenever I wear these earrings, which is often, I always get compliments on them. They look super expensive but are very budget friendly which is great for treating yourself or stocking up on gifts. The earrings work for everyday and for work so these have been my go to since I got them a few years ago.
PAJAMA SETS // I love to buy pajamas and I’m actually a little embarrassed by how many pajama sets I own. That being said, Nordstrom does have pajama sets on sale during the sale but I have never purchased them. For now I am sticking with my pajama sets from Target because I feel like they are just as soft and are more budget friendly. I recently did a full blog post about my favorite pajama sets from target here.
MULES // I am slightly embarrassed by how many pairs of mules I own because they are so easy to slip into and walk out the door. This year, multiple colors will be on sale and I suggest you grab a few. They last forever and I wear them all year round. Great for weekends and can be worn at work so it’s a show that you really do get a lot of wear out of. I own mules in pink, 3 black pairs and white. I told you, I’m obsessed!
WHITE SNEAKERS // I have spent months trying to find a chic white sneaker that can be worn not for working out. I love the look of white sneakers with jeans or a dress but struggled to find a pair that would work. Recently I just purchased a pair of white Steve Madden sneakers at TJ Maxx and they look so good on! Obviously they are last seasons so I’m excited to see a new version this year just as chic!
LOAFERS // I purchased black loafers late last summer and they honestly became my most worn shoes. I’m excited to see these included in the sale because they are super affordable! The loafers are a great shoe to commute to work in and you can wear around the office. Honestly, a shoe that you can wear all the time is worth every penny.
ADIDAS SNEAKERS // Sneakers are always a great item to stock up on during this sale. I recently picked up some similar Adidas sneakers for $29 at Costco that I didn’t need but for that price I thought why not. Later that week I saw a whole display at TJ Maxx with the same sneaker for $35 I believe. Both were a great bargain and I assume “last years style”. But do sneakers go out of style?
OUAI LEAVE IN CONDITIONER // I recently rounded up a few of my favorite leave in conditioners lately and what do you know, the Ouai one is currently included in the sale! I’ll spray my hair with two squirts with the leave in conditioner and then brush my hair from root to end so the product goes all over my hair. A little bit goes a long way and I can tell I’m going to have this for a long time! Read more about my favorite leave in conditioners in this blog post here.
PLAID DOUBLE BREASTED BLAZER // Every year during the Nordstrom sale there is a plaid double breasted blazer on sale. I’ve wanted one for a while but my work dress code didn’t require them so I didn’t get one last year. So you can imagine how excited I was to see one on sale at Target for a much smaller price than the one listed on Nordstrom. I’m linking this years Target version here. I will say that I felt a lot better about throwing my blazer in my work bag on my way to work when I needed to wear a coat.
TORY BURCH LOGO EARRINGS // I bought a similar style Tory Burch logo earrings back in 2018 and I’m still wearing mine all the time. I love to wear them for work because they can dress up an outfit and for everyday look. It’s a nice small designer investment you can make if you have a budget.
TIE WAIST ANKLE PANTS // If you are looking for new work pants then these pants that have a cute bow detail would be perfect! I’ve purchased a few pairs from LOFT over the last year and love how polished an outfit looks when I wear them with a top to work. I’m linking the LOFT version here in case you want to compare.
KNEE HIGH BOOTS // I love these boots and the looks I can do with them. Last year during the sale I had like no money because we were in the process of moving so I was not able to get the boots. Insert sad emoji here. Luckily, a few months later I found an amazing dupe for the boots at Target. The price? Just what you would expect – affordable! So I bought them and they have been sitting on my closet floor since then. The point is, just because something looks pretty doesn’t mean you will actually wear it. And sometimes waiting to buy something pays off!
MULE SHOES WITH A HEEL // At work I used to have a drawer full of shoes that I could slip on after I got to work in Uggs or sneakers. Commuting to work on the train was not glamorous and I was not running in heels! I had a pair of brown leather mules with a block heel in my drawer that were easy to slip into if I had meetings that day and wanted to look professional. With long pants or even a dress, they give the appearance that you are wearing heels but you are actually wearing comfy shoes!
