Balmain x H&M + Favorites

H&M, one of my favorite stores in the same price range and all-around awesomeness as Target, has recently teamed up with the celebrity-favored powerhouse Balmain. Known for their heavily embellished designs, they've been showcased on Kim Kardashian many a times as well as many other big-name celebrities.

The collection that was unveiled about a week and a half ago has over 100 pieces at more affordable prices than their usual line with items ranging from $17 all the way up to $650. While the more expensive items are pricier than usual for the H&M racks, it's still a steal compared to Balmain's usual $2,000 and up price tags.

My Favorite Pieces

$50 or less

(While the collection is available for purchase in stores, you can only view the collection online)

 

 Balmain + H&M Women's Tee: $34.99

I've come to that point in my style evolution where I love a basic tee that I can pair with pretty much anything and still have it look stylish and professional. While this has wording, it's one part basic, one part cool and all parts need to have, now.

 

 Balmain + H&M Sunglasses: $49.99

Really amazing sunglasses are pretty much a necessity in everyone's wardrobe, no matter where you live. Nobody wants boring sunnies: enter these beauties <.3

 

 Balmain + H&M Bra: $24.99

I love bralettes. I adore them. However, my D cups don't allow me to partake due to gravity (straps are my lifesaver). I live vicariously through everyone who can wear bralettes, so go my children, be free, and wear strapless bras for those who can't (me).

 

Balmain + H&M Men's Blazer: $49.99

No matter how old I get, I love wearing men's jackets with a t-shirt and jeans. The more embellished the jacket the better.

 

Balmain + H&M Headphones: $49.99

I'm a sucker for great headphones, and these are the most embellished I've seen yet without looking tacky.

Balmain + H&M Pouch: $34.99

This would make a perfect little pouch to slip into your purse or carry as a clutch.

Palm Tree Nation: $50 or less

It might be because it's summertime, or maybe because designers have fallen in love with palm trees, but lately fashion seems to be favoring the palms. Almost every day, I see someone wearing something that has some palm trees on it. Whether it's at the grocery store, at work, on when I log on to yahoo news and they're talking about what celebrities wore; people everywhere love their palm trees. Luckily for me, I love them too. I decided to find some gorgeous and affordable palm tree wears for anyone who loves the palms just as much as I do:

Palm Tree Nation

$50 or Less

Soak Up The Sun Beige Tropical Print Tote: $33.00

Adorable yet still the perfect size for all those papers and your laptop.

Impact Palm Sporty Dress: $25.00

Pair with leggings and boots for a more casual vibe or dress it up with heels for a date or a blazer for work. This dress is mulch-functional AND perfect for the summertime.

Palm Harmony Print Flare Skirt: $47.40

 While the palm trees say summer, the colors can easily take this skirt from summer to winter when paired with the right pieces. The easy shape makes this gorgeous skirt flattering on all body types.

Palm Tree Round Sunglasses: $36.00

A slight retro feel makes these fun glasses the perfect accessory for your beach day or date outfit.

One Fine Vacay Flat: $44.99

The bright blue and white makes these flats and the cutest shoes to throw on with your beach cover-up or farmer's market dress.

Jewelry Spotlight: Adorn the Hunter

Over the years I've discovered some amazing accessory companies that I've featured on my blog, but like anyone in the fashion industry, I'm always on the lookout for another amazing company or piece to shed light on. 5 days ago when stumbling around on Instagram I found that company:

This independent accessories company based out of Texas is one of the most affordable accessories company I've come across in years. The most expensive thing on their site is $35, while the least expensive thing being $2. With a range like that any wallet size can afford them, and they have some of the cutest designs outside of Charming Charlie.

Adorn The Hunter

My favorites

Caffeine Molecule Necklace: $25.00

 Perfect for Monday mornings. 

Alligator Wrap Ring: $25.00

In the 3 years I've been living in the deep swampy south, I have yet to see a full-grown gator. This ring is probably the closest I'm going to get to seeing a full-grown one. That's perfectly fine with me, since this adorable ring can't bite me.

 Elephant Friendship Bracelet: $30.00

 I've been collecting elephants since I was a senior in high school - if the trunk is up that means it's good luck. Not only is this watch good luck, but if you can't make it to Coachella, you can still feel like you're a part of the action with this funky addition to your outfit.

