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Maje Camel Belted Cape Coat

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Cape Coat: Maje | Denim: Topshop  | Turtleneck: Splendid |  Jewelry: Borrowed from Tiffany & Co | Lipstick: MAC Ruby Woo | Bag: Celine

This is the second time I got to work with Tiffany & Co  and it's crazy how things come full circle. When I was 15 years old, I got my first real job, as a supermarket cashier. I made just $4.75 an hour, but I saved for months and months and at last I bought myself something I really wanted: a TIffany Heart Tag bracelet. It was the first real piece of Tiffany jewelry that I ever owned. Almost a decade later, I passed it on to my little cousin.

On another note, I wanted to ask you all for an honest opinion! Are you interested in me creating a few holiday gift guides or are you completely over seeing them?

photography by Keith Hodne

The post Tiffany in Dumbo appeared first on Brooklyn Blonde.

thanksgiving

Jacket: Banana Republic (wearing a size 2 / 50% off entire site) | Blouse: Frame (in burgundy, part of buy more, save more) | Denim: Mother (part of buy more, save more) | Shoes: Marc Fisher (under $100 and a ton of gorgeous colors) | Sunglasses: Celine | Ring: AYLA 

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend! We spent the weekend with friends and family and having our first Thanksgiving with Nate made it even more special. I drank lots of red white, ate a ton of stuffing and pie, so this week, I'll be spending a little more time at the gym so I'm prepared for the indulgent month ahead.

In the meantime, it's Cyber Monday! Some of my favorite sales going on:

The entire Nordstrom site is having some major deals! The white bowtie shirt I wore here is now on sale and is my favorite style of Mother Denim.

Shopbop: Buy More, Save More. I picked up this dress for a party I have later this week and this turtleneck bodysuit.

Intermix: I've been eyeing this top for the holidays. Now that it's 30% off, I'm going to take the plunge. The jeans I wore here are also on sale. 

Lastly, I've been wanting these white flats for months, but never wanted to spend the money on them. Now they're on sale! Hmmm.. I have tried on the knockoff versions and admittedly, not the same.

The post Black, White & Patterned appeared first on Brooklyn Blonde.

I can't start this post without first thanking each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart. Your love, incredibly kind words, and genuine support and excitement for Hello Gorgeous Boutique made my heart absolutely burst with happiness. Thank you thank you THANK YOU! 

On the home front, things are going well. John and I have spent the past week getting the house in order and prepped for sale. It's a very strange feeling. Our house has never looked better-- which makes me kind of sad. It's like, wait, now that the house looks how I've always wanted it to look, we're putting it up for sale and leaving?! Ha. Such is life. And as if I wasn't already home-sick before leaving, it snowed a few days ago. A full blanket of beautiful, pristine, Christmas-like snow (see the pic I posted on Instagram). It was crazy and totally unexpected, and I loved every minute of it. I may or may not have played Christmas music first thing in the morning. Gotta take advantage of it before we move to the south, right?!
Even though I've been day-dreaming about Christmas, I haven't forgotten that it's still November and that Thanksgiving is just around the bend. So I've been loving on fall attire, similar to the look below-- gingham, warm autumnal colors, leopard print, and sparkle! 

Speaking of Thanksgiving, what better way to express my thanks and love for all of you than with a super easy GIVEAWAY of the Lillian Crystal Necklace from the boutique?!

>> TO ENTER GIVEAWAY<<

1. FOLLOW Hello Gorgeous Boutique on Instagram.
2. LIKE Hello Gorgeous Boutique on Facebook.
3. COMMENT BELOW this post with your e-mail and a quick description of what you would wear the Lillian Crystal Necklace with if you were to win.
4. CHECK Hello Gorgeous Boutique Instagram & Facebook page on this Saturday, November 26th to see if you are the winner*!  (*Winner will be chosen using a random number generator and announced on HG Boutique's Instagram and Facebook page.)

