The Good Girl Gone Blog

Photo Diary: Work It!

Raise your hand if you actually know what I do for work? Well, you know I plan cool conferences and work in social media, but did you know that I get to go to some of my favorite stores weekly? No, I'm not a personal shopper/wealthy socialite/compulsive spender, I run social media for a few local retail centers! I thought I'd share a couple of the photos I've taken recently for the Middlesex Commons Facebook and Twitter pages.
Does that smiling face look familiar? That's because it's the lovely Lynzy from Sparkling Footsteps! She entered a recent sweepstakes we ran on our Facebook page and was our randomly chosen winner (I promise, it was totally random!).
Yup, that's Amy of Stylish Year! She helped put together a few fun videos with me about summer fashion. (I'm still kicking myself for not buying that Rebecca Minkoff bag from Nordstrom Rack in the bottom of the cart- it was a great deal!)

I'm hoping to work with some more bloggers in the future. If you're local, be sure to check out some of the pages I run, especially Middlesex Commons, which you can get a feel for from the photos above!

Disclaimer: As always, opinions are my own. I was not asked to write this post by my employer, I just thought it would be fun to share with you!

Business Cute

Just a fun little work look I put together using some of the pieces I purchased at my Nordstrom personal stylist session. I'm all about mixing new pieces with pieces I already have in my closet, and this look is no exception. The shoes, shades and top are pretty popular staples in my wardrobe and they mix nicely with the new capris, necklace and eyelet blazer. I *wish* I could find the Frenchi blazer online and share the link with you, as it was relatively inexpensive and a great piece to add to your wardrobe. Unfortunately, it's no longer available, but here's another cute option from Frenchi.

I'm off to South Carolina for the next couple of days for a work trip but will be back and blogging soon!

Outfit Details: Frenchi Blazer, Anne Klein Necklace, JAG capris- Nordstrom; Shoes- c/o Shoeline; Sunglasses- gift from Armani Internship.

A Little Friday Fun with Cottonelle

Just a little silly fun on a Friday :) Cottonelle, which happens to be my TP of choice (come on, the puppies are adorable) is doing a fun little contest on their Facebook page to help name their new 2-step routine. You can check it out here and enter to win a year's supply of Cottonelle products. (I know, I know, it's not a car or even a new pair of shoes, but you have to admit, it's a fun contest!)

The Clever Girls Collective, in conjunction with Cottonelle, has asked us to come up with a name that describes the product + has something to do with travel for the chance to win a sweet cash prize

Here's what I came up with:

With the upcoming Olympics in London, I thought a roayl theme made sense. Even if you're not physically traveling to London, you'll be transported there virtually via TV/Internet etc. Plus, with the ultra plush feel of Cottonelle, "Royal" is the perfect word to describe how you'll feel after using their 2-step routine.

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post, but it will serve as a contest entry. As always, opinions are my own.

Everything you Never Knew about: The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

When you hear the word "sale", you typically think of old, last season pieces offered at a discount, right? Well, forget everything you think you know about sales and head to Nordstrom on July 20th for the Anniversary Sale. 

So what's so special about it? Well, for starters, you can get discounts on clothes for NEXT season. Think cute leather jackets, feminine shift dresses, bright tights and fun tech accessories. Plus, Nordstrom works with designers to bring you exclusive items, not available in other stores. 

Though many east coasters may not be as familiar with the sale, apparently, people on the west coast plan their summer vacations around the sale, which has been a yearly tradition since the 1960s. For 2 weeks (July 20-August 5 2012), enjoy discounts on new merchandise from brands like Marc Jacobs, Rag & Bone, Rebecca Minkoff, Kate Spade and more!

Are you a beauty junky? Have no fear, Nordstrom has something special for you too. Look for limited-edition beauty exclusives from the brands you love, like MAC, Smashbox, Bobbi Brown and more.  The items above? Gifts from Nordstrom at the press event. Thanks so much!

It was super fun to go "behind the curtains" with my blogger friends where items are available for Nordstrom Fashion Rewards memebers before they're available to the general public.

Thanks to Nordstrom for the opportunity to attend the pre-sale preview and for the beauty goodies! I was not compensated for this post, and opinions are entirely my own.

Nordstrom Knows Best

This Post is Brought to You by Nordstrom.

I had the pleasure of working on a campaign with Nordstrom (!!) where I was tasked to work with a personal stylist and write about my experience. I've never used a personal shopper before, so I was definitely a bit wary at first. Due to my unique size and lack of huge budget, I was worried I wouldn't be able to find anything that would work. 

