My Booties obsession and a $100 Shopbop Gift Card Giveaway!

I love starting off the weekend with a giveaway and this is a good one ladies! Shopbop is giving one lucky reader a $100 gift card to use on any item of your choice. To enter is easy as can be...just comment below with your name and email address and what you would spend the money on.

Now, if it were me, I would probably have to go with some new booties (the obsession continues...)

I am loving the selection by Belle by Sigerson Morrison...

These are killer. Perfect color, perfect heel height

Maison Martin Margiela also has some amazing styles. I am loving the simplicity of this black wedge...

And Madison Harding has a similar version of the red boot Gwyneth was wearing...seems everyone has been pinning this picture! 

The contest ends in 10 days...good luck everyone! 

Make your own Protein Bars

At the Bar Method event on Sunday, my friend Stacy from Arbonne came and shared with us some great products that Arbonne has to offer (I am obsessed with the RE-9 anti-aging skincare...crazy good results with this product! ). The line is fantastic because it is all-natural and plant based. The skincare is Swiss made, so you know it has to be good! 

One thing Stacy shared with us is her homemade protein bars using Arbonne's chocolate protein powder. They were delicious, filling and incredibly easy to make! 

And if you want to make them yourself, here is the recipe:

16 oz jar of Natural Peanut Butter

1 and 3/4 cups of honey

2 and 1/4 cups Arbonne chocolate protein powder

3 cups dry, uncooked oats

 

Combine the peanut butter & honey in a bowl. Microwave 70-90 seconds, or until it easily stirs. Add protein pwder & oats amd mix thoroughly. It will be thick. Press into a 9x12 pan and refrigerate for at least one hour. Pull out. Cut & enjoy! (Refrigerate to store)

I can't wait to try this at home! I am tired of buying protein bars that I feel aren't all that good for me...they seem packed with a lot of unnecessary ingredients. These actually seem healthy! 

Bloggers at the Bar

I am sure you are hoping for a juicy post about bloggers throwing a few back, but this is not about a drinking bar...it's all about the Ballet Barre...

For those of you who have read my blog for the past year, you know I am a devoted fan of the Bar Method. I started going over a year ago and continued taking classes throughout my entire pregnancy. I felt amazing through the entire 9 months, had minimal weight gain and really bounced back quickly...I owe it all to the Bar Method classes.

SO, I thought it would be fun to bring some blogger girls together to take a class. We bonded over 60 minutes of intense interval training. For first timers, it's always an interesting experience. It's hard to get used to the "shake" that happens during a Bar Method class...but like our instructor Hoddy says, "If you don't shake, you aren't pushing yourself hard enough!"...

Here are a few of the girls gritting their teeth and smiling through thigh! I love it! 

This was not planned...but apparently Pink was the color of the day...with Ali and Michelle

Jamie, Hoddy, Me, Erin, Ali, Sarah, Michelle 

Thanks to all the girls that came out on Sunday for the class, and a huge thanks to Hoddy for giving the bloggers a fun day at the Bar Method! 

For more information about the Bar Method, click HERE. 

Pin it * Shop it

How many times have you seen a pin on Pinterest and said "I love this, I have to have it!"? I do it all the time! So, I decided to do a weekly Pin it & Shop it post with my favorite looks of the week.

First off is this easy breezy look by the gorgeous Spanish blogger, Lovely Pepa. I love everything about her ensemble. The simple white blouse, casual yet chic cargo pants and that NECKLACE...isn't it fabulous? The accessories and shoes are simple and timeless. This would definitely be a weekly go-to outfit for me, whether it be going to a client meeting or running around with the kiddos...

Shop The Look:

Lulu love...

Kind of obsessing over the Down Town Puffy from Lululemon...how adorable is that ruffled collar?

It comes in 4 colors and retails for a (not inexpensive) $228. But I am thinking this would get a lot of mileage during the winter months...

My kind of Marketplace...

C.Wonder is a fairly new shop that started in New York and has since opened stores in California, Atlanta, New Jersey and soon to come...Tyson's Corner in Virginia. The store was the brainchild of Tory Burch's ex-husban, Chris Burch. Their goal is to bring brightness to every corner of life...from clothing to shoes, accessories and home decor. 

