Nordstrom Sale Budget Hacks 2017

Hey babes,

At this point I'm pretty sure that even if you do live under a rock you know that the Nordstrom sale is going on. If for some reason you don't know that its the NS sale or what it is, it’s basically a magical time of year when the brands at Nordstrom drop down their hefty price tags on some pieces from their fall collections for a few weeks. They do this so we can snag them an amazing price before they go right back up to full asking price. This year the sale was opened to the public last week and ends August 6th. Side note- if you're a NS card holder you could shop the sale earlier then everyone else.

Now this sales sounds and is amazing so whats the problem? Even with the price drops not all of us have an endless budget for our fall/winter clothes, so I'm sharing with you a few NS budget hacks to get you through the sale without hurting your bank account. 

-Nordstrom Sale Budget Hacks-

Stay basic - this is the perfect time to stock up on basic items like tees, tanks even leggings that are great quality for a low price tag. 

Go neutral-  what I mean by this is grab neutral colored clothes that you can match with pieces you already have. I like to stick with whites, blushes, hues of gray and navy or maybe some olive green. I have so many items in my closet that will match well with those colors already this way I can just grab a couple of items from the sale and still feel like I'm refreshing my wardrobe. 

Filter it- we all use this feature from time to time the filter button! If you don't want to spend more than $100 on the sale filter your selection to $25 and under this way only items within your budget pop up and you don't get tempted by items out of your budget range. You can also get more specific and in for tops under $25 if that's all your trying to look for so you don't get of track and start buying up beauty items.

Shop it online- I love online shopping because you can tally it up in your cart. You can add in everything, but then remove the items that are blowing your budget. I find this to be a great way for me to stay on track and on budget. 

When all else fails, Go denim- if you're really tight and you just want to grab one thing from the sale go for the denim. They have amazing denim jean brands on sale for crazy good prices. You can snag an awesome pair for 50% off or more. In my opinion it's probably one of the best deals they have going on during the sale. 

Now the sales not only for clothing. Every category has markdowns so shoes, accessories, home goods, beauty etc. By the way, you can apply my hacks to each shopping category-exert for that last one- so get shopping and have fun! Share with me down below what you snagged at the Nordstrom sale. 

Want to see all my NS finds? Head over to my Instagram @FashionStyleFoodie and check out my insta-story!-Everything I snagged was under $100 except for that Sam Edelman Parka that was $109. 

Honeymoon Spray Tan

I know I've been a little MIA lately, but it's because I got married which I'll definitely have a post-up about that soon, but right now I want to tell you guys about my latest sunless tanning experience. 

Okay so here's the deal when I got my tan I was off to my honeymoon in less than 24hrs and my glittering pale skin had got to go. I was asked by Brazil Bronze Tan SoHo to come in for a sun kissed glow. Now I consider myself somewhat of a sunless tanning connoisseur. Ever since I saw the damage tanning bed have done to my skin I don't believe in using them anymore. Thanks to my carefree teenage years, I have so much irreversible sun damage on my face. All of my none summer time glow and sometimes summer glow is because of sunless tanning. 

I've heard of Brazil Bronze SoHo from so many different outlets, it's the place that stars go when in NYC to get their sunless glow on, so I was beyond excited to head over to get a quick glow before I jetted off for my honeymoon. Once I arrived the staff was very friendly and greeted me. I filled out a simple questionnaire that asked how tan I wanted to be and what type of tan I was looking for, express, traditional or organic, they even had a sculpting option which is always a fun add on. When I was called back for my tan. The women that applied my tan was very nice and it wasn't awkward at all, I've been doing this for a while so maybe I'm past the whole awkwardness of it. She tells you exactly how to position and reposition yourself so that every inch of you gets coated in their sunless tanning product. I don't like sitting in a spray tan for that long and I like to control my color so I opted for the express tan. The express tan means you can leave it on for 2-4 hrs depending on how deep of a color you're looking for. They did offer an organic tan which is something I would usually like to try. Maybe next time I'll give it a whirl and let you guys know how it turns out. I'm always game for an organic option. 

