Winter Accessories: Scarves

Happy Friday! I feel like I go through the week swimming in a deep sea; and when Friday arrives I come up for air. Even if I have a hectic weekend, the end of the work week is an accomplishment for me. I just really thank God for work. I hear others complaining of lack of work; and sometimes I complain of too much work. I'd rather have the latter.

Scarves are my favorite winter accessories thus far. I just began wearing hats and ear muffs, but scarves have been in the running a long time. I pulled a couple of favorites from my collection, old and new.

This is my newest scarf, my Steve Madden baby. And I am so sorry, but I can't find this newbie online anywhere, so I posted a similar one below. 

Plaid is always in, it's something I feel you can't go wrong with. My cool photographer gave me a new style with this one, it's called the "jacket scarf"... If you haven't notice, it grows into dark green, and eventually into black. It's my first ombre scarf!

I am always looking for versatility, but have it simply around my neck was enough for me

This is an oldie but the best goodie. Looooooove texture, people! And I swear, this one really does keep you warm, it is not just for looks, I promise! I thought this one paired well with my outfit as a simple but elegant addition to it. See how versatile it is? 

I hate buying pieces for my closet that I can only wear "once" or with a certain outfit. That is so stupid to me. And I am just a "specific piece" gal. I will mix and match until I'm blue in the face. 

Stay super warm the rest of this winter with fashionable and simple scarves. #lifesaver.

Photography by Caitlynn Nonaka, Black Bird Photography

Get the look:

Fur Scarf

Plaid Scarf and similar

Love and Sparkles // Chels

Aloha

It's the middle of the work week and I didn't even know it. 

You heard me right. We had Monday off, it was sooo nice, but it totally threw my whole week off. I'm still thinking today is Tuesday, and rejoiced when my sweet students informed me that "it's Wednesday! Mrs. Hudnall, you are so silly!" Gotta love their corrections. 

I am loving my new dress that's more than great for spring. It's both easy on the eyes and on the body, super duper lightweight. This is another Nordstrom Rack steal. 

One of my favorite details of this piece is it's black slip. I have several dresses that are so see through I usually have to wear a cardigan with it. I haven't brought myself to buying a slip. When I think of those, I think of my mom picking out my Sunday outfits complete with a white slip and white tights. Wow. 

My favorite detail on this dress is the blue pattern at the bottom. It played safe with the neutral colors, until  it reaches the bottom, and...surprise!

How fun is this jewelry? 

This necklace is from the school I worked at in Biloxi, MS. The secretary gave it to me as my going away gift, so special.

It was gorgeous this day in Denver, and I was missing Hawaii so I dedicated my right wrist to it. We went to Waikiki a year and a half ago for vacation. If you have not been, I'm sorry. It is life changing, I don't even need to travel out the country to other tropical places. I found all I needed in Hawaii. Aloha. 

And this fun bracelet riding solo? A love gift from the Hubster for our "together" anniversary. 

Photography by Caitlynn Nonaka, Black Bird Photography

Get the look: 

Dress: Max Studio, Similar

Mrs. Hudnall bracelet: BCBG

Meet you back here on Friday!

Love and Sparkles // Chels

Sunday Lunchday // V-Day

I. Loved. This. Weekend. More than you will ever know. Nothing like spending time with the Hubster and good friends. V-day was amazing, ah! I love when we have the best days that are so good they can't even be relived.

The hubster definitely spoiled me this v-day, I thought we had a mutual agreement on not exchanging gifts this year, but of course he's the hero in this relationship. He woke up earlier than I did and when I came downstairs this baby was waiting for me.

You can close your mouth now, I know its a beauty.

I have to tell you a secret, this is the first bike I have ever owned! I rode a bike for maybe a day and, yikes, haaaated it! I just remember my brother pushing me down the driveway and it was over from there. I'm not an outdoors-y, girl anyways so...it wasn't a loss. However, I am in loooooove and can't wait to ride around Denver on my new bike! I feel closer to a Coloradoan now.

Really, it was so gorgeous Saturday. This photo reminds me of my home in Mississippi greatly. That metal gate, barb wire fence, and that pasture, wow. 

We (I) finally had Dunkin Donuts, the cutest and sweetest heart donut just for this special day.

It was super sweet though, almost couldn't be consumed.

And more gifts...I'm telling you...this guy...

Phenomenal day with a phenomenal guy. I tell you, I (we) are truly blessed. This guy and I have dated since we were 15 years old. He is my first and only boyfriend. I love him so much. 

Love and Sparkles // Chels

Nars Foundation/Tarte Eyebrow Review

Hello, Friday!

The weekend is here and it feels refreshing. Plus, I have Monday,woohoo! My off days are rarely spent doing nothing because that were the case nothing would be complete. So I use them to get caught up on extra work, house duties, errands, and homework. But this weekend is V-day and we have a couple of other activities to do, so excited!

I recently purchased this Nars sheer glow foundation, along with this Tarte eyebrow pencil. Well, maybe not so much as recently, it was in December. I have this weird thing about me wear I am unable to use a fresh, new product until I have used my current product up. I was still on my No.7 foundation (sold at Target), but I had been wanting to try Nars for so long.

