Blog – Page 6

Categories: Style

Let’s Talk About Ankle Boots

Today I’m sharing a few of my favorite ankle boots – also known as “booties.” I was a little late to hopping on the ankle boots bandwagon...but I gave into the trend after seeing them everywhere last year.

Heeled ankle boots give you a little height while also being comfortable and casual, which makes them a great choice for so many occasions. I even plan on wearing mine into spring with dresses! If you haven’t picked up a pair yet, take a look at my comfy ankle boot picks. I’ve picked boots at several different price points, from Michael Kors to Joie to Stuart Weitzman. Enjoy!

Scroll through + shop these items below!

Categories: Lifestyle, Style

Want to Know Why Everyone’s Been Talking About Vivi?

As you might remember from my “#TBT: Cookie Lee Fashion Week” post from a few weeks ago, I have been interning for a wonderful jewelry company called Cookie Lee. This weekend, I attended Cookie Lee Fashion Week where the gorgeous Spring/Summer line was revealed…as well as another HUGE surprise!

Cookie Lee has re-launched their jewelry + accessory line – ViVi. “ViVi” stands for vision, inspiration, values, and independence – all words that describe the lives and aspirations of ViVi’s consultants, consumers, and corporate office staff. I can’t think of a better way to reward the individuals who helped build Cookie Lee than rewarding them with a new and improved look and feel! The weekend-long event was amazing and incredibly inspiring to all of those in attendance. I also really enjoyed watching Rita Davenport speak again – I think I was laughing even harder than I was the first time I saw her speak! She had the whole room cracking up.

At what turned out to be ViVi (not Cookie Lee!) Fashion Week 2015, I was able to get some great shots of the new jewelry line and the other new accessories. I love that ViVi is diversifying the products offered – it really seems like there is something for everyone! I’m a huge fan of their new scarves and sunglasses! (You can browse them by clicking here. I have a feeling that a lot of the new catalogue will sell out quickly, so make sure to look up a consultant on their website if what you want is sold-out online!)

Check out my experience below. There was dancing, styling, a whole lot of hugging and even a little bit of teary eyes!

There was quite a bit of dancing on stage!

I loved watching Shawn (the Director or Product Merchandising and Marketing) show the consultants some creative style combos with the Spring/Summer 2015 collection.

SO many hugs and smiles at the event! 🙂

I love the new name, logo, and color scheme! Their new promo merchandise is gorgeous.

The new merchandise!

Another fabulous (and Pinterest-worthy) candy bar.

I want to say thank you to all of the wonderful ViVi ladies for an inspiring and fashion-filled weekend 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by and make sure to check out the new Spring/Summer 2015 collection from ViVi!

Categories: Lifestyle, Style, travel

My City, Through A Fresh Pair of Eyes

As promised in my last post, I am sharing the details of my “staycation” – AKA the week I spent as a wannabe tour guide! I had so much fun rediscovering my two homes (Los Angeles + Orange County) with my best friend, Alex, who was visiting from Mississippi. Alex had never visited the West Coast before, so I made an ambitious list of activities for her weeklong visit. I really wanted to give her the full LA experience and we covered SO much ground in just a few days!

We went to places all over Los Angeles and Orange County, including “super LA” dining spots such as The Ivy, Perch, Bottega Louie, and The Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel. We went to the Santa Monica Pier, the 3rd Street Promenade, Rodeo Drive, The Grove, Fashion Island, and peeked into a ton of shops on Melrose and Robertson Blvd. As you can probably tell – it was a busy week! We knocked out a ton of historical LA/Hollywood locations while on a bus tour of Hollywood, which was really helpful since the days were packed enough already.

We spent one day Orange County, where we met up with my lifelong friend, Shayna. We walked around Balboa Island and then visited The Pelican Hill Resort & Spa for a yummy dinner at the Coliseum Pool & Grill restaurant. Overall, I think my favorite part was showing Alex around my college campus at USC! I showed Alex the buildings I had classes in, explained who the heck Tommy Trojan was, and even pointed out the huge statue of Traveler 🙂 (Alex could probably tell that I am already sad that my time at USC is only months from being over! But that’s a long sappy post for another day…haha). As I mentioned in my last post, Alex and I received our acceptance emails from Teen Vogue Fashion University on her last day in California. That was a fantastic way to end the week! We left off saying “I’ll see you in March!” instead of goodbye!

