Come find me on Rue Now!

Hi everyone! It's been a while since I've posted here on Cupcakes & Couture, although some of you have still been following along with me on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter, which I really appreciate.

I took some time off blogging at the end of the summer, and then when work at Rue La La got super crazy in September, I decided to continue my hiatus to focus on my job. The hard work paid off, and I am really excited to announce that I'm a curator for Rue's new fashion newsfeed, Rue Now! If you haven't already, please stop by and check it out - we're curating all the best and most relevant stories in fashion, beauty, home, DIY, lifestyle, & more.

Some of my favorite posts so far have been...

• 5 Classic Handbags Worth the Investment
• Chanel's Couture Runway Collection Has a Spring in its Step
• 6 Yoga Poses You Can Do Without Leaving Your Bed
• How to Wear Short Boots while Staying Warm
• 14 Amazing Two Ingredient Recipes
• OOTD: Gal Meets Glam in Head-to-Toe Blush

I'll be curating 10-12 articles per week, so keep checking back on Rue Now or follow along with me on social media where I'll be sharing the links. While Cupcakes & Couture is still on hiatus, it doesn't mean I'm done with the blog for good! I plan to be back at some point, when the time is right. I'm still posting outfits on Instagram, and I love that I have a creative outlet at work to write about the things I've always been passionate about and have posted about on the blog. It's the first time in my life where my interests and my career have been aligned! :)

Thank you, as always, for following along with me!

What's in My Beach Bag

With Memorial Day weekend right around the corner, it's officially beach season here in New England! One of my Instagram followers suggested I put together a blog post on what's in my beach bag, and I thought it was such a great idea that I'm taking her advice today! :)

I have my beach bag packing down to a science at this point - since the beach is my happy place, I love to get out the door and into my car as fast as I can! ;) Today's guide has all of my beach essentials, whether I'm on vacation or just at my favorite local beach, Plum Island in Newburyport. 

Let me know what you think of my picks in the comments below! What do you pack in your beach bag?

What I Wore: May Flowers

One of my favorite things about the month of May {aside from my birthday} is that all the flowers start blooming around the city! To match the spring vibes, I picked up this super affordable and colorful Milly for Kohls dress and styled it for a charity brunch with my blue envelope bag and a coral statement necklace that dressbarn sent me. I couldn't find the perfect shoes in my closet to go with the outfit, so I borrowed these gorgeous Jimmy Choo pumps from my friend Vanessa! Let me know what you think of my look in the comments below!

PS: Did you win my Jackpot Candles giveaway? Check here!

Linking up with A Lily Love Affair

Life Lately...

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend. I haven't done a life update post since my trip to San Diego in April, so I thought I'd share a bit of what I've been up to over the past month! :)

The most exciting update was the start of my new job at Rue La La! I'm the Executive Assistant to Chief Revenue Officer, EVP of Strategic Partnerships & Executive Creative Director. It's been really exciting working for a fashion centered company since it's what I'm passionate about, and I've been learning a lot!

I put my employee discount to good use when I bought this vintage Chanel maxi flap bag, don't you think?! It's been my dream bag since I was young and I am so thrilled to have been able to buy it at a fraction of the full price!

After almost 7 weeks in the shop, I finally have my beloved Mustang back after March's car accident. Doesn't she look gorgeous?

Life Lately: San Diego

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend! This post is long overdue, but I wanted to share photos from my trip to San Diego earlier this month. The weather was perfect every day we were there and it was so nice visiting my sister and seeing my dad who flew out there from Wisconsin!

My dad rented a 2015 Mustang convertible which was awesome since my Mustang is still in the shop from last month's accident! San Diego is the perfect place to ride around in a convertible.

On my first day there, my sister took my dad and I to Coronado to ride bikes around the island. Here's a little known fact about me: I'm terrified of riding bikes. I flipped over the handlebars of one in middle school, bit a hole straight through my lip and needed plastic surgery, so I do not get on a bicycle unless it's absolutely necessary. My sister reassured me that I'd be fine on the bike paths, and I'm glad she did! It was such a beautiful, fun and freeing way to explore the island.

Oh, and the fact that they had a pink bike didn't hurt!

Taking a little break...

Hi everyone! You may have noticed that things have been a little quieter around here lately...I've had so much going on that blogging has had to take a bit of a backseat. Aside from getting in a car accident {I'm thankfully okay, but my car will be in the shop for a few weeks at least,} everything has been exciting and fun. With pageant season in full swing, I've been keeping busy with my role on the Miss Boston board both attending and judging pageants all over Massachusetts almost every weekend, as well as chaperoning our Miss Boston for the St. Patrick's Day parade in Southie!

I've also been busy as the co-chair of the Animal Rescue League's Young Professionals group - if you haven't already, now's the time to join because we have lots of fun events coming up for the spring and summer!

I have an brand new job that I'll be starting next month, and I'll be sharing the details with you as soon as I'm able. All I can say right now is that it's essentially my dream job and I am over the moon excited about it!!! :)

I'm off to visit my sister in San Diego tomorrow, but I do have a new outfit post coming your way, so stay tuned for that! I'll be back to blogging next week when I've returned home and things have quieted down a bit, but make sure you're following me on Instagram so you can see photos from my trip to sunny California! Thanks for sticking with me during this busy period in my life! :)

RESCUE Yourself: How I Relieve Stress

Let's face it: life is busy. We all have a million things going on and feel like there aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done. Right now I'm working 45+ hours a week, spending 30+ hours a week on my blog {writing, shooting & editing photos, maintaining all my social media pages, attending events, etc.} and serving on two charity boards. I love everything I'm doing, but I'm not going to lie: I get pretty stressed out sometimes and feel like I just need a monthlong vacation away from it all! Since that's not really possible, I have to look for other ways to relax, stay stress free and keep all of my responsibilities balanced. I figured a lot of you out there could relate, so I decided to talk about the 6 most important ways I relieve stress today.