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! I hope your day is filled with great food and wonderful time with your loved ones. :)

OUTFIT DETAILS below //
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NECKLACE BRACELETS [Hello Gorgeous Boutique] // Exact necklace here / Exact bracelets here & here
JEANS [Rock Revival from The Buckle] // Very similar here / Other great pairs here & here (Both on SALE!)
SWEATER [H&M] // Almost exact here / Similar here / LOVE this chunky knit here and cowl neck here
GINGHAM BUTTON-UP [Forever 21] // Almost exact here & here / Smaller squares here
LEOPARD PRINT BOOTIES [Target] // Similar here & here
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Winter Style Wrap Coat | Tahari Ella Coat

Winter Style Wrap Coat - Helena of Brooklyn Blonde wearing Tahari Wrap Coat and Bettina Pom Pom Beanie

How to Style a Wrap Coat for Winter - Helena of Brooklyn Blonde wearing Tahari Wrap Coat and Bettina Pom Pom Beanie

Winter Style Wrap Coat | Tahari Ella CoatCoat: Tahari (and here) | Beanie | Denim:  Lipstick: MAC Whirl

There's no denying that I have a bit of a coat addiction. The reality is, as soon as the temps drop, the coat becomes the main part of the outfit. The winter style wrap coat is one of my favorites. It's ideal for bulky sweaters, ideal for layering and quite frankly, it's the style I lived in when I was pregnant.

The brown color was also the perfect match for my new lipstick. It felt a bit weird to wear something that was so different than my usual go-to's, but I think I'm diggin' it. Keith – not so much.

photos by Keith Hodne

The post Whirlwind appeared first on Brooklyn Blonde.

After my retinol post, I went to see what Caroline Hirons had to say. For those of you who don't know who Caroline is, she's an incredibly knowledgeable skincare goddess/expert. I've learned SO much from her.  Scroll to the bottom of her post to see the video.

Everyone is talking about the new show The Crown. Has anyone been watching?

These gloves. long, cashmere lined and studded leather detailing. I've seen them in person and can't get them outta my mind.

The other day, my best friend sent me a photo of her wearing the MAC lip color "whirl." Yes, it's very Kylie Jenner, but I loved how it looked on her so much that I immediately went to buy it. It's a nice change from my typical gloss or red lip.

Some mouthwatering Thanksgiving recipes. 

I also caved and jumped on the Gucci slide bandwagon. My excuse: "I need cool/comfy mom shoes." Seriously, it feels like my foot is swimming in a pool of butter. SO SOFT.

 Have a wonderful weekend!

The post Happy Friday appeared first on Brooklyn Blonde.

Have you ever had so much to tell someone that you don't even really know where to begin? 
When so much has happened that you can't even figure out when the beginning was?

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About a year ago, the company that John works for acquired a another company in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was offered a position on the transition team, which he accepted, and has since been traveling back and forth to Charlotte every other week. A few months later, his proverbial hat was put in the ring for a position based in Charlotte. 

Because we are both analytical people, we made list after list of pros and cons. The first list looked something like this: Pros- no more traveling and a great position. Cons- Moving away from our community, our friends, our family. Having to sell our house (which we adore). Giving up the job that I was happy and comfortable with and looking for new work. Starting from scratch in a city where we don't know anybody. Moving to a warmer climate (We both like snow. Go figure.), and so on. 

Shortly after the offer was brought up, I find out that I was pregnant. Given our pros and cons list and the fact that we were now expecting, we decided to forget about the whole thing and keep on living life they way it was. We were perfectly content. 

Then everything changed. I got into a horrific car accident. Two weeks later, I miscarried and lost our first child. I was devastated. (Still am.) I quit blogging, only to come back to it after a couple of months when I realized that I missed it. Some time passed and our spirits improved. Then right around my birthday, when we thought everything was getting back on track, I came home to find John waiting for me with a somber face and a glass of wine. Weird. Something was off and I knew it. 
He asked me to sit down and I did. Then he began to tell me that one of the closest women in my life was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was in shock. I sat on that couch, frozen, for twenty minutes. What does this mean? Would she be okay? Was she going to lose her breasts? Was she going to live? What stage was it? Why was everything falling apart for us and everyone around us??

