Splurge VS Steal - Valentino Studded Tote

We all know the gorgeous Valentino studded tote bag that retails around $1,995. It's a gorgeous bag that comes in a few different styles, but not many of us can afford that price tag. 

 I was super excited to see a close dupe at TjMaxx for only $29.00! It appeared to be quite well made too for that price point. I absolutly love TjMaxx, they have great brand name items for less so I shop there quite often. Last time I was there a saw a bunch of Kate spade wallets and purses :)  Now if I can only find a good dupe for the Valentino studded flats I'll be in business lol

Have you come across any good dupes lately at TjMaxx or elsewhere?

Not a sponsored post, I just love TjMaxx lol

Rejuvaderm MD ~ Review

It's been a little over a month now since I've been using the microdermabrasion wand  (PDM for short) and  I love it! I've been wanting to get a kit for a while now but thought it was too expensive, when I found a great deal on one for $119 I figured I would go for it. 

I use it about once to twice a week and use it on level 2 - there are 5 levels. It feels just the the one that they would use in the dr.s office. It has a strong suction and the tip feels like very fine grain sandpaper. What I love about this particular wand is that it comes with 2 extra heads. One for extraction for black and white heads and the other for infusion which is supposed to be used in conjunction with face cream to make it more effective. I haven't actually tried that one yet, but I love the first two. 

After using it for a few weeks I've noticed that my skin tone seems to be more even, which has always been my biggest issue. I have a bit of redness in my T-zone, but lately I've noticed an improvement. It may have something to do with my ROC moisturizer as well though (a review on ROC will be coming soon)

I've also noticed, that more pores don't seem as large, it could be because the suction is pulling out all the grime. After I use the microderm wand, I put on my ROC face cream along with about a pea sized amount of Retin A. Retin A is one of the best anti aging products out there, it can be drying on skin and cause it to peel so I only use it once or twice a week after I do the microdermabration. I figured it would be the most beneficial time since my skin is already super exfoliated at that point. 

Have you ever tried a PMD system before or had one done in a doctors office? Is so, what did you think?

Yes, this actually is my job! =)

Other than running my Etsy shop, I do promotional work for 3 other companies. I really love it because it never feels like work, it's always something new (perfect for my ADD haha) and I can pick and choose what I want to work. Plus I meet a lot of really cool and interesting people along the way. My most recent promo gig was working the LRA (Louisiana Restaurant Association) convention in New Orleans this past weekend. 

I was working for Tony Chachare's for the promo which is a very popular if not the most popular seasoning in Louisiana. They put out a bloody mary mix recently so I was sampling it out.

The convention had a parade to start the show...only in New Orleans lol. There's seriously a parade every other weekend down here. 

This is what I was talking about when I said interesting people.  This guy had a tattoo of Godzilla on his back, holding shrimp baskets and shooting fire at the other shrimp boats lol! I think it's safe to assume that no one else has that tattoo!

This is who I was working work, we hit it as soon as we met and had way too much fun taking these pics. I think we had the giggles due to all the, "sampling" we were doing. We would have to make new batches of mix every so often (with vodka) and we would sample it each time, probably sampled more than we needed to, but hey, it was for quality control purposes! 

The convention was 3 days long and I only found out on day 2 that she's the heiress to Tony Chachere's (great granddaughter). I never would have guessed since she was so sweet and down to earth. So yeah, it's kinda like I met someone famous! =D

All in all, the convention was so much fun! There's always perks that go along with promotional work. Besides meeting a bunch of awesome people, I was able to take home 5 bottles of alcohol ( I could have taken more more, but that's all I could hold) and I made tips (yay!!)

No, You Can't Join the Mile High Club With Us

Can you believe someone would ask that? lol, that's what happens when there's an open bar. 

Wednesday night I worked the New Orleans Tales of the Cocktail event. It took place at the Lakefront airport and the company that put it on rented the whole thing out. I was there with a few other girls promoting Solerno. This year's theme was "Around the World". It was a lot of fun and we kind of had this Pan Am thing going on. Everyone wanted to take our pics doing the Pan Am pose as they called it haha. We even made it onto Nola.com and I'm sure we're in a few local papers as well since they had so many photographers there that night. 

The outdoor area above had a hawaii theme on one side with a tiki bar and ice sculpture; they even brought the sand in on trucks! The other side had an arabian tent and even a camel. I really wanted a selfie with that camel, but he was being lazy.

