Sunday, December 30, 2012

Outfit of the Day

I absolutely love the snow and the way it glistens in the lights so taking some "outfit of the day" photos outside tonight in the snow seemed perfect! 

Well here they are - hope you like the scenery as much as I do :)

Tights by HUE
Feathered Earrings: JewelMint (came via my Glossy Box this month! ;)


Hope everyone else is having a lovely end to 2012 and is looking forward to an incredible 2013!
XO
Jessy

Friday, December 28, 2012

Pink Pout?

I know there is so much out there right now about red lips, burgundy lips, etc. but I am now and always have been a pink kinda girl. I mean, I have seen many girls looking just stunning in their leopard print scarf and red lip ensemble, but it never feels right to me when I try it.  I have just never felt comfortable in those shades and I have never thought they were flattering - for me. Even on gorgeous girls who wear red well, I always prefer pinks, though. I really like that softer more sensual look. Take Gwen Stefani for instance. Could there be anyone more born to wear red lips? I have always wondered how she can be so blonde and pale skinned and wear such a bold look so perfectly! But I have seen her in a soft pink lip, as well, and she looks INCREDIBLE! 
(Gwen w/ Pinks)
 
Listen, no matter what the trend is, what your eye color is, your hair color or how old or young you are, pink lips are pretty universally flattering.
For my personal tastes I also think it comes down to the fact that I have never viewed my lips as my strong feature and instead gravitate towards my eyes for that title. Because of that I tend to really play up my eyes with shadow, black liner and mascara (I NEVER leave the house without mascara - ok, almost never ;). When you focus that much on eyes I never think it works to also do a bold lip. It needs to be one or the other. Since I am always playing up my eyes a muted or pinky shimmery lip is the perfect balance.
 
Examples of what I am rambling on about:
 



Just in case there are any other girls out there like me who have tried the current trend of the dark lip and just can't seem to embrace it I want to give you some options for some incredibly yummy and flattering pink lips (to go with your knock-out gorgeous smokey eyes! :)
 
I think I have purchased just about every brand over the years that is out there - and then some. I have been wearing this stuff since high school (that was more than 15 years ago!) and I am always finding my new "favorite" one...I always seem to have a key couple that I stick with no matter how many times I momentarily stray.
 
Let me introduce you to a few I am very familiar with and maybe one of them will become a "go to" for you, too :)


1. Jordana Pretty Shine gloss ($1.99) - No kidding - This gloss, which I have only found available at Walgreens in my area, is less than $2.00!  It is very shiny/sparkly, but goes on butter smooth and last forever. It is not sticky in the least and provides great coverage. I have literally been wearing this since the 90's. I believe they recently discontinued this gloss, however. Last time I was in Walgreen's I could not find it. If you can get your hands on it I highly suggest you try it out! I love it in "Cute" and "Lovely".


(The next four you will find below sampled on lips below - my personal tubes of each are pictured above)

(M.A.C. Lipglass "Dreamy")

2. M.A.C. Lipglass in "Dreamy" (Macy's $15) - this is a subtle pink color with a slight glittery tone. Almost toward the nude end of the spectrum when applied. I have worn this one to death (there used to be print on the outside of the bottle and you can see from my pic above it is gone! ;) but I think I am moving on. A good gloss as far as the texture and feel, but it really doesn't last very long for the price and the color isn't enough "pop" for me. Plus the amount in the actual bottle makes the price per ounce pretty outrageous - I just expect a bit more performance. I am a huge M.A.C. fan and loyal customer so that is not easy for me to say, but I want to help you out! My advice: save your money and try another line.


