Santa Clause is coming to town!

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! I am such a holiday fanatic, and this is in no way an exaggeration. Lately, I have grown nostalgic of the holiday traditions and moments my family has had, so I decided to share them with you all.

Every few years, we are lucky enough to have my grand-parents come from Bulgaria, for the holidays, and those are always such spirited occasions. We spend the entire day cooking and making the most of the short time we have together.

My parent, having grown up in Bulgaria, still celebrate Bulgarian Christmas traditions, with their own twist. It is common to be a vegan for 40 days prior to Christmas in Bulgaria, but we just have a vegan feast on Christmas Eve, bringing in my parents' childhood traditions to our American table.

After dinner, we all hustle into the living room and watch the movies Elf and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, a rather recent tradition; and let me just say, Elf is probably one of my all time favorite movies, regardless of how ridiculous it is. When Buddy the Elf yells "SANTA! I know him! I know him," I crack up every single time :)

Eventually we all go to bed, and in the morning, we wake up to stockings stuffed with goodies (I get a pair of fluffy pink socks every single year haha), and presents underneath the tree. We open up the presents, and this year, we are driving a bit North to visit some family and spend Christmas Day with them having another feast, this time with meat (Bulgarians eat a lot. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot).

Well my mom is calling me for some help with setting the table and finishing up the food, and then I have to get dressed for dinner, so I will talk to you all soon. I hope you all have a happy holiday and it is filled with joy, family, love, and plenty of food! :)

Neon? Oh yes.

Today I was feeling a bit under the weather, which is odd because honestly, I love love love winter; I love the cold and the snow and just the spirit of winter.


But as I was sitting on my new comforter, looking at endless online shopping websites, (what else is there to do when you don't feel all too well?) I hit up my usual online shops, Top Shop being one of them. In case any of you are wondering, Top Shop, until this year, was a store based in London and online Top Shop was the closest any American could get to it. Well now there is one in Soho, which is still too far away for me, so I am submitted to online Top Shop. Anyway, I was browsing through all of their bags, and when it comes to purses, I like to stick to neutral colors whether that be black, brown, or even gray; however, this time, I found myself gravitating towards the highly colorful, obnoxiously neon bags. Furthermore, I love love love big bags. I always have way too many things in my purse and just like the obscurity of my gravitation towards bright colors, I was also gravitating towards small purses. So here they are:

             
How cute are these?! I probably won't be purchasing these purses, because honestly, they are all so random, and a tad expensive ($85, $110, $90) for patent leather; nonetheless they are gorgeous and I will probably be on a hunt for something similar, that costs less, which I am sure I will find somewhere...and if I do, I will let you all know!


For any questions, e-mail me at la.vie.est.chic@gmail.com


And remember, like always, la vie est chic. 

Oh hey, what should it say?

Hello to all my lovely readers. You all are my inspiration; yes I am indefinitely inspired by my surroundings, other writers, photos, etc, but you all take the time to read my blog and hopefully follow it, so I want to know, what do you want to see on here? I am still struggling to figure out just how to format posts, and what to write about, because if I am excited about something not so great, like a wooden elephant sculpture, I will write about it, but I want you all the enjoy it. So what is something you'd like to read about on here, hopefully related to either fashion, beauty, music, or even food. Let me know by commenting below or emailing me at la.vie.est.chic@gmail.com


I love writing for you all, and remember, like always, la vie est chic.

Glittered in Gold

I think I am going to mix things up, just a bit. I of course will continue talking about fashion, because truly, it's a huge part of my life, but I want to also incorporate my love music and make-up, and ultimately, anything else that catches my eye. So today, we are talking about make-up, really great make-up...


For those of you who have not heard of the website Hautelook.com I recommend going, pronto. To access the goodies within that web-page, you have to submit an e-mail address along with a password of your choice. Once your a "member" you get to online shop at heavily discounted prices; it's like an online TJ Maxx, but better. There are generally between 10-20 retailers at a time, and they stay on that website for two days, usually. And prices are unbelievably low. Around Thanksgiving, Hautelook had Urban Decay as one of their retailers, and I don't think I have been that excited in a really long time (!). 


For those of you who do not know what Urban Decay is, it is a brand of make-up. They are well known for their amazing quality and colorful products. And although some products can be a bit expensive, things like their eye shadow palettes with 12 eye shadows, are very reasonable priced, ranging from $30-$50. Well, as I skimmed the products Urban Decay was offering on Hautelook, I came across an eye shadow palette, the Get Baked palette. (Their names are equally creative and humorous as the products are to die for!) This palette was one of the smaller offered containing 4 shadows, a mini 24/7 liner, and a mini Sin Primer Potion. When I purchased it for $14, I was ecstatic. This package was valued for $53, and selling for $28 on the Urban Decay website, so I had just gotten it half price! It was a miracle.


I ordered it, and just got it today so shipping took quite some time, but other than that, I was very happy with the selections available and the product quality.

This palette, comes with the eye shadow colors Twice Baked, Half Baked, Flipside, and Baked; all are heavily pigmented colors, easily blended, and truly gorgeous. Also included as I said above is a mini 24/7 Liner in the color Bourbon, a deep bronze brown; the liner is very creamy and truly long lasting. Lastly, not shown in the picture is a mini Sin Primer Potion, which is meant to prevent oily eye lids and help colors stay longer; Sin has a gold tone and works wonderfully with this palette. 


