I'll start with the couple of "must-haves" that I got before I started my two week vacay. Maria and I headed to the mall, because I was in desperate need of a new concealer and foundation. I have not been to Sephora in a very long time and they have made some serious upgrades. They had this cool device that took pictures of your skin and then made recommendations of brands that would work for you. I chose to pick up the Too Faced Born This Way concealer and foundation because when we were testing out all of the brands this one was by far my favorite. It's usually hard for me to find brands that work for me for long periods of time and so far this one has lasted the longest. It's not too heavy and it doesn't cake up, which was a plus because in New York I was going to be walking around a lot. The next thing I got was this incredible jean jacket. I have been wanting a jean jacket for the longest time, but I couldn't seem to find the "one." I finally found it though at Forever 21! I got a medium because I didn't want the sleeves to be too tight and I wanted it to fit almost like a dress. I wore it almost every day in New York and in Vegas. It was the perfect accessory to go with every outfit! At Forever 21, I also picked up this set of three gold chain chokers. Except, I seem to have misplaced the third one, but these necklaces went with every outfit. Lastly, I got a pair of olive green pants that I have been searching for the longest time. I also had picked up this cute black clutch a couple weeks ago with my Target giftcard from Jose and Maria! It had the same look as those Chanel purses, but at 1/3 the cost. It's simple, small, and fashionable. I also got this adorable pair of pink pajamas. They're great for the summer time. The last thing I got was a brand new iPhone! My phone screen had cracked about a month ago and dealing with insurance from AT&T has to be the most ANNOYING thing in the world. Since I was at Fairoaks Mall I figured why not stop by the Apple store. Not only did they have an hour turn around time it was also cheaper than claiming insurance through my phone company. On top of that, Apple couldn't fix it completely so they just gave me a brand new one at the same cost! To say it was a good shopping day would be an understatement.
Now into the good stuff. On top of my mom planning out the best summer vacation ever, she also gave me some spending money (thanks Mama!). Which lead me to having some key things in mind when shopping. Stick around to see all what we did in New York, but in between all of the sight seeing and food eating, we did a lot of shopping. Since the whole reason we were in New York was to see Anastasia on Broadway I had to get a couple of souvenirs from the vendors at the show. I got a purple t-shirt with the show's name on the front and my favorite song from the play on the back. I also got a color changing coffee mug. It's black at first but then changes colors when it gets heated up. I had to share my Playbill from the show as well, because I had the whole cast sign it! Super stoked about this one and even want to frame it because it was such a special night. For those of you who have been to the H&M in Time Square then you would know how HUGE that place is. My mom and I both found some amazing staple pieces to add to our cloests. My mom had shopped at H&M before, but she had no idea how many great pieces were there especially for work. I was in need of a new stripped dress because the one that I own shrunk in the dryer. This dress was less than $10 and it's the perfect summer dress. The next thing I got from H&M was these incredible pair of baby blue pants. I owned like six pairs of these when I was working at Jared's because they were the most comfortable work pants ever. I love the new summer collection they just came out with and I had to get these blue ones since they were on sale. Another staple piece that was much needed in my closet is this grey t-shirt. It's loose fitting and goes with anything. This rose gold horseshoe necklace was a must grab because it has three layering sizes so it was great for pairing with other pieces. While my mom were walking around one night we stumbled upon this Polo outlet store. We both got something because not only was it cheap, but there was no taxes! How weirdly wonderful. I love a good button up for work or for play and this pink one just stood out to me the most! Did you know that Swell and Starbucks had a collaboration? I thought maybe it was just New York, but I also saw it in Vegas. Except, the Vegas one wasn't as cute as the New York one. My mom and I both got the Time Square edition of these Starbucks Swell bottles and it has become my favorite new water bottle. My mom and I found this awesome store that for the life of me I can't remember the name of it! It was a 5 Below meets Dollar Store meets Warehouse type of store. They had a lot of stuff for really cheap. I was able to get myself a portable cell phone charger and the Maybelline Blushed Nudes eyeshadow pallete. I had been wanting both of these for a while but couldn't find ones worth the price. I got both of these for only $5 each! We also went to TJ Maxx where my mom and I got some great things. I got this Cosmic Glow highlighter kit with all of these really great colors. I only have one highlighter so when I saw this kit it was a must to pick up. Since I got a new phone I needed a new case and tempered glass. I got a tempered glass from New York and a case from Vegas. I also saw a ton of these things called "Air Clips" in different stores, but couldn't figure out what it was for. That's when I realized that it clips to your air vent and it holds your phone. So much cheaper (and cuter) than those suction cup ones that they sell. My mom also got me this super cute blue Polo baseball cap. I love a good set of playing cards and when my mom and I went to pick up a few things she got me these Disney ones. My mom and I went exploring one day (blog post still to come) and we passed by this incredible shopping center. The mall was gorgeousa and so fancy! My mom was looking for a specific product in Sephora and when we were in there the company Anastasia has makeup artist giving free makeovers and highlight touchups. It was awesome! My mom snagged a couple products and even got me the Anastasia (appropraite name since that's why we were in NYC) Sundipped Glow Kit and a pack of oil blotting sheets! Seriously, my mom is the best. They were also giving away free samples of the Brow Wiz pencil and concealer packs! Next door to the mall were the more high end stores such as a Coach and Michael Kors. My mom got a cute wristlet wallet from Coach and I got a rose gold card holder from Michael Kors. I freaked out when the lady told me the price, because it was only $48! My mom and I had a list of new restaurants we wanted to eat at and one of those places was Black Tap Burgers & Shakes. Their milkshakes were the size of my head and the food was incredible. They were selling their cookbook for only $25 so I had to grab it. Stay tuned for blog posts of those attempted recipes. The last day my mom and I went to Chinatown because we heard they had some great and sketchy shopping. It was defintely a fun experience and we walked away with some great finds. My mom and I both got a Kate Spade crossbody purse, my mom got a pair of Tiffany & Co. and Rayban sunglasses, and I got a Chanel crossbody purse. My mom also got me a rose gold Cartier ring and bracelet. Chinatown was the perfect way to end the trip and I'm so grateful for my mom and everything that she did to make this trip so special.
In Vegas, like I said, most of Omar and mines money went to booze and gambling. However, I was able to pick up a few fun things along the way. Believe it or not, Omar bought more clothes than I did! He found a lot of great shirts, mostly the Penguin brand that he's obsessed with. When we were in Ross we even found the Penguin brand cologne! Way cheaper than what it was going for in stores. I also found these awesome pair of black heels in Ross. They're perfect for going out at night and the thick heel make them more comfortable than regular heels. One day when we were walking around the strip we came across this huge mall that was complete with casinos, bars, restaurants, a strip club, and of course shopping! We got this roulette set for the apartment. We couldn't decide between a mini slot machine or this game, but then we played the real thing in the casino's and it was so much fun! Omar even doubled his money on the roulette table so we knew we had to get one for the apartment. I had to stop at Lush and get my favorite mask of course! Whenever Omar and I go to the ABC store he always gets me a shooter. We found these two in Vegas and had to add them to our collection. We also got a new shot glass and a bottle from Coca-Cola World (used to put drinks in and walk around town with)! The last thing we got was some goodies for the pups back home. We got this "cigar" rope toy for Smokey and this plush bottle of "tequilla" called Puptron for Oliver. As I said, I didn't get as much in Vegas as I did New York, but it was still a ton of fun!
Not everything is pictured here, but that doesn't mean you won't be seeing them on other blog posts real soon! Stay tuned for the blog posts on these two trips coming to the blog real soon!
xoxo, Michele