Honeycomb Earrings: $20.00

I'm mildly obsessed with all things bee & honey related. I had a beautiful pair of sterling silver bee earrings until I lost one about 2 years ago and I've been heartbroken ever since. These will make a perfect, and perfectly affordable, replacement.

2015 Trend: 70's Style + How To

With the internet still buzzing about the most recent fashion weeks, everyone's minds are on the trends for this year. One of the biggest trends has been the comeback of 70's style and I've seen it everywhere from the runways to the big stars all the way to the racks at the consignment store down the street. 

I've always loved the styles of the 60's & 70's - nothing makes me happier than an embellished pair of bell bottoms and sky-high wedges. Some of you may be a bit nervous to take on this trend, so to help I've put together an outfit with a modern take on the trend and every piece is $50 or under to make your wallet and wardrobe happy.

The Trend

The Outfit

70's style by urbanmonologue featuring cocktail rings

Vans + ASPCA

When Ralph Lauren partnered with the ASPCA in 2013 to create the "Dog Walk" campaign with special accessories designed for our 4-legged friends, I was instantly ecstatic about the partnership. Having grown up with a love of Ralph Lauren (thank you mom) and an extreme love of furry children (also thank you mom), it has always made me happy to see big name brands show their softer side and give back, as well as bring light to important organizations.

That's why when I was taking a quick morning break from being productive earlier, I decided to stumble around on the internet and look at cute animal videos. In the process, I stumbled across an amazing collaboration I hadn't heard about before: Vans + the ASPCA. This new collaboration that just launched brings some great duds to the public for a great cause with everything in the collection retailing for under $70. There's clothing, accessories, and of course, shoes. Below are my favorite pieces from the collection.

Vans + ASPCA

Kids Classic Slip-on: $40.00

Cat Collage Tee: $30.00

Beach Girl Trucker Hat: $24.00

Backpack: $40.00

Christmas Wish List

Hey lovelies! This post was meant for Sunday, my usual time, however, due a fun illness with heavy antibiotics, this is coming a little late. Today I wanted to do something fun as I'm nowhere near fully recovered: a Christmas list! I've found some really cool and unique products over the last year that I've put to the side and saved, so i thought would be fun to share as a kind of wish list. I hope you enjoy!

Christmas Wish List

Bill Murray Dot Tee: $55.00

Bill Murray. 'Nuff said.

Z&L Medallion Slipper: $48.00

World Map Watch: $29.50

Revlon Gold Series Titanium Coated Lighted Slant Tweezer

Tassel Trimmed Aztec Poncho: $48.37

There you have it; a fun, eclectic wishlist that hopefully will give you some great gift ideas for others or for yourself. Have a happy holiday lovelies <.3

The Black Friday/Cyber Monday Conundrum

Hey lovelies! I'm sorry for the delay in posting, we have internet again! Woo-hoo! Here's a video I quickly made tonight for you guys.

Really important, I realize in my video it sounds like I'm bashing Black Friday, but that's not what I'm trying to do at all. Shopping in person on Black Friday in my opinion is worth it for the really pricey/large items like kitchen accessories, electronics, health gadgets, etc. That in my opinion is really worth fighting the crowds for. However, if you have to travel long distances and you're after ONLY makeup/clothing/accessories, in my opinion it's not that worth it because so many companies are now doing Black Friday sales online so you can shop from home for Black Friday and have it delivered right to your door for something that there's a larger quantity vs. only 5 of a specific trampoline that was marked down to $75 from $400 (Random example). Also, Cyber Monday sales are really amazing for all of the items as well, and of course most companies do free shipping or the prices are slashed so low it's worth it to pay for shipping.

I periodically check into my favorite stores, and so I don't feel the need to fight Black Friday crowds because I get great deals years round.This year I saw a lot of companies throwing out sales and deals that I have seen at previous points throughout this past year, which is why I am not as thrilled with Black Friday this year.

I'm my opinion, I recommend keeping close tabs on your favorite companies throughout the year via email list. Some companies of course only take discounts for Black Friday, and if that's the case then buy then, but for the most part more and more companies are doing random sales throughout the year to encourage buying during slower times. I know that Black Friday is built up as the day you run around fight the crowds, but if you can avoid it, shop at home on the websites or wait til Cyber Monday. Like I said, unless you are going for the larger/pricier items, then in which case fight those crowds!