My fear immediately subsided when I met my personal stylist, Catherine, a bubbly, petite girl with an amazing sense of style. Catherine definitely did her research, she looked at my blog and read over the questionaire I filled out about my size and style and pulled some very "Alana" pieces. 

Unfortunately, a ton of Catherine's original picks ended up being too big, but that didn't stop her from pulling even more stuff for me over the course of 4 hours. From Kate Spade accessories to Vince Camuto tops and Gibson blazers, I tried on pieces from brands I'd only read about before. And the best part? Every piece I ended up with cost less than $100, a goal I set for myself at the get go.

Here are a few tips I picked up from Catherine:

1. Check out pieces from Halogen, one of Nordstrom's own brands that's budget friendly and also comes in petites. They make really awesome basics that come in different colors (I ended up with an awesome khaki pencil skirt and opted to get the same skirt in a fun print).
2. Many of the pieces in the other departments also come in petite, and if they're not available in-store, check online.
3. Don't be afraid to grab pieces from different departments- I definitely ended up with a few awesome items straight from BP, the so called "juniors department".
4. If something fits, buy it in lots of colors- I know we've all heard this before, but it's so true, especially when you're a special size.

And if you're curious about what I picked up, here are a few of my favorite pieces: Kate Spade Necklace | Jag Jeans | Anne Klein Necklace | Gibson Blazer | Halogen Pencil Skirt.

Special thanks to Nordstrom for the amazing opportunity. I was compensated for my post, but all opinions are my own.

Shirt + Shirt

In terms of my blog, Salem is an amazing place full of awesome photo shoot locations, new and interesting shops and boutiques and a constant source of great content. This shot, for example, is taken behind my apartment. I did not have this kind of space in Boston.
The "skirt" above is actually a top I scored at the most recent Swapaholics event. I was in a rush to meet my cousins for dinner, so I asked Melissa to help me find a few pieces that looked like they'd fit. She came back with this French Connection strapless top and a cute, pink skirt which I'm hoping to wear soon. The top was a little too big to be worn the conventional way, but it worked amazingly well as a skirt!
Sigh. I love it here...Can't wait to show you pictures of our apartment. We've been spending the past two weeks unpacking and rearranging things and it's slowly but surely becoming a home.

Outfit Details: Top- H&M; Sunglasses- Armani (gift); Patterned tube top (worn as skirt) - FCUK via The Swapaholics; Shoes- Born Bindi c/o Shoeline (as seen here); Bag- c/o Little Black Bag; Belt- Primark.

evo: My New Hair Lineup

I'm excited to share a new-to-me product line, evo! With a motto like "saving ordinary humans from themselves," you know it's packed with great ingredients with a side of sass. To begin with, the product names are great: salty dog cocktail beach spray (a personal favorite!), happy campers hard working moisturizer (great for protecting your hair from the sun), liquid rollers curl balm (non-greasy, curl taming amazingness)...the list goes on.

The design is simple, the product descriptions fun to read and the scents amazing (they're girlfriend tested, boyfriend approved!).

This description from the evo site pretty much explains it all:

"fresh from the primordial gene pool, the best cutters, designers and lab rats in the business have created evo : the most luxurious, innovative and yet sensible hair care range that has ever existed. born from a desire to produce a high quality salon range (and not sell it as the answer to life, love and other woes), evo steps outside the normal realm of truth-stretching invention, to help people think a little and look good, all at the same time. evo... sweet revenge against an industry of over-inflated truths."

Basically, there's a product for every type of hair and it's better than what you've used before. Seriously, I really do love this stuff.

Special thanks to The Moxie Agency for sending over these fabulous evo products. Honestly, they sent over so many, it would be rude of me not to share.

So...I'm going to give away one of the products that I haven't tried yet, love touch shine spray, a $26.95 value!

Simply enter via the rafflecopter form below. US only, giveaway goes through July 18th. Good luck!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I was provided these products to review, but opinions are my own. I was not compensated to write this post.

This Just In: I Love Salem!

Jeez Louise, it's been a while since I've blogged. Since my last post, I've been packing, moving, unpacking, dealing with no AC, meeting my new neighbors, exploring Salem, taking Maggie to a new dog park, working, eating an entire box of Cinnamon toast crunch, realizing that my favorite movie in high school is actually pretty bad, showing my best friend my new city...

I promise, I'll be back soon with your regularly scheduled G3B posts...and hopefully a site redesign. Sit tight my friends, sit tight.

Also, the above photo happened. It was amazing. I love Salem...