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Showing posts from March, 2016

Rebecca Minkoff Wes Moto Jacket Review + Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe

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I was shamelessly browsing online the other day and came across the Rebecca Minkoff 'Wes' Crop Suede Moto Jacket that I was immediately drawn to because of the cropped length on the model photo, which is always a plus when shopping for petites. I decided to go for the splurge since I still had several Saks gift cards from my wedding, and was filled with mixed emotions of hoping it will fit to hoping it won't fit to save on money. When it finally came, I couldn't get over how super soft it is! Jacket: Rebecca Minkoff 'Wes' Crop Suede Moto Jacket . Dress: White Sleeveless Tent Dress . Shoes: BCBGeneration Tinas . The color is a bit more purple than I thought and is true to color in the photos here but will be perfect for Spring. I love how it's neutral yet has a bit of color to it. Like I knew it would, the cropped sleeves fit perfectly as full-length on me. I can still zip it up too on the right, over my baby bump! I absolutely love it and didn't w

Shein Reviews!

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Now that I'm halfway through my pregnancy and I've decided not to buy any maternity clothes (for now) because it's hard enough as it is buying regular clothing that fits without alterations, I've been on pretty crazy shopping sprees on more affordable clothing sites such as boohoo.com and shein.com as mentioned here to look for flowy, loose, tent-type dresses that can be worn both comfortably during pregnancy and also be worn after as well. I had a good experience with boohoo.com but didn't end up keeping much but with shein.com, I did keep a lot more, which may also be because I ordered a lot more. The only thing I wish is that both sites offered free return shipping, which would make it so much more convenient but I suppose is also a good thing so I won't shop as much. :) Also as mentioned before, I ordered a ton of black dresses and ended up keeping the following 4, which does seem a bit excessive to me as it is but I had my reasons for keeping each one:

boohoo.com Reviews!

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I decided to give boohoo.com a shot since I've been super uncomfortable in most of my pants thanks to being past 4 months along now and have been desperately needing some flowy, lightweight dresses. I put orders in at both boohoo.com and shein.com at the same time but received my boohoo goods first - I've also been meaning to try their fleece, unlined waterfall-type coats and am glad I was able to get that too. Here's a few reviews of what I kept and one I decided to return:   Petite Katie Long Sleeve Swing Dress , Petite Leah Longline Waffle Boyfriend Blazer , Faye Oversize Line Check Soft Scarf , Shoes: BCBGeneration Tinas I ended buying a bajillion black dresses from both boohoo and shein that are similar to the one above and will really have to critically look at each one to make sure I'm not keeping more than I would ever wear. I did try to get some with color too, which there will be more of in the shein post when I get that in but I am happy with

Fort Myers + Sanibel Island, Florida

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Last month, just a day after I came back from Ireland, I was off to sunny Fort Myers, Florida with my family. :) Even though I was sick, it was a much needed vacay to nice warm weather. Here are a few snaps from this trip: sister getting some exercise I'm a kid again dolphin! matchy Why hello there Sunset! kayaking with manatees! And of course, we made a little bit of time for some outlet shopping :) Left: Banana republic Factory Soft Trench Coat (color online is true color). Right: Banana Republic Factory Laser-Cut Dress in size 0P (not 00P!) The two items above were tried on at Banana Republic Outlet. The trench was super cute and a gorgeous burgundy color but just wasn't enough for me to add to my plethora of coats at home. I did, however, love the sheath so much that I purchased it. :) Everything I purchased will be shown in the next post on February's Haul. Leaving you with the quote of the day, "Optimism is the fa

OOTD + Retirement Savings

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Now that I'm prego, I've been trying to stay as comfy as possible so here's this weekend's OOTD when I went with my friend to get her wedding dresses tailored. :) Jacket: Old, mentioned here but cute option here. Tee: H&M (old, mentioned here but cute option here ). Pants: H&M Girls  (old). Sneakers: Nike (similar here ). I know retirement savings is not an interesting topic and also is a very confusing topic for many, myself included, so I just want to share my own thoughts and what I've learned about it. Chanel Small Lambskin Chevron Quilting Zipped Wallet . Chanel Grained Calfskin Card Holder . I just want to point out that it's really important to have either a 401(k) or Roth 401(k), so if you have one of these, you're on the right track. I remember taking a long time to decide between which one to choose and ended up with the Roth because I prefer to have the taxes taken out now. That's really the main difference between the

