My Shopping Secrets

These aren't really secrets, but I'm a deal hunter and a trend lover. And I'm always asked how I find things for such a great deal. So here is a random and out of order list of some of my go-to places to shop online - the best deals are online!

1. If you aren't already on Groupon you need to go here and sign up. It's a site that e-mails you daily deals. I've bought a $50 gift card to Nordstom on here before for only $20... it's amazing.

 

2. Asos.com ~ my bridesmaids' dresses were from this site as were their shoes. The dresses were under $70! It's a British store who just launched their USA site. 

 

3. Modcloth.com ~ they have a "longer lengths" tab to the right and so far all my dresses from that tab are a perfect length for being modest.

 

4. People.com and click "Style" at the top. They have a section on their style page where they put together looks celebrities have for less and I have bought lots of pieces through their finds. It's nice because they find the trend for you for much less than the designer price tag.

 

5. RueLaLa.com! You have to be "invited" to join these you can't just go there and sign up. But they are daily deal sites. They e-mail you once a day with what is on sale. Everything is only on sale for one day and then a new sale starts the next day. They have all designer items. I bought a pair of $280 Rock n Republic jeans for $65. And got my Mom's Christmas present, a Calvin Klein purse which retails at $300 for $40.... yes, $40. It was amazing. Go here to sign up: http://www.ruelala.com/invite/klomeli

 

6. Zappos.com is one I love for shoes because they never charge you shipping or return fees.

 

7. Zappos.com has a "sister" site not a lot of people know about 6pm.com that has huge reductions on shoes. They're owned by the same company but they don't advertise 6pm.com hardly at all. I've found steals there often.

 

8. If you shop at DSW use their web site! If you sign up for the free rewards program you always get free standard shipping and they send you $10 certificates for spending a certain amount. But I always feel like they send them a lot. It's not like other programs where you have to spend a TON to get $10. They have a nice system.

 

9. MyStyle.com has a section where you can click on an individual celebrity to shop cheaper versions of their style. So you can find your style icons and specifically look at deal items that are similar to something they have worn.

 

10. BetterWorldBooks.com is a book site I LOVE. Books are donated by people, libraries and stores and sold for anywhere from $2-$10 and are VERY gently used. My favorite part is that no matter how many you order it ships for $1 and is sent carbon footprint free. An added bonus? All proceeds go to helping literacy! 

 

11. Use the "shopping" search tab on Google.com. If you find an item say on Nordstom.com that you love type in the exact item name and shopping search it. I have saved $20-$150 dollars doing this and finding it at a random site or store for less.

 

12. Even then before you buy anywhere on any site Google promo codes. So if you find something cute on jcrew.com google "Jcrew Promo Codes" I can usually find at least a free shipping code on one of the millions of promo code web sites that will pop up. Mostly because all of the free shipping or 10% off codes they send their credit card members etc will make their way online. So you can find the codes they send to specific customers and use them yourself!

Happy Shopping...

xoxo

Preston sure knows his audience

So as most of my friends know, I LOVE my birthday. I have never been one of those girls who hates aging. I think it's because my Mom and Dad still seem so young and have never minded themselves. So as always, I was looking forward to my 26th birthday. And for my new favorite number to become 26! (Since it always coordinates with my age)

Preston has always been very good at birthdays and Christmas. So our night started with Preston giving me my first present, a new pair of black pumps. I have been needing and wanting cute basic black pumps for a while. And he picked them out himself! I couldn't have done a better job. 5 inch heels - hidden platform - beautifully shaped toe with a slight point - super comfortable - black patent leather. I wore them that night...

Then we went to dinner at Tuscany in Salt Lake. I pretty much live for carbs. So Italian food is my favorite. And I was in love with their home-made pastas and delicious sauces. You could taste how fresh everything was. And since the other thing I live for is chocolate, my beautiful dessert was a cherry on the night.

So far we have shoes, carbs & chocolate with my handsome husband. I would say the night was at an A +++ and couldn't get better. And then he brought out the big guns and gave me my other present. There is a Marc Jacobs watch I have been drooling over for a couple of years. And he was all sneaky and found out which one it was in the collection. This is a genuine face of surprise and excitement in this next picture. Aaaand I'm a brat and love that my ring produced a streak of shine...

I stole this picture from Nordstrom.com :)

I am a lucky, lucky girl. So muchas gracias to my amazing husband for making my birthday fantastic!

xoxo

Hair School

Well folks I have given up on Corporate America! Quite frankly I do not wish to ever work in it again. I've ALWAYS wanted to go to cosmetology school. And I am finally doing it! All I can say is that finally doing what I want to do it thanks to my supportive husband who pushed me to start and convinced me it was ok to not be working so that I can do something I love when I'm done.

So far I'm obsessed with classes. It's an interesting dynamic and a lot of age range but the gals I'm in school with are all very sweet and my freshman instructor is amazing. She's so kind, patient and super cute (let's be honest I like cute-ness).

A few revelations I have had are that...

1. Perms BLOW. Anyone who gets a perm and thinks that their hair stylist likes them is wrong. They hate you. Because quite frankly they are the worst things ever to do. :)

2. I LOVE weaving. Some things are harder than I thought and others come easier. This is one thing I can say I loved learning and was naturally good at. And since color is where the $$bling$$ is I am fine with this skill. Bragging moment - My instructor said I did such a great job and asked if I had done weaving before.

AND 3. After this picture I can show you that our "Manakin" heads we work with are creepy. I put my extra head on the top of our coat closet and forgot about it. I went to grab an umbrella over the weekend and literally screamed and jumped out of my skin. It had scared the crap out of me. I will never get used to them lying around my house and car. We use these for the first 7 weeks while we learn and then we graduate from "Freshman" and go on the floor as "Juniors" to start working on real clients. I don't know why they skip the "Sophmore" title but so far these first 3 weeks have FLOWN. I can't believe I'm almost half way done.

I'm very excited to be in school. All I want to do is people's hair and makeup all day. I want to make people pretty and feel good about how they look. 3 weeks down, 11 months and 1 week to go!

xoxo

Easiest Frosting You've Ever Made

So I LOVE holidays and I also love baking. So for the 4th of July I made my Red, White and Blue cookies. I've made these a couple times lately and at one event I had multiple people ask me for the frosting recipe. And a few people asked me for it on Facebook. So are you ready for the most creamy, yummy and not-too sweet frosting ever?????

1 8oz Package of Cream Cheese
1 Small Lemon's Zest
3 cups Powdered Sugar


No you did not read wrong, that's it!!!! I love easy things that taste amazing. It has a slight lemon taste and comes out super creamy and delicious. Just spread it on sugar cookies and decorate them with berries. They are always a hit.

xoxo