Thursday Thoughts & New at Sephora

Tarte Blush Palette  // Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow  // Urban Decay Lipstick

I'm loving all the new products at Sephora! I've mentioned before that I think Tarte Blushes are some of the best & this new palette is such a great deal! It's perfect if you travel often and gives you so many color options. I've never tried any Bobbi Brown products but this new eyeshadow palette really drew me in, the colors are the perfect mix of neutrals and darker colors. & Finally how pretty is this Urban Decay liner & lipstick combo! I love the warm tone of it- perfect for fall. 

Things I did this week //

* Bought some cute new sweaters! I can't wait to share them on the blog- I'm ready for cozy cool days but Vermont has been in the high 80's!

* If you read the blog earlier this week you would have seen my Hobby Lobby & Target Haul where I shared what I purchased on my adventure across the lake! Unfortunately, Vermont doesn't have a Hobby Lobby or Target so we have to make a trip on a ferry to get to the closet one! It takes less than an hour though!

*Spent my nights watching the new season of Fuller House on Netflix :) Not sure how I convinced Kyle but he actually watches this show with me! & likes it! #win

Things I'm doing this weekend // 

* Dinner with my friend Annaliese from Southern Belle in Training  ! We've both been so busy with life & work I'm glad we're finally able to get together & catch up!

* Doing some very basic fall things- like heading to the apple orchard & pumpkin patch! Vermont is the perfect place to go all out in fall! It's almost peak foliage season so in the next few weeks Kyle & I will head to Stowe to drive through scenic Vermont! It's so beautiful!

*Prepping food for lunch & grocery shopping! I got a lot of questions about how I keep my cost of groceries so low & what I eat for lunch so I'm thinking I'll put together a post!

What are your weekend plans!? Let me know!

XO,
Nicholle 

Fall Lip Colors

From top to bottom- NYX Whipped Caviar, NYX Nude Pink, Maybelline Nude Thrill, Kylie Candy K, Stilla Perla, Stilla Serenata 

Shade Names // 

Kylie Cosmetics- 'Candy K'

Stilla Cosmetics- Perla (lighter shade) & 'Serenata' 

NYX Cosmetics- 'SPL858- Nude Pink' (lighter shade) & SMLL25- Whipped Caviar

Maybelline- 'Nude Thrill'

Ulta- 'Blush' 

Hi All! 

 Does anyone else get super excited for makeup once the weather starts to cool down?! I kind of boycott most makeup during the Summer months because who wants to have on makeup when it's 90 and you're sweating!? Not me! 

I thought I would share some snaps of my go-to fall lip colors today. These are all perfect for everyday wear as none of them are too out there. My top two fave shades are Kylie Candy K & Stilla Perla. I can't get enough of them! The Maybelline lip color is soo similar to the Kylie one- so if you want to save some money that's a great option! I just recently started getting into lip liners and I'm loving these two NYX shades- they're close enough to my natural lip color that they don't look crazy! Even if I mess up a little!

What are your fave fall lip colors!? Let me know!

XO,

Nicholle 

Hobby Lobby & Target Haul

 Happy Fall Y'all! 

I wanted to share some snaps of the items I picked up while shopping this weekend! Yesterday Kyle & I took a trip across the lake to New York to do some shopping at stores that we don't have in Vermont. While I love my home state I do wish we had some popular chain stores like Target, Ulta, Hobby Lobby & Nordstrom Rack. Luckily for me, Plattsburgh which is just a short ferry ride across the lake has some of these stores. While in NY we went to Target, DSW, and Hobby Lobby. They actually just opened this Hobby Lobby location this month so I was excited to visit, I found so many cute things pictured above & all their fall decor was 40% off! That's one thing I love about that store, there's always a sale! I also picked up some decor items at Target like the green glass pumpkin, the star mini pumpkins, & the fall sign- they had pretty limited fall decor left so those were the only things I grabbed & let's be honest I really don't need more decor! While at Target I grabbed a few clothing & makeup items which I'll share later this week! 