I had a ton of fun being Alex’s tour guide for the week. I’ve realized that seeing my everyday surroundings from someone else’s point of view really deepened my appreciation for the places & spaces that I sometimes take for granted. I hope you all enjoy taking a peek at our weeklong adventure in Southern California! Enjoy!

The Ivy, Beverly Hills

The Santa Monica Pier

Benihana, Santa Monica. Julian picked this place – we had a great time!

The Santa Monica Pier

Lunch at The Ivy, Beverly Hills. My friend Maegan from USC joined us!

The Ivy, Beverly Hills

Shopping on Melrose

Heading of to Perch, in Downtown LA.

#Twinning

Spotted these beauties at Fred Segal while shopping on Melrose!

A quick stop at The Roosevelt Hotel while on our Hollywood Legends tour.

A quick stop at The Chinese while on our Hollywood Legends tour.

We had a great view of Los Angeles from this wonderful viewpoint while on our Hollywood tour!

Being super touristy with the Hollywood sign! We really loved going on this Hollywood tour!

Balboa Island

A beautiful sunset outside of Fashion Island!

Dinner at Perch in Downtown.

The pool at The Pelican Hill Resort

Dinner at The Pelican Hill Resort.

Walking the red carpet at The Beverly Hills Hotel!

Inside of the Beverly Hills Hotel

Having a “star moment” outside of the Beverly Hills Hotel!

The beautiful pool area at The Beverly Hills Hotel

Ok, so we even stopped by the pool restaurant for iced coffees after lunch at the Polo Lounge! Clearly, we couldn’t get enough of the Beverly Hills hotel 🙂

Feel free to leave your favorite Los Angeles/Orange County locations in this post’s comments! I’d love to stop by anywhere that we might have missed out on. Thanks for stopping by!

Categories: Lifestyle, Style, travel

Teen Vogue + San Francisco

TEEN VOGUE UNIVERSITY, HERE WE COME!

I have some super exciting news that I have been dying to share with Pretti Please – I have been accepted into the Design/Styling major at Teen Vogue Fashion University! I applied back in November and have been anxiously waiting to hear back from Teen Vogue. I am absolutely thrilled about being accepted! In March, I will travel to New York City to attend classes and hear first-hand from the top names in the industry about their experiences in navigating the fashion and business worlds. I can’t wait to share my experience with Teen Vogue with all of you! This year’s speakers include Rebecca Minkoff, Zac Posen, and Jessica Simpson! This is a huge dream of mine and I am so so excited that it is becoming a reality.

I am also thrilled that my equally fashion-obsessed BFF, Alex (in photo above), has also been accepted to the Design/Styling major. You might recognize her from my “Parsons Experience” post about the time I spent in Parson’s Summer Intensive Studies program in Fashion Design. You also might have seen her over on my Instagram account last week while she was visiting me in Los Angeles! Alex is from Mississippi and had never been to the West Coast, so I gave her a week-long tour of all my favorite Los Angeles/Orange County locations. It was super fun! We received our acceptance emails at the same time on the day that she flew back home, so it was a great way to end her trip. We immediately went out and bought copies of the magazine for a little photoshoot on my college’s campus, of course!

Stay tuned for a fun post coming later this week about all of our SoCal adventures!

Today I’m sharing some pictures from my wonderful trip to San Francisco with my boyfriend, Julian. We went to Fisherman’s Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, The Rotunda restaurant at Neiman Marcus, and Union Square (just to name a few spots!). We rang in the new year at a huge New Year’s Eve party held at the beautiful Fairmont hotel. The event planners hired circus performers come entertain the guests, which had Julian and I cracking up all night. When the clock struck 12 they released hundreds of balloons from the ceiling! It was a beautiful night.

My favorite part of the trip was just walking around and looking at all of the shops while enjoying the end of the holiday season. The city looked magical with all of the Christmas lights and Christmas trees still up! I must have photographed at least ten trees while on this trip, so I had to narrow the photos down to a couple favorites, which you will see below. I hope you all enjoyed your New Year’s Eve celebrations and are off to a happy & healthy new year.

Thanks for stopping by!

