Goals for the new year

photo courtesy of “Her Creative Studio” via Style Collective. 

Cheers to a new year! 2018 is here, and as much as I love making New Year Resolutions, often times I don’t follow through with them. I decided this year, instead of making a list of resolutions, I would make goals.

My 2018 goals are simple, and I believe they will be easy to achieve in the New Year. Without further ado, here are my 2018 goals:

Get outside more: I am homeschooling two of my three children, and I work from home. When I workout, I go to the gym. I need to try and get outside more by scheduling family hikes, outings, and the like; at least once per week.

Give my husband more attention: With three kids, their activities, and running my company, sometimes I fail to give my husband the attention he deserves. I am going to plan a date night once a month, and ensure he gets the attention he deserves!

Make more educational family time: We play games with our kids, and take them on excursions, but most of that time is fun time. I want to make fun time more educational. This means more educational-type excursions, and educational games. I want my intelligent children to be as well educated as possible. So far we have played writing games, and gone to a few museums; but I want to do more-would love ideas you have!

Get my fitness on track: I always have a strong workout plan which I adhere to religiously every week, season, and year. Last September I hurt my neck, and had to stop working out for several weeks. Then, I was able to start up my workout routine over Thanksgiving vacation. Unfortunately, I soon fell ill with influenza and was unable to workout for close to three weeks. I finally got back on track this week. My goal is to stay healthy and keep my fitness on track. I gained over ten pounds since September by not working out, so I really need to keep my schedule strict!

Diversify my blog income: So this is a question I get asked quite often; “How does your blog make money?” Right now, I have been making passive income by relying on affiliate income, banner ads, and brands who approach me for collaborations. It has been easy to run my blog this way; plus, since I have three kids and I home-school two, I am always really busy-so I always have had excuses for not going out there and cold pitching. But, it is time for a shake-up!

In 2018, I plan to use my corporate outside sales background to start pitching brands in order to expand my income possibilities. I have an action plan, and I have already started to implement it. Don’t worry, I am targeting brands I already love, and would be a good fit for this blog. I would never advertise something to you which I don’t already love, use, and would pay for myself. If you have questions about a brand relationship, or monetization of this blog in general, never hesitate to email me.

Stay away from “fast fashion:” So, I don’t think I need to delve too much into this. The last few years I have succumbed to the fast fashion temptation. Great prices, trendy items, designer look-a-likes; but my lifetime mantra has always been to buy the real thing. I have never purchased anything that isn’t real, because unreal items are sold by criminal organizations; but I have purchased fast fashion items which are inspired by the runways-I think you know the cheap stores I am referring to which can be found online, and at the mall. No more! I am staying away from cheap, sweatshop items.

Well, those are my 2018 goals for now. What are some of your goals for the new year?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

Teddy coat for winter

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wearing: mint green earrings / Bobbi Brown lipstick “Lilac” /  grey scarf / plush blue teddy coat (also online here) / black long sleeve tee / Givenchy bag / Dior nail polish / boyfriend jeans / lace up booties (on sale!!)

Have you noticed the teddy coat trend? This winter, one of the biggest trends in coats is the teddy coat! These are seemingly faux fur coats with short and tight “hair” which is soft, cuddly, and warm; just like a teddy bear!

There is something so comforting about a teddy coat, it really does offer instant familiarity; much like a teddy bear. When I first found this cozy blue teddy coat, I instantly felt connected to it; like it was something which had been in my closet for years, and was something I reached for everyday. If something calls me like that, I have to buy it!

I was originally drawn to this coat because the blue is a vivid hue which is part of the spring color palette. This prompted me to decide it was the perfect coat to purchase now, and save for fashion week in February. Well. . . remember how I said it seemed to “call” me? There was no way I was going to wait until February to wear this coat; it only took me two weeks to break down and wear it. So much for saving something for fashion week! haha

This teddy coat will definitely come with me to New York for fashion week, but I will continue to reach for it often before then! When I wear it at fashion week, instead of styling it casually for everyday wear, I will do my best to amp it up and make it worthy of the New York Fashion Week streets; promise!

I wore this outfit when I went out with my family to the Tech Museum before Christmas. My daughter took these photos while we were walking from the parking lot, to the Tech Museum. If you are local to the San Francisco Bay Area, I highly recommend visiting the Tech Museum in downtown San Jose. They have so many fun, and educational activities for kids! We have the annual pass, and find ourselves discovering new things every time we go. We also caught the new Star Wars movie there since the Tech Museum has an IMAX theater.

If you get carsick, I do not recommend seeing this movie in IMAX. My oldest daughter gets carsick, and didn’t fare too well during this movie. I still had the flu and I have to admit, I felt pretty seasick too. That being said. . .the Star Wars movie was amazing, and I highly recommend catching it! Maybe just not on IMAX. haha

Did you see “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” yet? If so, what did you think?

