My Happies: Liquid Gold, Lashes and Lulu on eBay

Hi everyone. Welcome to my happies for the week. This week there's an "L" theme!
Let's get started...

Kerastase Elixir Ultime aka Liquid Gold - I have been a Kerastase fan since my old roommate worked at a salon and used to bring products home. It is honestly one of the only products that actually improves the condition of my hair. I go through phases with it though. Sometimes I feel the cost is worth it and other times I cheap out. I always use Kerastase products before and after I blow dry but have gone on and off with the shampoo and conditioner. I have to say this Elixir Ultime line might have me addicted. It truly transforms my hair...it is so much silkier and shinier. Not to mention the scent is amazing. This line is for all hair types and I totally recommend you try it out!

LiLash - A couple months ago, I showed you guys my lash extensions and told you about the brow serum I was using. Well, I loved the extensions but I am way too rough on my eyes to make them last. I was having great results with the LiBrow brow serum so I ended up trying the lash version of it. It's been about 4 weeks and I am totally seeing a difference. My lashes actually touch my eyebrows they are so long! Speaking of eyebrows...mine are SO much better now!

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The good thing about LiLash is that it is available without a prescription and there is no risk of eye discoloration like Latisse (not that it matters to me and my boring brown eyes). Also, one tube is about $90 and lasts for 6 months. So worth it! You can buy it online or if you are in the San Diego, you can pick it up from my favorite hairstylist, Autumn Houston.

Lulu on eBay- This might be one of the greatest things ever. As a Lululemon addict, I have plenty of items that I buy as soon as they come out because I am just so excited for new Lulu. While I usually love what I buy, sometimes they don't work out for one reason or another.

A while back I told you how much I loved my Inspire crops. I did love them but then I found the Beach Runners and I love them so much more. That left me with two pairs of barely used crops that are just sitting in my drawer. Enter Ebay. I thought it would be interesting to see if I could sell my gently used crops. The listing was up for a day and they were already up to $59. The best part, there are still a few days left and we all know these auctions get crazy in the end!

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I have another pair that I have only worn once that I will be selling next. My thought is the more I can sell, the more I can buy! Good thing these babies will sell for at least $60 especially since I just bought another pair of Beach Runners over the weekend. They are purple...I HAD to!

And lastly since it is #backthatazzup Friday, I am jamming to this happy song - actually called the Happy Song by Blackstreet. Enjoy!

Happy weekend everyone! 

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Pinspiration: Cookie Dough Bites

I am not vegetarian and definitely not vegan. I do not have a gluten sensitivity or an aversion to sugar. I do, however, love to try out new recipes that fall into these categories. Why? Because I think it's a good thing to eat different kinds of foods. I think limiting animal fats, sugar and gluten are good for your body and overall well-being. I just FEEL better when I eat more natural foods. Don't you?

So combining this pin and this pin (and my obsession with cookie dough), I made my own version of cookie dough bites. From what I read, these are completely gluten-free (even with the chocolate chips) and have no added sugar besides what is in the chocolate chips. I am pretty sure that if you use vegan chocolate chips it could be vegan and non-dairy as well. I am not fully educated on gluten free and vegan diets so please correct me if I am wrong with these assumptions. If you have a sensitivity or preference, feel free to change the ingredients below.

Here's what I did:

First, get your ingredients:

*1.25 cups of gluten-free flour (I used Trader Joes which is a combo of brown rice flour and potato starch - you can use coconut flour/almond flour, etc.)
*Dash of Sea Salt
*1 tsp of vanilla
*1/4 cup of melted coconut oil
*1/4 cup of unsweetened coconut milk (natural or vanilla)
*1/4 cup of maple syrup
*Mini Chocolate chips (add as many or as little as you want)

Next, mix the dry ingredients together and the wet ingredients together. Then add both together and mix well. My mixture was very crumbly so I added a tiny bit more coconut milk.

Start to form the dough into a ball and see if it sticks together. You want to get a ball like this...basically you want the dough to be like regular cookie dough consistency.

I spread mine out into a pan and put in the fridge to chill. Because of the coconut oil, these will soften as they get warm so if you want them firm, they will need to be chilled. I preferred them softer so I let mine sit out a bit before eating them.

Also, the other pins I saw cut had these cut into bars but I think bars are too much so I did bites instead. Bites are perfect for a little sweet snack and you can have as many as you want.

The best thing about these little goodies - they really do taste like cookie dough and besides the chocolate chips, they are not made with any additional sugar! You honestly cannot tell there is not white or brown sugar in them!

