Tag Archives: Lifestyle Blogger

Oh, London!

I love London. Anyone who is a regular reader of my blog knows I’ve been to my favorite city three times, and one of my recent trips was chronicled right here on this blog (there are several posts that can be found in the “World In My Eyes” section). So of course when I saw this adorable midi-skirt on Chicwish called “Oh London”, I just had to get it! I wore it to the Del Mar Races recently, because it seemed like the perfect place to wear it: a bright, beautiful day where this skirt could be seen in all it’s British glory! Wearing a simple palette of all black allowed this skirt to speak for itself, and to answer the question most asked about this skirt (other than where did I get it): yes, it has pockets!

A close-up of the fabulous Chanel cassette tape necklace I bought from Designer Vault (I’ve covered a couple of their events here and here). If you want authentic vintage Chanel, I highly recommend Designer Vault!

Isn’t my hubby handsome? (This photo taken by Tanya of La Bella Tanchi)

Outfit: Chicwish “Oh London Pleated Midi-Skirt“; Sheinside “Black Lapel Split Long Sleeve Pockets Blazer“; Forever21 tank top; Enzo Angiolini Coadi Houndstooth Pumps; Vintage Prada purse; Chanel cassette tape necklace from Designer Vault; Bonlook glasses & sunglasses; Kate Spade bracelets

A Day (or Two) at the Races

The Del Mar Racetrack is the second largest horse-racing venue in the Western United States and has two seasons: The Summer Meet and the Bing Crosby Meet. I’ve gone to the races previously, as part of a bachelorette party, and with my family for a food truck event (post here) and to see Weezer with my husband and son last year (post here). I was very lucky this year to be invited to a couple of media events for the Bing Meet. I took my best friend Janice to Opening Day for the Bing Crosby season, and I brought my husband for the Breeders’ Cup viewing. Although both events allowed us to view the races and bet, I liked that each event provided us different ways to enjoy the races. A pictorial recap follows below. This is the last week of the Bing Crosby season this year, so get out there and see the races, cheers!

Bing Crosby Season Opening Day 2015 (October 29, 2015)

“The horses are on the track!”

It’s not just about the ladies in their finest: check out these men and their awesome ensembles!

Janice and I dressed the part for the “Old Hollywood” theme. Plus, it gave me the excuse to buy my first ever fascinator hat!

My outfit: “Jemima” dress c/o Voodoo Vixen; Target stockings; Jessica Simpson shoes; Vintage Prada purse; Scala “Betty” Fascinator Headband (purchased at Village Hat Shop in Seaport Village)

Breeders’ Cup Day at the Races & Halloween Pre-Party (October 31, 2015)

America’s Best Racing provided a very different experience for myself and my husband. We had VIP access to the Betty Grable Celebrity Suite where we enjoyed food and beverages, plus a great view of the track. This was also a viewing party to see the 2015 Triple Crown Champion and California’s own American Pharaoh race at The Breeders’ Cup, and he won!

So nice to sit and chat with Tanya of La Bella Tanchi!

We enjoyed VIP access to the saddling paddock.

After visiting the paddock, we were led down to the track between races.

With my hubby…I don’t think we have ever been this close to the track before!

Also got to hang out with Nicholle of Topknots And Pearls. We were in full-effect in full midi-skirts (outfit post to follow)!

It was so amazing to be this close to the horses and to meet the jockey’s. In this last collage, I was going to pose with the horse behind me, but he turned and nuzzled me! He was so incredibly sweet!

Thank you MeadsDurket and America’s Best Racing for two wonderful days at The Del Mar Racetrack!

Fashion Week San Diego 2015 Wrap Up

I know it’s been a little while since the Fashion Week San Diego 2015 runway and trunk shows, but I’m posting this wrap up to also announce that the winning designers will be hosting a “Mini Day of Fashion” at La Plaza in La Jolla on Sunday November 22, 2015 starting at 11am. There will be a brunch, a meet & greet with each of the designers: B.JASH.I, Tasanni, and Territa Torres; plus you’ll be able to shop their runway looks at 15% off garment prices. I’ll be there to support these talented ladies, and I hope to see you there, too! My wrap up of Fashion Week San Diego below includes highlights of night 1 of the runway show, the trunk show, and photos of the pop-up shop. Enjoy!

FWSD 2015 Runway Show Night 1

QUYNN Atelier

Sharlene Borromeo of A’Doreus with model Summer Nicole. That dress was so beautiful up close!

Alber Rezko Jewelry Designs with Nolan Dean Fashion. Lots of drama!