There is my little group below, upper right all in red. We had a bunch of fun stuff to give out that literally went within 20 minutes. We gave out these old school travel blankets that you would would have recieved on a flight and also back up battery packs for cell phones. 

 We had these "swag bags" that we must have been asked 500 times times if we were going to give them out. Our manager told us we weren't but the last 5 minutes of the event we did and it was a frenzy since there were only about 12 of them. They went in one minute and us 4 girls were able to keep one for ourselves. 

There're pretty nice, very roomy and sturdy. Now I just need to go on a flight somewhere so I can use it :) 

Splurge VS Steal - Céline Horizontal Cabas Zip Tote

I'm sure you guys have seen the Celine zipper tote all over the blog world by now. If you haven't, this is the one I'm talking about below. I know there was a frenzy to get the look-a-like one from Forever21 that was around $24 and a lot of people said they were sold out. I actually got the one from F21 and ended up returning it. I thought it was too big for my frame (I'm a size 0 for reference)

I believe the Celine tote retails for around $2,000 if i'm not mistaken.  While it is a gorgeous bag, I think that price tag is a bit outrageous for a simple leather tote with side zippers. 

You can get this dupe here for much less!

This one is $63 on chicwish.com while it's not leather, it still looks like pretty good quality and the overall rating was 4.5 out of 5 stars. 

If you would prefer leather you can get the one below from Etsy

This one is $95 and is handmade with Genuine leather.  It appears a bit smaller than the Celine, but for me that's a good thing.

Were you guys able to get the F21 dupe? Do any of you have the real deal?

not a sponsored post

Affordable Fashion

If you’ve been following my blog for a while you know that I’m all about affordable fashion; especially when it comes to trendy pieces. Invest in that classic piece you’ve had your eye on that you’ll get years of use out of, but definitely don’t spend a fortune on something that’s in just for right now. That’s where Rue21 comes in! They have a great section of super trendy items, such as high low skirts and high waisted denim shorts at really great prices so you can afford to follow the trends on almost any budget.

This season I’m all about printed leggings and maxi dresses.

How fun are these? I love the super on trend Aztec print leggings. I would pair these with a simple black or white tank top and probably go more casual on the footwear and do either flip flops or a cute pair of simple black flats. If you wanted to add some jewelry you can pair it with a simple dainty necklace and just let the leggings be the focal point of the outfit. It’s important to keep in mind that when choosing a busy pattern or print, always keep the rest of the outfit simple.

Here's how I wore a pair of my printed leggings. Simple black tank, leather sandals,  and a mini cross body bag. 

When it comes to maxi dresses, I love solid prints or geo patterns. This one above would be a great pick because of its fringe details. Fringe is so popular right now and I’m sure you’ve seen in done on handbags and swimwear. I also love this bright coral color, its fun and summery and the bonus is that this color makes you look tanned lol. I’m kind of short so maxi dresses don’t usually work for me when paired with flip flops, instead, I wear mine with wedges. The one above would look great paired with nude, tan or brown wedges. Add some gold accessories and your good to go. The great thing about maxi dresses is that they work well for a variety of outings. You can dress it up and make it look more formal or keep it simpler for a lunch date and some shopping. Everyone should have a maxi dress or 2 in their closet, and with the super affordable prices at rue21, you can definitely afford to do so without breaking the bank this season.

What are you favorite stores when looking for affordable fashion?

Sponsored post, all opinions are my own

Review ~ Covergirl+Olay CC Tone Rehab Foundation

I decided to jump on the CC and BB cream bandwagon and try out one of the foundations. I'm actually not a Covergirl or Olay fan, but I'd heard some good things about their CC tone rehab foundation and thought I would give it a shot since I prefer to go more natural with my foundation in the summer time. In short, this foundation is perfection! 

 I've always had to mix my foundations to get the color just right but shade 142 matches my NC35 skin tone perfectly and I love the finish. I would describe it as a satin finish and I set it with Laura Mercier translucent setting powder (my HG). 

 Here's what Covergirl says about it:
Foundation instantly evens your skin tone , reducing the look of discolorations, fine lines and wrinkles while the serum hydrates skin over time. 

For this photo I used less than one pump. I would describe the coverage as medium and it does an excellent job at covering up redness which is my main skin issue. I also find that it lasts a good 6-8 hours and looks better over time as the skin's natural oils help make it look more like, "your skin but better". From what I understand a CC cream offers more coverage than a BB cream. If your someone with minimal skin issues such as discoloration, I would definitely give this a try. It's my favorite foundation and I love that I don't have to mix it to get the color right. For reference my skin type is combination, my mom has dry skin and uses this too and it looks amazing on her. Although on her, it works best when she mixes it with a pea sized amount of  face cream and does not set it with powder.

