The PERFECT Gift

My parent's anniversary slowly arriving, and my Dad wanted my help in picking out a few gifts for my Mom.  I have to say, after so many years of being together, it's quite hard to think of gifts to get my Mom seeing how she basically has everything she needs.  So instead of thinking of what she might need, we decided to get her a few items to put in a gift package.  Just a few nice treats that we know she will enjoy.

And who doesn't enjoy a little CHANEL???

I knew there were a few items in my Mom's vanity that she was running low on, so I thought it would be a nice idea for my Dad pick up a few of these items for her from Chanel.

- Inimitable Intense Mascara
- Ultra Correction Line Repair Eye Cream
- Les Quadra Ombres Eye Shadow Quad in Dunes
- Soleil Tan De Chanel Bronzing Make Up Base

The Soleil Tan De Chanel Bronzing Make Up Base was purchased for me, because I have been wanting it for so long, but the other three are for my Mom.  I definitely found it sweet of my Dad to really put the effort and want to pick up such luxurious products for her.  I think along with these products, he's also planning on getting her a little clutch (which he will fill with all of the Chanel products).

Hopefully she'll let me dip my hands in a few of these products to review for all of you ;)

What was also great was that Nordstrom was having a special event that day and they were giving away gifts with purchase.  So I got a bag full of wonderful, travel sized, goodies to test out and share with my Mom.  Gotta love freebies!

xoxo,

Eve

Nanette Lepore Cashmere Scarf

Last Friday, my cousin and I decided to go to the Nanette Lepore Flagship store located in Chicago for the event that they were hosting that night.  We got to see pieces from her new collection, along with enjoying great music, drinks, cupcakes. Oh and meet Nanette Lepore herself!  There was a huge crowd, so after getting a little introduction of myself out to her was lucky.

I absolutely loved her new collection and love her use of prints, colors, and textures.  I honestly never thought much of her line in the past, however, after trying a few pieces on I quickly fell in love!

Although the prices were a bit pricey (a lot pricey), my cousin did purchase a dress, and with that purchase she got a free cashmere scarf out of it because of the special event they were hosting.  So she decided to let me pick out the color and let me have it, which I thought was extremely nice of her.

I am in love with the houndstooth print, but Nanette Lepore definitely amped the trend up by working in color to the print (rather than going with the classic black and white print).  I definitely think bright colors are definitely making their way into the Fall season.  It might not be as much as Summer, but littler accents of bright/bold colors in your look will be a great addition to any Fall look.

xoxo,

Eve

September is RED Hot!

Or should I say more of a Burgundy? One of the most obvious color trends that I have noticed for Fall 2012 has been the Burgundy, Deep Berry, and Wine colors.  It's a great way to work color into your wardrobe without being too loud.  The deeper tones of red can really suit any skin tone and work with any other Fall colors.

BURBERRY Full Skirt Tweed Coat

My BIGGEST obsession when it comes to the burgundy look has been this Burberry Tweed Coat.  It's the perfect blend of the tweed trend and classic color.  It's definitely important to pick out trends that you can work into future seasons, so a big investment like this coat is a classic cut and style enough to work for every Fall and Winter season.

YSL Tribute High Heel Sandal

YSLTrib Too High Heel Loafer

Shoes are also a great way to rock the Burgundy color trend for the season, and these are the sexiest pairs I have found for some inspiration.  I have been obsessed with the Penny Loafer style, being appropriate for work or play.  Pair the classic pump with a pant suit or some jeans and you'll definitely bring up your look to a whole new level.  Also, you can never go wrong with a strappy sandal.  I would love to pair these heeled sandals with a pair of black opaque tights and a dress for that city girl look.

YSL Cabas Chyc Handbag

Don't want to wear sky high heels or colored coats? Work the trend into your accessories and pick up a beautiful burgundy bag.  Fall/Winter bags are all about the darker tones and bigger, structured, totes.

Obviously all of these selected items are way out of my (and everyone else's) budget, but take thema ll as an inspiration and challenge to find much more affordable options.

xoxo,

Eve

L'Oreal Voluminous Full Definition Mascara

I have been on the hunt for a great drugstore mascara for a while now, and I thought I would give this L'Oreal Voluminous Full Definition Mascara a try after hearing a few reviews on it.  My go to mascara are the Lancome mascaras, but because mascaras expire so quickly it gets quite expensive to keep repurchasing a department store brand.

The L'Oreal Voluminous Full Definition Mascara is said o create full lashes while still looking natural.  Giving a healthy, lengthening look with definition.  The conditioning vitamins in the formula is also said to keep the lashes healthy and softer, which is also great for sensitive eyes.

Although all of the claims for the L'Oreal Voluminous Full Definition Mascara seem fantastic and are exactly what I am looking for, I find the mascara pretty average and a little bit difficult to work with.  The formula is quite thick, and the stopper is not small enough, leaving too much product on the applicator.  So after wiping the applicator off a few times (wasting a bit of product), the product doesn't apply as smoothly on the lashes.  You really have to work it in and really sweep it back and forth for that even application.

