Bundled.

I am a coat girl. Maybe it's all the years growing up in Minnesota or the 9 years I spent in Chicago. Coats were always necessary and since you had to be covered up head to toe, why not make the coat your major fashion statement?

So, you can imagine how I feel about dressing our baby girl this winter. OH MY...the choices are abundant. How does one decide? I fell head over heels for the coat collection at Zara. Seriously, I die...

Flower Patch Coat $39.90

Quilted Jacket $45.90

Cable Knit Coat with Bows $39.90

Quilted Jacket with Flower $45.90

Belted Parka $49.90

Rosenberry Rooms

As you know, I love all things "Nursery"...so I was pretty ecstatic when Rosenberry Rooms asked me to do a guest post for their blog this week. I share a little bit about myself, as well as some of my favorite trends for fall. To read the post click HERE.

Fall's Best: Jewels

Fall's Best: Jewels by stylescout1 featuring a resin necklace

Shop The Look...

Weekend plans...

The peanut is getting baptized this weekend...

It's going to be a small affair, but I couldn't help but splurge on some pretty Macarons from Au Bon Macaron...a local company that makes the most AMAZING, mouth watering treats. 

I am looking forward to a low-key weekend and time spent with friends...

To B.B. or not to B.B....

BB creams are pretty much the hottest thing going in cosmetics right now. Everyone is selling one...from Maybelline to Clinique. Most range from under $13 to around $40. So, if you aren't familiar with these creams, you are probably wondering why they are called B.B. creams. B.B. stands for either "blemish balm" or "beauty balm". B.B.'s are basically your SPF, Tinted Moisturizer and Skin care all packed into one "miracle cream"...or so they say...

Of course, I had to give this product a try! I don't like heavy foundation, but I do like subtle coverage which these creams claim to have. I went for Garnier's version, which has gotten excellent reviews; especially for the price ($12.99).

Garnier claims the following on their website:

Skin concerns, such as discoloration, dullness, blotchiness and dryness can come from a number of different sources. It's hard to find just one product that addresses them all.

 "Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector B.B. Cream immediately and effectively fullfills your skincare expectations with just one multi-benefit product that combines intense moisturizing skincare + immediate skin perfecting coverage for skin that looks naturally more even, radiant and smooth"

In my opinion I really think it's a great product. I like the coverage (it's a bit more than a tinted moisturizer), it definitely gives you a "glow". I like to add a bit of powder afterwards so that I don't look to "dewy" if you know what I mean. I am not sure that when I take the cream off that my skin looks any better, but I do like how it looks on and I will continue using it. I think it's a great product for the price and would definitely recommend it. 

Anyone else trying out B.B. Creams? What do you think? 

Fall's Top 5: Basic Tops

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L.O.V.E.

You may remember this print that we put in our little girl's nursery...it's one of my favorite pieces in the room.

by The Wheatfield on Etsy

As a baby gift, my talented cousin somehow created a screenprint of the "V" ( the first letter in our daughter's name), and made a onesie out of it! Such a clever and thoughtful gift. It finally fits her, and I LOVE it.

and in case you wanted to know, the adorable headband is by Wild Juniper on Etsy



Cheap and Chic buys of the week

With Fall on my mind, I am starting to pick up some transitional items in my shopping excursions. I just snagged up this adorable military jacket from Old Navy. Again, picture does not do it justice. It has Orange trim, and it cinches at the waist to give you a fabulous feminine silhouette. The ties on the inside are also orange! $39.94

And I am obsessed with these sleeveless blouses also from Old Navy. I own this pretty minty green color, and also the white. They look great alone and will be perfect layered under sweaters and blazers for fall. They remind me of the Equipment sleevless blouses that retail for almost $200.  The Old Navy version is currently ON SALE (online only) for $17.50!

I love both so much, I used them in a news segment this morning talking about Transitional fashions...with all items under $100!

Fall's Best Basics: The Accessories

As much as I love a good trend, I am all about investing in fabulous basics. These items will cost you more, but they will also last you a lifetime. Can you believe I still don't own the Louis Vuitton Speedy?! It's a timeless piece that has always been on my wish list...

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Skittles...

We don't have to put our colored denim away for fall, hurray! I love this trend, and I think it will be fantastic for fall with chambray shirts, cozy sweaters and your favorite boots or flats.

I saw these adorable Zip Pocket colored skinnies by Forever 21 and I immediately thought of a bag of skittles...love these colors. And for $24.80 they are totally worth a shot...

Celebration Weekend...

Happy Friday everyone! It's GORGEOUS in Kansas City today...makes me want to sit on a patio and sip wine all night long :)

image via 

We have a busy weekend full of celebrations. Tomorrow is a baby shower for Jonathan's cousin's wife. She's having a baby boy! Then Saturday night is both my mother in law's birthday party and then a huge 50th birthday bash for my friend's husband. Sunday we have a baptism celebration for a dear friend's little boy, Sutton. You may remember his nursery HERE.

Needless to say, we will be busy...all good fun though so I am looking forward to it! Saturday night, I hope to wear this dresss by Amanda Uprichard (the pic does it NO justice whatsoever). It's one of my favorite dresses that I own...so easy to wear and the color is a fabulous shade of bright pink.

and here it is on me...last summer. Looking at this photo kind of makes me want to cut my hair again too :)



Have a lovely weekend everyone! 

My beauty routine...