Has anyone tried this? What's your favorite foundation?

~~Summer Essentials~~

It’s that time of year again when summer is pretty much in full effect. At least here in New Orleans it is. We have really hot and humid temperatures down here so during the summer I stick to a few essentials. Light flowy tank tops, cut off jean shorts and thong flips flops and wedges are my go to pieces. If there is only one color of wedge sandal you buy this year make it a nude pair. A pair of nude wedges should be in every girl’s closet, they go with everything and even if you’re wearing a tank top and cut off shorts, the wedges will give it that extra flare to dress up the outfit. Not only that, but wedges that match your skintone make your legs look longer and who doesn’t want that? Just throw on some accessories and your good to go. My picks for accessories would be a great statement necklace or a stack of bracelets.

I pretty much live in flip flops though, and they aren’t just for the beach anymore; there are so many great ones out there that can take you from the beach and then out to lunch! Reef makes really nice ones for guys and girls at a really affordable price. My husband loves leather sandals in particular due to their versatility and I think they look great with a pair of cargo shorts or jeans. A dark drown pair like the ones below will go with pretty much everything in any guys’ closet.

  

If flats are more your style, Reef makes a bunch in a wide variety of colors and styles so you’re sure to find one that will fit your needs. How cute are these down below? I love the pastel colors, very summery and fun. These are also great because they have a really padded foot bed; I have high arches in my feet so that’s always something I look for.

No matter what your summer style may be, there are a few essentials that every girl (and guy) needs. These are just some of mine. 

What are your go to pieces this summer?  

Sponsored post, all thoughts and opinions are my own

Random Nights Out- What I Wore

I thought I would put a post together from the last 3 times I went out showcasing some of the outfits. As you can tell, I'm a big fan of the body con look. 

Here I am with Dj Trashy at his release party. I kept the look simple with a high waisted fitted skirt and a low cut cami

 I'm a big fan of cropped tops and high wasited skirts. This whole look is from Forever21. I love the fun look of a cropped top paired with a high wasited skirt because it keeps the look sexy without being too over the top. 

Gotta keep it classy - pinkies out w/ the solo cup. 

 The pre shots before the shots, always a must lol

This is one of my favorite dress, also from Forever21. It feels like silk, but doesn't ride up. I paired it with a chunky necklace, bracelet and black heels. 

What are some of your favorite pieces for a night out? 

I'm a Featured Designer on 9thandelm and shopgirldaily.com!

Hi guys! I have some exciting news, I was contacted about 2 weeks ago through my facebook page to be a featured designer on 9thandelm.com. Of course I jumped at the opportunity and today my feature went live. You can check it out here.  By the way, my shop just recently made a year this month on Etsy :)

I was also featured on shopgirldaily.com a couple of weeks ago as well. You can read that post here. The blogger for shopgirldaily found me through my etsy shop and asked me if I would like to be featured on her Etsy Monday post. She asked me a few questions and week later I was featured! 

I can't tell you how honored I am that bloggers and companies are reaching out to me to be featured. When I started on this journey a year ago by opening up my shop I thought I would have to find the bloggers and reach out to companies to feature me to help promote my product, but so far I haven't had to do any of that. I just promote on Facebook and Instagram, which by the way I hope you follow me on those media outlets (it's the best way to stay updated on coupon codes and flash sales!).  I'm so excited and look forward to the new things to come with my shop as I plan on expanding it a bit this year so please stay tuned for that. 

What's in My Louis Vuitton Alma Bag

The LV Alma bag is one of my favorites because it holds so much and is very lightweight. Here's what I carry in mine from day to day. 

The hot Pink fur ball bag charm can be found in my etsy shop. Link here

I do a lot of promotional work for several different companies so the only way I can keep up with the jobs I take is to carry around a planner. This one by PlanAhead it perfect. It's about 7.5x10 inches so it fits nicely in most of my bags. I always have my oscar de la renta aviators with me too, they go perfectly with everything. 

 I'm never without my Samsung tablet. This one is the 7 inch, it goes everywhere with me. As does hand sanitizer, ice breaker mints, Nivea lip balm and Revlon lip gloss. 

I've stop carrying a wallet and just use my Kate spade card holder as a wallet now. It actually holds quite a lot and since I don't really carry cash anyway it's makes the most sense for me. I always have my Samsung phone on me as well.  

What are some of your most carried items in your bag?