leahtackles – Page 45

My Experience with a J.Crew “Very Personal Stylist”

May 19, 2014 & 6 Comments

Hi There! Happy Monday!

About a month ago a friend from college, who now works for J.Crew, contacted me after seeing my blog to tell me about the J.Crew “Very Personal Stylist” program because she thought I might be interested in blogging about it. I have loved J.Crew for a long time, and that love only seems to grow stronger, but I never knew that they had a personal stylist program at all! Have you ever tried the Very Personal Stylist program at J.Crew? Have you used a personal shopping or styling service anywhere? I would love to hear about it! Let me know by commenting (click the link by the title of this post)!

The Basics:

I contacted my closest (not close enough!) J.Crew and set up an appointment to meet with a stylist. You can contact them by phone, email, or an online form. I told them that I was going to be blogging about my experience, but ANYBODY who wants to can set up an appointment. You can go in looking for a dress for a special occasion, a whole new wardrobe, or take in a favorite pair of pants in search of the perfect matching blouse. It is *competely free* of charge to use a personal stylist, and the stylists work off of comission.

The Day of the Appointment:

The day of the appointment I got a phone call from the personal stylist I would be working with, Cathy, who asked me if I would like a coffee or tea during our appointment, and confirmed the appointment time. I arrived with my photographer (hubs!) and met up with my personal stylist for the day! Then we walked the store with Cathy showing her things that I was drawn to, things I didn’t like, what styles I was looking for, and what I thought my sizes were. Cathy also pulled items that I didn’t pick out, which I liked, and she also would tell me what she liked to pair with different items (super helpful!). She was very honest about items that she didn’t like the way they fit people, and also encouraged me to shop the clearance section! My dressing room was reserved at the end of the dressing room area, and a very large room that fit my husband and myself comfortably. My Starbucks iced tea and (surprise!) Godiva chocolates were waiting in the room. I spent about an hour trying on clothes. Cathy was very attentive if I needed a different size, wanting to find something to corrdiante an outfit, or take items that I didn’t want. I didn’t feel pressured to spend a certain amount of money or bothered in any other way. I ended up with a nice range of items, both full price and clearance, and had a fantastic time! I bought quite a lot for one shopping trip, but I really needed some things. It was less stressful than doing such a big shopping haul alone, and much more enjoyable to shop with a stylist. Before I left she gave me her card, told me to contact her anytime, and she helped me check out. I had such a great experience, and feel like I already have such a nice relationship with Cathy. I know that I will email or call her if I am on the hunt for something or just want to go in to do a little wardrobe refreshing.

The Experience in Pictures:

What I bought:

Matelassé Sheath Dress

Vintage Cotton Stripe Sleeve Scoopneck Tee

Stripe Muscle Tank

Perfect Shirt in Honeypie Print

Long-Sleeve Painter Tee

Pixie Pant

Sunburst Skirt

Flower Fan Necklace

Outfits Styled From What I Bought and My Own Closet:

I hope that this post was helpful to those of you may be interested in making an appointment with a J.Crew Very Personal Stylist! If you have any questions or comments, please let me know by commenting or finding me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to read this and if you enjoyed this post, please subscribe! Have a great day!!

POPSUGAR MUST HAVE BOX MAY 2014

May 16, 2014 & 1 Comment

Hi There! Happy Friday!

Today I am very excited to be reviewing the May 2014 PopSugar Must Have Box! Some people read spoilers…maybe that is why you are here reading this?!…but I prefer to be surprised! The box contains full size items in all different categories:food, beauty, fashion, home, and usually an extra goodie of some kind, too. The PopSugar box usually arrives between the 10th-15th of every month for me…it ships via FedEx Smart Post, which means it goes out FedEx but arrives to my P.O Box.

I will quickly go over the items from my April 2014 PopSugar Must Have Box first, and then dig into the May box!

Product titles are also links for more information or to buy online.

