Cozy Up Event at Marshalls- Off Price Retailing

Last Tuesday, I attended an event with other Los Angeles Fashion Bloggers for the a Behind the Seams at Marshalls. It was so much fun and I met some other bloggers which was very neat! Hi Cari, Julie, Cathi and Carly!


While there I learned a lot about Marshall's and off price retailing. Off price retailers like TJ Maxx and Marshalls can buy throughout the year, unlike department stores that buy only a few times a year for a particular season. Marshall's buyers are on the road 40 weeks a year for products year round and provide a 20-60% discount. With this process, 95% of their stock is the same that can be found currently in department stores.  Marshalls deals with 12,000 vendors in 60-70 countries to bring merchandise that are quality items that are on-trend and in season. Marshalls deals with 12,000 vendors in 60-70 countries! Insane.

The outfit on the left was found at Marshalls while the exact same outfit on the right was found at different department stores. Example; the jeans are JBrand that was purchased in a department store for $158, but you can buy the exact same ones at Marshall's for $79.99!! What a steal!


The reason off price retailers can provide such a discounted price to consumers is because when a department store buys from a brand, that brand has to buyback what doesn't sell. When Marshall's buys from a brand, it's a sure sale and the brand will not have to buy it back. So Marshalls and the brand negotiate a price for the merchandise. Every Marshalls gets 10,000 items shipped to them each week! Isn't that incredible? Check out their back room:

 

Marshalls had some really great brands available too! While I was shopping around I found Michaels Kors, JBrand, Diesel, Calvin Klein, Juicy Couture for a great price. Marshalls has a killer shoe section too. Here's some cute boots they had on display:

These babies are Michael Kors, but they didn't have my size. Or I'd be wearing them right now.

Here is Allison Deyette, a style expert you may have seen on The View, The Today Show, Oprah and What Not to Wear. She was a lot of fun and had a ton of information. She often shops at Marshalls and had lots of great stores of treasures she'd found here. Check out her website here.

I asked her a few questions about this fall season and I wanted to share her answers with you:

-What trend are you looking forward to the most?
           Platform pumps, dresses, and a fitted jacket- but not a blazer, like a trench.

-What trend is easiest to wear?
           She didn't have an answer, but said the over the knee boots are the hardest and not for everyone.

- What one piece should women buy this season?
           A good versatile piece, a v-neck cashmere sweater. Not in black though, but a rich tone.

-What trends should we keep from last year?
           Lace, ruffles, versions of cargos, peep toe patent shoes, and white jeans.

It was a wonderful event and I really enjoyed myself! All of the guests received a little gift of a striped cashmere infinity scarf- I can't wait to wear it! Each attendant receive a $100 gift card to purchase items to mix into their wardrobe, so be on the lookout for some great OOTDs!

Glee's "Britney/Brittany" Episode

 

I just wanted to do a quick post about the awesomeness of last night's Glee episode, it definitely was a "Britney Spears sex riot" just like Sue Sylvester said.

 

Even if you're not a fan of the show, but a Britney Spears fan, I would highly suggest checking it out! They performed four of her hit songs, including "Toxic", "Slave 4 You", "Me Against the Music", "Stronger" and "Baby One More Time". All of which I've already downloaded and have listened to on repeat all morning long.

 

Heather Morris, Brittany on the show, killed it in her performances! She looks so similar to the icon in some scenes I had to do a double take. This was her break out episode and I can't wait to see more of her this season!

PS I'm glad Matthew Morrison's character Will Schuester didn't shave his head like the rumors were saying, his curly locks are too gorgeous!

Celeb Inspiration: Blake Lively

I've been wanting to use Blake as my featured stylish chica for Celeb Inspiration for a while now, but with dubbing her in my Top 10 Best Dressed list for 2010 I thought it was only appropriate to feature her this week. I love Blake's daring sense of style both on the show and in real life. Serena may not be my favorite character on Gossip Girl, but her wardrobe definitely is! Blake doesn't work with a stylist and judging by her fashion choices- she has no need too!


Sexy Red Carpet: Blake has an amazing body and knows who to show it off. Long legs? Check. Gorgeous bust? Check. Somehow showing them both off without looking like a skankpiece? Double check. Vibrant hues and fun details are her go to choices. Her red carpet looks are never the same and never boring.



Fresh and Fabulous: This girl know how to work it. She always chooses cuts that accentuate her long and lean figure. Do you notice anything in these pictures? The hemline are almost always the same! Her dress choices always hit just a few inches above her knee focusing your attention on her gorgeous gams. She also goes with shoes that show a bit of skin and scoop lower onto her foot also accentuating her legs length.



California Cool: Blake chooses easy pieces to wear and dresses them up with great heels and a few accessories. No need for barrel curls or tons of makeup for this pretty little lady. Her au natural style keeps her look young and fresh.
 

Fierce Fashion: Miss Lively is daring in her fashion choices, choosing bold cuts or new shapes to take boring outfit to va-va-voom!


What do you think of Blake's style? What's your favorite look? My favorite would have to be her red carpet dresses- I always look forward to seeing what she chooses.

