NUTCRACKER STYLE

Nothing besides tulle and sparkles would be appropriate for an evening at The Nutcracker, and that is just what this girl did last night!

This beautiful crop top and grey tulle skirt are both by LC Lauren Conrad for Kohls. So glamorous and extremely comfortable! The top also comes in black and light blue! Check them out here! Unfortunately, this tulle skirt is not available online at this time. So get your booty in the store and see if you can score it on a clearance rack- the BEST way to shop!

To top it all off, these Versona heels and headband were key. OB-sessed!

xoxo MaryBeth

SEQUINS AND SPARKLES, OH MY!

Not many things are better than sparkles and sequins. And not may things are better than comfy pants covered in sequins. Hence, exhibit A:

I mentioned these beauties on the blog a little while back and at the time I knew they were not going to stick around very long! And, surprise surprise, they are sold out at this current time. Don't fret though, because Forever 21 is usually very good about restocking in-demand items. Fingers crossed! 

This flowy, comfortable and appropriately sexy tank is by Mossimo for Target and is actually on sale now! I got mine for $19.99 but it is currently $13.99 and also comes in the color, "serene peach". Check it out here! I promise you won't regret this one! It is hard to see in my pic, but it has very pretty lace accents. Love! Perfect on its own or paired with a blazer, this is chic and affordable!

And lastly, those heels. Oh, those heels. I recently got these on a shopping trip with my family (I may have gotten them in nude too.. whoops!) because I was sick of seeing EVERYONE wearing these strappy heels except me! They are so damn cute and extremely versatile! These bad boys are from Versona and are only.... drumroll please... $24.99! Score! Hit up your local Versona if you have one and get these!

Have a great weekend! We are headed to The Nutcracker tonight :)  Lots of sparkle, lots of tulle and lots of fantasies of being a ballerina will commence tonight!

xoxo MaryBeth

ONE WEEKEND, TWO LOOKS

A little of this, a little of that... My weekend consisted of a casual night at home and a glam night on the town: two of my favorite things to do all rolled in to one weekend. Not too shabby, eh?! Something about the warm summer weather makes me want to be such a home body and just grill out in my own backyard. Well, that is exactly what we did on Friday. And even though my usual at-home attire consists mostly of sweatpants, the fact that it was the weekend encouraged me to bump it up juuust a notch.

Faux leather trimmed top from TJ Maxx, jean shorts by Forever 21 and gladiator sandals from New York & Co. Comfy and cute!

Nothing is better than a good 'ol braid. For this look I simply made a deep side part, twisted the hair all the way across until I got to the back of my head. Then I popped in a clear plastic band creating a pony tail, made a simple braid and completed it with a second clear plastic band. The twist alone is sometimes hard to keep in place so I usually slip a few bobby pins in to secure it. I guess I didn't disguise that last one very well! Ooops!

Why do I look so pissed, haha! I promise I had a great night!

Mmmm.... slices for burgers

Now to my favorite part: the glam!

So this is how the hubs and my text went yesterday: 

hubs: what do you want to do tonight?

  me: I don't care, I just want to get glam.

Nuff said, he understands me. haha! For this look I rocked my midi skirt from Target that I mentioned here (and here) and this fabulous crop top from Forever 21. I just love this look! Something about that sliver of skin showing just takes it to another level. And the mystery behind a midi skirt is sexier and more flattering than any mini skirt I have ever worn in my life. I love this embrace of to or below the knee skirts and dresses. SO much more comfortable, universally flattering and more importantly: classier! Don't get me wrong, I still have some shorter skirts and dresses in my arsenal, but the midi is definitely a favorite of mine, by far.

Stella & Dot Rebel Pendant Necklace, Christina Link Bracelet and Deco Stackable Rings trio. Love!

Finishing touches: crystal hair clip from Versona and Linda Studs by S&D.

Cover Girl and E.L.F. makeup. I have said it before, and I will say it again: you do not have to spend a fortune to look like one, especially when it comes to makeup! Makeup products can get very pricey, very fast. Of course, some of the cheaper items can be duds, as can some of the pricier ones, but for the vast majority I have had zero problems at achieving the looks I want with drug store makeup.

Cover Girl- concealer, powder, contour powder, blush, mascara, eyebrow pencil and lipstick
E.L.F.- Eyeshadow, highlight cream, eyebrow brush and finishing powder
Revlon- Translucent highlight powder 

When I say, "contour powder" I just mean powder that is several shades darker than my skin tone. Some will contour with liquid foundation, but for now I just use a powder to achieve the look. More to come on that topic.

And lastly, some nude heels to elongate my limbs. These platforms were a steal at Payless several months ago. Yes, Payless! I am telling you ladies, fabulous fashion is everywhere! Don't get me wrong, if someone gave me a pair of YSL or Louboutin heels I would gladly take them, but that is not a realistic purchase for the majority of women, including myself! We gotta improvise :)

xoxo MaryBeth

HELLO 2014

Cheers to the New Year! We had a good time last night starting with dinner at one of our favorite restaurants and ending with a New Years kiss. Hoping this year brings new and exciting things!