Their items are fun, colorful and really pretty affordable. It's a fantastic site for gifty items... like these enamel initial bracelets. 

Source: cwonder.com via Melanie on Pinterest

Source: cwonder.com via Melanie on Pinterest

Or this cute and functional tote, which comes in 3 colors:

And their ikat dinnerwear is adorable! These would be fun to incorporate with basic white dishes...

This Greek Key Tray would look amazing on a coffee table or vanity...

What do you think of C.Wonder? Have you shopped their stores yet? 

Source: cwonder.com via Melanie on Pinterest

The Art of Hair

I had the pleasure of attending the launch of Shu Uemura haircare at Shelby Herrick salon in Fairway last week. Shelby's salon is one of only 2 percent of salons in the country that will be carrying this luxury hair care line.

Shu Uemura is a Japanese company, best known for their cosmetics and skincare. Their newest endeavor, The Art of Hair is all about purity and well-being with an emphasis on rare and precious ingredients from the Japanese culture. These ingredients give the products ultimate purity and high performance results and overall just plain gorgeous hair. 

It was a fun evening with local media and bloggers...and a little hair zhushing of course! 

My partner in crime, Sarah from Apparentlyobsessed....sporting her pretty, new Laura Mercier red lipstick. love it! 

I finally got to meet Kim Wallace from Kimberlyloc.com...she has a fabulous natural beauty blog. And she could not be any sweeter! 

 Jamie from White Table Style got some gorgeous, flowing locks

Owner, Shelby works his magic with Shu Uemura's coolest product, The Volume Maker. It is an invisible texturizing powder that comes in an automatic click brush. PURE genius. Want to skip a hair wash but need to get rid of the oil and give your roots a boost? This is your product. 

He also added a product called  cotton uzu to my ends to give my hair some added texture. In the end, I left with what I would call "sexy hair"...like you just rolled around in the hay, if you know what I mean...

Overall, I think the product is amazing. Not to mention, it smells delicious! My husband, son and I all can use the Cotton Uzu which is a defining, flexible cream. 

I also like the Silk Bloom conditioner. This product is for damaged hair and let me tell you, it is powerful. This puts Moroccan Oil to shame. It's incredibly moisturizing and literally leaves your hair feeling like silk.

Thanks to Shelby and their staff for inviting us into their salon and for teaching us all about the Art of Hair! 

His & Hers Fall Wishlist

My husband may actually trump me in the shopping department. He loves clothes just as much as I do, which makes for a bad combination when you get the two of us together! Thankfully we can just "daydream" and virtual shop as much as we want without having to pull the trigger.

We put together our fall wishlist via Shopstyle.com. Shopstyle is amazing because you can search exactly what you are looking for, and you can price compare other online sites all in one spot!

I have recently fallen in love with the Morrison tote by Rachel Zoe. The cognac color would be perfect for fall, and I especially love the cross-body option. Her bags are expensive, but not insane. This one comes in at $550...

I have still been searching for the perfect bootie, I think I may have found it. The Elizabeth and James "Shane"...wouldn't these be great not only with skirts and dresses but also skinny jeans? 

I am hoping to invest in the perfect peacoat for Fall. Loving the fitted silhouette of this Tory Burch Bernadine Pea Coat.

And for him...

He said he wanted a Chelsea Boot...which I learned is a pretty dapper looking, pull on boot. These look great with dark jeans or even a dressier flat front pant. 

My husband is a huge fan of Italian designer, Ermenegildo Zegna. It's definitely his fave and would be his "splurge" if money was no object. On the top of his wish list is a Bomber Jacket. The color of this jacket is gorgeous and would just get better over time.

My husband just recently got his first pair of Baldwin (Kansas City Made) Jeans. They fit AMAZING and are definitely his best looking pair. Now he is itching for another cut/wash....maybe something in a lighter wash that is a little more casual? 

so, what is on our "ultimate" wish list? 

