Currently Coveting

I am FINALLY getting around to starting this series that I have had on my to do list for months: Currently Coveting. If you've seen my Pinterest, you know that I use it more like a wishlist than for browsing for inspiration - and it was quite frankly getting out of control.

If for nothing else, this series is to help me organize the list of all of the things that are threatening to plague my credit card bill (and that list of MANY grows daily). So with that - here are the things I just can't get out of my head this week...

1.  Marley Lilly Monogram Ring | 2. TOMS Crochet Classic (will be my first!) | 3. Michael Kors Tortoise Chain Watch | 4. Chevron Shift Dress (confession: this is in the mail!) | 6. Tory Burch iPhone Case | 7. Karen Walker Perfect Day Sunnies in Crazy Tort | 8. J.Crew Tillary Tote (reminds me SO much of the amazing Celine bag | 9. J.Crew Enameled Giraffe Bracelet | 10. ZARA Mint Coated Trouser | 11. Tory Burch Kendrick Haircalf Driver (on sale!)

2912:52

Major slackage on my part = extra photos for you. AND I was pretty obsessed with my outfit today.

I have been coveting this blouse for weeks (months?) from J.Crew and I finally caved for it this weekend.

 I paired it with some gold knot earrings (vintage, thanks Mom!) and a long gold chain.

PLUS, lots of chunky bracelets, including my new Priviledged NYC chain link (similar here), classic DY bracelets and BaubleBar bangle.

Jumping back on the bandwagon NOW. Seriously. Really hoping this G&T (Hendrick's holla!) will kick my germs' asses. 

PS: How soon is too soon to wear this top again? It's going to be hard to resist....

2012: 49, 50 & 51

Fatties dinner @ Lucky's Lounge

And the cherry bombs continue into the following weekend...still magical.

Easily the most amazing nail color I've ever seen, + new J.Crew catologue love. Perfect Sunday.

2012:49

 

Perfect Philly homecoming gift to myself.

2012:46,47&48

I have zero excuses for this aside from severe Philadelphia binge drinking this weekend. And what a weekend it was.

Early Saturday morning beers to get the weekend started off right.

Late-night IHOP after a whiplash-inducing 4-hour dance party.

One of the best hangover meals ever - Philly cheesesteak (in Philly, no less) and pizza at Villanova's campus corner.

I promise I'm coming back to real life and out of my post-Philly haze starting NOW. 

2012:45

GW bridge: always a mistake (even after midnight...)

2012:44

 

Threw on some Maybelline Coral Crush and gold bangles with a simple white blouse (with gold hardware) that I had worn to work for a last-minute, late night dinner to celebrate the boyf's great interview with Amazon - SO easy.

(and yes, I'm a day late...again)

2012:43

 hearts&

 ombre nails &

well, more hearts.

I hope you all had a wonderful v-day!

2012:41

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Hope your night was as lovely as homemade pasta and vodka sauce :)

A Very BaubleBar Valentine's

If you've been reading this blog for even just a month, you know how obsessed I have been with BaubleBar recently.

As if my wallet is not hurting enough as of late (many thanks to ASOS, J.Crew and BaubleBar, of course), BloomSpot is running a deal today for BaubleBar credit. You can pay $25 for $50 worth of merch, or pay $50 for $100. As if that wasn't amazing enough - you can buy TWO for yourself - so...that's up to $200 worth of beauteous baubles for only $100!

Obviously, I couldn't resist investing in the max; I have until June 15th to use all of my credit- and with the rate they pump out new lovelies, I don't think I will have ANY problems spending all of it. I'm already lusting over these, this, these, and this - must contain myself and wait it out the rest of the gorgeousness I know is coming my way...

Pretty great Valentine's Day gift (to myself) if I do say so (myself).

Day of Love.

I am not normally one to go for pinks, but recently, I haven't been able to resist almost every shade - from fuschia to baby pink to peppermint.  Girly is not a word I would ever select to describe myself, and I don't know if it's been the looming holiday, my increased general happiness, or just the gorgeously saturated hues I'm finding, but I am gaga over this shade.

Today is the first time I have ever intentionally worn pink on Valentine's day - and I went ALL out (definitely rocking #1 WITH #8 - plus my #3s that came in the mail yesterday; yes, I am slightly uncomfortable but LOVING it).

