I am fortunate to receive lots of beauty swag to try, but one’s face is only so large and I think it’s time to share the wealth. I have set aside a few goodie bags to host some beauty giveaways for you guys, so I’m excited to get started today!
I’m including the brands of products that I use regularly (and that you’ve seen on this blog if you’ve checked out any of my beauty posts!). I wanted to include a combination of beauty and skincare, and in follow-up giveaways I’ll be putting together similar groupings of products.
1. Follow me on Instagram (if you aren’t currently) here! IF you’re not on Instagram, “like” the CBL Facebook page.
2. Comment on this blog post with which beauty product you would be most excited to try! AND include your insta-handle (or name on Facebook) so I can be sure you followed!
I hope you guys are excited about these goodies and stay tuned – more fun giveaways to come! Thanks so much for reading and following along – XO –
11/11/16: And the winner is… Emily Dixon!! Thank you so much to everyone who entered, more beauty/skincare giveaways to come!
With Thanksgiving around the corner (doesn’t everyone love a holiday centered around eating!? I know I do), it’s time to think about stocking up on a few hostess gifts for the parties and get togethers that are going to fill the weeks ahead.
In my case, I usually don’t think about hostess gifts until the day of the event – thinking, “oh wait! I need to bring something!” Which is why my go-to is often a nice bottle of wine or an orchid (still great gifts!). BUT, I wanted to round out some of my favorite picks that I know I would like to receive, and they’re all under $50.
I think two of the best and most simple gifts are candles and some flowers in a pretty vase that can be repurposed. I love new flower vases – I use them all of the time!
AND it must be said that Shopbop is having a surprise sale that’s three days only. You can get up to 40% off select styles here, so see if that off the shoulder dress or scarf you’ve been eyeing has been marked down.
Thanks so much for reading! And if you have given or received a great hostess gift in the past, I’d love to hear! XO –
If you guys follow me on Instagram or Snapchat (CBLied), you may have seen that I recently spent a quick 48 hours in Las Vegas with some girlfriends at The Venetian Hotel! Fun fact: I actually stayed at this hotel for my first visit to Las Vegas… with my family when I was in the 7th grade. Ha! This was my first time back, and it was even larger than I remembered.
We had the best time just hanging out in the hotel. From dining at Delmonico, Bouchon, Lavo, SushiSamba, Yardbird and Tao to hitting the Canyon Ranch Spa and hanging by the pool – it’s amazing how much fun stuff you can do inside the hotel alone! We also hit a life bucket list by going to the Britney Spears concert (she looks incredible – rock hard body, no joke!) and saw BAZ.
I wanted to share an Instagram + iPhone roundup of photos snapped during the quick trip – but I can’t believe how fun and quickly the time went by! Going to Vegas with your girlfriends (in my opinion) is the best way to do Vegas. Always!
Sometimes there are outfits in your closet that you seriously cannot wait to wear. That’s how I felt when I snagged this look at Nordstrom last week! Now that I’m back from traveling for quite a while, I wanted to pick up some new cozy fall pieces for November and December. I had my eye on this scarf, but I was hoping to find a few more clutch pieces.
Lo and behold, when I saw this turtleneck (in four colors, what whaaatttt), I was 100% sure it would be “in the basket.” I sized down one size, and it’s still super roomy and cozy – perfect for a day of Halloween candy-eating (I look down and suddenly it took my four mini kit kats to write this blog post, #noshame) or even Thanksgiving weekend!
I layered it over a striped collared shirt, and I think this might be my favorite outfit I’ve worn in quite a while. While I was at Nordstrom stocking up on fall staples, I had to snag this sweater too. Those sleeves. So good!
sweater – comes in 4 colors (I’d recommend sizing down), also bought and love this one | scarf – comes in 3 colors! | denim – these are the Jamie high waisted ankle grazer jeans. I got them in this color and black in-store! The most similar ones I see online are here and here, but look in your local store! | heels, similar look for less here and here | sunglasses – only $12 | bag, also love this one | similar shirt here, here and here | lipstick in Safe Word Matte (loooooove this new lip collection)
Thanks so much for reading! And if you’ve picked up some sweater perfection this fall… you need to tell me about it. Seriously! XO –
And PS – Happy Halloweeeeeennn! If you guys have little ones, I hope they have some great costumes! I have 9 nieces/nephews under 9 and so far my favorite costume I’ve heard about is my three year-old nephew Wilson as a dinasaur. He has the “raaawwwrrr” down with it!
