Hi everyone!  Happy Valentine's Week!  Is it a long weekend where you are?  Tony and I made absolutely no plans for this weekend.  Originally this was supposed to be our first weekend back after Costa Rica with no house guests so I was quite excited to not have anything planned ... and then last weekend Tony's friend was supposed to come and stay Friday - Tuesday but his flight was cancelled, so we ended up with a free weekend!  So now it kind of feels like we should have planned something for this weekend if that makes any sense?  Anyways, it's been Snowmageddon this past week which kind of caught me off guard but has been really beautiful and peaceful-looking.

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Sweater by H&M (old, similar)

Mid-Rise Pixie Ankle Pants by Old Navy

Faux Suede Booties by Old Navy

Double Disc Pendant Necklace by Forever 21 (similar)

 Sweater Dress by Joe Fresh (super old, similar)

Tights by Gap

"Gemelli" Patent Oxfords by Aldo

 Scallop Hem Sweater by Dynamite

Skirt by J.Crew (old, similar)

Tights by Gap

"Bazovica" Leather Loafers by Aldo (old, similar)

Necklace by Tiffany & Co.

Heart-Print Top by Smart Set (old, similar)

Mid-Rise Pixie Ankle Pants by Old Navy

Super Long Open Front Sweater by Old Navy

"Rodney" D'Orsay Flats by Sam Edelman

For Valentine's Day I wore a heart-print top with red pants, which I thought was festive but not overly so.  Tony got me pink gerbera daisies and two heart-shaped donuts from Lucky's, and we made burgers together and watched Moonstruck and The Favourite.   Have you guys seen Moonstruck?  It's from 1987 starring Cher and Nicholas Cage.  Cher won an Oscar for this movie!  I didn't understand it at all but the cheesiness of it made me laugh.  I fell asleep during The Favourite but only because we watched it after dinner and I had the food sleeps! LOL 

I looked a little haggard at the beginning of the week, not sure what that's about but you know, it happens.

One morning I was checking the link for these d'orsay flats to see if they were still in stock (sometimes in ShopStyle it looks like items are available when they really aren't ... and vice versa) and found out they were 50% off, along with these leather loafers!  My Aldo loafers need replacing soon so I went on a bit of a shoe shopping spree and bought the loafers in black, nude and grey, and the suede d'orsay flats in black and nude.  I had a bit of sticker shock at check-out with the currency exchange, tax and shipping, but it averaged out to about $80 CAD per pair, which is pretty good and about (or less than) what I would pay for a pair of the Steve Madden Feather loafers or Sam Edelman Rodney's if they went on sale.  I've owned lots of J.Crew Factory shoes in the past and they are really good quality, last a long time, and their sizing is consistent!  This is important to me because return shipping for Canadians is not free, and shoes are big and bulky to ship!

I also decided to simplify my underwear drawer this week.  I've been thinking about doing it since Becca talked about it during a Bad on Paper episode that I listened to in Costa Rica.  Then, last week Leslie mentioned it on Cupcakes and Cashmere.  They both recommended Aerie underwear, which I haven't tried before, but they had a Valentine's week 10 pairs for $30 special so I decided to go for it.  I got rid of all of the pairs of underwear that I avoid wearing for one reason or another, and kept only the ones that look like this.  I'm excited to have some consistency in that drawer now! (It's the little things ...).  Sometimes (a lot of the time) I feel bad throwing things away that are "fine", but that I don't use or wear, but the truth is, it's just creating clutter and taking away from the things that you do like!

What have you guys been buying lately?  Tell me in the comments below!

I hope you all have a great weekend and thank you so much for reading!

xo JULES

February Work Outfits Week One

Hi everyone!  Happy February!

We had our first snowfall of the season this week so it was cold (-5 to +3 ℃), but sunny.  I actually wore a toque (beanie) on my walk to work, which I never do because I don't want it to mess up my hair!  But actually you lose a lot of heat through your head so it's definitely worth it on those colder days!  And my hair was totally fine when I got to work, so I don't know what I was so worried about!  LOL

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Cable Knit Sweater by Joe Fresh (old, similar)

"Mid-Rise Pixie Ankle" Pants by Old Navy (old pattern)

"Gemelli" Patent Oxfords by Aldo

 Tie Neck Swing Dress by Old Navy (old, similar)

Tights by Gap

Faux Suede Booties by Old Navy

Striped Sweater by Old Navy (old, similar)

"Mid-Rise Pixie Ankle" Pants by Old Navy

"Feather" Suede Loafers by Steve Madden 

Gold Tassel Necklace by Banana Republic Factory (old, similar)

Sweater by H&M

Tweed Mini Skirt by H&M

Tights by Gap

"Bazovica" Leather Loafers by Aldo (old, similar)

Necklace by Reverie DP (Etsy, gifted)

Anyways, everything I wore last week was old & unexciting - except for this new necklace from Reverie DP!  You may have noticed I've been wearing a lot of her necklaces since the fall - I found her on Etsy and when I tagged her on Insta she kindly reached out to me and offered to send me two more of her pieces!!  I ordered this black wooden bead necklace that I'm wearing above, along with this tassel necklace.  I find sometimes I just don't want to wear metallics, you know?  And they are so lightweight, kind of minimalist and just so pretty.  I feel like they can go with so many outfits!

