Coach and Michael Kors

When Dale took me to Atlantic City New Jersey for an overnight trip last month, I wasn't sure what to expect as I hadn't been to Atlantic City since I was 3 or 4 years old. 

It's was a nice overnight trip. But at the time the weather was awful - chilly with rain and wind. Otherwise I'm sure it would have been beautiful to walk along the boardwalk there.

Dale & I aren't gamblers so we both agree that the city would be ideal as an overnight stay for a concert or show along with shopping - the deals for shopping were great. Even though Atlantic City is built on casinos like Las Vegas, Las Vegas shopping is much more luxury shopping whereas Atlantic City is much more rundown with bargain shopping.

One of the stores I really liked in Atlantic City was G by Guess (you can see my post here). These were a few other lovely gifts that Dale picked up for me in Atlantic City. 

I love this small Coach purse! 

I love the red sequins and the gold links along the strap. It's perfect for evenings out.

I wore it in one of my last posts here

And you know I love the style of Michael Kors handbags and watches. 

In the States, many Fossil stores sell Michael Kors watches among other brands like DKNY, Armani, Hugo etc....apparently Fossil makes the watches for those brands.  

Here are a couple of Michael Kors watches that Dale bought for me at the Fossil store 

Turquoise is just one of those colours that look great on me. 

I love this watch with the gold detailing and crystals ;)  It really stands out and I've gotten many compliments on it whenever I wear it.

I can't resist links and chains for accessories! 

This is a really pretty watch. It's great for pairing it up with something dressier in the evening time or even to wear with something casual like jeans and a tank top ;) 

Dale you're such a sweetheart! Thanks so much!

What are your favourite brands for handbags and/or watches? 

May Victoria Day Long Weekend

I hope my fellow Canadians enjoyed their Victoria Day Long Weekend :)

My weekend was great! I went clubbing with friends to start it off (see previous post) and the rest of my weekend was well spent with family

Soooo, as requested I have been making efforts to take outfit pictures more often. 

Thank you for all your suggestions on what you'd like to see on my blog - you can let me know anytime. 

This was the outfit I wore on Saturday when I visited my parents and met my older sister Carol's boyfriend for the first time. 

My outfit consisted of this Elle headband

As I had previously mentioned, I'm a bit obsessed with headbands at the moment

Hands down, out of my slowly expanding collection of headbands this Elle headband is the best one so far in terms of quality. It is very comfortable. The black fabric elastic behind the headband stretches to fit and it does not have a metal part which can snag hair among other annoying things - it resembles the Goody Ouchless Gentle Elastics. 

I love how the headband is flexible and not a hard plastic - it makes it more comfortable. One of the lovely Claire's headbands that Dale bought me had snapped after wearing it a few times because it's made of hard (cheap) plastic and it's easy to break believe it or not :(  I would find it hard pressed to snap this Elle flexible headband - so it would be also the ideal type of headband to throw into your luggage or handbag for example. I have to be weary of cheap hard plastic headbands now because of that. 

I wish I could get buy more Elle headbands - but unfortunately they are not easy to come by! Sheesh even ebay doesn't even seem to have any :S Plus I don't think Elle designed much variety at all in this style of headband. I bought this particular headband at a Pharma Plus location. 

These are a few dresses that Dale bought for me at Sirens 

(in my outfit picture I'm wearing the floral print tube dress on the far right)

I love Sirens - sometimes they have really nice stuff and it's affordable too. Sirens should reopen a downtown Toronto store just for me!! (just kidding) They use to have one at Eaton Centre which closed down a long time ago

Dale bought me these Guess Bertina2 High Heel Sandals during our New York City trip ;) 

I really love the natural brown leather and the detailing down the front of the heels. They fit really nicely and go along well with the Michael Kors handbag that I wore (you can see close up pictures of my handbag here) - thank you for everything Dale!

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Then on Sunday I spent some time with Mom & Dad - we did some painting

Haha I thought it was so cute that my Mom wore one of my Dad's extra work shirts while painting.

