Living Colorfully

It's funny, but in the past when I put on a few pounds I would often shy away from color and live in black dresses. I decided to make an effort this summer to keep living as colorfully as I pleased. I picked up this embroidered white beach cover up dress in-store at Burlington for just $14.99. It's actually supposed to be worn off the shoulder but I prefer it this way. It went on sale online to just $2.99 but sold out quickly. Usually I get annoyed when I buy something right before markdowns but I was more than happy to pay "full price" and would do it again.

I've been buying a lot of beach/pool cover ups and wearing them with slips (I actually purchased the nude half slip I'm wearing here also at Burlington for less than $10). It's so much cheaper than buying the similar lined dress versions for often triple to quadruple the price.

From head to toe:

• Sunglasses: Trudy bifocal sun reader, Readers.com, C/O (RV $20.95)
• Dress: Burlington, $14.99
• Bag: TJ Maxx, $12.99
• Bracelet: A.V. Max, sample sale, $10 (RV $55)
• Shoes: Donald J Pliner Fairy slides, C/O (RV $218)

Shop my style here:

My embroidered pouch from TJ Maxx is probably one of my favorite finds of the summer. The colors pop and the colorful pom poms add the perfect amount of kitsch.

I also wanted to share how excited I am for Ella who just broke 2K on Instagram. She was the one who shot my pictures that day, so I reciprocated by shooting her with some of her new Justice summer goodies. They sent her the towel and tube as a part of her "Girls with Heart" brand ambassador program and she's been enjoying them all summer. Her reversible bikini (it's also tie dye) is also Justice, which we purchased for $10 when they had a recent swimsuit promotion.

The only sample sale on my radar right now is Fivestory - their off-site sale usually has designer goodies for 70-90% off retail. I've actually skipped this sale in the past but my friends have always cleaned up at this one. Otherwise, Zara got another markdown but I expect at least one more markdown. I would suggest stopping by sooner than later for best selection - but check again at the end for lots of super cheap stuff. Clear the Rack is also on right now at Nordstrom Rack and in addition to 25% off all red sticker clearance, dresses are 50% off! I went to NYC and didn't find anything at Union Square but at my local Bergen Rack, I found a couple super cheap Rag and Bone fedoras for less than $20 each!

Fivestory
August 8-13
T 9-8, W-Sat 11-7, Sun 11-4
150 Greene Street

What have been your favorite recent sale finds? I would love some cheap Gucci but I'm not holding my breath.

Happy shopping!

XO
Michelle

Wynwood Walls

Despite running camp mom for my three kids this summer, I've been sneaking in some me-time (work and shopping!) where I can. I FINALLY got around to editing more of my pictures from my Miami trip. One of my biggest blogger problems is that I always overshoot so I end up with thousands of pictures - and it takes me hours (sometimes days) to edit through them. My photos from my trip to Wynwood Walls was particularly difficult because there were so many beautiful, colorful walls. It's literally an Instagramer's dream. I also made a rookie mistake and only had the one bargainista look I was wearing. Ella on the other hand had just picked up a few pieces at Goodwill for $.99 so she put together a second look in the car. The apprentice surpasses the master LOL.

We got there in the afternoon so I had to choose my walls based on the lighting. If you plan a trip there be sure to go for several hours so you can get all the walls! You can see a mini-tour on Ella's Insta here.

Everything in this look is head to toe favorites, all on repeat:

• Sunglasses: Moschino, Century 21, free after rewards (they were selling them for $59.99), RV $295
• Dress: Shein (sold out), RV $22, gifted
• Bag Strap: Rebecca Minkoff, sample sale, $10 - see other scores here!
• Bag: Chanel, Neiman Marcus, 75% off - read about it here.
• Bracelet: Eddie Borgo, sample sale, $10 (closure was damaged so they discounted it)
• Shoes: Sophia Webster Lacey heels, sample sale, $95 - read about that epic sale here.

You can shop my style here:

We had done some thrift shopping in Florida and Ava was particularly excited about her two new Baby Alive dolls. She's a little obsessed and has a collection of about 15 right now. She can watch those YouTube videos of grown women pretending to be kids playing with dolls all day. I told her to just make her own videos already. She's wearing a thrifted Lilly Pulitzer dress that's a hand me down from Ella. I thrift Lilly left and right for the girls - even used, their colors hold up beautifully.

Ella is the queen of handstands and cartwheels so you know this shot was coming. There's a reason she always has a pair of biker shorts under her dresses.

And now a quick shout out to my super talented 12 year old son, Akiva, my photographer. He found these walls in the streets and insisted on a picture. When he was little I used to dress him to the nines. These days he has a basic formula of tee + shorts = outfit.