For NYE I wanted something glamorous, sparkly and at a bargain price- enter Forever 21. This dress also comes in black but the blue was just too beautiful to pass up! I can't find it online at the moment to link it up, but I'm sure it will make a reemergence sometime soon. F21 rolls like that!

I got a few compliments on the dress while out last night, which is always a good feeling. I never tell people I have a blog in situations like that, but maybe I should! I just feel silly, "oh you like my dress? Well then follow my blog...". I dunno, just seems a little weird. Ha!

The fabulous earrings are from Versona and I am obsessed. Love! If you haven't checked out Versona yet, do it! You won't regret it, I promise. 

Nom nom....

My man :)

Cheers to 2014!!


xoxo MaryBeth

FOOD AND FASHION

Happy Hump Day! 

Last week the hubs made a fab meal: Caprese salad, tuna steak and pasta. Mmm!

The next night we topped some salad with the left over tuna steak and paired it with some stuffed mushrooms from the grocery store.

Purple lips, FEED tank from Target, Rock & Republic pants, gladiator flats and scarf from Charlotte Russe. Comfy and cute!

TJ Maxx flowy top, Rock & Republic pants, Candies heels and Stella & Dot jewels!

Femme Fatale Necklace

Luna Wrap Bracelet

The hubs spoiled me again the other night with our take on Huevos Rancheros. These were so good that we decided they are going to make it on the regular lineup of, "go to", meals.

Versona earrings, Forever 21 blazer, bracelet and tank, Candie's heels, Rock & Republic pants and pink lips. Love! I'm definitely loving blazers lately.

Forever 21 Blazer
Forever 21 Tank

 An, "Old Fashioned", made by none other than... :)

Cute!

Found this gem at the grocery store and knew I had to try it!! Nothing can compare to the cookie, but this stuff isn't bad!

Time to catch up on some Mad Men with the hubs!! We are only on season 4!

xoxo MaryBeth

SPLURGE V STEAL

A little splurge v steal to bring the weekend to a close. I have been loving this celebrity coveted Celine bag ($$$$) for a while now and when I spotted this JLO for Kohl's Cleo Shopper bag ($$) I was immediately reminded of the Celine bag. Not only is the JLO bag very similar in design, it is significantly less expensive, on sale and comes in three different colors. Score!

Celine $$$$

JLO for Kohl's  (Sale) $59
Cleo Shopper Handbag

Rocked this look on Friday. Rock & Republic faux leather pants, Apt 9 top from Kohl's, Charlotte Russe wedges and my fab JLO for Kohl's Cleo Shopper bag.

Yesterday I spent the majority of our day at Churchill Down's with the hubs and a good friend of ours who was in town visiting. It was such a beautiful day and the guys didn't do too shabby on the betting either.

At the Paddock watching the horses prep for one of the races.

The jockeys getting ready to mount the horses. It is crazy how petite these guys are!!

pretty

Overwhelming amount of information to which I do not understand 85% of it, ha!

Rocked this fab necklace from Versona and a lace dress from Kohl's. Love!

Catching the Cardinals baseball game. Have a great night!!

xoxo MaryBeth

JACKPOT JOY

Hey Hey! How has every one's holiday weekend been going? The other night we had a patio dinner (garage door style) and some drinks. Just a relaxing night out with the hubs :)

Forever21 dress, wedges from LuLu's and a TJ Maxx cardigan with some faux leather paneling. Love!  

I bought this dress almost three years ago when we were getting ready for our honeymoon. I probably paid $15 for it, it is still in perfect condition and will always be in style. Love, love, love!

New addition to the pantry. This stuff is very good! Gotta love Target!

Just a few of my new purchases from yesterday. I hit the fashion sale jackpot! Everything I felt that I was missing for my summer wardrobe, I found. Skinny jeans for $16, silk tops for $10 and even a pair of high end designer dress slacks with a tuxedo stripe down the side for... drum roll please... $10. Needless to say, I rocked. Still so happy! My winning stores were Kohl's, TJ Maxx, Victoria's Secret and Versona. And, of course I wore some of my new finds that same day, lol.

I definitely do not go shopping everyday, so when it is time to stock up I try to do it as cost effectively as possible! Most of what I blog about are items that I already own. Adding odds and ends in here and there can give you that extra spice that you need to get inspired within your own closet. One new top or one new pair of pants can create an entire new set of options that you never even realized! After my summer overhaul that I did yesterday, I now have a gazillion new outfit combos that I cannot wait to play with! Remember, it's not about looking fab 24-7 or spending tons of money. It is about looking fab when you want, and in an affordable way! 

