A couple of weeks ago, I was invited (along with several other local influencers) to check out Pala Casino Spa & Resort. How I had never been there when it is less than 40 minutes from my home, I will never know! We had an absolute blast from start to finish and can’t wait to go back!

As soon as we arrived, we were immediately greeted and escorted over to the Influencer welcome table to check in. The most fab welcome basket and white roses (my fave!) were waiting for us in our room. Then it was off to The Cave Lounge to mix and mingle with the other influencers!

We were treated to yummy island style fruity drinks (which went down WAY too easy) and the most delicious appetizers. A+ for presentation! There was a pineapple theme throughout our whole experience and it made for several excuses to take MORE PICS!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen these mini pineapples at my local grocery store (and even bought one once!) and had no idea what they could be used for other than decoration. Well my friends…have you ever seen a more adorable and creative way to serve appetizers than in tiny scooped out pineapples!?! I honestly feel like having a party JUST so I can do this!

We were then whisked off to a slot tournament! If you’ve never played in one, be prepared for some fast paced fun! I had never participated in one and had no idea what I was doing but it ended up being one of the highlights of the day for us because my hubby took FIRST place! We won a spa gift certificate AND added play money for our next trip!

We then went to The Oak Room (a world-class steak house) and were treated to a four course appetizer/wine pairing. To be honest, I am not much of a wine drinker, but the presentation by our sommelier absolutely made me want to become one! Oh, and the food was to die for!

Then we went to the Underground Wine Cave and sipped on another glass of wine and had even more appetizers! With over 480 labels from California, France & Italy…this place is a wine lovers dream. P.S. They also offer top shelf drinks and a limited selection of craft beers.

I couldn’t resist the table of props so here I am again with ALL.THE.PROPS. #diditfortheinsta

Then we had a quick break to freshen up before it was off to the UB40 concert! I grew up listening to UB40 and had forgotten how many songs I knew & loved. Such a great walk down memory lane. The Starlight Theater has outdoor seating and the weather was just perfect! But the best part is that when the concert was over…you can just go upstairs to your room (or the bar or casino)!

Here is the gorgeous view from our room of the pool, mountain view and the outdoor seating for the concert. I wish I would have snapped more pics of our room so I could share with you. Hopefully some of you caught the tour on my Instagram story!

Before we left we made sure to check out the casino. I love to play the Wheel of Fortune slots and my hubby visited the blackjack table.

A HUGE shout-out and THANK YOU to Pala Casino Spa & Resort for taking such good care of us! We had an amazing time and are already looking at the calendar to schedule our next trip! If you live in Southern CA, I highly recommend checking Pala out for a weekend getaway.

Disclaimer: We were treated to a complimentary stay at Pala Casino Spa & Resort in exchange for my honest review of our stay. All opinions are my own.

I am born and raised in Southern California so I’ve been to the Del Mar Race Track numerous times in my lifetime. In my early twenties, we would skip the horse races altogether and just show up for the Friday night concerts. Then I got married and had my son and we somehow hadn’t been to the races in probably close to ten years! But then last year some friends of ours were nice enough to ask us to join them in the Turf Club on Opening Day and we had an absolute blast (check out my recap here)! We decided then and there that we would be going again the following year. And I was FOR SURE going to up my hat game. This year I was thrilled to have been invited as a guest of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and we had SO much fun viewing the horses from the paddock, running into friends at The Party tent and of course betting on the ponies. But my favorite part…THE FASHION. Obviously. Be sure and check out my tips for what to wear on opening day so you can be prepared next year (below):

WHAT TO WEAR TO OPENING DAY: It’s going to be HOT ladies…so long sleeves are out of the question. Even if you get seats in the shade, it will be warm. While you can definitely get away with wearing a maxi dress or romper, I would say above the knee dresses are most popular. Last year I wore a simple floppy hat but this year I splurged and got a custom hat designed by Carol Bader. And I have to admit, it made my outfit! But you can also find a little more budget friendly options here. Oh, and if you are a procrastinator like me, add Donna’s Tailor Shop to your contacts right now. I needed last minute alterations for my dress both last year and this year and they did SAME day alterations for me….highly recommend! Also, make sure you do the sit test and lift your arms test in your dress so you know you will be comfortable sitting and raising your arms in the air when you WIN! Last but not least…make absolutely SURE you throw several band-aids in your purse. I don’t care how comfy your shoes are…nothing is worse that hobbling along with blisters at the track. I SWEAR by these blister band-aids. They are LIFE-SAVERS.

