Yearly Archives: 2023


L’Occitane hand cream review

l'occitane hand cream review vanilla bouquet

pictured: L’Occitane hand cream in Vanilla Bouquet / summer nail polish /

L’Occitane Vanilla Bouquet

L’Occitane hand cream is an oldie but a goodie. If you searched for the perfect, non-greasy hand cream early in your life, you most certainly came across L’Occitane hand cream. It is famous for it’s non-greasy formula and its’ ability to repair hands. But, did you know there are additional scents beyond the standard shea butter fragrance? There are!

My absolute favorite scent from the L’Occitane hand cream collection is Vanilla Bouquet. You might think this is a traditional vanilla bean fragrance, but I can assure, it is not. In fact, L’Occitane Vanilla Bouquet does not really smell like vanilla at all. It is a very soft, floral scent which is light and works well all year long. I am in love with it!

In addition to L’Occitane hand cream in vanilla bouquet, there are additional skin care products with this scent. I am currently loving the body cream, which is thick and moisturizing, as well as beautifully scented! Love!

If you are looking for hand cream which does its’ job, and accompanying skin care products, you might fall in love with L’Occitane hand cream in vanilla bouquet. I know I did!

So, without further ado, I rate L’Occitane hand cream vanilla bouquet five out of five stars! Love it!

Have you tried L’Occitane hand cream yet? If not, I highly recommend giving it a try. It quickly repairs hands and has been a favorite since the 1990s.

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy


Nike Dunk review

nike dunks review

pictured: Nike Dunk High in olive and white /

It is entirely possible I have been on a sneakers kick the past two years. Ever since I started to have foot problems, I found sneakers were better for my feet than all my fabulous, sky high heels. In moving towards sneakers, my daughter introduced to me to the SNKRS app and the fun street sneakers from Nike.

Nike Dunks are a popular street sneaker which have been in high demand for many years. If you look at people’s feet, you will find people from teenagers through to Generation X, and possibly some Boomers, wearing Nike Dunks. This is a sneaker style and street style trend which transcends age and demographic. Love that!

You can find a few different types of Nike Dunks on the street. There are Nike Dunk Lows which are a traditional, low top sneaker. There are also Nike Dunk Highs which are traditional high-top sneakers, and the SB line which is geared towards skateboarding. Oftentimes, most SB styles are sold in skate shops rather than the SNKRS app or Nike stores. Although, you can find SB styles through Nike sometimes. I did manage to snag one pair!

Once in a great while, Nike will offer the chance to create your own Nike Dunk sneakers! This is really fun because you have many colors available to you, and you can design your own pair with the color combo you want. I have done this twice. Once with Nike Dunk Highs, which I ordered in blue and white, and once with Nike Dunk Lows which I ordered in mint green and a greyish-white hue. Love!

Nike Dunk sneakers are easy to wear with a variety of outfits. Of course, they can be worn with the obvious casual looks such as jeans, chinos, and shorts, but they can also be paired with dresses and skirts for a dressy yet sporty look.

What I love about Nike Dunk sneakers is that they are available in so many different colors! Many are one color plus white, but sometimes you can find them in three or more colors mixed together. They can match a certain outfit or be their own standout piece in an overall look. It is fun to find a pretty color and match it with a look! I also love my black and white Pandas because they go with literally anything! I feel like everyone needs a pair of black and white Dunks, often referred to as “Pandas.”

One of the drawbacks to the Nike Dunks is that the leather is not very soft. It is often stiff and easily creases. If you don’t mind creases, like me, then this will be OK with you. If you want your sneakers to keep their shape out of the box, you might consider adding an insert to the shoe or store them with a shoe shaper. One thing to note, the Dunk’s Nike allows you to create yourself seem to use higher quality leather which does not crease as easily, although they seem to fit a bit more snug than the off-the-rack Nike Dunk’s.

If you are like me, and need to wear orthotics, this can be a bit tricky. The insoles are glued inside the shoes. If you don’t mind ripping them out, it is easy to do. Then you can insert your orthotics. If you don’t want to rip out the insoles, you can wear an arch support band or add additional arch support to the existing sole. I wear mine with an arch support band and I am able to walk pain-free.

You can find Nike Dunk’s directly through Nike, or on the secondary market. Sometimes you will need to enter a lottery or draw through Nike or on the SNKRS app in order to snap up a pair you really want. If you can’t find the color combo you are looking for, you can buy from resellers but be careful! You want to make sure you are buying a legit pair made by Nike. I have linked to my favorites on the secondary market below. These are from reputable resellers, but always inspect them when you receive them to make sure you got the real deal!

There are plenty of colors to choose from through Nike right now. Here are my favorites! Please note, when you click on the black, grey, white pair, you will be taken directly to the create your own Nike Dunk low. Have fun designing!

I hope you enjoy your new Nike Dunk’s! They are a classic sneaker which you can enjoy for years; so, don’t be afraid to invest in multiple colorways! You can splurge all at once or invest in pairs over time. Love that!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

pictured below: Nike Dunk Low in black and white, also known as “Pandas” /

nike dunk review

Nike Dunks review


BAF Weekly IT List

summer street style

BAF Weekly IT List from top left: pink dress (on major sale!) / summer nail polish, green, blue / large hoop earrings (under $100) / silver bracelet / green woven handbag / black belt / black shoulder bag / black boots (water resistant) / straw tote / wedge espadrilles (also here) /

Well, things sold out quickly from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale! Practically my entire wish list was gone by the time I had the chance to shop the sale. I did end up with one pair of boots, which are still en route to me. How did you fair with the sale? Were you able to snap up anything?

Aside from the sale, summer is still going strong! Barbie pink is hotter than hot as the movie premieres, and everyone is excited to see their favorite childhood doll on the live screen. The anonymous handbag is also going strong and is proving to be the ultimate IT bag as we head into the fall season and beyond. While the anonymous handbag is not a trend, the suppression of the logo bag is a trend, so might as well stock up on this classic IT handbag look while logos are shoved in the back of the closet!

If you are looking towards fall, my trend reports will come out soon! As of right now, know this! The red handbag is coming back strong, so if you have one in the back of your closet, bring it forward! If you want to rock something fall right now, wear your red handbag now!

Want to get a jumpstart on shopping your closet for fall before my article posts? Also look at your loafers and bring them forward. Loafers are both classic and on trend for fall. Love that!

Stay tuned for end of summer coverage, as well as pre-fall!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy