While I already have the navy lace dress there was not stopping me from ordering this Brigitte Bailey bell sleeve dress in NAVY and WINE when I spotted them on Zappos last week. For under $80, how could I resist two? Anyhow, since the weather has been semi kind I've been able to get away with just wearing a pair of opaque tights, a jacket and a scarf for outings. I love how floaty the texture is and even the 'small' has plenty of room to grow over these next couple of months. So, if you're looking for a   sparkle free dress for New Years, this is it. 

Dress Brigitte Bailey, Tights Primark, Booties Steve Madden, Bag Kooba, 

Jacket Darling, Scarf Abercrombie (on sale for $22!) 

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Keen for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

It's the holidays and at this point we're all going crazy looking for those last minute gifts for some of our favorite people on our list. I know I haven't checked everyone off of mine, even this late in the game. And then there's the friends or family on my list that already have EVERYTHING they could ever want and need. I'm probably one of them just because I'm the worst person to shop for, ask my husband. So, when Keen reached out about their services I immediately thought it was the perfect last minute or fun and unique gift for the person that has everything. And even those people who don't need to add a single thing to their already overflowing apartment (cough, cough, me). It can be gifted to anyone and you don't even have to deliver it on Christmas. Hello starting 2017 out with a bang!

Now, let's talk about Keen and everything it has to offer. Keen is actually the oldest and largest community of trusted advisors across a range of disciplines, including: Love & Relationships, Psychic, Spiritual, Empathic and Tarot. Keen has facilitated over 35M conversations within their community since they were founded in 1999. They offer guidance on a wide range of issues such as: love, relationship, prosperity, career and more. With all of the stress from 2016 and the uncertainty of the incoming New Year, a unique way of looking at things couldn't hurt and might even help! 

And no, it's not predicting the future, you take out of it what you want. The process is simple, you can search for advisors on the site and find one that matches your needs. Such as a physic reading, love and relationship questions, tarot and spiritual readings or pick one by their profile/rating. It's easy to connect with the advisor of your choosing via call or chat anytime (it's 24/7!) and just like that, you can start your journey. Don't worry, all calls are private, anonymous and backed with live customer service, if needed. 

Of course I had to give it a shot with all the exciting changes coming this year and decided to do the chat instead of the call because the house is extra loud now that we're officially in full holiday swing. My chat was around 15 minutes and was a super easy to set up. It's basically messenger/texting. I kept it simple and felt at ease with my questions and answers throughout. Her emphasis was heavy on Spring 2017, which without me mentioning it at first and knowing it is the due date for Baby #3. We stuck on the subject for the majority of the chat. In the end, the experience was worth giving a try, it doesn't hurt to have a third party tell me that and I need to relax a little more. Which I think goes for everyone, am I right?

Want to give Keen a try or even give the gift of Keen? They're offering my readers an Exclusive Holiday Offer, a 10-minute online psychic reading/session for $1.00. On average, a 10-minute session is priced at $35.00. So, why not give it a try for a $1? It's a quarter of the price of that peppermint mocha you've been frequenting all season and who knows you might just have fun, or at least enjoy yourself. 

Want some tips for navigating your experience? Check out these three helpful articles; "How to prepare for a physic reading?"; "How to find the best physic for my situation?" and "How Does an online physic reading work?". Don't forget to check out other offerings on the Keen.com site, such as horoscopes, articles and blog posts. 

As a creature of habit I tend to stick to certain beauty looks when getting ready in the morning, for shoots, and events. I almost always end up walking out the door with a cat eye and nude(ish) lip. I guess when you find something that works you stick to it. That or I'm SUPER lazy about trying new things. But I couldn't help but be a little inspired by this Stila Eyes Are The Window Shadow Palette and quickly incorporated it into my daily routine with the addition of their Aqua Glow Serum Foundation (the stuff is magical, you have to try it). In the end it's not too far off from my usual look but it's just enough that I can say I tried something new, and perhaps got a little inspired to keep it up. It doesn't hurt that I got a color refresh from FourteenJay (Thanks David) to really make things pop. I'm really loving this new, deeper hue.