It reminds me of silk, that's how smooth it is. I don't need that much coverage, and I actually feel like I'm not wearing anything, especially through the weekday. Now, if I add the whole 9 yards to it, such as concealer, highlighter, etc, my face feels a little heavier.

Pros: Light on the face, full coverage, glows, great for dry skin
Cons: Because of the sheer glow, I found that my face turns out to have sort of an ashy appearance while using a flash.

Get the look:

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation

Tarte Amazonian Clay Eyebrow Pencil

Let's talk about this Tarte eyebrow pencil. I am on the fence about this pencil, there's nothing wrong with it at all, but it also isn't the best for it's price to me, either. I do find that I love that it's waterproof, definitely don't want my eyebrow game screwed. It's a pretty penny for this product, and it didn't last as long as I thought it would. Hmmm... I am using Anastasia Brow Gel since I ran out of this pencil. The gel is a lot better than the pencil in my opinion. It really just falls down to how well the person is with perfecting their brows. I. suck. at. it.

Pros: Easy to use, waterproof, controllable
Cons: I'm not sure if I was over using this pencil, but it seemed to only last me for about 3 weeks

My Take On V-Day

I rarely turn down an opportunity for a good date night. But as I was thinking of plans for this Valentine's Day, I immediately felt exhausted. That's when I got the idea of just having a laid back, relaxing V-Day. I pitched a few things to the Hubster, and he was more than down.

I am going with a simple, everyday outfit for this Valentine's Day. But I still have to dress to the occasion. I adore this heart cardigan from Target, leave it to Tar-jay to have us set for special days.  For our activities, I won't be needing anything too fancy and I am pretty much okay with that.

We have small plans of doing a little day outing *it is supposed to be super nice Saturday* and some take out to enjoy our nice dinner at home. Heaven knows we do not want to be in the hustle and bustle of love crowds in the restaurant.

I have horrible shellac on my nails that needs to come off asap, but I am definitely pairing these two up to complete my look. 

In love with this cameo necklace my mom bought me while visiting here. It was at this cute boutique in Colorado Mills Mall. Such a classic, right? These things are difficult to find!

Photos by: Caity Nonaka * Black Bird Photography*

Get the look:

Basic Tee: Pacsun (similar) and here too

Cardigan: Target

Jeans: American Eagle (similar) and (similar)

Cameo Necklace: Here is one similar

Essie: Mademoiselle

Formula X: Eureka

What do I enjoy about V-Day? The fact that it's a guarantee that I get to spend the whole day with my love with out any interruptions. Did you know I still get butterflies when I'm with him?

May you have a special Valentine, even if it is with your 4 legged pup.

Love and Sparkles // Chels

Sunday Lunchday // Avalanche Game

I love you, weekend. You are such a tease, I could learn a lot from you. As usual, we had another busy weekend it. I can't imagine what life will be like when we have kid(s) compared to now. I barely have one breathing moment in between activities, and I wouldn't trade it in for anything else right now.

Wendell and I got to experience our first Avalanche game Friday night (the hockey team, in case some of you don't know). We went with my best friend Jules and her fiance Brian. It's always a good time with them, we are the silliest and craziest duo to walk the streets of Denver. Nothing gets by us and I love our friendship.

Y'all hockey games are so dang entertaining. The fans are hilarious and the players are aggressive, its just so fun to go to. I didn't understand a single thing, but it was fun to watch.

I was exhausted.

Have I mentioned how much I love sushi? It's one of my favorite meals, and thankfully my dear friend Alicia feels the same way. We had a sushi date on Saturday, and...It. Was. Dee.Vine.

Hubster and I have a weekend problem: We can't stay away from the sonic slush. There's no greater weekend night than driving the 1 mile to sonic and getting 1 Route 44 for him, and a medium for me. We've been doing it since we were 15, but when we lived in MS we had to drive 12 miles. Yep, we are originally good ole country folks.

Our Sunday Lunchday was a snowy adventure. It snowed all of Saturday night, out of no where, what the heck?

We ate at a restaurant in Capitol Hill called Sassafras American Eatery. It was so delicious and everyone was super duper friendly, which makes the experiment way better. We arrived at 1:30 and they closed at 2:00 that day because of the Super Bowl.  We only had to wait for 10 minutes or so and they have a whole room just for waiting upstairs.

I got biscuit and gravy as an app because it looked delicious and I had a 50% coupon from Yelp, booyah.

It is an eccentric place with a home-y vibe. Our food was great, they are know for their buffalo hash, which is what Wendell got. He really enjoyed it, it's just one of those petite dishes.

I also got the shrimp po boy with sweet potato chips...mhhmmmm as Phaedra Parks says.

I would definitely go back here again. I mean the staff was so friendly and the food was great, win win.

So it's all over, another 5 days before we start the fun again. Hope yours was as enjoyable as mine.

Love and Sparkles // Chels