I think it’s always a personal goal of mine to add more fun to my closet. It’s so tempting to add more neutrals and classic pieces because yes – that’s practical and a great investment. BUT, sometimes nothing makes you happier than a fun, playful piece of clothing or accessory.
When I saw this top at Neiman Marcus Last Call, I knew it had to be mine. I love this rich berry color for fall, and the feathered trim is too cute. It is available in black online, and I think it would be so fab for a holiday party or even NYE! Best of all? It was also 30% off the already reduced price. Right now you can get an additional 30% off women’s ready-to-wear, shoes and jewelry site-wide (excluding clearance items).
SO if you’re on the hunt for a flirty dress, sequin top and skirt combo (obsessed) or a velvet bomber – you can snag an additional discount.
top (30% off), also love this one (30% off) and this one (30% off) | similar leather jacket here (40% off) and here (30% off) | denim (30% off), also love these and these (both 30% off) | bag – found in-store, love this one and this one (both 30% off) | similar sunglasses here and here (both 30% off) | love these pumps (50% off) and these (30% off)
Thanks so much for reading! And if you’ve ever scored a major steal at Neiman Marcus Last Call, I need to hear about it. And now! XO –
I’ve told you guys that I’m late to the navy-train, but I’m onboard and really diggin’ it these days. And while we’re all loving jeans and sweaters right now, sometimes it feels really good to put on a pretty dress and heels! In fact, when Christian snapped these photos, he asked that I wear this to our date night tomorrow night. No joke!
I’ve been shopping for cocktail dresses at Saks for years, and I can think of one black dress in particular I wore for at least seven years before finally retiring. I’ve always eyed Hérve Léger, but when you try on one of their dresses… you see why it’s a special piece. I love how thick and smoothing the fabric of this dress is, and I know I can wear it so many different ways. This time I paired it with a white boyfriend blazer, but I have a new leather moto jacket that I think would look awesome with it along with OTK boots.
The older I get, it’s about quality over quantity, and you definitely find quality in Hérve Léger pieces. I know this little navy dress is going to be perfect for holiday parties around the corner!
I shared my guide to London here and Amsterdam here, but I wanted to finish the trip off with an Instagram roundup from the two weeks abroad! I don’t typically do these kinds of posts, but I ditched my DSLR camera for so many days along the way, that I wanted to share some of my favorite snaps and outfits with you guys.
If you have any questions I haven’t answered about London, please feel free to drop a note!
I’ve been a lover of handbags for as long as I can remember. I tend to lean toward neutrals, but when I was recently packing for New York I realized that I was in need of a medium-sized black bag. I have a great small black handbag, but it’s not big enough for my all-day travel essentials – mophie, wallet, phone, lip gloss, compact, gum, cough drops… you know the drill.
SO, when I spotted the Miss Sicily bags at Luisa Via Roma, I thought it could be the one. It’s a great size, and once I started googling images of girls styling it – I loved that it was a chic bag that you don’t necessarily see everywhere (sometimes when everyone seems to have the same bag it looses some of it’s sparkle!). And I mean… this pink one is some kind of cute.
And this post can’t go without mentioning Notting Hill… the dreamiest! Hugh Grant… are you there? When I traveled to London and Amsterdam, I was more interested in playing tourist and snapping some Instagrams along the way. I wore flats most days, so I didn’t plan on shooting any outfit posts, BUT when I had the opportunity to shoot with Lyndsey in Notting Hill, it was too good to pass up! Love that I can hold onto these images… and this pretty new bag.
It feels like there are a million reasons to love fall, but for me, a great season tablescape is definitely one of them. I’ve never had the opportunity to host Thanksgiving, BUT one of these days when I have a real dining room, I love the thought of decorating a table for our family and friends.
Or maybe I’m saying this as I continue to binge-watch Parenthood (I just started season 5)? Looks like I’ll need to move back to the South or have a ton of children if I’m going to compete with the Bravermans!
Some of my essentials for hosting are great candles (I have inexpensive Big Lots candles for everyday and my fancy Diptyque for guests, are y’all like that?), linen napkins and pretty wine glasses. I love the thought of adding these placemats, and anything antler is right up my alley.