Hope you're having a great weekend!

XO,

Nicholle 

Thursday Thoughts

Yellow Sweater // Powder Pink Sweater // Red Sweater // Tan Sweater

Hi All & Happy Thursday!

I quickly wanted to share a few sweaters I've been eyeing all available at H&M. I lovee this store and think that you get great quality for the price. I've purchased a ton of sweaters from them in the past and they always hold up well! I have a weird infatuation with yellow lately so they yellow knit is at the top of my list.

Things I did this week //

*Made a crazy amount of applesauce!- If you follow me over on Instagram I was taking videos and pictures of the process of making it! I picked all the apples from my parent's yard- peeled them- cooked them down & made the sauce! It ended up yielding about 26 cups of applesauce! I jarred it up & it's now in my freezer whenever I want it!

*Brought clothes into my local consignment shop! I always go through my closet at the start & end of every season so I had a bag of clothes to drop off- I ended up getting $100 dollars for things that had just been sitting in my closet! Score! I highly suggest weeding through your clothes & only keeping the things you are 100% sure you will wear! It makes more room for new clothes!

Things I'm doing this weekend // 

*Making breakfast! - I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to make but I need an excuse to use my Pumpkin Butter from Trader Joe's. If you've never tried it you have to! It's the perfect amount of savory and sweet & is delicious on toast!

*Picking up fall flowers!- I love decorating inside and out for fall so I need to pick up some Mums for my entryway! One of Kyle's coworkers owns a little barn that sells Mums & Pumpkins so we're going to head there!

Do you have any fun weekend plans? Let me know!

XO,
Nicholle 

Fall Decor

Happy Pumpkin Spice Season! & Happy Tuesday! 

It's not feeling much like fall here in Vermont- more like late July, so it's been incredibly hot and humid, which I could do without! That hasn't stopped me from decorating my house for fall! I've found so many cute things recently like the Pumpkin Spice sign at my local Michaels Craft Stores. I never realized how much home decor Michaels has until just last week. I went nuts in there! Everything was around 60% off, there were so many good deals, with all the discounts this sign ended up being $6 and how do you say no to that!? 

This week I also took a trip to Trader Joe's where I picked up this fresh Eucalyptus which smells just like a craft store which is one of my fave scents. The best part of eucalyptus is that it's a natural air purifier and really helps to keep your home smelling fresh. I love to place this in my kitchen as it sucks up all the cooking scents! A bundle of fresh Eucalyptus is under $5 and lasts over 3 weeks! 

What are your favorite places to shop for fall decor? Let me know!  

Fall Work Look

 Open- Front Cardigan // Leopard Loafers // PAIGE Denim // White Button Up // Marc Jacobs Watch

Hi, All & Happy Sunday!

I've been getting ALOT of questions regarding what I wear to work as a teacher so I wanted to give you a little outfit inspiration today. At the end of this past week, I did an instastory with all the quick snaps of my outfits each day which you all seemed to enjoy. If you're not following me on Instagram you can find me @nichollesophia . I plan on doing an instastory like that at the end of each week so look out for that. 

Today I wanted to share an outfit I would wear to a typical school day- now at my school, I can wear dark wash denim but if you can't just swap these pants out for a skinny black pair. I love this look because it's cute and practical. The loafers are comfy for standing all day & the sweater keeps me cozy and warm. I love the look of layering a sweater over a button up because it makes the whole look come together. This sweater is currently on sale for under $20 and comes in a bunch of colors! It's super soft and great for everyday wear. The other great thing about this look is that it's easy to re-create. I'm sure most of us have a button up, a cardigan, and some flats in our closet- which means you can create this look! Let me know if there are specific pieces you want to see styled this season, I'm planning on doing a few more work appropriate outfits in the next few weeks.