Let's see...the bad thing about these...they are addicting. I could not stop eating them! I do think mine were a bit too grainy and I think it's because I added too much flour. I adjusted the amount in the recipe above so if you follow it, you shouldn't have the same issue.

The consensus...I really like these. I definitely believe there is room for improvement but overall they are a fun sweet snack and definitely satisfy any cookie dough cravings!

Adding to my other projects, I'm linking up with Stephanie and Katie today for SPD.

 

What Pinterest/DIY projects have you done lately? Would you try a recipe like this?

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Knotty Neutrals and True Food

Gap Sweater // J. Crew Shorts (sold out but LOVE these) // Tom Ford Sunnies // H&M Flats old - these are similar // 

Michael Kors Watch // Tory Burch Robinson // CWAK Chain Necklace

My dear anchor shorts...I love you. And it's not just me. Whenever I wear you, I get so many compliments. Everyone loves you, you cute little things, and I am so happy your are mine! :) #endsappylovefest

I wore these babies over the weekend as we hit up the mall for some quick shopping, watch resizing and lunch at one of my favorite places in San Diego - True Food Kitchen. 

menu // edamame dumplings & kale salad // decor // fresh herbs

True Food is all about healthy living. Everything on their menu is healthy and mostly organic. The decor is organic farmhouse. There are fresh herbs growing at the entrance and baskets of fruits and veggies all throughout the restaurant. They have amazing juices and fresh beverages - our favorites are the kale aid and natural ginger soda. Their Kale Salad is to die for. I am currently trying to copy it with no luck. And their edamame dumplings with truffle oil is dream-worthy. Seriously, I dream about it. There are locations in Scottdale/Phoenix, Los Angeles and Denver so if you are ever near one...go. You won't regret it and I promise you will also start dreaming about their food! Y-U-M!

If you have a Kale Salad recipe...post it below or send it to me! 

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Shopping Haul: Factory Finds

Striped Shirt // Plaid Shorts // Lobster Tee // Seersucker Shorts

It's no secret that I have a shopping obsession. I tend to feel better about purchases when I get them on sale. At the same time, I usually have a hard time finding items on sale because I always like them when they first come out. So when I see a basic style or non-trendy item on sale, I can't help myself.

There were some great Memorial Day sales but the only one I took advantage of was the J. Crew Factory sale. Just too many cute items for 50% off. My shopping cart was 10 items full until I narrowed it down to things I REALLY need. :) I mean, we all need a Lobster Tee, right??

I am super happy with my purchases because they are all items I will wear for a while. I've been wanting patchwork plaid shorts and for $26, they were a steal! And seersucker shorts for $24...I will wear those babies for a long time so totally worth it!

Did you take advantage of any M Day sales? What did you get and most importantly, what did I miss out on? :) 

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Happy Memorial Day!

Picture courtesy of our Sunday night BBQ

Hey everyone. I hope you had a great weekend and are able to take some time off today for Memorial Day.

Please be sure to take time to remember all of those who served our country to help make it a better place for all of us!

Even though I am taking the day off from officially blogging, I am still doing a blog hop as I plan to relax in the sun and hopefully find some new fun blogs to read. If you are stopping by from the hop, say hi! :)

Enjoy your day!

Don’t forget to follow CWAK on Bloglovin!

My Happies this Week: Shades of Blue

Happy Friday everyone!
Last week we had a Friday Pink Party. This week, we are celebrating my favorite blue things. Let's get started...

{Turquoise}

A huge shout out to Niki from Glossy Blonde for being such a huge CWAK jewelry supporter. This week, Niki did a style collaboration featuring a white t-shirt on Real Girl Glam. For her outfit, Niki not only wore a CWAK Turquoise Lace necklace but also a silver chunky chain bracelet! Don't you just love what she put together??

Niki, thank you so much for all your support. It really means a lot to me! Hugs!

{Beach Blanket Blue}

In my Lulu haul on Sunday, I picked up a pair of these blue beauties - the Work it Out short.
Not only do I love the name (it's the name of one of my pinterest boards) but the shorts themselves are awesome. They are more of a casual short and less of a running short but that's what I was looking for. They are perfect for hotter days where yoga pants/crops are too warm. Since I have a shopping problem, I got the blue and the black ones. Had they had navy in my size, I would have gotten those too. Love them!!