BLACK SUEDE WATERPROOF BOOTIES // It is so nice to have a pair of nice looking shoes that you can do anything in without worrying about the weather. A few years ago I bought waterpoof suede booties because they were inexpensive not realizing how much I would wear them over the years. Great for commuting, great for picking out a Christmas tree (see picture above) and perfect for unpredictable weather.
BROWN LEATHER SKIRT // Personally, I didn’t know I needed a brown leather skirt until I bought one. It’s an easy way to dress up oversized tees, sweaters and blouses. I purchased mine from another retailer last winter and I’m excited to see that the style is back. I’ve also noticed Meghan Markle often wearing a leather pencil skirt and a matching blouse. It’s a very chic look!
LANCOME HYPNOSE MASCARA DUO // If you are looking for a good mascara deal, this is the one for you! I wore this mascara a lot for when I used to go out with friends or dates because it gives a lot of volume and lots of lashes. Since running out I’ve tried to use drug store mascaras but nothing is as good as this mascara. Also the primer is amazing and the makeup remover mini is great for traveling! They offer the best deal on mascara sets right now during the Nordstrom Sale.
T3 HAIR CURLING IRON // Yes, it is pricey but I love my curling iron so much! It gives me gorgeous curls in just a few minutes and they last all day. For days that I wake up with frizzy hair, I can quickly curl my hair to get polished perfect curls in minutes.
T3 HAIR DRYER // After my hair dryer from high school stopped working, I put my money together and purchased the T3 hair dryer that everyone was talking about. I knew I needed to invest in a good hair dryer because I have a lot of thick hair and it normally takes forever to blow dry it, With all of that time using high heat on my hair, it can really damage your hair. So now with my T3 hair dryer, my hair dries faster with that polished shine look and I’ve noticed my hair looks less fried.
BRUSH SET // Normally I wouldn’t look to Nordstrom to buy new hair brushes but when you break it down, the cost per brush is so inexpensive! This will definitely be in my cart to purchase!
MADEWELL JEANS // I sure do miss working at J Crew because of that employee discount! One thing that I would tell anyone is to invest in good denim. It lasts forever and if you can wait for a good sale, you can get a good deal! I’ve tried wearing other budget friendly jeans and while they can be good, nothing compares to Madewell and J. Crew jeans.
Summer is officially here so it’s time to make sure that you have the right sunscreen to keep your skin healthy and safe from the sun. Luckily Dermalogica sent me some sunscreen so I’ve been using it during my enjoying my time in the sun. The Invisible Physical Defense Sunscreen is lightweight and sheer when you rub it in. My biggest annoyance with sunscreen is feeling sticky and I immediately fell in love with this one because I couldn’t even tell I was wearing it. Now I can lay out in the sun without getting a sunburn! It’s also lightweight enough for daily use and great for wearing under makeup!
Thank you to Dermalogica and Bzzagent for working for me on this post. Products were complimentary and as always, all opinions are my own.
Shopping for pet supplies doesn’t make my weekly shopping list that often but when they do, it is usually needed urgently. Since Ed and I moved to Philadelphia, I have been relying on having our pet supplies shipped to my front door because there is just no way that I would be able to haul litter and food from the store to my home. I used a few different sites but when we moved to our house a year ago, I wanted to try Chewy and see if it was all that different from ordering from Target or Amazon. So far, we have loved it with zero complaints! The prices were so low that I ordered all new pet supplies for Ed along with his food for our first order. Since then we have been choosing Chewy for our food and toy needs for Ed.
There is a $50 purchase minimum for free shipping and let me just say that it is hard to meet that requirement because of the discounts on products we use daily. Chewy makes it easy to shop because of their very user friendly website and list of suggested items you may want to purchase. It has all of the name brands that I know and trust along with other pet needs and accessories. Instead of searching, browsing and researching reviews, I can easily search for what I need on Chewy’s website and click to add it to my cart without worrying if it will work for us or not. Also, I need to add that their customer service is amazing. I had to chat with someone over chat and I got a real person who answered quickly. They also sent Ed a Christmas card!
Since there is a spending requirement for free shipping, I like to order the biggest size of everything we need and I’ll throw in a few cat toys for Ed because they are soooo inexpensive. I like to do it this way because normally I would have to pay for an overpriced smallish bag of food because it was the only thing I could transport back home and I would be back in a few weeks to stock up again. Chewy makes it super easy and convenient because we can go months without having to reorder or running out of anything. Plus, I don’t have to pay extra for the weight of anything or it affect delivery time. I am also very impressed with their two day shipping and everything arrives at our front door right on time.