I haven't seen my Mom wear one of my Dad's shirts before so I took a picture! My Mom joked she's gonna kill me for taking her picture LOL Ohhhh if only she knew I'm posting it on blogger :P

I saw my older sister Carol briefly on Sunday and she had bought me something from a Sanrio store 

I think she got it during her recent trip to Vegas? It was very thoughtful of her as she knows I luv Hello Kitty :) Mmmm and I have not tried Cola Flavour gum before - I also haven't had peach flavoured gum in some time. Thanks Carol!

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Let me know what's new with you!

Awww surprise parcels & expected parcel

Awww Dale really makes me feel so special - he always shows he cares and thinks of me ;)

I was speechless yesterday when I went to pick up a couple of surprise gifts that Dale sent to me. 

My Mom was hanging out with me yesterday and she was surprised too - she knows how fortunate I am to have Dale in my life and I can't wait for my parents to meet Dale. 

So far only my younger sister Jenn has met Dale, which was nice

Aren't these roses gorgeous?
They're so fragrant too and Dale always remembers that I love the extra baby's breath :)

Wow! My first ever lime green coloured roses!
It's really unique because you know it's not quite yellow 

They really make my living room so beautiful

And omigosh there was a second surprise that Dale sent to me yesterday:

A huge spa gift filled with Tashodi products and more :)

The Tashodi products are all fair trade organic and locally made in Canada - I love that!
And they are all from Tashodi's Eucalyptus + Lemon + Spearmint line of Ocean Minerals 

The scent of these spa products are just amazing! Seriously, it's such a unique, strong, yet relaxing scent. I'm really looking forward to using these products and sharing them with Dale when we see each other next week ;)

You know what?! I've seriously been on the search for a nice magazine rack and the woven basket that the spa products came is perfect for that! Yay!

I love it especially since it has a convenient carrying handle too - plus it fits my complete stash of unread magazines

Awww, thank you so much Dale for always thinking of me! 

I really feel so lucky and he definitely made my week ;)

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I also got my first Elf Cosmetics haul in the mail yesterday. 

I ordered it on May 5th so standard shipping to Canada from the USA took two full weeks 

The reason I made my first order with Elf Cosmetics is because I was in Dollarama and saw that they were selling Elf Dramatic Lash Kits for $1.50 each

The Elf Dramatic Lashes looked a lot less full than my favourite Ardell 107s (my review is here), but hey for $1.50 I gave it a shot. They're not bad at all considering the price and how quickly I go through false lashes (ahhh, false lashes will always have a special place in my heart haha)

I like the Elf Dramatic Lashes for something like daytime wear - but if you're going for a smokey eye look I can see how they might get "lost" in the darkness of eyeshadow. You could however double up on two pairs of Elf Dramatic Lashes when doing a smokey eye and that would give a similar effect to the Ardell 107s  - but I don't double up on pairs (yet). I still love my Ardell 107s for a smokey eye. 

So, I ordered the Elf Dramatic Lashes from the Elf Cosmetics website because, even despite the $14.95 USD shipping cost, if I bought enough pairs (I bought 35 pairs) it would be cheaper than getting them at Dollarama (even before adding on the HST). 

So, cheaper than Dollarama you say?! Oh yes! Plus, Elf Cosmetics was running a Cinco De Mayo promo for May 5th and any orders of $20 or more got five free lip and eye products of your choice. So even a better deal :)  These were the five products I chose

If you'd like to see swatches of the Elf eyeshadow pigments and lip products then just let me know and I'll get onto a review of them for you


Have you tried any Tashodi or Elf Cosmetic products before? 
If so, which are your favourites (or ones you wouldn't recommend perhaps)? 


Do you have any special plans this weekend? ;)

Guess Haul: Accessories, Clothing & High Heels

This haul includes clothes and accessories that Dale bought for me from Guess Stores over the past couple of months when we saw each other ;)

The first couple of pictures are things he bought for me from a G by Guess store when we both went for an overnight trip to Atlantic City New Jersey last month. It was the first time I've ever been into a G by Guess store as I hadn't seen or heard of them before. I love the style of clothes in the G by Guess store almost more than the regular Guess store! And the G by Guess store is more affordable. Dale & I asked the sales associate what the difference is between the two retail chains and they said the G by Guess brand is more "trendier".  Too bad there aren't any G by Guess stores in Canada though - most of them are in California and Florida :( 
Have you been into a G by Guess store before? 

