Last week I attended a gala at the brand new Nordstrom located within Westfield UTC. The gala benefited two  local charities, Promises 2 Kids and Voices for Children and raised over $150,000 for children in foster care. We were among the first to step foot (and shop!) in the brand new 145,000 sq ft, two level store. It was an evening of fashion, cocktails, food, mingling and of course shopping! The new store features a ton of new brands (including 8 designer boutiques…I’m talking Chloe, Gucci, Valentino and more!), a beauty concierge for customer questions & booking appointments (new brands include Tom Ford, Charlotte Tilbury & more!) and two in-house dining options: Bazille, a full-service restaurant and bar; and Ebar which is more of an on-the-go menu/espresso bar. Some new shopping features are the option to reserve items online and try on in-store as well as the option to buy online with curbside pickup! YES, please!

About five minutes after arriving though, I realized I had made a horrible mistake in wearing one of my most uncomfortable pair of heels I own. Which turned into a good thing because I convinced my hubby I needed these Schutz heels (the pair I’m wearing in all of the pics) that I quickly purchased and changed into. He enjoyed a shoe shine at the shoe shine stand while I made the quick change! I think the mannequin in the pic above (left) had the right idea by pairing a dress with Vans!

One thing that also stood out to me was how AMAZING the lighting was! I don’t know about you, but I am MUCH more likely to make a purchase if the lighting is flattering! And the dressing rooms have the coolest little lounge areas.

While we were there, I ran into a few of my fellow Westfield UTC blogging buddies (Danielle from City Girl Gone Mom & Jennifer of Style Your Life) so of course we did a photo shoot right in front of the “live” models. And a few (ok, like ten) boomerangs as well!

Be sure and stop by the new Nordstrom at Westfield UTC. You are going to LOVE it…pinky promise.

Outfit Details: BB Dakota Dress c/o Shopbop (more sizes available here), BlankNYC Faux Leather Moto Jacket (sold out in black but available in other colors here, super similar option in black here), Schutz Heels, Bracelet & Ring c/o LAGOS

Thank you kindly to Westfield UTC for sponsoring my blog & to Nordstrom for providing the tickets to attend the gala. As always, all opinions are my own.

October is breast cancer awareness month so I thought I would do a little round-up of products that are helping spread awareness. Many of them are also donating a portion of their proceeds to various charities and organizations. Shop these products to help support the fight for a cure:

1. Limited Edition Baby Foot Peel: Baby Foot is working this month to promote breast cancer awareness with their limited edition Pink Box. Baby Foot is an all natural foot exfoliant containing 17 natural extracts that help get your feet back to looking and feeling like baby feet. Ten percent of proceeds from its limited edition pink box will be donated to the American Cancer Society.

2. Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair: Estee Lauder has given its famous ‘Advanced Night Repair’ serum a pink makeover in honor of October, although the brand will be donating 20% of the purchase price to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation between now and June 2018.

3. Better Skin Co. Mirakle Cream: Genius in a Jar. One-stop, skin-saving, problem-solving,
all-purpose cream that transforms skin. This antioxidant-rich recipe, imported from the Republic of Uzbekistan, is handcrafted in the USA with love and natural ingredients such as coconut oil, sea buckthorn, shea butter, cocoa butter, aloe, and soothing algae to help moisturize, soften, balance and brighten skin. Helps calm skin while protecting skin’s moisture barrier and fighting signs of age. Peptides and hyaluronic acid help skin appear smoother, more youthful and radiant. 20% of October proceeds will go to The American Cancer Society.

4. S’well Breast Cancer Awareness in Bikini Pink: The iconic satin-finish Bikini Pink bottle not only makes a visual statement—it also shows your commitment to supporting the Breast Cancer Research Fund during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 20% of MSRP all sizes of our Bikini Pink bottles go to BCRF to support their mission to prevent and cure breast cancer by advancing the world’s most promising research.

5. Bobbi Brown Pink Peony Illuminating Bronzer: Designed to mark the 25th anniversary of the Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign, this ‘Pink Peony Illuminating Bronzing Powder Set’ from Bobbi Brown will see US$11 from each purchase donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

6. Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion: Skincare giant Clinique has added a Breast Cancer Awareness keychain to its signature ‘Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+’ for October, and will be directing $10 from each sale to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

7. Paul Mitchell United in Pink Stay Strong Hairspray: Lock your favorite style in place with Firm Style Stay Strong Hairspray from Paul Mitchell®. This firm-hold spray adds volume and provides maximum control without leaving hair feeling stiff or sticky. Its special formula also protects against humidity, helping to fight frizz. In a limited-edition designed United in Pink package in honor of breast and ovarian cancer awareness!