1. Get a good night's sleep. I can't stress enough {pardon my pun} how important a good night's sleep is to stay happy, healthy and on top of everything. There's nothing worse than tossing and turning all night just to wake up feeling even more exhausted than you did the night before. I struggle with anxiety, and it often manifests itself at night when I'm trying to fall asleep. For some reason, everything I've been worrying about {even subconsciously!} decides to pop up right as I get into bed. Did I drop off that last FedEx package before I left the office? Respond to all my blog emails? Send out the meeting invite for the Animal Rescue League meeting? My mind gets so filled with thoughts and it feels impossible to turn it off! Luckily, I found Bach RESCUE Sleep liquid melts, which are natural, gentle, safe to use and non-habit forming like so many sleeping aids or pills can be. They're really easy to use - just let one dissolve under your tongue before you go up to bed - and are really effective in helping me fall asleep quickly after I lay down. I definitely recommend trying them out, and you can find them at your local CVS, Whole Foods or Walgreens. Download a coupon here before you buy them!

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!

Life Lately...

I hope you all had a nice long weekend! It's been almost two months since I've done an update on what I've been up to lately, so I thought I'd share a bit with you today. :)

This past Saturday, I judged my first pageant since I became a certified judge with the Miss America Organization - the Miss New Bedford Outstanding Teen pageant! All of the contestants were smart, talented, accomplished, charismatic, and well rounded, so it was tough to make a decision, but I had a great time and am looking forward to judging another! Here's what I wore - outfit details are below the photo:

dress worn as blouse: Never Fully Dressed {old; similar}

skirt: Search for Sanity via LeTote {similar}

heels: Maiden Lane via Gilt

necklace: c/o Sparkles & Pop

Blogger & Instagram friend Carrie Grace has started her own necklace club! You get a brand new necklace delivered to your door each month, like this pretty gold ampersand, so you always have something new to wear. :) 

I was treated to a makeup master class at Blue Mercury on Newbury St. for myself and 5 friends by The Good Ones and it was an absolute blast! I served as the "model" for the tutorials done by Nars makeup artist Eliot, and I finally learned how to do a smokey eye and contouring. I recommend taking the class for a fun girls night to learn new makeup techniques!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing a very Merry Christmas to you all! I hope it's filled with happiness & laughter and spent with your family and friends. :)

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!

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!

Visit: Tower Hill Botanic Garden

One of my favorite things about living in New England is that we truly get to experience all four seasons. The older I get, the harder I fall in love with fall - the crisp weather, the pumpkin and apple spice everything, the sweaters and boots, and most of all, the foliage. This past Monday was a holiday for me and I had the day off work, so my mum and I visited Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, MA, just under an hour's drive from Boston. I had never been before and was blown away by the natural beauty of the grounds! I took about a zillion photos to show you all just how gorgeous the gardens were, and I highly recommend making a trip out to Tower Hill one day this fall to see the beauty for yourself. I can't wait to go back in the spring when all the flowers are in bloom - that should be an entirely different but similarly amazing experience!

loved the contrast of this fire red maple against the cottage on the grounds...

a peaceful place to relax...

through the winding trellis arches...

Weekend Recap: NYFW

This weekend was such a whirlwind, but my first experience at New York Fashion week was an exciting one! I flew to NYC after work on Friday evening and stayed at the Ink48 hotel in Midtown. I had an amazing experience with the hotel and would definitely recommend it to anyone staying in that area!

I brought the hotel concierge some of my glitter wine and champagne glasses to keep on hand for special occasions and celebrations at the hotel, and he sent me this bottle of rose as a thank you! 

How amazing was the view from the roof? I had a similar one from my room just a few floors down.

Lately on Instagram & a Giveaway! {CLOSED}

Today is my first day back to reality after my little beach getaway to Plum Island, and I have to say it's tough being back to work and admitting that summer is basically over! I'm really missing the beach and the cozy little cottage I rented with Phoebe & Oliver. {Yes, I vacation with my cats...}

our little cottage

beautiful Plum Island beach

they still sleep on my head no matter where we stay!

Lately on Instagram...

It's been over a month since I last shared what I've been up to on Instagram! :) This summer is flying right by and I've been keeping super busy - here are some photos that show what I've been doing lately.

Spent a beautiful day in Newburyport where I got to climb to the top of Plum Island Light!

Blogger Road Trip: Saratoga Race Course

Happy Monday! If you follow me on Instagram and Twitter, you may know by now that I was lucky enough to take a road trip with 19 other Boston bloggers to Saratoga this past Saturday courtesy of America's Best Racing! It was such a fun day and I want to recap it all for you now.

photo copyright Dan Tordjman

We got up bright and early and met downtown at 7am to board our private luxury coach and hit the road for Saratoga, NY! Noelle of Rue Le Chat worked with America's Best Racing to get the trip organized and got us prepared for the fun day ahead.

For our 3.5 hour drive down, we were gifted with boxed white and rose wine courtesy of Richer Pour.