Treat Yo Self: Valentine's Pin-to-Win

 On your own or with loved ones, Valentine's Day is the perfect day for self-love, so TREAT YO SELF! Have a donut for breakfast, buy yourself a bouquet at Trader Joe's, or take a super long bath. Whatever you like! The cherry on top? You could win a sweet prize pack from Fleur d'Elise!

There are 3 prizes!

1st Prize: A Ban.do Party Banner Necklace & neon pink flower pin & Benefit's Watt's Up Face Highlighter

2nd Place: One of my newest notecard sets! You get 6 cards & envelopes featuring happy pastels & platinum ampersands. 

3rd Place: It's a surprise!!

 This giveaway is a little more involved than my most recent giveaways, but don't worry! It's gonna be fun! You get to be a little creative :) The main part of entering involves creating a pinboard! Pin one of the images from this post and then go crazy! What would you not normally buy for yourself? How do you treat yourself? Pin that! My favorite board will win first place! For inspiration, visit my pinboard.

Second & Third place will be chosen by Rafflecopter.

How to enter:

1. Create a Pinterest Board titled 'Treat Yo Self' (Required)
2. Follow my Pinterest! (Required)


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Open to US/Canada Only.
Ends February 14th, 2015

Look of the Day: Moss & Cashmere

I want to apologize in advance for how badly these photos might look on your own computer. The lighting in my neighborhood is atrocious this time of year, and my computer's colors seem to be off. I finally (finally) got a new computer to replace my sad, old laptop, but I think it needs to have it's colors calibrated or whatever. Stuff that looks fine to me, looks really weird on any other screen. Feedback would be appreciated! Do they look hecka yellow?

 Enough tech talk. I'd been lusting after these moss green pants at Anthroplogie for a few months, and happened to find my size in the after-Christmas sales. Thank goodness Anthropologie always carries a million of each thing.

I'm so glad green is back "in style". It's always been one of my favorite colors, and now stores are finally carrying it again! Green accessories have been on Spring wishlists in years past, but it's been nearly impossible to actually find the color. Filling up my closet and my jewelry box as we speak! The malachite pendant is vintage, but you can still get the faux malachite cuff from Madewell. 

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Look of the Day: Wardrobe Staples

I'll be honest, the outfits I usually feature on the blog are not always my everyday outfits. It's not like I dress drastically different from the blog, but in the past few years I've definitely become a staple dresser. Partly, I'm inspired by my husband who is the type of guy who buys 3 of anything he likes. Even jackets! Jackets are his jam. He had to put some in storage, because his closet rod was bowing. You get what I'm saying.

If it's in your budget, I highly recommend buying things you love and wear regularly in multiples. You never know when mustard might happen! Or even worse, the store discontinues them! That is the case with my favorite BDG pants, and the inspiration for this post.

These first ones are kind of all "Duhs".

- Scarf: you probably have 75 of them. They're warm and colorful.

- Black coat: sleek, goes with everything.

- Striped shirt: I honest-to-god have 11 different Breton striped shirts. My go-to-staple. Goes with almost everything and I feel good in them. Perfect for mornings where I set my alarm for 7am instead of 6:30 and have no time.

- White Sneakers: Find a good pair of cheap ones and buy 5 pairs! You will always have fresh, white kicks! I found these on clearance at JCP for $14 and bought 2 pairs, since that's all they had.

My other wardrobe staples are as follows:

- Fake Frames: Or, if you need them, real ones! They're perfect for puffy-eye days. Distracts from my bloodshot allergy face! Get a god pair, like the Madewell ones I'm wearing. They have UV protection built in and they're nice enough to have real lenses put in when my eyesight finally goes.

- Red Lips: Ok, duh. Another thing I have at least 5 of. My favorite is an called orangey-red from Revlon called Siren.

- Denim Jacket: This classic piece should be in everyone's closet! Plus, it's fun hunting for vintage denim! Find a rare one and you could get rich!

- Neutral Knits: If you live in a warm climate, this doesn't really apply. If not, then you know you need at least 2 good neutral sweaters! Look for good, vintage wool at your local thrift store. It won't pill as badly as new stuff. My favorite is a heather gray men's sweater by Blumarine that I wear probably too often. The one I'm wearing above is from GAP, and it's majorly on sale right now.

- High Waist Pants: I've sung the praises of high waist pants before. They're so much more comfortable than the crap the kids are wearing right now. You don't have to pull them up every 5 seconds! My all-time favorites are BDGs that have been discontinued in the past year. I've been on the hunt for replacements and I think these GAP high rise skinnies are it. 

- Fun Flats: For me, I can't wear anything else. Dumb feet. When I find a pair my feet actually like, I buy as many as possible. Easier said than done, of course.

Little Extras: A wear-with-all watch and a classic bag!

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Review: InstaNatural Argan Oil Products

Hello! How is your 2015 so far? Mine has been fabulous. I've been super-motivated to get my apartment in shape. It's been driving me bonkers, so a new year felt like the perfect reason to refresh my living conditions, my wardrobe and my personal health! I bought some new jams (Sam Smith & Nicki Minaj) and I've been cleaning up old projects & organizing closets; I took a bags of stuff to Value Village and Buffalo Exchange, and now I'm focusing on inner and outer health.

 As always, I'm a huge proponent of organic beauty products. The more natural, the better! This latest Brand Backer campaign I've signed up for involves some generously-sized samples from InstaNatural. 

Over the summer, I fell in love with Josie Maran Argan Oil, but at $48 for 1.7oz., her product is not something I can afford to buy all the time. While InstaNatural's Argan Oil isn't as glam as something from Sephora (I got it through Amazon), it's just as naturally good for your skin, and the earth, as any other brand. (Or so the site claims). It's certified organic and you get 4oz for $19! That's a crazy-good deal.

The one downside is that it has a weird smell. It's cold pressed and unrefined, so you're getting pure argan funk. The smell doesn't last, though, and with use, I'm getting accustomed to it. I use it all the time. It's perfect for my sensitive skin, so I wear it under my make up. I also use it as a hair conditioner, pre-blowdry hair smoother, body lotion, bath oil, etc. etc. And I have so much of it, I don't mind sharing anymore!

The company also sent me a giant tub of their Argan Oil Hair Mask. It's super thick and smells like orange creamsicles. You're supposed to leave it in for 5-15 minutes, but I rarely have that much time in the shower, so I reserve it for my weekend baths. My hair has certainly felt softer and has been very shiny. I just have to be careful to thoroughly rinse everything, or else I'm left with hair that's a touch too shiny, if you get my drift. I wouldn't recommend it for fine hair, unless it's processed (permed or bleached). It doesn't seem to strip the color from my hair, which is another plus, but the product description doesn't say anything about it being color-safe, so be careful if you color yours.

A clean apartment, soft, healthy hair, some new accessories and new (thrifted) duds, and I'm ready to take on the rest of 2015!
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