3. M.A.C. PRO LONGWEAR Lipglass in "Infinitely Likable" (Macy's $19.50) - definitely a favorite!  This M.A.C. gloss is even pricier than the tinted "Lipglass" above. While price per ounce goes up so does the quality in my experience having worn the two. This one goes on heavier and it is stickier than alot of other glosses (including it's M.A.C. sister above). It is really like a lipstick/gloss hybrid. But it does last alot longer than your standard gloss. This color is very "bubble gum" pink. When I first wore it I didn't think I liked it (it was shockingly "bubble gum" actually), but the girl at the counter sold me on it and I was actually glad that she did because it grew on me and it looks so fresh and young.  Not a color I would have ever chosen on my own. (to make the gloss a little more comfortable to wear (less sticky) they did come out with a clear top coat that is available for $15 - I have not used this top coat so I am not sure how it wears). I am not sure this is a pink that would wear well on every skin tone/hair color, etc. I am blonde hair, blue eyes with fair skin and I think is was custom made for that combo. Still might be worth a stop at the M.A.C. counter to try it out if you get a chance :)

(Benefit Jing-a-Ling)

4. Benefit "Jing a Ling" (Macy's/Sephora $18) - This is an actual lipstick, but has features like a gloss. The feel when it glides on is buttery smooth and it has a sheen unlike a typical lipstick without being "glittery". This is a very neutral almost coral pink color that goes well with everything. My only complaint with this one is that it doesn't seem to last super long. Still is a fairly good value per ounce vs other luxury brands. An easy one to try out during your next stop through Sephora!


5. Maybelline Color Sensational Pearls lip color in "Pearly Pink" (drug and department stores $7) - I have been wearing this shade for many years although they have re-launched the line and tweaked it a bit it is the same shade and seems to be the same formula as before - if it isn't broken, don't fix it! ;) The price alone makes this one worth trying if you are looking for a "pearly pink" (pun intended!) but with the great price comes a really great lip color. It is a lipstick, but is another one that is kind of a hybrid with a gloss. It is more shimmery (which I actually love) than some of the ones on this list and it does have fairly good staying power. And really at this price you can re-apply all day long and still come out with a great deal on this tube of beautiful girly lip color!

Okay, I think I have given you enough for today!  Hope you made it to the end and enjoyed this little essay - LOL! ;)
XO
Jessy
 





Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Merry Christmas!!

What an amazing Christmas holiday for my family this year!  There were moments it was difficult as it weighed heavy on my heart that we were missing my dad in our celebrating having just lost him about 4 months ago.  It was wonderful to be together with so many people that loved him and we all celebrated him and his life together.
 
My kids got to play with all their cousins and we actually had 2 days of celebrating hosted at my house this year. I am totally worn out, but it was SO worth it! 
 
I hope that you all had amazing Christmas celebrations, as well!  I look forward to checking out your blogs to see what wonderful things you were all enjoying. Below I have listed a few shots from celebrations at our house on Christmas Eve and, of course, the info on specifics of my outfit in case you would like to know were you can get any of the pieces  :)
 
 
Here was Christmas Eve:




Black and White Chevron top by Everly (this season) Love this option!
Bracelets from Stella & Dot and t&j Designs
Bubble Necklace (similar to J. Crew bubble necklace) - purchased through Ebay (some good deals to be had on there!)
 

 
Me with my 10 month old baby girl, Gabby :)
 
My baby girl on Christmas day....she cracks me up! ;)
 
And I just LOVE this one of the two of us on Christmas day:
 
 
Jeans: I.N.C via Macy's
Cardigan: via F21.com
Scarf: Christmas gift from my mother in law :)
Earrings: Loft
My daughter's dress: via T.J. Maxx
 
 
**NOW is the time to check out t+j Designs jewelry if you haven't before (they make the link bracelet that I am wearing in the first set of pics and they also make a J. Crew style Pave link bracelet). They currently have all their "Winter Glam" necklaces on sale for only $20 (normally priced at $68!). I am ordering my fav today!  Use code GLAM20 at check out! 
 
XO
Jessy

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Last minute gift shopping!

Hi everyone! Are you all as excited as I am about Christmas??!!  It is our baby girl's first Christmas (she is 10 months!) which is always exciting and our boys are all ages that are super fun this time of year (11, 9 and 6 years). 
 
I am one of those people who just really really really loves to give gifts, too. You all already know that I LOVE to shop so that part comes easy. It's finding the time to get all the shopping done trips me up!  So here I am with a last minute rush to the stores to get it all done and I am happy to say that after nearly filling my car full I pulled it off!  DONE!!! 
 
