Month: April 2014

A Cinderella Moment with Lotus Boutique!!

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This past week, I attended Birmingham Fashion Week for the first time…as a blogger!!!  Last year I attended simply as a guest, and the experience was much different than it was this time.  I had so much fun this year; it was super exciting and so amazing!!  In preparation for Fashion Week, I wanted to make sure I planned fun outfits for each night.  Cue: Lotus Boutique!!

Lotus Boutique was amazingly gracious!  I was able to wear three looks from their current in-store collection!  It started out with a visit to the Lotus Boutique at the Summit to pick out some outfits. For those of you who haven’t been to the Lotus store at the Summit in a while, be aware that they are no longer located over by Sephora and Gus Mayer, but rather next to Gap, and in the same suite as the Halcyon Day Salon & Spa!

041714102304171410250417141025aSo, I got started! Selecting only three outfits was by no means an easy task!  There was so much to choose from!  Check out some of the cute things I saw:

0417141028b 0417141032a 0417141031 0417141030c 0417141030a 0417141029d 0417141029b 0417141029 0417141028 0417141027c 0417141026a 0417141026 0417141025b0417141033 0417141034 IMG_20140417_121939I made my choices based on uniqueness if you will.  I wanted pieces that people wouldn’t think to pair with a metallic jacket, or with a peplum top.  I also wanted pieces that spoke to my style, which is fun and feminine.  In the end, I selected a few things:

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All of the outfits were so fun to wear and fit so well!!  I am SOOOOO grateful to Lotus Boutique for making this experience such a memorable one!!  I had so much fun styling all three different looks!  Here are the three looks I put together with pieces from the Lotus collection:

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BFW – Night 2 (This outfit was also featured on al.com!!)

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BFW – Night 1 (LOVED this outfit…this dress is one of my all-time favorites. I’m planning to wear it ALL summer!!)

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BFW – Night 4 (Loved, loved, loved this skirt!! Loved that it was a stretchy pencil skirt, so very flattering for curvy-figures!

What do you think??  I could fill my closet with Lotus clothing and accessories!!  Couldn’t you??

Follow me on Instagram to see more outtakes from Birmingham Fashion Week, and my blog, Chic in Academia, for work-appropriate outfit inspirations, as well as tips on how to mix high and low fashion!

Stay Chic! 💋

Healthy Essentials, La Familia de Hoy Update!!

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Disclaimer:  This post is being sponsored by Johnson & Johnson and Latina Bloggers Connect.  However, opinions expressed in this post are my own and have not been modified by the sponsors or any other third parties.

Remember my post about the Johnson & Johnson Healthy Essentials, ‘La Familia de Hoy’ campaign?!  You can read it here if you need a reminder! 🙂

Well…it turns out that the family I selected as my favorite (and that you may voted for by way of my post), won the contest!!  Yay!!  The Jimenez family was chosen to represent Johnson & Johnson this year in their Healthy Essentials, La Familia de Hoy campaign!!  Juan, Biviana and their three children: Elisa, Diego and Benicio are a modern, active, multicultural family – representative of all the values that Latinos relate to and care about. Congrats, Jimenez family!!!

jimenez familyBecause I was one of the bloggers that wrote about the Jimenez family, I was selected to not only announce the winning family on my blog, but also received a number of complimentary Johnson&Johnson products!!  Thank you, Johnson & Johnson!!!

Anyone who has been a postdoc in academia, (‘specially a postdoc with kids and who’s paying for daycare), knows that money is not plentiful, haha, so freebies are ALWAYS welcome!! 😛

I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the box and saw that we use all but one of the products they sent!!  Well…maybe the hubs uses that one product, but…hmm, let’s just say he doesn’t, haha!!  TOTALLY joking!!!  The product is still in the box…happy to gift it to anyone who does use it! 😀  Anyway, take a look at what they sent:

jj productsI hadn’t actually used Lubriderm lotion before, or the Johnson’s baby shampoo and leave-in conditioner, but I have become a fan of all three!  My husband doesn’t like Lubriderm lotion because he thinks it’s too greasy, but I didn’t find that at all.  I’ve used it every day since it arrived!

I also tried the shampoo on both kids (even on my own hair) and was pleasantly surprised as well!  I like the smell (very important, though I do favor the lavender  scented version instead) and it works well for both boys! My mane did require a heavy duty conditioner after using this shampoo, but that is not unusual…it usually takes a pretty strong conditioner to tame this mane!

Grayson JJ shampoo

Here, I’m using the Johnson’s baby shampoo and conditioner on my youngest.

By the way, I TRIED to get a picture of him that was not blurry, but was hugely unsuccessful, so a blurry pic is what you get!  You get the picture…literally, haha!! 😛

I was excited to have been selected as one of the bloggers to join this campaign back in November, and even more so to announce that the family I chose, won!  Congratulations again, Jimenez family and many thanks for Johnson & Johnson for the wonderful products you sent for me and my family!!

Gus Mayer Hosts a Night Out with ‘Faces of Birmingham’!

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If you live in the Birmingham area, get ready to get your fashion fix on this Thursday evening!

Gus Mayer – an upscale women’s clothing and accessories boutique in Birmingham – will be celebrating a ‘Night Out’ with Style Blueprint’s ‘Faces of Birmingham’ on Thursday, April 10 from 4–8 pm.

Style Blueprint is an online magazine/newsletter, which features an influential woman from the Birmingham community in their Monday column, Faces of Birmingham. Featured women range from artists to business owners, fundraisers to community leaders. Each of these women will have the opportunity to raise money this Thursday for their charity of choice! You can help raise money as well by attending the Gus Mayer event, this Thursday, April 10th!  How cool is that!?

The ‘Face’ with the most supporters in attendance will receive a donation from Gus Mayer for their charity of their choice along with a prize package to include ‘Dinner for Two’ at FoodBar.

If you’ve ever been to Gus Mayer, you know that they carry amazing designer items from fashion houses all over the world!  That said, if you are on a budget (aka frugalista/bargainista), but still want to participate in the event and help a charity, you can still save a bit of money that day since every purchase will be TAX FREE!!

So, don’t let your frugal-ways stop you from attending this fun event! The event is free, there is no obligation to buy (unless of course you want to help raise money for a particular charity AND/OR take advantage of the TAX FREE incentive offered ALL DAY Thursday!), AND, all guests who attend will have a chance to register to win for prizes, which include jeans, clutches, cosmetics and gift cards!!  Yay!  Freebies!! 😀

Sounds like fun, right?!  I’ve been invited to cover the event, so come out and join me for a bit that day! Bring out the inner fashionista in you, plan a fun outfit and join me Thursday at ‘Faces of Birmingham’!  If you can’t make it, I’ll be posting updates on Instagram and Twitter, so follow along! 😉

Stay Chic!!

Faces of Birmingham

*The purchase price will be reduced by the tax amount. Does not apply to prior purchases, trunk shows, special orders, gift cards or services. Select shoe brands excluded. Other exclusions may apply. For more information on Gus Mayer, please contact Krista Conlin at 205.937.3777 or visit www.GusMayer.com.