Have you hosted your family for a holiday meal? Was it a fun experience or stressful? For the past two years we’ve spent Thanksgiving in LA with my brother’s family, and the second year went way smoother than the first. I think sometimes it just takes a little practice! Thanks so much for reading – XO –
I have to admit, Amsterdam has never really been on my travel bucket list. I’ve heard it’s really fun and a great place to go for a short excursion, but I didn’t know much about it. SO, when Haley, Marissa and I opted to visit the Netherlands instead of Paris, we were all thinking, “we’ll see how this goes!”
I was completely blown away by the charm of Amsterdam. We stayed in the recently renovated Pulitzer Hotel, and the decor was incredible. Bicycles are such a huge method of transportation in this city (as in there are over 800,000 bikes in the city), and I love how they incorporated them into the design – we even had one hanging from the ceiling in our room!
The hotel is beautiful, has great food and the staff is so helpful. I even left my sunglasses in one room of the hotel and realized the following day. I asked the front desk and within minutes, they had handed me my sunglasses.
SO, I will break down our trip the same way I did with yesterday’s London guide!
Sightseeing:
Bicycle Rental: I am thankful beyond words that we chose to rent bikes for our two days in Amsterdam. This is how everyone gets around here, and you can see so much more when you’re traveling by bike! We used Green Budget Bikes and had a great experience.
Anne Frank House: I would really encourage you to buy tickets in advance so you can avoid the lines, but this is an absolute must. I was moved to tears walking through the attic where Anne Frank wrote in her diary and hid with her family for years during World War II. The audio tour is incredibly moving, and now I want to reread the book!
Van Gogh Museum: I confess, we ended up biking around the Van Gogh museum but decided not to pay for tickets and I regret it. I’ve heard this museum is amazing, and my mom is such a fan of Van Gogh. It’s probably my biggest regret from the trip!
Canal Tour: There are more canals in Amsterdam than Venice, Italy… who knew!? We took a boat tour through the canals and it was breathtaking. Some boat tours even offer dinner – I think that would be so fun!
Red Light District: So this area is definitely the sketchy part of town… but we felt like we had to see it… right? We biked through and didn’t spend much time here. It almost reminded me of an even more amped up version of Bourbon Street in NOLA. So I’d recommend briskly walking through to check it off your list – but it’s not going to change your life.
Eating:
Pause: We ended up eating at our hotel restaurant twice because it was so good. Maybe the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had!
The Pancake Bakery: You can expect lines out the door – everyone recommends this place!
SkyLounge: we had dinner and drinks here and you can see the most insane view of the city. If you can get here for sunset, all the better!
Shopping:
The Nines: there are 9 narrow streets together in Amsterdam with lines of shops, hot chocolate and the best of window shopping. We had so much fun walking around the area!
Consignment Shops: while biking around, we popped into a few designer consignment shops that had Hermés scarves, Chanel boy bags and plenty of vintage Burberry coats. There scattered throughout the main town, so if you see them while perusing, you should definitely pop in!
Do you have any favorite spots in Amsterdam? We were only there for a little over two days, so I know there is so much more we could have seen if we had stayed longer. Ultimately, it was such a surprise little city, and between you and me, I think I may have even enjoyed it more than London. Who knew!?
I spent the first two weeks of October exploring London and Amsterdam, so I’m really excited to hit the ground running with my favorite things that we did (while it’s still fresh in my memory!). Thanks for being patient with my lesser posting last week. I almost stayed up into the wee hours of the morning putting together a Friday post, but I knew you guys would give me grace if I chose to sleep instead!
I had so much fun soaking in all the history of England, and Marissa and I stayed with the oh-so-sweet Haley of Sequins and Things. She has been living in London for several months now, and thanks to her knowledge and advice of the city, we were able to zip around pretty quickly. She was the most gracious host and is truly a beauty inside and out!
This post is just photos I took with my camera. If you guys are interested – I’d be happy to do an Instagram roundup from this trip. My camera is pretty heavy, so I chose to ditch it on many days and just document with my phone.
Some of my favorite things we did –
Sightseeing:
Big Ben, Westminster Abbey (take the tour if you want some history – it is pretty amazing), London Eye: they’re all together so you can hit the trio on foot!
Tower of London + the Crown Jewels: purchase the headset tour. SO fascinating! You could easily wander through this for several hours, so allot your morning or afternoon to it.
View from The Shard: go for a cocktail or dinner. You have to be dressed (as in no tennis shoes, no hats, etc.), but the view of the entire city is magical!
