SIMONS CARDIGAN (SIMILAR)  |  SEQUIN DRESS

Happy New Year!  How was your new years eve?  We went to our friend's place for a semi-formal attire party and had a great time; safe to say, Sunday was a complete write off.  More on the party later, let's jump into the snaps.

On Friday, I hit the gym and then went to the mall to poke around and get some quality me-time in.  I love shopping on my own when there is no time limit, it's a great way for me to recharge my batteries (in other ways that don't involve emerging myself in hours of YouTube videos).

I went to Simons and they had so many amazing sales.  If you saw my Snapchat--I'm acoest1984-- you saw how crazy the deals were!  This sequin dress is under $30 (i.e. less than half price) and the cardigan was around the same.  If you're in Ottawa, head over, I find the deals are better in person than online.  That said, I didn't purchase the dress but picked up a gorgeous bell sleeved top that I wore for NYE.  I can't find it online, but this one is similar.



New Years Eve is just a few days away but there is still time to snag something sparkly before the ball drops.  I love sequins for the holidays (I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to them!) and like I've mentioned before, tend to invest in at least one piece per year as they will truly last & keep in your closet forever.

I'm a big fan of long sleeved sequin mini dresses, but also love a sequin top to dress up with a skirt (leather would be awesome) or down with some denim or distressed black skinnies.  

Today I'm sharing a few ways I've worn sequins over the years, plus sharing a bunch of similar items in case you're looking to get your sparkle on this weekend.


SHOP MY LOOK







Hello ladies and happy Monday!  I'll be honest, I was really not looking forward to the three day weekend coming to a close--I need a vacation!  Who's with me?

The photo above was snapped on New Years Eve--we went out to a club with a big group of friends and had a great time.  The music was awesome and we had reserved a booth so, as silly as it sounds, it was nice to have a place to sit at times!


Happy New Year ladies!  I know, I'm a few days late but hopefully you don't mind me taking a few days to recover and relax.  I'll be sharing a full recap of the weekend tomorrow but wanted to hope on and say hello.

First, wanted to send a big hug to all of you that come and hang out with me, whether daily or every now and again--thanks for keeping up, sending love and all the support.  I love connecting with you on here, so thank you.

Finally, the little collage above is a fun option where you can find your most liked photos on Instagram from the year; you can make yours here.  Also, if you'd like to follow along on Instagram, I post a ton on that there never makes it to the blog (I'm acoest1984).

Hope you had a great weekend and see you tomorrow!


O U T F I T  D E E T S :  SEQUIN DRESS (SIMILAR GOLD, GREEN & ROSE GOLD)  |  REPORT SIGNATURE HEELS -- OLD (SPLURGE, BUDGET FRIENDLY)  |  EAR CUFF  |  BANGLES

I wanted to share one more look for New Years Eve because I got this dress for Christmas from my parents after my Mom saw it on my Black Friday post, again #wishlistFTW

Sequins are a natural choice for New Years Eve but I love that this dress is in a totally unexpected colour.  I am a huge fan of sequin dresses, or anything for that matter, and especially love how this one has sleeves.  Since it's on the short side, I paired mine with a nude fishnet tight, but opaque black tights with a black shoe or bootie would work, as would bare legs if you're in a slightly warmer climate.




O U T F I T  D E E T S :  ROMPER (CURVY OPTION)  |  BELT  |  HEELS  |  EARRINGS  |  LIPSTICK

New Years Eve is a few days away, do you have plans?

This year, we are heading out so I'll be wearing this fun, sparkly playsuit I shared in my Holiday Lookbook.  New Years is a great time to pull out all the sparkle, sequins & special fabrics, so why not make it simple and do it in a one-piece to take the guess work out of it.

I went all out sparkle with the shoes, but this would look equally great with a black pump, or my favourite, a coloured heel like these.



Hope you all had a great new years eve, whether it was spent at home for a quiet evening in or out on the town or at a party.  A few of us went to a friend's place for some drinks and food--I made this qunoia chilli--but it was pretty tame.

I made these fun photo props after seeing this tutorial.  I ended up using tinsel (cut up into shards) and dowels so we could hold onto them--they were a big hit!

I haven't forgotten about my resolutions, which I'll be sharing later this week.  Happy new year!

As with the past two years, I've done outfit recaps of the previous year.  The first half of 2012 was not ideal, to say the least, but the second half of this year has been pretty freaking wonderful!  A lot of great things have happened to me (filming a tv show for Xtreme Waterparks, winning the Place d'Orleans Fashion Vlogger gig, traveling to Vegas with my bff, getting asked to be the face of the 2012 Holiday Campaign for Place d'Orleans, traveling to Dominican Republic with great friends, watched my sister get marriednumerous summer nights out with my girls, meeting some new and great people, creating a YouTube channel, and lots of great weekends, to name a few) and I couldn't be more grateful.

Additionally, I'm so grateful for all of you who read, the comments you leave and just the fact that you come here to see what I'm up to and are interested.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  You make blogging more fun, more worthwhile and more enjoyable.

I see 2013 as an even bigger opportunity to grow and be a better person and accomplish mini goals I have in my head and just enjoy life.  I hope you can and do too.

Happy New Year!  To 2013!



Years past:



What to wear for New Years Eve?

I personally love sparkle & sequins and say this is the perfect opportunity to rock 'em.  If that's not you, I've included some options without all the glitz that are just as festive.

Be sure to check out my NYE outfit video as I didn't include two of the looks here, so watch the video to see those (both dress options, including what I will be wearing!).

Outfit deets:
1.  F21 sequined top (old), Urban Planet shorts & Llliana heels.
2.  Stitches top (old), Dynamite pants & heels from Ross.
3.  Dynamite peplum top, H&M pants, Lilliana heels & Joe Fresh jewelery.
4.  Jacob blazer, Urban Behaviour top, Dynamite sequined shorts (new!) & Aldo heels.
5.  Dynamite top, Jacob jeans, Report Signature heels, Suzy belt (worn as a necklace) & H&M bangle.


Related:



For my fifth vlog as the Place d'Orleans Fashion Vlogger, I've gone with a New Years Eve theme.  What to wear for NYE?  I'm showing you seven (seven!) different looks you can rock till long after the clock strikes 2013.

Stay tuned for more videos (specifically on the Place d'Orleans FB page).  Next year (in January) I will be talking getting comfy and cozy after the holidays are over and keeping our resolutions!

Other videos:
* Fall Fashion (video #1)
* Wardrobe Classics (video #2)
* Bundling Up for Winter (video #3)


More videos on my YouTube Channel.

The Christmas holidays for me this year included lots of family, sleeping in every day, far too much food and plenty of good times.  I'd love to share with you some highlights of my 10 days off...
I kicked off my holidays right by staying in and ordering Indian take-out.  The butter chicken wasn't the best, but that fact that I didn't have to venture out was a big plus.
 
The following morning, Christmas Eve, my sister and I hosted a birthday brunch for our Dad at her place.  We made breakfast burritos (the birthday boy's request) and roasted potatoes and served vanilla and chocolate cake for dessert.

My sister and her fiance recently got a new puppy and named her Piper.  Needless to say, I'm an obsessed Auntie.
That night, my sister and I headed over to our parent's place (tradition) where my mom had a massive spread of treats and goodies (I brought those ginger cookies I love).  We pigged out and had a great time before all heading off to bed around midnight.
On Christmas morning, we awoke to a continuous snowfall (so pretty).  We raced into the living room to see what Santa brought us (and Santa didn't disappoint!).
 
After we open our stockings, we always have breakfast before moving onto the presents.   My mom made the (Pillsbury) cinnamon buns and croissants that my sister brought and I made everyone Mimosas. 
We spent the rest of day lazing around, playing with our new gifts (yes, that is my new Michael Kors watch - a gift from my parents!  Eep!  So excited!) and of course prepping dinner.
For Christmas dinner we had turkey, stuffing, mashed carrots/turnip, sweedish potatoes, corn, peas, tomato aspec & broccoli salad.  It's my favourite meal.  Ever.  Much later in the night, after my grandparents had left, my Dad broke out his mad bartending skills and made us all ceasers.
In the days that followed Christmas, the weather got worse and we were dumped with a lot more snow (but it was quite pretty).
I met up a with an out of town friend at a new-ish Italian place and we both enjoyed the manicotti.  Afterwards, I did a little shopping and picked up the off-white top from Old Navy (among other things).  A couple days later I attempted to make bite-sized baked brie (but they didn't exactly turn out great).
For NYE I headed up to cottage country where there was lots of relaxing (by the fire reading my newested borrowed book), card and board games were played, curried shrimp poutine was eaten, and the scenery was beautiful.

Overall it was a great Christmas and so nice to have an extended vacation.  Hope your Christmas was as wonderful!
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