Some of you may be wondering why I got a spray tan before heading off to a tropical island, but it's really the same concept as getting a base tan from a tanning bed prior to going on a vacation. The difference is that I don't have to sit in a tanning bed 2 weeks prior. I also don't have to worry about sitting out in the sun all day long on my vacation because I already have sun-kissed skin -BTW the sun will still tan your skin even with a spray tan so don't worry about that!-

My overall thoughts on the spray tan. The staff was great and I had a really nice glow. No one could tell it was a spray which is always the goal. It was perfect for my pre honeymoon glow. If there was any downfall it would be that a couple of spots were missed. Nothing that would be noticed with clothes on, but with a bathing suit it's a bit noticeable. Other than that I have no complaints. The tan was even and the perfect shade for every skin tone. The color they use has a beautiful olive undertone, so no orange hues here! If you’re in NYC or planning a trip there I would recommend hitting their studio to get your glow on ASAP!

A little makeup tip- I never get my face sprayed! even when self-tanning I leave my face bare. I do this for a couple of reasons, the first one being that I don't like how it clings to some areas on my face, it makes my dark spots more prominent and clings to certain areas differently. I also don't want it to clog my pores. -I'll get more into detail about my wedding prep skincare another time but trust me with any face regimen you do not want to take the chance of breaking out especially when you can just color match yourself easily.  

Clothing Deets:
Top: Hollister co
Joggers: Topshop
Sandals: Hollister co
Luggage: Alice & Olivia for Target
Polish color: Blue & Borrowed Essie

Wedding dress number two?

Yup I did it, I tried on another wedding dress after I purchased my hella expensive wedding dress. Why you ask? Easiest way to put it is because I can and wanted to. Even though they all said, don't do it! - you'll regret it, if you put it on and love it what then?!... I didn't listen to them and I'm very happy I didn't.

Finding my dress was probably my FAVORITE part of this entire wedding planning process. You get to put on gorgeous gowns that cost way too much money and feel like a princess. I had so much fun and it all happened all so quickly that I found myself second guessing my first choice.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved my dress when I first put it on I mean I practically yanked it off the rack, so that wasn't the issue. I guess I felt like it happened so quickly that I didn't know if I should've tried on more gowns before finally deciding on my dress.

I mean I did have the most perfect moment when I put my dress on and said yes (which I will get into after the wedding) that I was scarred I got caught up in it all and didn't take the time to really look more, but then again if you know you know right? Well… not always…

Now we're down to the wire and I mean 3 weeks out kinda wire. I already changed my headpiece last week so while I was at the trunk show I spotted it. It was a real show stopper even on the rack- can we take a moment, what is with me and grabbing dresses off a rack like it’s going to be stolen from me or something geez girl relax?!- Anyways- It was an Eve of Milady ball-gown, but not just any ball-gown the kind that I dreamt of when I was a little girl playing Cinderella and looking at Bride’s magazine because at the age of 5 I knew I wanted to get married. It was that kinda ball gown.

I spotted it and I fell in love I didn't care about the price, honestly I didn't care about anything all I knew was that I loved this dress. I left the shop without putting it on because they all say, “don't put on another dress after you’ve already said yes to your dress!” Well I never listen to anyone so as soon as I left the city I called up the shop to setup an appointment. That night I couldn't stop thinking about it. I tossed and I turned all night long just thinking about the possibility of getting this gown. 

The next day when went to the shop and put it on it was perfect. Needed some tailoring at the waist, but pretty much perfect. I felt like Cinderella, BUT I had this feeling come over me almost a sadness. I kept thinking about my other gown and how I wouldn't get to wear it as much. I pushed down the feeling because this gown was stunning, but that feeling kept popping back up like a little voice inside my head saying I'd regret it. 

I pushed that voice to the side and told the dress consultant that I would take it. The price was right I felt like a princess, but at the counter when I went to pay something felt off. I took some time to really think about it and I ended up having them put it on hold and I walked away. That night I still thought about it, but in the sense that I didn't need it. Yes, I loved it, but I loved my original gown more. I loved the idea of having a second dress, but I felt like my original gown was more me and represented how I wanted to look on my wedding day.

I know they say you shouldn't try on anything after you say yes to the dress, but in my case it helped me workout how I was feeling about my original gown. I love everything about my dress and I can't wait to wear it.

If you’re feeling like you didn't choose the right dress I say hunny you only live this life once so go out there and try on whatever you want. Maybe you'll find your dream dress (you can always sell your original gown) or maybe you'll realize that your original gown is perfect for you. Either way you need to do what right for you, not what right for everyone else. Remember at the end of the day it's your special day not theirs.

Xoxo-Ana