The Crandell Twill Railroad Skirt and a lime green clutch 

And some shorts for summer! Top left are the Jane Railroad shorts, the top right are the Jane White Jean Shorts and at the bottom is the Alexis Cuffed Shorts in Sunset Pink (they're super silky - love the material and bright colour)

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The following few items Dale picked up from a Guess Outlet store. I'm not sure why the Guess Outlet store does not have a website....but anyways, the clothing at the outlet store are more casual than the regular Guess Store. I find that for many of the Guess Outlet clothes (especially denim) they do not fit as nicely nor is the material as good as the clothing at regular Guess stores. Of course I realize there is a price difference....
But for basic logo tops, the Guess Outlet store is good for that since they fit well and are at a more affordable price ;)
Dale knows I love logo tees and he was so sweet to surprise me with these tops on his way home from work one day 

Very cute! This is my first tank top with a metal logo on the strap like this.

I love the twist ties on the side of this logo tank top! Again I don't think I have anything like this style. At first Dale got me the white one and I liked the style so much that the next day he bought me it in pink too :) 

Ooo I loved striped tops. Anything remotely sailor inspired with stripes is up my alley. The fit of these basic cotton striped tanks is really good. Great with either the white or pink/coral shorts a few pictures above.

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The rest of the items here are from the regular Guess store. 

Omigosh I have only good things to say about my first pair of Guess Power Skinny Jeans. The ones here are the Premium Power Skinny in Glamour Wash which you saw me wearing in my previous outfit post here. Now, if only Guess would make a Power Skinny fit using that soft twill material of theirs....how do I put in a request?!! LOL 

I'm also in love with the two corset tops here. The fit is amazing! That's surprising since I'm small flat chested and usually any corset top has cups that are too big for me or the fit is not good. The top pink and white checkered Marilyn Corset Top is really "sweet" looking and the bottom corset is also called the Marilyn Corset Top but in black

Cute flip flops huh? Well, I'm going to address a largely common misconception here - and I'll be repeating this in a separate blog post very shortly because it deserves a post on its own. 

Listen up. High heels DO NOT have to be painful. 

Everyone asks - don't high heels hurt? Why doesn't anyone ask me if my FLAT SHOES hurt?! These flip flops freaking kill! I got my skin cut into after wearing them for a half hour - I had to take them off :(  I don't walk around in pain! Who does?! How can you walk in pain anyways? LOL Now I have to arm myself with band-aids and my Band Aid Friction Block Stick (review to come) when I wear these - and I only wear these when I run errands literally around my block. 

Hands down, these are probably the sexiest "casual" sandals I have right now. 

These are the Guess Fume sandals in white patent. Trust me, put these babies on with a pair of jeans or leggings and it'll make a huge difference compared to flats if that's the look you want :) 

They also are very comfortable and easy to walk in too - I wore them to a baseball game, around town etc

I want to note that the buckle strap at the front of the shoe (near the toes) is not adjustable 

Yep, they're so hot Dale got me the Guess Fume Sandals in black patent too ;)   Dale you're the best!!

Dale surprised me with these Guess Redolika sandals in orange fabric. They look amazing when worn! The bright colour really stands out and I love the unique metal piece down the centre of the heels

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It's been three weeks since I've last seen Dale so I do miss him. We talk everyday so that helps. 

The good news is that he's flying out to see me in a week today! Yay! 

I'm so excited I already catch myself deciding what to wear when I go meet him at the airport ;) 

Do you have any upcoming plans for this long Victoria Day weekend or the week after?

High Heel Haul & Review - Aldo, Bakers, Charlotte Russe, Guess, Town Shoes

Here's the 1st of 2 or 3 more upcoming shoe haul posts.
This post has been delayed for over a month so some of these heels might already be sold out in stores

So the reason I do these haul posts is to just show you what I got & for me, haul posts on other blogs give me an idea of what's out there in the stores. Numerous times I have bought things because I liked what I saw in another blogger's haul post. And, I'll also write an honest blurb of what I think about the ones I have worn

With the exception of the first two pairs of heels in this post, Dale bought the rest for me :) 

Such a sweetheart - Thank you so much Dale!