High bun love! I had worked out that afternoon and then went straight to shopping, so when I got home I needed to get ready, QUICKLY and the high bun it was. So quick and  so simple IF you use the sock bun by Con Air. LOVE.IT. I do not get any kind of perks by mentioning any of this stuff. Just truly things I love and use all.the.time.

Kind of blurry, but this was hilarious. Promo girls for Jim Beam where giving out samples of a new clear whiskey to everyone along with a pic. It's called, Jacob's Ghost, hence the ghost they placed in the pic. Too funny!

Not sure what we are going to be getting in to today, but I'm sure it will be fun! 


What are your Memorial Day Weekend plans?


Is it annoying that 98% of my blog photos are done with my iPhone? Responses (good and bad) welcome!! 



xoxo MaryBeth




 

HELLO SPRING...OH WAIT

Happy Hump Day! Spring has not been treating us so well over here thus far... boo for cold weather!! I am SO over it! I cannot wait to break out some dresses, shorts, tanks, flowy shirts NOT covered with jackets and cardigans, exercising outside, not having to scrape my car off to get to work... wow, I'm really venting here!! And to top it all off, while at the gym today there was a tornado warning over the TV screens! WTH?! Snow, rain, heat waves, cold spells and now tornadoes: I am at a loss. ha! On a more positive note, I got a great workout in this morning: spin class, abs and arms. I really love spinning and I also love the fact that no matter which instructor is teaching and what their style is, the class is always a mad sweat session. To fuel up before class this morning I had a CLIF Bar and a banana. Usually I would just eat a bar, but there have been too many times in class where I feel like I could just close my eyes and fall off the bike. ha! So I tempted with what can only be described as one of the worst feelings: trying to workout on a full stomach. Verdict? Not bad. I think a few more bites would have put me over the edge, though. And, I did not feel like I was going to fall over in class. Score. I happened to overhear a woman prior to class saying how she hadn't eaten anything yet that morning. Worst.idea.ever. 

Black below-the-knee pants from Target, zip up hoodie from Gap and a Kohl's tank underneath. The purple zip up hoodie only stayed on for about 5 minute of class. It gets HOT in a spin class.... if you're pushing yourself and doing it right :)

Since we are on a health topic here, I'll also share my dinner from last night, which also contributes to workout performance in the AM. One of my beloved sweet potatoes topped with some cinnamon (LOVE them!) and scrambled eggs. Organic eggs, organic milk, tomato, purple onion, organic spinach, organic feta cheese and some pepper. Top it off with some salsa and BAM. YUMMY! I am, by no means, a dietitian of any sort so these are merely suggestions.

Now that my workout is behind me, I can enjoy a yummy Chai Latte made by yours truly in my reusable Starbucks cup that I mentioned here. 

Now to fashion! I mentioned a week or two ago that I had some very exciting purchases regarding the Kentucky Derby and here they are! I am so stoked! In years past I purchased plain hats and sewed my own flowers and decorations to them. Last year I repeated the same hats ( a Derby crime, I know...) and so this year I thought it was time to switch it up. Probably not going to add anything to them. Love them just as they are! Check it out!

Imagine the chair is my head, lol. This green fascinator will be for Oaks Day. For my non-Louisville locals, Oaks is the day before Derby and is the, "best kept secret". It is typically a day that is celebrated just as much as Derby, but most out-of-staters aren't aware of. Instead of the Rose, the Lily is the flower of the day, and it is all female horses, hence the "Ladies First" slogan. Pink is also a huge hit on this day. Since my fascinator is clearly not pink, I am going to wear (yet to be found) an insanely pink sun dress. 

And for Derby, the "Race For The Roses", I am wearing a red and black fascinator with a rose on top. Love! Probably going to pair this with a black sundress and some red nails. Fun! Per tradition (the past couple years), we are going to Oaks and then having a Derby Party at our house. Excited!! I love entertaining and it is a great excuse for my family to come in town :)

Both of these were found at Versona. Versona is an awesome store with TONS of accessories and lots of clothes. The price point is very similar to Forever 21= AWESOME. I was completely shocked when I saw that they had Derby hats! Their selection was not quite as crazy as ones that women get professionally made ($$$$), but good enough for me!! Maybe if I was sitting in Millionaire's Row at Churchill Downs I would get a more elaborate hat! And with that being said, I could definitely go to my local craft store and spice up my hats as much as I desired! Anything goes at Oaks and Derby! Some hats are simple, some grand and large, and others just plain funny! If you get a chance, I recommend googling Kentucky Derby Hats. You will get a good laugh at some and a feeling of jealousy at others ;) 

And lastly, probably what I am most excited about, are these:

LOVE! How appropriate! Horse shoes!! And, at a whopping $3, it was a no brainer.

Have a great day!


xoxo MaryBeth



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