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Holiday Product Spotlight with JORD Wood Watches + Giveaway

27 November 2016

*Thank you, JORD Wood Watches for sponsoring this post.
To view the entire JORD collection, click here.  To shop the watch Martin is wearing, click here.  

Well guys, it's the officially the season to shop hard.  First of all, how did the year fly by so fast and second, have you guys gotten a head start on your gift lists yet?  It's always super easy for me to shop for the women in my life, but if you ask me what I'm gifting my men, I will literally look at you for the answers.  I never get it right and I don't know how many more years I can continue to gift my dad sweaters or Martin shirts for work haha.  If you're on my same gift trend, this one's for you.  Let me fill you in on a secret that's seriously a no brainer.  Men like accessories too!  Wait what?  Yup, did your brain explode?  There are so many timeless pieces that serve as amazing gifts, but none like a cool watch.  Enter, Wood Watches by JORD.  JORD creates luxury hand-crafted all-natural wooden watches for men and women and let me tell you guys, these are amazing.  My very first obsession is the attention to detail every style has that makes them all so unique.  For example, every watch style is made from wood found all around the world.  The watch seen here in my post is Zebrawood, which is native to West Africa.  Tell me that isn't a gnarly feature?  My second obsession is how incredibly lightweight these pieces are.  I once held one of Martin's watches and it was so heavy I wondered why he didn't just wear weights on his wrist.  It's so rare to find accessories that are so fashionable, sophisticated and lightweight all at the same time.  I really REALLY appreciate these gems when I find them.  Finally, I love the versatility of this collection.  From shape to color, there are several men and women watches to choose from that totally makes it hard to remember you're shopping for someone else - UGH.  Lucky for you guys, the JORD team and I are running a contest and basically...everyone is a winner!  Just for entering, we are gifting all participants a $25 e-gift code. The grand prize winner will receive a $75 e-gift code to use towards the purchase of your very own JORD Wood Watch!  To enter, click on the link below and feel free to share this contest with your friends too!  The contest will close December 18th at 11:59pm. The $25 code will expire on February 28th, 2017.  Good luck!


Xo..Melissa Victoria



Warm To The Core | Uniqlo HEATTECH Collection

20 November 2016



Shop The Look

Leggings: Uniqlo (Shop here) // Top: Uniqlo (Shop here + here) // Beanie: Uniqlo (Shop here)

Hey guys!  Quick question.  Am I the only one who shivers uncontrollably in 70 degree weather!?  Feeling cold has always been a struggle of mine and there's honestly nothing more I hate than having to pack a thousand layers on everywhere I go.  Basically, I'm just not made up for anything below 70 degrees! However, I feel pretty confident in saying I might have found a solution.  In a fun campaign with Uniqlo, I was able to try out the brand's new HEATTECH collection and it honestly couldn't have been more perfect.  I can truly review this line and say IT WORKS.  The HEATTECH collection is composed of innovative knitted fabric that features heat retention properties to keep you warm and a soft texture for pure comfort.  I do have to say I was stoked when I read the line's description, but when I first touched my leggings, I wondered how in the world I would be kept warm off of what felt like a super thin piece of fabric.  It just didn't make sense to me and maybe I don't know a thing about science, but I can vouch and say I went on a long walk last night in my HEATTECH leggings and did not feel cold at all.  The fact that this collection's fabric is SO incredibly thin is probably my favorite part because it's literally an overall benefit to layering up without the chunk.  There have been so many times where I've had to "ruin" an outfit by layering on a jacket and it feels so incredibly cool to now have a product to cheat the system with!  Whether you want to wear a HEATTECH item as an undershirt or to just wear it as is like I'm wearing here,  you can definitely bet you will stay warm.  Maybe I'm not too scared to travel into colder cities anymore guys!  Anyway, the collection is made up of socks, t-shirts, long sleeves, leggings, body shapers for men and women and comes in several different colors.  Are you ready to stay warm to the core?  Shop the collection by clicking on any of the links above in the details and don't forget to let me know how you liked this line!  Talk to you soon!

Xo..Melissa Victoria 

**This post is sponsored by Uniqlo. All opinions expressed are my own.

Fall in Orange County | My Style

16 November 2016



Shop The Look

Top: Forever 21 Bodysuit (Shop similar style here + here + here ) // Jeans: HM (Shop similar here + here + here) // Shoes: Urban Outfitters (shop similar here + here) // Felt Hat: Forever 21 (Shop similar  here + here) // Sunglasses: Ray Ban (shop here)

You guys, I'm stuck in limbo over here! We're half way into November and it's literally 80 degrees out.  A few years ago, I worked for a small company that operated out of both California and Virginia.  I'd often call the Virginia receptionist and talk all about the weather because I was so fascinated with how cold it was out there and how hot it was here.  While she talked about her 50 degree weather, I kind of felt horrible telling her I spent the first few hours of Thanksgiving at the beach *insert palm to face here*.  Still, I enjoyed conversing with her and painting an image of what fall looked like somewhere else and all I'd wear if I lived in a place like Virginia.  That's the thing about fall in Orange County though!  Because our weather is so warm 75% of the year, we lose out on pretty coats but we do gain the creativity of establishing our own kind of fall style.  Who's to say we can't wear felt hats when it's 80 degrees out!?  It's fall!  I like to say my fall style is all about transitional items and making the basics work.  If you can look like fall without causing yourself heat exhaustion - do it. Check out my fall look below for a little more inspiration and don't forget to shop my look above in the links.  Talk to you guys soon!

