{CLOSED} Giveaway: Jackpot Candles

Happy Thursday! I'm excited to be sharing a review/giveaway post with you all today. Jackpot Candles sent me the most fun candle last month - not only does it smell like the lilac bushes that grew behind my childhood home, but after it burns down to a certain point, it reveals a surprise piece of jewelry inside!

Unlike other jewelry filled candles, Jackpot Candles lets you choose the type of jewelry you want to find inside: earrings, necklaces or rings! I chose an earring candle because I have so many necklaces and I wear such a small ring size that I was worried about the ring fitting. 

Click through to see the earrings I received and enter the Jackpot Candle giveaway!

Feature: Tiffany CT60 Watch Collection

The night before I took off for San Diego, I had the privilege of being invited to the Tiffany store on Newbury Street to preview their newest collection before it was released to the public: the CT60 watches. I'm always excited and grateful to attend events and Tiffany because it's such a legendary and magical place, and this visit was no exception!

When I arrived, I was whisked away into the private consultation room and greeted by Tiffany representative Derek Conrad {and a bottle of Veuve Clicquot - woo hoo!} who shared the amazing story behind Tiffany's CT60 watch collection. I really loved learning the history of the Tiffany timepiece - it's so interesting and makes the collection so much more unique and interesting from my perspective.

Inspired by founder Charles Lewis Tiffany and the city where he first opened his doors to a new world of style, the collection reflects the cadence of modern life from the streets of New York. The timepieces are infused with the energy and ambition summed up in the famous phrase "The New York Minute:" 60 seconds of pure possibility. Mr. Tiffany introduced its greatest symbol in 1853 when he unveiled the nine-foot Atlas clock above his store—the same clock that stands above the entrance of the company’s Fifth Avenue flagship store today. New Yorkers relied on this unique public clock to keep their lives running on time - back then, watches hadn't yet been invented and no one had cell phones to carry around with them to check the time!

Life Lately....

Welcome to March! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend. :) I wanted to share a few photos to let you know what I've been up to lately!

As you probably know, we've been bombarded with snow over the past month! I think we've surpassed 100 inches at this point, and I feel like I went to sleep one night in late January and woke up the next morning in Alaska.

the snow from my window

standing in front one of the giant snow banks in Boston

so much snow!

Shopping List: Ice Blue Jewels

Most of you probably know by now that I have an obsession with everything sparkly, which naturally means I LOVE jewelry! I like to keep up to date on jewelry trends, and I've been noticing lots of pretty blue colored jewelry, which is perfect for the cold winter months. I've rounded up some of my favorite ice blue jewels in today's post - which piece(s) do you like best? The 'Paris' necklace is probably my favorite of the bunch!

Gift Guide: Subscription Boxes

Although they may not immediately come to mind when you're out doing your holiday shopping, subscription services for clothing, jewelry and beauty products are gifts that keep on giving past Hanukkah or Christmas day! Because the lucky recipient gets a new box once a month (and sometimes more frequently depending on the service!) they are surprised each time they open up their newest package. I gifted my mother and sister each a year's subscription to Birchbox last Christmas and they were always excited to see what products would come in the mail for them each month. It's also a great way for them to discover new brands and see what they like. Today I'm sharing 4 of my favorite subscription services that would make great holiday gifts for the ladies in your life - I've personally tried out all of them so I can recommend them with confidence!

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1. Le Tote is essentially Netflix for clothes, carrying tons of products from amazing brands like House of Harlow, French Connection, BCBG, Sanctuary, BB Dakota, Kensie, Karen Zambos, and Splendid. For $49/month, you get a box filled with 3 clothing items and 2 accessories that can be swapped out as often as you like. You also have the opportunity to keep any pieces you fall in love with for a discounted price. I've styled numerous Le Tote pieces in my outfit posts - just type Le Tote in the search bar to the right to see! With the gift card, you can give 2, 3, 6 or 12 month subscriptions to the ladies in your life! {PS: if you're interested in signing up for a subscription for yourself, you can use my coupon code CUPCAKESNCOUTURE30 to save 30% off your first month!}

Life Lately...