1. J.Crew Tippi Sweater in Neon Azalea | 2. BaubleBar Flower Pearl Studs | 3. Forever 21 Heart Bracelet Set | 4. BaubleBar Ruby Coeur Studs | 5. Kate Spade Crystal Ribbon Necklace | 6. Steve Madden Karisma Ballet Flat | 7. Ted Baker London Quited Shopper | 8. J.Crew Minnie Pant in Vibrant Flame

Did you all dress for the holiday? What are you wearing?

2012:40

 

A little pre-Valentine's Day ombre mani (pinkie to thumb):

 Essie Lollipop, OPI Ate Berries in the Canaries, Essie Tour de Finance, OPI Strawberry Margarita, Essie Fiji

2012:38&39

I suck, and now my Mac is also dead. #losing. At least I ate a lot this weekend.

Get the Look: Lana Del Rey

My obsession with Lana started the first time I heard "Video Games" - her sultry, babydoll voice is completely indulgent and so fun to listen to. But, shortly after, I saw an image of her and the deal was sealed.

Her style itself is such a character - and it's almost like she has multiple personas, much like her music. There's the trailer park girl, the glamorous pinup, the patriotic icon - and she pulls them all off flawlessly.

It doesn't hurt that she's absolutely gorgeous; but I just love the full commitment to it, and couldn't help but throw together a little board. I could probably do a separate board for each of them, but I kind of love the idea of forcing them all into some sense of cohesion...

1. J.Crew Tulle Retro Bikini | 2. ASOS Velvet Floral Ribbon | 3. ASOS Carnation Headband | 4. Topshop Bralet | 5. ASOS Floral Pant | 6. LOVE Two Finger Ring | 7. Topshop Snakeskin Boot | 8. Zara Mirror Heel Ankle Bootie | 9. ASOS Gingham Bra Top | 10. Topshop Flag Print Hotpant | 11. Topshop Crochet Shell | 12. Citizen of Humanity Floral Skinnies

2012:37

Purple on purple today with my new BaubleBar bling. (and yes, of course I'm in a J.Crew dressing room)

Best $10 spent in the last month, easily.

2012:36

Sadly my idea of a pretty fantastic night...

2012:35

 

Tulip Tuesday (plus a gold chevron goodie I scored at Target this weekend) to brighten up my week.

Health Kick

Last night called for a MAJOR health reboot after the absolute disgustingness of Superbowl weekend. I have never felt more like my arteries were closing up with each bite than I did on Sunday, and the excess Coors Light to ease the pain of the Pats losing did not help either.

I took it upon myself to go overboard on my health on Monday as a "thank you" to my body for putting up with me. I had been wanting to try kale chips for a while, since SO many people say they are life-changing and that they taste just like regular chips (but a 4903503458348 times better for you).

After making and trying them, I can say with confidence that this is 100% true. They. are. amazing. It helps that they're tossed in oil and you can put sea salt on them (yessss), but even without it, the crunchy texture is just amazing and they barely taste like a vegetable. I will be making them again frequently...probably tomorrow.

I had also been wanting to try this recipe for quinoa "burgers" (I'm really into burger-shaped things lately, apparently!) for quite some time, and last night was as good a time as any as quinoa is one of my favorite super-health foods. 

Though it's a fantastic recipe, it does take quite a while to make since you have to cook the quinoa and then let it cool before making it into patties and pan frying them. So, what was I going to do with my time?

Go for a run, of course! Just kidding - that's not obvious at all. I haven't run in at least 6 months, but it was 45 degrees at 8pm last night, I had just bought a pair of gym spandex, and really, when else have I ever been able to run outside in Boston in February?

I ran WAY further than I thought I could - actually farther than I have ever been able to without taking a break. My cardio seshes at the gym must be paying off, even though I NEVER run there! SO happy, clearly.

When I got home, it was time to finish up my "real" dinner. I will say flat out that this was NOT an easy task - quinoa is really not made to be sculpted into burger form. A bunch of messy flips and FAR more cooking time than the recipe noted, I got to dig into these:

Pretty ugly, but delicious! It felt so good to be really taking care of myself for the first time in a while - I even felt great when I woke up this morning despite not sleeping even near enough to be refreshed. So, here marks the beginning of my health/body makeover. Let's see how long this lasts...

2012:34

A little early on the Valentine's Day love, but I couldn't resist the colorblocking (pointer, middle: OPI Ate Berries in the Canaries - ring, pinkie: Essie Lollipop).

