Are you a shoes or bag girl? Most people are one or the other. While I do skew more toward shoes I love a well-made handbag. (Ex: my Chanel and Emm Kuo splurges) I'm a huge Burberry fan and have a couple pairs of shoes by the brand, what I need next is a Burberry handbag! I'm not talking about the iconic Burberry plaid, I'd go for one of the more unique bags.

Sadly the ones I like are a bit expensive, but thanks to Lyst I can keep an eye on pieces I like and find out when they go on sale.  With Lyst you can follow your favorite brands and people to be the first to see the latest looks and lyst items you love to receive sale and stock alerts. I have emails set up for certain brands and items, which is a bad idea for my wallet but great for finding out when my favorite things are back in stock or go on sale.

I'm a big fan of brighter bags because they go with everything. So as you can see there's a bright purple Burberry bag below!

Other items: Coach sunglasses, Bing Bang ring, Lana Jewelry necklace, Ancient Greek Sandals 'Clio', Chloe camera bag, Sophie Hulme bag charm

I was recently given the opportunity to visit The Red Door spa at the Mystic Marriott in Groton, CT to try out their 50 Minute Signature Massage. The official description for the massage is: This guest favorite incorporates essences of shea butter cream, facial acupressure and foot reflexology for head to toe balance and relaxation.

The Red Door offers everything from facials, massage and body treatments to nail care, hair design, make up artistry and more. I will definitely look forward to trying some of their other services in the future. The moment you walk in the spa the relaxation begins. 


I was a little nervous since I've only ever received massages from my Aunt in her home office (and once while on vacation in Santorini.) I was immediately put at ease upon entering The Red Door.  I arrived 30 minutes early, as the website suggests, to start relaxing before my massage.

You get a robe and sandals to start feeling fully pampered. Soft music also plays in all the rooms and there is complimentary water (and apples!) in the relaxation room. Little touches like this are always helpful when you need to unwind.


I have chronic back pain thanks to gymnastics so I get massages from my aunt once a month. I made sure to let my massage therapist Kat know about my back pain before we started so she knew to spend a little more time there. Kat explained the process of the massage before we began letting me know that she would be spraying an olive oil body spray before applying lotion for my massage. She also said that at different points in the massage heated towels would be applied, which was a great touch on my back, feet and neck.

She made sure to check up on me at different points during the massage to ask if the pressure was okay and if I was feeling any pain.  The massage started on my back, then we moved to arms, legs and feet all while laying on my stomach.  We ended that portion with a foot reflexology massage. After that I flipped over for some more arm and leg work followed by a short facial massage.  One of my favorite parts of the massage was the aromatherapy Kat put near the head cradle so while I breathed I had some lavender and other scents to help me relax even more.


You can book your own appointment via their website or if you want to gift someone one of their many services, head to their gift page where you can purchase a gift card (in a dollar amount,) a gift certificate (for a specific service) or a Red Door membership. Be sure to check out their current promotions as well!

A few more photos from the day.

Founded by day spa pioneer Elizabeth Arden, The Red Door offers award-winning signature services, enhanced specialty treatments and beauty and wellness recommendations, including everything from facials, massage and body treatments to nail care, hair design, make up artistry and more. Importantly, The Red Door provides guests with a unique and unforgettable experience, delivering the highest level of technical expertise and impeccable guest service. With the belief that beauty and wellness work in harmony to make lives better, The Red Door continues to expand, innovate and serve as a leader within the day spa industry.

We are just over a month away from Christmas (and very close to Hanukkah) so Christmas gift shopping is in full swing. I try not to do anything Christmasy until after Thanksgiving, but when you find the perfect gift for someone you have to buy it, whether it's June 3rd or December 24th.  I'm almost done with all my shopping but I do have a few more gifts to buy.

One gift that never goes out of style is jewelry. And when you can personalize your jewelry gift it's even better! Thanks to Onecklace you can find a ton of great personalized jewelry options for your loved ones! They sent me two great pieces to feature on the blog. First I chose an adorable silver heart midi ring that is going to be a permanent fixture on my hands (always on the hunt for cute silver rings, I can't get enough!) For my second piece I chose a personalized chevron birthstone necklace.

From name necklaces to birthstone jewelry you'll be able to find the perfect piece for everyone on your list. They carry very simple pieces, such as my chevron necklace and also have more intricate pieces like a family tree birthstone necklace (a great gift for mothers or grandmothers!) If you want to do some holiday shopping over at Onecklace, use code closet10 for 10% off!