Thursday Thoughts

*BootayBag sent me this subscription package as part of their blogger outreach program*

Happy Thursday! A few weeks ago I was so excited to start decorating & dressing for fall but Vermont has decided to revert back to summer so it's currently 80 degrees here! You can't really complain though because this is much better than negative 20 and snow that will be here soon enough! 

So who loves new undies?? Who thinks shopping for them is no fun?? Well- best thing ever has been invented- an underwear subscription service- when you sign up you get sent two undies for $12 dollars a month. These are great quality and so comfy not to mention super cute. I received a black lace pair & a pretty light blue shade, they come in tons of colors and styles! What I love about this company is that they give back "BootayBag is a philanthropic based company through our subscribers support! Whenever someone posts a picture with the hashtag #undermatters on social media, BootayBag donates $1 to the Melanoma Foundation! We want to raise awareness that everyone has their own battle, but that does not mean you have to fight alone!". So if you're in the mood for some new undies I think this is a great company to go through!

Things I did this week//

* Baked the most delicious pumpkin spice muffins (#basic) which I've been eating each morning for breakfast. Can we just talk about how cost effective it is to make a whole batch of muffins vs. buying one each day!

* Had a gross cold. I couldn't even make it a month into the school year without getting sick from my students! Let's be real though it super hard to avoid 16 little kids sneezing everywhere. 

* Did a lot of shopping. I go through moods- sometimes I have no interest in shopping and sometimes I go a little overboard...they balance each other out right!? Well, I'll be sharing some of the things I recently purchased on the blog soon! 

Things I'm doing this weekend//

* Manicure on Saturday! Which I so desperately need- I think touching all this paper at school has dried my cuticles out- not cute at all. 

* Going to a Hot Rod show with my Dad & Kyle. I've always gone to these car shows since I was little so it's a fun tradition to continue. 

*Making another fall DIY project- I think I've become addicted to crafting- like some people are addicted to knitting....send help. Can't wait to share this next DIY! 

Do you have any fun weekend plans!? Let me know!

XO-

Nicholle 

DIY Fall Wreath

*The Finished Product* 

If you can't tell by now I'm quite crafty & love DIY projects- I decided to continue my Affordable Fall Decor post into a post all about this beautiful fall wreath I made for under $15 dollars. I never intended on making a wreath, I actually went to ACMOORE to purchase one I had seen a few weeks prior- but when I checked the price tag it was $59.99 for a WREATH like are you kidding me!!? So that was a big no from me. I mean it was cute and all but $60 !? Ya right. SO that is how I ended up making my own, which actually turned out to be extremely easy and fun. 

Step 1 //

Buy a wreath! You can either get a plain one with absolutely nothing on it or one with flowers, I choose this one with flowers as it was way more cost effective. It was only $9.99 for the wreath I used.

Step 2 // 

Pick your accents- I chose bedazzled pumpkins of course and some plain white ones. You can add anything you want to the wreath, like pine cones or acorns- Keep in mind you won't need a large amount of any of the accents & you should probably keep it to two or three items so it doesn't get overwhelmed. 

Step 3 // 

Place them & Secure them! I purchased some simple green floral wire that was about $2.00- I used this to secure the accents to the wreath after I had planned out my design- I spent about 20 minutes trying out different placements before I found one I liked. 

Step 4 // 

Add hanging wire! I just used the same green floral wire as before to create a hanging wire on the back of the wreath- Make sure it's fairly strong as this bad boy got pretty heavy with all the pumpkins! 

All done! Let me know if you make your own wreath! I'm planning on also doing a DIY Christmas Wreath! 

XO,

Nicholle 

Weekly Wishings

1. Bell Sleeve Top // 2. Peplum Tee // 3. Plaid Scarf  // 4. Madewell Cardigan  

Happy Sunday! We're having some very rainy weather here in Vermont so I thought it would be the perfect time to share some pieces currently on my wishlist for Fall! 

