Happy Studying

I had a mini study session at Starbucks and as I was unpacking my things, I realized how much I still love leopard print. I thought I had grown out of the animal print phase, but I've realized how fun it is to be a little tacky every once in a while.

Laptop Sleeve by Liz Claiborne (from Best Buy), Make Up Bag (Unknown)

A Dressing Room & A Hair Bow

I thought this bow was so cute (and funny because it was humongous!). I didn't buy it, but I had a lot of fun taking pictures in the dressing room. I was trying really hard not to giggle too loudly..by myself.. awkward..


Why, hello there :)

Bow from Macy's (My Style Lab)

Messy Bun Monday!

I do love a messy bun! End of story.

Sheer Tunic Dilemma

I purchased this sheer tunic at Forever XXI the other day. It was in the sale items marked down to $11.99. I only found it in an extra large, but I bought it anyways thinking I could do something with it. Still not quite sure how I'd wear it so I was playing around with different ways.

With leggings and pumps or flats? Or with a tank dress and boots? Hmmm, decisions.

Tunic ($11.99) on clearance from Forever XXI, Clutch ($2) on clearance from Icing during one of their 5 for $10 deal days, Boots (XXX- the one thing I have ever splurged on) from Aldo

Easy Updo

Directions:

1. Start by teasing sections of hair to create volume.

2. Make desired part.

3. Smooth hair on top.

4. Make "inside out" ponytail

5. Take remaining ponytail, and tuck ends into first ponytail.

6. Pin everything down :)

Remember these?! Other easy hairstyles!

Dandelions & Ruffles

Dress ($12) Clearance from Forever XXI, Belt ($25, Paid full price- yuck!) from H&M, Cardigan ($8) Clearance from Target, Wedges ($12) Clearance from JCP

Flowy & Feminine

Top ($4), Clutch ($7), Shoes ($12) clearance from JCP, Skirt w/Belt ($10) clearance from Macy's

Summer Trip

I took a trip to Vegas earlier this month with my boyfriend and friends (along with their significant others). We didn't plan for it to be a "couples' retreat", but it somehow ended up being that way. I was only there for two nights and both went by so quickly, but I had a lot of fun. We stayed in an MGM signature suite which I liked a lot because it was quiet but still close to all of the fun. It had the cutest little kitchenette (which included pots & pans and everything you could ever need) and a huge bathroom (complete with jacuzzi tub, shower, his and her sinks, and vanity) which I would love to have in my house someday! We saw some shows, had a few really nice meals, did a little pool time, and I had my first limo ride. It was great.

Tribal Print Skirt ($6) from Charlotte Russe, Black Lace Dress ($25) from H&M, White One Shouldered Dress ($18) & Turquoise Earrings ($7) from Forever XXI

Mint Green & Sparrows

It's official. I'm a bad blogger. My last post about trying to blog more was written over 5 months ago. SAD. I must work on this... I think I'll start with an outfit post because I was bored and decided to take pictures of myself and the things that I decided to wear :)

Top ($12) & Purse ($12) from JCP, Jeans ($10.80) from Forever XXI, Shoes ($9) & Sunglasses ($10) from Ross

Spinach Pesto Lasagna Roll

I've been seeing a lot of pictures of lasagna rolls on various recipe websites, all of them being the more traditional lasagna containing ground beef and tomato sauce. However, my boyfriend has been on a vegetarian kick lately so I decided to make a vegetarian friendly spinach pesto version. I don't know about you, but I absolutely love anything and everything that has to do with pesto so I was more than happy to have this for dinner even though I am a meat loving carnivore. It turned out delicious and was so easy to make! I swapped out the ground beef and ricotta cheese filling for spinach, pesto, fresh mozzarella, and a mix of plain greek yogurt and parmesan cheese (normally I would use cottage cheese with the parmesan but didn't have any on hand so I decided to experiment with the yogurt because it was similar in consistency, and it actually turned great). I rolled this mixture in whole wheat lasagna noodles, smothered the rolls in a low fat alfredo sauce, and topped it off with more parmesan. I served it with a spinach side salad with multi-grain croutons.

SOOOOO GOOOOD!

I'm Back!

I just realized that I have been MIA since January. How did I let that happen? Well, I'm back and ready to start blogging again about anything, everything, and sometimes nothing. So stay tuned! Anyone who visits my blog knows that I am a huge bargain shopper. Over the past four months I have accumulated a lot of great finds which I am excited to post about once I find the time to dig them up and snap a few pictures. In the meantime, I shall leave you a few pictures of the last celebration type event that has occurred: my boyfriend's birthday. We didn't do anything fancy. First, we visited a local museum that neither of has had ever been to. Then we had lunch at a beer brewery in a nearby town then came home to enjoy some sweets and wine. Later, he opened a small gift containing some products from Clinique's line for men and a gift tin of Burt's Bees chapstick. It was a gorgeous day, and it was perfect from beginning to end.