My Outfit Details: Parker Layla Dress, Banana Republic Heels (old), Rebecca Minkoff Crossbody (similar), Carol Bader Fascinator, Tom Ford Sunglasses

My husband and I pre-gaming at Brigantine Del Mar. We had friends who got there early and saved us seats!

Mingling in the Paddock! SO FUN seeing the horses up close & personal.

We ran into SO many friends and had a blast dancing in The Party tent.

We got lucky this year and attended not one but TWO after-parties. The Hats, Heels & Hooves party was the official Opening Day after-party and was held at the beautiful Inn at Rancho Santa Fe. The food, music, photo booth & all around ambiance were amazing. Unfortunately I didn’t take any pics at the 2nd party (L’Auberge in Del Mar) but it also did not disappoint! It is a young crowd but that didn’t stop us from kicking up our heels (again)!

Thank you to the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club for providing our tickets to this event. The 2017 season runs from July 19th through September 4th. To get more information and/or to view the full schedule of events, click here.

I can remember vividly flipping through a magazine late last year and spotting a pair of white booties and thinking, “I NEED THOSE IN MY LIFE”. I immediately snapped a pic with my phone (as I always do to remember things I love) and began searching. So of course, I couldn’t find them anywhere. And then the photo got lost in my camera roll (which also always happens). So imagine my surprise & delight when I scrolled through my IG feed and came across one of the first shoe brands I ever followed on social media…MIA Shoes and saw the Priscilla Booties!!! I immediately fell in love with the mod 60’s vibe and decided they HAD to be mine. And you guys…the best part…they are less than $60!!! WHAT are you waiting for…go buy yours ASAP! If you need a little more inspiration on how to style them, check out the images below. I am already dreaming up ways of how I will wear them come Fall & Winter!

Outfit Details: Forever 21 Dress, Rebecca Minkoff Crossbody Bag, Brixton Cap, Marc Jacobs Oversized Sunglasses, Layered Choker Necklace c/o Baublebar, Priscilla Booties c/o MIA Shoes

All images in this collage found via Pinterest. If you know who the images belong to, please feel free to let me know and I will credit them.

1. Brixton Cap 2. Mustard Cold Shoulder Top 3. Studded Sandals 4. Camel Cardigan 5. Off the Shoulder Dress 6.  Vans Old Skool Sneakers 7. Plaid Button Shirt 8. Drop Waist Dress 9. Mustard Tassel Clutch 10.  Grey Sock Booties

If you’ve already tried shopping the Nordstrom Early Access Sale, then you are probably aware of the reoccurring error messages. But I promise you, if you keep refreshing your cart….eventually your order will go through! I just went through literally EVERY.SINGLE.ITEM and have rounded up my personal top TEN must-have items above. I also HAVE to mention that BOTH of my favorite jeans of all-time are included in this sale! So if you are in the market for jeans…check out these and these! I promise you will love them. I also went ahead and broke down the rest of my favorite items by category below to make it easier to shop. I’d love to hear what items you fell in love with and/or purchased!

SHOP DRESSES:

SHOP TOPS:

SHOP BOTTOMS:

SHOP SHOES:

SHOP BEAUTY:

SHOP ACCESSORIES:

PLEASE NOTE: The Nordstrom Early Access Sale prices are only available to Nordstrom cardholders. Sale opens to the public on July 21st! Also…for my email subscribers…you will have to go to the actual blog post to be able to view (and shop!) the items listed by category.

I’m sure you’ve heard by now but the Nordstrom Anniversary Early Access Sale is officially LIVE!!! This is the Superbowl of shopping ladies (and gents!). It is the best sale of the year because you are getting sale prices on brand new Fall items…NOW is the time to stock up on all of your Fall & Winter essentials before the prices go back up on Aug! I will be back with a full run-down of my must-have items but I couldn’t wait to share my top picks in the beauty category! Also, to gain access to the early access sale, you must be a Nordstrom cardholder. Click here to learn more so you can sign up and get access to this AMAZING sale. Items sell out FAST so it’s best to snag your favorites as soon as possible so you don’t miss out by the time the sale opens to everyone. Early access runs from July 13th through July 20th. Sale opens to the public July 21st and runs through August 7th.