APRIL MUST HAVE BOX MINI REVIEWS:

Must Have Food:

PopSugar Must Have Mix from Nature Box

Verdict: I LOVED THIS!! I wish I could buy this at my local grocery store. YUM! I still haven’t gotten a subscription for Nature Box yet, but I want to!

Must Have Home:

Caldrea Rosewater Driftwood Liquid Hand Soap

$10.50

Verdict: I haven’t used this yet because we have been using up what we have, but it smells lovely and I can’t wait to try it.

Must Have Beauty:

Too Faced Natural Eyes Palette

$36

Verdict: My orignal palette came with a broken shadow, but PopSugar quickly replaced my palette. I love this little palette, and have been getting a lot of use out of it.

Must Have Fashion:

(XO) Echo Shopper Collapsable Tote Bag from Lauren Conrad for Blue Avocado (*Similar)

$24.99

Verdict: I really love this! It still hasn’t made it to the farmers market, but as soon as ours opens up, this bag will be heading there : )

Must Have Home:

Pocket Notes from Graphic Image

$20

Verdict: I used this immediately! It is so adorable and I love it.

Must Have Home:

TOTALLY AWESOME: 80’s Sayings Tea Towel Set by Fresh Pastry Stand (an etsy.com site)

$18

Verdict: I have used these a little bit, and they are pretty cute! I like the summery colors!

MAY 2014 MUST HAVE BOX:

Must Have Beauty:

Smell Bent St. Tropez Dispenser

$45 Value

This smells just like sun screen, salt, coconut…basically a day at the beach in the bottle! This may not be a favorite for everybody, but I LOVE it! It doesn’t seem to last super long on the skin, so that is a bit of a downside, and the bottle is glass so if you wanted to take it in your bag you’d have to consider that. I can’t wait to wear it this summer!!

Must Have Home:

Kerry Cassill Eye Mask (*Similar)

$24 Value

This is really pretty, and I needed a new eye mask, so I will happily use it!

Must Have Fitness:

Tone It Up

$15 Value

I really like workout DVDs because with two little loves running around, I don’t get to the gym very often anymore! I use our treadmill the most consistently, and I like to change up my DVD workouts. This DVD features the ladies from Bravo’s Toned Up, which I have never seen but have heard about. Has anyone watched Toned Up? Have you tried the Tone It Up DVDs? I would love to hear from you! Please comment and let me know : )

Must Have Home:

Zing Anything Cirtus Zinger

$17 Value

This is my favorite thing in the box!! I was *so* excited when I saw it!! In my April Beauty Favorites I mentioned that I have been drinking lemon water every morning recently, so the timing on this couldn’t be more perfect. You can press lemons, limes, or other citrus fruits into your water. Love!

Must Have Beauty:

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Pool Boy Nail Lacquer

$10 Value

This is such a pretty color for spring and summer! This is 100% vegan and cruelty free. I already put it on my nails and I love it!

Must Have Food:

Hi I’m Skinny Sticks Multi-Grain Sweet Onion

I was excited when I saw these, but I unfortunately really didn’t like them. They do have adorable packaging though! I think that if these were savory flavor I would have liked them, but a sweet flavor just wasn’t doing it for me. I sent these to work with my husband, so they hopefully won’t go to waste!

At first glance, I thought this was a fairly small box, but that being said I really enjoy the items in this months PopSugar Must Have Box! This box has a value of $115 and besides the Hi I’m Skinny Sticks, I know that I will use everything in the box. As always, well worth the $39. Do you subscribe to PopSugar? Do you subscribe to any other subscription boxes? Please comment (click the link by the title of this post) or find me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! Please subscribe by entering your email into the subscription box on the right hand of this screen and you’ll only get emails when I post something new : )

PHEW! SUPER LONG!!! But thank you for reading : ) Also, don’t forget to check out my column, Leah’s Friday Five, on Pearls and Pastries Shop Blog! There is a new post up today!!