What have you been up to lately?

Top It Off

That was my attempt at a clever title. Yeah, didn't work. Anyways, I'm a big fan of hats: fedoras, floppy hats, beanies, berets, trapper hats, newsboys.. I love them, especially when I'm too lazy to comb my hair which I am guilty of about 50 percent of the time. While browsing H&M a few days ago, I hit the cold weather hat jackpot because most of them were ON SALE. I wanted to come home with a whole shopping bag full of them, but since I already did some damage at the shops I visited previous to H&M, I opted to only pick up two.

Each hat cost ONE whole dollar, ya'll. I am a happy camper.

Delipscious by Body Shop

Found these while checking out the sales in The Body Shop. I always love their post-Christmas sales because they always have great stuff at my favorite price, CHEAP. I mostly like to stock up on the shower gels, but this time I found lipsticks on sale 3 for $10. Not sure what the regular retail price is, but at less than $3.50 per lipstick I'm guessing I got a pretty good deal. I only have two for myself because my mom took the third one..

So far, I'm liking them. They feel very moisturizing. They are sheer, but I like that because it just looks like my lips are naturally rosy. They give a very nice, subtle hint of color. I might try to go back and purchase more.

What are your favorite lip products?

Rubber Wedge Booties

I was at an H&M today when I saw this pair of shoes. Wedge booties with a rubber heel, on sale for $10. What a steal! Im not sure what the upper is made out of, but it seems like it would repel water easily. I was excited about wearing them on a rainy day instead of the usual rain boots, which I can never walk in without looking awkward.

It wasn't raining when I drove to the mall, but it was POURING as I was leaving. First rain of the season where I live. Not only did I get a good deal on some shoes, but it was perfect timing. I wore my new shoes out, and my feet didn't get wet :)

Find any good deals lately?

Dove Gofresh Body Mist

I received a sample of this product in the plum and sakura blossom scent a couple of months ago and absolutely loved it. I wanted to purchase the full size bottle right away, but every time I would check for it in stores, it was always out of stock! I was finally able to find a bottle of the stuff at Target and decided to pick up a bottle of pomegranate and lemon verbana as well. Naughty, naughty. My justification for this is that they were only a little over $4 a bottle. That's not too bad, right?

Plum and Sakura Blossom:
It's light and fruity, without being too sweet. It doesn't overpower, and I think is perfect for day time when you want your perfume to be a little on the lighter side. The scent lasted pretty well as well.

Pomegranate and Lemon Verbena:
I thought this one was a little stronger than the plum scent, but still smells very nice. It's fresh and isn't too overpowering. I would wear this more at night. It smells.. sexier? I haven't worn this one out yet so I don't know what the staying power is yet.

They have other scents: cucumber and green tea, nectarine and white ginger, and grapefruit and lemon grass. All of the scents have a hint of Dove moisturizer, which is awesome because it won't dry out your skin. They are also 3 oz, which makes it perfect for traveling! I can't wait to try them all!

What's your favorite body mist?

Gold Silk

Gold Silk by Rimmel is a great color! It's a pale gold with a pink undertone. It's neutral, metallic, shimmery. I love it! Plus, it's so easy to apply because the brush is wide and flat. It also dries pretty quickly which is great. I'm not quite sure if it actually holds up for 10 days like it says on the bottle because I normally don't keep a polish on for that long, but it definitely doesn't chip right away. Another plus is that it is inexpensive. I find them for a little over $3 at Target, and sometimes you can find coupons for a $1 off. Not bad at all!

My small collection. Hope to add more soon!

Do you have a favorite nail polish brand?

Homemade Pizza

Today I spent some time with the boyfriend. It was a very fun, relaxed day. First, we popped into the mall for a quick GNC visit. Visited a few other stores, but I'm proud to say that I wasn't tempted to make any impulse purchases. Yay me! After the mall we headed over to a bowling alley. Neither of us really bowl so it was pretty funny to watch each other fail miserably. Watching poor bowlers is great entertainment.

Our pathetic scores.
Our last stop of the day was Trader Joe's for some pizza ingredients. I always love going to that store. So many different food products to look at! I could spend hours there! When we got back to my place, we began making our pizzas. We wanted to see who could make the better one, and honestly, just like bowling, pizza making isn't quite our thing either. We tried..

This is boyfriend having issues with his pizza dough :)
Although not perfect, my pizza turned out quite.. cute? I pretty much turned my pizza into an art project, but it was really tasty. It had a garlic and herb crust, cheese, pepperoni, canadian bacon, turkey Italian sausage, and mushrooms. Mmmm mmmm good!

Got caught playing with my food.
It was a good day. What do you do on hang out days with your significant other?