Super(model) Mom: Meet Mollie

It's been a while since I have done one of these features! I am so glad to have my dear friend and one inspiring lady, Mollie as our Super Model Mom today.

Mollie and I met back in 2001 when we were both working at Mark Shale on Michigan Avenue. I had started just a few weeks before her, and had the pleasure of training her in on our staff. Both of us were young, eager and excited about our new endeavor and working in the world of fashion. We immediately bonded over the mutual love for Brittany Spears...and you better believe that we both stalked her one afternoon when she was shopping at Anthropologie in the gold coast. Which is still one of my favorite celeb sightings to date :)

Mollie and her husband left Chicago to go work for Shopbop.com. I was so sad to see her leave, but how could I be upset? She landed THE dream job as a buyer for Bop (the storefront behind shopbop.com). Even though we were in different cities, we were always able to meet in NYC during buying trips and enjoy dinner and drinks together! And now, I happen to be living in Mollie's hometown of KC, so I get to see her on her visits home! It's been so fun to see our children grow up and play together. Her kids are GORGEOUS, as you can see.

Many moves and a few jobs later, Mollie and her family are now back in the Chicago area. Mollie juggles a role of Mom, Wife and now Co-Owner of Style Spies (the company I now work for)! Mollie helps style and wardrobe the women of Chicago and the North Shore.

Mollie's photos via Leathem Photography Chicago

Mollie is a go-getter and is probably one of the hardest working women I know. She is extremely funny, an incredible mom and of course her style is impeccable. She mixes up her wardrobe with classics from J.Crew with edgier items like Alexander Wang. She always accessorizes perfectly with layers of Gorjana baubles and she has quite the shoe and handbag collection. If you want a peek into her closet, click HERE.

Mollie shares with us what inspires her personal style...

1) What is your daily "uniform" 

 For fall, you will most likely find me in a pair of skinny jeans (my favorites being DL1961), a tank top, a long boyfriend style cardigan, and flats.  If I'm doing more than the preschool run, I'll throw a skinny belt over the cardi to make it a little more polished!  My arm is always loaded with a combination of bracelets (Gorjana's leather wraps + my 'Griffin' simple silver bangle + my grammie's diamond bracelet given to me after she passed).  I also typically layer a couple of necklaces too – my G initial necklace paired with a pendant works well with the cardigan/tank top combo.

2) What/Who inspires your personal style the most?   

Originally, I think my Grammie (mentioned above) influenced my style the most.  She was always dressed up, whether going to the grocery store or out to dinner.  She loved a designer handbag and a great pair of shoes (her favorites were Ferragamo), and her favorite place to shop (in her later years) was St John.  She taught me two important things that I now tell my clients:  the value of spending on nice shoes and handbags and then saving elsewhere on your wardrobe, and how important it is to look nice when you walk out of the house.  It's not about impressing everyone else, it's about respecting yourself enough to take a moment and swipe on mascara and take off your sweaty gym clothes before you run an errand.  

3) Whose celeb closet would you like to raid?   

Oooh that's a toughie.  I think it would be Katie Holmes.  She does dressed 'up' and dressed 'down' really well, and never looks like she's trying too hard.  For the same reasons, Gwyneth Paltrow.  She's. Just. Fab. Can I have two?  

4) What item in your closet do you treasure the most? 

 That's gotta be my first Louis Vuitton handbag.  My husband surprised me with it a few years ago, and I break it out every summer.  It's a limited edition Perforated Speedy 30……..the inside is a gorgeous green suede and it has a little green trim on the outer pockets.  I LOVE it and still get compliments almost daily.  Good job honey!

5) What trend are you most looking forward to this season?   

As a lover of flats, I am excited to try out some cap toe flats.  I have my eye on a few pairs….especially loving this sigerson morrison black and silver pair.  It has a hint of a smoking flat, but is still a ballet flat with the cap toe.  

6) What are your top 3 budget buys?