Nolan Dean Fashion

Tasanni’s final runway walk

With my fellow bloggers & stylists. After the show, I had a great time having a late dinner and chatting up a storm with writer Courtney Hartmann (bottom right).

My outfit for the evening, as taken by Jenna of Lucky Little Mustard Seed for her blog post “FWSD ‘Runway Show’ Style“. She so graciously named my outfit as one of her favorites of the evening (*squeal!*)…so just for Jenna, here is a shot of my United Nude shoes (below).

Outfit: Forever 21 sleeveless trench; H&M jumpsuit; Kate Spade necklace & bracelet; Vintage Prada bag; “Mona” glasses c/o Spy Optic

FWSD 2015 Trunk Show

With Sharlene of A’Doreus. I would love to wear a dress from her collection!

With Heather of The Stylish Bisou & designer Nikki Marie. Very cool retro styles!

My favorite dress of Tasanni’s runway show!

Another favorite by Lady Lane Desgins. I mean, how absolutely gorgeous is this gown!

A final picture from the trunk show, and beautiful models Leah Brown and fellow San Diego Style Blogger contributor, Tiffany Williams of the blog Glitz and Glam by Tiff

FWSD 2015 Winning Designers Pop-Up Shop at La Plaza in La Jolla

Beautiful dresses by B.JASH.I Couture

I love this little set by Territa Torres. She’ll be making a longer version of the top for off the runway!

Designers Marcie Bain (B.JASH.I); Fatsani Chikwana-Dogani (Tasanni) and Territa Torres

I took Dominic with me to visit the winning designers of FWSD 2015 at their pop-up shop in La Jolla. I bought a couple of items from B.JASH.I and Tasanni. I’ll be sure to feature them in a future blog post!

Had to include this picture of me with the designers, because it was taken by Dominic!

Spread Inspiration: #LiveAGreatStory

There are moments where I become overwhelmed thinking about life and how what we do everyday affects others. I’ve been listening to a lot of John Mayer lately, and moments like that make me think of the song Bigger Than My Body. As a mother, I know everything I do and say affects my son. He looks to me and my husband for guidance, and I want to inspire him to do great things, because this is the life you get, so live it in the best way you can. We all have something important to say, and we should all remember that as unique individuals, we can inspire by telling our stories.

Live A Great Story is a San Diego based apparel company that aims to “Spread Inspiration” through its clothing and create a movement. A percentage of their profits for their tanks and tees goes towards their “Story Fund”, reinvesting in those choosing to make a difference in their communities.

In addition to their line of clothing, Live A Great Story also has sticker and button packs to help spread inspiration anywhere and everywhere. For Any Second Now readers, they’ve created a special discount code: by entering the promo code ANY2NDNOW at check out you will receive a 30% discount when purchasing through www.liveagreatstory.com.

Be bigger than your body and get out there. Remember there is a whole world may not yet know your story, so make it a great one!

Outfit: Live A Great Story tank top (c/o); Say What? cardigan; Madewell jeggings; ASOS Dark Star sneakers; Kipling backpack; Unknown brand fedora; “Exciter” Depeche Mode necklace by Little Treasures by Mir; Warby Parker “Simone” in Tea Rose Fade

Cousins + sisters + sisters-in-law = family

FTC Disclosure: I received product and was asked to review the product in return. Although I did receive product, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.

This Is Kit And Ace

A couple of months ago, I was invited by fellow blogger Vanessa Balli to her private Kit and Ace blogger party at Kettner Exchange. If you haven’t heard of Kit and Ace, it’s a brand created by Shannon and JJ Wilson, wife and son of Chip Wilson, founder of lululemon. Their stores (both online and brick & mortar) feature clothing that is sophisticated yet relaxed, which is at the very heart of athleisure. At Vanessa’s private event, Erica Hecht from Kit and Ace showed tops made of Technical Cashmere™, “a machine washable fabric engineered from cashmere and technical fibres, with added stretch”. We were each given a garment to take home, and I absolutely love the luxurious feel of the heather grey Prevost Sleeveless Turtleneck I selected (pictured in the outfit at the end of this post).

The night was simply lovely, hanging out with beautiful blogger friends having great food, relaxed (and often hilarious) conversation, lots of Periscoping and of course learning about Kit and Ace. Thank you Vanessa for inviting me! If you want to check out Technical Cashmere™ for yourself, Erica has opened up pop-up shop at The Forum Carlsbad, fully stocked with fantastic Kit and Ace clothing (I’m definitely stopping by). In the meantime, here are some pictures from our fun-filled night at Kettner Exchange, cheers!

