Love your boo, but not the type to dish out money for overpriced, usual Valentines flowers and goodies? I hear you. I'm more of a practical, timeless and within-my-budget kinda girl myself. And the husband and I always go low-key with presents on Valentines in favor of hitting the shops together after the 14th.  On the hunt for chic, minimalist presents that will work for you and your boo? Here's a few gifts that will please just about anyone and everyone:






TOP ROW, L-R



1) Shinola The Runwell Chrono Blue Dial Brown Leather Mens Watch S0100117- File this under ultimate watch goals! Proudly Detroit-made Shinola watches and other leather products are all the rage as of late, and obviously for good reason. Simple without compromising style, Shinola watches embody a more understated kind of luxury. A Shinola watch is my ultimate to-gift goal for my husband, as well as for myself!


2) Sfumato  "Mocha Valentino" limited edition fragrance - Because smelling like delectable chocolate for your bae all year round sounds perfect! Made from neroli, tobacco absolute, tofu balsam and other natural materials, you're guaranteed to smell sexy all year round. Also, you'll be supporting a proud Detroit business. 


3) Xiaomi Mi Heart Rate Monitor and Fitness tracker, Gearbest.com - You want a fitness tracker, but you don't feel like coughing up 100++ dollars for one. It may not be as popular as some of its higher-priced counterparts, but the Xiaomi Mi tracker has really stellar reviews online for something that's priced quite less than the competition. If you're in the market for a simple tracker that performs the monitoring benefits that you need minus the bells and whistles, you might want to give this tracker a go. Check out GearBest.com for some seriously affordable tech deals... and funky men's hoodies, while you're at it. They kind of sell everything




SECOND ROW L-R


1) Calvin Klein CK2 Unisex fragrance- CK1 is a legendary fragrance and completely redefined the unisex game. Let's see how the newly released CK2 does!




2) White Faux Taxidermy Templeton Deer Head Wall Decor, Mini, White - A must for every hipster urbanite, naturally.




3) The Honest Company Everything Tote  - I like everything The Honest Company represents, and this simple, classic tote looks good on both you and your guy. Time to move past the overly floral diaper bags, and move on to something that won't clash with your outfit. 

THIRD ROW, L-R


1) The Wandering City: Colouring Book by Moleskine X Carlo Stanga - Because adult coloring books do work in relieving your stress, and because everything Moleskine has on their line is nothing short of awesome. The visuals in this book, in particular, are quite beautiful! I definitely see myself working on this book with the hubs.


2) Polette Eyewear "Heroes S" Faux Wood Sunglasses  - the generous people over at Polette has offered to send me glasses for consideration and review, and I zeroed in on this classic but edgy stunner! 


3) Monopoly: Game of Thrones Collector's Edition Board Game - because you want to gear up for April with this sweet gift. Winter isn't just coming, it's already here! 

Christmas may be over, but there's still a lot of holiday gatherings and NYE parties to attend for sure - how about putting together a full makeup look on a a super budget? Sara and I decided to put on this fun holiday take on the popular $20 makeup challenge (see her post here) - see my choices below!

BASE - $3.50

CHEEKS AND CONTOUR - $3.70

LIPS - $1.29

EYES - $2.00

So there you go, a full-on holiday look for a whopping $10.49. How crazy is that?! My main takeaway from this experience is that in a sea of Tom Fords and YSLs and all the covetable makeup brands, it's still very easy to put together an awesome look for a budget. You may say you NEED that fancy contour kit or face primer in your life (which I'm guilty of lol), but sometimes, dialing it down is your best bet and really, you don't NEED all that. Just in case you need to put in more money for that dream vacay or handbag you really covet. Just saying. ;)

Can you guys believe how fast 2015 has come and gone? I don't know about you, but it seems like the older we get, the faster time seems to pass by. Sure, there were moments that I felt like things have been going on foreever, but most of the time I wonder where it all went. My son is already a year old and soon enough, I will be spending my second year as a permanent resident in the US. Crazy, right?

Trying to come up with resolutions in all aspects for 2016. Do you guys have your personal list already?

Got nothing to do tomorrow night? Good. I mean, even if you probably had something to do, you might want to consider setting those plans aside-- join some of Detroit's most stylish in celebrating Saks Fifth Avenue Troy's Contemporary (re) Launch! Complete with a fashion show of some of today's hottest labels, light bites and bubbly, this is something you definitely don't want to miss!

Tomorrow's (re)Launch party will start at 6:00, to be followed by the fashion show at 6:30. Here's a breakdown of what to expect in tomorrow's event:


You're all cordially invited - just make sure to RSVP by calling them. See you tomorrow! :)

Sometime ago, I met up with my always entertaining gal Mademoiselle Leah V for lunch and light conversations in the Troy area. Living on completely opposite parts of Metro Detroit, it's always a pleasure to see Leah on my side of town.  After a hearty lunch at La Botana (amazing Mexican food, btw), we decided to head over to visit our blogger pal Larita of Lalatrips to check out her awesome workplace that is Halston Heritage in the Somerset Collection. I was personally excited to check out what they had for fall-winter, as well as examine the pieces up close and fit some of them - read on after the jump to see more Halston goodness!