 1.  Tank tops - my favorite are the Gap Ribbed Tanks.  They retail at 16.95 but are rarely full price.  I like to have at least 2 white and 2 black on hand, along with army green, navy and grey in terms of best colors.  2.  Blouses – surprisingly, I find that you don't have to spend a lot of money to find a great looking blouse.  Favorites are ones from Old Navy, Forever 21, and H&M.  3.  Costume jewelry & belts -   I love scouring Forever 21 for cheap great jewelry, as well as belts!  I got 3 belts there last spring for a total of $4.80!  I remember the exact total b/c it was so ridiculous!!!!  

7) If money was no object, what would you splurge on right now? 

 This one's easy.  I would love to stock myself up on Christian Louboutins – specifically, patent nude and patent black closed toe platform pumps.  Someday…….

8) What do you most look forward to handing down to your daughter?   

Oh my…….so much!  Definitely my designer handbag collection.  I hope to raise her to appreciate a great bag, but also to remember that you have to work for something like that.  

9) What is your biggest fashion mistake?   

There have been so many!  The trendy girl that I was (am), the late 80's and early 90's had me in huge flannel shirts, mom-ish Gap jeans and big big bangs.  My poor mother, I can't imagine what she was thinking as I left the house!  My freshman year in college I remember in particular wearing a brutal brown corduroy vest from Harolds out to a fraternity party.  It's immortalized in party pics……hilarous.  

10) What are your top 3 favorite style blogs to read?  

  image via

Aside from YourStyleScout (which will always remain my inspiration to getting into this whole blogging business!), I love the Glitter Guide, Cupcakes and Cashmere, GOOP (not really a style blog, but mostly b/c I love GP and feel like we have a personal relationship, ha), and Beauty Bets.

Thanks Mollie for sharing your fashion inspiration with us! If you live in the Chicago area and need a closet clean out or styling help, email her at mollie@stylespies.com or visit her blog Mascara Meets Matchbox.  

Cheap and Chic

It's always great to find a dress that you can wear casually during the daytime. This little striped number from Old Navy will get a lot of mileage this fall. I can't wait to wear it with tall boots or my favorite flats.

I got it in the Navy/Red combo...which color do you like best? 

FNO Fun at Halls Kansas City

Fashion's Night Out was a success here in Kansas City! The plaza was a buzz with fun events, music, food, drink and giveaways. I spent my time at a local favorite, Hall's. They had INCREDIBLE giveaways (will I be a lucky winner?!), music, and of course FASHION!

I had a blast styling a men's look. I have a secret passion for Men's Wear...it's all about the fabric, colors and small details. I chose a plaid puffy vest from Zegna, Brunello Cucinelli Sweater and Pants, Salvatore Ferragamo shoes and (don't tell the guys) but we used a women's scarf!!! Kelly from Twenty Six East and Michelle from Second Street East also styled Men's looks.

images via Hall's

I enjoyed talking makeup (and getting a fun red lip @Chanel) with my girlfriends, and chatting with my favorite ladies from The Bar Method (who were doing demos and a great giveaway).

How chic is this model?! I loved how they posed her on this lucite chair. I was digging all 3 of these looks, but I think the leather motorcycle jacket paired with the skirt is my favorite.

How did you spend your FNO?

Country Chic: A vintage inspired wedding...

You may remember a post I did a while back about non-matching bridesmaids dresses. This was inspiration for my cousin's wedding in which the bridesmaids were asked to wear shades of nude or blush. I had to do a follow up with photos from the actual wedding....it's a stunner!

all  photos were taken by Gabriel and Carin Photography

Necklace (similar HERE) Dress is from Nordstrom's Wedding Suite

The bride wanted the wedding to be vintage inspired with historic Deadwood, South Dakota as the back drop. Set in a field of green this wedding was picture perfect...

Natalie's Dress and the girls bridesmaid dresses...

Pretty maids all in a row...

The flower girls wore Blue Pony Vintage...could you die?! How adorable! 

A pretty summer bouquet looks like it was pulled straight from the garden...

 vintage striped straws to sip your drinks from...

Typewriters were set up to write the bride and groom a note on their special day (LOVE this idea!)

And what's a celebration without a cigar?

Congrats to Tyson and Natalie on your special day! Thank you for sharing all of your amazing photos!