It turned out that the cancer was found early. She had a lumpectomy and is now on the road to recovery, thank God. But those few months of loss and heartbreak did something to John and I. We grew closer and stronger. But we also began questioning why we were so afraid of taking the North Carolina offer. If life could be snatched from us at any given time, why weren't we living it to the fullest and experiencing everything that it had to offer?

And so we began to re-write our pros and cons list, each time adding on more possibilities under pros. We began dreaming of how fun it would be to spread our wings and live somewhere different, make more friends, and open our life to other possibilities and opportunities. 

Then one night after a long dinner, I hesitantly asked John what he thought about me following through with the big dream of mine that I've always kept on the back burner-- the dream of opening my own accessory boutique. The dream that I had first brought up years earlier, but kept on the back burner because there was no way that I could realistically open a business while holding onto my daytime job. And you know what he said? He said "Yes, do it. Absolutely. This makes perfect sense." 

The next morning, we decided to go forward with the North Carolina offer, and I began to work toward making my dream into a reality. I used every spare second that I wasn't at work to research, study, and wrap my head around what it would take to open a small business. At nights I would stay up until 3 a.m. figuring out how to code the website and then get up at 6 a.m. to go to work. I was exhausted, but so incredibly motivated and excited that I could barely sleep.  

To be honest, I don't think I fully realized how much work it would take to get the boutique off the ground. There were licenses to register for, legal papers to decipher, products to shop for and price, a business model to build, and a website to design. Then there was the marketing plan and figuring out the name and social media structure, website photos to shoot, and so much more.

All of that bring us to today, dear friends. John and I are set to move to Charlotte, North Carolina, and I could not be more proud to introduce you to my dream, actualized: Hello Gorgeous Boutique.

I hope that you feel the love and excitement that went into creating the boutique. I truly hope that you fall in love with every piece, and that each time you wear a necklace, bracelet, earrings, or other accessory from Hello Gorgeous Boutique, you feel even more gorgeous and confident than you already are. 

A week or so ago, I tearfully left my epidemiology job and sweet co-workers to focus on launching the boutique and selling our home in Michigan. John will continue to travel until the new year when we officially relocate to Charlotte. Once we move, I will be running the boutique full time from a co-working office (so don't worry, I will still be posting office-friendly looks on the blog!), blogging, and taking on epidemiology and data analysis work as a consultant. 

To say that this is a huge change for us is an understatement. But you guys, I am so proud of us. We are taking life by the horns, letting go of our fears, and fulfilling our dreams. Because if not now, when?

I can't finish this post without giving a million thanks to my incredible husband John, our wonderfully supportive friends and family, and of course each one of you. Because without you, none of this would be possible. 
// Hello Gorgeous Boutique can be found HERE //
You can also follow along on Facebook and Instagram.

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If you are interested in hearing more about the boutique and some personal style pointers, check out the interview I just did with Tesi and Leslie from Mama Bear Dares-- where we talk fall fashion, how to wear ankle boots, and figuring out how to pull off that look that you've been wanting to try. 

You can listen to the podcast directly HERE 
or by subscribing to the Mama Bear Dares podcast on iTunes

And make sure you follow them on FacebookTwitter, or Instagram
They are seriously amazing and their podcasts are will change your day (if not your life)!
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6_1e-1.jpg2RLe.jpg3ee.jpgLeather Jacket: Mackage | Turtleneck: Banana Republic (last year) | Denim: Rag & Bone (and here) | Shoes: Aquazzura | Bag: Celine Phantom | Sunglasses: Celine

If someone were to ask me what my favorite type of weather was, my response would be, whenever I'm able to layer a sweater underneath a leather jacket. Not too cold, not too hot, but just right.

I had the pleasure of picking out this leather jacket last week, when I visited the Mackage store in Soho. For those of you who aren't familiar with the brand, they have the most beautiful outwear pieces. Leather jackets, parkas, and wool coats, like this camel one that I already own. Truly one of my favorite outerwear brands. Not sponsored!

I paired with a new-ish pair of jeans that I immediately loved the moment I tried on. The cut, the slightly higher waist and where they hit the ankle; no cutting or cuffing required!

photos by Keith Hodne

The post The Perfect Leather appeared first on Brooklyn Blonde.