Delicious food and drinks at Kettner Exchange, along with a fun card game!

Technical Cashmere™

Bloggers having fun!

From left to right: Erica (Kit and Ace representative); Camilla (Navy Grace); Nichole (Topknots and Pearls); Lucy (Lucy’s Whims); Nikki (stylist, The Vault by Nikki); Vanessa Balli; Moi; Maria (stylist, Savvynista); Jenna (Lucky Little Mustardseed); Paulina (Lil Bits of Chic); Ayana (Thrifting Diva)

Outfit: Prevost Sleeveless top c/o Kit and Ace; UGG “Camya” sequence boots; Lovestitch cardigan (purchased at Miss Match Boutique); Paige jeans

Testing Out Warby Parker’s “Home Try-On” Program

At the beginning of September, I shared Warby Parker’s new fall 2015 collection (post here). Recently, I used their “Home Try-On” program to see which of my favorite fall collection picks would look the best on me. I posted my looks on Instagram (which links to my personal Facebook page), just to see what my friends, family and followers thought. It’s great because you have five days to try on the glasses, make your selection (I chose to take it to social media), then return them right in the same package they came in (a return label is enclosed). So simple and easy!

My choices: 1) “Caspar” in Jet Black; 2) “Percey” in Scarlet Tortoise; 3) “Simone” in Blue Coral; 4) “Holcomb” in Pearled Tortoise; 5) “Simone” in Tea Rose Fade

The votes were pretty clear: “Simone” in both the Blue Coral and Tea Rose Fade were the winners (even Warby Parker themselves commented on Instagram). My sister took pictures of me and my niece having fun with the “Home Try-On” samples. I think it’s a great way to ensure you choose the right Warby Parker frames, just for you!

“Simone” in Blue Coral

“Simone” in Tea Rose Fade

FTC Disclosure: I did not receive product or payment for this post, and I purchased both of the glasses in my final selection from Warby Parker.

Girls Night Out With Aall In Limo & Duran Duran!

Don’t we all have that group of friends we can do anything with? For me, it’s my sister, my cousin Regi and best friend Janice. They were all in my wedding, and we have gone to many nights out together, and most of them have been concerts. Imagine my delight to be able to surprise my girls with a limousine ride to see Duran Duran in concert, courtesy of Aall In Limo & Party Bus! Originally, there was to be six of us going, but sadly my friends Kim & Ian were not able to come, due to a mix up with their tickets. So they left the bottles of champagne for us enjoy, which we did. The limo was fully stocked with glasses and cold water for the ride there and back. Our driver, Mike, was so awesome, ensuring he had a designated place for us to meet up at the end of the show. Already excited for the concert, my girls and I agree that going to a show like this is definitely our favorite way to travel. Thank you again Aall In Limo & Party Bus for a memorable night!

Ready for our girls night out!

Janice and Regi had no idea we would travel to see our favorite band in such style!

A little pre-concert music in the limo because we were able to plug in our cell phones directly to their stereo system!

Clean Bandit opened for Duran Duran, and they were great!

A shot during “Pressure Off”

“Rio” anyone?! It goes without saying, Duran Duran sounded absolutely amazing in concert!

The obligatory “concert selfie”! I’m wearing the “DELETE” shirt by Patty Palazzo and her brand, Punk Masters (check out the many shots of Duran Duran in her shirts here).

With my sister, Rholnna, in post concert bliss. We finished off the champagne (and chased it with water). I recorded “Hungry Like The Wolf” live and included the set list below.

Edit this setlist | More Duran Duran setlists

FTC Disclosure: I received a service and was asked to review the service in return. Although I did receive the service as a courtesy, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.

GQ + Glamour Lookbook Live Fall Events Recap

Back on September 17, Janice and I attended the GQ + Glamour Lookbook Live VIP runway show event at Fashion Valley, which was a prelude to their Lookbook Live event that Saturday. The evening started off with appetizers and cocktails over by Neiman Marcus, followed by a fantastic runway show in Center Court. The evening then ended perfectly with dessert and champagne at Tiffany & Co. I’ve always enjoyed these events at Fashion Valley because they treat bloggers as wonderfully as they treat any member of the press, allowing us to have front row seats to ensure we capture the event in the best way possible to share on social media and our blogs. I’ve included highlights of both events, as I attended the Lookbook Live event with Dominic. Cheers!

I fell in love with this cape during Nordstrom’s presentation. The collage above is from my view, and the larger picture is from Fashion Valley’s Facebook page, where you can see me on the left, looking a bit stunned at how beautiful that cape was!