I want to point out that various sites are having several deals today for the Cyber Monday holiday are continuing and the links are below. I hope you guys enjoyed my little show and tell!

Cyber Monday - Extended

Modcloth: Extra 25% off of with code CYBERMONDAY

Saturday: 30% off of everything with code OHWOW

Neiman Marcus Last Call: 40% off of everything + free shipping with code CyberMe

Stylemint: 1 for $10, 2 for $15, 3 for $20 with code CYBER

Baublebar: Free shipping + 20% sitewide with code CYBER20

Shoemint: Extra 25% off sale items with code EXTRA25

$5 Jewelry Hack

When we moved into our apartment back in January, all of my jewelry was neatly sorted and hidden away in our closet to save space in our small room. Since I can't wear jewelry at my job, which is 5 days a week, I didn't need to worry about accessorizing my outfits. Even though during the week I can't wear jewelry, on the weekends I like to pile it on. However, I found the longer my baubles stayed stashed away from the work week, the less and less they began to see sunlight. Like that old saying goes, "Out of sight, out of mind" and soon my collection was sadly out of mind. While one would think that would be less to worry about, it made me unhappy that a major part of my wardrobe was collecting dust. 

At the time our walls were barren, and we didn't have the space to lay out all of my pieces horizontally like at our old apartment. I wanted to find a way to hang multiple necklaces and showcase other pieces all while using the same item. The search went on for good month until one Saturday a roommate and I decided to go thrifting at one of our favorite places for some unusual duds, but also to see if I could find something interesting that fit my needs.

About 20 minutes after walking in, I struck gold. It was $2 and very different - it caught my eye the moment I walked into the home section. Bare wood with an fun pattern and depth, it could easily house multiple rings. It could also be hung on a wall, and when I saw it, I immediately envisioned putting screws in the bottom to hang necklaces from.

The screws were $3 at Walmart, and they screwed in easily to the corners on the bottom. 

With a little imagination and $3, I turned a small wooden shelf into the perfect accessory holder. 

Now my accessories are showcased in style.


P.S. - Don't forget to check out my giveaway for a brand-new Dior It-Lash mascara going on until Sunday. Good luck everyone!

Tory Burch for FitBit

In the last few years fitness has become a prominent presence in the fashion industry. Instead of tight jeans, there are designer track pants and instead of cardigans, there are sequined wind breakers. Fitness and fashion seemed to have simultaneously fused, and with that ever-present fusion on the runway and on the streets, collaborations have begun to pop up left and right. 

Designers, celebrities and fitness companies are taking their products to a new level to satisfy consumer demands. With fitness as a big part of our culture, it only makes sense that our clothes need to look good, not only when we're at work and out to dinner, but when we're working up a sweat too.

To satisfy the need for designer duds that look good while doing burpees, a feat in and of itself, there have been collaborations across the board:

 - Kate Hudson for Fabletics

- Heidi Klum for New Balance

- Stella McCartney for Adidas

Even Riccardo Tisci for Nike! Yes, the guy that designed Kim Kardashian's wedding dress is making clothes for Nike. 

(Don't worry though, I don't think there are any lace trains in his collection. It'd be a little hard to do squat thrusts with a lace train behind you. Think about it.)

My favorite collaboration thus far though is one I just found out about last week and I'm so excited I decided to do my post about it tonight: 

Tory Burch for FitBit 

 FitBit is an amazing product that is essentially a high-tech bracelet or necklace that helps keep you healthy. It tracks how many calories you burn in a day, how many calories you take in, and most amazingly; how well you sleep. This amazing device actually monitors your sleep patterns so you can see how well you're sleeping, or not.

This collaboration is awesome, not only because Tory Burch is an amazing designer, but now keeping healthy doesn't look boring. It looks you're wearing a beautiful designer bracelet...that also happens to be helping you keep fit. 

Metal Hinged Bracelet: $195.00

 Fret Pendant Necklace: $175.00

 Silicone Printed Bracelet: $38.00

Silicone Printed Bracelet: $38.00

The Tory Burch accessories don't come with the monitoring device, which goes for about $100.

The price of staying healthy and looking impeccably chic while doing so? Priceless.