8. Paul Mitchell United in Pink Super Skinny Serum: To smooth, condition and seal hair strands, the Super Skinny® Serum works wonders to make hair silky, shiny and frizz-free in any weather. The lightweight silicone works to smooth, condition and add shine while the award-winning formula is perfect for speeding up hair drying time to give you silky-smooth results in less time, every time. In a limited-edition designed United in Pink package in honor of breast and ovarian cancer awareness!

9. Deborah Lippmann Shape of My Heart Polish: A shade close to her heart, it was created with Shape magazine to help fight breast cancer. It leaves nails with a healthy dose of color. 10% of proceeds benefits the Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach, CA.

10. IT Cosmetics Love Beauty Fully Love is the Foundation Brush: IT’s so much more than just a brush! This limited-edition brush is luxuriously crafted – and supports a good cause: For every Love Beauty Fully Love is the Foundation Brush purchased during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, IT Cosmetics will donate one to the American Cancer Society’s Look Good Feel Better program to help women face the effects of cancer with confidence. You’ll be giving the gift of joy and beauty to another woman, and to yourself, and that’s a beautiful thing!

To read how breast cancer has touched my life, you can read all about my Aunt’s story here. Thankfully she is a cancer survivor.

I don’t know about you but I wore the heck out of velvet in the early 90’s. I can vividly remember working at Wet Seal and I had a velvet babydoll dress that I wore non-stop. Pretty sure I had a velvet bodysuit too. And if you can believe it, slip dresses with baby tee’s are also back in style. Which is why I probably immediately fell in love with the Radiant Dress from cabi’s most recent collection, Penny Lane Lovely. The dress is a modern version of a slip dress and the velvet burnout print is to die for!

Outfit Details: Radiant Dress c/o cabi, Blank NYC Faux Leather Jacket, Andre Assous Sandals, Deux Lux Fringe Clutch, Madewell Necklace

Just a quick post to share an event that you don’t want to miss! You guys know by now that Swirl Boutique is hands down my favorite local boutique to shop! They carry all of my favorite brands including Knot Sisters, who my dress just so happens to be made by! Get all the details below and I hope to see you there!

Outfit Details: Knot Sisters Dress c/o Swirl Boutique (call 760-753-0870 to order), Brixton Hat, Madewell Bracelet, Baublebar Choker Necklace and Kelsi Dagger BK Booties.

Join me at Swirl Boutique in Encinitas this Fri, Oct 13th (5pm-9pm) for a shindig you don’t want to miss! Enjoy trunk shows by Knot Sisters and Foxycat Jewelry, shopping discounts, light bites & cocktails and this year there will even be a tarot card reader! Swirl always throws the BEST parties! Hope to see you there!

Swirl Boutique is located at 119-D North El Camino Real in Encinitas (in the Trader Joe’s shopping center)

Last weekend we finally got to do another staycation at Pala Casino Spa & Resort! We had been meaning to get back there before Summer was over but we overbooked ourselves and it never happened. But that is the great thing about having such a fab resort so close to home. My hubby was able to work for  a few hours on Friday morning and I dropped our son off at school and then it was off to Pala! I still can’t believe that it is less than 40 minutes from our home door to door! We got really lucky and were able to get early check-in so we immediately dropped our bags off and headed over to the Spa for our couples massage. We had just enough time to take advantage of a quick steam and tour the spa facilities before our scheduled massage. YOU GUYS. How have I let this much time pass since my last massage?!?! It was WONDERFUL. Like fall asleep at least three times and drooling wonderful. I’d forgotten how relaxing they are! After our pampering session, we checked out the poolside cabana’s and decided to have a quick bite & drink at the pool bar. I ordered my signature Miami Vice, of course! Then while I was getting ready in the room my hubby took a little cat nap. We had dinner reservations at The Cave Lounge and started our meal with the olive appetizer. We are both olive lovers so it was right up our alley! My hubby had the salmon and I had the swordfish. Both were delicious. I have to admit though, I was itching to get to the casino and try my luck at the slots! My hubby took a seat at the blackjack table and I found the 3D Wheel of Fortune dollar slot machine! We both like to gamble so had a total blast going back and forth seeing how each other were doing. I was up $400 at one point but came home with $200. I’ll take it! In the morning we woke up and ordered room service. My fresh fruit platter and yogurt were exactly what the doctor ordered. In fact, I’m still dreaming of that breakfast. Is there anything better than breakfast (that you didn’t have to make!) in bed? I think not! We have found our new favorite place to go for a quick overnight getaway!

Btw, if you’re new here, you can check out this post to read about our last trip to Pala Casino Spa & Resort. We saw UB40 in concert at the Starlight Theater. Such a great intimate venue…and there is nothing better than being able to walk upstairs to your room after a concert under the stars! Sort of wishing we could catch Olivia Newton John who just so happens to be coming to Pala on Sat, Oct 7th.

Disclaimer: Thank you to Pala Casino Resort & Spa for providing our accommodations & massages. All opinions are my own.