If you have not yet checked out Urban Decay's products, please do! They are well worth the price, gorgeous, and truly amazing quality. 

Anything you would like to see on here, or any questions, email me at la.vie.est.chic@yahoo.com

Boots...lovely

Earlier this season, I was on a search for boots and not just any boots, the boots. I hate spending money on something that will not last so I have truly been on the hunt for my dream pair, and tah-dah! I found them:

It is a great black leather boot, and being the girl I am, I even bought a spray to protect them from rain and snow, a very common thing where I live.  I love these because they have the shape of a classic riding boot, a slightly rounded point, but the buckles bring a sense of edge to the classic shape, which is exactly what I was looking for...


I believe I spent $54 on these, and for the quality, shape, fit, and comfort, the price was perfect. I am very excited to wear these boots and I will probably put up some pictures of my outfits with them on, so keep a look out for that.

Anything you would like to see on here, or any questions, email me at lavieestchic@yahoo.com

I also created a facebook page for la vie est chic, so become a fan...!
And remember, like always, la vie est chic.

Current Loves...

I find myself being especially pleased with different things in my life, and they constantly change. So here are my current loves, a post I hope to do on a regular basis:

1) Pandora.com.

        I heard about this website from some friends and didn't have the urge to rush to my Macbook and type in the address. However, a few nights ago I was yearning for some music so I tried out this website. Basically, what happens here is you type in a song name or artist, and a streaming of songs begins, that are similar in style to what you put into the box. It's great, you discover new artists and get to listen to some great music for free...

2) Tea.

        For anyone who knows me, you know I am a die hard fan of coffee, my mochas and I are joined at the hip; at least that was the case until recently. I have been drinking more tea which is odd because a month ago, I hated it. I didn't like the fact that it was watery and lacked in flavor and ultimately, it wasn't anything like my first love, coffee. However, I started drinking it more and more and have found that a day does not go by that I do not drink at least one cup of tea. My current favorites? Lipton Bavarian Wild-berry and Chamomile (No specific brand). I am excited to go to Teavana soon and create my own custom "dream tea".

3) Everything French.

         I have found myself reminiscing of my trip in France over the summer, remembering the quant shops, the lovely patisseries, and the simple ambiance. I could sit at a little french cafe, write and read,  for days. The unexpected was that all the outdoor tables, just big enough for an intimate setting between two people, were all faced toward the sidewalks and streets, made for people-watching. I miss the air, the language, the art, and I hope to go back soon...

4) Nail Polish.

        I find myself searching for new polishes that I love, constantly. My new favorite brand? Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear. It retails for $2.49 at drugstores and chipping is minimal, and the price point compared to OPI's is unbeatable. This polish didn't chip until 4-5 days wear and for me, that is incredible, especially considering I don't wear base coats or top coats. The only downside? I haven't found a huge selection of colors, but the my favorite is Flirt: an incredibly deep maroon-purple with little purple shimmers, the perfect fall/winter color...

5) A toned down version of myself.

        Lately, I have been toning down my look. Before, my usual straight hair, an occasional dramatic eye, and an all black outfit (not gothic just to clarify, a more classic, simple style with an edge) has shifted to my natural curly hair, casual make-up, comfy tees, cardigans, and my boat shoes (love!). I am a more relaxed version of my "fashion" self, and I love it.

What are your current loves right now? Let me know in a comment below :)

Also, anything you would like to hear about on here? E-mail me at lavieestchic@yahoo.com

Pay how much less?

Lately the weather here has been a bit chilly, and I love it. It is the perfect atmosphere to not feel guilty for procrastination and take pleasure in drinking hot tea, wearing warm sweaters, and simply flipping through endless magazines. My current need? Shoes. I have found that all I am really wanting to wear are my simple black flats, and my favorite shoe purchase: my Sperry's. Who doesn't love a good pair of boat shoes?

Although I could live in my Sperry's, they are barely holding up, so I have decided I need some new shoes; I am thinking some more flats, incredible booties, and just something I fall in love with, haha. My search has been rather unsuccessful, because if I love it, it's out of my price range, and anything in my price range, well, is far from what I like. Where to look? For the first time in years, I looked at Payless ShoeSource, and tah-dah!. There are a couple I fell in love with; designers like Alice+Olivia, Lela Rose, and Christian Siriano have made lines for this bargain shoe store, and may I just say, I am terribly excited. Here are my picks.

Abaeté Pump - $34.99

  

                                               Lela Rose - $29.99                                                          

                                   Sasha Ruffle Bootie - $34.99       

Christian Siriano - $49.99

The Abaeté Pump comes in Taupe as well as the black I have shown, I am just a sucker for any black, amazing shoe. The Sasha Ruffle Bootie looks gray for some reason, but its black and also come in a gorgeous purple. I don't know about you, but I am shocked the I found four killer shoes at Payless ShoeSource. I plan on going soon to pick up at least one of these positively delicious pairs. And remember, la vie est chic, even at an unexpected store like Payless ShoeSource, looks like I just found a new place for bargain priced shoes to fill my fetish...