1. Foreo Luna 2 Pro Facial Cleansing & Anti-Aging Device: Incorporating 12 varying intensities, the waterproof LUNA 2 Pro channels lower-frequency pulsations directly onto wrinkle-prone areas, diminishing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, leaving your skin looking radiant, smoother and younger and ready to absorb your skin care products. With a motor two times as powerful and a brush surface made out of smooth, soft, nonabrasive silicone, the LUNA 2 Professional is gentle and effective. Dual T-Sonic pulsations are channeled through softer, longer silicone touch points to deeply cleanse the skin, unclogging pores of 99.5% of impurities and clearing away dead skin cells. Providing an essential step in any facial care routine, it cleanses in a way that protects the skin’s natural barrier while the nonporous silicone resists bacteria buildup, making it 35 times more hygienic than standard brush heads. A single charge gives you 450 uses. (Regular Price $249, Sale Price $166)

2. GloPRO Microneedling Regeneration Tool w/ Attachments: The patented technology of GloPRO Microneedling Regeneration Tool with GloPRO Face MicroTip™ attachment head works from the inside out by triggering skin’s natural healing process and inducing micro-regeneration deep within the skin. (Regular Price $244, Sale Price $163)

3. NuFace Trinity Facial Toning Device: This award-winning, multi-solution skincare device, designed with innovative interchangeable treatment attachments, helps to rejuvenate and improve your appearance. The NuFACE Trinity Toning kit comes with the NuFACE Trinity Facial Trainer, a microcurrent treatment attachment FDA-cleared for facial stimulation to gently stimulate the larger surface areas of the face. As we age, our body’s natural current begins to slow down (just like our metabolism), leading to sagging skin, loss of contour and wrinkles. Microcurrent mimics this natural current and goes beyond skin deep to tone facial muscles while improving contour, skin tone and reducing the appearance of lines and wrinkles. (Regular Price $325, Sale Price $217.75)

4. PMD Personal Microderm Pro Device: PMD Personal Microderm Pro combines the power of patented spinning disc technology with perfectly calibrated vacuum suction to brighten, smooth and even skin tone and texture. It reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, blemishes and enlarged pores, allowing makeup to go on smoother and skin care products to penetrate significantly deeper. It offers the same brilliant results as professional, in-office microdermabrasion treatments without the hassle and comes with a full range of exfoliation discs for maximized control and customizable treatments. In addition to the patented spinning disc technology and perfectly calibrated vacuum suction, the Personal Microderm Pro features smooth-glide caps, dual-speed settings and a full range of exfoliation discs for maximized control and customizable treatments. (Regular Price $199, Sale Price $133)

5. Simplehuman Round Sensor Mirror Pro:  An 8-inch round sensor mirror with a large 5x magnification mirror and a 10x magnification detail mirror that magnetically attaches to the front and stores on the back. With a color rendering index of 90, its tru-lux system closely simulates natural sunlight’s full color spectrum to show every detail. Capable of over 50,000 color variations, you can use the mirror with your phone to choose presets or capture light settings from the environment around you and recreate them on the mirror. Save your favorite places to your phone and access your custom light settings wherever you are. It is Wi-Fi®-enabled, so you can access the mirror’s smart features easily. The mirror easily recharges, and one charge lasts up to four weeks. Its motion sensor detects when you are in front of the mirror, so it lights up automatically as your face approaches, and, once in use, the sensitivity of the motion sensor increases so that it won’t turn off unexpectedly. The 5x magnification is great for a comprehensive view of your entire face at once in exceptional detail, while the 10x magnification gives an extremely close-up view for detail work like applying eye makeup and tweezing. (Regular Price $250, Sale Price $167.50)

6. Mac Look in a Box – Nice ‘n Spicy Lip Kit: A three-piece lip kit featuring everything you need for gorgeous, long-wearing lip color. Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolor is long-wearing for eight hours and wears evenly and smoothly without feathering or bleeding. Pro Longwear Lip Pencil stays put for eight hours without feathering, and Prep + Prime Lip reduces lipstick feathering and provides long-term hydration. Kit includes: Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolor in Look Out, Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Nice ‘n Spicy, Prep + Prime Lip Lip. (Sale Price $36.50)

7. Mac Look In A Box Basic Brush Kit: A selection of blending and shading brushes perfect for the beginner, all with short handles for portability. Kit includes: 190SE Foundation Brush, 109SE Small Contour Brush, 224SE Tapered Blending Brush, 239SE Eye Shader Brush, 263SE Small Angle Brush, 204SE Lash Brush & a Limited-edition Travel Bag. (Regular Price $162, Sale Price $49.50)

8. Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips Nude Lipstick Set: An everyday lipstick set for anyone who loves a pop of color on the lip. Charlotte always says lipstick empowers confidence. These gorgeous lipsticks take you from day to night with an ultra-brilliant cream formula for day and a modern matte for night. Lip Cheat Lip Liner creates fuller, wider lips any time of the day. Set includes: Matte Revolution Lipstick (0.12 oz.), K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick (0.12 oz.), Lip Cheat Lip Liner (0.04 oz.) (Regular Price $90, Sale Price $60)