INEXPENSIVE SPRING/SUMMER OUTFIT IDEAS AND STYLING PART TWO!

May 14, 2014 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

First of all, I am a guest blogger on www.SundusA.com today and am flattered to be there : )

Today is Part Two of my two-part Inexpensive Spring/Summer Outfit Ideas and Styling series! You can see my Inexpensive Spring/Summer Outfit Ideas and Styling Part One from Monday. These posts are sharing inexpensive clothing pieces that I love for this time of year and how I like to style them. Where have you been shopping for clothes lately? Comment by clicking on the link by the title of this post to let me know : )

Outfit #1:

Dress: Forever 21 (*Similar)

Shoes: BCBGirls (*Similar)

Outfit #2

Top: Forever 21

Jeans: Express

Shoes: Converse

Bracelet #1: Ann Taylor (*Similar)

Bracelet #2: Bauble Bar (*Similar)

That’s it! I hope that you liked these outfit ideas and I will be doing more styling posts in the future. Don’t forget to MAKE.MY.WHOLE.DAY and subscribe to my blog by entering your email in the subscription box on the right side of this page!! Thank you for reading and have a fabulous day!!

INEXPENSIVE SPRING/SUMMER OUTFIT IDEAS AND STYLING PART ONE!

May 12, 2014 & 1 Comment

Hi there! Happy Monday!

Happy Belated Mother’s Day to all of the moms out there! And if you aren’t a mom, I hope that you got to enjoy the day celebrating your own mom or other women who are an important part of your life! I didn’t get to see my mom, but I was sending love her way! Happy Mother’s Day, mom! I love you! I had a sweet day with my little loves and my big love! We slept in (you know, 8:30! haha), went to church, spent a little time outside with my in-laws, and ordered out for dinner! My kids just happened to know two pieces that I wanted for my gallery wall (thanks to my husband, Steph, for helping with the gifts ; ) ) I am a very lucky mom and wife!

Today I want to share Part One of my two-part Inexpensive Spring/Summer Outfit Ideas and Styling. I want to apologize now before you get to the pictures….it looks like autumn not spring, but that’s the weather we have had lately! Luckily, it seems to finally be warming up, so hopefully the next time I do an outfit post outside, it will look a little happier and brighter! These are simple, affordable outfits that are comfortable and easy to throw together, but still stylish!

Outfit #1

Dress: Forever 21

Belt: Target

Shoes: Target

Necklace: J. Crew (*Similar)

Earrings: Bauble Bar (*Similar)

Outfit #2

Romper: Target

Sweater: Forever 21(*similar)

Shoes: Jessica Simpson Collection(*Similar)

Necklace: J. Crew

Earrings: Bauble Bar(*Similar)

I hope that you enjoyed this post! Where do you like to shop for affordable clothes? Is there a certain trend or style you are excited about for spring or summer? Let me know by commenting (click the link by the title of this post) or find me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! Part Two of this series will go up Wednesday. Don’t forget to subscribe and have a wonderful week!

MY E.L.F COSMETICS COLLECTION AND MINI REVIEWS

May 9, 2014 & 2 Comments

Hi there! Happy Frrrrrriday!

A few weeks ago someone asked me if I had used E.l.f Cosmetics products and mentioned that she had really good luck with the brand. E.l.f (eyes lips face) cosmetics is an extremely affordable drugstore makeup brand that carries products at $1, $2, $3 and $6 price points! I first stumbled upon some E.l.f cosmetics in either late high school or early college (shortly after the brands 2004 launch) but hadn’t used any of the products from the line consistently until the past couple of years. After being asked about what I had tried from the brand, I decided to pick up a few more things and do a post today on all of my e.l.f products and my thoughts. I have been seeing e.l.f products popping up in more stores lately, too!

Let’s get started…

MY E.L.F COSMETICS COLLECTION:

Brushes:

*NOTE: The first three brushes will be pictured together underneath the third brush overview/review!