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Okay, so I absolutely loveee the Charlotte Russe Uber Platforms.
They've had it in a faux suede finish and now a faux patent leather finish.
I have mentioned this in a previous post here: they're like knock offs of Steve Madden platform pumps for ohhh, 1/3 to 1/4 of the price? I have several numerous Steve Madden platform heels so I know what I'm talking about

Charlotte Russe Covered Uber Platform in Patent Nude

Charlotte Russe Covered Uber Platform in Patent Tan
(I think this would be a great "nude" for those that have slightly darker skin tones)

Charlotte Russe Covered Uber Platform in Patent Black

The nice thing about the three Charlotte Russe Uber Patent Platform heels above is not only are they comfortable, but the sole of the heels are rubber. They have a better grip to them than the soles that were on the faux suede finishes of this style of shoe - and the faux suede heels had a good enough grip that I did not need any anti-slip stickers. 

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Omigosh another favourite of mine at Charlotte Russe - their slingback patent peep-toe pump.
I have mentioned these briefly in my previous post here where Dale got me them for me in a few other colours. The comfort, height and ease of these are the same as the uber platforms. I love this shade of bright pink!

These are the Charlotte Russe Mesh Ruffle Platform Heel in Soft Pink - they sold out really quickly online. But get this - take a look at these:

Doesn't the Charlotte Russe Mesh Ruffle Platform in soft pink look smack identical to the Steve Madden Fifi pink platforms?? Hmmm....wonder who "inspired" who.


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The two heel sandals above are the Charlotte Russe Snake Print Strappy High Heels in Pewter Metallic and Black Patent.
They look fabulous. I favoured the pewter heels more especially since you can see the texture better on that lighter shade; but Dale favoured the black ones (that's how he got me both). The ankle strap runs high on these so they look great with cropped pants (like cropped leggings), a short dress/skirt or short shorts.

I love these Charlotte Russe purple twist front satin peep toe booties!
They are super comfortable, let me tell you. And the shade of dark purple eggplant is really pretty.

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The two pairs of heels above are the Charlotte Russe Pleated Velvet Peep-toe bootie in leopard print and in red. The red one didn't photograph too well for me, but the online picture of it through their website here is very accurate in terms of depicting the correct shade of red colour.
Notice that these two heels are by a brand called "Qupid" which is carried by Charlotte Russe.  The main difference between Qupid branded heels and the Charlotte Russe branded heels is the sizing - Qupid goes in half sizes (e.g. size 6, 6.5, 7, 7.5 etc) whereas the Charlotte Russe heels run in full sizes (e.g. size 6, 7, 8 etc).

The Charlotte Russe Metallic Uber Platform Pump in Gold is nice for clubbing - that's pretty much what I had in mind when I saw these.

I love this Charlotte Russe Glossy Lace Uber Platform!
I believe this sold out quite quickly online too.
Most lace heels I see do not have a glossy finish like this one. The lace is printed on here - it's not a lace fabric overlay. So the glossy lace print makes it easy to clean (just use a wet wipe) - so you can wear 'em out clubbing or whatever and not worry about stains or pulls if it were lace fabric.

Just like all the high platform heels that Charlotte Russe has, I also love these Charlotte Russe Zebra Print Mary-Jane Platform Pumps.  I love how the mary-jane type strap is midway up the front of the foot rather than around the ankle - it makes it a bit cute. And the nice thing about this heel is that if you don't like the strap, you can strategically (and very easily) cut the strap off at the ends and it would not be noticeable because of the way it was sown onto the inside of the shoe. Anyways, these really jazz up a pair of jeans!

This Charlotte Russe Spaghetti Strap Platform Heel looks much better worn than it does in the picture. 

I think it's because the colour of it goes very well with my skin tone. I really love these! They are very comfortable and the straps are a comfortable material too. Plus you'll notice in the close up picture of the straps that the top straps are stretchy material which is great since the back zipper part is quite short. I find that many strappy sandals painfully cut into the skin at some point during the day especially when you break them in :(  But not these so this is a keeper! 