February Haul + Shepherd's Pie

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With the exception of these eye-catching Also Nika Pumps, everything purchased in the month of February was done while I was away, either in Ireland or Florida. And here is some more about the one shoe from that caught my eye in Aldo's store window and was really love at first sight. Lime green is my favorite color and I love how the Lucite heel looks so cool and after trying it on, I was sold on how comfy it was despite the high heel height. It also comes in red and blue with matching lucite heels with a metal core. Aldo Nika Pump Here's a recipe for delicious shepherd's pie for this weather that's still a bit chilly at times before it's officially Spring: SHEPHERD'S PIE 1 1/5 lbs ground beef 1 carrot, grated 1 medium yellow onion, diced 3 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 3/4 cups beef stock or broth 3 tablespoons ketchup 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce salt and pepper 1 (10 oz) package frozen peas 8 medium po

Chasing Your Dreams + Red-Onion Flatbread

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This below was dug up by my schoolmate when cleaning out things from High School and I have to say I'm really surprised and pleased to see that my future dream over a decade ago actually came true. :) I'm a Product Development Manger in the fashion/design field and really love how my dream has come true. When I was really little, I remember I wanted to be a weather woman, veterinarian, and then architect, before finally deciding to be ambiguous and go with a goal that I knew would be attainable and vague enough to make happen. I actually wavered right between my sister's profession of being a pharmacist and being in the design field but decided to go with my heart and proceeded in that direction for college. I feel really lucky to have been able to accomplish this and hope everyone can end up successfully chasing their dreams as well. :) Here's a delicious recipe for Red-Onion Flatbread, which is a healthier alternative to pizza: BRIETTA'S RED-ONION FLAT

Holiday Gifts + Grandma's Soy Sauce Chicken

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I didn't get a chance to mention what I received from A for Christmas so here's a quick little list of everything I found super useful (especially since they're all purchased off my wish list) :) - Aromaflage Wild Fragrance - Before the Zika virus became widespread news, I've been wanting this mosquito-repellant perfume because I tend to get bit a lot in the summer - Leather Zipper Case : I've been obsessed with rose gold lately so loved this one from West Elm. -Penguin candle: I absolutely love this penguin candle and fell in love with it once I smelled the Vanilla cookie smell :) - Travel Jewelry Case : I've been looking for a good way to store jewelry for trips and when I saw this Mark and Graham one, I knew it was perfect! Here's a few more pics of the inside of the travel jewelry case: I like the textured leather and multiple compartments just for bracelets, earrings, etc. Over the holidays (super late I know), I also promised to ma

Weekend OOTD + T-Shirt Quilt

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Last weekend, I finally used my Louis Vuitton Alma BB in Black Epi as mentioned here and I absolutely love it. It's the perfect size to hold my bag essentials (as mentioned here). Left: Burberry Brit Daylesmoore coat in 0, H&M Men's scarf (old but cuter version here ), Calvin Klein Opaque Essentials Infinite Tights in A (these are not the best fit and I have a run in mine so prefer H&M's), Aldo boots (old but cute version here ), Louis Vuitton Alma BB bag, Make Up Forever Rouge Artist Lipstick in Matte Bright Red . Right: Petite J.Crew Chateau Parka in Stadium-Cloth in 000P Heather Chestnut, Joie boots in size 5 (old but similar here and cute bootie version here ). Over the years, I've collected a plethora of T-shirts from long ago thanks to summer school, team sports, and school pride that have been taking up a good chunk of my closet space. I know I'll never wear those shirts again but can't bear the thought of throwing them away. I also kno

Bag Essentials + Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

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Here's a quick peek into what I carry around with me everyday - just the basic essentials for me - the only thing missing in this photo is a book or magazine, which I always have to have with me when taking the train to pass the time. :) 1. Can't go anywhere without my phone! Apple iPhone 6S in Rose Gold . 2. Sunglasses - I'm currently obsessed with the YSL pair I picked up while in Hong Kong here . 3. I always like to keep a piece of candy on me at all times in case I have a dry cough or itchy throat and I don't have water handy. 4. Oil wipes like these e.l.f. Shine Eraser ones are essential to me (and are only $1!) since I used to have very oily skin but as I've gotten older, now just have combination skin so I do use them less often but feel better toting them around. 5. & 12. I like to have an emergency scrunchie/clip on hand in case my hair gets unruly or looks gross since I not-so-long-ago started to wash my hair just once every 2 days instead of