1 // Bell Sleeve Top

I love this green color as it stands out from the typical olive green color most clothing comes in. It also is the perfect mix of casual and dressy, you could go either way with this top. I would personally pair it with dark denim & brown riding boots! 

2 // Peplum Tee

Again this top is the perfect pairing of casual and dressy. I think this would look great paired with black denim & booties! I love that the material is lightweight but the color makes it look like a cozy fall piece. This top would look great with a black wool hat! 

3 // Plaid Scarf

This scarf has the perfect colors for fall. I have a ton of scarves but I'm always looking for more- some are too warm for fall & some are too fluffy. This scarf is the perfect in between and won't make you feel too bundled up. This would look great paired with any of the tops I picked! 

4 // Madewell Cardigan 

I'm obsessed with the color of this cardi! It just screams fall! This would be great paired with a basic tee or tank & a pair of jeans & some loafers! 

What items are on your fall wish list!? Let me know!

XO,

Nicholle 

Thursday Thoughts

// Sam Edelman Riding Boots // 

Happy Thursday!

We've almost made it through another week! I love this time of year because I feel like there are so many things to do with fall on its way. I've been loving baking & decorating my home with a candle burning & a movie playing!  I always love to cozy up on the couch & watch "chick flicks" on the weekends in fall. The boots above are a gift from Kyle for "back to school", if you're in the market for new boots these are a great option coming in just under $200! 

Things I did this week //

*Decorated for fall - I shared in THIS post some fall floral arrangements I made that were super affordable! 

* Laminated for HOURS at school! But, there is something so satisfying to me about cutting the lamination plastic so it really wasn't too bad #teacherprobs

* Switched over my closet from Summer to Fall! Fall is my favorite season so I always love pulling all my sweaters and cozy tops out of storage. This task did take quite some time but I'm happy to report that it is done! 

* Cooked a few "big" dinners. Lately, I've been making meals that leave enough for leftovers so Kyle & I can have lunches for the week. This has worked out quite well & I'm planning on sharing some of my favorite recipes on the blog soon. Let me know if you have any good ones!

Things I'm doing this weekend // 

* Staying at my parent's house! They're headed out of town so I get the pleasure of enjoying their newly renovated master bed/bath, score! 

* Making apple sauce- My parent's house has a very large apple tree in the yard that has produced quite a lot of apples this year so I want to make some apple sauce! The nice thing is that you can make a big batch & freeze it in smaller containers to use as you need! 

* Having a movie marathon! Sometimes you just need to take a break- Life has been a little crazy with the start of school so I'm feeling like I just need a relaxing day! 

What movies do you think I should put on my 'watch' list this weekend?! Let me know!

XO,

Nicholle 

Affordable Fall Decor

* Craft supplies purchased at A.C. MOORE *

One of the benefits of being a teacher is getting discounts at a number of stores, one of them being most craft stores. Normally I get 15% off at ACMOORE but this weekend I got 25% off! If you check their ads they usually have a 15% off coupon so always check before you go shopping. My favorite season is fall so it's no surprise I love to decorate for it, but it can get pretty expensive!

 One of the things I love to do is to create my own flower arrangements with high-quality flowers from the craft store. I love that they last all season & are very affordable. The two flowers pictured (orange buds & full bouquet) cost under $5 each! To make fake flowers look good you need to 1. pick a nice looking flower that goes with the season & 2. put them in a nice vase. For the orange buds I just placed them in a thin stemmed vase I had on my dresser, this instantly made the fake blooms look great! The full bouquet took a little more work, I cut the stem way down & filled a container with moss before putting the flowers in. I love the way these two blooms turned out! The vase that the full bouquet is in was only $1.99 at the craft store so it was a very affordable fall decor DIY! I'm planning on making a wreath for outside my door which I will also share on here!

Whats your favorite fall decor?

XO,

Nicholle