Black Friday (& Cyber Monday) Haul

Kaixo everyone,

Once in every blue moon, I write here, and I write about fashion. And the best deals. Those two things were combined this weekend in the most absolutely wonderful melée. I spent Friday in Chicago, my favorite city, and went to a myriad of stores to get some before Christmas shopping. I usually buy stuff for my family on Black Friday, but this time, it was basically all about myself. Oops!

In my defense, though, a) I needed some retail therapy, b) some of the deals were too good to be true, c) I invested in basics/classics. What do I mean by basics? Anything that I wear on repeat, all day, everyday. What do I mean by classics? Well, not your grandmama's pearls, but almost.

1) Tory Burch Laila Driver Ballet Flat: I'm wearing these as I write to the void we speak. November means Tory Burch for me. Why? Because it's my birthday month. In your birthday month, Tory sends you a 50$ off 100$. Did you get that? 50 freaking dollars off 100 dollars. I started looking for possible presents for myself and I bound up finding these flats. Now question though, what in tarnation are driver ballet flats? And why would I need them, not having a car here in the US?

Well let me tell ya, they were discounted, the suede material is dreamy, and the sole is 10 times better than the Minnie sole. I love my Minnies, but I'm always scared the sole will rip in the middle any minute. Bonus, Tory Burch sent me a pink envelope (what is that?), that is, a 50$ gift card. I combined my birthday promotion and the gift card and I got these flats under 50$. Not even kidding.

Find them here

2) Lululemon Extra Mile Reflective Tights: My Lululemon Wonder Under tights were pretty old, and they kept falling down. I have recently started training for a half marathon, and the old ones didn't cut it. So I went into the Lululemon store, and saw they were having markdowns for Black Friday, and these tights were designed for running. Plus, they were 50$ off! They are not available in the US, but you can find similar ones here.

3) Jewelry: One of my good friends is getting married, and her engagement party is coming up! I already have the dress, but new jewelry was definitely needed. J. Crew had a 40% promotion (and this bracelet was on sale already), I had a 25$ off birthday discount at Madewell (so I didn't pay anything!), and half off at Kendra Scott, so I stocked up! Plus, Forever 21 had the cutest (and cheapest) rings ever!

J. Crew Bracelet (here), Madewell Earrings (here), Kendra Scott Necklace (here)

Forever 21 Rings, find them here and here

4) Anthropologie Velvet Clutch: Nothing about this clutch seems basic or classic, but a monogram is both. I peeked this beauty some weeks ago, so when I saw it at the store (at 30% off!), I went for it! Cannot wait to style it in dates (yeah, that ain't happening) nights out.

Find it here

5) GAP Turtleneck Sweater: Lately, I feel drawn to neutrals and dark colors (#fallwinter), so this light sweater, at half off, was perfection! Plus, the frills are adorable!

Find it here

6) American Eagle Outfitters Jeans: I went to Uniqlo to find jeans but honestly, the line was so long I was not about to have it. Thus, I trusted my dearest AEO jeans. Find them here.

7) Lilly Pulitzer Popover: This was probably my biggest splurge. I honestly did not need this. I don't even know how it will go with my outfits. But my sister had gotten me a gift that didn't fit well, I had a gift certificate and I saw it and fell in love. This particular print is part of the Prints With Purpose collection, and part of the proceeds will go towards the Jane Goodall Institute (hence the chimps!). There were Cyber Monday gifts going on, and I took advantage (BUT! I won't jinx it like last year and I'll try to avoid a similar situation to the #totegate)

Find it here (picture by @emilydelong)

This was basically my Black Friday and Cyber Monday haul! I don't think I'll be buying anything else anytime soon, but I am very happy I got all these beautiful pieces and did not go over my budget. How about you, what did you get this weekend?
Love,

Ane

Luscious Hair with Maple Holistics

Kaixo everyone,

Let me start by saying that while fashion plays a central role in my life, beauty has always lagged behind. Whenever I'd buy a fashion magazine à la Teen Vogue, Cosmo, Glamour, etc., I would always go for the fashion pages and kind of forget about those on hair treatment, beauty regimes, skincare, etc.

You see, the company my dad works for manufactures shampoo, gels, moisturizer, etc., so whatever he would bring home is what we would use (and we still do!), especially shampoo. I started to branch out a little when I was a teen (basically because I smelled Head & Shoulders Lemon shampoo and I fell in love). Now that I don't have access to my dad's company's products in the US, I tend to rely on the typical drugstore brands like Garnier, L'Oréal, Head & Shoulders or Pantene for my hair. I'm so simple it hurts.

Enter Maple Holistics. Maple Holistics produces all-natural, cruelty-free self-care products ranging from hair care, bath and body products to food products. They graciously sent me the Tea Tree Oil Shampoo to try it, and I am honestly sold.

I just got back from a backpacking trip in Peru, and my hair routine was kind of all over the place there (and by all over the place, I mean my hair got gross just by looking at it. And also with dust, lots of it). I relied on hotel shampoo, samples, and everything I could find in old travel-sized shampoo bottles. Now that I'm back in the States, I have started using this shampoo, and I feel my hair to be two times softer, lighter and easier to style.

As I mentioned before, I started using Head & Shoulders Lemon shampoo just because I loved how it smelled. I am very picky with how the products I put on my hair/face/body smell, so whenever a shampoo does not smell amazing or does not stay, I tend not to buy it again. The scent of this shampoo is incredible, and I can smell it in my hair all day long! It contains tea tree oil (duh!), jojoba,  argan oil, lavender and rosemary. Now, I'm not biologist/perfumer/Jean Baptiste Grenouille and I have no idea how this mix works, but I just know it does.

Apart from the awesome scent and softness, Maple Holistics does not break the bank! This shampoo usually costs 25$, but it is now available at 8.95$. Moreover, they offer free samples! If you trust my opinion (which, let's be honest, you should), don't walk, RUN!

Love,

Ane

This post is sponsored. All opinions on the products are honest and my own. The product described was provided to me by Maple Holistics. Thank you for supporting Maple Holistics and the brands that support Basque Prep!