Will Bake for Shoes

Beauty

November Birchbox Unboxing Review

Posted on November 24, 2016by Brandy Saldana

I love experimenting with new beauty products, but buying a full-size bottle of anything is sometimes too big of a commitment. What if you don’t love this product despite all the reviews you looked into? Well Birchbox has your back! For only $10 a month you can get a monthly delivery of 5 beauty products, all picked just for you.

This month, my November Birchbox contained:

ARDENCY INN Modster Smooth Ride Supercharged EyelinerBalance Me Tinted Wonder Eye CreamNumber 4 Jour d’Automne Smoothing BalmBenefit They’re Real! Lengthening MascaraJuliette Has a Gun Not a Perfume

These items arrived just in time while I was deciding what makeup and beauty products to bring along with me as I packed my weekend bag for my trip to my parent’s house for Thanksgiving. Everything in the box was travel-sized, and so I tossed everything in to my makeup bag.

The theme for this month was The Finishing Touch and all of these products seem to have the gool of topping off or completing a look. I love Benefit products, and have used the They’re Real eyeliner before. I cannot wait to try the lengthening mascara in this box for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving dinner look. Ardency Inn, Balance Me, Number 4, and Juliette Has a Gun are all beauty brands I have never heard of before. The Number 4 smoothing balm sounds really appealing to me since I’ve chopped a few inches of my hair I feel like I am experiencing frizzy hair a lot more often than with my longer locks. The Not a Perfume by Juliette Has a Gun is a elegant, spicy Cetalox scent. Cetalox is not something I am familiar with, and I tend to love floral/citrusy perfumes, but have learned that cetalox tends to be a base in most fragrances. I can’t wait to see what that smells like and how exactly it translates into not being a perfume.

If any of the samples you receive are life-changing, shopping for a full size product on Birchbox is pretty easy. I’ve linked full size products of these samples below in case you’d like to shop them from this box, but to get this month’s box with the 5 beauty products, sign up at birchbox.com/November. If you sign up, you can get another FREE top-rated mascara by Benefit when you use code FREEFAVE at checkout.

Hopefully you enjoyed my review and unboxing and stay tuned for more holiday gift ideas and sales later this week.

This post is sponsored by Collective + Birchbox; however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Color Theory

Posted on November 22, 2016by Brandy Saldana

Black Blazer 7 For All Mankind | Colorful Print Sheath Dress Trina Turk (here)| Lemon Slice Necklace Kate Spade (here) | Metal Trim Cat – Eye Sunglasses Kate Spade (here) | Green Cube Bracelet Compliment | Cliff Grey Maise Satchel Kate Spade (In blue here) | Turquoise Suede d’Orsay c/o Shoes of Prey | Le Rouge Fuschia Irrestible 205 Lipstick Givenchy (here) |
As promised, I am keeping the colors bright and bold in my clothing despite the changing seasons. This Trina Turk sheath dress and 7 For All Mankind blazer are finds from Crossroads Trading Co. ‘ve worn the blazer before and love its long length and it’s a classic piece that pairs perfectly with dresses.

While this dress is pretty fun, but I am not 100% sure I would wear it as frequently as the blazer. I loved that it matches my custom turquoise Shoes of Prey suede heels. The fit is also amazing, but I currently have this dress listed for sale on my Poshmark closet. I am thinking I might just keep it up there for a short amount of time since I am kind of torn having it listed for sale, especially because of how perfectly it matches with my shoes!

I’ve added a bunch of listings to Poshmark after doing a serious clean out of my closet the last few weekends. I feel like my taste in clothing has changed in a big way, especially with what I focus on thrifting now. I used to buy party dresses all the time because I think I envisioned adulthood would mean partying all the time. I’ve learned that isn’t the case, and I much prefer cuddling up on a couch and binge-watching a series on Netflix or hosting game night. In light of this discovery, I have listed a bunch of pretty party dresses that might be just what you are looking for as holiday parties come up around the corner.

I am really excited to spend time with my family for Thanksgiving and for all the delicious food. I plan on baking something special at my parent’s house, but if you are in need of inspiration this year for what to bring as a dessert to your Thanksgiving dinner check out my acorn cupcakes post and turkey cupcakes post.

Hope you are having a great week and stay tuned for my Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales!

Macy’s Rachel Roy Shopping Party in SF

Posted on November 5, 2016by Brandy Saldana

I had a blast at the recent Macy’s Men’s Style event in San Francisco last week and I am excited to share that there is another fashion event coming up this Thursday! Macy’s flagship store in Union Square will be hosting a Rachel Roy shopping party where you can shop the limited edition RACHEL Rachel Roy collection featuring artwork by graffiti artist and legend SenOne.
Macy’s Union Square SF – Impulse 3rd FloorThursday, November 10th, 6:00 PM
You’ll be able to meet SenOne and learn the techniques of graffiti art. As a bonus, with any $100 RACHEL Rachel Roy purchase, you’ll receive a cosmetics bag that you’ll be able to personalize together with SenOne! There will be bites, bubbles and music, so come hang out this Thursday, November 10th.
I shared some photos from last week’s event on Twitter in case you want to see what these events are like (and want a peak at some the bites I enjoyed!) For more information on the Rachel Roy event visit: http://bit.ly/RachelRoyFall16
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This post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency on behalf of Macy’s; however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Macy’s Style Event at San Francisco’s Macy’s Men’s Store

Posted on October 28, 2016by Brandy Saldana

This post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency on behalf of Macy’s; however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I don’t get the chance to share much about men’s fashion or style. Armando, my photographer and significant other, does not really enjoy being in front of the lens for fashion shots, but he does like dressing up when he is inspired.