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Onto a few other brands of shoes.......Aldo has great after-season sales especially online. 

And Dale bought me a couple of over-the-knee boots that were on sale

This is the "Dain" above-the-knee boot from Aldo.
They look great, fit great and I love the buckle detailing as well as the bit of lace up at the top of the boot. I have worn them a couple of times since Dale bought them back in February for me I believe - but luckily our weather is warming up nicely so these are going into storage until the Fall

I love the brown shade of these Aldo Canepa over the knee boots.
The fit is a bit slimmer than the "Dain" ones above.

*****


Dale bought me my first pair of Bebe high heels! And we both love this pair of heels :)

 These are the Bebe Naina Peep-toe Pumps

They are super hot and although the heel is quite thin, they're actually quite easy to walk in.
I love how the soles have a mirror type finish to them:

I thought the sole of these heels would be slippery because they look like they would be - but they're not. I did not need any anti-slip stickers for these as you can see (and you can also see that I've worn them quite a bit from the indentations in the soles already hehe)
They'll be other Bebe high heels after this for sure!

*****

Omigosh I really love the style of these Guess Odetta Strappy Heel Leopard Print Sandals.
It's something about the animal print mixed with the gold buckles and black patent...they look really sexy with jeans or leggings. And they are very comfortable. 

Dale bought me these Guess Kenzie sandals in white last year (you can see my post on them here - although last year they were called "Krystal" instead of "Kenzie").
I love the cork platform and heel detailing as that always reminds me of Spring.
And I love how there's a buckle around the top of the heel.
I will admit though - the straps on these heels do take a few wears to break into if you're going to walk around in them a bit. 

Dale picked out these Guess Bilser slingback heels for me.
The black colour here has a metallic finish to it, which is nice. And although you would associate most metallic finish heels with evening wear, I wouldn't have a problem wearing these in the daytime because they can be dressed down for a more casual look. They're not my favourite heels, but it's a different look and I like it with jeans or leggings in particular. Note, the flower is not removable.

I love how Guess added this light pink colour to a number of their signature high heels, including the Guess Hondo. It's such a sweet colour. This is probably my fifth or sixth Guess Hondo high heel (I have it in other colours). I have mentioned this before but I'll say it again - for some strange reason, this style of heel fits a full size larger. For example - I'm usually a size 6.5 for Guess shoes...but for all my Guess Hondo heels I have to get a size 5.5.


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While Dale was on a business trip in February down in the States, he went into a Bakers store and bought a few things for me :) Isn't that so thoughtful of him to think of me? I haven't had a chance to visit  a Bakers before, but I have heard of them.
This was one of heels he got for me at Bakers - "Mystique" peep toe sling back in black suede. Although most of it is suede I love the bit of black patent around the front. They're very comfortable heels - the quality is really good too. I'm really impressed with their style and selection of high heels online. I certainly hope to check out a Bakers store location when I visit the States next.

I love a great peep toe platform pump - and the Steve Madden Luluuu peep toe pump here is no exception. Dale's favourite heel is black patent....I have this in grey suede and it's a great high heel.

I love the unique style of this Steve Madden Snobbie Platform - Oooo and I cannot resist the gold glitter on it! There is a bit of stretchy material at the back ankle strap - and the fit is great. They are very comfortable heels as well. The base of the platform sole does seem a bit narrower than my other Steve Madden heels but I love love love the shoe overall. Great for evenings - dinners, parties, clubbing etc

Dale bought me these as a surprise - my first pair of Barbie for Townshoes high heels :)
I've seen this high heel in so many magazines - so I wouldn't be surprised if it's sold out by now...but I love the bright vibrant floral print on these. They're gorgeous and remind me of palm trees and sunny weather :) The sole of these Barbie for Townshoes line is really cute, but I slapped an anti-slip sticker on it before wearing 'em out....so there goes that marketing idea LOL


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I have a number of haul posts to work on!
In the meantime I still have a lot of school readings to catch up on before my upcoming trip to the New England States - Dale & I will be visiting three :)

What have you been shopping for lately? 
How was your weekend? :)