Birthday Shenanigans

I had the best birthday this year when i was surprised by my boyfriend and all my close friends in Chicago! I'm lucky to have such an amazing group of people who never fail to make me feel loved! And its never a celebration without each and every one of them. I couldn't have been happier to have them there with me. I have to give my boyfriend kudos for pulling this one over and arranging this, all the while convincing me of a whole other agenda.

The long weekend in Chicago involved a whole lot of shopping and ironically not a lot of purchasing. We stayed a few blocks from Michigan Ave. so we walked to the magnificent mile almost every day. I wanted to go to stores that weren't back at home and i wanted to treat myself to some special things. I looked and looked and tirelessly shopped with not much success but never less i had a wonderful time indulging in some delicious food!

Wow Bao is the best! We stopped by every night to pick some up!

My favorite were the curry chicken baos!

Dinner at The Purple Pig

Going up to the top of Willis Tower!

Out on the ledge! I could not look down, my knees were shaking lol

The SURPRISE!

Sprinkles Cupcakes! <3

Joy Yee's in Chinatown 

last night in Chicago, decided to treat ourselves to a big seafood dinner at Shaw's

Goodbye Chicago!

Camo Calling

I'm back from my mini birthday vacation to Chicago! I had an amazing time and can't wait to share my pictures and stories about my trip. I think for once in my life i was not packed well for this trip! I am guilty of excessively packing anytime i need to put things in a suitcase. Its like a guilty conscious and i just don't feel good about leaving anything behind, i have a ridiculous way of thinking.

With that said, i thought i would restrain myself from unloading my entire wardrobe's contents into my ONE allotted suitcase SHARED with my boyfriend. I packed about 4 outfits, many of which were basic essentials and one "night" outfit for my birthday dinner. To my surprise the most important piece of clothing i regretfully forgot to bring along was a light jacket.

I don't know where my common sense went when i knew the "windy city' was the "windy city" for a reason and didn't pack any type of jacket, cover up or sleeves at the very least. I've been too spoiled with the unbelievably beautiful summer weather at home. Never less i knew i would be shopping relentlessly so i made it a mission to find me a jacket! (Pictures and shopping haul coming soon!)

Jackets i wanted and jackets i found! And now i'm overcome with this obsession with a come back trend of the classic camo print military style jackets i saw every which way i turned. I know, camo walks on a fine line and usually i wouldn't dare mess with it but i actually love the edgy style it adds to any thing you can imagine pairing it with. Camo is the new black? Maybe not, yet.

What i wore: Sheer Maxi

I love summer sun but lets just admit it that sweating from a heat wave isn't the cutest. I always gravitate towards simple and chic pieces for an outfit to stay cool in the heat. I decided to pair my sheer maxi skirt (seen on my most recent summer haul) with a basic tank top and balance the look with my favorite vintage belt.

Since the outfit is pretty muted with my classic black and taupe, i added an arm full of brightly colored bracelets for color and fun! As much as i love the current color trends, black will forever be my staple go-to color. So to stay trendy and at the same time add color to my wardrobe i use a lot of colored, statement accessories. It's such an easy way to change the look of basic pieces!

Black basic tank, Forever 21

Sheer maxi skirt, TJmaxx

Vintage leather belt, thrifted

Marc Jacobs satchel, Nordstrom

Arm accessories, H&M

I'm not the biggest fan of wearing a lot of makeup during the summer but there's always tricks to creating a natural summer look without overdoing it. For my makeup i decided to go with a dewy, summer glow look and to help the makeup last under the sun and heat, always remember to set your makeup!

Bareminerals "Tinted" Mineral Veil

Revlon Whipped foundation "Warm Golden"

Revlon Photoready concealer "Medium"

Benefit bronzer "Hoola"

Maybelline Eyestudio gel liner "Blackest black"

Wet n' Wild Coloricon eyeshadow "Walking on eggshells"

Benefit highlighter "High beam"

MAC Mineralize blush "Super Nova"

NARS lipgloss "Chihuahua" 

MAC lipstick "Shy girl"

EOS lip balm "Strawberry Sorbet"