Thursday, July 30, 2015

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Order - Part 2!

Since I couldn't fit all my pictures into the last post about the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale order, here's the rest!  I very hesitantly ordered this Rebecca Minkoff Chevron Quilted Love bag in ash.  It's kind of hard to order bags online without knowing how they are in person.  But there were a few 5 star reviews on it, so I decided to give it a shot.  It's Nordstrom after all, I would have no trouble returning it if I didn't like it.



Well... after I received it, I was actually surprised by how much I do like it!  I think the color, size and style are perfect for me to use it regularly.  When I go to work, I don't want to take my expensive hand bags because I want them to think they are not paying me enough... lol!  I used to take my LV Neverfull (GM) bag when I took the train and carried a lot more stuff with me but now it's just too big for everyday purposes.  So the past year or so I've been using mostly my Kate Spade Cobble Hill Canvas bag.  But it's rather thin and cannot fit wider items well.  Plus I was getting a bit bored.  That's why I decided to go for a new bag.   =)  The Rebecca Minkoff Love bag comes in many different colors and 2 different sizes, and the regular size (what I got) retails for $295.  The Nordstrom Anniversary sale price was $100 off.  So that's not bad.

The "ash" color looks white on the Nordstrom picture, but it's a very light gray in person.  I read one of the reviews that stated this before I bought it, so I knew what to expect.  I like the color.

I think this bag is constructed well enough.  It doesn't look super expensive or super cheap, in my opinion.  And that's how it's priced, so you shouldn't expect the same quality as a bag that costs 10x more.  I really like the fact that it's so structured.  I usually like slouchy bags, but in this style I want it to stand up and retain its shape.







I'm really impressed with how many pockets this bag has.  There is 1 zipper pocket, and 3 other pockets on the inside.  On the back of the outside, it is another pocket.  I love that!

May be a little hard to see, but here is the zipper pocket and another pocket right in front of it on one side:



There are two pockets side by side on the opposite side - the only thing is these pockets are just a smidge too tight for my iphone 6 (with a not very thick case).  I can make it fit but it's a struggle so just forget about it.  If you don't have a case, it will probably fit better.  


But I've been just sticking my phone into the big pocket on the back - it's more convenient anyway.  The entire back of the purse is a pocket!  It doesn't open very wide, obviously.  But for papers or a phone, it's quite perfect.


Here's the closure mechanism.  So you twist the thing in the middle to lock/unlock.  I hope this thing doesn't break over time.




The funny thing is, you can actually fit it into any of the 3 holes.  Although when it's not in the middle one, the purse doesn't align correctly so I have no idea why you would want to do this:



You can even lock it in that position... haha:



The should strap is exactly the same as my Rebecca Minkoff Mini MAC bag that I used to have (and sold on ebay for a surprisingly high price after using the crap out of it).  This means you can wear this bag in 3 different lengths.  I think that's really awesome.  

Both sides of the strap attaches to the bag like this:


Instead of attaching it to the bag, you can loop it through and attach it onto itself half way across the strap.  You can do this on one side, or on both sides.  Obviously if you do it on both sides, then the purse will be at the shortest strap length, whereas if you only do it on one side, it will be medium length.  And if you leave both sides long then that's the longest length it can achieve.



Here are the 3 different lengths on me, in order of shortest to longest:


Even the shortest is not that short

I think this medium length is my preferred length



When it's at the longest length, I think it's too long to wear on one shoulder.  But you can wear it as a crossbody and it totally works:




You could also completely remove the strap and use it as a clutch.  I think it's too big and wide to use as a clutch though.  But they do make a smaller clutch version of the Love bag.  Here's one on sale on Rebecca Minkoff's site.



 Looks kinda silly, I think... not to mention hard to carry like this:



This bag fits my wallet, keys, and sunglasses comfortably.  I don't think it could hold a lot of other things unless they are small knick knacks.  But I don't carry that much stuff with me so it works for me.

I think the one I bought is now sold out at Nordstrom.  But I found a few others I like:


I am kind of surprised by how well this bag goes with all my outfits.  Both in the sense of color and style.  It's also a style that is versatile enough to be used during the day and then transition into night time.  Not too shabby at all!

Ok, so the next item I got which are also kind of surprisingly cute are the Kate Spade Glitter Stud earrings.  I got them in torquoise.  I thought they would have been either really cute or really ugly in person.  But they have hundreds of 5 star reviews and they are only $24 now.  Who writes reviews on earrings?!  lol.


