Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Olive You Forever







 Sweater: Nordstrom (unfortunately the olive color is sold out but this color and this color are 35% off!) | Jeans: Lucky | Booties: Tory Burch | Bag: Michael Kors | Necklace: Kendra Scott | Sunnies: Loft (the color I have is sold out - two other colors here and here for only $12! Designer version here)

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Happy Tuesday! I can't believe how close we are to New Year's Eve! It's been unusually cold here in LA and actually a lot warmer on the East Coast than even here by the beach - so weird! I've been having to bundle up in layers and sweaters! I've been bundling up in a lot of chunky-knits and cowl neck sweaters lately, and pairing them with cuffed boyfriend jeans and ankle booties! Top the look off with a crossbody bag and you're good to go! I love this beautiful MK bag because it has handles so you can carry it like a satchel, and a removable crossbody strap so you can carry it on your shoulder. Plus is has little feet so the bottom of the bag doesn't get damaged when you put it down. Love it! It comes in lots of great colors but I went with black because you can't go wrong there, it goes with everything! :) I hope you all have a great Tuesday! 


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Monday, December 28, 2015

Vintage Sweater + Pops of Red












Sweater: Vintage | Jeans: Eunina (similar here and less than $27) | Heels: Banana Republic (similar here and here) | Bag: Kate Spade | Sunnies: Loft (mine are in 'birch' but sold out. Here they are in black and cobalt. Use code HOLIDAY50 for 50% off!)

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Hey beauties! Happy Monday! I hope you all had a nice Christmas and a fun weekend! I had a great Christmas with my family and loved ones. I'm so happy it's the holiday break and I don't have to go back to work until January 4th. Having the break means I have a lot more time for outfit planning and outfit posts... which I love! I wore this yesterday for a date with SH! He gave me this beautiful Kate Spade bag for Christmas!! How lucky am I?! It's a gorgeous pinky beige with suede accents and an inner zip pocket down the middle that creates two separate main compartments in the bag. It even fits my laptop! I'm so in love with it. Expect to be seeing it on the blog a lot. :)
This sweater is a vintage find I scored back when I was a freshman in college. I wore it one year as a grandpa for Halloween and was totally uncool but I felt pretty cool in it yesterday! It says "Hawaii Prep" on it. Of course you know I love a good distressed boyfriend jean and I had to pair the sweater with my red BR suede heels since the thin red stripes match - couldn't resist! I went with some simple jewelry and a bright pink lip to complete the look. I hope you all have a great Monday and a happy start to your week!

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Little Black and Gold Dress









Dress: Lady R (c/o) | Tights: Nordstrom (obsessed with these! I sized up and so happy I did) | 
Heels: Halogen (similar here and cheaper version here) | Bracelet: Loren Hope via Rocksbox | Clutch: Michael Kors (old, also love this one) | Lip: Giorgio Armani

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Merry Christmas Eve!! I hope everyone's holiday week has been great so far! Even though I don't want Christmas to be over, I can't help but start thinking about what I'm going to wear for New Years Eve. Sequins and anything sparkly are a solid go-to for NYE, but I want to mix it up a little this year and bring you a few out of the box ideas. I am completely in love with this beautiful dress from Lady R! It's a little black (lace) dress with gold embroidery. I think it makes the perfect holiday look. It's a nice length and has a conservative neckline which is perfect since the lace and embroidery on the dress speak for themselves! This dress is a stunner and makes me feel so confident and beautiful! Lady R is kind enough to offer 20% off to my readers with code 20OFF when you shop on the Lady R website. I was very impressed with the quality of this dress and the timeliness of my order's arrival. The detail on the dress is fantastic - there is even a very slightly scalloped edge at the bottom- so beautiful! I ordered a medium and the fit is slightly bigger than I might want for a normal cocktail dress. It's definitely not a tight fit or a squeeze to get into. More room for those holiday treats! ;) I accessorized this look with a cuff bracelet I got in my Rocksbox set this month and finished the look with a classic red lip and faux snakeskin black and gold clutch. I hope you all have an amazing Christmas Eve and happy holidays (whatever you celebrate!) And for those of you who are wondering, this dress is the Nahia Thread Zari Sleevless Dress and can be found here.

Lady R gifted me this dress in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Poncho Please







Poncho: Nordstrom (40% off!) | Jeans: Joe's Jeans | Boots: Jessica Simpson (40% off!) | Top: Anthropologie (old) | Bag: Nasty Gal | Bracelets: David Yurman, Target (under $10!), Loren Hope | Rings: David Yurman

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This Loren Hope cuff came in the mail last week from Rocksbox! For those of you who don't know, Rocksbox is a subscription based jewelry service where you get designer jewelry sent to you for only $19 a month! You don't have to purchase any of the items but if there's something you can't part with you can buy it! I completely love it not only because they send me super cute pieces but also because I'm being introduced to designers and lines I had never heard of before. Plus you take a style survey at the beginning so the stylists know what types of jewelry to send you! If you want to try it but aren't ready to commit, use code CHRISTINEBFF294 for a free month of Rocksbox!