{Cobalt Blue} 

A girlfriend of mine is getting married in October and we were chatting over drinks this week about wedding shoes. She told me she was looking for blue shoes and then asked me how I found mine. I really realized that it was fate how my shoes and I came to be. I was hoping to find blue shoes for my wedding 4 years ago and for the life of me, I could not find a pair that I liked. I bought a couple back-up pairs but was just not happy with any of them. Then two months before the wedding, I was randomly searching on Bluefly and found the most perfect pair - satin blue Christian Louboutins*, with a platform, in my size. And they were the ONLY PAIR LEFT. If that's not fate, what is?? I still love them just as much to this day.

Confession: I may or may not have ended the night in these non-blue blingy babies. Shhh...

Lastly, to close out our blue theme for the day, here's a little slow jam for #backthatazzup Friday with Whitney.

I know it's not really uplifting but it's called Shades of Blue (blog title) and it's by Nick Lachey (hot). I realize I like his music more when I see him, so if you want to do that - watch this video! Damn Nick!

Have a fab long weekend lovelies! Hope you all have Monday off! 

*FYI, spell check wants to change Louboutins to Glutinous. Just thought you should know! 

Pinspiration: Cookie Dough Greek Yogurt

I have a love/hate relationship with greek yogurt. I love how good it is for you...hello low-fat protein! And I usually love the taste  - especially the plain with a little bit of sugar added. However, I go through phases with it. There are some weeks that I can eat it every morning and other weeks that I can't stand it. No rhyme or reason, it just happens.

So I was going through a non-yogurt phase when I saw this pin on Pinterest. I thought, hey, that looks like something I could eat even in my non-yogurt phase. I had all the ingredients on hand so I whipped some up and have been eating it every day since! Seriously, it's that good.

Here's what you need:

Plain Greek Yogurt. I used non-fat but you could use any kind. If you use vanilla, I would probably omit the sweetener as it will be sweet already. I like plain because it has that tartness that's just so good!

Peanut Butter. I used a natural PB, no added sugar. Just peanuts and salt. Mmmm. Oh I just use about a teaspoon. The PB flavor is strong enough to blend with the yogurt. If you want a more substantial PB taste, use more.

Sweetener. I used Nectresse which I love since the Influenster Vox Box. You can use anything you want - real sugar, agave, Truvia, Splenda, etc. You will need sweetener, though, so just pick the one you like best or have on hand.

Mini Chocolate Chips - So I always have minis because I think big CCs are too big. #firstworldproblems If you have regular size, that is fine too. I used semi-sweet but it's your yogurt party so add what you want! One morning, I was out of chocolate chips so I used dark cocoa powder. It was actually pretty good...not as sweet but still good. A good sub when there aren't chips or chocolate pieces on hand.

That's it. Add ingredients, stir together and enjoy! Makes a great anytime snack, although I have been having mine for breakfast. Seriously, it's like having dessert for breakfast and I'll take that any day!

Try it and let me know what you think!

Are you a greek yogurt fan? What have you mixed together lately that is worth sharing?

Linking up with Stephanie and Katie today for SPD.

 

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Wonder Wedges and Fabulous Flats

I totally forgot I had a shoe obsession.

How did I forget, you ask??

Well for 2 years, my husband and I lived in an awesome downtown condo. As amazing as the condo was, it had tiny closets. And I mean T-I-N-Y. After moving from a condo with a walk-in closet large enough to fit a bike, this was terrifying to me. Not only did I have to get rid of a lot before we moved in but I had to limit my shopping. There was just no room for new items.

Since not shopping was virtually impossible, I made a deal with myself. If I bought something,  I had to give something else away. It actually worked. I never ran out of room and I did a great job of cleaning out my closet more often.

Then we moved...to this.

Not only do we have a huge walk-in in the master with a built-in shoe shelf (above), but each of the two guest rooms also have walk-ins with shoe shelfs. So needless to say, I am back to shopping and NOT giving anything away.

Which brings me to today...meet my new shoes.

Steve Madden Beachy (you have already heard me talk about these and seen me wear them but they need a formal intro because I love them so much)

So a while back, I bought a similar pair at Steve Madden but once I got them, I didn't love them on. They were too narrow and they had weird studs. When I saw these online, I knew I had to have them. I'd been searching for black wedges that were not too black - I have a thing for sandals that have too much black - they look too harsh. These were perfect because the top strap across the toe was narrow so there was not a lot of black. Anyway, since I got them, I have been living in them! I love them so much I might even order some of the other colors. I have been eyeing the cognac!

Steve Madden Bouncerr

I got these in the Fawn patent because my old SM fawn wedges are started to look old and dirty. I wore the other ones like crazy last year so I am hoping to do the same with these. These come in other colors too...a black leather, black suede, green suede and white leather (I think it's leather). These are really comfy because the platform is so high. Love them!!