After getting the hang of the application and just working with it for a bit, I feel that it does give the lashes quite a natural look.  This doesn't give the greatest amount of length, but it does make it a very wearable mascara for every day looks.

There were a lot of bad reviews stating that there was awful clumping and and flaking issues with the L'Oreal Voluminous Full Definition Mascara, and I believe it's because of the thicker consistency when it comes to the product.  If you do have this mascara, try to wip off most of the product before applying it onto your lashes.

Guess I will continue my hunt for a more affordable mascara.

xoxo,

Eve

Gucci Italian Collection Sunglasses

I have always been a fan of Aviator styled sunglasses and never really saw myself going for the more over sized (glamorous) shaped sunglasses, until now.  I was at a yard sale in the suburb of Chicago a little over two weeks ago, and let's just say the seller was overly generously with the pricing of a lot of her brand new items (divorce gone ugly??).  A lot of her items were brand new (with price tag in tact) or barely used.

I would normally feel bad about buying all of these items for such low prices, she definitely did not seem phased at all and just wanted to get rid of everything.  So while I was looking around I came across these Gucci sunglasses.  I jokingly put them on and then surprisingly fell in love with how looked on me.  The women also said that they suited my face shape well and offered to sell them to me for $50.   At first I thought that these must be fake Gucci, but she had kept the price tag on them (along with the case and box she had received after purchasing them.  I also decided to look them up online and saw that these were from Gucci's newer collection, so I thought that $50 was more than a fair price for these (which retail at around $390).

I thought that the interlocking chain detailing was going to bother me, but when I put them on I thought they were very subtle (because the color was toned down) and I love the retro style shape of the frames.

And because I was still curious about whether these were real Gucci sunglasses, I took these to the Gucci Flagship store on Michigan Avenue to get them checked out.  Turns out she was as honest as ever and I scored my first pair of Gucci sunglasses for a great price.

I picked up a few other things at the yard sale along with these shades (may or may not post about them), but it just goes to show you that a person's "trash" is another person's treasure.  I will definitely be keeping my eye out for future yard sales (mainly in the suburban areas of Chicago).  Who knows what else I"ll be able to find.

xoxo,

Eve

Mossimo Flats

I have slowly been building up my Fall wardrobe, and I found my latest favorite fall piece at Target last week.  This was actually not an intentional purchase, but it turned out to be a great one nonetheless.  I was wearing a pair of flip flops as I was running errands, and when I was walking around Target one of my flip flops had snapped (because it was a few years old).  And because I'm not one to walk around barefoot until I got home (and I had a lot more errands to run) I decided to see if I can pick up a cheap pair to wear for the day.

I didn't want to buy just any random pair of sandals because cheap or not I wanted to make sure I would wear them for at least a few months.  When I came across these cognac colored flats I immediately thought of Fall.  The color is absolutely perfect for the season and the fit is pretty comfortable for being shoes from Target.

Mossimo is one of my go to brands at Target.  They usually produce great quality items for affordable prices.  When I purchased these flats they were just putting them on display, making them fairly new.  So you should still be able to find them online or at your local Target stores.

The back of these flats are scrunched up so the fit is good, but when you wear them for the entire day you can see a bit of a mark on the back of your ankle.  So it does take a little bit of breaking into before they can be worn all day.

I love pairing these with just a casual outfit, a pair of jeans and a plain tee, for that effortless day time look.  But they also look cute with those Summer dresses that you might want to carry on into the beginning of Fall.

xoxo,

Eve

Charles by Charles David Adiras Lace Up Bootie

Fall is slowly creeping up and it's about that time of the year where I re-organize my closet and bring out all of my favorite Fall pieces.  My closet is currently a mess as I try to switch up my clothes.  However, amongst all of the chaos in there, I discovered a pair of (never worn) booties that I instantly fell in love with.

These Charles by Charles David Adiras Lace Up Booties were given to me sometime last year as a gift.  I guess I never wore it because it was buried deep in my closet, covered in more and more clothes and accessories.  It was definitely like finding a treasure.

I can definitely edge my any outfit with these military inspired booties.  They are actually one of the biggest trends for Fall 2012, as they were featured in so many designers lines, and I believe it will carry on for more Fall seasons to come.  I love the almond toe, it really makes the shoe more flattering, and the buckle detailing brings that extra edge.  It's a simple laced up from and the beautiful leather and color just screams Fall.  My favorite part of the shoes are the soles, which makes the shoes very easy and comfortable to walk around in (slip resistant).

When I found these I literally squealed a bit and put them on right away to make sure they fit well.  I wore them around the house for a little while because I thought they were too cute, and they were extremely comfortable to walk in and gave my ankles a lot of support.

Pair these lovely booties with a nice pair of skinny jeans and any top and you'll be ready for a great day/night out.

I really need to keep digging in my closet and try to uncover any other lost treasures in there.

xoxo,

Eve