Eye Shadow Brush

This is a really great eye shadow brush for packing on color and I haven’t had issues with hairs falling out. At $1 you really can’t beat this for a basic everyday brush.

Blending Eye Brush

I have had this brush for over a year and get quite a bit of use out of it. It works well for blending, and I also use it sometimes for the outer V of the eye. The brush head did seperate off of the handle, but for a $1 brush it has defintely lived up to my expectations.

Concealer Brush

I actually do not use this for concealer! I use it with nail polish remover to clean up nail polish that gets around my cuticles or skin by my nail beds. I need to pick up another one of these and see how it works for its intended purpose ; ) But, it is AWESOME for cleaning up around your nails because it is such a small brush, and it doesn’t leave fuzzies like Q-tips. Just make sure once you use it on your nails, you only use it on your nails.

Small Stipple Brush

This is such a great little brush! I like it for stippling on concealer, cream highlighters, and cream blushes! I want to pick up a couple of these! I highly suggest picking this brush up! It is a lot smaller than any of my other stippling brushes, so I showed it next to my Real Techniques Stippling Brush for comparison.

Kabuki Face Brush

This brush is SO soft! I just picked this brush up, but I really like it for buffing and blending in powders. I washed it once just to see how it handled after a wash, and it did well with no fallout.

Face:

Blush in Candid Coral

This blush is SO soft! It feels wonderful!! It is a sheer, very light coral color that can be built up to a blush or used as a gorgeous highlight. It is light, but I think that this would be beautiful on lots of skin tones. This is one of my favorite e.l.f products and I want to pick up more colors! I also want to try the baked blushes! Have you tried e.l.f blushes? Do you like them? I would love to hear from you! Comment (click on the link by the title of this post) or find me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!

Studio Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder in St. Lucia

This is another item that I just recently picked up because I thought it looked perfect for traveling. I love the blush color! It blends beautifully. The contouring bronzer is a tad more orange than I like and it does contain a very subtle shimmer, so I wasn’t sure if I would like it as a contour. As a bronzer, it is very pretty!!! I actually can use it as a contour if I use a very light hand and really blend it into the skin. This has been compared to Nars Blush/Bronzer Duo in Orgasm/Laguna…so for $3 what a fun dupe to try out : )

Eyes:

Long-Lasting Lustrous Eye Shadow in Toast

This is a super soft mousse texture that blends beautifully! This color is very sparkly, but I was able to sheer it out to a wearable look for me. I wore this as a base to make my other eye shadows *pop* and it held up very well. I really want to try the new e.l.f smudge pots that are being compared to M.A.C Paint Pots and Maybelline Color Tattoos.

Liquid Eyeliner in Black

This is eyeliner is SO black! The brush isn’t my favorite, but for $1 it is completely worth it to grab this and apply with an eyeliner brush! You can use the wand that it comes with, and I find that it works okay for a simple thin line.

Skin Care:

Moisture Stick

This is something that I always have in my bag!! It is fantastic to have on hand! I like to use it under my eyes if my concealer begins to crease (I got this idea from the amazing Emily Noel of BeautyBroadcast.net ) but you could for sure use this for dry spots on your hands, elbows, or knees as well!

My e.l.f collection is pretty tiny, but overall I am very impressed with the quality of the products! I have yet to try any eye shadows or lip products from elf, so if you have any recommendations let me know!

Thank you so much for reading this! If you have tried e.l.f products let me know your thoughts by commenting or finding me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! If you have already subscribed, thank you! If you haven’t yet and you enjoy my blog, please subscribe! It’s easy, just enter your email in the box on the right and you’ll only get emails when I post something new : ) Have a beautiful weekend loves!