As a Justice, Girls With Heart brand ambassador, Ella was toting around Charlie the Dog for most of that trip LOL. Truthfully she didn't wear a lot of Justice until she signed on because so much of her wardrobe is thrifted and penny finds, but lately we've been hitting the Justice sale rack and doing pretty well. Her fringed bag here is Justice and was around $4. Her striped dress was a TJ Maxx $3 yellow sticker find. Anyone else looking forward to the next yellow sticker sale?

It seems in Florida, Goodwill only charges $1.99 for kids items so Ella loaded up her cart. In the NY/NJ area kids stuff starts at $4.99 which is insane for used kids stuff so I don't even bother stepping in to local Goodwills anymore. She snapped up this cute Lilly for Target top and paired it with this colorful pleated skirt. Her sunglasses were $1 Dollar Tree finds - she picked them up on the trip because the ones she brought with her broke. When we got to Wynwood she rifled through her bag which was in the car and put this look together. She did swipe my Jimmy Choo clutch (scored for just $25 at the sample sale a while back!!) which I had in the car as a backup for my Chanel.

As they say in Yiddish, I was totally shepping nachas (loosely translated as taking pleasure) when I was looking these over. I know I'm biased but my kids are pretty awesome.

It's been a while since I shared sample sale picks but the summer tends to be pretty quiet. This week is Altuzarra and I confess I splurged and got myself a birthday bag. Stay tuned for my new pretty. My only other pick is Adam Lippes next week just because I like his stuff but I'm not sure about pricing. I also popped in to Century yesterday to check out the status of the sale and it's terrible. I checked out the sale bags and even with a second cut, most bags were over $1,000 and overpriced. I'm currently waiting for Zara to have another cut before I hit that sale hard. So for now I'm in holding, waiting for the good stuff to start already!

Altuzarra*
July 19-21, 8:30-7
233 Broadway, 14th Fl

* I shared pics in my Insta stories that may still be up. Bags were $300-750, runway shoes (Sz 39,40) were $100, most clothing was under $200. No samples this round.

Adam Lippes
July 25-27, 8:30-7
1133 Broadway, Suite 426

Happy shopping!

XO
Michelle

Simply Venom

One of the secrets to aging well is being ahead of the game. When a much younger 30-year-old acquaintance told me she does Botox regularly I was shocked. While I'm sure it could help, I'm not quite ready to take that step - nor do I think I'm there yet. Recently I've been adding more anti-aging beauty products to my regimen. Not so much to turn back time, but to retain status quo. When Simply Venom reached out me to try their Day and Night Creams I jumped at the chance. What's so special about Simply Venom is that it's a safe, non-invasive alternative to Botox - and can even be used while pregnant!

To start, no, there isn't any snake venom in Simply Venom. Similar to a snake bite, the powerful ingredients relax the muscles. Medical grade injectables work the same way by unclenching your muscles that hold wrinkles in place. Simply Venom was developed by two anesthesiologists, Dr. Monica Lilore and Dr. Milija Milic. The doctors spent two-and-a-half years developing SYNOX-MD, a proprietary complex of active peptides and a purified yeast ferment delivery system to enhance penetration. This system helps tighten skin and build collagen - and safely mimics the effect of a snake bite or injectables in a topical application.

The Simply Venom Day Cream and the Simply Venom Night Cream, retail for $59 and $69, respectively. It's 100% paraben free, gluten free, dye free and fragrance free. And unlike many other anti-aging skincare brands, they fully disclose the listing of clinically recommended percentages of their active ingredients. You can read more about their ingredients and benefits here on the Simply Venom website.

This week I turned 43. I've never really been afraid of aging because I've always looked younger than my age. When people ask me my secret I tell them it could be because I don't drink, I've never done any kind of drugs, I try to stay out of the sun and wear sunscreen, and I've taken care of my skin since I was a teenager. But truthfully I'm just lucky. So much of aging is genetics. When I was in high school, if my then 40-ish dad put on a baseball cap, people thought he was my boyfriend. When I was in my 20s my mom picked me up from a doctor's appointment and the nurse told me my sister was waiting for me. Don't get me wrong, it was hard being a teenager who could pass for under 12 - though it saved my parents a ton of money on admissions. Even when I was 30 (and super pregnant!) a clerk at a bodega near my apartment refused to sell me a lottery ticket because he didn't think I was 18. But once I hit my late thirties I finally started to appreciate my parent's gift to me.

I've been using the Simply Venom duo for several weeks now and I see a noticeable improvement in the appearance of my skin. I love how light and non greasy they apply, and my skin looks visibly plumped and brightened. I apply 2 pumps a day of the day cream to my face, neck and chest in the mornings and 2 pumps at night of the night cream after washing my skin.