What I Used: 

Eyes:
Stila Eyes Are The Window Shadow Palette in Spirit (I used Kitten, Oasis, Pewter and Barefoot)
Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner
Maybelline The Colossal Big Shot Mascara 

Brows: 
Milk Makeup Gel Brow

Face:
Stila Aqua Glow Serum Foundation in Fair Light
Stila Aqua Glow Serum Concealer in Fair Light
Stila Sunrise Splendor Convertible Color
Maybelline Master Contour in 010 Light

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Phillip Gavriel for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

While I love the glitz and glamour of dressing up during the holidays I often want pieces of jewelry that I can transition to wearing on the daily. Not that you can't add sparkle to your more casually styled outfits. I always tend to lean towards pieces that I can wear with anything from a cocktail dress to a slouchy tee shirt and jeans. A piece that is easy to wear AND instantly elevates your style without going too much over the top, is always a go in my book. So when Phillip Gavriel  asked me to style a few pieces from the Popcorn and Woven collections, I immediately knew I wanted something simple but with a touch of sparkle. Because, what girl can resist a little shiny in her life, really? While I tend to lean towards neutral colors on the regular basis, especially in the winter time, I instantly fell in love with the tiny pops of color from the extensive selection of gemstones and diamonds the collection offers.  Each piece is crafted in gold, sterling silver and/or gemstones and every piece of Phillip Gavriel New York jewelry tells a story that comes from the heart. At first inspired by the beauty and elegance of the Italian Renaissance, each collection represents the perfect combination of passion and heritage. Everything is genuine: only real gold, sterling silver, precious sapphires, and natural diamonds are used to make every piece. Nothing synthetic or manmade, ever. Compared to high-end competitors, Philip Gavriel's pieces are much more affordable and attainable. Check the Phillip Gavriel Store Locator and also find Phillip Gavriel at Ross Simons. For me, I wanted layer-able pieces and ended up narrowing down my picks to three stackable bracelets from both the Popcorn and Woven collections. One amethyst and sterling silver; one onyx, diamond and sterling silver; and one pink sapphire and sterling silver bracelet. Each could be worn alone or layered for a number of occasions, be it a quick coffee date or a holiday party. I've worn them to both, and got a handful of compliments each time. My personal favorite is the amethyst. The band has stretch, so it’s easily slipped on, and the delicate details are so tiny that you wouldn't know they were there unless you were looking for them. Plus, it's purple. Enough said.  For my post, I went with an elevated and feminine take on casual layering for holiday get togethers with a cashmere sweater layered under a slip dress with opaque tights and the most adorably festive bow heels with snakeskin detail. I toughen up the feminine details with a leather moto jacket, muted lip and carefree hair. Although, a bold lip would definitely make this look pop even more.  How would you style my picks? Would you go glam or casual, or all the above? Outfit Details:  Banana Republic Sweater, Slip Dress Lulus.com, Heels Jessica Simpson, Leather Jacket Express (on sale!), Tights Primark, Bag Sole Society

Philip Gavriel Pieces:  Onyx & Diamond Bracelet // Popcorn Collection Stretch Amethyst Bracelet // Popcorn Collection Pink Sapphire Bracelet // Woven Collection 

My mom has always told me that you have until after the new year to send out holiday cards and this year, well that's basically what's happening. I was a little slow on the draw when it came to shooting and putting together my cards, but thankfully, after teaming up with Minted the process was made infinitely better. You can literally make your cards from your phone, which I did, with ease. I ended up creating two different styles for this year's card, both postcards and foil-pressed. It took me a while to decide on my two designs, because real talk, the options at Minted are basically unlimited. They have something for absolutely everyone and every celebration. I think the red version, "Lots Of Dots" is my favorite of the two, the red matched up perfectly with our pajamas and the gold shimmer is just the right amount of sparkle for a postcard heading out into the world. The Rustic Branches (the green card) actually has a gorgeous glitter foil finish. It definitely stands out way more in person. The pictures don't do it any justice. 

As for the back, we were able to add our announcement of the year with a picture on each. You can skip the picture in favor for text but in our case a picture was worth a thousand words. I mean, those faces. Another perk was having our return address already printed on the cards for sending out. We had the option to pre-address the cards but I decided to skip that and do it by hand, just in case I miss someone. Talk about a win. 

So, on the off chance you haven't started your cards for the holidays I would check out Minted, they're actually offering FREE rush shipping until 12/27 with code: NYSHIP

This post is sponsored by Minted. All opinions are my own.