In other news, I got a new phone this week.  I didn't need a new phone, my old one is a 6s, but I kept running out of storage (more than half it was "Other") and the camera on the new ones is much better.  I hate spending that kind of money on a phone and it took me a long time to come to grips with it, but finally I just bit the bullet.  I got the XS, 256 GB in gold.  It's a little bigger and heavier than the 6s (con), and I really wish it came in rose gold, but whatever.  So far I am liking it!  On my 6s I didn't have a screen protector or a case, but for this one I am getting both.  I'm not going to use the case on a day to day basis, but I ordered this one that you can stick to mirrors, walls, treadmills screens (seriously, it's the best!) etc. and I'm looking for one with a ring or pop socket so that it's easier to hold when I'm doing try-on videos or mirror selfies, and as a bonus you can use it as a stand.  If you have any recommendations for the ring-style case, please let me know!  The screen protector that I ordered is this one, I specifically wanted one with a matte finish and I LOVE it!  No more dirty fingerprints on the screen and it just feels really smooth.  Tony and I have a thing for matte screens - Apple used to make Macbooks with a matte screen option and we would always opt for it.

I meant to go and get an eye exam last weekend but the timing didn't work out so I'm hoping to go this weekend.  It's been two years since my last one and I think my prescription needs updating.  I'm also excited to get some new glasses!  I actually hate wearing glasses, I find it super annoying and they are always sliding down my nose, but they can look cute.  My astigmatism isn't bad enough for contacts, plus when I went for a laser eye surgery consult in the fall, they told me I had dry eyes, which isn't good for contacts.  SO - glasses it is.

Other than that, I have no real plans for the weekend.  Last night I went to hot yoga, and today we are going for brunch before Tony has some friends over to play board games (that's when I'm planning on going for my eye exam!).  Tomorrow hopefully I'll get to see a friend of mine that's in town ... and that's it!  One of Tony's friends was supposed to be coming to stay with us this weekend so we hadn't really made any plans, but last night his flight was cancelled ... so he's not coming.

Anyways, what have you guys been up to?  Is it cold and snowy where you are too?

As always, thank you so much for visiting!!

xo JULES

January Work Outfits Week Four

Hi everyone!  How are you?!  It's been awhile!

Tony and I got home from Costa Rica last Sunday and I have to tell you, we had an amazing trip!  It was so relaxing, hot and sunny every day, the food was great, the resort was beautiful and we spent pretty much every day lounging by the pool.  I read 4 books (Love & Ruin, Rich People Problems, The Constant Gardener, When Life Gives you Lululemons) and listened to Dr. Death, Dirty John, Grace's Bad on Paper Podcast and The Skinny Confidential's interview with Julia & Thomas from Gal Meets Glam.

If you want to see what I wore on vacation, I saved my daily mirror selfies to the Costa Rica Highlights on my Instagram Stories.  I may share them here, too, along with what I packed - would that be something you'd be interested in?  I was also thinking about doing a review of the resort we stayed at; I'm no travel blogger but I thought it might be helpful?  If you have any questions in the meantime, please let me know in the comments!

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Polka Dot Dress by Zara (sold out, similar)

Tights by Gap (on sale for $6.99!!)

"Rodney" D'Orsay Suede Flats by Sam Edelman

Earrings by J.Crew Factory (sold out, similar)

 Crewneck Pullover Sweater Tunic by Gap

"Mid-Rise Pixie Ankle" Pants by Old Navy

"Trace" Mules by Steve Madden

Necklace by Reverie D.P. (Etsy)

(I apologize for my wrinkly sweater!  I steamed it but then sat down to do some blog stuff before taking pics and didn't realize it got all creasy!)

"Saffron" Dress by Little Moon (Aritzia, on sale for $45!)

Tights by Gap

"Blaire" Suede Sock Booties by Steve Madden

 Floral Blouse by Dynamite (old, similar)

Super Long Open Front Cardigan by Old Navy

"Raw Hem Ankle Skinny Jeans" by Rag and Bone

"Feather" Suede Loafers by Steve Madden

The wifi at the resort was pretty good, so I actually did some online shopping poolside!  The Aritzia dress above was one of those purchases, and was conveniently waiting for me when we got back!  The Trace mules were ordered before we left but delivered while we were away so it was fun to be able to wear those as well (by the way, I was able to get a price adjustment from them cancelling my order the first time!).  I'm also wearing the Rag & Bone jeans and Steve Madden loafers I talked about in my last post!

I got a little carried away and decided that I should order some summer/vacation clothes, too.  The only thing I really needed was a bathing suit coverup, and I bought one when we went to Tamarindo about halfway through our trip.  But somehow I thought I needed another one (maybe I will!) so one thing led to another and I ended up ordering this one, this pineapple print dress, this floral dress and these earrings.  The two dresses are Final Sale so I have to keep them (see my Insta Stories Try-Ons Highlight!), and the coverup and earrings are super cute as well.  But it is going to be MONTHS before I can wear any of that stuff!  LOL

Last night we celebrated a friend's birthday at Suika and The Shameful Tiki Room (get the Painkiller!!), and hosted two friends overnight that came in from out of town for the celebrations.  Next weekend we have guests as well, one of Tony's best friends that he's known since high school is going to be staying with us for about 5 days (I think?), and then the following weekend my bestie and her husband are going to stay with us for the night before flying to Japan!  So things are definitely going to be busy around here!

What have you guys been up to??  Tell me in the comments below!

xo JULES