Here's the box they came in:



I gotta say, when I first opened the box, I thought they were kind of cheap/ugly looking:



I also thought they were huge, which they kind of are.  But once I put them on, I think they look much better than in the box!  They are kinda fun, like confetti in an earring haha.




I do wish the hardware was silver color instead of gold though.  But oh well.  I don't have any blue earrings, so these will be fun to wear!  They also came in 3 other colors - pink, white and gold.  Pink was too pink for me, and I have other earrings in the other two colors.  Although I think they would look pretty good in gold, which is sold out now.

My skin gets rashes if I wear jewelry made of cheaper material, such as sterling silver.  So when I buy cheaper jewelry, I have to make sure they use some kind of plating that won't cause an allergic reaction.  These are plated in 14k gold so I know I'll be safe with these.  The ones with silver backing are rhodium plated, which I know I am also not allergic to, since my Swarovski earrings are all rhodium plated and I've never had any issues.

Anyway, the last item I bought was the Clarisonic Mia 2.  I've only used it a few times so far so I'll write a better review later.  But it's something that I've thought about buying for at least a year now!  So I finally caved.  I was deciding between the Mia 2 and Mia 3, and really liked the fact that Mia 3 came with a stand.  But Mia 2 comes with a travel case which is also important.  And most importantly, it is only $119 now during the anniversary sale haha.  So I decided to save a hundred bucks and go for the 2 instead, which I'm sure is not that different anyway.  More on this later!

Alright well that concludes my entire order from the anniversary sale.  Overall I feel like I ordered a pretty random combination of things haha.  But I'm happy I got some nice items that I'll definitely be keeping!  I hope you were able to find what you liked as well!  Happy shopping!  =D





Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Order - Part 1

I ordered some random stuff last week from the Nordstrom Anniversary sale.  I was going to post it all in one post, but I have too many pictures lol.  So I'm breaking it up to 2 parts, this being the first.  =)

Let's start with a good one - the Onitsuka Tiger Serrano sneakers (owned by Asics) in blue bell.  It is no secret that I love ombre, or whatever this color fading thing is called.  I love it in my tops, bottoms, shoes, etc. etc. etc.  Omg what is not to love about these???  They are so pretty!



So the Tiger Serrano shoes are my bf's absolute favorite shoes.  I actually randomly bought him a pair a couple years ago when I was at Nordstrom.  They turned into his favorites from the minute he put them on, and ever since then he has been constantly checking to see if they are released in new colors.  This is from a guy who does not like to shop!  Based on all the positive reviews the men's version has, you can tell that he's not the only one who feels that way.  Everyone talks about how comfortable they are and how they need zero time to break in.  Some of the Tiger sheos are even unisex!

One of my good friends started working for Asics/Tiger earlier this year, after he's been raving about the Tiger Serrano shoes prior to that too.  So obviously it was only a matter of time before I gave them a shot myself.  When I saw this color combo, I was sold immediately, and ordered them in my true to size 6.  These are only $79 which is so much more reasonably priced than Nikes (though you can always get Nikes on sale).  The men's version is only $69!  My bf actually just bought the navy/orange pair from the anniversary sale for only $46 and they look even better in person.  He actually said he loves these shoes so much that he wants to pay the company full price lol.

After my order arrived, I put them on and I immediately understood why they all like these so much!  They are super comfortable right off the bat!  They are meant to be casual shoes rather than shoes to workout in.  But I see no issues with weight lifting in them.  They have a pretty low drop which is good for lower leg workouts.  They are more cushiony than my Nike shoes, but they don't offer as much stability.  I don't mind them at all for something different though.  I feel like I've been married to my Nike shoes for too long!



The only negative thing I would say about working out in them is that the material is not as breathable.  So my feet feel hotter with these on than with my Nike shoes that have venting.  But if you just wear them casually like they are meant to be, then you won't have a problem.




Oh, another thing is that you have to wear low rise liner socks.  These are cut very low, and it looks dorky to have your socks showing.  =)






Anyway, I see more of the Tiger Serrano shoes in my futures.  =)

The next item I bought is another thing I've heard good things about - the Zella Fitness Liner socks.  I've heard Zella makes great socks, and these socks have tons of 5 star reviews too.  I got the 3 pack in the "red jazzy" color which I think is pretty.  They are $15 for the anniversary sale, as opposed to $24.