I have spent almost the entire 2nd half of the day baking and cooking because we are hosting Christmas Eve and Christmas Day celebrations at my house this year :)  My husband and I don't have super big families - well actually we do, but half of them are in California and Florida - but we still expect upwards of 50 people through our doors over the next 2 days!  It will be 2 days filled with laughter, love, food, drinks, gifts, happy happy children and lots of festive Christmas music.  This is certainly my favorite time of the year. My family celebrates the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and I just can't think of a better reason to spread the cheer!
 
I hope that all of you have a wonderful next few days with your loved ones.
XO
Jessy
 
So this is what I wore today (until I started baking! ;)
 



 
Faux Fur vest via Banana Republic (current season) - best part is the drawstring on the inside that you can use to cinch the waist if you choose. (purchased at 40% off in the Soho store! I happened to be there during the 40% off EVERYTHING sale and I took advantage! I had been watching this one for months but at $125 I just never pulled the trigger....the 40% off sale made this mine without hesitation! ;) I have owned this vest all of about a week and have already worn in 3 or 4 times- LOVE!
Sunnies/glasses - Loft (current)
Boots - Vince Camuto Norway boot in "mushroom" via Marshall's
Bracelet via Stella & Dot
Earrings via Loft
Necklace via Stella & Dot
 
 
 
 

Saturday, December 22, 2012

New York day 2 - Central Park

Day 2 in New York was to involve lots and lots of shopping, sight seeing and more shopping!  We hit Central Park, World Trade Center site, Staten Island Ferry, Soho, Meat Packing district, Chelsea, Time Square and 5th avenue shopping.  It was an action packed day! I enjoyed the shopping the most in Soho and on 5th avenue.  Really there was no "bad" shopping though :)

I have a few pics to share with you from our travels around the city and want to start our day 2 pics with some of our pictures from Central Park. I hope that you enjoy them.
My gorgeous husband in Central Park at the Conservatory Water  (upper East side of NYC in the background)

 A phone call to home to check on the kids (in Central Park).......



Central Park with the morning sun rising above the buildings...it was so beautiful!

On the steps walking down to Consevatory Water in Central Park

Let me take a second to give the outfit information (for those of you who like that kind of information! ;)
Wool Pea Coat - Tart via Rue La La (this season - sold out)
Boots - Franco Sarto Carlotta riding boots via DSW (this season - sold out)
Jeggings - Hue
Leopard print scarf via Target (this season)
Aviators via Loft (from Soho in NYC :)
Steve Madden fringe bag (this season) via Nordstrom *this has become my go to bag and I get compliments on it like crazy! The fringe and studs on the bag are just so fun and give some boho chic to whatever I am wearing ;)

Bethesda Terrace in Central Park....the intricate carvings here were unbelievable. This terrace leads to the Bethesda Fountain and the Lake. It is a really breathtaking area - we spent alot of time here and took a ton of pics (that I won't bore you all with! ;)
While here we also saw a "real" fashion shoot going on. It was fun to watch and made me feel quite inadequate having my photos taken!  LOL

This is how we got around in Central Park - a "Pedcab". Our guide took us on an hour long tour of the park (not nearly long enough to see everything we wanted to see but all we felt we had time for on this trip). It was such a relaxing way to enjoy the sites. he stopped every little bit and let us get out to see different things up close and take all the pictures we wanted. I would highly recommend this form of transportation around the park. The horse drawn carriages are nice, but they don't stop to let you out and most of the drivers aren't give you a "guided" tour like our pedi-cab drive did - pointing out all kinds of cool facts we didn't know. With tip this 1 hour long tour was about $120. It was probably the best $ we spent on the trip!




These pictures were taken at the Cherry Hill fountain. I changed them from the original shot with the added effects. I think this may be my favorite picture ever of my husband and me. I love seeing our little pedicab in the background, too. I have already had this made into a canvas in the black and white version. It is so special to me! He is the love of my life and this picture couldn't be more perfect to sum up our incredible 16 years of marriage!