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Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Seeing Spots







Jeans: Joe's Jeans | Sweatshirt: Target (under $30) | Scarf: Nordstrom (50% off making it under $10!!) | Earrings: Bauble Bar | OTK Boots: Jessica Simpson (40% off!) | Bag: Nasty Gal (Drew bag lookalike) | Lip: Revlon in Wink for Pink (can get it at any drug store)

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Easy breezy weekend wear! Wore this over the weekend for a fun day out with SH and my family. This sweatshirt (Target calls it a "leisure tunic") is da bomb -- so comfy and so cute, I love the cowl neck (which you can't see in these pictures) and the textured pattern. It's totally comfy and totally slimming, aka my perfect sweatshirt! It's ieal for layering because it's not too thick and I love that the sleeves are a little long so you can pull them over your palms for an extra cozy feel.

Only 3 sleeps until Christmas!!! 

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Monday, December 21, 2015

Party Dresses

Party Dresses

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Hey beauties! Can you believe Christmas week is here already?! I'm pretty excited that it's almost Christmas and New Year's! If you're anything like me, your energy from Black Friday until now has been completely devoted to holiday shopping for your loved ones, which means...you completely forgot that you need something to wear on NYE! 

I'm not sure if going to da club is your kind of thing... (it's not really mine) or if you're more likely to be at home with a bottle of wine in your jammies. I'm going to New York so I'll probably be somewhere in between...? I was doing some online shopping for a dress and found that a lot of dresses are on sale right now! A few of these picks are $40 and under so you can save that money for New Year's Eve because we all know drinks, dinner, and cab rides can all add up!

I know most people associate sequins with NYE and it's true, I do as well, but I just wanted to give some non-sequin inspo today!

Pair these with some sparkly jewelry, a red lip, an oversized coat and you're good to go!

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Friday, December 18, 2015

December Thoughts: What I Accomplished This Year

As December is coming to a close, I'm getting really excited about making New Year's resolutions and starting fresh with a new year.

Earlier this week I was feeling sort of down about what I had done or accomplished this year. Every other year prior it felt like I had reached some milestone or was working toward a goal, and I didn't quite feel that way about this year. For example, in 2013 I graduated from my master's program. In 2014 I got a job at my current employer. What did I do in 2015?

I spent a good amount of time yesterday quantifying my year. I had started a list back in May detailing fun things that SH and I had done - I called it my, "in case you want to feel awesome," list. So I decided to continue with that list but I added two other categories, work and health. I have a big desk calendar so every day at work I update it with the basics - any appointments I have, time scheduled with friends, work events, etc. so at a glance it's very easy to see the "big" things that I have done all year for each month. I kept all the old sheets from January to now, (I finally just threw them away yesterday after taking a picture of each!) so that was really helpful in making notes about what I had done, who I had spent time with, what doctor's appointments I had, etc. It sounds basic and I know a lot of people keep those events in their phones or on an electronic calendar, but for me I just love paper and having a tangible desk calendar helps me stay organized. I typed everything up and broke it down by month so I could see "at a glance" what each month held for me in three categories: fun, work and health.

It's amazing how much one person can do in a year. I don't even consider myself a very "busy" person-- I work 9 to 5 and then usually go home and blog or spend time with SH, friends or family. But man, quantifying all the things I had done made me feel really accomplished! I don't know if any of you have read Gretchen Rubin's "Happiness Project" but she talks a lot about needing "gold stars" (you know, like parents might give to little kids on a chore chart?) I guess quantifying my year was the equivalent of "gold stars" for me. I'm an academic advisor, and seeing how many student appointments I had had all year... it made me feel good! It made me realize that I'm actually helping people. It also helped me see things big picture- for example, no wonder I got sick in November, that was my busiest month in terms of student appointments!

Anyway, I just wanted to share some personal thoughts and feelings. I want to validate anyone out there who feels like I did... Try to let go of those "what did I do all year?" judgments and just accept and love yourself the way you are.

I'm ready to start a fresh new year with a bang. I can't wait to share some more thoughts on goals and resolutions later, but for now, have a wonderful Friday, and thank you, as always, for reading and following along.

Maple and Mint Quick Tip: Keep a list or calendar of the "big" things you do every month. (Again, my categories are fun, work and health.) I keep notes of the "big" things in each of those categories. Some of you might be thinking, well, the little things are the big things in life! And to you I would say, you're right. For me personally I like making notes of date nights or dinner with friends on my calendar because then my memory is jogged when I look at my calendar and I think, "oh yeah! That's when we went to that fantastic restaurant!" Hope that helps!

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Gift Guide For the Yogi and the Hostess

Gift Guide Under $100

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Here are some holiday gift ideas for your Wednesday morning. Many items are under $50! 

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Tuesday, December 15, 2015

5 Lovely Links


1. The 21 Most Important Selfies of 2015 - Read it here. This is seriously an amazing list you guys!! So much ridiculousness that is also awesome at the same time. Remember when selfies WEREN'T A THING?! Now they are such a part of our culture... isn't it crazy?? The guy above took a selfie while his wife was IN LABOR -- apparently she thought it was funny and was a good sport about it, though.



2. Nudity Was the New Black (Tie) - check out a year in fashion here



3. Serial is BACK!!! Take a listen here or download the podcast on your phone



4. Every Single L.A. Times 'Star Wars' Movie Review from 1977 to 2005 - check them out here



5. People Who Feel Younger at Heart Live Longer - I think I've shared this before but just another reminder to stay playful :) check out the article here. This lady lived to be 122.




 

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