He also enjoys shopping, albeit not as much as I me, but I don’t think I am going to have to work to hard to convince him to join me Thursday, November 3 at 6 PM at San Francisco’s Macy’s Men’s Store for the kick-off of the semi-annual Men’s Style event.

Besides being a fan of free events with tasty refreshments, he’ll be able to enjoy 25% off Men’s purchases of $75 or more. Even if he doesn’t take advantage of this sale, I might to get an early start on my holiday shopping for the men in my life.

The best part of this event? Celebrity stylist Keylee Sanders will be present offering styling tips on Macy’s fall trends.You can join in on the party and shop new fall looks for men too! Details for the event can be found here, but check out Macy’s website to see what festivities are happening near you http://bit.ly/MensStyle16.

If you can’t join the day of, follow the event on Instagram and Twitter by searching #MacysFashion.

Hope to see you at the event!

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Brushstrokes

Posted on October 25, 2016by Brandy Saldana

Cap Sleeve Side Ruched Sheath Dress London Times via Le Tote (here) | Beige Trench Coat Banana Republic Factory Store | Gold Dagger Necklace Rebecca Minkoff via Le Tote | Gold Criss Cross Bracelet Express | Cedar Street Elissa Black Bag Kate Spade | Electric Blue Suede Heels Enzo Angiolini | Le Rouge 205 Fuschia Irresistible Givenchy (here) |
I have a few more outfits from Le Tote that I’ll be sharing in upcoming posts. Some are more appropriate for Fall, but I felt the need to share this outfit sooner to talk about this dress I mean, look at the colors! And the cut! It may not scream Fall, but it definitely says something to me. I felt the fit was pretty flattering and I liked that it was fairly easy to style. Any color shoes and bag would have worked because of the splash of colors. I decided against keeping it and I am kind of kicking myself for not doing so. On the bright side, there is always the option to request an item through Le Tote again, or I might be notified of an upcoming sale they are having where I can scoop this dress up.

Halloween is next week and I have no clue what I’ll be dressing up as this year. I have a couple of options, but I am not as excited about this year’s costume as I was about last year when I dressed up as Carmen Sandiego. A photo of my Carmen Sandiego costume was recently shared on Parade’s 17 Creative DIY Halloween Costumes for Women gallery. (So stoked about that!) I am trying to work with items from my closet and incorporate a shorter hairstyle. I shared one photo on Instagram in case you want to see my shorter hair, but it is pretty different from what I’ve had before. It’s definitely taken some time to get used to. I’d love to hear what you’ll be dressing up as this year and if you have a link to a blog post for DIY costume idea for a character with short curly hair, let me know!

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Full Bloom

Posted on October 13, 2016by Brandy Saldana

Pink Cardigan NY&Co | Floral A-Line Dress Vince Camuto via LE TOTE | Orange Bow Leather Belt Kate Spade | Say Yes Hello Sunshine Necklace Kate Spade (here) | Cedar Street Cliff Grey Maise Satchel Kate Spade | Navy Peep-toe Patent Heels Jimmy Choo via The Real Real | We may finally be experiencing Fall weather in the Bay Area, but I am not quite ready to stop wearing florals just yet. This might be one of the biggest floral prints I’ve ever worn on the blog, and I loved it! So much so, I just had to keep this dress. I’ve shared plenty of pieces I’ve received from Le Tote, but I rarely decide to purchase something. My last purchase was my Kut from the Kloth jean jacket, and that easily has become a wardrobe staple.
This dress hit all the right notes for though: I love the colors, the fit, and the material. The scuba-like material is breathable, making this the perfect summer/fall dress. I wore it to work with my cardigan and classic Jimmy Choo heels I found through The Real Real. I also wore this dress to a friend’s wedding on a Friday with different heels and with a clutch. The fit and flare style is appropriate for a day at the office, brunch, or a daytime wedding. I am hoping I can squeeze in some more wear out of this dress during Winter by adding some layers.
Le Tote has been sending me a lot of amazing things in my recent totes, and luckily I’ve captured some more outfits to share. If you haven’t tried the service before, you are missing out! Enjoy $25 off your first box when you sign up and use my referral link. I’ve also linked the outfit to shop below! I found some exact matches, but a-line style dress was a little harder to find.
Hope you are having a great week so far. Until next time!