What's better than getting a sneak peek into a friend's closet? Well, looking in her cosmetic drawer of course!

Everyone has their favorite go-to products and I always love to hear what other girls are "using and loving" at the moment.

So, here is my typical beauty routine. What I am not showing is my back stock... a.k.a. about 20 different eye shadows, different blushes and my stock of lipglosses and lipsticks. These are just my everyday products that get me out the door in the quickest amount of time...

I love a good eye shadow palette...the beauty lines put complimentary colors together so that you don't have to do the guess work! I have a great palette from Laura Mercier from Spring 2012 (left) and a fall palette from Nars...2010, I believe (right). They also are a better value than buying all the colors separately.

I use Maybelline Full n Soft mascara. It gives your lashes some plump without clumps and I love that it's so inexpensive!

For eyeliner I use a skinny angled brush from MAC (pictured in pink). I use eyeshadow and a wet brush to apply liner.

I ended up getting a fantastic brush set from Sonia Kashuk at Target. People may argue that the quality isn't that great. But I really think they are pretty decent especially for the price! I especially love the big Kabuki brush that I use for my bronzer.

A good eyelash curler is a must, I use Shu Eumura's which has been voted the best year after year my different magazines and makeup artists.

I could NOT LIVE WITHOUT Laura Mercier's secret concealer. I have written about this on my blog multiple times, but I do truly stand behind it. It is the only concealer that doesn't make your under eye look dry and the color blends perfectly so you don't have raccoon eyes in photos. It's a fantastic product and will cure even the darkest of circles.

I love Chanel cosmetics (outside of the price). This spring I bought the limited edition blush that is pictured. It's SO pretty, unfortunately it's no longer available or I would link back to it. I also use their bronzer which has lasted me a lifetime. When this runs out I am going to get Nars Laguna, it's the perfect bronze for any skin tone.

I have fallen in love with Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua foundation. It is SUPER lightweight, it has SPF and it looks natural with giving just the right amount of coverage. I save this for nights out or when I will be doing a news segment. It's just too expensive to use everyday.

For everyday, Cover Girl's Aqua Smoothers does the trick. It's a tinted moisturizer that also has SPF, and I believe it's under $7!

To eliminate any shine I may have, I use Cover Girl's True Blend mineral powder. Again, it's inexpensive and gives just the right amount of coverage for everyday.

Lastly, a product that I will always use and is the least expensive is plain old Vaseline. It is the only thing that keeps my lips moisturized...even in the dry winter months. It's the best!

So, that's about it! I am dying to know what your favorite products are! What is one thing you definitely could not live without?

Bookends for the kiddos...

Cute bookends are hard to fine. Trust me...I have looked everywhere for a set to coordinate back to my kids rooms.

I found these wooden block bookends by a shop called Wandering Starfish on Etsy. They can be customized with whatever color and patterns you want and are only $30 for a set.

Pretty cute, don't you think?

Back to School

Raise your hand if you are ready for school to start!!! (mine is raised, is yours?!) It's been a LONG summer trying to entertain a toddler and care for a newborn. I am counting down the days until we get back to a normal routine. Love the little guy to pieces, but it makes it nearly impossible to get anything done with a non-napping, very active 4 year old!

with School days on the horizon, it's time to get stocked with all the gear you need this fall. Here are a few things that have caught my eye...

cute backpacks on Little Choux...

The lunch box attatches to the front...

Machine washable labels for sippy cups, lunch boxes and anything else that might get "lost" at school These are by Emily Press...

Re-usable lunch bags are a MUST. I own these by Lunchskins and they have held up amazing. They go right in the dishwasher and come out squeaky clean and ready for lunch the next day!

And you can't send your kid off to school without some comy sneakers! Loving these for our little guy..

and for the girls, these adorable metallic Jack Purcells...

and for outerwear...I am DYING over this chino ruffle jacket from Crewcuts

and for our little guy, we always do Patagonia. It's expensive, but worth every penny. You get the warmth without the bulk. I am loving the Red down sweater this year...

What will your cuties be sporting this fall?



Cheap and Chic buy of the week...

This weekend in Missouri it was tax free shopping (any apparel under $100). It's a no-brainer time to do some back to school shopping. We hit up H&M where we found some really cute things for the kids. But, you know I couldn't resist a little something for myself. I got this fun Peplum top for....$14.95. Unbelievable right? It's such a steal for such a cute top. It even has a big exposed zipper up the back. Love it!

If you want it to be yours, I would go soon...I bet these will fly out the door!

You can find me over at A Piece of Toast today...

To see what "I wish I was wearing" head on over to A Piece of Toast Blog (A must follow, if you haven't already...) They are the most adorable blogging sisters you will ever meet! Thanks for having me guest blog Sally and Molly!

Shake your booties...

I am a bit obsessed with finding the perfect "bootie" for fall. These look great back to just about anything. I plan to pair them with leggings and cozy sweaters as well as boyfriend jeans or even my favorite "Minnie" pant from J.Crew...

I first saw these Rag & Bone booties on Standard Style's Instagram, aren't they amazing? I think I would go with them in plain black leather...

These Booties by Clark's are as classic as you can get. What I like about them is that they would be great dressed up or dressed down.

I am thinking for my lifestyle, I need something more casual like these by Dolce Vita...

And if you want to add these Booties to your collection, here are the links! Happy Shopping!