You can subscribe to auto-ship and you can tell Chewy how often you need items to shipped to your home. There is also a questionnaire for your pet so their analytics can suggest the right items for your pet. I don’t auto-ship my pet supplies because we can go months without having to reorder supplies because I order multiples and large sizes of everything to meet the shipping requirements. Another helpful thing is I can easily reorder from our previous shopping cart so I don’t have to search and add items again – takes maybe five minutes and everything is delivered in 2 days. It seems silly to love a website that ships pet supplies but I have been realizing how much time we spend going to the store, shopping, overpaying and then bringing items back home we use daily when we could easily have them shipped! I’ve tried ordering from other sites and sometimes there are shipping delays or an item is out of stock or I have to read through a dozen reviews to make sure the product is actually legit and then I have to question why it’s upcharged so much to get it shipped quickly.
If you are your furry friend are living busy lives and want to simplify a few things, get your pet needs at Chewy.
I woke up late on Saturday and didn’t have much motivation to do anything after I woke up so I just laid in bed scrolling on my phone. There was a time that I would relish when I would wake up to a rainy morning with time to scroll on my phone. Instead of enjoying reading the news updates on Twitter and getting inspiration from photos in squares like I usually do, I got bored and put my phone away. Luckily, my parents called on speakerphone as they were making cupcakes for their neighbors. I got to talk to them about the weather, what their garden looked like and a promise that a photo would be sent shortly. We did the usual check in and reminder to stay indoors – this was directed to my dad after he told us he wanted to play a round of golf with friends. It really is true that we need to emphasize the staying indoors more to our parents than us young people! Luckily, my mom with her doctor title and me as the concerned daughter won and my dad will not be playing golf with the guys this weekend!
After a long conversation on the phone with my parents, I changed out of my night time pajamas and got into a matching set of “daytime” pajamas or comfy lounge wear as we started to call it. I made an easy breakfast and a cup of coffee even though it was late in the afternoon. I checked my email and deleted the ones with the subject titles that mentioned “SALE!” because I am doing a no shopping rule during the quarantine and I can proudly say that I have not purchased anything besides groceries and other essential items. I also filled out the Census questionnaire which was really easy and quick to do – kind of a bummer when I was hoping it would take up more than 5 minutes.
I’ve been good with keeping myself busy this past week. I like to create a to do list with a list of a few things I am grateful for each day while I drink my morning coffee. I’m cleaning and catching up on laundry and spending time in the kitchen making dinner. My mom commented that I was getting through this with a smile in my heart and it made me realize that the way we think about this time in our lives can impact our day so much. There are days that I am bored and don’t have much motivation to do anything or I stress about our finances. There are so many times in my life that I wish I could have a week to let my mind rest or to catch up on everything or to get to that long to do list. I’m being lazy because it’s what my body needs but I am also being intentional with my time at home. I’m also creating a routine that helps me find structure during a day without much to create it like usual. I like to start my mornings emptying the dishwasher and tidy the kitchen while listening to The New York Times Daily Podcast as I wait for my Keurig to get started. It’s enough of the news to stay in the know but not too much to feel overwhelmed. Then in the afternoon, I like to work on a project to keep me moving. I deep cleaned our kitchen and I’m rearranging our first floor to make it more functional. I’m finally unpacking a few more boxes from the move and working on our guest room/office. I added photos to an album that have been in a box for years and I organized my box of treasured items and cards late one night while watching Netflix. I’m making my bed each morning because I have the time to do it and spend a few minutes to do a short work out to keep my body moving. Make a to do list and check the item off proudly once accomplished, even if it’s tidy like washing your face in the morning or brushing your teeth at night before bed.
There is so much uncertainty right now as we go into another week of us being unsure when things will go back to normal. For now, I don’t want to dwell on that. Instead I want to be intentional in how I use this time I have at home. Even if you are working from home right now, make your bed each morning, find a project, big or small, to accomplish each day and go to bed at your normal bedtime.
Stay safe…. Stay inside…..but most importantly, be kind to yourself.
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