Sweater: Ann Taylor c/o Tanger, Skirt: Vince Camuto (Lord & Taylor), Heels: Prada (The RealReal)

Longtime readers will know that I love featuring companies that promote sustainability and support artists.  Today I'm sharing a piece from UncommonGoods. They carry such a wide selection of products that you're sure to find something you love. Most of the products they carry are created in the USA, and about one-third of the entire collection incorporates recycled and/or upcycled materials. Pieces range from dainty to rustic, so there's something for every style. Or, if you're like me, you'll want a bit of everything.

UncommonGoods supports a variety of non-profit organizations from City Harvest (which strives to end hunger in communities throughout New York City through food rescue, distribution, and education) to American Forests (which protects and restores forests worldwide.) With every purchase you make, UncommonGoods donates $1 to the non-profit of your choice. Since starting their Better to Give program 12 years ago, they’ve donated over $700,000 to charities around the world!

How amazing is this Hand Forged Slate and Bronze Necklace? It has a Greek god vibe to it, at least in my weird point of view. It was made in Vermont by mother-daughter design team Tulianna and Alejandra Garces. Finger-shaped stones are collected from the Vermont shoreline and refined into rustic beads. Then hammered-bronze accents are added to the stones for a hint of shimmer.

Blazer: Chanel (Roundabout Resale), Sweater: Roundabout Resale, Jeans: J Brand 'high rise Maria' (Gilt), Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs (Saks Fifth Avenue), Boots: Vince Camuto (Marshalls), Necklace c/o UncommonGoods

As promised here's a quick behind the scenes look at my Star Wars photoshoot with Kohl's! I had such a fun day with Megan, Amiyrah and Lillian! I wish I took some more photos of the three of us having fun backstage, but we were a little too excited! Megan was kind enough to send over a bunch of her photos so I am sharing some of them as well.

Outfit #1: R2D2 Sweatshirt, LC Lauren Conrad Runway Collection Velvet Skirt, Candie's Ankle Boot,  R2D2 Necklace
Outfit #2: Empire Strikes Back Thermal Tee, Simply Vera Vera Wang vest, Star Wars Studded Leggings, Simply Vera Vera Wang Mary Jane Pumps

The fabulous four/force of fashion gals!

The rain didn't dampen our spirits!

Getting my hair done, teasing is insane! (I'm shielding you from the super crazy teased hair photo)

View from the studio

Smile for the camera!

Watching Lillian get her photos taken

Battle of the hair!

We couldn't stop laughing even though we were supposed to be serious.

Action shot!

Super cute Star Wars cupcakes! I ate C3P0

Hair and Makeup for look 2

Getting ready...

I am a Sith Lord! BOOM!

Makeup touch-up before the group shot!

At the end of the day Kohl's had printed some photos and wrote us little notes! So nice

By now all my regular readers know that I LOVE Harry Potter. What many of you may not know is that one of my first fandoms was Star Wars, back when I didn't even know what a fandom was.  When I was younger my brother, sister and I would watch the original trilogy on VHS all the time.  Then when my youngest brother started watching tv/movies he would watch one pretty much every day. Needless to say I can quote the movies with dialogue, music and sound effects without missing a beat.

When Kohl's asked me to be part of their Force of Fashion YES Moment, I had to accept! A day with fellow Star Wars fans styling outfits: what could be better than that?! The day was so much fun, especially when spent with girls who loved Star Wars as much as I did. The Kohl's team was amazing and so fun to work with. We had a long day of shooting and a video interview session talking about our love of the series.  Below are some of the official photos and the video, I'll share behind the scenes stuff separately since there are so many photos!




(Cheesy glow on lightsabers Photoshopped on by me, ha ha)


For my first outfit I dressed up an adorable R2D2 sweatshirt! R2 is one of my favorite characters (along with C3P0) so I HAD to pick this piece. With my second look I went a bit edgier with the leggings and vest. Normally I don't wear leggings as pants, but with the vest it covers up everything I want to hide.  The other girls also did an amazing job styling up the Star Wars collection. I think we've proved that you can be a fashionable geek, yes?! Kohl's was nice enough to let us take home the clothes we modeled, so I can't wait to wear all these pieces in the coming months.

If you want to follow the other lades, find them here: Megan, Amiyrah and Lillian!

P.S. Who else is SUPER excited for The Force Awakens (plus the new theme park at Disney!)

Outfit #1: R2D2 Sweatshirt, LC Lauren Conrad Runway Collection Velvet Skirt, Candie's Ankle Boot,  R2D2 Necklace
Outfit #2: Empire Strikes Back Thermal Tee, Simply Vera Vera Wang vest, Star Wars Studded Leggings, Simply Vera Vera Wang Mary Jane Pumps