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend. I wanted to share what I've been up to lately today on the blog! :)

I went to my first Bruins game of the season with my friend Ellie and had a blast! Weren't our seats great?

Last Sunday, I was treated to the target facial peel at Skoah on Newbury Street thanks to CBH Communications. I had never had a peel before, so I was a little nervous that it would turn my face super red or that it would be too harsh for my sensitive skin. My "personal skin trainer" was fantastic and answered all of my questions to prepare me for the peel. It tingled a bit when she first applied it, but it wasn't intense and went away within about a minute. My face wasn't red at all after either and she told me that I would see the results of the peel for weeks afterwards. The next day, my face felt as smooth as a baby's bottom, and my skin has been so clear and evenly toned since the peel that I've been able to skip my face powder and go "naked" which is an amazing feeling! I definitely recommend the peel and I will be getting one again in a few months when my skin is ready for it. 

so happy with how my skin looks!

Shopping List: Celestial Jewels

As I've been browsing my favorite online retailers and fashion magazines lately, I've noticed that celestial jewelry seems to be super popular and on-trend. I couldn't be more excited about this because I love everything star themed - my first tattoo was a small shooting star inside my left wrist, after all! :) Because celestial is trending in the jewelry world, there are pieces at all price points, so you don't have to spend a ton to get your star fix. I've put together a shopping list of my favorite celestial jewels in all styles and metal colors...let me know which pieces are your favorites in the comments below. :)

Lately on Instagram...

Happy Monday - I hope you all had a great weekend! I realized I haven't done a recap of what I've been up to on Instagram in a while, so I thought I'd share what's been going on in my life over the past month or so!

RocksBox gifted me with a 3 month subscription to their amazing jewelry service. I've really enjoyed trying out all of the different pieces that come in each box, which can be swapped out as often as you like. If you want to try out RocksBox, use my invite link to sign up and get your first month free!

{CLOSED} Giveaway: Crush Boutique & Gold West Vintage

Today's giveaway features two Boston businesses that I love: Crush Boutique and Gold West Vintage!

Crush Boutique is giving away a $50 gift card to use in store or online, so you don't need to be a Bostonian to enter this giveaway! Crush has two locations, one of which is just 3 blocks from my apartment, and is easily my favorite boutique in Boston. Crush carries all of my favorite brands, including 7FAM jeans, Parker, House of Harlow and Alice + Olivia. They're always ahead of the trends and have an amazing selection in store and online for this fall! If I won, I'd definitely use my gift card towards this amazing Skull Cashmere scarf:

It looks just as cute over a simple black blouse as it did with my studded tank! And how fun is this plaid Amanda Uprichard top?

Helzberg Diamonds Aisle Style Sweepstakes

Happy Monday! I'm excited to be partnering with Helzberg Diamonds today to share all the details on their Aisle Style Pinterest sweepstakes!

This month, Helzberg is helping brides-to-be say "I do" in style by offering them the chance to win some amazing prizes to use towards their wedding! One lucky bride-to-be (hopefully one of my Cupcakes & Couture readers!) will win a $1,000 Helzberg Diamonds gift card and a $1,000 David’s Bridal gift certificate. And, one runner-up will win a $100 Helzberg Diamonds gift card and a $100 David’s Bridal gift certificate. If you're like me and not engaged quite yet, that's okay! Aspirational brides-to-be are welcome to enter too. :)

Click through for the details on how to enter!

What I Wore: Vintage Nautical

For today's outfit post, I'm sharing the final set of photos from my shoot with Gold West Vintage. I wore a red & white striped nautical dress with espadrilles and my vintage yellow clutch, which Lynn accessorized perfectly with her vintage gold jewels. The whole outfit felt very 40s to me in the best way possible, like I was sailing on a cruise ship with all of my most fabulous jewelry. :) It was super windy when we were shooting, so please don't mind my messy hair! I tried so hard to keep it neat, but it was impossible up on this high-rise deck.

Linking up with rhea, et cetera; I Would So Rock This; Style Elixir & WIMIHH

Lately on Instagram...

Happy Monday and welcome to summer! :) I hope you all had a great weekend filled with sunshine. I wanted to share some of my Instagram photos to let you know what I've been up to lately.

warm weather calls for white pants and peonies!