Categories: Style

New Year’s Eve Glamour Guide

I can’t believe New Year’s Eve is almost upon us! The past year has flown by. I am so grateful for the people, places, and experiences that I encountered over the course of 2014. I want to thank you all for your support and engagement with my blog and Etsy shop throughout 2014 – it is hard to believe Pretti Please is almost 1 year old already! 🙂
For this year’s NYE celebration, I am flying up to San Francisco to spend the week with my boyfriend. I will be up there for a few days to do some celebrating, shopping, and to make my boyfriend do touristy stuff with me (in his own area, hah!). While packing for my trip, I spent some time brainstorming a few of my favorite New Year’s Eve accessories, so thought I’d share them since I know everyone is preparing to do some of their own NYE styling! This year, I’ve decided to pack a simple black dress and style it using fun, glittery accessories such as the ones I’ve picked below. Each smaller photo (below) is linked to where you can purchase the item online. Enjoy! I’ll be taking lots of fun photos of our adventures and posting them on Instagram, so make sure to follow along! 🙂

I wish you all a happy & safe New Year’s Eve celebration, wherever you are!

Categories: Lifestyle

A Southern California Christmas Eve

In the spirit of Christmas Eve, I’m sharing a few shots of my favorite Christmas decor – photos of my own home, my favorite public spaces, and my sorority house at USC. It is so nice to be relaxing without any schoolwork to worry about!

Below you’ll see that Southern California is doing its very best to look cozy and “Chrismassy,” despite the fact that its been pretty warm this week. We’ve had temperatures reach 84 degrees in LA, to be exact! So this post should be a breath of fresh air if you’ve been drooling over everyone’s perfectly snowy Christmas posts on Instagram, just like me! I hope that you all have a very merry Christmas – no matter where you are!

Taken before everyone got home to decorate the tree!
How fun is this gingerbread house decoration that my mom picked out?
Fashion Island, Newport Beach

USC Alpha Delta Pi
Downtown Los Angeles

The Grove, Los Angeles
Muffin, looking a little guilty!
South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa
Like I said – Southern California is “trying its best” to look cozy!

Merry Christmas, from my family to yours! 🙂

Congratulations to Alexandra Nicole T. on being the winner of the “As Good As Gold” Giveaway! Thank you to everyone that entered into the contest and I hope you enjoyed the “Gift Picks Under $15” post!

Categories: Lifestyle, Style

#TBT: Cookie Lee Fashion Week!

I decided to share this fun “Throwback Thursday” style post with my readers after a few gals asked where I found the amazing necklace I’m wearing in my blog’s Bio picture. I know a lot of you were pleasantly surprised when you discovered that it was from Cookie Lee’s Fall/Winter Line (and only $48!).

I’ve had such an amazing experience with Cookie Lee and am so excited to share a little bit about the time I have spent as an intern in their corporate office. My absolute favorite part of my internship was attending their Fashion Week 2014 event at Hotel Irvine in Orange County. I learned SO much about the direct selling industry at this event! I enjoyed taking photos, learning from guest speakers, browsing all of Cookie Lee’s fabulous new jewelry, and networking with the other fashionable & business-minded women in attendance. The highlight of the event for me was hearing from the award-winning keynote speaker and network marketing expert Rita Davenport! I also loved seeing the consultants get fired up about the new look and feel of the company, including the Fall/Winter 2014 catalogue that I had helped work on.

To get a taste of the new direction that Cookie Lee is heading in, take a look at my photos below from Fashion Week 2014! The event had a super cute candy bar and gorgeous floral arrangements to compliment the accessory displays. I also want to invite you to visit their new & improved website where you can browse & shop the latest Cookie Lee jewelry pieces, scarves, and sunglasses!

I hope you enjoyed this peek into my amazing experience at Cookie Lee Fashion Week! 🙂

Also, don’t forget to enter to win my “AS GOOD AS GOLD” giveaway by clicking HERE.

Categories: Lifestyle, Style

{ Cute & Cozy }

HOORAY – today is my first day of Christmas Break! I couldn’t be more excited that we are experiencing rain in Los Angeles – again. I’m taking this {rare} rainy day to catch up on a few episodes of Law & Order SVU and spend some time organizing my room.

As you can see, today’s weather has certainly inspired me to focus on a couple cozy & cute items for today’s post! Check out my favorite sleep, lounge, and home decor items of this holiday season at all different price points below. I’m really loving the fun pink candle by Voluspa and the festive
glitter slippers from Nordstrom Rack, which are on sale right now for only $19!

Cute & Cozy | Pretti Please | www.prettipleaseblog.com by prettiplease featuring a victoria secret bedding

Categories: Lifestyle, Style, Uncategorized

Insta Lately… || @pretti_please

I hope that all of you are enjoying your last week before the Christmas madness really heats up!