The UK punk rocker in me ended up matching the runway with the strong presence of red plaid. Nordstrom, Hugo Boss and Bloomingdale’s all showing some version of this fall staple (and that’s my Forever 21 skirt and Altuzarra for Target booties in the top left corner of the collage).

Wine and bordeaux are perfect fall colors. Also, that faux fur vest, cropped pants and patent leather heels with the long necklace by MaxMara add interest and texture to an all black outfit.

I simply died and went to footwear heaven at all of the shoes in the Salvatore Ferragamo collection. Oh yes…

My two favorite menswear looks: The top look from John Varvatos and the second look styled by Alex Yanez for Neiman Marcus. Both are an edgy spin to classic looks, incorporating a boot, similar to Doc Martens.

Desserts, champagne and little blue boxes at Tiffany & Co.

It really was such a fun evening spent with fashionable San Diego Style Blogger friends, both old & new! Click here to go to my Instagram account, where all the lovely people in the picture are tagged.

The actual Lookbook Live event was fun and interactive, with style experts from GQ and Glamour magazines.

More San Diego Style Bloggers (and Dominic)! Click here to go to my Instagram account, where all the lovely people in the picture are tagged.

I love this picture of me and Tiffany of Glitz and Glam by Tiff!

My outfit: Cassette Tape print romper by Neon Rose (from ASOS); “Mona” glasses c/o Spy Optic; London Underground cuff c/o Design Hype; shoes by Matiko; unknown name brand fedora

Me and my brooding boy…I think I got him to crack a bit of a smile eventually!

Thank you to Curator PR and Fashion Valley for inviting me to such a wonderful series of events!

DAISO Japan Grand Opening in Kearny Mesa & Deluxe Goodie Bag Giveaway!

I’m SO excited! DAISO Japan is opening a new location in Kearny Mesa, and they have a grand opening celebration happening September 12th & 13th, starting at 10am! If you are unfamiliar with DAISO Japan, they are a bright and cheerful retail store who’s mission is to help customers “find surprises and fun!” Their stores are filled with lots of Japanese based items where most of the prices start at $1.50. I’ve been to the Mira Mesa location more times than I care to count, and I can easily lose track of time because they have so many adorable yet useful items.

Inside of the DAISO Japan Mira Mesa location, pretty isn’t it?

In addition to goodie bags for the first 100 customers who present a receipt for that weekend and other fantastic prizes DAISO Japan is giving away during their grand opening, I’m also giving away a deluxe DAISO Japan goodie bag filled with items from their store to one lucky local Any Second Now reader, who will receive their prize at the grand opening!

TO ENTER THE DELUXE GOODIE BAG CONTEST:

Input your information in the Rafflecopter widget in this post for one entry.
For an additional entry, post a blog comment in the “Comments” section below.

The winner will be chosen at random and announced on this blog on September 9th.

Cheers and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

(Edited to add on 9/22/2015: For transparency, the original winner, Ronald D. did not respond to the initial and subsequent emails sent, and did not pick up his prize at the grand opening. I randomly selected another winner and have contacted Judy L. as the new winner!)

Fun & Affordable Glasses at Firmoo.com

With spectacles firmly cemented as part of my style, I’ve been trying to mix-up my glasses game. I have several pairs that are solid, so it’s always fun to try glasses with patterns, outside of the uber-classic tortoise. I recently checked out Firmoo.com and without even trying, I found this fantastic pair of spectacles in an interesting black, white and red pattern (style #F048) through their great search feature, which allows filtering by material, gender, frame type & shape, by color and even by pattern.

Before I made my final decision, I checked out all of the specs and compared the measurements to other glasses I already own. I then used Firmoo’s virtual try on to ensure the glasses would actually fit the shape of my face. I was so happy to see that these glasses would be a perfect addition to my collection! I then uploaded my prescription (along with PD, which is the Pupillary Distance) and placed my order. A couple of weeks later, I received my fab new glasses, which I wore recently to the Spandau Ballet concert at Humphreys By The Bay. They are light but sturdy, and arrived with hard & soft glasses cases, a lens cleaning cloth and mini-screwdriver. Also, your eyes do not deceive you: my glasses with prescription single-vision lenses were just $36! They constantly have new styles added in their “New Arrivals” section, and they also have a coupon code page where new customers can get great deals sitewide. I love my new glasses and I highly recommend Firmoo.com to purchase fun yet affordable prescription glasses!

FTC Disclosure: I received product and was asked to review the product in return. Although I did receive product, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.

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