Also, most adorable eiffel tower notepad from my boyfriend's mom - it brightens up my drab cubicle infinitely while also reminding me of our trip!

Brownie Burgers.

Super Bowl Sunday=time for fun cooking! I stole this idea from Cupcakes and Cashmere via Martha Stewart, and even though I cut lots of corners to make this easier (hi, hangover), I think they're pretty adorable! GO PATS (I'll fake it for today for the sake of Boston sports)!

2012:33

Apparently the first time this sake bar has ever had a request for sake bombs....

2012:32

Little pick me up on a late Friday afternoon in the office...

BaubleBar Buried Bauble Friday.

This could have been utterly disastrous, but BaubleBar really knows what's up when it comes to customer service (and marketing, apparently!). Let's start from the very beginning.

I received my first-ever BaubleBar order last week (hello, $10 off my first purchase? AND free earrings for their anniversary? Couldn't resist). When my shipment came (three days later? amaze) all of my lovely new items (the necklace is sold out again, apparently!) were packaged in their own individual adorable velvet envelopes. Talk about the details. Then, one of the included promo cards caught my eye: Buried Baubles.

Every Friday, BaubleBar picks a few items to mark down to $10 - but you have to scour the site for them. You sign up to receive a hint on Friday, and once you get it, you're off on a hunt. I got my first email this morning and immediately begin looking at every single item you think could POSSIBLY be related to that hint.

This morning, it was ICE. Of course, there are dozens of items on the site that have "ice" in their name - I mean it's costume jewelry for God's sake! BUT, I found it! I was absolutely ecstatic not only to have found it, but also because two of the four $10 items were already on my wishlist (this & these)!

I immediately added them to my cart and started to check out - when I promptly ran into a HUGE problem - the site wouldn't load. I sat at my desk refreshing immediately every time the page failed, to absolutely no avail. This refreshing went on for almost an hour before I consulted the site's help for the first time.

It noted an email address to contact (with a 24-hour response lag, standard) AND a Twitter account, @baublebarhelp, to tweet to in case and issue comes up.

I thought to myself, "What a fantastic idea! But I wonder if this just sounds good on paper..." - so I went for it...I tweeted a complaint. Let me tell you - it felt weird, but at that point, my heart was pounding and foot was jittering from the stress that I might possibly miss out on this deal. What if they sold out? What if I lost my place in line? Obviously, life would go on, but this had become such an epic saga that I couldn't just give up.

I very quickly noticed the influx of tweets that @BaubleBar and @baublebarhelp were getting about the site malfunctioning - but WAIT - they were answering! I found out not only that they were actively working to get the site back up, but also that the items, in fact, were NOT sold out. Amaze.

When the site came back, I finally made it through the order placement process and ended up getting both of my lovelies. This whole interaction could have been disastrous (it DID help that I was still able to get what I wanted), but I honestly love BaubleBar even more now. Their customer service is perfect in all the right places, and modern beyond its years to boot.

Next time LOFT has a 50% off sale, they really need to take a page out of BaubleBar's book when their e-commerce platform (inevitably) crashes...

2012:31

Barbie pink&fuschia&turquoise.

Scouring for Scallops.

No, I'm not talking about the shellfish (though I have very recently added them to my extremely limited seafood repertoire). We're talking scallop detailing here, people, and it's popping up everywhere in spring collections (seemingly only second to neons).

I am preeeetty ecstatic about this. I have always loved a scallop detail (or any subtly girl detail, for that matter), but for a long time they have been few and far between. I have way too many items on my wishlist to count (can't ya tell my this crazy-packed board?), but I really just can't get enough. And when they're rolled into the season's other biggest trends,like coral (2), mint (19) and stripes with polkas (15)? I'm really just done for.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 (only $17!) | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22

Which are your favorites?

2012: 30

Zoya Lotus and eyelash lace pencil skirt (sold out, via LOFT).

2012: 28&29

Gettin' sassy with yet ANOTHER super bright lip - Miami Pink.

When I first came across this in the grocery store last night I thought, "Wow, who in their right mind would ever buy that? Terrible marketing. Approximately 2 minutes later I discovered that this was legitimately the only white cranberry option in the entire store. In the battle between avoiding high fructose corn syrup poistioning or foregoing my new cocktail recipe - shamefully, the sugar of obesity won.

I might have a problem.