I’m in the midsts of finals “week” (which actually feels like forever to me because my final exams span two weeks instead of one), so I thought I’d do a little round-up of my latest & greatest Instagram posts. Links to featured items can be found below each picture! Also, feel free to leave any questions that you might have in the comments along with links to your own Instagram accounts – I’d love to check them out.

Keds for Kate Spade

Boots (sold out, THESE are my new favorites!) | Hat (also love this)

Burberry Rain Boots (mine are a few years old and sold out, but I love the ones I liked!) | Cheaper option

Sweatshirt

Heels (ankle-strap style is sold out – SIMILAR)

Knockout Crop (LOVE the cut and fabric of these! Just as good as Lululemon, but cheaper!)

Ahh!-Larm (Personal Alarm)

Heels (these are SO comfy and come in SO many different colors!)

Riding Boots // Puffer Vest // Scarf

Platform Sandals // Camera Strap

Tassel Garland (SO OBSESSED!!!)

Tory Burch Small Marion

I was SO excited to open my mailbox and see this awesome hoodie from @fight2breathe! Please check out Caleigh’s AMAZING story & support/follow her on her journey to receiving a double lung transplant! Click HERE for details.

Robinson Chain Wallet

Heels sold out, SIMILAR (flats version!) | Bag (Large sold out, HERE is the Medium size that features a handy strap!)

For more of Pretti Please on Instagram, click HERE
Thanks for reading, Pretties!

Categories: Lifestyle, Style, Uncategorized

Life Lately, In Pictures…

With my senior year at USC starting, Sorority recruitment, football games, weekend trips, Birthday festivities, and everything else going on – it has been a CRAZY month! Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I’m sharing my favorite Insta posts (@pretti_please). I’ve linked photos to the websites I purchased them from and will be happy to answer any questions in the comments! Enjoy! 🙂

Visit my Instagram and tap this photo once to see where I found individual necklaces!
My 22nd Birthday was on Sept. 10th! It wouldn’t have been complete without this absolutely amazing cake from Cindarella Cakes, Laguna Niguel!

Flats

Tray (Michael’s) // Carpet

Candle

I recently traveled to Palo Alto with my boyfriend, Julian and my brother, Alexander for the big Stanford VS. USC game! Here’s a shot of the mark we left on Palo Alto…
{Don’t worry guys, it’s just a quirky dry-erase wall!}

Another photo from Palo Alto!
Marilyn Monroe Journal (Mashall’s)
Tray (Marshall’s) // Blue Necklace (Nordstrom, “Natasha”) // Gold + Blush Necklace (Cookie Lee) // Wedges
Earrings (Cookie Lee) // Benetint
Leggings (Lululemon’s Secret Garden Print Capri pant)
Kitson LA

KRYLON Metallic Gold DIY – I highly recommend this spray! I got mine at Michael’s
Stapler

Earrings on Left (Cookie Lee) // Earrings on Right (Forever 21) // Tray (USC bookstore)
Tea cups (Marshall’s – only $9 for the set!)
White Bracelet // Hot Pink Bracelet
My Grandpa kept this on his porch for 15 years, but I remember my mom and I making it for him like it was just yesterday! When my Grandpa passed away last month, my mom and I decided to put this into our own yard as a memento. It is a beautiful reminder of my Grandpa! <3
I LOVE my new coffee table set up! Everyday I get to see my mom & my Grandpa smiling back at me!
USC Alpha Delta Pi’s Bid Night 2014! How amazing was this set up?
Bid Night had THE MOST adorable desserts!
My sorority’s first sisterhood event was a day in the sun {complete with a GIANT Ferris Wheel} on our sorority house’s great big lawn!

Flats – Old, Tory Burch // Bracelet – Old, J. Crew
Magazine Rack (Office Depot) – Spray paint DIY with Krylon’s metallic gold.
I’m obsessed with this amazing package Victoria’s Secret Sport sent me, courtest of Influenster! {Sign up here}.

I loved the view from Perch restaurant in Downtown LA for my birthday!
Necklace (Cookie Lee)

New obsessions: Versace’s Bright Crystal (gift) and Sally Hansen’s GEL {No Light} polishes!
Planner

Top {Nordstrom Rack} // Necklace

Cheering on USC at the USC VS. Stanford Weekender game! (Dress, ASOS)

Between my friends, family, & boyfriend – I think I must have celebrated my birthday {at least} 5 times! I’m sending a huge THANK YOU to everyone who made my birthday the best one yet! 🙂 I love you all!

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