EASY WINE GLASS DECORATING DIY

May 7, 2014 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

I hope that you’re having a great week so far! Today I have a really easy DIY project for you, and there is a good chance you have all of the materials at your house already. When my husband and I got married, we received lots of glassware, and so we have no shortage of wine glasses! I decided to make a couple of fun ones and I think they’ll be so cute when my girlfriends come to visit. I kept these ones pretty basic, but now I am itching to get out some stencils, rhinstones, and glitter for my next set (if I make more complex ones I will share them:) ) These make such cute gifts for bachlorette parties, birthdays, sorority events, or for a girls night ! You could also easily change this into a kid-friendly gift by switching to regular glass cups from the dollar store. NOTE: The top picture I made using glitter nail polish and stickers!

WINE GLASS DIY:

What You’ll Need:

Wine glasses (or other glassware!)

Nail polish in colors of your choice (TIP: if you don’t want to use your expensive brands or favorites, pick up a few cheapie polishes! I have a crazy amount of nail polish, so I didn’t mind using some from my regular stash)

Clear nail polish top coat

Optional: Stickers

Step 1:

Wash and dry your glasses.

Step 2:

Paint your wine glasses however you choose. Be sure to not do very thick coats because it will cause the polish to run! It is better to go back over it with a second coat to build the color. If you are doing a complicated design, wait a little bit as each part dries. When you have the design how you like it, let it dry completely! Add stickers too if you’d like!

Step 3:

Paint over any part of the glass you painted or put stickers on with a coat of clear nail polish top coat.

Step 4:

Dry COMPLETELY, and then enjoy a nice glass of wine ; ) NOTE: Be sure to HAND WASH these glasses!

I hope that you enjoyed this tutorial! If you liked it, please pin it onto your Pinterest account by hovering over any of the pictures and clicking the “pin” button. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! It means so much to me! Don’t forget to subscribe (it’s easy!!! just enter your email into the subscribe box on the right of this page)! Have a wonderful day!! : )

DELICIOUS KALE CHIP RECIPE!

May 5, 2014 & 3 Comments

Hi there! Happy Monday!

In my April Lifestyle Favorites and Big Announcement post on Friday I mentioned kale chips as a food favorite…they’re so so good! So today I want to show you how to make them! I found this recipe from Tayzerfun (she is hilarious!!) and I just added one additional seasoning to mine. If you enjoy this recipe, you can pin it onto your Pinterest account by clicking the “pin” button that shows up when you hover over any of the pictures in this post. Even if you have never eaten kale in your life, I really suggest trying these! They are so delicious, and you can change up the seasoning to your liking.

Kale Chip Recipe

Ingredients:

1 bunch of fresh kale (TIP: I originally bought a box of kale but had better luck with a fresh bunch of kale because the pieces of kale were larger. The kale cooks down a lot so the smaller pieces make very tiny chips, but they were still yummy!)

Olive oil

Seasoned salt

Dill weed

Smoked paprika

Ground nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Wash your kale and then dry it COMPLETELY! If it is at all wet the kale will steam and not make a nice crunchy snack. Remove the kale from the stems. Lay the kale onto a cookie sheet with a small rim. Lay your kale out onto the cookie sheet, but be careful not to layer the kale or it will steam (a.k.a be soggy and not a crispy chip!). Drizzle the kale with a little bit of olive oil and toss to evenly coat. Season with seasoned salt, dill weed, smoked paprika, and a tiny ground nutmeg. The seasoning will be more concentrated as the chips will cook down, so be careful and don’t go too crazy unless you want to…! I don’t take my own advice at all, but I love heavily spiced things! Bake for about 9-12 minutes.

Thank you for reading this and I hope that you enjoyed this recipe! If you try this out, or there is another recipe you would like me to make, comment (click the link by the title of this post) to let me know! You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! I’m LeahTackles on all social media. I hope you are having a great start to your week!

Bonus Post! Pictures of Hailey’s 3rd birthday!

April 29, 2014 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy TUESday!