Notting Hill: I mean… the cutest area ever. There is also a great shopping area over here as well!
Buckingham Palace: the Queen is in Scotland from mid July to early October, and during this time you can pay to tour 19 of the rooms of the Palace. Unfortunately for us she came back the day before we arrived in London, so while we were unable to go inside the Palace, we opted to go on the carriage tour which was also fascinating! If you are in London during the July to October stretch, I hear the tour is incredible.
Kensington Palace + Hyde Park: this is where Will & Kate reside, and it’s quite beautiful nestled by Hyde Park. We walked around the property and then had afternoon tea at The Orangery – where the light poured in from the windows. Gorgeous!
Eating:
Farm Girl (Notting Hill): healthy and delicious if you’re looking for some avocado toast, gluten-free pancakes and so on. Was a nice break from fish & chips and pub food!
The Orangery (Hyde Park): I mentioned this above, but it was absolutely gorgeous and if you’re looking for that perfect photo of afternoon tea in London, you’ll find it here with the white tablecloths and natural light pouring in from gigantic windows.
Sketch: we also had afternoon tea here and it was the most unique atmosphere. After all the social media hype, I couldn’t wait to check out Sketch for myself. I thought the atmosphere exceeded my expectations, but as for taste, it wasn’t my favorite.
The Dorchester: we all agreed that The Dorchester tea was our absolute favorite. We were nestled in a table in the back right next to a woman playing the piano, and we lingered there for hours. We had two gals with us that were gluten-free, and they were amazed at how delicious the GF tea options were (they said they were far better than the other alternatives they had). The ambiance and the tea selection was top notch, and the piano was just the cherry on top. If you only have one afternoon tea in London – this is the place to do it!
Sticks & Sushi: very cool sushi spot in Covent Garden. I’ve never seen a sushi menu presented like a tiny coffee table book – just as pretty as it was tasty!
Churchill Arms: the London restaurant that has been pinned on Pinterest over and over again. For a spot this iconic, you’d think it was traditional English food, right? It’s actually Thai food!
Busaba Eathai Soho: this place is right off Oxford Street, and if you’re looking for amazing Thai food – it’s your spot. Perfect place to settle in after shopping at Selfridge’s!
Borough Market: a foodie’s heaven. This food market closes at 5PM, so plan on brunching big by hitting several different booths!
Shopping:
Harrod’s: Oh. My. Gosh. I had NO IDEA that this department store is not just a store… it’s like a small village. It’s enormous! I’m talking multiple floors and over 20 restaurants huge (we ate at a Lebanese restaurant here and it was phenomenal). They have an entire section dedicated to Christmas, and I could have spent hours here.
Oxford Street: this kind of felt like the Times Square of London, but the really fab stores are actually on a few streets off of this main shopping hub. Dior, Chanel, Fendi Louis Vuitton – your designer window-shopping dreams will be made here!
Covent Garden: my favorite shopping day. There are all kinds of markets selling art, jewelry, etc., and there are several streets of shopping. It’s were I bought my Burberry poncho/scarf!
I’m sure there’s MUCH more to London – and if you have any recommendations of your own, I’d love to here! These are the things we touched on while we were there, and if you would like to see an Instagram roundup as well, please let me know! I plan on sharing my Amsterdam tips as well – so more to come.
Thanks so much for reading – XO –
PS – THANK YOU to those of you who have alerted me that my email subscription has been a little sporadic and wonky. Something was acting up and WordPress has helped me fix it, SO you should be receiving CBL emails again if you’re subscribed. And if you were previously subscribed and didn’t see today’s post, let me know and I can look into it. Thank you so so much!
This is my last set (I know, finally!) from NYFW, and while I don’t usually go for embroidered tops, I think this one might be changing my mind. I love the flirty hem, and while I think the go-to choice would be to pair it with skinny jeans, I like the contrast with the casual boyfriend jeans. You guys know I am all about a great pair of boyfriend jeans, and the key is finding a “slim” pair.
Because this outfit is from a month ago (whoopsies), I have found really similar items of this exact look that are ALL a part of the huge fall sale going on right now at Shopbop (did you guys see yesterday’s post?)! Like this top? I need. Scroll on down to see the pieces I think should be on your radar, and don’t forget to scroll down to yesterday’s sale post for some of my favorite picks.