I went to see Boston Ballet's performance of Jewels and it was fantastic!

wearing Peace Love Tulle skirt & Gift Shop Brooklyn clutch

What I Wore: Studded LBD

For today's post, I'm sharing my second look from my my photoshoot with Gold West Vintage. I brought along this LBD with studded shoulders that I thought might be fun to pair with all of Lynn's jewels! I accessorized with my vintage Gucci clutch and the coral heels you saw last week with my sailboat shift. I think this look would be perfect for a summer date night, don't you? I like that it's different from my typical ultra-girly looks and is a bit more urban and sexy!

Linking up with The Mummy Chronicles/101 Things I Love

{CLOSED} Alexis Kletjian Fine Jewelry Party {and an Exclusive Giveaway!}

Last Thursday, I had the privilege of co-hosting a sneak peek jewelry party for Alexis Kletjian Fine Jewelry with one of my favorite blogger friends, Georgina. We invited a group of Boston bloggers to join us at Tryst Studio in Hingham to view some of Alexis' beautiful jewelry for the first time. Susan Norton PR coordinated the entire event, and she didn't miss a single detail! You may notice that the photos in this post are much nicer than my regular photos...that's because the majority of them were snapped by the very talented Stephanie Olsen.

You have likely noticed my rose gold bangle made by Alexis in a bunch of my outfit posts and Instagram photos - I bought it a few months ago right after meeting Alexis at a blogger dinner and wear it almost every single day! She's also going to help me create a custom vintage-inspired ring using the center diamond from my late Grammy's engagement ring, which should be a fun and really meaningful process for me. 

Georgina and I got to Tryst {who has been awarded Best of Weddings for makeup every year by The Knot since 2011} early so the lovely staff could do our makeup for the party. Aren't they an absolutely gorgeous bunch of girls?

Lately on Instagram...

Wow...the past few weeks have flown by! I can't believe we're already into the second week of June. Here's what I've been up to lately through my Instagram photos!

spring is my favorite season - I've been going on lots of nice walks around Boston!

What I Wore: Shades of Blue

Happy Tuesday - I hope you all had a great weekend! I've been having such great luck with Hautelook lately and found this fun patterned Romeo & Juliet Couture on sale for $25. In the first set of photos, I wore a sheer blouse with a tank underneath, and in the second set of photos where I was modeling jewelry for Gold West Vintage's summer lookbook, I wore a darker blouse. The photo shoot was so much fun, and this is only one of the outfits I got to wear, so stay tuned for more outfit photos featuring Gold West Vintage jewelry in the coming weeks!

Gift Guide: Mother's Day

Mother's Day is coming up next Sunday, May 11th - do you know what you're buying your mum yet? I've put together a great list with gift ideas for mums with all tastes, and almost all the gifts are under $100. Let me know what you think of my ideas in the comments below!

{CLOSED} Giveaway: Luna Marin Strands

Happy Marathon Monday to my Bostonians, and regular Monday to the rest of you! :) Today I'm partnering up with Luna Marin for a fun jewelry giveaway!

Luna Marin is a new jewelry brand that's handmade in New York and features unique, tangle-free bracelets with interchangeable strands you can switch up as often as your style - kind of like a modern charm bracelet!

{CLOSED} What I Wore & a Giveaway: Majestical Jewelry

Happy first day of April! Today I have a new outfit post and an exciting giveaway sponsored by Majestical Jewelry. They sent me a pair of adorable daisy stud earrings which are perfect for spring and I paired them with a fun embellished sweatshirt, skinny jeans and Chuck Taylors for a casual weekend look. Click through to see more photos (I had a fun special guest for this shoot) and enter to win a $20 gift card to spend on anything you want at Majestical Jewelry - they have so many great pieces to choose from, including statement necklaces, bracelets, earrings and more!

March Wish List

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend! I thought I'd start off the week by sharing my March wish list filled with all the things I've been coveting lately but either can't afford or shouldn't buy. ;) At least I can look at the collage I made and ooh & aah at all of the pretty things!! Which on my list is your favorite? What have you been wishing for lately?