Fabulous Finds: Summer Vacations Edition

by Misslluviaconsol Saturday, October 11, 2014

My “official” vacations start today (and last for two whole weeks *yay*) but I went on my own vacation at the beginning of this month. You know how when you’re packing for you upcoming trip and all of the sudden you realize that theres stuff you need? So I had to make what I like to callsome necessary pre-trip shopping. My mom doesn’t particularly believe in pre-trip shopping, she always says to me: “If you’re there, and you need something, just buy it there” but I’m a little OCD when it comes to packing and I like to have all my outfits thought out beforehand, ready and available. I just bought a few things (some of which you’ll see below) nothing crazy, cuz I knew I would do most of my shopping on my trip.

I went to Miami first, to visit my fabulous friend Cristina, and her husband, Batato (pronounced: bah-tah-toe). Me and ma’ boyfriend stayed over at their place (which has an absolutely to-die-for view) for the weekend and then we drove to Orlando and stayed at my boyfriend’s parents house with his whole family for the rest of the trip.

Cristina & Batato’s View

My favorite things to do in Miami? Shop, eat, sightsee & people watching. In Orlando? I’m a kid at heart, take me to any theme park (one where, preferably they serve any type of alcoholic drink, to cool off of course!) and I’m happy, and I did all of that on this trip. My favorite things in Miami from this trip? I discovered my new favorite drink; “French 75” (a cool concoction of champagne, gin, lime juice & sugar or simple syrup), which I have yet to find a place in Puerto Rico where they know how to make it. Best place for brunching in MIA? It’s a tie between Yardbird Southern Table & Bar (on South Beach, really close to Lincoln Road) & PB Steak (on Purdy Avenue).

“Blackberry Bourbon Lemonade” from Yardbird DELISH!!!

“French 75” Cocktail to the left, a “Dark & Stormy” to da right

Now, on to the important stuff, fashion, shopping etc! I didn’t do a whole lotta shopping, but I’d like to think I made conscious, good purchases. In this post you’ll see what incredible things I’ve found pre, during & post trip.

The first thing I bought was a handbag…..

I admit it, when it comes to handbags I’m a bit of a bag snob, but there’s a perfectly logical reasoning behind my snobby approach to handbags; I think handbags are investment pieces, I want them to last for years & eventually, I want my nieces to be able to use them, so if I’m gonna be using them for a lifetime they have to be made of good quality fabric and materials and they have to be fashionable (but not trendy) so that they can withstand the test of time. When buying a bag, I take all those things into consideration. Now you can see why it makes perfect sense to me to spend a little more when it comes to handbags. Of course, some handbags are just extremely overpriced (yes, Chanel I mean you) but there are some good quality bags out there that are very affordable (Phillip Lim’s, Tory Burch, etc).

If you’ve ever read my blog before you know there’s a section called “Want it Wednesday”, which is basically about things that I wish to have or would like to have, or that I find interesting enough that I play with the idea on my mind of possibly one day being able to acquire them. On this trip I found and got off my list, two items from my wish list. Below you’ll see my pre, during, and some of my post trip purchase & the link for purchasing details.Below some of the items that I bought PRE-TRIP (things that I absolutely needed and can easily take an outfit from day to night, but are still casual & comfy enough to walk around on in flats or high heels):

Rachel Roy sleeveless floral print romper

American Eagle Outfitters Artist Crop Jean Destroyed

Bcbgeneration Flutter Sleeve Button-Up Top

Gap 1969 Floral Denim Shirt

Gap 1969 Sexy boyfriend denim shorts

Rachel Roy sleeveless ruffle romper

Bcbgeneration Smocked Waist Short

Items found DURING TRIP:

First handbag in the trip I bought? Want it Wednesday’s very own Louis Vuitton Soft Lockit Handbag. SWOON. I got it at Sak’s in Miami’s Bal Harbour Shops, and it is PERFECTION (pic below). The color is much prettier in person and the leather is very rich and creamy.

I had been looking for new sunglasses for a while. I was torn between buying a pair of Karen Walker or Illesteva sunglasses. I looked everywhere and could not find either! I like to try sunglasses on before buying them, so buying them online was not an option. Surely enough, I found Illesteva sunglasses at the Mall of the Millenia in Orlando. I purchased the Leonard style seen below and I absolutely love them. FYI Illesteva & Karen Walker are the hottest sunglasses brand out there for summer!

Illesteva Leonard halfhalf with blue mirrored lenses

Also at the Mall of the Millenia in Orlando, I found some goodies at the Tory Burch store. I had to go to return something and I ended up buying two bags and flip flops! In my defense, they were on sale (can you blame me?!). The Laken Minaudiere is THE perfect bag, you can wear it to a super formal event, or to a random night out. You can also use the chain or use it as a clutch. The “Erica” Tote is a perfect every day bag. The poppy red color really stands out & its a fairly light weight bag for a tote.

Tory Burch Laken Opaque Plastic Minaudiere Black

Tory Burch Erica tote

Then I went to Neiman Marcus, were I bought a Cle de Peau concelear (it has a nice brightening quality to it and a hint of shimmer) and Tom Ford’s Beauty Lip Color Shine Lipstick in Bare (very creamy and shimmery). And then, in the shoe department, waiting for me were the Chanel Espadrilles I had so desperately been looking for! Funny story they didn’t have my size, they took me to the storage which was basically a dream come true (imagine rows and rows of Zanottis, Loubotins etc… neatly organized), and then ordered them from the warehouse were, as luck would have it, they only had one pair and it was my size. They are expensive shoes but a dream to walk in.

Cle de Peau Beaute Concelear

Tom Ford Beauty Lip Color Shine in Bare

So then I realized I had not even bought a shirt! Went to Urban Outfitters (I always find something there) and bought myself these cool pants, and bought some stuff for le boyfriend. I also purchased some work out pants from Lululemon.

Urban Outfitters Paisley print flare pant

Then I went to Downtown Disney to a Surf shop (that I, for the life of me, can’t remember the name) were I bought matching pink Tom’s shoes for my nieces and had them customized (cutest thing ever). I also found a cute Billabong baseball cap that’s perfect for the beach.

Random AFTER trip purchases: Perfect for work or for play. I kinda went overboard with makeup, but everything was absolutely neccesary ( I promise). Benefits’s ultra plush lip gloss in Kiss ypu is the perfect shade of pink with a super subtle hint of purple. The “Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation” was light enough to convince me to buy a foundation. Also, my little hidden gem Benefit’s One Hot Minute: a loose face powder that gives you that J Lo glow.