Ok, I don't know what the people writing those reviews are smoking.  By looking at the picture, I was initially worried that these socks would not be "no show".  But the name "liner socks" kind of implies no show to me.  And I read multiple reviews about them that state they are completely no show.  So I felt safe enough to assume that was the case.  However, that is the furthest from the truth!  I'm not happy about these at all.  They look like ankle socks on me!  And yes, I did order the right size according to their size chart (9/11 fits shoe sizes 6-8.5).


I am returning these, I don't care that they are only $15.  I hate how high they go.  Should just stick with Ivivva socks from now on.

The next item I ordered is the Halogen Scarf Tie blouse.  I actually ordered 2 of these - one in pink black diamond and one in solid black.  These are $49 as opposed to $78 for the anniversary sale, and I figure I could always use more scarf tie blouses for work (I love my Ann Taylor one!).




So after I took them out of the box to try them on, I was thinking they looked and felt a little cheap.  I got them in size S which I believe is the right size.  There's still plenty of room to move around.  





I am not too impressed with the fit.  Nothing is terribly wrong with it, but it is kind of just "meh".  The colors are also kind of "meh".  A bit boring.  I also was put off by the strong polyester smell.  I was considering keeping one or returning both.  I thought $49 is actually not that cheap for a polyester blouse after all.  I think I'd rather trade both in for a silk blouse instead.

So these were my thoughts as I was walking around the house with the black one on.  Then I bend down to pick up something from the floor, and I heard a rip!  I looked in the mirror, and saw this HUGE rip in the back of the arm!  It's like an inch long.  All I did was pick something up from the floor!  The blouse is not even tight fitting in the arms to begin with. 



I've bought a lot of things and this has never happened before.  I think Nordstrom will take it back, since I just received it and wore it for 2 seconds when this happened.  I still have the tags on as well.  Poor quality like this is really inexcusable.  Needless to say, the pink diamond print one is going back as well.  I can get a Vince or Theory silk blouse for $100 (on sale lol) that would be much better made than this one!

Anyway, disappointing but I'd rather find out now than months down the road when I've already worn them.  But, I will have more positive things to write about for Part 2 of this post lol.  I will post it later this week.  Stay tuned!




Sunday, July 26, 2015

Sunday Funday!

This week I continued my home workouts by following my friend's workout videos.  It feels SO weird to not have stepped foot into the gym in 2 whole weeks!  One of my friends told me yesterday that it was the first time she had gone to the gym or done any workouts since March... lol what?!  I couldn't fathom that.  I find that working out at home does require quite a bit of motivation.  It sounds easy to just hop around in your living room, but it actually isn't that easy to get started.  It's like there are so many distractions at home that you keep putting it off in favor of doing other things!  So, as much as I like her workouts, I'm actually looking forward to going back to the gym this coming week and get back into my routine.  One fun fact I've found from working out at home though, is that I can go way crazier with my workout outfits lol.  I did wear a few outfits this week that I would not step outside of the house in... but of course they are going onto the blog for the internets.  =)

Monday 7/20 - Rest

Tuesday 7/21




Wednesday 7/22 - Rest.  Unfortunately my work outfits are not as fun as my workout-at-home outfits lol.  So this is what I wore to work - Express Oversized Drape Neck sweater with red Splits59 Ashby tank under.  Express High Yoke Waist Midi pencil skirt in houndstooth, and Ivanka Trump Pinkish pumps.





Thursday 7/23
What I wore:  Lululemon Hot Class tank in bold blue with Lululemon Wunder Under crop in silver spoon pique, and Nike Free 5.0 TR Fit 4 in hyper cobalt/bright mango.





Here's my work outfit from the same day - BCBG MaxAzria Anderson Carbon Print silk blouse with DvF Emma diamond pencil pattern skirt and Casadei almond toe patent navy pump.





Friday 7/24 - Rest

Saturday 7/25
What I wore:  Lululemon Flow and Go tank in faded zap with Lululemon Run Fast short in oasis and Nike Free 5.0 TR Fit 4 shoes in venom/turbo green.  Didn't realize that the shoes were a perfect match to the outfit... hahaha.





Sunday 7/26
What I wore:  I thought since it's after Memorial Day and all... why not wear all white (with splashes of pink!) lol.  So I wore the Lululemon Cool Racerback in white jacquard mesh with Lorna Jane Arena bra under.  Beyond Yoga skort and Nike Free 5.0 TR Fit 4 shoes in fusion pink/atomic mango.





I actually like working out in tights way better than shorts or skirts, which is why I don't wear them to the gym when I'm doing weights.  But it's kind of fun to change things up a bit, especially during these hot weeks here!  Well... back to normal next week though!  Now it's time for me to review my new workouts.  Goodnight!





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