Xo..Melissa Victoria


Maid of Honor Duties : Where To Start Guide

04 November 2016

Photos by Vincent Gomez (book him & his team here)


So your best friend, sister or family member has designated you as the Maid of Honor of her wedding and basically, you're about to faint.  Brace yourself.  The next several months of your life will be full of planning and you're going to love it because you have no choice.  As a now experienced MOH, I definitely learned a thing or two about getting started on this journey that almost might seem like your own wedding!  When I was assigned the role for my sister's wedding, I had no idea where to even begin and literally scrolled through wedding blogs for any tips I could find.  I mean it's a huge honor to be the head maid of the wedding so you obviously want to be the best MOH out there! However, I'm not going to lie, it's a tough job even for the best party planner out there.  Are you ready to take notes?  Grab your party planning book and a bottle of champagne ladies, this is NOT a drill.

1. First thing's first - GET REAL.

Your duties now include coordinating dress shopping, any bridal events, the bachelorette party and the bridal shower.  Of course you have these super high expectations and want to wow the bride and all her girlfriends to prove why you were asked over any other friend.  That's cool but let's get real for a second, this isn't your wedding so whatever you want isn't the final say.  Sit down with the bride and ask her what she wants.  Some brides will want something much less extravagant than what you were thinking of, which is cool!  Other brides may already have their own plans and ideas of what they want, so take advantage of this and take major notes.  If you're stuck with a bride who has no idea what she wants, DO NOT throw the responsibility on yourself.  This is how people become stressed haha.  You'll want to sit down with the bridesmaids to discuss and throw out any ideas!  It should be a fun process.


2.  Lock those dates down.

Dates are important and you want to make sure you choose something far in advance to accommodate everyone.  On average, people make plans at least 2 months ahead of time, so you definitely want to be ahead of the game.  My sister had her dates locked down pretty much within a month after she formed her bridal party, which really helped.  If you're lost, here's a quick mock list of what should go in order:
  • Dress shopping
  • Bridal events like stuffing envelopes, writing addresses, wedding shopping for miscellaneous props, etc. 
  • The Bachelorette Party
  • The Bridal Shower
Of course this order is optional but I do think these are all main events to be discussed and talked about with all bridesmaids.

3.  Plan ahead.

As soon as my sister started throwing themes out for her Bach and Bridal Shower, I hit Pinterest HARD for inspiration.  I made detailed excel sheets for each event to track what I needed and what had already been completed.  You guys should have seen the spreadsheet I made to track every girl down for the Bachelorette party lol.  I had their email addresses, phone number, ride information, payment method, what events they'd be attending...like all that was missing was emergency contact info for each girl haha.  It's okay to plan ahead though!  It honestly makes things SO much easier because it feels like a prolonged party planning process instead of a rushed and stressful process.  The best advice I can share with you guys is to map out what each event should look like.  For example, I looked up images of our room for the Bachelorette party and I drew out where I wanted each decoration to "practice" my vision rather than get there and just throw things anywhere.  Call me a crazy planner, but I'm super detailed so planning ahead doesn't hurt.


4. Save save save.

This is why planning ahead is so crucial because you get an idea of what your budget will look like and an estimate of how much each girl will be spending.  Since you're the head maid, it's up to you to decide what extra details you're going to spend on and not rely on the bridesmaids for.  This doesn't mean go save a million dollars, but like, just be prepared for anything the bride requests that you can potentially make happen.  They will have so much fun and be so excited when you surprise them with even the smallest details!  I had a surprise party bus waiting for us one night at my sister's bach and Snapchat filters that followed us around Vegas for the weekend and they were all a total hit.  Even just putting aside $100 a paycheck makes a world of a difference - trust me!


5. Have patience.

Every MOH should have a silent freak out moment.  Mine was pretty mild lol.  There was most definitely a moment where I was about to explode out of frustration and I'm so happy I didn't because like I said earlier in this post, it's not your wedding therefore the bride doesn't need any extra stress.  Spilling frustrations onto someone else is so useless.  You can talk about it, but there is totally a difference between letting it out and dragging it out.  If it has to do with the bride, talk to your distant friend who isn't in the wedding about it.  If it has to do with the bridesmaids, talk to the bride but be mindful of your approach.  I was lucky because my sister and I were on the same page the whole time and it was easy for me to express my concerns and receive support.  Ultimately, you need to do what's best for the party so if you need help, reach out to the appropriate person.

Trust me when I say this is only the beginning and you have a long way to go haha.  It's honestly not supposed to be a stressful time.  You should be so excited to explore your inner creative side for one of the most important events of your life.  Good luck my fellow maids!  Please don't hesitate to email me if you have any questions or if you just need inspiration.  I'm here for you babes <3

Xo..Melissa Victoria

Stacked Breakfast Parfait Recipe

01 November 2016


I've said this before and I'll say it again: I love a quick breakfast!  Anytime I can prep my morning breakfast the night before is a huge win to me.  I work in a corporate setting where the cafeteria is literally heaven on earth, but super dangerous to my finances and overall health haha.  It's pretty easy for me to stay away from food that doesn't do the body good and because I genuinely care about health, I'm always looking for new ways to improve the health of those around me with easy and tasty recipes.  For those of you who can't manage to grab a quick, hearty meal in the morning, this one's for you!  There's not much to this recipe but a cupful of your favorite fruits and Greek yogurt.  See below for all the details and have a great rest of your day!

You'll Need:

2-3 Spoonfuls of Yogurt - I chose Trader Joe's Greek Yogurt in Nonfat Plain
Handful of blueberries
Diced mangos

**fruit is optional! Feel free to adjust this recipe to your own liking.


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