There is another bonus post this week because we had another fun that I wanted to share with you! Our daughter, Hailey, turned 3 this past Saturday, and we had a wonderful day celebrating with family and friends : )

Happy 3rd Birthday Hailey Madison! We love you so!

I hope that you enjoyed this quick little peek into Hailey’s birthday party!! Let me know if you like these types of posts by commenting or finding me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! Have a great day!!

HOW TO FIX BROKEN EYE SHADOW! QUICK TUTORIAL!

April 28, 2014 & Leave a Comment

Hi There! Happy Monday!

I hope that you had a wonderful weekend! Our daughter turned 3 on Saturday, and we celebrated with family and friends! It was a great party, and we were so happy that she had fun : ) In my April PopSugar Must Have Box my Too Faced eye shadow palette arrived with one of the shadows broken, PopSugar replaced it, but I wanted to repair my broken one too. Today I thought that I would show you a quick tutorial on how to repair broken eye shadow, blush, bronzer, or most powder makeup products. There are several ways to do this, and I have pinned several different techniques on my Pinterest, but I am going to show you my favorite method.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

Broken eye shadow or other powder product ; )

A pen

Aluminum foil

Scissors

Rubbing alcohol in a small spray bottle

Paper towel

Chapstick tube

STEP 1:

This step is only needed if your eye shadow is in a palette with other shadows. Use the aluminum foil to cover up the shadows that are not broken.

STEP 2:

Use the pen to smash the broken pieces powder until it looks like a finely milled loose powder.

STEP 3:

Spray fairly heavily with rubbing alcohol.

STEP 4:

Wrap your chapstick tube in paper towel and press down onto the broken powder.

STEP 5:

Allow to dry for several hours and Ta-Da! Your powder may not be as pretty as before it broke, but it should work just as well and be all in one piece!

I hope that this was helpful for you! Please feel free to pin this onto your Pinterest account by clicking the pink “pin” button that shows up when you scroll over any of the pictures. If you have any questions or comments, let me know by commenting (click on the link by the title of this post) or find me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to read this, and I hope you have a wonderful week! Don’t forget to subscribe! : )

“Bunny Bait” Treat Bag DIY and Free Gift Tag Template- Hopping Into Spring Series Part 3

April 16, 2014 & Leave a Comment

Hi There! Happy Wednesday!

I hope you are having a great week so far! Easter is only a few days away and today I want to share a super simple treat bag DIY for the third and final Hopping Into Spring Series post. I think that is perfect for a last minute basket stuffer, gift for friends, co-workers, church groups, or just to enjoy yourself! I have also included a free template PDF file printable if you’d like to print out gift tags for your treat bags. Please consider “pinning” this post to your Pinterest account by hovering over any picture until a pink “Pin” button appears and clicking on that.

BUNNY BAIT:

Ingredients:

Mini marshmallows

Small pretzel sticks

Easter candy (I used M&M’s and Hershey Kisses)

Treat bags

Directions: Fill your treat bags to your liking with all of the ingredients! I did marshmallows first, then Hershey Kisses, then pretzel sticks and then finally M&M’s just so I didn’t crush the pretzel sticks with the heavier items.

GIFT TAG PRINTABLE:

Here is my free gift tag printable that you can simply click and print!

What You’ll Need:

The printed gift tags

Paper cutter or scissors

Ribbon Eyelet punch OR regular hole punch

Step 1: Print out your free gift tag printable and cut the tags out with your paper cutter or scissors.

Step 2: Use your eyelet punch to put a grommet onto your tag OR use a regular hole punch to make a hole for your ribbon.

Step 3: Use the ribbon to attach your gift tags to your treat bags : )

I hope you have enjoyed this post! If you try this out I would love to hear about it or see pictures! If you have anything you’d like to see a post about, or have any questions or comments, let me know by commenting (click the link by the title of this post!) or find me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! As always, thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to read this, and please subscribe!! I will talk to you on Friday!

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