I hope you all enjoyed the photos. I will post more of the rest of the trip over the next few days.
XO
Jessy

 




















Friday, December 21, 2012

New York dreamin'

Okay, okay....so I have waited along enough to post about my trip to New York!  Honestly, I have been so busy with all the holiday parties and prep since I got back into town that I haven't had time to even upload all the pics. 
 
First of all I want to say that it was one of the best trips I have been on in recent memory.  I haven't been to NYC in about 20 years and it is much different now than it was for me as a teenager. 
 
My husband and I took off for a weekend celebrating our 16th wedding anniversary in New York City. It was the first time we had left our 10 month old behind ever and the first time in a couple of years we had left our 3 older boys behind.
 
We arrived in New York on Friday morning and had a car pick us up at the airport and take us straight to our hotel. We stayed at the Hilton New York in midtown Manhattan. We typically choose Hilton family hotels (we like to get the HHonors reward points!) and know that we can expect great service and nice amenities with our stay.  We were blown away this time though to have a knock at our door that first evening and a tuxedo clad gentlemen present us with a bottle of champagne, champagne flutes and a beautiful platter of chocolates and truffles. Compliments of the house for our wedding anniversary!  I have posted pics below.

Traveling attire: Tart winter white Wool Pea Coat via Rue La La
Leopard print scarf via Target (see it worn here also)
Cream Open weave sweater via Dorothy Perkins (see it worn here also)
Hue grey "jeggings" via DSW last season (see them worn here also)
 Diane Von Furstenburg rolling overnight bag
Cynthia Rowley laptop bag
Vince Camuto "Norway" boot (seen worn here as well)

Waiting on the car to arrive.

Inside our room at the Hilton New York - beautiful room and great views of the activity below on the streets.
Looking out toward Rockafeller Center just a couple of blocks away.
 
This is what was delivered to our room at the Hilton. It was so nice and unexpected. In a city where everything costs (and most things cost ALOT) getting something for nothing was a nice surprise in itself :)

We also headed out to dinner (my absolute favorite of the trip!) at Il Corso in midtown followed by the Rockettes Christmas show at Radio City Music Hall. It was an amzing night!

My incredible husband of 16 years!!!



 Outside our hotel - Hilton New York. I love the cab zooming by in the background - so "new york" :)

 
I know it is dark (mood lighting:), but this was at Il Corso where they treated us to our second bottle
of anniversary champagne (again on the house!) and we had the most AMAZING meal!

That is all I have time for for now. I will be sure to update you with the other 2 incredible days we spent in New York soon!
Thanks so much for visiting and I hope that you are ready for the holidays :)
XO
Jessy

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

I'm back and BUSY!!!

Hey All! 
It is so good to be back, but also so sad to leave NYC behind!  What an amazing trip. By far one of my favs to date I have have been a few places :)  
 
I will post much more about my weekend in New York city in which I did lots of shopping, shopping, shopping! But for now I have a daily outfit post of which none of the items I am wearing came from New York!
Right now I am just trying to catch up with everything here at home - Kid's school Christmas parties, work parties, cookie baking, Christmas traditions with the kids, finishing up the shopping list and trying to get prepared for Christmas Eve and Christmas day celebrations both at our house this year! 
This is what I wore today to help me stay stylish and still comfy while running around like a crazy woman ;)
 
 Okay so I am totally in love with these boots right now and really can't wear them enough! They go with everything, are not the typical black or saddle colors and have just enough heel to give you a little edge and a nice line without being uncomfortable to wear every day.
The jacket is newer. Ordered it from Rue LaLa a few months ago. Super comfy, cute and I love that it has a removable hood.  I know everyone has seen this sweater (or one just like it) over and over so I am not claiming to be original, but I found myself really wanting to wear one, too! They are just so darn cute ;) It is super comfy, but I feel like I need to go down to the small because there is alot of extra fabric and I think I would like it to be a bit more form fitting so it doesn't look so bulky with a shirt under it especially.
 