Yay or Nay? Summer Styles in Fall/Winter

Now, I know Fall has officially started just last week, and in many parts of the country you would never be able to tell that it's fall based on the weather. CA had a record breaking 113 degrees over the weekend! However, when do you stop wearing your summer clothes? Is it when the season is over or when the temperature changes?

 

Jennifer Garner wore this ensemble over the weekend to the 6th Annual Pink Party in Hollywood. I love this outfit, but it screams summer because of the white skirt. Now, don't get me wrong- I think white can be worn year round, hence the term "winter white". I think this outfit would have been better with a different colored skirt based on the season, but the skirt could have worked with a darker colored top like black, purple, or blue.

For my personal style rules, some summer articles can be worn into the colder seasons depending on the material- say no to white linen in the winter- and if they're worn with other fall/winter essentials like a nice jacket, cardigan or scarf. I've already put away my light summer dresses and some sandals to start transitioning my wardrobe.

What's your take? Would you wear this cute outfit in the beginning of fall? What are your season rules? Have you made any switches of seasonal clothing yet?

Product Review: Sephora Collection Makeup Palette Color To Go Red Edition

Last month, I stopped by Sephora and was totally stoked to find this little gem by their counter. It's the Sephora Collection Makeup Palette Color To Go Red Edition ($15). At the beginning of summer I found the palette in To Go in Bronze (see my review here) and loved it, still use it all the time too (it's actually on sale now online only for $7 click here to purchase). I love these jewel toned shadows and they are perfect for fall/winter! I can't wait to wear them with thick cozy sweaters and leggings.

I've put the colors to the test, check them out:

Here I'm using the top left shadow in my inner corner and brow bone, the tan shadow on the bottom second on in on my entire lid, and the wine colored shadow on the top row second one over in my crease.

Here's the top right blue in my crease with top left shadow in my inner corner and brow bone, the tan shadow on the bottom blended into the middle of my lid.

Here's a swipe of all of the colors on my hand from the top row going to left to right with a flash and then without:





Here's the bottom row from left to right with a flash and then without:

I can't wait for the weather to drop a bit (and not just because I don't have AC and I've been sweltering this weekend throughout a heat wave...not at all) so I can bust out these shadows with the new fall trends.

Do you switch up your beauty routine with the seasons? What colors do you wear in the fall/winter? I'll use less bronzer and switch my bright pink blushes to a darker shade of peach or wine.

**UPDATE** I wore the green shadow this morning for the first time and I think it's my favorite! It's a gorgeous shade, shimmery and very pigmented. I wish I was able to take a picture before this post went up.

Sacramento to see the BFF

Earlier this month I headed up north to visit my high school BFF S. You may remember my trip last year from this post. We had such a great time and it was so fun visiting with her! Northern California is so gorgeous, I can see why she moved up north.


We went to the local brewfest again and had such a blast! We remembered to make preztel necklaces to have something to snack on while tasting all the different brews. It was such a huge hit and everyone asked where we bought them. We're thinking about looking into getting a permit and selling them at next year's event. 

Yes, we realize we match. While getting ready for the day we talked about how we used to purposelly match in high school or on NYE in college and laughed at all the memories. We often match without pre-planning it too. So we get ready, spent the whole day together, and didn't realize we matched AGAIN until the end of the day when we were looking through the pictures!! What can I say, great minds think alike.


At the festival they had tons of booths, way more than last year. There were a lot more people too. I guess everyone reads my blog and saw how awesome it was LOL. I saw this tent at the entrance and knew I'd be there for lunch for some delicious goodness- BBQ'd Oysters! They were amazing! I'm going to have to make them myself (i.e. have my mom make them), The vendor told me they just bbq them right on the bbq (which I witnessed myself) and cover them in garlic and butter and let the customer put on any condiments they wish. They had Valentina, Tapatio, limes, garlic salt, teriyaki sauce, and bbq sauce available. I chose Valentina and limes. Mmmm so good! I'm going to be on the hunt for these babies again!

The next day we headed up to Monterey Bay to check out their fisherman's wharf and the aquarium.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium was awesome, but we both agreed that the Long Beach Aquarium is better.

You can't really tell in this picture, but the fish on the bottom are swimming one way and the fish toward the top swam opposite. It was really neat to watch.


My favorite exhibit were all of the jellyfish. They're so unique and neat to look at. I could spend a lot of time just checking them all out.

This last jellyfish picured reminded me of popcorn.

The seahorses were also super cool!The seahorse on the top left is teeny tiny, like smaller than your pinky. Did you know that female seahorses get pregnant, but the male seahorses carry them? Neat huh? The last seahorse is one of the pregnant ones, but he was swimming so fast I couldn't get a good pic of him.

This has to be the ugliest fish ever!

Here's a pic of the Sea Cucumber they had in the petting area. The petting area is not that cool...at least not to adults anyways. It just had a bunch of different Starfish so unless you love starfish, it's all right. The coolest thing was the Sea Cucumber. It was so weird!! It was really soft and you could barely tell that you were touching it. I want to pick it up (if I could muster the guts), but the attendant wouldn't allow it.

It was another successful trip and I can't wait to head back next year.S is also one of my bridesmaids and I'm so happy to share the big day and the events leading up to it with her.