Urban Outfitters Daisy Cut Out Sandals

These were an impulse buy over the weekend. They are cheap, cute and come in so many fun colors. I had a hard time choosing between these gold ones and the white ones. I haven't worn them yet so I cannot talk about the comfort level but they look cute so that's all that matters. Reviews online say they rip easily...they seem sturdy to me so I'll let you know if anything happens!

Sparkle Flats from Target

I actually got these when I got my cobalt blue flats. They are kids but large enough for my feet (yay). They are super comfortable. I got in a whole days worth of wear with no blisters! They are really cute on and my only issue with them is the glitter fall off. It does...a lot. I noticed our dogs were a bit more sparkly the day I had them on! :) But that's nothing a little mod podge can't do. I mod podged my sparkle flats from F21 and it totally worked. Problem solved!

Lucky for me and my excess closet space, I didn't have to give anything away to keep any of these!

Are you a shoe addict too? What great shoe finds have you found recently?

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Loving Lately: GlamourMash Necklaces

Lulus Top (again, sorry I love it) // Urban Outfitters Lace Shorts // GlamourMash Carly Necklace // 

Steve Madden Beachy Wedges /// Chanel Purse (old)

It's a small world. How small? Well, a few months into blogging, I was reading the comments on someone else's blog post and I saw a name I recognized. It was a girl named Holly who I had interviewed for a marketing position when I was hiring at my old company. Obviously, I clicked on over to her blog, GlamourMash, and instantly loved it. She has amazing style and has some really great features on interior design.

Holly and I got in touch and realized that we had quite a bit in common...we both live in San Diego (duh), have fashion/style blogs and make jewelry. After browsing her Etsy store - GlamourMash, I completely fell in love with her painted wood bead necklaces (which were recently featured on Fab.com - yay Holly!).

Lucky for me, Holly and I decided to do a necklace swap and I am now the proud of owner of this minty, metallic beauty - the Carly.

Mint and gold perfection!

How cute is it on??

Shameless iPhone selfie!

And the packing is really fun too...I mean who doesn't love a gold lamé pouch??

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Holly has other super cute styles such as the Metallic Mama

Love the pink!

and the Maggie

Seriously, I want them all. There are so many other colors and styles to choose from!

Because Holly is as sweet as she is talented,  she is offering all of you a 20% off code for her Etsy shop so can get one of these beauties for yourself! Just go here and use code ClassyGlam20 when you check out!

Oh and if you hop on over to Holly's blog today, you can see how she styled a CWAK Lace Necklace! :)

What do you think of the GlamourMash necklaces? If you buy something from Holly's shop, let me know so I can be jealous be excited for you!!

Don’t forget to follow CWAK on Bloglovin!

Insta Weekend: This Girl Can Shop!

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. 

Mine flew by but that's what happens when you are having fun, right? 

On Friday, we had dinner seaside at the Chart House where they have my favorite meal of all time...a steamed artichoke. I don't know what they do to it there, but it's one of the best artichokes I have ever had. I just got my new Steve Madden Beachy wedges in the mail so I figured it was the perfect time to wear them and break them in.

On Saturday, we woke up very sleepy dogs and took them on a walk while watching the runners/cyclists in the local 5K race. It was a beautiful morning so we spent time lounging on the deck and catching some rays. 

In the afternoon, we took my disgustingly dirty car to the car wash and had fun roaming around the store at the car wash. These were some of the goodies we found...

Fake Viagra, our clean car, hookahs and a Mexican restaurant - Apparently it's really good! 

My husband had some friends in town Saturday night so I had the house to myself which was awesome. A hot bubble bath, episodes of Girls and a home pedi, pretty much a perfect night. 

Sunday, while the boys were recovering, I met a girlfriend for brunch and then we did some retail damage. We hit up Lululemon, H&M, Urban Outfitters, and Ulta to name a few. I then stopped into Bath and Body Works to smell (and buy) some of the new summer candles (Lakeside is new favorite.)

New Balance Sneakers // Michael Kors Watch & CWAK Bracelet // BBW Candles // Lululemon Work it Out Shorts &

Run Swiftly Top // Maui Babe Lotion & Beach Babe Sea Salt Spray

When you add in my watch that arrived on Friday, my new sneaks from Saturday and the goodies above, I would say I am pretty darn good at shopping. :) 

How was your weekend? What fun things did you do?

Linking up with Ms. Sami today!

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