Don't get me wrong, when I look closely I can see shadows where they don't belong, there is a single line across my forehead that drives me nuts, and my skin is so much drier than it was than just 5 years ago. While there's no magic pill or fountain of youth, there are steps you can take to fight the sands of time. You're never too old or two young to start taking care of your skin. I love that Simply Venom's philosophy is all about #agegoals and always looking your best.

Have any of you tried Simply Venom? I'd love to hear your feedback - and how long you've been using it. What were your results?

Thank you to Simply Venom for kindly sponsoring this post. All opinions are 100% honest & completely my own. 

XO
Michelle

Ella & Ava's Kidpik Box Review!

As a kid, my parents encouraged me to develop my own personal style. I have "fashion memories" starting at about age three of what I wore - and even shopping and choosing my own clothing. While I still have veto power over what my girls wear, I let them style themselves and usually I'm pretty impressed. I love Ava's colorful mismatched looks and Ella's teenage vibes. Akiva is very boy and just wears whatever clean shirt and whatever clean pants (sometimes not so clean LOL) he can find. Every child is different and should be able to express themselves their own way. As clothing mavens (like their momma!) my girls were super excited when Kidpik gifted them boxes for us to review.

Kidpik is a monthly subscription box for girls in sizes 4-14. You fill out a style profile to reflect the child's personality and then they send you a curated box of about 7 items right to your doorstep. My girls have pretty similar profiles and I have to say I was impressed that they sent them coordinating boxes instead of identical matching ones. They have free shipping & returns and easy exchanges. You can choose to have these boxes sent to you either 4, 8, or 12 times a year. Keep what you want (you get 7 days to decide) but if you choose to keep the whole box you get a 30% discount. You can cancel or pause your subscription at any time so it's a fun way to treat your girls for pretty reasonable prices. Each piece comes out to an average of $12 (after discount) which is about what you would spend at Target or a mall store on a similar piece.

The girls couldn't wait to tear into their boxes! We got them right before we headed out the door to my brother's house so the whole car ride was filled with anticipation. You can see abridged unboxing videos on Ella's Instagram here and here.

Their favorite looks were probably Ava's floral dress and Ella's floral skirt (see, coordinating not matching!) and they actually needed new denim jackets. They loved decorating them with the colorful pins that were included. Their shoes (also gifted) are actually from Nina Kids Shoes and are now on sale! You can select to include shoes in the kidpik boxes but I chose not to because my girls already have so many from my penny hunting days and Nina.

Ella's box included:

• Denim jacket
• Pink dress
• Peach tee
• Floral skirt
• Pink dress
• Yellow sweatshirt
• Pink tanktop
• Pins
• Bracelets (she liked Ava's better so she kept stealing hers)

Ava's box included:

• Denim Jacket
• Floral dress
• Yellow tee
• White skirt
• Pink sweatshirt
• White tanktop
• Pins
• Bracelet








Overall fit was pretty good - other than Ava's white skirt which was HUGE. If the box wasn't gifted I probably would have sent it back for an exchange but I just pinned it and she'll wear it when she's bigger. Everything of Ella's is size 8 or 10 and Ava's is 7 or 8. You can leave a review on the website but I wish there was a place to rate each individual piece - or include notes on your account. I input Ava's size as 7 for skirts and this skirt was an elastic waist 7/8 that ran big. She can only do a 7/8 if the waist was adjustable or it ran small. My girls are super skinny but on the tall side so often we size up for the extra length. Clothing shopping for little kids can be just as tricky as it is for adults - so it's really great that kidpik offers free returns and exchanges.















I love that kidpik has so many cute pieces that can easily be mixed in with their own wardrobe. For an outing to Great Adventure they wore their new sweatshirts and tank tops with their own jeans. Mommy tip - if you're going to crowded place with littles, always dress your kids in bright colors and take a quick cell pic when you get there. That way if they get lost they are easy to spot and you have a picture to share with security. Been there, done that...











Ella actually just pulled out her "Super in all Way" tee the other day and styled it with her thrifted Converse and $1.50 shorts from Once Upon a Child. Secondhand clothing for kids is such a great way to save money. So often kids wear things just a couple times before growing out of them - I often thrift kids stuff still with tags on. If you live near Bergen County, NJ they actually just opened a new OUAC store in Paramus and their grand opening is TODAY at 10am! If you live nearby come say hello - I'll be there with my girls this morning :)


Once Upon a Child
777 Rte 17 S
Grand Opening July 6th

Paramus, NJ 07652


As for weekly sample sale picks - nothing new to add to last week's list seen here. Don't worry, sample sales will start picking up again at the end of summer/early fall. Right now, you can enjoy the department sales markdowns. I'll be sure to give you guys a heads up if anything else pops up!


Hope you're all having a great summer!


XO
Michelle