How-to Get Mistletoe Ready

I'm totes excited to introduce you guys to editor-in-chief of Yahoo Style, author and host Joe Zee today on Sensible Stylista.  He's taking over (via video) and giving y'all amazing tips on how to get holiday ready this season. Some additional tips for you guys:
1.  Go all out and make a statement:  Have some fun and step out of your comfort zone!  Seek a statement piece - maybe one you typically wouldn't wear - a funky jacket, a big piece of jewelry or a bold tie, and add it to that holiday look.  This is the fastest way to add pizazz to your ensemble.  It's also an easy way to take a look from day to night which is important during the busy holiday season. 2.  Start with the winner:  Know what makes you feel food and play it up!  Throw on that pair of shoes or that specific skirt that gives you confidence and always makes you feel like a million bucks and make it your signature piece for the holidays! 3.  Let it shine:  Embrace the sparkle in you!  Metallics and shine are a huge trend right now so add sparkle to your everyday look.  Try a sequin trimmed tee with a pencil skirt or add a metallic belt + shoes. 4.  Layer that LBD:  Take this simple staple and turn it into something new for each occasion. Consider it a blank slate you can dress up and down with layers, fabric textures and awesome accessories. 5.  Look the part from head to toe:  Being well-groomed is just as important as what you wear!  Take time to pamper yourself before your holiday event.  Reflect on how you want the holidays to unfold, don't just let them happen.  This will make sure you're at your very best.  Take a luxe bath and leave time for grooming. Man, I'm SO glad he talked about grooming.  I'm all about treating myself so at-home spa nights are a total must. Lucky for me, these products available on Walmart.com/mistletoeready to help me get my pamper on.  So, without further ado, let's take a look at what's inside my pretty package!

1.  Gillette Venus Swirl Razor and Cartridges ($10.75):  You guys have no idea how much I needed this.  My razor was super old, and I was running out of cartridges so I was beyond pumped that this was included in my toolkit. Not to mention, Venus has been my go-to for YEARS now - it gives me the closest shave possible without nicking and all that garbage. Soft skin is super important to me so moisturizing after a good shave = bliss.

2.  Oral-B Pro White 1000 ($29.90):  After trying this toothbrush out, I don't think I can ever go back to anything else...but then again, I'm kind of cray when it comes to dental hygiene.  This brush does an amazing job keeping my pearly whites clean.  The in-handle timer pulses every 30 seconds to let you know when to switch areas, and it's clinically proven to break up and remove more plaque than a regular manual toothbrush.  Walmart.com's currently offering a $15 mail-in-rebate so make sure y'all take advantage (valid until 12/31).

3.  Crest 3D White Whitestrips ($36.99):  As much as I love wearing pretty jewelry, I truly believe that my best accessory (by far) is my smile!  These whitening strips are def. a must for me. I used to drink a ridonkulous amount of coffee daily so my teeth suffered.  I actually decided to stop drinking it entirely a month ago, but I still need these to keep everything in check.  You'll see results in 3 days, and full results will come in 20.  They'll remove 14 years of stains (!!!) delivering professional-level teeth whitening results for a fraction of the cost.  Andddd the best part? It's all SUPER safe so you  don't have to worry about damaging your enamel.

4 -5.  Gillette Fusion ProShield Chill Men's Razor & Braun Series 3:  These two items are for guys so I'm not going to review them!  I'll be gifting these babies to my pops though.  I'm sure he'll appreciate 'em.  FYI:  Now's a great time to stock up on basics since Walmart.com's offering a bunch of P&G products for a fraction of the price.  See the full list here!

Alright guys, that's it for today!  If you guys have questions about any of the aforementioned essentials, just shoot me a message.  Also, I want to take a second to thank P&G for sponsoring today's latest. Cheers, everyone!

Keeping it Casual on the Daily

Excited to share another fall-friendly look with you guys today!  I'm all about casual cool for my latest post, anddddd like my last blast, I'm wearing Stitch Fix from head to toe, ha.  Don't judge me, guys.  Their clothing's just too freakin' cute.

Anywho, I centered my latest around a blue/gray color scheme!  I started with a simple striped shirt and threw on a drape cardigan to match.  I thought about wearing gray pants, but decided to keep things more casual with jeans.  What do you guys wear to run errands?  How do you execute casual on the regular?

My feeble attempt at twirling!  This was totally weaksauce.  I promise to step my game up next time, ha.

Cardi + Top + Bag:  c/o Stitch Fix || Jeans:  Aeropostale || Necklace:  J Wholesale || Shoes:  Wild Diva (similar)

The West Elm @ Lab 1270 Holiday Party

Stoked to tell you guys all about my latest adventure at West Elm.  Last Thursday, I hit up their DC store for a fun night of food, dranks and ornament-making with blogger friends.  For those of you interested, they're hosting their first "Makers Residency Program" there this holiday season.  They're sponsoring 9 local artists to offer customers a curated assortment of handmade goodies (!!!!) in addition to their own stuffs. Their metro-area makers will also be hosting workshops there so it should be good times all around.

For this shindig, they had Samantha Testa of Painted Palettes come in and give us "faux calligraphy" lessons.  She handed us all packets and we sat around a huge table to practice tracing her lettering before tackling our DIY ornaments.

Left:  Samantha, our fabulous instructor, werkin' it like a boss!  Right:  La Belle Mel perfecting her calligraphy.  FYI, we were totally SILENT throughout our lesson because we were concentrating really hard.  Calligraphy is tough - I was definitely struggling.

Our finished ornaments!  Mel, Kate, and I totally cheated and asked Samantha to do ours for us.  In our defense though, we tried to make our own (my sad attempt's pictured on the right, ha).  Samantha wrote my name out for me, and I tried to copy it but it made no difference because I ran out of room *sniffles* I brought back an extra packet for practice though.  I'm gonna be a pro in no time...probably not, but hey, positive thinking never hurt nobody!

West Elm hired a nomtastic caterer + bartender for the event, but I didn't get to eat anything because of my whole clean eating diet.  All their drinks + treats looked delicious though.  I was super proud of myself for practicing such great self-control, ha.  

Afterwards, we went to Union Market to grab dinner.  I wasn't super hungry so I just went to South Block Juice and grabbed their Tropi-kale smoothie before joining Mel + Kate at Rappahannock Oyster Bar.  OMG, I can't even begin to tell you guys how yummy it was.  I expected it to taste super healthy (aka gross), but it was surprisingly delicious.  I don't remember all the ingredients, but I think there was agave nectar, coconut water, spinach, kale, mango andddd give or take a few fruits and veggies, ha.  It WAS super expensive though!  Dang, $8 for a smoothie?  Probably won't be getting it on the daily, but it was a nice treat! Anywho, that's all for today.  Who else LOVES smoothies? Comment with your favorite combination.