 
Boots: Vince Camuto Norway boot in "mushroom" via Marshall's (see them in a previous post)
Button down jean shirt via Target
Polka Dot sweater via Old Navy
Jacket: TART "Lucerne" White Wool Double-Breasted Coat via Rue La La
 
Again, it is so good to be back and I look forward to sharing all about my New York City weekend with you all in the next few days.
 
XO
Jessy

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Who doesn't love a little Anthropologie?

Well, I sure do and this skirt is my fav Anthropologie piece that I own - maybe that I have seen. It is just so beautiful and unique! I have my eye on other great Anthropologie pieces. Like one of my favs - the Hilda Shirtdress.  I am waiting on that one to go on sale :)
 
I took advantage of being in Target (I had to run in to get some travel size items for my carry-on so I don't have to check any luggage on our flight to New York City tomorrow morning!) to get in front of a mirror for some outfit pictures.
 
This will probably be my last post until Monday - which will be when I share with you all my great finds and adventure from our weekend trip. 
 
Until then........
 
 


Better pics (slightly?) of my new Laundry coat....I am still in love! 



This is how I wore it today.  I love pink, but don't really get a chance to wear it that often. I really like picking up on that same shade in the skirt - it is such a pretty shade.
 

I tried on a deep teal sweater with it tucked in so you could see the difference and the high waist on the skirt. I think I prefer the pink.  What do you think? Do you like either? 
 
Pink sweater and Teal sweater both via Target
 
XO
Jessy :)

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

New York, New York!

I can not believe that in about 36hrs I will be in New York city!! I have wanted to go back since the last time I was there about 20 years ago....seriously!  But I haven't just wanted to go any time of the year - I have specifically wanted to go during the Christmas season :)  Well, this year is our 16th wedding anniversary (December 14th) and my husband (and high school sweetheart :) is taking me to New York to celebrate!! We arrive Friday morning around 10am and don't leave until Sunday around 6pm to fly back home.  We have tickets to the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music hall for Friday, dinner reservations for Friday and Saturday and brunch reservation on Sunday and I plan to shop til we drop most of Friday (after we check into our hotel) and ALL day Saturday.  I have a map of all the areas of shopping I want to hit. I seriously don't really know how we are going to fit it all in, but I am sure going to have fun trying! LOL :)
In preparation, I have been packing (and shopping) to make sure I have everything I need and want to wear while in the Big Apple. I ran into Macy's today - partially to get my husband's Christmas gift and partially to get a couple of things for my trip - and while I was in there I took a few pics of today's outfit. Mainly to capture the incredible Laundry by Shelli Segal trench that I recently got (but also to try on a few pairs of perfect I.N.C. skinnies I found while browsing for the hubs...however did I find myself in that area of the store! :)
 Please excuse the incredibly dirty mirrors in the dressing room and the lack of good lighting. Hopefully you can still see most of the details in the coat. It is actually color blocked- dark grey inside the pleats and underside of the collar. It is absolutely the best fitting and most unique and gorgeous wool trench I have ever owned - in LOVE!


Wool Trench - Laundry by Shelli Segal via Macys.com (find yours here)

 
Trying to show you the back detail here although it's about impossible with a dirty mirror and bad lighting :(
You'll just have to trust me that it is gorg!!!!
 
Rest of the outfit:
Rust colored merino wool tunic sweater by Susan Bristol via TJ Maxx (current)
Vince Camuto Norway boot in "mushroom" via Marshall's (they were on clearance and I LOVE them - what a find!) (just purchased this week)
Grey "jeggings" by HUE via DSW (last season)
Steve Madden bag via TJ Maxx (current)
 
So do you have a favorite place to go when in New York?  Favorite place to eat? Cafe? How about best shopping district? 
We are staying in mid-town at the Hilton New York so we are pretty much in the center of it all (right in the middle of the theater and garmet districts - that was planned! ;).
What we can't walk to we can easily take a cab and/or subway too.  So throw out anything....I am so willing to take suggestions!
XO
Jessy