You can find my cozy teddy coat online here. Oh, and please stay tuned! You will see me wear it again at NYFW in February!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

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Chanel nail polish spring 2018 review

chanel nail polish spring 2018 review

Chanel nail polish spring 2018 collection from left: Chanel Arancio Vibrante nail polish / Chanel Nuvola Rosa nail polish / Chanel Giallo Napoli nail polish / Chanel Verde Pastello nail polish

Spring has sprung! Well. . . at least in nail polish land. haha! Chanel has brightened up this cold weather, with a beautiful spring 2018 nail polish collection filled with bright, cherry hues. Love!

The Chanel nail polish collection for spring 2018 is filled with four, very vivid colors which are going to make the spring season fun, light-hearted, and cheerful!

The four colors from the Chanel spring 2018 nail polish collection are cream polishes with a high gloss finish. They are color saturated, and offer a vivid version of red-orange, cool lilac, mellow yellow, and green-blue.

Despite the fact that Chanel introduced a flatter application brush in the winter 2018 collection, they have foregone the new brush in favor of the old application brush for the spring 2018 nail polish collection. These four spring hues offer the traditional Chanel application brush; which is fine with me, I think the old brush is easier to use then the flat brush from the winter collection.

Chanel nail polish spring 2018 : Chanel Arancio Vibrante

chanel arancio vibrante nail polish spring 2018 review

Chanel Arancio Vibrante nail polish for spring 2018 is a bright red-orange hue which looks more orange in natural light, and more red in artificial light. This photo was taken during morning golden hour outside, so you can see the true color in natural light.

Aracio Vibrante by Chanel is a cream polish, which applies evenly in two coats, with one base coat. This is a great color for red nail polish fans who want a hue which is on trend for the spring 2018 season. It is also fabulous for people like me who shy away from red nail polish; it isn’t really red, but can pass for reddish, so it is a great option for a classic look.

Chanel nail polish spring 2018 : Chanel Giallo Napoli

chanel giallo napoli nail polish spring 2018 review

I normally gravitate towards blues, purples, and greens when it comes to nail polish, but for some reason, I am in love with this bright yellow polish! Chanel Giallo Napoli nail polish is my favorite hue from the Chanel spring 2018 nail polish collection. This is a bright, cheery hue which is fun, happy, and hot off the runway. I love it! This spring, it looks like I will break away from my usual hues and rock this yellow one! Loving it!

Chanel Giallo Napoli nail polish is a cream polish which needed three coats of color, and one base coat. The polish applies in thin layers, so it needs three coats. Despite using three coats, it did not look too thick on my nails. The three layers were for color saturation, and to avoid streaking, not creating depth. It turned out to be a pretty manicure.

This is the perfect color for standing out from the crowd this spring 2018 season! I think this might be the color I wear to fashion week this season, it is so much fun!

Chanel spring 2018 nail polish : Chanel Nuvola Rosa

chanel nuvola rosa nail polish spring 2018 review

This is not your grandmother’s rose nail polish. Chanel Nuvola Rosa nail polish for spring 2018 is a rose slash lilac hue which is edgy, and the perfect pink for non-pink people. This will also be my go-to neutral nail polish hue for spring; it’s not a real neutral per se. . .but it acts like one!

I tested out Chanel Nuvola Rosa with two coats of color and one base coat. This is a nice cream polish which applies evenly, and the color packs a big punch. Love!

Chanel spring 2018 nail polish : Chanel Verde Pastello

chanel verde pastello nail polish review

Chanel Verde Pastello was my favorite color out of the box from the spring 2018 collection, and it is a very pretty color, but it looks too similar to Chanel’s winter 2018 hue Chanel Vert No. 19 for me to jump for joy. If you already purchased Vert no. 19 from the winter collection, you may not need Verde Pastello in your collection. Verde Pastello is about four shades lighter then Vert No. 19, so, if this color is your jam, you have the option of the slightly darker winter hue, or this brighter spring hue. They are both beautiful colors, and I love them both, but you don’t need to own both.

I tested out Chanel Verde Pastello nail polish with two coats of color and one base coat. This is a cream polish, and as with other Chanel cream polishes, it applies evenly and offers ideal color saturation. Love this color!!

The Chanel nail polish spring 2018 collection is full of bright, vivid hues which are both fun and beautiful. I can’t wait to rotate through them all this spring season. I love all four colors, and feel they are great additions to a nail polish wardrobe. Which color is your favorite?

You can find the Chanel spring 2018 nail polish collection online here.

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

chanel spring 2018 nail polish review