Two Words: BLACK FRIDAY

Did anyone go Black Friday shopping? I knew I wasn't gonna miss the undeclared holiday for shopping!  Although I have never been the type of person to go to sleep at 6pm on Thanksgiving, and show up to a department store at midnight or 3am, I did participate in the Black Friday shopping madness! My mom and I, have always had this strategy of waking up, going to breakfast, then around 10 or 11 am, hitting the stores. By then (well hopefully by then) all the cranky shoppers who woke up early are home and passed out, or at lunch! 

Although I had 12 different emails from various retailers in the mall, such as Express, Victorias Secret, Ulta, Macy's, etc. I decided to stay away from the mall (parking,yuck!) and instead shopped at smaller stores for exact things I needed. My Black Friday shopping consisted of Kohl's, Payless, Styles for Less, JCPenny, and Target. Our Black Friday shopping actually kicked off on Thursday night at Michael's for some amazing deals of craft products (Yes Michael's is open on Thanksgiving day). 

Here are some of the goodies I bought...
I bought some leggings and tights, by Simply Vera by Vera Wang at Kohl's. The leggings were originally on sale for $20, and I got them for $9.99, as well as the black tights originally priced at $12, and I got them for $7.99! 

I needed to stay away from black (yeah i'm wearing it) so I wanted to venture into grey! lol The hat and scarf are from Payless, and were 50% off! The hat and scarf were both $7.49.

I guess standing in line for 30 minutes at Kohl's, just to pay was worth it! I'm loving the military style trend that's going on right now, so I also bought a military style coat by Candie's for $47.99. It has really cool zipper and button details, and falls above my knee. 

I'm known to wear extravagant cocktail rings, so I couldn't pass these up when I saw them. I found the black ring at Kohl's and the flower ring, and the silver box ring at Styles For Less. The box ring was $4.99! Inside the box, it has a cross, and the words hope spelled out. 

One of my favorite things that I bought on black friday was my sequined tiger printed sleeve for my macbook, from Styles For Less. I've been looking for a unique sleeve for my macbook, and this one is perfect!

I hope everyone had a safe (no one got hurt) Black Friday. I just wanted to share a few of the many things I bought on Black Friday. Oh, and I did purchase gifts, but if I posted them, that would ruin the surprise! Happy Holiday shopping :)

Alyssa

A Nostalgic Thanksgiving

After a long day of class in the morning, and driving in holiday traffic, I finally got into Arizona last night, to celebrate Thanksgiving. My mom and I spent Thanksgiving with two friends of ours, since my father is currently working overseas, as well as my brother being deployed. 

Our Thanksgiving dinner consisted of gourmet dishes, thanks to Jen, our friend who is a chef :) We also opened a amazing bottle of wine, from Eastern Europe, from our trip in 2006. 

The host of our Thanksgiving dinner was kind enough to show me photographs of his late wife, during the 1960's when she was a model. His wife Karen, attended a modeling school in San Francisco, after moving to the mainland from Hawaii. Along with her photographs, was a modeling handbook, complete with personal measurements, and diets and nutritional information for models. One of the photographs was a critique photo, with notes of correction written directly on the photo. I knew Karen was a beautiful lady inside and out, but I wish I would have known this about her when she was alive. I would have loved to chat with her about her modeling days and her love for fashion :)

I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving with their friends and families!

I'm sure i'm not the only one super stoked for Black Friday tomorrow :)

Alyssa

Eyeliner, Stars and Skulls

It's Monday and I know i'm not the only one mentally checked out! Especially since we're days away from Thanksgiving! 


I woke up feeling inspired by the edgy sound of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's, and their song "Heads Will Roll" ( a great song to run or workout to). 


I dug through my closet this morning, and found my beloved skull scarf, that I remember spending months searching for, after seeing Nicole Richie donning one in a magazine. I decided to layer this over a sleeveless turtleneck, skinny jeans and OTK boots :) Not to mention my fabulous skull and crossbone ring I found at a Buffalo Exchange in Phoenix. 

 Skull and Crossbone ring from Buffalo Exchange, Infallible Eyeliner by L'oreal in Carbon Black.

OTK flat boots from Payless

Skulls and stars scarf from Styles For Less, Ring Buffalo Exchange, Silver Bangles Forever 21, Earrings from Kohl's.

Make Me Glow

As I battle my insomnia, I decided to post a picture of the new OPI nail polish I bought this weekend at Ulta. I was super stoked to see OPI came out with a whole collection based on the movie Burlesque, that will be hitting theaters soon!! I first spotted the collection in this weeks Ulta Magazine. The minute I saw glitter- I instantly gravitated towards the Gold Glitter polish called "Glow Up Already". I layered this polish over "Blue For You" which is a gorgeous navy polish by Ulta Professional. I'm hoping to buy a couple more from this 12 piece collection :)

1st blog post....EVER!!! :D

Ok, so it has taken me forever to finally get this thing rolling. I've been wanting to have a beauty/fashion/life blog for 3 years, but never actually got around to  it. Well, actually...I did attempt at video blogging, for makeup and fashion tutorials two summers ago, but I got so frustrated with video editing that I gave up on it. I've had countless people suggest I blog or do video tutorials. I love writing and someday would like publish :) but in the meantime- I need to start blogging:)


A little about myself:


I am 24 years old, living my dream in San Diego, California. I was born and raised in different parts of Phoenix, Arizona. When I was little my family would come to San Diego on vacation, every single summer. I always knew in my heart, would live here. I remember in high school thinking to myself "one day...I WILL live in San Diego". And here I am...


I'm currently a student at FIDM Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. I will graduate in June (ah! around the corner!) with a degree in Merchandise Marketing. I hope to one day open a boutique with my mom <3


I have worked in clothing retail, and was a makeup artist for Ulta and Studio Gear Cosmetics. I live, eat, and breathe the beauty and fashion Industry. 


More to come....


xoxo


Alyssa Adore <3